5x7 Folded Card

Gift Wrapped Christmas Card

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What I needed to hear....

This is what my heart needed to hear as I come upon living without my mother on this earth for 1 year on Thursday, March 31 and what would have been her birthday on Sunday, April 3.

Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace, or our tight grip of control. -Crazy Love

For the LORD has heard my weeping.
The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;
the LORD accepts my prayer.

All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;
they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

-Psalm 6

My enemy (stress/sadness) this week will turn back and be put to shame. The Lord has heard my cry, and felt my ache. He has accepted my prayer and will sustain me. He will hide me and cover me cause I know can not do this without Him.

Easter Egg Wreath

I have always wanted one of those cutesy egg wreaths for my front door. However, every time I am at the craft store they are too pricey for my taste. I am also one of those who gets the great idea to make it myself right before the holiday and never get it put together in time for a lengthy display. I am changing my ways this year. However, I did fail with my Valentine Day wreath, and it will be stored until next year :(.

I could not find a great tute for this wreath, so I am offering my so-so tute for ya. I know that it is kinda easy to do, but I always like references.

So, gather up some supplies:

1. Round wreath form - I just got the cheapest I could find. I did not like using a grapevine wreath for this, but you could if you want.

2. Felt - in varying colors. Again, this is personal preference. I had some scraps to use up so I covered the form in all shades of pink felt. You could also use ribbon for this step.

3. Lots of plastic easter eggs. I saw the pastel speckled ones, I really liked those, but couldn't justify the cost. I went to the dollar tree for the ones I used. I think I used almost 40 eggs.

4. Hot glue and hot glue gun

5. Ribbon - I just used some I had in my stash. This will be to loop around the wreath so it can hang from the door.

Now, here we go!

Cover your wreath form in your felt, fabric, or ribbon. This does not have to be all snazzy cause you barely see it since the eggs will cover almost all of it. Only upon close inspection will you see the felt.
Next, start gluing on the eggs. Be sure the eggs don't pop open! My dollar tree eggs held up well to my high temp glue gun. :) I did not do a pattern or place them all in the same position. I just wanted to cover as much of the form as possible. So, in this process my wreath would look lopsided, so I would just adjust by adding more eggs until the whole thing looked uniformly round.
How cute is this chick??!! I saw him at the craft store and he had to come home with me. I wasn't sure what to do with him until I started this wreath. Now he has found his home!
Here is the finished wreath on the door. I just tied the ribbon in a simple knot at the top and hung it on the door hanger. See the chick? So stinkin' cute!

Here it is in full view. I am very happy with the way it turned out and it only cost about $7. AND Caleb helped me put on the eggs. So, this little wreath has some precious memories in it's making. For example, to choose which color would go next, Caleb decided he was an egg machine that popped out the next egg. You can only imagine the laughs we got out of that one!

I just wanted to add this in. I made this wreath for someone in our family. I didn't think they would like the one that I made for our door so I did this instead. I was happy with the way this came out too. Happy Easter (decorating!)!

What I Was Going To Do Today....

I was going to clean the house.

I opted instead to take my 3 hours that Caleb is in preschool and visit a widow that goes to our church. She is teaching me to crochet. Even though I know the basics, I sit and enjoy her sweet spirit and patience. She made me rip out my work 3 times! I loved every minute of our conversation. I am going back on Wednesday.

I was going to wash the dishes in my sink.

I went outside with my 4yr old. I am watching him drive his truck through the yard - backwards, ride his bike in the cul de sac, and chase the dog. He is arguing with me now about wearing shorts, but I won't let him cause it is cloudy and chilly. And now he is listening to the birds in the trees and trying to find their nests.

I was going to do the laundry.

Instead, Caleb and I made an Easter Egg Wreath to go on our front door. He handed me just the right egg to be placed in each spot.

I chose to leave the chores today cause sometimes it is necessary to savor what you got. Those things that are not expendable, or could be gone in an instant. That sweet widow will not always be on this earth to teach someone to crochet, and my sweet 4yr old will not always be 4.

I love the house where you live, O LORD, the place where your glory dwells. - Psalm 26:8

Celebrate the Boy

I have boys and I love to craft. Finding cool designs for boys is a little tasking cause sooo much out there is for girls.

So I always look forward to "Celebrate the Boy" month on the crafty blogs.

This is one of my fav websites to check out: MADE

Right now she has this retro duffel bag tute (from Saltwater Kids - another fave website) that would make great gifts for sons, nephews, and in the right colors the girls of the fam too. Have their name embroidered on the side and voila!

Anyway, I love celebrate the boy! Go BOYS!

Monster Tooth Pillow

I have been looking for a box of some sort for the boys to put their lost teeth, so the tooth fairy could find them easily. Rumor has it our tooth fairy is not very graceful or sly so under the pillow would not be acceptable.

I ran across this little gem of a tute at TheLongThread.com and my search was finally over. Cute, easy to make and I love anything monster-y. YAY!

I love this time especially on all of the crafty blogs because right now is Celebrate the Boy time. Where all things boy are revealed with tutes. As with all things girly, there is plenty of it and the boy always seem to have a small section. So, having a whole month (I think) dedicated to homemade boy things is awesomely awesome.

Indulge me

Someone please have a baby so I can make these:

Onsie Cupcake

Please let me borrow a dress form to make this:

The Best Dress

A way to get an area rug with the $$$$

Area Rug Tute

Never do this, it looks gross and I will think you are coo-coo

King Cake

There is Nothing Normal about Today

Just think about everything that must function properly for you to survive. For example, your kidneys. The only people who really think about their kidneys are people whose kidneys don't work correctly.....

What about driving down the road at sixty-five miles per hour, only a few feet away from cars going the opposite direction at the same speed? Someone would only have to jerk his or her arm and you would be dead. I don't think its morbid; I think it's reality.

It's crazy that we think today is just a normal day to do whatever we want with.

-Francis Chan, from Crazy Love

Funny, how we say "it's just a normal day" when a "normal day" is anything but normal.

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
Psalm 62

Happy Birthday Caleb

I can't believe that he is 4. I wish time would slow down.

Here's to you little man! I hope to celebrate many many more blessed days with you!

Things We Can't Control

1. We can't control when we have to sneeze. It particularly stinks when you have a sneeze come upon you while applying mascara. The damage it renders is enough to make me almost say a bad word!

2. We can't control when little kids have to go potty. More specifically, when they tell you they need to go potty AND the volume at which they tell you. I love it when they tell me at the top of their lungs in Wal-Mart that they need to go poo poo and then proceed to yell "It's coming out!" - also at the top of their lungs - all the way to the restroom door.

3. We can't control customer service telephone ppl who give you the run around. Thanks for the customer service. That was an hour and a half of my life I will never get back!

4. That is all

Moving with ease

I decided I would be crazy and jump on a bandwagon. I convinced myself that it was good to hop on board, after all, I saw my husband take a ride on this wagon and he was fine. I have been on the wagon for three days, and let me just say.............

WHAT WAS I THINKING???!!!!!

This wagon I jumped on, it would be the one and only P90X wagon. I have finished day three. However, I thought I would be a tough gal and add on 30min-1hr/day of cardio on top of it. Let me just say there is not one muscle that moves/twitches/relaxes without me feeling it!

My abs told me today they had had enough. While in the middle of Ab Ripper they go completely numb. Yes, numb. I could not feel my midsection. I guess the pain was to unbearable that my brain blocked all the nerves and said "NO MORE! YOU CRAZY PERSON!"

Although I feel as though someone has been beating me with a mallet while I sleep, I will not give up. After 90 days I will have Jillian Michael's arms and J. Lo's booty. I will be victorious.

Recommendations

1. Ever since I read my friend's post about folding and organizing sheets, my bed sheet changing has never been the same! I highly recommend that when a sheet set is folded, slide the set into one of the matching pillow cases and your linen closet will thank you and your mind will thank you when you don't have to tear the closet apart to find the missing matching pillowcase. To read her post for clearer instructions click HERE. This is a life improving tip, trust me.

2. Macadamia Nut Oil Treatment for your hair. Oh my word!!! I could write a book about this stuff. I LOVE it! My stylist used another product like this (Moroccan Oil) on my hair and the smell was way too much for me. Then my hubby's cousin, Sarah, from Hair Thursday actually did a video on these oil treatments and mentioned the Macadamia Oil and how it did not smell as strong. You can see the vid HERE if you like. So, I researched it a little, got some reviews, checked pricing, etc. After one application my hair was like silk. I was a little girl again who wanted to just suck her thumb and twirl her hair! I use heat on my hair almost everyday, plus the use of a flat iron, and I get my hair colored (by the way I had red highlights put in and this has not affected my color at all, and we all know how sensitive red can be!). All that can do some damage no matter how careful you are. This oil, is the bomb. I have seen dramatic improvements in my hair and love it. Now, it is a little on the pricey side. $36 for a 4oz bottle. Ouch, I know! However, I can justify the cost when it takes me like a year to use the bottle! A little goes a long way, trust me. I love the smell, so I added a little (ok a lot) extra to my hair and my hair was as limp as a wet dishcloth (however, not at all greasy). Use just the right amount (about dime size for my middle of my back length hair) and it is just right. If you have short hair, well this could be a lifetime supply for $36 (the price is the same no matter where you look). Worth it, right? I thought so. Go to Ulta now and get some. PS - if you have long hair u will love this - using this oil cuts your drying time in half. Well, maybe not in half, but it does help get it done faster!

3. Ever been to Alaska? No? Book your trip now and if possible could you spare some airmiles for me? Thanks.

4. That is all