A Simple DIY Fathers' Day

Celebrating a special day with a toddler is kind of like playing Russian roulette.  It could be a wonderful, love-filled day in which your little one seems to spew hugs and kisses.  Or it could be one of those days where they act as though the sky is falling at every. single. moment.  and anywhere in between.  This Fathers' Day was a little more on the sky is falling side of the spectrum.  Gotta love the twos!  There were some bright spots, however, and we made it through, hopefully with daddy feeling a bit of extra love.
And a celebration isn't quite a celebration if there isn't a little DIY involved, am I right?
I've fallen pretty hard for sending little parties in a box.  I first learned about the idea from You are my Fave and have been waiting for a chance to send one too!  My dad lives out of state so I seized the opportunity.

Contents (top to bottom, left to right):
1.  We heart Welo banner (Welo is short for abuelo)
2.  Cupcake toppers (at the end of my instructions for him I told him to go to a bakery near by where I had pre-ordered cupcakes for him to pick up)
3.  paper straws (Target)
4.  My instruction booklet for how to set up the party (my dad is pretty much a genius, but he needs these instructions)
5.  Confetti
6.  A pre-folded Tissue paper pom-pom

As for my hubby, he woke up to this in the living room:

Nothing extravagant, but that's kind of how I like it these days.  Both the dot garland and the banner were made out of construction paper with the help of my toddler.  Call me old school but construction paper is one of my favorite things to create out of because it has a sort of worn-ness to it that gives off a vintage feel.

And this was his gift (aside from the ipad keyboard he got for himself)... 

 

I simply got a white mug from the dollar store and used acrylic paint markers for the design.  I "cured" it in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  I'm sure you've seen this all over Pinterest, but let me tell you from experience - you cannot use a regular sharpie and cure it in the oven.  It will wash off.

And that was pretty much it.  Almost everything of what I made I already had on hand! Winning!  

I have to share this one, albeit blurry, picture because although it was a bit of a challenging day with our kiddos, the blessing of it is that we were together and I don't take that lightly.  My husband actually went out and bought our son his first bike so that they could share that on Fathers' Day.  He's sweet like that.  

 I hope you had a lovely weekend, I'd love to hear about the memories you made too!  Until next time...

Hello friends, It's been a while...

Time has flown.  It's been too long since I've written and so much has changed in our lives.  Too much to mention today, but it's coming.  My last post announced our pregnancy and we have since had our little girl, Emily!  She's perfect, albeit a bit grumpy at times, but our beautiful children have made our lives more wonderful than we could imagine a life to be.  They are what's soo good in this world.  Here is the wonderful family the Lord has blessed me with in it's current form...

I have so much to share as Lucia has certainly been on a journey.  One that has deviated quite a bit from it's original path (my "About" page really needs some updating), but what does a journey do if not move you from one place to another.  It's changed me in a raw, grass roots sort of way and it's beautiful and messy and still ongoing.  I love it and hate it and respect it, if that makes sense.  So, anyway, more on that to come.  If anyone out there still knows about my tiny blog I'd be so honored if you hung around a bit longer.  I hope to be an encouragement to anyone who will listen, and I always could use some encouragement too :)

Until then, I do have a new Etsy store up and running where you can find me.  There's a link on the left.  It's what I do for fun and I'd like to think the colorful fabrics might bring a smile to someones day! 

So hello, again dear friends. I'm happy to be back, and until next time... 

A Happy Little Announcement

A couple of weeks ago my hubby had a little surprise waiting for him when he came home from work ...

The funny thing is, I was waiting for him in that chair and he stood there talking to me for 5 minutes without ever noticing the announcement.  I actually had to point.  Isn't that so like a man sometimes!  
Now before you start casting stones (not that you would)  I realize that "sequel" is misspelled.  Granted it took me about 2 weeks for it to dawn on me, I did figure it out.  And anyway, it would be out of character for there not to be at least one mistake.  


But, YES, we're expecting again!  We're so happy, but between the extreme exhaustion, the taking out the garbage every 10 minutes because every foul odor makes me sick, and doing everything possible to try not to toss my cookies at any given point in the day, I haven't been able to devote any time to blogging.  I'm trying really hard though.  It's also thrown a little cog in my De-Crap and Make Pretty Operation only because now we have to rearrange things to make room for baby in our tiny home.  It's an exciting adventure!  What's even more exciting is that the baby is due the same month as my little guy, so from now on July is going to be the most fun month of the year for us!


With all of that being said, tomorrow I have an easy space saving craft for you - and you probably already have everything you need!
Now if that's not your kind of project, I don't know what is!


Thank you for sharing in our joy, I'm glad you stopped by!

Regarding Finding Inspiration and Giving Thanks

Here's what I've learned in my four years of being married and even more so in my one year of being a mommy:  housekeeping is war.  A constant war.  And most of the time it feels like I'm on the losing end.  I've started this campaign to transform my home and get rid of the clutter and I have to tell you, I'm struggling.  It's not motivation I lack, it's vision and inspiration.  Because this is me stretching and working out my "design muscles", if you recall my "Waking Who?" page you'll remember I am not a born decorator, it can be mentally exhausting.  Some times I find myself standing in a room just staring at walls for a good 15 minutes racking my brain for vision.  It's comical really.  But I've found a way to keep me going.  What is it that Dory says on Finding Nemo?  "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming."  I have a few small areas in my home that are like little breaths of fresh air when I see them. They're like blips on a radar, where I got it right.   I'm sure if you're experiencing the same frustrations as me you know what I'm talking about.   Maybe it's the way you stacked a few pretty books on a table, or the display of vases you have on a window sill.  No one else may ever comment on them or even notice them, but you see them and they make you smile.   Here's one of my happy spots....

The little tray was an Ikea find, the creamer was thrifted, and the stirring spoons passed down from my step-father's family.  I threw the yellow Tupperware in the shot because bright vintage-y things always make me smile!

 Seems silly right?  But you see, although there's nothing brilliant about this set-up and for sure you'll never see it in a magazine, it resonates with me.  The whole kitchen can be a wreck but this little nook is always well kept and it inspires me!  So that's what I have to say today, nothing mind blowing, but kind of important to remember.  Find you're happy spots and let them be your inspiration and motivation to just keep swimming. 


This Sunday my pastor mentioned Paul's letter to the Thessalonians in his sermon.  In it Paul tells them "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks..."(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  That seems like a tall order doesn't it?  It seems to me that even the most pious would struggle with praying without ceasing.   How do we do this when our hearts are often hard and our minds are constantly preoccupied?  Well he actually tells us - by giving thanks.  Let that be our starting point.  When you don't feel like praying, when you've been wronged, when you're overwhelmed by the seemingly lost battle in keeping house, give thanks.  God is abundant in His blessings towards His children, we should and must thank Him.  When having the king of all bad days, do not forget that you have a heavenly Father who loves you and delights in you.  Delight in Him!

Can you find a parallel here?  It may be a stretch, but do not be consumed by the to-dos, be thankful and revel in the bright spots in your home. Visit them often and perhaps use it as a moment to thank God for something!

Mommy Fix: Cool it on the Paper Towels

We go through a lot of paper towels.  A lot.  Most of them go to cleaning up the little guy after he's done eating.  Luckily we have a wholesale club membership which allows me to buy in bulk, but dang, it still gets expensive!  So if you're in the same boat, jump ship because I have a quick fix for you!  Baby washcloths.  Duh, right?  Well, the coolness of this idea is not so much the cloths, but the way and where you store them.  Instead of keeping them in the linen closet or the baby's room, keep them accessible in the kitchen.  Look, what I've been learning when it comes to decorating is that you don't necessarily need to go out and buy decor.  But rather, use what you have!  The ordinary things, displayed in a nice way, is my favorite way of decorating.  So here's my fix, roll a set of baby washcloths up (I'm sure you have a gazillion) and pop them in a cute vase, mug or planter, then display the heck out of them bad boys. 

This has seriously been a big help to me.  As soon as he's done I wipe him off, put him down, then wipe down the highchair with the same cloth.  Bam, done!  And if you're like me and constantly doing laundry just throw them in with the next load.  

I love easy fixes that save me money!  So whether you're trying to keep costs down, or just wanting to go a little greener - mommy fixed!