Library Day

Today is our library day. This is something that is totally FREE (as you all know) and can bring so much excitement to Ethan! He loves going through all of the books and saying "this one, momma." Most of the time I am having to put some of the books back due to them being way to old for him and wordy but I still enjoy his enthusiasm about getting a book for us to read at home.

Today I am also thinking about purchasing a little pool (not free but in the end it feels like something free to do). I really like going to the pool with him but it is so much work to get everything in the car (hoping I didn't forget something) and driving somewhere where I have to pay to get in. At this age, he doesn't mind just a little puddle to splash, it's all the same to him - water!

Why be Bored When There are Lots of Free Things To do???

Now that it is almost summer I have tried to think of some cheap things for Ethan and I to do outdoors in the morning to early afternoon. We spend a lot of time at the rose garden down the street from our house but wanted to explore other parts of Raleigh that will be fun for both of us.

On Thursday we headed to an arboretum not too far from us and while I enjoyed looking at all the beautiful plants & flowers, Ethan was also able to enjoy himself by running around, hiding & watching the fish in the fountain. Next time we will definitely pack a lunch! What I loved most about it, it was FREE!

I think this summer I am going to try and find all the things Ethan and I can do for FREE! Sitting around the house is not really my thing but I am not looking to spend much money either on his & my entertainment. If anyone would like to join me in this adventure, please do!

I will update my blog on all the things we are planning to do.

Showering my Friend and Her Baby with Butterflies!

This weekend I had the honor of throwing my friend a baby shower! Surprisingly, it didn't take up much of my time to plan and prepare (maybe that is because I have done it more than a dozen times). Here are some pictures of it!

Road Trip to Florida

This past weekend Ethan and I tagged along with my parents to Jacksonville Florida for a visit with my sister and her husband. This is how the entire trip went down:

Thursday: We left around 9:30am and drove only stopping for lunch at Cracker Barrel - yummmm! We got to the hotel around 5:30pm to get our things settled in. The hotel was not as nice as I would have liked but it didn't really matter in the end because we didn't spend much time there (next time we will not do priceline's choose your own price). Sarah and Dan had prepared a delicious tortilla soup for dinner so we ate with them and visited until we could no longer keep our eyes open (I think that was at 8:00pm...haha!)

Friday: The guys were gone all day watching golf while us girls spent the day at the beach and pool. I could not get Ethan out of the ocean! He loved it so much and hardly even played with his beach toys! I am glad he did really great and that we were all able to enjoy ourselves. In the evening we went out for dinner to a hole in the wall Italian restaurant (don't remember the name) that a friend recommended we eat while in Jacksonville. It was alright. I think my family had better dishes than me...

Saturday: We headed to St. Augustine for the day. It was so much fun remembering going there when I was a child! Ethan loved the fort and loved watching the soldiers fire off the canons. It was a little bit of a rocky start for Ethan due to me forgetting to bring the stroller and him having to walk or us carry him but after an hour or so he settled down and just let whoever carry him around. We ate at a Spanish influenced restaurant called Columbia. It was sooo yummy! I wouldn't mind going back just to eat there again! It started pouring down rain so we headed to do some shopping and the guys took off with Ethan to get ice cream. Dan grilled steak to perfection and Sarah Beth made twice stuffed baked potatoes to end our day.

The weekend was packed with things to do but it was so relaxing and fun! It gave me just a little taste of the vacation we are going to have in CA this June! I can't wait!

Lots and Lots of Butterflies!

My friend is having a little girl and I am so excited I get to host her baby shower! The theme is butterflies. She is using red as her main color but is also using pinks, blues, greens, and yellows are well.

My projects I am starting to work on are a mobile and cutting out 100 paper butterflies. I have only done 20 so far! I still have to finish the mobile but I have already cut the butterflies and now just need to get some felt balls and finish putting it together.

I will post more of her shower as it comes along!

The bottom butterflies are for the mobile. The lightest one is pink, not white. I cut these out too.

Stafford House Living Room

Finally, the living room is coming together! It has taken me a while to figure out what I want to do with the space. I am glad how it is turning out. We were wanting to originally go for modern (maybe one day) but the "look" we have gone for suites that style of the house much better.

Here are some before pictures of the living room:

Here are some more recent pictures. There are still a few things I would like to do to the room like find old wooden buttons to put in one of the frames on the wall, purchase a few new frames to refinish the ones I have for the book shelf and make throw pillows for the couch. Other than that, I think/hope the living room is done.

I am so excited about my newest find! This basket was only $11 at Michaels! I have been waiting for it to go on sale and it was worth the wait to only pay that little!

Scooterific!

We bought Ethan a scooter for Christmas knowing he wouldn't be able to use it for a while but it was a good deal. This past week I watched some girls for a few days and they taught him how to ride a scooter and ever since, he has actually enjoyed it!

Rose Garden in the Spring

So this past week we have been visiting this rose garden almost every day because all of beautiful roses are in bloom and they are nothing short of magnificent! To think, if I can't take my eyes off of these roses, God is so much more beautiful than that! I won't be able to even think about taking my eyes off of Him!

Ethan LOVES going to the rose garden! The pond is his favorite place to sit and watch the fish or get a stick and splash the water.