7 Quick Takes Friday - 'Becoming a Sharpie Removal Expert' Edition

1.

I know, I know, I said I moved all Sharpies out of reach after our last little incident. But my daughter still likes to cross the days off of the calendar so I decided to let her continue--supervised of course--since it's a good learning tool for mastering dates and days of the week and all those wonderful things her little brain is soaking up. Well, I turned around for two seconds (famous last words) to update their chore chart, and while I was standing literally two feet away, she proceeded to decorate her ruffly pink skirt with the Sharpie. So, my friends, I present Installment #2 of the series "I learned the hard way how to get permanent maker out of  [insert blank]."  In the case of clothing? Rubbing alcohol! Which I'd randomly just bought a big jug of and had sitting on the counter. (God and His sense of humor again)?
                        Step 1: Lay clothing-item-turned-artwork face-down on a paper towel.
                        Step 2: Douse with rubbing alcohol, and the ink will begin to transfer to the paper towel.
                        Step 3: Rub affected areas with a finger or soft cloth and keep pouring until it has completely  
                                    faded.
                        Step 4: Open all the windows and gasp for air because the entire house reeks of alcohol.
                                   Also wash the salvaged item of clothing and congratulate yourself on your handiwork.

2.

I love fall, I'm a sucker for pumpkin everything, and I love that Halloween kicks off a holiday season that lasts all the way until January. But you know what I don't love? Super creepy Halloween decorations. I get it, it's fun to get spooked out once in awhile, especially as a kid, but this year especially it seems like I can't even find any suitable Halloween decorations in your everyday craft store...nothing cutesy or fun at all. And it's not even that they're just a little scary or spooky; it all seems to be deliberately morbid. I don't want to terrify little children with half-buried bones sticking out of my front lawn, even if they are fake. I tried to find stickers for kids but all I could find in most stores were ones with decaying skulls with worms crawling out of them, jack o'lanterns that looked downright evil, and severed fingers and bloody eyeballs. Not something I want to give my toddler! Whatever happened to the friendly ghosts and cute bats and little spiders? I get Halloween, but I just don't get what seems to be an increasing obsession with the darkness of death. It disturbs me greatly. Guess that's why All Saint's Day directly follows Halloween...to offer a little redemption!

3.

On a lighter note, since I couldn't find any decorations to suit my taste, I took matters into my own hands:

How adorable is this guy?!

Look! We actually used the Sharpie correctly!
We have two more to add, but this cute little 'family' of
ghosts will eventually all go on the front porch with
Christmas lights running through cut-outs in the back.
Thank you, Pinterest!

Bows to dress up the garage lights!

For the adorable lawn ghost, I found a tutorial here. It called for some tulle and a big Styrofoam ball, which I didn't have (and didn't feel like buying) so I just used a white sheet from our closet and a stuffed a bunch of newspaper into plastic grocery bags to form a waterproof ball for the head. Tomato cages were out of season, but my in-laws had an extra one, and I just used some ribbon I already had lying around the house. I also cut wire coat hangers instead of buying floral picks to stake it into the ground. Total cost: $0.29 for the black felt that I used for the eyes. Not too shabby!

4.

Yesterday as I was buckling big brother into his car seat, my baby boy looked over at me from his car seat, pointed to my face, and exclaimed in his sweet little voice, "MOMmy!" while grinning ear to ear. It's the first time I've seen him deliberately make the connection that 'that woman' = 'my mommy' and call me by name. Nothing in the world could melt this mama's heart any more!

5.

That same little "baby" boy of mine turns ONE on Sunday!!! Gah. That is all.

Wearing his cereal
and loving it!

6.

I sure can!

7.

Love me some Plumb! Especially their new song:

Happy Friday to all, and don't forget to visit Jen over at Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!