{modern nursery art}

Here is a project that I've been working on for the nursery.  A while ago I saw these prints online and thought they would be really cute hanging on the nursery... but not for $16 each (that doesn't include the frame)!  Anyways,  they looked like they would be really easy for me to make myself so I opened up Adobe Illustrator and drew them out.  {is that legal?!?}  You can see an example of the ones for sale here.  The white frames came from Ikea and were much more affordable than the pottery barn kids ones I had seen.  We haven't had a chance to hang them on the wall yet,  but I'll be sure to post pics of the nursery once thats done!  Which ones are your favorites?  Joe likes the Betty the Bunny,  and I like Ollie the Owl.  Can't wait to hang them in the nursery!

{tippy toes}

look at her on her tippy toes

this is what happens when you over expose... and if I don't fix it in the computer.
sometimes I appreciate the affect...

not sure about the gravel

Today we took advantage of the gorgeous weather and took some pictures!  I adore how she stands up on her tippy toes when she's holding onto something.  Love this girl... too much for words.  Enjoy!

{play kitchen... in progress}

So,  this is the beginning {or kinda middle} of the play kitchen we are building Pepper Mae.  In the middle of building it I started to get flashbacks of 12 hour days in the wood shop in Architecture school {good ole' Eichberg Hall}.  I am pretty pleased at how it's turning out though!  Tomorrow will be more sanding, priming, painting, more painting, then the... details! {well,  I don't know if all that is tomorrow but we will see}.  Can't wait to post the finished pics! 

{recently}

playing the "drums"

chillin' with daddy

smily girl swimming

creeping up on Dakota

I can't believe our baby is almost NINE months... can you?  Joe has a week off of work {after one whole months of NO days off}... so we have time to just relax and spend time at home as a family.  This was perfect timing given that my mom went off to the beach with her best friend {much needed vaca. I'm sure} for the week.  Pepper Mae's crawling is in full swing and she's getting to go around the house as she pleases.  So where does she want to go you may ask?  Wherever Dakota is... of course!  The bottom pictures are Pepper Mae creeping up on Dakota,  who is barking at the front door at nothing.  This amuses her beyond end though.  All she wants in life is to sneak up on Dakota and grab her.  She got pretty close in the first picture!  

It's also been really really hot outside,  so we've been swimming in the play pool ... we dumped all her toys in and realized they took up the entire pool!  The plan is to go for our first swim in the big pool this weekend!  

Also,  I've taken full advantage of Joe's home time to work on lots of projects I want to get done.  Today we got the basic kitchen sink and oven in tact... it's looking a - m - a - z - i - n - g  if I do say so myself.  Also, we snuck off to Atlanta this past Monday to see my brother's family and go to Ikea for a new TV stand.  In theory,  much cheaper than the one I wanted from CB2 thats on backorder until July.  Don't even get me started on Ikea.  Let's just say by the end of the day this new and particular momma was letting her 8 month old crawl around on the ground of the warehouse on the bottom floor of Ikea, as we were looking for the 50 million separate parts to the TV stand.  Her legs and feet were black. Needless to say,  we got home and realize we STILL didn't have all the right parts... so we ordered the right ones off line and will return the other parts on our next trip to Atlanta.  Whew.  I'm sure I'll be doing a post on the new stand soon...

Lastly,  I am quite determined to start learning to quilt!  These books have been starring at me way too long... and It's time to take the leap.  I'll be sure to keep you updated on that!  Oh,  and by the way,  we still don't have those Easter Basket pictures.  It's still sitting in her room waiting on... me.

{plans and more plans}

I'm loving everything about this.

Oh so many plans for Pepper Mae's first Birthday,  and on top of that,  I want to make her {with Joe's help of course} her first play kitchen.  A while back my awesome friend Amber gave me light of this woman that gives out plans on a website based on the pottery barn kids kitchen play sets,  and I was sold.... on making my own.  Turns out,  lots of moms are,  too.  The picture above is an example of one mom's I found {she actually sells them on Etsy}... and it's by far my inspiration piece.  What can you not like about this kitchen!?  The color is perfectly vintage blue/green.. and the sink skirt is to die for!

The big question is... when do I start making this?  Knowing how anal I am,  I should probably start... yesterday.  I think we might need a couple more power tools.  Hopefully,  my next blog on this will be the finished piece I create!  Photos: blue eyed yonder

{little cruiser}

She has become quite attached to her lamb... it doesn't have a name yet.

On the go.

Miss Peppy is mobile!  One evening Joe and I were sitting on the floor playing with her and all of the sudden she just decided to crawl across the room.  We were amazed... so fun to see something just "click" in their mind.  After the first time,  she just did it randomly but it's increasing more and more as she gets more comfortable with it.  Just today,  Joe and I were talking on the floor of her room and looked over and she was crawling out of the room down the hall!  Oh my goodness... the trouble she will get into now!  Naturally,  I didn't get a good picture... so the one posted is the best I have... ha.  I can't believe she is growing so fast!

{remember... dakota?}

This is what I see when I look to my side most of the day

She looks just like Joe here... look at those little curls on the back of her head.

Elmo truly disgusts her.

I told her if she wanted me she would have to come get me!  She wasn't thrilled.   

Remember a dog named Dakota?  Well,  there were lots and lots of pictures of her before little Miss Pepper Mae came around.  She was our first child, right?  For all of those worried,  she is still here... alive and toy in hand as usual,  just a little more persistent!

Some of you might not know this,  but we literally live a street over from my mom... and a street over from my grandmom.  Turns out,  this has been such a blessing!  Gives Pepper Mae a good change of atmosphere during the day when we walk over for a visit... plus they have new toys to interest her!  


She is SO close to crawling.  I think she's the type of person that believes if she's going to do it,  she's going to do it right... no playing around with this gal!  She's got the stance just right,  she just needs to make the plunge!  One milestone she hit a few days ago was being able to sit up by herself from her stomach.  This opens up a whole new world for Miss Pepper Mae! 

{live your dream, & wear your PASSION}

So, I had come upon this on a blog a while ago and loved it so I saved it to my computer.  Months later,  I come upon the same quotation on a different blog!  It reminded me that I needed to share it.  Of course,  I wrote it out again my own way in photoshop.  I couldn't say it any better myself,  and it's so true.  I LOVE this... and I hope you do too!

{to mom, love baby}

"Look what I got you, Mama!"

Love. Love. Love Her.

She LOVES PawPaw... and thinks he's so funny.

Five candles means how old?

Precious.

Look at those two bottom teeth.

So my first Mother's Day weekend came and went... and I enjoyed every minuted of it!  We spent Sunday with my family and all the mother's celebrated together,  along with Jamie's 50th Birthday!  Here are just a few of the photos we took,  hope you enjoy!

{shocking... and sweet}

Okay,  I've got to share what happened today when I was out getting my mom her Mother's day present.  There is no good way to start this,  so I'm just going to get into it.  Pepper Mae and I went to Hannah's Garden shop to innocently pick up a Hydrangea for my mom.  After we checked out,  we ended up standing around in the middle area where you pay to talk to my friend Lorraine from high school.  So let me set this up for you:  It's me (I'm holding Pepper Mae)... Lorraine is standing in front of me and we are just talking away.  All of the sudden,  this tall, heaver set guy comes in from my right side,  and proceeds to pull down the front of my shirt (I was wearing a v-neck) and is looking over me straight into my chest.  Yes,  I don't have to repeat myself... my bra and chest were exposed.  So,  the first thing that runs through my mind is... okay,  I MUST know this person and he's playing a prank on me.  Shortly after that thought,  shock set in that I didn't know this person,  and I yelled "What Are You Doing!?!"...  

Okay,  now it's time to lessen your shock.  Lorraine looks at me and says "He's special needs.  He's special needs."  Then, his caretaker comes and grabs the guy and takes him away.  Lorraine and I just looked at each other like,  what the crap just happened... and we walked to my car.  The more and more I think about what happened... I feel so violated!  I realize he didn't know any better,  but thats seriously the craziest thing that's happened to me.  Ever. 

On a more normal note,  here are some pics of my first Mother's day flowers from Joe and Pepper Mae.  So beautiful!  I had pointed out the vase in Anthropologie last time we were in there... matches my house perfectly!  

What are your plans for Mother's Day tomorrow?  We are going to have a lunch at my mom's house and my stepdad Jamie is going to cook out on his new grill (it's not only Mother's Day but his birthday as well!).  They just had their backyard newly landscaped and now everyone can enjoy it.  We opted for this plan, instead of the craziness of going out to eat... with Pepper Mae.  Ha.  Hope you have a great Sunday!

{recent happenings}

Recently,  Miss Pepper Mae has been quite clingy,  given her ear infection {right before Easter},  awful cold {Easter for over a week},  then... double ear infection {today}!  So when does this girl get a break to just be a baby!  Needless to say,  she literally hasn't let me put her down, so she hasn't had much time to practice crawling!  Though she does do this scoot thing,  and ends up reluctantly going backwards across the room.  When she gets there,  she gives me this look like... "Well,  are you going to come get me?"  And of course,  I do.

One other development is Pepper picking up these little organic "puffs" and eating them using her 2 front {half grown in} teeth.  It's just about the cutest thing you'll ever see.  Also, she hasn't been a fan of riding in her stroller for walks,  so we have resorted to hanging out at the lake on a blanket while she plays after her last nap of the day.  She loves it! {if an "old" person doesn't walk up,  of course}

Lastly, operation plan Pepper Mae's first birthday party is well underway!  Four months in advance,  you may ask?  Umm... I started planning for Easter four months in advance,  so why wouldn't I plan her first big birthday bash that far ahead!?   This is my chance to be as creative as I want without her having an opinion yet... and I'm going to take full advantage of that as many years as I can!

{Pibb or Pepper?}

Well,  Miss Pepper Mae is 8 months old... where has the time gone!  Everyone tells you it will go fast,  and I'm here to tell you it sure does.  

If your wondering where all the Easter pictures are... well,  we don't have any!  Three Easter dresses and NO pictures to prove it.  Pepper woke up with a fever Easter Sunday morning and after we got home from church it had escalated and we ended up doing nothing... but staying at home and caring for her!  She was quite lethargic and obviously didn't feel good at all.  The fever lasted about 3 days then transformed into an awful cold that she is starting to slowly get over.  But alas,  we will get those pictures... this week!  I am determined to get pictures of her with her Easter basket, so stay tuned!

Time for a quick update on what we have learned about Pepper Mae in the last month:

--  She is what we call a "wild woman".  I don't know if all babies are like this,  but she gets really hyper and really excited... really quick.  You know it's hit her when she's flailing all her limbs with her mouth wide open as fast as she can.

--  She loves to practice "crawling" by putting her front two arms on our legs and pulling herself up on her knees,  then swaying back and forth.  Why doesn't she do this on the floor?  I have no idea... she must feel safer about it by using our legs as a crutch!

--She has TWO front bottom teeth coming in now... very slowly but very surly,  and enough drool to prove it.

--She does this thing where when she gets excited or wants to get your attention she raises her arms into the air and just  h - o - l - d - s  them there,  daintily rubbing her fingers together.  { see middle picture }

--She is increasingly become scared of "older" people.  When we go on our daily walks if we encounter anyone with a hint of "old" {which it's hard not too considering Greystone Farms might as well be a retirement community} she immediately starts crying if they even dare look at her.  I don't know if it's there voice,  white hair, beards, etc... but she flat out doesn't approve of them acknowledging her.  This poor lady smiled at her behind us in the check out line of Whole Foods the other day and Miss Pepper Mae got this awful look on her face and started wailing.  

Thats all I can come up with for now!  Hope everyone has a great coming up week!