Getting back in the grove

So much has changed since the last time I was here...blogging. I think about it often, but haven't been taking the time to do it...obviously! However, I am getting back in the grove. Things are changing daily...at home, with work, with the kids and I am learning to take it a day at a time, it has been hard adjusting to have 2 little ones...but oh, how they bring a smile to my lips!

The last time I blogged my baby was six weeks old...
not any more! He is 9 months now and his
big sister has turned 3.


Work has changed a ton...I no longer have a partner, and I am loving working alone again. I took a big step and have a retail spot in an amazing boutique mall in Arlington. I will admit, it intimidates me a little bit, but I went to a vendor meeting on Monday night and I came home with a new found excitement for work...I am a part of something that I think is incredible.
I was so busy during the holidays that I didn't post my mantle scapes like I normally do, so here are some of my favorite vinyl things from the holidays.



And last...but not least,
we had family pictures done just before Christmas by
Grey Key Photography and I LOVE them!!
Love, love them...these are my 2 favorites!



I love that pulling his socks off was captured...it is his favorite past time, and the look on his face is priceless...she loves to love on her little brother and after a while you can tell he is over it.



I am blessed...in many ways.

Stay tuned...there are more changes coming on the blog and websites. Fun giveaways and shows are just around the corner!

May Winner....

So, Monica did this awesome Mother's Day giveaway and I forgot to post the winner. I am so sorry. I am feeling so good again, better than I remember feeling in the last couple years, that I have spent very little time on the computer.

So our May winner is comment #6...

Erica @ the Clark Family

May Giveaway!

Here is our May Giveaway, in honor of mother's.

It is a floating frame, with a beautiful saying,

that sums up life for all of us mothers.

Excuse This Home

Some homes try to hide the fact
That children shelter there.
Ours boasts of it quite openly,
The signs are everywhere.
For smears are on the windows,
Little smudges on the door.
I should apologize I guess,
For the toys strewn on the floor.
But I sat down with the children,
We played and laughed and read.
And if the doorbell doesn’t shine,
Their eyes will shine instead.
For when at times I’m forced to choose
The one job or the other.
I want to be a homemaker
But first I’ll be a mother.

To enter for this giveaway, simply leave us a comment.

Giveaway closes May 10th @ midnight, cst and the winner will be posted on May 11th.

My Little Guy

Well, we never made it to Friday. I had an emergency c-section late on Thursday night, after a call from my doctor telling me to meet him at the hospital. I was terrified...I thought that I had another 13 hrs to emotionally prepare for the c-section. I could not have done this without Mike. It is amazing how the same person can make you so angry and at other times so calm. When he sat down beside me he touched my hair and smoothed it from my forehead, for the first time that night I wasn't afraid. Everything went well, the barrier went up at 9:38pm and I was looking at my little guy at 10:02pm.

So, these are my kids...wow, how funny that sounds. I think that they look a lot alike, they have the same little button nose and lips. Jordan is being a big helper, most of the time. I try to include her in everything...which can really be a pain. Mike left Thursday, for South Dakota to work for a month....crazy! I hope to have the 3 of us in a routine by the time be comes home.

The picture of Preston in the middle was taken by Ian @

Ian J Williams Photography

April Winner and a C-section

WOW...it has been a crazy couple of weeks. I have been on bed rest, which I think has actually made me feel worse...or at least like I have been run over. I spent all day yesterday at the hospital again having a NST and all kinds of blood work...which just gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling....not! Today is kind of a bitter-sweet day, it is the last day that I will ever be pregnant. After today I will never feel the movement of a baby or sit and watch my belly move. My body and pregnancy do not get along, by any stretch of the imagination, so this is it for us. We will have 2 that are ours together, but a total of 4. So, tomorrow morning I am scheduled for a c-section....which is a little scary, but I am ready to hold this big guy in my arms.

With all the happenings of yesterday I never posted the April winner....so, on to that!

Our {April Giveaway} was the vinyl hopscotch board, and

our lucky winner was comment #7...

BREEANA

Don't forget to check in May for our Mother's Day Giveaway that Monica is putting together. It will be the first Tuesday, which is May 4th.

April Giveaway...Vinyl Hopscotch

I missed our April Giveaway day....I was put on strict bed rest for the rest of pregnancy, which I am hoping is only until next Friday. Anyone who knows me well, can tell you that I have had a really bad attitude about it...and I have been feeling really sorry for myself. However, I do want him to arrive safely and with no major complications. I just have so much to still get done....but on the other hand, are we really ever 100% ready...I know I'm not.

So, on to our April Giveaway.....Vinyl Hopscotch,
inspired by my forward thinking cousin, Amy.

This game board is fun for people of all ages. When I had it on my floor, it surprised me how many adults played..and taught the little kids that were around how to do it. I also had no idea that there were so many songs that people sing while playing it.

Rules for this Giveaway...

For 1 entry - leave us a comment telling us

what your favorite childhood game was

For a 2nd entry - become a follower for the first time

Make sure to add a comment for each entry, and please leave your email address.

Giveaway ends on April 13th, at 11:59pm cst, and the winner will be posted on the 14th.

Happy Easter!

Friday Follow

So, I am going to try something new today...Friday Follow: A Celebration of Followers. I love to blog hop, hop and hop some more. I am thinking that more things would get done around here if I stayed off the computer, but I love blogs and all the creativity out there. 

So here it is....hop away!

A New, Fun Wreath

Along with redoing my mantle, I made a new wreath for my front door...and I am loving the way it turned out. I am really feeling the love right now for the eggs and birds. Out of all the Easter projects I have done over the last couple of weeks...this one is by far my favorite.

I am linked to:
Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge

Spring Has Sprung @ Fun to Craft
New Friend Friday @ The Creative Girl
Weekend Wrap-Up @ Tatertots and Jello
Be Inspired @ Room to Inspire
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple

Easter Mantle

So, I have been really enjoying changing out my mantle and the decorations for the different holidays so far this year. Having a 2 year old, who is into everything, this is really the only place that she can't touch ...yet! I found lots of inspiration here, here and here. There are always more but I forget to bookmark them, and then can't find them again.

So, here it is...my Easter mantle...

I am linking to:

Ready Set Vignette Party @ The Stories of A to Z
Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge

Friend Making Monday

 @ {aefilkins}

1. Favorite things about Spring:

I love the warmer weather and everything starting to turn green,

and the chirping of the birds is a nice sound after the quiet of winter.
 

2. What I'm doing for Spring Break:

Nesting...literally, I am going to have a baby boy 4 weeks from tomorrow.

3. Favorite Spring flower:

Tulips, I think there is no prettier flower in the spring. 

Especially when we lived in WI and they came up through the snow.

4. Do you have a garden? 

I don't right now, but I have the spot. It needs to be tilled and planted.

5. If so, what do you grow.

I want to grow fresh veggies...like yellow squash and golden tomatoes.

6. Do you do Spring cleaning?

Yes, it goes hand in hand with that "nesting" thing right now. 

I have been working on closets, and organizing my "couponing finds" a little better.

7. What is your weather *really* like right now?

Saturday in snowed and was so cold, today is it nice and Sunny!

They say here in Texas, "that if you don't like the weather, 

wait 10 minutes because it will change!"

8. Snapped any weather related photos lately? Share one with us! 

Nope...sorry!

9. What's your favorite thing to do on a sunny afternoon?

To clean, be outside, take my little girl to the park. However, right now going to the park is a "daddy activity". She asks all day long when daddy will be home to go to the park?

10. Favorite TV show right now?

We like American Idol and Human Target, and as of tonight Dancing with the Stars.

My Sister's Wedding Announcement

I had my first real chance to do a wedding announcement. My little sister is getting married next month, and asked me to do her announcements. I was so excited at the opportunity. She showed me something that she liked and I went to work.

#1 is a 6"x9" layout

#2 is a 4"x8" layout

#3 is a wrap around mailing label

#4 is a gift registry card insert

#5 is a thank you card

So, this is what I came up with for her. I gave her 2 different options for the announcement. She picked the first one, the 6"x9". Then I created her a wrap around label for the envelopes, which I think are pretty cute. Then she wanted some kind of insert for her registry, so I created her something using the same concept from mailing label.

I don't think that she ever reads our blog, so I hope that I am safe doing this. I really like when things match, or have a matching theme. With Mike having been off work for the last 5 weeks, I was worried about what we were going to get her for her wedding...you can't really get much on a workman's comp budget. So, I created her the thank you card, and I will also make her small wrap around labels that match the big ones.

I am linked to:
New Friend Friday @ The Girl Creative
Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge
Weekend Wrap Up Party @ Tatertots and Jello
Making the World Cuter Monday @ Making the World Cuter
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Yesterday was a BEAUTIFUL day!

Yesterday, after being home since 2/08/10 from a work injury, Mike was back in the truck! Yeah! And then to make a great day even better, my favorite grocery store finally opened in our area.

If any of you live near an Aldi's and have never given them a chance...you should think about it. I started shopping there in Wisconsin, after Mike and I were married. I took a good thing for granted. When we moved from there my grocery bill tripled. I have been waiting since last fall, when I first heard they were coming here, for them to open. I was a little nervous that their prices would have jumped over the 3 years since we left WI, and they did, but only by pennies!

My St. Patrick's Day Mantle

In continuing with one of my New Years goals, I gave my mantle a St. Patrick's mini make over. I plan on doing this for each holiday and season. I started with this print, it has a ton of history. It is an Irish Linen print that my dad got while serving his mission in Ireland. The frame that it is in, is a frame made out of barn wood, that he and my Opa made together. This picture has been in my parents home for as long as I can remember. A couple years ago my dad was going to throw it out, and I couldn't bare the thought. It has since hung in my home, even though it is nothing like anything else I own. While it has hung above my mantle, I have toyed with the idea of staining it darker...I finally did it, and I love it!

My next little project were these Goodwill finds...I painted them black for a new look, but I ended up only using one of them right now.

This urn was also a Goodwill find, I am really loving Goodwill these days. And the balls were an attempt to make my own decorative balls. I saw the idea on a blog, but can't remember where. I think hers were much cuter! And the green serving tray was from the target bargain section, I just added the vinyl lettering to it.

So, for St. Patrick's day, this is how it came together. But as I stepped back, it was still missing something...so I added the vinyl lettering saying.

Ahh...that's it! Now, I am happy with it!

I linked up to...
Tatertots and Jello Weekend Wrap Up
The Girl Creative
Between Naps on the Porch
DIY day @ A Soft Place to Land
Trash to Treasure @ Reinvented
Room to Inspire

March Door Decal Winner

So, we have some door decals that need to have a home and a door for then to be on. I should have done this yesterday, but I had to much on my plate to get to it. So, with that being said, we need to announce our winner.

And the lucky girl is Stacy,

comment #12

Thanks to all of you who commented,

check back on Tuesday April 6th for our fun April giveaway,

I think that you all will like it.

March Giveaway

It is late in the day...but it is still Tuesday. Not just any Tuesday, but the first Tuesday of the month! That means a GIVEAWAY...

We are giving away 3 front door decals, and here they are...

These can all be yours, just simply leave us a comment.

My baby is growing up...

Jordan is quickly approaching 3, and we have never really had pictures done of just her. Natasha at Sweet Lime Photograhpy took pictures of her last week, and I couldn't be happier. She sent me an email this morning to tell me that they were edited and that some of the images were posted on her blog and website.

Here is the story board she posted on her blog...

When I saw these this morning I just started to sob...when did she get so big? When did my emotions get so out of whack? Maybe it is the pregnancy, or the trials that Mike being hurt is bringing our way...regardless of what brought the tears on I love these pictures.

Check out Sweet Lime Photography and her blog!

A little Valentine's love...

So, Valentine's has come and gone, but I wanted to share a few things anyway. I have boxes of decorations that are somewhere in the garage from my single days and when we were first married. Then moving back to Texas when I was 6.5 months pregnant, we rented an apartment and had a baby...the decorations were forgotten. Now that we are in a house again, I have made it my goal to make old things new and have new decorations for each holiday and season...without breaking the bank. I have recently discovered that I really like Goodwill for decorating, but that is a whole other post...or 10.

I started this year off with creating for Valentine's Day. I have never really been a Valentine's Day type of gal, and have never decorated for it, not even after meeting Mike. He did ask me to marry him on Valentine's Day, at Cave Point in the frigid Wisconsin weather. (If you take a look at these pictures, imagine a few feet of snow and amazing ice cycles with the water still spraying up as it hits the wall. I wish I had taken pictures, it really is breath taking to see it like that.)

We always go out for a nice dinner and I always get flowers, this year was different with his accident. I got to spoil him, and made him this darling 6 pack of his favorite snacks for him to enjoy while he has been laid up. I found my inspiration for it here, on this cute blog. I loved all of the topiaries made of flowers, so I made one for my front door...and I LOVE it! Then I saw the subway art here, on this crafty blog. I spun a twist on it and used vinyl to make a floating frame, but then ended up adding the rose covered paper so I could use it on an easel. And the cute letters that spell LOVE, my dear friend made them and then brought them to me the day after the firemen had to break in to my house.

Mike's leg...

Mike hurt his leg at work last Monday. We have seen 2 different workman comp doctor's in the last week. The first one on Monday, told him to stay off of it and keep it above the heart as much as possible. The second one on Wednesday, told him to ditch a crutch and start walking on it, to put weight on it and to use one crutch like a cane. We followed both directives, but I am not so sure that that was the best thing to do. There is now a large amount of swelling in the ankle not to mention a huge amount of blood pooling there.

He ran out of pain medication on Thursday morning, and they would not refill it for him because both doctors were out of the office on Friday. The only way to get it refilled was to go sit and wait to see another wc doctor, and we had just received 14" of snow. So he tried to be tuff, but bless his heart he was in so much pain all weekend, IBP and Tylenol just don't help the pain.

So, this morning it was off to sit and wait again at the wc clinic. He got to see the original doctor, who once again showed great concern and ordered a MRI. He stated that he feels the first x-rays were inconclusive. Now we are playing the waiting game. We have to wait for wc to approve him getting a MRI. At least the doctor gave him more pain medication, so Mike is a little more comfortable tonight.

He was suppose to go back to work tomorrow, working in the office. But he can't...he would have to climb stairs in order to get into the office. He is trying to be a good sport, but really wants to be at work. On the upside of all of the craziness...Jordan is loving having her daddy home all day.

Do you ever...

Do you ever have so much going on in your life that something has to give? If you are answering "No", you are a lucky woman. I find myself with so much to do these days, that blogging has taken the back burner. I take the pictures of things that I feel are blog worthy...like the firemen breaking into my home, the crafts that I have been doing and Mike's leg since his accident. But when it comes to posting I just can't find the time these days. I do however find the time to stay up to date on the blogs that I follow, and I continually ask myself...what do the homes of these women look like? Maybe like mine during craft show season?

Well, during craft show season this past year I was blessed with meeting Monica. She also has a passion for vinyl, and used to do it from her home, with the machines that I so badly want. She has recently sold her equipment....DARN! But we are going to team up together anyway...YEAH! She spent a day with me at the Arlington Peddler Show this past November, and it was the greatest. She is so knowledgeable. Having never worked on my program she was able to show me new things, that make life so much easier....like targets! It was so nice to work with her. I loved that I could get up and walk around leaving my booth in her hands.

We met up at Ikea last week, I was expressing to her the need to get my website and blog out there...with the baby coming and not knowing how I feel about the coming craft show season, I am feeling the need for changes. She offered to blog a couple days a week, can I just say that she is heaven sent. We are going to team up on other things so why not the blog as well?

So, giveaways will be happening again on the first Tuesdays, and we are tossing around the idea of a few other new things to add. Plus we will be blogging about us, our families, crafts and the things that make us who we are! I hope you enjoy the changes!