MIA and a little DIY project

Hi Guys;)

 I've been MIA for the last week or so. I decided to take a little blogging break. I've had lots of little projects around the house that needed my attention, so I did my best to stay away from the computer for a while, and focus on my "to do" list. 

I seriously have a LOVE/HATE relationship with the computer. I love Facebook, blogging, and pinterest, BUT they are also REAL time zappers. 

I sit down to just "check" something and before I realize it, a half hour has gone by--ugh!

 Balance is the key and something I don't know that I have found quite yet--sigh.

Anyway, while the computer was OFF for the week, I was able to focus, get organized, and cross off several things on that ever growing "to do list"!

One of those little projects I completed was a jewelry organizer.

 I kind-of wish I would have taken a picture of how my jewelry looked before I organized it, but just take it from me...it was  a total and utterly, embarrassing disaster area.

well...not any more;)

What you need:

Empty frame, a scrap of material, chicken wire, S hooks, a staple gun, wire cutters, scissors, and ribbon for decorating.

Seriously y'all, this was the quickest and most rewarding project EVER...

First--staple a piece chicken wire to the back of an old frame and then secure your fabric the same way. 

 Add ribbon and hang.

That's IT!!!

  Oh, and while we are talking about organizing jewelry...

I saw somewhere--probably on Pinterest;) where they used a paper towel holder to organize their bracelets. 

Brilliant and a perfect idea!

Happy Monday Y'all!!!

Burlap is IN!

Burlap seems to be the new "IN" thing for craft lovers right now. It's all over Pinterest and the projects I've seen using it are just AWESOME! Just recently, I came across a tutorial on how to make burlap door hanger for the front door.
I knew I had several yards of burlap, left over from a Thanksgiving project, just sitting on the shelf in my craft room.  I actually had enough to make THREE new door hangers for my front door.
This was a super easy and SUPER CHEAP --as in didn't cost me a dime;) project!!

I made one for Valentines Day!

one for birthdays,

and one...just because;)

Welcome December!

Our little elf, Sam, is still causing quite the ruckus at our house. 

He seems to be excited that December is finally here, and decided to leave the kids a jolly Christmas greeting this morning!

And because December is here, the kids got to open a little gift from my sweet Grandma.

These packages have been sitting on the counter just teasing them for the past few days!

 Each year she buys them a special advent calendar.

This year, the calendars are filled with...

 CHOCOLATES!!!

 Now that's my kind of calendar;)

One thing I do know...

The promise of a chocolate candy waiting for them each day this month is a sure fire way to get my kids to jump out of bed in the morning!

 THANKS GRANDMA!!!

 Sophie got to put the first puff of white on Santa's beard yesterday!

Hudson didn't quite understand that he and Sophie had to take turns putting a puff on each day.

{Insert Hudson's meltdown here}

He was less than thrilled with the fact that Miss Sophie got to go first, 

SO from this day forward... 

 each puff will be split into two parts. 

That way everyone is HAPPY-ha;)

 And I'm sure your just dying to know what our first activity was on our Family Advent Calendar-ha!

 Well... we made and decorated popsicle stick snowflakes.

 I love a little project that everyone gets excited about...

 AND one that everyone can do without much assistance from me.

My kitchen table and floor were literally COVERED in glitter and sparkles, but the results were worth the mess;)

 Who knows if we'll see any REAL snowflakes this Christmas season, 

but at least we can enjoy a few flurries sprinkled through out the house;)

My First Pinterest Project

 I just entered the AMAZING world of Pinterest this week! 

I tried to stay away, I really did, but at last it got me!

Now I'm totally hooked and just can't seem to get enough of this amazing site!! 

Oh my goodness y'all...the creativity and ideas are simply endless!!!!!!

I LOVE IT!!! 

So yesterday, Riley(aka my little crafting buddy) helped me make my very first Pinterest project!

 

HOW CUTE IS THIS?

Wednesday evening was our last night of church activities until the new year. And while my big boys are in AWANA each Wednesday night, I  get to teach in Sophie and Hudson's classroom! 

 I came across these adorable turkey's on Pinterest and thought they were just too cute. 

I decided to make them and pass them out as a Thanksgiving favor to all my "little turkey's" who are in my class!

They were super easy to assemble and even more delicious to eat;) 

You can find full directions here!

Gobble! Gobble!

It's a bird, it's a plane...

No...it's the THE SUPER HERO FAMILY!!!

Meet Super Hero Dad and his Three Loyal Sidekicks...

And Super Hero Mom and her Little Apprentice!

We had such a fun Halloween this year!! Of course, my big boys have been anticipating this day for weeks now, but surprisingly enough, even the little ones were eager for it to arrive! 

Seriously though, who doesn't get excited about all that FREE candy-right?!?

 I had a ball making our costumes this Halloween. 

I really didn't set out to do homemade costumes this year, but after one look at the prices of a store bought one, my mind was made up!!
I think I made ALL six of our costumes for the price I would have paid for just one from the store;)
Each year, I do my best to come up with a theme that everyone can get excited about! I realize that as my kids get older, the less thrilled they will be with the whole "themed Halloween thing"--sigh, 

but I was delighted to be able to pull it off for at least one more year! 

It's tradition now, that my sweet sister-in-law and her family accompany us for trick-or-treating first and then dinner afterwards. Our good friends (and neighbors) the Robinson's were able to join us for the evening too.

Corban and his buddy Dr. Micah!

Sweet Leah and Super-Hud!

The streets in our neighborhood are literally just a sea of trick-or-treaters!

Kids run from door to door, and as they get their candy they quickly throw out a "Thank You" over their shoulder and run off to the next house. 

Sweet Hudson did his very best to keep up with the bigger kids, but (bless his heart)

his little legs just couldn't go quite as fast!

We had to empty his bag several times too because it got too heavy for him to carry;)

Sophie Lu on the other hand was a wild and crazy girl! 

She literally ran non-stop the ENTIRE time we were out! 

She paused only for a moment so I could snap this picture of her and her sweet friend, Elise, 

and then she was off running again;)

After over an hour of trick-or-treating fun, Hudson (and I) were cold and ready for a break. 

We headed home to get dinner going so it would be hot and ready when our hungry crew walked in the door!

And while I cooked, sweet Hudson got to sample a little bit of that yummy Halloween candy!

What a fun night!

Hope y'all had a Happy Halloween too!

A Little Halloween Sneak Peek;)

I finally finished our costumes for trick-or-treating!

Can you guess what we are going to be;)?

A New Tutorial and Some Monogram Fun

***Updated*** 
Fixed the link to the tutorial! 

Is it tacky if EVERYTHING we own now has a monogram on it? (grin)
 Shane says he's getting a little nervous, and thinks that I may be going slightly overboard with this whole monogram thing. 

I say...Is there such a thing as overboard when it comes to monogramming--lol!?!?!?

I do LOVE my new embroidery machine and I do think EVERYTHING looks much cuter with a name on it...

so I guess he's right--I am going a little monogram CRAZY over here!! 

Oh well...I don't plan on stopping anytime soon! (smile)

I had so much fun sewing this past week.
I made several outfits for my kids (and my niece and nephew) to wear on our upcoming trip to the beach next week!

 I also completed a few gifts for friends...

and just happened across a new and easy t-shirt dress tutorial that I'm totally LOVIN' too !!!
Can't seem to attach the link so see the web address below!.
http://deannasstuff.blogspot.com/2009/05/make-simple-tshirt-dress-with-ruffle.html

I tried making several this week, and was quite pleased with the results!

If you want a simple and easy sewing project...give it a try;)

Happy Monday/crafting Everyone!!!

Celebrating Summer Solstice

Today was summer solstice, which means it’s the longest day of the year. It also marks the first official day of summer! Even though we've been enjoying summer break for a few weeks now, I still thought it would be fun to celebrate the official beginning of summer!

The boys helped me make this "Cool Summer Chart" yesterday afternoon.

 

Each number has a fun activity tucked inside. Every morning when the kids wake up, they will take turns pulling out the slips of paper and discover what our fun activity will be for that day.  Today we opened day one--since today is officially day one of summer!!

Today's slip read..."Celebrate Summer Solstice"

And this is how we celebrated...

Sophie was the first one up this morning, so she helped me make everyone a "Sunny Day Breakfast"!

Sunshine pancakes, fruit, turkey bacon, and eggs--cooked sunny side up--of course, were on the menu.

 After breakfast, we beat the heat by heading to the Y pool with our good friends. 

We enjoyed several hours of fun in the sun before heading home for naps! 

While the babies napped, the boys and I got busy in the kitchen.

They helped me make strawberry shortcake, which we planned to enjoy later in the evening. 

Nothing says summer like homemade shortcake

topped with cool whip and fresh strawberries-right;)

While our cake was baking in the oven...

 the kids had fun making a tissue paper stain glass window. 

 

 

 We hung them in the window

and the kids loved how pretty they looked as the sun shone through. 

 And because we were celebrating the L-O-N-G-E-S-T day of the year,

we decided to head outside again after dinner,

and enjoy some time at our neighborhood park. 

After getting nice and sweaty from playing at park, 

we walked home and everyone jumped right in the tub!

 

We got in our cozy pj's and ended our summer fun day by indulging in our strawberry shortcake!

 Happy Summer Solstice Everyone!