Quick wall art.

I was in the scrapbooking aisle the other day trying to find supplies for a project. I saw this cute sheet of scrapbooking stickers and wanted to use it in my house. I bought the stickers trying to figure out what to do with it. Then I thought, why not just stick them on a canvas?
Because this art project was a quick revelation, I didnt think to take pictures until now.
Supplies:

• A Canvas -mine is 8x10
• A sheet of stickers....imagine they are still there :) 
• Mod Podge (to help secure the stickers down)

My Finished Art:

Once again, quick, cheap, and still cute!

Metal Letters.

I have this odd area in the kitchen where I have always wondered what to hang there for art. Its high above the cupboards, by the ceilings so I didn't want something too flashy. However, it does deserve something cute. I was planning on doing a project with nails and string to make letters, however fell into giant letters at Jo-Ann fabric. These seemed more appropriate with the space being so high and above our cabinets and I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to manage getting anything on the wall up there.

Before:

 Supplies Needed:

• A Container of Paint
• A Paintbrush
• A lid for dumping your paint on
• Another supply not pictured that I suggest would be papers to put under your project

Mid-Process I took a picture to show the letters.

Once they were coated well, I used 3M velcro strips to attach up above!

Cute, simple, but just enough to add something special up there :)

Sewing project central.

Ok so I have been in project overdrive lately and even more so tonight. I had a chance to run to the craft store and pick up a few supplies to put together a few projects. While rambling lots of project ideas to my husband, he reminded me (of course while I was doing another project) "One project at a time".
Well my mind doesn't function on one thing at a time. Its in overdrive brainstorming how to make things work better and look better all the time.
So with this overdrive mind, I have been able to pull together some pretty great projects over the past few months. You may remember that I took a long break from blogging.

Well I finally got all the pictures ready to be shown as proof and to share what I had been busy doing.

I made a few bibs.

Learned how to make self-binding blankets.

Made a few burp cloths for the neighbor

A little hat, also for the neighbor, who has an owl nursery.

My favorite projects. Owl pillows to match two baby girl nurseries 

that were born to our friends.

This last project is a special project and consumed a lot of time. I made these pillowcases for Conkerr Cancer  a project that collects pillowcases for children/teens in the hospital battling cancer. Once mine are donated, they will be given to the Sanford Children's Hospital in town. Isn't that so cool to bring a little brightness to a child who is facing such a big battle? I think its pretty awesome. Let me know if you want details for the contact person and you can help make some too!

Now you might understand why I have been super busy on top of being a new mom! :)

I put together a cute project tonight though so hopefully I can get it hung and debut it this weekend. Aren't you excited to see it?!? Its super cute, cheap and easy!

Check back soon!

A Parents Job.

Being a parent is a pretty big job to undertake and it unfortunately doesn't come with a guide book. With the Internet, I feel like I at least have some resources for figuring out what the heck I am supposed to do. However, I sometimes find myself freaking out about what to do in a certain situation. I sometimes feel like if I make this one minor choice for him now, it will forever affect the rest of his life. 
For instance, for a while Jack was having a hard time sleeping in his crib at night. I am adamant about not having him sleep with us because
A) it seems like a hard habit to break
B) I wouldn't get any sleep which gets ugly
C) Our Pomeranian already takes up too much room.
D) All of the Above!!
I was so worried about letting him sleep in the swing because I feared he would forever have a hard time sleeping by himself or soothing himself to sleep. In the end, I figured out that I as the momma, have to do what's neccesary in order to function and to get some sleep.

So with me being in control as his parent, I am forced to make all these decisions about his daily life and also what role I am going to play in it. I came across this quote on a mommy facebook page the other day and have been letting it sit on my desktop as I ponder it.
 

I have a feeling some people will not agree with this statement but I love it. I want to, of course, keep Jack safe; however I don't want to always protect him from everything unpleasant in the world. Having the knowledge of what is out there and how to handle it when it comes your way will help you to be successful and independent.
How else are children going to be strong, independent, decision making, thriving individuals in society on their own if you have made all their choices and protected them from the "bad" things?!?
I love the fact that my parents let me make my own choices-good or bad. Then if they weren't the most desirable of choices, I still had to face the situation and cope with it. I also had a chore list everyday during the Summer while my mom and dad worked. While I hated seeing the jobs such as "picking the tomatoes and green beans" on my list, I am glad they made me do chores. They built character, kept me out of trouble, taught me how to be responsible and helpful, to take initiative and more importantly made me who I am now which I believe is a hard working, loving, smart mommy!

Let's just hope I get this right and raise Jack to have some of the same qualities.

Guess I better plant a garden so he can "pick the tomatoes" HAHA.
Isn't that what kids are for? They can do all the jobs you don't like to do :)

Busy.

All I could think of when going to name this post was busy. I feel like we have been on the go lately and Jack especially is busy. He has gone from immobile to crawling and pulling himself up within a matter of a few weeks! Talk about dangerous! I feel like we should be looking for a helmet for his mini head. I just want to hold his hand forever to protect him but I know that he won't learn if I am always there to catch him. So I let him be a dare-devil with pillows around him of course ;)
Here are a few of his acts caught on camera--not too many because I am usually terrified to see what happens next...

 Case in Point. No worries. It was a slow motion slide to the ground. It just looks bad HAHA.

I also wanted to share a few pictures from our trip to the farm this past week. We love going to hang out with my parents and get away from the big city life for a little bit.

My first Palm Sunday at Grandma's Church

Getting fixed up at our favorite Marshall Chiropractor: Complete Health!

Playing with lots of random fun things at grandma and grandpas.

Looking cute for the ladies :)

Convincing Grandma that she should buy me this hat because it is too cute or as daddy says its my "Jack Mraz" hat

Enjoying a few tastes of ice cream. 

Touching (green!) grass for the first time--or petting it/yanking it. It kind of was like he thought it was a kitty the way he treated it!

Visiting with Great Grandpa who just returned home from his Winter in AZ to see me!

Catching up on Grandpas Angus Journal magazines that are now minus a few pages ;)

TONS of fun but we headed back so we could watch some of the last few Fargo Force season games and also celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary. 

Flashback:

Happy Anniversary Partner in Crime ;)

We have something special!

I love us.