Sunday Inspiration

Please let me know if you know the source for this. I found it on pinterest and thought it was too lovely to keep to myself.

Bummer Summer.

Hey everyone. We're sick and tired. Again. This has been a bummer of a summer.

I'm having an attitude problem.

I'll be back to posting again the first week in August. Until then, have a fantastic last week of July.

Seeing More With Smaller Eyes

Being a mom changes how I see the world. I don't think any mother would say anything different, but the best times my worldview has been changed, it has been by seeing it through the boys eyes.

We discovered a bug on our storm door. It was huge, as bugs go, and had a hairy stomch. It wasn't at my eye level, I might have missed it. But for Stinky, this provided almost an hour of occupation. We took pictures, counted legs, watched with a magnifying glass, and finally identified it courtesy Google images- a long-haired june beetle. We had a similar experience with a bird last month- a northern flicker with bright red cheeks (meaning it's male). Just the other night, Rotten followed and ant all over the path in the backyard, until it disappeared into the grass. Seeing how eager they are to learn about the world makes me slow down, and I love it.

Un-Do

card found here

This week has been less than fun. WBH said to me, late one night "this hasn't been a great summer vacation. " Poor guy, it really hasn't. I'd like to just un-do the last couple of weeks so we could repeat them, could do better, unfortunately, life's keyboard has gone missing.

More stuff, happier stuff, tomorrow.

uh-uh

Rotten decided I shouldn't shower alone

It is morning and I am watching Rotten crawl to all the 'uh-uh' places. The spots where he pauses and waits for my response. On hearing the 'uh-uh,' he chuckles, but moves to the next 'uh-uh'. Later, when he is tired, 'uh-uh' will not be met with a giggle, but with a head-thrown-back cry that can only be interpreted as "you never let me do ANYTHING!" but the morning giggles are a sweet way to start the day.

Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations........

Can I bring the stuff Saturday to the baby shower for you? Everyone else, thank you for commenting and talking me up on Facebook- you're awesome. Now go get a free slurpee!

Evil Stinky would approve.... crazy kid.

I Made It Monday: No-Cost Wall Art Do-Over

This is what the big wall in our living room used to look like:

It wasn't bad, but it wasn't really us, either. So I decided to use what we had to change it up. Lucky, we had four Ikea frames the matched, searched the house and internet, played with my Cricut, and came up with what you see below!

All of the pictures are 'matted' on fabric from a sheet.

On the left are lyrics from Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds." My pregnancy with Rotten had a rocky and scary beginning, and I was terrified of the possibility of another miscarriage. On the morning of our first big ultrasound, I woke with that song in my head, and couldn't get it out. Two hours later, we saw his heartbeat going strong. I worked that up on my Cricut.

On the right is a map of Argentina, where WBH served a mission for our church. I printed that offline and backed it with paper to matched the couch. Dig me, following the map trend.

On the left is the front of a throw pillow I made that was too small for the form. I love the way the frayed edges look under the glass. On the right, a print I got for my birthday, while we were working to get the drug-dealing jerks off of the block.

I'm really excited about how it turned out, and proud for not spending a cent to put it together. It feels much more 'us' now.

This Moment: He Heard His Voice

Joining SouleMama for this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

4 years later

Stinky, summer 2007

Stinky, summer 2011

Same hair in the middle,

Same enviable lashes,

Same drool running down the face.

Same Sweet Stinky.

So, I did a craft fair - GIVEAWAY!

Last weekend, I did my first craft fair. Being a procrastinator, I put off preparing until the week before. This meant late nights and lots of work in that time.

I got lots of positive feedback- then I made one sale. Fortunately, it covered my table fee and we used the rest to take Stinky to the bounce house. What this means for you is that I'm doing a giveaway! Yay!

Above is one of each item I made to sell:

a covered notebook with inner pocket and button closure.

a knit bow headband

a knit bow barrette

an organza and fresh water pearl flower barrette

and one pair of vintage button earrings (posts are sterling silver)

To enter, leave a comment. For a second entry, post about it on facebook and leave a comment that you did. Unfortunately, this is only open to residents of the US. Shipping can be a beast.

Giveaway closes at midnight on July 10, winner announced July 11.

Cutting the Cables

A few months ago, we decided to cut out cable and switch to getting our TV from Netflix and Hulu. While there are some days I really miss the ability to turn on HGTV or Food Network and veg, or let Stinky watch Playhouse Disney all the live-long day, or fall asleep to CNN at night, this has been a change for the better in our household. We read more and get outside more. Magically, I have more time in the day. We are better at sticking to a daily routine. Our TV time is more intentional, rather than just in the background. We're more selective in the movies we buy, because we can stream them or get them in the mail. Cutting out the cable has been a process of getting 'more' - more money left in the budget each month and more time as a family.

I'm not writing this to brag, or to suggest it's right for your family, but it's really working for ours. It isn't without it's challenges, though. We taught Stinky to work the Wii remote for Netflix, and then had to teach him to ask us before each show, so that he doesn't watch things like Jaws or Child's Play. He will occasionally have a fit when it's time for the TV to go off- (a sign we did the right thing in cutting the cable, we think), but usually if we put some music on (our custom family dance party mix is a favorite), he's happy.

For me, the challenge is the other screen. I challenged myself the other day to turn off the computer from 11am until sunset. I made it eight hours, and finished everything on my to-do list- that never happens! Someday, I would love to have the discipline to have a 'no screens if the sun's up' policy- but I'm not there yet. How do you manage screen time in your family? I'd love to hear what's working for you. Oh, and if you've got Netflix favorites, please share them, too! I just finished Torchwood, and I haven't found a show to replace it.

Happy 4th!

I hope everyone is having a gorgeous 4th of July with their family. We'll be enjoying the backyard today- what are you up to?

Later this week I'll write about my unsuccessful craft fair, and have a giveaway. I hope you make it back!

Sunday Inspiration

I hope you enjoy this reminder today. Happy Sunday!