This past weekend I had the great privilege of hosting a baby shower for my precious new goddaughter Lydia, who was born on April 30th.  It was such a fun party to throw!

  Party details:

• The adorable invitations were designed by the lovely Heather Moritz of Moritz Fine Designs, (who has also designed all 4 of my websites.)  She was inspired by a design I found on Etsy, and rather than having them printed, she just sent me the digital file and I printed them at home, which helped us get them out sooner and kept costs down.

• As always, there were lots & lots of fun DiY projects for the decorations and favors.  Luckily for this party, which was planned in only 3 weeks, I had 3 amazing co-hostesses, Angie, Kasey, & Katherine, who were invaluable in helping to get everything done, bringing food, & making sure the party went smoothly.  I definitely could NOT have pulled it off without them!

• As the theme would suggest, there were buttons everywhere!  I purchased several large variety value packs from JoAnn’s, using 50% off coupons for each one.  I also found some vintage spools on ebay for less than $10, so those were used as both decoration and to hold the food tags.

• The flowers were very easy.  We picked up 2 bunches of roses at Publix (which were on sale because of Mother’s Day), then simply divided them among 5 mason jars.

• The button monogram was inspired by a project I found on Pinterest, which came from Spearmint Baby.  I did mine a little differently, printing the background instead of hand-drawing it, so that I could include Baby Lydia’s birth statistics underneath.  It did double duty as decoration and as my gift.

• The brunch was definitely a team effort, with each of the co-hostesses sharing the cooking duties.  It was all delicious!  The menu included an assortment of vegetarian quiche, baked french toast, a Tuscan breakfast casserole, spinach-strawberry salad, fruit salad, & lemon yogurt muffins.  Drinks included homemade lemonade (using the lemon juice from our own lemon tree), blackberry-mint iced tea, & coffee.

• All of the desserts for the table were homemade.  I was most nervous about the ruffle cake, a Martha Stewart creation, but then I found this awesome You Tube tutorial that I watched about 6 times in a row, and it was surprisingly doable.  In fact, it was so much fun to do that I am planning a pink version for Trouble’s Cake Party coming up in a couple weeks.  The yellow cake had layers of lemon & lime cake with a lemon cream cheese buttercream frosting, while the ruffle cake was vanilla cake with raspberry cream cheese filling and Martha Stewart’s Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

She really is cute as a button, isn’t she?

I wanted to let all of you Florida residents know about a coupon class I am teaching next Saturday, May 19th, at First United Methodist Church in Punta Gorda, from 9am-12pm.  Refreshments and free childcare will also be provided.  Space is limited, so if you would like to attend, please email at Ruth@LivingWellSpendingLess.com to add you name to the list.

If you follow along on Project Simplify 365, you may have picked up on the fact that I have a slight problem with baby stalking.  I just can’t help myself…..I love them SO much!  I have so far been unsuccessful in my attempts to convince husband that we need another one, so I fill that need by obsessing, er, doting on other people’s babies.

But I digress.  About a week and a half ago we were invited to a brunch after church to celebrate the baptism if this little cutie pie.  Isn’t she precious?  As we were driving out to the country home of the baby’s grandmother, Stacy, we took a wrong turn and wandered aimlessly for a few minutes.  This is the conversation that followed:

A few minutes later we pull up to an adorable Craftsman-style bungalow surrounded by  a nice big yard and spanish-moss covered trees, which was pretty much the exact picture I had in my mind of the perfect country house.  I didn’t know Stacy well, but even from the outside you could tell that she had a great sense of style.

From the moment I walked in the door, I was in awe of it all!  The gorgeous 1927 arts & crafts detailing everywhere, the amazing brunch laid out on the table as we walked in the front door, the quirky-but-style-filled details everywhere, the homemade pickles and cream cheese and jam.  I literally spent hours wandering around, oohing and aahing over every last detail.  I couldn’t even explain why I was so smitten except that maybe in that moment I realized that Stacy was exactly what I want to be when I grow up!

And you just knew there were going to be chickens, right?

I hope that this post doesn’t give the impression that I am somehow dissatisfied with my own home, because that is definitely not the case.  I count my blessings every single day, and honestly couldn’t ask for more.  That said, I can still appreciate someone else’s talents and style without feeling like what I have is somehow inadequate.

The older I get, the stronger my urge to get back to basics and create a simpler, more wholesome life for my family.  In fact that was the main reason I started Project Simplify 365 back in January.  I’m not there yet, and while I’d like to be the mom that feeds my kids home grown vegetables out of my own garden with freshly gathered eggs and homemade cheese, I’m still the mom that resorts to the McDonald’s drive-through because sometimes that’s just easier.

Maybe someday we’ll find a 1927 Craftsman bungalow of our own and move to the country and grow vegetables and keep chickens and get a goat, and I’ll finally learn to can my own pickles and jam.  Or maybe we won’t, and that’s okay too.  But in the meantime I’m just happy I get to know a gal like Stacy.

So what about y’all?  Do you have a particular style of dream home?  What does it look like?

A couple weeks ago I shared our new {surprise} Rainbow Family Room.  I was so nervous that Husband wouldn’t like it, but as it turned out he absolutely loved it.  So much so that my oh-so-unexpressive, non-writer, engineer husband actually wrote me a poem to thank me!  And it was pretty good!  He said I could share it with y’all so I updated the post–be sure to go back to check it out!

So far we have already gotten a lot of use out of our new room.  It is SUCH a functional, happy space.  The girls love doing art projects in there, and Husband and I have a lot of fun at night playing Wii Fit.  One of my favorite elements is the kids artwork gallery wall.  I really wanted a display that was fun, stylish, & would allow me to show off the never-ending supply of artwork that my girls create.  The end result turned out even better than I had hoped & it was SO easy!  Definitely a get-it-done-in-a-day-or-two kinda project.

Project 1: Melted Crayon Art

I first saw this melted crayon art project over on Whatever (love that blog!) months ago and immediately pinned it as one of those things I had to do with my kids someday.  It was such a fun and easy project and the girls had so much fun with it–it was just so cool to watch the crayons melt!

1. After separating the crayons by color (we used a box of 96, which was about perfect for the 16×20″ canvas that we used), line them up in color order at the top of the canvas, then hot glue them in place.

 2. Prop the canvas at an angle, then use a blowdryer on high heat to slowly melt the crayons.

 3.  Continue melting until you (or your kids) are satisfied with the effect–you can make it a little melty or really melty, it is totally up to you (or them!)

Project 2: Artwork Display Frames

I painted my frames all different colors because I wanted a rainbow effect against the white walls, but you could just as easily do them in all one color, or even all in white, for a more muted, classic look.  I used a few frames I already had laying around the house, and then a few more that I picked up at Michael’s (for 60% off of course!)

1.  Spray paint frames and clothespins.  (For the smaller frames, I spray painted the clothespins the same color as the frames, since they were glued directly to the frame.  However, for the 2 largest frames, I spray painted the clothespins the same color as the wall and used popsicle sticks to extend them down so that the pictures would be centered.)

2.  Use hot glue to attach clothespins to frames.  (I forgot to take a picture of of the larger frames, but basically I hot glued a popsicle stick to the back of the frame, then clued the clothespin to the popsicle stick.)

Project 3: DiY Framed Chalkboard

I wasn’t planning to make a chalkboard but when I couldn’t find one to buy anywhere (and really, really, really wanted one, ever since I saw the Nester’s cute living room gallery wall), I decided to go with plan B and just make one instead.  This is a perfect project if you have any old frames (with glass) that you don’t know what to do with!  I used a 16×20″ size, but any size would work.

1.  Spray paint your frame.  If it has a really shiny finish, it helps to lightly sand it first with fine grade sandpaper, then sand between light coats.

2.  Paint glass with chalkboard paint.  I used the Martha Stewart chalkboard craft paint that works on all surfaces.

3.  Let dry, then follow with multiple coats, until chalkboard is completely opaque.  I think I used 3 coats.  After final coat, let paint cure for 24 hours before assembling frame.

How to Hang a Gallery Wall {Fail-Proof Tutorial}

Hanging a gallery wall so it looks good only seems tricky!  Use this technique any time you want to hang multiple pictures on the wall and never face the shame of filling your wall with holes ever again.  Your husband will thank you.

1. Tape kraft paper onto the floor with blue painter’s tape.  If your display is going to be wider than one roll of paper, tape two rows together securely.

2.  Play around with your artwork until you find a composition that you like, then carefully trace around each picture with a pencil and then mark where the holes for each picture should go.  Take a picture if you’re not sure you can remember where everything should go!

3.  Hang the paper on the wall so that the outlines are in the right place, taking care to make sure your horizontal lines are level.  Using your marks as a guide, put all your screws or nails in place, then tear away paper.

4.  Hang all your artwork on the wall, using your picture as a guide.  Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

P.S.  If you’re wondering how I hung those letters, I’m going to let you in on a little secret:  I hot glued them to the wall.  (Shhh…don’t tell my husband!)

It’s been a while since I’ve thrown a party and now suddenly I have TWO of them coming up next month!  Yay!

This year Trouble picked her own theme for her 3rd birthday party: CAKE!  I found it only fitting since the girl is currently obsessed with all things baking-related & spends hours building cakes and cupcakes out of Legos.  My only concern was that it might be too similar to last year’s Sweet Shop Party theme, but Husband ever so kindly pointed out that no one would remember last year’s theme anyway, least of all Trouble.  The man has got a point.

Maybe I’ve just been going through party withdrawals or something, but I am SO excited for this party (and for the fun baby shower, which I am keeping the details under wraps for now).  I forgot how much I love planning these kind of things!

Here is my inspiration:

Photo Credits:

1. “Sweet Spread” Cake Invitation {Tiny Prints}
2. Cake Table {Bakearella}
3. “Spot” Cake {Martha Stewart}
4. Ruffle Tower Cake {Martha Stewart}
5. Fruit “Cake” {Super Healthy Kids}
6. Party Cake Pops {Velvet Cream Bakery}
7. Cake Stand Tutorial {The Party Dress}
8. Sixlets Cake {SprinkleBakes}
9. Rainbow Cake {One Charming Party}

Here are some of my ideas so far:

• I love the color scheme from the invitation.  I don’t normally buy invites, but the ones from Tiny Prints are super cute and this one is just fits the theme so perfectly that I can’t resist.  I will probably make some paper buntings with the same color scheme and shape as the invites to pull it all together.  I probably also won’t be able to resist making some matching paper party hats–the kids always love ‘em!
• A dessert table filled with cakes and cupcakes will be the centerpiece of the party, and I’ve got the perfect place to set it up now that I’ve moved my home office to the living room.  I’ll try to make most of the cakes myself, but I may buy a few as well–that is a LOT of baking!
• I briefly considered having a cupcake decorating station but Husband–again my voice of reason–quickly vetoed that idea, reminding me what a mess it is to decorate cookies on Christmas Eve with just a handful of kids.  Instead I think we’ll do paper cakes that the kids can glue different elements onto.  Other activities will include swimming & watching a movie on the projector once it gets dark.
• Like last year, when we served hot dogs, we will keep the food simple and easy.
• I am in LOVE with those homemade cake stands, so for party favors I plan to make a bunch of cupcake sized ones for all the kids to take home.  So fun!

Husband was out of town this week for a business trip so I decided to surprise him by remodeling our former guest room while he was gone.  This was a project we have been planning for a while but are never able to get to.   In fact, we sold the bedroom set a few months ago in anticipation of the project, and even started ripping out the carpet, but then life took over and the room became little more than an ugly storage room.

Taking on such a big project all by myself was a little daunting, but luckily we have a good friend who is a great contractor and could help with all the construction-y stuff like installing the bamboo floors (which had been sitting in boxes in the closet since 2004!), installing a new ceiling fan, and hanging shelves the right way (you know, the way where they don’t fall down and can actually hold stuff on them.)

In all honesty, I  didn’t do a whole lot of pre-planning for this project.  In fact, I didn’t even decide to do it until last week.  My main goal was just to paint the walls and have the new flooring installed, 2 things Husband and I had discussed at length but never had time to do.  Because that room had always felt dark and dreary to me, I chose the most unlikely of colors (at least for me): white.  (Technically the color is called “Swiss Coffee” by Behr.)

I couldn’t bear the thought of having to do 3 or 4 coats to cover up the existing paint so I splurged on the Behr Premium paint that claims to be a paint and primer in one.  It ended up being a good decision because the walls looked great after only 2 coats.

The transformation, as soon as I started painting, was immediate.  The room became so much brighter and instead of this awful depressing room that I had always hated, it suddenly felt like a blank canvas.   A colorful plan began forming, (inspired largely by one of my favorite blogs, whatever),  and the only question became whether we could possibly pull it off in just 4 days.   It was a LOT of work to get it all done in time, but everything came together really well.

The only major purchase I made was the couch, which was definitely the biggest and most expensive thing I have ever bought without first consulting my husband.  But I absolutely loved the denim and thought it was perfect for the room, so I took a risk.  The rest of the furniture was stuff we had on hand already, except for the little window seat stools ($25 each at Target) and the little red table ($30 at Marshall’s, spray painted by me.)

I love the rainbow effect of these books.  It is probably my favorite part of the whole room.  And check out the awesome owl, a sweet surprise gift from my talented friend Angela.

 This gigantic TV was a relic  from husband’s bachelor days.  Not wanting it to be the focal point of our living room, I banned it to this room where it has sat unused for years.  Now it finally has a home.

 More rainbows.  What a happy way to organize DVDs!

The girls had a lot of fun with this simple (but messy) art project.

The girls loved helping, especially with the art & crafts part.  I’ll have to do a separate post just for all the DiY projects we did!  They couldn’t wait for daddy to come home to show him his surprise, and while I was a little worried that Princess, in all her enthusiasm, would give it way over the phone, she totally played it cool.  What a pro!

As soon as the room was ready to go I became a nervous wreck worrying how Husband would react.  They make it look so fun on those “while you were out” shows, but my stomach was in knots all day. Luckily I needn’t have worried…he loved the room!  And surprised was an understatement–he was absolutely shocked!  I don’t think he would’ve suspected me to take on a project like that in a million years, which made it just that much more fun.

We are all excited about having this new space.  We finally have a place to play the Wii, which had been sitting in the attic unused since we moved from Seattle 3 years ago, and the girls have an awesome wall to display their constant flow of artwork.  All in all, it was a lot of work but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

UPDATE:  My normally non-expressive Husband totally surprised me the the other day by writing a little poem–something he’s never EVER done before.  It was so funny and cute and I was blown away, & he said I could share it with y’all:

Ode to a Guest Room

With our Worden Farm season drawing to a close, I’ve been starting to feel a little guilty about  having never actually made it out to the farm.  Several of my friends also have farm memberships and are always telling me how fun it is to go out there each week.  Well let me tell you, they weren’t kidding!

This week we finally went with my friend Angie and her lovely daughter.  It was great to have a “pro” to show us around–Angie has been a member for 4 years–and it was fun to run into a few other friends while we were there. The girls had a blast and I literally had to pry them away in order to get Princess off to dance class on time.

As luck would have it, this week was goat milking week, where all the kids could try their hand at milking a goat.  Princess wanted nothing to do with the goat but Trouble–ever the adventurer–was totally enamored.  She wouldn’t leave the poor goat alone!
Another highlight of going to the farm is the opportunity to pick your own produce.  This doesn’t count towards your weekly allowance, it is just an added bonus.  This week we had the option of digging for potatoes or picking edible flowers.  My prissy girls aren’t exactly dig-in-the-dirt kinda kids but they loved picking flowers!

After flower picking it was time to pick out our vegetables–that is, after all, the point of going to the farm–and it was SO hard to choose!  The cool thing about the farm pickup option versus the box delivery option is that you get a total number of credits that you can use as you wish.  Thus, if you only want 5 items one week and 15 the next, you can do that.  You also get to pick exactly what you want–or need–each week.

I originally picked the box because it was more convenient (the Farm is WAY out in the country!) and because I thought it would be a fun challenge to get a random assortment of vegetables each week.  Some weeks I definitely enjoyed the challenge more than others.

But the experience of going to the farm, especially with kids, is so great that I can’t imagine not picking that option next year.  What a value!  Not only do you get a huge selection of locally grown organic produce for only $30 a week, you get a pre-paid afternoon of entertainment!  I’m a girl who knows a deal when I see one.

Here in Southwest Florida the Worden Farm season is just ending (boo!) but you will soon be able to enroll for next year.   Those of you up north might be able to find a similar local farm co-op membership in your area by checking out LocalHarvest.org.

And if you are looking for some yummy ways to use up all those fresh vegetables, be sure to check out all of these Worden Farm-inspired recipes:

• Grilled Chicken & Vegetable Salad with Honey Dijon Glaze
• Easy Vegetarian Goulash
• Cheesy Cream of Broccoli Soup
• Creamy Dill Vegetable Soup
• Winter Diet Soup
• Strawberry Basil Sangria
• Homemade Zucchini Bread
• Simple Vegetable Frittata
• Roasted Root Vegetable & Tomato Cream Sauce over Farfalle 
• Roasted Vegetable Quesadilla

It’s been a crazy month, both as a blogger and from a life-in-general point of view.  I’ve SO appreciated all your support and encouragement as I shared my depression story.  Your emails and comments have been amazing and I am still getting through them all.  Suffice to say, you guys are awesome and I have been deeply touched by the things you’ve shared with me.

But I gotta be honest, writing it took a lot out of me.  It was far more emotionally draining than I anticipated when I started.  As I explained at the beginning, I felt that God had been pressing on me to write it for a long time, and while I’m so glad He gave me the words to say,  I definitely feel the need to take a little break now.

On that top of that, Husband and I have been busy exploring a potential new business opportunity/life path which is simultaneously stressful and exciting, scary yet exhilarating.  It’s also very time consuming.  We don’t yet know what is going to happen so I can’t really say more, but I’ll keep you posted.

I’ve had a lot of people ask if I’m okay, and I really truly am.  I’m great, actually.  Just really, really, busy.  Too busy.  And when life gets hectic like this and the pace starts to get too frenetic to keep all the balls up in the air, I know it is my job as a wife and mom first and a blogger second to stay focused on the things that matter most.

I hope you won’t hold it against me when I tell you this is one of those times where I need to step back for a little bit.  I’ll still be posting here on LWSL, just a little less frequently–maybe 1 or 2 posts a week instead of 3–for the next month or two, as I try to keep my priorities in order.  Thank you so much for understanding!

Sometimes your just gotta get out for a couple hours, ya know?

The other night 2 of my girlfriends and I snuck away to the local paint-your-own pottery place, The Creative Circle, a “date” we had sadly been trying to make for almost 3 months.  Since when did life get that crazy?

It was so relaxing to just sit there and paint!  And so nice to spend some quiet time with my friends.

 I discovered this fact years ago, but there is something totally recharging about getting a Mom’s Night Out every once in a while.  No kids, no husband, just a few friends, lots of chatting and lots of laugh.

I forget how much I need it and then don’t do it for far too long.  Hopefully the next one will be a little sooner next time.

Thanks for a great night ladies.

Do you ever get away for a Mom’s Night Out?  What’s your favorite way to relax with your girlfriends?

{Read Part 1: Falling}

{Read Part 2: Clouds Lifting}

{Read Part 3: Changing Paths}

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Part 4: But For Grace

In the fall of 2009, just a few months after Trouble was born, we made the decision to move back to Florida.   It had become clear that my 85-year-old mother-in-law, Marie, was no longer able to live on her own, so we made plans to pick her up in Chicago and bring her to Florida to live with us.

I wasn’t eager to leave our nice little life in Seattle and the transition back to Punta Gorda was more than a little painful.

The combination of caring for 2 small children and an octogenarian was trying on the best days and sheer misery on the worst. Trouble, at 6 months old, kept us up for hours every single night, usually crying non-stop from about 2am to 5am.  My Mother-in-law had a whole other set of issues to manage—countless pills & doctors appointments, hearing  & vision loss, high blood pressure, difficulty keeping her balance.  It often felt like we had 3 kids instead of 2, and we were totally overwhelmed.

Our friends from before, all either childless or long past the baby stage, simply couldn’t relate to our stage of life, and they quickly disappeared, one by one.  As the months went by my despair grew.   I was sleep deprived, lonely, bored and miserable.  I spent a lot of time feeling sorry for myself , and the rest of the time being angry at Chuck.

I coped by spending.  Not surprisingly, it didn’t help.  The more I shopped, the emptier and more miserable I felt, so to make up for it, I shopped even more.   Chuck, understandably, responded to my out-of-control shopping habit with anger and frustration.

That spring our marriage–and our life in general–were at a breaking point and yet neither of us had a clue how to fix it, how to break the vicious cycle or improve our situation.  It felt like there was no way out.

Salvation came in the most unlikely form.

Long before my children were born, long before I was even born, long before my husband or his only sister were grown, my mother-in-law Marie had dreamed that the train of her wedding dress would be made into a christening gown for her grandchildren.

But life doesn’t always turn out the way we expect.  Chuck’s sister opted not to have children and when Chuck entered his 40s still a bachelor, marriage or children seemed unlikely.  By her eightieth birthday, Marie had given up hope of ever becoming a grandmother.

When my oldest daughter was born, the Christening Gown–this lifelong dream of Marie’s–became a hot topic of conversation.  After making her wait 83 years we couldn’t not make the dress, but obviously we couldn’t just put her in the dress and not actually have her christened.   That presented a problem because Chuck and I were not at all religious.

By that point, God and I had reached an understanding, or at least I thought we had.  I would try to be a good person; He would leave us alone.  I was no longer angry, but I certainly wasn’t interested in a relationship.

But baptism is a big deal to church people.   They won’t just let you walk in off the street and have your kid baptized.  You have to be a member of the church.  For Princess’ christening we lucked out.  I was technically still a member of the church I had grown up in, even though I hadn’t attended in at least 10 years.   We had the very special dress made and she was baptized the day after her first birthday.

As Trouble’s first birthday approached, the pressure was mounting to have her also christened in The Dress.  We needed to find a church, and fast.  We decided to try out the church of the minister who had married us, Pastor John, since we had always liked him.  He was laid back and friendly and, most importantly, extremely non-judgmental.  Besides, we were sorta desperate, so any church would do.

We started attending services for the sole purpose of  having Trouble baptized.  But surprisingly enough, at least to me, we didn’t hate it.  The people were SO nice.   Weirdly nice, going out of their way to talk to us and make us feel welcome.  After having felt so isolated for so long, it was refreshing.  So we kept coming back, Sunday after Sunday, despite our reluctance.  When Pastor John retired and a new guy took his place we considered not going anymore.  But something still kept us there.

Our very first week, a sweet woman named Angie invited us to join a small group called the Homebuilders.  She explained that their goal, as the name suggested, was to help build strong marriages and strong families.  We thanked her, but politely declined.  Church was one thing, but we were definitely not Bible study kind-of people.

It took a whole year of almost weekly invitations before we finally gave in to her persistence and agreed to attend the Homebuilders group.  Even then it was months and months before I actually looked forward to going.  Every other Tuesday, Chuck and I would ponder how we could possible get out of it without hurting Angie’s feelings.  We could never come up with anything, and she was just so nice, so we kept going.

God was working at me from all sides, almost like a relentless stray cat who kept coming back, nudging me, and forcing me to accept him.   This new pastor, Mike, had definitely been blessed with the gift of preaching and his sermons began to rock me to the core, while the fellowship of this incredible group gave me a glimpse of what it really meant to walk with Christ.

Finally, after so many years of doing it on my own, I just stopped trying to resist.

God could have me.

And then suddenly it all became so clear.

All these events in my life, all these things that had, up until that point, seemed random and unrelated, now made sense.  It was like I had been standing right in front of a big painting, staring so closely at one small section that I couldn’t see the larger picture.  God forced me to step back and see the whole thing, and it was far, far more beautiful than I could’ve ever imagined.

The emptiness was finally filled.

Every single step of the way, even when I had rejected and turned my back to God, even when I thought I could do it all on my own, He was there, protecting me, watching over me, saving my life, not once but 5 times, when by all accounts, I should have died, and then always, always placing the right people in the right place at the right time, all doing their part to bring me back to Him.

All of this so that I could stand here before you now, completely whole, a living example of His precious, perfect Amazing Grace.

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