Sneak Peek: Walk-In Closet

One of the projects I am currently working on is getting our walk-in closet that is adjacent to our kitchen cleaned out and organized.  Currently it is a HUGE mess and basically a catch all for everything from clothes, shoes, craft supplies, seasonal decorations, tools, paperwork, and lawn equipment.  I am working on it little by little and at the moment am focusing on getting an area chiseled out for the kid's backpacks, shoes and school assignments.   

 

 

 I needed a bulletin board where I could keep a school calendar, assignments and party invitations visible.  I had this frame on hand that I purchased at a thrift store a few months back.  It was the perfect size to convert into a bulletin board. 

I gave the frame a coat of Rust-oleum Heirloom White and then slightly distressed it.  I purchased a thin sheet of plywood and had it cut to size at Home Depot, then added cork board and used spray adhesive to attach a scrap piece of fabric.  I found the wooden push pins on clearance at Wal-Mart. 

 

 

 I also needed something to hold pencils nearby.  I am trying to pull off this redo without spending very much money, so I started think of something I had on hand to use.  That's when I had this bright idea: use the two empty chip canisters I had just chunked in the trashcan.

I simply glued twine around the cans, and there you have it!

Just so you don't expect the full reveal in the very near future, I thought I'd show you how the closet currently looks.  Like I said, it's a mess!!  But little by little I am making progress.

 

 

{linking up here: a bowl full of lemons, french country cottage}

Hand Painted Canvases

My sister-in-law asked me to paint a few canvases for her to use as door prizes at her customer appreciation party she is having in a few weeks.  She's a realtor, so she used verses that were "home" related.  Just thought I'd share!

 

 

**I've had lots of e-mails asking for the fonts I used on this canvas, so here they are:  Sweetheart Script, Britannic Bold, and New Yorker (all caps).  Hope this helps!

Back to School

Today was THE big day.  The first day of school.  It was an exciting day for the kids, and me too!  All three kiddos are attending the same school this year....can you hear me rejoicing??  Because I am!   

 I tried to get before school pictures...but all they wanted to do was act silly!  Yes, we were eating waffles and pecan spins on our way out the door.  Imagine that?!?!

Showing off their new backpacks

Georgia Anne is going to be in the third grade this year!  I can not even believe that she is old enough to be in the third grade!!  I want to freeze time so she won't grow up anymore.  :(

Georgie with her teacher, Mrs. Mote

I snuck a picture of her in her classroom this morning after I dropped the boys off.  When she saw me after I took this picture she gave me the "Mom, what are you doing" look.   

I packed their lunch boxes with all their favorite things.  I found these cute free printables here for the "smart cookie" tags.

Daniel and Jack are both in the Pre-K class at Tallassee Elementary.  Jack will be going Monday through Thursday full days and Daniel Monday and Wednesday mornings.  Daniel is so excited to be going to "big school" with his brother and sister!

Georgie, Mrs. Dickerson, Daniel, Mrs. Creel and Jack

We had a BIG surprise when we arrived this morning.  Dr. Tommy Bice, Alabama Superintendent of Education volunteered to help all day in the Pre-K class.  I think that is great that he was here.  Most people didn't know who he was because he introduced himself as "Mr. Tommy."  I said many prayers this morning that Daniel would behave!  Thank goodness, he did!

Jack was so happy to be back in school and see his friends.

Yesterday at church we had a "Blessing of the Backpacks" service.  What a wonderful way to start the school year off!  Praying for our children as well as the teachers and administrators who guide them.

School Supply Cake

This past week Georgia Anne and I made a school supply cake for her new 3rd grade teacher.  This is a super easy and fun craft and people go nuts when they see it.  We gave it to her teacher today at Open House and I think every single child we passed said something about it.  If you'd like to make one yourself, I have a full tutorial here. 

I modified this one a little from the one in the tutorial.  I used Clorox Wipes "inside" the cake instead of paper towels.  I also used the space from the top of the wipes to the top of the notebooks to hold 3 packs of washable markers.  I tucked the two rulers in the notebooks and added a little "ABC" bunting to them with twine.  One last thing I changed was I used a wooden plate (from the unfinished wood section of the craft store) instead of a cardboard base.  This thing gets pretty heavy when you add everything so I thought the plate was a little more substantial. 

Panama City Beach

Michael surprised the kids and me with a weekend getaway to Panama City Beach.  One last summer memory to be made before school starts back next week.

We stayed at Oceans of Panama, which is a high rise condo unit.  It had lots of nice amenities, including this pool.  The pool above and the beach below were the views from our balcony.  Not bad, huh?

Unfortunately, we did "battle the weather" for most of the trip.  We did have enough dry spells to get in a little pool time.  On a positive note, they did have an indoor pool which we took full advantage of while the weather was not so good.

 

While the kids loved the amazing pool, they are still beach babies!  They would much rather play in the surf and sand.



We got to see a beautiful sunset Friday evening.

Friday evening we let the kids select our dinner destination....Sharky's it was!

I think a big plastic shark out front ate a little eight year old girl while her brothers quietly watched.

On our way down to the beach, we ran through a small little community named Jack, Alabama.  We spotted the tiny little post office and figured we had to stop and get a picture.  We now have a picture of Georgia in Butler, Georgia (which you can see here in this post) and Jack in Jack, Alabama.  We are now on the lookout for a city named Daniel!!

Football Program Ad

I thought I'd give you a little sneak peek of the radio station's advertisement for the Tallassee Football Program.  We have the back cover again this year...which is GREAT! 



Just for kicks here are the ads from previous years.