DIY Bunting (no sew)

The bedroom needed some spice...as far as decorating goes.

Or at least a little more color/decoration...which is where bunting came into play.

I think it's fun and playful and cheap - who doesn't love that?

I came across a lot of tutorials about bunting, with most of them requiring you to get out the sewing machine.
We thought we would just use the good 'ol glue gun & supplies we had on hand.

Supplies

• cardstock
• ruler
• scissor
• yarn
• glue gun

The finished product:

It makes me happy - I have this new urge to add a little in every room :)

Highlights from Christmas Eve

Here are some highlights from Christmas Eve this year...

*only the moments caught on camera of course - there were plenty more*

And the best part?

All of us being together.

Friday Five - Vol. 3

1.  My boyfriend Dusty's film, Prairie Love, is now available for everyone to watch online!

It can be viewed through Prescreen.

The process is simple:

Step 1) go to this website: click here

Step 2) sign up/register for free on Prescreen

Step 3) pay a small fee and watch Prairie Love :)

Your support is more appreciated than you realize...

2.  In addition to being a filmmaker, Dusty works for a local production company to help pay the bills :)

Filmmaking doesn't pay much until you make it big, thus the reason your support of Prairie Love means the world to us.

So, I was lucky enough to tag along yesterday to help with a shoot.

Alabama's star running back, Trent Richardson, spoke to the students of Orange Beach Elementary.

He finished 3rd for the Heisman Trophy...you should have seen the kids erupt in applause and excitement when they saw him walk into the gymnasium.

Richardson is projected to be a top 10 draft pick this year for the NFL...keep your eye out for him :)

3.  Yesterday sure was an eventful day.

We also got the opportunity to take professional photos of a beach house.

I always want to explore the homes around here, so I loved this opportunity.

4. It is time to get organized!

I was at Target the other day & came across a lot of storage/organization things on clearance.

You know, they had a green or red handle so they were considered 'Christmas items', therefore, they were marked down - love it. 

I recently acquired a craft closet & my new purchases will work perfectly.

5.  Ms. Krebsbach broke out and substitute taught two days this week..holla!

I once owned a dog and his name was Otto.

True story: Dusty & I adopted a dog for 2.5 days.

Meet Otto:

He's a lab mix puppy who is sweet and energetic.

On our initial meeting, I fell in love instantly and just had to have him.

Looking back on that fateful day, I now realize I may have rushed into the whole dog owner thing.

I wasn't ready for all of it.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR TIME TOGETHER:

• Otto cried a lot (granted I'm sure it was due to the abrupt switch of homes, but it still got to me).

He cried in the morning, during the day, at night, if Dusty took a bath, if I did laundry, if we took the garbage out, if we were all sitting and watching tv...basically he cried constantly.

The only time Otto did not cry was if we were on a walk...Otto got lots of walking in during those 2.5 days.

• When Dusty would sit on the couch, instead of walking around to the front of the couch, Otto would leap from behind and jump over Dusty's head - always entertaining...especially because Otto's jumping skills hadn't been fine tuned yet, so Dusty got his fair share of knocking around.

• Otto loved Gray...like wouldn't leave Gray alone loved him.

It was constant kissing, tackling, and playing with those two.

Gray would often say 'I love Otto', but then the next minute needed Otto away from him immediately...the kid needed to breathe once in a while...I completely understand.

I needed to breathe too - having a dog is stressful. 

Huge red flag right there...Kassie is not ready for a dog.

• Okay, on more of a positive note - every day that passed, we fell more and more for Otto.

He progressed leaps and bounds while we had him.

The first time we took him to the dog park, he layed under our legs and needed to be near us the entire time.

The second time - he LOVED it...he was running everywhere, played with all of the other dogs - he was like a new dog.

• When we first got him, he didn't have a clue how to play fetch...but by the end, he was an all-star at fetch and could do it for hours.

• We also discovered that Otto doesn't run...amazing.

We sat out on the porch and Otto didn't need a leash - people would walk by with other dogs and it didn't even faze Otto.

Dusty did yardwork and Otto just followed him around.

He really is a great dog.

-So, what did we do with Otto?

We found him a wonderful home with major dog lovers as his owners.

They fell in love with instantly, said he had intelligent eyes, was gorgeous, and they couldn't wait to add him to the family.

They have a doggy door and a fenced in yard, so their dogs can roam and be free all day and night.

Otto must be so happy there.

Dusty and I were both honestly sad to see him go, but it was the right decision for us at this point.

Luckily, the new owners said they would email us updates and pictures :)

Well, lesson learned...we'll chalk this up to another experience.

Delicious Pumpkin Bars

I got this recipe from my friend Kara - it's her Grandma's pumpkin bars .

A Grandma's recipe?  It has to be good.

So, I tested it out - I knew they would be good if Elaine made them, just wasn't sure how they would taste if I made them.

I brought them to Christmas with Dusty's side of the family - everyone loved them.

We were even instructed to leave the leftovers and pick up the pan another day :)

You must make these bars...trust me, you will love them.



Saturday Fun Day

Dusty, Gray, & I had a wonderful Saturday.

1st stop:  swimming at Bella Luna

Gray has found a new ♥: TRAINS 

He prefers to bring them everywhere...

While Gray kept himself entertained with Thomas and friends...

Dusty & I played football in the pool (ran a few plays), the football then turned into a baseball & I practiced my pitches...and I also did a little gymnastics - embarassing? maybe so.

2nd stop:  the Flora-bama

We grabbed lunch and listened to live music.

Don't let yourself be distracted by the bras hanging on the line, it really is a family friendly place during the day :)

Gray kept himself busy with...

you guessed it - his trains.

those things come in handy & I like it.

3rd stop:  play date for Gray.

Play date for Gray also turned into a bit of a 'play date' for us as well with the parents...always fun.

4th stop:  home.

We ended the day with a movie night - Dusty's favorite.

(All pictures were taken by Dusty (except for the AWESOME picture of Bella Luna)).  The pictures taken at the pool?  I wish my photos looked that good...they will eventually...hopefully :))

dreams.

I've really been struggling with what I want to do for a living.

I want to love it - tall order, I know...but it's really important to me.

Honestly, I think I'm scared.

I'm scared of committing to a full-time job...and I'm worried that I won't like it.

I have dreams.

 But I'm scared of failing at them.

Isn't that silly?

I'm putting off my dreams/goals because I'm worried it won't work out...it needs to stop.

After some soul searching and a lot of talking and thinking things through, I'm going to chase my dreams...starting today.

I am going to start an Etsy shop.

I'm going to challenge myself, make things I never thought I could, and sell them.

Goals will be set each day and I will accomplish them.

Today's goal?

Begin the process of learning how to sew.

I'm headed over to Dusty's mom's house this morning.

She has signed up for the challenge of teaching me.

I will keep you posted with my progress...wish me luck.

*Side note: I have other dreams/goals too...just taking them on one at a time :)

The Alabama Zoo

I really don't like lizards.

I think they are gross and creepy.

Unfortunately, they are everywhere down here.

I see them on the porch, in the mailbox, on the sidewalks, on the windows, and recently on the ceiling inside.  Yes, I freaked...and had my eye on the ceiling for a solid week.  I  even dreamt about lizards.

I am on guard at all times - I admit, it's a little bit stressful.

I walk outside, I slam the door shut (in order to prevent those creepy things from getting inside), and then I scan the porch for them.

Also, I know I'm driving Dusty and Gray nuts by always telling them to HURRY AND SHUT THE DOOR, SO THEY DON'T GET IN!!!

When I get the mail, I scan the outside of the mailbox, then I kick it, hoping it will scare the shit out of the lizard before I go in to grab the mail...which doesn't really make sense, but it makes me feel better. 

I'm sure our neighbors think I'm a lovely young lady.

After returning home from our vacay to ND, we had a big stack of mail that Dusty brought in.
I started to go through it and after looking through the first couple of things in the pile, I lifted up a magazine, and then I saw it - a black lizard.
I screamed.
Dusty came running.
I opened the door.
He threw the stack of mail onto the porch.
Problem solved.

Then, the next day, I looked out the window and there was a coyote hanging out in our yard. Wonderful.
Dusty swears they won't hurt you and that apparently they're scared of people. 
I don't want to know if he's lying - I am choosing to believe him...it helps my sanity.

Oh, and we have three raccoons that pay us a visit every now and then...and two cats that roam in our area...and the squirrels around here seem like a different species altogether.  I have seen them jump long distances from branch to branch, they're constantly fighting with each other, and there are tons of them.

It's a straight up zoo around this place.

Button Making

I had a new project in mind and it involved making wooden buttons.

In order to accomplish it, I needed my dad's help.

It was great - spending time with my dad, working together in his shop, making buttons...I loved it all.

Step 1: find a dry stick/twig

Step 2: cut into thin pieces

Step 3: drill holes (I did 2's & 4's)

Step 4: sand buttons

Step 5: varnish (still have to complete this step)

I'm so excited about these buttons!

What am I going to do with them?

Make earrings, use them for gift wrapping, and other arts, crafts, & projects...I ♥ them.

BUTTON MAKERS:

I added something to my wishlist: a shop full of tools and arts & crafts supplies.

How amazing does that sound?

Space to do projects & enough room for all of your supplies...

Maybe someday :)

A holiday recap.

And a family photo:

I hope y'all had a wonderful holiday season as well!