I Was Featured!

Just wanted to show you where I was featured for the frugal bow holder that I made! Click here to visit One Pretty Thing. I love this website and find so many cute ideas on here and decided to send my own! Hope you like this site as much as I do! (If you click 'here' it takes you to the post where I was featured-among others and if you click One Pretty Thing it takes you to the most recent post!)

Frugal bow holder

I don't know about any of you but my house has a bunch of little girls hair bows in it. A dear friend made us a holder a few years ago but now it is too small for all the bows that we have. So, today I decided to get busy and make a new one using only items I had on hand.

You just need some card stock, glue, scissors, paper cutter, ribbon, embellishments, and stapler. I used card board as the base of the holder but you can use a board or something more sturdy. I wanted to do it right now and didn't want to wait until I could buy something else. It works just fine but doesn't lay flat against the wall b/c it is so light.

First, cut your card board to the size you want. Mine is 6"x12".

Cut the card stock you want to cover it with and glue it on. I used tacky glue.Next, cut your ribbons all the same length and tie knots at the bottom.
Then, staple the ribbons to the back of the board.
Finally, punch holes for the ribbon to make a hanger. Fix it to the length you want it to hang. Remember that the ribbon that you use for the hanger can also hold bows....bonus! After the ribbon, embellish! (I added the strip of pink paper to cover up the holes from the staples. Like I said I wanted this right now so I had to make it work but I think it turned out just fine.
Add your bows and you are done! Quick and easy and cute!
If you choose to use cardboard you may want to add weights and it may hang against the wall a little nicer. For me, it works and holds all the bows with room for a few more.

These plants.....

are still sitting and waiting to be planted. I bought them on Saturday but David was working on the weeds in the backyard so we didn't get to the garden until too late. I worked all day Sunday and it has been windy every since. I honestly can't remember Monday but there was a reason why I didn't plant and now these plants are staring at me just waiting to get in the ground. Maybe today.......

Morning

I came on here everyday this week trying to think of what to post but I guess I'm having writer's block or life block or something! Nothing stands out to me from this week except that we have had a decent week as far as behavior. I've been getting up in the mornings and focusing on my devotions and prayer and that has made a huge difference. Last week at my meeting at church a dear friend, Laura, gave the devotion that I absolutely needed. She talked about routines and how summer is coming and we tend to get out of our normal routines since the kids are out of school and we let our time with God fall to the bottom of our list. Well, I don't have kids in school.....yet! I really don't have an excuse for not waking up and spending time with God. I always just want to sleep in a little longer. I've never been a morning person so if I have to get up early to get ready to be somewhere by 9, I struggle. Well, when she read this devotion to us and then spoke to us, it really hit me b/c I don't get up every morning and spend time with God, yet my heart and mind beg me to. This week has been so much better because I have been fed in the mornings with God's word and it makes the day better. I haven't yelled as much at the kids=I've actually had patience with them! Not everyday was great but it just helped. I challenge any of you that haven't been spending your time with God to just jump back into it.....He's waiting for you!

My Love

Here is a picture of my hubby and me from vacation. I finally downloaded the pictures to my computer and there's a lot! I don't even have the pics from my mom's camera yet. I figure I show a lot of my kids but not as much as me and my love!
(Yes, I realize that I almost blend in with that white shirt and really wish the other 3 adults with me that morning would have told me!)

I'll add some more pictures throughout the week and let you know when I get them on my picasa site!

Random (and a little long)

I still haven't downloaded the pictures from my camera....I know, I know! I promise I will get it done soon but life has just been so busy! Today Grace had preschool and I had a meeting so I dropped her off and then took Andrew with me to church. After we picked her up we came home and ate lunch and then worked out to Jillian Michaels (you know, from The Biggest Loser). The kids worked out the whole time with me and did the moves in their own way. Do you ever stare at the tv during a workout (that is, if you use videos or even workout for that matter) and wonder how they are doing the move and it takes a step or 2 to figure it out??? Well, that's what it was like for the kids except they had to watch for a loooong time to figure out what they were doing. At one point, I went to open the window and just kept moving during that time and when I got back Andrew said, "Mom, you missed the punches!" Thanks, kid!

Oh, last night Andrew went to church with me and when we were driving home we were talking about being friends and I asked him who his best friends are....he said Cole (my director's son) and daddy and Grace. I asked him what I needed to do to be his best friend and he said, "You need to talk to me like the big guy." It took me a second and then I asked him who the big guy is and he said Jesus! He said that I'm mean (sorry, kid, but I have to discipline you) and that I should talk to him like Jesus does. I will admit that I've had a rough time for the past few months and I haven't exactly been patient and a lot of days I have just been mean to my kids and David and I've had a hard time changing it. I know it's happening and I try to stop it but it's so hard to get back to 'normal' after I've felt so crummy about the miscarriages. I'm getting better but now it's getting Andrew to let it go and focus on mommy feeling better rather than reminding me of how terrible I've been. That's something that David and I are working on but I need David to be in 100% or Andrew won't do it. He looks up to his daddy so much! Well, I guess enough rambling but sometimes we have to get it all out b/c with a blog we can always write about the good things and we look like we never struggle but the truth is we struggle every day and I've struggled a lot lately. My friend is at the hospital in labor and I'm a little jealous....not in a bad way but I should be getting close to the end of a pregnancy but I'm not. She gets to bring home a baby and I am so happy for her and I can't wait to see the baby but I don't get to do all of this. My original due date was June 8th. Of course once I get past this date, I still have another one to get through with a few other people that are due right around that same time. I know that God will get me through it but sometimes the anxiety takes over. OK, really, that's all now! I hope you all have a wonderful week and if you remember, please include us (me) in your prayers.

We are back from vacation. We went to San Diego for a week and got back yesterday. I went ahead and had my blog automatically set to post (wish I always took the time to do that). I'm behind in some of my posts but they'll get there eventually! Anyway, back to vacation! My mom flew out here on Wednesday the 5th and got to see the kids perform at church on the 6th. Then on Friday we left for San Diego. We went to the Wild Animal Park and the Zoo and also the beach. We stayed at the Lawrence Welk Resort and it was really nice. Our 'room' was 1,370 sq. ft and had 2 bedrooms, each with their own bathroom and 2 closets. The living area was huge along with the balcony and kitchen. I could easily live there. The kids got to enjoy the pool the day we got there and then one other day. The weather was ok. It would start off cloudy and cool but eventually get sunny and warm. Sunday was just plain cold though so we mainly just hung out at the room. Our balcony overlooked the 15th hole so we had fun watching everyone tee off! Mom flew out on Wednesday from San Diego. We wish she could have stayed longer.

When we got home yesterday we were exhausted! I did all the laundry as soon as we got home...it helped to have it all sorted before we left the resort. I only have a couple things left to put away that I hung to dry. The suitcases are already put away and it's like we never left! If you know me very well, you know that this is a miracle for it all to be done! I've been known to leave it for a week (or longer) before I take the time to put everything away!

Today we are working on getting the garden ready for planting. I really haven't given it much though this year but I know for sure I am planting cantaloupe (thanks to Bill & Wendy for giving us some plants), tomatoes, pumpkins, and green beans. I found a better spot for my green beans this year that doesn't get as much sun. We don't have a lot of shade at our house so it's hard to grow a lot of things b/c the sun and heat is so harsh. Last year my green peppers did awesome so I may do those again also. I want to do zucchini but I'm running out of room for it. We are working on making shade so the plants aren't in the full sun ALL day. Well that's our update. I'll get the pics uploaded as soon as I can and share a few.

Performance

The kids performed at church last week and it was sooooo cute! I wish I had a short video on my camera but it's all on the regular video camera and the last time I tried to get the video on my computer I almost threw the camera and computer out the window! It's a simple step that I miss every single time I attempt the download. Anyway, here's a couple pics. They dressed like cowboys (and cowgirls) b/c one of the songs they sang and danced to sounded like country. It was so much fun to see them on stage. Grace danced a little. She kept moving, not necessarily the right moves but she did her best. Andrew never stopped smiling and knew all the moves and just had a blast! It's so awesome that the kids learn these moves and get to dance to the songs. Such an awesome (and fun) way for them to worship Jesus!

Splash!

Do I really need to write anything about these photos? David washed the truck and they had so much fun splashing in the mud puddle! He ended up having to wash his little car also b/c they got it so dirty. By the end of their splashing time they had buckets of mud that they were dumping over the car!

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the mothers, grandmothers, anyone taking care of little ones (or big ones)! Hope you all have a special day with lots of love and hugs! Remember how special you are and what a great job we all are blessed to have!

Grace's 1st day of Preschool

These are from Grace's 1st day of Preschool. She went right in with no problem and could care less that I left. Her teacher said she did fine but didn't really talk to anyone. She goes 2 days a week and on the 2nd day her teacher said she opened up more.

Air Show

The kids wore these headphones all day at the air show and had a blast. David said there were tiny babies there and lots of little kids screaming all day long b/c their ears hurt from the loud planes. So glad he remembered to take those headphones. They got to see a lot of planes and daddy bought them each a plane to bring home.

Scrappy Pics

Above: The scrap room. This is where we spent most of our time.
Below: The pages that I completed and layouts I made but some need pics. I completed about 24 layouts. We played some games and just sat and talked and had such a girls weekend. I would have liked to have completed a few more but I also just wanted to relax and not stress about how much I got done but the quality of the finished page.

Here are the prizes/giveaways that I came home with. I used a lot of the things I won so there was even more. Can you believe it? They had awesome prizes.

The cute little book that Priscilla made me for my birthday! Thanks Priscilla, it is so cute! (Sorry the pic is sideways) Celena also gave me a new tape runner that I've been wanting to try out. Awesome!

I also won this Scentsy warmer set for being the first one to complete the challenge of earning 12 merit badges. We had 12 techniques to try on our layouts and I finished first! What an awesome prize. Celena and Priscilla definitely went above and beyond this weekend.

The weekend was awesome and full of fun and laughter! The girls had a cake with candles (31 to be exact) and presents. I can't wait to get all the pictures from Celena and Patty. They were taking pictures like crazy so I only took a few and will get some from them. I've had such a great birthday. We are having pizza and cake tonight with the kids. David got me a bracelet and the kids made me pictures and decorated the house with balloons and streamers and a banner. I also got lotions from Victoria's Secret (thanks Mom!) and a Macy's gift card (thanks Dad and Kathy!).