Sorting

Caleb did a fun activity this morning.  It not only kept him busy for 20 minutes, but it also helped him with colors and sorting!  Then he decided he needed some glue so he could make a bunny.  Oh, I love that kid.

For this craft/activity you will need a package of multicolored pom pom's and a few small bowls to sort the pom pom's into.  

I took a minute to show Caleb what the goal was and I could hardly finish explaining because he was already in sorting mode.

I kept hearing him talk to himself, "Dis one goes in dis one!" 

He was so proud when I would tell him, "Yes! You're right! Great job!"

I would say this activity is best for 2-5 year olds.

Well actually, maybe it's perfect for any age because I had to stop myself from sorting them with him...ha!

Happy Wednesday!

Best Waldorf Chicken Salad

I had a hankerin' yesterday for some good ol', homemade Waldorf chicken salad....so, I made some!

It. was. good.

Recipe:

2 1/2 cups chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken, $3.99 at the grocery store!)

1 1/2 cups grapes, sliced in half

1 apple, diced

1/2 cup celery

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

1 tbl. sugar

Salt

Lots of fresh ground peppa

Mix together and serve over lettuce....yum!

Then there's this fabulous meal:

I used to crave PB&J when I was pregnant with Caleb and the craving hit today...oh my word, so good.

Especially with a big glass of cold milk.

I ate it at in my office while I worked on filling Etsy orders...

It's a very professional office space.

Feathers

Source: etsy.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: abeautifulmess.typepad.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

Source: modcloth.com via Eliza on Pinterest

Source: penabranca.tumblr.com via Morna on Pinterest

Source: bridalmusings.com via Tiffany on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Mei on Pinterest

Aren't they pretty?

19

How far along? 19 weeks
Maternity Clothes? YES! Since week 10. I stopped in at a huge consignment sale yesterday and grabbed a few great maternity clothes, including $40 pajamas I have been eyeing at Motherhood except I only paid $5!
Stretch Marks? Not yet...I'm hoping the few I got from Caleb will be the only ones I'll have...I gained a lot of weight with him, so that can't hurt this time around, right???
Weight Gain? Oh the dreaded question...15 pounds...woops!
Sleep: Unlike the first trimester, I seem not to require much these days.  I usually get about 6-7 hours.
Best moment this week: Caleb coming over to me, laying his hand on my belly, rubbing it and then leaning down and kissing it...totally out of the blue! Melted my heart!
Miss anything? Yes...my second & third cup of coffee!
Movement: This little one is sooo much more active than Caleb ever was!  The little kicks are so hard sometimes that it tickles really bad.  Seth and Caleb have already been able to feel the kicking too.
Cravings?  Still salty things! Hot dogs, chicken, buffalo dip.  I also have been craving fruit too...especially apples.
Anything make you queasy or sick? If I wait too long between meals/snacks.  Otherwise, as of 2 weeks ago, my nausea for no reason has left the building!
Gender? Well, the ultrasound tech knows, but we are keeping it a BIG SURPRISE!
Labor Signs: No...thank goodness
Symptoms:  I still burp a lot, not as much as I did 1st trimester, but it's still a lot.  I also have sciatic nerve pain on my right side...sometimes it makes me limp!
Belly button in or out? Still in! I have a major inny so it never popped out with Caleb, just kind of leveled out.
Wedding rings on or off? My bands are off but my ring is on.  I waited way too long to take my bands off with Caleb and I almost had to cut them off so I took preventative measures this time and just went ahead and took them off a few weeks ago.
Happy or Moody? This week I have been extremely moody! Before this week I would've said HAPPY but this week I haven't gotten a ton of sleep.
Looking forward to:  Visiting our family in Virginia for Thanksgiving and feeding this baby some turkey, mashed potatoes and chocolate pie!!!

I want to show yall some of the maternity things I got yesterday!

These pajamas for $5

This Liz Lange Ruched T...a purple and a red for $2 a piece!

This Gap white tshirt for $3!

And I got a really cute black and white colorblock tunic too for $3.  

I'm not too good for second hand...in fact, I'd say I'm slightly addicted to getting good things second hand!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We all have so much to be thankful for.

DIY Christmas Art

I wanted something Christmas-y, inexpensive, simple and modern to put on my mantle this year...so I decided to make it myself (surprise, surprise!).

 Let me just tell you, this tutorial is super easy and I have had several people over to the house tell me they think it's so cute.

Start with a blank canvas.

You'll also need some paint...I did bright, Christmas red, but gold or silver or green would also be fun!

Paint your entire canvas, including the sides.

Then you need a paint pen.  I chose white.

Next, I opened up WORD and found three fonts that I really liked. 

 I typed "ho ho ho" in those three different fonts and free-handed the font types onto my canvas...I just used it as a point of reference to help me add diverse fonts for my ho's....does that sound funny to anyone else besides me?

Tip: Make sure your canvas is completely dry before you try to use your paint pens.

I also added a little peppermint stick detail to the sides of my canvas.

 Here is the finished product at night.

Is there anything more magical than Christmas lights at night? Maybe Disney World, but that's about it.

Here it is during the day!

I had fun, it was easy and only took about an hour.

Check out some of these other fun Christmas DIY's:

Cute craft for kids from Life in Motion using your kids feet!

Easy and beautiful candles using double sided tape and glitter from The Ivy Cottage:

Shabby Chic Christmas Trees from Puttin' On the GRITS

Have you done any fun Thanksgiving or Christmas crafts lately?

Share with us!

Baby check in :)

We had our BIG ultrasound today! And no, we did NOT find out if we are having a boy or girl...I am so excited to keep this one a SURPRISE (much to Seth's dismay). 

I am just so happy that our little wiggly baby is healthy.  All body parts are accounted for and everything looks just as it should! Thank you Jesus!

Here is our little wiggle worm:

So sweet.

We saw wiggle worm stretch, yawn, put hands over his/her head and stick the thumb in the mouth!

Seth is convinced it's a boy.  Caleb was the only one who watched the lower body ultrasound (Seth and I turned our heads so we couldn't see any "parts"). 

 We asked Caleb afterwards, "Was the baby a boy or girl?" He said, "A sister!" Which is REALLY funny because we weren't even aware that he knew the word, "sister".

On another fun note, don't you just LOVE Pinterest???

I found this cute idea on there this weekend and decided to surprise Caleb with his very own Mr. Potato Head felt board play set. 

 He thought it was so funny.  It was super simple...I free handed cutting the shapes and accessories out of cheap felt from the craft store and this is what I ended up with!

I hope you all had a fabulous Monday! Seth's four day is over :( So sad...but on Friday we head back to Virginia for Thanksgiving and I am so excited...maybe a little more excited about eating all that good food than I should be :-/ Haha!

The Green, Lean, Mean Wrinkle Machine

Wow! I made something delish today.  It's not full of cheese or grease or sugar or butter like you might think..although I will admit, those are some good things too.

  Nope, it's made from all of these goodies!

It's packed full of antioxidants and age fighters..which are both great for your health, your beauty and wrinkles!

Here's the recipe (I found the original on pinterest and tweaked it a bit):

1 banana

1 green pear

1/2  cup of cucumber

1 1/2 cups of pineapple

2-3 cups of spinach

Blend together and ENJOY!

This will make 2 large smoothies.

Still interested/skeptical on HOW this drink really benefits your body?  

Here's the break down on just a few of the benefits of each ingredient:

CUCUMBERS: Full of fiber, vitamins A and C, folic acid, as well as other vitamins and minerals.  They also have high amounts of silica...silica helps strengthen our connective tissue, which is what holds our bodies together!

PEARS:  High in fiber, folate, Vitamins A, C, K, B,and boron (boron helps our bodies store calcium)

PINEAPPLE:  Contains fiber, Vitamins E, B and C, potassium and can aid in preventing mouth diseases.

BANANAS: High in potassium, iron and vitamin B. Contains fiber . Helps fight depression.  Aid's in healthy kidney function, helps maintain low blood pressure which in turn reduces stress levels.

SPINACH: This list could go on forever...High in fiber, a great cancer preventative food.  It's an anti-inflammatory, strengthens immune system, lowers blood pressure, high in vitamin A which promotes healthy skin (including acne and wrinkle prevention!!!) Also full of vitamin K and a ton of other vitamins and minerals!

Plus...it's so good!!!!

Like this recipe?
Pin it for safe keeping!

Veterans Day & MilSpouse Magazine!!!

Hello to all and Happy Veterans Day! 

 I am so thankful to every single Veteran who has sacrificed.  All the dad's and mom's who have missed months and even years with their children and families who have given the ultimate sacrifice for all of us...no words would ever be sufficient enough to say thank you.

I'm especially proud of all my family members who are Veterans and extra proud of my husband! We love him so much!

Seriously, look at this hunk! :-)

AND as a military spouse, I was contacted recently about having my fabric wreath tutorial published in MilSpouse Magazine and guess what???

 It's in this months issue!  

Now, I just have to make it up to base to grab myself a copy!

 Prettttttttty excited about it :)

BLOG PARTY and House Tour- Caleb's Room

Here's my little man's big boy/little boy room.

A few weeks before Caleb was born, I sat in the floor for hours making that alphabet wall art for him.  I am so glad I did! It has been such a versatile piece that has worked in all three of his rooms (we've had 3 homes in the 2 1/2 years he's been alive!)

All I did was grab a large canvas, paint it and then I cut letters out of scrapbook paper and glued them on.  Super easy, a little time consuming but well worth it!

Vintage globe borrowed from my parents.  One of my favorite parts of his room!

My mom made Caleb that cute pillow when he was just an infant.  It's something he will keep forever.

I had to add some Americana in here too :)

He loves playing in his big boy room.  One of his favorite things to do is to sit in front of his bookshelf and pull books out, one by one, looking through each page.  

I am excited about the challenge of creating a nursery for this new little one on the way.  It's a nursery and guest room all in one and it's a small space...plus we aren't finding out if we are having a boy or girl so it makes it even more challenging to decorate but I am totally up to it, thanks to Pinterest for a zillion great ideas!

Now it's your turn...we want to see YOUR kids room or nursery! Not finished with their room yet? That's okay...link up with your ideas or projects you've started!

You don't have any kids? That's okay too! Link up with your favorite kid/s room!

DIY Leather Cord Bracelet...EASY!!!

This is the easiest DIY I will ever post...so if you like the look of the leather cord bracelets that everyone is wearing this fall, this is a cheap, easy way to DO IT YOURSELF! :)

Step 1: Grab some leather cord and a little bag of these clasps/hooks..you'll only need two of them and I found an entire bag of them at Walmart in the jewelry section for a little over $1.

Step 2: I used about 2 yards of the leather cord (very long) then tied the hooks around each end of my cord, snipping off any excess.

 Step 3: Wrap the cord around your wrist. 

This may take a few minutes to get it at a comfortable tightness.

Now you have your bracelet! 

Squash the cord together to create more of a braided looking bracelet...

Or spread it apart (my favorite way) to create a wide, wrapped bracelet.

I think it would also be fabulous to add a second leather bracelet in an aqua or teal color!

I've also doubled the cord and worn it as a leather necklace.

This is such a versatile project.

I hope you have fun and save money by making your own!

***If anyone is interested in advertising their blog or etsy shop on my blog this month, shoot me an email for details! retrogalusa@aol.com

Christmas Time's a Comin'

It's true...Christmas is soooo close! I am super excited about it too.  So excited, I spent yesterday afternoon creating this Santa's Cookies and Milk Set for Caleb and my Etsy shop...I can NOT wait for Caleb to use it!

Interested in having a set for your child? Use code PEACOCK at checkout for 20% off your order!