sleepy babies are allowed to stay up as late as they can on Friday nights. always interesting to see what time they come out and ASK to be put to bed:). Philly is always first. Niamh is a trooper and sucks every moment out of her Friday nights:).
they both eventually just drop:). and mommy gets to sleep in with her snuggled babies on a rainy Saturday morning. it was lovely:).
Church on Sunday. Grandmom and Pop's house after. i even stole some deer meat from my dad's simmering pot-- and now phil has a special lunch today:). (and i had to put zero effort into this one. nice:).
sunday afternoon my sister's and i did a photoshoot for our girlfriends. they are sisters, not twins:). and so pretty. sister one (me) took photos. sister two (Becca) posed, directed, and applied make-up. sister three (Jen, who is also almost 9 months pregnant) cracked jokes and laughed at everything i said. (you gotta love having a laugher around...just makes everything so much fun:).
it was muddy.
and we were on property we didn't own.
and me and Becca were carrying (yes, carrying) the two pretty chicks over the muddy spots. in our church clothes.
think we need to do more photo shoots. think i laughed for two hours straight...
and ended up with pretty pics to boot:).
hope your weekend was filled with fun and laughter. and maybe even a nap and a nice snuggle with kiddies:).
Hello!! I have a fun craft to share with you all today. I've seen these large glass Christmas ornaments sold at the craft store for the last couple years during this time of year....and always wanted to try and do a pretty ornament with them. But, I didn't want to do the sparkly/paint Christmas balls...because we already have a ba-jillion of those:). Here is what I came up with:)...
Okay. For starters, here are the supplies you need. The balls were sold in a set of four/ 6.99 (i think:). You will also need two-sided tape, scissors, needle and thread, pretty ribbon, and a cute image. I chose Baby Cakes for this one and colored her in Christmas colors:). I'm going to give it to my little sister who is due at the end of November with a sweet baby girl! Baby's First Christmas ornament:)...(Yes, I'm trying to beat everyone else to it, so I can give her the first one=). Alternate images for a baby's first Christmas can be found here and here.
Print your image normal. Then flip it, printing the mirror image. Color it up super pretty!:)
Add two-sided tape and attach the two images back to back. (Now, no matter how the ball turns, the image will be the same:)
Thread the string through the top of your image.
Pull the two ends of thread through the top of the ornament. And knot.
Without creasing the image, kind of roll it in a little and stick it down into the ball. (You should choose a thin image...not a wide one for this reason.) The paper should pop back open pretty good once it is through the opening.
You are almost ready to hang your new ornament! The last thing you need to do is attach a pretty ribbon and some raffia (or a hook) to hang it with. And then...
...You have a pretty, handmade Christmas ornament!! I'm going to make a bunch and use them for the little gifts that pop up as Christmas draws closer...the ones I don't really want to spend too much money on, but still want to show the person we care and are thinking of them:). Like teacher's gifts! Here is the one I made for Niamhy's teacher:). Cute, huh!?!
I am linking this post to the blog hop/party hosted by some of my favorite bloggers! You can check out their awesome fall party here!! Link up yourself!! I can't wait to get me a cup of warm apple cider in the morning and go visit the other links! And, if you are here from the hop, please say hi!! Love to meet cha:)!!
The other day, I was driving in the truck and thinking up different projects I want to give a go...And I started thinking about that feeling of just wanting to create something. You know, I've got drawers filled with my 'creations'... some I keep tucked away for a future day. For the perfect time to give to the perfect person. Other things, well...they sit because I just don't know what else to do with them. Sometimes I try a new craft, love it, and then look back and really don't feel the same about it at all. Same thing can happen with my artwork. I use to feel bad...and maybe a little bummed about my proto-types or faded passions...but I've come to realize that they serve a good purpose. Everything I have attempted, tried, failed at, or moved on from...all those crafts and projects were a little stepping stone on the way to the creativity I feel right now--the projects I'm excited about at this moment. And the projects get a little better each time. I learn a little more with each one. And then my dreams get even bigger, too:). I'm glad I get that feeling of wanting to make something almost on a daily basis. It is never a waste to sit and create a piece of artwork or a new craft project.
It is the same for everything that requires passion and a desire to make something...whether you are a musician. or a writer. singer. baker. an artist. or even someone who has the gift of hospitality. It kinda just wells up inside until you can get an hour or two to create. Give life to your ideas. Make something beautiful just for the sake of creating-- totally independent of anything or anyone else. I love how God has given us that inner desire!
So this outfit verges on too girly for me:)...had to bounce out all that pink and fluff with some black tights and combat-esque boots:). Still wasn't sure if I was feeling it...until I got a package in the mail late in the day that added that extra touch of toughness that I like:). Take a peek...(And look at that beautiful packaging!! Prettiest I've ever seen!!)
I almost died when I opened it!! An up-cycled Cash tee-- now a totally awesome handbag!:) Phil was outside and I literally ran out of the house waving my new handmade bag at him:). I really need to be invited to a fun indie-music-cafe-marketplace-type thing, people:)...I just can't waste this awesome gift on the supermarket, ya know:)?
Who made this crazy-awesome piece?? One of my most cherished blog readers, Mel:). (I really love this chic!:). And you HAVE to go check out her blog (one of my very favorites in the whole bloggy world!:)! It is filled with the most unique and precious handmade gifts/crafts you could ever find! She is a true artist and a daily inspiration! Her family is sweet and she is so lovely, inside and out! Oh. And like-- hysterical! I never visit her blog and leave without laughing out loud:). If you want to treat yourself to a *truly beautiful* blog read, hop over to Needle and Nest Design...and add her to your daily dose of everything creative!!:)...BTW, this was her thank-you to me for winning one of my giveaway totes!!...how sweet is that!?!
Hello all! I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all the girls who left lovely, heart-warming comments about my guest post on Casey's blog. I really enjoyed reading through all your insightful, encouraging thoughts! It is so fun to meet new readers, and I'm so thankful you guys took the time to say hello! I hope you will continue to find my blog a place for encouragement and friendship!
Because some of you are new readers, I thought I'd share a little about what I do. For the last year and a half, I have worked from home. I started selling artwork on Etsy April 2010...and that sort of morphed into designing digital stamps. I opened my second Etsy store this fall (September 2nd was the first day I listed items)...and I've barely caught a breath since opening!!:) I really love being involved in the crafting community; everyday I am inspired by other crafty, artistic women. It is a true joy! And it has allowed me to be at home with my husband and children...which I am so very thankful for!!
Here are some of my characters colored in for projects and fun little gifts...
They are a little quirky-- big eyes and most of the time puffy lips...and I like big feet, too:) LOL...I don't know why, but my character's feet tend to be a little over-emphasized:). You can check out more designs by clicking the link to my shop.
In other news...I've been MIA since Sunday. I didn't feel great this weekend. Just off. And then Philly was sent home from school yesterday with a sore throat and a fever. For some reason, he can go from totally great to super sick in a very short time. He seemed pretty good all afternoon after I brought him home. He chatted up the doctor (who also said he did not seem sick at all:)...And then last night he went down hill again:(. Ended up with 103 degree fever. So I wrapped him like a mummy in cold paper towels (something I find is really effective in bringing down fevers...and is a slightly better option than a chilly bath)...poor guy. We were both up until almost 4am. But, thankfully, avoided a hospital visit. (I go to the ER when fevers hit 104. I just get way too nervous.)
He is feeling much better today. He's such an easy going kiddo. And the sweetest, too. He didn't want me to give him a kiss last night because he was afraid I'd get sick:). I told him I'll take me chances. How can I not kiss that kid...wrapped up like the cutest mummy ever??:)
Hope you all have a lovely day...Thanks for stopping by:)xo
Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.
You are just a vapor that appears for a little while
and then vanishes away.
James 4:14
In high school, I had a teacher that would give extra credit if we observed certain stars/planets in the night sky. It isn’t too hard to walk outside at 8:30 at night-- so why extra credit you wonder? Well, most of the star clusters or planets we had to find seemed to make their way into my night sky in the wee morning hours. I woke up that year so many times between the hours of 2 and 4am to get extra credit. Although, the extra credit wasn’t the whole reason. Probably not even the biggest reason. (I didn’t need extra credit in science. It was kinda my thing)…
The mornings were cold. I’d roll out of my cozy bed and pull on my sneaks. And with my eyes half open, head outside. To stand in my nightgown. Freezing. And looking very chic. (sneakers and nightgowns are so lovely together, you know). I’d find my star or planet. I got good at it. My mom and dad even bought me a star gazing book for Christmas. (said book is in my living room now. i’m a little attached to it). But, after I’d done the homework part, I’d just stand. Under the night sky. Silence. And I’d think how small I must be.
You know, light travels fast. I mean, that is pretty much general knowledge. This speed is approximately 186,282 miles per second. And despite that speed, I’d stand in my yard and wonder what time I was viewing a star’s light from. The universe is so huge, I could be seeing the light emitted by a star years ago. Like thousands and thousands of years ago. It made the night sky seem so far beyond what my brain could handle. And it made God feel even bigger than that. And to a girl in a tiny town, shivering in her pajamas, and not really seeing any further than science class that afternoon…well, that was a feeling that scared me. It terrified me. It thrilled me. And I loved it.
Fast forward a bunch of years (okay. not a bunch. i’d prefer 'handful'), and the kids and I sing this song most mornings on the way to school…Take a listen. Because it is really beautiful.
The Bright and Morning Star. It makes my eyes burn a little with tears each morning we listen to it. Venus is called the Morning Star (also, the Evening Star), because you can view it low in the sky right before the sun comes up (or goes down). I think it is the third brightest light in our sky, after the sun and moon. And it was my favorite ‘extra credit’ assignment. It is so beautiful and bright. And the song brings back that feeling of being in complete amazement of my Creator. The same thing I felt standing in my yard.
You know, I never really liked the Bible verse that likened my life to a vapor. It kinda bummed me out actually. I mean, I want to be important. Remembered. I want to be big. Leave an impact. And a vapor. Seriously, Lord?? It didn’t leave me with a happy feeling. But, I think I was missing the point.
When you spread out everything before you. Your family history. The history you learned in school. The pages of all the science books you’ve had to study. The world that went before you. The world that will go on without you someday. The night sky. And a verse that tells you your life is like a vapor….you probably will feel pretty tiny. A lot like a vapor. A fading flower. A moment.
The point is not to take the wind out of our sails. It isn’t to pop our dream bubbles. It isn’t really to make us feel insignificant. Or just to prove how tiny we are.
The verse is revealing howbig God’s love is for us.
That He even listens to my prayers baffles me. That He holds this chick in the same hands that created the stars…that is kind of…well, BIG. I am important to Him. My struggles and triumphs, they matter. It’s this feeling that still terrifies, scares, thrills me.
The things we did as kids…sometimes we just gotta go back for a second. Be simple and open and ready, like little kids are. Trust like a child. Believe in possibilities. Feel small-- but important. Feel treasured.
Here is a cute idea for the sweetest trick-or-treat goody bags on the block. They are so cute, the kids might be reluctant to rip them open and eat the candies inside. Okay. That's a long shot;), but still...I think they would make cute party favors or school treats, too!...Take a look.
Here is what you need...
Wrap your candy in a plastic bag.
Cut your paper bag into two squares *big enough to fit your candy in with a little extra room!*
Sew up three sides.
Slide the candy into your bag.
Sew up your last side:).
oh. And don't forget the back of your bag!!:)
Isn't it fun!?!
Hey-- and it could totally be a project for this challenge:)...
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! I think I like it even more than Thanksgiving!! It's just so fun-- the kids look so forward to costumes and treats!! My family always tries to do some type of Halloween party for the adults. Well. We are all really still kids;)...but this year, my sister is throwing a party for the real kiddies in the family:) instead. I was thinking of some fun treats to giveaway to cousins and extended family...and here are my 5 favorites from browsing online:). So cute and fun-- puts me in the trick-or-treating spirit!!
So, my favorite?? It has to be the last one! I love how gross but cute they are!! And, with a gas stove, this would be pretty simple and easy to make (I'd want my marshmallows a little crispy on the ends:)! I also like the candy corn parfaits...These ones were made with a cheesecake mousse, but I think pudding or cake layers would work just as good! They look so fun for a kids party!!
What are your Halloween plans this year?? Any fun traditions?? Share!! xoxo
I believe in letting my children develop their own personal style.
I do pick outfits out most days...but sometimes they dress themselves. And sometimes they take the clothes I give them and add their own personal touch.
Like when Philly put his clothes on for church today. Sweater first. Thermal second. (I had to fix this personal touch...it was church after all:). And I am pretty sure he didn't get socks on before we left. Just sneaks.
And we have walked through stores with Niamh's face painted green (she went through a huge Wizard of Oz phase).
Pajamas have been street clothes. Especially the long, frilly princess ones. Niamh loves a gown. And a good twirl. For all to see.
I love when they are confident in their choice of clothing. Niamh feels pretty in her nightgowns. And Philly is happy to stuff his sweater into a thermal:). As shy as I am, I've always been one to wear what I like. So what if people don't get me. If it makes me feel happy, I'm gonna wear it. It makes me happy that both of them are the same way.
And so far, the kid's choices have worked out pretty good. Because people in the stores smile at me...with a look that says, "how cute, they dressed themselves."
But I've never had to swallow my mommy pride and walk around with a growling werewolf. Until yesterday.
Yesterday people didn't really give me the 'awww, that's sweet' look. Initially, they jumped. And looked rather scared. And then gave me the Really? eyes. Yes, fellow Target shoppers. He really wanted to be a warewolf yesterday. And he is the sweetest wolfie I ever met:). Sure, he needed to be told not to growl here and there throughout the afternoon...but he is all bark and no bite. I assure you:).
I'm not sure if you can tell from the photo, but Niamh has on these super big circle glasses. They totally look like Harry Potter ones. So I called her Harriet all day:). Harriet Potter and a werewolf. And I was wearing no makeup and messy workout clothes. We were a ragged bunch if there ever was one, but we got some good giggles out of it:).
