BACK TO SCHOOL...

I hope we are done with all the back to school chores.

The backpack and lunch kit arrived in the mail while we were at the ranch and I was able to monogram the backpack as soon as we were unpacked!!

I took the girls out Monday and Tuesday to do a little back to school shopping.  Talk about exhausting... London was pretty good about picking out clothes she and I both liked but I think some things we both settled for just so we could get out of the store.  I'm still not convinced I really like all the clothes we bought so some may be going back.  I just can't get used to all the graphic t's and 'blinged out' clothes for little girls.  You bet my baby... or first grader should I say ... is wearing a smocked dress the first day of school.  And yes, she is excited about it!!  I promise!!

Meet the teacher outfit was done for London and part of Kinley's was finished.. although I still need to applique Kinley's shirt.  

my sweet sweet first grader.... when did she get so big?

this little sweetie... and her mama... is going to miss her big sister come Monday... but ooohhhh, I get my afternoon naps back!!

Back to school haircuts were a hit with the girls and Kinley felt like such a big girl getting her hair cut for the first time!!

After haircuts were finished we did a quick run to Target to get the last piece to finish up the girls room.... a down comforter for London's duvet.  I love the girls' room so much and it couldn't have turned out better!!  Now I can focus on the nursery!!

And the bathroom is all finished too.

monogrammed hooded towels hanging on the picket fence towel hooks I made!

I had to volunteer {passing out school supplies} before Meet the Teacher tonight and Matt met me at the school later on with the girls.  It was insanely hot!!  We met London's new teacher, she got to sort out all her school supplies and fill her desk with story pads and her school box and then we stopped by for a quick visit with her Kindergarden teacher before leaving.  I think London will have a great first grade year and I can't wait to watch her bloom!!

We had Mooyah burgers and Tutti Frutti yogurt for dinner then headed home.

We are just resting up for school the rest of the week. Tonight I'm cooking dinner {see pic below} for a sweet friend and soon to be mommy of a little girl.  She has been on bedrest for a week and since we are an hour away from her I figured dinner is always a good way to help out.  

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Hopefully I can get some shopping done for the nursery.... slipcover for the glider and ottoman and first on the list and canvases are hopefully being started soon :)  I have the curtain fabric picked out but think I'll tackle that chore later in the game.

Here is a pic of what I'm working with...  not a totally blank slate but it definitely needs a little sprucing up.  {canvas paintings above the crib...ahem, the paper placement on the wall, monogrammed slipcover for chair and ottoman, shelves for pics and accessories, curtains and maybe just maybe I'll do a crib bumper too}

But a separate post is in store for the nursery makeover!!

Enjoy the last few days of summer break!!!  I know we will :)

SHE SAID YES!!

We had a great weekend full of special memories.  My little sister's boyfriend had planned to propose at the ranch and asked for the whole family to come out and be a part of the special time.  So, in true fashion we all loaded up and headed to the ranch.

shirts I made for the littles to wear when the newly engaged got back!!

My aunt has been working in San Antonio and had an extra room at the hotel she stays at so we decided to head out Thursday and spend the night so the long drive would be broken up a bit.  I'm so glad we chose to do that.  We didn't get in until late but we got up Friday and had a great breakfast and spent the morning relaxing and the girls swam.  After baths and a room service lunch we headed out to the ranch.

My sister and her boyfriend got there about an hour after us and his plans had changed..... He couldn't wait until Saturday to propose so he pretty much went straight to the spot he had picked out and popped the question.

on their way to get engaged!!!

While he was out proposing we all decorated the kitchen and got ready to celebrate!!

We celebrated and had my sister's favorite meal... chicken pot pie when they got back!!

running to tell the exciting news!!

a toast to the newly engaged!!

dad checking out the rock!!

Saturday we hung out and the kids had a blast digging and going on jeep rides.  I love seeing them have so much fun and making so many fun memories they will remember forever.

microwave smores.... since there is a burn ban :(

3 week old calf being bottle fed.  The kids loved seeing this!

getting ready for a nature walk with Nana and T

We headed home early Sunday and are getting ready for London to start first grade next week.  I can't believe my baby is going to be a first grader!!

CAMP CONROE

Soooo, a few summers ago my mom got the idea to have a 'camp' at her house for London and some other little cousins and close family friends.  The camp was a hit and it happened again last year at the ranch over Thanksgiving and this summer she opened it to all the little grandkids and some close family friends.

I actually dropped my girls off a few days early so I could go to a doctors appointment (all is great and Holland measured right on target... 31 weeks).  My girls LOVE being at my moms and mom says they are always perfect for her so I knew the girls and my mom wouldn't mind a few extra days together.

As usual, camp was a hit.  There were crafts, horseback riding, campfire smores, target practice (supervised of course), nature walks, rest time, lots of swimming, movies & popcorn, snacks, and lots of fun and new friends.

campfire smores!!!

The last day of camp all the parents met at my mom's house at 11 and the kids did a talent show.  It was great.

tired campers

L & K doing thier talent show act.... dancing to 'Round Up'

We stayed a few hours after all the campers left and swam and ate a late lunch.  Then, we stopped by Matt's dad's house to visit and see his brother and his kids on our way back home.

The girls were exhausted when we got home Sunday night.  We didn't do much the rest of the week then we took off to San Antonio Thursday and the ranch Friday for a special weekend!!  Next week is all about back to school :)  More on that later....

camp crafts displayed in our tree!!

OPERATION BIG SISTER ROOM CONTINUED....

I'm going to lump the past few days together since it seemed like slow progress being made with the girls room....but there really wasn't much we could do to speed up the process.

Sunday started with me going to church and Matt ended up staying home with the girls.  We were up until a little after 10 trying to finish putting the dresser together and finally called it quits.  We were all so tired this morning but since I had to volunteer in the children's department, I went to church solo and let the rest of the family relax.

When I got home, Matt was putting the last drawer handle on the dresser drawers and we finished installing the drawers which took all of 5 minutes.  London was so happy to get to put her clothes away and to get to move some of Kinley's clothes into her room!!

The drawers are so big and roomy I may end up taking some things out of London's closet to make room for Kinley's clothes in there to..... but not sure :)

After the dresser was full of clothes, we started putting the first coat of paint on the first bed.  We started out by laying a few pieces out in the dining room and painting one side at a time.

We took the girls to their favorite ice cream place Tutti Frutti while the first coat was drying then came home and we realized it would be much faster to semi-assemble the bed and paint the whole thing and we could get to all sides and speed up the wait time for the first coat to dry...

 We quickly assembled the bed and finished the first coat of paint!!  

We turned the front room into our temporary paint room.  I don't think I could have survived trying to paint in 100+ degree weather :)

The next few days were spent putting a second coat of paint on the first bed, letting it dry, moving the bed upstairs and getting the second bed ready to paint.

In between painting and everything else I started organizing the girls' room and putting things back where they belong.

Here is a pic of the first bed all made up.  We just need to hang the flower canopy above it. And switch out the pillows once I get Kinley's monogrammed.  

Last night Matt and I assembled the second bed and got the first coat of paint on it.  I finished up the second coat today and we moved the bed upstairs when Matt got home from work. 

My mom ordered the bedding for the second bed and I'm hoping it is here in the next few days.  

Today I spent the day running around getting a few extra things to finish up the girls room and ended up getting stuff to decorate their bathroom to match their new room.

I bought a plain white waffle weave shower curtain and added some fabric and ric rac to it...

The green fabric matches their bedding so great!!  It has pink and blue butterflies on it like the quilted part of their bedding! (It's the little things like that that make me excited!)

And I found a cute little pic 50% off at Hobby Lobby that looks so cute in the bathroom too.

You can kind of see it in the pic...

I'm in the process of finishing up (which means monogramming) some hooded towels that I am going to hang on the wall.  Well, I'm monogramming London's and waiting to see if Matt is right.....

I bought 3 different colors thinking each girl would have a different one.... but when I showed Matt he quickly informed me that Kinley is going to want the same as London (which she always wants what London has) and that I should have just gotten all the same... PINK of course.  Oh and he said my blue towel looked like it belonged in a grandma's house.  UGH.....  But my thinking was that the pink, blue and green all matched the bathroom and added more color and that London, Kinley and Holland could each have a different one... guess I was wrong. :(  We'll see what the girls say... and if I'm buying more pink towels.  I can always use the others as gifts later on....even the grandma blue one.... because I like it :)

I have had some picket fence things for a while now and I am making them into towel hooks. (they were supposed to go on the wall in the girls room but kept falling off) so I'm adding big hooks to the front and picture hangers on the back and hanging them in the bathroom as towel hooks.  They are being 'fixed' right now so I'll post pics when they ... and the towels are done :)

That is about it for now.  Just waiting on the other set of bedding to come in, need to buy a twin down comforter and a few more pillows to fill the shams with, hang a canopy over each bed, find a white laundry hamper,  and find a cute basket for the few stuffed animals that the girls couldn't part with....oh and try to figure out what to do for the window (curtains or a valance)?  I have enough pink dot fabric left over to make a valance so I'll probably do that and maybe put a black-out shade (the kind that rolls up and down) behind the valance.  You know.... for the mornings when we want the kids to sleep in :)

Whew... It's been a busy last few days but so worth it!!  I'll be sure and post pics when it's 100% finished!!