tales of the scotts

Simple Valentine's Decor

2012-02-08T20:32:00.001-05:00

I'm a little late in the game. I finally got my Valentine's decor up. I have no idea what took so long seeing as it's just two simple things around the fireplace. I'll just blame it on the kids. :-)

Those that have been around here for a while know that I'm obsessed with garland and felt! I just love them!! I made the circle garland last year. Super simple. Cut out a bunch of circles and then stitch them together. Easy with a capital E.

I had one idea that totally busted this year I needed something else in its place and chose to create these hearts. I love them! There is no tutorial for this but you can follow along with my Love, Peace, Hope garland I made two years ago. It's the exact same concept.

So, not much but it does brighten up the living room a bit.

Happy crafting! Thanks for reading!

Linking Up Here:

House of Hepworths, Design Dazzle, Sassy Sites, Raising Oranges, Simply Designing, Toys in the Dryer, Thirty Handmade Days, Whipperberry, Pocket Full of Pink, Seven Alive, Blissful and Domestic,

Bottlecap Conversation Magnets

2012-02-07T15:39:00.002-05:00

First let me say that today has been a day! Both of my little people slept terrible last night. My six month old is barely napping today. My three year old is not napping today. He then proceeds to pee down the hallway this afternoon. He's a good 4 months into potty training with like one accident so far. Mommy needs a time out when Daddy gets home!

Also, please tell me that some of you have craft ideas in your head and when you go to do them, they fail. And fail miserably sometimes. I have seriously had three different ideas for Valentine's and all three failed. Ugh!

So, today's craft has evolved from what it was originally supposed to be! After a couple of misses, I settled on these bottlecap conversation magnets. And I think they're just adorable.

Have any of you heard of Pick Your Plum? It's basically a daily deal site that specializes in crafts and things of the like. It's amazing! And everything I've purchased there has been awesome. Occasionally they'll do a box full of random things and you have to purchase before you actually know what's in there. I've purchased two boxes so far. What I love is that I get stuff in the box that I'd typically never purchase. (See my Scripture Board post). And these bottlecaps came from my most recent box.

I looked through Pinterest for some bottlecap ideas and came across these Bottlecap Necklaces from How Does She? While I wasn't going to make necklaces, I was going to "string them up" and use them for something else. Alas, that didn't work. So, I began to think about what I could do with them and I thought of these magnets. Who doesn't need more magnets on the fridge?

Basically, I took the plain bottlecaps and spray painted them pink. I used my Cameo to cut out some circles with phrases you'd normally see on Conversation Heart candies and created these magnets with the sticky circles included in my pack.

Super easy. I had these two pictures already on my fridge. This one is from the first Christmas Eve that Jonathan & I were married.

Picture quality is terrible in the original picture.

I love this picture of me and my dad.

No, your eyes aren't blurry. Again original copy is super blurry.

And here are a few others.

Super easy project and really fun. I have a ton left over so I may make up some other fun ones. Side note: my house is rather dark. It's an older home and all the trim is super dark mahogany and original to the house. So, my kitchen is dark too and the pictures were crummy. I took the magnets and pictures and put them on a cookie sheet and headed for the living room. You do what you have to!

Thanks for reading! Now, off to tend to my little people!

Linking Up To:

Oopsey Daisy, Lil' Luna, Uncommon Designs, The Southern Product Queen, Sew Woodsy, Let Birds Fly, Someday Crafts, Junk In Their Trunk, Blue Cricket Design, Chatty Chics, House of Hepworths, Design Dazzle, Sassy Sites, Raising Oranges, Simply Designing, Toys in the Dryer, Thirty Handmade Days, Whipperberry, Pocket Full of Pink, Seven Alive, Blissful and Domestic,

Project Life: Title Page

2012-02-06T10:30:00.000-05:00

Oh, I'm so excited to be sharing Project Life with you! Project life was created by Becky Higgins as a way to "simplify the process of scrapbooking with a back-to-basics approach - focusing on pictures, stories, and the 'stuff' of life.'"

My adventures with crafting began with scrapbooking. It all started one Girls Night Out at church and my interest in all types of crafts quickly grew. I think I have a special place in my heart for scrapping since it was my first adventure in the craft genre. ;-)

But as life grew busier and busier (kiddo number one, followed by kiddo number two) and as my interest in other crafts grew, scrapbooking took a back seat - way, way in the back seat. We have very limited space in our house so all of my crafts are boxed up in a hall closet. Which means I have to pull something out when I want to "play." So, pulling out four boxes of just scrapping stuff wasn't cohesive to us right now. I sold a ton before my daughter was born and kept the essentials.

Then Project Life's blog entered my life. For months, I went back and forth. Do I get it? Do I not? Will I use it? Will I not? Finally, I decided to go for this simplified version of scrapbooking. Basically Project Life provides you with a "core kit" that has all the journaling items you could need right at your fingertips. Then you purchase a binder and some photo protectors and go for it.

The best thing about Project Life - you make it what you want it to be. Initially I was going to do a photo-a-day approach but I knew that I would forget one day or two or three and then that would be it for me. Ha! So, I decided to go for a weekly overview of our life. I'm loving this approach! You can also just use what's provided in the core kit or you can embellish it a bit. In theory, I would love to embellish mine a ton. And I probably will some weeks and won't the others. But the great thing is that if you just want to keep it simple, it's all provided for you. Awesome!

Today, I'm showing you my title page only. I actually do have weeks 1-4 mostly finished. I'm still waiting on some different versions of the photo protectors to come back in stock. The plus side is that I already have those layouts done and the photos are already printed so once I have the protectors, I just need to place the pictures in there and I'm done.

I'm using the Clementine Core Kit. I picked this one because it was a bit "softer" than the others and since I have a young boy and girl, I thought this went perfectly for us. And gosh, I just love it!

See how simple this is? Everything you see here was provided in the kit except for the pictures (obviously) and the 2012 (I used my new Cameo to cut out these letters) and the washi tape (purchased here).

I can't wait to share Project Life with you all year long!

See you soon!

I {Heart} Mondays

2012-02-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

Here are some adorable Valentines for your little person to take to school!

The first is my fav. Maybe it's because I have a boy but they are oh.so.cute!

Source: dandee-designs.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: findingtimetocreate.blogspot.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: atsecondstreet.blogspot.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: crapivemade.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: cookingwiths.blogspot.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: bethproudfoot.blogspot.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: nestofposies-blog.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: griffithsrated.blogspot.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: thirtyhandmadedays.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: armommy.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: supermommoments.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: acupcakefortheteacher.blogspot.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: whipperberry.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: modernparentsmessykids.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: brownpaper--packages.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: zakkalife.blogspot.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: dana-made-it.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: thefryfamilyblog.blogspot.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

These are another fav. Maybe for Sarah's class when she gets older.

Source: dandee-designs.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: mermag.blogspot.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: modernparentsmessykids.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: iammommahearmeroar.net via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

I know that's a lot but cute, right??!?!

Thanks for reading! Happy Monday to you!

I {Heart} Mondays

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday everyone! Check out the yummy Valentine's treats I've seen around the web lately!

Source: hanielas.blogspot.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: lovefromtheoven.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: kelseyskitchen.blogspot.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: theirlittleworld.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: gatorademilitary.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: soufflebombay.blogspot.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: savethedate4cupcakes.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: icanteachmychild.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: myrecipes.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Seriously yummy, right? Thanks for reading! Happy Monday to you!

Giveaway Winners!

2012-01-29T14:59:00.001-05:00

It's Giveaway winner time! If you're new the blog, welcome!

Using Random.org, our two winners are:

Commenter #1: Christina!

Commenter #28: Karin!

Congrats ladies! I'm sending you both emails now and will get a banner off to you this week, just in time for Valentine's!

Don't forget to visit Isaboo Designs. She has a lot of cute stuff in her shop, including banners, wallets and things for kids!

See you all tomorrow for a new I {Heart} Mondays!

Valentine's Shirt

2012-01-26T15:50:00.002-05:00

For Christmas, I had this really cute dress for Sarah that my mom bought her. But it needed a shirt to go underneath it. I really wanted a black shirt because the dress was light beige. I looked around and finally found a shirt at the Gap for $2.99 with 40% off. Score! It was a Halloween onesie and looked like this.

Pretty cute and worked great for what I needed it for.

I hate wasting stuff. Even though this shirt was stinkin' cheap, I wanted to get as much use out of it as I could. So, I thought I could easily cover up that pumpkin with something else. I chose a heart for Valentine's day because pretty soon, this isn't going to fit her anymore!

So, I got some fabric and attached some interfacing to it to give it some stability.

I cut out a heart shape and pinned it over the pumpkin.

Then, I sewed a really tight zig zag stich all around the heart. And voila, an adorable shirt for an adorable little girl!

I call this, and freezer paper stenciling, the poor man's version of embroidery. {wink wink} Turned out perfectly for a simple Valentine's shirt!

Here are our outtakes. I guess I took too many pictures and left her unattended for too long. Poor gal can't sit up for that long! And she wanted that ice cream cone!

Thanks for reading!

Giveaway!!

2012-01-24T13:47:00.000-05:00

I am super excited to be hosting my very first official giveaway! I am giving away two gorgeous burlap banners just in time for Valentine's!!

My friend of Isaboo Designs graciously offered up two of her Valentine's banners to be given away. They're seriously adorable! In fact, all of her stuff is! Check out her Etsy shop. I own this cute wallet.

Here are the two banners up for grabs!

Cute, right?!?

Want them for your own? Here's how to enter the giveaway!

Mandatory Entry

I {Heart} Mondays

2012-01-23T21:09:00.003-05:00

Howdie Ho! It's been a busy, yet productive day over at the Scotts today. Finally sitting down to do my Monday round-up. There are some amazing Valentine's projects on the web lately so for the next few weeks, I'll be highlighting some of my faves! Today I'm focusing on decorations and some cutesy things!

Source: etsy.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: meohmymama.blogspot.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

This is a great project to include your kids on!

Source: jessicapeck.blogspot.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: livinglocurto.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: ohcrafts.net via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: potterybarnkids.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

My friend has an Etsy shop and has these adorable banners for sale. Ca-Ute!

Source: etsy.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

And some other random yet adorable finds!

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: newhouseproject.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

If you don't already follow me on Pinterest, find me here!

Happy Monday! See you later this week {fingers crossed} with some new Valentine's decor!

A New Person

2012-01-19T14:35:00.001-05:00

A couple of months ago, my brother decided he wanted to be baptized. He was baptized as a younger child but after growing up and "living life", he decided he wanted a clean slate. A new beginning. So, he talked with one of his closest friends (whose a pastor at my church) and he was baptized.

I went backstage so I could capture this A.MAZE.ING moment! I was so very proud. And crying during all of it.

I was ordering some photos from Shutterfly and came across the photos from that day and thought my brother might like a copy of them. So, I ordered a set for him. Then I got to thinking, wouldn't it be nice if I put something together for him, like a keepsake, and attached 2 Corinthians 5:17 to it. I found the frame in my closet, not being used. I printed off some pictures and voila. A personal reminder to Ian that the old life is gone, a new life has begun!

Hallelujah!

"Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" - 2 Corinthians 5:17

Instead of photographing the photos, here are the ones I chose:

I'm wrapping it up and including a personal note and dropping it off to him tonight! I hope he always remembers how he felt on November 20, 2011.

A Look Back: Valentine's Style

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

Here are just a few of my Valentine's Decorations/Crafts from the past:

I made these bookmarks for my husband almost three years ago. He still has one of them! :-)

This is one of the first wreaths I made. A gorgeous red felt wreath for Valentine's Day!

I love, love, love garland so I made this simple garland last year. I can't wait to hang it up again!

And here's my most recent wreath I made this year.

Happy Decorating & Crafting!

You Wanna Piece of Me?

2012-01-10T16:41:00.002-05:00

When Hosea made this face, my family laughed and laughed about it. Look who I caught making the same face today?

Valentine's Wreath: XO!

2012-01-09T21:37:00.003-05:00

Several months have gone into the creating of my XO Wreath. Let me bring you up to speed.

I am a wreath-making fool. I love making wreaths for all occasions. Months ago, I pinned this idea on Pinterest. You basically take a swim noodle or foam tubing from Lowes and create your own wreath for a fraction of the price. Woo Hoo!

Several weeks ago, I came across this beautiful berry wreath on Pinterest. Knowing darn well I'm no good in the foliage department, I tucked it away trying to think of a way to make it mine.

Then last week, I was trying to organize Sarah's room and was pulling out some of Hosea's old toys that were age appropriate for her now. I came across an old play mat of his that I remembered had been recalled so I put the whole thing in the trash pile because I couldn't remember the specifics of the recall.

But then, I looked over at those noodle-looking thingies and remembered that wreath. I snatched them out and waited for bedtime.

Here's how I created my version. I took the noodles and cut the blue cover off. The forms were really stiff but I thought with enough duct tape, I could keep them together. Luckily, when I took the covers off, out came a hard pipe thing from the middle of the tube. I was able to throw them away and easily mold the noodles into the shapes I wanted them in!

I cut one of the tubes in half to create the X. In order to get it as flat as I could, I cut out an indention in one of them for the other piece to fit into. It still stuck out a bit but not nearly as bad.

Then I taped the X together (totally forgot to get a picture but imagine a lot of tape!). And then taped up the circle (all I had on hand was painters tape. It didn't hold that well so I picked up some duct tape the following day).

I spent a couple of hours wrapping the X and the O with a ton of yarn until they were finished! The only thing I had to do which I wish I had done first was I spray painted the ends of the Xs because I couldn't wrap them. I couldn't figure out how to wrap them to where they looked nice. Any suggestions??

Overall, I really like it. It's a lot different from the wreaths I normally do but I like that it's different. Not nearly as gorgeous as that berry wreath but this one is all mine.

I'd love to see what Valentine's decorations you're coming up with. I've got something else I'm working on that I'll be posting soon. {wink}!!

Thanks for reading!

I'm Linking Up To:

I {Heart} Mondays

2012-01-09T20:21:00.000-05:00

Here are some of my favorite things I've found on the www recently!

I've found A LOT of cute things to make for Sarah.

I LOVE the fabric used in this one! It's on the to-get list!

Source: sew-much-ado.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: youandmie.wordpress.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Source: icandyhandmade.blogspot.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

I've seen lots of these around the web. I so wish I was artistic enough to paint these. Aren't they cute?? I've seen the Princess version too. Ca-ute!

Source: homemadebyjill.blogspot.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Lastly, one of my favorite bloggers, Make It and Love it, is doing a sewing series for beginners (which I still am!). I have a girl crush on her. Is that okay? :-) If you like to sew, her website is A MUST! Seriously!

Source: makeit-loveit.com via Eva Scott (Tales of the Scotts) on Pinterest

Hope you're having a very happy Monday!

P.S. This is post # 300! WOW! Thanks so much for reading!

Naptime Fun: Activity Sticks!

2012-01-04T23:03:00.001-05:00

Every morning when I get Sarah down for a nap, it's a battle to keep Hosea quiet! I swear the only time he picks up those drumsticks lately is when she's sleeping. Stinker!

So, over on Design Dazzle, I read a post from How to Nest for Less about activity sticks she made for her children to keep them having fun during the cold winter days. I immediately thought, Yes! This is a fun way to keep Hosea playing quietly.

So, I waited until they were both asleep tonight and got to work. Here's how I made mine. I cleaned out a soup can, grabbed some fun scrapbook paper, some large craft sticks and some spray adhesive. I sprayed the scrap paper with the adhesive and laid down 20 craft sticks.

While I was waiting on those to dry, I sprayed down some other paper and rolled it onto my soup can. Once the craft sitcks were dry, I used an exacto knife and cut them all out. Then to "finish" them, I sanded them slightly.

Then, I just finished off the can with some baker's twine and a little tag that reads, "Naptime Fun!"

I hand wrote all the activities on the back of the craft sticks. Here's a list of what I chose for our quiet activities!

Angry Birds Game
Play with Car Mat
Play with Cars
Trains
Playdough
Paint
Build a Fort
Balloon Paddle Ball
Potato Heads
Read Books
Play with Kitchen
Do a Craft
Puzzles
Play with color-changing cars
Toy Story memory game
Candy Land
Play with stickers

I can't wait to try this out with him. He'll love getting to pick something out himself instead of me always saying, "We can't play that. Sarah is sleeping." Now he has a list of things he CAN play! LOVE IT!

Any other quiet activities you and your kiddos play?

I'm Linking Up To:

Katie's Nesting Spot, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Whipperberry, Simply Designing, Creation Corner, Every Creative Endeavor, Thirty Handmade Days, Raising Oranges, Fun to Craft, Toys in the Dryer, Tatertots & Jello, Six Sisters' Stuff, Too Much Time On My Hands, I Heart Naptime, Today's Creative Blog, Not Just A Housewife, Reasons to Skip the Housework, ABC & 123, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, I'm Topsy Turvy, Ladybug Blessings, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Lil' Luna, The Southern Product Queen, Chatty Chics, Junk In Their Trunk, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Woodsy, Oopsey Daisy, Someday Crafts, Mommy By Day Crafter By Night, Skip To My Lou, Creative Jewish Mom,

New Blog Design!

2012-01-03T23:03:00.000-05:00

My blog got fancied up! It's something I've been wanting to do for a couple of months so I decided it could be my Christmas present from Jonathan {wink wink}.

I love it! It's fun and colorful and just what I asked for. I was visiting this site one day and she mentioned how her blog got a makeover from The Fairy Blogmother (isn't that a super cute name!?!). So, I went to her site, browsed around and went for it! Erika (The Fairy Blogmother) made the process super easy and the turn around was 4-5 days! Can't beat that!

Here are a few new things you'll find on Tales of the Scotts. I've got pretty little buttons on the top right. One for Pinterest, one where you can email me directly and one for Facebook!

I'd love it if you'd come and like Tales of the Scotts on Facebook and follow me on Pinterest!

Then, up at the top, you'll see some buttons. You can read more about me, see some craft tutorials, see all my I {Heart} Monday posts under one spot and you can grab a button for my Monday posts or Tales of the Scotts in general. Fun!

That's about all the major changes. What do you think? Pretty, right?

One last thing, I'd love it if you became a follower of Tales of the Scotts. That way, you won't miss a thing! Click the button below that says, Join this Site. Easy Peasie.

I hope you enjoyed the blog tour. {wink} And if you're shopping around for a new blog, I highly recommend Erika from The Fairy Blogmother!

See you soon! I've got a few DIY projects on the horizon!

I {Heart} Mondays

2012-01-02T14:08:00.000-05:00

Welcome 2012! And welcome back to I {Heart} Mondays! I took several weeks off to enjoy the holidays and mange the chaos in the Scott house. :-)

I decided to put together a list of DIYs that I definitely WANT to do this year! Some are simple and easy, others will take a little more work and help from others!

I absolutely love this idea. It annoys me to high-heaven (anyone ever heard of that phrase) when I wipe my hands and the dishtowel falls to the ground. What an easy fix!

Source: treyandlucy.blogspot.com via Eva on Pinterest

Throw a fun and colorful Rainbow party for Hosea's friends to bring in Spring!

Source: dana-made-it.com via Eva on Pinterest

I love these bags that Dana-Made-It made. I have an idea for one for the Children's ministry at GCA, and would love to put together a Restaurant bag for Hosea when we're out!

Source: dana-made-it.com via Eva on Pinterest

Hosea turns 3 in February. I'd love to start implementing some fun birthday traditions like this one.

Source: treyandlucy.blogspot.com via Eva on Pinterest

I.Want.To.Make.This.

Source: susieharrisblog.com via Eva on Pinterest

ORGANIZE! Starting with a household binder. Already working on this!

Source: iheartorganizing.blogspot.com via Eva on Pinterest

Hope you're enjoying the new year so far!

Happy Monday!

2012 Goals

2012-01-01T20:51:00.004-05:00

I've been thinking of the goals I want to accomplish year and want to get them down on "paper". :-)

In no particular order, they are:

1. Actually learn how to use my Canon SLR to its fullest capability. I've had it for three years and only know the basics. I've been "pinning" tutorials so now I just need to read them!

2. Memorize more Scripture. This speaks for itself. See my Scripture Board I recently made.

3. Last year my goal was to read 6 books. Now to most of you, that's a piece of cake. Jonathan reads that many in a two week span. I do not like reading whatsoever. So, I'm being specific with this goal. I want to finish reading For Women Only: What You Need to Know about the Inner Lives of Men, read Kelly Minter's study, No Other Gods, Captivating, because it was recommended and Sun Stand Still. Four books in 12 months. I can do it. I can do it.

4. Sew a quilt. Yes, I realize this was on last year's goals but it never happened and I really want to. :-)

5. Blog goals: get a blog makeover (almost finished!), increase my readership, participate in more linky parties, and figure out google analytics!

6. Get organized. I'm working on it and will have a post up in the next couple of weeks.

7. Be a better parent. More of Christ, less of me. Give more. Do more. Love more.

8. Enjoy life!

What are your goals for 2012? I'd love to hear them!

Favorite Posts from 2011

2011-12-31T13:14:00.000-05:00

Here are some of my (and your) favorite posts from 2011!

Today I Am... - A post about me going part-time at the beginning of the year.

2011 Theme Song - Could really be 2012's theme song as well.

Raising a World Changer - a goal with both of our children

Two Years - Hosea turned two-years-old in February

We'll Call Her - A post in which we shared our name for our daughter.

Photo by Christina Karst Photography

Eva Gets Her Groove Back...Well Almost - a story of how I started sewing again.

Sarah's Room Reveal, Part 1 & Part 2 - Finally finished Sarah's room.

A is for Apples and Other Stuff Too - Started doing some weekly lessons and crafts with Hosea. Taking a break from this for a while. He currently isn't interested and I don't want to push it. I have to remind myself that he's not going to be dumb. :-)

Baby Love, Part 2 - I share Sarah's birth story

Photo by Christina Karst Photography

Goodbye and Hopefully Hello - Goodbye Diapers, Hello Big Boy Undies! Woo Hoo!!

Cha, Cha, Cha, Changes - Our 2012 plans, personally and professionally

Hosea's Felt Car Mat - My labor of love. :-)

My A-Ha Moment - Hosea's Love Language

And with the most views this year, 1,023 in fact (wow and thanks!), Pumpkin Turned Frosty the Snowman.

Thank you SO.VERY.MUCH for taking time to read my blog. I love reading your comments too. They make my day! I have big plans for the blog for 2012. A blog makeover is in the works. I'm getting featured on another blog and I have a list of crafts and posts I want to do.

Wishing you a very happy new year! See you in 2012 with a list of my goals for the new year!

December In Review

2011-12-31T10:18:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's already the last day of December! That was fast!

Here's a wrap up of our December. We made cookies for US to eat. We also planned a Gingerbread House making party with some of Hosea's friends but he had a terrible cold so we stayed home and made it by ourselves. Making a gingerbread house with an almost three year old was interesting. He wanted to eat all the candy!

Here were some of our crafts we did.

I made a birthday cake for my grandma's 80th birthday. Trust me, I know it looks terrible! But she liked it and it tasted GREAT!

Fun Christmas lunch.

We made some cookies for Santa. Jonathan got to help with this one. You can just see that red cookie peeking through. Hosea basically poured 3/4 of a bottle of sprinkles on it!

This was really fun too. Reindeer food!

We celebrated Christmas with my parents on Friday. Uncle Ian got Hosea a remote control car. H was absolutely hilarious about it! He kept thinking the car was chasing him so he'd hide behind things so the car wouldn't get him. I guess he didn't realize he was the one controlling the car. And my parents got him a ridealong Buzz car. He loves it!

Some pretty gift wrapping.

Opening up and playing with new gifts. Read this great post about how God loves giving gifts to His children. Really good!

Some Christmas pictures!

On another note, our little girl has been having some issues lately. She's always cried quite a bit since as long as I can remember (all 4 months worth of remembering. ha!). At her four month appointment, I mentioned that the crying was worse and sometimes her cries seemed painful. He gave me a game plan of trying her on Zantac for a possible issue of spitting up that's burning her (she never spits up but you know the kind that comes up and then goes back down). If that didn't work, then the option was a hypoallergenic formula which would allow me to start weeding out my diet. Zantac first though. She's been on it and it seems to be helping. No more constant crying (Thank the sweet Lord!). So, I think we're good on that end. BUT, for the past week and a half, she's barely napping during the day and not sleeping great at night. This gal has been an AMAZING sleeper from the beginning. She goes 9 hours between eating at night time. She's still doing that but just waking A.LOT. Momma is tired and cranky!!! I've been reading about sleep regression that can start at the four month mark. So, trying to figure all that out.

So, we're working through all of that.

What else? What else?

OH YES! Jonathan & I had a financial miracle this month!!! And by miracle, I truly mean a GOD MIRACLE! To make a long story short, my dearest friend in all the world sent Jonathan & I a check for $300. The enclosed card read, "Let this gift be a prophetic declaration over your home and your family for 2012 that God is faithful and good to you. That He will fulfill His promises to you and your children and that He will show Himself as provider of more than enough." Beautiful, right? Well fast forward two weeks, Jonathan & I found out we overpaid on some medical expenses and were receiving a large refund that will pay off our credit card debt! I'm not sure if you remember, but I shared our financial struggles that we're expecting in 2012 as I will no longer be working. You can read about it here.

So, I called my friend and told her this great news. What she hadn't told me was that she had asked God specifically for a supernatural financial miracle and told God that she wanted us out from under all our credit card debt by the end of this year. A miracle, right? I was beaming for days at the thought that God knows our burdens, knows our hearts. He cares about us my friends.

So, that's our December in review. :-) I hope your Christmas holidays were blessed with family, friends and the love of our heavenly Father.

I hope to be back later today with a post of some of my (and your) favorite posts and crafts!

DIY: Scripture Board

2011-12-30T13:16:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I ordered a surprise grab bag of sorts from Pick Your Plum. Not familiar with them? Amazing daily deals specifically geared toward crafters! Cheap = awesome!

So my grab bag contained this blank wood and magnetized board.

I had no idea what I wanted to use it for. Then, I began thinking about my 2012 goals and one of them is to memorize more scripture. As a young adult, I knew tons. Nowadays, not so much. I considered painting the entire board but then remembered my Project Life cardstock I got for Christmas. So, I grabbed a cute sheet of paper, my Mod Podge and got to it.

1. First I painted the sides of the board with some acrylic paint I had on hand and that matched the paper I was using.
2. Then, I covered the board with Mod Podge and placed it down on the wrong side of the paper. I smoothed it out and made sure there were no bubbles.
3. I lightly sanded down the sides of the paper just to make it more smooth.

A side note: I've never used Mod Podge before. It's super easy. Basically just a glue base. I saw online that you can cover the top of your paper with Mod Podge afterwards. I didn't do that because I didn't really understand the point or know how it would look. If you're handy with MP, clue me in! :-)

The kit came with a magnet and I was getting ready to just plop it down when I remembered that I "pinned" a glitter magnet tutorial on Pinterest just last night! Love me some Pinterest!!

So, I used my brand new Martha Stewart glitter and blinged out the magnet. Love it!

And here's the finished product! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!! My kit also came with a picture holder thingy so I put it in that.

Here's a side view so you can see where I painted and sanded.

I chose 1 Corinthians 13:7-8 as my first verse to memorize in 2012 because, quite frankly, I need to hear it! I've been having a bit of trouble with my littlest one NOT sleeping and it's putting Mommy in a sleepy, frustrated mood lately. So, I need to remind myself that God's love NEVER fails. Ever. And my love for my children will NEVER fail either!

This board can be used for so many other things than just Scripture. Put your current favorite picture on there, a child's artwork, a favorite recipe. Whatever! And you just need a piece of wood, a piece of magnetized board and a magnet. All of which you can get at your local hardware or craft store!

Thanks for reading!

I'm Linking Up To:

Tidy Mom, Creation Corner, Kojo Designs, It's A Hodgepodge Life, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Naptime Crafters, It's Fun to Craft, Simply Designing, Too Much Time On My Hands, Six Sisters' Stuff, I Heart Naptime, Positively Splendid, Skip To My Lou, Uncommon, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Mommy By Day Crafter By Night, I'm Topsy Turvy, Ladybug Blessings, Sugar Bee Crafts, Schwin & Schwin, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Lil' Luna, Someday Crafts, Junk In Their Trunk, Sew Woodsy, Blue Cricket Design, Easy Digital Scrapbooking and Crafts, Katie's Nesting Spot, Whipperberry, Thirty Handmade Days, Every Creative Endeavor, Raising Oranges, Toys in the Dryer,

My A-Ha Moment

2011-12-28T13:23:00.000-05:00

Source: raw4areason.blogspot.com via Eva on Pinterest

Have you ever had an A-Ha moment? I know the word has been around forever but I believe it was Oprah who began talking about A-Ha moments in our lives, that change us. I'm sure through our lifetime, we will have many A-Ha moments. I recently had an A-Ha moment regarding my children, specifically Hosea.

I follow Casey Leigh's blog. She's a Christian, mom to two younglings, an artist and seems to be the sweetest person. I mentioned a post of hers that really spoke to me called Scars in my Baby Love, Part 2 post. She's very real, very raw.

Well, several weeks ago I read another post of hers called Love Languages. I'm sure many of you are familiar with the book by Gary Chapman. I've actually never read it but know the premise and know what my "love languages" are. Well Casey began talking about what her children's love languages are. I instantly had my A-Ha moment.

You see, Hosea is in a bit of a tough stage right now. He's all boy: rambunctious, free-spirited, opinionated (yes, already!). And he LOVES spending time with his mommy and daddy. He has never been one to play on his own. I'm not sure if any of you have kids like that but it can be frustrating at times. I just want him to play on his own so I can take care of some household matters sometimes but that's not his personality.

Sarah takes an early morning nap for about an hour. I have viewed this time as ME time. Let ME clean the kitchen, let ME catch up on my blog, balance MY check book, DO some church work. And all the while, my son was asking me to play cars, play hide and seek, play with his dinosaurs. I've been pushing him aside. Honest to goodness, reading her post has truly opened my eyes about him. When it was just he and I at home, doing some of MY stuff was easier because we had all day together. Now that there's another baby in the mix, it really limits my one-on-one time with him. So, since my A-Ha moment, I've been trying to REALLY pay attention to him, pay attention to his needs, listen to him, put my phone away and spend one-on-one time with him for that one hour each day because that's really about all he's getting in the alone department with me when I have my 4 month old to care for. Don't get me wrong, I do pay attention and play with him all day {wink wink} but the one-on-one time, he just isn't getting that often right now while Sarah is so little.

And to be honest, I can tell it's helping. It's helping him, it's helping me. I find myself more tuned into him. I'm constantly thinking about his love language. I'm not as frustrated when he's asking me to play because I know that that is what feeds his spirit, fills his love tank.

Hosea may be young but he has an insane ability to remember everything (very, very much unlike his mother!). So, in five years, he's probably not going to remember these moments one-on-one with me or Jonathan. BUT, he does remember them right now. He'll remember them a few days from now and that's what's important right now.

I'd love to hear if you've ever had an A-Ha moment that completely changed your thinking or the way you do certain things!

Thanks for reading!

I'm Linking Up To:

ABC & 123

Celebrate Advent: CHRISTMAS

2011-12-24T21:11:00.000-05:00

"Inthose days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should beregistered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius wasgovernor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph alsowent from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David calledBethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He wentto be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting achild. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And shegave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid himin a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

"Inthat region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over theirflock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory ofthe Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said tothem, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy forall the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who isthe Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a childwrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was withthe angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory toGod in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!’ Whenthe angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to oneanother, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place,which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Maryand Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they madeknown what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it wereamazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words andpondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising Godfor all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them." - Luke 2

Overthe last few weeks, we have talked of hope, peace, joy, and love. Today let us think on ChristJesus, the light of the world. Wewait no longer. God's promise of aRedeemer is fulfilled. The lightof the world has come. Jesus isborn.

(written by Jonathan Scott)

Celebrate Advent Week 4: JOY

2011-12-18T21:09:00.000-05:00

The Scripture continues, “As the angel choir withdrewinto heaven, the shepherds talked it over. Let's get over to Bethlehem as fastas we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us. They left, running, and found Mary andJoseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They toldeveryone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard theshepherds were impressed. Mary kept all these things to herself, holding themdear, deep within herself. The shepherds returned and let loose,glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turnedout exactly the way they'd been told!”

Thegreatest news ever was being delivered that night. The only question was who would be the first to hear. It would not be Caesar, it would not bethe religious leaders, and it would not be the respected and elite. This good news came to the shepherds. The lowly shepherds. Shepherds who were banned frompasturing their sheep in Israel, except for on the desert plains. Shepherds of whom the Jewish book oflaw said no one should feel obligated to help, even if they were injured. Shepherds who were officially labeledas sinners by the religious leaders. Yet God chose to announce this good news of great joy to them.

Pauseto ponder the joy of the shepherds. Remember the good news that God was bringing joy to the poor and outcastwas first announced to the poor and outcast. Remember that as the body of Christ we are called tocontinue spreading the joy of Jesus to the poor and outcast.

Let us pray that Jesus would fillus with the same joy the shepherds felt that night, and that this joy wouldoverflow to all the earth.

(written by Jonathan Scott)

Santa Baby

2011-12-15T20:21:00.002-05:00

Santa Baby,

Just slip a sable under the tree
For me
Been an awful good girl
Santa Baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

Santa baby, a nice, new scarf will do
Light blue
Or one of these I've listed below
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

{Source, Source, Source, Source}

Santa Baby, I want a Silhouette Camoe and really that's not
Alot (well actually it is so I'm really not expecting it {wink})
Been an angel all year
Santa Baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

{Source}

Santa honey, one little thing I really need
Some slippers
Isotoners pa a a leese
Santa Baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

{Source}

Santa cutie, and fill my stocking with a

Martha Stewart pack of glitter
Sign your 'x' on the line
Santa cutie, and hurry down the chimney tonight

{Source}

Santa Baby, forgot to mention one little thing
Becky Higgins' Project Life
Santa Baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight
Hurry down the chimney tonight
Hurry...tonight

{Source, Source, Source, Source}

Love,

Eva

P.S. Someone make sure Jonathan sees this {wink wink}

Quick Gift Wrapping Idea

2011-12-15T10:19:00.003-05:00

Gift wrapping with yarn is the new craze! I love it and am seeing it all over Pinterest. Here's what I came up with to wrap Hosea's teachers' gifts.

I love how they turned out! Very simple and colorful. You can find a tutorial for the yarn pom poms here.

Happy wrapping!

Teacher Gifts

2011-12-14T14:11:00.001-05:00

I wanted to do/make something special for Hosea's teachers for Christmas. I made the Noodlehead Gathered Clutch last Christmas for my cousins and I personally love it, so decided to do that for Ms. Esther and Ms. Dee.

Here is the one for Ms. Dee, the 20-something teacher's assistant. I beyond LOVE this print! I used it to make a pillowcase dress for Naomi a year ago.

Then, I made this one for Ms. Esther. Hosea loves her. When he gets to school, he runs, says her name and gives her a big hug.

(Pretend like you don't notice how crooked it is. Eek! Didn't realize it until I was ALL finished!)

Love this fabric too. Used it to make a couple of dresses for my sweet Sarah!

I also came across this post from Eighteen25 (so love this blog!). They used Rit Dye to dye some clothespins and then used glitter pens to dress them up. I really liked this idea for Ms. Esther because she uses plain clothespins to hang up the kids' artwork. So, now she has something festive!

I bagged them up, put a little "explanation tag" on the front and I'll stick them in her wallet.

Opinions! Do you think I should put a little gift card in each wallet too? Like Starbucks? Or some place else?

I take Hosea to the school's Christmas party tomorrow. Can't wait to give them to his teachers!

Thanks for reading!

I'm Linking Up To:

Tip Junkie
Raising Oranges

Sew Much Ado
I {Heart} Naptime
Every Creative Endeavor

I'm Topsy Turvy

Sew Woodsy
Positively Splendid
A Glimpse Inside
Creation Corner
Fireflies and Jellybeans
Katie's Nesting Spot
House of Hepworths

Funky Polkadot Giraffe

Ladybug Blessings
Someday Crafts
Sassy Sites
Junk In Their Trunk
Uncommon Designs
Lolly Jane Boutique
Tidy Mom
Somewhat Simple
Release Me Create
Kojo Designs
Design Dazzle
Whipperberry
Thirty Handmade Days
Tatertots & Jello
Toys in the Dryer
Too Much Time On My Hands

Hosea's Felt Car Mat!

2011-12-13T14:15:00.000-05:00

I stinkin' love this car mat!!! I first saw one on Oopsey Daisy's blog and knew I had to make one for Hosea. He absolutely LOVES his cars, particularly his Cars cars. He's really started getting into make believe so he likes for me to play with him and we have conversations between the cars. It's really cute!

The mat itself is pretty self-explanatory. It takes a lot of felt! After writing Alison from Oopsey Daisy, I decided to sew mine together instead of hot gluing it. Hosea is super rambunctious and I knew that if I wanted it to last, I had to sew it together. This was a lot of work but SO worth it! I really hope he loves it come Christmas morning!

I included places that he loves or that we frequent often. Homes, Chick-Fil-A, Target, Toys-R-Us, the Zoo, Jaguars!, Taco Bell, Grace Church, the park, the duck pond, the Library, and Publix. And while he's never been to the airport, I included JIA, along with a separate runway.

Here are houses of the people he loves most! See how I included a wreath on our house. ;-)

I tried to include symbols he recognizes. Like the red balls in front of Target, or the arches of the church.

WE ARE JAGUARS!

I love the parking lot next to Publix (aka The Cookie Store).

Love the zebra!

And the runway strip!

To note: Alison used fabric transfer paper for her store icons. I chose not to use that due to cost. I was trying to keep this cheap (and it really was....maybe spent $12 total). So, I had some freezer paper on hand and printed the icons on that and ironed it on. I was really proud of myself. That is until it started coming off the next day. Whah! So, I hot glued the paper down. That's not going to last so I'll eventually sew that on too.

We bought him some new cars for the mat on Christmas morning and I picked up this wooden airplane at Target one day. I can't wait!

Happy Crafting and thanks for reading!!

I'm Linking Up To:

I'm Topsy Turvy

Funky Polkadot Giraffe

Creative Itch

Ladybug Blessings
Someday Crafts

Sugar Bee Crafts

Not Just A Housewife

Tip Junkie

ABC and 123
Junk In Their Trunk

It's A Blog Party

Sew Much Ado
Too Much Time On My Hands
Sassy Sites
Blue Cricket Design
Lil' Luna
Sew Woodsy
Raising Oranges
Uncommon Designs
Somewhat Simple
A Glimpse Inside
Creation Corner
House of Hepworths
Katie's Nesting Spot
Fireflies and Jellybeans
Kojo Designs
Every Creative Endeavor
Tidy Mom
Release Me Create
Design Dazzle
Whipperberry
Thirty Handmade Days
Tatertots & Jello
Positively Splendid
I {Heart} Naptime
Toys in the Dryer
Lolly Jane Boutique

Celebrate Advent Week 3: LOVE

2011-12-11T13:00:00.000-05:00

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: whenHis mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she wasfound to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and notwanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this,behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph,son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who hasbeen conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His nameJesus, for He will save His people from their sins.' Now all this took place to fulfill whatwas spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear ason, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which translated means, God withus.'”

Today, we celebrate the love of a Father for Hischildren. The greatest mystery inthe world is why a Holy, Almighty, All-Powerful God would become a weak anddefenseless baby. A baby who crieswhen hungry or sleepy. A babywhose life rests in the hands of his mother.

In announcing the coming of Immanuel, the angel isproclaiming that after years of separation from the Father, the barrier betweenGod and man is going to be rent in two. Where in the past God had declared Hislove for us through prophets, angels, and visions, He now chose to do somethingcompletely different. He gavehimself as a gift of love.

Today we remember that Jesus was born intothis world to show us the Father’s love. We also remember that as the body of Christ, we are called to displaythis love to others.

Let us pray that God would fillus with His love, and that this love would overflow to all the world.

(written by Jonathan Scott)

Stationery card

2011-12-08T15:15:00.001-05:00

Misty Pink Birth Announcement

Design your birth announcements with Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Celebrate Advent Week 2: PEACE

2011-12-04T13:00:00.000-05:00

Bethlehem’s Candle of Peace

Micah 5, verses 2-5 read, “But you, Bethlehem, thoughyou are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one whowill be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. Therefore Israel will be abandoneduntil the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of hisbrothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in themajesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will live securely, for thenHis greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And He will be their peace.”

The prophet Micah foretold that peace would come toIsrael out of the small town of Bethlehem. Peace – ever illusive yet ever longed-for peace – to a landravaged again and again by conquerors, tyrants, disobedient kings, war, famine,and drought. So the people waited.And waited. And waited.

Then, after 400 years of waiting, the Prince of Peacewas born. But the peace that Israellooked for, the overthrowing of her conquerors, was not the peace that Jesusbrought with Him.

Peacethrough death on a cross is a very different kind of peace. It’s a peace that shakes us to the coreand wipes out our every sin. Peacecame, and it flowed in a direct line down the path from the manger in Bethlehemto the cross.

Sotoday, we remember the peace that we have through the death and resurrection ofJesus Christ. We also rememberthat as the body of Christ we are called to be carriers of this peace to theworld.

Let us pray that Jesus would fill us with peace, and thatthis peace would overflow to all the earth.

(written by Jonathan Scott)

Fond Memories

2011-11-30T14:30:00.001-05:00

Do you ever have times when something (a toy, a song, a smell) will bring back a memory? It will randomly happen to me. You can read about a Cinderella book that did that to me through another person's blog. Or about a family ceramic Christmas tree. It really is such a great feeling. It's part nostalgia, part unknown (at least for me because my memory is sketchy at best!).

So, this morning my Mom asked me to come over and help her decorate the tree (this never happened because my brother didn't pull out 2 boxes of stuff - of which I was looking for for an hour and because my one child is wild and the other is needy - HA HA!). But anyways, looking through the decorations, I came across a manger scene. Instantly, I remembered it from my grandma's. Growing up, I would also LOVE to set it up and play with it. I was SO excited when I found it. And then my Mom said I could take it - YAH!

Then, in the bag I found these too.

Did anyone have little houses like these? The windows are all torn out (I'm sure from me and cousins playing with them) but if I remember correctly, you could put a little light in them and the windows were stained glass, so they would cast a pretty shadow. Boy, all of this makes me really happy to see (and now have in my own home)!

Do you have own anything that was from your childhood or grandparents' that brings back great memories?

I'm Linking Up To:

Christmas Tree Fun!

2011-11-30T10:39:00.001-05:00

I saw this felt Christmas tree tutorial on Pinterest a while back.

Source: emptybobbinsewing.com via Eva on Pinterest

I knew I wanted to do it! It's too cute to pass up, right?

So, I followed her instructions, used her ornament outlines and went to work. When it was all finished, I snuck in Hosea's room and hung up the tree. I brought him in, told him what it was and let him put the ornaments up.

This is about as far as he got before he lost interest. So much for that. HA! I am learning (constantly), that his little attention span is short. While he may like something one minute, the next could be completely different. And it's nothing personal (this is meant to remind myself!). :-) He kept putting the same shape ornaments on each other saying they were hugging. That was a cute moment.

Oh and then the tree fell off the wall. HA! So, I went and bought some proper hangers and put it on another wall and decorated it myself. I really like it! ;-) I'm sure he'll like it more next year when he's a bit older and hopefully Sarah will have fun decorating it some day too!

Thanks for reading!

I'm Linking Up To:

Lemon Tree Creations
Sew Woodsy
Whipperberry
Uncommon Designs
A Glimpse Inside
House of Hepworths

_

Advent Calendar

2011-11-29T22:35:00.001-05:00

I wanted to do an Advent Calendar last year and never got to it. I wanted to do a quilted one (even though I'd never quilted anything in my life). Then for this year, I wanted to do a quilted one that would last my family forever. But having a 3 month old in the picture, along with the fact that I've never quilted anything in my life, I couldn't do that. I'm really planning on it for next year!

But I did want our family to start the Advent tradition. I decided to come up with something with items I already had around the house. What do I have a lot of that's currently NOT being used? Scrapbook supplies. So, I decided to go from there.

I knew that I wanted to incorporate daily Scripture, a craft or activity and a piece of candy for Hosea. Honestly, he will barely sit still for me to read a book to him at this stage in life so the candy is to bribe him to listen to the story each day. :-)

Here's what I came up with:

For the most part, it turned out how I envisioned. I wanted one long string of the paper "cups" but it wasn't staying up (too heavy) so I decided to cut them up into sets of six and do four rows. Overall, I like it. I know it won't last year to year (and really, I don't want it to because I'm quilting one for next year - just you wait!).

I included Scripture reading and a craft or activity.

If you're interested in seeing what crafts/activities we're doing, email me and I'll send you my document. I basically typed up everything on a label and attached to scrapbook paper. I got the Scripture references here.

Here's how I created it:

Then I hole-punched the inside and inserted some string. Pretty easy.

I'll be sharing some of our fun Advent activities over the next few weeks, so come back soon!

I'm Linking Up To:

Blue Cricket Design
Sew Woodsy
Whipperberry
Naptime Creations

Celebrate Advent Week 1: HOPE

2011-11-28T14:28:00.001-05:00

The Prophet’s Candle of Hope

Forhundreds of years, Israel was without hope. Slaves in their own land, they continually cried out to God fordeliverance. They longed for a King tocome, a King like David, full of wisdom, strength, and power, ruling from histhrone. God heard their cries and gavethem hope of a King through the words of Isaiah. But this was not the hope they expected. Of this King, Isaiah prophesied, ”He willbear no beauty or glory, and will be despised and rejected, a man of suchsorrows that we will turn our eyes away from Him. He will take up our sickness and carry ourtears. He will be crushed for ouriniquities, and his wounds will heal us. From You, O Bethlehem, though you are small and forgotten among Israel,a ruler will come.”

This week of Advent, wecelebrate the hope of all the earth, Jesus Christ. The hope Jesus brings far exceeds any of ourexpectations. This is the hope of graceand life. Through the death andresurrection of Jesus, we have been forgiven and made new. We remember that Jesus was born into this world to bring us hope. We also remember that as the body of Christ,we are called to pass on this hope to a hopeless world.

This week, we specifically pray that God would fill us with hope in Him, and that thishope would overflow to all the world.

I {Heart} Mondays

2011-11-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Here are a few homemade food gifts you can make for this Christmas season. Perfect for neighbors, teachers, to name a few.

Cinnamon Honey Butter

Source: flythroughourwindow.com via Eva on Pinterest

Apple Butter

Source: changingmydestiny.wordpress.com via Eva on Pinterest

Peanut Butter Fudge...the key to my heart

Source: iheartnaptime.net via Eva on Pinterest

S'mores Kit

Source: etsy.com via Eva on Pinterest

Another S'mores kit

Source: twigandthistle.com via Eva on Pinterest

Candycane Marshmallows. Yes, please!

Source: marthastewart.com via Eva on Pinterest

Hungry yet? :-) Happy Monday to You!!

Pumpkin Turned Frosty the Snowman

2011-11-27T15:42:00.001-05:00

Every Fall, Jonathan and I will head to the pumpkin patch with Hosea and Sarah, take pictures and pick out a medium sized pumpkin. And then.....the pumpkin sits on our dining table and no one notices it again until it's time to throw it out. Sad, huh? (Not to mention, a waste of mula). I always have good intentions but alas do nothing with it.

So, we were doing some cleaning after Thanksgiving and I took our unused pumpkin out to the porch to toss in Monday's trash. Then, I got an idea. Why not use the pumpkin to make something for Christmas! So, in my head popped Frosty the Snowman!

Isn't he the cutest?!? All I did was paint him (Hosea & I gave him two coats), cut out some coal (aka felt) for his eyes and mouth. Cut out orange felt for his carrot nose and then gave him a scarf (my fave!). Easie peasie!

The funniest thing is that I put him out on an 80 degree day. While we're not counting on snow this week, I hear it's supposed to be in the 60s! Good thing too, cause Frosty couldn't survive in this weather for that much longer!

Happy Sunday!

I'm Linking Up Here:

Scraps of Life
Katie's Nesting Spot
Patches of Pink
Fireflies and Jellybeans
Every Creative Endeavor
Blue Cricket Design
Sew Woodsy
Lee La La
Whipperberry
I'm Topsy Turvy
Funky Polkadot Giraffe
Sassy Sites
Sugar Bee Crafts
Not Just A Housewife
ABC and 123
Junk In Their Trunk
Uncommon Designs
A Glimpse Inside
House of Hepworths

Cha, Cha, Cha, Changes

2011-11-25T12:57:00.000-05:00

Well, two years in a row, big changes have come upon this side of the Scott family.

As of January 1st, I will be a full-time stay-at-home-mom. This was kind of a surprise to me. I've mentioned it here before but I actually really enjoy working (outside the home - trust me, working in the home is H.A.R.D. work too!). I loved my one day in the office talking to grown ups and using a little more of my brain ;-). BUT, deep down, I am thrilled to be at home full time! Between the church budget and me having two children now, this is best for both me and the church.

Another big change is Jonathan & I will be the Children's pastors (well him, not me!). And we are SUPER thrilled about this! When we first came to GCA, over 7 years ago, I started out working in the Children's Ministry with Adam for almost two years. I had a great time and really love working with that age group. Jonathan & I are taking over for Bradley & Erica who have done a great job with the kids for the past year.

We have TONS of ideas in the works. Of course, I've got some crafty things brewing and I'm working on a GCA gKidz blog (seriously, are you surprised?). For curious minds, Jonathan will still be leading worship each week, as the kids don't leave until after music anyways. I'll no longer be in the nursery every Sunday but will be instead pouring my life into the Kindergartners through Fifth Graders. Yippee! Hopefully I'll be cool and dorky enough to hang with them!! (I did watch Justin Bieber today in concert. Think that gets me some cool points?)

With me no longer working, means we are taking another pay cut. A pay cut that leaves us not able to make our house payment each month. I share that with you for two reasons: 1) For you to know that Pastors struggle too. I think there is a mindset that pastors have it easy, they have no problems because they are "closer" to God, that their job is easy (I worked 12+ years in non-ministry and trust me when I say that ministry work is way harder!). And 2) Pray for us. Someone shared this verse with me a few weeks ago: "Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread." - Psalm 37:25. We are asking mercy from our mortgage company. We also cannot keep Hosea in his one day a week school. But I'm praying that they offer us a full scholarship. He really loves his teacher and it's good for him to be around other kids. Pray with me for those two specific things.

So, overall, we are really excited! Am I nervous? Yeah, I am. But oddly, I also feel peaceful. I guess that means we're right where we're supposed to be, right?

Be encouraged my friends and have a very happy Thanksgiving!

I {Heart} Mondays

2011-11-14T08:28:00.001-05:00

I have been super inspired by all the spray paint projects I'm seeing around the web. Time to pull out the spray paint and get busy!

Source: modpodgerocksblog.com via Eva on Pinterest

Source: blog.craftzine.com via Eva on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Eva on Pinterest

Source: vixenmade.blogspot.com via Eva on Pinterest

Source: realsimple.com via Eva on Pinterest

Source: betterlifebags.com via Eva on Pinterest

Source: ashleyannphotography.com via Eva on Pinterest

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Source: flickr.com via Eva on Pinterest

And lastly, some spray painting tips from the lovely Becky Higgins.

Source: beckyhiggins.com via Eva on Pinterest

Happy Colorful Monday to You!

Success! And some randomness.

2011-11-11T20:35:00.001-05:00

Well, it's the end of day 4 of potty training and we've had no accidents at all for 3 out of 4. The second day the poor guy had a stomach ache and I'll leave it at that. So, can I call him potty-trained?? We've gone out a few times: quick trip to Wally World, lunch, golfing (he likes to pee outside on the course!). Maybe our true test will be Sunday when he's in nursery and I'm not there. Actually, he always tells us when he needs to go. I find if I ask, he never goes. If I leave it up to him, he does great!

Sweet relief.

Not to be gross but cleaning out his little potty of #2 straight up made me gag. Normally, I'm completely fine with poop. Diapers don't bother me. Except my whole first trimester working in the nursery and changing other kids' diapers. Gag me! So, I told Jonathan we HAD to have one of those little toilet seats that fits on a big person potty. So, off to Wally World we went to grab that. I personally think that helps him with numero dos. Oh, and a side note, he likes to tell me what his poop looks like. It's look like The Piston Cup from Cars or a hat and another time he told me he didn't know what it looked like. That kid!

We haven't done much this week besides that! Oh and any Moms out there that hate time change! I have had the worst week of sleeping since Sarah was a week old. Ugh! I've been exhausted all week!

Any Grace Church readers? Don't forget your Operation Christmas Child boxes this Sunday! If you're not a GCAer, there are collection sites everywhere and there's still some time left to do yours.

He looks thrilled....

We played with Salt Dough this week. He loved taking his toys and cars and driving through it. He did this for a while. It keeps in the fridge so we've been pulling it out every day to play with.

Then we rolled some out and made fossils. Well, not really fossils but dinosaur indentions. We baked them (per salt dough instructions) and then I let him paint them.

I packed up my maternity clothes! Yah!

I also got into my skinny jeans! Yippee! I may have a muffin top but as least they buttoned! (For those unfamiliar with a muffin top, read here.)

Speaking of videos, my little gal has been "talking" up a storm this week. Caught some of her jibber jabber on tape. Adorbs!

Well, that's about it. Have a wonderful weekend! See you back on Monday for my I {Heart} Mondays post. It's going to be colorful!

Embrace the Camera: Big Boy Undies

2011-11-10T09:02:00.002-05:00

I've decided to start Embrace the Camera each Thursday with The Anderson Crew. I've been wanting to for awhile so starting today! Read about Embracing the Camera here. (On a side note, this is a really fun blog I read. She has 5 kids, with 1 on the way. She's got some great organization ideas. You'd have to with 5 kids, right?!?)

So, this week, we are embracing big boy undies! There's not much that's cuter than a tiny hiney in big boy undies!

I'm linking up with:

Goodbye and Hopefully Hello

2011-11-08T13:44:00.001-05:00

This week, we are bypassing our ABCs and having a Pee Pee Party! Yep, you heard that right. Sounds thrilling, right? Hosea has been peeing in the potty for about a week now. He started on his own. He's still having several accidents a day and still not pooping (TMI!) in the potty either so it's intervention time.

I read this post recently and it got me thinking that this is the 5th go we've giving to potty training. I think he eventually stops because he's getting bored. We've got some changes coming so he's got to get trained. I ran several errands this morning so that the rest of the week can be devoted to Potty Training!

So, starting this afternoon, we are saying goodbye to these...

And along with the help of lots of these...

We'll be spending lots of time on this....

And our goal will be these awesome undies!

Wish me luck friends because this is the real deal. I'm getting rid of the pullups and diapers (and by getting rid of, I really mean hiding and saving for Sarah). It's now or ~~never~~ now.

Ta ta for now!

I {Heart} Mondays

2011-11-07T22:15:00.000-05:00

Here are a some of my favorite Advent calendars I've seen around the web.

Source: garnethill.com via Eva on Pinterest

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Source: noodle-head.com via Eva on Pinterest

This is the one I'm probably making this year:

Source: stitchcraftcreations.com via Eva on Pinterest

Happy Monday to You!!

Oh My! It's a Pecan Pie

2011-11-05T22:08:00.003-04:00

We have a ginormous pecan tree in our yard that alternates dropping pecans every year. This year they're dropping. I love taking the kids out and picking some, taking time to shell them and then making THE BEST pecan pie I've ever had! So, I wanted to share the goodness with you! This recipe comes from Jonathan's Granny's mother-in-law.

You need:

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup white karo syrup
3 eggs
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pecans

Mix sugar, flour, salt, syrup, margarine and vanilla together. Add eggs and pecans. Mix well and bake at 350 degrees for 65 minutes. Voila. Hands down the best pecan pie in the world. Yes, I said the world! This is the second year that my brother has asked me to make one for him for his birthday!

Have 26th birthday Ian!

Linking up here:

TidyMom

Whipperberry
Skip to My Lou
Naptime Creations

D is for Dinosaurs, Ducks and Donuts!

2011-11-04T16:52:00.002-04:00

This week has kind of been a bust. Hosea isn't interested right now in "learning" or crafting. In fact, during one of our crafts he walked away saying, "I don't want to craft anymore." {Mommy's heart breaking}. So, I went off his cue and took it easy. We did a few structured things and a few non-structured things.

We had a picnic with his Dinosaurs and enjoyed two dinosaur lunches this week.

We also did some Dinosaur lacing (no picture but it's where you take some string and lace it through something. Fine motor skill).

He made a dinosaur (Tutorial here).

I have another project for dinosaurs but I need to make a trip to the dollar store first. I think he'll like it if I can get what I need.

He made a Duck. Hoping to get to the duck pond this evening once J gets home.

We went and got some donuts one morning and took some to my mom. We then came home and "iced" some donuts and put sprinkles on them. Pretty cute. (Tutorial here).

Some other things we practiced were: size-sorting, lacing and opposites. He did really well with opposites. The more and more I talk to him about new things, the more trouble I have explaining something. I mean how do you define opposites? They're just opposites.....

We made a doctor bag which I loved and he loved. He bonked me in the eye last time and told me I needed some gauze. He brought it over and stuck the gauze to my eye. Cute kid. (Tutorial here).

My number one favorite blog to get ideas from is Confessions of a Homeschooler. She is awesome and has SO many free printables. She is my go-to site for ideas!

That's about it for this week. Not sure what we'll do next week. I may combine E & F based on how he's feeling about everything. We'll see. :-)

Some other going ons this week:

Buzz Lightyear and his cousin Alex!

I love this face expression!

Good family photo (minus Sarah who is asleep) but my face is still a bit chunky. :-)

Yah! The first pair of pants I made for Sarah!!! I love them! Perfect for fall. I would do a couple of things different but not bad for my first try! (Used this, this, and this tutorial.)

Have a happy weekend! Readers Rock!

I'm linking up here:

Whipperberry
Tidy Mom
Skip to My Lou

Differences

2011-11-03T15:21:00.002-04:00

Those of you that can remember, did you feel like your children were different even as newborns? Hosea and Sarah seem to be the most different babies. It astounds me!

You wouldn't guess it by looking at their just-hours-after-birth pictures.

Crazy, right?!? Would you have even known which was which if I hadn't put their names? They were close in weight: 10 lbs, 3.4 oz and 9 lbs, 6 oz. And length: 21.5 inches and 21.4 inches. And that's about as much as they're alike. HA!

For instance....

....Hosea had the sweetest cry. His cry sounded like a baby bird waking up from a delightful night's sleep. Truly. Ask Rebecca. It was a sweet cry. Sarah sounds like a pterodactyl getting tortured. I'm totally serious. This girl can CRY! LOUD!

....Sleeping and eating. Hosea ate for 30 minutes every.single.time.he.ate for 13 months straight. Boy, oh boy, Momma was over that by 13 months!! And he ate every.two.hours. He first skipped a night feeding at 2 months. Sarah is a sweet and wonderful surprise in this area. She eats for 10ish minutes and at almost three months, she goes about 2.5 hours between feedings during the day and does anywhere between 7.5 - 9.5 hours at night!!! Can I get an AMEN from the Mommas out there?!?!?! I was honestly MOST nervous about the sleeping issue wondering how I was going to function during the day having to care for Hosea too but God worked that out for me! He knows how much I love my sleep!

....I was able to put Hosea in his bouncer or swing and he'd be content for a long time. Which was GREAT because I was working full time and brought him into the office a few days a week. Sarah on the other hand - girlfriend wants me to hold her ALL.THE.TIME. She doesn't care for her bouncer or her swing! She just wants me to hold her. Which wouldn't have been a big deal if I didn't have another one to care for. Sometimes, I just have to let her cry while I tend to Hosea. What is cool is that God knew I needed a baby like Hosea when I was working full time and bringing him to work with me and now that I'm home most of the time, I can deal better with a needier baby.

I'm so curious to know how they'll be when they're bigger. Will their personalities be completely different? Hosea is outgoing, curious, not afraid of anything and strong-willed. A lot like me, especially that last characteristic. Will Sarah be an introvert, content, and just go-with-the-flow? Or will she be the same as Hosea and I'll be bald by the time I'm 40?!? :-)

I {Heart} Mondays

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

Here are some fun DIYs I've seen on the web recently.

A GORGEOUS fabric chandelier.

Source: abeautifulmess.typepad.com via Eva on Pinterest

A distressed photo canvas. Great for Christmas gifts.

Source: oopseydaisyblog.com via Eva on Pinterest

I really, really, really want to make this.

Source: susieharrisblog.com via Eva on Pinterest

Pretty felt pinecones.

Source: Uploaded by user via Eva on Pinterest

Simply Stated.

Source: armellejewelry.blogspot.com via Eva on Pinterest

Garland: 10 Ways

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Happy Monday to You!

The Rest of Sarah's Room + A Stenciled Owl Onesie

2011-10-29T18:59:00.002-04:00

To see Sarah's room reveal, click here.

In that post, I was waiting on my friend, Crystal, to finish up a secret project for Sarah's room. Well, it's finally here and I love it!

Isn't it gorgeous! I know she put so much time, effort and love into it! AND, she gave me all the leftover fabric! Yah! It's all Amy Butler. She WAY overestimated and bought so much fabric so I have yards and yards of it!! Double yah!!

I had this wreath done with my previous post and completely forgot to take a photo of it. Now, you knew I couldn't do a room for my little girl without a banner and a wreath!

I wanted a cute fall onesie for Sarah and don't want to take advantage of my friends' embroidery skills so I went to my faithful resource - freezer paper stenciling. I found this cute owl template online. I was originally going to do the owl in gold. But I thought it would be completely washed out so I mixed gold and black together for the owl. It was a last minute thought to do a little gold bow on the owl. I think it makes the shirt. :-) She's wearing this onesie in the pumpkin patch photos in my previous post.

****************************************************************************

On another note, I guest blogged over at The Scrappy Housewife this week for her 1 year Blogiversary! I shared my pumpkin bread recipe. So if you missed my original post, check it out over there!

And, she's doing a giveaway for a Gadanke journal! Unfortunately, I already won something from there so I can't enter but you can! So make sure you do!! It ends next Thursday.

Have a great rest of your weekend!!

Linking up here:

Whipperberry
TidyMom
Skip to My Lou

Fall Fun!

2011-10-29T14:10:00.000-04:00

I decided to take a week off from the ABCs and Fallify my house. :-) We ended up having a very busy week. I had lots of errands to run and we had several "engagements" going on. To keep it short and simple, here are some of the things we did/made this week.

This "cloud" went with last week's C lessons. I even thought this was really cool. All it takes is a bar of ivory soap. (Tutorial here)

Went to the pumpkin patch this week. Seriously, every picture of Hosea is him picking up the "ugliest" pumpkins. I don't know what it was. We let him pick out a small one that he painted and put tons of stickers on.

Hosea's goofy smile and Sarah's scowl. :-)


Every year for the past several years, we've taken this type of picture ourselves. It's so terrible of us but had to share. I probably took 15 and in every single one, Hosea has his hand up like this.

Pumpkin lunch.

Pumpkin rice krispie treats. Just make the treats like normal and add some orange coloring to the marshmallow mixture. We packaged some up and took them to some neighborhood friends.

A counting game that didn't go so well. He just wanted to eat all the candy!

We spent one day doing some leaf projects (see below) so I made a leaf lunch.

We went to my Stockton's Fall Festival (my mom works there). He loved this baseball game.

He wanted to ride the train all my himself. I admit, I got pretty teary. He's so independent (like me) and doesn't seem to be afraid of anything.

He's looking at me in this pic.

Then onto the Zoo's Spooktacular. It was kind of lame but he had a BLAST! (No pun intended). We went with some friends: Belle and Peter Pan.

To Infinity & Beyond. We taught him to do these funny things with his arms as he says it.

He loves spiders so a spider lunch.

And here's my favorite! All our fun crafts in our front windows! The left one is our colorful leaves. We basically sandwiched a bunch of paint/glue between wax paper and smooshed it. Then cut out leaves once it was dry. (Tutorial here). The middle one is my fave! We took some contact paper and tissue paper and made this pumpkin collage. I totally plan on doing this for every holiday. (Tutorial here). And the last window has some fall window clings that I found in the Dollar Spot at Target. He's had fun with those all week.

There is so much cute Fall crafts/decor out there on the web. I had a few more planned but felt lazy this week. :-) Maybe I can squeeze a few more in in the next few weeks.

I hope you're all having a great week as we're heading into Fall!

I {Heart} Mondays

2011-10-24T15:44:00.000-04:00

Doing I {Heart} Monday posts a bit differently now. Read all about it here!

Here are this week's fabulous finds on Pinterest. I went with a Fall theme since it's FINALLY cool outside! Enjoy!

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Happy Monday to You!!

P.S. I know the Source codes are not centered. It's driving me crazy! Hope to get them fixed next week for all you other ADD people. :-)

2nd Blogiversary!

2011-10-23T18:40:00.000-04:00

Well, my 2nd Blogiversary was five days ago. I knew it was coming up but since I have two little people keeping me quite busy these days, I didn't have any extra time to put anything together. Hoping for a fun-filled day of guest bloggers next year! You can see all my guest bloggers from last year here.

Last year I wrote that I "L.O.V.E. blogging!" And I still do. Even if no one reads or comments, it's ultimately for me and a way to document the lives of my family.

I don't have any "special post" for you today but I did want to share some of my favorite posts from the past year (in no particular order).

Eva Gets Her Groove Back...Well Almost

Raising A World Changer
My First Craft Fair

Sarah's Room Reveal
Another Use for Acorns
A Tribute to Nausie Drake

Thanks for reading! I hope you leave my blog inspired, creative and full of hope!

Baby Love, Part 2

2011-10-21T22:58:00.003-04:00

To get caught up, read Baby Love, Part 1 first.

I don't think I've shared this here before but we never wanted children. We were perfectly happy by ourselves. Doing what we wanted, when we wanted. It wasn't until three years being married, that we attended a Hillsong conference and all that changed. We were sitting in our car waiting for the last session to begin when I said, "I have something to tell you. I think I want children." And he said, "I do too. I felt since being here at the conference." And I said, "ME TOO!" You see, Hillsong is a ministry that is very much family oriented. It was there, as I watched father and son do ministry together, that I realized I wanted that for our family of two. So, we had Hosea and decided one was plenty for us. :-) We eventually felt like if we had number two, we were okay with that and if we didn't, we were okay with that too.

Jonathan was putting Christmas lights on our porch when I decided to take a pregnancy test. And sure enough, we were pregnant. It came as a big and pleasant surprise!

Shortly after finding out we were pregnant with Sarah, I started researching a VBAC (for those that don't know - vaginal birth after caesarean). I knew it was something I wanted to try if possible. I also knew that there were risks. Honestly, it was something I couldn't move past. I felt infatuated with the idea of giving birth vaginally. I spent many, many nights crying, wondering if I had missed out on something since I had given birth to Hosea via caesarean. I ended up reaching out to a friend that had a very similar situation and feelings like I was experiencing. I sent many emails to her over the nine months. She encouraged me that GOD KNEW WHAT WAS BEST. I found comfort in that because I knew it was true.

Over those nine months, I made my request known to Him. I wanted a VBAC. But I also truly knew that having a caesarean wasn't the end of the world. Something I also dealt with throughout my pregnancy was friends telling me, "Crossing my fingers you're able to have her naturally." Let me make this clear, please NEVER say that to a Mom. It doesn't matter if you have your baby vaginally, via caesarean, by adoption, in-vitro, etc - IT'S ALL NATURAL! Motherhood (and fatherhood for that matter) is a precious gift. I'm sure that my friends meant nothing by it. But for someone that was already internally struggling with this idea, it felt like kindling being added to the fire!

I honestly felt like I was going to have a successful VBAC but I tried hard not to cling to that feeling. I also had a dream that my midwife delivered me on a playground. :-)

So fast forward to August 5th, one week before my due date. I had gone to bed at midnight or so. I woke up at 1:30 to what I thought were braxton hicks contractions. After an hour of consistent contractions, I realized this was the real thing! I let Jonathan sleep a few hours before I woke to tell him. We called my OB's office at 8:30 in the morning and headed to the hospital at around 10:30 or so. Contractions were coming at 3-4 minutes apart at that point. I think by 11:30 am, I was only 3-4 centimeters. Boo! I labored all day with not much progress. By the early afternoon, I made it to about 6 centimeters. With Hosea, the same thing happened. I got to 6 centimeters and stopped. Not a centimeter more! But during this time, I honestly felt very peaceful by whatever the outcome would be. God knew best. I just wanted a healthy baby! By 11:00 pm, I finally made it to 10 centimeters. We were beginning to think she would come on the 6th. But after only 30 minutes of pushing, she was here!

Besides documenting my Baby Love, I am also writing this to all the caesarian moms out there. Coming from someone who ultimately had a VBAC, trust me when I say this - IT IS NO DIFFERENT. I didn't miss out on a single thing with Hosea. I promise. It doesn't matter what way your child comes to you. The love I feel for each of my lovelies is deep. And I know the love you feel for your little people is deep too. If you struggle with this same idea, it is my hope that you leave this blog post encouraged. Trust that God knows what's best for your family. He loves you.

A couple of weeks before having Sarah, I read a post by Casey Wiegand called Scars. I highly recommend it. I wrote her an email after reading it and she kindly responded. Be encouraged!

Two Week photo taken by Christina Karst Photography

Our new family of four!

C is for Cookie, Caterpillar and Cars!

2011-10-21T16:36:00.000-04:00

This week was all about Cookies, Caterpillars, Cars and Clouds!! We started off with Cookies. We read If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. I love these little books. Not sure if you're familiar with them but they're really cute and kind of come full circle at the end. There's also If You Give A Cat A Cupcake and If You Give A Pig A Pancake, just to name a few.

Anyways, I got the idea here to read this book, make some chocolate chip cookies and do some things from the book that the mouse did, like sweep, color a picture, etc. We only made it to reading the book and baking the cookies. Little Miss basically never wants me to put her down right now. So, Tuesday was a rough day with her not napping and me trying to do too many things at once. The recipe made like 48 cookies so we shared some. :-) Of course, I didn't take one picture of any of this.

Here is our Crab lunch from Monday.

Then we talked about Caterpillars. We of course, read Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. One of my faves books for sure! We read it a ton. We also took a pipe cleaner and "fed" it through the holes while reading it. I'm not kidding when I say that there are A TON of caterpillar ideas out there. SO much cute stuff. I just had to limit myself to three crafts (yes three!). There's a lot of great material at 1plus1plus1plus1equals1.

We did some story sequencing and some size sequencing.

Then we made this name caterpillar. Really cute. (Tutorial here)

Then we made a caterpillar using a balloon and paint. (Tutorial here)

And lastly, we did a hand print caterpillar. My personal fave! (Tutorial here)

We also watched this video of an animated version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. He loved it! We watched it half a dozen times.

And here's our caterpillar lunch. My new fave!

I have to admit that Hosea does not like cheese at all. Granted, I seem to always have Colby cheese on hand which is a bit strong so maybe I need to try something different but there are so many ideas out there that would be great with cheese as a decorative element. So, knowing full well he wouldn't eat the cheese, I knew the sun would be perfect since the sun is what made the caterpillar POP! :-) Also, there are A LOT of cute caterpillar lunches out there. The best have the ones with fruit from the story with a hole in them but this Momma didn't have all that fruit on hand so I just made it simple and cute!

Next we talked about Hosea's favorite - CARS!! Today was very hands on. I created a city of sorts for him on paper to drive his cards around. I included Toys R Us (yes, I had to fix the R in the picture), and the Cookie Story (aka Publix). Then I made some numbered parking spaces for the cars and put corresponding numbers on top of the cars. He did great with this and played for a while.

Then I took some foil, crinkled up foil, cling wrap and sandpaper and attached them to a cardboard box. We took turns sliding the cars down each one (really couldn't tell a difference except with the crinkled up foil). We talked about texture though. He spent most of the time dropping them down the foil.

And lastly, we took his cars and let them roll through the paint onto the paper. He thoroughly enjoyed this. We ended it by taking them to the car wash (aka kitchen sink full of soapy water). We did this two separate times and he asked for a third but I said no. ;-)

And here's our Car lunch. Not exactly how I envisioned it. But I still like it. It was pretty plain until I thought to make a roadway out of grapes. Made it better.

We ended up not doing a lesson on Friday and had a family day instead. We were going to talk about clouds. So, we still may do that tomorrow. I didn't have too much planned anyways.

I did happen across this printable last week. They're great!! She has all the alphabet and they give him some practice with drawing his letters. Just laminate and go!

We're taking a break from the ABCs next week and just having some fun celebrating the coming of FALL! We're going to do some fallish crafts, take a field trip of sorts and do some learning too. I'll be going over A, B, and C as well. He's been having some problems with the letter C. :-)

Hope you'll check back then!

I {Heart} Mondays (Wednesday Style)

2011-10-19T21:59:00.002-04:00

Well hello there!!! It's been a long time! I've missed sharing my finds with you all!

From now on, I'll be doing my Monday posts a bit differently. I'm currently on Pinterest. For those that don't know of Pinterest, it's basically an online tool to file away all the awesome things you find on the web. You create "Boards" which house your "Pins" of images from across the WWW. So, if I see something on a website that I like or plan to do at some point, I'll "pin" the image into the designated "board" I've created. Then, once I'm ready to do the project or whatever it may be, I simply go to the Board, click the image and it immediately takes me to the tutorial. It's AWESOME!

Here's a snapshot of what my account looks like.

So you can see all my Boards. General Crafting, Sarah's Room, Hosea's Room, DIY, Craft with Kids, Etsy, etc. You can create as many boards as you want.

Here's a close up look at one of the boards.

It's a fantastic tool to keep track of things you want to try, ideas for a kids' party, whatever you can imagine! So, Mondays will now be a list of some of my pinterest finds during the week. It's basically the same thing, just a bit less work for me. {wink wink}

I hope you enjoy! And look me up on Pinterest if you're not already there!

B is for Bears, Bugs, Butterflies and Birds!

2011-10-15T10:30:00.001-04:00

We had a lot of fun this week learning about the letter B!! Along with our crafting, I started introducing H to sequencing. He's actually doing pretty good at it. He has times where I can see his little brain working trying to figure it out.

We read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, which is a really cute book. There are lots of crafts and games out there based on the book. We did a matching game and a sequencing game.

We also made a B (yes, yes, I realize this looks like an 8 but I didn't want to do it again :-/). I taped off a "B" and then he painted over it.

We also got all of his teddy bears and had a picnic inside. He LOVED this. I made him a Bear lunch which he really enjoyed.

I love this picture of him.

We also talked about bugs, specifically bees. He's funny about bugs. Whenever I talk about them, he just says, "Bugs are gross." He ain't kidding! We made a BumbleBEE and did a bunch of thumbprints and made them into bugs (spider, bee, ladybug, butterfly, and bunny - some of those aren't bugs, obviously). On a side note, I'm getting a lot better at letting him do more and more things on his own. It's hard, trust me. But he loves doing things for himself!

I did a Bunny lunch this day. He didn't know what it was. HA! He loved the marshmallow eyes. I gave him some extra after he ate most of his lunch.

Then we talked about Butterflies. He likes butterflies. We try to follow them around when we see them outside. We did two crafts and some more practice with sequencing. We practiced stacking his blocks on top of each other. He did really well with this. If he put the wrong block up, he could usually tell and would correct it. Trying to teach this stuff is really interesting. Of course I don't remember not knowing what is largest and smallest so trying to teach these simple concepts is a good patience exercise for me. :-)

Mirror image butterfly. (Tutorial here)

Paper towel butterflies. (Tutorial here)

Picture quality is terrible. Couldn't get a good shot of them since they were directly in the window. Any thoughts?

Action shot karate-chopping them down!

For lunch, we had a butterfly lunch! He devoured this! I thought this one was really cute!

On bird day, we went to the zoo. It was a perfect day for the zoo. Here's Hosea with a kipspringer named Dexter.

Then we came home and had a bird lunch. He didn't know what it was but devoured it!

And then we made a bird feeder! Can't wait to see if some birds take a nibble!! (Tutorial here)

Some other stuff we've done recently:

We went to Disney for one day last week. We had THE BEST time! Hosea was SO great. So patient in line and just had a great time. He was also tall enough to do the race cars and Mommy let him go on the tea cups. :-)

J said he went as fast as he could and H loved it!

I had to nurse S and went and found a very discreet location where no one was around and what happens? Some guy comes and sits down like 5 seats from me. Really? He probably didn't know what I was doing. Got this cute/funny pic of S.


Hosea is STILL talking about meeting Buzz and how he wants to again and give him another high-five. It was cute, H was just standing there and Buzz posed with his arm out so H stuck his out too.

Here's a video of H dancing in the Buzz ride. As soon as he walked in, he started going for it. Be prepared, very dark video but still funny!

Sarah turned 2 months!

Yep, that's Sarah sleeping on the Jonathan's office floor on Mondays while I'm working. Little burrito baby!

We went outside and made our own "volcano". (Tutorial here. Note: We did it with a big cup and it didn't even reach the top so we used a much shorter cup so the "lava" would overflow.)

Have a happy weekend!