some sewing projects.....

I really don't know much about sewing. I can sew a straight line, but patterns and sewing jargon scare me to death. So all I can say is thank goodness for online tutorials!

I am finally getting around to adding some special touches to Charlie's room. First, I made this bunting to hang on his window.
Since I loved that polka dot fabric so much, I decided to make an upholstered headboard with it. This one didn't include any sewing. Just lots of stapling.

I completed these pillow covers today. I have been looking for some new decorative pillows, but haven't found anything that I loved. I liked this fabric at JoAnn's and decided to make them myself. So easy, I made 2 of them in an hour. They have an envelope closure on the back so they come off easy to wash them. Definitely a must with the boys in this house.
A few projects I never thought I would be able to do! Feels good to do them myself. The next project on the list is a slipcover for the footstool we got from IKEA. It has a plain canvas cover now and I think it could be much cuter. Now I just need to find some fabric that I like. Good thing there are like a hundred fabric stores here in Utah. I can see this new little hobby could become very addicting!

first haircut...

Cannon got his first haircut today. Although, I think he will remember it as the first time he got a sucker! He did so good. When the hairdresser got close to him at first he got upset, but then she suggested a sucker. Perfect idea. He sucked on that thing the entire time. He was a sticky, hairy mess by the end, but it was worth it for the positive experience. Charlie screamed bloody murder everytime he got his haircut until at least age 3. It was always a nightmare. I was so impressed at how well Cannon did and hoping this is an indication of how well his future haircuts will go.

Look at all that drool! Ewww.

He didn't even mind when she sprayed him with the water bottle or used the electric clippers on his neck. However, he did mind when we took the sucker away at the end. It was just about gone and he was gagging himself so we had to do it. I can't believe how much older he looks after a little trim. Our handsome little boy.

april sneak peeks.....

I got a chance to work with the April Freehand Scraps kit this week. The color scheme was fun and I loved the exclusive embellishments.

As always, you can check out the kit and the full gallery on the 1st.

I also made some Easter cards with some of the new Dear Lizzy. I couldn't resist purchasing some of this line even though it is so girly. Perfect for these cards though!Tonight I cleaned up the huge mess on my desk. Hoping to find some more time this week to make it messy again :)

now I get it....

When I would tell people that we were moving to Salt Lake City everybody would comment on how beautiful the mountains were here. I would think yeah, yeah I have heard about the mountains. I guess I just thought it was kind of a cliche thing for everybody to say. Now that I am here and I get to experience them everyday, I get it. They are stunning. When I am out and about I am constantly finding myself admiring their beauty. Definitely one of my favorite things about SLC.

These photos were taken from the car so they are nothing spectacular, just wanted to share a glimpse of my view with all of you.

king of the couch....

He has officially figured out how to get up on the furniture by himself whenever he wants. It still takes a little effort, but he gets his little body up there eventually. Then he props himself up like the king of the place. He is so proud of himself and it is his favorite place to be. Even more fun is getting down and then back up over and over again.

His second favorite thing to do right now is test mommy's patience, but let's just focus on the positive for today. :)

moochies & liberty park....

Eric wanted to go out on Saturday to explore an area of SLC that we had not been to yet. Truth is I was not really in the mood but didn't want to disappoint him so I agreed to his plan. It ended up being a great day so I am glad I trusted him and went along.

The first stop was Moochie's, another Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives stop. If this place had not been on the show, I am pretty sure I would not have agreed to eat there. We actually didn't get to see the restaurant because they are remodeling. They had tents and tables set-up outside instead. The only things on the menu are a meatball sub and a Philly cheese steak sandwich. It was pretty good. It was fun to eat outside with the kids and they were really busy so there were lots of people watching opportunities. Charlie's favorite part was getting an Orange Crush in the bottle.

The next stop was Liberty Park. This is SLC's largest and most popular park (according to their website). These large beautiful trees were everywhere. It was Cannon's first time on a swing. He loved it!



We hung out in the grass while Charlie played on the playground.


Then we drove around downtown a little bit. The capital building was gorgeous and there were a lot of beautiful buildings and historic homes all around it. These big buffalo were outside the visitor's center. As you can see, Cannon was ready to go home.
Looking forward to much more sight seeing and getting to know more about our new city. The more we see and do here the more we are loving this place.

Cannon update: he did develop a rash on Saturday afternoon so I guess he does in fact have roseola. The rash is pretty mild and his fever has finally broken. He is still pretty irritable but is doing just fine. Here's to a new and hopefully healthy week!

doctor's visit and a recipe....

Cannon woke up with a fever for the 3rd day in a row. I had thought it was just from teething, but decided to call the doctor anyway. They asked me to come in just in case it was an ear infection. His ears were fine, but his throat was red and covered in sores. He tested negative for strep. The doctor thinks it may be roseola since he has been seeing it a lot recently. If you think about it, please keep him in your prayers that he doesn't break out in a rash. Thank-you so much!

Charlie took this one. I like it! Kinda artsy.
On another note, if you know me at all you know I am not a good cook. I have been trying to cook more often though. I am usually on the lookout for recipes that are easy and don't take 183 ingredients. I can't remember where I found this recipe (somewhere online), but everybody in the Smith household gives it 2 thumbs up. It is delicious. I have it in the crockpot right now and it smells GOOD so that is why I am inclined to share.

Brown Sugar Chicken

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 6 boneless, skinless breast halves (I usually use 1.5 lbs chicken breasts since that is plenty for our family)

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup lemon-lime soda

2/3 cup vinegar

3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic

2 T soy sauce

1 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:
Use a 4-quart crockpot for this recipe.

Place the chicken into the crockpot. Cover with brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic and soy sauce. Add the vinegar and pour in the soda. It will bubble.

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours or high for 4-5.

Serve over white rice and a ladle full of the broth.

** I have no idea what size my crockpot is but I have the smaller round one and it works just fine. I also have used frozen chicken breasts and it still turned out great.

Let me know if you decide to try it!

happy st. patty's day!...

The boys were NOT interested in photos today. They both look really good in green but it was just not gonna happen. Cannon has 2 molars coming in and he is letting everybody know about it. I stopped at Archiver's this afternoon and one of the clerks tried to get in his face. He flipped out. She looked at me and said "Why is your baby SO sad? I have never seen such a sad baby." Like I was the worst mother in the world (he was totally fine until she got too close). I let it roll off my back since she looked like she was about 15. I thought about giving her my number so she could call me in a few years when she has actually experienced a teething baby. Then we can talk about sad babies.

Our good (and only!) friends here in Utah had us over for the traditional Patty's Day dinner. Afterall, their last name is Hoolahan so they are required to have corned beef and cabbage today. I have never had it before. I can wait another 30 years to have it again. They did a great job preparing it and everything, it just wasn't my thing. The soda bread was good though. Next year I think I will just stick to green milk and pancakes.

a few random thoughts for today.....

-I did go back to IKEA and get those chair pads. I am sad to say that they didn't fit our chairs very well so I took them back. (have I ever mentioned how awesome it is that IKEA is only 4.5 miles from our apartment?)

-I also got an expedit bookcase for Charlie's room. I was able to get it in the cart but then couldn't get it out of the cart and into my car. How did it get heavier in the 5 minutes it took me to checkout and get to my car? I went back in to see if they could hold it in the furniture pick-up area for a few hours. The employee was less than pleasant and I ended up having to return it. We went back this evening when Eric got home. Much easier with 2 people. It is perfect in Charlie's room. I took some before and after shots of his room that I may share tomorrow...the before was pretty bad so I might chicken out!

- Have I ever admitted on the blog that Cannon is sleeping in our closet? I am definitely embarrassed to admit that, but there it is. His crib fit in there just perfectly and it is working out great. We plan to move him back in to Charlie's room eventually, but I don't think they are ready right now. They are both just very light sleepers and it was a nightmare for everybody before.

- Cannon's toy bin in the living room is located by all my scrapbook albums. He likes to take his smaller toys and shove them into the albums. Then when I pull the albums out all these little toys fall out. I will put the toys away and the next day he puts them all back in the albums. It makes me smile.

- Charlie is a big fan of the show iCarly which is currently the happy meal toy at McDonald's. The catch is that it is the girl's toy. The boy toy is Star Wars. So today when I ordered him a happy meal I requested the iCarly toy. Charlie was standing next to me saying very loudly, "I want the girl toy please!" Luckily he got the magic meatball toy which isn't really girly at all. I probably would have to draw the line at the lipgloss cell phone.

- Cannon climbed up on to the couch by himself yesterday. Now he can't figure out how to do it again and it is making him MAD. He tries and tries and then gets frustrated and screams. He has a temper like nothing else, must have gotten that from Eric. :)

A few pictures from today, just because he is cute. Look at those chubby little fingers and cheeks.

another day at the park....

After enduring the terrible weather this weekend, we were blessed with a beautiful day today. Of course, that meant another visit to the park. This time we went to the playground that is in our complex. Charlie didn't hesitate to try the slide this time. He went straight for it.

Hoping that Cannon will be walking soon because I think it will make the park experience much better for all of us. This time he was much less content just watching and was very frustrated that he couldn't keep up with his bro.

It was great that Daddy was able to come because he helped Charlie play on some of the equipment that he normally stays away from.

After daddy helped him once, he had the confidence to do it by himself. Then he did it over and over again yelling "I totally nailed it!" each time he got to the bottom.

Cannon reeeeaaaalllly wanted to go down that slide.

Eric talked Charlie into trying the monkey bars just once. After much protest he did try it but was not won over.
After we were there a while a few other boys showed up. One asked if Charlie went to Sandy Elementary School. Charlie told him he was going to go there in the fall for Kindergarten. I asked him if he went there and if he liked it. He was in the 4th grade and he said he didn't like it because there was too much "swearing" there. Then he started to sing a song about Sandy Suckamentary. Oh boy. I don't know if I am ready for this.