Typical

So yesterday, I got the camera out to try to snap a few pictures of the kids, since I hadn't been blogging that much lately. The results I got were typical, sweet faces from Shelby Claire like this:

and this:

and this:

From Jake, I got this:

And this:

Yep, that pretty much sums their personalities up right there.

Congrats are in Order!!

A BIG Shout- Out to the Cochran family who welcomed Elizabeth Catherine "Ellie Cate" on Tuesday morning. At least I'm pretty sure it was the 9th, to be honest Tim's night schedule has our whole routine messed up, I don't know if I'm coming or going! Anyways, Ellie Cate has arrived and is just perfect! Ellie Cate weighed a whopping 8 lbs 6oz, which may not sound all that big, but for those of you that know Conner personally, she is a TINY little lady, so an 8 lb-er is BIG! Ellie Cate is just beautiful and has an amazing set of chubby cheeks! I hear Ruby Jane is thrilled about being a big sister, Conner is resting and recovering nicely and Jason couldn't be any more thrilled to be the Daddy of 2 such gorgeous daughters! Here's to a speedy recovery and we are praying for your family.

Sleepy Girl

Shelby Claire was a little sleepy in this picture but hey, at least she wasn't crying!

Book #8- Done!

8 Books Down- 42 To Go!

So, my 8th book was In My Dark Dreams by J.F. Freedman. This was the  first book I've ever read my Mr. Freedman and I really enjoyed it. The book is about a man that gets arrested and the case against him is largely circumstantial so I spent the whole book going back and forth, did he do it or not? Really great writing and I love stories that I can't figure out until the very end. If you like a good legal drama and don't mind all of the courtroom proceedings, which I actually found very interesting, then this is a good choice for you.

No Cost Cork Board Makeover

So yesterday I got A LOT of home catalogs, awesome. It was like Christmas morning for me. So I started flipping through the pages and the ideas started coming. I sawTHIS cork board  from Ballard Designs.

Pretty cool right? The Damask print is printed directly onto the cork itself, I mean I could do that right? Well, I went out to the garage and got out my old cork board, I mean, this thing is ancient. It used to hang in my room from about middle school on.

See, basic cork board,  not in the best shape but its what I had and my plan was if this didn't look somewhat presentable, I would cover it with fabric. So, while I LOVE Damask stuff, I really didn't know if I would have the patience to freehand a pattern, then draw it all over the cork board. Also, as I said, this cork board has seen better days so I knew that it was going to be hard to get a perfect line. So, I started flipping through Crate and Barrel and found  THIS print.

 Well, Heck, that's just a bunch of circles and the effect is really lovely. So I had my plan. I used an overturned martini glass to make my circles, tracing around the top with a brown sharpie. I just kept going until it got the way I wanted it. I do like how the circles are thicker in the print and you could probably get that same effect if you had a bigger marker but, again, I was using just what I had around the house.
 So, circles done, the actual frame of the cork board was starting to bother me. So I stained it, and by "stained it" I really mean I just took my brown Sharpie and colored all over the wooden frame. Ah, Much better! Now it didn't look quite as funny but it still needed something so I went through all my ribbon. I found this dark wine color that had a white stitch around the edge and started making a criss-cross pattern with the ribbon, securing it with nail head tacks. Then I hot glued a ribbon around the inside edge of the frame, just to give it a more finished look. Almost done. I then sanded the edges of the wooden frame to give it a more rustic look and by "sanding", I mean used an emery board, because that's all we had. All about using what you got, People! Sorry about the lack of pictures for step by step but I really wasn't sure how much I would actually like it but I think it turned out great! Here's the finished product:

It hangs on this little dividing wall between the kitchen and our living room, above our telephone.
Here's a close-up:

The edges of my circles are not perfect, but my cork was pretty bad since it is like, 100 years old. I think it adds to the rustic charm. And see? The Sharpie actually does look like wood stain. I may go back later and buy some more trim to go around the edges of the frame, just to give it a little more Oomph but for using stuff that I had around the house, this ain't bad!

Quote of the Day

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
— Dr. Seuss

My Mom is gonna kill  me for putting up such a sad picture! I took this yesterday because I was trying to get a pic of Shelby Claire in a new pillowcase dress that a friend made her. She wasn't happy at all and yes, I'm that Mom that just keeps taking pictures regardless of her child's feelings. Since it is Dr. Seuss' birthday, I found that quote and knew that I had the perfect shot to go with it.

Shelby Claire