This weekend and a kid craft!

Good morning all! How is it already Wednesday and the 24th of April?! This month has flown by, and though we are well into spring, you wouldn't know it with this cold weather. Everytime I go to put away my sweaters, I have second thoughts because it's so cold!

This weekend, we really worked around the house. Saturday and Sunday were beautiful warm days, so we spent some time trying to get our garden into shape. Mick and I both love beautiful plants and bushes. However, for some reason, our backyard has only one mission- to kill everything that we try to plant back there. We think it is because of the giant pin oak trees in our yard. Though the trees are beautiful, they suck every OUNCE of water and nutrition out of the soil, and as a result, our backyard is now affectionately claled "where plants go to die".

Despite this, Mick and I plant things every year just hoping that this is the year that we will manage to win the backyard battles. Below, see a picture of the "sunroom" garden. As you will see- there are two things that we have managed not to kill: a knockout rosebush and a small, spiky red plant (yes, that's the technical name).



In addition to the rosebush (on left) and the spiky red plant, this bed has tulips, day lilies along the back, and a hydrangea, which I'll talk about below.



 One of my favorite plants of all time is the hydrangea. So far, I've planted 4 in my backyard in the "fence" garden, and each one has met a painful demise. So this time, I've changed it up and added it to the sunroom garden. I've also named him, in hopes that having a name may make him want to fight for his life more than if he were anonymous. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Howard:

This is Howard. He likes acid-based fertilizer, partial shade, and clouds who aren't afraid to cry on him periodically.

Here are a few more pictures of the plants we have in our back yard. It is my hope that at the end of the summer, I'll be able to post pictures of how they are thriving. Here's hoping...



In front is the lamb's ear that Mick's grandmother gave us. This is also a 2-year survivor. In the back is a gorgeous purple salvia. This is an addition for this year.



This is the "fence" garden. This year, we planted a forsythia bush, tulips, and some purple Phlox. The little hosta that you see in the back was transplanted from the sunroom garden. The squirrels keep eating it up there, so maybe back here, they will leave it alone!



Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful weekend. We hung around the house and spent some family time playing outside and hanging out. On Sunday, my sweet husband got up with Savannah and let me sleep in. Imagine my surprise when I came out of the bedroom to find this built on our coffee table. Is it me, or is my child an architectural genius?!?!?

On Monday, I took the day off to take Savannah to her 15 month checkup. She passed with flying colors and got her shots like a champ! She is currently in the 23rd percentile for height, the 50th percentile for weight, and the 85th percentile for head circumfrence. Here's hoping that she eventually grows into that head. Otherwise, she's going to be like her uncle Ryan, who has an EXTREMEMLY oversized head. I'm sure he would say that it makes him smarter. I would probably disagree, though in Savannah's case, it's surely true!

Here's Savannah waiting for the doctor! Poor little thing- she has no idea that the shots are coming!



This week, Savannah got her first pair of "designer" shoes- sparkle Toms. They are so cute!

 

Here's my sweet girl with our azelea out front. How darling is she?



Here's Mick and I before our dinner date this weekend. Love this guy!

 On to the kid craft! On Monday, I felt like being creative, but it was a little to chilly to do anything outside. Therefore, I decided to copy an idea I've seen on Pinterest and make some art for Daddy's office! To do this craft, you really only need a few things:

1. A picture frame with a mat- I think this one was from Target- I got it a while ago and had it sitting around.

2. Finger paint- we used Crayola washable, non-toxic paint. Washable is crucial. You'll see why in a minute.

3. Newspaper or something to cover the area you are painting. If you care about your floors/table, this is also important.

The paint we used and the newspaper taped to the floor.

Here's what I did. I simply took the mat out of the frame and laid it on a bunch of newspaper that I taped to the kitchen floor. I also took off all of Savannah's clothes except for the diaper. That made cleanup much easier.

Then, I squirted some paint on a plate and let her go crazy. We even had a little help in the form of Garth, but I wouldn't advise it, since dog+paint=

Puppy prints on the tile! Fortunately, it was easy to wipe up. This is why washable paint is important!

 Voila! Here's the finished product! I "helped" her fill in the blank spaces and make the colors more even, but the tiny fingerprints are hers! The red blotch on the top left corner is Garth's contribution.

What do you think?