Happy Valentine's Day

valentine-sy stuff

Grace has her first Valentine party at school tomorrow.  She had to make a mailbox for her cards and this is what we came up with (and, yes, Grace helped!)

She also helped with her donut Valentine cards that she made for her friends.

She even helped make this Valentine party mix to take to her party.  We used pretzels, Valentine M&M's, Quaker Heart cereal, and the X's and O's from some alphabet crackers.

I made these bubble Valentine's for Carter to give to his "friends", but I lost them.  Oops! Maybe, he can pass them out next year if they ever show up!

silhouettes...a tutorial (kinda)

I wanted to share with you how I made these silhouettes that are in our "new" hall.  I did not come up with this idea, but I don't remember where I read it from a few years ago.  I know there are a ton of silhouette tutorials, but this is one is so simple.

Here's what you need:

a camera

a printer

card stock to print the pic on

card stock to mount the pic on

black acrylic paint

a paintbrush

scissors

adhesive 

First, take a picture of your kids or whoever from the side.  Then, print it on some card stock.

Next, carefully, cut out the picture and make sure you include all the details...curls, eyelashes, etc.  Paint the pic that you just cut out black.  When it is dry, glue it to your background card stock or any kind of paper or fabric and frame!

Tada!  Pretty simple, right?

our NEW hallway

You may remember when I was contemplating redoing the hallway here.  Well, I decided to go for it.  John was sad about his stripes being painted over and I was a little sad too, but it was time for a change.  John worked on this hall while I was pregnant with Grace and it kinda became a Grace gallery.  It was full of Grace's pictures (even her sonogram), her handprints, her baby shoes, her monogram...it was all Grace.  And, I loved it!  But, we needed to add a little Carter!

{BEFORE}

{AFTER}

A couple of weeks ago, John sadly painted over the stripes with Sherwin William's Rice Grain and I made it more "us."  I made some silhouettes of both Grace and Carter and framed them. I covered some canvases with pages from my most favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  I hung up some vintage clipboards that will make it easy to change out photos or Grace's art.  I added an anthro monogram, a couple of frames, and this awesome "happy" pennant banner that my mother in law gave me for Christmas!  I absolutely love how it all looks now!

funny (to me)

This is probably only funny or amusing to me, but I'm posting it because I want to remember it.  Yesterday, when I got home from school, I quickly changed out of my school clothes and into my pajamas even though it was only 5:00 because that is how the Jacobs family rolls!  I made a dash to the chair because if Carter sees you standing he starts screaming and wants to be held.  Unfortunately, I was not quick enough!  I had been caught!  And, the screaming began.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a bag of veggie sticks sitting on the floor (probably left there from a similar incident). I grabbed it and held one out to Carter.  He crawled toward me screaming mad because I hadn't picked him up, pulled up on the chair, stopped crying, smiled, swung his leg up, and pulled himself on the chair.  (He has never done that before.)  He sat beside me as happy as could be snacking on veggie sticks.  I have only one word: BIPOLAR.

Grace must of been tired of drinking her capri suns at room temperature because when I opened the frig to start dinner last night, this is what I saw.  They were lined up and stuck in every random spot in the frig.  I have only one word: INDEPENDENT.

I LOVE them both so much, but these two kiddos are so different!

Happy Groundhog Day!