Wishing For Time...

You know it has been a while since you blogged when you had to try 3 different passwords to get into blogger. Wow.

So these days I have about zero time for "fun". I would love to add about 6 more hours to the day.

I have lots of time for breaking up fights between the kids, cooking, cleaning, organizing, Bible time, playing and reading with my babies..... but ZERO time for fun.

So today I am just here to say hi. I hope you had a GREAT Christmas. We did :-) It was busy, but fun. Lula Mae really got into the story of Jesus this year and that made me so happy. Jayce is really enjoying having new toys to play with. I for one am ready for January!

I will be back in 2012! Enjoy the rest of 2011 everyone!

They Should Really Warn You About This In The Baby Books

*Warning.... this post is GROSS! I wish I was exaggerating, but I am so not. If you have the slightest weak stomach you may want to click that little x in the corner and come visit me another day. If you are offended by the word "poop" you may also want to follow the folks with the weak stomachs. You have been warned.*


There are things they baby books tell you, things you will never need to know. And then there are things that they should put in the baby books. Like how about the fact that kids will, if given the opportunity, play in their...ugh... poop. My daughter never once did anything of the sort. Ever! So, is it just a boy thing???? Are you ready for this people... I mean, take a deep breath and prepare yourself....


Nap time was over so I headed to the kids room to get them up, like always. As I hit Jayce's room the smell hit me like a ton of bricks. "Oh great, he hates being changed right away. This will be a fun battle to start the afternoon with.... ugh...", and I preceded to open his door.


People, what I saw when I turned the light on was worse than something out of a horror movie.


If you are eating.... do me a favor and put the food away. If you are even drinking.... you may want to put that down too....



"Oh my word Jayce... is that... is that....


oh my goodness.... it IS!!!! It's POOOOOOOOP!!!"


"Oh Jayce it is all over the crib! It's all over the outside of the crib! Oh Jayce!"


"Look at your hands! JAYCE!!!! (gagging begins.) Oh this is bad! This is really REALLY bad!"


"Ahhhh! Look at your shirt! Wait, no don't touch me! Ewwwwww (gagging way more) please just don't touch me. Ummmm let me run a bath! Yeah a bath...."


"Oh your hands son! Look at your hands! YOUR FACE!!!!"


(nearly vomiting now) "Baby it is all over your FACE!!!! Jayce what in the world were you thinking! Oh my word!"


"Don't look at me with that innocent face! You have it in your nose... it's in your ears... all over your eyes.... oh honey you didn't eat it did you? (gagging profusely) Come on, lets get in the tub and try to scrub you down."

Yes folks. That.Just.Happened. I wish I was kidding. It took me like half and hour in the tub trying to scrub all the dried poop off of him. Even after his bath with lots and LOTS of soap his hands still smelled like poop. Totally gross! It took nearly a roll of paper towels to get the crib clean and I had to wash EVERYTHING in the crib. And now, Jayce is not allowed to wear anything other than zipper pajamas during nap. It is basically number one rule in the Bell house right now because quite frankly I can't deal with all this again. I would have appreciated reading THAT page in a parenting book AT SOME POINT IN TIME so that I could have prepared myself.
Is it bad that I am praying for more girls? I mean.... can you blame me... I'm scarred. *shivers*

Switching Gears

Jayce's blood results are in. We have a few answers. We also still have questions.

Peanut allergy is positive, we will be avoiding it for 2 years and revisiting it to see if he outgrows this. There is a chance he will out grow it and that gives me hope. Until then he travels with an epipen wherever he goes.

Guess what came back perfect? The marker for gluten intolerance.

Our first test showed it was our culprit for his skin rashes, reflux and failure to thrive. So we switched to a gluten free diet and within days we saw improvements. Within weeks we had weight gain. We felt like we found out what was wrong. Then we ended up at the allergist having tests run on several major allergens and it felt like we switched gears.

The blood work showed egg as a big factor in Jayce. But no gluten. So why the change? Can the gluten free diet have skewed the results? Nope. Could the first test have been wrong? I doubt that.

I am looking at this as a healing. I know you could look at this as a case of misdiagnosis, but I am not. I think God took it away from Jayce. I think He heard our pleads and cries and my begging and took it away. I am counting this as a blessing and praising Him for it.

So now we are putting Jayce back on gluten and keeping him on a strict egg free diet. We will watch and see. Because that is our life with Jayce... watch and see. Wait.... wait.... and wait some more.

After a month of an egg free diet we will be heading back to the allergist to see what we think the next step is. If we have improvement, we will assume we have our ducks in a row... for the time being. If we don't see improvement we will more than likely be heading to the pediatric GI for a further test on the gluten intolerance. It is a possibility that the egg allergy and gluten intolerance are factors, but for now we are leaving that to God. He is taking care of Jayce and in His time we will have answers.

Keep praying for my little man. I can't wait until I can tell him we know how to help him feel better!


I will not be taking my gluten free tab off of my blog because I still think all that I learned could help someone out there.

Christmas Fabric Wreath

I have really been busy making things these past few weeks. I go through phases where I just love doing projects and this is one of them. First I want to show you my fabric wreath that I made. All you need is a cut up pizza box and some fabric.


Trace your bowl and cut out a wreath shape.


Next I took a long scrap of white fabric to wrap around the cardboard ring first to give it some fullness.

After a few times of wrapping the fabric around I secured the fabric with a dot of hot glue. I went around the wreath twice with my white fabric because I had plenty and I wanted a nice full wreath.


Then, when I was done with the white fabric, I started with my Christmas fabric, using that same method.

And here is my finished project! I took some of my left over fabric and made a bow to tie on as well. You could really have fun with this project, making it all your own! Easy!

Oh and I made a table runner to match it.... and a hanging ball thingy to hang off the light fixture... I may have gotten out of control.... what can I say, I am finally hosting Christmas and I want it to look nice. The good news is I am not spending a fortune on pre-made decorations!

Christmas Card Holder

In this house I realized we really don't have anywhere to really "set out" all of our Christmas cards this year. So I did some searching and found a quick, simple and frugal card holder I could make. Here is what I made!




I took one sheet of foam board, 1/2 yard Christmas fabric, Christmas ribbon and quilting tacks. I used packing tape to do the entire project, but a glue gun would have worked too. It was a very easy project!

*Cut out the tree form
*Cover tree in fabric (tightly)
*Crisscross the ribbon on the tree (tightly)
*Insert tacks at each crossing
*I also flipped it over after inserting the tacks and covered all the exposed tacks with a swatch of fabric, securing it with tape.

Ta-da! Done! How easy! I also thought it would have been neat to leave the foam board in a rectangular shape and made it look like a giant gift instead of a tree. No cutting the board then so that is an even easier option. I would say get some big fat ribbon to make a big bow for the top if you make it that way. Cute, cute, cute!

Who is feeling crafty?

A Great Christmas Book

I wanted to find a good book to really explain Christmas on a 3 year old level. Now, understand that I don't mean a book about the birth of Jesus, we have tons of those.... something different. There are soooo many books out there about Santa and trees and presents and elves.... too many honestly. Well, I found one that is GREAT!!!

It is short and very easy to read, which is great for younger ones. It talks about lots of typical Christmas things [Santa, presents, Christmas plays, candy canes, elves, etc.] but then explains the true meaning of Christmas. It talks about how fun all the other things can be, but how the real reason for Christmas is Jesus. I love the illustrations and colors of this story too. This book really gets right to the point in a very cute way.

We have quite a few books about the birth of Jesus and I think they are wonderful and very important, but this book is a great companion to any of those! This one focuses on all the things that bombard our little ones around the holidays. I want my kids to know that all of those things are okay, but that we need to focus on what Christmas is really about.

This book would make a great stocking stuffer! Check it out here.

My Little Man

Jayce is 19 months old now. Where has the time gone?

He is trying to be more vocal but he is still hard to understand on a lot of what he says.

He is ALL boy... loves to climb, loves to wrestle, loves to be messy... 100% boy for

sure. Although he does still enjoy wearing Lula Mae's tutu ;-)

I swear he is still mad that we took his paci away at 12 months. He finds this chicken leg everyday and sucks on it like a paci.... sigh.... get over it dear boy, you ain't getting that paci back.

We took him for his skin allergy test on Monday. We found out that he has an egg sensitivity (no big deal, it just causes a red rash if it touches his skin but does not affect him when he eats it) and he is allergic to peanuts.

This is what his skin does when he gets egg on it. Not pretty, but I'm glad it isn't a full blown allergy.

We now have epipens. I guess they do make me feel a bit more at ease. Being that he is 100% boy there is no telling what food he may get into without us knowing. At least we know with the epipen he is safer.

He is getting a little pit of fat on him! Getting a little chubby! Yay for his body healing so he can retain nutrition from food! Praise God!

After his skin test we were sent to have a bit of blood work done. I took Jayce myself and Charlie spent some quality time with Lula Mae. I expected the worst taking him alone to have blood taken. I was more than surprised at his reaction. Have you ever experienced peace beyond understanding before? Well, now I have. I held him in my lad and pulled his sleeve up. The amazingly sweet nurse wrapped the truncate around his tiny arm and felt for his vein. He watched her so intensely, never wiggling or whining. Then she told me to get ready and hold him tight. I held his little arm in place and put my mouth up to his ear. I began praying for him. He sat there, needle in his arm, with not so much as a quiver or whimper. Never once did he make a sound or flinch away. His breathing did not even change. It was so unbelievable! The nurse was so amazed at Jayce and just could not stop laughing. She told Jayce he was her best patient ever :-) That day is something I will never forget. He is my big strong boy!

So that is what is going on with Jayce right now. We are starting to figure out his little puzzle and are well on our way to making him healthy. God is taking such good care of Jayce!

Thanks to all of you who have prayed and are praying for Jayce. It means a lot to us!

Random Junk I Need To Unload (In Blog Form)

Well, I am back! We have a desktop computer now! Can I say.... I MISSED YOU ALL!!! Even though I missed you all terribly, my little hiatis was so nice. It showed me where my priorities were messed up. It showed me what amount of internet time is "necessary" and what about of time is just wasteful and downright crazy. I have made a much better picture of what my priorities are and plan on sticking to that from now on. So as much as I missed you... I need to miss you.... ya' know?

Moving on...

Have I told you that HEATHER IS PREGNANT??? I mean I know some of my followers follow her as well, but some of you don't and if you have been reading my blog at all you know Heather and Eric's story. Well I am happy to report that she is almost 15 weeks and doing amazing. I mean, she is dealing with normal yucky pregnancy things but she is doing it will such joy! She is asking me lots of crazy questions and I am LOVING it!!! They will be finding out what it is in a few weeks so stay tuned!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Our December calendar looks like the holidays threw up all over it. We have so much going on that I am pretty excited for January to get here. I love Christmas but not the busyness of it. Way too stressful to be enjoyable.

EVERYONE at our church is getting pregnant. I am refusing to drink the water at church at this point..... no really. I hope God gives us more babies.... but right now I am enjoying my 2 little ones. So for now, I am sticking with bottled water and skipping the water fountain.

I have tons of craft posts for you that I am excited about! Get ready to be inspired!

Beware of a future post with the title "Poop Boy". It's going to graphic. It's going to be so gross you can smell is through your computer. It's going to contain the word "poop".... a lot. Weak stomaches beware.

My brain is all over the place trying to get my pictures and financial files over onto this new computer. I'm not allowing myself to get sucked into the computer though... in time it will all get done.

Happy Wednesday guys! I promise I will get caught up on your blogs soon. Although it seems like some of you wrote like a bazillion posts so it may take me a while!

Something To Ponder

God is the only one knows the depths of your heart and He loves you anyway.
blows.my.mind.

Do you love your children that way?

As parents may our prayer be that we have as much love and compassion for our children that our Heavenly Father has for us.

Our Loss

Right now we are grieving the loss of our dear laptop. It will be deeply missed by Charlie and myself. Any one want to make a donation for the replacement? No? Well, can't hurt to ask right. Right now I am concerned about getting my pictures and videos and financial record off of my poor dead computer. Sorry if I am a bit sporadic with my comments, but I am getting on line when and where I can. I have so many great posts to share with you but no way right now. Sigh. Oh well, if this is all I have to complain about I guess I can't truly complain. Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Enjoy all that black Friday shopping.... I think we will be joining the chaos this year to look for a new computer. Oh what fun..... not! See ya' when I see ya'!

Normal Life

I keep trying to find time to blog, time like I usually have to blog. The truth is, when Charlie is away for training "time to blog" kinda goes out the window. When you have to be Mommy and Daddy it is obvious that things on my to do list are not going to get done. When I have to pick between laundry and blogging.... as much as I would rather blog.... I have to pick laundry. So right now I am very focused on life. Perhaps a little too focused. Too focused on things I think are important, and not focused on having some fun with my kids. My work load is just maxed right now so I have a hard time allowing myself to slack off. Want a whirlwind of an update? Here we go!

*Jayce weighs 20 pounds!!!!! He had an 18 month check up yesterday and he finally hit 20 pounds. Not only that, he is back on the growth curve! Granted he is in the 1st percentile, but hey that is way better than being not in the percentile at all! He goes for his allergy test soon so I will let you know what we find out there. I am hoping to find out that there is not an actual peanut allergy and it is just a skin sensitivity issue. Time will tell. Oh and yesterday the child decided to try talking! He still is only saying a few words, but in just one day he doubled his vocabulary!

*Lula Mae is writing her name, along with lots of other simple words. She loves writing! I also counted up how many memory verse she has now and she is up to 20! My 3 year old can recite 20 bible verses! How is that possible???? She mastered simple subtraction about a week ago and is now on to reading an analog clock. She can already read a digital clock, which I can say is pretty helpful to me! So basically, the child is learning, learning, learning! Lord may she please keep this love for knowledge!

*I have been praying about what to do about our budget for a while now. It is rough folks. Rough! Well rough in a very American view I guess. We are still so much wealthier than some people in the world. I have to remind myself that there are people who live off of WAY less than we do and are so much more joyful. Jesus needs to be enough for us! Regardless our budget needs a makeover so that we can be better stewards for the money that He has given us. I am thinking of starting the envelope system in January. Any tips on that?

*I am going to take a trip to Florida with my mother, aunt and daughter. Not a vacation really, but a trip to see family. I am excited to get away with Lula Mae. We need some one on one time.

I have been peeking at your blogs here and there when I get a free moment, but I will catch up with all of you when I return from Florida. I miss you all and am ready to be just Mommy again. Playing both roles is beyond tiring!

Where Is That Light At The End?

I feel like I am stuck in a tunnel and just can't seem to see that beam of light that assures you the end is coming.

I feel like everything I am doing with my kids is wrong and is doing more damage than good.

My kids are tough right now. Tough is putting it lightly.

I'm not saying they are out of control and horrible. They are just tough.

Every stage of parenting has its ups and downs. Right now BOTH my kids are in a down.

I can't lie... it's not fun. I feel like I am about to lose it. Like, really really lose it. You know?

There are times I have to remind myself that they love me. It stinks to have to remind yourself that you children love you.

I don't have the kind of kids who just come over to me begging to be held and loved.

I have two kids who know Mommy is going to meet there needs in life... and that seems to be enough for them.

Not for me.

I want my babies to be sad when I leave the house. I want them to (every now and then) want to be held and snuggled for no reason other than they love me.

Someone tell me what I am doing wrong?

Parenting is not easy, I know that. I just want to feel like I am doing a good job and the way they are acting these days, I just don't. Not even close.

There is so much pressure to be a good parent. I want to be a good parent. I want to be a godly example to my children, but I am so broken. I am the worst example for them to see and I feel so guilty for that. They deserve so much better.

This post is for me. To clear my head and get some of this off of my mind so I can focus. No need to pity party with me on this. Sometimes getting problems and worries out is the first step to dealing with them head on. I'm desperately trying to deal with this.

Tie Onesie And Tangle Spray

So Charlie has been gone for about a week and I am trying to find things to do to keep myself from going nuts! I have been recycling tons of things around my house to help with the before mentioned issue. Today I made Jayce a pillow case out of an old changing table cover and it turned out great! Why buy fabric when there are tons of reusable things around the house?

After that I made my own tangle spray for Lula Mae. With her curly hair it is a must! I took my old empty bottle of tangle spray and gave it a good rinse. Then I filled it up with water and added two small squirts of conditioner. After giving it a good shake it was ready to go. Just that easy!


The last thing I made tonight was a cute little onesie for Jayce. I took an old t-shirt and made a tie with some of the scraps. I sewed them on and ta-da, an outfit perfect for my handsome boy! I can't wait for him to wear it to church on Sunday!

Later this month I am going to tackle recovering the dining room chairs, if the budget allows. Quality fabric is not cheap and I do feel like I need good quality fabric for this job. I will be sure to post pictures when I get around to that!

Confessions....

Confession #1: When Charlie is away I have trouble getting out of bed.

Confession #2: I thought I took my shampoo to the gym today but I took Charlies shampoo instead. It's a body wash shampoo combo. Now I smell like a man.

Confession #3: Every time I get a whiff of my hair it makes me happy because it smells like Charlie.

Confession #4: When Charlie is gone it shows me how much I take him for granted. Distance really does make the heart grow fonder.

Confession #5: I can't stop thinking about Oreo cookies. Why does junk food taste so good?

Confession #6: When I am alone I notice how incredibly weak I am. Charlie being gone makes me see how much I need God.

Confession #7: I'm going to get a couple of Oreo's....

Confession #8: Jayce can say only a few words. He "talks" A LOT, but words are not so clear. He says two words perfectly..... mine and no ..... yep, it's just great fun hearing those two words all.day.long.

Kitchen Makeover

When we bought this house, we knew the kitchen would eventually need to be... gutted basically. I'm not kidding when I tell you I have stayed in hotels with bigger kitchens. One bedroom apartments have more counter space! However Charlie and I are both good at seeing potential. We saw potential all over the yard, all over the playroom... and most importantly, all over the kitchen. Gutting our kitchen is going to be a big project, financially and work wise. That project is probably a good 3 to 5 years down the road. Knowing that I will have to live with my one person kitchen is not so bad, it is much more than some people have and I am grateful for it. Can you remember the kitchen when we moved in?




Yes, the cabinets are purple along with the knobs. The tile around the top is orange and the decorative tiles have different herbs and spices on them. The boarder has grapes all over it. It was a very specific design, but it did not fit our style at all. Also the crazy mini fridge microwave combo thing made for a very awkward set up. Those closet doors? That is the pantry.

Interested in seeing how it looks now, at least part of it I guess... please excuse the horrible lighting....


I made this shadow box thanks to Hobby Lobby. Charlie and I took a Disney behind the scene tour and got a special key pin. So I displayed that and our name tags from the tour, paired with a Disney sticker. Ta-da Disney shadow box!


On our last trip to Disney I picked up these post cards for a dollar or so. Then I grabbed some dollar framed and hung them up. Disney art for a fraction of the cost of actual Disney art.


Last I hung up my Mickey Mouse oven mitts. Adorable right? I know! I also painted the tile white. Much more fitting I think. Did you know you could paint tile? I paid roughly $8.00 for the can of paint where as new tile would have cost much, much more!


My last detail was the small Mickey head stickers on the nail heads. They are my hidden Mickeys ;-)

The cabinets are also white again, the knobs are nickle, the weird mini fridge is gone, the regular fridge is there now.... all these little changes have really made me enjoy my kitchen much, much more.

Letters Of Intent

Today is FRIDAY!!!! And guess who is off today? My Hubster! We have been getting a few things done before he leaves. It is a BEAUTIFUL day and we are trying to enjoy time together before we have to live apart for a month. sigh. Oh it isn't as bad as I make it out to be. He will get the weekends off which will be wonderful, but still.... those nights alone are just not fun. Plus, the kids really miss him and it is hard for me to be Mommy and Daddy for them. Well enough of my rambling and onto some letters of intent! Be sure to visit Julie for more letters!



Dear Daughter,

I know you think it is cool that the truck you saw had on a "pizza hat"... but I am a tad bit offended that you want me to have one on my van. You are my job. Your brother is my job. Our home is my job. Not so sure I have much free time to be wearing that "pizza hat" too. Just saying.

Love,

Your Mom Who Is Busy Enough Without You Trying To Find Me A Job

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Dear Allergist,

I have a right to be nervous about bringing my baby to you. You are about to run a very extensive test on my child. The child that I carried for 9 months praying that he would be healthy and not need visits to people like you. Be nice to me, but more importantly, be nice to my baby. Please have answers for us.

Sincerely,

The Nervous Mommy

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Dear Insomnia,

You are like that kid that gets picked last for kick ball. You stink and everybody knows it. No one wants you on their team. This girl is kicking you off the team. Take a hike!

Best Regards,

Exhausted

Dear Goodness I Just Can't Stop!

I just can't stop crafting! Everyone out there in bloggy land has given me the bug! Lately I have been working on fabric flowers. I want to use them to embellish some pillows for the playroom so I need to practice them. To practice them I decided I would make a few headbands. Here is the first one I made.


My technique was not that great on this one, plus I made it bigger than expected.


To make the band I cut my fabric strips and braided them. I left the ends long so that it could be tied and worn that way. Then I attached the flower to the band.


Here is the thing.... I don't accessorize. Like, at all. If I am going to wear earrings I have to put them on and then not look at myself in the mirror. So when I saw this big thing on my head I was just not happy. I was happy with the headband, just not on me. So I gave it to my sister, because she is someone who accessorizes.

So here is my latest flower. It is much neater and my technique is better. I made it smaller because I did want a headband for myself. This time I took a headband and wrapped it with my fabric, securing it with hot glue. Lastly I attached my flower.



This one is much more my size. I am pretty happy with how this one turned out! Plus the orange is very fall :-)


People, if you stand still too long at my house I just may turn your shirt into a fabric flower then use your pants to make you a headband with it!

Letters Of Intent

Friday..... FRIDAY!!! I'm pretty glad it is Friday because it has been a wild ride around here! I need a weekend. At any rate, Friday means Letters Of Intent so here we go! Go link up with Julie and join the fun.



Dear Hobby Lobby,

I'm super excited that you have graced our tiny town with your presence. However, I need you to be less.... how can I say this.... less..... amazing. Really, the ideas that you give me are just driving me nuts! Maybe I need to let one of my kids make a huge scene and then I could get banned from you? hmmmm.....

Love,

The One With A Small Budget

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Dear Craft Bug,

Is there a medication I can take to make you go away? You are worse then any flu, worse than any head cold, worse than any sinus infection. You are not draining me physically.... but financially.... well that is a horse of a different color! I'm hurting and I need you to STOP! Thankyouverymuch.

Sincerely,

Hating You And Loving You At The Same Time

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Dear Jayce,

Seriously son, a reaction to peanut butter? Are you kidding me? I love you dear but please tell me this is the LAST thing you are ever going to be allergic to for the rest of your life? I'm begging you! You are a sweet, cute baby but man oh man are you high maintenance. Oh and by the way, Daddy can call your tu-tu a "kilt" all day long.... but someday when I show these pictures to your fiance I don't know how well that story will hold up. Just saying.

Love,

Your Worried And Very Tired Mommy

18 Months And Counting.... Thing 2

My little boy is nearing the 18 month mark.... can you believe that??? My goodness is that possible??? A week or so ago I noticed some pretty rough behavior from Jayce. I knew he was still teething a molar, but this was different. I just couldn't figure out why he was throwing so many random fits and testing so many limits.

Then Charlie said... "Don't you remember what Lula Mae was like at 18 months?"

I was confused. What in the world did 18 months have anything to do with it? Hes just a baby. Oh dear......

HE IS ALMOST 18 MONTHS OLD!!!!!

Lula Mae was harder at 18 months old than any other age. Literally. So right now we are there with Jayce. We are in the midst of what is one of the hardest stages of parenting in our house. We don't back down, God didn't call parents to back down. Our kids probably think we are too tough, but we are here to lead them and teach them. The fits over nothing are hard, but the giggles and smiles are worth it. He is trying to be more verbal so we are spending lots of time helping him with that. Still, fits happen.... crying over nothing happens.... screaming out of frustration happens.... and we just stay strong. This too shall pass. And if he is anything like Lula Mae from about 25 months old until 38 months old are much smoother sailing. I can't say too much for 38 months and on because Lula Mae has been tough lately.... sigh....

Right now consistency is key. We have to be consistent so he knows what is expected and what the consequences are for certain things. This may be an up hill battle, but it is not one that Charlie and I are willing to just give up on. Our kids mean too much to us to let them "win" certain battles.

Anyone else tired? ;-)

Wordless Wednesday: Monkey See Monkey Do!

Monkey See...

Monkey Do...

But not without a little help from Daddy and his #1 helper ;-)

Yes, Jayce is wearing a tu-tu.... don't judge us!

DIY Bow Holder From Clay In His Hands

A few days ago my friend Sarah from Clay In His Hands posted a great DIY project. Not only is it a DIY project but it is one most people can do for little to no money spent! How great is that? Anyway, let me show you what I made, thanks to Sarah :-)


I started with an old picture frame (that I already had)


Then I spray painted it white (with spray paint I already had)


Then I wanted to go buy some ribbon. Instead I thought "what would Sarah do?" and well Sarah is one of the most frugal people around and she would dig and dig and dig in her craft box and find any ribbon and be content with it. So I did. I dug and dug and dug. And I found some ribbon!


Well I found some ribbon and rickrack. And magically they are perfect for Lula Mae's Disney room!


After my frame dried I placed my ribbon and got my glue gun ready.


I used an old coaster to help me secure the ribbon snugly to the frame.


This is my finished product! The ribbon was not perfectly straight, but that is the beauty of homemade.


Lula Mae has a few bows.... we like bows okay.... even when we hang out in our footie pajamas we like bows....


And it wouldn't be me if I didn't throw in a crazy amy-trying-to-be-artsy-photo :-)

This project cost me nothing and I am really pleased with it. Sarah is quite the crafty one and can always do it while pinching her pennies. I love that she finally pushed me to do a project!

I have a birthday gift I am going to be working on soon and I can't wait to share it with you too! How awesome are homemade gifts?!

Letters Of Intent

Today is FRIDAY!!! Are you excited? Well then you must not have a husband who will be at drill all weekend :-/ I'm glad the week is over, but I don't have much of a weekend to speak of. Can't complain though.... and if I did it wouldn't help anything. Julie is the host of this link up, but I am not sure if she will have any letters up today. I am linking up with her in spirit... until I notice if she has anything posted :-)



Dear Fall,

I don't say this often but.... you smell amazing!

Love,

Taking Deep Breaths

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Dear Onlookers,

I know my son shrieks at the top of his lungs at a pitch that can most accurately be described as "blood curtailing". Trust me, I know he sounds like an injured elephant. I hear it all.day.long.every.single.day.non.stop. I am aware that loud kids in a store is not fun for other shoppers but giving me and my kids dirty looks isn't going to change anything! Would you rather me stay locked in my house until he turns 7 or 8 years old? He is going to scream no matter where we are, no matter what we are doing, no matter what I do to try and stop him..... sorry. Keep your nasty looks, loud whispered comments, pointing and huffing and puffing to yourself! I am doing my best.

Sincerely,

"That" Mom Who Can't Stand Being Looked Down On

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Dear Christmas,

I see you trying to sneak up. You stay right there! Don't you move on step closer! Not yet! I want to enjoy fall before you come! I know the stores are already gearing up for you but I am not. You hold your horses.

Love,

The Girl Who Loves You But Doesn't Want To Miss Fall