Super Hero

There was a 4th birthday partay in the house, yesterday! Mr. Jackson celebrated with an adorable cars themed birthday, and my cousin did a great job putting it all together! In my quest to find the perfect DIY gift for this lively 4 year old, I decided to use my super human craftiness to make him a super hero cape! I mean, what kid can go through life without a cape!? Here's a little tutorial showing how the super cape came to be....

I started with a plain old men's T-shirt that I got from target for about $6. I went with a medium size here because I wanted it to be long enough in the back, but for a 4 year old, I could have gone with a small size also.

 I laid the shirt out flat, and I cut from the bottom corner, on the inside, separating the front from the back. I cut all the way up to the corner, creating a slight curve toward the collar of the shirt. Once completed, I no longer had the sleeves and the front of the shirt attached.

 Then came the pinning.....I hate pinning!!! I pinned and sewed all the raw edges to clean up the beginning of the cape.

After completing the edges, I needed to add some super hero flair! I cut out this jagged collar from some fleece I had sitting around, and sewed it on. 

I also added some flair to the bottom of the cape with some more fleece and jagged edges sew on. Then for the super hero logo, I traced a circle out of some blue fleece I had and sewed that to the center of the cape.

 Then the logo got spruced up with a "J" for Super Jackson. For this I free hand drew the letter J backwards (which is pretty tricky, might I add!) and cut it out. Here it is pinned to the blue circle before it was sewn on.

I added a little POW action to the logo, and ta-da! The gift that every little boy/super hero absolutely needs! 

 It's a bird, no, it's a plane, no....it's SUPER JACKSON!

happy birthday dude!

PS. I've got some plans for the other half of the shirt I cut off. Will post more then.....

Thankful

 Some of us living, breathing, human beings tend to be eternal optimists, and honestly I have never understood them. Even despised them at times. I try not to be "debbie downer" ALL of the time, but it is more my personality to think the glass is half empty from time to time. So on the most positive holiday of the year, I decided to put aside my "negative nancy-ness", (I sure have a lot of nick names for my opposing attitude towards life) and embrace the awesomest things around me. So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, here is my top 10 list of what I am thankful for, in no particular order.....

1. Pinterest: Because there is not one person in my life that hasn't been effected by the awsomeness that pinterest has bestowed upon me! Thank you pinterest, and you are welcome human race.

2. Strawberry Milkshakes: My milkshakes do not bring all the boys to the yard, but they are my very rare guilty pleasure.

3. Cooking: My most favorite outlet. (PS Unlike baking in which I previously declared defeat against, I can cook like a badass mo fo!)

4. Laughter: A gut busting laugh IS the best medicine. Speaking of Watch This!

5. Actions speak louder than words: Last night the Hubs was sitting next to me on the couch watching a movie. It took me a moment to realize that he was softly running his fingers through my hair ever so sweetly. I looked over at him, and he was lovingly staring at me. I smiled at him, and he brought his had and placed it over his heart, and smiled back at me. Then I cried like a PMS-y mess. Honestly the sweetest moment of our lives together. He said so much without saying a word. (Don't tell him I told you guys this sweet story, he'd kill me!)

6. My little family: The best moment of my Thanksgiving day was the last thirty minutes that involved snuggles, G's first sugar high, tickle fests, and pumpkin pie in the comfort of our own home, just the three of us.

7. Being called a Mom: I cried many a time thinking that I would be unable to have children, and my wish to be called a mom one day was granted to me 13 months ago. It has been the absolute best thing that ever happened to me. It is my calling to be a good mama to the cutest gobble cheeks ever! Love you baby G! You are my favorite thing in the world!!!

8. Naptime: This needs no explanation what so ever!

9. My sissy: I liked her at first, and then I didn't like her for a long time. Now I like her again.

10. My online Mom's group: You know when you first have a baby and the hospital papers say there should be 10 wet diapers a day, and the baby only had nine, and you start to freak out because something is terribly wrong and you know it, and it's a sunday night, and there are no doctors, and you know that it's just pee, but you are so worried that the baby is undernourished or something, but come on he is a 9 pound newborn, but what if there is something wrong blah blah blah. In comes my online mom's group of mama's and babies right around Gavin's age. I could ask that exact question above and there was always 131 women who would virtually slap sensibility into me in the nicest way possible. I have learned and grown so much being involved with a group of such supportive women.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday, and you had many things to be thankful for as well.

I now leave you with a photo of my turkey!

I got a face lift!

My blog went under the knife, and I think it looks better than ever. Laura at likelylola.com was kind enough to spruce up my little slice of internet. E-mail her ASAP if you want some pretty on your blog. Trust me, it's actually pain free!

Boo at the Zoo!

We celebrated Halloween a bit early this year, and attended our local Boo at the Zoo. Gavin dressed as Cat in the Hat, he snacked on cheerios, and pointed at the big kitty kittyyyy (aka titi tittty in Gavin language). We had fun for our first trip to the zoo, and can't wait to enjoy it next spring!

I'm baking impaired..

So yeah, I think that if science explored deeper into the DNA strands that make up our existence, they would find a baking chromosome. I am lacking this baking chromosome. My sister got it, damn her. She got all the cute chromosomes, and they help her make cute cupcakes and shit. Damn her.

I'm not gonna say I suck at baking, because that would just be more self loathing (working on it, ok!?). I'll just say hmm, I'm "impaired" when it comes to baking. But hey, fear no more, I have conquered one recipe! I'm not gonna claim any baking victory here, because you know it was just the pinterest god's giving me a pat on the head, with a side eye of pity.

Anyways, maybe you'll appreciate a yummy fall recipe, that is super easy for the baking disabled, like myself.

I give you....dun duh duh!

Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glazed

For the Scones:

1- box Spice Cake mix

1- 15oz. can of Pumpkin

1- Egg

That's seriously it!

Mix it all together, set the oven at 350, and bake for about 15 minutes!

For the glaze:

1 cup- Powdered Sugar

1 tsp- Pumpkin Pie Spice

2 tbsp- Whole Milk

Mix it up and spread on the delicious love!

Holy delicious, victory taste so good!

So I'm inconsistant...

So basically I have stared at this blank blog post more often then not since the spring. I'd start to type something....and then delete it. I'd look through websites that would talk about blogging, and how to be better, and how to pick topics, and how to pick your nose. And, I'd still end up ignoring this whole thing. I win the award for #1 self loather, and MVP of thinking I SUCK! I'm working on that. I'm still working on that. And, I most likely will be working on that for a long ass time. To spread some honesty to the interniverse (I made that word up, I know you're surprised! maybe it will catch on like yolo or some shit like that) I have been struggling. With work, with home, with family, with being a good dog mom, with vacuuming, with self loathing, with loafing, with living. It's freakin hard sometimes just to crack open your eyes every morning. You see, I have a pretty nice life. A job, my health, cute baby, supportive husband, but this last year has just thrown me for a flippin loop. I'm sure most people's reaction to this is "oh, you had a baby last year, it's always an adjustment." But nope, the whole baby thing is literally the most satisfying, joyful, exhilarating part of my life. Becoming a mom was my dream come true. And, I'm a lucky mom at that because G dizzle is awesome (mostly because he is just like his mom, jus sayin'). But, the whole baby thang ain't the problem. I have embarked on a little journey within the last month or so to make cracking my eyes open less of a task. I finally took the step to go see a counselor, and I am really enjoying it. I'm actually learning, and growing (a little), and although I don't feel 100%, I know I'm well on my way. I must say it's amazing how much I stuff my problems. Damn, someone asks you a simple question, and I start all Farrah ugly crying (teen mom reference, holla!) I even surprise myself at how much has been stuffed not so neatly in my brain after 25 measly years. Anyways, I don't know if this was an update on me, or just a verbal vomit sesh. Maybe that's what I should just name my blog Verbal Vomit: the real life uncensored words of Ashley; Farrah ugly crying and all!

Alright interniverse....carry on!

Heart Walk

Today Gavin and I participated in the 2012 American Heart Assoc. Heart Walk. We had a purpose for the steps we took, and they were to honor the hubby's late father Doug. 

I never had the privilege to meet him, but I know that he had many friends, he made a good life for his family, and he would be such a proud Grandpa if he was still with us. 

Gavin is lucky to share his name with a man that so many people loved and miss!

Doug and Sam 1986