It's Finally Friday

I don't know about you but I couldn't be any more excited about it being Friday. I seem to live for the weekends these days... please tell me that is what most of you do too?

It seems like not much has been going on around here these days but then again we are always busy doing something. We are outside almost every night until the mosquitoes start biting and then we are dragging EK in the house kicking and screaming. I swear she would live outside if we let her. She obviously gets that from her father :)  Other than that, our days are filled with work, school, playtime and all of those lovely household chores I always seem to put on the back burner. 

So here's whats been happening around here this week...

I had some glorious mommy time at the hairdresser on Tuesday. I treated myself to a LOT of blond highlights and I love them. I am officially ready for summer!!

I came across this e-card on Pinterest and laughed so hard I had to share with you :) 

We made this yummy Barbecue Chicken and Pineapple Pizza for supper Wednesday night. It was SOOO good :) 

 EK told us she was mad... 

Mad about what you ask? Who knows :)

It lasted about as long as it took me to take this picture, ha!

  

 This is the way we start most mornings around The Wise House. EK is still passed out in our bed even though I have already woken her numerous times to go potty and get dressed.

I wish I could say she gets this trait from her father but unfortunately that is one of the many bad habits she inherited from me. Below is my conversation with Ginny this morning...

This is her at daycare this morning.

 I must say after I finally get her up, dressed and ready for the day... she is quite sweet :)

Here is to hoping you have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. 

Don't forget to tell your mom how much you love her!!

Monday Randoms

1. For the first time in quite a while we have been able to enjoy a few weekends at home with nothing much on our calendars. It has been GLORIOUS!! Don't get me wrong, I love to have fun things planned and weekends away, but there is just something about being able to stay home. And with all the rain we had this weekend, it was perfect for some snuggle time on the couch!

2. I know this sounds lame but one of my favorite parts about being home on the weekends is that my house gets cleaned and all of my laundry is done. I feel so relaxed when all of the household "chores" are done. And I don't feel guilty about laying on the couch watching TV or reading a magazine :) 

I found this comic in the Good Housekeeping Magazine this month...

Oh how true this is!

3. We attended a baby shower this weekend for some friends. Michael was not too excited about it being a couples shower but I think he and all the other guys had fun, even though they probably won't admit it, ha! Of course my favorite part of the shower is gift time! I just love looking at all of those sweet little clothes, blankets, lotions, body wash, diapers, etc. But don't worry, there is no baby fever here! I am perfectly content with EK being an only child for quite a bit longer.

4. One of the perks of being a toddler mom is that more than likely you can always find a little snack in your purse. I got a little lunchy at work the other day and these were the perfect little snack to tide me over. Scooby snacks are just not something I leave home without, haha! But don't tell EK!

5. How cute are these two?

6. As I mentioned before EK is the biggest helper in the garden this year. She is constantly wanting to water the flowers and make sure everything is just right!. She will even water YOU if you don't watch out :) 

7. Speaking of the perks of parenting, there are even more perks to being a "Girl" mom! I love having such a girly-girl who loves to paint her nails and twirl in her dresses. I finally convinced her it was easier if she just let me blow them dry with the hair dryer. Now if I could just figure out how to keep her still while I am painting them, ha!

Aren't those the sweetest little monkey toes you ever did see?

Hope y'all have a happy Monday!

A Little Yard Progress

Over the past few years we have slowly been making progress in transforming our yard into a much more pleasurable area. Not long after moving in we removed all of the old over grown shrubs in the front yard and replaced them with a few small shrubs and a palm tree (my favorite addition to the front yard by far!). 

We just recently planted three small palms next to the cable boxes in right corner of the picture below. It's hard to believe the large palm tree on the corner of the house was just as small only 5 years ago :)

On the left side of the house Michael just extended our fence out a few feet to create a little nook for our trash bin. I love not seeing an ugly trash can from the road! We have a lot of bulbs and hostas planted on this side of the house and I can't wait for everything to start blooming. 

Last year Michael created this stone and rock path leading into our back yard. He also planted over 100 tulip bulbs and they were gorgeous this year :) I just hate that they have already run their course!! We added these concrete planters to the walkway this year and filled them with some pretty annuals. The best part about these planters is that they were free! A local garden shop was getting rid of them and I think they add the perfect finishing touch to our walkway. Still trying to decide if I want to paint them or not?

You can see our other lawn ornament sitting out on the road... the State Trooper car, ha!

I showed y'all the bench Michael refurbished the other week. It's a great little space filler for this area and I hope to add more flowers here in the coming years. Maybe some day lilies?

You can also see the new air conditioning screen Michael just built last week. I love how it covers up all the uglies!

I don't recall the name of this flower but it is my favorite little annual I planted this year :) 

Michael installed the chicken coop on the back of our property behind EK's swing set. I can't wait to be able to collect some fresh eggs each day once our chicks are old enough to start laying!

Michael also built our fire pit last year and we have thoroughly enjoyed sitting our here and roasting quite a few smores :) 

Our little storage shed also looks a lot better than the sad state it was in when we bought this place. Michael painted it, added lattice for some underpinning and built this cute flower bed last year. Our pansies are still going strong and look so cute in this little area :) 

And last but not least is our new raised bed garden. EK had so much fun helping her Daddy and Pa plant the garden this year! They planted cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, squash, zucchini, sweet corn, and basil. We are hoping for a bountiful crop!

Pinterest gave me the idea to add a piece of lattice next to the fence four our cucumbers to grow on. I also added a few Marigolds to the garden as Pinterest told me they act as a a natural pest deterrent. We will see just how right Pinterest is as the season continues :) 

Please don't pay attention to our dead grass, haha! Michael is in the process of trying to kill off the remaining Fescue we have in our yard before he plants more Bermuda grass. I know he will have it looking amazing in the next few weeks!

And I just have to brag on my husband a little bit here. Without him, this yard would still be looking like a hot mess! He has such an amazing work ethic and a desire to make things look nice. He also puts up with listening to all of my ideas I find on Pinterest! And not only listens to them but helps me make them a reality. I think I'm pretty lucky :) 

Come See Me

This past weekend we attended the annual "Come See Me" Festival in Rock Hill. Saturday was the Tailgate at Winthrop Lake and the Fireworks show. We set up our little tailgate along with our lawn chairs and blankets... and what tailgate is complete with out yummy food. 

Yes, those are croutons in the picture below. EK is the only child I know who thinks croutons are a yummy snack?!?!

EK is always such a ham for the camera :) 

I think one of the kids favorite parts was the sky diver's. It was hard to get a good picture but you get the point, ha!

Sam, Hannah and Caleb joined us at the tailgate too! They enjoyed the skydivers as well :) 

Caleb and EK loved the "Come See Me" Frogs. 

Just look at those sweet faces!

My little family :) 

The girls :) 

Can you believe the boys didn't want to take a group pic? Ha!

And the best part of the night... The FIREWORKS!

The kids were getting a little restless by nightfall so we decided to head back to the truck to wait for the fireworks. 

EK and Caleb just loved them!

A perfect night out of the house :) 

I Live Amongst Royalty

1. So I know Easter was like three weeks ago but I still wanted to share my little Easter table setting. I found these eggs on clearance last year after Easter and I thought they would look so cute in my lantern :) 

Just something simple without a lot of fuss :)

2. Our baby chicken's are getting so BIG! I knew chickens grew fast but I guess I just didn't realize how fast. They were so cute when they were brand new little babies but now they are going through that awkward teenage stage. They look like they are almost adults but haven't quite grown into themselves quite yet. I am glad to say they are now living outside full time because this Mama was tired of hearing them chirping in my kitchen!

3. Michael has been working so hard on our back yard the last few years and I must say all of his hard work has really started to pay off in the looks department. I would love to say I helped but I try not to lie too much on this here blog, ha! My favorite part this spring has been watching these tulips bloom. They are just gawgous! 

I wish I had some before pictures of the back yard but lets just say it was less than desirable. It's amazing what a little elbow grease can do to get a place looking nice. 

We were given an old bench that was rotting, so my handy husband replaced all of the boards. Now we have this cute little bench in our garden, love it!

4. I know I shared this on Facebook but the week of EK's birthday she was really milking the Birthday festivities to the max. She wanted to blow out the candle in the kitchen and insisted that I sing her Happy Birthday while she did. A girl after my own heart :)  

5. EK has been asking for a puppy for quite some time now. Although we would love to have a real puppy one day, Michael and I just don't think we have the time to devote to a new puppy right now. Aunt Hannah found this cute puppy for EK's Birthday that walks, barks and is the perfect addition to our family. The best part is that this puppy requires no food or water, doesn't pee or poop, can be thrown in the toy box and doesn't need to go to the vet. What more can a girl ask for?

 6. For those of you wondering if "pappy" is still in the picture, the answer is: yes. If you want to know when we plan to get rid of it, the answer is: your guess is as good as mine. And if you don't give EK her pappy when she wants it, well then she will just take the one from her baby doll. 

7. A few weeks ago I finally decided it was time to put away all of EK's little smocked dresses to give her more room in her closet. I was surprised I didn't cry. I am thinking we may get to use them again one day... no time soon though :) 

8. The other night I went to supper with a friend after work and I got home just in time to for a little swing time with my favorite girl :) Love her!

9. Wednesday night as I was getting EK into the shower (yes I said shower, she refuses to take a bath anymore... taking a bath is so for two year old's, right?) and I told her I thought she was so pretty in her new dress. She said, "I know Mommy, I was a princess!". 

Y'all, I had no clue I lived with royalty, ha!

And just because I love these grumpy cat pictures from Pinterest. 

Yep, that's me on any given day before 10am :) 

A Birthday Fit For A Princess

So I meant to blog about EK's Birthday Celebrations last week but I guess my lazy bone got the best of me and I am just now getting around to it. Oh well, better late than never!

We started off EK's birthday by sleeping in late (by late I mean 8am) and then going downstairs to show EK what she got for her birthday. Michael and I both had the day off from work so we were able to make this a special day just for Emma Kate. 

She was SO excited about her dollhouse... don't let that fake smile in the picture below fool you. She kept saying, "Ohhhh, My Doll House!!!" over and over again :) I am sure she was thinking, "Mommmm, put the camera DOWN!".

 EK loves Thomas the Train and she loves an umbrella so when I found a Thomas the Train umbrella at Walmart the other night I knew I had to get it. Just be careful if you are ever around EK when she has this thing her her hands, she is likely to poke YOUR eye out...

 Next on the Birthday agenda was Pancakes!

Since we weren't having her Birthday Cake until Saturday with our families, I thought EK might like to blow out a few candles on the pancake stack. I think it was a winner!

 After breakfast we let EK play all morning with her new toys before heading out to our local Children's Museum. EK had a blast going from station to station. 

She loved these binocular's and before we left we had to convince her that we could not take them home. I told her that Daddy would make her a pair, ha!

 She loves boats just like her Daddy!

 I tried so hard to get the little stinker to look at me and smile but she was just too busy playing :) 

 She loved this huge puzzle :) 

 After that we had lunch at our favorite Mexican Restaurant, EK's choice, and then it was home for naps and playing for the rest of the day. A perfect day spent celebrating our newly three year old!

Saturday morning we were up bright and early. We decided on a much smaller party this year and just had our immediate family over. Less fuss meant more fun for all of us :) 

EK might have been a little excited about her balloons!

EK loves her new See-Saw her Paw-Paw built:) 

All the kids had such a blast playing in the back yard and burning some energy. 

The Birthday Princess!

Sweet Abby :) 

Cayleigh and Gpa!

We grilled some burgers and hot dogs and served them on the princess plates EK picked out from the Dollar Tree, haha! Then it was time for CAKE!

Pure Delight!

And then Presents...

It was so nice to have such a simple party this year and we were able to really enjoy all of it! But I still can't believe my baby is THREE :)