Easy Fall Wreath . . .

I have visited our local craft store a lot lately trying to complete some craft orders.  While I was at Michaels, I decided to make a fall wreath.  I like the look of the raw grapevine wreaths, so I purchased a medium sized one.  I also purchased 3 fall picks (these are in the fall decor section and are usually cheap).  Thankfully it was all come together and I headed back to the wood crafting department and purchased a letter "y" in a cute font.  I already had ribbon, so I paid and headed home.
I like my little wreath.  It was fun, easy, and CHEAP!  Can't beat that!

The purchasing breakdown:
14" grapevine wreath - 3.99 - I used my 40% off coupon.
3 fall picks- 1.99 each - on sale for $1 each
Letter "y" - $1.50. (this was black, and I wanted it mustard yellow, so I sanded it and painted it).
I already had the ribbons.

HAPPY FALL!

Skeleton, Senses and Organs- Oh my!

Summer break came quickly and up until 2 weeks ago, I had NO CLUE what I would do (learning wise) with my kiddos.

I have to keep some sort of structure with the kids or else things just get crazy.

For summer I always try to take a broad theme and something that will interest my 4yr old, 6 and 8 yr old alike (which isn't an easy tasks!).  Something that I can incorporate learning along with fun hands on crafts and even a Bible lesson too.

So, my title to this post tells it all . . . we will be learning a little about the human body.

Some materials I will be ordering from Amazon.com.  They are the following: 

1.  A boardbook titled "Uncover the Human Body" which is a great little hands on and visual tool!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1571457895/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
2.  A flip book titled, "GeoSafari Human Body Uncoverer."
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007CK27C/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=A25B9YDR0B8OUT
3.  And an Usborne book called, "See Inside Your Body."
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/079451233X/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

A friend also shared a neat website with me called, www.Homeschoolshare.com.  We will be making the human body lap book off of there as well.  I know my crafty kids will love it! http://www.homeschoolshare.com/my_body.php

We are also going to talk about the 5 senses, in which we will also learn some simple sign language (there are some fantastic kids videos on youtube!).  We will also talk about the human body from a Biblical perspective- heart, mind, why and how God created us etc.

Then we will also use this fantastic idea from 'Over the Moon' blog.  http://www.overthebigmoon.com/summer-jar-list-updated/

This will keep us busy with some fun crafts and activities for the summer!  I am also going to have a notebook for my 3 older ones to make a little journal and scrapbook about each activity.  SO FUN!!!!

Stay posted for posts throughout the summer on things we do, learn and create! 
Happy Summer Break!!!!

Happy Adoption Day!!!

As Noah's adoption day is coming up, I can't help but sit back and think of all that God brought us through to get us to our son Noah.  It is kinda like a fireworks show that you sit through, you're amazed the first 25 minutes at the booms and the various bright colors shooting into the sky but then wow! . . . the last 5 minutes (aka Grand Fanale) are just breathtaking and almost indescribable!  To the point you find yourself walking away in amazement and awe.

Our journey with Noah began in December 2009.  Between March and May of 2010, we were matched twice and they both fell through.  One of those instances we just knew this was it- everything had fallen in to place, it seemed like the perfect situation for us and we were just thrilled and excited.  Friday we received the call that the baby had been born and by Monday the birthmom deicded to take him home.  It was one of those blurr things that just didn't make any sense.

In June and July we felt like maybe we should search out more options to be matched, but that never really took off.  Honestly we were feeling a little worn down.

Then August 11, 2011 we received the call.  After working out the details, we were matched with a newborn baby boy in Pennsylvania.  He was 1 day old.  And the area he was from, was where Dan grew up. 

We quickly packed, I remember just throwing things in the suitcases and then having to repack because I was so nervous, excited and anxious to get there that I wasn't sure what I had even packed the first time.  We left the house at 8pm that evening to drive through the night to meet our soon to be son.

We arrived in Pennsylvania at 5:45am.  We unpacked, said hello to our family and then quickly showered and left the kids to head up to the hospital to meet this baby boy.  We were like two nervous giddy teenagers, chatting and wondering what to expect when we got there. 

Once we arrived at the hospital we realized that the birthmom had not waited for us and already left without signing papers.  Things were not going as planned!  After working out some issues we were allowed to meet our precious baby boy. 

This was the part that was like the Grand Finale . . . he was perfect, amazing and breathtaking!  It was very surreal that this boy was our son!

His adoption wasn't finalized until 9 months later, in which this Sunday (May 13th) marks the one year anniversary.

I am still in amazement and awe of the process God took and brought us through to get Noah.  When we felt like nothing was working out for us, he brought us to an "awe" moment of meeting our son (from the same town Dan is from- did I mention that :))!

Our little man isn't so little anymore.  We love him to pieces and I am so thankful to call him son!!!

Those that supported and prayed for us along the way will forever hold a special place in our lives!

Happy Adoption Day Son!  We love you!!!

My paint obsession . . .

I love color and changing the looks of things, whether it be a wall, a room, a piece of furniture or a canvas.  It has become a little obsession of mine - or may we say a new hobby!

I purchased a piece of 70's furniture that I want to refinish into a TV stand.  It's unique and I just couldn't pass it up for $35! 
However, it has been sitting in my garage covered in primer for a good month now.  I am stumped on what color or how I want to refinish it.
After doing some research I discovere the awesome new paints that are out there and I just couldn't keep them a secret!

The first paint is called Chalk paint . . . don't get this confused wtih chalkboard paint. 
The variety of colors that chalk paint comes in is more limited than your local home improvement store, but they do  have some amazing colors available.

The cool thing about this product is you don't have to prime or sand your piece before painting. Sure wish I would've discovered this back in March!!!
The cans come in quart size only but from what the reveiws say, this small can covers 140 sq feet.  And also keep in mind you are not having to purchase sanding tools or primer.
The finish will be a chalkly like matte finish but you can create a more glossy finish by waxing the finished piece or applying a poly coat (super easy!).

Check this site out for some awesome tips and photos and videos of how to's, along with the pros and cons!  http://www.perfectlyimperfectblog.com/2011/06/chalk-paint-faqs.html

To me the pro's greatly outweigh the cons.  Annie Sloan has created a unique product  and I can't wait to try it!

Here is a link to the colors that are available:  http://www.anniesloan.com/acatalog/United_Kingdom.html

Tomorrow we will take a look at Milk Paint and how to use it . . .

Fish + Picket Fence Slat = Cute Wall Decor!!!

So, I was fishing around (get it, "fishing" haha!) for something to put on my kids bathroom wall that I hope to repaint blue soon. I wanted to do something unique and creative in there but time these days just doesn't permit and honestly I couldn't come up with anything that was gender neutral since our kids share the bathroom.

So, I got on one of my favorite sites - www.etsy.com . . . check it out if you haven't! I love looking at things people make and sell!

That is when I saw some super cute fish that a lady had hand painted out of picket fence slats. They were AdOrAbLe!!! And of course the price was pretty not so adorable . . . that is what people don't understand about artwork sometimes is the time and effort it takes in coming up with these creative ideas and then finding the right materials to use and then the actual painting and creating time. It can be pretty time consuming, so keep that in mind when looking at purchasing original artowrk vs something at your local home decor store :).

Right away the light bulb went off and a few days later I went to one of my favorite places, LOWE'S! I ended up purchasing raw wood because the slats were treated and I wanted to start fresh. The wood I purchased was a precut peice from their precut section (which is Fabulous!!!) and it was like $3 per board . . . I purchased 4.

I came up with a template and then my awesome hubby cut them out . . . I tried working on the new Scroll Saw but I felt like after ruining one piece of wood that I just wanted it done right. That's right, I am not a woman of patience . . . I am working on that!!! PLUS Dan really likes that part, so I feel like we are working together. He cuts, I design and paint. TEAM WORK!!!

So after he cut out the fish shapes, I designed the colors etc and then began painting. After painting the first layer on I let it dry for a day. Then I painted on the 2nd design layer. I let that dry for a full day and then I sanded the edges to give it a worn look. I then took a little walnut stain on a rag and aged the edges and parts of the fish.

Add a saw tooth hanger on the back and TADA!!! a fabulous new wall art for about $20!

Stinky Disposal and Dirty Dishes . . . Blech!!!

If your GARBAGE DISPOSAL is anything like mine, it can get quite a stinch sometimes . . . shewwweee!!!
So, here is something I plan on trying today to get rid of that nasty odor!

*Fill a 2cup measuring cup with ice and white vinegar. Turn your disposal ON and begin pouring the ice/vinegar mixture into the running disposal. The ice will help losen up any stuck grime and gunk and the vinegar of course helps with the smell.

*Another stronger solution is while the disposal is off pour in some baking soda then some vinegar into the drain disposal. Wait a few minutes. Then run hot water a few minutes to rinse all the gunk out. The reaction of the soda and the vinegar will cause a chemical reaction to remove the nasty grime.


DISHWASHERS can get to where they don't clean the grit off of the dishes great, so here is a few tips to try that might help . . .

1. Check the filter at the bottom of your dishwasher (it is usually under the spin thing on the inside bottom of the dishwasher . .. like all my technical terms?) :).
2. Put vinegar in a cup on the top rack of your dishwasher and run it on a full cylce without dishes in it and the vinegar will help clean it out. OR you can use 2 or so packets of lemon non-sugar koolaid packets. Simply put the powder into the powder dispenser and turn on your dishwasher without dishes in it. The acid will help clean it out.

Here is a link that gives step by step instructions on giving your dishwasher a cleaning tune-up . . . http://thequickandthehungry.blogspot.com/2011/08/diy-dishwasher-tune-up.html

Happy Cleaning!!!!

Lemons, Lemons, Lemons!!!

I love the clean smell of lemon . . . here are a few cool tips and thrifty ways to use fresh lemons.

*Lemon-Milk Alpha Hydroxy Mask
Both fatty milk and lemons contain Alph Hydroxy Acids and when mixed they boost each others AHA.

1-1/2 Tbsp full-fat milk
1-2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small wedge of sliced lemon
Small bowl
In your small bowl, combine the lemon juice and milk. Stir well, and dunk in the lemon wedge. Leave this on the counter (do NOT put this in the refrigerator, or you stop the bacterial process that you want). It will curdle and look funny; this is good.
After 3-4 hours, spread it on your clean face and leave on for 15-20 minutes.
Rinse well.(Note: Be careful for a few hours if you’re going out in the sun after this mask, as it will cause photosensitivity.)
**This is known for softening skin tone and facial skin as well!!!

Another lemon tip is mix the lemon peel in with your homemade vinegar cleaners to give it a fresh lemon scent!

Lemon is also known for helping heartburn.