Con-Man's 3rd Birthday Party

We had Con-Man's 3rd Birthday Party this weekend! We invited a few of his little friends from school and church to come celebrate with us. He had a lot of fun so I think the party was a great success!

Since it's in the 100's here we had a "Water" Themed party. I had Con-Man's pool out, water balloons, and a Kid Wash for the party goers to enjoy.

Con-Man was super excited about his Lighting McQueen cake! And he really got a kick out of us sining him Happy Birthday.

After cake and ice cream we opened presents, and i gave the guests their party favors. Sand buckets filled with anything having to do with fun in the sun; water guns, shovels, bubbles, sun glasses and of course giant gummi bears! Don't ask me what giant gummi bears have to do with sun and fun but I thought they were awesome and the kids got a kick out of them.

The party was a success and we had a blast. I was hoping Con would go to bed early that night but of course he didn't- he was to busy playing with all his new toys!!

DIY Play Kitchen

There are lots of fantastic play kitchens floating around Blog-land these days. I never thought I'd have to make one since I have a son and all. I thought if I'd have to make anything it would be a tool bench.


But lately the Con-Man has been "cooking" a lot. We'll be sitting outside and he takes his shovel, fills it with rocks and tells me he's cooking hot dogs. Then proceeds to give me some and tells me to eat it. And he has been really interesting in my cooking dinner and such.


I'm glad he's using his imagination but how can I deny my poor little guy a play kitchen? And since his birthday is coming up I thought it would make a great present.


So for the past few weeks I've been keeping my eyes peeling for a piece of furniture I can use for a play kitchen. It's not like there are tons of "boy friendly"play kitchens on the market; especially where we live. About a week ago I finally found what I was looking for!

It has several shelves and wheels for easy mobility. I painted it white with a primer/ paint combo and thought about leaving it that color. I didn't want anything to girly looking. But in the end I went with some leftover blue spray paint I had on hand.

I added a back to it by cutting down some extra plywood I had lying around. Something heavier and smoother like MDF might have been better but the plywood works well.

I used cup hooks to hang the utensils and leftover handles I bought from Ikea for Con-Man's bed for the towel bars. 

I bought some inexpensive towels from Wal-Mart and used Stitch Witchery to add the fabric; the same fabric I used to recover the pot holder that came with the play kitchen set.  

Before

We gave it to him early and he has been excited about it. He's been cooking me hot dogs and hamburgers all day!

A few more detail shots:

And one more before and after:

I'd still like to find some baskets to put the play food and plates in- attempt to keep everything organized. But for now he's having fun with it. 

In fact when I tried setting up his pots and pans for the pictures he waved me away telling my I was messing everything up. Oops- guess I should mess around in his kitchen anymore!!

Con-Man's Birthday Preparations

The Con-Man is turning 3 in a few weeks! We're having his party this weekend; early, just in case Tiny Falcon #2 makes an early appearance. I've been busy with preparations for his party. I thought I could whip up a few things for the party but being pregnant seems to make everything take twice as long!


I sent out the invitations a few weeks ago. I hand stenciled them with stencils from Hobby Lobby. We're doing a water party since the temps have been in the 100's here. I got the inspiration for them here- I liked that they were a "water" theme but not to literal.

The big thing I've been working on is a PVC Pipe Car Wash (Or Kid Wash I guess). I tried to finish it today but realized I bought some wrong connectors. Always shooting myself in the foot!

Lots of water balloons will be on hand.

We have a pretty big Kiddie Pool I'll fill up and stuff it with water toys. Like I've been seeing these Sponge Bombs all over Pinterest and it's about time I make some! And some water guns and anything else I can find that might be fun for the kids.

As for snacks we'll have the usual chips and such but I thought some fruit and other frozen goodies would be refreshing to have on hand.

And of course cake and ice cream. Though it's a water party I'm not doing a water themed cake. Con-Man's favorite character is Lighting McQueen. I've been looking at McQueen cakes online for ideas. I'm not an amazing cake decorator but I like to make his cakes myself so we'll see how this one turns out! Not sure which I'll go with yet~

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For Party Favors one of the things I'm giving are these Giant Gummi Bears! They have nothing to do with "water" theme but they were so cool and on sale. I couldn't pass them up.

The final countdown has begun and I have lots to do! Will share pics after the weekend.

What sorts of things have you done for your child's birthday? Do you like to do a lot of it yourself or do you like to dole out the tasks?

4 Weeks To Go!!!

I'm going totally off topic this week from my usual design/ DIY/ craft post and I'm going to talk about something that is on my mind- This Baby!!


I'm 36 weeks today- the final date is approaching! I've been trying to be better about taking belly pics- I have hardly any of The Con Man. But I just realized I only have 3!?! Lame!

But what isn't lame is I've gotten a few of the decorations for Tiny Falcon #2's nursery in this week. I had to hang them up!

I have 3 more smaller stars on order. Hopefully they'll get here soon! 

In the meantime what's really been on my mind is the whole birth process. I want to do it naturally this time. My husband thinks I'm a little crazy but is supportive. He's a pediatrician and is present for a lot of births- so he's seen the good, the bad, and the really bad.


I can't explain exactly why I want to go natural this time- a few reasons are that I want to prove to myself that I can, and I hated being stuck in the hospital bed unable to move my lower body for hours; even after Con was born.

With The Con-Man I didn't prepare myself well, I just figured I'd see how things went and I'd decide from there. Well I for Con-Man I started having contractions during the first installment of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. 

I tried sitting through the movie because I didn't think I'd be able to come back and see it (yes I love Harry Potter- did you see the shirt I made for the last movie?) but with some encouragement from the Hubs we left in the middle. At least the theater gave us free tickets to come back!! They were not about to argue with the hugely pregnant woman.

Any way by the time we made it to the hospital I was measuring 5 cm dilated. The nurse told me the anesthesiologist was on the floor- and if I wanted an epidural I better get it now otherwise they didn't know when he'd be back. 

Needless to say I went a head and got it because I didn't know what the next few hours held in store for me. It was my first delivery and since we were at a military teaching hospital at the time it was the doctors first night on the job as well!!!

This time around I'm a little older and wiser so I've been preparing myself- both mentally and physically. I've been trying to read up online about natural birth. Staying calm, having a focal point, moving around, breathing, ect. I've also been doing strength excercises at home hoping that will help me out as well. 

I keep telling myself that I can do this; that the pain wasn't so bad last time (it's convenient how your brain forgets those things right?) that I'm a strong person and that pain doesn't bother me so much.


But I do keep picturing Katherine Hiegle in Knocked Up when she yells- "I feel everything!!"

So that's what's been mainly on my mind the last few weeks. Any advice from seasoned verterans out there? Am I totally nuts for trying to do this the really old fashioned way?

White: Working With It

I know I've blogged about this before; how I like the color white in the home but am not sure how well it would work out in my own personal home. 


There is something about it that I like though- I guess that's why I keep coming back to it. The crispness, how clean it looks, how everything else pops off of it. And the cool thing about it is that you can go with any interior style with an all white room- go super modern, go for a cottage look, minimalist, ect.

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If your thinking of going with white in a space here are some things to think about:

You either go all white or go home. The look your going for won't have the same impact if you only use white sparingly. You need to do the walls, ceiling, trim everything!

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White walls are great for showcasing an art collection, or if you have another bold color you want to use in the room. White walls will make your artwork or accent color pop better than any other color.

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White rooms aren't neccessarily cozy but they can be calming. Since they are usually minimally decorated there is something serene about them. So if your going for a calm feel fight the urge to over accessorize.

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Nothing looks nicer than natural wood and bright white. I love this combo! There's something organic and earthy about it.

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So, debate in my head goes something like this-

Should I paint a room white in our home to see how I like it? Would it even have the same impact as these rooms do? We are in a rental home so it's not like we can change the carpet or flooring...

Am I even sophisticated enough to handle a white room? Can I pull it off?

In any case I probably won't be busting out the Benjamin Moore Super White any time soon. With another baby on the way there's a lot of other things to think about- like finishing his nursery and planning Con-Man's birthday party.

What are your thoughts on white rooms? Love 'em or leave 'em?