Halloween wreath

I made a Halloween ribbon wreath.  I used orange, black, white, purple and lime green.  You can find the original directions I followed here! 

Materials needed (add a hot glue gun and straight pins):

You need lots and lots of ribbon.  Let's just say that I'm becoming quite familiar with the ribbon section at Hobby Lobby.  Frugal tid bit: make sure you stock up during their half off sales before you begin this project ;)

Cut the ribbon into 4.5" strips. 

Cover your wooden letters with mod podge and glitter.  Let them dry overnight if possible.  These will be hot glued to the wreath.

Wrap a wider coordinating print ribbon all around the wreath.  Pin it along the way to secure it.  This takes approx 3.5 spools.  If you have enough left over,  you can also use the same ribbon to create a top loop to hang on your door. 

Loop and pin each ribbon (this takes awhile...) until full.  Hang on the door and have a happy fall y'all :)

Farewell to a decade

Well, there's no avoiding it now.  I have only a matter of minutes left in my 20's.

I have definitely made some strides with my list over the past couple of weeks, but I'm still not done.  Life is busy.  Some I will share about here and others are a little personal.  Once you see it crossed out on my original post you can assume I am done with it. 

Thanks for the love and support :)

Fifty Nifty United States

After I included memorizing the nicknames for all fifty states in my list I found these great flash cards in the dollar section at Target!! 

Here is my scratch paper from studying....

Today at lunch Jarrod quizzed me and I am proud to say that I got them all right :)

Not ready

Thirty.  30.  The big 3-0.  However you want to say it, I'm not ready.  This isn't exactly easy.  Now I can say it has kept me up at night.  Why?  I don't know for sure.

Perhaps it's the fact that once I cross over to the 30's I'm afraid that life will accelerate quickly.  Or maybe it's the silent reminders such as my health insurance premium skyrocketing or the fact that I'm much closer to the end of my child bearing days.  I don't know for sure....

Someone said to me this weekend "Turning thirty is better than the alternative".  And it is!  But, it's going to take some getting used to.

All I know is that I'm thankful for the first 30 years God has given me.  I'm right where I wanted to be at this time in my life....

Handmade Necklaces

Time is ticking and three weeks from tomorrow I will be bidding a bittersweet farewell to my 20's.  It's time to mark another item off the list!  Today I made two necklaces.  It was actually quite simple but was just a matter of me remembering the materials at the store and then sitting down to do it :)

Materials Needed:

• clear fishing wire
• scissors
• stones/beads of your choice
• clasps

Drum roll please....



TA DA!!  These really didn't take long at all.  I love the big stones because they are eye catching and FUN.  I chose to do multicolors in the first one because it will match everything!  I did only pink stones in the second one because I always seem to be searching for something to wear with pink!

Instructions:

• Measure fishing wire to be exactly how long you want it....then add a few extra inches!
• Attach one part of the clasp by tying it to one end of the wire
• String beads on in whatever pattern you choose
• When all stones/beads are strung tie the other clasp part on the very end
• Enjoy wearing it :)

Family Night

I've always wanted to designate a family night each week.  Family should be a calm in the storm of life.  Our schedule is BUSY (football, activities, etc.) but I figure that if we make a point to spend quality time together as often as possible we are doing okay :) 

Last night we ordered pizza and played Candyland (Emma's request!) 

Owen showing off his tricks :)

Emma doing a little victory dance!!

Congrats to daddy on his BIG Candyland win!  We hope to continue setting aside special family time.  We know that one day the kids will rather do anything but stay home with us on a Saturday night.....

Still 29

I now only have one month left in my twenties.  And there is nothing I can do about it.  It's really just another number, right?! 

I am officially over half way done with my list and I will have several things to cross off very soon.....

Esther

One of the items on my list was to establish a quiet time with the Lord daily.  This sounds incredibly simple but often the hustle and bustle of life intervenes.  I'm sure some of you can relate.  This evening I completed a nine week Beth Moore Bible study on the book of Esther.  I did her study of Daniel five years ago when we lived in Riesel and enjoyed it very much!  If you are not familiar with Beth Moore, she is absolutely fabulous!  She is hilarious, truthful and yearns to get the message out!  Once a week our group of lovely ladies would meet to discuss and watch a dvd series.  There was also "homework" (reading, analyzing and writing) which was divided among five days.  This allowed me to become more disciplined in spending time with the Lord on a daily basis.

As a woman we sometimes feel overshadowed, underrated, overwrought, underqualified, under attack, overanxious or overresponsible......but GOD can turn it ALL around :)  Sometimes its just plain TOUGH being a woman.  Beth does an excellent job of showing how contemporary and applicable the happenings of Esther are to our lives today. 

One of the most unforgettable passages is Esther 4:14.  It says "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"  God has a masterplan (can I get a hallelujah!?!) and each of us is put in a certain place at a certain time for a REASON.  Sometimes we ask "why?" and we don't have full understanding but we are to trust Him.  Another similar passage that Beth referred to is Romans 8:28 which says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  How powerful!!

I loved this study SO much that I even hired a babysitter for the last couple of weeks to keep the kids until daddy returned home from football :)  If you ever have a chance to get involed with a Beth Moore study do it!  You will be blessed.

Canton or bust!

I've always heard great things about First Monday Trade Days in Canton.  As soon as she saw my "30 by 30" list my cousin Chassati expressed interest in going with me!  We actually made plans to go a few times over the past six months or so but something always came up.  I realized that this weekend would be my last opportunity to go childless before my birthday (football is here to stay for awhile).  Luckily my mom & Aunt Donna decided to get in on the fun and to go too :)  We had a fun girls road trip!  Thanks to my wonderful husband for keeping the kiddos and to my in laws for treating them to a movie!! 

We shopped and sweated until we dropped!!  It.was.HOT. I tried my best not to whine (much!) because I knew my 7.5 month preggo cousin Chassati had to have been miserable!! 

There were all SORTS of goodies.  We spent seven hours roaming through the booths and tables and still didn't see it all!  There were blingy clothes/ jewelry galore, antiques, purses, gadgets, holiday ornaments and decor, cute wrapping paper, iron work, miscellaneous junk, puppies, quilts and more.  Sooo much to look at. 

On the way home we stopped for some fresh fruit!  I got a juicy seedless watermelon, plums and peaches (thanks mom)!

Thankfully I had set aside some spending money from Mother's Day and I stuck to my budget, give or take a few dollar bills :)  Some of my favorite purchases include this giant two foot 'S', a sign to put in the dining room and a personalized glittery football for our front door. 

We decided that we should go back in January......right between football and track seasons ;)

Decoupage Project

Decoupage - the art of decorating an object by gluing colored paper cutouts onto it in combination with special paint effects

I have been meaning to try a big decoupage project for awhile now but just never got around to it.  (This list has ceratinly helped me do that with lots of things.)  I used mod podge to decorate clothes pins for Owen's 1st birthday party, but nothing fancy. 

Over Spring break I spied a cute aqua table at a road side sale.  I knew it would be a perfect subject for this project!  I decided to transform it into a bed side table for Owen once he transitions to a toddler bed.

Step 1:  Scuff the entire piece. 

Step 2:  Spraypaint all over.  Allow it to dry for several hours or overnight. 

Materials needed: 

Mod Podge (easily found at any craft store) 

Paint brush

Scrapbook paper (or fabric) of your choice

Step 3:  Apply Mod Podge to the area you plan to cover with paper. 

Allow to dry for approx 3-4 minutes...

Step 4:  Carefully put paper in place and immediately smooth all edges and middle.  (Note: the tricky part is working out the bubbles and edges that stick up.  Continuously smooth out the paper very gently.)  Lastly, apply Mod Podge on top.  It is best to end with all brush strokes going in the same direction.  Don't worry, the white/cloudy goop (as shown below) will dry clear ;) 

Step 5:  Allow it to dry for approx half an hour.  Enjoy your new piece of furniture! 

The decoupage possibilities are endless!  As a fair warning, after you create one thing you will be hooked :). 

Riverwalk Rendezvous

For the first time in approximately three years Jarrod and I got away for a day and a half.  I cannot believe it had been quite that long, but life gets busy!!  On the way to San Antonio we stopped in Gruene for some shopping and lunch at Gristmill. 

We stayed at the Drury Plaza on the river walk and enjoyed a late dinner at Saltgrass. 

We ventured over to the Alamo....

Here are some snap shots from the lobby of our hotel.  It used to be a bank.  What a beautiful place!

We enjoyed our time together!!  On the way back we did lots of outlet mall shopping.  On Tuesday evening we were so glad to see the kiddos.

Girls Day Out

After our hair appointments on Friday afternoon Emma and I headed to my favorite spa in Temple, Fountain of Beauty.  My mom introduced me to this place approx 22 years ago.  It is where I got regular trims, perms during the 80's and highlights during high school and college.  I even had my hair done for many formals as well as our wedding. 

Although this was our official girls day out, we agreed to let the boys chauffeur us around town.  I had saved up gift cards so our visit was "free"!  I enjoyed an express manicure and a deluxe pedicure while Emma only requested hot pink polish with sparkles :)   

Emma loved getting pampered but can only sit still for so long....which isn't very long at all ;)

"A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future."  ~Author Unknown

Blonde Again!

One of the things on my list was to do something different with my hair.  I thought about a shocking fancy short do, but since it takes FORever and ever to grow my hair out I played it safe.  

Most of our "extra" expenses were done away with when I decided to stay home and we started living on one full income....and that luxury was included.  It had been approximately five years since I had regular highlights.  Once I let it return to its  natural shade just looking in the mirror was a huge change.  In fact, I was almost brunette (gasp!) 

I admit that it's easy to become a "frumpy housewife".  On the days we don't leave the house I stay in my pjs til noon and I don't bother with hair or makeup.  Jarrod reminds me that I should do nice things for myself more often but it's really hard for me to justify doing so.  I always joked that I would immediately run to the salon the second I discovered my first gray hair.  Anyway, Jarrod encouraged me to start highlighting again so I did it before he changed his mind :) ( I also had the layers cleaned up and a created a bang.)

BEFORE:

AFTER: