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!

The "Summer House" List

Remember that super cute idea I saw on eighteen25 about making a "summer list" of all the fun things you wanted to do over the summer?  Remember that it was back in June when I blogged about it?  And remember that I was so excited to get started, that we sat down as a family that very day and pulled together our list?

Well..... this summer has gone anything but according to plan.... So, I decided to make ours a "Summer HOUSE" list - a list of all the super fun things we're going to do before we move out of the Summer house.  A list that will keep our minds OFF the fact that we're still IN the Summer house (and will be thru Oct... Nov... parts of Dec...)  So our list now includes items like:

Carve pumpkins
Go to a football game
Eat turkey
Walkaround
Make a recipe with pumpkin in it

Mr. Fix-It is gonna hang my masterpiece next to the giant calendar/countdown in the dining room.  (Ohmigosh, I won't be sad to say goodbye to the horrible lighting in this place either!)  We should be getting our permit back tomorrow (from what appears to be THE slowest small town in TX!) and then watch out!  You'll finally be getting progress updates on the 2010 Semi-Homemade House!

Enjoy the last day of summer!  We sure have - we went swimmin' and then crashed at The Everythings for some yummy grillin'! 

xoxo,

Vegas, baby!

What next?  I feel like that's been playing over and over in my head in the last few days...  All I can tell you at this point (sorry!) is that the number of things that are unknown are outnumbering the number of known things.... and it's getting more and more lopsided by the minute.

So, excuse me and my current panic attack.... and let's go back to a simpler time, a time when it didn't seem as if my whole world was up in the air.  You know, like last week.  And so I present to you (since so many of y'all asked!), the Semi-homemade/Everything Vegas trip!

Mr. Fix-It took this pic of us (seriously, I'm not that photogenic, so my best pics are usually these self portraits, ha!) in front of a fountain outside of Paris. 

We had just been to see the hypnotist Anthony Cools with the Everythings.... he was hil-arious! The only downside... was crying off 1/2 my party makeup in the first 5 min of the show, while I was laughing uncontrollably!  Here I am with Mrs. Everything, right after the show!

And with my sweet groom.... celebrating 8 years of wedded bliss.  (Okay, that sounds cheesy, but it's true!)

The Everythings!  I love Mrs. Everything's fun necklace - it says, Hello Summer of 2010!  (For those of you who are just joining us... Summer of 2010 has special meaning for the Semi-Homemades and Everythings! It's the first summer in ages when someone wasn't pregnant!  She was pregnant for summers of '09 and '07 - I was pregnant with G-man in '08... and back in '06, I was a first time mom and the Everythings were childless newlyweds!)

I picked our dinner location one night and this was it - our night at Tao!  YUMMY!  Don't the Everythings look sweet?

Another self portrait....  We went to Nobu for our anniversary and it was absolutely the.best.dining.experience.EVAH!  Loved it!  We picked a couple things from the cold menu, a couple from the hot menu, and some sushi... and these white wine Saki drinks... mmmm... I'd fly back to Vegas just for those!  I never thought the day would come when we'd go to a sushi place over a steak house for our anniversary - and mr. fix-it even ate raw fish!

Me and mr. fix-it at Tao.

This is the ONLY pic I ended up with from our cabana - bummer!  We had so much fun the first day (probably had nothing to do with the 2 bottles of bacardi we finished off!) that we booked a cabana for the next day, lol!  Here's Mr. Everything, kicking back...

And finally, my farewell to Carly.  Y'all, Carly has been my love.  Mr. fix-it got her for me a million Christmases ago and she's gone with me everywhere.. regardless of what Iwas wearing, where I was going.  I committed to her and there was no other bag for me.  (Okay, this is sounding dramatic to some of you... the rest of you are nodding your head in agreement!)  I loved this bag because it was big enough to be my "mom bag" but all that metallic trim and big hardware kept it from looking like a mom bag!

So, walking into the big Coach at Caesar's, I wasn't expecting to say goodbye to her.  I was simply there to look at shoes.  But... while talking to the (amazing!) salesperson, we ended up discussing how my Carly was one of the originals, which had issues ripping out at the top.  Coach was replacing them a couple yrs ago, but I couldn't ever find a replacement bag I loved.  But, the salesperson offered to replace my bag in Vegas, even though it was a few years old, and they gave me the allowance of the full price that was paid for that bag.  Wow, how could I pass that up?  Especially noticing that my bag had the wear & tear (dirt!!) that accumulates after a few years of being a busy momma.  So I said hello to Maggie... and here I am, saying goodbye... to Carly.

Ooh, got a few pics from Mrs. Everything! :)

We were joined at the cabana by a friend of the Everythings, and the 5 of us had so much fun!  (Seriously, can we go back?  Like tomorrow?)  :)

Thanks, Mrs. Everything!  You got lots of good pics!  And some funny ones (you & I will discuss those later!)

Semi-Homemade Treasures from Canton!

Well, in some ways we were right. When we headed out to Canton a couple weekends ago, Mrs. Everything was all set with her list and measurements.... I was just along for the ride. And while we both found treasures, we did NOT succeed in crossing off the things on Mrs. Everything's list... but we had tons of fun, lots of girl talk, and enough retail therapy for both of us!

So... what did I find? So glad you asked! ;)

I was really looking for 2 things:  stuff to decorate my home (y'all know that's my fav hobby!) and stuff to dress up my kids.  I scored on both!

$2 hair bows - seriously, I couldn't make 'em myself for that!  Got Big Sis 4, including OSU orange....

What blew my mind... was that I got MYSELF a few things to wear!  (That usually only happens a few times a year.... like a couple weekends ago when my mom and sis came to town.  We went to the mall - took 3 kiddos with us - and I swear it was like a game show.  See how many decent things you can find - that fit and don't look horrible - before the kids melt down.  Repeat again in about 5 months.)

Got this cute burnout tee..... 

Got Big Sis this tshirt (not from Canton, but from the Canton of the internet... Etsy!)  It's from one of my FAV kiddo clothes shops... Punky Monkey kids.  You might remember the rocker tee I got G-man for his 1 year pics... same place!  Anyway, Got Big Sis this design, in a black tee (you shoulda seen the horrified look on her face when I let her help pick this out... she thought she was getting a onesie)

That tee (and black converses!) will go with this pettiskirt (which I DID get in Canton - and for $15!!!!) ... for the pics we're doing this weekend.  They're G-man's 18 month pics (shut up, I know he's 20 months!)... and we're going with a rocker/punk princess theme.  At the Dallas Arboretum, among all the sweet tulips.  I hope the juxtaposition of it all happens just as I see in my head... :)

G-man will be wearing his coolest jeans (duh) and either HIS Punky Monkey tee or this burnout shirt from Canton.  And no, I didn't realize - until I got home and got everything out - that I basically got my son and I matching tshirts.  Yep, just start his therapy sessions now.... ;)

Then another treat for ME!  One of Mrs. Everything's friends has opened a shop at Canton with her mom (talk about a dream - how fun!)   So we stopped by... and I found this cute & cas denim strapless dress.  Excuse the awful pic and just know that it's cute!  I wish I could remember the name of the shop - if you're interested email me!  Or maybe Mrs. Everything can leave it in the comments - they had cute stuff!

So the pics this weekend (which are with Kristie.  Of course.  I'll come back and show you her amazing work and you'll be begging me for her info.  I promise.  Just tell her I sent ya!)

Anyway, in G's pics by himself... he'll be wearing jeans, a white button up, and this funky little tie we found in Canton.  It's tooooo cute!

Okay, so when I think of Canton, what REALLY comes to my mind is stuff for my HOME! (And you know how obsessed I am with our house!) And there's no better place to shop than Paul Michael!

I've been wanting to put together a new semi-homemade centerpiece for spring.  Last year, I did lemons.  This year, I was thinking... GREEN. 
So I took these....  mossy rocks... moss covered vine... and some green (moss again?) spheres...

+ my trusty (and empty!) hurricane....threw it all together, and done.  

This centerpiece was almost as easy as last year's lemon one.  And I love how it can live right up until summer.  Or until I come up with something better.  ;)

Hope y'all enjoyed a peek into Canton, TX! If you ever get the chance, GO! (And if you need a shopping buddy.... holler at me and Mrs. Everything!  I'll bring my new giraffe tote that I got there for $10!)

Ahh, the happier times...

Since January has sucked (the life right out of me, almost literally!), I've been thinking back to December. I'm not sure how we loaded all this in.... but hang on for a quick (or quick as I can!) pictorial recap! (This should more than make up for the LACK of pics in the last couple rants!)
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1. Mom's Weekend - the kick off to December! This was our 8th annual mom's weekend of shopping, eating and fun! This year we added something new: Pei Wei and Polar Express! We ordered some takeout one night... headed up to the movie room... and watched The Polar Express! (Most of mom's weekend is centered just around the moms and Mr. Fix-It and I... since there weren't any kids in the picture 8 yrs ago! So this part... was for them!)

2. Dec' the halls! I never got around to one of my big, semi-homemade recaps of all my fun decorating ideas... Big Sis's party took all my creative time and energy this year, so I'm saving a semi-homemade Christmas recap for next year, in the new house! ;)

Big Sis, decorating the Kids' Tree upstairs....

And our family tree... (shut up... yes, this picture is POST-Christmas... when I realize I never took a pic during the season!) And wander over here, if you want to weigh in on next year's decs...

3. Big Sister's Ballet Recital - you already know the details! (Or you can read them here.)

4. Big Sister's Nutcracker 'Sweet' Birthday Party - seriously, the upside to a December birthday? That you celebrate it 100 times. (I still wouldn't recommend it. Would highly discourage it. Have I shared my views on Dec children enough?) ;)

If you haven't been bored to death of the details yet, you're invited to check out her party!

5. Christmas Lights & Hot Chocolate - Mr. Fix-It and I have had this tradition since before we had kids... We make hot choc and load into the car to listen to Christmas music and enjoy everyone's Christmas decroations. We have a nearby neighborhood where every house has different wooden Disney cutouts in the yards... EVERY movie ever made, it's so cool!

We modified the tradition when Big Sis could participate and added Hot Choc in Sippys.... (yes, I still insist on sippys for 4yos... in my beautiful car....)

Last year, I modified my hot choc because I was nursing G-man (remember all that dairy-free ranting I did when I first started blogging?) I had soy hot choc that year... This year....

..... I had coconut rum hot chocolate.... yummmm.... ;)

6. Elfing! Our Elf first made his appearance in 2008 and he was quite busy this year... here, he's having tea with Frosty and Rudolph...

... and here, he's gone to the bathroom.... at least that's what Big Sis explained to us... it's 'green elf pee'...... hmmm....

7. All Aboard the Polar Express! This one is a new tradition... that instead of buying gifts for the Everything children... and them for us.... we'd just DO something instead! (This is probably the 17th Semi-Homemade/Everything family tradition, they just keep coming!)

We headed to a nearby suburb and boarded the Polar Express!

This way to the North Pole! It was even snowing!

Mrs. Everything, Baby Priss and G-man (looking like such a big boy!) are on the train!

Mr. Fix-It and Big Sis (and Mr. Everything and Miss Priss) sat in front of us, keeping their eye out....

.... for the big man in red!! I love it, so magical!

8. CHRISTMAS! We were snowed in for days in a teeny, tiny town in OK (where Mr. Fix-It happens to be from!)

"Twas the Night before Christmas...."

Have y'all seen these books from Hallmark? A grandparent/aunt/whoever records the story and each page reads back to your kiddos. AMAZING! I hadn't heard of it, but both our moms bought them for our kids (which is totally lucky because they sold out across the country!) I think it's special they'll have the story from both sides of the family!

Big Sis and Mr. Fix-It's mom always, always decorate sugar cookies together (for pretty much any holiday or any regular ol' weekend!) They were perfect to leave for Santa..

G-man's favorite gift? a box. That wasn't even from one of his gifts. (Haven't all of us parents been there?!)

Big Sis's fav gift.... a bike from Santa!

Then another bday celebration for Big Sis... complete with her wearing a big sombrero and being sereneded to at the local Mexican restaurant!

9. Christmas, part 2. We don't typically do Christmas twice, with both families (in fact, I don't think we ever have!) We trade off... But this year, I decided I just couldn't handle a house full of out-of-state guests and the 12+ 4yos for Big Sis's party, so... we planned to see everyone in OK so they could help us celebrate her big day. Thus... 2 Christmases, while we were at it.

G-man went nuts for his new 'man cave chair.' ;)

And now we can get rid of our tivo version Wizard of Oz... that's over a year old... By her choice of Halloween costumes and the look on her face in the pic to the left, I'm sure you can guess how important this movie is to Big Sis...

Then on to Big Sis's birthday, version 81. The theme this time? Hannah Montana... don't even know how she knows who she is, but that's what she wants to be when she grows up....

10. We Squeak-ueled! We took advantage of being back home... and free babysitting grandparents.... and left G-man with them while we took our soon-to-be-4-yr-old to see the new Chipmunk movie. So fun! Date night with the parents! ;)

11. Big Sister's ACTUAL birthday! By the time it actually came... we had celebrated 100 times and maybe even Big Sis was ready to move on. Okay, maybe not... but...only because that girl loves chocolate cake!

We told her we'd take her to dinner ANYWHERE, her choice....

..... so she picked the "Buffalo Princess Place"..... aka Buffalo Wild Wings!

12. Big Sister's first trip to the dentist (or reason 49 why I should be mom of the year)! Okay, in the picture above... or any of the other 80oo pics of her on this blog... have you ever noticed anything about her smile? Because I'm her own momma, see her every.single.day, and I didn't notice. Mrs. Everything is the daughter of a hygenist and a self-proclaimed 'teeth person,' and she didn't notice.... That Big Sis has an underbite that's unbelievable. She's going to have to visit an orthodontist in 6 months!! So that they can catch her next growth spurt and get her jaw to grow correctly..... WTH?! I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed... and I couldn't believe how sad that made me.

But on the bright side....no cavities and her actual TEETH are perfect.

13. NYE! We switched up the tradition and celebrated with "champagne in Joe's cups" in the Everythings' new house. It's one of those crazy stories... but at some point, years ago, we ended up drinking champagne on a random night... out of cups from 1 of Mr. Fix-It and I's fav college spots, Eskimo Joe's.

Uh, not sure where the Joe's cups were at this point..... ;)

14. New Year's Day Yumminess! We used to always, always make chili and queso on New Year's Day.... nurse our hangovers.... and watch football all day, without ever moving.

Those exact days are over, obviously (although I still nursed a surprising hangover this year, ouch!)..... we're grown up, so this year we decided on a more 'grown up' meal... Mr. Fix-It made THE perfect prime rib and I combined 3 recipes and made 'fancy steakhouse-style' mushrooms.... I'll share both recipes soon!

Hmmmm..... reading thru this, maybe I can see what led to all the illness we had this weekend! We were worn out!!! But.... I already can't wait for next year!