2011 February

West Elm Inspired Mercury Glass!

February 16, 2011 2 Comments

Ok, I love, love, LOVE West Elm! They have the best ideas in the backgrounds of their photos. Their furniture is a little too modern sometimes for my taste, but I really love the overall “look” of their items.

Here is my latest West Elm crush:

Yep, Mercury Glass! LOVE it!

So I began thinking about how I could create the “look” without the price!

Then I scoured the Internet for ways to create that Mercury Glass and found this awesome tutorial by Maryann over at Domestically Speaking!

Of course, I went to the trusty old Dollar Store (I really should buy stock in that store!) and found this glass vase. Then I gathered all of my materials:

After a few minutes, I ended up with this:

And here it is in use:

Another awesomely cheap knockoff that looks very similar to the “real thing!”

Filed Under: Decorating, Dollar Store, KnockOff

The Boy’s Got…

February 15, 2011 1 Comment

Talent!

Cliff made this fab necklace for me at Preschool last week:

Isn’t it awesome?!

I love how he randomly strung the beads on. No pattern. Just whatever bead he happened to grab!

I like it this way. Random. Made with love. It’s Perfect.

I will cherish this forever!

Filed Under: The Boy

I Love…

February 14, 2011 Leave a Comment

I Love Him

and I Love Him

and I Love Her

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Go Tell Someone You LOVE Them!

Filed Under: Holidays

So Blessed!

February 13, 2011 3 Comments

My family is so blessed to be apart of an amazing Church Family! If it weren’t for the strength and love from our Church Family, we could not have endured all of the trials and tribulations we have been through in the past three years. This week I was so surprised when my grandmother called me in tears because the head of the Children’s Ministry wrote the most beautiful article in this week’s News Letter. The timing of her call was PERFECT. I was about to totally lose my cool with Cliff and Harper. We were leaving the grocery store and Cliff was HORRIBLE.

Picture this: Harper will not sit down in the buggy (even though I tightened the straps as tight as they would go) so I had to hold onto her while pushing the buggy around. She did not want me to hold onto her so she was screeching like a wild monkey and swatting at my hand. Cliff was in the front of the buggy opening E.V.E.R.Y. single item I placed in the cart. He dumped strawberries out everywhere and when I tried to talk to him about his inappropriate behavior he yelled “Ouch! Don’t hurt me!” (I was not even touching him….). So I was “that” mother who could not control the two wild beasts in my cart…

Then came the phone call from Nonnie and my whole attitude was changed. She could not read me the article because she was so choked up (we are a bunch cry babies in our family) but she told me it was beautiful and I had to go home and read it. From the second I heard Nonnie’s voice and the few words she could get out, my attitude changed and I was no longer that frazzled i-am-about-to-lose-my-mind mother anymore. Isn’t it so awesome how God can change your outlook on a whole day in one second?!

Then I went home, unloaded the groceries, put the babies down for their naps and sat down at the computer and read this article by Mimi Brookshire:

Good News & Great Ideas for Spiritual Living

By Mimi Brookshire

Determination

and our part in

God’s big story

The Children’s Ministry at Shandon is filled with some of the most

awesome “

fun watching each one of them as they grow up, envisioning what

God has planned for their future. In Children’s Ministry, we love to

share with the children stories of great Bible heroes and how God

used them. It provides us with an opportunity to help our children

understand that God has an incredible purpose for each of them,

too. Everyone of them is a part of God’s Big Story.

During the month of January, we studied determination and what

God’s Word teaches us about it. The children learned the value of

finishing the difficult tasks they started. God has given us some

great examples of this in the Bible. We have talked about the

plagues, the 40 years in the desert, Israel’s history, Paul’s sufferings,

and Paul’s advice to Timothy. As we discussed the Bible stories, we

asked the children to share with us what is going on in their own

lives that requires determination. We delved into a great verse, ”

us keep on running the race marked out for us,

kids shared their determination plan for being successful in school,

listening to their moms and dads, getting along with their siblings,

reading better, working through family problems, improving

basketball skills, and many things that seem so grown up for little

people.

Our Shandon kiddos are such an inspiration. Some have big things

that require determination and others have smaller things in their

lives to work on. As we studied determination in the month of

January, one of my three-year-old Shandon friends stood out in

my mind each week. He is working on big things in his life. He has

a medical issue that has not allowed him to walk until now. A few

months ago, God provided a way for him to have a special surgery

so that he could walk. He has endured an unimaginable amount

of therapy and practice. He has much more intense therapy and

practice to go, but his determination is truly amazing. During hard

times, he remains determined because he wants to walk like his

friends. In my opinion, the most impressive thing about my little

three-year-old friend is his attitude. Even at three, he prays and asks

God to help him stay determined. He thanks his friends for praying

for him. He smiles and shows such kindness and enthusiasm for life.

This child is a typical three-year old who shows determination as

only seen in someone who trusts God. He is following the example

of those unbelievable Bible heroes we talked about in Sunday

school. I cannot wait to see the plan God has for his life, because I

know it is going to be something special.

As usual, the kiddos of Shandon have taught me incredible lessons.

When I miss days in my Bible reading… I can be determined to

start again, even if it is hard. When I think I can’t work through sin

in my life… I can be determined and trust God to help me. When

I stay determined… God grows me. When I am determined… the

blessings are greater than I ever expected. When I have a God

attitude… I can do it! Stay determined in 2011 to be who God wants you to be!

kiddos.” They never cease to amaze me! I have so muchLet” Hebrews 12:1. The

Wow!

I wiped the tears that were running down my cheeks then I prayed that God would help me be a better mother to these little ones that He blessed Ross and I with. I woke Cliff up and apologized for not having enough patience with him today and held him tight. He is a miracle and I need to remember that even when he is acting like a wild animal! This article is just what I needed to read. Thank you Mimi for all that you do and have done to accommodate Cliff. Thank you for touching the lives of each and every child who is apart of our wonderful Church. You are setting the foundation for them to live their lives in according to God’s word and grow to be Godly people. Thank each and every person who has and continues to pray for Cliff and our family. The love and support from each of you is unbelievable and means more to us than words could ever express. We are so very blessed. God is so wonderful and works in our lives in so many ways.

Filed Under: Faith, The Boy

Valentine’s Day Party!

February 12, 2011 3 Comments

Yesterday we went to a Valentine’s Day Play date at Jill’s house! She is one of my besties (yes, I sound like I am in elementary school… she does that to me!)! She has two of the sweetest, cutest boys on this planet! Cliff is so lucky to have TWO best friends (He was born right between Jill’s two boys) and they have all known each other since birth! Her boys are so amazing with Cliff and do not see his disability, they just see Cliff, which I love.

Jill made the best heart shaped brownies:

Isn’t this so cute?!

She decorated the dining room table with all sorts of Valentine’s Day goodies!

I made these yummy heart shaped cookies topped with strawberries:

They boys played so well together and did some crafts:

And Harper held her own with all of these boys:

Jill made heart shaped PBJ’s, cubed cheese, strawberries and chips! They gobbled it up!

Harper loved sitting at the table like a “big” girl! She is growing up too fast….

Hope you have a happy Valentine’s Day!

Filed Under: Friends, Holidays, Playdate, The Boy, The Girl

Spring/Summer Fabric!

February 11, 2011 6 Comments

It has been soooo cold down here lately… and I am sooo ready for some warmth! So I thought I would share with you some eye candy that is sure to warm you up!
Can you remember the warmth and happiness of Spring?! No?!

Then look at this:

Now I bet you can!

I am soo ready to cut all of this fabric up and create some super fab outfits for Harper and Cliff (don’t worry… no pink for Cliff, just the swordfish fabric!)!

Filed Under: Random, Sewing

Coo Coo over TuTu’s!

February 10, 2011 2 Comments

Now that Harper can stand on her own and take a few steps, I have been making her Tutu’s! When I dreamed of having a little girl, all I could think about was her wearing tutu’s and huge bows while toddling around! I think they are super sweet and so much fun! Many of you wanted to know if I made the Tutu that Harper wore to her first birthday party and the answer is “Of course I did!” I know there are 5 Bazillion (is that a number?) Tutu tutorials out there, but I want to share with you how I make mine!

All you need is Tulle, scissors, elastic, cardboard (the length you want your Tutu), Ribbons (if you want it to be extra fancy!) and a sewing machine.

Measure your little one’s waist and then sew the ends of the elastic together. (Harper’s waist is about 14 inches)

Next take your spools of tulle and wrap the tulle around the cardboard until all of the spool is empty. Like this:

See? This is what it will look like then you are done with the first spool.

Then cut ONE end of the tulle.

Repeat with all of the spools of tulle. (I used two hot pink spools and two green with glitter spools)

I put the elastic around my thigh. Stack THREE sheets of tulle on top of each other. Fold the tulle in half to create a loop and then slide the middle (folded) part under the elastic:

Take the ends of the tool and fold them over the elastic and through the loop:

Pull the ends of the elastic to tighten the loop (make sure not to pull too tight or else it will fold and twist the elastic):

Repeat the last three steps over and over and over until all of the elastic is covered:

Then you have a cute tutu! But that’s a little plain for my taste…

Then I add ribbon the same way I put the tulle on the elastic. But it still needs a little “something” to make it super cute, so I take individual pieces of the tulle and tie little knots at all different lengths in each piece. Sometimes I tie two knots on one piece of tulle! This is not a science and does not have to be “perfect” just have fun with it!

Grab your super cute little princess and proudly display the fabulous tutu you just made!

Love it!

All I can say is fabulous!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Uncategorized

My two Favorite things…

February 9, 2011 1 Comment

to drink right now are…

a Protein Shake everyday for my mid morning snack:

And every afternoon while I am blogging / crafting I sip a mug full of Hot Honey Lemon Water (actually, I have one right here with me now!):

I know you all are dying to know how I make them so I’ll be a sweetie and share with you!

Protein Shake:

One Banana

Ice

1 Scoop Whey Protein Powder

Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt (I prefer Oikos or Fage)

Milled Flax seed

Strawberries

Water (to make it not sooo thick) – You could also use skim milk.

I don’t have time for measurements so I just throw the ingredients into my blender, turn that bad boy on and ~~slowly sip and enjoy~~ inhale my shake while running around, picking up after the Tasmanian Devil (aka Harper) or trying to make sure Cliff doesn’t ram his walker into every wall, door, piece of furniture in my house, or his sister… His favorite thing to do now it “crash” his walker into everything…

What were we talking about?!

Oh yea, the Hot Honey Lemon Water:

Very Hot Water

1 Tbsp of Honey

1 Lemon Wedge

Stir the honey and lemon into hot water and enjoy!

I actually do get to sip and enjoy this because I drink it during nap time! And it is sooo good!

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Random, Recipe

I "Dig" You!

February 8, 2011 7 Comments

This year I wanted something unique and “candy-less” for Cliff to take to his friends in his pre-school class on Valentine’s day. And I came across the PERFECT thing:

This story begins when my trusty old Silhouette cut these tags out:

…And then I slapped them onto these cute pails that came from Walmart for 75 cents a pop!

Yep. Super cutie, right?!

Nooooo candy, but these sure can hold a bunch of goodies that Cliff and his sweet friends are sure to receive on Valentine’s Day!

Filed Under: Holidays, The Boy

"Homeschool"

February 7, 2011 1 Comment

Cliff goes to Pre School two days a week, 3 hours per day. He missed over 2 months of school because of his surgery and I have noticed that he is a little behind all of the other children in his class (writing, colors, letters, numbers, etc). Now that I think about it, Cliff being “behind” academically makes perfect sense because for three years all we have focused on are his gross motor skills! Cliff also has seven hours a week of therapies so finding time to work with him on his colors, numbers, letters, etc is kind o fa challenge for me. Cliff’s OT recommended we start with 2 – 30 minute “homeschool” sessions on the days Cliff is not in Pre School. Cliff is very bright and I don’t want to make it sound like he is not brilliant (because he is!), but I want to make sure he has the basics down so that he can have a strong foundation to build his education on. I thought it would be fun to share with you what we do each week at home!

I work with Cliff on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Like I said, we are starting out with 2 – 30 minute sessions and will slowly work on Cliff’s attention span in order to lengthen each session.

Week 1:

Letter – A (capital only – straight lines)

Color - Red (look through magazines and cut out all red items. Glue onto red paper)

Color a page of an apple, wagon, tomato with red crayon or marker.

Look around the house for Red items.

Shape – Basic Line.

Draw straight lines on the Dry-Erase Board in Red. (vertical and horizontal)

Song – Little Red Wagon
Red snacks – Apple, Tomato, Strawberries, Red Grapes, Red Bell Pepper.

I am learning the best way to work with Cliff as we go. So this will take a little trial and error. Hopefully I will soon find how he learns best so that I can teach him in a way that he understands. Please let me know if you homeschool your little ones and if so, how do you teach them?!