Posted on April 20th, 2012
I love spring. Once it gets nice out around our house the t.v. is almost permanently OFF except for the morning news, Sesame Street, and a few programs my hubby and I watch late at night together when all is quiet. We are movers and shakers once the weather hits at least 50 degrees and the sun is shining! I have been on pinterest a ton lately making lists of things we need to do for spring/summer. Crafts for Hazel, recipes to try, home projects/crafts, flowers for new brides, etc. etc. I can’t stop HOARDING ideas! And I’m someone who….once an idea is in my head I can’t stop thinking about it until it’s done and did. 
In the past 2 weeks Hazel and I have been on a pinterest/idea whirlwind. We have:
*made homemade baby crackers
*made homemade baby frozen yogurt
*bought and froze fresh fruit that was on sale for super cheap
*made freezer meals
*made homemade laundry soap…and we LOVE IT!
*made Hazel’s grocery/recipe list for finger food. She only likes to feed herself now. Big girl.
*turned “free” items we found online into adorable decor for my studio
*painted her playhouse
*purchased second-hand pretty much every outdoor toy a toddler could want…still tryint to find just the “right” sandbox. Might have to make one…with a cover of course. Want one that fits lots of kids for playdates and future bambinos!
*Turned the porch into a summer area for us and Hazel.
*”upcycled” tin cans into vases
*”upcylced” glass jars into frames
*have hit every garage sale in town and let me tell you little Hazel LOVES it.
*made homemade finger paint.
*finished all our flower/decor designs for all our booked 2012 weddings.
There’s probably more that I can’t think of but it’s been so fun to have all these “free” ideas via pinterest. Gone are the days of buying expenisve magazines only to find one good idea. I do miss the tearing of the pages but I guess I can let that go. Can’t wait for the weather to keep getting nicer so we can continue with our ideas/projects for our yard, hit the zoo, hit the biketrail with our new bikes and bike trailer for Hazel…and start to once again enjoy the smell of fresh flowers in the house from all our weddings! Happy Thursday. Gotta run…my entire house is snoozing…Mommy better get going on her “idea” list.
Posted on April 14th, 2012
Hazel Wren will be 14 months old in a little over a week. Here is an update on the little gal.
*Has been walking since 10.5 months. Now is RUNNING!
*CURIOUS. Wants to touch and explore everything.
*Says: Mom, Ma, Mama, Daddy, Pa (we call Ryan Poppa most of the time, Chi Chi (that’s our cat Jack’s nickname), Hi, Bye, Up, ….and she loves to Meow like a cat.
*Knows sign language for: More, Milk, Thank you, Night Night, Potty, Change diaper
*When you ask where her tummy, toes, eyes, nose, head, or hair is…she points to them. Our favorite is when she pats her tummy.
*She combs her hair when you give her a comb and ask her to “comb her hair”
*She goes to get pretty much any object you ask her to go get. Smart girl! She knows to go get a book, a dolly, a puzzle, a towel, the cat.
*She adores water which means she loves tubby time, her new outside water table, and playing in the dogs water dish.
*She will feed the cat his food if you ask her too. Adorable.
*She loves to be with Mommy out on the town grocery shopping, hitting thrift stores and garage sales….she loves meeting people and we turn it into a learning experience when we are out. Point to everything and tell her what it is and always she has to “talk” with the cashiers and tell them BYE and thank you!
*She adores animals. If she sees a puppy or a cat she goes crazy waving and saying “hi” to them. We are going to get a year pass to the MN zoo and hit the zoo at least once or twice a month as a family. Great to teach her to love nature and animals!
*She loves all food and I cook all her meals and she loves to try new things! She loves to be in the kitchen cooking with Mommy. Her favorites are: Salmon, Tilapia, Chicken, Peas, Broccoli, Pears, Strawberries, CHEESE!
She is turning into quite the smart little gal and my husband and I credit alot of it to her good genes, her independent streak she got from her Mommy, her happy/funny bone she got from her Daddy, and the fact that she has so much one-on-one time with her Mom all day. And she learns alot from all her little playdate friends!
We love you little Miss Hazel Wren! This is going to be the best summer ever. xoxoxo MOM
Posted on April 14th, 2012
I HEART pinterest! I used to be a magazine junkie. No need for those anymore. No more tearing sheets and pinning them to my office wall. 
Here is what I have accomplished so far thanks to all the amazing ideas I have “pinned”. Click on the pictures for details!! Enjoy.
Posted on March 10th, 2012
Posted on December 24th, 2011
Hazel Wren is 10 months old today!! She is a bundle of love and laughter and has really changed so much in the last couple of months. This girl has personality! She might look mostly like her Poppa Bear but she is definatley her Mother’s Daughter. Here’s a few new facts about the little gal.
*19 pounds. 29″ tall.
*Her hair keeps getting longer in the front it’s almost to her nose. so cute. But of course she despises barettes or headbands.
*Walking along furniture. Loves to walk with her Vtech walker toy around the house…giggling the entire time.
*She waves Hi and bye. Her favorite is waving Hi. She does it all day long at everything. Me, Daddy, the animals, and her favorite….Ellen at 4pm.
*She just starting pointing at objects. She likes to point and then you tell her what the object is.
*She loves any kind of finger food.
*Hugs and kisses. Mostly just Mommy and Daddy. And her idea of a kiss of course is wide open mouth, tongue sticking out all while laughing.
*Has 4 teeth! Pretty sure she’s got more coming too. Extra clingy to Mommy.
*Loves playdates with her friends.
She is just such a little person now and we absolutely adore her. Happy 1st Christmas tomorrow sweet baby!!
Love, Momma
Posted on October 25th, 2011
Our little Hazel Wren turned 8 months old October 23rd. She gets more fun by the minute. Here’s a little update on the little birdie.
*Crawling. She is on the move!
*Sits and thumps her feet to turn herself in circles. Just another way to get around.
*Pulls herself up on furniture to standing position.
*Says Mama and Dada.
*Loves toys. Blocks. Dishes. Play food. Baby dolls. Stuffed animals. Books…..just some among her favorites.
*Loves trying new food. Her recent favorites are: Pesto noodles. Turkey. Mangos. Apples. Peas. Any and every kind of cheese.
*Loves music.
*Adores being “out and about” and talking with all the ncie people at the stores in town.
*BEAMS when her Poppa comes home each day from work.
*Crazy for bathtime.
*Loves to play in the kitchen and bang dishes while I cook.
She is the happiest baby I know….of course I’m partial to her since she’s mine. I am so proud to be her Mommy and so lucky to be apart of her life each and every day. I haven’t missed a thing so far and I don’t intend to. I’ve been there for her first cry at the hospital, her first giggle, her first words…it’s been amazing & I feel so grateful to have been there for every moment. We look forward to the approaching holiday season with this little bundle of laugher and sunshine.
Love you little bird,
Momma
Posted on September 29th, 2011
It was a BEATUTIFUL fall day today. Got actually a bit hot but otherwise gorgeous! Fall is my absolute favorite season. Today Hazel and I had our usual morning routine. Wake up about 7:00 am. Sing songs. Eat breakfast. Get dressed. Play with toys. Momma checks emails/does laundry. Nap. Then we headed downtown around 11:00 am and hit up the Wise Penny thrift store where we found a pumpkin bib, some halloween board books, a vintage witch hat for Mommy, and some warm fuzzy Pj’s for Hazel. We hit a few more stores downtown and then went to Hanisch Bakery for lunch with my BF Meadow. We were sad that little Nora wasn’t along but we understood that she was napping. And you never wake a sleeping baby if you don’t have to. We had some great chit chat and gossip with Meadow over a yummy lunch. Meadow bought Hazel a cookie. Now their best buds too. Then Hazel and I came home and did some crafts, cleaning, playing, and then went outside with Ruby and Hazel swang and we played catch with the pooch. What a great fall day!
Posted on September 28th, 2011
I am drinking my black coffee this morning, looking on pinterest, and blogs I follow and everyone seems to be doing their fall to-do lists. I am a huge list maker. I will sit and make pages and pages of lists of things to-do, things to buy, crafts to make, etc. and sometimes never even look back at the list again because it gets lost in the pile of lists. Maybe if I put my to-do’s on my blog then they will all get finished.
The Bird’s Nest Fall To-Do’s
*Bake something “fallish”. We have already made 2 pans of apple crisp with apples from my Grandpa’s farm. yummo. I’d like to now make something with pumpkin.
*Take Hazel’s pictures in her Halloween costumes and mail out to family and friends. She has like 4 or 5 costumes that I found on garages sales and thrift stores this summer. It will be a fun afternoon of costume changes. She’ll love it!
*Go for a drive to look at leaves as a family. Yup…Ruby the dog too.
*Attend the Red Wing Art Festival with my Mom & Hazel.
*We have already put out most of our fall decor so now we need to start incorporating our Halloween starting this Saturday, October 1st! I’m totally into “vintage” Halloween this year.
*Hazel has a mini Halloween tree in her room and we need to find/make some cute little decorations for it.
*Get my sewing machine set up downstairs in my new art/craft room! Things to sew this FAll include: Felt play food for Hazel. Christmas stocking for Hazel. Huge quilt out of all Hazel’s outgrown baby clothes.
*Take old t-shirts and sew on fall leaves with found fabric. Like the above picture! Love!!
*Rake leaves. Jump in leaves.
*We already went to the pumpkin patch near Pepin Wisconsin. Hazel LOVED it! I set her on a pile of gourds and she she picked out her fav’s.
*Cook lots of Hotdishes.
*Start attending baby storyhour at the Library.
*Go to the Senior Center and shop at their little craft store. Maybe buy some homemade crafts, homemade cookie dough….
*Make more of my “junk” jewelry to put on Etsy. Wren Gypsy. She’s the Wren, I’m the gypsy.
I think that’s enough for now. I’m already in my mind starting my list for November. Thanksgiving, homemade thanksgiving bib for Hazel, Holiday Stroll, cutting down our christmas tree…………
Posted on September 26th, 2011
I know a girl who puts the COLOR inside my world. Happy 7 months Hazel Wren!
Hazel turned 7 months old this past Friday. She is the sunshine of our lives. Here’s a little update on the little gal.
*17 pounds. 27″ tall.
*LOVES food. This gal is a little foodie! I make all her baby food myself and she hasn’t turned down a dish as of yet. Her favorites are:
-Chicken coconut casserole
-Vegtable & bean casserole
-Any and EVERY kind of cheese.
-PLUMS. She is wild for them.
-Cottage Cheese.
-Whole wheat toast. Plain.
-Noodles with tomato sauce.
*Crawls.
*Sits completely on her own.
*Loves to pull herself up on furniture.
*Loves to talk. Only words we can make out so far are MaMa.
*Absolutely adores being out shopping with Mommy and talking to people.
*Loves animals.
*CRAZY for Elizabeth Mitchell CD “You are my little bird”. Her and I listen to it in her room after she gets dressed and we know all the words and she loves when I switch out the names for her name. She claps along and laughs.
*Claps her hands.
*Loves to snuggle with Ruby and while Jack the cat isn’t quite sure of her yet because she rips his hair out (he just looks at her and walks away when she does…pretty funny) she loves when he sits in the chair in her room.
*Obsessed with books. Little books. Big books. Story books. Picture books. She loves to sit in our laps now and really follows along with the story and claps. I have loaded up on books at garage sales and thrift stores. Nice when the books are only 50 cents. She can then go wild and chew them, bite them, tear them.
*Loves to swing in the teddy bear swing that Grandpa Kevin hung in our tree for her.
She is just all around a happy girl. My husband always asks….”are all babies this happy??” I’m not sure I guess but when she comes along with us to decorate a wedding and is wildly clapping, giggling, and laughing while Mommy sets up flowers…I’d say…she’s probably one of the Happiest Babies on the Block.
Love you little bird. -Momma
Posted on September 16th, 2011
We finished the painting of the entire house last week minus a few touch ups. This house had not been painted in over 30 years. umm….WOW. We took off all the old siding because it was rotten and had huge holes from woodpeckers in alot of spots. We put on new wood siding and painted it and VOILA! Refreshed house! Next year we will take out the broken cement front steps and side walk. We are going to do a low deck out of reclaimed wood from our old garage and then a old stone walkway. There’s no place like home!
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