Just like Maria

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favorite things

Actually, this is not so much a favorite things post, but rather a post about baby clothes. It all ties back to the most wonderful movie in the world. I promise.

I have mentioned before about how I am blessed to have access to 2 wonderfully talented ladies that can perform magic with a sewing machine - my mother and my grandmother. My mom has made all the the window treatments in our house and my grandmother has said that she wants to make some clothes for Miss A! How lucky is Miss A?

I think there is nothing cuter than a baby in traditional baby clothes. (My thoughts on baby clothes is another post...I have some pretty strong opinions..... NO character clothes, NO words on clothes, etc...) So, we headed out to Hobby Lobby and JoAnn and I found the most adorable pattern.

It includes 6 patterns for toddler bubbles and dresses. Love it. Next came the hard part - picking out the fabric. That picky taste that I have mentioned before - well, there is nothing like an entire fabric store to make me go crazy. I was able to pick out fabric for 3 outfits, plus some of the fabric was on killer sale.

That pink and green stripe fabric - on clearance for $4/yard. And, it is the kind that comes on those loooong bolts, so it was practically a steal. I loved this fabric so much that I went back yesterday and purchased some more of this stripe to hold onto for when Miss A gets a big girl room - it will be perfect for curtains.

Miss A will now have a dress that is made from curtain fabric. I know that Maria did it in reverse, but it still made me think of when Maria made the children new clothes, using the curtains in her room as the fabric.

And this is how I decorate - I find something that I love and I get it. I may not use it right away, but I am always on the lookout for a great deal.

Can I have your email?

I need your help.

I want some mommy cards/calling cards/correspondence cards, but do not have tons of time to search the web for the fun, sleek and modern cards that I so desperately want.

Since the majority of my day is spent hanging out with this love bug, I need YOU to give me links to your favorite online paper source.

Now, when I pick up other moms in the park I can seem less stalkerish and give them my info on a fun card, vs pulling out my phone to text message myself their email address.

One more thing... I love, love, love, cards like the ones below, but don't want to end up in tears when my big gulp Diet Coke spills on them or they end up in the sticky hands of Miss A. So, we need to keep the $$$ reasonable.

Playing in the dirt

Last summer I caught the gardening bug. I love to be out in the sun, playing in the dirt, watching something grow from a little seed.... plus, it is fun to eat what you grow! Last year I only did basil, rosemary and sage, but this year I have added all sorts of other plants. In addition to my assortment of flowers and such, I am growing a variety of veggies and herbs - tomatoes, jalapenos, green and red bell peppers, mint, basil, cilantro, sage, parsley and dill.


I have all of the veggies growing along our side yard.

There are also a couple of basil plants over there. I love basil so much, I grow lots and lots of it. And, we have food!

In the backyard, I have the majority of the herbs. I started all of these seeds off in small biodegradable pots and then transferred them to larger pots.

I spruced up the pots by painting and labeling them with the name of the herb.

Now, I won't have to worry about mixing up the cilantro for the parsley.... or making a pesto sauce with sage. And, it serves a practical purpose - keeping Jake out of the flower bed! I planted zinnia seeds a while back and I am just waiting for this area to be alive with color. Unless that dang dog destroys everything first.

**New pictures on Baby M**

Let's all go to the drive-in

We have some friends that own a school bus.

What? You mean you don't have friends that own a big, yellow, pimped out school bus? You are missing out.

Over the weekend we took the school bus down to a drive-in. It was only about 1 hour outside of Dallas and we saw Robin Hood. All of the movies at this particular theater are double features, but we bailed before the 2nd show.

Before the show started, there was a beautiful sunset that we were able to enjoy.

Everyone started watching the movie on top of the bus, but the sound was not too great up there so we ended up watching the movie down on the ground. Actually, I headed to a gazebo with some girlfriends and we totally missed the entire movie. Oh well.

I suggest you go make some friends that own a school bus. You won't regret it.

Input Needed

I am in the process of refinishing a rocking chair for Miss A. But, not just any rocking chair. It was mine when I was her age, and now I am passing it along to her!


When it was mine, it was white with little hand painted flowers and I think my name might have been painted on it. It has now been sanded down and all ready to to be painted for Miss A.

It will most likely be kept in our living room, so I want to keep it fun without too 'kiddish.' You all know 'kiddish' is NOT my thing.

I am thinking I will paint it glossy white and add a turquoise monogram decal on the seat. Or her name. Have no decided.

But, this is where I need your help. I have never used these decals before. They can be used on top of a glossy paint - right? And, if you have ordered one before, let me know your source. I found some on Etsy, but if you have someone you liked, let me know.

**New pictures on Baby M**

Jake - 3 months

Someone is growing like crazy.

I am not sure how much he weighs, but just look at how much bigger he is! He is just a little over 3 months old. And, he got a new collar over the weekend! Check out that orange gingham.... he is a stylish pup.

We love puppy Jake!

Nesting or Spring Cleaning?

I am not an organized person.... but I am married to a very neat and tidy person. And in order to make my life easier, I am learning how to become neat, tidy and ORGANIZED. This past week I have tackled a couple major organizing projects and I have to say that it feels good to toss out some junk and get everything in order.


Maybe I am going through a delayed nesting period? Or maybe it is just major spring cleaning. I never really went through a big nesting phase when I was pregnant with Miss A, so maybe this is just a delayed thing. And NO, I am not pregnant.


My saving grave when it comes to getting organized - baskets. Baskets make it easy for an unorganized person to get rid of clutter, plus cleaning up is easy.... just toss it in the basket.


I have mentioned these built in shelves before.... Having these 8 baskets on the bottom 2 shelves has been wonderful. We are able to keep burp cloths, baby blankets, photo albums, baby books, baby toys, and lots of other baby stuff out in our main living area, yet it is out of sight so it does not look like a Babies R Us explosion. Miss A knows which baskets have her toys and books in them and those are the only 2 that she gets into. Smart little puppy.

Her bathroom has lots of shelves, which would be great for storage - except it is all out in the open. Ugh. Why there is not a door covering up these shelves is a mystery. But the problem is solved with more baskets! Here I can store sheets, towels, wash cloths, baby toiletries, pacifiers and bottles that we don't use anymore.

This is the first project that I tackled this week. We have a pretty big closet under our stairs and it had been a huge cluttered mess -- until last week! I cleared everything out, made sure everything found a home in a basket and then labeled those baskets. Now we can open this closet and not wonder if anything is going to fall out. I now have storage baskets for party supplies, light bulbs, flash lights, small gifts, winter accessories, craft supplies, candles and seasonal decor, and lots of other stuff.

And since I was on a roll, I tackled the pantry. This was the one that led Mr. to think I was in nesting mode. More baskets! And they are labeled!

I still think we do not have enough storage space in our house, but what house ever does? What are some tricks or hints that you have for staying organized?

(All of the baskets / bins were purchased at Wal Mart. The fabric bins are about 2 years old, but all of the plastic ones are from their seasonal section this spring.)

**New pictures over on Baby M**

Hey Good Lookin... What Ya' Got Cookin?

My go to meal is chicken pot pie.... If you are sick or have a baby, you can assume I will bring you one. My family loves it, so I thought I would share the recipe.

Let me first say, that although this uses canned vegetables and cream of potato soup, I still consider this homemade. Just because I did not chop up all the carrots and celery and make my own white sauce, it is just as homemade as one of Ina's recipes. And it is delish, if I say so myself.

2 - 10 3/4 oz cans Cream of Potato Soup

16 oz can of Veg All (drained)

2 cups diced, cooked chicken

1/2 c milk

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp pepper

1 package pie shells or make your own crust!

Combine first 6 ingredients. Spoon into prepared pie crust (in shallow 2 qt. casserole.) Cover with top crust, crimp edges to seal. Slit top crust. Brush with egg wash.

Bake at 375 for 40 min, until crust is golden brown. Cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

This morning I tripled the recipe... one for us and 2 for friends that just bad babies - Kate and Lincoln. Notice the K and L??? Also, when I make this for friends I always make it in a disposable aluminum pie tin. The last thing a new mom needs to worry about is returning a dish.

Enjoy!