Wolfe Pack

"The Not So Road Less Traveled"

2012-02-02T21:19:00.000-08:00

I have felt so overwhelmed with emotion for the past day. For months now I have felt alone. I have felt great pain with every pregnancy announcement, baby shower invitation, weekly facebook updates with belly photos and all, births.... etc. In no way did I not feel happy for whoever it was that was announcing, updating, celebrating, and birthing. I just wanted it to be me too.

After posting on facebook last night about FertilAide many friends commented and sent me messages about their own struggles with becoming pregnant. Here I thought that I was all alone. Alone on the road less traveled because everyone else around me seemed to be on the other road- The crowded one, the fertile one. While I wish so badly that these friends, many who have been trying so much longer than I and some who haven't had the opportunity to mother at all, did not have to be on this painful road, I feel strengthened to know that I am not alone. I feel like I can keep going. That if more months bring more negative tests I will somehow be ok. And so I just wanted these friends to know how grateful I am that they were so willing to open up to me about something that is so incredibly painful. I am sure we have all asked ourselves: What is wrong with me? Do I not deserve a baby? What am I doing wrong in my life? Does God not love me enough to give me a baby? But I know that we do deserve this. That God does love us. And He is grateful that we desire such a righteous thing. Because He knows that being a mother is no easy thing. It is the hardest thing I think women are blessed to do on this Earth.

Many may not understand what I am feeling because I already have one child. People often say, you know you can get pregnant, carry, and birth a baby so why are you so worried. And they are right. I do know that. I do know why I feel so worried- time. I hate time. It makes me so uncomfortable. I measure everything against time. And so much time has gone by. If I would have gotten pregnant as fast as I did with Jack I would be holding a baby in my arms by now. Every month I check the calendar. If I am pregnant this month I will be 16 weeks when school breaks for summer. I will be 24 weeks when school begins again. I will be due in... etc. etc. etc. Can you see why I hate time. And then there are those who think I should feel satisfied because I already have a child. As if me wanting more children makes me less grateful for the one I already have. What is always so ironic to me is that the people who would say this to me usually have a handful of children themselves. I wanted to just say well then why didn't you just stop at one? Wasn't your first born enough for you? But you see it's not that at all. I simply want to mother. I want to have as many children as I possibly can have. If I actually can't have any more children will I be happy with my one? Of course. Will the longing for more subside? Perhaps in time it will.

Simply said... I just want to mother. I have wanted to my whole life. I only ever imagined having a large family. My entire life I imagined something different than what is in front of me. Maybe this is why it is so difficult. Life is just so hard sometimes. There really is no explanation other than this is mortality. And mortality is full of pain and trial. But it is also full of joy and blessings. And I am holding out strong for those.

So to those of you who are traveling on this road with me please know that I am praying for you.

Update

2012-01-23T19:45:00.000-08:00

Please excuse what will seem like my own personal pity party below... Here is an update on what's been going on in our lives!

1. Our family was in a car accident 2 days after Christmas while on vacation in Utah... our first day of vacation to be exact. Long story short... it was our fault, our car was totaled, I was taken by ambulance along with the driver of the other car, the passenger in the other car, an 81 year old woman, was taken by helicopter to Las Vegas, we prayed and fasted the lady would be ok, we got a new Dodge Journey and a new car payment :(, we got a letter letting us know that we could possibly be sued for our assets. That's where we stand with that.

2. As most of you know we have been trying for a baby for a while, a long while. I had some strange bleeding for a couple months so decided to make a doctors appointment. My OB said that he just thought it was dips in my hormones that were causing me to spot throughout the month. Then last week I started bleeding more than usual. So I went to see my family doctor and she found a lesion on my cervix. So, time will tell what that means... trauma, cyst, abnormal cells, cervical cancer? Obviously, I am still not pregnant.

3. I took Jack to his 2 year check up today. The doctor is concerned about the growth of Jack's head. He feels that it grew too much since his 18 month check up. I asked him what this could mean and his reply was, "it can indicate a lot of rare conditions". So he said he wants to wait 3 months to see how much it grows. HE WANTS TO WAIT 3 MONTHS. That means 3 long months of worry for me. If his head is still growing too fast, the doctor will order a CT Scan which will require Jackson to be put under. Have any of you gone through this with your child/children. If so, please share! It might help calm my nerves.

So all in all, I have been a freakin' basket case lately. When it rains it pours right? Well I am waiting for the sunshine and rainbows. They should be showing up really soon shouldn't they?
So please keep us in your prayers. We sure could use them. Especially pray that Jack just has a large head and that there isn't anything wrong with my sweet boy.

Valentine's Day Subway Art

2012-01-21T14:14:00.000-08:00

Yes people I am still alive. So much has been going on lately, but I will save that for another post. Since we are living at home with Sam's parents right now I haven't really been into crafting. Today I got home from the temple and felt the need to create something. So now I am sharing it with all of you! Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner I decided to go with the ever so easy subway art. It makes a great decoration. Click on the picture below. It will be opened in a new window. From there right click on the picture and hit save as. You can print it as large as 16x20. I always print my subway art at Costco! Enjoy!

Cruelty at Its Finest!

2011-10-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

So folks I was late this month (and still am)... My hopes were so high. But much to no avail it is still a negative. I decided to go for the old fashion pregnancy test this time- 1 line not pregnant, 2 lines pregnant. The results were quick and immediate. It kinda felt like the pain you feel when you quickly rip off a band-aid. Unlike the digital test which is more like taking a band-aid of slowly. I don't know which I prefer because in the end the pain in my heart was still the same. I gave myself a 5 minute ugly cry moment. (Have you ever stood in front of a mirror during an ugly cry? It actually isn't a bad idea because when you see just how ugly you look you will probably stop crying sooner!) I must admit that I felt a little lingering anger as I drove to work. But for the most part, I felt I handled it somewhat well.

I find this to be the "cruelist" (which is not a word outside of my world) joke mother nature has ever played on me!!!! In fact the joke is continuing on.... since I still haven't started. The craziest part of all is this lingering hope that I have that maybe just maybe I actually could be pregnant. But when I actually think about it I know I am not, and so another month begins. Please just let this vicious and depressing cycle break sometime soon!!!

31 Wreath

2011-10-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

I totally took the easy way out on this one and copied a wreath I did for Christmas last year! This is super easy. It took me a little less than 2 hours from start to finish! (Perfect craft while your baby naps!) All you need is a foam or straw wreath foam, sewing pins, about six 12x12 scrapbook pages, a paper slicer, and a bone folder. Take your 12x12 papers and cut them into 1/2 " x 12" pieces. Once you have a whole bundle of strips in all different patterns take the bone folder and curl the paper. Once you have a ton a curly papers stick a pin through the middle and stick it into your wreath form. Continue until the whole wreath is full. I worked on one section at a time. Add embellishments as desired. I remembered a ribbon wreath that Jen from Tatertots and Jello did for Halloween one year and she added the numbers 31 to it and I just loved it, so that is who I copied it from!!! Enjoy.

And just in case you are wondering why I am taking a picture of the wreath on a rocking chair it's because I have the worst lighting on my front door where my wreath is currently hanging. I chose to keep this one inside since it is a paper wreath.

BOO Blocks

2011-10-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

These are for my mom. I love them! I want to make a set for myself!!! I decided to make a Halloween Wreath too! I don't know why I do this to myself so stay tuned!

Halloween Advent Calendar

2011-10-08T13:58:00.001-07:00

Since I am back working again I haven't been able to do as many crafts as I would like to. But I was committed to getting at least one thing done for Halloween. I knew I wanted it to be a good one and I am so happy with the way it turned out. I decided to do an advent calendar for Halloween. I LOVED my Christmas one, but wanted to do something different for Halloween. Instead of using a cookie sheet I decided to use wood. I bought an 11x14 piece of wood from JoAnns. It was $9.99 but I used a coupon and got it for 5 bucks! I painted the board black and then picked two coordinating scrapbook papers and mod podged them on the wood. My orange paper at the top and bottom are both 3 inches wide. The black designed paper in the the middle is 7 inches. I inked the edges of the paper and then used mod podge to adhere them to the wood. During the twenty minute wait time I used my Cricut to cut the letters for the words: Countdown to Candy. I added Martha Stewart glitter to the letters using mod podge. When I applied the mod podge on top of the paper I added the letters. Then I added a black and orange polka dot ribbon to cover both seams - top and bottom. Now that the board was done I gathered the following materials:

Glitter, Scrapbook Paper, Embellishments, Ribbons, Ric Rac, Tulle, Stamp Pad, Mod Podge, Elmer's Spray Adhesive Glue, sponge paintbrush, and Velcro.
Once I had all my supplies I made numbers 1-30. Here is how I did it: (This takes a while, a long while!)
1. Cut 12x12 papers into 6x6 squares.
2. Ink Edges.
3. Use cricut, silhouette, or buy pre-made chipboard numbers for countdown pieces.
4. Add glitter to numbers using Mod Podge (Martha Stewart Onyx is what I used)
5. Use spray adhesive to attach numbers to 6x6 squares.
6. Embellish each square with ribbons, ric rac, etc.
7. Adhere Velcro to the back of each square and to the actual board.

The best part is I have a ton of stuff left over that I can use for other Halloween crafts for years to come!!

Put it on display and change the numbers each day!!! I hope Jackson (and hopefully more future babies) will enjoy doing this for years to come!!!!!!

2011-09-21T20:32:00.001-07:00

Just in case you thought that no news was good news... think again! A big, fat NOT PREGNANT showed up on the test again. It was like my heart was stabbed with a thousand knives. Holy crap! I am depressed. BLAH! Yep, that pretty much describes how I am feeling.

Disclosure:
Please know that I do understand so many are suffering more than I. And I actually do think of others often, and pray for them too. But I am only me. And this is how I feel about this particular situation right now. It's just hard for me to understand why this isn't happening for us right now. I AM VERY GRATEFUL for what I already have in my life- Ipromise. It is just hard to not be sad when you want something so badly.

I Think I'll Move to Australia

2011-09-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

Flat Tire Monday:
You know that feeling on Monday. That dragging feeling. That "I can't believe I have five days to get through before the weekend comes" feeling! How about the feeling when work is finally done and you get to begin your trek home. That's a good feeling. Especially if Monday was your first day of school as a kindergarten teacher!!! Let me tell you my excitement upon leaving school. It was 3:45. I am headed to my car. I hear an announcement from the school secretary: "Please be sure to call all students who did not show up today to find out if they are drops!" I turned right around and walked back to my classroom! :( I made 10 + calls. It was 4:15 by the time I finished. So happy to be in my car and on my way. And then not even 3 blocks from school I hear a pop. I knew the sound. I didn't want to stop. I thought just keep going. Just pretend like you don't know your tire is flat. But of course I couldn't!!! BLAH! AAA, America's Tires, and a 50 mile drive later I arrive home at 8 o'clock in the evening!

I think I'll move to Australia!

'Teacher' filled Tuesday:
First day with 30 - 5 year olds! My day consisted of one word said a billion times over- teacher, teacher, teacher, teacher, teacher, teacher, teacher, teacher, TEACHER, TEACHER, teacher, TEACHER, teacher, teacher, teacher, TEACHER, TEACHER, TEACHER!!!

I think I'll move to Australia!

Hump day Wednesday: (not the dirty kind)
Why are Wednesdays such hard days? Enough said.

I think I'll move to Australia!

1 million Ants Thursday:
Wednesday night I parked under a tree. I've parked here at least a few dozen times before. Never had a problem. I walked to my car that morning- after sleeping in an extra 45 minutes. Loaded Jack in his seat, got in mine, and then I see them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ANTS! EVERYWHERE! MILLIONS! OH MY GOSH!
How do ants survive a can of ant spray, a car wash, and a 50 mile drive?!?!?
I decided on this day that I would take a match to my car and walk away! Did I just curse my Friday?

I think I'll move to Australia!
Wait, are there ants in Australia?

Fire Friday:
At dismissal I notice a large fire. I say out loud, please tell me that is not on the freeway! To which someone responded, No it doesn't even look close to the freeway! I thought oh yes, yes it does! Walk back to my room and hear my cell phone go off. It's Sam, "Are you in traffic?" Right away I know it's on the freeway. Then I notice a missed call from my mom. Call my voicemail. "Hey Megan the 15 South bound is closed because of a fire. Call dad and he will tell you how to get around it!" JUST GREAT! For those of you who don't know, I work in Victorville. One direct route in and one out- the 15. Unless you go around. The long way. The really long way. My Dad sends me towards Phelan. Headed that way when I get the call that they are now closing that road also. I turn around and go back in the other direction. You know the direction all 1 million cars are headed in!!! Surprisingly it only took me turning around 2 times, pulling over one time, one car sickness, and 2 hours to get home!

For those of you who heard me say I was planning on burning my car to the ground on the side of the freeway I didn't. I was not the cause of the fire. I still have my car. It's in one piece. It has one patched tired, smells like a can of ant spray, and has 1 million dead ants in the black carpet to prove it!!!

If this week is any sign of how my year will be I am in for one heck of a ride!!!!!

Some wondered why I was already counting down days till the end of the school year. Now you know!!!!

It was a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week!!!

Here's to a better one, or else I am headed to Australia!

2011-08-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ruby's Auction is now OPEN!!! Go to www.rubyjanetaylor.blogspot.com to bid on items. There are over 100 items to choose from- including my BOO Blocks for Halloween, baby headbands, lace rompers and leggings, a car seat cover, blankets, photography packages, my friend Holly's beautiful temple art, Carly's nursing cover, and much more!!!

Help and Happiness Ahead

2011-08-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

There have been several times over the past year that I have questioned God's involvement in my life. I have wondered if He really loved me. If He really cared about me. If He was concerned about my hurt. If He heard my prayers. And time and time again I realized that He does in fact love and care about me. And that he was and is concerned about me. And He does hear my prayers. It is just that tribulation and suffering is simply part of life. I guess that's the part I have been in, but rest assured I am working my way out!

At church today the speaker said that he found comfort in trying times knowing that there was One who couldn't imagine how he was feeling, but that actually knew how he was feeling. I was reminded how grateful I am for a loving Heavenly Father who sent his Son to Earth to atone for the sins of the world. To atone for the pains of all His children- even for my pains. I am so grateful to know that we can find forgiveness, peace, and healing through our Savior. I am grateful that when I am going through trials I feel hope that their is happiness and peace in the horizon. If I can just hold on a little longer it will come. I can feel this hope because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Elder Holland said, "Don't you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead. Some blessings come soon. Some come late. And some don't come till heaven. But for those who embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ- they come. It will be alright in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come."

I have realized in the past few weeks that truly our burdens can become lighter when we forget ourselves and serve others. Find someone to serve this week. Find someone whose burdens you can make lighter. When we do so I am confident that we will feel more peace and find more happiness. We will see more blessings come into our lives as we strive to bless others. And we will feel the Love of our Savior more as we love others.

I'm going to. Will you?

Ruby's Auction

2011-08-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

As many of you know sweet Ruby Jane returned home to her Heavenly Father this week. So many of you offered so many prayers on behalf of Ruby and her family. I know those prayers were heard although Ruby did not receive the miracle we were hoping she would. Many of you have been following Ani's blog. We have read her words and felt her hope. We have read her words and felt her faith. We have read her words and felt her gratitude. And now we feel more faith, hope and gratitude because of her. I am so thankful that Matt, Ani, Kate, and Ruby are an eternal family. I am thankful to know that although this is so very difficult to deal with, that we can find comfort in our testimonies of the gospel and of eternal families. Please continue to pray for Ani and Matt- and for their families. My heart is especially heavy for Ani. As a mother I can only imagine how she is feeling right now. But Ani if for some reason you were to read this post please know that WE ALL have been so inspired by you. WE ALL believe that you are the BEST mother for Ruby. WE ALL know that you did all you could for her while she was on this Earth. We love you Ani. We are mourning with you. We are praying for you.

As many of you have seen on my facebook page there will be an online auction for Ruby. The auction will open Monday the 15th and close the following Monday the 22nd. To bid on various items including car seat covers, blankets, bows, photography sessions, crafts, etc. please go to www.rubyjanetaylor.blogspot.com

All of the money will go to help the Taylors. If you would rather donate money directly to the Taylor Family and not participate in the auction then go here and click on the donate button.

If you are unable to donate at this time due to the economical hardships many of us are facing please remember that prayers are free. Fall to your knees and pray for this sweet family! Also, if you feel so inclined go here and click on the Donate Life icon on right to be an organ donor. Once you have signed up, return to Ani's blog and vote yes to show your support for the Taylor Family!

Below is the item I am donating for the auction. Have you been to the stores lately? Halloween is every where! This will help you get a jump start on your Halloween Decorating. I hope you like it enough to place a bid on it or any other item in the auction! They are so many wonderful people who donated so many wonderful items! So make sure to stop by Ruby's auction this Monday!

Enough

2011-08-11T20:40:00.000-07:00

As many of you know from my post last month Sam and I are trying for a baby. I got pregnant with Jackson after just 4 short cycles. I remember wondering then if it would ever really happen. I worried about what a co worker told me about her infertility problems. She attributed these problems to a surgery she had right before entering puberty (8-11 ish). She also said a lot of women who had this same surgery at a younger age were suffering from the same problem. Well I had the same surgery at 9 years old. I worried that I would face the same problems. Luckily, I was able to get pregnant the old fashion way and relatively quickly. I was so relieved. I was so happy. I was so grateful.

Well lately I have really struggled. Many, including family members, don't really understand why I am so worried about not being pregnant yet. I don't know if it is so much that I am worried but more that I just yearn for it so badly. Lately, a lot of friends and family members have announced their pregnancies. And although I am so happy for each and every one of them I can't help but feel a little pain each time I hear or see an announcement. I think naturally we ask the question Why not me? I never ask why her or them but just ask why not me too? When will it be my turn?

A couple of weeks ago I was laying down with Jackson before his nap. I whispered in his ear how happy I am that it's "just him" and that I am so happy that we have had this much time with him as our only child. I also told him how I wish he could be a big brother soon. BUT for now we will just enjoy this special time with the 3 of us- mama, dada, and jack. Maybe this was a little revelation to me. That I should enjoy what I have because for right now it really is 'enough'. I realized that I have already been blessed with so much more than so many others, and that I need to be a little more grateful and a lot less absorbed in my own wants. Until Heavenly Father decides to send us another one of his precious children we will enjoy what is ours already, and by doing so we will realize that it is enough!

New Bedroom Colors: HELP!

2011-08-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

We have had the same bedding since we got married, with the exception of the sheets! I have the itch to change the whole room, but have like little to no money to do it with. ;)

This is the color scheme I want to go with:

I really want to make a headboard that looks something like these:

(A Step in the Journey)

(House Tweaking)

I found this cheap bedding from Crate and Barrel. The only problem is there is no bed skirt so I am thinking about doing white sheets with a white bed skirt-- And to be honest white totally frightens me!
And to tie in the yellow I am going to make (or buy) pillows that are just like these from Festive Home Decor:

And I have been dying to make a pillow just like this from Jilly Bean Craft:

And of course I would love to find an old dresser or side tables and paint them yellow, white, or teal. I am also going to make some wall art using Picnik! And luckily I still have over $100 in gift cards from my wedding (4 years ago!) to Pier 1 so I can use those to find some accent pieces.

So what do you think? Do you feel like it will all flow together ok? And did I mention my husband is not ok with the color yellow? I just don't think he can see the potential of the color yellow! ;) Let me know what you think!

Paper Cone Wreath

2011-07-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

I saw this adorable paper cone wreath about 2 weeks ago at a link up party at Tatertots and Jello. I thought it was soooo cute so I had to make one of my own!

I have been wanting to incorporate a little bit of mustard yellow into my teal and brown house. This was an easy way to do it. I love the punch of color the wreath has. I am still deciding on whether or not I want to add a pennant banner to mine. I added paper flowers for now so I am going to admire it for a few days and see if I think it needs something more!

Go here for the tutorial.
I actually just used a 12 inch round white foam wreath I had on hand. I also bent the tips/points of the cones when gluing them down to the wreath form. I found this to be a little easier and faster way of doing things.

From personal experience, DO NOT buy a book that you will feel bad about cutting up without reading. I originally just looked for the right colored paper I wanted without paying much attention to the cover and title of the book. Well I got home and realized it was about the Virginia Tech shooting. I just couldn't bring myself to cut up the book without reading it. So I read the first 50 pages. But then I just decided I would feel better if I just went and bought a new book. So back to the dollar tree I went!!!! :/ That's my OCD for ya!

Also, I would add an icepack, neosporin, and band-aids to the supply list. I burned my fingers a million times!!!!

I moved the wreath into Jack's room to take a picture because we have the worst lighting at our front door. I just didn't want you thinking that the wreath is being displayed on a rocking chair. ;)

These paper flowers are simple to make. For each flower, tear 3-4 large, medium and small circles from various paper scraps. Crumble in hand. Open up. Ink edges. Glue and stack. Add button or brad to top. Repeat for other flowers. I knotted together two ribbons and some brown tulle and glued them onto the wreath then glued the flowers on top.

The Styrofoam doesn't show when the wreath is hanging on the door. If you are worried it will you can cover it with flat circles like it shows in the tutorial. I didn't worry about it so I skipped that step.

On a side note.... (A much more important side note)
I have been thinking A LOT and praying A LOT for these two babies- Will and Ruby! Please keep them in your prayers also! Both babies are very sick and need all of the prayers they can get. And also pray for their families as they struggle watching their little babes suffer and endure so much pain!!!

2011-07-14T16:08:00.001-07:00

Another month and another need for these:

and these:

oh and these of course:

I am slowly spiraling down into a depression.
Hopefully next month I won't need any of the above and I will only need these:
Here's to hoping!

Watch Your Step

2011-07-14T07:24:00.000-07:00

An old proverb says, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step", so watch your step.

I saw this video on lds.org. It is about pornography, but I think it can be applied to any 'enemy of the soul' someone is facing. And I do feel that we all at some time(s) or another will face these enemies, because the father of all lies will do anything to destroy our soul.

Elder Holland said, When we face such temptations in our time, we must declare, as young Nephi did in his, “[I will] give place no more for the enemy of my soul.”We can reject the evil one. If we want it dearly and deeply enough, that enemy can and will be rebuked by the redeeming power of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sometimes I feel that free agency is just so unfair. How can it be that Heavenly Father lets the choices of one person effect everyone around them in so many ways? Why can't He only allow that person to feel the pain? Obviously, I understand that in order for there to be agency this is the way it has to be. But can we just say at times it just doesn't seem fair.

I think about the woman in the video, and how her life was "shattered" because of her husbands' addiction to pornography. And the look on the faces of his daughters as he packed his car and drove away. I just want to yell out "You idiot. Look at all you are losing to someone (Satan) who doesn't even care about you."

Elder Holland said, "Like Joseph in the presence of Potiphar’s wife, just run—run as far away as you can get from whatever or whoever it is that beguiles you. And please, when fleeing the scene of temptation, do not leave a forwarding address."

Why is it that we see so many people running towards various "enemies of the soul"? Why aren't they running away? Are we really that weak? Selfish? Misguided? Vulnerable? Are we really unable to exercise any self-control?

How can they picture the face of their parents, wife, husband, children, grandchildren, etc. and that STILL NOT be enough to make them stop whatever it is they are doing?

Just one step puts everyone on a journey. And quite frankly it often feels like a journey through hell. Why can't they just watch their step?

So I am forced to think about how I can guard myself from the enemy(ies) of my soul. What can I do to get my spirit strong enough to be able to walk, no run away if I am faced with it?

Honestly, I choose to step on the easy road. To some, it may not seem like the fun or exciting road. But, it will be worth it. Because I choose to step on the road that I know will lead me back to my Heavenly Father. I will not step off onto an exit or a rest stop. I can't afford me to. My family can't afford me to. I know Heavenly Father needs me and more importantly wants me to continue on the journey that will lead me back to Him. He loves each of us. If you are struggling with an enemy of your soul, find your way back to Him. Do whatever it takes. Although the journey back may be hard it will all be worth it.

Watch your step.

2011-07-05T19:13:00.001-07:00

Is he not the cutest kid or what? And am I not the luckiest Mama or what?

Indpendence Day Cupcake Toppers

2011-07-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

I am making red, white, and blue cupcakes for our 4th of July festivities tomorrow. So along with it I decided to make some cute cupcake toppers.

Supply List:

White Cake Mix + Ingredients needed to make cake batter
red and blue food coloring
3 bowls

Frosting (home made or store bought)
Sprinkles (if desired)
White cupcake liners
Cupcake toppers (see printable below)
toothpicks or candy sticks

How to make the cupcakes:
Buy a box of white cake mix. Prepare cake mix according to box. Seperate batter evenly into 3 bowls. Add red food coloring to cake mix in first bowl. Add blue food coloring to cake mix in second bowl. And leave the third bowl as is- white! Fill up your cupcake liners starting with blue, then white, and then red. I suggest using white liners so you can see the colors through the liner once they are baked. Your liners should be 2/3 - 3/4 full. Following baking instructions on box. For a more detailed tutorial go here. If you have done everything right your cupcakes should look something like this:

(This is not my cupcake. I haven't baked mine yet! But I made rainbow cupcakes like this for St. Patty's Day so I assure you it is easy!!! And here you only need 3 colors vs. the 6 needed for rainbow cupcakes!)

While your cupcakes are baking do this:
Print the toppers onto white card stock in a 5x7 border-less format. This will give you the perfect sized toppers for your cupcakes. Cut out the toppers and attach them with tape to toothpicks or white candy sticks.

Give your cupcakes a chance to cool and then frost and stick the topper into the cupcake!! Little work for some oh so stinkin' cute cupcakes! I assure you kids and adults will LOVE them!

To download the cupcake toppers, first click on the image below so it opens into a new window. Then, right click on the image and hit save as!! Enjoy!

4th of July Firecrackers

2011-06-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

Supplies:

- 3 pieces of 2x2 (or larger i.e. 3x3 or 4x4) wood. Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and find the wood you like. I opted to go a little smaller than what I originally intended. You need 3 pieces at varying heights. I did 6", 8", and 10". I wanted to do them a little taller but I wanted to make more than one set so in order to get the number of sets I wanted from one piece of wood I cut the size of each piece down. Find the guy who cuts wood. He will probably be hiding from you because he already spotted you in the lumber section and is thinking "not her again"! When you find him smile big for him as you are telling him how to cut each piece. All the while you are totally embarrassed because the wood guy now knows you by name!
(I paid $3.33 per set)

- 3 coordinating scrapbook papers (you will only use 1/2 of each piece)
( 1 buck each but you only use half so 50 cents each)

- paint
(you can get a bottle of paint for JoAnn's for 59 cents- you won't even use 1/3 of it for this project)

- sandpaper
(a pack of this at Lowe's or Home Depot will be about $3, but it will last a long time)

- distress ink
(A distress ink pad is about $4.99 so use a coupon or get it when it's on sale like right now at JoAnn's. I have had my pad for a loooooong time.)

- paintbrush
(these are like 25-35 cents each)

- embellishments: tulle, buttons, jute, etc

- wire for the top. I used 20 gauge black jewelry wire.

-mod podge
(Mod podge is about 5 bucks for a small container of it, but it will last you a long time too!)

The How To:

1. Sand your wood pieces.

2. Give them a quick coat of white paint. Most of the wood will be covered in paper.

3. Cut your paper down to size.
4 pieces for each wood block. 12 pieces all together.

4. Now that your blocks are dry sand edges and apply distress ink. I do this with a foam brush.

5. Add distress ink to edges of paper.

6. Mod Podge paper onto blocks. Here is the trick to "mod podge-ing". Put mod podge on wood first. Then on paper. Smooth the paper onto the wood and use the mod podge tools below to prevent bubbles and wrinkles from occuring. Let your mod podge dry for 15-20 minutes. Then add another layer of mod podge to the top of your paper. YOU MUST WAIT THE 20 MINUTES! If you do not wait you will probably have wrinkles or bubbles.

7. Add the wire. Take a push pin to the top of your wood to make a hole for the wire. Cut your wire using an appropriate cutting tool, I used my appigator. Wrap you wire around the handle of your foam paint brush to create a curl in it. Add a tiny amount of hot glue to the end of the wire and stick it into the hole your created using the push pin. Repeat for all 3 firecrackers.

8. Embellish.
- I actually glued my firecrackers together with hot glue before tying them up with the jute. Then, I made the paper flower you see below and here's how I did it: 1. Find 3 different scrapbook papers. 2. Draw a large, medium, and small circle onto the back of the papers (1 circle on each paper scrap). 3. Then tear, yes I said tear, the circle shape out. 4. Add distress ink to the edges. 5. Layer the pieces and hot glue them together. 6. Add a button or brad to the center of the flower! Easy! You can also use stickers or vinyl and add a word like freedom, liberty, USA, etc. going up the side of one of the firecrackers. I might add that to mine! The possibilities for embellishing are endless!
9. Display and enjoy. My firecrackers are displayed next to my 4th of July subway art which you can download here at my blog.

How Much $ did I Spend?
The wood cost $3.33 per set. The paper I bought was a dollar a piece, but I used about 1/2 or less of each piece so it cost me about $1.50 for the paper. I had the mod podge, paint, brushes, distress ink, sandpaper, jute, button, tulle, and wire on hand from previous projects. I would give a rough guesstimate and say the I used at the most $1.50 worth of these things to complete the project. It is hard to make an inexpensive craft when you don't have a large stash of on-hand materials. But use coupons for things like your mod podge, a bag of assorted buttons, and ribbons. These things will usually last a long time!!! Or get a large group of friends together and split the cost! Also, a great alternative to using paper would be to paint each block. You can paint one blue with white stars, the second white with red stripes, and then the last white with a patriotic word going up the side. This will eliminate the cost of the paper and mod podge.

USA Frames

2011-06-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

I am little behind in the 4th of July crafts. The past couple of weeks were miserable for me to say the least! But I am feeling better physically and mentally and so I got back into crafting today. Here is a quick supply list and tutorial to make these USA frames.

Supplies:
-3 frames. My frames have a 3.5 x 3.5 inch opening. They are from Michael's. I got them on sale in December for $1. I don't know how much they are regularly. For all I know they could be a $1 and it wasn't an actual sale! :)
- 3 coordinating Fourth of July scrapbook papers/pieces (or any red, white, and blue paper). You will only need 3.5 x 3.5 inch square of each one. I think it would be fine to use the same paper for each frame too.
- 3 USA wood letters. I bought mine at JoAnns. They were 1.99 each and of course Sam threw away my coupons so I paid full price (ouch), but at least you only need 3 letters.
-Paint. I had the white paint on hand. I bought the blue paint from JoAnns. It is there brand so it was only like 60 cents.
-Glue gun
-Embellishments (not pictured). i.e. Jute, ribbon, tulle, buttons, etc.

The How To:
1. Put your baby/child/children down for a nap, or turn on Mickey Mouse ;).

2. Paint your frames blue. (or red)

3. Paint your letters white.

4. Play with your child while it dries so you don't feel like you are a terrible mother/cut your paper down to 3.5x3.5" squares. Round the edges if needed (this just depends on what frames you are using.)

5. Sand edges of frames and letters.

6. Glue letters onto frames. Hot glue is very unforgiving. It dries instantly so you better get your letters right the first time- unlike me. BUT I just did NOT want to use gorilla glue today. I had not patience for it! So this is my consequence. And just so you know I did want my letters tilted to the side! :)

7. Ink edges (optional) I used distress ink for mine. I used a foam brush to put on the ink. It is easier to get in the corners that way. You can also use a paper towel or an old rag.
Sorry for the sideways picture-- just tilt your head a little! :)

8. Put paper into frame opening.

9. Embellish.

10. Put on display and sit down and have a diet coke! Or make dinner because it is already 4:30 and you haven't even started it!

P.S. I saw a craft out in blog land that inspired me to make these. I just don't want anyone thinking I am more than a "copy cat crafter"! :) Go here to see it.

Sneak Peek of Jack's New Room

2011-06-13T13:30:00.000-07:00

We are redoing (and by we I mean me) Jackson's nursery! It's time to say goodbye to the nursery and hello to the big boy toddler room. It will definitely be a work in progress seeing how funds are limited these days! But I made these printables to go with his new bedding. I am printing them as 11x14s and hanging them on each side of the window in his room. One over his tiny little toddler bed and the other over his dresser. Can you not tell that I am obsessed with Subway Art? Especially digital subway art. So cheap and easy! Now all need I need to do is find coupons so I can purchase wood frames to put these bad boys in! :) And if I can't find coupons there is always IKEA!

For those of who you are unfamiliar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints most 19 year old males (and some 21 yr old females) choose to serve a mission for 2 years. This means they leave their families for 2 whole years with the only communication being letters and 2 phone calls home each year! Yes folks this means I will be saying goodbye to my baby boy in just 17 1/2 short years and I am already dreading it! ha! To learn more about my church and what I believe go here or please feel free to ask me any questions you may have. I would be happy to answer.

4th of July Subway Art Printable!

2011-06-05T15:12:00.000-07:00

This decoration is cheap and simple! 1. Click on the subway art below. When it pops up into a new window right click and hit save as. 2. Print it from your home computer or send it to a nearby photo lab 3. Frame it - I bought my frame at JoAnns in December for 4 bucks! 4. Put it on display (which I have yet to do!). FYI: I printed mine from home using the standard US Letter size and then used my paper slicer to trim it down to fit my 8x10 frame. If you print it as an 8x10 from your printer it will be too small.

I am working on a wreath and USA wood letters! So stay tuned!

It Has Been A While

2011-05-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while. I haven't felt so inclined to. I have had so many thoughts come in and out of my mind. Thoughts that are more important than my latest craft or project.

I have been thinking and praying about this sweet baby for a long while now. She is the precious daughter of a friend from college. Ruby was diagnosed with liver failure at 3 months old. She is currently waiting for a donor liver.

I really can't express in words how I feel. All I can say is my heart aches for Ruby and her family.

I believe in the power of prayer. I believe in our Heavenly Father who is a God of Miracles. I believe in the Atonement. I know that it does more than allow us to be forgiven of our sins. Jesus Christ gave His life for us so that we may receive comfort in time of need. The Atonement is for the sinner, the ill, the abused, the meek and lowly of heart. It is for every one of us. So I ask of each of you to pray for this sweet baby. Pray that her body will get stronger and that WHEN she does get a liver her body will accept it. And that Ruby will be made whole. Please pray for Ani and Matt, her parents. Pray that they may feel peace during this time of trial, worry, and sorrow. And please, if you can, go here and donate to help the Taylor's with medical expenses. Also, go here to read about updates on Ruby's condition.

If all you can afford is prayers. Then please pray, pray, pray!

Picture Plaques

2011-05-08T15:40:00.001-07:00

I am not sure if I am exactly thrilled with the way these turned out... I feel like they are a little plain. I kinda wish I would have added the appliques to my blocks but they wouldn't fit with the picture because I decided to not have my blocks stand vertically. Oh well... Anyways, my friend Holly saw my post and decided to also copy Shanty 2 Chic's picture blocks! I am loving the way hers turned out... I like the little tiny candlesticks she used for her shorter blocks but I looked at Joanns and Michaels and they did not have them. Can we please get a Hobby Lobby in Southern California? I promise to keep you in business if you come here!!! I basically followed the same tutorials I linked up in the previous post. But here goes my tutorial and supply list!

Supplies:

3 candlesticks (2 tall and 1 short-- but maybe I should have done 1 tall and 2 short?) I purchased mine at Michael's. I can't remember how much they cost though! Sorry! I know they were no more than 4 bucks a piece.

3 - 4" Circle plaques purchased at Joann's for 55 or 59 cents each (base of plaque)

2 cans of Rust Oleums Heirloom White (I would have only needed 1 except I had a stain overload and had to re-paint them! :-/ They were 3.50 each

Finials from Lowe's (I couldn't find them at Home Depot) I got 1 bag of larger size and 1 bag of smaller size finials (2 come in a bag) They were around 2.50 a bag.

I used 3 pieces of wood that measure approximately 5x 7 that I had on hand.

3 small clothespins with paper mod podged onto the top of them

Sandpaper I had on hand and my dad's sander

Distress Ink for the sanded edges which is my attempt at making some look antiqued

Gorilla glue and a hot glue gun (I used the hot glue gun only to glue on the clothespin to the wood and the gorilla glue to glue all of the rest of the pieces together!) Don't apply too much of the gorilla glue or else you will have a nice "hard as a rock" foam residue like I did around the candlestick! Lesson learned: Read the back of the bottle where there are directions before applying!

So I lied.. I am not going to write my own tutorial (ha). I followed this tutorial with the exception of the clips she used and the lack of the appliques on my plaques (which I suggest you use because it is so cute just like my friend Holly's picture plaques) I knew hers would be cuter by the way- thanks Holly :) ! I also used the larger candlesticks because I was unable to find those darling smaller ones. Ugh! Anyways, I waited to glue on my clothespins until after I had each picture plaque painted because obviously I didn't want to paint over the paper on the clips! Ok I think that is it. Have fun making yours. I am making my mom a set this week!

Mother's Day Gift--- Please help!

2011-05-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

I NEED your opinion.... I am making gifts for mother's day. I know what I am making for my Mother in law because she has a 2nd house to decorate and requested new pictures of her little kiddos. But my wonderful husband (can you sense the sarcasm) doesn't seem to fancied by them.... I was absolutely in love with the idea and have seen them all over blog land.... I didn't think twice and bought the candlesticks and finials right away!! BUT now thanks to that wonderful husband of mine I am second guessing myself. Tell me what you think (And please just tell me that you like them because they are nearly done) ha! I am combining elements from the following two pictures to create picture plaques for her....)These projects can be found here and here.

So I am painting my wood plaques the same heirloom white color (which I love) and I am using them to display pictures just like the first picture but I am using tiny clothespins with paper mod podged onto the top! Love that part of it. But my picture plaques will be tall like the JOY ones below. And finally my wood is going the opposite way than shown in both pictures! I am sure I have lost you. Pictures to come soon!!!!!! As long as you tell me how much you love them! haha

I scream, you scream, Jackson screamed for Ice Cream!

2011-05-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

So I gave him some and turned into a little photo shoot! He is one cute kid! I wish I looked this cute eating ice cream.

Easter Printables

2011-04-20T23:20:00.000-07:00

See post below regarding these printables. As I said in my previous post I got the sayings for the ladies at eighteen25! I decided, because I am nuts, to stay up till 11:30 and make bigger versions of the tags below! Now I am off to watch American Idol! Enjoy! I am putting some peeps in a bowl and some marshmallows in another, putting these printables in frames, and putting them right next to their corresponding bowls! Easy!!!! Print in 4x6 size. Hopefully they aren't blurry... I haven't printed mine yet!

Tiffany Blue-ish and Pink:

Blue-ish and Purple-y:

Stolen Easter Tag Sayings

2011-04-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

So I saw this tag and this one too over at eighteen25 and loved them! The only thing is I wanted to wrap my treats up a little differently so I created my own tags with these sayings. (Hopefully this is legal?) My original intention was to create a full sheet of each tag, but as you can see below that just didn't happen because I got lazy! You see I have to enter every dot, line, piece of grass, egg, bird, etc. etc. by hand for each tag. There is no such thing as copy and paste the "whole thing" on picnik, which is where I make my tags. If there is and you know please tell me!!!!! (I am going to feel pretty dumb if I have wasted hours of my time on the "what seems like" millions of tags I have made over time.) It absolutely stinks that I have to make each tag from scratch! Ah! I am so glad that there are creative people out there that I can just copy!!! Thanks ladies at eighteen25 for the catchy sayings! Love them!
By the way, I printed mine in the standard size but with 4 copies per page. That way the whole page gets filled up and paper is not wasted! And the tags will be blurry if you print them too big. So stick with 4 copies per page or a 4x6 size print. Hopefully this makes sense!

Linking up to:

Jackson

2011-04-12T17:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some darling pictures of my cute boy! We go on a walk everyday. I say, "Jackson do you want to go on a walk?" and he runs to his car and climbs in! So cute! Today, however, we went on an extra long walk and I realized as we turned to come home that he was out like a light! Head bobbing all over the place. I wish I would have taken a picture! Shucks! Anyways, enjoy the pictures. This is little guy is going to be 15 months tomorrow! I can hardly believe it!

Bright sun = Squinty eyes:

Spring Blocks

2011-04-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

I made these while Jackson was taking a nap the other day! I am currently writing this post with him in my lap as he is throwing a fit because he can't see pictures of himself on the computer right now. I think I need to stop telling him how cute he is! ha!

Anyways, I used my lucky blocks and the clover block I made for St. Patty's Day and just turned them around to make these Spring Blocks. I used the Springtime line by Echo Park. I bought like 8 different pieces and had a hard time choosing which ones to use. I tried to make the i in Spring look like a flower which is why I did the i in green paper. Not sure if it is working out but I will leave it for now.

I used mod podge, ribbons, buttons, and my Alphalicious cartridge for the letters. I also made a paper flower by cutting out 4 small circles, crumbling them in my hand, flattening them out, stacking them up while gluing them together, and adding a button to finish it off. I just realized I forgot to ink the edges! Darn! The pink flower on the i is made from silk material. I just cut circles (free handing them) and held them over a flame to curl the edges. Then I stuck a teal brad in the middle.

These were so easy! Honestly anyone can do them!

Please don't judge the blocks by these horrible pictures! When it is cloudy outside I have the worst lighting in my house! The blocks are actually above my kitchen cabinets but it was too hard to get a picture of them up there.

Easter Wreath!

2011-03-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

I am so happy that this wreath is done, done, and done! As soon as I saw this wreath posted on facebook by Jen from Tatertots and Jello (she didn't make the wreath but was sharing Trisha's finished project) I had to do it! Over all I only made a few changes: color, yarn and glittered eggs, and larger sized wreath! I chose to go with brighter colored yarns to match other Easter decorations I had! I used an 18 inch green foam wreath that I had laying around from a project fail... you can see the green yarn in between the eggs if you look closely (but don't look too close-ha!). I don't suggest using a foam wreath this large unless you would like to spend hours and hours wrapping eggs with yarn! A 12 or 14 inch would be perfect for your door still. Anyways, this ended up being a huge wreath! I used 8 dozen plastic eggs (they are the normal sized egg- not small and not big) which I got at Target. They came 4 dozen in a bag for $1.99. I also used foam eggs from the dollar tree in two different sizes. I used the mini ones and regular sized ones that came pre-glittered but wasn't feeling the colors of the glitter so I mod podged over them and added my Martha Stewart glitters. They sparkle much more now! :) By the way... the smaller ones have ribbons glued on them for hanging which I just cut off. This left holes on some of them so I tried my best to arrange them so that the holes did not show. The larger glitter eggs came on sticks. I just pulled the sticks out which once again caused holes. But no biggy! Finally, for the small yarn wrapped eggs (I maybe used about 12) I used eggs that I bought at Tai Pan for my jar! I couldn't find small plastic eggs anywhere so I was forced to use those! My jar is looking pretty sparse now but my wreath makes up for it!

Anyways, I am happy I am finally done! Enjoy! Just in case you missed it above go here for the tutorial and to see where I stole this adorable idea at!

Linking up to:

Tatertots and Jello

and

More Printables!

2011-03-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

Here are more fun printables! I just finished them. I am going to print them as 4x6 from home on white card stock. Enjoy!

St. Patrick's Day Printable

2011-03-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of printables I made. The first one is a set of tags I made to attach to little St. Patty's Day treats for Jackson's friends. I bagged rainbow licorice with gold coins/rolos. The second is a printable I put in a 4x6 black frame from the Dollar Tree. Enjoy!

Working and Thinking!

2011-03-05T15:32:00.001-08:00

I have been working on a wreath for a long time and I have nothing to show for it!!! So I started a new one last week and hopefully I will actually get it done! And then I can share it with you. My first wreath was one I created all on my own... hence the failed project. The second one I decided just to copy something that I found and loved! I hope it will be up before St. Patrick's Day!!! We'll see! I am feeling pretty tired lately AND NO I AM NOT, I REPEAT, NOT PREGNANT. Some of you may know that we were trying and not trying all at the same time. By that I mean we just felt that if it happened we would be happy. But now we are officially not trying. You know if I am being honest I was pretty sad about this for a while. I guess part of me always thought something else (baby, new car, house, or whatever) would make me happier than I already was or make me happy period. It was like I needed something more to make me happy. It took a lot of trials and heartache to find that perhaps I was already really happy, and that I already had so much to be grateful for. It's not to say that I am not sad that a new baby won't come for a while because those of you who know me pretty well know that I have always had a mothering heart. I even got that brick award while I was a cheerleader in high school. haha! Hours after having Jackson I even asked my doctor if he would induce me early with the next baby so I wouldn't have another 9 lb. baby! He thought I was crazy to already be thinking about another baby! But anyways, sometimes life forces you to make changes to your grand, set in stone, nothing will change my mind, plan. It's not that we don't have faith that things would work out, it's just that right now maybe we just can't handle it. Maybe right now Heavenly Father wants us to enjoy exactly what we have and realize just how great our lives our and how happy we already are. Why am I being this honest? How embarrassing! It is kinda nice to get it off my chest. Any who, I am so happy being a wife and mom to just one cute boy right now. If you know Jackson, you know how adorable and sweet he is. I am savoring every moment with him because I know that when the next adorable and sweet baby comes along our alone time is over. I am sure that sharing our time with another cute baby will be just as great but we will enjoy this time while we it's just us. How did my post go from a wreath to a baby?????? Hmmm... anyways.... sorry for blabbering! New crafts coming your way soon. And also, some adorable St. Patty's Day pictures of Jack are in the works! Can't wait!

LUCKY Blocks!

2011-02-22T20:19:00.000-08:00

Ok... Here is my second project from last week. I have one more to do this week and then I am going to take a short break (unless I find or think of something so cute that I have to do!).

I used extra wood I had from a Church activity and from left over Christmas gifts. The larger pieces are just over 5x7 and the smaller ones are 5x5.

I found this St. Patrick's Day paper at Wooten's scrapbook store. They didn't have a very big selection but I thought these papers were cute enough. I cut the papers down to 6 7/8 x 4 7/8 for the larger blocks and 4 7/8 x 4 7/8 for the smaller ones. I was going to use mod podge but at the last minute decided to use scrap booking photo sticker squares. I used sticky foam circles to attach the letters so they popped out a little.

I cut the letters with my cricut and then used green Martha Stewart glitter I already had on hand to "glitterfy" them. First I covered the letter with mod podge and then quickly added the glitter and let it sit for about 10 minutes before I shook off the excess.

After adding the letters to the wood with the sticky foam circles I added some embellishments and was done! Sadly the U didn't get anything. I couldn't think of what to add to him so he is bare (do you love how I refer to the letter U as him?).

Anyways, these bad boys are going on this "invisible" shelf I am making. But first I need to find the studs in my wall so I know exactly how big I can make this shelf. I am pretty excited though because it is going to serve as my "mantle". I can't wait to decorate it for every holiday!!!!!!

Enjoy!

Welcome Board and Wreath

2011-02-22T19:37:00.000-08:00

I made this last week. I really like the burlap wreath. It is only an 8 inch circle but it looks great on this board.

Here is what I did:
First I painted my board. Then I kind of sanded the edges just a little bit and used some white and tan paint to make it look a little more distressed (I guess?) Then, I started to cut out the burlap pieces. I used my 1/2 c. measuring cup to trace a circle on the burlap. I folded the circle in half and then in half again to make a cone like shape (the same way I did the heart wreath for V-day). I stuck a needle through the point on the cone shaped burlap and pinned it into the foam wreath. If you aren't following me here then look here for a better tutorial with pictures!Once I had most of the wreath covered I wrapped a ribbon around it and glue it to the back of the board to keep my wreath hanging. Then I finished covering the remaining wreath foam with the burlap pieces. I bought 1 yard of burlap but used about 1/2 to 3/4 so it would be safe to get 3/4 yard. Then I applied the Welcome vinyl to the bottom of the board. Sadly, it is smaller than I wanted but it will do (for now).

Supplies:
Ok like I said before I used an 8 inch foam wreath which was $3.99 (I bought the green colored one), I bought a pre-cut board from Joanns. It was like 9.5 x 12.5 inches ... something like that... yes I am too lazy right now to go measure it, sorry. It was the biggest one there. It was $9.99 but I used my 40% off coupon. The burlap cost but $3.99 but I didn't use all of it. I used paint, pins, and vinyl I already had.

Enjoy!

Just linked up to:

Bead It Party!

2011-02-18T08:31:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to a Bead It Party that Daphne (my sis-in-law) and Pam (her sister) threw! I love the watches I made!!! My mom and I mentioned having a bead it party ourselves and so the ladies are going to send us the dates they have open! I wanted to share some (not so great) pictures of my adorable watches (my favorite is the pink and black one). If you like what you see and want to make your own let me know and I will be sure to send you an invite! Also, you can make bracelets and baby bracelets! They have hundreds and hundreds of adorable beads!!!!! Ok let me know! Thanks Daph and Pam for the invite!!!!!!

St. Patty's Display

2011-02-17T09:58:00.001-08:00

Ok here is my "dusty" display. If you think I didn't notice the dust on my little shelf I did and it has since been wiped down. Don't act like you "forget" to dust the tops of shelves no one can see! haha! Anyways.... It was virtually impossible to get a head on picture of my little shelf because of the light fixture hanging over the table. So I had to take it a little bit from the side! I obviously framed my St. Patrick's Day printable in the white frame. I bought my white frame from Joann's in December for about 4 bucks!!! I have used it for the Christmas and Valentine's printables too! It is definitely getting its use around here! I bought the small lucky work block thingy at Tai Pan for about $2.94 ish. I made the clover block this morning in about 5 minutes. I gave a 5x5 block a quick paint job, mod podged the green dot paper onto it, and added glitter to a foam clover from Michael's!!! I like it! I am going to be making some more blocks for St. Patty's Day but I can't find the paper I am looking for at the moment! I kinda feel like the shelf is missing a little something so I am headed to the dollar tree today! I love that place! Especially the new one off Riverside and Euclid!!!!

I also got this sign at Tai Pan (in Rancho off 4th St. across from Ontario Mills and in between Costco and BJ's Restaurant.) It was less than 10 bucks I think either $6.94 or $7.94!

I also got this at Tai Pan for around the same amount as the one above.

Also at Tai Pan (if you haven't ever been you truly haven't lived yet. But be prepared to be overwhelmed by all things darling and cute!)

Tai Pan (larger version of the small one on my shelf)

This one is from my mother in law. I think it was from Big Lots or a 99 cents store but I am not sure. It seems like it is worth a lot more than 99 cents!

Finally, (for now) I got this vase/jar on sale at Tai Pan for $8.94. I have been wanting one for a long time but I needed a smaller one for my higher kitchen table (it is on my kitchen counter in this picture but will soon be moved to the table). I love the little glitter balls, also from Tai Pan. I saw some glitter shamrocks at the Dollar Tree so I am thinking about going and picking up a pack to add to this.

By the way, all Valentine's decor is 50% at Tai Pan. I picked up 2 large signs for 5 bucks each! :) They are already packed up with my other V-day Decorations. Ok more to come later! Enjoy!
P.S. It is so hard to find places to display my stuff when I have a one year old!!!!!! So I am making a huge self for my living room! Yes I am making it! I might have to ask for a little assistance from some outside support i.e. my husband, father, or Kevin Trask! haha

The First St. Patty's Day Post/Printable!

2011-02-16T17:14:00.000-08:00

Remember this cute Christmas printable and this cute Valentine's printable from the girls at eighteen25. Well I decided to make my own and I am sharing it with you! It is my first one and of course not as cute!!! But it looks great in my white 8x10 frame. I just printed mine from my home printer on the normal setting (US Letter). If you print it in an 8x10 size from home it will be too small? I don't get it. But anyways, once it was printed I trimmed the sides to fit my frame. I will post pictures tomorrow of the St. Patty's day display! I have a block I need to finish tonight and the wreath for my door (probably not tonight though). Anyways... I will share detailed pictures soon! But for now here is the printable! Remember to first click on the picture. Once it goes into a new window then right click and hit save as. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T07:34:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone has a great Valentine's Day! One day a girl will be lucky enough to get Valentine's from this little stud but until then he is all mine!!! I am so lucky!

You Rock My World!

2011-02-11T18:56:00.000-08:00

I think that this is going to be my last post for Valentine's Day!!! I am so tired and all loved out! Ha! I will be posting the Valentine's I made for Jackson's little friends for our V-day Party on Monday but that's it. They are A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E but I totally copied an idea I found. Thank you for coming along this journey with me!! I hope you and your loved ones have enjoyed it! And stay tuned because as luck would have it (hint hint) I am on to the next holiday!

Now for the last idea (I think):

I first saw this idea here. She includes 3 free downloads in her post so make sure you go check it out. You can do what she did and put the You Rock Valentine card on top of the pop rocks. Or you can tie my tag around the pop rocks or put it in a bag like me! I also made a pink and red tag that matched some rock candy I picked up and tied it around the sticks. You can also give an itunes gift card if you want to do something a little "bigger". Lots of choices here. Ok enjoy the tags. And make sure you go visit The Fickle Pickle. Her free valentine cards would be perfect for your child's classroom!!!

You've Got My Heart on a String!

2011-02-11T18:38:00.000-08:00

I originally saw this here. I love the string going through the heart!!! You can go to Sprik Space and download all of her adorable free "just because" printables! I am sure she did not think that someone would see this and think g-string but hey leave it to me. I am just saying! Ok there will be no pictures with this one unless you would like to see pictures of the unmentionables I may or may not have bought. Ha! Enjoy! Or shall I say may the receiver enjoy- crude I know! :)

Don't ever Change/ You Mean More to me Than Gold

2011-02-11T11:16:00.000-08:00

Go with which ever phrase you like! I know I have said it before but I got my gold coins at See's Candy. Here are a couple of pictures and the free tags. Remember to print them in a 4x6 format. I am on a role here and I have 2 more coming right behind this one!!!

Sucker for Your Love!

2011-02-11T11:09:00.000-08:00

So this idea came to me pretty randomly. I am taking pictures of Jackson for Valentine's Day with a big heart shaped sucker. And then the phrase "I'm a sucker for your love" came to me so of course I had to make a tag. Here you go! Enjoy!

My Heart is Bursting with Love for You!

2011-02-11T10:17:00.000-08:00

My heart is bursting for your love and so is my stomach (because all of the starburst are in there). I don't have any pictures for this because I actually ate the starburst the other day while I was working. Yes that's right I ate them. If I get to the store today I will buy some new ones and take pics with the tag. But this is for those of who have already bought them and didn't eat them like me! :) Enjoy!

SOOOOOO Tired!

2011-02-10T18:34:00.000-08:00

I have been gone all day! I have no energy to do any Valentine's posts. In fact, the computer screen is making me dizzy! Sorry for missing a day. I will be back tomorrow. I think I have 5 ideas left. I might not go into detail or have pictures for all of them but I will have the tags! Don't forget you can print my tags in a 4x6 format. No need to recreate your own unless you want to of course! And for those of you who have been asking I use pincik.com to make my tags. More on that later. Ok so what's left: starburst, pop rocks/itunes gift card/ or rock candy (these 3 go together), gold chocolate coins (got mine at see's candy), a sucker(s), and one of those unmentionables just to be romantic if you know what I mean -- that one will go something like this: You've got my heart on a string! get it? anyone? ha Ok see you soon!!!

S'more Love

2011-02-09T19:07:00.000-08:00

If you haven't made the heart shaped s'mores yet... I just found this right now and had to post. It is a great alternative!

you are one HOT TAMALE!

2011-02-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

This one is pretty easy! Buy a box and Hot Tamales and add the tag. Can it get any easier than that? Enjoy!

I'd Love to HANG Out with You!!!!

2011-02-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

Here is idea number #11! I paired the tag with a $1 pack of hangers from Walmart. Does anyone else find that they don't ever have enough hangers!!! I swear I never do! I also bought a shirt to go with the hangers. My husband will probably take back the shirt because that is just the way he is! Uh so annoying! :) Ok ... enjoy! Another post coming your way a little later today!

Give me S'more of Your Love!

2011-02-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

Here is another idea for a Valentine's Gift for someone special: Give me S'more of Your Love! I first saw this idea posted on lilluna but here is the direct link to see the directions. She made much cuter ones than me. This is why I hate copying people sometimes. Mine never looks as great! Oh well. I actually put a couple drops of red food coloring into a bowl of mini white marshmallows (perhaps it wasn't my best idea to date). I just didn't want the strawberry flavored marshmallows. Ok anyways... I found it best to place the cookie cutter kinda tilted a little bit, as shown in the picture below.

I place about 6-8 chocolate chips on each heart and 2 or 3 marshmallows. I think it is best to late them cool for 2 minutes and then smash them together. When I did mine right away they actually broke easier.

So I have some broken ones... oh well they still taste delicious. If you have sticks and want to put them into the smores then do it. If you don't I think they are cute without them too! And of course make extra for yourself! They are delicious right out of the oven! Enjoy!

I think that both tags can be printed in a 5x7 size.

You're the "Write" One for Me!

2011-02-08T08:39:00.000-08:00

Ok there has been a little change of plans! I decided that I am going to try my very hardest to get every single idea I have up in the next 2 or 3 days!!! It is going to be a huge task but I figure it might make life easier for you! So I won't label them with days anymore. You can just choose what you want to you use! There just might end up being more than 14 too!!! Ok here we go.

Here is my first idea for today: You're the "write" one for me! Ok this may be a stretch but I thought it was cute! If you would like to do a pencil/pen and notepad for your students or your child's class you can use the phrase, You're "write" on! I would be more than happy to make you a tag that says that if you wanted to use this instead. Just let me know! I simply took a $1 notepad from target and a cheap thing of pens and wrapped it all up with tulle and ribbon. AND I actually printed these tags in 5x7 size and they were not blurry! So that was kinda exciting! :) Enjoy!!!

Day 8: I Kiss the Ground You Walk On!

2011-02-07T15:22:00.000-08:00

Well I really don't and will never kiss the ground Sam walks on... that would be sick! But it's a cute saying!

I am still wondering if there are any of you left out there following this!!! Here is my idea for Day 8/Tuesday. I bought a bag of Hershey kisses and reef sandals for Sam. He has been needing a new pair and so I figured it kinda went with the theme/saying for this day. For tomorrow's idea you are going to be making s'mores. Now if for some reason you don't want to I think there might be some kind of cracker or cookie with s'more flavor? Gold fish? Don't know. But if you are going to make s'mores with me, you will need graham crackers, mini marshmallows, and milk chocolate chips. If you want to make them heart shape like me then you will need a small heart shaped cookie cutter. I am talking small. It has to be able to fit onto the graham cracker when you cut it out. My cookie cutter is 2 inches across. I actually got it from Walmart and it came in a pack with other larger hearts. It has a scalloped edge which I don't love but it will work. And it must be metal! Now for Wednesday's idea you will need a pack of hangers. I just got mine at Walmart for a $1. I know Target has them and so does the Dollar Tree. If you are feeling nice you can include a shirt with the hangers. That's what I am going to do!!! Ok here are the tags for today. As always, print them in a 4x6 size!!! Enjoy! And of course leave me some love below! :)

These are THE worst pictures ever! I just put the sandals and candy in a bag with tissue paper and tied the tag to one of the handles. But for some reason I thought I had to display it all cute for you and clearly that didn't work out! Sorry!

Love,

Megan

Day 7: I am Fortunate to Have You

2011-02-06T14:33:00.000-08:00

I hope there are still people out there following me! We are half way done!!! Here is the gift idea and tags for tomorrow. I bought the Chinese take out food container from Michael's. I also saw them at Joann's last night on sale -- 50%off. But Michael's had a much larger selection. I made a few different tags! I am having fun trying new things with them! Enjoy!

I love the colors of these! I couldn't remember which colors I used when I made these tags so when I got to Michael's to buy the food container I went with pink! So that is why I chose to use the pink dot tag below. Even though I am loving the teal and red together!

I actually printed this one in a 3x5 index card size. Then I backed it with hot pink card stock.

For more free tags using this adorable idea go here. This is where I first saw the idea! The girls at eighteen 25 give you a full sheet of tags which is perfect to use for class gifts for your child. Also, Joann's had the mini Chinese take out containers on sale for $1.50. I think you get 10 in a pack... not sure exactly! You can also find them in the wedding section at Michael's.

Also, if you like to bake here is a recipe for homemade fortune cookies!

Happy Love Day #7!

Megan

Day 6: I Chew-se You!

2011-02-05T19:37:00.000-08:00

Better late than never, right? Sorry! Fortune cookies are Monday and Hershey Kisses and maybe a pair of sandals or shoes to go with (if you want) are Tuesday! Sorry these pictures are horrible!!! I put it together really fast! Enjoy the tags! 5 different choices!!!!

Days 6, 7 and 8

2011-02-05T13:37:00.000-08:00

Ok guys I have some posts coming your way.... I am sorry I didn't get it up earlier today. I have been cleaning out every closet in my house! We have way too much stuff... Uh! Ok I am going to tell you what you need for tomorrow, Monday, and Tuesday. Hershey kisses, fortune cookies, and gum. So go to the store and get these things and then come back later today for tags! So sorry again!

Day 5: Mint to be!

2011-02-03T08:31:00.000-08:00

Day 5/Saturday:
How cute is this!!! I love the little phrase "we're mint to be"! I know I saw it somewhere on someone's blog but I can't find it anywhere. I usually bookmark these ideas but I guess I missed this one! And I am sure you have seen something like this at a wedding or two! The point is I didn't come up with it on my own! I live to give credit where credit is due! Anyways... Ok... I hope you enjoy these tags!!!! And I hope you are having fun doing this with me!

This isn't my favorite of the two, but I thought I would share it with you anyways...

All I did was cut out the label, back it with heart paper, add a couple of ribbons, and stick it on the pack of tic tacs. Well then I decided I could do something cuter (?) so I made a new one!

Here is the second version. And right now I am loving these ones a lot more! The tags are all the same. Sorry. For this tag I opened up the package of tic tacs. Covered each container in white paper. Then I put this tag on only 1 of them. The rest just got a piece of tulle tied around them.

Day 4: i am NUTS about you!

2011-02-02T16:48:00.000-08:00

Here is the gift idea and tag for day 4. I got my can of mixed nuts from Target. Obviously you can find them at any store. I covered the can in the red polka dot paper. I put the tag in two different spots for two different ideas (see pictures below). And remember, the tags must be printed in a 4x6 size. Enjoy!

First set of tags:

I love the tag on top of this second set but it doesn't print well! So sorry! The bottom prints great though!

A Few Random Thoughts...

2011-02-02T16:30:00.000-08:00

First, I just went to the dollar store off of Euclid and Riverside-- you know the brand new one over by my parent's house. This is my second trip and I loved it more this time than the first! It is so clean and quiet! I bought 7 pairs of Valentine's socks. A little much I know. But they were so cute! And I also picked up some gum... if you are following me in the 14 gifts thingy you will need some too. I also got a calculator there. You MIGHT need one too. I can't decide if I am going to include this one or not, but it was only a buck so hey I thought better get it now and not have to worry about coming back!!! Ok if you live in the area you must visit this dollar tree!

Second thought, I am so darn excited about these gifts and that I have learned how to make tags thanks to Emily from Saltwater Kids!!! It seriously has changed my life. And I have been struggling through some things right now and boy have they brought me happiness. Sounds crazy I know but I have been wanting to make tags forever! I really can't explain how happy I am! Pathetic? I think not!

Third, I am thinking about making a St. Patrick's day block set. Stay tuned for that!

Fourth, I was at Forever 21/Heaven today (the Chino Hills one) and I was looking through the jewelry. I love jewelry. I love the idea of buying it but then I never wear it. So I bought adorable feather earings for my younger sister. She can pull them off, but not me! Anywho, if you are still reading this you might get excited right now... You know the whole perfect pair sock idea... what about a pair of earrings for a friend????????? I love the idea! And Forever 21 had heart earrings for 1.50!!!!! They were A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!

Ok these are all of my thoughts for now!!!

Day 3: I Have a Crush on You!

2011-02-02T08:49:00.000-08:00

Sorry I didn't post this yesterday. Sam has mid terms and was on the computer all night! So instead I watched The Lost Valentine alone on the couch! I loved it. I hope you caught it too! Sam's aunt's Bishop actually wrote the story!!! Who knew? Anyways, on the the good stuff...

Ok I just bought a whole case of Crush soda because it was on sale for 2.50 at target. I wanted to get the glass bottles of it but Target didn't have them and honestly I did not want to go to another store!!! Ok this is pretty "easy peasy lemon squeezy"! Once again print the tags in a 4x6 size from your local photo store or from home. If you are having a hard time with the tags coming our blurry make sure you click on the picture so it opens larger in a new window and then save it from there. And also they will be blurry if you do not print them in a 4x6 size. If you do not know how to change your printer settings go to file and hit print. In the print menu click on change paper size. Then in the drop down menu find 4x6. Or make it easy on you (kinda) and print them at your local Target or Wallgreens. Did I tell you that Costco made them kinda blurry? I don't know what was up with that! Once printed and cut out, I punched two holes on the top of the tag. I wrapped the ribbon around the can and stuck the two ends through the tag and then tied with a double knot. I actually put tape on the back of the tag to help it stay in place better! Enjoy! I have feeling a little lonely so leave me a comment!!! There are two sets of tags. The ones with 2 on a page are a little larger which are great for cans. The ones with 3 on a page would be good for the glass bottles if you find them. OK enjoy!

Day 2: Give Me Some Sugar Baby

2011-01-31T20:36:00.000-08:00

Day 2's Gift is much cheaper than a pack of socks!!!! Really simple idea and nothing new but it is still cute. A box of sugar babies with a tag that says Give me Some Sugar Baby or Lay Some Sugar on me! And I am really liking these tags that I made. Hopefully they will print well at the store. I just made them so I just printed them from my home in a 4x6 format. I really wish someone would give me 14 little gifts! Hmmm... too bad my husband doesn't read this nor does he think about doing things like this either! :) P.S. If you are out at the store tomorrow because you decided you want to do this with me I will give you a little list to get you through the next couple of days... can of nuts, starbursts, notebook and pen, crush soda (you can get the smaller personal one or a two litter to a whole case, but you really just need one!), and some mints. By the way... if you are out and happen to come across chocolate money coins let me know where you found them. We just might be needing them! That should cover us for a few days. I hope I didn't forget anything! Hmm... Enjoy the tags!!! There are 3 different versions!!! Wahoo! They are a little smaller then what I was planning on. But you can back them with colored card stock to make them a little larger. Just don't try selling them because you won't get very much money and I am giving them to you for free!! ha!

I dumped the sugar babies into a cute little Valentine bag! I wasn't planning on it but the little tag looked funny on a big box. See picture below to see just what I mean!

Version #1
Version #2:Version#3

Here are the tags for your downloading pleasure:
(once again order as 4x6 to avoid having blurry pictures and don't hate me if they are blurry in the 4x6 size either... I just saying... Megan is not a professional! And I just made these so obviously I haven't ordered them yet!

We Make a Great "Pair"!

2011-01-31T17:54:00.000-08:00

Sorry I am posting this so late today! I have been dealing with one fussy baby today!!! Ok so on Sunday I came across this adorable idea. I think it is perfect for men. I mean my husband loves getting new socks! haha! So I ran to target today and got him a new pack of socks. You don't need a whole pack. You can buy a single pair too! Or buy a pack, pair them up, and pass it out for your child's class just like Emily did! The dollar section at target has valentine's socks for women and children right now! Which are featured here in my pictures! Also, I included a free printable. But here is the disclosure: this is my first one. So if you think it is hideous don't use it! If you decide you want to use it, order it at Costco, Target, Walgreen's, etc in size 4x6! If you order it in a bigger size it will have low resolution. Thank you Emily from Saltwater Kids for sending me the tutorial on how to make these tags!! I hope mine will one day be as cute as yours are! Enjoy love gift #1!

Dollar Section Socks from Target:

Men's socks:
(This is the first tag I made. Notice the word perfect instead of great. But it seemed blurry when I printed it from my home computer. And the the edges were cut off when I ordered this from the store.)

And of course how can I forget about my cute little boy! He is getting some too! :)

I mean he was helping me. And by helping I mean making it extremely difficult to get this post done!

Here are the tags... If they don't save well to your computer (like they are blurry) then let me know and I will email them to you. That's if anyone wants to use them! :)

14 Days of Love....

2011-01-30T12:42:00.000-08:00

Starting Monday I am going to do a countdown to Valentine's Day with 1 small, creative gift each day you can give to someone special to you! I am going to start one day early that way you have time to go out and buy or make the gift. I can't wait to start!!!! Stay tuned! I might even get anxious and post one early. I hope I can come up with 14 different things! ha!

"I Heart U" Valentine Blocks!

2011-01-27T10:11:00.000-08:00

I used extra wood from a church activity to make these cute blocks! I love them. First, I gave these bad boys a really quick paint job. I didn't even paint the bottom or back! You can't see them anyways. While the paint was drying I cut 3 different papers down to size. Then I inked the edges with my brown ink pad. I used spray glue to adhere them to the wood. I would have used mod podge but I was out of foam brushes! Then I used my cricut to cut the letters and heart. I actually just used the George Font and basic shapes cartridge. Then I mod podged the top of the letters and glitter-fied them with Martha Stewart glitters. Then I mod podged the letters on to the paper. I usually like to doll them up a little bit more with ribbons and such but I decided to keep these a little more simple.

Jackson's 1st Birthday!

2011-01-23T21:53:00.000-08:00

We had a small birthday party for Jackson with family and a few close friends on Saturday. It was a very nice day! I appreciated everyone coming and celebrating this sweet boy's birthday. And thank you to those of you who helped out with food! So kind of you! I love Jackson more than anything in the world. He has brought me more joy than I ever thought possible. I know he won't remember this day but I still wanted to make it special for him!

I originally planned an vintage airplane themed party because I found some cute stuff on etsy. But about a month or two ago I realized that I should do a Mickey Mouse Party because Jackson pretty much loves Mickey Mouse! So I started making some things for it! Of course I didn't get everything done that I wanted to!!! But it turned out great! Here are some pictures from his special day. (And of course I hardly got any! Next time I will remember to put someone in charge of taking pictures!)

Invitation:
Birthday Banner:
Party Favors:
Delicious sugar cookies and frosting (although the frosting might look funny) Let's just say food coloring nightmare!!! Thanks mom and sisters for helping!

Food Table (Pre-food)There should be a mickey mouse silhouette on the top of this food platter, but much to my disappointment when I opened the box on Friday night it was broken off!!!!! So sad!

Cupcakes! I think I made 30 cupcake toppers! And used 4 or 5 of them! Time was not on my side!
Center piece I whipped up the morning of the party!
Ball Pit!

Singing Happy Birthday to him! He was a little worried at first but once everyone said his name he got a big smile! So cute!

All tuckered out! (Yes he sleeps with his eyes cracked open!)Tried getting one last shot but you can see how this worked out!
I saved the worst for last (yes worst not best!) This is the one and only picture I got with him! And no I am not afraid to post this terrible picture of me!!!!!

2011-01-20T21:58:00.001-08:00

These have been coming in handy lately. Life has been so hard. So many disappointments. So many unexpected challenges. So many blessings that get overlooked because of the "hard stuff".

Valentine's Day Subway Art

2011-01-11T10:19:00.000-08:00

Remember the Christmas subway art i posted a while back. Well eighteen 25 just posted a Valentine's Day one too!!! How exciting. Already ordered mine! Go here to download it.

One Year in Pictures!

2011-01-10T10:07:00.000-08:00

0-4 weeks:

1 month:

2 months:

3 months:

4 months:

5 months:

6 months:

7 months:

8 months:
9 months:

10 months:

11 months:

12 months:

Valentine's Day Wreath

2011-01-07T16:21:00.000-08:00

I found this idea and decided I had to copy it. I went with colors to match my table runner and kitchen towels.

But I am not sure how much I like the way it turned out:
It does look much better in person though!!!! I am thinking about taking it all apart and mixing the hot pink and light pink colors together and getting rid of the teal. I thought it would look great! Uh! And just in case you were worried... I fixed the little whole yo you might have noticed on the upper left hand side of the wreath!
To see more heart wreaths go here.

Diet Coke

2011-01-05T17:20:00.001-08:00

Usually fixes everything, but not today. Why is life SO HARD sometimes?

Homemade Christmas Gift = Nightmare!

2010-12-29T21:42:00.000-08:00

But it actually turned out great and I hope my mother in law enjoys it and finds a place for this massive bad boy!!! If you notice how the letters are not perfectly aligned just tilt your head a little to the right and left or up and down for that matter and it will look great. And remember it is Sam's fault not mine! :) Sorry the picture is a little dark and there is a terrible glare!

Want to make your own? Click here for the tutorial. I mean did you seriously think I came up with this one on my own.... Ha! The only difference is I used black vinyl and my Blessings block is actually 26 inches long. Not to mention hers is much cuter I know!!! Now I am on to make one for my own mom. I just didn't have enough time to make 2 before Christmas and my mom wanted a new bedspread for Christmas. But since my mom only has one grandchild you just might see my face along with a face for each of their other children and children-in-law on these bad boys! haha. We are blessings right??????? FYI: I used the Alphalicious cartridge for the letters and the Sweethearts Amoureux Cartridge to make the scrolly.

P.S. Do you know what it is like to take pictures of an 8 yr old, 6 yr old (Ethan you are 6 right?), 4 yr old (Logan 4???? I know I am a terrible aunt!), 2 yr old, 1 yr old (nearly 2), 11 month old, and a 3 month old!!! A crazy time! Can you even imagine a group shot... I bet you are picturing crying, some silly faces, and maybe even some hitting???? You are right!!!! Here is "the good one" just for kicks!

Happy crafting to all and to all a good night!!!

SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN!

2010-12-15T09:34:00.000-08:00

And this cute boy can't wait!!! He loved Santa! I will post more pictures as soon as I receive the jpeg file! Here is just one that I caught with my own camera!

JOY Wood Letters

2010-12-01T10:39:00.000-08:00

I finished these this morning... Now I just need to hang them. Normally I put the letters on a little shelf in my "dining area" (definitely not a room), but the J won't stay up... thinking about taking a wood saw and cutting of the bottom to make it straight! Lately I have been having issues with Mod Podge!!! But I learned a great trick when using it: brush on a little bit of water onto your paper! Worked like a champ! I used the same paper line as my countdown calendar (see post below). And now I am working on a paper wreath using the rest of the paper. So fun! All of the supplies were found at Michael's!!!!

Christmas Countdown Advent Calendar

2010-11-30T14:36:00.000-08:00

Once I uploaded the picture above I realized I never put the border on the bottom! So I went back and added it on. But this picture was the clearest so I wanted to make sure to keep it on!

I am FINALLY done with this project, and I am pretty darn excited about it! ha! It was challenging at times to come up with embellishments to use but it is done! I do need to replace the red star because it is to heavy and won't stay on when hanging on the wall! I am just going to go buy a cheap wood star from Joann's paint it and attach that for #24 instead! I wish I would have taken step by step pictures so if any of you wanted to make your own you could! But here is a blog that kind of helped me. I did do mine a little different but you can get the general idea there. If you google Christmas Cookie Sheet Advent Calendar you find a ton of other blogs that offer tutorials. Also, one of my favorite craft blogs, tatertots and jello, has a tutorial here. The materials I used were:
- cookie sheet (I got mine at Target for 4 bucks but the dollar tree has a mini one. I feel however that the mini one would be very difficult to fit all 25 pieces on it, so splurge on a more expensive, larger cookie sheet ;). And make sure it is magentic!!!)
-spray paint. I think mine was creamish?
-magnets (I bought the thick, round, black ones because the magnet strips you can buy and cut to size just weren't strong enough)
- 4 pieces of scrapbook paper (3 must be 12x12) one of the peices (the striped one is just for a border so you don't need much. I cut the Christmas tree paper down to 8.5x11 and printed a 5x5 table from word onto the it. The top piece with the snowflakes is just cut in half and glued onto the top and bottom of the cookie sheet. I also rounded the top and bottom corner of the paper with my little "rounder tool thingy". The red dot paper was 12x12 but I cut of the sides to fit into the cookie sheet and maybe a little of the top and the bottom so there was enough room for the title! Then I glued the striped border on to the top and bottom of the red dot paper. You also could use ribbon here instead of paper. Finally, I glued the Christmas tree paper onto the red dot paper. Hopefully this makes sense)
-embellishments galore -- Buttons, ribbons, scrapbook Christmas embellishments, mini cookie cutters, jingle bell, oranment, etc. !!!
-spray glue -- I used elmers's
- cricut for the 25 days of Christmas or pre-made chipboard letters (if you want them glittered spray the elmer's glue on each letter and pour the glitter... Lesson Learned by Yours Truly: DO NOT HOLD THE LETTER IN YOUR HAND WHILE SPRAYING THE GLUE!!! ;)
-glitter (I love Martha Stewart Glitter) I used the colors blue topaz and garnet.
-Apigator or other tool that can punch a hole through metal
- jewelry wire
-ribbon to tie a bow at the top (wired ribbon is best and is 60% off at Michael's right now--Christmas ribbon that is)
-and stickers for the numbers! I also saw people who spelled the number out but I just used the numbers.
I think that is everything!!!!! If you do make one send me a picture. I would love to see it! And if you have any other questions just ask!!! More crafts to come later tonight or in the morning!!! And if you have made some things do share!!!

The Elves

2010-11-29T09:04:00.000-08:00

"The elves" came to visit us today. They left us cookies, a poinsettia, and a reindeer stuffed animal for Jackson. It is so funny how just yesterday I was saying I needed a poinsettia for a gift my sisters in law gave us. How perfect! Now to explain the whole "elves" thing.... Sam's family has a tradition where during Christmas time the elves mysteriously stop by and leave some kind of gift and usually a treat. The elves always leave some kind of note. Our note this morning said that we really need to enjoy the holidays. And that Jackson needed to sleep through the entire night!!! (Wishful thinking!) The elves always sign the note sincerely, the elves. They also visited us last week. We were all over Sam's parents house of Friday and "the elves" brought all of the grand kids a Christmas movie. The elves just simply ring the doorbell and run away. Maybe you can start this in your family. Maybe you can "elf" a friend or another family member! It really is a lot of fun because you just never know when the elves might drop by!!! Do you have a family tradition that you just love? Let me know! P.S. I know the elf in the picture above looks kinda creepy... sorry!

Soap

2010-11-29T08:50:00.001-08:00

I recently ordered these (clean hands soap) from a friend who was in charge of her super Saturday. I think these are just adorable. I would love to make the monogram one! Go here for the free download and directions! I promise I will try to show you the things that I have recently made later today. I can be creative and don't just copy people all day :)!

Free Subway Art

2010-11-26T22:18:00.000-08:00

I still haven't posted the subway art that I made but when I found this tonight I had to share with the 1 person (if I am lucky) who reads my blog!!! Go here for free printables that you will just love! The best part is I just decided to add this color blue to my Christmas decorations this year. I will be posting all of the amazing things I am working on early next week!!! So fun!

Another Silhouette Give Away!!!

2010-11-23T20:06:00.001-08:00

Another blog that I recently started following is giving away a silhouette to one lucky follower! Become a follower and enter to win! Go here for more info: http://www.theidearoom.net/2010/11/giveaway.html

50 Free Holiday Cards

2010-11-23T17:12:00.000-08:00

Get 50 free holiday photo cards from Shutterfly by going here http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/

Another Amazing Giveaway!!!

2010-11-22T07:17:00.000-08:00

Jen from www.tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com is hosting an AMAZING giveaway this week. She is giving away a Silhouette!!! If you have never seen this machine you have to check it out! It allows you to create so many fun things! I have dying to get one every since my friend told me about it a few months ago. Head on over her blog and become a follower ! Then enter to win! Good Luck!

Amazing Give Away

2010-11-17T17:31:00.000-08:00

Of course I am not giving it away.... I just don't have these kind of connections. But go to one of my favorite blogs to follow and enter to win this amazing Christmas Subway Art! And if you or I don't win then lets get together and make our own! Go here for my info and a chance to win: http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/2010/11/giveaway-three-subway-art-craft-kits.html

P.S. I will be posting pictures of my Christmas Advent Calendar soon! It is adorable!

Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch

2010-11-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Christmas Crafts for Sale

2010-10-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

I am thinking about selling these for Christmas! If you are interested in buying one let me know and I will send you the price! It is a shadow box filled with jingle bells. It is backed with scrapbook paper and has a vinyl sticker attached to the glass. The sticker only comes in red, black, and chocolate. No green.... sorry!

Thanksgiving/Fall Wreath

2010-10-28T09:48:00.001-07:00

First off.... Sam stated he hates the color of the yarn which I kinda agree with! He also said this is not related to Thanksgiving in anyway! How rude! So maybe more of a fall wreath???? I don't know! It was fun doing something new! Next time I am going to use colors I love like like brown, cream, tiffany blue, etc.!!! Sorry for the blurry picture by the way! For instructions on how to make this go here: http://calebdanielle.blogspot.com/2010/10/diy-yarn-wreath-with-felt-flowers.html

More of Riley's Farm in Pictures!

2010-10-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

SO tired!

Riley's Farm

2010-10-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

Momma and baby!

I can see it now... Hayres and I at the hospital together awaiting the arrival of our first grandchild from these two cuties! haha

By the end of the day he was a sleepy boy

Amber's Wedding!

2010-09-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

My younger sister was married on August 14th! Can I just say how happy I am that it is over and that they are still married haha! It was a ton of work! I think I worked harder on this wedding than my own! So 2 Keife girls down and 2 to go! Can't wait till we are all married!

2010-03-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest update on our cute little boy! He is smiling at cooing like crazy! He really is a sweet and happy baby almost all of the time. He is a cat napper and loves being cuddled. At his last doctor's appointment he was in the 90th percentile for height, weight, and head circumference, which means he is perfectly proportionate (even though everyone thinks his head is large!). He enjoys all of his shopping trips with mommy, grandma, and auntie Daylemarie and Nicole. I am sure he is secretly hoping for a sister so he doesn't become momma's shopping buddy for life! :) We are just loving every minute with our precious boy. He has brought so much joy into our lives!

2010-03-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

Is He Cute or What?

2010-01-27T20:37:00.001-08:00

Birth Story!

2010-01-24T12:17:00.000-08:00

WARNING: Reader Discretion is Advised!!!! (Especially if you are currently expecting!) :)

Ok here is what some of you have been asking for....
January 12th, 10:30 a.m.: (At this point I have been dilated to 3 cm and completely thinned out for a week.) My mom and sister take me to my doctor's appointment. It was Sam's first day of school for the new quarter and I was having crazy contractions all morning and thought it would be best for someone to come with me just in case they send me to the hospital. I met with Dr. Rodrigues for my 41st week check-up! Yes that is right I am now overdue! My blood pressure sky-rocketed to some crazy high number that I really can't remember, so he sent me straight to the hospital. He said once your blood pressure goes up, it usually doesn't come back down so lets just get this baby out! I thought great! 1 day earlier than my scheduled induction. I was pretty happy!

11:00 a.m.: We arrive at the hospital, only to be greeted by snooty nurses! We were already off to a great start! The nurses acted like I was bothering them... I thought, "Wow, aren't you getting paid?" So annoying. I finally get one of those tiny room across from the nurses station, which was no coincidence seeing how lazy this group of nurses were. And there I stayed until they wheeled me into some freakish delivery room. More about that later. They hooked me up to the monitors and there I sat for a looooonnnnnggggggg while!

1:30: Sam arrives. He left school early. And at this point we are questioning why.... still nothing happening.

2:00: Pitocin: A girls best friend and worst nightmare all at the same time. They started out with a very slow drip increasing it every 30 minutes. I was feeling pretty good. Took a couple of pictures! Life was great. But I was starving. Sam was trying to sneak in some candy behind my bed-- very annoying!

3:30: Contractions are getting pretty intense...

4:00: Dr. Chong comes into the tiny room to check me! 4cm! Wahooo! Then she breaks my water.... holy crap so painful! I need an epidural at this point. The pitocin was so strong that my contractions never came back down. They just said off the charts. For all you moms you can imagine how terrible the pain is when a contraction gets that strong, and imagine what it is like to have 1 contraction lasting 30 minutes! I might have said just 1 bad word at this point! But I was still feeling like this whole labor thing really isn't all that bad! By the way... the nurse told me I couldn't have an epidural because it was too early. So I told Dr. Chong that and she was ticked and ordered it for me right away! Thank you Dr. Chong!

5:00ish or thereafter: I got an epidural. Most painful part was when they injected the medicine into my back. Most annoying part: Not being able to move my legs. Why did I not realize this would happen?

5:30: Catheter: Dreaded this for 9 months and it was as bad as expected. The nurse didn't wait for me to be numb... She just stuck it in... well after 4 tries! Terribly painful.

6:00 hour: I was a six and feeling dang good... the whole leg thing is really driving me insane though. Started to question if I would ever feel them again!

A long time later they finally check me!

10:45: 8 cm!

11:00: "Um, I really need to push." Well we just checked you so we will check you in about 45 minutes. What part of I need to push did they not understand!

11:45: Nurse checks me! Wow you are ready to go. "Ya I was ready at 11:00 freak!" Uh... these are mostly just thoughts in my head. So she has me give a couple "practice pushes" alright you are ready to go back to delivery.

12:00 a.m.: They wheel me into the dungeon... no lie! I felt like I was in a foreign hospital for a while! Creepy! 12:00-1:45 a.m.: Push my little heart out! So exhausting. About 12:45 they realize Jackson wasn't making it past this bone... then my brilliant mom says at about 1:30 maybe you should take out the catheter... wow it worked! Two pushes later and he was past the stuck point... (The nurse was supposed to take this out before I even started pushing! At this point I am a bit ticked!) 1:47: Dr. Chong arrives. They have to use the vacuum to assist. I am feeling like a failure. For some reason they thought they baby was sunny side up... they thought this until the moment he came out! I don't understand that! Whatever! 2:05: His head pops out with his shoulders.................WARNING: STOP NOW IF YOU ARE PREGO!........ and i tear up to my butt through 3 layers. That is right people-- a 4th degree tear. I thought the highest was a 3rd degree. I was like oh crap this is bad. Now the real nightmare begins... 2:05-3:50 Dr. Chong sews me up. I was shaking uncontrollably. My blood pressure sky rocketed--- I freaked out. Then realized the machine was broke! Yay! I bleed out what seemed like half the blood in my body. My mom told me a few days later she thought I was going to die! She just watched the massive amount of blood move closer and closer to her very pretty boots... good thing the had high shoes on! I mean there was blood on the walls, footprints down the hallways, it was everywhere! Well over a hundred stiches later I finally held my little baby, well for the second time, but the first time I couldn't even really hold on to him because I was shaking so bad and was so weak. Labor and even pushing was less painful than I imagined. Put tearing was absolutely terrible! I was so sad that I couldn't even hold him on my own right away. I remember not even being able to open my eyes once he came out, and when I did everything was so blurry! But he was finally here, and I was elated! Jackson James Wolfe was born at 2:05 a.m. on Wednesday, January 13, 2010. He weighed 9 lbs 4 oz and was 20 1/4 inches long!

5:00 a.m.: We finally get into a large nice room! By now Jackson pooped the black tar up his back! haha! I tried to breast feed him... really this was a stupid idea! I was soooooo tired! Then he falls asleep and the nurse comes in to bathe him! Are you serious! Poor kid is screaming! Then I get him back and he falls asleep again in my arms .... too cute!

I think we slept about 2 hrs max... well Sam slept and I stared at Jackson!

Visitors, visitors, and more visitors. No sleep at all!

Thursday 4:30 a.m.: The nurse tells me that Jackson has jaundice but to not worry because his levels are very low! Ok I won't worry then. (This is strange for me!)

Thursday afternoon: His levels sky rocket and we are staying another night. Jackson has to be in an incubator all night. He cried the entire night! My mom stayed with me so Sam could go home and sleep. She stayed up all night holding Jackson's little hand. She was the best! I was hysterical!

Friday morning: Dr. announces that he is going to be in the hospital a few extra days... I lose it! She said it like it didn't matter! I cried and cried and cried. The nurse works out something and he gets to go to pediatrics so I can spend the night with him. But only one parent can! What? I have a 4th degree tear. I can't do this on my own... Another blessing... they made an exception and Sam can stay but we can't share a bed... Gee... just what I wanted-- to get into bed with the man who did this to me in the first place! haha By now Jackson is actually enjoying his stay in the incubator. He was now under 3 lights! And one of them made a noise that was obviously very soothing to him!

Saturday morning: He gets to go home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't be happier. I think we were packed up and discharged within 15 minutes! Life was great. I felt very grateful and humbled. I was rather angry just two days before and had to do some repenting!

Now we are home and life couldn't be sweeter! He now weighs 9 lbs. 7 oz. He has gained 1 lb. back since we left the hospital. He is my little chubber! Jackson got pics done yesterday. My little angel boy was very cooperative though. I was shocked! I felt so bad that Jenolyn came all the way down. But she did get a few cute ones, which I will post as soon as I get them.

I am thankful for the Weekend!

2009-11-06T16:27:00.001-08:00

My title says it all... I am so tired! I don't think that I could have made it through one more week day. As thankful as I am for the weekend.... I hate that it is sooo short! But weekend... I will certainly enjoy you while you are hear!

Husband!

2009-11-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

Oops I missed a day... We will pretend like today is Thursday! Today I am grateful for my husband. I know I can be a bit crazy, especially during this pregnancy, but he puts up with me so patiently! He loves every part of me... even the part of me that worries over every LITTLE thing (which all seem really big at the time!) He does so many loving things for me everyday that often go unnoticed or even unacknowledged! I am so lucky to have him in my life! Love you Sam!

Belly Pics

2009-11-04T17:25:00.000-08:00

Two posts in one day... I am on a role. After talking about the whole conversation between the sub and me, I realized that I better post a picture of me just to prove that I am not that huge! Not yet at least... So here I am at 29 weeks... I am now almost 31!

Being Thankful

2009-11-04T17:14:00.000-08:00

Many friends are writing one thing each day that they are thankful for through the month of November. Well, we will see if I can do that. As you can tell I am really good at updating my blog about once every year! So here goes.... Today I am thankful for this little baby growing inside me. Although pregnancy has made me feel like a nervous wreck every day, it is so worth it! I love going to the doctors, minus peeing in the tiny cups (any one else struggle with this, haha!). I just love hearing his heartbeat, and feeling his sometimes painful movements in my belly. Although I have had some rather unusual symptoms/side affects (why don't people tell you everything that could happen as a prego woman?) Even though I am sick of strangers throwing in their two-sense -- Example: Sub at my school asks, "When are you due?" Me: "January 9th" Sub: "Really, you are huge! Do you have diabetes or something" Me: "No, and I have only gained 18 pounds so I guess I was just fat to begin with!" Uh people make me angry! Oh well! It is all worth it! I already love my baby Jackson (who is not name after Michael Jackson like many of my students think) more than anything in the world. I can't beleive Sam and I created this little guy and he is part of both of us! I can't wait to see what he looks like, hold him in my arms, and just love him to pieces (well I can wait till January, ok Jackson, your little scare in September was not funny! You just stay in their and grow till at least December 27th!) So today, I am most grateful for my little baby!

New Hobby

2009-01-27T15:47:00.000-08:00

So I have been wanting to start a new hobby, but it requires a rather expensive purchase! I say I am worth it... so within the year a Canon Rebel XTi will be my new baby!

Christmas

2008-12-30T19:19:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post something about our Christmas. It is always a busy, but enjoyable time. We went to Sam's grandma's house on Christmas Eve, then to my parents house, then to Sam's parents house. Christmas morning we woke up nice and early to open presents and then made the rounds again. Keife's, Wolfe's, back home to get ready, Keife's again, and one final, long stop at the Wolfe's. We had a great time altogether and received lots of stuff. Both of our families now own the Wii and lets just say it has consumed our lives!

The Dreaded Malls

2008-12-17T17:30:00.000-08:00

One thought.... Does anyone else feel like there is nothing in the malls? My mom and I went shopping today (thanks to my day off-- see post below) and we couldn't find anything! Sam and I are going to have a Christmas Tree with no presents beneath it.... so don't try robbing our house. It won't be worth it!

I Am Freezing!

2008-12-17T17:24:00.000-08:00

No matter where I go I am freezing. The rain/wind at work feels like ice hitting your face. Our little tiny bedroom is 56 degrees on average. Thanks to no heater! I sleep with 3 blankets, sweats, a long sleeve shirt, a sweat shirt, my hood on, and a heating pad! There is something wrong with this! The only place I am actually warm at is in my car, that's if it heats up before I arrive at my destination! On a more positive note, thanks to this freezing rain/snow I was unable to make it to work on Monday, today, and they called a snow day for tomorrow. So, I am going to enjoy 3 weeks of Christmas vacation. (The few perks of being a teacher, and I mean few!) Although I am freezing all the time, I am grateful for the rain, because I know we need it. I am thankful to have a freezing home to live in, because some people don't have a home at all. So, after all my complaining I have decided to just be thankful!

We Voted!

2008-11-04T17:09:00.000-08:00

I have been feeling a lot guilty about my some what lack of participation in all the festivities for Prop 8. I have done such minimal things, and it started to get to me on Saturday. A little too late, right?!? Well I mean we put a yard sign out, made some calls, fed the hard workers, etc. But, I could have done more. At least I voted...right?!?! I just can't wait for this election to be over!!!!! By the way, my day was nearly ruined when my 27 second graders decided to elect Obama as President.