Thankful for getting away

I know I have not blogged all week, but I have been busy with a very sick baby and a crazy work schedule. Not to mention, I have been busy getting ready for our trip to HAWAII on friday!! I am SOO excited to go. I finished my long 11 hour work day today and I drove away feeling all giddy knowing I don't go back until December 7!!! I am thrilled to have this time to spend with my boys. We are going with Lincoln's family and I just can't wait!!

If I was a really dedicated/crazy blogger, I would have set up a bunch of guest bloggers to fill in while I am away. Well, I didn't, I just don't want to worry that much about this little hobby of mine. So, I will see you on the flip side. I will be sure to have many great pictures and stories to share (a one year old on a 13 hour plane ride!!) and I have some makeup tutorials and posts for you once I get back. Love to all and Happy Thanksgiving.

Activity Day

My adorable niece asked me to come teach the girls all about hair for her activity days. I would do just about anything for that girl, so I gladly said yes. Activity Days is something they do at my Church were the little girls ages 8-10 (I think that's the ages) go and learn about different topics and work and crafts and just have a fun time. I wasn't sure what I would need to talk to these girls about, but they all seemed so excited to talk about hair that it really didn't matter what I said.

We talked about how often they should wash their hair, when and how to condition it, who should cut their hair (meaning, they should not cut their own hair), and how to pull their hair back in a ponytail, half ponytail, twist, and braid.

I had so much fun. I went to the dollar store and bought them each a brush and hair twisties. I tried teaching them how to braid with three pieces of yarn.

Some of the girls were experts, but some had no idea how to braid. It was so much fun to get them to figure it out. I was hoping they would just use the yarn to practice on, but some of the girls had other fun ideas with their finished braid. (This is my adorable niece, Sydney.)

After I was done, my sister helped all the girls make a silk flower to wear on a hair clip. Almost all of the girls wore the hair clip to church on sunday.

I have never been around so much giggling in all my life. We really tried to let the girls know that it doesn't really matter how you wear your hair, just as long as you keep it clean and healthy. These girls are adorable. I am so happy my niece asked me to do this for her. I love sharing what I know and seeing the delight in someone's eyes when they learn something new.

Happy Birthday Clark!

Clark is one. I can't believe it. Time has literally flown by. Ok, I hate when people say "literally" when it isn't necessary, but it gave the statement meaning. Anyways, I just can't believe it. I love this little boy so much. Lincoln and I can hardly remember life without our little guy. Today I was day dreaming about not having him in my life and I almost started to cry. I grabbed him and gave him the tightest hug possible. This is a very difficult task since he is so not cuddly you have to practically hold him to your chest and pin his arms to his sides so he doesn't push you away. I just held him there for a few minutes thinking about how lucky and happy I am. I know SO many people who are struggling with trying to have kids. I recognize how fortunate Lincoln and I both are to have Clark. I don't take any of it for granted and I try to love every minute.

We celebrated his birthday with my family on Sunday and had some cake and ice cream with singing and gifts.

Clark was so unaware of what was going on but he seemed really happy. I wanted it to be all cute and decorated for his big day like all the pictures you see on other people's blogs, but give me a break, who is that really for when the baby is only turning one? I know he wouldn't care about or even notice the decorations. So, instead of freaking out and spending hours on making little banners and signs, I made a cake.

This is the first cake with frosting I have made from scratch, and I am SHOCKED at how much butter goes into making a cake. I am pretty sure it ruined cake eating for awhile. Ok, enough about me, here is a little update on what my dear boy is up to.

Clark is a very active boy. He loves the stairs so much that we had to finally give in and put a gate at the bottom of it, not before he fell down a few steps and "literally" got the snot scared out of him. (I didn't use that word out of context, he really did have snot all over him after the fall.) Clark refuses to walk and just wants to crawl, really fast, all over the place. He sometimes likes to tease his father and I and stand for a few seconds on his own before he sits down just to show us he knows how, but doesn't want to do it yet. I truly think Clark will eat just about anything. He makes a really funny face when he tries things for the first time, but still goes ahead and eats it. He LOVES suckers and will eat one through the wrapper if he has to.

He also loves cheese and cold cuts and will eat both so fast that I sometimes question if he even tastes it when he puts it in his mouth. Clark has a little giraffe blanket thing that he adores. He sucks and chews on all the corners of the little blanket even the head of the giraffe that is at one of the corners. I am pretty sure we need to find another of these blankets for backup in case the original is lost or dirty. Clark loves all electronic things, especially cords. He has also taken a liking to one of the drumsticks for our Rock Band and carries it around with him. I don't think this means he will be musical in his future, I think it just means he likes sticks. Clark is still a big fan of nursing and doesn't seem to have any interest in weening anytime soon, which is fine with me. Clark has been a HORRIBLE sleeper waking up about every two to three hours every night of his entire life! This has been very difficult for me and right when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, he has been sleeping ok for the last week. Let's hope I didn't jinx it.

Clark loves kids and babies waves with excitement when he sees them. Clark is a very cool boy, he is laid back and just goes with the flow. I really don't think he has given us any trouble besides the nighttime sleeping. I never imagined I would have so much fun with a baby. Lincoln loves that he can play with Clark and throw him around. Every time Lincoln comes home from work, Clark is so excited to see him.

Lincoln and I find so much fulfillment with our little buddy. We laugh all the time when we see his funny expressions. It is so amazing what a difference a year can make. We love our little Clark so much. Happy Birthday, Buster.

I love Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

Please tell me you have seen Marcel on Youtube. It is a must see.

Well, they just came out with a second one. It makes me so happy and I find myself smiling the entire time I watch it.

When I was in college I tried really hard to have everyone call me "Sunny." I thought it would be a great nickname, but it is true that you can't give yourself a nickname.

Didn't this just make your day?

You were a little late

If Clark was born on his actual due date, he would be turning one on 11/11/11. That would have been so cool. Alas, he was five days late and missed out.

I was not a very happy camper this time last year. I was beyond ready to have this baby. Today, however, I am overjoyed at how fortunate I feel for having my baby at all. Even if he did make me wait the extra five days... I was two weeks late for my mom.

"So, you think you can Sew"

I am entering a contest, a sewing contest. I know, I am crazy. I just can't help myself, I love a challenge. I might be crazy, but I am not delusional. I know that my sewing skills are WAY below most of the sewers out there, but if I don't push myself, how will I ever grow. My friend, yes, the same girl I mention ALL the time on here, is having a sewing contest on her blog with awesome prizes. There are tons of people entered so I am not holding my breath. But without further ado, here is my first entry.

If I was really thinking ahead, I would have ironed it before taking this picture. Oh, well. It is a pattern called the school house tunic and it was really easy. Maybe I should have entered a more difficult project... I swear I can make harder stuff, this is just my most recent project. Oh, man, now I am wondering if I should have entered with something different...

Anyways, there is a funny story about when I made this. I was just about finished with it when I realized that it fit everywhere but over my stupid nursing boobs. (Nursing isn't stupid, just the crazy size that your boobs get while doing it.) I was so frustrated. I had to take the entire thing apart and sew panels on both sides to make it work. I bet Tim Gunn would have been proud.

Oh, did you notice my new cut and color? I really do need to make a post about it. I think it is my favorite color and cut on me OF ALL TIME!!!

How to cut a baby's hair

It is happening, Clark is getting older. I can't believe it. I wouldn't believe it if it wasn't for how big he is getting and how long his hair is (was). I normally really like little boys with longer hair, but Clark only had long hair over the ears and it wasn't cute curly hair. It hung down past his earlobes and would stick out like a Umpa Lumpa. We just couldn't have that, so my husband and I decided to bite the bullet and cut his hair.

Cutting a baby's hair is way different than cutting a kids hair mostly because all the hair is grown out at different lengths and there might even still be some bald patches. Don't fret about those bald patches, they will grow in time. But until then, just cut the areas that are getting out of control and leave the rest to catch up.I would suggest you have your baby sitting in the highchair so he is strapped down and high enough for you to cut his hair without having to wrestle him with a pair of scissors in your hands.

Always have something to distract your baby. Clark doesn't watch T.V. or I would put a show on for him, but he does love to eat. If you do decide to give them food, make sure it isn't something that the hair could stick to like suckers or fruit. Instead, try crackers or puffs.
I just cut his hair dry since it is so fine, getting it wet might make the hair harder to work with. I pulled the area that I wanted to cut out straight from his head. Clark's long area is above the ears, but your baby might have a long section in the back or top. Cut the hair at a vertical section with a slight angle having your fingers closer to the ear, and going farther out towards the top of the head. Having your fingers between his head and your cutting line will help you to not cut his hair too short.
After you finish that section, drop it and comb it down to see how it looks. If it seems too long, just pick it up and cut a little bit more. I always suggest leaving it longer rather than cutting too much. Next, pick up a little bit of that section as well as another bit of hair behind it to cut. Using the cut section as a guide, cut the long hair you just picked up. Keep doing this until you go to the back of the head. You might find when cutting a baby's hair that the next section you pick up isn't long enough or you don't have any hair to cut. This is due to the unevenness of their hair growth. Clark has very short hair in the back, so I didn't have to cut too far back before I ran out of hair to cut.

Once you have finished the one side, go to the other side and start over. Be sure to double check your first section you are cutting to see that it is even with the previously cut section.

You can tell my the pictures that Clark was not enjoying himself near the end. Just be sure to work fast and watch for any ears or fingers that might get in the way, you don't want to cut anything more than just hair.

If you have any questions, just let me know. There is so much more to cutting a actual kids cut, but I thought I would just start with cutting baby hair.

After giving him the cut, Lincoln and I are just shocked at how old he looks with it shorter. He for sure looks better, just too old. I can't believe my baby is going to be 1 next week. Boy does the time fly.

Just ROLL with it

I had the great opportunity to be a guest blogger on one of my good friends blogs while she was out of town. I know what you are thinking, why would she ask me? I am not the most consistent blogger these days. But, for whatever reason, she asked me and I was happy to do it. I did a silly little video about hot rollers and I thought it was time I shared the post with you. Please check out her blog when you get a chance, she is awesome and she does some creative outfits. You might remember her from this post too.

Enjoy!

Well, hello Mommy Crafters. I am Mallory from splitendsandnewbeginnings and Ashley asked me to guest post for her today. Ashley is sort of my blog mentor if you will. She is super encouraging when it comes to making my blog a better place for all things hair and beauty, but I just don't seem to have the blog skills that she possesses. With her guidance, I am sure I can find my inner blogger. I am just so happy that she asked me to guest post so I can work on said blogging skills.

Let me tell you a little about myself. I have been doing hair now for over 10 years and I LOVE it. I think your hair is your BEST accessory. I say "accessory" and not a "feature" because you can change it and adjust it to your mood and to whatever look you want to show for that day. You can do so much with it and it can do so much for you. I feel my best when my hair has fresh color and cut. After having so many of my clients ask me how to do their hair in different and fun ways I decided to challenge myself by styling my hair different for 30 days. I got the idea from my good blog friend over at Hair Romance. It was such a fun challenge and it really helped to inspire both myself and many of my clientele. After finishing the challenge I decided to try and keep my blog going with the occasional hair and beauty tips and ideas. I think it is very important to look and feel your very best. Even in a pair of sweats and no makeup, we can still learn to appreciate the beauty that we possess inside (I sound like a Whitney Houston song.) Anyways, I am getting a little off track. I just want to share the love of all things girlie.

I have a few video tutorials on my blog and I made one special for all of you who follow Ashley. I have to warn you, I am a little embarrassing. When you watch yourself doing your hair or looking at yourself in the mirror, it is totally awkward. I drop things, I repeat myself, my throat gets totally dry and I get a really itchy nose once the camera starts recording. At least I remembered to put the toilet seat down this time and I was able to edit out the two phone calls that I received. Oh, the joys of blogging! Enjoy!

If you have any questions, let me know on my blog, and I will get back to you.

Have a happy hair day!