Trick or Treat!

From my sassy Alice....

And my tough Boxer!  (Seriously, he fell into something at the Halloween party we were at last night and had a real life scrape across his face.  Awesome.)  ;)

Hope y'all had a happy Halloween!  We started out with Mummy Dogs.....

then on to TOTing!  Love this time of year!  :)

Round 3 - Who wins? Pink or Blue?

I've been both nauseated and starving.  At the same time. 
Both exhausted beyond a doubt and suffering from insomnia.  At the same time. 
Both insanely overjoyed and extremely pissed off.  At the same time. 
And apparently have lost ALL ability to withstand any kind of heat.  Whatsoever.

Yep, Baby #3 is on the way!  We'll meet the "Tiebreaker" (we're 99% sure this is the last one, so this new kiddo will sway our house to a pink or blue majority!) at the end of April. 

And we're going to wait until that exciting day to find out just who wins - the pink team or the blue team!  And I'm soooo thrilled that my "planning side" is allowing my more "free-spirited side" to do this! :)  (It totally helps that I had brainstormed an entire black and white playroom with lime green accents - it's now the theme for #3's nursery!)

We planned for around a 3 year gap between G-man and Baby #3, but we were pleasantly surprised to get lucky QUICKLY - so the new baby will be about 3 months old when G-man hits the big 3!  With one kiddo's birthday sandwiched between Christmas and New Year's.... And the other born in the middle of scorching Texan summers.... I'm excited at the thought of outdoor birthday parties!

Sissy has wanted a baby sister since G-man was born ;)... mr. fix-it would love another son playing football in TX.... and I just want a healthy baby!  So who will win - pink or blue?  Guess we'll know in April!

Scripture on the Semi-Homemade Structure

Say that three times fast!  I first saw this idea once when walking a house under construction (mr. fix-it and I have loved walking houses for as long as we've been together!  even before mr. fix-it was a builder, when we lived in Lawrence, KS, and he was an investor accountant!)  But as much as I loved the idea, I never remembered to do it during the framing stage.  Until now.

So... We started with my all time fav... Then I consulted with friends and searched the web until I found 2 Bible verses, perfect for the occasion.  Here I am, adding one over the fireplace:

The verse is from Proverbs:

A quick update on the view from outside!  I'm so excited that mr. fix-it and I decided to add those 2 windows over the garage.  We won't finish it now, but in the future the space behind those windows can be finished out to be bedroom #5!

The verse on the eat-in bar in the kitchen reads:
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23

(Don't laugh at G-man's outfit in the background.... that's the result of ALL his shorts - except the gray/white plaid shorts with skulls - being in the load of laundry that was the Purple Crayon Incident.  And yes, he has shirts that match these shorts... but none of them have bicycles on them and that boy is OBSESSED.  Nothing but bicycles would do that day.  So... I give you... G fashion.)

Thessalonians 5:16.... my fav verse.  Over our front door in the entry way.  I think it's a good reminder.  I want this to be my first thought when I come home and my last thought when I leave!

 I voted mr. fix-it to write this important verse over the door!

Then the kiddos got in on the action!  We let them write their names on the floors in their bedrooms.  Then Sissy got carried away, and before I knew it, she had all 4 of our names in almost every room!  LOL!

I didn't get a good pic of G-man getting permanent marker on his only non-crayon shorts writing his name.  But here he is, in that crazy outfit, peeking thru the walls of what will be the closet under the stairs!

This was so much fun... definitely a new Semi-Homemade tradition (even though we hope to only build one more house and then settle for awhile!)

Wait til y'all see the cute stuff I got in Canton - update to come!

Another Episode of Everything is Bigger in Texas: State Fair Edition

The rides, the attractions, the people watching (you know that part is half the fun), the FRIED FOOD!  We did it all last Monday at the Texas State Fair!  Ever since Sissy was one, we've gone to the state fair DURING the wk (what an important detail - it's the big key to our success in everyone having fun!)

The legend:  Big Tex.  He's huge.  He's Texan.  And he talks.  Really slow and really deep and with lots of "y'all"s thrown in (like any good Southern cowboy).

The Little Hands on the Farm:  Big Sis is a pro at this.  GT did it for the first time this year.  You slip into an apron, do a bunch of chores around the farm... feed animals, collect eggs and milk, plant and harvest crops, drive tractors... at the end, you are paid for your hard work and get to use your $ to pick out a treat at the general store.  Awww, the kids love it!  (And it never hurts to have an extra granola bar in case your kiddo decides to opt out of the fried-whatever-you're-eating.)

Here's my crew at the beginning of Little Hands!  Farmer Fix-It, Mrs. Farmer, and my cute little G-goat.  hee hee

A (rare!) shot of mom with her Little Hands.

There are SO many photo opps at the State Fair, but we do the same few every year and it's fun to compare to past years. 

The FRIED food:  I have a confession.... I'm not really all that into the fried food.  I know, I know... it's all the rage at the state fair.  And I do love some french fries... fried okra... but most the fried fair food is a little over.the.top for me.  But this year was - by far! - the best for fried food.

My biggest priority was trying the award winning Fried Frito Chili Pie.  And it didn't disappoint!  Of course, it came with salsa and sour cream to dip... and how do you go wrong there?

Everyone loves the corny dog.  Again, I'm not the hugest fan.  BUT... add jalapeno and cheddar and suddenly I'm MUCH more interested.

Sissy's fav food in the whole world is "pelly and jelly"... aka PB&J.  So, we tried the fried version.  Again, not bad!  (Is it possible that my taste buds are just adapting to this Texas way of life?)

This pic isn't great, but... we were enjoying Fried Chocolate.  Imagine a brownie (now you're talking - my fav food in the world!) fried!  Which basically meant it was warm, but kinda crispy... then topped with whipped cream.  The 4 of us practically fought over this one!  Whew, seems like alot of food, huh?  The 4 of us shared those 4 sinful treats in between rides....

The annual photo opps:  this is another one!  Last year, baby G-man was much tinier in the stroller.  And before that it was just me and Sis!

This my all-time FAVORITE annual State Fair pic!  mr. fix-it and his sweet girl!

And G-man couldn't be left out... Not to mention that Sissy wanted to prove she was tall enough for the 'big flower.'

The Rides:   GT is currently obsessed with 2 things:  trucks (duh, you know this) and motorcycles.  He was in heaven!  Even if Sissy bossed him into a pink one. ;)

mr. fix-it LOVES the showrooms with all the new trucks and cars.  And now... apparently, he has a buddy in all that man stuff.  It was G-man's hands-down favorite part of the fair.  He wanted "in, in!" every.single.truck.  On the bright side, it was like a ride to him but FREE!

Sissy will ride anything.  No fear.  Here she is, pretty much the lone kid on a roller coaster.

I think I snapped this sweet shot of 2 siblings waiting to ride the plane together.  Not 5 seconds later, Sis is crying because her brother won't hold on and GT is considering hitting her for bossing him around (I swear, I could see the look in his eyes!)

Tell Sissy she isn't big enough?  She'll say she is (and damnit if she couldn't ride just about anything at her VERY tall 49" - she's just 4 yrs old, guys!)  Tell her she'll be scared?  She says she isn't.  Then she'll prove it!  She climbed up a billion steps... carrying this gunny sack thing.... and then slid all the way down. 

And loved it. Wanted to do it again.

So fun!  Already looking forward to next year..... wonder what they'll fry up in 2011.  :)  Any suggestions?

My Canton Shopping List

Tomorrow, Mrs. Everything and I are running away!  ;)  We're gonna escape the stress of our daily lives (work deadlines, sick kiddos - you get the picture!) and go to Canton!  Mr. Everything informed us last night that you can't go to Canton with a list.  But we disagree... as long as it's a loose list... with room left for treasures you didn't even know you needed... it's all good!  So, just a few things I'm looking for:

1 - KEYS
So many ideas come to mind, especially for Sissy's Madhatter bedroom.  I love the color in the project below, and it would be perfect in her new room!  A little spraypaint, some scrapbook paper...  Well, that's how I'd make it semi-homemade.  The real how-to is here at Modge Podge Rocks!

Love the element of the keyhole in this collection - it's so Alice!  From Etsy seller Jordan James.

And for the family, I love the idea of this.  Y'all know that we move.  Alot.  It's what we do.  So we might as well celebrate it, right?  Love Stitched shows us how with this cute project.  She spray painted her keys, added the addresses, framed it all on burlap, and done!

Here's a close up.  But I'm thinking about chaging it up a little... 

I'd like to use big, antique-looking keys (I don't even have keys for any of our old houses!)....  And frame them - along with pics of the front of our houses - in an old antique window pane like this:

They come in options of more panes than this, and Mrs. Everything got one during one of our previous trips to Canton (it's so cute - full of their family pics).

These Vintage Medicine Bottles (from Etsy seller Jordan James) are perfect, too!  Maybe with a Drink me! tag around the neck of the bottle?

2.  Black/White/Lime Green

I'm working on an idea for possibly a playroom.... and I'm thinking black...white....lime green... possibly zebra!  Doesn't that sound fun?  A few sources of inspiration:

LOVE this zebra chair from Kirklands.  (It's already so reasonably priced, and this weekend, it's on SALE!)

Maybe picture something like this, but with LIME GREEN where the blue is?  From Etsy seller Art by Kristi.

And I think this is so cool - you purchase these great frames by the lot!  From Etsy seller Mountain Cove Antiques.

 

3. Clocks

Besides keys, the other element I'm going to focus on for Big Sister's new bedroom is clocks.  I'm picturing a wall of clocks and hoping to work on it in Canton.  Because the clocks don't even have to work, I'm hoping to find some steals!  Just a few for inspiration:

Etsy Seller Cyber Moon

Etsy Seller Cyber Moon

Next 3 clocks by Michelle Allen Designs

 

4. Teacups

What would a Madhatter room be without a spot of tea?  Most specifially, I want to figure out how to score some teacups (which are always so girly and prissy) and paint them so they're funky!  And I'd like to try my hand (maybe with mr. fix-it's help!) on this diy Teacup Lamp.  I totally think I can do this...

Check out the DIY at Be Different, Act Normal.

Who knows?  Maybe we'll come across something like this, even!  (From Etsy seller Whimsical Collections)

 

5. Vintage Trucks/All American

We can't leave G-man out!  I've already scored several great items for his first Big Boy room, but I'll be looking for anything Vintage Trucks or All American (think navy blue, red, stripes!) to finish pulling his room together.  I don't have anything specific in mind, but a few ideas:

Etsy seller Simple Block Sayings

Okay, off to bed!  Gotta be well rested for a FULL day of shopping and girly time!  It all starts with pumpkin spice lattes at 8am!  I'll be back to show off my treasures.  Happy weekend!