This Cozy Home

Five Conversations You MUST Have With Your Daughter

2011-04-21T15:04:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading a wonderful book about moms and daughters! If ever there was a book that made me want to be a better mom who is more secure in her own skin, it's this one. If I've ever read a book that makes me want to de-bunk all the "bunk" my daughter is going to see and hear and be prepared for the trials that my daughter is going to endure living in a fallen world, it's this one. All the things I am concerned for on my daughter's behalf is in this book. I appreciated the author's candor, her ability to admit that she doesn't have all the answers, and her humility in confessing her short-comings.

What this book doesn't say is that there is one way and it's the only right way to raise your daughter and it's in her book. It doesn't say that if you do "a+b+c" that you will always end up with "d." It doesn't come across preachy or condescending.

What it does say is that in all our failings, there is a God who is greater. That with all the negative statistics, there is hope. That the world lies to our daughters (even more than it lied to us) and that there is Biblical wisdom that combats those lies. That your daughter is more than the sum of her parts. That sex outside of marriage IS detrimental to the whole of you...emotionally and physically. That, as our daughter's moms, our opinions DO matter to them. That God did give us years to grow up for a reason! Don't rush it! (And how you can protect your daughter against the "I'm five going on fifteen" mentality and appearance.) That dreaming and desiring to be a wife and a mom is a good, Godly dream! And that it's easy to be "easy" but hard to be virtuous (but there are still kids who are doing this!)

(You can't really look inside this book from here...but I snagged the picture from Amazon and you CAN look inside it there!)

I know, for me, I have to constantly check myself. Am I showing my daughter what a good mom does? Am I being a good example of grace and mercy? Am I lovingly disciplining or being angry? Do I protect her from too much (because yes, it's possible!) or am I allowing her to experience age-appropriate mishaps for learning and reproof? Do I love her enough to change the stuff I don't like about myself so that she doesn't have the same "stuff" to deal with? Do I love and appreciate the person that God made me, inside and out, so that when my daughter is my age, she has a better love and appreciation for how God made her, inside and out?

Do I take every opportunity I can to make it a teachable moment? Even things that I don't necessarily want my daughter know...she's going to find out. I try to teach my kids things before the world does. I've found with many things...whether it's truth of the Lord or something like Santa Claus, if I get to them first with the information, I've won the first battle. Do I do a good job of that? I bet I could do a better job.

Yes, there are statistics. And some are staggering. Some, I knew. Some, I didn't. All point to the fact that God's truth is truth and that His plans and designs for our daughters and their lives are more promising than anything the world has to offer.

Thanks, Brooke! This was a great read for me! I owe ya! :)

I'm redecorating....kind of....

2011-04-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

So...it's been creeping up on us for a while. We've seen the signs, but it's hard to comprehend it until it breaks out in brawls. We have six people in our house. While four are "little" people, they will not be so little forever. We have a couch and two chairs in our living room. One is pretty much not operational during tv time because you can't see the tv from it. Minor technicality. The couch seats the four kids uncomfortably. I had taken to sitting on the floor with Isaac. Nic would have Hannah on his lap and the two bigger boys with him on the couch. It was awkward for family nights. Did I mention we have tile floors? Not so fun to sit on for two hours during a movie.

So...buying a new couch was creeping up on us. Buying one soon stopped creeping and starting jumping in front of us as important when they starting fighting over someone's elbow in a side, feet kicking legs, and stealing pillows. *Sigh* Can't they just stay little?

New Couch...here we come....I looked. I looked a lot. I checked out Ikea. Had to be a sectional. Good sectional colors...I fainted over the red one. And had my heart set on it. For months. It was cheap. It was a cover so I could take it off and wash it. I could change the color if I wanted to.

*Sigh* It was not meant to be. Thank the Lord for the $300.00 delivery fee that stayed my hand on the check out button!!! I saw a sectional that was comparable in size and realized that in five years, we would be having the same problem we have now:

Six people (four are now bigger...hopefully I am NOT one of them!) and no room to sit.

Off to the furniture store I went. With Brooke. 'Cause the boys were home with the kids. That's just how we roll.

And I fell in love. With something completely different than I was expecting. It means I have to readjust the vision in my head to fit the cozy feeling I want to have with our family instead.

It means that the mantel I created is going to house a tv above it instead of a picture. It means that we are going to have a much bigger tv than I ever thought we would (thanks to a very generous couple that we love in our young married's class). It means that my husband is through the roof excited that what HE wanted for the living room is what he's getting. And I'm excited because this means I get to redecorate. PROJECTS!

So...here it is...sort of....our MASSIVE couch that our whole family will get to sit on for at least a decade (hopefully, two decades!).

We bought this (but in a lighter tan-ish color):

The picture just doesn't explain how big this couch is. Seriously. Two walls of our living room and the chaise sticking out to kind of separate the breakfast nook from the family room...gone. And now...that means our tv armoire has to go. I have taken one for the family team and opted for a bigger couch that will seat us all comfortably, even when the boys are six feet tall...provided they don't try to lay their big, dirty, stinky bodies on my couch (because aren't all boys big, dirty, and stinky?). That, together with the chocolate chip oatmeal bake they had for breakfast this morning should score me enough Mommy points to last me for a while. Like...their whole lives!

And what used to be in our family room...will now be in our living room. More room for Monday night Bible Study! YAY!!!! It's a win-win, I know!

Cake Balls and Sugar Cookie Smoore's!

2011-02-14T16:37:00.000-08:00

Everybody's askin'....so here you go!

Cake Balls
This recipe is from Paula Dean (no wonder it tastes so good!)

1 cake mix, baked as directed
1 can of frosting
2 cups of chocolate chips (I always need more)
2 TB shortening

While the cake is still warm, but not hot, crumble it up in a large bowl. Dump in one full container of store bought frosting in with the cake and stir. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

When cake mixture is cold, roll it into walnut sized balls. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for at least two hours. (I have taken the balls out in this form two weeks later(!), coated them in melted chocolate and they still tasted great. Just put them in a ziploc and they should keep for a couple months).

Take two cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips and two tablespoons of shortening and melt in the microwave in thirty second intervals until chocolate is completely melted.

Dip the frozen balls into the melted chocolate and place back on parchment paper. Refreeze for at least one hour before serving.

Enjoy!

I like to get creative with my cake mixes. I'll use cherry chip with chocolate frosting and chocolate chips. Or dark chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and white chocolate chips. I'll make a spice cake with pumpkin and then coat with chocolate, etc. Use your favorite cake/frosting/chocolate chip combo!
I also only use 3/4 of the frosting because I think they taste better with less.

Sugar Cookie Smoore's

1 package store bought sugar cookie dough
marshmallow creme or large marshmallows
Nutella

Bake the sugar cookies as directed. I form mine into balls and then smash them with the palm of my hand.

Once the cookies are cooled, spread Nutella on one and marshmallow creme on the other and then sandwich them together.

If you are using large marshmallows, put them on the warm cookies so they melt slightly.

All Aboard!!!

2010-11-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

"This is the POLAR EXPRESS!!!"

We are back from our first EVER family vacation! We drove to Williams, AZ and rode the Polar Express. All...the...way...to the NORTH POLE! Santa gave all four kiddos a very special bell. If you can still hear it ringing, you must still believe in Santa.

For the record...I can still hear it ringing!

And since I don't like Blogger's new format for pictures....you can see the whole 200+ pictures on FB! Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas!!!
GOD BLESS YOU!

Dig DEEPER

2010-09-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

I've kind of joked around with Insanity and the encouraging words Shaun T. uses to keep you motivated. It must work for me, though, because I am still doing it and still loving it.

My favorite phrase he says is, "Dig deeper! You can freaking do this!"

Because, you know what? I can. I can poop out really fast, too. It takes a whole lot less self-encouragement and arguing with my body to have it just sit on the couch instead. But I know, at the end of the day, I'd be annoyed with myself.

And then, I hear God whisper to me, "Dig deeper."

And my first reaction is, "I will later, Lord. I want to (fill in the blank) first."

And my day goes on with more things that come "first."

But lately, I've been getting up early because Hannah has given me a 6:30am wake up call to use the rest room. "Mommy!! I need to go peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!" Thank you for that, Pretty. So, I've taken the opportunity to read my Bible and start a journal again before the kids are awake. And you know what? I can freaking do this, too. And I want to. And I feel like something is missing when I haven't done it. And He is faithful to whisper still, "Carrie, dig deeper."

The difference of starting my day with the Lord in unexplainable, except that His grace seems to be in abundance when I have tapped into Him.

I have found what I call my "Sweet Spot" with the Lord. My yellow chair flanked by two corner windows and a little table with a lamp on top for light. It's where I meet with Him in the morning and offer Him my day and all that is contained in it. Because He already knows it. Because He's already seen it, walked it, and graciously given me the day that He has made.

Oh God of mine, I’ll have no idols
Oh God of mine, come lead the way
Oh God of mine, I’m greatly humbled
This sinner’s heart You came to save
Oh God of mine through storm and trial
Oh God of mine through death and grave
Oh God of mine in resurrection
Your scars display my soul’s refrain
Oh God of mine Who holds all nations
Oh God of mine Who saves the day
Oh God of mine, Your grace sufficient
And tender mercies new by morn
Oh God of mine, forever faithful
Oh God of mine, forever stay
Oh God of mine, forever after
These eyes upon Your face will gaze

-Rita Springer

Have you found your "Sweet Spot" with God?

I Define God to My Kids

2010-08-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

I have been washed, wrung, and hung out to dry with something that I was re-taught last night.

I DEFINE GOD TO MY KIDS.

Yesterday, we were at Michael's and I accidentally broke a picture frame. Noah knows that they are not allowed to touch things in the stores because they could break something and then I'd have to buy it and that's not how we want to spend our money, etc. So, when he saw me break the picture frame he said, "Oh no...you broke it Mom. Now you have to do the right things and buy it." Yes, I do and yes, I did. Thankfully, it was only $5.

I DEFINE GOD TO MY KIDS.

Last night at our Growing Kids God's Way class (yes, we are taking it again! Trust me, we need it!), we were reminded that Christianity is not a religion of mediocrity. This is HUGE! We are to do things and do things as unto the Lord, and if you do something for the Lord, you naturally WANT to do it well. Christianity is NOT a religion of MEDIOCRITY. I was reminded of the idea of "good, better, and best." It is good that Noah wants to be a witness for the Lord. He could learn to do it better by speaking with more love. Eventually, he could be the best witness ever because he is unashamed of the gospel. I am a good mom. I could be better. For the sake of my kids, I want to be their best mom ever.

I DEFINE GOD TO MY KIDS.

Love is not RUDE. Be COURTEOUS to all men. Another thing I was reminded of, not just during our GKGW class, but also during my Precept study I did earlier that day. This was meant to be a reminder for us to teach our children good manners. Offer your seat to the elderly. Open the door for people (my boys are awesome at this). Honor age by offering them the first plate of food. All these things are done because love is not rude and God asks us to love our neighbor by being courteous to all men. The problem here for me...is that I am rude to my kids. Ouch. I hate to admit it, but it is true. I am sarcastic at times. I also act as if they are bothering me when they ask for something which is not very courteous. I have a bad habit of ignoring them when they call my name. How can I expect them to trust me in big things, like God and Jesus and His saving grace, if they can't trust me in the little things, like knowing I will answer when they call?

I DEFINE GOD TO MY KIDS.

And let's just be real here. I bake bread, make cookies, make granola bars, wash clothes, clean the house, work out, lead a Sunday School class, attend Bible studies, and make signs. People ask me how I do it. I don't. I am a figment of your imagination. I guarantee you the process of my daily grind is way less glamorous than you have it in your mind. You know what I keep thinking? What does all that matter if I have not love? Some days, I am so over-whelmed, I yell at my kids. I yell at my husband. I crash and burn into bed at 8:05pm because the kids have gone to bed at eight. Some days, I go all day without praying or reading the Bible. The hours between 4 and 8pm are the most daunting for our family. I'm trying to cook dinner while the kids are screaming that they are starving and I'm burning the bread, yet again. Dinner is a yard sale because the kids don't like what I fixed...and by that time, I'm exhausted with being nice and kind and not losing my mind that I make up for the whole day of "nice" Mommy with one explosion. Did I mention that my house is not clean?

I DEFINE GOD TO MY KIDS.

And we are here to define God to the world. My kids will one day define God to the world and the picture I want them to have of God begins with me.

I am in prayer for a young wife who is waiting for a double lung transplant. While talking to Nic about her, I have also been in awe of her mom who is as strong as ever in her faith, but also raised an amazing woman of God. What did she do? What was her secret? What can I learn from her? What do I know of her?

I know she was and is a woman of God. I know she was involved with her kids and their friend's parents. I know she practiced what she preached to her kids. I know she was constantly in prayer for them. I know she earned their respect, honor and trust. I know her children will praise her at the gates.

Will mine? That is my hearts desire, but I could certainly do better on the road to getting there because:

I DEFINE GOD TO MY KIDS.

Isaac, it's not even 10am, yet!

2010-08-11T09:24:00.001-07:00

He's just too resourceful for his own good.

Um...I think he wants to watch tv and he can't quite climb up on the couch, yet. That's his sister's chair from the breakfast nook.

He's pretty proud of himself.

This is for Becky.

2010-08-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

Ask and you shall receive. :) Love ya, sis! Hope you like it!

The colors will be slightly more intense once I seal it.

I finally made one for ME!

2010-08-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

Here is our "Est." sign:

And can I just say that I'm SUPER excited to start decorating for fall????

If you would like to order an "Established" sign with this design, please visit my sign blog and leave a comment and I will contact you!

It's Dinner Time!

2010-08-02T17:19:00.001-07:00

I was given this amazing and versatile recipe from my friend Cindy. Tonight, I'm using crock pot chicken that was "crocked" with celery, bell peppers, carrots, onion, salt and pepper, garlic, and rosemary. I could have been making chicken soup. But I wasn't. I usually use canned chicken, but crock pot chicken is FABULOUS. Just sayin'. Any left over chicken will do.

Chicken Packets
2-3c cooked, chopped chicken
3-6oz cream cheese (I put 8)
1T green onions (omitted because of the onion in the crock)
2T milk
1 clove garlic (omitted again)
salt to taste (yup, you guess it...omitted)
2pkgs refrigerated crescent rolls
1/4c melted butter
1/2c bread crumbs or panko

Oven at 350degrees.
Mix chicken, cheese, onions, milk, garlic and salt together.
Make your crescent rolls into 8 rectangles making sure to press the two triangles together well.
Fill each rectangle with some of the filling and fold over. Press to secure edges.

Dip each packet into melted butter, place on baking sheet, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. *I just sprinkle with bread crumbs and skip the butter*

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

If you add veggies (I add broccoli or mixed veggies sometimes) then it's a one stop shop for dinner.

I usually make it casserole style (and really stuff it full of filling) by laying 1pkg of crescent rolls out in a 9x13 baking dish. Dump your filling on it and then put the second layer of crescent rolls on top. Drizzle the butter and sprinkle the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes.

Dove Tattoo

2010-07-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

I wanted something girly. Not colored in. Not too big. Something I could cover up with clothes if I had to. Most importantly, I wanted something that MEANT something to me. Something that represented my faith in Jesus Christ and something that might spark a conversation with someone else who might comment on it.

I have been looking for at least six months, knowing this was my final destination...my reward for hard work and depriving myself, for the most part, of sugar, cake, bread (even the homemade kind!). Pretty much the stuff I love to eat WAY too much of. The stuff that likes to stick around on my body WAY too much. And when I started Insanity...the final ten pounds just melted off my body. Like pouring peanut butter out of a jar. I don't know if you know this, but peanut butter doesn't POUR. It was HARD work and infuriating. But worth it.

So...back to the tattoo.

Some looked more realistic:

Some looked abstract:

Some were like Picasso:

Some did the symbolic olive branch from the Noahs' Ark story in the Bible:

Some....well...weren't doves:

But mine...I knew it when I saw it and it was confirmed with Brooke going "Oh, get that one!!!!" It was a spur of the moment decision to get it THAT day. I was content to wait for another two weeks (cause really..I was scared), but then my cheerleader and confidence booster (read: Brooke) wasn't going to be available. I wanted her to hold my hand, tell me how tough I was and basically, not let me chicken out. She called the parlor. Yeah, that's how chicken I was. It was 6:30 at night. Were they REALLY still going to be open? Yeah. They were. Who knew, but apparently, tattoo parlors keep late hours. Huh. They were open until midnight. Nic said I could go.

We had plenty of time. For me to pee my pants. And no excuses. No real ones, anyway.

We stopped at my moms to pick up the kiddos from their overnight stay where she ended up cleaning up urine for two days. Fun for her....relaxing for me to let someone else do it for a while! Thanks, Mom! (and Dad!)

I told my mom what we were doing. She was very supportive. Very. Did I mention she wants a tattoo? I'm pretty sure she was waiting for me to get one so I could relay exactly how much pain you endure before she bit the bullet. It's alright Mom, I'll take one for the team.

Took the kiddos home and dropped them off with Nic. Headed out to our adventure. At this point, my stomach is getting that nervous gurgle going on.

Thankfully, they take your money before you get the tattoo. Once I had paid, it was a done deal. I'd rather keep something that kind of doesn't work the way I thought it would than go through the pain of returning it to the store. I paid. I was getting what I paid for.

After I watched Brooke let the piercing lady drive a stake through her nose, dangle a cork on the end of it and stick a light blue rhinestone stud through the hole, it was my turn. By the way...Brooke has a nose piercing now. She's adorable. I wish I had a picture to show you. It's funny how it fits her face.

My tattoo artist was VERY nice and Brooke and I decided he had a sad quality about him that has kept him in my prayers since I've been there. Is that odd? I can't help it. Some people I meet make profound impacts on me in very short periods of time and I can't get them out of my head. I know the best thing I can do for them is pray for them...so I do.

Sad Guy asked me if it was my first time. Yeah. *Blush*

Then he said, "It feels like a cat scratch, but it's not constant because I have to get more ink periodically, so you get a break."

Cat scratch. Ok. I can do that. I've had those before. But this time I couldn't curse the "cat" giving it to me. I was the cat. And Sad Guy was my claw.

Cue disinfectant. Antiseptic. Carbon copy of my tattoo. Cue LOUD NOISE!!!! What the heck is THAT?!!!

"Oh, yeah. Don't let the sound scare you. They are kind of loud."

By 'they' he means the machine that works the needle. It's loud. Thankfully, it's bark is REALLY worse than it's bite.

Ten minutes later (yes TEN MINUTES) and I was checking out my new tat in their mirror. My cheerleader was chanting "You're awesome! You're tough! You're awesome!" Gorsh...thanks.

Yes, we probably are going through some kind of "Mommy mid-life crisis." At least what we're doing isn't permanent. Ok, so mine is. Eh. Like my brother in law would say, "Our body's are perishing anyway." Sometimes, I really love his logic.

And now I feel like the biggest weenie because it really wasn't a huge deal. Small price of minimal pain for something I've wanted to do my whole life. Done. Where's that bucket list???

And here it is:

A dove. The Holy Spirit that lives within me, now also is pictured ON me. Tattoo-style.

Noah thinks it's a bald eagle. Humph. I'm pretty sure I could have gotten a picture of a flower and he would have said it was a bald eagle. Stinker. But I love him.

And then, he promptly asked when he gets to have a tattoo that will never go away. I told him when hell freezes over like any good mom would. Naw...just kiddin'.

Nic has been amazing helping me clean it, put creme on it, stalk it...'cause he really LOVES it and has to stop himself from touching it. I love that man.

It's really not sore. Luke touched it and Nic just about made us all jump out of our skin when he yelled at him to not do it, but the actual touch didn't hurt at all. My little Luke. He has to touch things. I love that about him.

I thought I might have buyers remorse. Body remorse. Pain remorse. Or tattoo remorse that I didn't get what I really wanted. No remorse, whatsoever.

Did I mention I want another one?

Tattoos

2010-06-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

Do you love 'em?

Hate 'em?

I personally don't like them when they are all over the body, on the front of the neck, the chest, all the way down the arms, etc. But on backs, no biggie. My sister-in-law has one on her foot and I love it on her!!

Some tattoos are just down-right FREAKY. Yes, these are TATTOOs!!!!

My boys would LOVE this one:
Sorry, boys. It's not happening. Ever.

Some more questions for ya!

Where would you get one and why that spot?

What would it be and why?

If you have one, do you regret it and why?

Here's the most important question. WHERE DID YOU GET IT??? I obviously want to go somewhere reputable!

Most people have told me to make sure it has meaning for you personally, not just to get one rashly and without reason. I've been stalking different tattoos for MONTHS and think I have what I want, the question is just where.
And for those of you who are wondering: my husband has a silent love for them. Don't try to deny it, honey. By that, I mean...he smiles when I talk about getting one, asks me where...and then offers suggestions. Yup, he's on board. And I think he's looking forward to me having one. Just sayin'.

*None of these tattoos are what I'm getting....just in case you were wondering.*

10 Things

2010-06-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

Here it is. My list of ten things I've learned about myself while I've worked out to Insanity and Shaun T. for the last ten weeks.

1. I DO have time to work out.
2. I CAN push myself to get those last ten push-ups in.
3. I LOVE dripping with sweat. Who knew?
4. I FEEL better when I'm working out.
5. I LOVE my husband more when I'm working out. (Take that however you want.)
6. I CAN lift my butt up with exercise alone. Squats, ladies...squats.
7. I DO have a six-pack somewhere underneath all this skin.
8. Shaun T. is from the devil during my workout. He's a saint when I fit into my size 4 jeans.
9. Have muscles is a good thing. It means I burn more calories just sitting. Which, of course means I can eat more!
10. My husband was right. Don't tell him I said that.

Ten things I hope to have accomplished when the next ten weeks are done:

1. Drop another five pounds.
2. Get a tattoo (when I drop that last five pounds).
3. Get through a MAX work out without dropping to the floor.
4. Lift weights. Sometimes, honey...not every day.
5. Make it through the ten weeks!
6. See a small bit of that six-pack.
7. Where my size four jeans regularly, not just on a skinny day. You ladies know what I'm talkin' about!
8. Continue to eat well. Hard to do when you're cookin' for kids!
9. Get up earlier to spend time with God before my day starts, not halfway through!
10. Love my husband better. (Take that however you want.)

I'm a great wife.

2010-06-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

Or not.

My husband wrote this blog post back in February. I JUST read it.

I'm a horrible wife.

Love, Obey, Abide

2010-06-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

Check out what's new! (This one, I can SHIP!!!)

Signs of Life

Signs of Life

2010-06-17T13:19:00.000-07:00

Yup, created a new blog for Signs of Life!

Go check it out!

Graduation, Sweet 16, and Guitars!

2010-06-11T13:23:00.001-07:00

I've been a busy girl this week makin' cookies! Eighty graduation cookies for Buchanan (Go Bears!)
and eighty "Sweet 16" cookies.
Both were for the grandchildren of my old dance coach.

I also made a dozen guitar cookies for a friend's son who is having a "Rock" party. They're ROCKIN'!

(Yup...caught that one guitar with black knobs...fixed!)

Poor Noah missed the last day of school because he got sick. Up until then, he had perfect attendance, too. He was a sad boy today.

Saw this, Loved this, Stole this

2010-06-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

You ever read things that grab you by the heart because they were exactly what you needed to hear at the exact moment you needing to hear it? Yeah, me too. Found this on her blog and just had to re-post it.

THE PLACE WHERE I AM

1. By His Appointment

God brought me here. It is by His will that I am in this place.

In that I will rest.

2. In His Keeping

He will keep me here in His love and give me grace in this trial to live as His child.

3. Under His Training

He will make the trail a blessing, teaching me the lessons he intends me to learn and working in me the grace He means to bestow. It is more important for me to learn the lesson that I’m here to learn than to solve the problem.

4. For His Time

In His good time he can bring me out again. How and when He knows.

~Andrew Murray

Now sigh and give thanks to the Lord. That's what I did.

Happy Grad!!!

2010-06-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Graduation, Class of 2010!

These cookies are for my cousin's son who is graduating this week.

Hats:

And diplomas:

"Established" Sign

2010-05-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

This was from my sister to my Mom for Mother's Day. My parents celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary this April.

Very Special Sign

2010-05-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

Anyone else LOVE adoption stories??? I do. A lot. A lot, a lot. I am so thankful to know that God loves and practices adoption. I think I cried at least five times making this sign.

A friend of mine is adopting a little girl and her shower is today. I tore through at least an hour trying to find the perfect scripture for her. Proverbs 16:9 is fantastic for her story...

but finally settled on 1 Peter 3:3-4:

Let your beauty be not just the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on fine clothing; but in the hidden person of the heart, in the incorruptible adornment of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God very precious.

I think it's timely for the world she'll grow up in, but also such a sweet reminder for our daughters (and us!) to seek after what is precious to God, not man.

Congrats to my friend! I can't wait to meet her!

More for Mother's Day!

2010-04-30T16:09:00.001-07:00

Here are two more. The "Grandparents" one is an example of what it would look like with two grandchildren (size 8x16" and is $25). The other is an 8x8" ($15) square with a fleur de lis:

Happy Mother's Day! Updated

2010-04-30T08:57:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!!! We love you!

This sign measures 12x24" and is $45. The can be hung or rested on a mantle/shelf. This is a great Mother's day gift! Unfortunately, at this time, I'm only doing local orders. Sorry! Reach my via Facebook or my email (it is enabled on my profile on blogger). Thanks!

Bridal Shower Sign

2010-04-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

My cousin is getting married soon. Their house is black and white (according to their registry) so I made this sign for her bridal shower:

If you would like a sign of your own, please comment or find me on Facebook. This sign measures 8x24" and is $25.

More to come!!!

Hannah's Brithday!!

2010-04-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby girl is three! *sob*

But she had a great birthday and was surrounded by family that loves her and cares for her so much. I couldn't ask for more for her. I told everyone that she loves dress up clothes and anything that screams "girl" so she received four...yes four tutus!! And I love it and she loves it...

"Miss Shea" from Stinkin' Cute Designs made her an adorable birthday outfit. OH yes, oh yes.

After cake and presents it was time for the big reveal. Both sets of grandparents went in together and bought her an outdoor playhouse.
Here it is the next morning, breakfast has been made and eaten, and now...I have seen nothing of my children. They are outside. Playing. Not fighting. Not teasing. They're playing nice. Aaaahhhh.

Happy birthday, Hannah! We have been blessed by three years with you and we pray to God for many, many more.

Happy Anniversary!

2010-04-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

Am I still living? That's a really good question. I've been soooo busy. So, so, sooooo busy. Family and Bible study come first and now...shoot me in the head, but I've taken to working out. Ever heard of Insanity? It's INSANE. But I love it. LOVE IT! So...I've been pretty much...well...not online. But here's what I've been up to!

My parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary!!! My sister came over to help with the decorating of the cake. We had a lot of fun and she ate a ton of fondant!!! This is just a glimpse of the mess we made:
But here's the cake:
We made them a platter with the grandkids fingerprints on it. The girls made flowers and the boys made worms and beetles. Hence, the cake design.

I also made this new sign in an effort to speed along the rain and cold:
Ok...I have to go rope my kids and wrangle them into the car. Early release day. Love/hate. But mostly hate. Just sayin'.

Happy (belated) Easter!

2010-04-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

This year we celebrated Noah's birthday on Easter. The whole family was already together, so why not, right?

The adults dessert. A big fat Easter egg:
Noah's birthday cake:
He really wanted a tree on his jungle cake. Apparently, the vines that were on there were not good enough. So...gum paste and some wire...wah-lah! He liked that the lion was in the shade. Boys, I tell ya.

He also lost his first "by nature and not by jumping on the bed and bonking brother's head" tooth:
(they are pointing to it which is why you can't see the hole)

Lots of fun looking for eggs:
His new bike:
Fun was had by all!

On Friday night, I watched The Passion of the Christ. I try to watch it every year. I know I could read the story, but there's something about seeing it and knowing it was even worse than what I see. I cry the whole time. I'm also finishing up a Precept study in Daniel. This week, we looked up scripture about what happens after Christs' return and judgment. Thank you, Jesus, for going through torture, pain, ridicule, death, and separation from God for me. For my husband. And for my kids. And for the world. It's no wonder we call Him the Savior.

Happy Easter to all of you! I know I'm late, but you can share in the joy of Easter and His resurrection every day.

"Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner so that Christ could make us acceptable to God." 2 Cor. 5:21

Cookie FAIL

2010-03-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I can do a lot while I make cookies. I can run upstairs and get dressed...fast. I can watch all four of my kids with my four eyes (you know, two in the front...two in the back). I can make myself breakfast and listen to music, watch tv, blah, blah, blah. I'm sure Brooke (my cookie partner) can stand on her head, too...but I'm not the gymnastic type.

So, in the process of starting to make 250 cookies (and I say starting because we're not even 1/3 of the way done) for the MS Society fundraiser, I found out what I can NOT do while making cookies:

For future reference, no more COMPUTING while making cookies!!

Because this is what happens:

Now, I know my mother-in-law likes her cookies crispy...but I don't think even she will eat these. They are brown. Plain and simple. Cookie FAIL.

New Computer

2010-03-08T10:57:00.000-08:00

Hubs got me a new computer and I'm still learning all the fine details. Bear with me! I have cute Easter cookies coming and plan on doing some Easter decor stalking in the next couple of days!

Stay tuned....

A little bit of Easter

2010-03-01T07:37:00.000-08:00

in a BIG way.

It is all quotes from different people during the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. All the quotes from Jesus are in red. It's really hard to read in the pictures, but under the crosses, in the brown, it says, "Surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Cookie Decorating Party

2010-02-09T12:33:00.000-08:00

Kiss me, I'm Irish!

Love to decorate sugar cookies or just want to know how? Come over!

When: Saturday, March 6th
Time: 10am-1pm
Where: My house
What: St. Patrick's Day Cookies (shamrocks...oh yes)
Cost: $15 (to cover the cost of cookies and icing)

Who's invited? YOU ARE (you know...if you live in the same area)

You'll leave with a dozen, four inch cookies YOU decorated and the knowledge of how to do it yourself again!

If you would like more cookies, please let me know in advance. Each additional dozen is $10. If you would like a dozen small shamrocks, they are $6/dozen.

Here is a sample of what you can create:

Valentine's Day Cookies

2010-02-09T08:51:00.000-08:00

I think cookies are appropriate for every occassion, don't you?

Especially when they are this cute!

I told you so...

2010-02-03T14:39:00.000-08:00

ONE more Valentine's Day project...I promise!

I saw these somewhere in blogland (sorry, can't remember where!) and loved the idea. I want to give my kids cards and candy and then have them write one thing down that they love about each other and stick it in each other's bag.

SO....here are the bags they'll be putting them in!

I thought I wouldn't make Valentine's Day a big deal for my kids. So much for that, huh?

The Names of God

2010-02-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

Here is my latest project:

Yup. I loves it. It's hard to read the red writing in the picture, but they say "Redeemer", "Savior", and "Everlasting."

It's going on that empty wall by my dining room table. I think I just got warm-fuzzies from the thought of covering that wall because it has been the bane of my existence trying to figure out what I'm going to do with that wall. Alright, not really, but I'm still glad to cover it up.

But really? The Daniel Bible Study has the title of "My Bane."

Seriously. Oh Lord, help me.

The Last Valentine's Day Project

2010-01-28T10:35:00.000-08:00

Maybe. We'll see. All right? Yeah, probably not.

All I did was stalk a blog...find this lady...I said, "Hey, that's a great idea!" and then I said the words that my husband has a love/hate relationship with "I can do that!"

Oh boy.

While I was trying to remember if I had ANY frames left in my "stash" in the garage that my husband calls 'junk' in an effort to throw it out and that I call 'craft supplies for future use' (just how far away that future is...who knows?) I remembered that I had bought some 16x20 canvases on sale at Joann's. Score.

Paint, stencil, paint, dry, done. Love.

Well, whether it's my first, which it's not, or my last, which remains to be seen, it did inspire me for the big dining room project I've been putting off.

PROJECT!!!

My husband is over-joyed.

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

2010-01-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! (That is the angels singing, I'm sure. Wait...maybe it's just me singing. Whatever.)

I loooove you, Stand Mixer!
What's that you say? My birthday is still a month away? Ooops! :) It was on sale. A lot. With a rebate.

Ha! My actions are redeemed by my frugality! Right, honey?

*Ahem*

So...I'm makin' bread! My mom and I make bread every year for Christmas, but it's just a plain white bread recipe and I figured it was still close enough to Christmas...kind of. I mean, it's only 11 months away. It said the recipe made one loaf, but if you doubled the recipe, it made three. It lied. It really still makes two...or three short loaves. Which I soon found out.
See this fun meatloaf pan? It has holes in the top so that the greasy gross business falls below the meat! I made meatloaf for dinner with my mixer, too. It's amazing how wonderful making meatloaf is when you DON'T have to use your hands to mix it!
See the holes? Yeah. So, the bottom pan is still good for makin' bread. All my loaf pans were a Christmas present from my mom...Thanks Mom!
Oh, "short" bread brushed with butter and making my house smell very "Susie-Home-Maker"...how I love you...but don't eat you. Hhhhmm....
K...gotta run to read Thomas the Train to my kids!

Valentine's Day Decor

2010-01-22T12:34:00.001-08:00

I've never been one to decorate for Valentine's Day...but I'm teachable. Sometimes.

Candy conversation hearts are in a new candy dish that I made from an old taper candle holder and a completely never-gonna-get-any-more-candle-light-out-of-this-candle gone glass candle holder from PartyLite. Stick the old candle in the freezer and then pop it out and reuse the glass it came in. Then hot-glue it to a cute stand! Wa-lah!
I cut out paper hearts and glue dotted them to my cabinets. Fun, cheap, and easy!

I sewed some fabric hearts to hang where my Christmas stars were on my lamps:

And of course...God gave the greatest Valentine EVER!

The frame says:
I've decided this will be a memory verse for our kids this month. I know. My kids are so holy, right? Riiiiiiight......

And lastly. My mantle that used to lookie-like-dis:
Now...it lookie-like-dis:

Hey...when in doubt. Stick a paper heart in it!

See those container thing-y's with the bead picks and jingle bells? They are glass taper candle holders from the dollar tree store that I topped one with a vase from...where? The dollar tree store! Who knew, right??? And the shorter one is topped with another PartyLite glass candle container. Freezer, pop, done. Fur real.

Oh yes! Mercury candlesticks are my friend.

2010-01-08T10:11:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you combine a mercury candlestick, a glass pillar hurricane, and hot glue?

This.
LOOOOVE. And I love my fake snow. Hey, Christmas maybe over, but it's still winter, people! Wanna know how I got it? Wanna, wanna???

Oh, alright!

Take a disposable diaper and cut the thin film open on the inside. See that cotton stuff? Pull it out and put it in a bowl, and add water. Knead it...like meatloaf. Add more water until it has a light fluffy consistency. And its safe! (Hello, it touches your baby's bottom, it better be safe!) But, look it up, you'll see.
Purty!

Oh, and here's another purty...in her new "made by Mommy" pillowcase dress, with her name on it. She insisted on the shoes...go figure. (I just noticed Isaac is hilarious in the background!)

Love her!

Bye-bye Christmas

2010-01-07T08:38:00.001-08:00

I've still been in Christmas mode.

If you came to my house right now, you'd see our ornament wreath on the screen door still. You'd walk in to see our beautiful-I'll-remove-it-someday-tree. Walk past the stair case and my dining room table still has my silver bead topiary tree, er....thingys. In my kitchen? Still got my two foot Christmas tree on the counter, poinsettias in the jute vase and a snowman head cookie jar on the counter, not to mention read and white snowflake plates. I loooove them.

My mantel is still the same, save for a lovely inclusion of mercury glass candle holders I got on clearance at Target. They bring me pleasure. They bring my mantel some height next to the "Believe in Bethlehem" frame.

I also have three trees next to our couch. Yes, three. Still fully decorated. Upstairs, our bedroom still has the pottery barn inspired addition and our kids' doors are still adorned with garland.

*Sigh*

Until I saw this:

http://www.thenester.com/2010/01/lessons-on-accessories.html

And now...I can't wait to get rid of this stuff and get movin' on decorating my house with silhouettes and Valentine's Day!!!

Where have you been?

2010-01-04T18:39:00.000-08:00

Oh my! It's been a long time since I posted! Well, here's a short glimpse into what I've been doing!

First, I went to a wonderful Women's Tea and Silent Auction put on by Brooke and her mom, Grandma Dot, that benefitted World Vision and won these:

I love that I can add a smiley face to this little guy with dry erase pens.
And I also received some red and white snowflaked platters and bowls. Love them!

Then, we did a snowman family night with the other Llanos family. Or did the family night come first and the tea come second? I can't remember. Anywhooooo....

Snowman soup:
My partner for many crimes against myself, my husband, my kids...
Complete with krispy treat snowmen for dessert.
We had breakfast with Santa:

Found out Santa visited our house and left letters for the two older boys:
Celebrated the first-ever birthday of our littlest little (who will soon be just our "little" because he is surpassing his sister in size):

Can you see the snowman cake balls on the right? Wish I had gotten a closer picture? Yeah, me too. :(My beautiful sister, Becky, with the red scarf that I covet like a mad woman! Oh, and she's holdin' my new one year old who has manage to develop a two-year old attitude!
The snowman cake says Happy Birthday Isaac around the back in case you were thinkin' I attempted to make orange ear muffs for him. I did not cause that would have been silly. Ahem.

My wonderful mom and world's best Nana:
The sweetest Grammy and Ya-ya ever:

Every one...and I mean every one played Mary and Joseph with Hannah. She would say, "I Mary. You Jofes." And no, that's not a typo. JO-FES. No joke. And I refuse to correct her. I hope she says that for the rest of her life.

Becky, once again. She looks like Mary, don't you think?"Away in a manger...." with Aunt Vicki.

I painted wooden spools for Becky and Brooke for Christmas. The other side has the city of Jerusalem and says "O Holy Night" but I couldn't get a picture to focus on that side.
Baked waaaaay too many sugar cookies (with the help of my own personal Santa elf, aka, Brooke):

And had the stockings ALL hung by the chimney with care...but when St. Nicholas came...well, he brought too much stuff for them and they ended up on the couch. Eh.

And the best thing of all: We celebrated the birth of when love came down. And there just aren't any pictures that do that justice.

I spent time with my family and left my cyber friends to fend for themselves. And no offense to all of you...but it felt good and right.

And now, let us all kiss 2o09 buh-bye:
And say:

Bring it on 2010!!!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

We went and took Christmas pictures yesterday. My old dance coach is amazing at everything she tries to do...and she's taken up photography! I can't believe what a great job she does. I was just lookin' to get one...ONE picture of all of us looking in the camera with me looking at least half-way decent. I got so much more...and a fun time catching up with her and her husband (who was also my dance coach and my old boss).

Our Christmas Bedroom

2009-12-08T08:55:00.000-08:00

When I saw this picture in the Pottery Barn Catalogue, I knew I had to do something similar for our bedroom.

And here it is with our lights off.

I love our bedroom. Black, white and red...but I'm lovin' the mocha color on the walls in the Pottery Barn picture...

A Bit of a Beauty Lesson

2009-12-07T19:14:00.000-08:00

Hannah is already checking herself out in the mirror. Oh, how the small things women do send a big message to little girls! I have made a conscious effort not to weigh myself in front of her and am desperately trying to curb my negative tongue about my body. And after four kids...wow...I have some complaints!

I've been wanting to do something like this in Hannah's room for a while, but just recently remembered this flower frame I had in my craft stash. I thought it was a fitting Christmas present for her adornment gift and since she's young enough to not care that it came 2.5 weeks before Christmas...I went for it while she watched.

So, I drug out the mirror, had Hannah stand next to the wall so I could see what level to put it at and then drew on her wall. And then painted on the wall. It took all of fifteen minutes and the only thing I could think of was how there went all the lessons about not drawing on the walls for my kids. Oh well. It's for a good cause, right?

After drawing the stems, leaves, other flowers...I put a scripture all the way around the mirror:

It says:
"Your beauty should come from within, the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God." It's a paraphrase of 1 Peter 3:3-4. I conveniently put it below her pegs of hair bows and head bands. Maybe someday she'll understand that the outer adornments are not nearly as important to God as what she chooses to adorn her heart with.

Maybe someday I'll fully understand that the older I get in Christ, the more beautiful I become.

Hhmm.

Christmas Tree Meaning for Pennies

2009-12-04T14:34:00.000-08:00

Or...you know...free.

One of my friends gave me some oval frames and I've toyed around in my head what to do with them for a while. Leave it to Christmas and some blog stalking for me to find an idea.

I found the meaning of the Christmas Tree for Christians at a blog (sorry! I can't remember which one!) and copy and pasted it into a word document. I shaped the meaning to be a tree and then cut out the paper, glued it to some burlap (I still have tons left).

Then, I lined it with some ribbon and glued the burlap to the back of the frame with a few dots because I didn't necessarily want this to last forever in these frames (they are gorgeous frames), but if you had frames you knew worked perfectly for this, you could make it more permanent.

Then, I took two smaller frames and made scrapbook paper trees out of three triangles and a rectangle. Slapped them on some burlap and there you go.
I added ribbon (with just a dab of hot glue) to the back of the frames, tied them in a knot at the top...
and hung them by my Christmas tree.
I also framed (with red foil ribbon that you have to uncurl and scrap paper) a Santa Claus quote from Miracle on 34th St. (1994) and hung a Santa hat next to it.

The quote says:
"I'm not just a whimsical figure who wears a charming suit and affects a jolly demeanor. I'm a symbol. I'm a symbol of the human ability to be able to suppress the selfish and hateful tendencies that rule a major part of our lives. If you can't believe, if you can't accept anything on faith, then you are doomed for a life dominated by doubt."

Both things, I think, would make cute ideas for hostess gifts for parties this holiday season. Lowe's has gift certificate holders that are Santa's coat and it has a hanger, too, which would be a cute ornament if you put the Santa quote on card stock that would fit where the g/c is supposed to go. It costs all of $3. You could put candy in a Santa hat and have the quote in a small frame. The possibilities are endless, really. You know you've got old frames just hanging out waiting to get a coat of black or red spray paint! Get 'em out! Send 'em out! Make someone happy!

Thanksgiving is OVER (TWOC: O Christmas Tree)

2009-11-30T10:36:00.000-08:00

(Rice crispy turkeys...they were a hit with the kiddos. Much better than pie, Mom!)

I am so glad I start listening to Christmas carols in September. It's almost over, people! Christmas is a mere 25 days away and then the let-down from an amazing holiday season begins. It's all over. OVER. O.V.E.R. For 11 months for some of you!

Again, let me insist on the goodness that is listening to Christmas carols early. At the end of Christmas, it's only 9 months away for me! Ha!

So what, I ask, did you do this Thanksgiving Day weekend?

Oh, I'm so glad you asked. We spent time loving family and friends. And eating. (The scale is not my friend this morning, I'm sure. I've been too scared to hop on her and say hi. I'm afraid she'll yell out obscenities to me in the form of numbers. Agh! Thank goodness my jeans still fit. Sort of. )

We put up our tree. Yay!

We had our official-train-ride-around-the-tree-for-the-first-time-this-year moment. (can you see us?)

And then our little man got sick...poor little Lukie.
Did everyone else have fun? And eat too much?

TWOC: Another Christmas Craft

2009-11-17T09:26:00.000-08:00

Yeah. I had to do it. My mantel wouldn't have been complete without it. At least that's what I kept telling myself.

And then, when it was done, I was justified. Even hubs likes it. My sister-in-law embarrassed me with her fawning over it. I still stand in front of it and sigh over a craft that actually turned out exactly how I saw it in my head. I also patted myself on the back for not trying to add more to it. Less is more, Carrie, I kept telling myself. Less is MORE.

Oh, how I love you, Mr. Less. You now live on my mantel. In the form of this:

Aaaahhh....

So, here's my thought process towards this...'cause I know it's been your heart's desire to get into my head. *Ahem.*

I have loved all the "Believe" signs, blocks, Christmas frames, etc. But I always wondered...believe in what? Santa? The spirit of the season? And what is the spirit of the season for you? Giving? Getting?

And then, I saw somewhere that the "Believe" signs actually originated as an effort for people to "Believe" in God, His Son, the Savior of the world. Now that was a wagon I could hop on, peeps!

So, I have to be different and specific...so I made it say "Believe in Bethlehem." And then drove the point home with putting my favorite nativity set on my mantel. My mom pain-stakenly painted that nativity set when I was about 6 or 7 and I remember watching her, fascinated by the meticulous care she was giving it. Joseph has black hair-like my dad. Mary has blond hair-like my mom (except when she dyes it) and the baby Jesus has brunette hair, just like all us kids. It was always at a place of honor in our home during Christmastide (I did that just for you, B). When my sister was old enough, she set the figures out and I always secretly would move them where I thought they should go. When my sister moved out, I received the honor of setting it up and would still move the figures when I was bored of where they were, or played out the story in my mind that the wise men maybe were sharing the position closest to Jesus. They were taking turns giving their gifts, see???

Yeah...I told you that you'd be inside my head. Do you like it here? Kind of scary, huh? I know.

So, here's how I did it. Took a $3 picture from Goodwill. Painted the frame black, took the picture out and spray painted it red. Yup. I did. Right over that picture. Sorry artist...whoever you are. Then, I printed out the saying on the computer in my favorite font and made sure I liked how it fit on the, now red, picture. By the way, it took three coats.

I used a number 4B pencil (did you know pencil numbers mean something? The higher the number, the softer the lead...the better and darker the shading when you're drawing). Anyway, I rubbed the pencil over the backside of the writing and then flipped it over to where I wanted it on the red and used a #2 pencil (harder lead, lighter color) to trace over the letters. When I was done, I had "Believe in Bethlehem" in dark gray pencil on the red. Then, I took white paint and a decrepit paint brush (I really need to invest in new ones) and very carefully, painted over the writing. Once. It did not come out very white.

But that's okay because I knew I had a secret weapon (glitter) and that the first time tracing something is the hardest. Once that paint was dry, I took to doing a second, thicker, coat. After each letter, I sprinkled my secret weapon on it and then tapped it onto a paper. Then, I moved on to the next letter. I had to do one letter at a time because I didn't want the acrylic paint to dry before I had the chance to glitter it. The big "B's" I had to do in three steps because of all the swirls.

Then, I put that red picture with "Believe in Bethlehem" back in the now dry frame...and WAH-LAH!

I love it. LUUUUUUUUUUUUUVE it. It's the perfect symbol of our faith during Christmas and a good witness to all that walk into our house that we believe in Bethlehem and that Christ is truly the reason for the season.

I only wish I had about five of those beautiful mercury glass candle holders so I could put some on each side that are taller than what I have there now. I think they'd reflect the lights on the mantel so perfectly and add some height to the sides. But, I'll probably wait until the day after Thanksgiving or after Christmas to get some. They'll be cheaper then, you know.

Oh, yes...remember these balls?
Well, now three of them are snow balls. They look good enough to eat!

And just so you don't think I've completely forgotten about Thanksgiving, I made these cookies for Noah's teacher:
Brooke and I actually made more than these, obviously, but we were doing it for four teachers. See??? I haven't forgotten about Thanksgiving! Completely.

TWOC: Christmas Shopping

2009-11-09T08:06:00.000-08:00

Oh, the Christmas Shopping.

FRIDAY! (Know what that is?)

Black Friday. OH, yes.

Grab me a babysitter for the kids. Preferably overnight. (Hint, hint, Mom)

Wake up at 5am. Yes, 5AM.

Grab a shopping buddy. Get Starbucks. Venti. Triple Shot. Don't even try to pretend you could get away with a tall, skinny, sugar-free vanilla latte. You can't. Go big or go home.

Drive to the nearest store that has stuff with your name on it. (What? They don't write your name on your stuff you want? I'm sorry, I thought they did that for everyone.)

Be thankful, once again, as you are unloading yourself from the car that you did NOT, repeat: NOT! go shopping with the hubster or the kiddos. Hubs is a horrible shopping partner and I want to ENJOY spending fifteen minutes deciding on something WITHOUT an irritated-ants-in-his-pants-kicking-me-out-the-door-man standing next to me. Just sayin'.

Or, or....and you mom's know that this has happened....a kid who decides he needs to use the restroom at the BACK of the store while you just entered the check out line at the FRONT of the store and when you get back there to that horrible rear-of-store bathroom, the sign says:

NO MERCHANDISE BEYOND THIS POINT

Obviously, the creators of this sign have never gone shopping with four kids. Not even one kid. Ever. They would seriously know better.

So, after putting all your merchandise on a shelf and shoving a rug in front of it to block it from potential thieves who would see the great items you found, take them off the shelf and hide them from you in their basket and then make a fast getaway before your kid even has a chance to unzip his pants, you realize that the baby has poo. The real stinkin' kind. And he's crying. And you can't find his pacifier. You moms know what I mean. You throw your hands up in the air, yell at the heavens and ask rhetorically, "Can anything else go wrong?"

Yes, silly Mommy who took all four kids shopping. Yes, something else can go wrong. You spill your Starbucks trying to put your purse on top the stroller. It then trickles down onto the infant with the poo sending him into an even bigger fit (where is that paci???), all while your daughter decides she going to try to climb out of the stroller in protest and ends up bonking her head on the cement floor at Joann's. (Oh, did I mention I was at Joann's?)

At this point, you are done and without thinking, end up telling your kid to risk embarrassment and a lifetime of therapy and scream out in frustration, "JUST PEE YOUR PANTS!"

What? You've never did that? Um...yeah...me, either. *blush*

Go shopping with someone else who really likes shopping, too. Trust me.

Moving on...

Get all your Christmas shopping done. Yup, all of it. It's a wonderful day...

Get another Starbucks on your way home, smooch the cheeks of the person who shopped with you all day, like you're Zsa Zsa Gabor and then step into your home laden with toys and crumbs. Threaten the kids within an inch of their life if they even step a foot near the bags and banish them all to Daddy...wherever he may be.
Sigh, turn off the lights and watch the crumbs disappear into shadow, light a candle, sip your coffee and cozy up on the floor with all your loot and wrapping paper. And then get to work wrapping them so that your Christmas tree no longer looks naked.

What? Your tree isn't up yet???

Red Bead Balls

2009-11-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

Aaahh. Christmas.

Is it just me, or should we totally by-pass Halloween? Thanksgiving is getting the raw end of the deal. As much as I love Thanksgiving, marketing ploys work on me. The stores say it's Christmas time and I breathe in the smells and agree. They twist my arm. Really, they do.

So, while I was loving those silver bead trees, I was also lovin' these balls.
So, I hit them with a coat of red paint...and red beads...

And put them by the trees...

*sigh* Mercy Me's Christmas Cd is playing....where's my coffee?

TWOC: Homemade Christmas Gifts (2 for 1)

2009-11-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

I love these. L.O.V.E. these.

They make great gifts and aren't just limited to hanging on trees. Doors, mirrors, windows, mantels....garland....I have plans for these, my darlings....yes...I do...

First, cut out two pieces of fabric in the letter you want. (Obviously, the longer the word, the more letters you cut out).

Sew it together (right sides out) and leave holes for stuffing.
Fray check the edges when you're done. Trust me.
Use a laaarge needle and ribbon of your choice to string your letters. Be careful to make sure you are spelling your word or words right. It's a pain to take them out. Trust me.
Fray check those holes, too. Don't ask why, just do it.
And then loop the two ends and make a knot. This way, you have a loop on each side to hang it easier. I add jingle balls so it's a little more festive.

The other craft is more for yourself and less of a gift. Eh. It's a gift to yourself, so it totally counts!

Take three different sized cone shapes that you only buy with a coupon at Joann's.
Make some of these do-dads.
Take these mardi gras necklaces (and cut them) that you found for $2 at Joann's. For twelve. (Insert happy dance here.)
Use your glue gun and start wrapping. And wrapping. And gluing. And wrapping. And sticking with a 'u' pin. And wrapping. Wait. This is starting to remind me of something. Oh yes. This craft.
Until you get this. And run out of beads. Yup. Apparently, I needed a third pack to finish the last cone. Who knew?
The picture just doesn't do them justice. I wasn't sure the silver paint was going to matter, but in person, it definitely does. I'm so glad I have glitter to shine behind those silver beads.

On to my next project....

MIA

2009-11-03T10:06:00.000-08:00

The sickies have reached our house.

They hit me first.

Then the hubs.

Now the baby.

I suspect Sister is next because I caught her drinking baby brother's sippy. Right after I told her not to.

Fun.

I'll be back to my bakin', craftin', gettin' ready for Christmas self....soon.

Letters from Santa!

2009-10-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

Hey folks!

Obviously, I really, really, really love Christmas. Obviously. So I wanted to draw your attention to one of my buttons on the right...the North Pole Secretary. This is a fellow blogger (hah! can I even put myself on the same level with the popularity of her blog?) who writes Christ-centered letters from Santa and sends them to your kiddos. Complete with post office stamp from the North Pole. AWESOME! I love anything that helps our family remember the reason for the season and keep our focus on serving others and giving rather that what we get.

Right now, she's running a special...$5 per letter until Sunday, Nov. 1st. I know my kids are gonna LOVE this and it's for a good cause, too! If you put her button on your blog, tell her about it! She'll give you the first letter free!

She is a mother of six, two of her children are adopted and this is her contribution to the family's budget to help pay off those adoptions. You can visit her blog here! She's very talented and gives lots of good tidbits for organization. Did I mention she has six kids? She only has about seven weeks (because the season is only so long) to make a dent in their adoption fees...let's help her out!!!

Look, I'll make it easy on you and put the link right HERE!

Merry Christmas!! It'll be here before you know it!

TWOC: Christmas Traditions of FOOD!!!

2009-10-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

Oh! The food!!!

Oh! The aching stomach!

Oh! MORE food!

Oh! Am I glad I wore my elastic-waist pants!!!

Let's see...Where do I start? How about baking day?

We typically made:

homemade bread loafs (and I'm not talking two, here, people..I'm talking more like ten or fifteen)
crescent rolls (about 100)
sugar cookies (about 100)
magic cookie bars (1 or 2 9x13pans)
lemon triangles (1 or 2 8x8 square pans)
Russian tea cakes (lots...these are so good with coffee!)
peanut butter candies
chocolate chip cookies
Cranberry Salsa (with cream cheese and Wheat Thins)

We eat of lot of this stuff on Christmas Eve along with a whole bunch of sandwich stuff...ham, turkey, cheeses, the crescent rolls. A couple years we have made Christmas Eve a Hispanic food night and made enchiladas and taco soup with a whole bunch of chips and salsa.

For dinner on Christmas night we have:

turkey
ham
mashed potatoes
green bean casserole
brussel sprouts and bacon (my fav)
green salad
sweet potato casserole
gravy
and more bread

For dessert we have:
pumpkin pie
apple pie (usually the sugar free kind)
boysenberry pie
cake
ice cream
and coffee, of course!

Sometimes we make:

Brazillian torte
Waldorf salad
Banana/wafer pudding

Did I mention that I follow a low-carb diet? Yeah. Did you see it flying out the window like I do every year. Picture it. It happens. Trust me.

And this is just on MY side of the family.

Linkin' up to Twelve Weeks of Christmas!!!!

Fingerprint Friday

2009-10-23T10:22:00.000-07:00

Dear Son,

It's your birthday party today. You are four years old.

Full of life, love, and hugs. You were a bit of a surprise to us, but not to God. He knew we needed you as much as you needed us. They told us you were too big to deliver naturally and that I needed to have a c-section. But God saw them coming a mile away and sent a wonderful lady to warn us that God was with us and you would be just fine.

I had you in three hours. Of all four kids, you were my biggest at 9.5lbs.

But you were the easiest delivery I've ever had.

When you were three months old, my smiling baby's eyes rolled back, his color went white and his body went limp in my arms. I called 911 and prayed.

And prayed.

I thought, for a moment, that I was losing you. But then, your color came back. The EMT's took your vital signs and asked us what hospital we were taking you to. I was so afraid for you.

But God knew.

He knew I needed your here with me for longer than three months and knew that this moment would be replayed in my memory as a precious reminder of His Grace and the gift of children and the preciousness of their lives. And especially of how special you are.

And you were fine. You stayed four days in the hospital and you were fine.

Months later, after you had just started walking, you bit right through your lip and blood gushed out all over Auntie Becky's kitchen. Your Aunt thought you needed stitches. Did you? You might have. But after it stopped bleeding...you walked away and played some more.

You have a scar on your beautiful big lips.

You have toppled, head-first, over a ball pit. I caught this one in action:
You were fine. I believe you giggled and then tried to re-create your topple.

And recently, you've drank from a bottle of Benadryl and ended up in the emergency room for a two-hour observation. Again, you were fine.

If I didn't believe in God, I'd say you were very lucky. But I do believe in God.
It's not luck that brought you to us. It was God and His plan, His purpose, was for you to be in our family. You help make us a better family.
Nor was it luck that has kept your curiousness from seriously injuring you. You have God's fingerprints all over you. (And a whole legion of His angels watching over you, I'm sure.)

(Gosh, you look like your Uncle Adam in the picture!)

We love our Little Luke!!!! Thank you for making me a better mom by reminding me how important it is to pray for my children! :) Happy Birthday! I hope you have a day full of memories and love that will last a life-time. Your love will certainly last for all of mine.

Click HERE to visit more Fingerprint Friday's!

TWOC: Christmas Accent Craft

2009-10-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

No. 1?! That's what she says....so how many of these are we gonna have? I dunno.

Am I up for it? Um, yeah. It's Christmas, people!

So, this crafity-craft, craft, craft is gonna be a throwback to last year's Christmas craft...and yes...I'm still working on these. Don't. get. me. started.

I am in the process of making stockings for our family of six. I currently have 2 and 7/8 completed and then another one that is about 1/3 done. I started these in July of last year. No joke.

Here is one of them, completed except for the name (which I'm still debating about for font).

Here is my daughter's. She is the 7/8 one that is finished because I haven't put the fur on her's yet.
There are loads of sequins and itty-bitty little pieces of felt that I'm appliqueing on using the color-by-numbers kind of directions. Oh, mama-mia!

But it's a sugar-plum fairy...what's not to love?

I'm hoping to have my youngest son's done by Christmas this year....

...Mommy and Daddy's will have to wait until next year. Or five years from now....shoot.me.now.

TWOC: Christmas Traditions

2009-10-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

Christmas Traditions are HUGE! I love all the ones I grew up with:

1. Decorating the tree while drinking egg nog and listening to Christmas Carols.

2. Christmas Eve neighborhood party (that has now turned to a family party because we moved from the old neighborhood).

3. Making homemade bread, crescent rolls, and all kind of cookies and treats with my mom during Christmas vacation.

4. Watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and Santa Claus is coming to town when they came on tv.

5. Watching White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney with my mom...five hundred times in two weeks.

6. Christmas morning brunch.

Now that I have my own family (and my kids are young) some have followed us...and some we've put aside. But this is what we still do:

1. Christmas Eve party...either at my in-laws or with my family (they both always have Christmas parties, so we switch off years).

2. Watch all the movies...but now I watch the animated ones with my kids (they actually watch Frosty all year long...I know, I know!) and I watch White Christmas by myself. Sad, huh? I just can't seem to guilt the hubs into watching it with me. Go figure!

3. Decorating the Christmas tree while drinking egg nog and listening to Christmas carols. This is one that I'm thankful my kiddos are still too young to do (for the most part) because I am ANAL about what my tree looks like. Like, TYPE A, my-way-or-the-highway-anal. Seriously. Did I mention that I bought the kids their own trees to decorate? Yeah. 'Cause I did. That way my tree...is my tree. Is that wrong?

4. Go to my mom's house and my sister and I decorate her tree and her house for her.

5. The three gifts at Christmas.

6. Make a birthday cake or cupcake and sing happy birthday to the baby Jesus.

7. I bake sugar cookies with my sister-in-law.

8. Go to Christmas Tree Lane to look at beautiful houses with beautiful decorations!

Things we are planning on doing as the kiddos get older:

1. When we pull out the nativity set, have each person tell the story of the person/animal/thing they got from the box and how it relates to the story of Jesus' birth.

2. Go into detail about the three gifts at Christmas.

3. Read the story of the birth of Christ before we open gifts on Christmas Day.

And probably more as they get older and our lives change!

Head over to RedWriting to see lots of other ideas for Christmas Traditions!

Burlap Banner

2009-10-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

This could be addicting.

I've seen some cute little banners that have popped up all over the blogasphere. (I'm sure that's a real word, spell checker, with your annoying red line.) I've seen them with scrapbook paper, fabric, burlap...

Oh, wait. Did you say Burlap? 'Cause that's one of my new favorite things. Seriously.

So, of course, I had to jump on the band-wagon! Hey, I know when to be a follower...

First, I cut out pieces of triangular burlap.

Then, I cut out square pieces of scrapbook paper and glued them together.

I just used alphabet stickers for the letters and then I sewed the paper-blocked letters onto the burlap. Zig-zag style. (I cut out the leaves on my own, but they were super easy.)

I sewed the triangles together with some jute and a ginormous needle. Done.

I know...it says "Give Thanks." I was telling my sister about it and she said, "Oh, that sounds so cute. But it's not Thanksgiving."

*sigh*

I know. I just can't bring myself to like Halloween. So, "Give Thanks" it is. On my new mantel that I love....

I think I'm clairvoyant because I see more of these in the house in my future. I've already got a variation in my mind just waiting for my banisters at Christmas time. Yippee!!!

Toy Wreaths

2009-10-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

Need to know what to do with those old toys that are missing pieces or those McDonald toys that your kids play with for a whole five minutes and then use them as flying ammo as they dig through their toy chest looking for the stuff they really want to play with? Uh, huh. Me, too.

And then I visited my Infarrantly Creative friend (alright so..."friend" is kind of stretching it. I stalk her and she hides in fear) and I decided when you can't decide what to do with stuff....go blog stalking. Preferably at a person's blog who is more creative than yourself.

Now, I'll admit that I thought I had waaaaay more stuff than I do, but I toy purged before we moved and that resulted in a loss of many toys that would have been great for this. BUT, since these kind of toys multiply like bunnies...I'm thankful that this is a project that you can keep adding to more and more...and more.........and more....for-evah.

I didn't get the chance to get to Joann's for her cool wire wreath, but I did have an old baby gym that had wired arches that you hung toys from. I used tape to keep them together...eh, once the toys are full, you won't notice!Since all my kiddos have used it and some of the hanging toys were missing, I used the wire arches to make a circle or wreath rather than sending it off to Goodwill. I also used their old wooden names that hung in their room, took their first initial and added it to their wreaths because they'll each need their own, of course.

Now, it's obviously going to take some time to get it looking nice and full like the original, but it'll get there. Trust me.
Poor polka-dot wreath....you'll soon have lots of toys on you, too!

All I want for Christmas...

2009-10-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

Is it too soon for a Christmas list? Naw....

We limit our kiddos to three gifts each. This is specifically for the three gifts given to Jesus by the three Wise Men: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (And it helps our pocketbook, too!) These three gifts represent Christ's three roles. Gold is for His Kingship. Frankincense was typically used in worship in the temple symbolizing Christ's role as our High Priest. Myrrh was used in embalming to anoint the dead representing His death and resurrection.

We have modified those to relate to ourselves in saying that Gold is the one gift you really, really, really want. THE gift. The ONE RING. Oh, wait...that's Gollum. Your frankincense gift is something that will draw you closer to God and aid in your worship towards him...a Bible, a Bible Study, devotional book, a worship cd, to name a few. The myrrh gift is something that will adorn your body...clothing, shoes, robes, hair bows, lotions, bath stuff, jewelry, etc.

Now, our oldest is just 5 so we are still improvising on this. Their Frankincense gift, for example will be a VeggieTales video or a book about Jesus. Last year, the boys' myrrh gift was superhero capes. Their gold gift was a Geo-Trax set. You with me now?

So...in the spirit of keeping with our family's tradition...here are mine!

Gold: A trip with my husband. Alone. As in...no kids. Any destination would be lovely, but I'd really love to go here:
Disneyland!!!

Frankincense: The three schools offered on Carm.org (Theology, Apologetics, Critical Thinking)

Myrrh: Gift Certificates either to adorn myself....or my house! (In which case, we all win, right???)

Chances of my getting my Gold gift are pretty slim this year. You know, the economy and all. Oh, that and we bought a new house. Yeah. I'm ok with that. I guess. If.I.have.to.be.

But the others are pretty doable unless you wanna translate my myrrh gift into a new sectional couch....in which case my #1 is cheaper. Just sayin'.

I won't even bother to mention that we could get the couch in the same city as my #1 and kill two birds with one stone.

Oh, Sister! It's a pumpkin!

2009-10-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

I wish I had a picture for the look on my sister's face when I showed her this:
"Great. Um...what is it?" Was, I believe, her exact words.

"Grapevine, I think."

"What are you going to do with it?"

"I don't know. It was cheap and looked crafty. So, I got it."

"Uh, huh."

Well, I took it...I cut it. I wrapped some jute on it. I wired tied it. I scratched my hands everywhere. They now look like my dad's. But I made this:

And then I didn't like it there. So I put it here:

It was still missing something. So I dug out some of my Christmas stuff (don't judge me!):

Better!

And then I painted a wall.

All while chasing a newly crawling 9 month old!!!
I'm EXHAUSTED!

I made 'em!

2009-10-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

Zucchini muffins from my FIRL (friend in real life), Lora.

Loved 'em! I only had a taste, or two...or four. But my kiddos gobbled them up! I omitted the carrots just 'cause I don't have any. *Gasp* I know.

I'm thinking they might make my freezer breakfast list!

We have curtains...

2009-09-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

Last night was a stay-up-late-talk-a-lot-while-you-sew kind of night! My sister-in-law, Brooke, came over. We both had projects...hers a little more intricate than mine. I was just sewing big squares for curtains. Fun times and much needed girl time for me. We laughed, I almost cried, we laughed, then I almost peed my pants.

Anyway...the square curtains. Square? No. Rectangle? Yes.
When I hung them up, I realized how awful I am at sewing straight lines.

*These curtains have been modified to fit correctly.* Works for me!

I added a line of gingham ribbon to the top for a bit of oomph. Yup...that'll do!

Thankfully, I have no plans on moving them up and down. They are strictly decorative. And no. I didn't measure. Correctly, that is. I know, I know....

Instead of ribbon to make the gatherings at the bottom, I used safety pins. No sewing, fast, easy...sure. Aaahhh...I love them next to my paint and new mantel.

Last night I lit an Autumn smelling candle and fell in love all over again with this house God blessed us with. Couple good company with really cool air outside and some pumpkin spice latte coffee...mmmm, cozy.

It helped that Brooke kept commenting on how cozy my house was. It's probably the best compliment you could give me about my house. Really. Don't tell me it's clean 'cause I'll know you're lyin'!

The only thing missing last night was the Christmas tree, the Christmas music...December....you know....

My Favorite DIY! Updated

2009-09-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

When Hubs and I bought this house I had one thing that I really, really, really wanted before the holidays made their way around. If I had to save up all my extra money and count pennies, I was gonna have this.

A Mantel.

We never had one at our other house because there just wasn't a fireplace anywhere. We hung our stockings on the wall and it was fine, but a home to me screams a cozy fireplace....

And then I saw how expensive they could be if you bought them ready assembled. No thank you.

I'd have to do it myself. Which actually worked out so much better for me because I didn't have to scrimp and save. One Saturday morning doing nails paid for the wood, paint, nails, etc. Even if it didn't pay for the manual labor that hubby put in.

We went from this:

To hubs and his brother (thanks!) building me a half-cubby-wall:

To this (the rest I did myself!):

I took the molding off the cubby holes to frame above the mantel. The actual mantel is made up of a small molding piece and then a 1x4 above them that is screwed and nailed into the studs in the wall. Then, I nailed and glued piece of crown molding (it had a perfect angled edge) to the bottom of the 1x4. Then, I topped it with a 1x6 that was cut down to a 1x5 and then trimmed in small molding that creates little lip on the mantel. Then I Kilz it with primer and painted...and wah-la!

Now, my biggest issue is that I don't have anything to put on a mantel because I've never bought anything to do that! I'm thinking some apothecary jars filled with autumn leaves and fruit and then some orange and red berry picks. We'll see! I don't really care for mirrors above fireplaces, but for now, this will have to do! Yes, it's unbalanced, yes, it's a mirror...yes, it's not my favorite and yes I really need something larger up there to break up all the white (and now that I've taken a picture, I realize that streak-free windex doesn't mean streak-free at all!) but I'm so stinkin' excited to have a mantel!
(oh...did you all notice that I painted my walls? I love the color and it looks great with all my black/white stuff).

In all, it cost me about $40 for the molding (not counting the molding above it because that was FREE!) and $15 for the primer and paint, about $20 for the 2x4 and drywall to build up the half wall.

Considering mantels start at $175 for 6', we did pretty darn good!!!

Check out DIY Day at Kimba's!

*Updated*

One shopping trip to Goodwill and $5 later:

Not perfect...but much MUCH better.

Two by Two Taco Soup

2009-09-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

Head over here for a Recipe Exchange:

I posted this over at my friend Shea's because she is having a crock pot party! Go visit her and give her your best recipe!

I thought I'd post it here, too:

Two by Two Taco Soup in the crock pot is a Llanos family stand-by! I have a six quart crock pot so I always make a lot. We eat it that night, Nic takes some to work for lunch the next day and I have a whole other dinner to freeze for another night.

2 cans diced tomatoes (I leave the juice)
2 cans black beans (don't forget to rinse these, otherwise your soup turns out a muddy color)
1/2 to 1 whole onion (how much does your family like onion?)
1 to 2lbs of ground beef (I use 2-already browned, with the onion)
2 cans diced green chilies
1 can of corn (you could add two, I'm just not a huge corn eater)
2 packages of taco seasoning
2 cups water
S/P to taste

Adjust for your family. Sometimes I add salsa instead of the chilies or green (and omit the chilies) enchilada sauce or red enchilada sauce instead of 1 cup of water.

We eat it with LOTS of cheese and sour cream and of course, tortilla chips! Now I wish that's what I made tonight....but nope....Tuna casserole over here...with no PEAS!

I Need Ideas...

2009-09-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

...inspiration! Affirmation!

Alright, I just need plain ol' help.

What color do I paint? Seriously. I'm OVER the beige-y walls and am dying to paint any wall that I can reach the ceiling on!

So...do I paint the staircase walls?
How about the living room? And if I paint...what color??? I'm dying for a red couch that I've seen (read: STALKED) at Ikea. Dying.

So, do I paint the family room a "cream in your coffee" kind of brown? A golden yellow? Green? Keep in mind that our base colors are black and white and then each room has a color that stands out...either red or green or both. Right now, with fall colors, I have all different shades of red and green and yellow. They really are my favorite colors. I tried doing blue and yellow in the guest bathroom and I just.can't.do.it. It bugs. Like a stone in my shoe. (Brooke-that one's for you!)

AGH!!!!!!

Here's some pics of our down stairs living area....what say you???? And hey, don't judge...you know your kids watch Blue's Clues while you blog because your morning has been already such a yard sale that you just want fifteen minutes of no whining, complaining, crying, dirty diapers, and snotty noses! Whew. Can you tell it's been a trying morning?
Yes...I know it's messy. Yes, I know I could be cleaning instead of being on the computer. Yes, yes...I'll clean it up later. I know if only takes five minutes to do the dishes. I know there is hair-MY hair-on the floor...seriously...did you READ about my morning????

Ah, shoot dawg...I just remembered that I have load of laundry in the washer from last night. Apparently, I'm batting a thousand today. Great. Stinky clothes, stinky house, stinky Mommy with no shower.

But I really want to PAINT!

Oh...check out this cute pillow. Embroidery machines...gotta love 'em! I stole the idea from Ballard Designs, I believe.

Autumn Has Landed Updated

2009-09-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

*Hookin' up to Rhoda's fall decor party!*

The Christmas Carols are playing in my car....my only kid in school is BACK at school. It can only mean one thing. Football season has started.

Naw...that's not it...but I'm not kidding about those Christmas Carols.

It's finally....

Autumn.

Or Fall...depends on how you roll. We have a lot of real-life falling at our house thanks to my second born, so I call it Autumn.

And let me tell you! There has been an explosion of Autumn decor in our house!

Entry Way:

Dining Room Table:
The Kitchen:

Oh, and remember this cookie jar?
It needed a fall face-lift, too! (I swear those are different cookies in the jar!)

And then, I decided to add some make-up:

The guest bathroom:
Here I put a scripture about the harvest into a harvest-y picture frame. Not my best work, but for a two minute job, it'll do until it drives me bonkers and I have to fix it.

All the things I couldn't find a great place for have ended up on our armoire...it's growing on me!

And of course....our new mantel! (It really needs some color...)

Broccoli: The Newly Discovered Truth Serum

2009-09-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

They were lying.

BIG TIME.

Busted.

My oldest proved his lying ways (of the last two days) when he tried to tell me that there was a birthday party at school and they had broccoli so he didn't have to eat his broccoli for dinner.

Oldest son: Mommy, we had a birthday party at school today and there were cupcakes, cookies, and broccoli. So, I've already had my broccoli for the day so I don't think I need to eat this broccoli at dinner.

Me: Oh, really? Well, I'll be sure to talk to Mrs. Warner and thank her and the mommy that brought it for serving such a nutritious snack.

Oldest son: Oh. Wait. I'm not sure if we had broccoli. I can't remember now.

Me: Well, you better tell me the truth because I'm going to ask Mrs. Warner tomorrow and if you're lying, you're going to get in bigger trouble than if you just told me the truth right now.

Oldest son: So if I tell you right now, I won't get in trouble?

Me: Oh, you'll still get in trouble, but you'll be in bigger trouble for not telling me the truth until later.

Oldest son: I don't think we had broccoli, Mom.

Uh, huh.

Which led to another conversation about the stinkin' ice cream cones.

Me: Who ate the ice cream cones, son?

Oldest: Hannah did, Mom.

Me: Remember what we just talked about? You better be telling me the truth. I will find out eventually.

Oldest: Luke and Hannah did it.

Me: Did you have one, too? (Insert evil eye glare, here.)

Oldest: Yes, Mom.

Uh, huh.

Needless to say, they lost the privilege of going to the first night of Explorer's (Awana's equivalent) and they had to go to bed right after dinner. No playing with Daddy, no tv shows, and no friends.

We'll see how that works out for us.

The worst part is that I feel awful for having lying kids. Like I'm doing a rotten job.

I'm sorry that I can't teach them everything they need to know about life before they need to know it. I'm only kind of sorry that they have to suffer the consequences for bad decisions.

I'm sorry that they are evil reprobates. (Just ask John McArthur).
I'm sorry that Eve ate that darn apple.
Eve better be sorry, too, dang it!!!!
I'm sorry they are born with a sinful nature.

I'm so thankful they have a Savior.

Oh, Lord...someday, they'll know.

Grace, grace, grace, grace....it's my new mantra.

Liar, Liar...Pants on Fire?

2009-09-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

How can you tell your kids are telling you the truth?

I don't wanna think that my boys concocted a story together to lie about who all the ice cream cones, but something is suspicious.

They blamed their sister. And I did catch her red-handed with one. But then they went on to say that she ate two other ones and that there were four in all (one was still in the box).

They had left over ice cream cone food colored 'stuff' in their molars. Yes, I checked. But they also had waffles for breakfast. Same color.

They are ALL sitting on their beds. I gave them my "evil mommy" eyes and they still both had the same story at the same time. Hhhmmm.

My oldest kept telling me, "I am NOT lying, Mom. Hannah had one in each hand and one in her arm and she kept eating them." His brother kept dancing around the room going, "Yeah, Mom. She ate THREE!!!"

Hhhmmm....

I hate not being able to trust what they say, but they are at the age where lying sounds a whole lot better than getting in trouble. Darn that sinful nature!

Did I mention they are 5 and almost 4? UGH. Are they too young to quote Revelation 21:8 to?

Liars go to hell.

Yeah. They probably are.

Prayers That Go Unanswered

2009-09-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

Or that take a really looooooong time.

Do you thank God for them? Or do you say, "Come on! I really don't see how it can work unless I get it now!" or "It's about time, God!"

I'll be honest and say that I've uttered those words in complete irreverence to God, His sovereignty, and His timing. Frustration gets the best of all of us and I, in particular, am not known for having much patience. (Don't snicker! You know who you are!)

I could write a whole book on the prayers that went seemingly unanswered. Now I see they weren't unanswered. They were a "no." And thank God for the "no's" in my life. But like I said, that could be a whole book...let's focus.

Since looking for a house to move to and the blessings of that story, there have been a whole bunch more minor stories (if there is anything 'minor' about God working and blessings).

One of which, is our air conditioner. It has been broken pretty much all summer long. I know you all have heard me complain about it, so no more complaints. That is not what this post is about.

This is about the praises of our family lifted to God in prayer, rejoicing, and reverence of a God who sees all, knows all, and counts our hairs on our head...or, in our case, the sweat beads on our brow.

This is about a hard-working husband in a stable job.

This is about finding renters for our house.

This is about family nights and scriptures and putting the things we tell our kids they SHOULD do into practice so they can see it lived out.

This is about having a husband who is long-suffering and wise to wait on God to work on our behalf. And is willing to call the warranty company and politely complain every time I called him YELLING about how HOT I was. (Don't pay any attention to Mommy, kids!)

This is about me NOT picking up the phone and cursing at people who are not doing their job the day after I've spent three hours just lying in bed awake...sweating. Because that wouldn't be a good Christian witness. And because my husband told me not to. (Ok, you can look now.)

This is about the blessing of family. They offered their homes, their beds, their money, their food, their condolences. My parents let us stay with them and bought us a portable air conditioner that managed to keep the down-stairs actually livable! Kevin and Brooke...stayed at their house. ALL SIX OF US. And then she even made breakfast. My sister offered her house and was a sounding board and champion in my corner telling me how ticked she is FOR me and willing to call on my behalf. Cindy told me the same thing. Sometimes, that's all you need to hear from someone. My in-laws offered their house, their pool, their babysitting services....

This is about a God who made a way where we saw no way. This is about a God who blessed us abundantly with a house, and then blessed us again with things for our house. And then...again...in taking care of us while we are in the house.

This is about Noah having a school-teacher who goes to our church, taking away my last anxiety over putting him in public school this year.

This is about yard-saling and having a husband who watches our kids so I can spend his hard-earned money. (I told you he was long-suffering.) I'm really saving him money, you know. If I bought this stuff at a store it'd be way more expensive. So I spend five bucks to save $15. See????

This is about getting completely reimbursed for the portable air-conditioning unit when they originally said they would only pay $150.00 of the $440.00 it cost. God knew that the woman helping us was connected to us through a string of past circumstances with friends we've made along the way....we just found out. Today.

If I use my blog for anything, I hope it is to sing the praises of a God who cares, gives talents and blessings, and moves to turn the things Satan would intend for evil to good for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28, Genesis 50:20) So be encouraged! Have patience and know that God is moving, right now, on your behalf.

Even though you don't deserve it. (Ouch. Isn't that always the part that makes you rethink what you think about God's love?)
Even though I don't deserve it.
We never will.

Aaahh...Grace. Aaahh...Mercy.

There are strings being pulled on the puppet that you can't see but...

...it's still making the puppet move.

I LOVE THIS PROJECT!

2009-08-27T12:46:00.000-07:00

God taught me an invaluable lesson through it.
Alright, more than one.
Hey, I'm a teachable person.

Sometimes.

I had stalked (and when I say "stalk," I mean STALK!) a painting at Salvation Army for about a month. It is hu-uge. Like, 52" long and 2.5' wide. Yeah. Huge. Not that I liked the painting that was in it. Hello...you know me better than that! I was really stalking the frame that was around it. Pretty, scalloped corners...begging...BEGGING to be painted.

Oh, the painting was begging to be painted, too. Chalkboard style, baby!

So, I like I said. Stalked it. The price tag was $39.00. Hmm...yup...that would have to wait. I thought about it off and on for some weeks. Every time I'd go in there (don't judge...I only went in there about once a week...) it was still there. Untouched. I think inanimate objects talk to me. Seriously. Is that strange?

Well, lo and behold! Salvation Army was having a 50% off day! Woot! I was thinkin' that since I had thought about it and stalked it so much, that I'd spend $20 on it just for my sanity! And I figured my children would praise me at the heavenly gates since they had taken to saying, "This store AGAIN?" as I dragged them through the doors with a stern look.

So...here I go, right? Register rang it up for $9.00!! At this point, I'm thinking it's my lucky day and get started on it the very next day...

Bam! Boom! Done! Love it!

Even used my stenciling method to monogram it because, really, what DOESN'T get monogrammed at my house? Not much.

Looks...pretty huh?

And then...IT happened. Bam! Boom! Yeah...that's right.

It fell of the wall.

Oh the tears.
Naw...I didn't cry.
But I was close.

Especially when I remembered that I had spent time working on this instead of reading my son a book when he asked. And I thought of how it made me giddy...and then I thought of how temporal that giddiness is when compared with making my kiddos happy.

Now I'm not advocating dropping everything you need to do or even WANT to do for your kids. They definitely need to learn that the world doesn't revolve around them. BUT...would it have hurt me or this project to spend fifteen minutes reading a book? Nope. And since I happen to be kind of stingy with my time already....

Lesson number 1: This was a good reminder to me that the temporal things of this world, I can't take with me.

Lesson number 2: A reminder that God has given me what I have and has gifted me with the blessing of children. Even when I wanna rip my hair out and pull my head off my neck and shove it down the toilet just for some peace and quiet. Ahem.

Lesson number 3: Perspective, people. It was just a $9.00 picture and it was just a piece of decor in my house.

And ya know? It was salvageable. It's fixed and practically glued on the wall so it (hopefully) won't fall off again. I bet you wouldn't even notice if I didn't tell ya.

Yes, I still have those paint samples on the wall. Still deciding.

Hookin' up with Rhoda at Southern Hospitality! Yard sale treasures!
AND Melissa @ 320 Sycamore's A Week of Gift Ideas!

I covered my lamp shades

2009-08-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

huh?

Yeah.

I covered my lamp shades.

What??? I covered my lamp shades.
Those pretty toile lampshades? Yeah.
How could you???? They didn't match.

But now they do! :)

Here's how I did it!
Buy cheap-o fabric at the fabric store. Check.
On sale. Check.
Iron it. You should know me better than that.
Plug in your hot glue gun. Don't look at me like that, just do it.
Spread the fabric on the floor. Check.
Roll your existing lamp over it. Check.
While chalking a line for top and bottom. Oops.
Roll your existing lamp over it...again. Check.

While chalking a line. Check. Whew!

Cut out your half donut looking shape thingy while leaving room for a slight hem. Check.

Hot glue the sucker on! Check.

Not sure how? Here ya go!

I pinched my fabric at every wire to give it a little extra oomph!

I hot glued it at each pinch and then went back and glued the full circle around the top and the bottom of fabric on the under side because my extra hem line let me fold it over the top and bottom of the shade.

After about half way, I got this:
The fabric wasn't following the curve right anymore. I'm sure math wizards could figure it out, but my math prowess ends at 7th grade math team.

Here's what I did instead.

I folded it along what would have been a pinch line anyway until the circle lined up with the shade again and then just carefully cut the excess off. You have to cut it because when you turn the light on, you will see any folded fabric as a shadow.

After that, I ended up with this:
No biggie because when the lamp shade was all done, I used black quilt biding to finish off the upper and lower edges. It covered it perfectly.

When I got the end of the lamp shade, I just folded the other side and glued them together.
Then I went back over all the folds with a glue gun to glue 'em down.
And here it is:
I'm thinkin' it needs a monogram. Of course I do, because I think EVERYTHING needs chalkboard or a monogram!!!!

Visit Kimba today for more DIY'ers!

On another note. It was Noah's first day of school! Look at my big Kindergartner!

I promise...he really WAS excited!

Kids. I tell ya.

Gideon Bibles

2009-08-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

Doesn't everyone have at least one??? We have two...and then two more small Bibles that look like them. Our kiddos like to walk around with them and "go to Bible study" or pretend they are reading them. They have all taken their turns "reading" different stories from them. For a while, Noah was stuck on...what else? The flood and story of Noah. Luke likes to hear about Daniel and the lions den or the fire-y furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (sorry if I mis-spelled them...I don't have time to look it up). At Christmas time, we talk a lot about the Baby Jesus and they "read" about the three wise men.

Today, Hannah laid down next to Isaac and said, "I read, Baby." And then proceeded to open the Bible and start singing "Jesus Loves Me."

Aaaahhhh. My cup runneth over.

And then I had to remind her not to sit on brother.

Oh, the projects I have!

2009-08-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

My computer won't connect to the internet (what is it they say about a plumbers house? It always has a leak? Well, my husband works in computers. 'Nuff said.). *Ahem* So, like I was saying...I'm on hubby's computer and don't have any pictures to show you the projects I've done. And broken. *tears* And done again. All I'm going to say is perspective, people...perspective.

Now that my friend Cindy has a miter saw...there will be more. I'm officially borrowing it from her without her prior knowledge or consent. Really, I'm just jealous she got one before I did.

God love the hubby! He's a busy man...but my internet is getting fixed tonight.

Making a Cozy Home with Cookies

2009-08-11T09:04:00.001-07:00

One of the things that makes me feel right at home at other people's houses are when there are fresh desserts made and set out on the table/counter.
Don't ask me why. Maybe it's because those are my fondest memories I have with my mom. Aprons on, hair pulled back, two towels (one for drying hands, one for drying dishes), flour on the floor, hands stuck in some kind of dough (cookie, bread, crust, etc.) and Christmas carols playing on the record player. Aaaahhh....the comforts of Christmas vacation.

Well, after some family time, Bambi watching and pizza eating, I got a little sentimental and decided to make some cookies. Yes, it's hot here. Yes, I turned the oven on. Yes, I was sweating. Yes. It was worth it.

I don't carry the ingredients to make traditional cookies at our house all the time, but what I usually always have is cake mix. Odd, right? I know. To allrecipes.com I went (they should pay me for this!) and found a cake mix recipe for cookies.

Um...they are to die for! Big, chewy, and oh so good! At least, according to my husband who scarfed down three (three!) and my kiddos who, for the ten seconds it took for them to gobble them up, were completely silent. Bliss.

This mommy knows no joy like hugs and kisses and thank you's!!! And I got it all for doing this:
Cake Mix Cookies VI
2 eggs
1/3c water
1/4c margarine (I used butter)
1c peanut butter
1 (18.25oz) package yellow cake mix
2c chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets.
2. Cream together eggs, water, margarine and peanut butter. Stir in the cake mix and blend well. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet 5 minutes before removing.

I baked mine for 10 minutes but a lot of reviewers thought 12 minutes was better. We like our cookies a bit gooey around here, so 10 was good.

Imagine what you could do with this recipe, though! I think you could easily omit the peanut butter and try instead chocolate cake mix, peanuts, and caramel chips....bet it might resemble a turtle candy! Butterscotch chips...white chocolate chips....almonds...the possibilities are endless...

Enjoy! Go on...get your cookie on!

I ain't too proud...

2009-08-10T09:14:00.001-07:00

...to dumpster dive!!! Oh, baby, baby...

Rhoda's Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality, once again. It's so fun to see what great deals people have gotten, go check them out! (You'll get good ideas, too!)

Me, my sister, my mom, my mom's best friend, and my aunt (and my sweet little man) all went to yard sales on Saturday together. We pretty much made a spectacle of ourselves, but that's pretty normal when you get me, my mom, and my sister together. While looking for our next victim...er....yard sale find, we drove past a neighborhood having their scheduled road-side pick up. My sister was talking to me about something (I can't even remember) and then I saw it.

Like a light pouring from the heavens to highlight it...

I screamed "STOOOOOOOP!!!" It must have jolted her because it took her too long to respond. Long enough that I said "STOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" again before the brakes were hit and I practically fell myself out of the car. By this time, we were both busting up laughing and had caught the attention of the yard saler's across the street. What can I say? I had just found my new telephone/this-is-where-I'm-gonna-hide-that-ugly-phonebook table. Here's my FREE treasure of the weekend:

And it's black. Always bet on black. It was calling to me, I promise you. It said, "Free me from this pile of trash! I want to go to your house and get a fresh coat of paint and these four...yes, FOUR nasty spiders away from me!" Eeeewwww...creepy!!! I think it also cried out for a black and white harlequin drawer and table top, but I'm still interpretting.

I also found a chalkboard with a butterfly design for my daughter's room. Because, you know....you can't have too many chalkboards! I think it was $3. Duh, right?

Then, I found this wreath (it's on the luh-arge side) for $2. "Hello, front door. This is your new friend as soon as Ms. Manners tells me it's not okay to wear white shoes anymore.":
And the steal of my whole life (alright, so that's not true, but I'm a dramatic person so work with me here, peeps) are these lamp bases. You might have to enlarge the picture to truly appreciate them. I was minding my own business, going through Lowe's one day...and I saw these babies (I say "babies" 'cause I got two! Oh yes, I did!). They were originally $44!!! Seriously! Marked down to $24.
Oh, and then marked down AGAIN to $4.97.
$4.97!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you waiving your white hankie and buggin' your eyes out, yet people? 'Cause you really, really should be!

I love the toile lamp shades I found (2 for $3) at another yard sale, but they won't go with my black and white bedding (that doesn't shock you, does it? Found it at Walmart for $50.00! I know! My bedroom is a whole other post, girlies!). Anyway...back to the lampshades. They won't go because they are cream and black and I have deep-rooted issues about that kind of stuff. I really love the toile, though, so I'm on the look-out for black toile with a true white background.

Oh, I also found a silver platter and a Christmas tree hand soap dispenser for the kiddos room when it's that time. It was only a quarter! Was I supposed to pass that up???

I also found something else...but I'm waitin' to show that until I have done to it what I'm a wantin' to do! It was a steal, too and I l.o.v.e. it.

Christmas in July...er, I mean August

2009-08-03T08:53:00.000-07:00

I stayed up waaaaaay too late on Saturday night. But is was worth it! Besides the really good conversation with my sister-in-law, I made myself an apron to kind of match my kitchen!

And what is it about July that makes me long for Christmas? Could be that I am OVER being hot! ;) So, I started Hannah's stocking and am watching Miracle on 34th Street. Over and over and over again. Don't judge me.

Our Entry Way

2009-07-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

My friend Cindy came over yesterday with her two kiddos. It was so much fun and made the morning go by so much faster! Cindy is a great conversationalist. She has become a welcome phone call to have in the middle of the week. Always chipper and always ready with a little sarcastic banter to brighten my day! Hopefully, her and her kiddos can become a great play-date in the middle of the week since she moved so close to me!

While she was here, she commented on my chalkboard frame and asked if I had posted about it yet and that if I hadn't, I should. So, Cindy...here you go.

The large oval is what we're lookin' at here, peeps!
Again, I painted the frame black (98cents at Walmart for the black spray paint) and gave the glass portion several coats of spray chalkboard paint. (At this point in my explanation to Cindy she gasped and said..."Spray chalkboard paint??" and then....I opened up a whole new world to her! LOL!)

Yes, my friends....spray chalkboard paint. Don't believe me? It's at Lowe's. Or Michaels. Or Joanns. (are Joann and Michael friends??) or Home Depot. Or Wallymart! Looksie:
AGH! I know!!!! It's inspiring!

So...I waited for the paint to dry, put the glass back in and the picture because it holds the glass steady...and wrote about five hundred messages on it until I finally settled on "Welcome Home, Daddy!" because by that time, it was time for the hubs to be home. (I've changed it since then...obviously!) I used a plate easel to hold it up and wha-la!
There you have it! Another frame turned chalkboard. OH. And in case you're wondering how addictive that chalkboard business is...I have it in my kitchen, entry way, planning on something for the kiddo's rooms and want one in my breakfast nook. So the answer is very. VERY. addicting.

Here is our whole entry way table. I have the candles (vanilla and baked cookie..yummy!!!) ready for Autumn (it can't come soon enough!) and I swear I have checked that mirror a hundred times. It's level. But apparently, it takes pictures crooked. Hmm...just like me....hhmmm...

See the reflection in the mirror? Apparently, you should have a nice reflection for your mirrors...like a beautiful vignette to look at. Who knew? Well...just about everyone but me, I guess. And you, if this is news to you. You're supposed to be making another picture. So...you know those mirrors I had in my old house that just reflected the blinds. Yeah, not pretty. This is soooo pretty and still reflects indirect light. My flowers are a sorry sort, I know. They are left overs from storage and will just have to do until Autumn comes (and then....oh the pretties I have for there! swooon!). What I'd really like there is some sunflowers. Bright and cheery for the summer. But that will have to wait until they go on clearance...which will be right about when I decide my Autumn decor needs to come out. What can ya do?

So...welcome to our home. This is what you'll see when you walk in....

oh...and toys. Pretty much everywhere. Don't laugh. I'm not kidding. Some day, I'll be out of the toy stage, until then...

Making a cozy home with memories...and keys

2009-07-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

Linkin' up to A Soft Place to Land's DIY day!

I've been blog hopping and ran across a good idea. Keep skeleton keys to remember homes you have lived in...I think it was on the Nester, but now I'm not sure!

Well....remember this ol' lock and key my mom gave me?

Well, I hop, hop, hippity-hopped to Lowe's and bought two more skeleton keys so I could create....this:

I took three frames (painted the two smaller ones black) and wrapped the matting in burlap. Then I used black and white plaid ribbon to frame around the paper with writing. What is written on there are the memories of previous houses/apartment we lived at. The white lines you see are where I erased the addresses. The top small one is our apartment and says:

"Our first apartment shared its space with the rental office. Because of that we did not have to pay for PG&E. We had way too much furniture in such a small space but we were happy to go home to it every day after work. We can remember the adjustment to living together that wasn’t always fun, chicken pot pie, and playing video games that brought out the competitor in us. Despite this, it wasn’t long before the desire to have a house began to take form and the search for something that was all ours took shape."

The lower small frame says:

"Our first real home. Renovations brought life back into a house that had been neglected and made it, once again, a home. Wedding memories turned to home repair and pregnancy memories. We brought all four of our babies back to this home after delivery. First time parents, first steps, first words, and first potty training all happened here. There is a fond memory, a thought, a warm reminder written invisibly on every wall. But seven years later, it was time to say good-bye, at least in part, to our cozy sanctuary."

And the BIG one with the big lock and key says:

"The house that we are hoping to make the memories in that will last us the rest of our lives. We are blessed by God with our four, beautiful children and room to put them all. Family and friends, but mostly faith is our prayer to reside here. May the happiness here be permanent fixtures in our memories and may our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, be at the center of them all. He is the head of our home, the unseen guest at the dinner table, and the silent listener to every conversation. May we bring Him glory and honor in all we do. Amen."

I spaced it so that you could read all of it even though that huge lock is sitting there. I don't think it's any big surprise to any of you that I've had a really hard time letting go of our old house. I think part of it is because there are just sooooo many good memories there. I even am holding on to the bad ones because they all ended up working out for us in the end. God is good. Don't get me wrong, I love our new house and can't wait to make memories here, but it's not the same...yet.

And yes, I realize I didn't finish putting the ribbon border on one of the smaller frames. I ran out. Time to take a shopping trip. Darn. I hate when that happens. :)

Silver-WHERE?

2009-07-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

I had these two shelves, sheeee? (I'm talkin' like Humphry Bogart here, people, work with me.)

And I had a decorative tea pot, sheeeee?

And a green glass....something, sheee?

And some decorative candle holders, sheee?

And it needed to come together, sheeee?

But when it came together, it was missing something 'kitchen-y', sheeee?

So, here's what I did, shweeetharrt.

I took this picture, sheee? (Ok, I'm done with that.)

(hmmm....upside down, but you get the picture...)

and painted it black. (aaaahhhh......) 97 cent spray paint from Wallymart, of course.

Then, I cut two different sized ovals. Thank you, Creative Memories cutting system.

I stuck 'em together with a glue stick, put them back in the frame-without the glass and then rounded up a spoon, knife and fork and used these little puppies to stick them to the paper.
Can't see 'em? GLUE DOTS! They are soooooo cool and come in very handy! Just pull the glue dots off the roll and stick them to the points on the silverware that will touch the paper and carefully, shove them on there. Be sure you have them right where you want them 'cause them glue dots are so awesome, you'll probably rip your paper trying to re-position them. Just sayin'.

Put it all together and what do you got? Bibbidy, bobbity, BOO! (I think I watch too much tv)
I don't have to tell you to overlook the sippies, do I?

That's it! and I love it. If only I can find something else other than that picture there. What do you say?

Here's lookin' at you, kid.

(I couldn't resist)

Check out A Soft Place to Land for other do-it-yourself projects!

All for $20

2009-07-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

It's that time again! Hop on over to Rhoda's over at Southern Hospitality for thrifty finds!

My friend's mom was having a yard sale, so of course I went! I got some stuff that I love and that I can use! (Always a good thing!)

These pots will be so cute at Christmas! 30 cents!!!! And they are BIG. Much bigger than what you are thinking they are. That's my sewing machine RIGHT behind them. No camera tricks here!

This massive "teacup" is so big, you could really use it for chips and fruit! See how small that tape measure is next to it? $3!!!
And this...Oh, be still my heart! This piano seat is just dying to be transformed and used at our breakfast nook table!!! $5!!!
And this lamp...$5!! That beats Goodwill's prices!!
I also bought some books and it brought my total up to $20...and then I headed off to do my moms manicure (and make back the money I just spent).

Top the day off with a night out with girl-friends to celebrate one of them passing her test and becoming a certified RN, and you've got a really good day!

My blog mooo-ved

2009-07-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I figured since we moved, my blog might as well move, too! My posts have become more decorating and craft oriented and this blog name is a little safer for me and the family (because you can never be too safe!). But don't you worry! There will still be plenty of kids and craziness to post about!

My old blog is either going to be private or just deleted...not sure yet...

But thanks for moving with me!!!!

Carrie

The Writing on the Wall

2009-07-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

I've got lettering on my walls in three places.

Here:

and here:

and here:

..and more to come (obsessed much?)....but all my faithful friends (all two of you) want to know "How the heck do you do that???" Never fear...I'm here...and here's a tutorial! It's super easy!

Here's what you need:
a computer
PATIENCE
a printer
an exact-o knife
PATIENCE
cardboard or cutting board
PATIENCE
paint (acrylic or wall paint-both are forgiving if you wipe up mistakes when they happen)
paint brush or sponge brush
a leveler (for real! You don't want to paint a crooked saying-unless you mean for it to be crooked)

Did I mention that you'll need patience? A steady hand doesn't hurt either. Neither does having children that are napping while you do this.

1. Find the saying you want..."bon appetit!" or "Merci!" or any saying like "the family that plays together, stays together" for a game room, a monogram...but my favorites are Bible verses.

2. Spend hours fiddling with it in Word, searching for just the right font and sizes. Keep in mind here that you will be cutting it out, so the more intricate the lettering...the more time it takes to cut it out.You can download free fonts from dafont.com. Mine are 250 and 200 and 100 sized...just to give you an idea. This will mean that your saying will be printed over a number of pages. No biggie, but if you have words you want next to each other, tape the pages together before you cut any excess paper off so you can make sure they are even.

If you have excess paper on the back side (like I did) turn it over and cut it off. It's much easier to cut through one sheet of paper. If it is a stencil you'd like to use over and over again, use card stock when you print it. Regular paper is definitely a one-time job! Front side:
Back side:

3. Once you have your saying cut and pasted together how you want it, I recommend putting it up on your wall and living with it for a while before you do it. That way, you can tweak it and try it in many ways BEFORE you paint it and realize you wished you would have done something different.

4. Now that you know you love it just the way it is, take it down and carefully cut the lettering out. Pay special attention to letters with complete circles in them like "O" and lowercase '"g." You'll need to keep a piece of that letter still attached so that you don't lose it. You can fill in the empty line later by freehand. I stick tape underneath those circles when they are on the wall so that they don't flop down on me.See how it's attached? That's what you'll need to add some tape to so it doesn't fall off the wall while you're painting:

When you put it up on your wall, please, please, please! level the letters! This looked level to me on the wall, but when I put the leveler up on the lettering, it was way off and I bet I would have noticed it as soon as the paper came off. Once it's level, tape it up there. QUICK! Before it's slips and you have to level it all over again!

5. Choose your paint...and then get to painting! Make sure you are painting with the brush or sponge by dabbing straight on the letter. Your brush should be perpindicular or somewhat close. Don't do brush strokes and don't load your brush with tooooo much paint or it will bleed underneath the paper.

6. Once you're done, peel it off. See where the "O" needs to be completed?

I just freehand that little area.

I recommend peeling it off right after you're done because there could be paint that has bled and you'll want to scratch or wipe it off while it's still somewhat wet. I always have to touch up my lettering because I have textured walls, but remember that no one is going to notice a small blemish in the lettering from where they will be looking at it.

See???? Bet you didn't even notice!!!

Wah-La! Beautiful lettering for WAY less than you would have paid for vinyl!

The possibilities really are endless with this! Imagine plates, memo boards, headboards, wall art, windows for holidays....even window treatments like my burlap kitchen valance!

Happy painting!!! And don't forget to show me what you've done!

Burlap???

2009-07-14T15:36:00.000-07:00

(Pssst. It's DIY day at ASPTL! Click on the link to see some crafty goodness!)

Yup. Burlap. Yup, that stuff people wrap around their trees. Why do they do that?

Ok, so I know I got the green and black and white fabric for my curtains but then this happened in my kitchen:

...and all of the sudden, I'm thinkin'...I like the inclusion of of the outdoorsy, brownish, natural stuff. And then it hit me. Ton. Of. Bricks.

Burlap. What would burlap look like as curtains? Would I love it? Would I hate it? How much is burlap? Will hubs kill me if I buy it?

A quick joanns.com search told me that burlap was waaaaaay within our budget. Score. But how would I do it? And more importantly, would I like it?

No sewing. No curtain rod. Just some fabric glue and quilt binding.

Oh, and velcro.

You HEARD ME RIGHT! I used velcro to stick it to my wall. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it! Hehe.

Did I like it?

Well.....at first, no. There was too much brown and frankly, it looked masculine. But I had plans...oh...the plans...

Fleur de lis. Do you love that saying? I say it: Flur deh leeeeeeee with a really thick french accent. Do you love that shape? It means 'flower of the lily." It's French. (Don't tell the hubs)

Well...let's just say that with all the damask fabric and black and white things I have been looking up online...a fleur de lis was bound to pop up.

And now, one has popped up on my burlap kitchen window mistreatment.

It's hard to see it in this picture, but it gives you the feel...see how clean my kitchen is? It never looks like that....'cept for when I was taking this picture...

I {heart} it. Hubs {hearts} that it was only $7 to do. SEVEN DOLLARS! You don't have to gasp...I'll gasp for you!

And then...I think I'm going with this fabric for the back of my cabinets...although, I have yet to try out a harlequin pattern....

And just for good measure:

Ooohhhh.....SQUEEZ-A YOU FACE! (That's what my aunt says!)

I {heart} him too!

You know what I've learned from all of this? I {heart} French Country. And I didn't even know it. And that I {heart} too much. I gotta learn how to really heart a {heart}, you know?

The Mother Load...

2009-07-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

at my mother's house!

I love when my mom does a little bit of cleaning...and then calls me over to pick through the things she is tired of. Thanks to the blog world and new found appreciation for spray paint, I look at things in a much different light. And there's no greater thrifty find when it's FREE.

Cute Southern Living Candle holder. Don't think I'll be painting this one....yet.

I'm planning on a healthy dose of black for this platter:

(Blogger picture up-loader-thingy, why is this cross on its side?) This is staying as is...and going in my guest bathroom.
And some things, you want just because they old sentimental value. Like this miniatures shelf thingy. Mom has all the miniatures that go in it and I remember it as a staple in my childhood home. And since Dad bought them for Mom...well, I'll probably display it just as I remember it.
Not sure what these things are...but I'm sure I can find a purpose for them! (and paint for that gold platter thingy.)
This picture is another memory for me. I always thought it was my Mom. It's not. But I can remember staring at that picture trying to figure out what she was thinking about. The trivet is getting painted...some color....not sure what yet. I loved the grooves in it, though. Eh, we'll see.
This mirror is about 5x5" but the frame is about six inches around it. Interesting. I think I can see my whole nose in the reflection, but that's about it.
This shelf I'm stalking for my laundry room....
Another memory here...but these, I have no problem changing. I just wanted the ovals around my house to soften the harsh lines I have all over of shelves and square or rectangular mirrors.
Love this wire tea pot. It's a candle holder...who knew?? Thinkin' of painting it green....
But my favorite find of the day is this lock. Yes, the lock. The other great thing about shopping at Mom's house is that you find little treasures like this and even though you have missing pieces, you take it anyway because, hey, it's Mom's house and she just. might. find. it.
And she did.
That lock has a small hook on the bottom to house a skeleton key. And she found the key.
I love that woman.

And here's something that I did have to buy, but it was in the $1.50 bin at Walmart. I'm thinkin' of these fabrics to make curtains for my kitchen. At two yards of fabric for under $5...hubby was proud. I even paid with cash....hehe. The color swatch (named Apple Green) is the color I'm going for in the kitchen and I didn't think this fabric was too far off.

Ok...I'm done...finally!

Head on over to Rhoda's place at Southern Hospitality to see what great things other people dug up!

I'm home. But not for long.

2009-07-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

If you are reading my blog today...can you go visit my favorite blogger? Today is his birthday!!

Happy Birthday, Honey!!!!!!

I'm back from a four day stay at my parents house. You know, you never want to over-stay your welcome...and since we'll be back there at least by Saturday...gotta have a couple days of a break. Air conditioner is still broken. 101 today says the weatherman who is not always right but tends to be at least within a five degree marker. Hmph.

But we have a lot to be thankful for! We found renters, we are alive, well, and making do in heat that could DEFINITELY be worse in the Valley. I got married when it was 107, I'm sure I can handle this. At least, that's what I've been telling myself.

So, my day has consisted of:

Ice cream.

Water.

Ice.

Cold showers.

And a PROJECT! (You knew if I was back at home I was doing something, right?)

So, I'm sure if you have your nose ANYWHERE in blogworld, you've seen Uppercase Living or something like it. L.O.V.E. I.T. The great thing is, you can go on their website and get samples of quotes they sell...and then do.it.yourself. (With the help of a computer, printer, and exacto knife, of course.) And save yourself quite a bit of money!

The hubs has me on "spending lockdown" so this has forced my creative hand a bit. And with at least likeable results, I think:

How much do I love those windows next to my door? Go on, ask me how much...'cause I really, really love them. As in: XOXOXOXOXO love.

Here's a closer picture:

Anybody have wording around their house that they just love? I'm trying to think of something creative for the kitchen...that is in a language I can understand! :)

UPDATE: Pssst.....today(as in Thursday) is DIY day at A Soft Place to Land...go check her out!

Easy-peasy crafts

2009-06-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

So, I realized that with all these (alright, just two) "L's" around our house (staircase, plate in kitchen) that I didn't have anything signifying our faith up in our house and I was beginning to feel a bit narcissistic. It wasn't for a lack of trying, though. The perfect place for a cross or scripture hasn't made itself known to me, yet.

Until I was thinkin' about those black plates. You know...the ones in the previous post that you can't hardly see?

Well, I took me to Michael's (alright I took me, Big, Bigger, Little, and Shrimpy-otherwise known as my kids) and found this laser cut cross...painted it and hot-glued it to my other black plate. I love me some black plates.

That's better. My hubs graciously got some ink for our printer, so the wheels in my head are turning in regards to scripture. I take the scripture that says to write God's Word on your posts and lentils seriously, people.

Here's my other craft.

Don't let it's simplicity fool you....it really took me about an hour.

But it was well worth the effort!

Kitchen cabinets: Done. For now.

2009-06-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

What do you think? (No, I haven't done the dishes....I'm sure you don't mind!)

Before:

After:

I actually left FOUR doors off (you can't see the others from the front but they are right next to the other 'non-doored' cabinets). I'm debating if I like it like that and then if I decide that I do, I'll put glass in the doors. From where I walk down in the morning to make coffee and greet my day, I love the four cabinets open...even though it's not symmetrical when you see it from the living room. Would you leave it like that? I'm looking for some black/white scrapbook paper to put behind the dishes and decor there and am also toying with accent colors.

And here are two dilemmas:
My biggest question is: If you were a black/white kitchen...what color would you want your walls/accent color? Keep in mind that the main wall with the window shares space with the breakfast nook AND the family room so I'd have to be able to carry the color into those rooms. I tend to decorate with red, green, yellow, and a little blue. In our old house, they were darker colors and I'm thinking I might wanna brighten it up a bit...what say you?
AND...
Would you leave the doors off?

Here's my view when I walk down in the morning. Can you tell I'm trying to find colors?

Those black plates on the wall were a garage sale find. For a buck I brought home floral plates with pretty scalloped edges and painted them black. The top one, I painted an "L" on. The bottom one is still undecided. (Oh my gosh...my sink is so full! That's one half day with four kids, peeps!)

Now that I see the pictures, I'm thinkin' the blue has definitely got to go. Still like the yellow, but I don't like any pictures I've seen of yellow walls with black and white kitchens. At least not with a brighter yellow.

Anyway...what do you think? What should I do?

Oh...here's what I caught Trouble Maker #2 doing:

Yeah, putting toys on his lamp blades from the top bunk. Who KNEW?

Shock and Awe!

2009-06-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

A new post!

I know...where do I find the time, right? Well...I steal it. ;) The real trick is not stalking everyone else's blogs and realizing I just took an hour to do it!

Remember those hideous gold thingies that I was gonna put in my dining room in the last post?

Well, I painted them black (can we say INSTANT improvement?) but here's where they ended up:

Someone suggested it in the original Goodwill post and I LOVE the way they turned out. The third one is above the master bedroom door. These are the two kiddo bedroom doors. It works out perfectly and blends in nicely with the downstairs since you can see all three bedroom doors from the entry way. So, whoever suggested it...hey, thanks!

I'm never moving again.

2009-06-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

At least, that's the plan.

You know what moving does for you? It makes you willing to get rid of all those things you've been holding on to, like, FOREVER, for those 'what if' moments that never come anyway. (If only hubby could learn that lesson with his high school-yes, HIGH SCHOOL-curriculum books.)

I'd love to show you pictures, but you'd only see boxes to your left...and boxes to your right. (Stand up, sit down, fight! fight! fight!)

I do have a couple major projects in the works. Now that the dead mouse under the dishwasher is gone along with the remains of one of his family members, and the roach eggs, dead roaches, mouse poo, and some things that I can't even find a name for that I just call nasty goop-are gone from the kitchen and bathroom areas, I can start working on them. I'm doing a family rules canvas for our breakfast nook (as soon as B&B-otherwise known as Becky and Brooke-get their booties moving too!), painting kitchen cabinets (OH MY GOSH! What a difference!), and caulking every little crevice I see that could potentially invite a bug into my house. Did I mention that we had belly up (read: dead) cock-roaches showing up in rooms every morning for about five days? Yeah. My daughter managed to grab one, yank its body apart and hubs thinks she might have ate some of it. Yummy.

That being said...we have internet! Yay! And DVR again! Yay! SYTYCD is calling my name!

K...gotta get back to work...which really means get dressed and get the kids over to pictures which I managed to forget to do in April for my two April babies! Pictures will come soon, I promise!

Goodwill is my new best friend.

2009-05-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

Fur Real. I technically didn't do yard sales for her (Southern Hospitality) thrifty post...but I figured it was close enough!

Check out these beauties!
What? You don't think they are pretty? Imagine them with black spray paint...up on the wall by my dining room table....in the new house.

See? Can you see it??? NICE. Still no? Yeah. My sis wasn't too excited about these either.

But she will be. She. Will. Be.

And then she'll be SO irritated that I bought them despite her gnarled lip and furrowing brow.

I also scored a jingle bell wreath (have been wanting and stalking them for YEARS-$2), a lazy susan (that needs some paint and mod podge-$3), this cute table for baby girl's room (it will be painted, of course-$8)
See that cute doll changing table? My sis scored that for Hannah's birthday. $6!

And these:
Oh, how I love them!!! They were randomly placed through the store and I was so excited to keep finding yet another canister...and then another...and then the oil and vinegar jars! AGH! I believe I got all of them for $12. They will greatly aid me in my quest for organizing AND talking hubby in to leaving a few cabinet doors off in our kitchen.

And not to forget the reason I was able to score these deals....Hubby let me have all day yesterday to play with my sis and go shopping. We hit two Goodwills, Sonic Burger (for drinks), and Joann's. I had to buy jute for a project and black enamel paint for this:

PROJECT! love it!! 75% off at Joann's because of one corner that's broken...but fixable! Can't wait to do it....but it will have to wait until we move.

What is the one down-fall of scoring all these deals yesterday? Hubs would say, "It's the money." No, Honey!

I have to pack it all.

Minor detail.

Here's my mom, me, and my sister on Mother's day:

Apparently, great minds think alike, because we ALL wore green. Must be genetic.

Thanks for a great day, Husband! And thanks for going with me, Sis!

I need a little pick me up.

2009-04-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

There, that's better!

Wanna know what the devil looks like?

2009-03-24T15:48:00.000-07:00

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