our daily obsessions

Mother's Day Gift - chalkboard flower pots

2014-05-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hello. My name is Amy. And I've been VERY absent from this blog.

Hopefully, if I get my act together, you'll be seeing more posts in the near future.

I wanted to post this before Mother's Day . . . if there are any of you who need to give a last minute gift.

We made these chalkboard flower pots last year for our mothers and grandmothers.

And {I hope} they were loved!

It's pretty self explanatory.

Buy some terra cotta flower pots and chalkboard paint/spray paint.

After you paint the pot (it does need time to dry - 24 hours), place soil and beautiful flowers inside.

Then last, but not least, write a message to that special mother of yours.

In my humble opinion, handmade gifts are the very best!

:: Nursery - sneak peek

2014-02-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

I love Anson's nursery.

The colors. The simplicity.

There are many times when I catch myself staring at the world map,

imagining my family roaming far off places.

Maybe one day, but for now, I'm content with watching my baby sleep. Or cry.

Whichever he's wanting to do at that moment.

Life is grand.

crib/world map/jute rug

:: Deals - gap.com

2014-01-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

Right now, Gap.com is having an amazing sale.

40% off of regular priced items and 50% off of sale/clearanced items!

It ends on the 29th (tomorrow).

This is when I like to stock up on the children's clothes for the next year.

Their winter stuff can be pretty affordable with sales like these.

I bought this dress for less than $15 and these shoes for $6

as Ava's birthday dress.

So go over, now!

dress/shoes

:: Hair - twirl curls

2014-01-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

I've discovered this amazing makeup blog, Maskcara.

Love, love, love it!

Not only does she have amazing makeup tips (that I definitely need),

but she also has some hair tutorials.

And there's always a need for that.

This is one tutorial that I love.

Twirl curls!

You need to try it.

:: Refashion - girl's dress

2014-01-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

In 2012 when I was pregnant with Anson, I found a cute tunic on clearance at H&M.

I wanted to make it into a dress, so I bought two of them.

This is what I came up with and you can see the post here.

After sewing the bottom half of the second tunic onto the first tunic,

I had a top half left over.

I decided to make it into a dress for Ava.

Friends. . . this is a top that I've been meaning to refasion for more than a year.

My poor sewing pile.

I was determined to finish it.

Almost a year and a half later. Ha!

I used another dress of Ava's as a pattern and just hoped that it turned out.

And luckily it did!

It looks darling on her.

And she's quite the little model.

I'll be sharing this here.

:: Home Decorating - the girl's room

2014-01-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

It's taken a few years to change the girls room up.

From a baby nursery to a little girls room.

And it's still not even how I want it to be.

But it will, someday soon.

Right now they're sharing a queen bed.

Reese loves it. Ava . . . not so much.

(they will eventually have their own twin beds)

We made their walk-in closet into a little play area/library

and their clothes are in the armoire (that we received for free, I might add).

It's definitely a work in progress, but we love it.

:: New Year - goals and a free printable

2014-01-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

About a week ago, we were finally able to write down our goals for the new year.

A terrible cold that came my way, got into the way of anything and everything.

But we wrote them down even if some were in their princess dresses.

Last year I found a printable where we could write about our past year and our goals for the upcoming year, but for some odd reason, I didn't pin it!
One for children and one for adults.

So, I just made my own for my kids.

The link can be found here.

I love that little Ava is finally able to write her own.

Her goals are pretty cute.
"Learn how to sew" and her biggest goal was "to be obedient". Ha!

She'll thank me later . . . I'm sure of it.

:: A Belated Happy New Year

2014-01-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

Oh dear. It's been way too long. Again.

Well, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We enjoyed our holidays and loved being with family.

Hope you did too.

Now to a new year.

And hopefully new blogging habits.

Life has been busy, but I really have missed . . . this. My blog.

So updates to come within the next few days!

Until then, I found an awesome deal on these Baby Lit primers

that I'm addicted to buying.

We already own 5 of them and I hope to have them all . . . someday!

Anyway, at Anthropologie, they have them (just two of them) on sale for, well, they say $5.95,

but when I went to check out, they were $2.95!

An amazing deal that I needed to share!

:: Christmas - christmas dresses

2013-12-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

So I didn't make the girls' Christmas dresses this year.

Surprise. Surprise.

I just don't know where the time has gone!

So I found some cute dresses from the gap that I was able to get for $11 each,

well, using a 40% off coupon and some Old Navy bucks I had burning a hole in my pocket

and I think they were on sale when I ordered them too.

They aren't too fancy.

But I think they're adorable.

Timeless and classic.

That's what I like.

Perfect for my two little girls.

They can be found here and here.

Where did you find yours?

:: Christmas Tradition - the christmas express

2013-12-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

I'd been wanting to start this ever since I found it on Pinterest a few years back.

Then my sister did it last year and I knew that the next Christmas it would be on the to-do list.

We had the girls get ready for bedtime,

but little did they know that we had blankets, bags of popcorn, hot chocolate

and their daddy and baby brother in the car awaiting them.

As they were getting under their covers they found this golden ticket.

Ava was so excited!

(Reese didn't really know what was going on - - she just gets excited when Ava does)

I punched their tickets and we were off!

We drove to a neighborhood that syncs their lights to songs on their own radio station.

It was awesome!

Then we drove through the neighborhoods nearby us.

Ava loved it and couldn't believe that we let her stay up until almost 10 (oops).

Reese was out as soon as she had finished her hot chocolate - - maybe she'll enjoy this tradition a little more next year.

Print out the ticket here.

35 before 35 - #21

2013-12-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

This year, I was able to host our first Thanksgiving and

I was very excited to cross off #21 off of my list.

My mom probably thought I was being sarcastic when I told her how excited I was.

I sorta like planning parties . . . not the hosting part so much, but the planning I love.

We took all of the furniture out of our dining room/family room area

and it was perfect for two long tables. (we would be having 17 adults coming . . . yikes!)

My budget wasn't very much,

so I had to use a lot of items that I already had around the house.

I did buy these tablecloths and I'm pretty sure I'll get a lot of use out of them.

We used my china and my sister's china (they're very similar).

And the previous month, I inherited my grandmother's silverware and

we were able to use them for the first time (she was even here to enjoy them!).

We had a small dessert table that showcased all of the homemade pies.

And they were delicious!

Oh and the 10 children that were here were in the other room.

It was nice to have enough room to be in separate rooms.

Although the planning was enjoyable, my favorite part of the whole day

was us being together and eating as a family.

This doesn't happen very often.

(all of my siblings and their families were here except for a sister on a mission in Italy

and a brother and his family in Pennsylvania - - we missed them so much!)

We have been so blessed.

:: Cyber Monday - christmas card deals

2013-12-02T14:15:00.001-08:00

Already December?!

I can't believe it.

Well, it's time to get those Christmas cards out soon and

since it is Cyber Monday, I found a great deal on some good, quality cards.

I LOVE cardstore!

{And I'm not even getting paid to say this.}

I've used them in the past and have been very pleased with them.

Well, today, all of their flat cards today are $0.50!

{normally they're around $1.79 - - I don't pay that much. Enter code: CCP3122}

And they'll give you free shipping if you buy more than $30 worth of cards.

Awesome deal!

And since I can never decided which one to get,

I usually buy 2-3 different designs.

Call me crazy.

I am.

:: Hosting Thanksgiving - inexpensive tablecloths

2013-11-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

You might be in the pickle that I'm in.

You're hosting Thanksgiving and you have a gazillion guests that will be coming.

{sound familiar?}

The last thing you want to do is spend a ton of money on tablecloths.

Am I right?

Well, I found these tablecloths on Amazon that will be perfect to meet my hosting needs

and they'll also be nice to use for dessert tables.

$12.99 isn't bad at all.

By the way, have I mentioned how excited I am to host Thanksgiving?!
I can finally cross it off my list.

::Thanksgiving Dinner - tablescape ideas

2013-11-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

This year we have family coming down for Thanksgiving

and I'm hosting Thanksgiving dinner!

I'm so excited.

It's something I've wanted to do for awhile.

I'll finally be able to cross #21 off of my list!

So, now I'm trying to find ideas for the tablescape.

I'm thinking simple, woodsey and natural.

I love these ideas found below.

{via}

hello.

2013-11-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

Hello.

My name is Amy.

And I'm a blogger that definitely needed a break.

I think life just finally got to me.

Three kids, busy supporting my family,

and waiting for annoying Bar results (for the hubby), which has been very frustrating.

And everyday, I think about this little ole' blog of mine. . .

and how I've neglected it.

I don't know if anyone still reads it.

But if you do, I hope you feel inspired.

Inspired to be a better mother, a better wife, a better crafter, a better seamstress,

a better baker, a better home decorator, etc.

I'm here to stay!

And I hope you come back to see my upcoming posts.

:: Family Happenings

2013-08-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Well, with school starting, summer has officially ended.

And we're working on getting back into a routine.

Kindergarten (Ava), dance lessons (Ava and Reese), violin lessons (Ava),

drooling (Anson) and continuing to enjoy our SoCal weather.

Still daydreaming about our trip to Lake Powell, though.

:: Back to School - dinner and family theme 2013

2013-08-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

So, my "back to school" pinterest board has been filling up for the past few years.

And this was finally the year that I could start these fun traditions since

Ava has now started kindergarten . . . sniff, sniff.

I'd seen the "back to school dinner and family theme" on multiple blogs.

I was able to incorporate ideas from Nie Nie Dialogues and Ericas Blogity Blog.

We told the girls that they needed to get their Easter dresses on and that we were going to go somewhere special. Ava immediately asked me, "So which restaurant are we going to?" Ha!

They closed their eyes and we lead them outside.

So we had breakfast for dinner (on my china - yikes! . . . but figure that I should

start using it for special occasions), made some last-minute "back to school" crowns,

and Tommy and I came up with a family theme that we'll use throughout the school-year.

We were trying to think about a virtue that our family could work on,

especially with Ava now in school and making new friends.

And we decided on this virtue as our family theme: BE KIND

The quote that goes along with it (that we're having them memorize)

is "Kindness is the essence of greatness."

(which comes from a talk given by Joseph B. Wirthlin that can be seen or read here).

We also watched this short video here and had the girls point out the

acts of kindness that were in the video.

Then I told them about our "Kind Jar".

Whenever they do or say something kind, we'll fill it up with cotton balls.

And when the jar is filled, they get a special treat.

I hope that throughout this next year, they learn that "Kindness is a passport that opens doors and fashions friends. It softens hearts and molds relationships that can last lifetimes.

Kindness is the essence of greatness."

It was such a fun evening.

When we finished dinner, Ava gave me a big hug, told me that it was so much fun

and asked if we could do this again next year.

Definitely worth it.

Do you have a "back to school" dinner and theme?

{I'll be linking to these parties here}

:: Back to School - teacher welcome gift

2013-08-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

So, I was at Target, in the dollar spot section, a few weeks ago

and found the CUTEST zipped, fabric bags.

They were only $3 and I thought they'd be perfect to hold all of our toothbrushes/toothpaste in for an upcoming trip.

And then I saw this "teacher welcome gift" and went back to Target and bought a few more.

What a cute idea!

We filled ours with pens, markers, glue, and a twix for Ava's teacher.

Go to the link below to get the free printable tag.

{Laura Winslow Photography}

Lately, I've found the cutest items in that dollar spot.
So, go there . . . NOW!

And come back Monday to see our "Back to School" dinner and our family school-year theme.

:: Back to School - where I shop

2013-08-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

And . . . I'm back.

Back from a blogger's rut, back from a week long vacation and back from basically, just summer.

But now, my little one starts kindergarten on Friday and

we have to get back into a routine of things . . . if that's possible.

I'm really not ready for her to be going to kindergarten.

I haven't mentally accepted it.

Maybe because it means she's getting old, I'm getting old and I'm not ready for any of that.

But I guess that's what life is all about.

----------------------------

So, for the past 4 months, I've been slowly buying her new school clothes.

And these are where I've bought them all (on clearance, of course, well, most of them) . . .

{I only shop in their clearance section - - and ONLY when they are having an additional 30-40% off of the clearance items, sign up for their e-mails. Shipping is free for sale items.}

{usually only shop their clearance items, with an exception of one outfit for this year.

And if you have an Old Navy card, the discounts are even better.}

{and I just heard of this company, where have I been? . . . in their clearance section, I found a cute pencil skirt for $3.99. Shipping is $7}

{I usually stalk target's clearance sections and have found some awesome deals here}

I didn't make it to H&M

(but it's probably a good thing I didn't since their children's clothing is to die for)

Where do you shop for back to school fashions?

:: Obsessions - thrift stores/estates sales

2013-07-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Every week after I drop Ava off to violin lessons, Reese and I jaunt on over to the

nearest thrift store. We aren't able to spend too much time there, but just enough to have a good walk through before we have to pick her up.

It doesn't look that amazing, but you should see some of the gems I've found here.

Love this place!

And while we're on the topic of used goods,

I also have to confess that I have a new obsession. . . estate sales.

Can't wait to show you all some things I've found to decorate the girl's room with.

:: a few of my favorite things

2013-07-19T15:23:00.000-07:00

I'm still alive. Just busy with summer.

Earlier this month I had a birthday.

And lucky for me, I received two things off of my "things I want" board

{from pinterest}.

Hmmmm. I think I need to be pinning more "things I want".

So here's what you do.

Make a "things I want" board.

Start pinning like crazy.

And then share it with your family and friends.

And I bet you'll receive something off of that board, for your birthday.

Give it a try!

Symphony Cake Stand from Old Town Imports

always a mother necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs

:: The Birthday Project

2013-07-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I was on pinterest and read about "the birthday project".

So for my birthday last year, I decided I was going to do it.

Instead of thinking of myself on my birthday, I was going to think of others and serve those around me.

And I'm not lying to you when I say that it was the BEST birthday I'd had in my 32 years.

Ava and I went around and did 32 random acts of kindness.

And I decided that this needed to be a tradition.

So last week I turned 33 years old.

And my service buddy came out with me again.

Ava was pretty excited . . . and Reese came with us to do a few of them.

I want each of my children to learn the joy of serving others

and what better way for them to learn it by helping/watching me do it.

Go here to see what we did last year.

And here's what we did this year . . .

I was brought yummy cinnamon roll pancakes in bed . . . and I shared it with my little ones.

I sent a card to a relative who's been having health issues.

I took the girls with me to exercise, so that Tommy could study.

We left a note on someone's car in the parking lot.

We gave some cold water to our pool attendant. She was so gracious.

We went to a nearby park and picked up trash.

{they always have a 4th of July celebration here the weekend before my birthday . . .

so it gets pretty trashed}

Ava chose a toy at the dollar store and left a dollar on it.

We left a quarter on the pay phone . . . are these still used?

We left a note on the mirror in a bathroom.

And a note on the diaper changing table.

We left coupons on items I wouldn't be buying.

We bought the grocery attendant a candybar . . . Ava was too embarrassed to give it to him. Ha!

We left popcorn on the RedBox.

We put shopping carts away in the parking lot. Although, the cart guy was out there and was wondering why we were doing his job. Lucky for him, it was my birthday.

Left some money at a gas pump.

Let some cars go in front of me.

Took some clothes to the nearest thrift store.

Left money for someone at the carwash.

Went through my boxes and boxes of girl clothes and gave a bag to a friend that will be

expecting her first. Look at Ava's face . . . it was hot out there.

Picked up our babysitter and Ava gave her a candybar.

Ava drew a picture and we taped it to the mailbox.

I'm sure we'll hear about this at our next HOA meeting . . . "No taping anything on the mailbox!"

Left the mailman some cold water.

Left a dollar in a finance book at the library.

Read quite a few books to the girls at the library.

Made a yogurt stop and left a tip in the jar.

Left some coins on a washing machine.

While in the laundromat, there was a homeless man and I gave him a bottle of water.

Bought the missionaries in our church giftcards to subway. They loved it.

We had bought a vegetable tray and brought it to the nearest fire station.

They let Ava sit on the firetruck and then gave her a coloring book and pencil.

Reese wouldn't go near the guys. Four to five times this past week, she'll put on her sad face

and tells us that she didn't want to go on the fire truck. She cracks us up.

We went to an early movie so that Tommy could go to his softball game.

Aren't I a sweet wife.

We doorbell ditched some neighbors and left some yummy popsicles on the doorstep.

Hope they saw them before they melted.

Arranged for flowers to be brought to my mom for giving birth to me 33 years ago.

Wrote a message to someone on facebook who has been faced with trials recently.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."

-Aesop

Give it a try . . . your birthday will be better because of it.

Go here to learn more about The Birthday Project.

:: Family Happenings

2013-07-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

In 16 weeks, I'm going to be running this Half Marathon and I am so excited!

Still trying to talk Tommy into it.

It's in Vegas at the end of October.

Which gives me 16 weeks to train.

Here we go.

Do you have any tips?

:: Happy 4th of July!

2013-07-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

{via}

Freedom doesn't come for free.

It has to be fought for and conquered.

On this 4th of July may your hearts be filled with love for your nation,

compassion for your fellow Americans

and the determination to work hard to make this country better than it already it.

Happy 4th of July!

:: Party Tips - milk bottles

2013-07-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love planning parties.

And since having children, I've planned quite a few.

So, at least once a month, I'm going to share some party tips

that will help you in planning your awesome parties.

I love using paper straws. And if you're using cool paper straws,

then you need a container that is equally as cool, right?

Well, I always loved those glass milk bottles, but they were too expensive for me to buy.

Then one day I was grocery shopping and noticed these cute, Starbucks frappuccino bottles.

But they're $5-$6 for about 4 of them. And that was a little too expensive for me.

So, in the city I live in, we have a few facebook "garage sale" sites

where people are able to sell/buy things.

I asked if there was anyone who drank starbucks frappuccino and if I could have their bottles.

Well, I received a reply . . . from my neighbor! {who goes through many each week}

So, she's been supplying me with these awesome glasses that I now use for each of my parties . . .

and the best part is that they were free!!!

You will need to let them soak in hot, soapy water for about 30 minutes to take off the label

and then use a scouring pad to remove the sticky residue, but it's totally worth it.

Follow me on Bloglovin'.