Halloween Printable

I love this free printable from How Does She?  I printed mine and hung it last night.

Source: howdoesshe.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

I love the idea of adding pictures from each Halloween. How Does She? has circles with the year on it for several years to come and for past years. 

I attempted to get a good picture of Jack in his Halloween costume. This is what he thought about that idea!

I just had to include this picture on my blog. The two blonde boys are Ty's brother's boys, Nathan & Wade. Mason is my sister's little boy.

They have play dates all the time. I love that they like each other so much! This almost makes me want to move home, so Jack can join in on the fun.

weekend in review

Weekend in review, aka picture dump.
Ty had to work this weekend, so we didn't do much. Friday night we were able to FaceTime before Jack went to bed. Jack stared intently at the screen the entire time.





Bath time!


Saturday night


Ty's sister, Amy, and her family stopped by on Sunday as they were traveling home from their fall break destination. It was so fun to see them!


It was a warm weekend, so I decided to take Jack outside. He loved looking around at all the trees.


 

 

 

weekend in review

Ty had the weekend off and we tried to get a lot done around the house: cleaning, furniture shopping, yard work, etc. Ty had a lot of reading to do and is preparing for a presentation. He was so sweet and stayed up late to work on all of his things, so that he could hang out with us more. That man, he is a keeper.

I had an event Friday at lunch and things slowed down considerably after it was over. I decided to go get Jack and bring him back to the school to visit.

Big Friday night spent at Lowe's.

I love all the faces he makes.

Jack's hands have discovered each other. It is the cutest thing!

We bought new living room furniture Saturday night and we were able to get it delivered on Sunday. We need a few more accessories to finish off the room and provide some pops of color.

We have been in our house for a year at the end of this month and we couldn't be happier with the house and the neighborhood. We are slowly buying furntiure and getting rid of our hand me downs and craigslist purchases. We are saving for a dining room set next.

Ty's parents came to visit Sunday night and we went out to eat. Jack was hungry. Ha.

I had a doctor's appointment this morning, so I took Jack into daycare a little late. I nursed him at daycare, then left for my appointment. He is so happy after he eats.

He was talking to me. Sweet boy!

weekend in review

This weekend was a cold one, and I spent the majority of it cuddling with Jack. He had a rough week (and weekend) sleep wise, so I napped a lot on Saturday in an attempt to catch up on sleep. Ty had to work a 24 hr shift on Saturday, but we were able to visit him that evening. Those visits are always crazy, since he has to answer pages while we are there. Jack and I hung out in the on-call room and watched tv.

The weekend wasn't exciting or event filled, but two whole days of spending time with my baby was perfect.

Dinner Friday night. Jack was a little shocked by the flash!

Bundled up on Saturday morning 

Visiting Dad at the hospital 

 

shellac mani--DIY

I had my first shellac manicure a couple of years ago and fell in love with it. A manicure that lasts 2 weeks with no chipping? Sign me up! I was pretty excited about it, until I realized that I hate spending my money on things like manicures and pedicures. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but I don't like the price. I would much rather buy an article of clothing. Now, in my fantasy world I would have weekly visits to the salon for all kinds of fancy thing. But alas, I am stuck in reality.

I discovered that you can buy the special nail lamps needed for shellac manicures on Amazon, along with all the polish needed. I immediately put the lamp on my Christmas list. My mom gifted me with it and I have had my nails shellac-ed ever since.

If you can paint your nails, then you can give yourself a shellac manicure. It did take me a few times to get the hang of applying thin layers, instead of gooping the polish on my nails. One of the best parts about the shellac manicure is once you are done with all the steps the polish is dry. You don't have to be careful for hours waiting on the polish to dry. No more smudges or dings in the polish.

The up front cost may seem daunting, but when you compare it to basically $50 each visit at the salon it pays for itself pretty quickly.

What you need to purchase:
Lamp
Base Coat
Top Coat
Color

Professional Lamp

 
I like this lamp because it has three different timing settings, so you do not have to keep track of the time yourself. You can also fit both hands inside at the same time.

I use the CND brand of polish, and it can be bought on Amazon.

 

It can be difficult to pick out colors. I found this color chart on Polish Galore and it has been helpful.

 

 

To remove the polish you must use acetone. The shellac polish is much harder to remove than regular polish. It can strip your nails, but I almost always immediately repolish them. I had my nails shellac-ed continuously for 7 months. My nails are stronger now than they were before I started polishing them all the time. I had pretty brittle nails before and the polish keeps them protected. My 7 month streak stopped when Jack was born and I was lucky to shower. Polishing my nails was not high on my list. :)

Back to removing the polish...I found the best thing to do is cut squares of aluminum foil, tear cotton balls in half, dip the cotton ball in the acetone, then place it on your nail and wrap the square of foil around it. Leave it on for about 10 minutes. I also buy the wooden nail sticks and use that to help remove any stubborn polish. 

image via google

 My favorite colors are Dark Lava & Romantique. Dark Lava reminds me of OPI's Lincoln Park After Midnight. (Although, the google images make it look more red. It is definitely more purple on my hands.) Romantique is a pale pink shade.

Shellac manicure steps:

Step 1: File Nails Into Shape

Step 2: Remove Cuticles off of the Nails

Step 3: Apply a Thin Layer of Base Gel

Step 4: Cure Each Hand for 2 Minutes Under the Lamp

Step 5: Apply 1st Layer of Shellac Color (Thin layers work best)

Step 6: Cure Each Hand for 2 Minutes

Step 7: Apply 2nd Layer of Shellac Color (Think layers work best)

Step8: Cure Each Hand for 2 Minutes

Step 9: Apply a Thin Layer of Top Coat

Step 10: Cure Each Hand for 2 Minutes

Step 11: Wipe Each Nail With Alcohol to Remove Sticky Film

Three Months

Jack,
Three months! You are three months old! You are filling out more and more. I swear you grow overnight. You smile more and more every day. That smile brings us so much joy! 

Our big change this month was me returning to work and you going to daycare. You did much better than me. I was pretty sad to leave you all day. Although, I have managed to come nurse you almost every day at lunch. When I leave, you are all smiles with a full belly and ready to play. Your teacher, Miss Sally, is the best swaddler.

Jack, you are starting to sleep through the night! It is a big accomplishment! It doesn't happen every night, but we are getting there. I'll glance at the video monitor in the early morning hours and you will have turned your body horizontal. You raise your legs really high and kick to move your whole body. Last night you got an arm out of your swaddle, and started sucking on your fingers. While I would much rather you use a pacifier, it was pretty cute! Most naps are taken in a swing. You hate to be put down in your crib during the day. 

Your favorite place is your activity mat. You love the lights and all the dangling toys. Your dad and I get so excited when you make contact with one of them with your hands or feet. Happy is the best word to describe you right now. 

Love,
Mommy

Weight: 10 lbs, 4 oz

Height: We will find out at your 4 month appt.

Clothes: Newborn and a few 3 month items

Diaper: size 1

Nicknames: Jack Attack, sweet boy, sugar bear