I Can Make That For 5 Bucks!

Whenever my mom, sister, and I go shopping together, it's inevitable that one of us will pick up some cute scarf/purse/picture/vase/whatever, look at the price tag, then scoff and exclaim, "I can make that for 5 bucks!"

Of course, none of us have ever gone on to make a duplicate of the cute scarf/purse/picture/vase/whatever, but today, all that has changed!

I bought Dexter a little boy tie on Etsy the other day, and when it arrived, my initial response was (say it with me) "I can make that for 5 bucks!" Of course, I only paid $8, but that is not the point. The point is that a few days ago I took the Etsy tie - which turned out to be a tad snug for Dex - and made a larger pattern out of it. Then I grabbed some fabric scraps and sewed away.

The Etsy version. It was the fabric that sold me.

My paisley version. Cost? Free.

Super easy! Now if only he'll wear it. It was quite a spectacle trying to convince him to put the Etsy one on last Sunday, but I prevailed. (As if there was any doubt.)

He Must Be Celebrating

In honor of my wonderful Dad's 62nd birthday, Calvin took his first shaky steps today!

Way to go Cal, and way to go Papa!

We love you both.

(It is so sad that I have no recent pictures of my Dad to include in this post. Just wait, Dad... you better be ready for your close-up come Christmas time!)

Cal baby

Cal will be 10 months old next week!

He has 3 1/2 teeth. He likes to push chairs, laundry baskets, and #10 cans around the house. And thankfully, he has finally started sleeping through the night. (Anything before 6 a.m. is "the night," and Cal alternated between 1, 4, and 5 a.m. for quite a long time, the turkey.)

We love him to pieces!

Too Much

There is simply too much going on to blog about in any kind of detail (what that translates to is that I'm just feeling lazy). So, here is a brief recap post:

1) My CHP ride along with Jay = awesome!

I had so much fun spending the day with him. The 12 hours flew by, and I didn't want them to end. Nothing out of the ordinary happened during the shift, which was a good thing for me, because even though Jay showed me how to get the shotgun unlocked, I didn't really want to have to use it.

2) Family pictures with the wonderful Shannon Montez

We travelled back to SJ to have our family pictures taken on Friday. We had so much fun with Shannon, even if I picked the absolutely wrong shoes to wear. My feet were killing me by the end of the session! But, I have a feeling it will be worth it when I see the proofs.

3) Time Out for Women!

I went with my friends Joyce and Veronica to Time Out for Women, a women's conference put on by Deseret Book. The two day event was a much needed spiritual recharge. With talks by many people including Wendy Watson Nelson and Sheri Dew, and amazing music by Hilary Weeks and Jenny Oaks Baker, how can you go wrong? I was a tearful mess throughout the whole conference, but I left feeling so uplifted and motivated that I am already planning on going again next year when they come to Sacramento. (All you ladies are welcome to join me!)

4) The kids are settling in... I think...

There was a little rough patch, but they are doing better every day. Bea told me the other day that she had made 6 friends. I had no idea she was keeping track, but hey, whatever makes her happy.

Visiting Grandma makes everyone happy!

Aurora Orange & More

Today was another painting day!

Bea, camouflaged in the tinted primer

The final product ... I give you, Aurora Orange!

I am very happy with it. It is bright and colorful - just what our upstairs hallway needed. We also decided we needed a fun way to bring the blue of the stairwell and the orange of the hallway together. And what could be more fun than polka dots?

We made a few stencils out of cardboard, traced a pattern on the wall, and hand-painted the circles. (By "we" I mean "mostly Jay," although I did some as well.) I love it! Every time I walk up the stairs or sit in my living room, I smile.

Now if only redecorating the rest of the house were that easy and inexpensive!

(P.S. - yes, that is Dexter in a princess dress. I think he's going to be a very well-rounded guy.)

Labor Day Labor

We had a fun Labor Day weekend here in the Fear household, full of family, friends, food, and sunshine. We also did a few small home improvement projects, including weeding the backyard and planting some new flowers in cute, colorful pots we found at Home Depot.

While we were at Home Depot, we also picked up a few cans of paint. We're going for "fun and colorful" with this house, and we decided to start with the smallest space possible: the stairwell. (no wallpaper to take down!) It turned out pretty cute, if I do so myself.

We'll see what happens when I paint the upstairs hallway "aurora orange." :)

Here Comes The Mail...

So, living farther away from family is certainly not ideal, but there is one benefit - letters and packages! Checking the mail is always an exciting activity.

Dexter received a package from Grandma:

Look! Buzz Lightyear pajamas!

Thanks, Grandma!

The girls and Dexter also received cute letters from Grandma, along with some Swedish fish. They were all very happy (even if I made them wait until after dinner to eat their candy). :)

It's that time again... back to school!

Natalie is now in 2nd grade! Agh!

When we went back to school shopping, she honed in on this shirt/vest combo, and there was no talking her out of it. Not that I was trying to, but *someone* was. I guess he thought it looked a little too hip for our 7 year old. She said she liked it because it had sparkles, so he showed her every other sparkly top in Target, but no dice. Then she explained that she liked the vest, so he said, "Oh, there are vests over here," and proceeded to try the 'ol bait & switch with a cardigan. Not happening, old man. I can't wait until she's a teenager, if for no other reason than to watch Jay sweat.

She looked adorable and was excited about her first day. Of course there was some sadness and some missing of her SJ friends, but she was brave and confident, and not a tear was shed.

And, as hard as it is to believe, my Beatrice is old enough for Kindergarten!

(She desperately wanted to hold up a finger indicating her grade level, so Jay taught her the letter "K" in sign language)

Bea's still at the age where Jay can steer her clothing choices in his preferred direction. She did pick out the purple color though, which was not a surprise.

She was enthusiastic about starting school, but like Natalie, she was a little sad about the friends she left behind in SJ. The main person she pines for is her good friend Sydney. When she noticed that there was a Sidney (spelled with an "i") in her new class, she turned to me with the happiest eyes, and it was up to me to crush her hopes and her dreams. I was a little afraid that the presence of a new Sidney would unleash some stalkerish tendencies, but so far, so good.

The first few days have gone well, although both girls (along with their mom, for that matter), are definitely still adjusting. Natalie is enjoying her classwork and teacher, and from the little that Bea tells me, she is enjoying her class and her teacher as well. It will take time for us all to feel as comfortable as we were in SJ, but we're making our best efforts and leaving the rest up to the Lord.

Dexter was none too happy about being left behind. But, he has learned a new phrase: kindergarten playground.

Every time I see this picture, my heart breaks a teeny bit