Pruitt Preschool

As I've mentioned, Lucy is not attending a preschool program this year so she and I are doing preschool together. She loved her class last year and still talks about all of her friends so I'm hoping she will enjoy preschool with Mommy just as much. Her favorite part was her friends and I can't provide that but I have lots of play dates already in the works with lots of different friends so hopefully she'll have plenty of social time.

We are doing preschool on Tues. and Thurs. mornings and using the rest of the week for field trips, play dates, and unfortunately regular household chores. (Contrary to popular belief, stay at home moms actually have lots of work to do... Who knew???)

I'm a little on the OCD side and I need a fairly strict schedule to stick with or I'll put things off until they never get done. I used a sample preschool schedule as a guide for our schedule, changing the activities to fit what I want to do. Here's our schedule:

9am: Morning Meeting

9:30: Art

10: Snack

10:30: Table work

10:45 Playtime

11:15: Music

11:30: Bible story

11:45: Review/Reading

Here is a {very} detailed look at what we will do:

Morning Meeting:

During morning meeting, we'll be using our Morning Meeting board:

• Knock Knock song (This is a song we learned at story time at the library forever ago that Lucy loves. I tried to find it on You Tube but I can't so maybe the librarians made it up??? Maybe one day I'll video Lucy singing it. )
• Greetings (What can I say? I'm an SLP and it's never too early to work on appropriate social greetings.)
• Days of the Week song
• Days section of morning meeting board
• Months of the Year song
• Calendar section of morning meeting board
• Color of the day (Lucy chooses a color from a pile and sticks it to the morning meeting board. I point out some things this color, we talk about other things that are that color then I set a timer for 2 minutes and we go on a color hunt for things around the house that are that color. Throughout the day, I point out things that are the color of the day.)

• Letter of the week (There is a letter of the week curriculum that I know nothing about other than you focus on a different letter each week. All of our activities for the week will revolve around this letter. During this time, I introduce the letter, we talk about the sound it makes and read a book filled with this letter. Ex. A is for Apple so we will read 10 Apples Up on Top by Dr. Seuss.)
• Bible verse of the week (Ideally this will be a verse related to our letter theme, but sometimes that just won't be possible (I don't think there are D- donuts or dentists in the Bible) so I'll have to stretch it for some of these.)
• Weather (I printed this chart for us to fill in each day. We will then use our weather report to dress Lucy. I took the idea of "Weather Bear" and made a "Weather Lucy" by taking a picture of Lucy in her undies (I felt kind of creepy about this) and printed it in an 8x10, cut it out, and laminated it. Then I "shopped" for clothes for each season online and printed and laminated those. She'll check her "weather report" and dress her picture each day. It's never too early to learn how to dress appropriately for the seasons, right??? She's wearing her Fall dress in the picture below. I'm currently on the hunt for a picture of a great pair of boots.)
• The idea of the morning meeting is to introduce our theme and some basics that I want her to know. You would be surprised how many children don't know how to read a calendar or understand basic time concepts. My child won't be 1 of them!
• Originally I wanted a very small calendar so we could talk about the days of the week and learn the months so I started with this:

Obviously the words are too small and there is so much going on with the scrapbook paper you can't read anything. It just didn't turn out like I expected so I did a little research and came up with my Morning Meeting board. I really would have preferred it to be smaller but I kept thinking of skills I wanted to work on each day and didn't really want a million smaller boards to carry around if we do preschool on the go so I made 1 big one. All of the pieces are velcroed to the board so Lucy can easily stick things on when it's time. (She loves this part!) I keep all of the extra pieces in laminated envelopes on the back so everything is with me when I need it.

Art

Last year in preschool, Lucy "illustrated" her own Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? book by painting the colors of the book. I stole this idea and decided to have her create her own ABC book. Each week, she'll decorate a letter according to the theme. For example, for A week, she'll stamp A's with apples cut in half and covered in paint. This activity will account for 1 art activity for the week. The 2nd art activity will be theme related. For example, for B week, she is going to make a bird feeder by covering a pine cone with peanut butter and rolling it in bird seed.

Snack

Snack will also be theme related. For C week, we are talking about cookies and candy so she'll get to eat cookies for snack. (Any recipes for healthy cookies are welcome!!!)

Table Work

You'll notice that table work is only 15 minutes long. Preschoolers learn best through play and hands on activities so that will be the majority of our time but I do want to target specific skills each week so we will have some theme related but fun table work. For example, for B week, one of Lucy's field trips is going to Teddy Mountain to build a bear. She will use this bear during the next day's table work time to follow directions and locate body parts while putting bandaids where I tell her. (i.e. "Put the bandaid on Teddy Bear's ankle.") See, fun and educational all in 1!

1 "work" activity we will do each week is a letter hunt. I will hide our target letter around a room, on various themed toys, or in plastic eggs for Lucy to find. At first I'll hide all of 1 letter to help her learn to recognize individual letters. As she becomes more proficient at recognizing letters, I'll start hiding various letters, some for that week, some not so she learns to discriminate between several letters.

For help with skills to target I am using The Core Knowledge Sequence. Last year I was able to download the preschool goals in this sequence, but now I can't find them. This link is the closest I can find. I will also be using this book.

Play Time

Sometimes I will select a variety of theme related toys for Lucy to play with during this time (Ex. F is for food so we may have a pretend picnic) but most times I'll let her decide and follow her lead.

Music

1 of my fabulous practicum therapist created a song folder for 1 of our therapy programs and gave each student clinician a copy. It's basically pictures representing various kids songs (Wheels on the bus, London Bridge, Itsy Bitsy Spider, etc.) printed, laminated, and velcroed to a laminated file folder. Lucy picks a song, we sing it, then repeat with another song. She also likes to go on You Tube and sing songs/watch videos of kids songs. We'll also use her instruments to make our own music.

Bible Story

Since is it my job as Lucy's mom to "repeat (God's commands) again and again to (Lucy); talking about them when we are at home, and when we are going to bed and getting up," we will be reviewing Lucy Bible stories from church during preschool. Each Monday, our fabulous Kidz Creek leaders post that weeks Bible story/scripture reference on the church's blog and gives ideas for connecting church and home. I will re-read the story, talk about it, review the memory verse, and pray with Lucy during this time. I may have a coloring page for her to work on while I read if I feel the story is a little long for her attention span, but she enjoys these stories so it may not be necessary. (Just to brag a bit... last month she learned about Jonah and the whale. On Saturday, she told me the story of Jonah and said she wanted to tell her friends at dance. Yesterday she learned about David and told me that he was a shepherd and God helped him fight people. Yep, that's my 2 year old!!!)

Review/Read Books

During this time we'll review our letter of the day, verse of the day, and talk about what she liked and didn't like about preschool that day. This will help me plan future lessons. Lucy loves to "read" so she will have some time to read our themed books from the library while I make lunch.

I will {try} to post our preschool fun each Friday. Of course, this is just the preschool overview post and this week we will be beginning "C week" so I'm not off to the best start. That's the great thing about being your child's teacher; you can be a slacker and there's no one to complain about it! Happy learning!!!

Homemade Dryer Sheets- The cutest you ever did see!

A very long time ago I promised to post a tutorial for homemade dryer sheets. I made them and had pictures ready to post but I wanted to try them before I recommended them. At the time, I was using a dryer bar so the dryer sheets were put in the garage to wait their turn and then we moved and I lost them. I have no idea where they are so I started over. Lucky for me, too, because I like the new ones a million times more than the originals. Not the way they work on the clothes, but how they look. (Isn't that all that really matters anyway?) I used this recipe with a few minor changes:

1. My flannel is way cuter!

2. I didn't have natural fabric softener so I used good ol' Downy. When I finish my bottle of Downy (which will be like 3 years from now because the recipe only calls for a small amount) I'll use this recipe to make my own fabric softener. If you don't have any fabric softener and want to give it a try, let me know what you think.

3. I have more pictures.

You will need:

• flannel- I used a pair of old pajama pants for the 1st ones and 1 of Lucy's old receiving blankets for these.
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup fabric softener
• small bowl
• wire whisk
• storage container- I used an old wipes container for the 1st batch but I don't have those anymore so I rolled them and used a glass jar. (Let me just say, I am loving glass jars right now and love finding new uses for them.)

Step 1: Cut your flannel into strips. I cut mine into 4x6 in strips but it really doesn't matter.

Step 2: Put your strips into your container.

I rolled mine to put them in the jar. (Really, how precious will these be sitting on my dryer???)

To roll them, lay 1 strip on a flat surface. If your strips have a patterned side and a non-patterned side, you'll want the patterned side facing down. Cover 3/4th of the strip with a 2nd strip.

Continue lining your strips in this way until you have enough to fill the jar. I did about a 20 inch line but it doesn't really matter as long as they will fit in your container.

Beginning with the last strip laid, roll your strips toward you catching the ones underneath.

If you are using a wipes container or similar container, simply stack your strips.

Step 3: Mix fabric softener and water in a small bowl with a wire whisk.

Step 4: Pour your fabric softener over your flannel strips and shake.

To use:

• Let your flannel strips sit for at least an hour before using.
• Shake container before each use.*
• Use 1 strip per load.**
• Wash your strips after using then save to use for another batch.

My thoughts:

At first I was a little disappointed when I poured the fabric softener mixture on the strips because they kind of crumpled to the bottom. But, after a few days I decided I didn't really care because I have the cutest dryer sheets ever sitting on top of my washer in a glass jar for all the world (or whoever comes into our house) to see! Also, I feel like the mixture probably distributes itself a little more evenly rolled in the jar than in stacks. Don't have any jars? How does Mexican (salsa) or spaghetti sound for dinner? Save your jars and reuse them all over your house.

**I used 1 sheet for the first load and my clothes had some static so I used 2 in all of the loads after that and it hasn't been a problem. I couldn't really tell a difference in the softness of our clothes but our towels are definitely softer than with Bounce dryer sheets. I can't wait to wash my sheets with them! (I just love clean sheets, don't you?!)

*I started keeping my sheets on the washer instead of the dryer because my sheets get a good shake during the spin cycle and are ready for the dryer when the washer stops.

Enjoy! Let me know what you think.

Just a girl and her hair

Once upon a time there was a sophomore in college named Lauren. Lauren had always had normal, manageable hair (if you don't count the mullet at 2 years old or the haircut on the day of homecoming fiasco). She was fairly happy with her hair, alternating between long and short styles. One day Lauren went to get a haircut. Her stylist, who happened to be a great childhood friend, asked the dreaded hairdresser question, "So, what shampoo are you using these days?". Lauren replied, "Oh, you know, whatever smells the best or has the best commercials." (Isn't that how everyone chooses beauty products?) A gasp was heard across the salon as Lauren's stylist ran to the back of the store and thrust a mountain of shampoo samples in her lap. A happy little Lauren bounced out of the salon with fabulous fresh cut hair and enough shampoo to last her until graduation. One by one Lauren began trying the various shampoos- Paul Mitchell, Redken, Bedhead, Matrix, Aveda, etc. etc.- and received the same result every time- A big, fat, disgusting greasy spot in the 2nd layer of the right side of her part. Every. Single. Time. She. Tried. A. Different. Shampoo. Which lead to Lauren using half of her roommate's Walmart shampoo rewashing her hair. Who has time to REwash their hair??? Every. Single. Day!!! A very distraught Lauren called her friend and said, "Your shampoo SUCKS!". (I believe she was a bit more polite than that but that was the general idea.) Her friend replied, "They must be too heavy for your hair. You know, you could try...". "Oh no, no, no" said Lauren. "I'm good. Thanks." And she went back to Walmart and back to her usual routine of buying the best smelling, best commercial producing shampoo and washing her hair only once per day.

Fast forward 4 years. Lauren gets married, has a baby, and her hair gets out of control. First it gets really thick. Then it all falls out. Then it starts growing back and the fine little baby hairs stick straight out all around her face making her look kind of like a lion. (She may be exaggerating a bit but only a little.) Her hair is damaged, broken, and a little confused by all that has happened to it in such a short amount of time.

One night Lauren has a magical dream that she is in a Chinese natural beauty supply store. (Oh, you've never heard of one??? Well that's because they only exist in Lauren's dreams. It's a magical land where little Chinese women (in kimono's with chopsticks in their hair, of course) teach little blonde girls how to make their own natural beauty products. Why Chinese? Lauren doesn't know but Chinese women have pretty healthy looking hair, right?) Anyway, so she's in this store and she hears an infomercial coming from a small TV set up on a nearby shelf. This very chiseled blonde man is advertising a natural shampoo that "doesn't strip your hair of natural moisture, but repairs damage and leaves hair with sheen, moisture, manageability, and better color retention." And, it's only $10! Lauren, in real life, rolls over and realizes she's been dreaming. But wait; what's that? She still hears the blonde man's voice. She looks at the TV and realizes she fell asleep with the TV on and there really is a blonde man and magical shampoo! (No Chinese women though.) Lauren is intrigued. She listens. By the end of the infomercial, Lauren has decided she needs this shampoo. She sneaks out of her room (Lauren happens to be on vacation with her sleeping in-laws and child) to get her purse. She goes to the website and places her order. Then goes back to sleep. 3 hours later when her little love bug comes in to wake her up, she wonders, "did I really order shampoo off of an infomercial at 5am? Who does that???".

Two weeks later the magical potion arrives. She tries it. It tingles. Ohhhh her hair is soft! She doesn't notice any major differences right away but one day, she wakes up, washes her hair, and BAM! It's healthy. She can't find a single split end. She has more volume than she's ever dreamed. Her color is a million times brighter. This stuff really is magical. Expensive (the $10 deal was only in the dream), but magical. All of her hair worries have disappeared. Lauren has healthy hair!

So, WEN your hair looks like this...

This is not a picture of Lauren. (Thank goodness for that, right?!) Luckily Lauren rescued her hair before it got to this point.

Get this...

Sadly, this is also not a picture of Lauren, but her hair looks almost just like this. Almost.

Funny things my kid says.

So when Lucy was about 3 weeks old and sleeping all the time, I had this great idea that I would write down all of the funny things that she said when she started talking. I thought it would be fun for the family to sit down after she graduates from high school and laugh at her toddler talk. But the craziest thing happened. One day she woke up and started moving and who has the time to write down what she says? She talks non-stop. That really is impossible. Maybe we'll just look back at this 1 blog post and have a good giggle instead.

At dinner:

Lucy: "Daddy, what you doin' at work this week?"

(Ummmm hello, when did my 2 year old turn 20???)

In a high school bathroom at a volleyball game:

Lucy: "I stand on my tip-toes like in class."

(Referring to how she was going to reach the very high handle to flush the toilet. The class she is speaking of is dance. Again, when did she turn into a teenager???)

At a high school volleyball game talking to students from Cedar Creek:

Lucy: "I getting a new baby sister soon."

Mommy: "Ummm, really. And where will she be coming from?" (I'm not pregnant people!)

Lucy: "Ummmm..." (Looking around as if she's searching for a baby to call her sister.) "Her name is Belle. I bring her next time."

The sister she's referring to-

At bedtime while saying her prayers:

Lucy: "Dear God, thank you for Mommy. Thank you for Daddy. Mumble, mumble, mumble not go time out or get spanking ANYMORE! Amen."

This was a couple of weeks ago but it fits so I'll add it.

Walking off of an elevator in a building downtown looking for a dance studio:

Lucy: "This is a really tute (cute) building, Mommy.

There are some days I hear a lot of "NOOOOO!" or whining. But those days are totally worth it for days like today when she opens that cute little mouth and says fun stuff like this.

So happy together...

Last week Jeff and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary with a trip to Wilmington, NC. Jeff and I love cute southern towns and we've been wanting to venture to Wilmington for quite some time now so we used a gift certificate his parents gave us for Christmas for a bed and breakfast and headed north for a laid back mini vacation.

We stayed at this beautiful bed and breakfast, The Graystone Inn, which we later found out has been in several movies and tv shows including a longtime fav, One Tree Hill. We were 1 of 2 couples staying here so it was quiet and relaxing. It gets 2 thumbs up from Chef Jeff...

Actually I think he was giving his gift a thumbs up. Jeff and I have decided that we need a hobby so I thought taking a cooking class could be a good start. Jeff likes to pretend he's a chef when he helps make dinner so I thought it would be entertaining. Our class is in September. (Stay tuned.)

What was my gift? Glad you asked.

This was my hint. Hmmm lets see.... Oh, a Tiffany's ring. But where is it? Since our anniversary and my birthday are a month apart, Jeff thought it would be a great idea to make me wait 2 weeks to get it. WRONG!!! When we got home I finally nagged him enough to get it...

Don't you love it? I love it. (Thanks Mr.)

Our trip was a nice combination of sleeping, eating, and laughing. After dinner on Wednesday night, we found (thanks to Google) this little place called The Soapbox. It's a laundramat, coffee shop, and lounge. I guess the thought is you can do your laundry have coffee or watch a band or performance. Of course we didn't have any laundry to do (for once) but there was an improv-comedy group performing and they were hilarious! We had a blast.

The next morning we ate a delicious breakfast, went back to sleep and woke up for lunch then explored a little bit until it was time for our dinner plans- a redneck wedding dinner cruise on the Henrietta III.

We really wanted to do the murder mystery dinner cruise but those only sail on Tuesdays so we were left with Bubba and Bobby Jo's (or something like that) wedding. It was entertaining and definitely a break from your usual dinner out but certainly not as funny as the performance the night before. We did, however, learn a little dinner cruise etiquette: Do not plan to introduce your new fiancé to old family friends at a dinner where entertainment is provided. Seems pretty obvious, right? Not to these people.

It's hard to see, but we had been staring for a while and I think the older gentleman was on to us so we had to be quick with the picture. We originally thought the older couple was meeting their son's girlfriend for the first time but we later found out that the older man is a minister (and family friend we think) and the younger couple recently got engaged and wants the older couple to be part of their counseling. They literally talked throughout the entire show until a fellow wedding guest asked to them stop. Really people. A dinner show is not the place to be making introductions. Although the older lady's face was pretty entertaining. I've never seen so many surprised faces come from 1 person.

After the cruise we headed to a fondue restaurant for dessert. It was so delicious we came back the next night for seconds.

Are you drooling? I am!

On Friday we took a Ferry to Bald Head Island, rented a golf cart (cars are not allowed on the island), and went for a leisurely ride. Jeff did a little geocaching. By a little I mean he found 1 and a half because I was a party pooper and didn't like the millions of crabs swarming around me in the woods-marsh area where another one was hidden. (It's a dumb hobby anyway, if you ask me. You don't actually find anything. Doesn't that mean that you are wasting time looking for nothing. I spend a lot of my time looking for actual things; I don't need a hobby that has me wondering around looking for nothing.) Anyway, we headed back to Wilmington, took showers, and ate dinner at a delicious restaurant downtown that I can't remember the name of but it was very yummy.

Jeff and I like to take some type of tour of the places we visit because it's a good way to see places in a relatively short amount of time. We generally like to do Old Town Trolley Tours because they run all day and you can get on and off whenever you want so you basically get to see an entire city and do the things you want to do all in 1 day, and you learn a little history at the same time. Wilmington has a trolley tour but it's a different one so we looked at some of the other tours available. When I saw the Hollywood Walking Tour, I was sold. Our guide showed us many movie and TV scenes but we wanted more and had a little time before we needed to leave so we used Google again (should we ever get another dog, we have decided to name her Google) and got some addresses to other OTH scenes around town. It was very fun and gave us another idea for a new hobby- re-watching every episode of OTH and pointing out all of the places we recognize and have seen in person.

After our self-guided tour of the OTH set, we headed back to Columbia to enjoy dinner at the new Brazilian steakhouse downtown, Cowboys. It wasn't as nice as the other ones we've been to, but still delicious and we will definitely return. That is if we are ever hungry again after all of the food we ate last week.

It was a relaxing and light-hearted trip; the perfect way to end the summer and celebrate 5 years of marriage. My mom asked me recently if it felt like we had been married for 5 years and I said, "YES!". Jeff and I have done a lot in 5 years and there have been some exhausting times (the past few months included) but we've had a lot of fun too. My mom also asked if marriage is what I expected it would be to which I answered, "No. I thought it would be like some long, never-ending date". The date does end when school and work and a baby come into the picture but I love sharing all of these things with Jeff. My mom then asked if I had advice for new wives and I said, "No. I'm still trying to figure it out." Now that I've had some time to think, one thing that I have learned is that no matter how hard I try, I can't change things that Jeff does. Not that I would want to change him, but there are things that he does that annoy me (and things I do that annoy him). No matter what I say or how much nagging I do, my words won't change anything. My prayers do, however. So instead of whining I try to remain calm (not always easy) and say a little prayer for him and me. I've come to find that God's way of handling things is much better than my own. Who knew?!?!

My daily bread

As I mentioned previously, we have had a crazy summer. I am so sick of looking at the inside of the car. My back aches continuously, my right arm and shoulder hurt from reaching into the backseat to pass a drink, open a snack, fetch a mink-mink, etc. etc. And if I hear, "I need a go POOOTTTTTTYYYY!!!!" one more time in the middle of a tree-lined highway with no exits, I swear I may drive off the next bridge we are driving over. Let this be a warning to all: As of September 1st, the Pruitt's are taking a month off of the road. We will not take trips requiring more than a 15 minute ride so if you want to see us, fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the trees because we are DONE!!!
Oh wait, I have a niece due in Sept. Hmmmm..... Ok Kylie; you are the exception. We will travel for you but for no one else. But if you want to make your grand entrance say at the end of August, I wouldn't complain. Oh, and if you can come a little quicker than your brother did, that would be good too. Your cousin Lucy will have taken over the hospital bythe time you come out if we have to wait there for 24 hours.

Wasn't this post supposed to be about something positive? Where was I going? Oh yes...

So Lucy and I are driving tonight from my parents house in Sumter to my inlaws house in Columbia. (We have spent a total of 6 hours in the car since Thursday not including around town driving and we have an hour and a half drive home tomorrow. I'm done I tell you!) Anyway so we're driving to Columbia and my little passenger was being a real trooper (this is very rare). She started the trip with some Cars graham cracker cookie things and raisins and she was just as happy as a clam. She sang along to Travis Cottrell (she loves him which just makes me smile) and found 1 book out of the car book stash and her pink doctor kit to keep her busy for about 30 minutes. When we were about 10 minutes away from my inlaws, I realize that she's been talking almost the whole way. (I have no shame. I tuned my child out for a good 30 minutes. It was blissful. Don't hate... she was perfectly content.) Anyway so I realize that she's been talking and talking but suddenly she's gotten a little louder and she's saying, "You ok, you ok? You need another band-aid?". Curious as to which happy meal toy she's rescuing (again, I have no shame), I look back there and she has her hand open and she's talking to it like there is a person in there. She slowly looks up at me and gives me an embarrassed little grin like she's been caught doing something then glances around and quickly picks up the blood pressure cuff and says, "You help me with dis?" as if to cover up the fact that she was talking to nothing in her hand. It was so innocent and adorable that I was overwhelmed with love for that little stinker. There are so many days that I want to lock myself in a sound proof room just for 10 minutes so when sweet little moments like this happen I am reminded of how precious children are and so thankful that I have been entrusted with my little princess. It's hard to describe an interatction like this in writing, but I'm sure that (for those of you who have children) your little miracles do similar things daily so you know what I'm talking about. Oh what a blessing kids are!!! Hopefully I'll remember that sweet little expression the next time she dramatically throws her head back and screams at the top of her lungs because she thinks the bread at dinner is cake and is very disappointed to learn the truth. (That happened last night.) Oh Lucy, how I adore you!

Here, there, and everywhere!

Dear, sweet, faithful readers,

Thank you for not giving up on me. To say the Pruitt's have been busy is an understatement. To reward you for waiting so patiently, here is a long post about what we have been up to the last few weeks. Enjoy!!

We have spent A LOT of time in the car this summer. (I had a great 3 minute video of Lucy crying in the car which is usually what she is doing in the car because she hates it so much now, but we downgraded our internet service so it was taking way too long to load. I'll see what I can do about that.)

We have traveled back and forth to Columbia many times, mostly to see family. Last Monday, we had a wonderful play date at the Columbia Marionette Theater with Lucy's boyfriend (her words, not mine), Will.

Lucy and her Prince with "Cereal" (That's what Lucy calls Ariel.) Not really sure why Ariel has blue hair. It was an interesting interpretation of The Little Mermaid but these 2 were entertained.

A few weeks ago we traveled to Charleston to see a friend and visit the aquarium.

Kind of disappointed you can't see the sea turtle on Lucy's jumper, so let me point out that there is a sea turtle on her jumper.

We also spent a week with Jeff and the CC students at camp. Lucy was the most popular girl there and made lots of "friends". She loves the boys the most, especially Jeff's intern, David. The only picture I have is one of her sleeping in a real big kid bed. She looks like she's about 5.

Seriously, where does the time go???

Tomorrow, we leave for Florida for our annual Hallford Family Vacation (there is actually only 1 person with the last name "Hallford" going on this vacation, however, the vacation stemmed from my grandparents, The Hallfords, so instead of saying the Hallford, Farrout, Rohrlack, Szimga, Dempsey, Pruitt Family Vacation, we'll call it the Hallford Family Vacation).

In case things get a little crazy next week and I don't get a chance to blog while on vacation, I'll continue sharing what we've been up to this summer to hold you over.

This summer has been all about cleaning and organizing. This room obviously needed some work.

I'm not usually the type who would allow anyone, let alone the world, to see a mess this size in my house, so let me explain. We moved into the rental the weekend before the last week of school. Lucy and I returned to Columbia for a week then we left from Columbia to go to Hilton Head for a week of vacation. This picture was taken after returning from vacation and being away from a house I had 3 days to move into and unpack. I once read that you should at least make your bed everyday because the bed accounts for about 80% of the room so even if the rest of the room is a mess, by making your bed you have cleaned 80% of the room. After explaining this theory to Jeff and getting out of said bed to measure the length of the room, we determined that the bed only accounts for about 50% of the room. Either way, I don't think making the bed helped.

While cleaning up that mess of a bedroom, I decided to get started on my organizing beginning here...

Jeff's T-shirt Drawer: Before

After

Allow me to explain Jeff's t-shirt collection. When we met, Jeff had t-shirts everywhere; in his room at home, in the guest bedroom, in his dorm room, in his car, even in blanket form- a t-shirt blanket. Over the past 5 years, I have managed to get his collection down to 2 drawers: 1 for shirts he is allowed to wear out of the house (shown above) and 1 for shirts that should be in the trash but he can't seem to part with so we keep them and he's only allowed to wear at home. I like t-shirts folded neatly in drawers. He likes to pick the shirt on the bottom of the pile, unfold it (and 12 others in the process), decide not to wear it, wad it up, and put it back in the drawer. (T-shirts are a touchy subject for the 2 of us; can you tell?) I took an organization class in the spring and the "teacher" recommends the file method for organizing t-shirts (shown above). So far this has worked wonders for us! For more info on the class go here.

And because I was loving the t-shirt drawer so much, I moved onto socks, underwear, and undershirts (which used to be in 2 drawers).

In addition to all of the cleaning, I have explored my crafty side this summer. Here are a few examples.

How precious are these? And so versatile. These fabric flowers started as hair bows but while sewing a fabric flower back onto a favorite tank for the millionth time, I had an idea. Instead of sewing flowers onto the tank (like they are when you buy an embellished tank or shirt from a store) why not make it into a pin so you can take the flower off when you wash the shirt so it doesn't get deformed and fall off in the washing machine??? Enter the flower tank...

These (the flowers, not the tank-go to Target for that)will be on sale soon on our (mine and my sister-in-laws) website (snailsandpigtails.com), Etsy store, and Facebook page for $5. Don't look for these pages yet. We are working on pictures so stay tuned. (They make great gifts and can also be used to dress up bags, etc. Just saying...)

This little beauty took just about all of eternity to complete...

These will also be on sale at Snails and Pigtails for $45. Think that's a high price? Try making one. Seriously, try it. I'll see you in about 3 months.

And my latest creations...

The Sun Suit

Back of the Sun Suit

Lucy modeling the Sun Suit.

A hamburger and her Pinafore

Back of the Pinafore

These outfits were made for a cousins picture that will be taken next week at the beach. They will also be available for purchase soon. The Sun Suit is available in sizes 0-4t and will be $20-$25. The pinafore is available in sizes 0-3t and will also be $20-$25. I'm working on some flowers for the front of each outfit.

Amongst all of the traveling, cleaning, and crafting, we've had some very lazy days at home...

Lucy "fishing" in her kiddie pool. She was using a magnetic fishing pole to catch magnetic numbers and letters but, after beating the "fish" on the ground a few too many times, the fishing pole broke, so we improvised.

I had a sweet video of Lucy in a purple princess gown blowing bubbles and singing on the front porch, but again, it was taking forever to download.

We have also had some time to explore our new town...

"The Driver On the Bus..." at Tough-A-Truck day. The school bus was Lucy's favorite but the ambulance, steam roller, fork lift, and fire truck were also in the running.

And here is where I had planned to add a video of Lucy dancing with a girl she met when we went to watch fireworks in Augusta for the 4th of July but, you know, it took too long.

Hopefully this super long post with tons of pictures has made up for my lack of blogging the past few weeks. I hope everyone is having a great summer!