I know that our evenings sitting on the porch will soon draw to and end.

We have already enjoyed our final afternoons spent at the pool.

No more dipping painted toes in the pool

while enjoying a great book.

But most off all, I am going to miss this little face being home with me all day every day as we start into the new journey of preschool. I am so excited for him  to experience all the things to come and make some new friends but at the same time, I wish I could live here in these moments forever with my little ones.

The past four and half years have passed so quickly and I try to remind myself constantly to live in the moment as far as my babies are concerned. I know that once we start onto this path in a couple more weeks, before I know it, 14 years will have passed and my “baby” will be leaving home.

Just today I read a quote from Billy Graham about loving your kids and letting them go:

“A child needs both to be hugged and unhugged. The hug lets her know she is valuable. The unhug lets her know that she is viable. If you’re always shoving your child away, they will cling to you for love. If you’re always holding them closer, they will cling to you for fear.”

It can be so hard to loosen our hold on our little ones and let them take those first teetering steps into the life God has planned for them. But  I trust the Lord who entrusted him to us and pray that my sweet boy will cling to the one who made him as we begin to gradually “unhug” him growing from a sweet little boy to a man of great honor.

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I have so many projects to share with you (I’ve been busy, busy, busy with all kinds of redos, crafts and diy’s)  as well as updates on the house. But I am needing the Mr. to give me crash course on how to upload all my pictures because lets face it, posts are just much more appealing when there are pictures to go along with it. But for tonight, I wanted to share just a few things with you.

When it comes to other blogs, here are a few new ones I have found and am love, love, loving! Stop over and visit these wonderful ladies. They are all super creative which has in turn, fed my need to be creative, which I think may or may not be driving the hubs a bit crazy since my “creative juices” are literally spewing everywhere and causing me to have a bit of ADD. Be warned, you will probably be rendered useless wanting to spend all kinds of time on their sites. Just sayin.

Sasha of Lemonade Makin Mama (thanks again Anne for pointing me in her direction!)

Emily of Jones Design Company

and Traci of Beneath My Heart

Also, please stop over and check out my very sweet friend Kristens new blog, Titus 2 Work In Progress. Kristen was one of my very best friends through high school and she has a heart of gold. She will inspire and encourage you as she shares her life as a wife and mommy to two of the very sweetest little girls you’ve ever laid eyes on!

And because I love to share a yummy find to add to the recipe box, you must go here and try this recipe for Strawberry Lemonade bars. Mmm Mmm Mmm! Sweet summertime goodness!

Picture courtesy  of k&k test kitchen via Pintrest

I promise to come back sooner than every 2 months

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Surprisingly, it only took about an hour remove all of the branches leaving only the stumps thanks to my in-laws and their help. Our whole entire driveway and good majority of our front yard was covered in the debris. It took Jay 7 truck and trailer loads to haul it away.

However, the end result was totally worth all that hard work! We went out and bought our first set of porch furniture to fill up the now exposed porch. One of the biggest qualities we were looking for in a new house was a front porch and this house definitely offers that!

We got the biggest chuckle on Friday night and Saturday morning as neighbors were driving by honking their horns and giving us the thumbs up or coming over and telling us how much they loved it. Our neighbor lady across the street yelled over “OH MY GOSH! There’s a house behind those bushes!” I told Jay we are the talk of the neighborhood.Hopefully Mrs. P won’t be too upset if she happens to drive by or catch wind.

My plan is to get some small weeping trees flank either side and plant some small manicured shrubs as well as some annuals. I am looking forward to enjoying many hours out on the porch and hopefully entertaining neighbors, family and friends. So if your in the neighborhood, come on over for some lemonade! We would love to have you!

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So here is my lamp before:

And after:

I am really happy with the way that it turned out and it fits with the dining room perfectly (it’s new home is on the buffet server). I used Rust-oleums American Accent spray paint in Heritage White to paint the lamp and then used my sisters tutorial on how to hot glue fabric onto your lamp shade. The price breakdown was:

Lamp w/ shade: $8.00 from Goodwill

Spray Paint : $4.99 (@ Hobby Lobby so you could wait until they have a 40% off coupon for it but I’m not that patient)

Fabric: $6.99 (I sprung on the 54 in decorator fabric since the pattern was exactly what I was looking for and bough half a yard which left me with a little extra.)

Beaded Tassel: $1.49 from Hobby Lobby

TOTAL: $21.47 which I thought was pretty darn good considering a lamp that big at a retail store would go for anywhere from $30-$60.

We also happened to have an adapter that you screw into the bulb socket that allows you to turn the light off and on by touching anywhere on the lamp base and also has 4 different lighting levels. We already had that here but you can purchase them at a home improvement store for $2.99.

And, for your viewing pleasure, a couple pictures of my other little sassy giving her Barney a bath She plays very realistically since this would be her lathering up the washcloth with a imaginary bar of soap.

Wash those stinky piggies!

All done!

I’m thinking Barney is going to need a bigger towel than that to dry off…..

Sorry this was kind of a fluff post. I had two little people that really took it out of me today.

Happy weekend!

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I am joining Lynnette and some other lovely bloggers over at her blog Dancing Barefoot on Weathered Ground for a “Thoughts of Spring Blog Party” this week. It’s my first blog party (truth be told up until a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t even know what a blog party is. Shhhh). If you would like to get in on the fun you can go to the link here and join in on the fun!

So, for those of you that are new to this humble little site that documents my stay at home mommy adventures, I started blogging back in June 2009 after much coaxing from my husband. You see, he is the “techy” one in our marriage and I thought the idea was C-A-RAZ-Y when he explained what a blog was to me. (I can be a bit old fashioned sometimes and take some warming up to new advances.) Who in the world would want to read about my mundane, average life as a mommy of a then 2 year old and 8 month old? However the idea of blogging became appealing to me as the idea of it being my grown up diary of sorts. And if others read it and found interest along the way, ok.

When this blog first started, our family was fresh on the path through one of the biggest vallies we had ever been through. My beautiful mom had been diagnosed with a stage 4 Gleoblastoma (highly cancerous brain tumor) only 6 days after I had given birth to our little girl.

Blogging became a way of keeping friends close to us updated on our journey &  a way for me to personally express and process my thoughts and struggles with our  families cancer journey. My blog is still a place where I love to share my faith and remember my mom but it has also become so much more than I thought it would and much to my husbands chagrin, I have enjoyed it just as much. So welcome! Feel free to look around and leave a comment letting me know you were here!

So on with the party!

How would people describe your personality? (If they could only use ONE word.) Are they right?

My family would probably describe me as headstrong and I suppose they might be true in that. Since I also have two very strong willed children, it can be quite the battle of wills around this house.

What celebrity/celebrities would create a “Star-Struck” feeling if you saw them in real life?

I don’t know if it would take too much for me to feel star struck. I don’t know that there’s any one person I could think of though.

Who is your favorite blogger? Why?

I would have to say my favorite blog of someone that I know in real life is Life On The Peanut Trail. I’m a little biased because it is my younger sister, Lindsay’s blog. Since she lives in Florida, between Facebook and her blog, it is my link to keeping up with her life and especially my three sweet and adorable nephews.

(Courtesy of Life on the Peanut Trail)

But if I had to choose a blog of someone I don’t know in real life it would be Katie over at Cleared For Takeoff. I only wish I knew this witty, funny girl in real life!

What is your comfort food/drink?

My comfort drink would have to be Mint tea, warm apple cider or hot chocolate (specifically Bob Evans). And comfort food chicken and noodles with homemade mashed potatoes. Mmmm! Or meatloaf. Pretty much anything with lots of calories and carbs that’s pipin’ hot

Be brave – tell us something very random and weird about yourself.

This isn’t anything too crazy but some would be apt to judging. But I love, love, love Christmas music and start listening to it no later than middle of October usually. Sometimes sooner….

Do you have a strong desire to do something you’ve never done? What is it?

I would love to go and travel all over Europe . England, Ireland, Italy, France etc. etc. etc.

Movies: Action, Drama, Romantic Comedy, Documentary, Comedy? What are your favorite genres?

Majority of the time I am in the mood for a great feel good, chick flick. Favs being The Holiday (which I happen to be watching right now for the umpteenth time), 27 Dresses, You’ve Got Mail, Letters to Juliet (You get the idea) but I also love a good action movie, especially the Jack Ryan series. Also can’t forget classic musicals.

Books: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Romance, Biographies, True Stories, Self-Help, Devotional/Study? What are your favorite types of reading material?

Thanks to my wonderful husband and his gift of an iPad for Christmas, I am finally making some time for leisure reading for mommy again. A favorite past time. I have recently discovered Christian writer Karen Kingsbury and am in love.

Music: Funk, Rock, Country, Jazz, Classical, Film Score, Blues, Classic Rock, Crooner, Alternative, Heavy Metal, Techno? What are your favorite types?

If I’m not listening to Christian radio, I love listening to Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole or Dean Martin. Any of that sort. Also I melt for Christmas music. 1-2 months a year is just not enough. (As previously stated in my confession)

If you inherited a million dollars, what is the first thing you would do with your money?

Pay off our mortgage and Jay’s student loans.

Name one weakness of yours (confession is good for the soul)

One word: SUGAR! I love junk food. My husband gets after me all the time for my addiction to sweets but candy specifically. I rarely let my kids have candy but you can bet as soon as it is nap time, I pull out a stash from somewhere and indulge. (It’s nap time now and I just finished a fun dip packet that Joel had gotten for Valentine’s Day)

If you could live anywhere at all (and take all your loved ones with you), where would you go?

Savannah, Georgia. I love the atmosphere of the city, the history and architecture and I love Paula Deen and her sweet southern accent

What’s something you consider yourself to be good at? (Don’t worry, it’s not bragging, it’s acknowledging a God given gift).

Something I am working on becoming better at is being a hostess. I love having a fun get together and inviting people over to our home. Our home that we just sold didn’t allow for a lot of that but our new home has nice big rooms that are going to be great for entertaining and I am so thrilled about that!

What is one of your favorite things to catch a whiff of?

Cinnamon. It reminds me of fall and winter and being with family for the holidays. Makes me feel all warm and cozy inside.

When you leave a social gathering, do you wish: You would have talked more or You would have talked less?

Usually that I would have talked less. I stay home all day with 2 kids so when I am out with adults I talk and I talk A LOT! Plus I kind of like to talk in general.

If money wasn’t a factor, what stores would you shop in?

I would still shop at all my favs but just a lot more! Hobby Lobby, TJ Maxx, Home Goods. The two stores that I would probably add to the list that I don’t shop at now is Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma.

What is your greatest fear?

Not having all of my family come to know and accept Christ as savior and go to Heaven. I want it to be one big party with everyone I love!

What is your greatest accomplishment?

My two babies It’s a lot of work carrying a human inside of you for 10 months and the raising them! So the fact they are still alive and so am I is a huge accomplishment all around

Are you a hopeless romantic?

I would have to say yes. I heart a good love story & a happy ending. I love doing romantic things for my husband that are unexpected and bring a smile.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog and taking the time to read a little bit about me. And if you’ve been here before and know me well, maybe you learned something new.

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1. Valentines Party

I know that it’s going to take some time to complete each room and get window treatments up since I am trying to decorate the new house on a smaller budget. It can be frustrating sometimes, but for the most part, I enjoy the challenge and feel a sense of accomplishment when I make it happen. Window treatments can rack up quickly in price so therefore, I usually hit up my go to stores like Wal-Mart, Meijer, Target and Big Lots. I loved the Better Homes and Gardens line at Wal-Mart but they have since reduced their selection (and its a terrible one if you ask me). Since I just wasn’t finding anything that  struck my fancsy, I decided to take on the task of  making my own curtains for the dining room.

So first things first, I went to my favorite place in the world, Hobby Lobby (it’s like a candy store for grown ups)  and picked out a fabric that I liked but had no other plans past that. I ended up buying way too much fabric because I had planned on possibly making something a little longer. After talking to my sister Lindsay, she pointed me in this direction where I got some inspiration ideas. The curtain that I made requires NO SEWING skills and you can whip them up in 5 minutes. So here goes.

What you’ll need:

• Fabric of your Choice
• Curtain Rings
• Decorative Buttons
• Screws
• Safety Pins
• Tissue Paper
• Hot Glue Gun
• Floral wire cutters

Note: For these valances I bought 2.5 yds of fabric but ended up only needing about half of that. I did not cut any fabric off of the width so that it had some slack for fullness. So it ends up being 3/4 of a yard used for each window.

• Take your fabric and cut it in half (or thirds or fourths depending on how many treatments you need)
• Take your now smaller pieces and fold them in half again
• Tuck your raw edges on the sides and secure them with a safety pin (feel your way through so that you do not go through to the outside.)
• Fold your top edge over and secure  with your curtain rings.

• Find your husband and have him place the screws in the wall (or you can do it yourself if your good with power tools) *I used three per window
• Take your wire cutters and snap the loop off the back of your buttons
• Place hot glue onto the back of your button and apply to the screw

• Hang your curtain and then stuff your curtain with the bunched up tissue paper to give a fuller look.

Since there’s not one stitch in the fabric, when I decide to give the curtains a new look, get tired of them or decide to make a pillow out of the fabric all I have to do is remove my safety pins and curtain rings and craft away! That’s my kind of curtain. Other up side is with the low cost it took to make these valances, I can change my curtains out with the season and not feel guilty about it.

So here is the cost break down:

• 2.5 yds of fabric $27.00 (I had a 40% off coupon that I printed off of HL website to use towards it)
• Curtain rings were free because I already had them but they are $5.99 for a pack of 8 I believe at Wal Mart
• Decorative Buttons $4.20 (3 sets of 2)
• TOTAL: $31.20

So when its all said and done, I ended up spending about the same as I would have for two premade valances at a superstore but I got a custom look that matches my dining room perfectly.

Anyhow on a completely different note, my poor walls need some pretties on them and I have a few ideas in store. But at least I have a touch of spring on the table.

Even though visions of spring have been playing out in my head, my little snow bunnies are pretty darn cute!

Although I think Joel’s getting a little tired of winter himself and is dreaming of riding bikes, swinging, fishing and playing at the park. Poor baby. It’s just too much to handle.

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