On Vacation!

We're in Florida visiting our family! 

We drove for the first time with Bailey in almost a year. {I usually fly with her.} She did AMAZING on the ride!! I was so nervous about it since the last and only other time we've made this drive with her did not go well. We borrowed a DVD player from some friends for the ride and chose to drive overnight hoping she would sleep most of the trip. 

The DVD player- the BEST thing EVER! 

Sleeping most of the trip- Not so much. 

We left about 9pm and she watched Dora for the first two hours until I decided to turn it off so she could sleep. It took her a little while but she fell asleep and slept about 3 hours then woke up. She asked for more Dora so we turned it back on about 3am. She was wide awake and having so much fun in her own little movie theater! I decided again around 5:30am to turn it back off and she whined a little this time but then she fell back asleep until we pulled into my parents driveway at 8am! 

We only stopped 3 times the whole drive, the first time we all got out. Patrick walked Hershey a little and I changed Bailey's diaper. The last two times just Patrick and I took turns running into the bathroom and pumped gas but that was it.

The drive overall went much smoother than I ever thought it would!! The worst part was that Patrick and I were both up well over 24 hours by the time we got here so not only were we tired during the trip, we were also very tired and had to sleep the first half of the first day we were here. 

On the drive back we plan to leave mid-afternoon and see how that goes!

Our first few days have been busy busy as usual but we are having a blast! Bailey has been spoiled by both sets of grandparents already! 

Miss Thing above in her new cowgirl boots from Nana and "Pa Pa" {She re-named "Grandpa" this trip, he is now "Pa Pa"} She was prancing all over the house the first day loving the boots!! 

One of my favorite parts of being home is all the beautiful scenery around FL and the gorgeous sunsets! 

~~ This photo above has not been edited at all! It's just THAT beautiful ;-)~~

It has actually been cool enough {cold actually} for Bailey to get to wear her Halloween outfits! I thought we would get all the way through this October and not get to wear this adorable outfit! Glad I was wrong!  

 These two love to walk! They were on their way our with Nana! 

LOTS of more trip pics and stories to share later!

I HATE flies!!!

I just went on a fly killing spree around my house, got 3 and thought I was done and now I sat down there are 2 more! Ugh!!! 

When we first moved in our house there were no lie, at least 30 {we counted!}. We got the fly traps and my Mom {who was here to help with Bailey while we moved} went crazy with the fly swatter but it seriously took dayyyyysss to get them all. My Dad says they are attracted to the dry wall in new houses which makes sense I guess since they were all just sitting {I guess flies don't sit but you get what I mean!} on the ceiling.

I have seen a couple tricks on Pinterest about how to keep them away but none have worked for us. 

Anyone have ideas?? 

We don't keep our doors open they just sneak in when we let Hershey in and out. Grrr!! 

Ok enough about flies! 

I have decided for now {I think} that I am going to stop stressing out about the new blog and just wait until I get back from FL to figure it out. Maybe. I'll probably keep stressing and trying while we're gone but I'm going to try not to! 

In other news.. I just checked the mail and no necklace :( I'm hoping it was the mail from yesterday but I'm pretty sure today's mail just came early. Super bummed! Now I have to wait 10 days!

If you haven't noticed, I am not a very patient person. Something I am always working on. 

Back to packing! 

So far Bailey's clothes are packed but that's it!

 

At a loss..the blog world confuses me!

I am definitely at a loss about what to write tonight. I have a few topics in mind but at the moment my mind is completely consumed with.. well.. blogging! 

Ironic I know. 

I bought my own domain last night and I am trying to get my new blog up and running. {I will be transferring these posts over if I ever get it up.} but, I am completely confused. :( I have been at this for hours. I'm reading everything I can but still not able to figure out how to customize it? I guess I have to pay to upgrade. From what I've read and heard so far I have been under the impression that I can customize it however I want but so far that doesn't seem to be the case!

I want it customized!! 

How frustrating! 

Any tips?? Help please!

I REALLY need to be in bed right now or at least packing or doing anything productive towards leaving tomorrow! We leave in less than 24 hours for FL and I have not packed or set out anything nor have I cleaned out the car, finished the laundry, cleaned out the fridge or added the "extras" to Bailey's Halloween costume that I plan to. 

Talk about LAST minute!! 

I work well under pressure so, bring it on!  

This new obsession with blogging has taken up any and all free time I have had today. Plus, writing up my new policies for my business. I have been closed for close to a year but I am finally re-opening next week when we return from vacation so I needed/wanted to get things in order! 

Basically you could say I have been avoiding packing! Hah! I just like to make it sound more exciting. 

Ok, I am actually going to go to bed now I think. 

Ah, one last thought.... I am keeping my fingers crossed that I get a little package in the mail tomorrow before we leave!! I ordered an adorable rosette necklace from The Polka Dot Posie

 and I really want it to get here before we leave so I can take it with me!! I learned about their site from a blog I love, House of Rose. Mandy has a couple that I have seen her wear in some photos and I think they are so cute! It is probably something I can make but I decided I would support their business and order from them! :-) 

I will share photos when it arrives! {hopefully tomorrow!!} 

Eeee, so excited!! 

 

 

 

I clean, I clean, I clean.....

And yet I feel like my house is never clean! I only have one child but boy oh boy can she make a mess and fast! I know it will only get worse when baby number 2 comes along! {no, I'm not pregnant.. just sayin!}

The quote "cleaning with kids in the house is like brushing your teeth while eating oreos" is so true and makes me laugh every time I hear it! Like I said, I only have one child so I know all you mommies of 2 & 3+ have even more mess!

I said goodbye {for now} to my coffee table today and moved it into the guest room. Since anything I set on it gets moved by Bailey it seems a little pointless and as much as she runs around and rolls all over the floor playing I am always terrified she is going to smack into it and get hurt so for now it's gone. My living room looks so big and empty now! This will take me a little time to get used to! I miss it already! 

Something you should know about me if you are going to follow my blog is that I type like I think.. I jump from subject to subject. I know that isn't a good thing when blogging but I can't help it! If I tried to stay on subject I would sit here all night thinking and rethinking! 

Sorry! 

Now, onto my next thought.. 

Bailey had her 18 month well check today and she is healthy as can be! The doctor {who I love btw!} said she is advanced for her age! Such a little smarty she is! :) 

She takes after her mama.. haha! No, for real though. 

Cute thing cleaned up all the crayons in the waiting room and put all the chairs away. {She is a super neat freak and likes to clean! She also gets that from her mama} Of course I washed her hands like 4 times while we were there being the germaphobic {is that a word??} that I am. 

I don't usually let her walk around and touch things but she's getting big now and doesn't put her hands in her mouth as much so I cringe as I let her touch. She had more fun at this doctor visit than she ever has at any doctor's office before. She even talked to the doctor... that never happens! She usually screams! She is growing up!  

Not a baby anymore! 

 When we got home from the doctor, she rode her little 4 wheeler around some and got stuck in the mulch! She looks so tiny riding that thing around the yard, I love it every time I watch her! 

Time for me to do some sewing!

Pros and cons and my weekend

My husband and I have been making some big "Pros and Con's" lists lately as we make some decisions about our next move within the Marine Corps. He is feeling that it is time for a change and I agree.. sort of. I agree that he needs a change but I'm not sure I'm ready for the change. All and all I think it's best for his career and for his happiness but I will be sad to move away from my brand new house and my amazing friends! 

I have been very lucky to make some really great friends everywhere we have gone. Friendships that I will always cherish. I honestly don't know what I would do without Facebook! It is such a great way to keep up with each other and watch each others kids grow! I've been sad every time I have had to say goodbye to friends but I feel like this time will be the hardest! It's not even for sure yet but a decision like this consumes my brain! I think about it constantly! I believe things happen for a reason so I'm sure things will turn out how they are supposed to but I don't always understand the reasons. Plus, this time the Marine Corps isn't going to be telling us we have to move it will be our decision so it's even harder! 

Oy.

 

This weekend was such a lazy weekend! I feel like we have had a lot of lazy days lately and I'm not so sure I love them! One here and there are good but too many makes me anxious. I don't like to do nothing everyday, I need to be busy! 

 

 On Friday, Patrick got home from work before I had even started drinking my coffee so my plans for the day changed. He and Bailey napped for over two hours in the afternoon. Bailey usually only naps an hour but more and more lately her naps are 2 or 2.5 hours which is crazy! I like it but I am not used to it yet and never expect it! Had I known they would sleep that long I would have gotten out and done something! I did go for a walk/jog with Hershey (our almost 5 year old beagle/lab mix) 

 

The rest of the day was pretty lazy. Such bums! 

Yesterday we had another pretty lazy day but we did get out for dinner. We went to Pancho Villa (a mexican restaurant we love) and sat outside since it was such a great weather kind of day! I love being outside! 

The kids meals come with ice cream and Bailey sure did enjoy it! 

Today was football!! We are big football fans! Carolina Panther fans. I was born and raised in North Carolina so I have always been a Carolina fan. Patrick, not so much but he never had a team so he is now a Panther fan also. He gets so mad though when we lose {which sadly is most of the time} so he always threatens to jump ship {usually for whoever is winning. Ha!}. He and my Dad have that in common, both are fair weather fans!  

 

 We all match in our jersey's every Sunday! 

After football and nap time we finally carved our pumpkin! We have been trying since last weekend but something always happens or it gets dark before we get the chance! 

 

Here is a little of our pumpkin carving fun! 

 

 

Ta-da! 

We're far from pro's when it comes to pumpkin carving but we had fun and that's all that matters! 

 

Another check off my list of to do's!

So, I was shopping for fall clothes for Bailey today and came across a clearance sale on Halloween costumes at Babies R Us and decided to buy the one I had planned to make her just as a back up plan. I figured I would just return it once I made hers but as soon as I tried it on her her little face lit up and she started twirling around and saying "pretty" over and over again! 

SO CUTE!!

Yep, we're not returning it! I am going to add a couple things to it to "fancy it up" a little but I love it! Can't wait to show you all! You'll have to wait until we begin our Halloween festivities though! ;-) 

I swear if my head wasn't attached......! If I don't write things down and tape big notes around or set alarms, or timers I forget everything! It's ridiculous! I don't think it's that I forget necessarily but that I get distracted... easily! 

For instance, tonight Patrick asked for chocolate chip cookies so I made them, put the first batch in and took them out, we ate some and then he went to give Bailey a bath so I could bake the other batch and clean up and yea, I put them in the oven, went to get laundry out of the dryer and saw the vacuum and decided to vacuum my room before Bailey went to bed then he asked me to help get her ready for bed so I went and got her all ready and came out to get her milk and you guessed it.... the cookies were still in the oven! Fail. :( I have never actually done that before. I usually forget to do things but have never left something in the oven!

SMH.

Ok moving on, here ia a little collage of a few of the decorations around my house! 

Although Halloween is my favorite holiday {not entirely sure why? I just love this time of year I guess!}

if you follow my blog you will learn I love all holidays and LOVE to decorate for them! I also love to dress Bailey up all month leading up to the holiday! {I dress myself some too but not as much now that I have her to play dress up with!} I bake, craft and just get super excited! This holiday obsession used to annoy my husband but over the years he has learned to just enjoy how excited I get. He has also started to enjoy some of the fuss I make too. {He'll never admit that!}

Be prepared, there will be many more Halloween related posts for the next couple weeks! 

Have I told you how much I love fall?!

I'm sure I have!

Today was cloudy and not a typical "beautiful day"  but I loved it! I had my doors and windows open all day and loved getting out to walk with Kayla and sit outside while the kids played! The fall air just puts me in the best mood! 

After spending some time outside, lunch and nap time for Bailey is was rush time! I had to get to the post office before 5 to ship off an order! The 15 bows I mentioned yesterday. 

Came home, made dinner, lasagna {Yum!}, spent some family time and got Bailey in bed. 

Hubby has a early morning PT run on the beach so he's in bed already so it's just me and my SVU and Criminal Minds!

I should be making Bailey's Halloween costume and continuing to search for one for me but it's just not happening tonight.. maybe tomorrow! 

I still have a pretty long list of fall projects I want to do including making Pumpkin bread which is something I do all through the fall usually, I can't believe it's already half way through October and I haven't made any at all! Must make some soon!!

 

 

Where have the past two days gone?

I started my last blog entry saying my child slept until 10am which I love but when I am used to getting up by 8 or before I feel like my days have been so much shorter with her sleeping in. Don't get me wrong, I like it, just have to get used to it if she's going to keep this up! 

Yesterday and today seemed to fly by and it was dinner time before I ever made coffee! Goodness!

I don't even remember all of yesterday but it involved finishing a couple projects, walking and playing outside and a girls night with one of my closest friends! Patrick was on duty so Bailey and I were on our own. I finished my burlap projects finally!! I am super excited how the garden flag turned out!!

What do you think?? 

My other burlap project was a pumpkin door hanger. I am not as in love with it as I am the garden flag but I am still pretty happy with how it turned out!

 I think I have said this before, but Bailey just LOVES Aaden {our neighbor}! Look how adorable they are together..

It was such a beautiful day yesterday, we sat outside and let the kids play for a while!

Yesterday evening my friend, Jess and her son and two dogs came over for a sleepover! After dinner and the kids destroying Bailey's room...

 {my apologies for the horrible quality photo but look at this mess!}

...the kids went to bed and our wine and craft night began! 

We did another pinterest project! 

{we love pinterest projects!}

 "I'm here for the Boo's"! Get it? haha! 

We had fun painting and were excited with how they turned out! 

It was movie, wine and apple crisp time after our glasses were complete! 

 Yes, we just dug in with two forks! 

My kind of night! Love crafting with Jess! 

We watched "Maid of Honor" with Patrick Dempsey. I don't know how I have never seen that? It was so cute! 

Today I completed a bow order of 15 breast cancer awareness bows for a soft ball team. The order was placed late last night and is a rush. I sat in one spot for 2 1/2 hours straight to get them all done! My fingers were sore after that! 

Later tonight after dinner, walking and playing, I colored Kayla's hair. It was definitely a busy day and I am sore and tired!! 

Patrick and I just watched the presidential debate now we're off to bed! 

Goodnight to all!

Such a crafty day!

To start off I must say, my child slept in until 10:00 this morning. THAT.NEVER.HAPPENS! 

Amazing! 

Once we got up I started painting and got to work on crafts off and on all day! One happy girl! 

This is the only finished product to show...

 

Yep, it's another Pinterest project but how cute is it?!

Adorable!

I am going to hang them on ribbon so I'm sure I'll share another "finished" photo tomorrow!

I finished painting my burlap projects so just have to put them together tomorrow! I am LOVING how they are coming along!! So excited to see them finished!! 

Today was a very warm day compared to the cooler fall like weather we've been having lately so hubby decided to change the oil in my car, wash both cars and grill! 

Bailey and I hung out with him for a while and enjoyed the sunshine! 

This evening after our walk I sat outside and spent some time with my bestie while the kiddos played! Since our hubby's got home from deployment we haven't been spending much time together and I have missed her!!

More pumpkin fun today!

Since we didn't actually buy any pumpkins on any of our trips to the farm we decided to go to a pumpkin patch at a near by church today! 

{We probably would have gone anyway!}

The mini pumpkins are just so cute! 

So is my baby girl picking her pumpkin! {I'm not predigest or anything! ;-)}

I seriously love the one below. She found the one!

My little pumpkin on a huge pile of pumpkins!

Daddy found a ride..

All of our pumpkins! 

 

So much fun! 

Later this evening I worked on a few projects! I only finished one to share pics of..

One of my good friends asked me to make a fall wreath for her :) 

I continued working on my burlap project (Michael's finally got more paint in!) It's still not done yet though, I need to add more coats! It's a slow process. 

I also started another project! I always get too many things going at one time! 

I'm tired now though so I'm off to bed!

 

Lazy day

Today ended up being a do nothing kind of day. It wasn't supposed to be but that's how it turned out. I did some house cleaning this morning then my hubby got home super early from work and threw me off! 

He mowed the grass and we just sat outside and watched him

Well, Bailey helped a little... 

It was such a nice day out! I seriously LOVE fall!!! 

Hubby hasn't gotten any sun since he got back from his deployment so he sat out a little after he mowed and Bailey followed him with her chair. Monkey see, monkey do! 

This evening I was really wanting something sweet but wasn't sure what so I hopped on pinterest and found a quick apple crisp recipe and it turned out pretty yummy! 

Looks good right? It was! I got the recipe here. I added cinnamon to the apples before the cake mix :)

If you don't click on the link above here's the recipe real quick...

 

*Apples (I used 2)

*1 stick of butter (I used half) 

*yellow cake mix (also used half) 

Grease your dish, slice apples and cover the bottom of the dish, sprinkle cinnamon, cover with yellow cake mix, then pour melted butter all over and bake at 350 for 30-40 mins. **I had to use some water to cover some of the powdery areas that the butter didn't cover**

Enjoy your weekend!

Fall fun!

One of my favorite fall things to do is go to the pumpkin patch and pick pumpkins! This year we planned to go to Mike's Farm since we're in Jacksonville. The first attempt, we went with the Weybrew's, our neighbors and great friends. We got there right about 5 and turns out they close at 5 on Wednesday's. Boo!

We still got some cute pictures tough then went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. 

My child love, love, loves Kayla and Aaden {the oldest boy} and when they're around it's mommy and daddy who? I'm ok with that because I love them too! 

Bailey and Aaden are super cute together! 

Second attempt, we went with some more great friends, the Jordan family this evening and got to do the hay ride, pick pumpkins and dinner! Fun times! 

 Jordan Family :) 

 

Me and my baby girl <3 

 

 Bailey and Daddy were playing drums on the pumpkin!

 

 She kept picking up the little pumpkins then throwing them... oops! 

 My little pumpkin <3

Family photo! Love it!

There may be a third visit to the farm this weekend, we have more friends going that have invited us so we'll see! We're getting our fill! Good thing it's a fun time and great food! 

The dress Bailey is wearing is the one I made the other day but hadn't finished. I finished it this morning and think it turned out super cute! 

Whatcha think?

More fall fun to come! 

Oh how I love Pinterest projects!

Here are a few of the Pinterest projects I've done recently!

Made my own picture canvas' 

  This one, {below} was an instagram photo. I am amazed how well it printed! I put it on an 8x8 canvas

Pretty excited how this project turned out! May add more to my wall later! 

 

I also did the photo letter I'm sure you've all seen all over pinterest!

I LOVE it! It's so fun to walk down my hall and see it! 

This "boo" sign below I saw on Etsy I believe and thought I can make that! 

I have it hanging on my daughter's bedroom door! 

 
Love it!

The top two projects have tutorials floating all over pinterest. I read several then did my own thing. I would be happy to share how if anyone is interested, just comment! 

The "boo" sign I just made from looking at a pic but would also be happy to share how if interested! 

 

Recent projects!

I have a whole list of fall and Halloween projects I want to do and so far have completed a couple outfits 

 A candy corn (I LOVE candy corn everything!) pillowcase dress {pictures above} and a cute Halloween skirt {pictured below}

I think both turned out super cute and can't wait to see her in them! I will share photos! I made one more pillowcase dress but plan to add an applique before it is done so pics to follow. 

Sewing is definitely harder these days, Bailey boo is not a fan of losing Mommy's attention to something she is not allowed to touch! So when I get the chance I try to knock out several projects at once! 

Other projects in the works include a burlap door hanger and garden flag. This will be my first burlap project and so far I'm loving it and can't wait to see the end result! Of course I ran out of paint half way through and the specific shade of orange I am using is SOLD OUT. Not cool!

One of the many downfalls of living in a small town. Only ONE Michael's. 

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog! I'm hoping to blog often and share my life and projects with you all. We will see how this goes!  I guess I should begin with an introduction.

My name is Alex Freitas, I am 26, I'm a stay at home wife and mommy. My husband, Patrick is in the Marine Corps and has been for the past 6 years. We started our married life and Marine Corps life in Quantico, VA and lived there almost 4 years then got new orders to Jacksonville, NC where we currently live. Orlando, FL is home to us both and where all our family is. We welcomed our daughter Bailey into the world in April 2011. She is the center of our world! We are new home owners and I am still trying to get the house like I want it. I still have a way to go so join me in that journey! I sew and do all kinds of crafts! I LOVE crafts! I have a small online shop where I sell custom made accessories and holiday home decor.

That's it for now!