What's wrong with this picture?

Oh I love Miss A like nobody's business but I don't know that my heart (or my sanity) could take more than one of her! Could you imagine four of her all at once? Here - let me help you...

I really hate good-byes

Today was a sick day for me! I wasn't feeling well anyway last evening and then I spent all last night and into the wee morning hours up dealing with Miss A. We think she's cutting some of her bottom teeth and though she's being a real trooper about it all, it's definitely cut into what was once a very nice sleep-all-the-way-through-the-night schedule for me.

So today I woke up at my usual 5:30AM (after I had gone to bed for good at 4:30AM - mind you!) and I knew almost immediately that I should probably stay home instead. I could barely focus my eyes much less walk in a straight line to get myself ready for work! I stayed up for a little while longer to get Miss up and ready to go with D and then I crawled back into bed and fell asleep for a solid six hours straight!!! It was WONDERFUL!!!
I'm still a little tired but I feel 110% better than I did this morning and I've managed to do three loads of laundry, clean up the kitchen, mop the laundry room (with the water that accidentally flooded it - UGH!) and also run the dog around the yard a little.

While I was outside enjoying what I'm sure will be one of the last warm-ish days of the season I noticed a smattering of dandelions in the yard and pulled my camera out to capture them. I know the end of summer has come already and we are officially in autumn now but I can't help but feel like it's only now that really we're finally having to say good-bye to it. So bittersweet...

See the heart in the center of the dandelion? I was able to find just the right angle to really get its shape just right! If that doesn't capture the essence of what summer really is, I don't know what would! I like this picture so much that I think I might get it printed and hang it someplace in the house! :)
Anyway...

Time to bring on the hot cider and sweaters and scarves and fleece jackets now!!! Always a bright side to things, right?

Miss Piggy

Before I ever knew I would end up with children (because there was a time when I had sworn off marriage and/or kids - but that's for another blog posting), I fell in love with the work of Tom Arma. Do you know him? He's kind of the opposite of Anne Geddes who is a whole heck of a lot more fun! And ever since discovering him, it has been a secret dream of mine to have a child who enjoys dressing up in ridiculous costumes for no reason whatsoever.

Boy did I hit the jackpot with Miss A!!!


I picked up these masks from the dollar bins at Target. I got a monkey one and a piggy one. Ever the pink lover, Miss A completely latched onto the piggy one. And though she won't wear it on her face, she LOVES wearing it on her head visor-style. And we just happened to have some pink piggy footed pajamas so when she wears the whole get-up together? She's a walking piece of Tom Arma inspired creativity!!!



I absolutely adore her!!! She is the best EVER.

Painted piggies

I'm pretty sure that I will change my mind about doing this and take it off at some point in the near future but for now, this is what little Miss A's "twinkle toes" look like...


She had her weekly mani-pedi (really just a trim of all of her nails) tonight along with the usual viewing of "Baby Einstein's baby Galileo." I happened to have paint on my hands from work and I got all inspired and felt like Miss A needed paint on herself too! She was very cooperative and sat still while I painted and pretty tickled with them after they were done! And though I'm sure that D will see them and nix them ASAP, it's certainly been fun while it's lasting. I think if it were blue or purple or a different color other than such a grown-up red it might be a little better for such teeny little piggies.

Necessity: the mother of all inventions

When I first discovered I was pregnant, I became certain that I was having a little boy. Why? I don't know. I guess since I grew up with two older brothers and my husband's family was known for their lineage of strapping lads I thought that a boy (at least first) was in the cards for me. This was despite the fact that up until the time I found out for sure that I was having a girl, I was actually having dreams of only having a daughter!!! Anyway...

One of the perks of having a little girl is definitely being able to dress her up like the sweet little doll that she is. I'm not talking clothes, I'm talking accessories! She actually doesn't have as many as you might think but that's quickly changing only because I've finally found a solution to the very thing that was standing in the way of this.

A little backstory:
When I was in college, I worked as a daycamp counselor for five summers in a row. It was by far and away my most favorite job EVER because I got paid to hang out with the most adorable 5-6 year olds for entire summers! This means indulging myself in the silliest (and most favorite) of my remembered childhood moments like eating messy popsicles, going on nature hikes, swimming with swimmies(!), playing duck-duck-goose, and (the best thing of all) playing "dress-up." I was the resident hair "stylist" and was known for my creative braiding and bow tying abilities and it got to the point where parents would drop off their little ladies with freshly washed hair for me to just do for them in the morning.

So when I discovered that I was having a little girl? I immediately launched into dreams of being able to braid and tie up her beautiful hair in fantastic styles. Unfortunately my sweet little lady, Miss A, has had a head full of hair that just plain won't grow all too fast. I've tried little tiny bows and barrettes and just about everything and very little will stay on her cute little baby-fine hair covered head. I even resorted to making her a hat (viking style if you remember) that actually had fake braids attached to it! I've done everything I could think of to be able to properly adorn her.

Well, this past weekend I FINALLY hit the jackpot with finding something works!!!

Say hello to the headband hairbow private collection of little Miss A...






They were SO easy AND fun to make and I'm definitely going to make more for her as well as more to sell in an Etsy shop! They stayed on her head (for the most part) and she tolerated them very well and didn't try to pull them off! AND she just looked super duper adorable wearing them - definitely the best thing about them. :)

I made just these five to "test" 1) if I could make them successfully and 2) as a start using colors that could work across her wardrobe. So far so good with what I've managed and next on the list is one in Steelers colors (but of course, right?).