Mommy Makes Me

Pinterest{ing}

2012-02-07T15:35:00.000-05:00

I am sure you are all aware of this amazing and

awesome ~~new~~ site called Pinterest!

If you are like my husband

(who gave me the title to today's post)

you might be saying, "What is the big deal

with this whole Pinterest thing?"

If you are not a member of Pinterest or have not really looked around there, you REALLY should. So many great things. From food, to fashion, to DIY, to great photography. So many great things in one area.

The best part is you can keep the ideas together on "boards" so you can see a bunch of ideas all together.

Before Pinterest I would just save the website in my "favorites" online and it would just get confusing and a tad frustrating looking back at the things I had saved.

Anyways...

One of my favorite things about Pinterest is that they don't just say sit and collect great ideas and photos, they want you to get up and go out and do them. It is not just about sitting on your booty and browsing that Internet, it is to motivate you to be happy in your home and life.

Well because I am so in love with Pinterest, I thougth I would show you some of my favorite inspirations that I hope to complete this year!

Little Laundry Room

http://www.casadevalentina.com/

Dry Erase Calendar

http://theaestheticwriter.blogspot.com/2011/10/diy-dry-erase-calendar.html

DIY Book Ledge

http://www.lowescreativeideas.com/idea-library/Bookledge_0810.aspx

Canvas Tutorial

http://brassyapple.blogspot.com/2010/08/cut-it-out-canvas-tutorial.html

Photo Transfer

http://www.bhg.com/decorating/do-it-yourself/fabric-paper-projects/nature-inspired-paper-projects/?sssdmh=dm17.561137&esrc=nwdc111611&email=1379405462

Lastly, I want to share with you a quote I found on Pinterest that I pray stays with me every day of my life. This is something I have to work very hard at doing but I know that I eventually get it right, I will ALWAYS remember it!

A Quote to Encourage you to Slow Down!

http://kimbox.com/

I encourage you all to go find your own inspiration, and then follow it!!

Oh, and by the way....

Follow me on Pinterest!

Super Bowl Fun

2012-02-01T16:37:00.001-05:00

I love football season, it is one of my favorites.
The feeling of fall, campfires,
beers, great (totally un-healthy for you) food.
It is just the best.

Our Family are HUGE Bengals Fans.

WHO DEY!!!

This year we decided to add on to our teams.

Hubby and I have been following the Giants all season.
Well, it is that time of year now for.....

I don't know about you, but for us,

By the time Super Bowl comes around,

we don't quite feel that into football.

(I don't do well with sports that have long seasons). LOL!

Well this year I want to make the Super Bowl fun!!

Here are some ideas I have for making that happen.

VS.

What better way to support the teams than to have

the beers that seem close to home...

(Brooklyn Lager) & (Sam Adams Boston Lager)

My Hubby thinks I am so strange for this but if I have beer,

I have to have ... Chocolate!

Here is an awesome look for cupcakes

http://minibakercupcakes.blogspot.com/2011/12/football-themed-cupcakes.html

Here is a more appropriate style for my skill level

http://www.cutefoodforkids.com/2012/01/26-football-shaped-food-ideas.html

There are all kids of foods that work for football games but I think the easier it is to just pick up and eat the better. That is why I think this popcorn option is awesome!

http://kamibuchanan.blogspot.com/2011/01/awesome-superbowl-party-idea.html

Lastly, A few Game Options might be fun,
Because who really watches the game except for the commercials. Ha! Ha!

Trivia- Write questions and answers before your guest arrive and radomly ask the questions. See who really knows their stuff
Football Bingo- Have bingo cards and guests can write in what they think they might hear or see during the game or the commercials (1st down, Tim Tebow, Manning Brothers, etc.)
Pot Luck- Everyone writes down who is going to win and by how much and they pay to be in the pot. Whoever wins or gets the closest, wins the whole pot!

I hope you all enjoy the Super Bowl!

Go Giants!!

Decoupage a Table {With Modge Podge}

2012-01-31T10:00:00.000-05:00

I have to admit,

of every craft,

every project,

every idea I have ever had,

this is by far my favorite.

From the idea of it, to the process of it, to the final product.

More importantly, it wasn't even for my house.

This is was for my sister and the last part that

I am going to show you from her Room Makeover.

I started off with a table from Goodwill.

I think it was like $12 on half off day.

Confession: I bought this table like 2 years prior and was supposed to do this table for my sister like 2 years ago and wasn't confindent in myself enough to know what to do and was also afraid to screw it up. When I realized that I wanted to start this blog to hopefully help others see that you don't have to be so afraid, thats when I made the decision to dive in and try it.

I sanded it down so that it would take the paint and because sometimes I don't feel like priming things (I don't suggest following this advice, but that's just the truth)

Next I wanted to paint it green because I was going to sand it down in places and thought the green showing through would be awesome. As you will see later, I didn't end up sanding it down but it was still fun to paint it green.

Can you see that sweet little hand with the foam brush, yep, that's Boogs. He just can't stand to not be doing crafts with me or at least can't stand to just watch instead of being involved. lol!

This is the final product of the green.

Next I wanted to paint the table an off-white.

I didn't have an off-white.

I had a Khaki color and a white.

I did a little experiment and it worked out great!

I decided to mix the two colors and it worked out great. Now I am not a paint expert, and maybe for a wall it wouldn't work, but for this project it was perfect.

Here is the Final look of the table painted white. It took at least 2 coats to cover it but I loved out it turned out.

Next is the fun part.

The green and white, those are napkins.

Yep, just dinner Napkins that I bought at Williams Sonoma Home when I worked there for like $2 for the whole pack. I loved the color and I loved the big pattern of the flowers. When I bought them I knew I wanted to use them for this project. I already had the Mod Podge (which I have used for a ton of projects so I would suggest getting some) and then a foam brush and a rolling pin.

I started off by cutting the border off the napkins because I didn't want that on the table because I knew it wouldn't look like it all ran together. The border would have given it a destinctive end.

Next I had to remove the layer on the back of the napkin. This is EXTREMELY important. If you do not do this you will have a ton of bubbles in the finish and it will not lay against the base that you are using, giving it more chances to rip or crack.

I found out the hard way.

I removed one layer but it wasn't until I was 1/2 way done with the table did I realize there were 2 under layers of the napkin. The first part of the table was already done so there was nothing I could do about it but I did fix it for the last part of the table.

Next, since I had a pattern on my napkins

and I wanted to know what it would look like.

I layed it out on the table how I wanted it to look.

Then I set them on the side of the table where they would go on.

Now on to the Modge Podge.

I would work in sections about the same size as my napkin. I used a brush and spread the Modge Podge on the surface. Then I layed the napkin down over the Modge Podge. I wanted the napkin to wrap around the lip of the table so I also made sure to add the Modge Podge there too.

I was planning on using a rolling pin to flatten out the napkin and make sure it was flat with no bubbles. I quickly found out that doesn't work and it just rips your napkin. Instead I used a flat card, like a credit card, and that worked well. Once the napkin is layed on to of the table with the Modge Podge under it, then you put another layer on the top of the napkin.

This was the table about 1/2 way done. Right around the time that I realized that there was an extra layer there.

As you can see in this picture the detail really stands out from the napkin. When you are decoupaging something, it isn't supposed to be so dominate. It is normally something very subtle.

This is the Final Product!

I can't tell you enough how much I love it.

This turned out so well and I am so happy with it that I want to do it with another piece of furniture that I have in my house.

I have also see then decoupage done with tissue paper. How Fun!

{Re-Upholster A Chair}

2012-01-27T14:00:00.000-05:00

Now that we are back on track, lets get back to this crafting thing.

A while back I gave my sister's house a makeover.

I am posting this to show you how I re-upholstered a chair that she already had. I have always been a fan of the chair (it looked vintage but in style). I was just not a fan of the colors or the fabric that was on it.

This was the original look

(after I got a little aggressive to rip of the piping)

After ripping off all the piping, then I removed the seat to the chair.

It was just a few screws. Nothing to hard.

I wanted to change the color of the wood to an off white. I am a huge fan of spray paint

(so easy to make yucky things pretty again)

Below is the spray paint that I used however, after doing many other projects I have come to know and love a different kind of spray paint.

Below you will see why I wasn't a huge fan of the spray paint.

You see that ripple in the paint, yeah, not to happy about that.

I know that it typically happens when you use to much paint in one stop. I tried to paint thin even strokes, maybe I was rushing. Who knows.

Then Not only was I upset about the paint thing......

Then this happens.

Rain!!!!

Really, I don't have time for this, I have a

time limit to get all of this done.

Ok, well looks like I need to move on

inside to work on something else.

So I took some batting, (really any foam or batting or filler that you want as a seat cushion will work)

I was really just wanting to cover up the tufting on the chair.

I used this because I had it on hand.

It really is the best I have found.

As you can see, I just sprayed the chair where I was going to

add the batting and then placed it on right away.

***WARNING***

This Spray Adhesive is VERY sticky and can get everywhere. You do not need a lot and be extremely careful to not over shoot where you are spraying. It would result in a large mess.

I didn't trust myself to pre-cut the fabric due to bends and puckers that happen in the fabric when it is placed on the chair, so I decided to staple the fabric on 1st and then I went over it with an exacto knife. (just make sure your exacto knife is sharp otherwise you will have large frayed pieces that are very annoying to work with)

As you can see below.... ANNOYING!!

Next I had to go back over some of the fabric with the staple gun because some of the fabric wasn't laying quite right. Since completing this project I have learned to use Fabric glue which is a life saver in situations like this. I would have used that if I would have known about it.

Oh well, You live, you learn.

This is the completed project. What I didn't take a picture of and is really hard to see in this picture is that I did add a small white piping to cover up those staples and give the chair a complete look. My sister loved it and still does. Totally looks like I new chair.

Spray Paint and Fabric......

It does wonders.

{Updates}

2012-01-25T10:21:00.000-05:00

So,

Since it has been so long since I have posted anything and a lot has happened in 5 months I should probably update you guys.

We got new family photos taken by Sweet Things.

You have to check out her site. She did an amazing job!

She took a ton more but I have a lot to update you on.

I'm going in chronological order but I feel that this is the biggest update of all!!!!

****My Hubby is now Community Pastor at our Church****

We prayed so long and worked so hard at this that we so ecstatic about it. Because we were so excited we don't have any pictures of him being on stage and them announcing it in front of the congregation. It was an amazing day. A day I will never forget.

Next up...

Halloween!

Boogs is the one in the bandanna. He was a Cowboy! So cute.

He would walk up to houses and say,
"Trick or Treat, or Put'em up!"

Hubby and I celebrated 5 years of Marriage.

This was the cabin that we got to stay in for 2 nights (no where near long enough). It was so relaxing and totally what we needed to be able to handle what would be coming up. We also renewed our vows and I gave Hubby a new ring (since his broke in half about 6 months prior).

This was a fun Christmas because Boogs was way more involved with everything.

It was also an extremely hard Christmas because the day before Christmas Eve we had to bury my Hubby's Grandmother. She was the sweetest lady and loved our family very much. She thought so highly of my Hubby and was so proud of him being a pastor that she asked him to preform the funeral. It was hard on him but he was very honored to be able to do that for her.

I told you there was a lot to catch you up on....

Hubby and I spent most of the month of December sharing one car (which at times was great and sometimes very frustrating). After many trips to dealers and so many thankless hours from my Hubby on websites, we finally found the perfect car for us. We were patient, listened for the guidelines that God told us and waited for the perfect combination. Finally... We got it!

Please note: Not a Brand New Car, just new to us.

This year's New Year's was different than it had been for the past 4. Normally we go to Louisville, KY with friends that we don't get to see to often and have an amazing time. It is always really great catching up with all of them. This year we didn't have the babysitting for us to go that far away so we went out with other Pastor's and their wives(like our second family) to Downtown Cincinnati. It was a great time. Different than we were used to but still a really awesome time to spend with everyone.

And of course I will take advantage of any date I can get with my Hubby.

The last big thing to post about is about Boogs.....

My baby is now 4!!!

I can't believe it. So amazing and so sad. I remember so many details about the day that he was born, it is hard to believe that he is so big. He will be going to Preschool this year (that's another subject for another day). I am just so grateful and thankful for him and how wonderful he is and how everyone tells me that too.

Well that is just 5 months of big things to catch up on.
I wonder what this year is going to hold.

P.S. I will be getting back to the craft thing tomorrow.

Here's the truth....

2012-01-24T10:43:00.000-05:00

Hey All!

Is that the right greeting to give, "Hey All!"? I feel like I am reintroducing myself to my best friend who I haven't talked to in a long time. It should feel like normal and we just start right back up where we left off the last time, right?

I can't do that, just start off from where we left off. For a few reasons:

I am so nervous writing this right now.
I don't know where to begin.
I'm afraid that you all hate me because I abandoned you.

I can't tell you how nervous I am because I feel like I let you guys down. More than that, I let myself down. It wasn't until yesterday that I had even went to the Blogger website to see so many changes. I don't know if you have ever been so low in your bank account and you just don't want to look at it because you are afraid of the number that you would see, thats how I felt about looking at blogger. I couldn't handle looking at the webpage and seeing the date of my last post. Just gut wrenching. The last post I made was on 8/30/11. That is almost 5 months of Hyades. And it was such a positive post!

A lot has happened in 5 months but that doesn't give me any excuse to not check in. The real truth, I haven't been feeling like myself and I was afraid to show it. I have always told myself (and you guys too) that I was going to be honest and not hold back. Well that is exactly why I couldn't post anything. Because I knew that if I got on here and started to write about something else, it would inevitably return to how I was really feeling.

The truth is, I have been Depressed.

Not in a lay on the couch and do nothing depression (which I have been there before too) but this time wasn't like that. This time it was like I had an emptiness inside of me that nothing was filling. Don't get me wrong, I have had some great days in the last 5 months. We had Christmas with all of our family and Boogs turned 4 (pictures to follow later) so there have been plenty of amazing things to be happy about. My husband has been super supportive and loving. I really don't know if it is possible but I feel like through all of this I have fallen MORE in love with Boogs. He is just turning in to be so much more Amazing than I could have ever imagined.

So the reason I have been depressed is because, I/ we have been trying to have a baby for over 2 years now. We have done many things to get pregnant; the taking of temperature, the ovulation kits, the "lets not think about it and maybe it will happen (but yet we are still thinking about it) method." I have spent many nights crying about it. Finally we went to go see a Doctor about things. He is an amazing doctor. One of the best infertility doctors around. His name is Dr. Sherif Awadalla. As much as I would love to be typing right now, WE'RE PREGNANT, we aren't. We have started a treatment to hopefully help us get pregnant and we should find out one week from today if we are.

I have been let down so many months before and we have been "so sure" that we were before that I can't handle it. I can't explain to you or my husband, my mentor, or anyone else why I can't shake this. I mean I have always wanted to have at least 2 kids but our family wants to adopt so that is a path we are willing to take. I have prayed many nights that God would just take this desire from me or make me pregnant. I know that every thing is in His time, its just that sometimes the waiting is to much to handle.

I write you all of this so that you can understand why I may have been distant. I also wanted to write this in hopes that someone else out there has felt this feeling before and so they know they aren't alone. So, they know someone else has been in their shoes and is still waiting. I have felt alone at times and I don't want anyone else to feel the loneliness that I have. If you or someone you know has/ or is in this situation, let me know. I would love to chat about the struggles and blessings of this whole process.

I know that a baby doesn't have anything to do with crafts or preschool or work but to me it does. It has been with me everyday for so long. I know that there are other methods we could take to make sure we get pregnant, we just aren't willing to go that far.

So I guess now, all we can do is wait.....

and Praise God for what we do have.

Are you "Alive"?

2011-08-30T11:45:00.000-04:00

Yesterday morning when I woke up,
I had no Idea the day that was in store for me.
I didn't know that it would be a turning point in my life.
I knew and have known for a while now
that I had be missing something.
The thing was, I didn't know what.
I have a wonderful Hubby,
An amazing Boogs,
A house, cars,
family, friends.
What else can a girl ask for?
Well, I had no idea I was missing something
so huge, so big, that I once had but went missing for a while.

It was the Love and the Joy and many other feelings
that are a gift when you feel the Love of God!

http://icanread.tumblr.com/post/3521742085

I wasn't alive.
I was dead.
I had no idea how dead I was.
I felt empty at times and now all I can feel is full!
I'm sure to some of you this seems like gibberish.
If you don't know what I am talking about,
I pray that you will ask God to make you feel the way I do.
Because He will!

http://allthethingsthatcomewithlove.tumblr.com/post/5110558400/lovequotesrus-photo-courtesy-lifeliveson

Do you know what you would die for?
I do and am so empowered by it!
His love is amazing and Everlasting!

Still in Honeymoon Stage

2011-08-25T09:19:00.000-04:00

At this time in our lives we have a lot of people getting married.
We have a wedding to go to, it seems like, every other week.
With every wedding we go to,
My Hubby and I look at each other and fall back in love.
Not that we have ever been "Out" of love with one another
but you know, that can't stop holding hands,
completely engrossed in what the other is saying,
there is no one else that exists kind of love.

With every wedding we attend,
I immediately go back to the night of our wedding.

With all of our family and friends there.
All that hard work that my momma and I put in to make
it the most beautiful wedding ever (in our opinions of course)
I think of the fact that it was the first time My hubby went out
on the dance floor with me and didn't step off.

We danced ALL night!

Then my mind goes to wonderful Honeymoon that we
had in New York City at Christmas time!
It can't get prettier than that.
Ice Skating in Central Park,
Eating in some really awesome restaurants,
Being on the Today Show,
and then being on David Letterman.

Then what my mind really goes to,
What I focus on the most when I see a
New Bride and Groom say I Do,
is thinking about moving in with my Hubby.
Having our First Christmas together where we
gave each other like 1 gift because that was all we
could afford but we did it on our own.
I think about our tiny little apartment that
we didn't even have room for a dinning table
but that didn't stop us from having friends over for dinner.
Mostly, I remember that indescribable feeling of happiness.
The feeling of knowing that every night I get to
return home and have him by my side.

This year will be 5 Years of Marriage

and sometimes, with out realizing it,
I think we have only been married for 2.
We have been through our ups and downs for sure
but I still can't help feeling that feeling and falling,
deeper, more madly in love with my Hubby.
Plus, he just makes it so easy sometimes.

Writers Block {or just Lazy}

2011-08-17T13:39:00.000-04:00

I know it has been a while.
No good projects.
Just nothing going up.
I think I have a case of writers block.
Or maybe it is called being lazy.

Well, I can't say that I have been lazy anywhere but here.
I'm preping myself and my husband to be in a wedding.
Not just any wedding, one of our best friends.
After them starting to date because of our wedding,
they are finally getting married!!!!

We are also getting ready to get family pictures taken,
preparing for preschool,
trying to finish crafts that I have started,
and take in this last bit of summer.

So, I guess you can just say that I have been lazy here.
I'm so sorry.
I hate doing that but there is only so much to go around.

Besides, if I was going to be lazy,
this is where you would find me:

(Photo from Here)

My Weekend {Poor Foot}

2011-08-09T10:49:00.000-04:00

So I wanted to let you all know what

I have been up to this weekend.

My wonderful hubby took me on a date

to a Thai Restaurant, even though he hates Thai.

He proceeded to feel sick

(not sure if it was the food or not)

Ha! Ha!

I was taking care of him and getting Boogs down for bed.

They I decide to be a child

and not walk down the stairs properly.

I instead, try and walk 2 steps at a time.

Well, to much to my dismay,

my bottom foot slips, I land on my big toe,

and this is what happens

(In case you can't tell, it is my left foot)

Let me just tell you, It hurt so bad.

Actually it still does.

Partly my fault it still hurts,

I don't understand the meaning of "Stay off the foot"

What can I say, I'm a mom,

a wife, very active at our church,

and can't miss a wedding to save my life.

Therefore, it has been a long road to recovery.

Here we are, almost 5 days later.

This is what it looks like now.

Lots of Blue and Purple!

(Please ignore the horrible polish job)

After some Ibuprofen and anti-inflammatory,

and lots of ice, I am doing better.

Still hurts, still need to ice it.

We are surviving though.

I just hope I can fit into some

cute heals for a wedding I'm in

that is next weekend.

We shall see!

Late Again

2011-08-05T15:56:00.000-04:00

So I have to say, I'm sorry again.
It has been at least a week since I posted.
I don't know if it is a legitimate excuse but
I have been working on Preschool stuff for Boogs.
I am going to do Homeschooling Preschool for him!
YIKES!

I'm a little freaked about it because I have
nothing in my background for teaching.
I decided to do this because Boogs is really smart
and tends to perform higher than his age.
I wanted to keep challenging him but
when we checked into Preschools, we were shocked!

We wanted him to go to a Christian Preschool
that was Educational focused
(if I just wanted him to do crafts all day I could do that)
Well when we checked into it, the one that we feel in love with
would have ran us about $1800 to $2700 a year depending
on what programs we had him in.
The goal is for me to quit working, not get a full time
job to pay for preschool.
Therefore, I chose to do it from home.
I had no idea the prep and planning it would entail.
I am trying to get by on the el cheapo budget I have
So I don't want to just go and buy curriculum.

I did come across one site that is really throw.
It has really helped me a lot.
ABC Jesus Loves Me

I would love to write longer but I am supposed to be
starting preschool in about 2 weeks with a lot more prep
to do. Wish me luck!

Getting to Know Me #1

2011-07-29T12:01:00.018-04:00

I'm want to do something so that you can
get to know me a little better.
I'm not sure how many of these I am going to to do, 3? 15?
I guess it doesn't matter, just as long as you get to know me.
The real me.
The Good. The Bad. The Ugly.

In trying to write this,
I am having a little trouble thinking of things about me.
Maybe I don't want to confess the bad stuff about me.
Maybe I don't think anything is special about me.
I don't know,
so I just chose some random things about me and my family

1. My Hubby and I started dating 11 years ago

Well I am only 27 and we started dating in 2000. We were only 16!

We knew each other long before that, but I didn't fall head over heals, madly in love with him until we were in High School. Summer going into our Junior year. Most people would think, OK, so you started dating then and were on again off again for years, right? Wrong! We only broke up for 1 week after we had only been dating for a month. Been together ever since. Doesn't mean we haven't had our ups and downs but we have stuck by each other's side the whole time.

2. From 6 weeks to 4 months was a Nightmare

When Boogs was born he was a happy healthy little boy. We had a little trouble breast feeding but I thought, what mom doesn't? Well after 6 weeks and him being almost back at his birth weight, the doctors were greatly concerned. We had been noticing him not breathing in his sleep. We told the doctors about it and they said, until he stops breathing for 15 seconds, its not a problem. Boogs was not breathing for 11 seconds, every couple of minutes, every time he slept. It would make this squeaky, squealy sound every time it started. It would haunt me at night.

I will NEVER forget that sound!

We were looked at like NEW parents that didn't know any better and we were frightened for our little boy. After many, MANY, stays in the hospital and numerous tests, and thousands of dollars later, they finally figured out what was wrong. He had extra skin in his throat that when he would relax it would move over his wind pipe. There was still a little room for air to get by but not enough. They said it was something that he could eventually grow out of but it would be 3 or 4 years. That would have meant that he would have not had a full, restful, night sleep until he grew out of it. Imagine what that would have done to his development and learning.

Well, thanks to a wonderful, amazing doctor at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, my baby boy is smart and very intelligent. He had to have a surgery called epiglottoplasty to cure his Laryngomalacia (Lots of big words, I know. I always have to ask my husband what is called). You can read about everything here. I couldn't imagine him not having the personality that he does. We are so blessed and thankful that things were made some much better. He still has some issues but nothing like he did. As you can see in other pictures, he is growing just fine.

3. What I Carry Around Everyday

(I will spare you a picture. If you really want to see, Google it, but it's not pretty)

Speaking of children...

I have had -I guess you could call it a "condition"- since I was about 18 years old. It is quite painful and some days really hard to deal with. I have Endometriosis. For anyone that doesn't know what that is, it's a condition resulting from the appearance of endometrial tissue outside the uterus and causing pelvic pain (the medical description) , but you can find out more here. There are many levels of this from hardly noticeable to extremely sever. That's right, you guessed it, I'm the extremely sever case. I don't know if you have ever walked around with continual pain, but let me tell you, it is not fun. It can totally change the "you" part of you. I do have medicine that I can take for the pain but a major side effect of the medicine is moody/ mean-ness. Who wants to deal with that?

I have had multiple, multiple surgeries to take care of it but it just comes back faster, stronger and more painful than before. In most cases once you have a child it goes away. Well in my case, that is not the case. Nope, still have it. Still pumping strong. One major thing that results from Endometriosis is not being able to conceive or carry children. God blessed Hubby and myself by beating the odds and gave us Boogs without even trying. Now we have been trying for baby #2 for a year and a half with no luck. The thing I have to keep telling myself, it's on His time, not ours!

4. Interior Design Associates Degree

When I went into college I didn't know what I wanted to do. I thought I wanted to do radio science, then I thought I wanted to do accounting. Nothing was fitting and nothing was motivating me to want to be there. I didn't have a desire for anything. In my sophomore year at Northern Kentucky University, thanks to the help of my husband, I figured out that I wanted to do design. I transferred to University of Cincinnati and wanted to join DAAP. Well, unless you are an incoming freshman, they don't really want you. As devastating as that was, I still knew that's what I wanted to do. Doing some research I found Antonelli College. I did a tour and from then on I was sold. It was downtown (which I loved) it was hands on learning, not just in a book. Most people say, why would you only want an associates degree, a bachelors is so much better for you. Honestly, I knew that my desire was to go to college, get married, work for a while and then have children. When I had children I didn't want to work. We had Boogs a little sooner than expected so I do still have to work but work is not my focus or priority. It's just what I have to do. Boogs is my priority! I don't use my degree now but I'm OK with that. I have the degree to fall back on and if I need to go back to college I will. As for now, I'm all set.

I really want to do 5 at a time when I am doing this Getting to know me, but since these first 4 were so long, I will let you get back to your lives. Thanks for listening to me. I hope you get to see a little more into my life. I hope in NO way do you feel pity on me or think that I did this as a pity party. I just want you to get to know me better. I want to get to know you better. Comment here or go to my Contact page and email me. I would love to know more about you!

I {HEART} Antiquing

2011-07-27T15:38:00.000-04:00

It is not very often that I get to be completely by myself.

Often it is because I have Boogs with me, which I love.

Sometimes it is by choice because the time that I can get away,

I choose to spend it with girlfriends.

Plus, there aren't a lot of fun things to do by yourself.

However, there is one thing that I truly enjoy when I am by myself.

ANTIQUING!!!

It is just so nice to walk around and see all of these great old items.

Wondering what their journey has been,

where they have traveled, what they have seen.

I also love looking for things to use in the house.

To decorate with or repourpose.

Not that I don't already have a ton of projects going on,

that I haven't touched in weeks, I still pick out more things to do.

Like these:

Last year we grew herbs in our back yard

and we really enjoyed that. It was calming.

Haven't started this year (which means we probably won't)

But I want to have the herbs in their own container

rather than gathered in two or three large containters.

I want to hang them on latice and lean against the fence.

They were a great buy, 3 for $1!

Next item I found was a total steal!

Normally windows are about $20 to $50 a pop.

This one was with a bunch of other windows.

I had been looking for a window that

I like and so was a girlfriend, so we bought them together.

$7 a piece!! Can't beat that.

It was the only one with all the panes of glass still in tack.

I need to clean it, very carefully, but I Love it!

Great color and style.

Now, What to do with the mantel?

This is where you come in.

Give me some suggestions on what to do.

The fireplace is really deep

(which is very annoying because there is a lot of space to fill)

I want to stack and stagger things up there but what?

No Sew Bolster Pillow

2011-07-26T12:16:00.000-04:00

Once again, I am bringing you a No Sew Project

You can check out my other no sew project Here

This is also a continuation of the Surprise {Room Makeover}

Which you can check out Here

I don't have a sewing machine and even if I did

I wouldn't know how to use it.

Therefore, I bring you, No Sew Bolster Pillow
It is super easy.

This is a picture of the way the bench started out.

(Not looking so hot)

These bolster pillow covers were super easy to remove.

They had a Zipper. Lol!

I was also very lucky that the pillow its self was a solid piece of foam.

If you don't have a pillow like I do,

You can use towels!

That's right, towels, isn't that cool.

Get the tutorial for that at The Red Chair Blog

So anyways, I started out by measuring how much

fabric I needed. I was short on fabric because I used

it for something else so mine was a tight squeeze.

Next I took both ends of the fabric and gathered them up with

the fabric inside out. I put a rubber band on both ends to make it

look like this:

Next, I placed my pillows inside my gathered material.

Then I just had to pull the fabric around the outside of the foam.

Then I tucked the rubber banded ends inside with the foam.

Viola! New Pillow!

As you can see below, the bench is a different color than the

picture at the top. I just spray painted it with an ivory color.

I did also recover the bench seat by using a staple gun

and my fabric. Super easy. I will show you that in another tutorial.

Happy No Sewing!

Photo Shoot {Not Professional}

2011-07-22T14:25:00.001-04:00

So, I'm not sure if you know this or not
but I didn't grow up with boys
I only had a sister.
So trying to raise a boy has been a little hard for me.
When he was a newborn up till he was about 2 years old,
He needed me.
He wanted me.
Now, I'm not needed/ wanted nearly as much.
Hubby is the fun one for him.
They wrestle.
They play Lego's.
Basically do everything together.

Don't get me wrong,
I love that Boogs wants to be a Mini Me of Hubby.
He is an amazing man,
Mommy just feels a little left out.

So when I get a chance to have fun with him,
Boy oh boy do I take full advantage!

We have a wedding to go to this weekend
(more on that later)
and Boogs is going to be joining us.
First one that the whole family
will be attending together since last year.
It should be a blast!

Anyways, I needed to try some clothes on him.
He normally hates trying on clothes so I thought it
would be a complete NIGHTMARE.

Instead, he loved it!
He kept calling it his "Suit Costume"
He wanted to pretend he was a Business Man.

I wanted to take a picture for my mom and sister
and from there, it became a modeling session.

(Not sure what the pose was here but he still looks cute.)

His close up was next.

It wouldn't be a photo shoot without a little Monkey action!

{Sorry for the bad Picture quality,

How are you going to get a 3 year old to stand still}

Next, Was the Thinker!

It seems legit!

Of course we have to act shy.

Lastly....

My angel!

Isn't he just adorable. I am a little bias though.

Just remember, cherish every moment.

Large or Small!

Oh Organizing, How I love thee.....

2011-07-21T11:49:00.000-04:00

...Let me count the ways.

More like the ways that I don't organize.

I consider myself a very organized person.
I like things so-so, in their place.
I like schedule and planning.

What I have come to realize over the years,
is that I am this way with work or other areas of my life.
Just not at Home.
So sad, I know.

I try.
I start out with the best intentions.
Get things in their place,
organize it in my head,
But never fails, less than 2 weeks later,
it like a tornado hit it and doesn't look like I ever touched it.

Well, inspite of my chaois,
I thought I would bring you some great blogs that have
Organizing down pat.

This first one is something that I would love to accomplish
but lets be real, I don't even take all the pics I need for the blog.

Summer Photo Checklist @ Tip Junkie

So many times I have wanted to get a meal plan together

for my family but our lives are so on the go.

Here is a woman that has her stuff put together!

Flip Meal Planner by Positively Splendid

Heck, I would LOVE to just be as organized as this next one

Recipe Index @ Seven Sisters

Ok so I have to admit something,
Part of the reason I am so dis-organized is because
I DON'T HAVE A CRAFT ROOM.
There, I said it.
I know, super depressing and hurts just to think about it
(Hint to my Hubby) ;-)
Anyways, but if I did, this is how I would Love for mine to look

Color Cordninated Paper @ I Love my Three Sons

Lastly, this Blog is the Queen of Organization.

I could literally post about 20 pictures from her blog.

She has so many great solutions to problems

and makes them look so easy.

Art Caddy

Cleaning Caddy

These were both from the wonderful Blog of IHeart Organizing

I hope all of this inspires you to be a bit more organized,

But I'm sure you are doing better than me.

My First Painting

2011-07-20T15:15:00.007-04:00

So let me start out by reminding you, in case you haven't been following for long, why I started writing this blog. I wanted to start this blog to encourage others to do projects and crafts that they wouldn't normally have the encouragement to do. I have been a little creative throughout my life but always very timid to try anything new, afraid that I might fail at it. Well, guess what, sometimes I do fail, and sometimes I am able to redeem myself. The final project may not have turned out the way that I had intended it to but I still love it and at least I know that I accomplished it. So back to the project:

For so many years I have had a strong desire to paint.

I have always wished I could be one of those people that could just pick up a paint brush at any time and just start painting. When they finally take a step back, it looks amazing.

As for me, I am not that kind of person. I took at few painting classes in College and trust me when I say, I did not want to save a single thing that I did. Part of it was because I would take to much time on things but still, they were never good.

Well, since I started this blog to try things I never had before whether I fail or not, I decided that I was going to take the plunge. Almost 3 years ago I saw a JcPenney ad with a piece of artwork designed with a tree that was cut between 2 separate wall hanging pieces (I hope that makes sense). Well, I had the intention of recreating that (from memory because there is no way I would keep something for 3 years).

I started out with 2 plain canvases from Michael's. I painted them the same color at my bedroom wall color because I wanted it to blend and just the tree part stand out.

I wanted to be creative with it and just started painting. I started by just drawing single lines to get an idea on where the branches would go. I thickened up the base of the tree and then tool a step back.

This is what I saw:

This looked NOTHING like the AD and I got really discouraged. I wanted to repaint the entire thing gray again and just start over. I decided to walk away for a few days. Just let it sit come back another day to see if I could fix it.

Well, I am so happy that I did. I changed what my original idea was (which was to have the whole tree top to bottom on these canvases but then realized [thanks to the help of my Hubby] that I made the trunk to big so that was not going to look proportional)

I abandoned that idea and just wanted to have branches coming off the tree and didn't care if was the top or bottom.

Again, I am not a professional painter. This was my first one, but I was very happy with it and again, felt very accomplished. Like I had conquered a fear of mine.

Here is the final result:

I even hung the canvas myself (which is probably why they look crooked) but non the less, I am very happy that I was able to do something like this myself.

Last Week Link Ups

2011-07-19T08:06:00.001-04:00

Hey all!

I am going to be starting this thing where I show you all the link parties I joined from the week before. I am trying to figure out if I want to do it on Fridays (but those are a little hectic around here) or on Mondays. Let me know your opinion.

Ring Bearer Pillow Upgrade

2011-07-14T11:16:00.000-04:00

***So I am going to start out by telling you the pictures aren't great. They turned out a little grainy because I took them on my phone (since my camera is still not working right), so please forgive me for that.***

Now onto the project.
We had some friends of ours that were getting married.
If you have ever planned a wedding you know how crazy
things can get when you get close to the date.
Well, like most bride and grooms they had some last minute
things that needed to be done and not enough time in the day
for them to complete everything.
Since I simply LOVE weddings and doing everything for them,
I offered to help with whatever what needed.
They needed a ring bearer pillow.

I knew the wedding was going to be quite simple but classy.
Being so excited to help out and do wedding stuff again,
I ran to Hobby Lobby and got a basket full of stuff.
After calming down and coming back to reality,
I put things back and just ended up getting these items:

The item in the back was their invitation

so I could get the right color.

I also picked a plain and simple pillow,

I did want to add a little something to the stark Ivory pillow
so that is where the ribbon came in.

I wrapped the ribbon around twice since it was sheer.

I wanted to get a pop of color rather just subtle.

Next I was trying to decide what to do,

Where to put the E pin and the flower.

I tried the E in the lower left hand corner

but it didn't show very well.

Then I tried it in the center.

I knew that I still had the flower to put on so I wasn't sure

if it was going to be exactly the look that I wanted.

As soon as I placed the E on there and stood back to look at it,

I knew that was it.

I couldn't even place the flower anywhere because it was

perfect with just the bit of "bling".

So after much deliberation on making sure it was complete,

It finally was.

The Bride and Groom were very happy with it and I

was happy to be back doing Bridal stuff, which I LOVE.

Did I mention that I LOVE IT?

Have any bridal stuff you need done, let me know!!!!

Behind the Scenes {The other side of Crafty}

2011-07-08T10:36:00.003-04:00

If you are in to reading other blogs,
like I ~~obsessively~~ do,
then you know that you get to see these horrible,
broken, run down objects, rooms, and materials.
Then miraculously they are turned into these beautiful
items that you wish you could go and
buy off the shelf for your own home.

The one thing that most blogs normally don't
show you is the process to get it there.
What your house looks like while you are
doing those projects or how long it takes
to complete the projects (which means that your
house stays like that till the end).

I'm here today to show you the
side that you normally don't get to see.
The behind the scenes of good deals,
great projects and big headaches.

The first is a project that I (really my Hubby)
is almost finished with. (I'm not going to tell you about the
finish project yet because I will post about that later
(again, still working on it).

This next picture is to show how I start a project and get busy
with the week and this is how my family has to live with it

till I can get some time to get back to it.

(yep, that's where my family is supposed to be eating dinner)

Lastly, I get this from my mother

and also evidence I need to get an SUV.

(Yes again, that is the front seat of my husband's car.)

Again, another project I am needing to do but it was such a good

deal that I couldn't pass it up and I paid for it so I had to pick it up.

My poor family and things they have to deal with.

Hubby loves all the money I save though, so he deals with it.

Anyways, he has always known I was a little different. ;-)

P.S. Giveaway coming soon so be sure to check back!

What a weekend....

2011-07-05T09:19:00.000-04:00

Hey All!

Boy how I have missed you guys.

I feel like lately I have been Debbie Downer and this is just not a fun one to be around.

Well, after a much needed 4 day weekend,

I feel like my old self again!

**Quick update, a great friend has been working on our computer and it is almost up and running again. Can't wait to post lots of pics for you guys.**

So back to the weekend.

My parents bought an RV this year and we have

taken full advantage of it.

This past weekend we were able to and just enjoy some relaxing time; swimming, roasting marshmallows, and best of all....

Boogs and Hubby got to enjoy their first time fishing together.

How precious is that!

After those few days of "camping"

(not truly camping since we were in the RV)

we got to spend some time with the In-Laws and family we hadn't seen in a long time.

Boogs & Mommy got to share a special moment together,

He actually took the time to slow down and give a kiss.

What a few days of family time will do for him!

Lastly we got to spend some Amazing time with people that we love and that truly love us.

Our Church/ Pastor family.

They are our second family!

Amazing people!

Boogs got to play in water, throw some water balloons,

and then at night,

SPARKLERS!

My Hubby took this Awesome picture of Boogs.

This is how we got to celebrate the

Birth of our Wonderful Country.

How about you?

Tough Skin

2011-06-23T08:49:00.000-04:00

I believe when people meet me, they think that I have tough skin.
That I am a feisty person and can handle a lot.
I know I get that from my momma, she is a tough one.
But just like when you get a cut or a scrape on your skin,
when it gets hit again, it breaks open that much easier.

That is me lately.
I feel like I just keep getting cut open again and again,
It hurts worse the next time,
And its like I just can't heal from that first cut.

Isn't it just like when it rains, it pours.
Well for me, when I get broken like this, it is like the gloves
come off and people just start attacking me with their claws.

Hopefully I can heal from all of this very soon.
Please understand, this is hard for me to show
this vulnerability.
I need to be tough.
I don't let anyone except my hubby see this side of me.
Sure others have seen me cry but never totally broken.

{source}

I will continue to look to the future and see brighter days.

Trapped

2011-06-03T11:47:00.000-04:00

Have you ever struggled with something?
Something that seems like a catch 22?
Things have come a long way from 3 years ago.
3 years ago I was working full time at a job that I hated, with people that I did not want to be around.
My wonderful Hubby was willing to make the sacrifice with me (and probably tired of me coming home everyday crying) to cut back and allow me to work part time.
Throughout working part time I was happy and satisfied with the amount of time I got with Boogs because it was more than I had in the past.
Now, I am still working part time.
I work in the morning till 12:30.
It was a great job that I fell into and make good money for the work that I do.
There is one problem, now I HATE GOING TO WORK!
Everyday I walk out of the house, leaving my Hubby and my Boogs at home.
Hubby leaves for his work around 9:00 and Boogs goes to his grandparents (which is a total blessing because we couldn't afford daycare and I know he is being loved).
But it is killing me!
I am his Momma.
I should be the one with him in the morning when he is so eager to learn and play.
I should be taking him on play dates with his/ our friends.

However,
If I quit my job today so that I could do those things,
We probably would not be able to pay the bills, let alone afford for me and Boogs to go and do anything outside of the house.
The desire that God has laid on my heart since before Boogs was even born was to be a stay at home mom.
Boogs was a surprise about 4 years early. (No complaining he his here though)
Hubby and myself were not financially set up for me to stay at home.
Now we are working towards Hubby becoming a Pastor and as some may know, that doesn't pay so great.

I just recently realized what all of this negativity comes from.
JEALOUSY!!!!
Before, I was jealous that I couldn't work part time like other Mommy's I knew.
Now, I'm jealous of other Mommy's that stay home all day.
I really try to appreciate what I have but sometimes I forget.
I forget what things used to be like and how far they have come.
I need to keep things in perspective and no matter what,
Enjoy the time that I DO have with Boogs!

Thanks for letting me talk things through with you guys, You have no idea how much it helps.

Inspire

2011-05-26T10:44:00.002-04:00

So, I'm sure you guessed it.

Yep. Still BROKE!!!

We have a friend that is going to look at the computer but it takes time and we just don't have any extra time these days. And guess what, NOW MY CAMERA IS BROKE.

Both items aren't old.

It is so frustrating.

Again, I need to take it back to the store but that takes time too.

Well, that was enough of my little rant about that. On to more fun things.
Since I can't post anything I have done, why don't I post about what others have done and make me want to do.

{Sisterhood of Secrets}

I just discovered this blog yesterday and I just can't stop reading it. It makes me want to cry and to help everyone at the same time. Feel free to contact the blog editor to post your own secret, or give some useful advice to others. Hugs for all these people.

{Stenciled Window Treatment @ A little of this, A little of that}

How awesome is this! I have a window treatment in mind for my master bedroom but this is a great alternative, and cheaper!

{Vintage Suitcase Table @ Shabby, Chic, & Charming}

There is no where in my house that something so Shabby Chic would fit, however, I have been looking for a desk for Boogs and so I am thinking of adding legs and making a desk out of it!

{Dinning Room Banquette @ Rushartist}

I NEED something like this in my house. I can't find a table that will fit in our little condo and not stick out like 2 feet. Oh my! This just reminds me that I have never shown you guys our home. I guess I need to put that on my to-do list for when I have a camera and computer.

{Threaded Necklace @ Tatertots & Jello}

This was inspired by J-Crew and if you have read my blog before you know that I love J-crew but am not allowed to shop there, lack of mulah! This is a great option. Totally do able. Now, its just about finding the time.

Well, I think that is enough for now. I already have a list a mile long of things I want to do. Maybe I will get time this summer to catch up. Oh well!

Have a great day!

P.S. I did make the lace outlined picture frame seen here, except I framed a wedding invitation. Turned out so adorable. I have a small project that I am going to try and post about tomorrow from my phone. Maybe that will work.

**Cross your fingers**

Still Broke

2011-05-20T11:32:00.000-04:00

Oh computer how I ~~HATE~~ Love Thee,
Let me count the ways.

Yep, you guessed it.
Still Broke.
It is about 1 more day away from being thrown out the window.
I can't edit pictures.
I can't research new blogs.
I guess you measure the value of something based on your need for it.

I hope to be back soon.
Be checking back because I am going to be having a secret guest to join us.

Very Exciting!