-joy•blog

Crafting - Old Tshirts

2012-02-03T08:42:00.002-05:00

Skylar was out last Monday for a teacher workday, so I decided to pull out the sewing machine and get crafty. My kids from time to time will ask for me to get it out, so I gave in.
I have been seeing DIY bracelets and headbands on Pinterest. They are made from old T-shirts and this "re-purposing" was right up my alley. I didn't have to go out and get any supplies - WINNER!

While I was gathering old T-shirts (which I had already saved some, just knowing this occasion would arise), the kids dug into the fabric stack and wanted to "do something" with it.
So before the T-shirts could get used, I had to make numerous "sleeping bags" for the stuffed animals.

Both of my kids have a thing for stuffed animals. They love them. Sean and I particularly do NOT like them and that's probably why they love them, isn't that always the case?
Anywho......
They both have these small ones called "Whimsys" so Jaden wanted to sew a multiple sleeping bag for his:

Skylar's thing is WebKinz stuffed animals, so we fixed them up:

Jaden decided that he wanted individual ones:

So now on to the T-shirts:

There are a ton of tutorials out there, but I kind of just went with it:

I cut strips of the shirts out - started out with smaller strips maybe 1 1/2 inches wide and about 12 - 18 inches long.

This was my first: an old purple shirt turned into a bracelet for skylar.

Since the fabric is stretchy, I just sewed the ends together and she just doubles it and slides it on. She says it is VERY comfy and loves to wear it and tell that it came from a T-shirt.

You just take 3 strips, pin together with a safety pin at the top, leaving about an inch at top and then braid all the way down.

For Skylar's I just sewed the ends together to make one big loop. She twists it one time to double it on her wrist.

So I made one for myself - This first one I cut wider strips.

For mine, I made a loop on one end, hand sewed, it was too thick to go under the needle on the machine. On the other I attached an extra button that I had.

This one is thicker with a bigger button and only doubled on my wrist.

This one is with skinnier strips and is tripled on my wrist with a smaller button. This one is my fav.

The loop just goes over the button. They are indeed very comfortable.

So I went on to make a headband. Longer strips and I just machine sewed over the ends, leaving a few inches of the 3 strips hanging down at the ends.

So then i got REALLY crafty and made flowers.

But that's where it ended - ha. My creativity was draining out, my house was a wreck, stings everywhere, fabric scraps, thread stuck in the carpet and my kids long had lost their interest. So these flowers are just that, fabric flowers. They are not adhered or attached to anything.

Oh, I did attach one thing: a pom-pom ball onto a headband for skylar.

So here is a peek at a very slow, ongoing project of mine. Hopefully I'll be able to post the process and the finish product soon.

Honduras Part 5

2012-01-27T07:23:00.000-05:00

On our last full day in Puerto Lempira, after working and visiting Mama Tara's we traveled over to another orphanage. I hesitate to call it an orphanage, b/c they are all family. A tragedy struck, 2 moms that were sisters died with cancer leaving all their children. So the other sisters took all them on and they live, all 18 of them, in a one room home.

18 people live in this one room house! Look at it! At one point they were all sleeping on the floor, but a team came down and built them 2 sets of bunk beds that are 3 high and hold the equivalent of 2 doubles per level. When we visited, the place was spotless and kempt. Can you imagine yourself living in this house with you aunts and cousins galore? And be happy?

Well they are some of the happiest people I've ever met and dreams......they have them, big ones!

They are mostly older kids, in their teens, and they put on a presentation for us. They told about their dreams and aspirations they hope to achieve "only with God’s help". Two of them were leaving shortly to attend medical school!! [update - they have already left] They wanted to be lawyers, system engineers, math teachers etc.
It may look little and disheartening from the outside, but there is much love, joy and it’s just bursting with hope.
They are also resourceful in that they make baskets with natural items that they find right around their house and sell them to support their daily needs.
Such as:

This basket was made out of pine needles and found trash. They make many different size baskets some with handles and many other things. So resourceful it's inspiring. I make so many trips to Hobby Lobby and AC Moore just to "create" something and yet, this.......

You can see one set of bunk beds in the back corner. They do have one wall outlet, as you see the keyboard was plugged in, we saw really no other modern convenience.
They too, were fitted with TOMS shoes and were so excited to have them. They said they were going to keep them clean and use them as "Sunday church shoes".

I borrowed these pictures from a teammate of mine, but I wanted to show how clean and neat they were and how they utilized the tiny space that they had.
Behind them were their clothes neatly folded and stacked. You can also see right behind of our worhsip leader, Adam, the pots and baskets that they make.

Here they are with their TOMS:

Legos

2012-01-25T11:30:00.000-05:00

I'm going to take a break from the Honduras posts for today to bring you another Lego creation by Jaden.
This little fellow can't get enough.
I regret not taking a picture of the zoo that he had up, it was quite cute. We tore it down and built a campsite.

Jaden aka Smiley Bruce aka Sparkle Eyes aka JJ

Notice the white "marshmallows" on the black "stick" next to the campfire. Also, skylar came in and found a red "hotdog" and put it on a stick.

yes there is a fish on a grill next to campfire and a ranger. Skylar taught Jaden about rangers and it took him a while not to call them "strangers".

Everyone on their sleeping bags. Yes, there had to be police for some sort of rescue mission. There is no way those lego men could just kick back around that campfire and relax.
A couple of times the ranger said, "I'm going to under arrest you".

"Wait mom" Jaden turns out the lights and then said, "okay now take the picture, it's dark for them to sleep".

Honduras Part 4

2012-01-20T09:43:00.000-05:00

MAMA TARA'S Orphanage -
As I wrote in my beginning blog post, Mama Tara's is the main orphanage that I (we) have been supporting and that we came down for. They are the most in need. We knew of a handful of projects that we would be doing there, we were told about the situation, but it's nothing in your head until you actually see it with you own eyes and are standing right in the midst of it. It really is something hard to swallow for someone who is Americanized.
The majority of our time was spent at Mama Tara’s. It was a 20 minute dirt road walk (across the runway) and to be honest the walk was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We were completely submersed in the culture during this time. You were able to see the women washing the clothes by hand and hanging them out to dry, see the naked babies running around with the chickens, view the vast landscape of Moskito housing, etc. It was a great time to prepare your mind for the work and time at Mama Tara’s. There, just a short distance away, is no power, no indoor plumbing, at best 2 meals a day, outdoor kitchen, trash everywhere - just your bare necessities.

We saw this little girl holding an infant in this window everyday. She would always smile and wave.

The landscape on our walk.


Our team on the walk to Mama Tara's

The outhouses to the left and the chicken coop. The path from our walk is to the right of the chicken coop.

The cook houses. They build fires inside.

The front of Mama Tara's. The building is in great shape, just no electricity to utilize it.

Meeting Mama Tara was an honor. You can tell she truly knows sacrifice, abounding love and grace, such traits of our Lord, with whom she loves. She was so thankful and humbled that we were there. I was humbled to just be around her. I had just met and learned about another level of love, sacrifice and devotion. It's amazing what we think is the meaning and extent of such words as love, sacrifice and devotion in our culture and then you visit people like Mama Tara and your mind is instantly expanded in ways you never imagined and the definintion of words are forever changed.

Mama Tara

We started with introductions and tours, then we all were ready to work to make this place a better home to live in. First order of business was to pick up the trash that littered the entire pathway leading to the house and all around the site. The kids were equipped with old feed sacs and bags and instructed to follow suit. We then started a burn pile.

What we saw as we walked up to meet everyone.

We equipped the children and ourselves with bags and headed out to tackle the trash.

Our burn pile of the trash.

Others split up and we tackled several projects over the next couple of days.
•Painted all the bars protecting the windows with rustproof paint.
•Drove in posts and installed fencing around an area for a garden.
•Painted beautiful murals in the kids' rooms with scripture of their choice.
•Fitted every orphan and worker with TOMS shoes.
•Went shopping and purchased items from a list that Mama Tara created.
•Secured some very swaying bunk beds with crossbeams.
•Installed door knobs and locks.
•Repaired the main screen door.
•Supplied 20 kits of lice medicine.

painting the window bars


Painting murals.

Another mural.

The bunk beds.

Drove in post and secured fencing around the entire garden area.

Fixing the main door to the inside.

We worked hard, but we played hard as well. Our worship leader was part of the team and he got out his guitar one day and started singing a worship song in Spanish (a very simple one, so we could join in). You could tell the kids were interested but very shy. He then begin to play Feliz Navidad, so I felt the urge to dance and the kids begin to laugh hysterically. I would grab a couple and dance and they would just beam. They felt embarrassed to dance, but you knew they liked it. I hope to go back and teach more dance and free movement to them. I wish upon anyone to have so much happiness that you can’t contain it, you have to dance!

Adam also started a conga line. They LOVED this. I wish I could bottle up those big smiles and laughter while they were doing this.

After the dancing and singing. Mama Tara told us, with tears in her eyes, that a few nights before we got there, God gave her a dream while sleeping, that “the Gringos came and we all had a fiesta!” She repeatedly thanked us, but I felt as if I needed to thank them. Oh, how God wants us to dance and sing and be His happy children! Praise Him!

I am invested now in these lives. How can you not be, after spending days with them, loving on them and wanting the best for them? It has been placed upon my heart to return and to be an advocate for them, because if not me, who then? I never want to impress upon them my American ways, culture or ideals. I just want opportunity for them, 3 meals a day, cleanliness, to know God personally, affection and schooling.

Honduras Part 3

2012-01-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

Everyone on this trip touched me, but there were a few that really tugged on my heart. The first was a young girl, Stephanie, at House of Hope, where we stayed, that came over the first night holding her infant sister, something very common that I saw. Stephanie was extremely shy, but I could tell she wanted to be around us and observe. I said ‘hola’ and she just gave me a shy smile. I asked her name in Spanish and she again just smiled. So I just sat with them and played with the baby. Something about Stephanie’s eyes really had me intrigued. Later I learned that she did not speak Spanish, but only Moskito, so one of the orphans asked her name for me in Moskito. I learned of her horrible life story through the local missionary. This girl has seen and be through a LOT. She was around one evening during our worship and I was able to motion for her to be on my lap, which I could tell she liked the attention. I haven’t stopped thinking of her since we left. I commit to praying for her and her family situation.

The second was Romi.

At Mama Tara’s there are workers and helpers that aid the 80-something Mama Tara. One is Romi. She came to the orphanage with her 4 children because it’s the only way they would be fed, so she works in order for that to happen. And from what I observed, she works hard. She cooks, cleans, helped us paint the bars on the windows, she’s still nursing her youngest and has 3 others, while assisting the other 30 something kids there. She has nothing. She has been robbed upwards of 3 times of everything and yet still marches on. The last day I was there I pulled her aside and asked (well motioned) would she like my shoes? Her face just lit up and she cried. These were my “old pair”, as I have 2 others at home an as you can see I had a backup, I felt guilty. She beamed non-stop and repeatedly thanked me. I hope these shoes supernaturally last many more miles through her hard efforts. I will never take my running shoes or any shoes for granted again and I will think and pray for her as I put them on.

Honduras Part 2

2012-01-14T08:27:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned the first night we stayed at a B&B, which is not the B&B in American standards. It was clean, simple, had some AC and warm water. They fed us breakfast, which was delicious, and it was a nice place for a good night's rest. The veranda, which was right off the house was an awesome place where we all congregated as a team and just rocked in the rocking chairs in our little down time we had. The hospitality was amazing and it was a pleasure getting to know our hosts, Saundra and Jimmy.

The next morning we rented a van and traveled 3 hours to La Ceiba where there was a tiny airport with tee tiny airplanes. Our team basically was the flight. It was a 19 passenger plane that we flew to Puerto Lempira, our final destination. Puerto Lempira is really only accessible by boat or plane. This is apparent when you land on the dirt runway! Albeit, a very nicely maintained, but dirt no less. Of course there is no airport, just a souvenir shop and food place.

This souvenir shop is made my locals and supports the Hogar Esperanza orphanage.

We had a short walk to the orphanage where we were staying, Hogar Esperanza (House of Hope). Some of the team joked that they were already learning Honduran time and meaning is different than ours and yes we did learn that.
The "short walk" was not. However, I thoroughly enjoyed it especially after traveling ALL day.

Next up was House of Hope (Hogar Esperanza). One-half of our Young Adult Sunday School class sponsors this orphanage. This is actually where we stayed while in Puerto Lempira. They have a mission bunk house on the premises, it’s also fenced in and has a night and day watchman. This orphanage was very different than that of which we experienced at Mama Tara’s. The kids were bathed everyday and had a change of clothes and 3 meals a day. The cooks there did an excellent job of cooking for the “gringo’s” (white people) bellies. There was no AC nor warm water, but we had fans throughout the night until the expected 6 am power outage, that lasted until noon. That was enough to wake you out of your slumber, but we had our loud wake up call from the resident rooster and all the other local roosters echoing his call, over and over and over and over.

I literally would laugh out loud in the mornings waking up, "welcome to 3rd world Honduras Joy!" I felt like this rooster was yelling at me.

House of Hope had 4 little boys around the age of 4, they are very small for their age, most likely due to malnutrition, but they would meet us everyday the moment we stepped on the grounds back from Mama Tara's, with up-stretched arms just wanting to be held. They then would just cling on, wrap their legs around and hug tight! They were a welcome sight every night and joined us for our time of team dinner, worship and devotions. You could always find one of our team members snuggling with them at any given point. I will NEVER forget one night one little was on the lap of another teammate, Becca who sat in a chair and I looked up and here comes another little one across the big courtyard pulling/dragging a chair behind him. He maneuvered it onto the concrete and pointed down at and reached his arms up to me. He wanted to be held the exact same way. Precious is all I can say. I would have sat there all night if he would have let me.

Honduras Part 1

2012-01-09T09:46:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, I traveled to Honduras on a missions trip 2 days after Christmas. I had such an amazing time that I want to do a part series here on the blog to tell all about it.

Here we go:

Back Info:
A wonderful lady name Tara Garcia worked with a couple of people in my Sunday School at CCC (Carolina Cross Connection). Her story is here. She and her husband are missionaries and live in San Pedro Sula, Honduras and work with several orphanages through their ministry, R.O.O.M. (Reach Out Orphanages Ministries)

So our Sunday school classed decided to 'adopt' or support an orphanage(s) in Puerto Lempira, Honduras via Tara. We felt comfortable doing this b/c Tara was awesome at sending pictures and putting our money exactly where she said it was going. Most months it was used to purchase fruits and vegetables for the kids, as they normally only eat rice and beans. We started our support by doing a fundraiser. We had a church-wide yard sale where everyone donated items to sell. We then set up at a local business and sold. We pledged to match the money we raised and ended up with around $6000! We also send monthly support, I think we all committed to $20 per couple. We obtained pictures, names and birthdays of all the kids at Mama Tara's and posted them on our wall in our classroom. This really gave faces to where our money was going. Tara would also send updates of things going on at Mama Tara's. Some older kids through sponsorships, were able to go on to boarding school to continue their education (high school level). This is a huge step for a child, which most who attend go on to do great things!
Also via Tara, an American family from Texas felt the calling to live in Puerto Lempira, Honduras and help with the orphanages there. This is their story and website. They are an amazing family and such a huge help and asset to the orphanages. Their ministry is Reach Out Honduras.

After a year of support we decided to visit and meet and love on these precious kids and help lend a hand with anything physical that was needed.
So 15 people hopped on board to take this leap of faith to visit the country of Honduras and go into a pretty remote area of Honduras, the town of Puerto Lempira, only accessible via boat or plane.
Our team ranged in ages from 6 to 67! Everyone had very distinct talents that varied widely. It's always amazing to see God orchestrate exactly the people and talents He needs to carry out a mission.

Our flight was out of Atlanta at 9:45 am. Originally we were planning on driving through the night to be there @ 7:30 am, we really didn't consider staying in Atlanta b/c we didn't want to add any cost to our trip. However, a generous person in our church caught wind of this and donated his hotel points for us and booked 4 rooms for us right near the airport! What a blessing to us for a good night's rest.
We set out on Monday, December 26th @ 5 pm and headed to Atlanta.
Our flight was from Atlanta, GA to San Pedro Sula, Honduras and was just under 3 hours. I was shocked by this. I've traveled many times to San Francisco and that was just the first leg of my trek and yet here we are in just 3 hours in a 3rd world country!

We were greeted at the airport by Tara, her husband Jorge and Jimmy (owner of the B&B). We were staying that evening at a quaint B&B there in San Pedro Sula. The owners are in the same neighborhood as Tara and Jorge. It is called Casa el Meson. The B&B was simple and cozy.

After dropping off our luggage, we ate some dinner and headed to our first orphanage stop, Hogar Santidad. Hogar Santidad is sponsored by a family in our church, which one of them being on the team! She was so anxious to meet "her kids" and give them Christmas! It was a joy to watch her just take in the kids, their faces and personalities. When we arrived they were all sitting on the couch side by side, very shy and probably nervous. There were some forces smiles and Hellos, but I think we were all and little awkward on how to begin.

Passing out Christmas did bring some smiles and interest, but the kids on our trip, ages 6, 7 and 11 were the real ice-breakers. They started working with them on the crafts and games. Wow, I learned a lesson right then, to let my inhibition tendencies go and jump in there. So I noticed the little guy on the left with the Angry Birds shirt. So I whipped out my cel phone and pulled up angry birds and handed it to him. He was quite surprised and didn't right know what to think. So I showed him a couple moves and he was off!

So other team members started to pull out phones and kindles and well, Angry Birds became our language and broke down some barriers! Who would have thought??

Also, while we were there, the fellas were able to put up some much needed cabinets in the kitchen of this house. They have around 10 kids and 2 adults in this house and they had 0 cabinets in the kitchen. Tara was able to save out a little each month and save up for 2 nice cabinets.

By the end of the evening, we had played, laughed, exchanged emails for FB, had a pizza party, played games, took polaroid pictures with each other, and drained the battery on my iPhone. It was one of those experiences that just leaves you beaming from ear to ear without even knowing it. My hear was FULL and overflowing and we had not even been in Honduras for 12 hours! I didn't know it at the time, but that was definitely an omen for the rest of the trip.

Stay tuned for more........

non-people photos

2011-12-20T05:13:00.002-05:00

I take a ton of pictures with people in them. It's what I do and love to do. However I've been going back through my 2011 photos lately and have come across some interesting non-people ones I've taken, they're not many, but thought I would share them.

More Random

2011-12-18T20:46:00.001-05:00

This here is another 'random' blog. Each photo (taken on my iPhone) has a little story to it - each that can't be fully communicated on how much these moments mean to me as a mom and wife.

With these, I share a little glimpse into what makes me truly happy.

This would be when the 3 of us got creative and made 'headwear' for the mini Lego figures.

Sean and I doing what we love....seeing shows, this one was Chris Robinson Brotherhood at the Neighborhood Theater.

I was cleaning out and gave Jaden this old modem to ~~tear up~~ work on.

Skylar's good friend Abigail came to her tournament game where she received her medal.

My kids donning Marvin the Martian hats in Walmart and singing the Martian song. (yes Jaden is wearing his fireman suit)

Does this really need a description?

Jaden doing what he does best, using his imagination with whatever he can get his hands on.

His Thanksgiving outfit they made at school. Precious.

We let Skylar order for herself and of course when sitting beside Nana, anything goes.

His great love and something we do together EVERY.SINGLE.MORNING.

This particular morning we built a tire shop, excuse me "JJ's Tire Shop" - please notice the J and J at the top.

Surely he saw this idea somewhere, but he had been gathering tubes for weeks and then explained to me what he wanted to do and helped put it together. He would drop his marbles in the top and try to guess which egg crate hole it would land in. This was about an hour of entertainment for both he and sissy.

Skylar and her best bud Maleigha at their soccer dinner.

On the way to Pigeon Forge, we stopped off at Cracker Barrel and they couldn't wait to play checkers. I will say Jaden actually gave Skylar a really good game, it amazes me how well they both grasp the game and actually enjoy it.

meaning

2011-12-15T07:18:00.000-05:00

I got on Facebook this morning and followed a few links. One of them being to a lady, a photographer, that I've followed for years. She's a great photographer, blogger, holistic expert etc. I really enjoy her blogs. However she just posted about how she is conflicted about what she's teaching and allowing her kids to believe and see at Christmas. She's conflicted about "lying" to her kids about Santa Claus and too much consumerism. She wants a more simplified, meaningful Christmas. She even bought a DVD about why they call it Christmas - made by the veggie tales people. She topped her blog with a picture of their elf on a shelf sitting with Joseph and Mary holding baby Jesus, so apparently she believes.
I've also run across other people bashing and questioning the Elf on the Shelf. Why would you use something fake to teach your kids to act good? Why are we using Santa and Elves to teach or kids that you get presents when you are good? Isn't that the wrong message?

Yes, yes it is. I do believe in a simplified Christmas, not teaching my kids to be good for presents. But honestly, what are you teaching your kids year round is the question? Are you teaching and talking to them about Jesus? Why are you just conflicted at Christmas time?

If they are learning about Jesus, why He came here, what He did for us, what he is still doing.......then they have a pretty good concept of what Christmas is all about. Everything else is just seasonal, right? Kids are smarter than you think. We have an ornament with Santa Claus praying over baby Jesus in the manger and my daughter said "Aww, reality and fantasy". Of course, I subtly asked which was which and she said, "well, I mean a man who flies around the world in one night and delivers toys, that's kind of fantasy". Never has she questioned a man who was born to a virgin, died on a cross for our sins, came back after He died and revealed Himself and now is in heaven and we can have a real relationship with Him, although we can't "see" Him. That's reality to her.

Back to my point. My kids enjoy Santa and Elf on a Shelf, but they know it's seasonal and enjoy the fantasy. Jesus is REAL and we know, really know what Christmas is all about.
So stop struggling and over analyzing and fretting about what Christmas is teaching your kids. Teach them all year and they will already know at Christmas time what's reality and what's seasonal.

I'm off my soapbox.
Good Morning or Mood Gorning as my daughter and I said to each other. (Runny Babbit: a Billy Sook by Shel Silverstein)
Joy

Awkward Family Photos

2011-12-12T08:28:00.002-05:00

Check out my blog post over at True to Life Photo's blog.
http://truetolifephoto.blogspot.com/2011/12/awkward-family-photos.html

Van Sessions

2011-11-09T07:05:00.000-05:00

My good and knowledgeable friend of music posted this gal and her "van session" on FB the other day and I'm hooked. They cover some songs you never thought would sound good covered, but they really do it well.

I especially like this one - Baby You're No Good (made popular by Linda Ronstadt)

Here's another that I really like b/c I used to love some Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know"

There are a lot more on YouTube - Nicki Bluhm Van Sessions

Here latest album is really good! Check it out:

If you're familiar with the band The Mother Hips, she's the wife of Tim Bluhm. They have a CD coming out soon called Duets.

Happy Listening!

Random October

2011-11-08T17:06:00.000-05:00

Well, since I basically didn't blog the whole month of October, I thought I would post random pictures and tell a little about what was going on. Sometimes I enjoy these more - randomness is good.

Halloween:
Jaden is quite avid about anything rescue - police, EMT, firemen etc. He basically already had his costume - Sean came up with the idea to make him a tank. So we painted a 2 liter Coke bottle yellow. I drilled a hole in the cap and the sides - for the straps and hose. We then drilled a hole into his mask and connected the hose. He was set. Cutest lil' fireman I ever saw.

Skylar came up with the idea of Smurfette and she had a vision too. She talked Nana into buying the wig (I was going to make the hair out of yarn). I had some felt fabric for an old photography backdrop that I pulled out. I cut out a half circle, folded it in half and stitched down the side. Voila, it makes a smurf hat. We bought the face paint - specifically for costume smurf. I traced out a dress for her, cut some holes, stitched down the sides, cut the bottom and drew on some black ovals. Dress done. We then dyed the gloves, tights and tshirt. $5 pink flats from Walmart spray painted white.
I loved going back to the homemade costumes rather than spending a small fortune on a store bought. I enjoyed the time Skylar and I spend planning and making this one.

This took a miracle to get, but I did!!! It's going in their spot in the kitchen as an 11x14.

Playdate with the boy cousins:
Ethan who was quite excited about his Halloween costume.

My nephew Wesley, who learned to absolutely LOVE the slide.

NEVER a dull moment with these two.

My pretty sweetheart in the car.

This cool contraption was in the Learning Store and Jaden took right to it. I wanted to document the beginning of him learning to write.

Like every other kid in a 50 mile radius, we visited River Bend Farms on a field trip.

Jaden's friends Emma and Livvy.

Skylar's school had a fundraiser where they got sponsors for laps that they ran.

The teachers would mark them off on the back of their Tshirts. She ran the full 35!

This was her brother supporting her the whole time.

Jaden and I working on his costume.

My fashionista modeling for me at 6:30 in the morning.

Amazing Artist

2011-10-04T14:44:00.001-04:00

I ran across this artist, Jen Stark on Pinterest. She does all this with just paper that's been HANDCUT!! It truly blows my mind and yields me my visual fix for the day. Stunning.
Take a look for yourself.

RADIAL REVERIE


SUNKEN SEDIMENT


MICROSCOPIC ENTRANCE


SPECTRAL ZENITH

PLASMA SCOPIC

Labor Day

2011-09-13T14:06:00.000-04:00

We had family in to enjoy the pool. I'll let the pictures do the talking. LOTS OF FUN!!

my nephew Wesley......

2 of skylar's friends stopped by:

We got a pool.

2011-09-06T19:37:00.000-04:00

Yeah, you read that correctly - We Got A Pool!

We had researched it for a while, thought and talked about it for even longer and we finally decided to do it! From the first day of digging, we had a pool in 4 1/2 weeks! It was a huge project, lots to think about: how tall of a fence was required, what do we do with the existing one, what trees come out, where does the playset go, where will the pool go, what size, what shape, how much concrete decking do we want and where does it go, what type of pool, what steps, what color, how do we fill it up,.......i could go on and on.

I tried to document it throughout the process.
Here we are, our backyard before it all began.

We had to knock down a few shade trees: this was the view.....

Hello Sun!!

The next step was digging! Jaden sat in a chair and watched for half an hour like he was watching cartoons. did.not.move.

you can't tell, but he ran and put on his "excavator" tshirt

They dug into the ground about 6 inches and that was all the dirt they got. They pounded for the next 6 hours on pure rock! Huge boulders and a MASS amount of slate rock!

Finally the crater was formed!

The kids enjoying the "deep end"

The tiny little circle in the back is Jaden's head.

The next step was to haul in 8 dump truck loads of fill dirt. They filled back in the crater and then re-dug the pool so to get a clean shape.

Then the walls went up. We were really starting to visualize it now!!

Once the walls and steps went up they poured concrete around the sides to hold in place and then once again filled in all around with fill dirt.

We chose to do 2 main steps in lieu of the ladder. I personally didn't like hoisting myself out of a deep end, so this way you can just gradually walk out. It also provides nice spots to sit.

Next came the vermiculite bottom, which formed up the bottom of the pool. We decided to extend our shallow end to make it larger and only go to 6 1/2 feet for the deep end.

Next was pouring the concrete decking. We decided to have our pool come level with our existing patio (the portion of the brick and back towards the house). The decking was poured at a slight angle to direct water to the drain which lies between the decking and the brick border. We also added an area to the right for extended space.

Next the liner went in. We chose a tile mosaic but without the border that most pools have. The liner is the same on the sides as everywhere else in the pool.

Then it was time to fill a pool that held 22,000 gallons of water! We opted not to test our well, so we hauled in 18,000 gallons and topped off with the well.

Here are the deep end steps - blue to match the liner.

And here is the fella who dreamed, coordinated and made most of the decisions enjoying it all!

and the excited little kiddos who we hope will have many years of pool parties, friends, swimming, cookouts to come!

Contraption Tutorial

2011-08-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

I saw this idea on Pinterest, of course.
Here are some photos of what I saw:

Cute designs, huh? They're made from toilet and paper towel rolls! I love some recycled crafts!

The How-To:

Gather your paper tubes.

We painted them first, so the insides were not painted - but you can wait until very end and spray paint the entire thing.

Flatten the tubes.

I had Skylar measure 1 inch marks across.

Then cut at each mark.

This is what you get. I think we had 6 total tubes.

Start laying out your design. I'm too impatient to lay it all out beforehand, this is as far as I got, so I just went for it.

I used a hot glue gun, but I did find that clothes pins came in very handy to hold them together. It doesn't take long, but it allows you to move on to the next ones.

This is what we came up with.

First Days

2011-08-26T10:44:00.000-04:00

Skylar started back to school yesterday and entered the 3rd Grade.
I had to go back and look at her previous years "1st day pictures" and decided to through together a little collage.
Hope you enjoy!
She's such a sweet child.

Bathroom Remodel

2011-08-25T08:34:00.001-04:00

I'm breaking the cyclical thing I go through - blogging regularly and then boom - screeching halt.

I've been told to update b/c they were tired of staring at the I Spy Bottles.
Well, this is a LONG overdue one.
Last year I remodeled the kid's bathroom. Here's one tiny hint of a post about it.

Several things bothered me about this bathroom:
Nasty tile floors with red grout - that was coming up.
Tall, arbitrary cabinet in the middle of the bathroom.
Stained sink top.
Standard mirror that was dingy and couldn't be cleaned to look good.
Standard lighting. I could go on, but i won't.

Here was my inspiration: A print by Masha D'yans. I absolutely love here whimsical water colors and had to order this print. If you want to check her out - go here: http://masha.com/

Another little inspiration:

The fun part: ripping up the tile. It popped up a little too easy.

Took out the arbitrary cabinet and when we did we found an arbitrary hole in the wall, so I guess it doesn't make the cabinet too arbitrary anymore, eh?

So I:

prepped the floors for the new, free, cork flooring. Hubby helped install those.

Took out cabinet, sink top, mirror, baseboards and shoe moulding.

Prepped walls and painted them yellow. The first color was a little nauseating, so went back to store and added black.

Installed new light from Ikea. I had to replace the box for the outlet - felt pretty proud about that one.

Hubby and I set the new sink top and hung the mirror.

I made a frame from moulding for the mirror and painted it green, some paint I had left over from Jaden's room.

Installed new baseboards and shoe moulding. Painted and caulked.

Hung new curtains over shower.

Here are the afters:

I'll post soon on how to make this contraption. I was a fun project with the kids and it upcycled!

It took several tries with this frame, but I finally got it right. I think it adds alot to the bathroom.

It's definitely more open, bright and spacious in there now. I LOVE cork flooring and was so thankful for the free materials.

til next time.........

I Spy Bottles

2011-07-05T13:47:00.000-04:00

Here's a craft I did with the kiddos before they left for their week long trip with the grandparents. They had a blast creating them and they're still a hit in the car.

I Spy Bottles
Plastic Empty Bottles
Rice
small trinkets
funnel
super glue
laminating sheet
hole punch
string
camera/phone

Grab a bottled water. Make sure the bottle is a sturdy one and the size you want.
Drink to Empty. Completely dry out, I put a paper towel in mine to speed up process.
Gather small trinkets around the house. I found all mine, didn't have to buy anything.
Ideas:
coins - hair clips - safety pins - paper clips - buttons - seashells - toy trinkets - erasers - guitar pick - nuts/bolts/washers - legos - pen tops - candy - caps - craft supplies (pipe cleaner, googly eyes, sequins, beads)

Lay out the items going into each bottle in a neat fashion and take a picture.
Print out picture. I did mine about 3"X5". I found self lamination sheets around this size at Target and put them in that. Punch hole at top.

Start by putting a small amount of rice into bottle via funnel. Drop in a few trinkets. Layer again with rice and so forth until the bottle is filled to within 2 inches of top. This leaves room for shaking and searching.

(sorry for the really bad quality pictures)

Very carefully add super glue to the rim of the bottle and screw cap on.

Loop string through the hole punched in your laminated picture and tie around neck of bottle.

Voila, you have your I spy bottles.

Day 2 & 3

2011-07-04T21:57:00.000-04:00

This is Day 2 & Day 3. I would have posted on the days but I was at the beach and didn't know my Flickr Login.

Day 2 - What you wore today

Day 3 - Your Favorite Place

Day 1 - Self Portrait

2011-07-01T19:13:00.002-04:00

30 Day Photo Challenge

2011-07-01T09:10:00.000-04:00

I've been wanting to do this for a while, so here it goes. July 1st is a great day to start. I'm going to do a 30 Day Photo Challenge. I sometimes get too wrapped up in the business aspect of my photography and lose sight of the creativity and love I have for the camera. So hopefully this will push me to refresh and think creatively for 30 days.

I encourage anyone to do this along with me. It doesn't have to be a camera challenge, it could simply be finding an image online, drawing, taking the photo with your phone or point and shoot. It's simply to have fun and bring back or out your creative side. I hope it will open up a new way to view the world, maybe see things you didn't before or bring beauty to something ordinarily overlooked.
There are no rules, you don't have to do it everyday.

I will be posting here the images that I create with this challenge, I also have a Flickr group that I've created. PLEASE post your photos HERE. It will be an encouragement to me and I would absolutely LOVE to see other's views on the daily themes.
I hope you enjoy the journey too. I look forward to the challenge and project.

Here is a list of themes that I'll be following.
I've seen many of these on pinterest, so I combined and tweaked to make my own.

Other 30 day challenges I've found on Pinterest. Here Here Here

Please POST if you think you're in even for a few days.

Easiest Pie EVER

2011-06-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

I made this pie for a girl's beach weekend and it was a HUGE hit. 3 of the 4 had made it within the first week after returning home.
Thought I would share:
It's called Cookie Pie and it reminds me so much of "Cookie Mush", you're familiar if you ever attended Camp Lurecrest.

Cookie Pie:
1 bag of chocolate chip cookies
Pie Crust - Oreo, graham, etc.
8 oz tub of Whip Cream
1 bowl of milk

Dunk 1 cookie at a time in the milk, briefly, layer on the bottom of the crust. When covered, spread a layer of whip cream. Repeat, saving enough whip cream to cover top.
Refrigerate overnight. Serve and enjoy.

Easy, eh? And it's SO good!!

Flashback Friday

2011-06-10T15:48:00.000-04:00

We received this toy from a friend and it took me down memory lane. Anyone spend hours in their childhood or parenthood playing one of these?

I remember it like this:

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-01T21:01:00.000-04:00

outside

2011-05-26T09:30:00.000-04:00

Here's my sweet 13 year old dog, Star.

Here are my sweet boys, with their nerf guns.

Unassuming Star sitting out in front of the boys with guns, just relaxing, looking off into the distance.

Boys doing typical behavior with Nerf guns.

Not a clue:

"huh?" - a round of missed shots - ha.

art by Skylar

2011-05-25T09:14:00.000-04:00

The other day Skylar was outside waiting on Jaden and me to leave to go somewhere. I walk out and find this:

I was very impressed. I thought, wow, how did she think that up?
My mom saw it too and asked her the same question I thought. Skylar's reply, "oh I was just following an ant on the ground."
I really wish I could create things this beautiful from such small inspirations.
Man, I love that girl.

Jaden

2011-05-04T14:06:00.000-04:00

I have so many pictures of Jaden. I guess it's because we spend a lot of time together, maybe it's because he LOVES to play and I document him in this particular stage. I don't know, but something about this time in his life, I'm fascinated at what he comes up with, all the ordinary objects that he turns into boats, trains. I'm also fascinated that he literally plays with every.single.toy he has! He has such a joyful spirit and enjoys things to the FULLEST! What a jovial personality he has! Why would I not want to document him???

Here's a few from recently.

Sidewalk Chalk

Very involved with everything - making cupcakes

Trains!!

A girl scout cookie box decorated for a bike basket. Work glasses so "no one can see him"

dress up

give this boy a box and he's happy for hours!! He and his friend Emma are "fishing" (toilet tissue tubes with yarn) out of the boat they decorated.

He received this UPS outfit for his birthday b/c he loves to play "delivery man", so this Cheerios box served well.

Picking out his signs for his room at the junkyard.

New Nerf Guns

I AM FOUR!!

Resurrection Rolls

2011-04-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

Here is something I am doing with my kids either today or tomorrow. Great visual on what Easter is REALLY about.

Resurrection Rolls
(pictures are borrowed)

Ingredients:

One can of crescent roll dough

8 large marshmallows (or one for each roll you’ll be making)

Melted butter

Cinnamon sugar

Bible or Easter storybook

Assemble rolls and read the story:

1. Read John 19 while the oven is pre-heating according to the package directions.

2. Unroll the crescent rolls.
This is like the cloth they wrapped Jesus in.

3. Give your child a marshmallow.
This represents Jesus… all white and pure because He was without sin.

4. Roll the marshmallows in the melted butter.
This symbolizes the embalming oils.

5. Roll the marshmallows in the cinnamon sugar.
This represents the spices used to anoint the body.

6. Wrap the marshmallow in the crescent roll cloth, pinching the dough together securely.
This represents how they would have wrapped Jesus’ body.

7. Put the rolls in the oven (symbolizing the tomb and pretend like it was three days) and bake for the amount of time specified on the package.

8. While the rolls are baking, read John 20:1-18.

9. Open the tomb and remove the rolls. When they’re cool enough to handle, break one open and discover what happened to the marshmallow.
Jesus is risen! Jesus is coming again!

Flashback Friday

2011-04-22T10:54:00.000-04:00

This Flashback Friday I'll feature Jaden:

This still stands as some of the CUTEST, most SCRUMPTIOUS photos EVER for me!
I almost can't stand it, those cheeks.......

2011-04-21T07:54:00.001-04:00

Alright there peeps. Here's one for you all. My good friend showed me this book that her daughter in kindergarten checked out from her school library. I was in shock!
The book is Pinkerton, Behave by Steven Kellogg.
"Pinkerton doesn't understand his owner's commands. When told to come, he jumps out the window. When asked to fetch the newspaper, he destroys it. Pinkerton's desperate owner sends him to obedience school, but he flunks out in record time. Then one night a burglar breaks into their house, and Pinkerton is able to put his bad habits to good use."

Here is the cover. I could easily find the cover when I searched Google for it.

But I couldn't find the next few pages at all. Wonder why?

Did you read above the illustration?

So my friend went to the school and expressed her concern, so they took it to a committee and the committee agreed that the overall moral of the story outweighed the scary illustrations and they are keeping it in the library.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you look at this as humorous or disturbing?

humor

2011-04-18T10:57:00.001-04:00

Lately on pinterest I've been enjoying quotes, geek humor products and comics. I find myself laughing when not expecting it. So I thought I would share a funny on Monday.
Today I'll highlight the geeky humor ones.

Here are some geeky products:

APP MAGNETS

PHOTOSHOP LAYERS FRAME

PHOTOGRAPHER TSHIRT

LOVE THIS TSHIRT!

PERIODIC TABLE FOR TYPOGRAPHY

chalk

2011-04-13T21:45:00.000-04:00

I spend a LOT of time with my little boy. One thing we've been doing lately is creating fun shadows and then tracing each others with sidewalk chalk.
Today Jaden did 3 different ones. He had a statement about each one, so I wrote it above. When I went back out and looked at them again, they struck me more and in a great way. The statements were bold, adventurous, imaginative and just plain fun.

Oh, how I wish I think, pretend, believe and imagine this boldly!

I love and admire his pure, naïve mind.

Recycle Craft

2011-04-11T08:35:00.005-04:00

Another craft idea that has been floating out there and I finally did it!! I've never been happy with our doors on our entertainment unit and I've always had this one lyric that I wanted to do something with it.

In comes my new craft/"business" purchase. The Silhouette SD machine.

It's the same general idea as the Cricut, but this just hooks up to your computer and cuts anything you send it. No additional cartridges to buy. You just buy the machine and you're off.
Find out more about it HERE.

You can also cut with any paper of choice. Of course I looked for cheap and recycled. So I gathered up all my magazines lying around.

It's funny how I looked at these magazines with a totally different eye when looking for certain textures and colors. A chocolate cake and flowers didn't take on the same existence as before.

So here is an ad that I like the color purple in.

I loaded it onto the cutting mat, set up my letter on my computer and fed it into the Silhouette.

Voila! an 'E'.

Seems easy, but repeat that for the WHOLE lyric, it was quite repetitive, but worth it in the end, I guess.
A cup of coffee for the 'M'.

And here you have it finished.

And now installed on the entertainment unit.

I'm usually not a big fan of plain white backgrounds, but in this instance, I did. I wanted the textures and colors of the letters to stand on their own.

Of course this is a Black Crowes lyric, but means a lot to me with Sean and I sharing a same passion.

What do you think?

Crafting

2011-04-09T09:00:00.004-04:00

I've actually been putting into action some craft ideas that have been swirling around in my head. Most of the time I see them on www.pinterest.com. I see A LOT of ideas on there, so much that it's overwhelming! I'm visual, and that place is a wonderland for visual folks, but can also be a nightmare.

So here is what I saw on pinterest:

I loved the idea and knew that it would be easy to make, if I could find the right materials.
So, I went to my new favorite place, Cline's Antiques or "the junkyard" as my family calls it and found this old window frame for a whopping $2!!!!

I picked up some U tacks (Double Pointed Tack):

I just eyed where I wanted my first string, started on the left and I tapped in my first U tack, leaving enough to tie the string.

Put my string through, tied it and then pulled across the frame. I did measure this, same amount down from the top of the frame, then tapped in my 2nd tack and the right side. I then came back and tapped one in the middle.

Repeat all the way down the frame:

I actually tapped one in on the back of the frame for hanging and Voila, hang on wall.

Then, I clipped up my pictures with clothes pins. I used regular clothes pins to start, but they were just too big, they took away from the pictures. So I found smaller ones at Hobby Lobby and they worked great!

And I'm done! Easy Easy Easy. I love that I can change them out as often as I like and I don't have to order certain sizes for certain frames. I really do love it - great display, cheap, it didn't take me long to put together. It's just plain better than one large picture. It's more of a statement piece. :-)

Wall View:

Flashback Friday

2011-04-08T10:11:00.000-04:00

I'm back from cyclical break.
Here's a flashback Friday for you of my precious Skylar. It's been hitting me lately how grown up she's getting.

Here she is @ 1.

Here she is @ 8. Same sweet expression.

Let's me just mention the earrings here, since we're in Flashback Friday. Skylar found these peace earrings in my sister's room at my parent's house recently. These were mine when I was in about 5th grade!! They had a dress up day at school and Skylar chose to be a hippie and wore these earrings. I really felt old b/c I can remember vividly wearing these myself.

Homemade Granola Bars

2011-02-23T11:55:00.000-05:00

I really love granola bars - I know what my sisters are thinking right now......."yeah b/c you are a granola". ha. Anywho, they are a quick grab, packed with good things and last a while. However, I haven't found very many that I like. They are either too sweet, too crumbly, etc.
So I searched the internet last week for a good homemade recipe. I was going on a backpacking trip and wanted to take a really tasty good bar with us.
BINGO! I found it. They turned out really well and you can mix up the recipe with whatever ingredients you like best. I thought I would share, just in case anyone out there wants to give it a go.

Homemade Granola Bars:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Gather your ingredients:
    •    2 cups old fashioned oats
    •    3/4 cup wheat germ
    •    3/4 cup sunflower seeds
    •    1 cup nuts*, crushed
    •    2/3 cup brown sugar
    •    1/2 cup honey
    •    4 Tbsp butter
    •    2 tsp vanilla extract
    •    1/2 tsp Kosher salt
    •    approx. 8 oz. dried fruit
*Nuts. I used pecans, but any nuts will do, even peanuts.

Optional: Have a very eager little helper.

[1] Crush Nuts.
To crush your nuts, put them in a plastic bag and smash them with a heavy mallet, measuring cup, or sauce pan.

[2]Then, mix the nuts, oats, wheat germ, and sunflower seeds in a baking dish with sides.
[3]Toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that they don’t get burned.

[4]Meanwhile, prepare a glass 9X13 dish for your granola by lining it with waxed paper, lightly sprayed with a nonstick spray.
[5]Put the brown sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, and salt into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.

[6]By now, your grains and nuts should be toasted, so mix everything together in a large bowl. The grains, the liquid “glue,” and the dried fruit.
Mix everything REALLY WELL because you want to make sure the “glue” gets all over everything.

[7]Now, dump your granola mixture into your prepared baking dish.
[8]Spread out the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula. Now fold over the sides of the waxed paper or add a sheet on top, and PRESS HARD all over the granola. You want to compact it together so that your bars won’t fall apart when you cut them.

**Optional: I added a handful of whole almonds to the top and pushed them down into the mixture. You probably could do this with chocolate chips too.

[9]Wait 2-3 hours or until the granola has totally cooled.
Then, open the waxed paper …
And carefully turn the granola onto a large cutting board, peeling away the rest of the paper.
Now, firmly pressing down with a big knife (not sawing), cut your granola into whatever size bars you’d like.

[10] I wrapped my bars individually so they would be an easy grab-and-go.

VOILA. Hope you enjoy. They are chewy and a nice balance of sweet (fruit and glue) and nuts.

iPhone

2011-02-14T13:25:00.000-05:00

GUESS WHAT I GOT...............

I'm not sure the last time I was so excited. I literally was bursting with giddiness as we drove to the Verizon Store this past weekend to get it. It's still a little surreal that I have internet and can check my email where ever I go now. My upgrade was significant - from a used, banged up qwerty keyboard, non-internet phone to THIS magnificent invention!

Yes, I'm a Apple and gadget fiend.
Let me visually explain. Our house contains the following:


MacPro (joy's)

Apple Display (joy's)


MacMini (Skylar's)


MacBook (Sean's)


iPod Photo (Sean's)


iPod Mini (Sean's)


iPod Video (joy's)


iPod Shuffle (joy's)

iPod Nano (Skylar's)


Apple TV (all)

iPad (joy's)

Wow, all those pictures really brought it home to me, I think I need an intervention. Okay, I'll sign off now.

Valentine's Craft

2011-02-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Here is a cute craft I spotted on Pinterest. Here is the link to the one I saw, which is WAY better than mine.
These are cute, VERY inexpensive and personal alternative to classroom Valentines. Personally, you'll never see any boxed Valentines in my house.

I had very little time to throw these together, so I used what was on hand.

Red Construction Paper

photo printed out on plain white copy paper

a bag of $1 heart suckers

exacto knife

scissors or paper cutter

tape

glue stick

Cut your paper down to size so that there is a small border around your picture. I just did this so that the picture would be more sturdy. If it's printed on photo paper, it may be sturdy enough.

Then glue the photo to the paper.

Take the Exacto knife and cut 2 slits on the outsides of the fist. I had to angle this one, b/c the stick would have gone right into his face.

Then push the sucker (lollipop) through the first slit, under the fist and out the other side.

I then taped the sucker stick to the paper on the back so that it wouldn't slide out.

There you have it. Total cost - $1 (for the bag of lollipops)

I made it even easier and more simple and didn't put a "TO:", so that they could just be passed out to each child.

Enjoy.

Disney 2011

2011-02-09T14:15:00.000-05:00

So we just got back from an entire week in Disney World. We met up with my sister's family and my cousin Leigh's family. A very fun filled week. I really don't even know where to begin.
We visited all the Disney parks, Magic Kingdom twice, met lots of characters, absolutely no princesses which was fine by me. Skylar turned out to be a thrill ride fiend! She was able to ride alot of them multiple times b/c we adults had to switch off b/c of the little ones. She also had a first in that she rode an "upside down" roller coaster. It was the Rock and Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios. Her favorite by far was the Tower of Terror free falling ride.
Jaden loved meeting the characters, wasn't too fond of rides that went into darkness, avidly danced at all the parades, bought a souvenir that has yet to leave his side, became a pirate for 2 days (very into his character), rode his first roller coaster and drove his first ride.
We took a day off in the middle of the week and let the kids swim in the outdoor heated pool. I lounged poolside and basked in the WiFi.

A few snippets from our Disney trip.
The entire 290 photos can be seen here: http://joybruce.shutterfly.com/

Etsy Find Friday

2011-01-28T12:51:00.000-05:00

Here ya go:


Link

Link

And oh how I love these!!

LINKS

cards

2011-01-24T17:16:00.000-05:00

It's the ONLY Christmas decoration that I even really like. It's still up and so hard to take down, but unfortunately it's coming down today. It's a wonderful reminder of a lot of really awesome people that I'm blessed to know.

Mason Jar

2011-01-21T18:43:00.001-05:00

Well, I finally followed through with one of the "crafts" I've been eying lately. So here ya go:

I went to one of my favorite places the Depot @ Gibson Mill and picked up this mason jar.

I used a pump from an old hand soap bottle that was stored under my kitchen cabinet.

Then I went to drill a hole in the top for the pump, but eh-hem, our drill died, well the batteries did. They can't be charged, so I guess a new drill is our near future. But luckily we have a pretty handy neighbor and he drilled a nice hole for me.
I just had the hole the biggest size of the tube part of the pump. That way the top (black) part would sit nicely on top.

Now I've read tutorials where they glued the pump to the lid, but mine ended up fitting snug I opted not to, at least at this point. (it may wiggle loose)

VOILA!

Fill it up with your favorite soap. There is actually A LOT of soap in there. So I doubt it'll ever be full. Cute huh?

Thoughts?

for the visual

2011-01-19T08:12:00.001-05:00

Have you ever heard of Pinterest?
It's not a elaborate or intricate website - rather very simple and such a simple concept.
People have accounts and you basically pin images, like on a cork board. You can have many different cork boards, categories.
I signed up for an account, but they aren't accepting anymore as of right now, b/c it's still in beta form, but I can't wait!
I check this every.single.day. I love just looking with a cup of coffee in hand. Granted, it's only for the visual.
*************UPDATE**************
I got on pinterest! www.pinterest.com/joybruce

www.pinterest.com

Re-purposing Crafts

2011-01-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

Being out ALL week due to a little snow, I've been finding some really neat crafts online.

A few links to blogs with great re-purposing crafts.
T-shirt Pom Poms

I love my Family Fun Magazine and this was in the last issue:
Cardboard Kitchen

Check out the cabinet handles - lotion bottle tops! And the burners - upside down plates!

Okay so I'll through in one of my own.
Again, this year for Christmas I didn't buy any wrapping! I used paper from shipments I've gotten, junk mail, things on hand and colorings by my children.

A few gifts for example

I made these pom pom bows out of junk mailers.

Watercolor painting by Jaden.

A few visual repurposed crafts for you:


Felted Sweater Wreath

pom pom flower

Etsy Find Friday

2011-01-14T07:59:00.001-05:00

Geekery
Yes there is such a section in Etsy. I identify there.
Here are some finds.

Green Lumberjack Crochet (click for link)
I thought this was pretty genius.

There are so many decals to put on MacBooks and iPads using the apple on the back, here are a few of my favorites:

The Giving Tree

Apple Juice

Converse

You know I'm a sucker for the upcycled

Macbook Clock

for skylar who loves her some Mario on the Wii

Mario and Luigi earrings

props

2010-10-28T09:13:00.000-04:00

I've been wanting to get some new 'props' for my business.
Of course I went on etsy and found some really cute crocheted hats, but dang if they aren't expensive. They also sell patterns for them as well, for less than $5 a piece. The solicited the ladies at the church that volunteer for the prayer shawl committee and one sweet lady took me up on it and she did a FABULOUS job! I supplied the yarn and the patterns. Here is the outcome!

I booked these models last minute:

Also, I went with fellow friend and photographer Cindy to a great find in Concord -The Depot @ Gibson Mill- HUGE place full of antiques and just really cool stuff. I have been in search of old suitcases for a prop. Well, this place actually had choices! They're just waiting on the right child to be photographer with!

I also landed this REALLY cool velvet bench right here in good 'ol Locust, NC. I've already used it twice and it photographs really well.

Any other suggestions for props??

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-27T09:27:00.000-04:00

Cousin Photo Shoot

2010-10-22T09:47:00.001-04:00

I had the pleasure of having my whole family over a couple weeks ago. I set up a photo shoot for the 'cousins'. Micah's little boy, Ethan - 3 years old, Rj's little boy, Wesley - 1 year old and my two.
Nana and Papa were in attendance as well for extra support. It was definitely tiring, but oh so enjoyable. I'm VERY pleased with the outcome!


T•R•O•U•B•L•E - only 2 1/2 months apart

Wesley

Ethan

I love this one for some reason. I love the way he looks up to her figuratively and literally.

Skylar

Jaden

Micah and Ethan

Etsy Find Friday

2010-10-15T17:43:00.002-04:00

My find this week is a really cool shop that recycles/repurposes license plates. I love them!!
The link here.

Thursday

2010-10-14T08:49:00.000-04:00

It's black and orange day at Jaden's school today! (also pictured is his new lunch box aka GOODBYN) The goodbyn is a whole other blog in itself, oh wait it already was, well, now that they are in hand.....more to come. But until then, check them out here.

Etsy Find Friday

2010-10-08T08:53:00.000-04:00

Here I am, for your weekly Etsy Find Friday.

For Christmas last year my bestie Ginine found this gift for me on Etsy. It's quite appropriate and fitting (crow). However, even though it has a santa hat, it stays up year round at my house b/c I love it so.

this is a really bad picture, sorry.

Today, Friday the 8th, this Etsy seller, INDIGOTWIN, is the featured seller on Etsy. They featured this shop, have an interview with the designers etc.
I love this shop, b/c it's quite quirky in the design, but very well executed. I especially love the customized pieces that you can order - like the families, a little pricey for my bank account. Check it out.

Here are some of the cutesy quirky.

my favorite!

SUMMER - Looking back Part 3

2010-10-07T08:11:00.000-04:00

Looking Back:
Here's a few pictures of a beach trip we took back in August. I, last minute, decided to go. It was the weekend before school started and wanted skylar to go out of the summer with a bang! I allowed her to take a friend, also a neighbor, and I think they really enjoyed themselves.

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

I know these aren't of the beach, but I just had to throw them in, b/c they make me laugh. This is such a typical summer morning for those two.

If you'll notice, there is no controller in the wheel that Jaden is holding, but shhh, he truly believes he's in control.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-06T07:41:00.002-04:00

Friday Finds

2010-10-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

Friday Finds.

I hope I can stick with this. I just like to post about cool products out there that I sometimes stumble across, other times earnestly seek out.

Today is an etsy seller that I love just about everything she creates. It the type of clean, simple, organic looking jewelry that I love.

Check her out HERE

Some of the items that caught my eye.

Listing Link


Listing Link

Listing Link

Re-purposing

2010-09-30T09:00:00.011-04:00

While playing Legos, once again, with Jaden, I came up with a way to re-purpose. It actually was a pretty exciting idea for me. I know this sounds a little looney, but I've been looking for a napking holder that I actually like and is kid-friendly. I had one that was an iron wire box but had a iron rod on top to hold the napkins down, well the iron rod became a weapon/toy. It's no where to be found and the iron wire box was ripped apart. I tried a small simple plastic plate from Ikea, but the napkins kept sliding off. I don't like most napkin holders, they either are too cheesy looking or hold the napkins too tight and just make a mess of things. Yeah, I know, I'm analyzing napkin holders. I'll stop.
So here's my brilliant solution. We'll see how long this one last.

My kid's favorite feature: that they can roll it to each other.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-29T09:00:00.001-04:00

MS 150

2010-09-28T10:55:00.000-04:00

So I posted a little while back that Sean was training and participating in the MS150 Ride to the Beach. Well, he completed it, not just 150 miles but 200! The double century they called it. They started out in Monroe and rode to Florence, SC on Saturday and then on Sunday it was from Florence to Sunset Beach.

The only 3 on Team 5/3 to do the Double Century (Larry, Andy & Sean)

Start in Monroe

Yes, that is a whole lot of males in spandex. A little visually disturbing for me, but I just kept my eyes on the prize, my prize. (below)

Jaden and I were the taxi for Sean and two of his teammates (5/3 Bank Team), Andy and Larry. We shuttled them back and forth from the start/end points to the hotel and back home. Jaden was a trooper. He rode like a champ for many hours in the car and also was super thrilled to see all the riders and to be around Dada, Larry and Andy. I don't think I've ever seen him so hyper before, literally. He had this unending energy and excitement. I'm sure it was an adventure for him - bikes, hotels, Krispy Kreme, etc.

Sean's ride was personal. His uncle died from MS and his aunt currently lives with it.
He has raised $935! His goal is $1000. So if you feel led to donate to a great cause you can visit his site HERE

SUMMER - Looking back Part 2

2010-09-24T08:41:00.000-04:00

"I've spent a little time on the mountain, I've spent a little time on the hill...."

Grateful Dead: New Speedway Boogie

We visited my parents several times this summer. Jaden, especially, loved this. He came to be VERY fond of "riding the gator and swimming in the creek". That's all he would talk about for days prior and post. [enter crossed eyed smiley here]

I love visiting myself, for lots of reasons, but there's just something about that mountain air that does a soul good.

Jaden's Favorite Way to Swim

The donkey's - their names: Michelle and baby, Hillary and baby


Picking Apples

His absolute most favorite thing in this world - driving the Gator!!

My nephew, Wes Wes, that I'm smitten with.

Nana and Papa

Skylar got bored and got a hold of the camera ----

not bad for being bored, eh?

SUMMER - Looking Back Part 1

2010-09-02T21:16:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I'm going back through my photos from summer and thought I would start a little series of reflection back on our summer. This may all be for personal reasons, but hopefully someone out there will get enjoyment out of it as well.
The series will in no means be chronological or in any organized manner. So enjoy the randomness. :-)

Our family trip to Asheville:

Skylar saw an image of the Biltmore House on the computer as I was planning our trip and started asking questions.
So we took them there first to see it. We did not take them on the tour however we walked around in the gardens and the greenhouses. She was amazed by its beauty and begged to come back and take the tour.

We stopped by the coffee/dessert double decker bus. I think this was their highlight.

In the top eating ice cream. Skylar's "favorite part". And Jaden's favorite part, open, close, open, close.

In true Asheville fashion, this was Jaden's 'trip prize'. Picked it out all on his own in a true hippie store.
He honestly fit in more than the rest of us. (notice the couple up ahead)

They both loved staying in the 'motel', i don't know where they picked up that word b/c we don't use it, it just says to me, thin bedspreads, carpet you don't walk on without shoes and showers that you don't touch the walls, but anywho, our 'motel' had a very nice packet with linen spray, mints and this sleep mask. Skylar in the car getting her beauty rest. Oh, my Sky Sky.

All in all we had a good time. It was a hot weekend, but being out and about did us good. We ate at Mellow Mushroom and sat out on the patio, had lunch with some old friends, went swimming, relaxed and enjoyed Asheville.

Sisters of the Quilt

2010-08-31T08:46:00.000-04:00

I'm not a huge reader, but I do love a good book. I went over to my mother-in-law's house, she is an avid reader, and scanned her library. I blindly picked up a book and ended up LOVING IT!! It by author, Cindy Woodsmall and the book is When the Heart Cries. Little funny, I was reading the book, very much enjoying it and then when it ended, I threw it down and was pretty upset. I looked at Sean and said, "She didn't wrap it up for me, I need more". He said, "so it needs to be a series?" Absolutely! So I picked it back up and right there, down at the bottom it said Sisters of the Quilt, Book 1. :-)
So I quickly checked out the next two in the series at the library and finished them pretty quickly.
A quick background about the book. It's setting is current but in the Older Order Amish country. It's the struggle of a girl with the legalism of the religion, a tragedy, yet also finding out true facets of God, oh and there's a bit of a love story.

I know it sounds like a full fledged "Christian novel" but really it's not. It has just enough to keep you engaged but focusing more on the characters.

I love recommendations of books, so I don't have to get half way through to find I don't like it, so here I am putting out my 2¢.

Author's Website Here

Handy Jaden

2010-08-29T21:44:00.000-04:00

We are in the midst of remodeling our guest bathroom. I'm in and out of that bathroom a million times a day, it seems. But this one time stopped me in my tracks and my heart just about exploded.

Jaden had been in there 'working'. He got this for Christmas and uses it VERY often. Thanks Nana and Papa.

Etsy Post Update

2010-08-28T10:47:00.000-04:00

I posted here about choosing an iPad cover. Thanks for all the input. Most of you liked the trees and I did love that one, but thought it would get too cute for me after a while. So I ended up going with......
this one:

I'm very impressed with the quality and how it's made.
It's just as pretty as in the photos. Another thumbs up for Etsy.
The inside is just as nice and well made:

Goodbyn Lunchboxes

2010-08-27T19:53:00.000-04:00

I read about these at one of my favorite blogs. She raved about these lunchboxes. I am adamant about "trash free lunches". Something in me just cringes when I see all the lunches that contain juice boxes and individual chip pouches and lunchables etc. I understand, as a parent, just how convenient they really are, but all that trash........
I've blogged on this before, but after visiting Japantown in San Fran and seeing their 'art' of packing lunches, I stocked up on small containers and have bought items in bulk for Skylar and Jaden's lunches. But this is REALLY cool. It's all my small containers in one! Not even a need for a lunch bag, even though I just bought one for Skylar.
Check this out:
They're called Goodbyn Lunchbox

It even comes with its own drink bottle and it fits in there!!!! (F)
(A) easy open (B) carry handle (C) large compartment (D) sandwich halved and stacked (E) small compartments (F) drink bottle -my fav (G) dishwasher safe stickers
Check out their website: http://goodbyn.com
Their website is so nice. They even have a section with a 3-week planner of what to pack, healthy stuff that is. Other pdfs are available too.
They are pricey @ $24.99, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE this. Oh and they come with stickers to decorate and they last through the dishwasher!
Okay, any takers or lovers out there? Lots of colors too!!

oooo, good Christmas present or birthday present!!!
-joy

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-25T08:52:00.002-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-18T10:56:00.000-04:00

in love

2010-08-12T21:04:00.005-04:00

I'm head over heels in love with ETSY.COM!
I spend so many hours on this site, just getting my visual fix, my crafty itch scratched, ideas and inspiration. It literally makes me want to take up so many different arts and skills.
I know I've posted before about this, but tonight I had something in mind I was looking for.
I haven't talked about this, but I bought one of these:

So now I'm looking for a cover for it. One that I just slip it into when I have it in my car or put it in another bag, or when it's just lying in the house.
So I hit up etsy. There's only one problem, too many awesome choices. So, here I am posting them to get your feedback. Just having a little girly, surface, materialistic fun. ya?

So this first one caught my eye. I love the fabric and it has a zipper opening at the very top for the iPad and then a front pouch for charger and what now.
Click Here for Etsy Listing.

My visual love of illustrated trees, this one totally jumped out at me:
Etsy Listing - still has that front pouch and it's nicely padded inside.

I likey this one too:
Etsy Listing

And then there's this one. I really like the fact that it has the detachable wrist strap.
Etsy Listing

I'm not too keen on the fabric, but I can request it in this fabric, French Wallpaper. ooolala.

So, whatcha think? I'll be making a purchase VERY soon.

I feel like this is a pet that I'm accessorizing.
-joy

MS Ride

2010-08-09T20:57:00.004-04:00

I joke around with Sean about his "affair" he's having. It's with his bike. But actually I'm very proud of him. He's training for the MS150 ride in September.
Here is a link for info.
Here is a link for his fundraising. His goal is actually $800 but on the site it says $500.
MS hits close to home for him. He had an uncle die from complications due to MS and has an aunt also diagnosed with it. It a grueling and debilitating disease and it's nice to see him turn his passion into charity.

They start out in Monroe and end up in Sunset Beach. Hopefully it will work out that our kids can meet us at the finish line. I, however, hope to be documenting his journey along with some good friends/supporters!

If you feel led, please consider giving to this cause or in some way cheer Sean on!

2010-07-17T08:23:00.002-04:00

So, my ~~wild~~, ~~exuberant~~, ~~talkative~~ son went on a "special" trip by himself to visit my parents. (i needed some uninterrupted time to work, lots on my plate as of late)
This left Skylar and I to spend some time together alone. I didn't realize until I was in the midst of it, that that hasn't happened in a long while and I felt ashamed. We had a great time. All we did was go to Target and Staples on our way back from dropping Jaden off and the atmosphere was mutual subtle excitement. We just talked and casually walked around. I feel I owe her an apology for not making this happen more often and that I didn't realize it needed to happen. I think I have failed her. Moving on.

Sean has been reading to her the Chronicles of Narnia for the past few months. She loves this time at night. Sean found his old set he had as a child. I stole this picture, but his is a little more yellow and weathered.

Well, through Netflix we queued up the first movie in the series, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. So Sean, Skylar and I sat down to watch it last night. This was a magical moment for me to see Skylar SO excited as the movie progressed. Quotes such as, "oh wow, Mr. Tumnus looks just like I imagined him" - "They forgot a line that was said in the book" - "Oh I know what's coming next" and of course lots of spoilers for me since I haven't read the book. She talked to herself through the entire movie.
Sean and I just kept looking at each other and smiling. She was so engrossed and the first thing she said to me this morning was "Narnia is AWESOME".
I love the imagination and characters she knows now, all that comes when you read a good book. A whole other world opens up and it was beyond description for me to watch that in her.
She is so special.

Mr Tumnus
The Witch
Aslan, The Lion
Peter, Susan, Lucy & Ed

Housekeeping

2010-07-01T11:18:00.003-04:00

This is probably a really stupid post, but here it goes anyways.
I've gotten numerous comments on the way I store sheets. I love it b/c it keeps all 4 parts together and it looks neat too!

Instead of this:

Open one pillowcase and insert the other 3 parts:

Push all the way to the bottom of the pillowcase and then fold over the remainder:

Then fold over the top part of the pillowcase, I fold under the open part too:

Then flip over and you get a nice, organized looking storage for sheets:

Yeah, yeah, I did get this idea from Martha Stewart.

Re-purposing

2010-06-22T18:46:00.010-04:00

I just stumbled across this website www.inhabitat.com. I love it because it's a very cause worthy site and right up my alley as far as conserving and re-using minded. They held this contest - Spring Greening Competition - they were "looking for creative and clever designs that find new uses for old household items" Ultra Creative people just really blow my mind! This type of re-purposing art and yes it's art - intrigues me, captures me, inspires me and absolutely blows my mind. For days I'll look at things in a new light, but my brain does not think like that so no "design" will come of it, but I do welcome the change of perspective. Here's the link to the finalist for this contest: FINALIST
but I'll post some below as well if you don't want to take the time.

I've seen this done with license plates, but I like this new twist on mundane everyday items:

This is incredible - pop ends from soda cans! As they said, it gives something with such a short life span, some newer long-lasting purpose.

This pendant light is made from a school dining hall's yogurt bottles! WOW! Retro Modern.

Okay, this one is probably my favorite! National Geographic Magazines turned into a shelf!! the "how-to": "coated the magazines with a a water/starch mixture and then he placed them under pressure for about a week to harden. Next he took a band saw to the consolidated stack and carved out space for a shelf. Holes were also cut into the bookshelf’s sides, allowing it to slide onto three rods to be hung. About 80 mags were used."

lunches

2010-06-18T10:08:00.001-04:00

This post has been in the works for months. Sad, I know. Even more sad that I'm now just getting around to posting it now that school is pretty much over. Oh well.

So....for both of my kids I pack lunches most every school day. I know I am known as 'Ms Green' but I absolutely just cringe when I see ALL the trash that is produced out of lunches! There are probably 5 baggies and some kind of juice container PER lunch thrown away. For a while now, I've packed my kids 'trash free' lunches. I don't know what fueled what, but I also have a love for small, itsy bitsy containers, so this helps.
For the visual here are a few pictures.

A little background about these:
The Japanese are known for their extravagant lunch creations and packing. Just google 'bento lunch' and you'll be amazed! So, we were in San Fran for none other than a Crowes run and we always stay in Japantown. There is this store that probably an equivalent to a dollar store of such, but with ALL Japanese trinkets. A lot of them aided in the bento lunch making. I can't even begin to describe what you could buy for just the art of making a pretty lunch.
Anyways, they had these awesome containers there and I loaded up and it has made this 'trash free' lunch a breeze. All dishwasher safe.

Here again, with the addition of the reusable Wendy's Kids Meal Chocolate Milk container. They are perfect for lunches!

This is another thing I picked up, a bento lunchbox. I heart it.

Close it all up and presto!

This is a container I bought from a school fundraiser. It has the nifty dip portion in the middle.

Maybe on another day, I'll show my cabinet where all these are stored - yikes, maybe not.

new look

2010-06-16T09:32:00.003-04:00

I wanted a new look, a more rustic approach.
The blog header will most likely change, but this will do for now.
See ya soon.

Quote for today:

"Say and do something positive that will help the situation; it doesn't take any brains to complain." -Robert Cook

Backpacking

2010-06-08T13:34:00.006-04:00

Well, we set off on Memorial Day for another backpacking adventure. A lot different from the last one. The temperatures were nice and pleasant and we actually hiked the planned route from last time.
We dropped the kids off at my parents and headed to Mt Rogers in Virginia. We followed the AT for most of the time. There are multiple parks right there together, Jefferson National Park, Mt Rogers National Park, Grayson Highlands State Park etc. Which in turn makes it a pretty popular place, at least on Memorial Day. I've never been where a camping spot is hard to come by. If there was one boy scout troop there were 50! However, both nights we ended up in two really nice spots, away from people. We in total hiked around a 22 mile loop. Really a nice trip.
Our friends Brandon and Katie joined us, Katie's first time although you wouldn't have known it. We also found out she's a speed hiker, which I personally like.

Our 'before' picture at my parent's house with our bags all neatly packed and our clean selves.

a stop along the trail in Grayson Highlands

In the Grayson Highlands State Park they have population of wild ponies. Not so sure 'wild' would be a proper name for them as they are very friendly and some pretty aggressive for something to eat. But most are very beautiful, something about roaming free brings beauty to something for me.

First night's camp. A spectacular view and lush grass underneath, which we termed 'the Shire'.

The classic every-trip-self-portrait.

At the very end of the trail. We were all like horses heading to the barn. It started to pour on us the minute we go to the truck. Ahhhhh.

And when we returned back to my parent's house, we had awaiting us the meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, slaw, sweet tea and okra. Another Ahhhhhh.

jaden's done

2010-06-08T08:31:00.009-04:00

Jaden's done with school for the summer. (insert wincing face) Have I mentioned that he talks incessantly? Literally. And the word "why" is only spoken 5, 492 times a day, I'm sure of it.

pa·tience

–noun 1. the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, like.

well, let's just say, I'm working on the "without complaint, loss of temper, irritation" part. Is there a cross-eyed smiley to put here? He does make me smile a whole lot too though. Like one morning on the way out the door, I happen to notice his fanatical self.

At his preschool they have "beach day".

can you tell he was ready for it?

shooting whip cream off the director's nose.

His favorite part.....the fire truck hosing down the kids. I think he will talk about this for the rest of his childhood. He would tell anyone that would listen the story about the "firemen squirting the water in the air and it got me soaked".

His good buddy Mylee.

My little Thing 1

Coming......

2010-06-07T21:04:00.001-04:00

I'm coming back......
I feel as though I really haven't been missed except for my mom and sis. But, hey, if it's just for you two, then it's worth it.

Anyone around still?

Etsy Finds

2010-04-07T18:05:00.006-04:00

I've blogged on this before - I love etsy.com and spend downtime (wasted) hours on there. I get inspired, my visual creative need is satisfied and I love that it's all handmade!
Maybe I'll start doing a weekly blog on my weekly etsy finds/loves. Hmmmm.

1) Necklace - Click for direct link

2) my friend ginine sent me this link -

3) LOVE THIS - and even more so that it's recycled material

4) I really wish I was capable of this. Love the colors.

5) we have LOTS of wall space in our house, should I?

smitten

2010-04-01T09:06:00.000-04:00

I'm smitten with my little nephew, "baby wesley". I just love to act the fool to get a smile or a sweet laugh. I never did that with my kids, but I just can't help myself with him. I took these a while back on a visit to the mountains.

Doesn't his little applique Tshirt tie just look adorable on him? I made and gave it to RJ before he was born and I can't believe it's already time that he is wearing it!

new picture

2010-03-30T08:50:00.000-04:00

It's new, sort of. I already have it blown up to a 11x14 and framed in my kitchen. But it's the newest I have of them. It's a rare occasion to get them to cooperate for a picture.

little things

2010-03-29T08:35:00.003-04:00

There are just some little things that I take pleasure in. Some 'have to have' things. I haven't bought any in a really long time. They've slowly disappeared to where now, I'm down to a blue one and an orange one. So I 'felt' it was time to replace.

I love these pens! I like the way I write with them (felt tip) and the colors! Just one of those office supply loves.

What are your little indulgences? I WANT to know!
-joy

Vocabulary

2010-03-17T11:19:00.002-04:00

I've always wanted to extend my vocabulary, but ALWAYS forget what the word means or not confident enough to use it. Once again, I'm inspired by my child.

My mom taught me this word and used it to describe my kids:
lo·qua·cious

[loh-kwey-shuhs]
–adjective
1.
talking or tending to talk much or freely; talkative; chattering; babbling; garrulous:
a loquacious dinner guest.
2.
characterized by excessive talk; wordy: easily the most loquacious play of the season.

So one day, I mentioned it to Skylar and told her that Jaden was "loquacious". So she began using it. It took her a few tries to pronounce it and always used it in reference to Jaden.
But last Sunday at church, we were in the fellowship hall during our "coffee and snack time" between church and SS and was indeed very loud. She turned to me and said, "Mom, it's loquacious in here". I loved that moment!

So I thought I would pass along a new vocabulary word to all of you, assuming you don't already know it. It's a word that can actually be used in day-to-day talking.
I'm going to try and make an effort to learn one new word a week and USE it. Maybe I'll post some of them as I learn. Is that even interesting to anyone? PLEASE POST!

-joy

Playdough

2010-03-10T14:59:00.007-05:00

My friend Lori came over the other day and brought us some homemade playdough. We've played with 'Playdoh' quite a bit here at our house, but we actually ended up liking the homemade version more!!
So, I was stumped on an idea of what to do for Jaden's birthday favors for his preschool class. Voila!
I'm actually going to try my hand at posting tutorial style, inspired by a blog I read, Pioneer Woman.
So here it goes...
Homemade Playdough

you will need: Flour, Salt, Water, Oil, Cream of Tartar & Food Coloring

Throw it all in a saucepan

STIR -
NOTATION: the burner was NOT on when I took this picture, I repeat NOT on.

Let cook over low/medium heat until it starts peeling away from the edges of the pan.

Let cool, then put on counter or wax paper.

Now, the "recipe" calls to add your food coloring when you mix everything together at the very beginning. However, I wanted to make 4 different colors for the favors, so I divided the dough and added the drops and kneaded until uniform.

A beating from a 2-almost-3-yr-old will do the trick too.

The 4 colors:

Divided up into 8 little favor bags (probably a lot cuter and more festive in nice air tight containers, but I'm going thrift here)

Now just add a label with the recipe and Voila - Cheapo Favors!!

Cost -
Flour - $1.50, Salt $0.38, Cream of Tartar $1.88, Oil - on hand, Food Coloring - on hand
Time - Start to Finish WITH a 2 year old - 35 minutes.

Recipe:
Jaden’s Birthday Playdough

Recipe:
Flour - 3 cups
Water - 3 cups
Salt - 1 ½ cups  
Vegetable Oil - 2 Tbsp
Cream of tartar - 1 Tbsp
Food coloring

Mix ALL of the ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook over medium low heat, until the dough comes away  from the edges of the pan and it becomes difficult to move the spoon. Remove from heat. Cool until it can be handled. Place on counter or wax paper, knead 3-4 times.  Store in an air tight container.

11 years ago

2010-03-06T09:06:00.004-05:00

11 years ago I said "I do" and I've been loving it ever since! I broke out the wedding album this morning for a trip down memory lane. I thought I would share it here.

Central Church of God
March 6, 1999

And you know what I love the most? That I truly feel, we still are like this.....we totally would do this today!

My biggest regret - everyone knows it - the big, bodacious baby's breath around my poor bridesmaid's heads. Oh, I'm so sorry. I mean, if the homemade dresses weren't enough.... I love each and everyone one of these girls and am so thankful they still talk to me.

And of course everyone I know has called Sean and me "obsessed" at one point or another, here is a reminder that we were married around on the basis too! The Groom's Cake.
It was an ice cream cake too!
We did even ask if we could play a song of theirs for our exit out of the church, somehow that didn't happen.....hmmmm.

Happy Anniversary Love! You still make me smile when you walk into a room.

-joy