Summer Goals

* Bake a loaf of bread.
I realize some of you probably have this as part of your weekly routine but I've never done this myself successfully. (any tips or recipes can be left in the comment section!)

* Visit both the St. Louis and Springfield zoos.
We're taking Sebastian to the St. Louis zoo on his birthday but I've got a whole month to fill with activities so we don't notice how much we miss Brett while he's at ROTC camp.

* Declutter each room.
We're at the point where we need to implement the One In, One Out rule. I've already gotten rid of two of my least favorite wooden chairs (although our cool neighbor adopted them) and seem to always have at least two bags ready for Goodwill in our car trunk.

* Throw a special party.
I'm not the best at parties but I've always wanted to be. I'm going to try to put a lot of thought and energy into the details of Sebastian's fourth birthday party without making myself crazy. And maybe throw another kind of party if such an occasion calls for it.

* Successfully teach my son a morning routine.
We're starting preschool in the Fall so we're all going to have to get used to getting up early and looking presentable before 9:00 a.m. (or sometimes 10:00)! We've started a sticker chart that has pictures of each thing he has to do before he's free to do whatever he wants.

* Make friends with Jillian Michaels again.
I lost about six pounds in a month doing her work out and then lost ALL motivation as soon as I got back from Florida. Hello three pounds! It's time to make it a priority again.

* Take the kids to the local pools and parks.
Even when it's so humid and hot that we're all likely to be cranky before we get there.

* Make 11:00p.m. lights out time.
No exceptions.

* Obtain headboards for both beds in our home. Finish Sebastian's quilt and make pretty pillows to finish ours.
Because it's been eight years now and I think it's about time.

What's on your list?

xoxo,
Rachel

My Little Caged Bird

Up until this week, we've been co-sleeping with Ruby. I have enjoyed having my warm little bundle next to me as I fall asleep and the ease of nursing without having to be awake for awhile. I know it's helped us bond in a special way but she's big enough now that she ends up wiggling her way over to Brett's side and whacking him in the back with her arm and waking him up a few times a night. It was cute the first time.

In order for all of us to be well rested, we're teaching Ruby to sleep in her crib and fall asleep by herself. I've moved her crib into our room so as not to disturb Sebastian's sleep in the process. She's taken to it better than I expected and almost made it through the night last night. She has been a better self-soother than Sebastian so there's usually only a few minutes of crying before she's out like a light.

Do any of you have young kids sharing a room? What did you do to get to the point where they were both sleeping in there together?

xoxo,
Rachel

Midweek Wisdom

photo via here

"It takes courage to let go of things when you are holding on to them for security. It takes bravery to let go of the vague fears, the what-ifs, the 'better safe than sorry' mentality. But that way of thinking can hold you back from new adventures. The whole point of being brave is to experience life more fully, to follow your bliss."

-Judi Culbertson

Belted

I found this vintage dress in Elsie's stash and decided it needed a little work before I wore it out for date night. I took in the sides a few inches, as it was really wide, and took about four inches off the bottom before hemming it. Being just 5' 4", I needed it a lot shorter. It's been fun to experiment with sewing and reworking stuff for myself again. Here's another little dress I made from a denim jumper.

Don't mind the awkward facial expression. I think it must've been the pre-vacation crazy in my eye! This one was about six inches higher on top and too narrow around the chest so I cut it down and made a casing for a piece of elastic that only connects from shoulder to shoulder so it doesn't gather in the front. I used some scrap from another denim jumper to make a belt and gathered it in a little for some shape. The sides still have a nice shape to them and the denim is pretty sturdy so it's flattering for the most part. Now I just have to find it at the bottom of the clean pile.

In other news, I'm offering a summer discount on all ad sales! You can sponsor Smile And Wave at 20% off the regular rate for July, August, and September. With over 115,000 page views a month, summer rates are well below competitive prices for similarly sized blogs. If you're interested in getting in before spots fill up, e-mail Leigh-Ann @ FreckledNest (@) gmail (dot) com.

xoxo,
Rachel

Beautiful Bookends

These agate rocks from Royale Minerals are a beautiful solution for keeping books from toppling over...

I love that each rocks is so fascinatingly unique! See more here.

Don't Forget...

Post card from RarRarPress
(some mature content in their Etsy shop)

Frame from Seminole, Oklahoma junk shop that is now closed.

xoxo,
Rachel

On The Pom Pom Bandwagon

To celebrate the first day of summer I decided not to tackle the cleaning and made these pom poms instead. Technically, the tissue paper was part of the clutter on my studio desk so we'll say I was cleaning. While doing this I was also avoiding the laundry and there is no way to justify this helping me cycle through that pile.

I bought this huge pack of multi-colored tissue paper at Hobby Lobby a few months ago thinking I'd use it for a spring garland and various art journal projects. I love the weight of this tissue paper. It's tough but still slightly see through. It also comes in the most beautiful shades that allow for my favorite color schemes.

In case you don't have one of the hundred pom pom tutorials out there bookmarked, here's how I made mine.

Gather five or seven or nine (must be an odd number to get this look) pieces of tissue paper in two monochromatic shades (pinks & yellows, greens & blues) that compliment each other and cut them three times as long as they are wide. You'll also need some twine or embroidery thread.

With your papers stacked, fold them into a fan like so.

Don't fold them the other way or you'll get a wonky pom pom.

Trim off the ends at an angle for a petal effect.

Tie it together in the middle with your knot and extra string on the edge of the color you want at the top. I wanted yellow at the top of mine.

Fan out and pinch around the knotted area in between the folds to help it stay fanned.

Very gently, start peeling your layers down. Do them one side at a time so it all looks even when you're done.

Your middle layer should stick out in the center but you can peel it to the top or bottom a little here and there to make it look a little more like a flower.

I ran out of tissue paper before I could fill my room with them so I just have three but they are doing a find job of making me happy when I pass them and are a great reminder that summer has only just begun.

xoxo,
Rachel