Blog Move!

This is going to be my last post on my blogger blog! (bliggity blog blooooog) I've imported everything over to www.crystalynbryan.com, and that will be the new home of my creative adventures. Come on over and say hello!!!

Five Months

How in the world is this little guy five months old already?! Seriously, why do babies have to grow up so fast? He is SO much fun to play with these days, he just laughs at everything. (And he has got one fantastic laugh!) Juniper loves to play with him too, maybe a little too much! She often wakes him up from naps and she loves sitting on him... I tell her not to be too rough, but he just laughs the whole time! Those kids love each other, it's so great. He's still nursing like a champ. He eats rice cereal occasionally and we gave him some avocado the other night. It's funny to watch him roll around the house, he'll be crawling before we know it. I just love my tiny man so much, he is wonderful.

On a completely unrelated note: my little sister's drawing was featured on a Rants From Mommyland art fail post! I love that drawing. And RFML is pretty dang awesome so that's cool.

Some Colors & A Sneak Peek

Maybe it's the nonstop packing or sea of boxes in my living room, but yesterday I was craving some color. So my nail polish collection ended up tripling in size. Can you guess which three colors I already owned? I've been having maybe a little too much fun painting random things. (I'll share one particularly cute project soon!) Tomorrow I am HOPING *fingers crossed* that I'll be able to do some sewing before I start the long process of packing up my craft room.

And as I mentioned the other day, I have been doing a lot of thinking lately and I feel like I've figured a few things out. I'm not quite ready to share yet, but here is a little sneak peek: I am going to be moving my blog over to www.crystalynbryan.com! I've owned that site for years and years. (It was my professional portfolio site, but I've moved that over to www.crystalynbryan.com/portfolio) I decided it was time to make the switch to Wordpress, mainly so I can reply directly to comments. (Darn you Blogger *shakes fist*) Anyhow, the site is done 100% done yet, but take a look and let me know what you think! 

Boxes

Just a little glimpse into my life... All this packing is really starting to get to me. As I sit here packing my entire life into a sea of cardboard boxes, the reality of our move is finally starting to sink in. In two weeks, everything we know is going to be turned upside down. I've been thinking a lot. Maybe too much, and about too many different things at once. My head hurts. All I know for sure is that if I don't do something creative soon, my brain is going to explode.

Instagram Hack

So many people have been posting Instagram photos lately, and I just love the way they look. It almost makes me want to buy an iPhone, and people who know me know that is a big deal. (I'm not really into Apple. Shocking, I know...) But no more! I found these awesome Photoshop action filters and had maybe a little too much fun with them tonight.

I am most likely going to regret spending so much time with this when it comes time to wake up bright and early tomorrow... Saturdays are no fun around here because Shaun works ALL day. (I'm talking, 8AM - 2AM) But this is the most creative thing I've done all month.. Getting ready to move is no joke! For me, not being able to be creative is like missing a leg. I can still function, but I just don't feel like myself. Plus, having boxes piling up all around the house just makes me feel unmotivated and lazy. Anyone else feel that way? Hopefully it won't be too long after the big move that we can get settled and get some normalcy back. (And by normalcy I mean crazy creative awesomeness!) Just 21 more days!

Four Months Old

Our little man is starting to be not so little anymore! He's had quite the growth spurt and now weighs in at 16lbs 8oz and is 27in tall. He had his first taste of big kid food while we were on vacation, but I'm thinking it'll be a couple more months before that becomes a regular thing. He's a nursing champion and I absolutely love cuddling with him. He has got a GREAT laugh! And his favorite game is "how many fingers can I fit in my mouth". I love this guys so much. ♥

Mini Cake Challenge - July

Those of you who are familiar with the video game Portal will probably recognize this month's mini cake! I had purchased some rhubarb last week, so of course I had to make a cake. (And not just any cake, THIS cake.) The inside is classic yellow butter cake with strawberries and rhubarb and it is the absolute yummiest cake I've ever made.

I made a few Portal cupcakes with the leftover batter, and they didn't last very long between me and Juniper... Oh so yummy. It's a good thing there was a church event last night so I had people to help me eat the cake or I would have been in trouble!

Past Months: January, February, (I missed March, I had a baby!), April, May June

This Week I ...

Drove across the country. Went to a wedding. Climbed some rocks. Picked blueberries. 

Went swimming. Played with lots of cute babies. Ate too much food. Took tons of photos. 

And most of all, thoroughly enjoyed being home.

Vacations are wonderful.

Banana, Peanut Butter & Chocolate Vegan Ice Cream

Kaylah from The Dainty Squid just posted a super yummy recipe for Banana, Peanut Butter & Chocolate Vegan Ice Cream! With a name like that, who could resist trying it out? And I had all of the ingredients already, so that was a plus. This ice cream is super easy to make, and oh so good. You can get the full recipe here on the ♥elycia blog. (Can I just say, I absolutely love those two blogs. I have a serious style crush on both of those lovely ladies!)

It was a good thing I decided to make this last night, because our friends Thane and Esther came over today to play games and Esther can't eat dairy. She was so excited to have a non-dairy ice cream alternative while we all ate our desserts! I'll definitely be making this again. Next time I'm going to play with add-ins after it's all blended. Like diced banana chunks or peanuts!

Orange Juice and Honey Roasted Peanuts

Once upon a time there was a young couple who was very much in love. One day, after getting out of work early because it was the 4th of July, they went to the boy's house to decide what they wanted to do for the evening. Upon arrival, the young man noticed a package sitting on the kitchen table. He turned and yelled to the girl "Go in the other room!" Confused and slightly suspicious, the girl did as she was told.

A few moments later, the boy returned, looking nervous. He asked the girl if she wanted to go outside to see if they could see any fireworks. Once outside, he suggested they walk around behind the house to see if there were any fireworks out back. Once out back, he asked the girl if she was thirsty. She said sure, so they went back into the kitchen. When the she turned around, the boy had poured orange juice into two champagne glasses and he was holding a bowl of honey roasted peanuts. They ate in silence. Once their meal was through, the young man asked the girl if she wanted to go outside again and wait for his roommate to get home. The girl couldn't help but laugh, and outside they went.

As the two sat silently on the tailgate of the boy's truck, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. He tried as hard as he could to be romantic and eloquent as he opened the box, but all he could think to say was "Will you be my wife?" The girl just smiled and shook her head enthusiastically as he put the ring on her finger. And 5 years later, they are still living happily ever after.

The end.  

We were trying to be all romantic-like and link arms while we drank our orange juice, can you even tell? Ha! Oh well. We're just a couple of goofballs. I guess the moral of this story is, I love my husband. We like to celebrate our own holiday on the 4th of July, we call it "Dependace Day", because that was the day we decided to depend on each other for the rest of our cheesy lives ♥

I love you honey.

Mini Cake Challenge - June

So it was Thursday night, I was trying to decide what to make for dinner, and all of a sudden I realized it was the last day of the month and I hadn't baked any cakes! Now of course I couldn't have that, so I postponed dinner for a bit and got to it. I didn't have much time (or desire honestly) to decorate the OUTSIDE of the cake, so I decided to decorate the INSIDE!

A little bit of color makes everything better. The cake didn't last very long... Good thing it was just a mini cake! I've got big, top-secret plans for July's cake, because a certain husband of mine has a birthday coming up. And the planned theme for August's cake is Star Wars! That'll be a fun one!

Mini Cake Challenge Past Months: January, February, (I missed March, I had a baby!), April, May.

Etsy Love

Any one who knows me, knows this one simple truth: I am a complete geek. And in case you hadn't realized that yet, here are a few things that have caught my eye on Etsy lately.

1. Trekkie Bro Power by theGorgonist
2. GRR ARGH aluminum pendant necklace by BrightCircle
3. Boba Fett riding a Unicorn by linedraw
4. Star Trek Travel Poster: "Vulcan" by balancedpersonality
5. Rebel Alliance Hat by mynameisie
6. The Original Portal earrings by VJewellery

Goodwill Clearance Center

A lot of people ask me about my favorite place to shop: the Goodwill Clearance Center. I seriously love that place! And with the $1 a pound price tag, you really can't go wrong! I've found some great fabric in there. (Since most of my sewing projects are upcycled from old clothes!) And if you go in the summer, they usually have a great selection of winter clothes! A cute sweatshirt for less than a buck? Heck yeah!

I love going in the middle of the day, preferably without the kiddos. Its a bit crowded in there, so not very stroller friendly. Its basically a giant room full of bins and bins. There's absolutely no organization to it, but that's part of the fun. You never know what you'll find! Also, there tends to be a lot of crazy people in there. I love watching the drama when they pull out a new bin. HI-larious.

I of course HAD to make the trip with my favorite thrifting buddy, my Aunt Cindy! I'm hoping to squeeze in one more thrift shopping trip while she's in town. *wink* So what did we get? Let's see...

Three knit tops, one dress shirt, a 3T winter coat, a SWEET plaid suit jacket (love it!!) and two pairs of pants. (I forgot about the black pair when I took the picture.) All this for $6.32. Yup! Less than seven dollars! And I've got quite a few cute projects planned for this pile that I will be sharing as soon as I can find the time to work on them!

I sure do love me some Goodwill Clearance Center ♥

Three Months Old

My little man is growing up so fast, but he's still my sweet little baby. He just seems so tiny to me, I guess because Juniper is so much bigger (and crazier) than him. But he really is getting quite big. I absolutely love when he giggles, which he's been doing more and more lately. He loves getting kisses on the cheek, and he's starting to grab at things that he wants to play with. He can't even sit up yet, and he's already trying to stand! Please slow down Time, I want to keep my baby a baby.

Juniper simply adores her baby brother. And lately she has been ALL about jumping into photos! I'm so glad she seems to be coming out of her "I hate cameras!" phase. I've gotten lots of cute pictures of the two of them together recently. LOVE those kids.

$2 Dress Restyle

I bought this dress in the clearance section at Ross for $2. How could I pass THAT deal up? It was a bit too small for me, but I just knew it would make an adorable new dress for Juniper. I shortened the skirt about 4 inches, and scaled the top down using one of her t-shirts. I love how it turned out. 

When I told her I wanted to take pictures, she ran out on the porch, sat on the chair and smiled real big for the camera (a rare event indeed!) Then she stood up and struck a few poses for me. She even turned around so I could get a cute photo of the back! Man she is such a ham sometimes. We had quite a bit of fun taking photos on the porch. I love when she actually wants me to take her picture ♥

I have definitely been getting my creative mojo back lately, and it feels great. I think I'll take a break from clothes for a little while and sew some cute stuffed animals next! I also have a stack of pillow cases on my art room floor that need to be finished up. And who knows, maybe I'll get daring and actually sew something for ME.

This Week I...

So I've decided to bring back my Weekly Review feature, only I'm going to do things a little differently this time. Instead of taking one photo each day and making a cute collage, I'm just going to do a weekly wrap up post of the things I've done that particular week. Because let's face it, when you're taking care of small kids, taking pictures isn't always on your to-do list. So here I go.

This week I:

• Got in a fight with my closet and won! (I'll be sharing more of this miracle story soon!)

• Learned how to knit! Thanks to this pretty lady.

• Made a tiny bunting for our dining area. It makes me smile. Who knew cutting tiny triangles from cute paper could be so therapeutic?

• Spent lots of time staring at this:

• Had maybe a little too much fun window shopping...

Most of my time this week was spent cleaning. I am ALMOST done with the entire house, and this will be the first time since before I was pregnant that cleaning doesn't mean "Put it in a box in the closet". There are only a few small piles left to organize, and one HUGE pile that needs to be donated. I also managed to squeeze in a couple of creative projects that I haven't had a chance to photograph yet, so I'll share those soon.

I'm hoping this coming week will be just as productive, but with a tad more fun thrown in there. It IS summer after all!!