Button Bouquets!

I've already sung the praises of Craftgawker, but can I just remind you how much I love it? I'd seen this project multiple times before (it's not a new idea), but I was re-inspired by a Mother's Day that was approaching without any gift ideas in my brain.

Enter the button bouquet. There are a kajillion tutorials for all different types of these bouquets online, but I found the ones at WhiMSy Love and Blue Velvet Chair to be the most helpful.

Unfortunately, I don't have an abundant supply of miscellaneous buttons, so I raided my mom's stash (classy, I know. I stole her supplies to make her gift. Judge all you want.) and was able to put together a fun little variety. I wanted a little more than just the buttons, so I also added in some scrapbook embellishment flowers to about half of the button flowers, and I just love the way they turned out!

**Just a note about the flower embellishments: Since they didn't have two holes in them, twisting the wire to secure the flowers just made them slide down, so an easy fix was to add a very small button as the base and the problem was solved.

Here's my mini-tutorial:

{Supplies}

• Green floral wire (I used 24 gauge, and the smallest package/spool was way more than enough)
• Buttons (I made 30 flowers with 3 buttons each, so if you're not good at basic math, that would be 90 buttons)
• Flower embellishments (completely optional; I used plastic, but felt would work also)
• Mason jar for vase (save those spaghetti sauce jars!)
• Ribbon/hardware for vase
• Clear marbles for vase filler (you could use whatever filler you want though; I found the best deal on these marbles in the floral department at Hobby Lobby, 50% off, of course!)

{"Flowers"}

• I started by sorting through buttons and putting different combinations together. The color schemes are endless! (Well, endless depending on your supply. Nevermind.)  I used three buttons for each flower. You could always mix it up, using 2-5 for each, but I'm a little obsessive and couldn't bring myself to not be consistent. I have issues.
• Once I had my buttons ready to go, I cut all of the wire at one time. 13ish inches was a good length, but you might need to adjust based on the height of your vase. You can always trim up the length when you're done with all of the flowers so you have some height variety in your bouquet, so don't get too worried about the length of your wire yet. 
• Then thread the wire through one button hole of each button (send lots of excess through also!), bringing the excess back down through the other hole.
• You should have a couple of inches of wire to twist tightly around the stem.
• And there's your flower! Repeat for as many flowers as you want to make.

{Vase}

• Be creative with your vase! I used mason jars, but I've seen some precious button bouquets made to fit into more unconventional items like salt shakers. I'm also planning on making a bouquet for myself using a glass Coca Cola bottle as a vase. 
• For this particular vase, I just tied a thin ribbon around the jar opening, including a little charm hanging down from the knot. Then I hot-glued my fingers the coordinating wide ribbon to the bottom of the jar. Hey, I was going for simplicity, but you could be as creative or as simple as you want to be.

• When I went to arrange the flowers, I found that it was much easier to adjust the height of the flowers while I held them in a bunch in my hand. Once I had them arranged to my liking, I trimmed off the ends and tied the bunch of stems together with floral wire. Then I set them in the vase and filled it with marbles. Easy breezy. 

22 Months

Avery, you are 22 months (and one week, haha!) old!! 

• You're 35.5 inches tall, and you wear size 2T/3T clothes and size 7 shoes. You are no longer in diapers because you are...
• ...potty trained!! Well, you still wear a Princess Pull-Up to bed for naps and at night because I just don't feel like washing sheets that often, although most days you wake up dry.

• You absolutely love for us to read to you, and Dr. Seuss is by far your favorite. You always ask us to read "Socks in Fox Sir," and you already know a lot of the book! The other night at dinner, Nene asked you what you wanted to talk about, and you promptly answered, "Tweetle beetles" because one of the sections of the book starts off by saying, "Let's have a little talk about tweetle beetles." Daddy and I could not stop laughing (not to mention we were amazed that you made that connection)!

• You're speaking in so many sentences now that I really need to write down the things you say! You're just hilarious, mostly because the things you say are just so unexpected!
• You love to sing! Your favorites are "Jesus Loves Me," the ABCs, "Twinkle Twinkle," "Deep and Wide," and you sing lots of others when we sing with you.

• You count to 10 (although about half the time you forget about 2), and you can identify a few letters and colors. You know tons of animals and their sounds though!
• While you still love Elmo and Sesame Street, you've recently developed a love of princesses. Go figure! I think it started when we let you watch Tangled.

• Speaking of things you love, you are a huge Texas Rangers fan. You've already been to 4 games this season, and you actually sit and watch and cheer during the games. You were even on the big screen at the last game we went to! It's so much fun to take you with us! You'll randomly chant, "Let's go, Rangers!" when you're falling asleep in bed (after you sing "Jesus Loves Me" to yourself!). One morning when we were on our way to Mother's Day Out, you started crying and whining, and when I asked you what was wrong, you just cried, "Listen to Ranger game!" I had to explain that they don't play in the mornings. :) And you got a new Rangers shirt from Aunt Carrie this week! You threw a fit when I made you take it off (after wearing it for a game and then sleeping in it overnight!). 

• You have such a sweet, sensitive heart though. If someone is upset, you always give them a hug, ask "What's wrong?" and tell them not to cry. And while you definitely test the limits with Daddy and me, you have a good grasp on what you should and shouldn't do, and you seem genuinely remorseful when you get in trouble (which isn't that often).
• Bedtime has been a little bit challenging this month. You've figured out that there's nothing keeping you in bed anymore, so naturally you get out as soon as we tuck you in. After trying numerous techniques to keep you in there, the one that seems to work is putting up a baby gate at your door. You get out of bed when we leave, come to the door and talk for a little bit, sometimes whimper for a minute, and then get right back in bed and fall asleep.

• You are such a morning person (you do not get that from me!). Whenever you wake up, you start yelling, "Daddy, Mommy, I'm awake! I'm awake!" You're just a happy little camper when you get up!

You are just our precious girl, and we're so blessed and thankful that God gave us YOU! We love you!

Mommy and Daddy

Weekend Update: Mother's Day Edition

We had such a great weekend; I'm just sad that it's over already!

{FRIDAY}

Matt's mom and sister were originally going to come in town on Friday night, but since they weren't going to be able to leave until late, they decided to leave on Saturday morning instead. We were bummed that they wouldn't be here on Friday, but then we got a call from a sweet lady from our church who offered their extra Rangers tickets to us for Friday night! In a suite! For free! With fireworks after the game! Yes, please. :) We even made it up on the big screen for the first time in my whole life. Needless to say, it was a nice, unexpected way to spend the evening.

Discovering the joys of Oreo cookies

"Charge!" Every time they would have the little "charge" melody, she would get really excited and dance around squealing, "I say that! I say that!"

{SATURDAY}

Matt had a party for his choir kids on Saturday morning/afternoon, so while he left to set up, Avery and I went to "help" fix up the church playground (we weren't much help, believe it or not, haha! and they were pretty much done by the time we got there) and then stopped by to "help" with my parents' and their neighbors' garage sale that they let us crash. (We even made a nice chunk of change from putting our stuff in the sale!) I left Avery with my mom while my dad and I ran a few errands, and we made it back just in time for Avery and me to meet up with Arlene (NeNe) and Carrie at the house and leave to meet Matt at the park (I had all the food for the party!).

After the party, Avery got a little nap, and then we went out to Genghis Grill for dinner (yum!). We finished off the evening by watching Morning Glory and eating ice cream before bed.

{SUNDAY}

I started off the morning by dealing with a major toddler tantrum (happy Mother's Day to me!), and then Matt and I went to church early while Avery stayed and played with NeNe and Carrie until they met us for the worship service. Avery wore the most adorable outfit to church, and I didn't even get a picture! Aah! Well, the picture of her coloring is in the outfit, so maybe you can get a glimpse.

We came home and made PW's Cowboy Calzones for lunch (SO yummy!), and Avery couldn't even make it through the meal without falling asleep! The poor girl has just been worn out the last few days!

I had a movie date with my mom and sister (to see Something Borrowed, which I actually enjoyed despite the poor reviews, mostly because of John Krasinski-- love him!), and everybody else hung out at the house, made Rice Krispie Treats, and had hot dogs for dinner.

After Avery (finally) went down for bed, we attempted to play Phase 10 before we were so tired that we quit in the middle of the game. And okay, I think I was the most tired (aka the party pooper).

{MONDAY}

I know Monday isn't really part of the weekend, but since we had built-in babysitters for another morning, I actually got to take a long shower and get ready for the day without being interrupted by my (adorable but intrusive) toddler. 

NeNe and Carrie had to leave this morning, so Avery and I met up with some of Avery's friends (and their moms, lol) at Chick-Fil-A for lunch, and then we'll do our grocery shopping after nap time. It's almost more excitement than I can stand. :) 

Hope you have a great week!

37 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 37 weeks! Only 3(ish) more to go, and now I'm officially considered full-term!

Size of baby: Over 19 inches long and a little over 6 pounds

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 24 lbs. (I gained zero between my last two appointments. Like, down to the decimal. Weird.)

Maternity Clothes: I'm in mostly maternity clothes because I don't want to stretch out my "real" clothes, but I still wear some regular tops.

Gender: We're having a boy! Landon Matthew. :)

Movement: This baby is very active. All the time.

Sleep: Getting comfortable in general is really difficult, so finding a way to fall asleep is no exception. Just a few more weeks though! I do remember how much better I slept after Avery was born (yes, even interrupted sleep!), so I'm very much looking forward to that. :)

What I miss: Feeling normal. :) Laying on my stomach. Everyday tasks are getting more difficult (argh, I hate having to bend down to pick up stuff. I'm glad Avery likes to help clean her toys!). I just feel awkward.

Cravings: Nothing really lately. I'm just not even that hungry anymore, probably because my stomach is being squished!

Symptoms: OH THE HORMONES!!! My poor husband. Plus, the constant need to pee, trouble falling asleep, this huge belly, really sore ribs, lots of contractions (Braxton Hicks, but I never had anything with Avery) and other stuff that you probably don't want to know about.

Best moment this week: Getting lots done around the house!! All the baseboards in our tiled areas are clean, Matt painted our guest/kids bathroom, my hospital packing list is complete (although I haven't packed yet), and I finally got Landon's room cleared of all the stuff that was in there. Don't get me wrong, I still have a pretty extensive to-do list, but I think we're getting closer!

Friday Five

1. I celebrated Cinco de Mayo yesterday by meeting my cousin Amy for dinner at Chuy's for my favorite Mexican food in the entire world. Seriously y'all, Tex-Mex beats "authentic" Mex any day in my book. And no matter how hard I try, I just can't bring myself to order anything but the Chuychanga (with deluxe tomatillo sauce!) because it is just that good.

After that I had a whole evening to myself to just run errands, which, for the record, is much easier to do without lugging a toddler in and out of a car seat, knowing where a bathroom is at all times, and coming up with silly songs to keep said toddler entertained.

Thanks, Matt, for letting me have a much needed night away. :)

2. On Wednesday night, Matt painted our guest/kids bathroom, so he put everything back together last night while I was gone. I am so in love with how the color turned out! We picked a Tiffany-blue, and it's amazing how much of a difference it made in that tiny room (I really hate the layout of that bathroom)! We're using the same color in our bathroom (once I get it all taped and ready) because 1) I still love the color, and 2) we only had to buy one gallon of paint that way (we're cheap). So here's the finished product (although the blue turned out much paler in the pictures):

3. Today Avery and I are going to go through the house and get rid of stuff! Woohoo! We're putting some stuff in a garage sale this weekend, so I really need to get it all sorted and priced and out of here. I love getting rid of clutter.

4. Also on the agenda for today is for me to start (and maybe finish?) Mother's Day presents. You might say I've procrastinated a little bit. :)

5. Matt's mom and sister are coming to hang out with us this weekend! I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures to post on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Just a little update.

So this post started out as a weekend update, but now that it's Wednesday, I think I'll just make it a catch-all. It's not even that exciting. Trust me.


We had a good weekend, during which...

...I finished three sets of coasters for shower hostess gifts. I seriously love the way they turned out, especially because I super-simplified the way I made two of the sets. I just did solid pieces instead of patchwork, and it made them SO much quicker to make. Plus, that way I don't get overwhelmed with fabric coordination since I just have to choose two fabrics instead of five. And then I didn't even get a picture of the finished product. Go figure.

...Avery and I had a fun Welcome Home, Allison dinner at my parents' house (although we missed Matt, Aaron, and Chelsea!). Again, no pictures. (Come on, Heather!)

...we caught a couple of good garage sales while we were running errands and Matt was working at school on a weekend (not that I'm complaining because this actually paid extra). 

This sells for $18.99 on Amazon, and I got it for $1 in perfect condition.

And this one is on Amazon for $37.99, but we got it for $2. It was in great shape but needed a cleaning. Shoot, I'll clean the thing to save $36.

...Avery and I went and hung out with Matt in the sound booth at the show choir concert.

...I spent Sunday morning in the ER with my dad, who found out he has a kidney stone. :(

...some friends threw a shower for Landon.

...we had some major bedtime battles with Avery.

And so far this week...

...I've fallen asleep in two movies that I really wanted to see (The Fighter and The King's Speech)

...we're still having bedtime issues (our sweet little girl has recently decided that she doesn't need to stay in bed when she's supposed to), but I think we're making progress.

...I've been working like a busy little bee in Landon's room trying to get it ready before he gets here.

...I've been a blubbering mess of hormones. Someone make it stop! Okay, fine, so it probably won't stop until after Landon is born (and he really needs to hold off until I'm considered full term on Monday), and even then, I'll have more hormones to contend with. Aah! Maybe y'all should pray for Matt. :)

...Avery hit the 22-month mark (and I still haven't finished her blog post)!

Today I've definitely been nesting (with the help of a very cute little girl!) and really need to finish up a few things while Avery naps so we can run errands when she wakes up. Someone please make me get up off the couch...

36 Weeks and Landon's Shower

Woo! Horizontal stripes make me look even bigger! And yes, I'm wearing a hoodie in May. Good thing I'm used to Texas weather being completely ridiculous.

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 36 weeks! Only 4(ish) more to go!

Size of baby: Over 18.5 inches long and almost 6 pounds

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 24 lbs. (I gained zero between my last two appointments. Like, down to the decimal. Weird.)

Maternity Clothes: I'm in mostly maternity clothes because I don't want to stretch out my "real" clothes, but I still wear some regular tops.

Gender: We're having a boy! Landon Matthew. :)

Movement: This baby is very active. All the time.

Sleep: I decided to try sleeping without the body pillow, and that was the best decision ever. I've been sleeping SO much better now! Now if only I could wake up without searing back pain, that'd be great.

What I miss: Feeling normal. :) Laying on my stomach. Everyday tasks are getting more difficult (argh, I hate having to bend down to pick up stuff. I'm glad Avery likes to help clean her toys!). I just feel awkward.

Cravings: Nothing really lately. I'm just not even that hungry anymore, probably because my stomach is being squished!

Symptoms: OH THE HORMONES!!! My poor husband. Plus, the constant need to pee, trouble falling asleep, this huge belly, really sore ribs, lots of contractions (Braxton Hicks, but I never had anything with Avery) and other stuff that you probably don't want to know about.

Best Moment this week: Right now I'm finishing up washing clothes and other baby stuff, so that means I'm getting really close to having his room in working order. And for the record, this is going to be one really well-dressed kid.

Yesterday my friends Kyndra and Kendra (confusing?) and practically-second-mom Darla threw us a shower, and it was such a blessing! Since it was an open-gift shower, I was able to talk to everybody there instead of making everybody watch me open presents. Everything was set out in Kyndra's dining room so people could walk around and see all the fun little boy goodies. Seriously, I was so spoiled, and I'm so thankful for the generosity of my family and friends. Anyway, here are some pictures. I wasn't able to get pics of everybody who came because I forgot to get out my camera until it was almost over. And I also don't have pictures of the adorable (and yummy!) baseball cupcakes that Darla made; I'll have to steal some from my sister's camera.

Some of the girlies from church :)

My sweet neighbors, Brooke and Whitney

Um, Allison is now very tan.

Hostesses! Kyndra, Kendra, and Darla

Some of the young moms from church (Shannon, Adrienne, Kristina, Iris, and Tara!)

I totally wish you could see how cute this little baseball outfit is! It even says "Landon" on the booty. Matt's gonna kill me :)

Miller girls! (I'm still so sad that they're moving!)

Teresa and Brittany! (Brittany's one of my former soccer players and is dating my youngest brother)

This is Dana, probably the most genuinely sweet person I know.

Mom and Allison :)

Thanks again to everybody who came!