He Made it Monday: Peapod Earrings

Did you know I'm the luckiest lady on earth?

This guy let me sleep in until noon while he cleaned the house on Saturday. Then he shovelled out the bedroom upstairs after I woke. When it comes to marriage, I SO WIN.

He also planted the 2 dozen hyacinths I bought on a whim at Costco (just before it snowed- good timing, Rae. )




And he made me these beautiful peapod earrings, as well as a matching pair for Stinky's preschool auction.

He's got a few more pairs made up, some with green glass beads and matching pendants. He's selling them for super reasonable rates. We're setting up the etsy shop this summer, but we've got these now. Contact me if you're interested!

Sunday Inspiration

Tomorrow's joy or tomorrow's despair has its roots in decisions we make today. Perhaps some people think to themselves: 'I know I need to change some things in my life. Maybe later, but not now.' Those who stand at the threshold of life always waiting for the right time to change are like the man who stands at the bank of a river waiting for the water to pass so he can cross on dry land. Today is the day of decision.

Joseph B. Wirthlin

Jerk

(In case you were wondering,the couch is where my wild things are often found, taking brief breaks from their adventures .)

It was a rough night for everyone around these parts. It included way too much crying and way too little sleep. The only sleep I can say that I'm certain I got was sitting upright in a chair where I zonked out while feeding Rotten. As a result, the night and morning have pretty much blended together and somewhere in there, I became a huge jerk. A massive headache hit me. Stinky woke early, woke Rotten and me, got into everything in the bedroom he knows he isn't supposed to, and spoke as loudly as humanly possible. I haven't had a drink in my life, but I swear sleep deprivation has given me a hangover.

I'm glad my children are so forgiving. I hope they won't remember days like this. The plan for the day is to get Rotten down for a nap, then to clean the jerk-i-ness right out of me. Then it's all Dr. Pepper, movies, knitting and baking. The plan for the weekend is to stay warm and do as little as possible. What about you?

Iron Craft: Hometown

I'm always a little late on the Iron Craft challenges - sometimes inspiration just takes a little longer to come, and finding or making the time to accomplish them can be as challenging. This week's challenge was a something hometown inspired. My family has lived a lot of places, and we have family across the country This map pillow is freezer-paper stencilled, and each heart is in a state where we have siblings and grandparents living- all locations are approximate and probably not at all accurate, but I'm really pleased with how it turned out!

Oh, and I was profiled over there this week, too!

snow day

It's snowing today.

From time to time, I'll catch the boys staring out a window, watching the flakes.

It's really lovely.

Crafting today. And wiping up slushy boot prints.

And crossing my fingers for a snow day tomorrow.

back to before

(Stinky hasn't wanted his picture taken in his sling because he's afraid people will laugh at him. I told him I thought it was cute. He doesn't want people thinking that either. WBH had to talk him into it.)

So part of my 30 before 30 goals was to blog 7 days a week, but for now I am going to scale back. I like blogging, I like putting something interesting on here- but I don't like it when I put stuff up here just for the sake of meeting that goal. So, for now, I'm checking it off the list. I did it for a month and a half, and maybe I'll build to it again, but for now, broken bones, baby becoming mobile, and a husband that likes to talk to me (crazy, what?), I'm bringing it back a little. I hope your weekend was a good one.

Sunday Inspiration

Any task in life is easier if we approach it with the one at a time attitude. ... To cite a whimsical saying; 'If you chase two rabbits, both of them will escape.' No one is adequate to do everything all at once. We have to select what is important, what is possible, and begin where we are, with what we have. And if we beginand if we keep going the weight, the worry, the doubt, the depression will begin to lift .... We can't do everything always, but we can do something now, and doing something will help to lift the weight and lessen the worry, 'The beginning,' said Plato, 'is the most important part.

Richard L. Evans

Sad Valentine's Day

photo by my sister-in-law @ her blog- hope you don't mind that I stole it!

... and by sad, I don't mean Singles' Awareness Day. We dropped Valentines like the one above off at Stinky's preschool V-day party, then we drove him in for x-rays.

Sadly, he broke his right collarbonethe night before while playing with his dad. We'd delivered valentines to several friends, and were enjoying dinner with Tealah, her roommates and friends. They have a Love Sac at their house that Stinky, well, loves. He will run and jump and be dropped or pushed into it until he collapses. Unfortunately, the last time it happened, he missed and landed on his shoulder.

So he's in a sling for three weeks now, and will have to learn to function left-handed for the most part. I stocked up on foods he can eat easily with one hand, and to be honest, he's being spoiled a little right now. The lesson? Party with college girls, you're only going to get hurt- even when you're four.

I'm Not Super Mom (Random Stuff)

*Or if I am, there's a very low standard for maternal superheroes.
* I once went on a date with a guy I had no interest in because he bought theater tickets to a show I couldn't afford and really wanted to see. I'm not proud of that, but it's been on my mind in the last week.
* I have sort of forgotten about 30 before 30 for the last month. Teething babies, broken bones. You know.
* WBH has been especially awesome at kicking me out of the house for quiet time. It makes a big difference.
*I can't seem to catch up on my laundry to save my life. Ditto that to make myself color my hair, which it desperately needs.
*I'm so ready for spring. I had a lapse of self control at Costco when I walked past their racks of plants and caught a whiff of their fresh, green smell. I came home with a crate of 2 dozen white hyacinths.
* I'm itching to act again. I hope I get the chance soon, but also think it's still to early with Rotten.
*Stinky's learning so much lately, I wonder if I'll ever catch up.

Winter Joy (or not) no. 14

scooting. (oh, crap)

Winter Joy no. 13

"A special lunch? For me?"

I Made it Monday

Look familiar? Sure it's been busy, but I had that January header up a week into February.

These letters lean on my eat-in kitchen wall, and were inspired by the "eat" dining rooms signs that seem to be popping up all over the internet. Well, our kitchen/dining is smack dab in the center of our home- and we eat, dance, create, laugh, run, and you guessed it- sing in there. I love the color they bring into the kitchen. In addition to the "eat" signs that inspired it (one blogger said that her husband asked her if she was going to put the word "poop" on their bathroom wall), I must confess that I saw a set of vintage letters that spelled out "sing" on etsy and loved them, but couldn't justify $50, plus hardware to hang or help them stand. These came in under $15, and I got to customize my color. It's a nice reminder, too, I think.

Oh, and the smug-looking little lion cub? It's a bank that belonged to my maternal grandmother. I like the look on its face.

Happy Valentine's Day. It will be heart-shaped food all day long around these parts!

Winter Joy no. 12

seven awesome years

Sunday Inspiration

Good homes are still the best source of good humans.

Neal A. Maxwell

Winter Joy no. 11

Blanket Forts

(Stinky was really enjoying it, he was just tired of pictures)

winter joy no 10

Rotten's first trip to the zoo

Winter Joy no. 9

Stinky being so big the carousel doesn't freak him out anymore

Tutorial: Glowing Snowglobe

This pretty thing is a joint project between WBH and myself. It's an entry for Iron Craft's Winter competition, and I'm really psyched about it!

This is my second tutorial here on the blog, and it's long. The process of making this, though, doesn't take long. You're going to love it, promise.

You'll need:

a wide-mouthed quart mason jar and lid

tall baby food jar

battery-operated twinkle lights OR flameless tea light

JB Weld J-B Kwik adhesive

iridescent confetti

glass frosting spray or glass etching medium (optional)

Combine equal parts of JB Weld and spread evenly over the top of the baby food lid.

Place on the bottom of the mason jar lid and center. Allow to set for 5 minutes

If desired, tape the threads of the baby food jar (it's important for getting a proper seal) and frost with spray, or etching medium. Etching will take longer, and should be done beforehand, refer to the etching medium's directions. Or don't, that's fine, too.

While frosting sets, drill a hole through the lids, centered.

Disconnect light wires from battery posts. Add lights to small jar and thread wires through hole. Reconnect wires to battery posts.

Add water to large jar, leaving 2 inches for water displacement. Add 2-3 tablespoons of confetti.

Screw lids on both jars- small, then large. Then flip it over and switch on the lights!

Magic!

Alternately, a flameless tealight works, it's just a different color light - kind of fire-and-icey.

Things to know:

• Some of the confetti floats, some sinks. Some gets all over your house. Believe it.
• Taping over the threads is really important. I learned this the hard way.
• Dollar store battery operated lights are cheap pieces of crap.
• Some glass frosting spray paint will come off in the water, but it looks cool that way, too. Etching will be better for a permanent frost, or try spraying the inside.
• WBH rocks the party that rocks the party for a partner in craft (and everything else).

I think these would be beautiful at Christmas, New Year's Eve or as centerpieces.

Hope you enjoyed and found this useful- let us know if you try it out!

Winter Joy no. 8

a new hat (and a baby so cute you probably didn't notice the hat.)

Oh my friends, your words. Your words were inspring, loving, and butt-kicking. You rock my world and I have to thank you so much for that, but words aren't enough. Thanks for the shot of confidence, guys.

She's Not There

I feel like I've had the wind knocked out of my sails, lately. What a fun way to start a post. The Mystery of the Missing Mojo has yet to be solved, and Rotten's extreme teething has kicked me in the teeth (butt isn't a strong enough word, but my family reads this). I feel, I know, I should be better, I should be more, I should have more patience, be kinder, snap less, but I'm having a hard time with that. I'm working on it. I feel guilty, when I know thing are good, to be struggling, but I know it's okay to have the blues every once in a while.

While I work on it, there are more pictures on their way, and a 30 before 30 fail list/check-in.

Winter Joy no. 7

making elephant noises

Sunday Inspiration

As parenting declines, the need for policing increases. There will always be a shortage of police if there is a shortage of effective parents! Likewise, there will not be enough prisons if there are not enough good homes.

Neal A. Maxwell

Winter Joy no. 6

finally cutting that first tooth.
one more little lump to go through, then maybe we'll have some peace.

Winter Joy no. 5

a little piece of heaven
(WBH kicked me out of the house after a long day of teething and preschooler drama)

Winter Joy no.4

bright new fabric on a cold day

Winter Joy no. 3

valentine suncatchers to welcome daddy home

Winter Joy no. 2

storytime with Little Sister

Winter Joy no. 1

crocuses!