Simple Craft to Do with Your Kids

Simon and I went to Michaels

and picked up a craft that HE liked (this time)...

He chose to decorate the letter "S" to put in his room somewhere.

Here's a simple way to decorate one of those box letters

that you can buy for less than $1.

First, get some strips of your favorite fabric,

along with small squares that accent well with the main color scheme.

Grab your Mod Podge and...begin by Mod Podging the strip of fabric around the letter.
Then have your little one place the squares of fabric
on top in various places.
They can be adhered by the Mod Podge as well.
This creates a patchwork effect.


Once the pieces are in place,
paint a layer of Mod Podge overtop of everything.

Voila! It has a nice finished coat to display somewhere

in your child's room.

The best part is that is is cheap,

and can be done between you and your kids!

Great way to spend a summer afteroon!

The First Day of Love...

Eight years ago today,

I met my husband, Dave.

We look so young here!

I found a poem I wrote him in an old scrapbook...
here's a little portion of it...


"...I prayed for years for my future husband to come.
Little did I know that I had to grow some.
I had to seek God before anything on earth,
then He'd place a man in life- beyond immeasurable worth.
With all of my heart, I love my husband-to-be.
He's faithful, loving, and full of integrity.

You see, God's plan is perfectly made,
For each one of us- the love will never fade.
If we keep our eyes focused on the One who made us all,
We'll never lose hope, and our faith will not fall."

- Happy Anniversary, My Beloved!
I am beyond blessed to walk through life with you!

Dude Time

Dave took Simon to a campground last night

with some other daddies...

Simon was in heaven!

They played in the tent...

he got to play drums (of course) on a tree trunk...

helped make a fire...

and made some precious memories with Dad.

These are the times

that memories are are made of!

Good 'ol fashion FUN

I was reminded yesterday

that kids now a days

are so busy with their Game Boys, DS, Wii's, and so forth

that they don't just play outside and

have some good 'ol fashion fun!

Now those are super fun toys to have in your toy collection...

but when I see our niece and nephew

climb a tree for hours...

it makes me think that this kind of fun is JUST as good
than the other, newer stuff.
It's all a balancing act with our kids...
gotta keep them entertained...
gotta keep them interested...
and sometimes you gotta keep them playing with the stuff
in your own backyard!
It's FREE and it's FUN
and it keeps them BUSY!

Learning to Float...

Simon is learning to float on his back in the water...Good Job, buddy!

Thanks for helping daddy!

How To Fill A Blank Wall

I had one blank hallway wall that was buggin' me!

It was too plain Jane and I needed some spice.

Then I found this cool garage sale frame...plus these oak frames that my mom-in-law gave me.
I got some white spray paint.

Dave and I went to town with it...

Got Simon involved in the sanding..

(no...his Bob the Builder sander didn't work, but he thought it did).

We actually sanded all of the frames after they dried

with a small electric sander.

Then hung them up in a simple formation.

They are purposely off center from one another.

**That's a hint to you

if you are worried that it won't measure exactly perfectly...

just arrange things
a little off-centered and you never have to worry about that.

It's a fun way to spice up that blank wall that you've been staring at...

white on white actually looks kinda cool...

paint it black, red, or any color in between...
anything works!

Go to it!

Daddy Date

I had a lunch date with a friend yesterday,

and Dave took Simon on a Daddy Date....

so sweet!

They biked...They stopped to look at the geese and ducks...
They rode the the scooter...
(and stopped to smile for pictures every 5 minutes)...

and ended with a Starbucks Iced Water...

Easy and Cheap Date...I know!

We love Daddy Dates!

Simon's Drum Version of a Horse

Simon's come a LONG way since his very first drum!

How to Stay Cool in this HEAT!

1. Go to the Lake with a buddy.2. Play with ice packs in the sprinklers.
3. Have Night Time playdates in your jammies
(NO shirts, of course).

4. When all else fails...

Put the AC on!!!

"I'm Bored, Mom!"

Here's a FUN craft to make your child

(and you)!!

I got it from a great blog called, Somewhat Simple.

First, take an old Oatmeal container, Mod Podge,

and your favorite scrapbook paper.Mod Podge two different patterns to the container.

If it doesn't fit (like this one),

hot glue a ribbon over it.

Mod Podge OVER and under the paper.

This will adhere it to the container,

and give it a Matte finish

(which I chose instead of glossy).

Cut a circle that fits the top of the oatmeal container.

Hot glue it to the lid.

Hot glue a ribbon around the edge.

I added a button to hide the seam.

Print out, "I'm bored, Mom"
and glue it to the top.
Print out 40-50 different ideas that kids can do
when they are bored!
Some are...
Have a friend come over,
play with bubbles,
run through the spinklers.
Cut them up and put them inside.

All done!

Isn't it cute?!

I know it may be a lot of work to actually do this...

but I bet it would be fun for both child AND Mommy!

Hopefully it will give you a tiny break!

20 Minute Table Runner Tutorial (2nd Edition)

Reminder...

If you would like to

purchase a bowtie or Mr.Man onesie

in the next few weeks...

details of this offer are HERE.

Please check it out

my little proposal!

***

Okay, now for the tutorial:

First you get a simple rectangle of your

favorite fabric and rick-rack.

My fabric is from my mom's old stash...

probably from the 70's!

But it's super cute! Next, you sew three sides together

(right side to right side),

leaving one side open.

Then, pull the right side out

(so you can see the print facing outward).

Pin the last side together

and sew it up.

Follow that up with a seam

around ALL 4 sides.

This will create a good edging for the table runner.

Next, iron all sides down. Then, sew on the rick-rack in whatever style you want.
I sewed it length-wise,
so more rick-rack is visible.

That's it...you are done!

It is just a little spice to put on your
coffee table, side table, or even diningroom table.
I placed snacks and goodies on it for our guests the other night...
it lightens up the room
and brings a freshness to plain 'ol wood colored tables.
Good luck!

4th of July Weekend with the Fam

If you are looking up the favor I asked my bubsies viewers...

then look down ONE post...

THANKS!

***

Just a quick update on the BEST 4th of July yet,

for little Simon...

FUN with ALL the cousins...

yeah for glow sticks! Saw his first fireworks show,

considering he fell asleep the last few years:)
Went to the Del Mar Fair on the LAST day...
got to ride on MY first Double-Decker Bus...
and saved $10 on parking (yahoo)!!

spent some quality time with the grandparents
and Chan, their International student
staying for a few weeks.

snuggled up with the farm animals...
gotta love those agressive goats!

and made some precious memories
with our sweet boy.