Yard Sale Finds

I love bargain hunting- yard sales, thrift stores, picking through racks and piles of junk just to find that one awesome piece.  I had really good luck this weekend. I offhandedly decided to check Craigslist to see if there were any yard sales going on, and found one really close by that had a picture of little tikes play kitchen. I had to check it out.
It was almost 12 when I went, and luckily it was still there. A little old, probably 20 years or so ( I remember playing with one just like this when i was little), but priced at just $10. And a bag of kitchen toys marked for another $10. I got it all for $15! then on the way back, I passed by another huge sale at a church and spotted an Ikea kids table and chairs. Got all 3 for only $5!!!

Yes they were marked with crayons, but after a little Lysol sanitizing and Mr. Clean magic Erasing, they look good as (somewhat) new.

They are all staying at my parents house (they were looking for things for the older grandkids to play with) and Kate has already had fun with her new toys.

Saving birthday Cards

I hate throwing away birthday cards- or any special occasion cards. Those from our wedding are in a shoe box in Adam's office. Not the best solution, but they are so pretty and meaningful that I can't bare to throw them out.

When it came to Kate's cards from he first birthday, I knew I wanted to do something different.
Kate likes looking at cards like they are a book, so why not make them a book?
I just used a standard hole punch, made some holes, and tied them together with some spare string.

They won't last forever- I imagine them ripping or being eaten eventually- but now Kate can read her cards and get the most use out of them.

What do you do with greeting cards?

Bloglovin

With the end of Google Reader, I need a new source to link up all the blogs I follow. Thanks to Jen for reviewing and suggesting Bloglovin. It made the switch super easy.

Now all my favorite reads are in a safe place.

And, you can now Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Kate thanks you for it :)

12 Months

She's 1. How did that happen? Wasn't I just pregnant? Didn't we just bring her home?

23 lbs
31 inches

These past 12 months have flown by. From a helpless little munchkin to a toddling, babbling, "Kate Monster" with quite a personality.

That personality- what we thought was a mini-me: quiet, patient, able to play on her own; is morphing into a combo of Adam and my sister. She likes mechanical things- has figured out how to open the baby gate in the basement, and stares are the glider watching it and trying to figure out how it moves- and likes to do everything on her own- walking running down the sidewalk, pulling her hand away from mine.

It will be interesting to see how she changes this coming year.

Now that the series of pictures is over, I can start working on her quilt.

Happy Birthday little one :)

Cute as a Cupcake!

We celebrated our beautiful girl's first birthday Saturday with a cute cupcake themed party. Really though- the extent of our theme was a variety of cupcakes, some other cupcaked foods, a balloon, new t-shirt, and tablecloth.

We somehow squeezed everyone into our tiny house and Kate loved it all.

She played with everyone, finally figured out what to do with the bags and tissue paper, and had a delicious jello cupcake all to herself.

I can't believe she's a year old this week.

Happy Easter!

We started Easter 2013 on Friday with egg dying and an egg hunt at my mom's. My sister's kids were there for the fun.

I let Kate dye an egg or two. She just wanted to eat the eggs, drink the dye, and kept sticking her hands in the cups. Her hands were so blue by the end (maybe I should have chosen a different color-like yellow?)

Kate didn't really understand the egg hunt until we were maybe 10 minutes in.  And even then she would just get an egg or two and hold them while she ran around.

Sunday morning, Kate got her first Easter basket. It had gifts from her grandparents and my grandma.

She loves the little green bunny and the book. But she REALLY loved her first chocolate bunny. She didn't know what to do with it so we mimed taking bites and before we knew it the ears were missing.
After a bath and a nap, we got her dressed in her new dress (bargain from Tuesday Morning for only $8!!) and headed back to my parents' house for lunch and some play time with her other cousin.

It was a great weekend, the end of a nice spring break.

Grandpa

A couple weeks ago Adam's stepfather passed away unexpectedly. All I could think about when Adam told me was: But he's Kate's grandpa. He was the man I wanted Kate to know as her grandfather- not the man we see only at Christmas.

I know she doesn't understand it yet, and that makes it a little easier.

One day she'll know how much he loved her.