The prior owners of this house were kind enough to leave the super cute shower curtain in the boys’ bathroom when they moved out. They also left a large roll of wallpaper border that went with the curtain that we didn’t necessarily want to put up because wallpaper can be so difficult to remove. So, my aunt offered to make us a 3-D shadow box with it to dress up the bathroom. My mom and aunt spent HOURS cutting and sticking yesterday. Look how cute it turned out!
Here’s a close up. The basic process is to cut out each item multiple times and put small adhesive foam pieces between each layer, varying the height to give different levels of depth in the finished piece.
We were out playing on the patio the other day and I took my eyes off Little D for just a minute and turned around to see this:
He would have climbed the slide before but it’s been too hot to play outside much. I’m just praying we can keep this little monkey out of the emergency room. He’s begun to try and climb the bookcases and loves to stand on his Mickey Mouse train to reach higher spots. This works well for him until Micky Mouse decides to roll out from under him!
Which is cheaper? Wal-Mart or Target? A Super Target recently opened near us and while I would much prefer to visit Target over Wal-Mart, I wondered if I would end up spending more by doing all my grocery shopping there. So, I did a little un-scientific price comparison and thought I’d share, since I’m sure I’m not the only one with this question.
(Some products at both stores were on sale, but this is not noted in the price comparison.)
| Item | Wal-Mart Price | Target Price |
| 1 Dozen Lg Eggs | $1.24 | $0.99 |
| Kraft Singles Cheese | $3.38 | $3.39 |
| Oatmeal Bars | $2.78 | $3.29 |
| Lg Can Star Kist Tuna | $2.22 | $2.24 |
| Can Spaghetti-Os | $0.87 | $1.09 |
| Gogurt | $2.50 | $2.49 |
| YoBaby Yogurt Cups | $3.22 | $3.24 |
| Sausage Links | $2.53 | $2.54 |
| Oscar Meyer Turkey Slices | $3.00 | $3.04 |
| CapriSun 100% Juice Pouches | $2.50 | $1.97 |
| Aunt Jemima Lite | $3.82 | $3.79 |
| Pace Picante | $1.92 | $2.89 |
| Nature Valley Nut Clusters | $2.28 | $2.99 |
| Arm & Hammer Cat Litter 20lbs | $8.82 | $6.74 |
| Campbell’s Bean & Bacon Soup | $1.44 | $1.52 |
| Tide Total Care | $10.84 | $10.99 |
| Oscar Meyer Turkey Slices | $3.00 | $3.04 |
| 1lb Ground Beef 93/7 | $3.48 | $2.99 |
| Store Brand Butter | $2.17 | $1.99 |
| Store Brand Mozz. Cheese 8 cups | $6.78 | $6.49 |
| Store Brand Vegetable Oil 48oz | $2.84 | $2.69 |
| Store Brand Baby Snack Puffs | $1.78 | $1.84 (and smaller size) |
| TOTAL | $73.41 | $72.24 |
So, with this mix of products, Target is lower, although if there weren’t quite so many store brand products, I suspect that Wal-Mart would be have been lower.
I’m so grateful for the health of my children today. For some months, I’ve been following the blog of Jennifer McKinney about her family and specifically her son Stellan who has had a heart condition since before he was born. He’s doing very poorly today and because he sorta reminds me of my sweet Little D, I can’t help but empathize strongly with them. Blogs and Twitter are wonderful things. You can connect with people in ways not possible before we had these tools. I’m sitting here distracted, waiting for each Tweet to find out what is happening with a family I’ve never met, and never will. Thankfully, they are trusting in God’s sovereignty no matter what happens.
I can’t imagine having to deal with the prospect of losing one of my boys. So grateful for them.
This video is mesmerizing. (via Laughing Lion Design)
Someone else blowing out your birthday candles.
Don’t you wish your legs still worked like this?
I’m feeling a little guilty… I really complain about this kid too much. He’s about to turn 4 and the older he gets the more interesting he is. I love how kids at this age are interested in everything and their questions are progressively more thoughtful (and funny- yesterday, Big J asked what God’s last name was). I love that he’s just as apt to sit down and watch an opera with me for a while as he is to watch Yo Gabba Gabba. So, while I regularly lament all the screaming and other challenges that come with raising him, I know we’re so blessed to have him and looking forward to knowing him better with each year that passes.
I’ve always been more of a pictures person than words person. If someone asks how to get somewhere, I draw a map rather than write out directions. I particularly like blogs that post 1 photo a day, and I thought I might try it myself, since my one of my goals is to improve my photography skills anyway. So here goes…
The gates are on order from Amazon. Meanwhile, what do you think of our improvised containment devices? The giant bean bag I got for free has come in handy in more ways than one! I really thought Big J was busy, and he was, but he never tried to open the toilet lid and never got into cabinets and pulled books off of shelves the way Little D does. Oh… and that dinosaur toy is the BEST. TOY. EVER. Big J has loved it at every age so far.
Big J is playing one of his “I’m almost 4 and I’m a big pain in the buttocks” games this morning. He wants out of his nighttime diaper and into some comfortable underwear, but he wants to push my buttons and control the situation in order to cause the most angst possible in the process. I’m not playing his little game. He doesn’t really need my help, as he can pretty much dress himself, but I am feeling generous this morning and have offered to help if he will meet me halfway. He has rejected my kind offer and has opted instead to whine incessantly. I have my mp3 player headphones on so I can’t hear the whining. Eventually, he’s sort of writhing around on the floor beside me in full rabid preschooler mode, nearly foaming at the mouth he’s so worked up. This goes on for some time, when suddenly Little D comes around the corner from their bedroom carrying a pair of underwear and throws it into Big J’s face.
It was a moment of utter perfection.
I laughed so hard I about needed a diaper myself. Meanwhile Big J is in the bedroom now, clothes laid out and instructed not to come out until he is dressed. I may see him around lunchtime.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
