Missed

High Street Market was having a vintage baby sale, including these:

I wanted to buy a few of these goose hooks to hold dress-up clothes in Ava's room because I've been calling her Goose lately (as in Silly, which she is all the time). But, I wasn't quick enough and they sold out before I could buy any.

Now, I'm on the look-out for something similar. Let me know if you spot anything!

30th Birthday Carnival

For David's 30th birthday, we dropped Ava off at the Grandparents' house and went to the Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City. I had booked spa appointments for each of us and we had plans to go to dinner.

Little did he know that all his friends would be at the restaurant when we arrived.

And once there, everyone got a fun gift bag.

(There was also a fun package of animal crackers in each one, but those didn't last long.)

So, that was two years ago. This year, David's birthday falls smack dab in the middle of a four-day weekend and I have absolutely nothing planned. Any suggestions?

I almost forgot. My lovely photography assistant:

Teacher Gifts

This Friday the parents' at Ava's school are organizing a teacher appreciation pot-luck and we're all supposed to bring a homemade gift. Knowing that I love Ava's artwork, but a non-relative who would be getting art from all the other kids as well might want something that would be useful as well as decorative. And it needed to be something quick and easy that Ava and I could do together.

  We picked up a few supplies from the store and got to work.

I sprayed each pot with chalkboard paint we already had, then Ava filled each one 2/3 full with potting soil.

Then we added the flowers and Ava used chalk to draw a special picture on each one. (In hindsight, this would have been a lot easier if we'd drawn the pictures before we potted the flowers.)

Then we added a message on an apple-shaped post-it note (it says: "Thanks for helping me learn and GROW!") and Ava drew on another set of post-its, then we sandwiched an extra-large pencil between the two notes and stuck them in the pots.

Done! The whole project was less than $20 for all three and, while homemade, her teachers can re-write and re-use the pots to their hearts content (and think of Ava every time they do). Now to decide what to make for the pot-luck...

Tulip Festival

This past weekend Ava's cousin brothers came to visit and we drove to Holland for the annual Tulip Festival. After getting lost (twice) we finally made it to Windmill Island, where they have an antique windmill, Dutch trading post, reenactments and tulips!

These people were camping out old-school for the entire two weeks of the festival (I love the socks with bows).

Ava tushie in the background.

Ava after we told her she wasn't allowed to pick the flowers.

We had so much fun! And Ava can't wait for her cousin brothers to come visit again.