Fourth in four

While last year's Fourth of July consisted of moving and boxes and more boxes and boxes within those boxes, this Fourth was a lot less cardboard heavy and a lot more kick your feet up and eat some more. I will always prefer the latter. Here's what we were up to in Instagrams.

1. While bomb popsicles are definitely marketed to a younger crowd, I was the one who requested them for the weekend. (Really, I passed it off on baby girl. She's quite demanding.) They were the perfect accompaniment to sitting outside (With highs in the 80s, it was heavenly!) and watching Preston splash in the wading pool his Gran got him. Preston was hooked at first bite, but a little confused by the word popsicle. After he finished his bite, he said, "Oh! Ice cream!" Now we were speaking his language!

2. We kept Preston up way past his 8:15 bedtime to venture to the next town over for their fireworks show that Friday night. The noise and the lights frightened him a bit, so he and my mother-in-law watched from inside the car. (Once again, when on any other Fourth of July in recent memory could you sit in a turned off car and not pass out from heatstroke two minutes in?) Afterward, Preston said the fireworks were "Too bright!" and "Too loud!" but "Better in car."

3. We capped off Saturday by roasting the biggest marshmallows you've ever seen for s'mores. From the moment we got to Scott's mom's Thursday night to the time we left Sunday afternoon, I was never hungry. I ate, but it was never because my stomach growled and let me know I was running on empty. I mean, you've got to try at least one rib fresh out of the smoker, even if it's 11 p.m., right?

4. Since we were outside most of the weekend, it was obvious that the Rhino would make an appearance. Preston loved it, but you couldn't tell by his face. He took it all very seriously with the little crease between his eyebrows present for the entirety of his ride. Scott let him sit in his lap and "steer" while they made slow loops around the yard, and I thought after that we'd never get either one of them back inside.

Gift ideas for mom

Mother's Day is fast approaching. For whatever reason, this holiday always has me scratching my head about what to buy. What do you get the woman who not only woke up at all hours of the night to feed you and made it through the ages of 2 and 12-18 without shipping you to the zoo but also came to stay with you for two weeks after you've had a baby and listened to whatever problem (real or imagined) you brought to her over the course of 28 years? While one gift might not say all of those things, here are a few ways you can tell your mom thanks for being your mom.

1. How cute is this set of pears? I love the sweet, simple sentiment and can see them easily fitting in to any mom's decor. This is a great gift if you happen to live far away from your mom because they would be such a nice reminder for her to glance at every day when she might not see you as much as she likes.

2. Of course, every mother needs a Mother's Day card, and I love everything Rifle Paper Co. does. This card is great for when you can't get your mom an actual trophy but wish to express that feeling just the same.

3. A stack of these dainty initial bracelets would make any mom proud. Get one for each of her children's (and even grandchildren's) names. They'd make a great conversation starter, and what mom doesn't want an excuse to gush about her kids?

4. My parents always request pictures of Preston when I ask them what they want for any gift-giving occasion. One of my favorite places to go for everything photo is Shutterfly. They offer tons of wall art options to display those timeless memories. I love the look of the mounted wall art, but they also offer canvas, wood, acrylic and even metal prints, plus cute decals. With all of the choices, it's easy to find an option that fits your mom's style and features her favorite face for all to see!

5. Buying scents for others can be tricky, but this Nest set of five offers the recipient a variety to choose from. And with such beautiful packaging, these bottles would look lovely on your mom's vanity.

6. My collection of recipes derived from my mom, grandmothers, great-grandmother and mother-in-law. It's such a neat collection of generations of special women. This vintage-feeling recipe tin would be a great gift to keep all of those treasures in one place.

I hope this helps you on your quest to celebrate all of the mothers in your life!

Easter 2014

I hope you had a very happy Easter weekend! I was able to snap a few pictures of Preston hunting eggs after church. Getting pictures of him has gotten increasingly difficult for me because he wants to come and grab my camera from me and point it around saying "Cheese! Cheese!" So the eggs were a good distraction — and a big hit, too! When we walked out the front door, he squeezed his little fists together in excitement and squealed, "Ay-ggs!" He kept shouting that to Scott, "Daddy! Eggs!" And while he understood the concept of finding the eggs, he didn't get the "put them in your basket" part. He would just pick them up and set them back down.

We were also able to celebrate a huge milestone in Preston's eating this weekend. I put some Annie's graham bunnies in Preston's Easter basket, and with much cheering and fist pumping, he actually ate them — chewing, swallowing and even asking for more! He's making such progress with therapy, and Scott and I were so proud of him. It was an Easter miracle!

I'm always a little sad that, because of Scott's job and how busy this weekend for the university, we're never able to visit family and have to stay in town. But, over the years, I've come to enjoy a holiday that's just ours. We get to make some new traditions and memories while carrying over pieces from our past. I always make my mom's hash brown casserole because it has always been a staple on Easter Sunday for as long as I can remember. And watching Preston hunt eggs was a fun first that I look forward to doing in years to come.

I loved the day with our little family and look forward to many more Easters that we can make our own.

P.S. I just had to include this picture. Scott was coaching Preston to pose by leaning against the tree, and this was Preston's translation.

Toddler-friendly DIY valentines

For Valentine's Day this year, I thought it would be sweet for Preston to send handmade cards to family and friends. While I think all of the ways Pinterest involves painted hand and footprints are cute and a sweet way to get the little one involved, I shuttered at the thought of a squirmy, paint-covered hand smearing on everything but the paper I was aiming for.

Since he loves stickers and tearing up any piece of paper his hands land on (books, magazines, mail, etc.), I thought this craft was the perfect marriage of his two favorite activities: tearing and sticking. Plus, it was a lot cleaner.

Together, he and I made these incredibly simple tissue paper hearts. I drew some hearts onto drawing paper and roughly cut them out to make each more manageable for Preston to work with. I smeared some glue onto each heart and showed Preston how to tear the tissue paper and stick a piece to where I had just put the glue.

He enjoyed the free license to rip something up and made lots of little tissue paper pieces. But, like he does with stickers, he wanted to peel the piece back off whenever he stuck it to the heart, which made the somewhat permanence of the glue frustrating. I helped him a little just to make sure the heart got completely covered, then I cut them out and wrote a little message on the back so they were ready to mail.

It also helped that the project could be spaced out over the course of several days so that, if he was soon over the whole process, we could abandon it to come back to it later. After one particular melt down (he wanted the glue stick, then was upset when the glue stick made him sticky), I may have just finished up the last two. It's the thought that counts, right? 

In the end, not only was it great motor skills practice, but he was able to see the process of making something on his own and sharing the finished product. I'd mark that in the "win" column.

Gingerbread house building ... and destroying

One of the nights we were at my parents' for Christmas, we gathered around the table to decorate gingerbread houses. I mean, is there anything more quintessentially Christmasy than that? And, as my family is known to do, it quickly turned into a competition between Scott, Courtney, and my dad. Preston was more interested in taste-testing than competing. 

It was interesting to see each person's take on decorating. Preston opted for the place and clap approach. Dad slathered his house in almost an inch of icing ("It's a snowy chapel!"), while Courtney incorporated a candy straw roof and peppermint walkway. Scott hoarded all of the candy wreathes for his windows and used M&Ms as shingles (they ended up sagging, much to his dismay).

Each accused the other of stealing key design elements (they were worse than the designers in the workroom on "Project Runway"). More than one time did Scott throw in the towel only to rally back, claiming he was back in the lead (his orange slice awning was pretty impressive).

Once they were all finished, though, we wondered what to do with them. In true, Southern tradition, we decided the best way to see them off was with firecrackers. So, we took them to my grandmother's where my uncle has plenty of ammo to choose from and set aside time one afternoon for their demolition. 

Not only did decorating the houses bring us together, but destroying them did, too!

Gingerbread demolition from Jennifer Hannigan on Vimeo.

Christmas 2013

Christmas Eve in our new Christmas pjs

My favorite part about the holidays is remembering the years prior while in the midst of making new memories to look back on later. This year didn't lack old memories or new ones.

Saturday when we got in, we had our traditional holiday dinner with our longtime family friends. In the midst of banana-less banana pudding and catching up, we monitored the tornado warnings in the area. I can remember white Christmases but never one with tornados. Luckily nothing came of the warnings, only jokes at my expense because I'm jumpy at the mention of tornados.

Sunday night after church, we drove Preston to a nearby house that went National Lampoon-style on their Christmas lights. We pulled over to take in the waving Santa and illuminated Christmas Elmo while Preston ooh-ed over them.

Christmas lights galore/checking out the lights/playing with Charlie Brown

Shopping selfie/coloring while Daddy shops/Preston enjoyed J.Crew's mirror

Watching "A Muppet Christmas Carol"/stealing my cousin's iPod/this rocking chair was my great-grandmother's/Dad and the elusive toaster

We all sat around in the living room Christmas Eve eve watching "A Muppet Christmas Carol" while Mom wrapped her gag gift for my uncle (this year a camo-wearing, gun-toting Santa who would've fit in perfectly with the Duck Dynasty family). Courtney gave Dad his gift from her early because it would be difficult to take with us. It was a new toaster oven, but not just any toaster. Dad had particular specifications — the toaster needed a toast button. Courtney had scoured Amazon and other retailers, zooming in on photos of toasters in search of a toast button and was victorious in her seemingly fruitless quest. Dad was more engrossed in his toaster's owner's manual than the movie, and it lead to much discussion over how to properly toast an Eggo waffle. All the while Preston was sucking up to anyone with a smartphone or iPad, running up and hugging them, saying, "Hey!" while snatching it from their hands. He's addicted to Candy Crush, too.

Lots of card games were played. Few were won by me.

Preston helped set out cookies for Santa. He even helped eat a few.

Opening presents/smiling with Pops/Mimi's Christmas tree/posing with his new tricycle from my grandmother/he also got this cute name puzzle

The biggest highlight of Christmas though was on Christmas Day at my grandmother's when my 13- and 14-year-old cousins decided to get baptized. My family of 11 plus a few members from church whom my cousins had invited gathered in the quiet church and watched as they committed their lives to Christ. Scott led a few songs, and Daddy baptized them. It was amazing to me, watching these two girls who were just tiny babies seemingly days ago become my sisters in Christ.

Checking out the cows

My cousins, Katie and Lauren, with my mom and Preston

I hope your Christmas was just as memorable!

Ho ho, oh no

My sister and I went to the same mall Santa for several years when we were younger. The man who played Santa (Sorry, spoiler alert, kids) lived in the same town as my grandmother. Whenever we'd go see him, he'd ask if we were going to her house again this year and what we wanted for Christmas. His knowing us and how we spent every Christmas at her house (and where it was!) convinced us that he was no ordinary mall Santa. He was the Santa — who just so happened to spend the peak of his busy season in a Nashville mall handing out candy canes and two 5x7 photos.

It's the main reason I enjoy the consistency of the local Santa in the square. Hopefully Preston can build that same wonder about Santa through him. I'd been working on it this year, building Preston's Santa excitement, seeing as last year didn't go so well. I'd point to every depiction of Kris Kringle and say, "Ho ho ho!" Now Preston "ho-hos," too, whenever he sees the jolly ol' elf. But, as you can tell by the picture, Preston hasn't quiet warmed up to the "real" St. Nick. He did end up giving him a high five though, once he'd been rescued from his lap. 

So, perhaps next year the guy in red won't be so terrifying, but it seems that, much like Santa himself, crying on Santa's lap is itself a Christmas tradition.

P.S. It was 65 degrees on this day, so Santa opted for a non-traditional Hawaiian shirt instead of the red coat. Mele Kalikimaka!

Christmas card 2013

Every year I think to myself, "This is our best Christmas card! This one is going to be my favorite." And then the next year comes, and I have yet another new favorite. So, for the next 365 days, this is my favorite Christmas card. Once again, Cassie did a great job capturing our family — casually sitting out on a blanket in the front yard in our Sunday's best … like we're known to do from time to time. She especially did a great job getting a smile out of a grumpy, nap-needing Preston, who crashed soon after. 

So a very merry Christmas from the three of us. Come over and nonchalantly hang out on the lawn with us sometime!

(P.S. See my past most favorite Christmas cards here: Christmas 2012's card and cards from 2008 to 2011)

Thanksgiving, according to Instagram

I always have so much to be thankful for when this holiday rolls around, but I was especially thankful that I was able to have a whole week with my family due to "inclement weather" closing the university on Monday and Tuesday. We packed a lot in this week, mainly just relaxing and eating, but I didn't Instagram that. Here's what I did capture, though.

1. Soaking up the tree in all its glory
2. Preston got his first haircut right before we left town for Thanksgiving. We didn't do anything too drastic, and he handled the whole process very well.
3. Enjoying his tent from Gran. (We alternate Thanksgiving and Christmas between our two families, so we exchange gifts at Thanksgiving.)
4. Turkey Day = turkey bib
5. A mandatory family Thanksgiving photo
6. He was happy to be outside; I was happy he got one more wear out of the turkey hat I made him last year.
7. Cheesing it up coloring on the chalk table
8. A Throwback Thursday shot of little Scott. It's crazy how much Preston looks like him!
9. Preston helped make salt dough with Gran, but he wouldn't cooperate when it came time to make a handprint.



And here's a little video of Preston playing his drum with Scott. They had creative differences over who should be the drummer.

I'm so very thankful for my family and these times together!

Easy fabric garland

As I've mentioned before, a seamstress I am not. When it comes to DIY projects, it needs to include a hot glue gun or elementary school-level gross motor skills for me to do it. That's why I love this project: You just have to be able to use scissors and tie a knot. This is the second garland I've made like this, inspired by the rustic-looking fabric garlands I'd seen on — you guessed it — Pinterest. This one was for a camping themed baby shower, but I think the colors work well for Christmas, too, so I'm getting dual use out of it!

All you need is some fabric (about a yard of each should do it), scissors, and string (I've used twine before, and yarn for this one. Really, whatever you have around works). Cut strips of fabric twice as long as you want it to be (you'll fold it in half) and as thick as you want. I did about 10 inches by 2 inches.

Once you have a good little stack to work with, it's knot time. With your fabric folded in half, place it behind your string. Then bring the folded end to the front and loop the tail end through the folded part. Pull the tails to tighten the knot. And that's it! Like I said, simple. Keep doing that until you have as many fabric knots as you like, leaving some extra string at either end for hanging it wherever you'd like.

It would look pretty hanging from your mantle or even wrapped around your tree. Since we don't have a fireplace, I've taken to treating our buffet as a mantle. You work with what you have!

Let me know if you try this project. I'd love to see what fabrics you choose!

'Tis the season … a little early

I'm not trying to step on Thanksgiving's toes (I know there are some who are quite militant about protecting the holiday from Christmas' encroachment), but I'm getting into the Christmas spirit early this year. We put up our tree a couple of weekends ago because it was the only time we had free, and now that Preston's tree is up, too, I just can't help getting excited.

Pinterest is also to partly to blame for my early excitement because it's chock-full of Christmasy crafts, gifts, decor, recipes, parties … the list goes on. I would love to make that vintage garland to wrap around the tree or drape over the buffet by our front door. And the card holder would be so easy to make and is a cute way to display Christmas cards. We have a wire wreath holder, but it doesn't showcase the cards like I'd hoped it would. A shadowbox would be an easy afternoon Christmas project and a great handmade gift. I've seen some half-filled with jingle bells that are cute, too. As always, Anthropologie has the best stuff, and I love their simple dishtowel. We've already bought a few gifts since we're doing Christmas at Thanksgiving with Scott's side of the family, and this gift record download is a great way to keep up with gift ideas and what's been purchased, wrapped and delivered. I'm terrible at picking gifts, so I need all the help I can get. Lastly, these gift tags would be a great finishing touch to the presents under the tree.

So where do you fall on the Thanksgiving/Christmas continuum? Are you a strict no fa-la-laing until after Thanksgiving or does your jack-o-lantern wear a Santa hat?

O (felt) Christmas tree

So, it looks like we won't have to ignore my whole "I'm going to try to make a felt Christmas tree" promise after all. Saturday after my comprehensive finals (which didn't go so badly, but I'll find out the final results Friday), I tackled my own version of a child's Christmas tree and am pretty pleased with the outcome! I think Preston was pretty happy, too.

I decided to make Preston his own Christmas tree because 1) I thought it'd keep his hands off the real one and 2) he loves stickers and sticking things on/pulling things off stuff, so having his own tree to decorate seemed like his cup of tea. However, most of the felt trees I had seen on Pinterest were flat and stuck on the wall. I didn't really want to put anything on the wall, and I liked the idea of a stand-alone version we could move around. So I started working on how to make a base for a 3D tree.

I figured cardboard would be the easiest thing to find and began a search for a large box. Luckily, I didn't have to look too far because we still had the box our dining room table was delivered in. It was perfect. I used a tripod box to estimate the height and a diaper box for the length of the base to achieve that perfect Christmas tree isosceles triangle. I cut out the first triangle and used it as the template for three more triangles.

Initially, I'd brought out a pair of scissors to cut the triangles out, but just three cuts was murder on my hands, so I opted for Scott's knife. It was much easier to manage, but the whole time I felt like I needed adult supervision. Then I realized I was the adult in the situation and worried for the future generation for whom I'm responsible to watch in blade-wielding situations. 

I used the pieces as the pattern for four triangles of green felt, which I bought four yards of, before my sister and I taped the cardboard pieces into a pyramid with packing tape. We ended up only making the tree three-sided because it was easier to keep three pieces aligned to tape than it was with four.

My biggest concern with an angled tree was covering the angles. I'd been working out the logistics in my head for this tree for a couple of weeks, and this was the issue keeping me up at night. So, I decided to cover the angles in green felt first before I placed the green triangles I'd already cut onto the tree. There was a lot of hot glue involved and a lot of finger-burning in the process.

I didn't like how flat the tree looked with just the felt triangles. It needed some texture, so I cut five-inch wide strips of felt long enough to wrap around the tree and scalloped the edges. Then I wrapped each around a section of the tree. I cut down the excess fabric that would result in the strip turning around the angle and tucked it under each side with some more hot glue. It caused a little bumpiness in some spots, but not too badly.

Then, using square sheets of colored felt, I cut out the ornaments, their embellishments, and the star for the top. One sheet of each color was plenty, and I had some leftover even after making 15 ornaments. I also bought some thick, yellow ric-rac for tinsel that I ended up not using except as ornament embellishment. In the end, the whole thing cost me $17, and I had a lot of green felt left over. I would've probably been OK with just three yards, but I didn't want to run out mid-project and had no idea how much I'd need having never done anything like this before. It took me about four and a half hours to complete.

I'm really happy with the end result! Preston has been happily taking the ornaments off and sticking them back on, clapping for himself every time. I hope it becomes one of those iconic Christmas decorations for him — like the pair of wooden reindeer my grandfather made are for me — that whenever we unpack the Christmas boxes, it's the thing he looks forward to and feels like Christmas to him.

Not my mother's Halloween costume

Too legit to quit

In my Halloween costume hall of fame, there is one that tops them all — the pink Power Ranger. I mean, that helmet, those boots, the iron-ons! How can anything top its majesty? The costume was made all the more special as it was tirelessly crafted by my mom. She has always been a great seamstress — whether it was sewing my sister's and my Easter dresses, making our American Girl dolls' clothes, or just hemming our always-too-long-for-our-short-legs pants.

Her sewing abilities, despite her best efforts, were not passed down to me, though, and when it came time to create Preston's costume for this year, I was at a loss. I picked Peter Pan because 1) I think Preston would make a cute Peter, 2) maybe if I dress him as the boy who never grew up, he won't grow up himself, and 3) it's easy to hobble together without really making anything.

Supplies//Trying on the shirt//Zig-zaggy cutting

I picked up some black leggings and a green shirt a couple of sizes too big at Walmart and cut the shirt bottom and sleeves zig-zaggy. (Is "zig-zaggy" even a word? Let's roll with it.) Belt it with some yarn I had on hand and *ta-da!* Peter Pan. The only problem? The hat. Peter Pan needs a classic Peter Pan hat. It makes the look.

And to my great fear, every Peter Pan hat tutorial I found included the S-word — sewing. I thought about fabric gluing it, but I didn't want it looking horribly made. I could hear Tim Gunn critiquing its poor construction in my head ("I'm sorry. This hat just looks tortured. I'm just flabbergasted.") Luckily, my friend Cassie came to my rescue. I cut out the pieces from green felt, and she sewed the two sides together. While it sounds simple enough for even a beginning sewing student, to me it was basically brain surgery, and Cassie is a skilled surgeon. She was even in the midst of making her own son's costume — the cutest little squirrel costume you've ever seen. She's definitely beating me for Mom of the Year this year.

Peter Pan and his remote, the only way he would stand still// "Preston, please wear your hat." "No no no!"

I'm pleased with the final outcome. I still need to make the red feather for the hat (or maybe I'll just leave it off) and maybe a little cardboard sword for him to stick in his belt. He at least looks like Peter Pan — or an elf. Hey! He could wear it again for our Christmas card!

Maybe next year I'll have tackled my sewing fear head-on and created a memorable costume for Preston. Or I'll just break down and have mom do it.

Fourth of July wishing

This year, I'm really in the Fourth of July mood. I would love to have people over for a festive get-together with food on the grill, lawn games to play and maybe even finding a fireworks show nearby. However, since we're in the middle of The Great Move of 2013 (the "we're in the new house, but everything is still in boxes and, oh, have you seen the [fill in the blank] anywhere?" stage), a party is not in the cards. However, if it were, you can bet this is what I'd be doing ...

I love this linen T-shirt dress from Gap. Paired with these red Target sandals, it's patriotic without being too much, and both you could definitely wear all summer long without feeling like Uncle Sam.

The Fourth is really all about the food ... and independence. Burgers and hot dogs are pretty standard, but I think this grilled pork tenderloin looks yummy. Plus, you pretty much have to have corn on the cob. It's in the Constitution. And the lobster roll looks delicious (we substitute lobster for shrimp in my house, and it's still very tasty). And the berry dessert adds red, white and blue without being rage inducing and difficult like the 11-layer, red, white and blue ombre cake I found. 

I love summer days and how the sun doesn't set until 8:30. Lawn games are a great way to soak up that extra daylight — corn hole and bocce ball being two of my favorites — and cooling off with a sprint through the sprinkler is always a welcomed relief. Once the sun sets, bust out some sparklers!

How are you celebrating the Fourth? You're always invited to my house to unpack boxes!

Christmas card 2012

During the hustle and bustle of Preston's first Christmas, I failed at blogging our Christmas card. It was a miracle that they were actually mailed out! Thanks to our dear friend Cassie for taking our Christmas photos again this year. It's hard not to be completely smitten by a full-on baby smile!

And while it may look like it's easy to get a smile out of Preston, putting him in Santa's lap proves that it's a little more difficult than it seems.

See more cards of Christmases past.

White Christmas

A white Christmas in the South is a rarity, so dreaming of one is about as close as I can get. This year though, we not only got to celebrate Preston's first Christmas but a snowy one, too. As soon as the flakes started falling, we quickly gathered outside to watch it transform everything into a winter wonderland. It was one of the highlights of our Christmas, and Preston loved to look at the change of scenery. 

Scott, Preston and I enjoyed our long break together — lazy mornings, pajama living, and lots of new flashing, singing toys thanks to grandmas and great-grandmas. 

I hope you had a merry Christmas, too!

(Photos: 1 & 5. Scott and my sightseeing expedition //2. First look// 3. Bundled up//4. It's snowing!)