Menu, Menu, Menu..............

Took the lil' princess to downtown Columbia today with her Auntie and baby cousin to see the Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus Elephants Parade into town.  

I don't think the lil' princess knew what she was looking at, but she had a good ole time!!  I think she enjoyed all the other little kids around her, but I love watching her when she is having a good time.  

She is becoming such a good little walker.  I love watching her grow more confident, but it reminds me how fast she is growing up and isn't my little baby anymore.  Her aunt caught this cute little pic of her walking back to the car after seeing the elephants.

So here is the whats on the menu for this week.  I'm gonna declare now that I'm sticking to this!!

• Monday 1/31 - Pizza night {no, not homemade....yummmm}
• Tuesday 2/1 - Swedish meatballs, rice & something green
• Wednesday 2/2 - Asian chicken lettuce wraps & Veggie Fried Rice  {I've never made these, but devour them every time we are out....I'm a bit excited to see how they turn out}
• Thursday 2/3 -  Crockpot sloppy joes with homemade rolls & sweet potato fries
• Friday 2/4 -  Beef Stew a la crockpot & grilled cheese sammies
• Saturday 2/5 - Farmer Roy's night
• Sunday 2/6 - Leftovers

I'm linking up as always over at the Organizing Junkie.  

Big Girl Room in the making……

I think it’s safe to say that I’ve been planning the Lil’ Princess’ big girl room in my mind since she was about 6 months old.  I’ve actually been working on it for the last 2 months or so.  It’s taking me awhile to get it all done, but the end is now in sight.  Last Thursday I finally got a project done that I’ve had bookmarked since I saw it.

Go check out this book sling tutorial over at Penny Carnival.  Aren’t they just the coolest, cutest thing ever.  I thought so, and I fell in love when I stumbled upon them one day.  I knew I had the perfect place in the soon-to-be big girl room.

 

Believe it or not, they were so easy to make.  I think sewing on the rick-rack and making the appliques took longer than getting the sling itself put together. 

I found my double curtain rod hardware at Ikea.  They came in a 2 pack for $3.99!!  I found the dowel rods at our local hardware store for a mere $0.89 each.  Also, I picked up 1 1/2 yards of pink fabric for $3.50.  I actually only ended up using 1 yard of fabric and lined the sling with white fabric from the sheet I picked up from Goodwill for $2.13.  I already had the fabric for the "A" and "Z" in my stash along with the rick-rack.  All in all this project has cost me about $15.00 to complete so far.

I really want to find some cute little knobs to go on the ends of the dowels and paint them, but I couldn't wait to go ahead and get them up.

They actually hold a lot of books.  I was a little surprised that I could get as many in them as I did.  The lil' princess has already checked them out and they managed to stay up despite her pulling on them, so I think we're good.

You can probably tell, but I went for a pink and green theme for her room.  I found a super cute ladybug fabric forever ago and made her that quilt hanging on the chair.  The quilt is actually for her pallet bed that I'm also slowly getting done.  I have all my hardware for it & I've gotten it cut to the proper size, but I still have to get it sanded and painted.

Also, remember the sheet I picked up at Goodwill?  Here are the curtains that I made for the long window.

There is also a smaller window in this room that I have a curtain for.  Yes, I was able to make all these curtains and line the book slings for $2.13!!  Now that's what I call a deal.

I can't wait to share the finished project with you soon.  I still have several projects in this room to finish, but I'll keep you updated!

Linking up at these uber cool sites:

Too Cute Thursday....

Cruisin' with my kitty.....

Please forgive my bedhead look!  It's playtime!!

Lullaby for my little one......

"Lullaby"

Dixie Chicks

They didn't have you where I come from

Never knew the best was yet to come

Life began when I saw your face

And I hear your laugh like a serenade

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough, is forever enough

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough

Cause I'm never, never giving you up

I slip in bed when you're asleep

To hold you close and feel your breath on me

Tomorrow there'll be so much to do

So tonight I'll drift in a dream with you

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough, is forever enough

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough

Cause I'm never, never giving you up

As you wander through this troubled world

In search of all things beautiful

You can close your eyes when you're miles away

And hear my voice like a serenade

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough, is forever enough

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough

Cause I'm never, never giving you up

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough, is forever enough

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough

Cause I'm never, never giving you up

Is forever enough

Cause I'm never, never giving you up

A Princess and her hat

My uber cool sister helped support my crafting hobby this Christmas {she really understands how much I "need" it and how important it really is.}  I think it was one of my favorite presents, but life has been so busy the last few weeks I hadn't been able to really enjoy it.  So yesterday during naptime I whipped out my yarn and a crochet hook and went to town making this for the little princess. 

I found these awesome patterns from the Inner Hooker on etsy.  She has so many cute patterns it was so hard to choose from.  I made this hat with the frog pattern but since I didn't have any black or white yarn I whipped up a cute little flower {check out this tutorial for a super easy flower}.  I can't wait to pick up a couple more skeens of yarn to make a few more for all the little ones in my life.     

Mommy, I know you dream of me being a hat lover but.....

I really don't like stuff on my head.  Although.....

I think my hat is really cute!!  Thanks!!

Coming soon….

Ever believe in love at first sight?  I do.

Hello love.  This bed has been floating around the web for a while now, but I have to share it.  Ashley Ann over at Under the Sycamore is brilliant.  Just simply brilliant. 

I’m in the process of slowly designing the little one’s big girl room.  She won’t need to move into it for awhile, but I think other than doing her nursery in the old house this is my favorite room in the house so far.  I have my pallets ready to go.  I bought some legs for it on our last trip to Ikea.  I just need to put it all together.  I’m even going to hang pom-poms above her bed like Ashley did in her daughter’s nursery.  I can’t wait to share my finished result with everyone.  For right now I’ll continue to drool.

Merry Christmas!!!

It's amazing how fast this year has flown by.  We've been so busy out at the farm the last few weeks getting ready for Christmas, redoing the kitchen and celebrating the little princess's birthday, but I needed to take a few minutes out to sit down and wish everyone a Happy Holiday season.

As I pulled these pictures out to share with everyone, it really hit me how much this little one has grown in such a short amount of time.  My life has never been so perfect as it is right now.  I never realized how rewarding being a mommy really is.  I can't wait to get to see her enjoying the day tomorrow with all her family that is here.  Life is joyous and wonderful here at the farm today.  Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2010

Party, Party, Party!!!!

It's so hard to believe that the little princess is already a year old.   It feels like only yesterday that we were bringing her home, staring at her and trying to figure out what to do next.  This last year has been one of the best years of my life. 

Invites

e celebrated in style today at the farm for the Miss Maddie's first birthday.  Family and friends came out to party with the little one.  I started thinking about and planning for this party in my mind for about the last 6 months.  I had so much fun the last few weeks putting all my plans into action.

I was able to make all the decorations myself.  The inner Scrapbooker in me was in heaven.  I've missed crafting so much the last few months since my office is still in shambles from the move.

I've been calling the little princess "bug" or "ladybug" since she was really little and knew that it was the theme I wanted for the party.  

Cupcake Toppers

Balloons!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Banner

Ladybug cake

I really have no experience making cakes, but I had a good time making this little ladybug cake for Maddie.  After having a little difficulty with the first body breaking apart into about 17 pieces, I was able to get it to cook right in a glass bowl.

We haven't let Maddie have much cake or any sweets, but she dove into the cake like a pro.  She was a little unsure at first, but she loved it.  I'm not sure how much got into her mouth, but she loved squishing it between her little fingers.

She wasn't too sure about the candle.  Daddy was there to help her.

Mmmmmmm........

We choose to host a book exchange for the party since Maddie's birthday falls so close to Christmas.  We still had a couple of gifts to open and Maddie had a great time tearing paper and discovering the treasures inside.  Keeping her on task was a struggle, but she had a great time with her new presents this evening after all the excitement quieted down.

She loves books!

Getting the hang of this present thing.

Thanks to all our family and friends that helped make my little princess first birthday so much fun.  Maddie had a wonderful time!

Big Girl!!

Missing in action....

Life has been crazy at the farm the last 2 weeks.  We successfully ripped out the old kitchen and are almost done putting back in the new one.  I'm sore, I'm tired but it is looking beautiful.  I can't wait until we get our counter tops next Wednesday.  I'll share some pics soon, I promise.

I've also taken a little time to do a little overdue crafting.  I'm gonna work on getting a tutorial put together to share with everyone for these fairy princess wands I made for the little princess.  Hope everyone is having a terrific week!

I'm sure she was watching the weather channel here, it's her favorite.
 P.S.  Please ignore the laundry in the background.  I'm still holding
my breath for that maid to show up soon.

What's for dinner?

We're heading on over to the Dillon household for spaghetti.  This is what happened last time we fed the princess spaghetti.  Tonight I plan to feed her naked.  Dear Dillon's, you have been warned!!

Vista Lights!!

Last Thursday Farmer Roy and I took the Little Princess out to downtown Columbia for Vista Lights. On the way there, we realized this is the 4th year in a row that we have took part in the festivities. For me this always feels like a kick off to the holiday season.

Here I am with the little one right after the Mayor helped light the Christmas tree. Madelyn was a little too preoccupied with all the people fluttering around her, but she did eventually notice the tree.

We enjoyed walking around looking about, but we were a little bummed to see that Cloud 9 was closing down. Cloud 9 always had the cutest little kitchen accessories. It was great to see everywhere so crowded and everyone out to support their community.

As we have done every year since we've been going, we ate dinner at Motor Supply our favorite restaurant in all of Columbia. I love that the Chef Tim changes up his menu nightly. He usually keeps the same proteins, but always prepares them in new ways. I ended up selecting the duck and it was delicious. Madelyn really seemed to enjoy it as well.

I always enjoying doing little things like this as a family. Madelyn is such an entertainer these days and seems to love being in big crowds. She likes to announce her presence loudly and it always just makes me smile.

I'm so ready for the Holidays to be here and can't believe it's already Thanksgiving week. My whole family is coming over for dinner to celebrate, and I can't wait!!

The Tucker clan rolled into SC yesterday and I can't wait to see my older nephews. They are growing up way to fast and quickly becoming little teenagers. My bro and his wife will also be here with the newest little addition to the family. Nate and Maddie will be sharing their first Thanksgiving together. Too bad Nate can't have any of the yummy turkey this year.

Well I hope everyone has a fun filled week! Happy Early Thanksgiving from the farm!

I'm back!!!!!!

Did you miss me?

I'll admit it, I'm indecisive. I mean like really, really indecisive. I thought I would like another blog's interface better for this, but here I am back at home. I think blogger fits for me. I am just not "computer" enough to understand some of the stuff on other sites. So here I am again with my indecisive self.

Well, not much as changed in life on the farm. There is still laundry waiting to be folded, animals to feed and a sweet baby to play with. We have however done a few improvements or should I say started a few more improvements on the farm house. It's only taken us months and months, but farmer Roy "almost" has the outside of the house including the shutters painted. Hopefully by Christmas this will be done.

Back on election day, after we voted as a family, we headed out for a trip through the South Carolina countryside. We ended up at Ikea in Charlotte and ended up buying our cabinets, counter tops, and other goodies for our kitchen re-do. After going through a number of phone calls and hassle (a story for another time) all our stuff was finally delivered last week. I can't wait until we get to start ripping out the old and installing the new. Everyone cross your fingers and toes that it goes smoothly.

I did recently rip down the make-shift wall in the now nursery so we could turn the closet back around for Maddie's toddler room. All is well so far, but I'm still in the middle of putting coats of joint compound on it to make it purty. I promise to post pics soon to show the progress. Once I'm done with the rooms, I'm gonna make myself finish the office that has quickly become our storage room.

I promise to stick with this blog and keep everyone update to life out here on the farm.

Before I go, why not share a cute pic of the lil' one that her daddy took of her out in the field. Hope ya'll have a happy Thursday!