New Li'l Fishy Ensembles Require a Visit to the Aquarium, Of Course!

I didn't get these outfits finished in time for the beach like I had hoped, but I was able to finish them just in time for a trip to the aquarium yesterday {too hot to be outside}!

The applique was another super~easy one made with scrap fabric and $4 t~shirts. I had just enough enough of the polka~dot fabric for shorts with a little ric~rac trim {not enough scraps for a ruffle, but I really love the ric~rac more than I thought I would!}. This time I even stitched a little ric~rac "tag" in the shorts so I could tell front from back!

The girls had tons of fun at the aquarium, though I've finally decided after what I think is their fourth visit, that's it's just too expensive for their age. Luckily, I get in free with my district ID!

The Madascar exhibit was cute, and while King Julian and friends did not disappoint, Anna Claire and Mallory wanted to see FISH! Too bad we don't really have any pics of fish to share...do you know how hards it is to take good picutres inside a dark aquarium? You probably do, and you're probably betteer at it than I am!

 I did manage to get a cute pic of these two ferocious sharks!

 Little eaglets...

...and quick pose outside at the fountain.

Summer Supper

Is there anything better than your mom showing up at your door with a basket full of fresh vegetables...espically when you don't really have any dinner plans? Our fresh~vegetable feast last night consisted of tomatoe pie {my favorite; girls' wouldn't touch it}, stewed squash, corn on the cob, grape tomatoes {we started with more than four...Mallory needed a little appetizer}, and sliced cucumbers. I was sure to warn Walter as soon as he got home from work that meat was not on the menu. ;-)
Anna Claire and Mallory are usually content to play while I cook. Yesterday they played My Little Pony on the back porch.

Earlier in the day I asked the girls to play for a few minutes while I made them a dentist appointment. Here's what they built...

Summertime is rolling right along... beyond the beach and pool, the girls' got haircuts today, dentist next week, swim lessons start the week after, then they'll have their four~year well check which will include lots of shots {yuck!}. I wonder what else we'll be able to squeeze in?

Crabby Chic

In my other life, the one where I own a beach house, it will look exactly like the house we stayed in last week. The decor was absolutely adorable. Walter would never let me decorate our house this way, so I took some pictures the day we left so I can swoon over them forever. If we could, we'd rent this house again next year; however, it's for sale so it's not currently being rented for next year...will you buy it for me instead?

I could have spent hours taking pictures of all the little details, art work, and nick~nacks. All the couches and chairs were slip~covered in the cutest fabrics, and don't even get me started on the girls' room...those hand~painted beds and the tea pot lamp on the bedside table...the pic up above doesn't do it justice.

Are you sure you don't want to buy it for me?...the house, not the lamp. Though I'd take the lamp as a consolation.

Sandy Toes and Salty Kisses

We're back from our fourth annual beach week with just a few of the five gazillion pics to share. We had a great week with beautiful weather and perfect low tides. We built sand castles, collected sea shells, spotted porpoises, jumped waves, splashed in the water, flew kites, took long golf cart rides, ate a lot of ice cream, and had a fabulous week!

Anna Claire and Mallory sure do love the beach...and each other...most of the time!

This is Anna Claire pretending to be Ariel washed ashore.

Building sand castles with the cousins.

Mallory finally got to fly a kite. Aunt Pam brought Owen over for a few days and he came with his Spider-man kite. Mallory could not get enough.

We planned each day to hit low tide just right so the girls could play in the tide pools and the waves weren't too big.

Riding the waves.

Ice cream cones on the back porch each night before bed. It must be vacation; I would never allow this to happen otherwise.

Breakfast.

Anna Claire got a huge splinter in her toe from back porch. She was barefoot. And doing ballet. She wailed for what seemed like hours, slept with the splinter, then finally let me yank it out the next morning. The "wood fairy" left her a dollar under her pillow {thanks Aunt Pam}.

Drama of the week.

Playing on the beach is hard work. Anna Claire and Mallory wanted so badly to nap each afternoon and keeping them awake until bedtime was nearly impossible.

Our farewell pic...until next year.

Family Therapy

Greetings from the beach! Is there any better "therapy" than spending a week at the beach? Walter is traveling back and forth for work, but Anna Claire, Mallory, and I are beach bound for the rest of the week...and loving it!

Speaking of therapy, while we were headed over to the beach Friday, Anna Claire and Mallory's watermelon picnic party was featured on Apartment Therapy Family. How cool is that??!!

Lots of beach week pics coming soon!

Happy Father's Day!

These are part of Anna Claire and Mallory's Father's Day gift to Walter. If you know us, then these answers are hilarious!

The Big Squeeze

A few weeks ago we managed to squeeze two twin beds into Anna Claire and Mallory's bedroom {you might remember reading about our dilemma here}. Their room is so tiny I couldn't even get the full length of the beds in the picture below.

We are currently without headboards, but I am devising a plan for that.

We made the transition to twin beds a little unexpectedly when I happened upon an amazing deal on two mattress/box springs sets and bed frames from a furniture store here in town that's going out of business. Of course, that meant we were going to need new bedding as well, which I was able to find from Home Goods in Mt. P for next to nothing which was wonderful after spending a small fortune on their crib bedding from Pottery Barn. I love these quilts and pillow shams!

We did, indeed, have to remove the closet door, so I made a simple "curtain" from white and pink polka~dot fabric I found at wal~mart of all places. They really surprised me with their selection of cute cotton prints. 

I think the door looks better than we expected it would, but I still need to remove the hinges from the door frame.

I also made a matching valance which was so easy I think I'll make new kitchen curtains later this summer.

We really didn't change anything else in their room. I still have their two~year~old silhouettes that I scanned, enlarged, and recolored to pink hanging above the dresser, but we added the ribbon topiaries from their party.

The jury's still out on these fairy tale prints I got for free from oohmoon ages ago. They match the new quilts better than the old, but I think the frames might just be too small and the prints need to be repositioned on the wall with the new beds. Thoughts??

So, how are we keeping the girls contained {because you know I was scared to death someone would fall out}?

I really didn't want to put rails on the new beds, so I borrowed the pool~noodle concept from Pinterest. Truth be told, I think the girls would be fine with nothing, but the pool noodle gives us all a little peace of mind, I think.

So, there you have it. Anna Claire and Mallory {and mommy and daddy} have survived yet another transition. The best part is that the girls are in love with their new beds. Now, if we can only get them to stay in those beds later than 6 am. It is summertime, after all!