My younger sister, Marcy, and her family moved to Arizona last fall.  Last week, Caleb, Sophie and I got to go visit for a full seven days!  Neither of the kids had ever flown (or remembered flying) before.  And we had never been to the desert before.  It was beautiful there and the weather was amazing.  We spent every afternoon in their pool.  The kids had a blast with their cousins and I had a blast with my sister. 

If you know Marcy, you know she isn't that enthusiastic about decorating her home.  So while I was there I got to help her. I was really nervous going into it because I've never decorated anyone's home but my own.  But thanks to some simple, foundational guidelines given to me by Jenni Sabino, Teresa Dodge, Rachel Roeth, and Nate Berkus, I think everything came out okay!  It was really fun!  She had a budget and an amazing craigslist to work with.  And she didn't even have to do (hardly) any shopping.  She sent Jake with me instead.  :)  And they love it!  Check out the pics....

The kitchen when I arrived....

Before pic of family room...

Before pic of dining room/family room area (pool is right out that door)...

Before pic of a massive entertainment center we bought cheap on craigslist.  Marcy has very little storage room, so we needed a big wall unit to keep books/games/recording equipment in...

A lot of sweat and work, seven days, and a pocket full of cash later....a new couch/loveseat on craigslist, new large area rug, new light fixtures, painted an accent wall and the island, put up rods and curtains, stained her cabinets and installed hardware, totally revamped that wall unit in the previous pic, and added some other decor.....wahla!

Family room....

Family room from the dining room...

Wall unit...painted, new hardware, etc...one door is still missing because a hinge has to be fixed.

Kitchen/dining room area...

Dining room...

Other living room.  I didn't have a before pic of this room...

There you have it.  My first decor job.  Thanks for trusting me, Marcy!  I loved helping you do this!

Things We Teach An Innocent Only Child

Although Auden won't be coming to our house this summer, we thought we'd give her one last lesson before she headed to her grandparents'.

"Before a baby is born it is in its mommy's tummy.  Like this, Auden.  Shove the baby in your shirt.  That's right.  We know how it's done.  Our mom was a childbirth educator."  :)

(I thought about correcting them and showing them to put the baby with its head down, BUT, in a fleeting moment of wisdom, decided against this.)

New Etsy Store

Hi friends! I wanted to let you know I've opened a new etsy store, called Holly B. Company. (Etsy is an online community of people with handmade/vintage items to sell.) Above is a sample of the custom family signs I make. Hats off to Teresa D., who gave me the idea in the first place.

I have no expectation that any of you will purchase anything, but I thought you might like to know what I like to do in my "spare" time. And maybe it will inspire you to get crafty yourself on some of these cold winter days!

Find me at HollyBCompany.

And while I don't have facebook, I know many of you do. If you feel inclined to like my store on facebook, I would really appreciate it!

Drop me a line to let me know what you think!

I am really looking forward to this weekend. This afternoon (because some good friends are loving us by watching the kids) we are leaving to go see Cornerstone's dinner theatre production. Which means I get to see some of my favorite people in the world. Always a treat! And I get to see a great show, which is also a treat!

Sunday Eric and I celebrate 13 years of marriage. Wow! That seems like such a long time.... :) I always say I didn't know how great of a choice I was making when I told Eric I'd marry him. It's true. I couldn't ask for a better husband. But our anniversary means I get another 24 hours sans kids. Nice. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!)

On my reading list for the next week: The Strong-Willed Child and Have a New Kid by Friday. That should give you an indication of how parenting has been going lately. You'd think by the fourth we'd have it down, but no. I guess so far our kids have been pretty responsive to our discipline. Not Eliza. She is giving me a run for my money. I've been in tears twice in the last week. Twice this week bedtime took an hour because of her attitude. When we are being nice we call her "determined," "persistant," and "vocal." I could think of other words....

So yeah, I need this weekend. :)

A Caleb Comment

I was playing a game with the kids where they grab ahold of me around my waist/legs with their arms and legs. Then I try to get them off by moving around. (Weird, I know.)

Caleb was commenting on how he wished his arms were stronger. "My arms are strong," he said, "but not as strong as my toes!"

Funny thing is, he DOES use his toes to climb ropes, pick up things, etc. More than the average person (he gets it from his dad). I just didn't realize he viewed them as strong.

Things we teach an innocent only child....

The following was written after a particularly difficult trip to Walmart.

The rules of engagement when at the store:

1. Mom (or any other adult) is a fool for bringing us all here and thinking she can accomplish anything. Take every opportunity to remind her of that.

2. If you are placed in any given seat in the cart (there are three in the semi-like carts), you must demand to be in a different seat. If moved, you must demand to be in the seat in which you were originally placed.

3. No other child may touch you or your seat at any time, in any way. If this occurs, scream. If you are not being touched by someone else, try to touch them.

4. If Mom lets you hold an item she is going to purchase, drop it at least three times.

5. Whatever you do, don't look Mom in the eyes when she talks to you. Once she's locked eyes with you, you're through.

Disclaimer: Some of these things we didn't teach. Amazingly enough, ALL the kids with me seemed to know the rules already. :)

Trick or Treat

My little lion...

(She said a sweet 'thank you' to every person who gave her candy.)

a lovely Cinderella...

(The dress had a tear which I fixed with duct tape and a hot glue gun. You couldn't even tell-the duct tape was on the inside. Perfect! I think this dress was passed down to us by a certain Stephanie Z. Thank you!)

a scary ghost....

(He's been planning this costume for months. I made it from a $3 sheet from Walmart.)

and a (last minute) Harry Potter.

(He was going to be a Jedi, but decided at 6:30p the night before he'd like to be Harry Potter. We had a black wig that I trimmed a little. I made round, black glasses rims out of scrapbooking paper and taped them to the existing rims of his old glasses. He wore an old oxford shirt of mine, a "sweater vest" I sewed out of an old gray t-shirt of Eric's embellished with a printed Hogwarts crest, his Jedi robe as his cloak, and a clip on tie Eric had from a skit he did once. A stick from the backyard completed the costume. Not bad, eh? I love a good craft challenge.)

This is the holiday when it PAYS to have four kids. We raked in a sweet haul. :)