Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...

I decided to copy my BFF Audra (check out her blog here) by posting how my fall decorating is going. Now, I'm never going to be as crafty as she is, but I do my best. In fact, today I dedicated a couple hours to pure, undiluted CRAFT TIME! with my friend Madeline H. She brought over her little one, and while the girls played, the mommies crafted and enjoyed some "coffee talk." Loved it! We decided to make some Rag Wreaths to celebrate Halloween. If you are interested in how to make these super-cute wreaths, check out this excellent how-to guide--written by the aforementioned Queen of Crafts herself, Mrs. Audra Lynn. I made only a few modifications to make it more "Halloween-y."

Here's the finished product:


And a close up of the cute fabrics I found at--drumroll, please--Hobby Lobby, the happiest place on Earth!

In another tribute to dear Dra, I'm including a picture of my Fall Mantle Makeover. I didn't think to take a before picture...but here is the after!

Happy Fall, everyone!

Adventures in Aggie-Land

We spent last weekend enjoying the hospitality of our good friends the Spences. Brian, Dawn, and Nathan live about 3 hours away from here, right next to Texas A&M University. Since they are A&M alums ("Aggies" if you will), along with neighbor-pal Scott, all the guys decided to take in the football game on Saturday while the girls hung out at the house. Andy had a great time at the game--A&M is rich in tradition, and Brian and Scott really enjoyed showing Andy their Alma Mater. And of course I had a fabulous time hanging with the girls. Maddie and her "boyfriend" Nathan definitely had their ups and downs, however. While they did share their first kiss while watching Baby Einstein, there were a lot of issues sharing toys. Soon enough they'll learn what their parents have...love is all about compromise!

Playing with "George" and "Duck"--the most fought after toys of the weekend!

The lone Vol fans!

She'd rather read than watch the game...

Maddie is looking irritated, like I interrupted a private moment or something!

She would not get out of the dog's bed...poor Allie!

First Haircut (for Maddie and Mommy!)

When your baby is born bald as a cueball, and stays looking like Bruce Willis for a looooong time, you kinda forget about haircuts. I never thought I'd see the day when needing to give her hair even the teeniest little trim would be necessary. However, over the last 13 months or so, slowly but surely...her hair has been growing. Maddie has what I deemned the "Reverse Mullet." Long on top, short on the sides. Party in the front, business in the back. Not very comfortable for her, I'm sure. We tried rocking the "blowhole" ponytail (you know, the one that sticks straight up), we tried little pigtails, but today I had to admit it...she needed her haircut. She looked like a sheepdog. I was scared to death of making her look goofy, or worse, like a boy. I contemplated taking her to one of those little kid hairsalons...but I finally found enough courage to tackle it myself!

Here's the before....

during.... (at this point I was really freaking out, not to mention the fact that I was having to CHASE HER around the room holding scissors!)

and after! I was convinced I had made a huge mistake. All I could think of was being approached by a million well-meaning old ladies saying "Oh, how cute! How old is HE?"

So, to make myself feel better, I grabbed the closest hairbow and voila! Instant baby girl!

The evil glares are because I was getting in the way of her Baby Einstein video. So no damage done, no eyes poked out, and she can actually see now! About an inch and a half of baby bangs are taped in the baby book, and we can move on to the next milestone!