Co-Op Preschool

So Jeffrey and I were asked to join the Co-Op preschool here that one of the girls in our ward started up. There are two age groups and each mom takes a turn "teaching" the group at their house. It's the perfect kind of Jeffrey who doesn't do well in situations where he has to go into a situation unknown. Once a month they have a field trip and the one today was to the local fire station.

Everything (or nearly everything in Manhattan) displays the Kansas State mascot, the wildcat. I haven't seen school spirit like this even amongst Utes or Cougars. EVERYONE going out on the weekend wears purple and there are even purple garbage cans. Guess what color my door is? Wildcat Purple!

This was when they were out by the trucks and the fire fighter put on all his gear. Jeffrey was ok with it until he put the mask and oxygen on then he told me he was just a little bit shy and had to hide behind me.

Then the highlight for most of the kiddos was being able to crawl inside the fire truck. Jeffrey wasn't afraid to do this alone. Though he told me that I needed to stay right where he could see me. So I wouldn't get lost.

We had a really good time and were glad that we were able to join the preschool!

Getting to know Manhattan!

 So this isn't exactly Manhattan but Topeka but last weekend we  visited the Combat Air Museum. Jeffrey had a really fun time and spent most of his visit in the pretend cockpit. He told us he wanted to be a pilot.

 I also get a full service visit when I go to the gas station. Jeffrey will get out while Cory gasses up and clean the windows. He doesn't do the greatest job, but it's the thought that counts.

For Christmas my mom and dad made Jeffrey this little fishing pole and creel with some felt fish, there's magnets on the bait on the reel and on each of the fish. It's seriously one of the cutest presents we have ever gotten! Last week we decided to go "fishing" on the back porch. It was so cold though that we had to be bundled up in coats in order to enjoy it. 

Minty Fresh Breath

So last year I faced my dental fears and had ALL my dental work taken care of in just a few months by some of my favorite dentists (See I'm not scared anymore!). Since then I've become more conscious about my dental care. When I had braces, flossing was a pain, but I got these platypus flossers from the dentist's office that were great. Cory suggested that I use mouthwash too since that's what he found helpful when he had braces as a teen.

Since then I've tried LOTS of different kinds of mouthwash. Some make my mouth feel like it's on fire while others taste like I'm drinking hydrogen peroxide or taint everything I taste for the next two hours. None of which are pleasant. But I finally went with a natural solution (which I should have done from the beginning) and tried some of the Tom's of Maine brand. Divine! It's so fresh tasting and doesn't burn my mouth like the other kinds.

So here's my commercial for Tom's of Maine. A good all-natural choice for minty fresh breath! I like the peppermint wave kind!

My Grown-Up House

I decided before we moved from Colorado that I would take my time setting up my house in Kansas and put some real thought into the decor.  So two months after we've moved in I can't say that any one room is completely finished. (Except the kitchen, it's small and there's not much to be done there.) But I am SUPER proud of what I have gotten put up in my house. First of all, my talented mum recovered my ancient couch and make it look AH-MAZING!

(The white pillows haven't been covered yet, I can't decide between all the amazing examples on pinterest...and Keep Calm and Carry On? Our family motto with a 4 year old in the house!)

This is a couch that originally started out with blue plaid several lifetimes ago and has evolved into this work of art. I owe it all to my mom, I did nothing but buy the fabric two years ago. I need her to come out again so we can tackle my two church lobby hand-me-down chairs.

But THIS pillow is all done! And it's made of ruffle goodness. I could just hug it all the time. I saw one of my favorite crafty people in the world making one and took her idea and tweaked it for my own pillow.

 Next is my room. I think displaying my jewelry collection helps me visualize my entire outfit when I'm getting ready in the morning. In prior houses it was all jammed into a plastic drawer pullout system and more often than not ended up in piles on top of my dresser when I decided against one particular necklace or bracelet. The tray hanger in the top right was from etsy.com along with the earring hanger on the left hand side.The frame is vintage (a hand-me-down from Cory's Grandma) and is waiting for the picture of us from the ball last year, if I can find where it got put after the move.

 The bracelet hangers in this pic were a combination of something I saw on pinterest and taking the ever-so-helpful sister Pammy along with me shopping when I went looking. They're towel hangers from the bathroom section of Hobby Lobby. The one on the wall has shower curtain hooks to hold my rings and bracelets.

I am having a lot of fun putting together my grown-up home rather than the one filled with things I tossed together to try to make a house.

I love wall collages. A few of the picture here could do with updating, but it's fun and makes me feel all artsy-fartsy! The frame on the left is empty because I want one picture on the wall that shows off my pretty new smile and dark tresses!