What I learned in March

Hi I am new to this, so here goes.......

I have occasionally hopped on over to Emily P. Freeman's Blog.

I have read three of her books and have loved every single one if them. Because i am an occasional reader of her blog, i missed the "What we Learned....." series. I happened to catch it this morning and think it is something that i want to jump into this year. Sure i am two months behind but that is ok. I am fine with that. #beingflexible

I think i need to be a more regular reader of her blog though. especially since her books where go great.   

1. Mrs Meyer's everything is my favorite. I may have an addiction. the honeysuckle is probably my favorite right now.  Learning how to incorporate more all natural products into our home.

photo credited to Myquillyn at The Nester

2. My skin hasn't been this clean in so long. My little sis has been selling Younique make up and I have purchased quite a few items from her. Before this I rarely wore make up. Since buying it i wear it almost every day. it isn't an overwhelming amount either. I still wash and moisturize my face with the same stuff that I have used for awhile but then I apply the primer and either use the pressed powder foundation or the liquid foundation which has been dubbed "liquid gold", and truly it is. I love it. The bronzer i use is Hermosa. I have three of the Lip Stains: sleek, sappy, and shy, two lipsticks: upscale and affluent and the splurge cream eye shadow in "Dainty"

If you are at all interested in trying out Younique makeup i am hear to say that you will not be disappointed. My sister can help you out. you can find her Younique page here or find her on Facebook here.  I am learning how to better use make up and still look natural with it. not going to overboard.

here i am wearing the primer, powder foundation, bronzer and the lip stain "shy" with a bit of the lipstick "upscale" over it.

3. Baseball started for my little guy. I have a love hate relationship with baseball. I love watching my little guy play. i hate how long the season it. I am trying to relish in this time because i know that it will go quickly and i won't have the time back. there may be a day that he doesn't want to play anymore, so i am trying to soak up all of his play time and enjoying being on the sidelines cheering for his team.

4. Easter has become one of my favorite holidays. The past few years I have done the She Reads Truth Lent studies (2016) and have loved them so much. My early years growing up we were Catholic. We went to Mass, we gave up things for Lent (and didn't always stick with it), we went to Catholic school. It wasn't until I was in third grade that we started attending a  non-denominational church and learned about having a realtionship with the God who created us. At that point we stopped doing everything that we had done the Catholic way. Giving up something for Lent was not something that we practiced anymore. Three years ago when I did my first SRT Lent study I gave something up and it had been the first time I had done it in years, since I was a kid. Another thing is love about it is that I try for the most part to keep it personal. Sure there are a few people that know about it but I don't walk around talking about and say what I gave up for Lent. I mean, that is not what it is all about right? It is something that you sacrifice, that helps bring you closer in your relationship with the Lord. not something that you need to let everyone know that you are doing and compare how your gift is greater than someone elses or feel less about what you gave up. I think this act of giving up, as an adult has really helped me to focus on the Lord during this time and carry it over into day to day life after Lent.

5. Spend the time with those you love because you are never guaranteed tomorrow. My Nana-in-law went to Heaven at the the end of March. She is now whole and celebrating with our Lord.

Her

the lighting was great, but i didn't know it until i snapped my first picture.

i just wanted a picture with my girl.

i also didn't know she had made this face.

adorable

i know

 

we took another

and another

and another

a series of photos just me and her

 

i love them all

then because of the great lighting, i had my hubby snap some

 

i think i like the close up, silly ones better

but just glad to have pictures with me in them, memories made with my girl and giggles.

oh and we are letting her bangs grow out (her idea) that is why they are so long.
it is killing me to let her grow them out. I love her bangs!
they are insanely awesome, naturally chunky (they just grew that way)

Teacher Appreciation 2014

 well it is teacher appreciation week and pinterest is  overflowing with ideas for those teachers in your life. after the abundance of strawberries that we picked this past weekend I knew that on Monday my little guy would be bringing some to his teacher. I searched pinterest for a way to make a box to put them in. I had about four of those cute blue berry boxes at one point but I am down to only one left and I can't manage to part with it. I had a just emptied wheat thins box so that was what I was going to use. i came across this cute little box and decided to follow the tutorial to make it for the berries.

what you need: cardboard box

paper towel

strawberries

staple

tag

hole punch

bakers twine

i came across this pin on pinterest for the tag. i just now opened the link and saw that the tag in the picture is a free download. it's cute too.
here is another link to some cute things you can so with those empty cereal boxes

Fairy Tale Ball

 Last Friday my boy had his Fairy Tale ball at his school. The school sent home a flyer about two weeks before announcing it and to make sure the kids dressed up. That afternoon I asked him what he wanted to be for the fairy tale ball. his very first choice was a dragon. he saw Disney's version of Sleeping Beauty and just loved the dragon.  I couldn't imagine at first how in the world I was going to make that and I didn't want him looking like a toddler in an all in one outfit. I asked him if there was anything else that he would be interested in being. his next thought was one of the three little pigs. my reaction, really, a pig is pink!?!  Later on when I asked him again he said mommy, if you want to know what I want to be then it is a dragon. ok got it. a dragon it is. I got on Pinterest of course and started searching. I came across two tutorials that were extremely helpful in making my sweet boy into a dragon.
the first thing I tackled was the wings and I came across this tutorial to help me out. luckily I had all of the materials that I needed from when he was Robin Hood this past year for Halloween.

 next was the tail.  I found this tutorial on a tail. I wanted the spikes to all be different so I cut the two triangles in big to small sizes and stitched them together and then flipped them inside out. after all of the triangles were made I used some green felt that I had and cut the tail in a triangle shape that was long enough to fit all of the triangles. then I started from the bottom and started sewing the triangles on all the way up. I wasn't sure what I was going to use to tie it on his with but I was at Michael's one day and saw some bungee cord on sale for 70% off. I thought it would work great and it did. I came home and stitched it into a fold of the fabric and tied it on and walla.......his dragon tale. I stuffed the tale with scraps from the triangles and wings and tale and some cotton balls. use what you have laying around right?  since I had everything already this project only cost me the .75 cents that I paid for the bungee cord. of course I don't have a sewing machine so I had to hand stitch it which took a could nights but it was worth it to see his face when I showed it to him and he got to wear it.

 the next thing was that I knew that I wanted something for his face or something for his head. I searched pinterest again. (have I said how much I love pinterest?) for dragon face painting. I wanted to do this but he said he wanted the dragons fire to go down his face. so we came across this what that is what I did. of course his hair is so long it was hard to see it but you get the idea and I think he was precious.

 

 

Teacher Gift

cute apple cups

yummy candy sticks from Cracker Barrel



a cute cup to give to teachers

 I saw these cute cups in the dollar section of Target a while back and grabbed three of them for Little Guy's teachers. I wasn't sure when I would use them for but knew that would get them some time during the year. Teacher appreciation week was the perfect time. I wasn't sure what I wanted to put in them either until my hubby came home from Cracker Barrel with a hand full of these candy sticks. After we ate almost all of the ones he got I headed to CB and got some more to put in the glasses.

Gifts

381. my 2lb 14oz baby was born 5 years ago today. where has the time gone. and how did he grow up so quickly. i love you my sweet, precious, energetic, adventurous, little guy

My boy

 5 year old Birthday Parrrrrrty

 4 year old Birthday Party

 3 year old Birthday Party

 2 year old Birthday Party

1 year old Birthday Party

 His Birthday

Five years ago today this tiny beautiful 2lb 14oz baby boy smiled at me, melted my heart and was brought into our lives. His joy for life, love of others, energy, enthusiasm, smile, eyes, sweetness, persistence, and love have been more that I could have asked for. Five years went way to quickly. It seems like just yesterday I was rocking his tiny 5lb body (his weight when he was finally able to come home) in my arms when in reality it was my 5 year old boy who asked me last night to rock him. What momma could turn that down. Really he wanted me to rock him. Same rocking chair, same lullaby. It brought me back to 5 years ago. Amazed, In Love, Honored that God chose me to be his momma, Loved, Humbled. I love you Baby Bugs my Little Guy.

Gifts

377. Little guy's last day of swim lessons-he did great all week long

378. enjoying little guy's 5th birthday parrrrty

379. sweet family friends who let us have his party at their house and pool. love you Mrs. Dianne

380. my baby boy asking me to rock him tonight.............the night before he turns 5.

Gifts

273. plans being made! EXCITING!

274. good doctors

Gifts

259. rocking baby girl in the middle of the night. it seems like it's the only cuddle time with her.  for naps and bed time she is squirmy and lets us hold her for maybe a minute before saying "bed!" when she wakes up in the middle of the nith (rarely) she lets us cuddle her.

260. as my hubby called it....hop on  mom and pop. we all pile in our bed before bed time to play, tickle, snuggle

Gifts

257. hearing little guy sing any and every song that pops into his head.

258. playing

Gifts

245. a nap in the afternoon

246. hearing how little guy loves his sister

247. yummy crock-pot cake-thanks shannon

Gifts

241. picking strawberries

242. eating warm strawberries

243. watching little guy second soccer game

244. a quiet house

228. our God Reigns-salvation

Gift

227. my little guy following behind me with his toy lawn mower while i cut the whole front yard.

Gifts

225. when i picked little guy up from school today he told me all about his Easter party. the food they had and the egg hunt they went on. I usually don't get a bit of info from him. it was awesome

226. lazy evening at home

1 gift entwined +2 gifts

210. road 106NC and 246GA that we drove to get to the cabin we are staying at for the weekend.

211. walk around the ocoee river

212. driving un the smokey mountains or smoke mountain as little guy calls it.

a gift in wind, in water, in white

175. my kids hair

176. fishing in the lake

177. the creamy whitness of my kids skin

3 Gifts Read

172. my craft prep list for next month for preschool sunday school

173. FPU study on investment

174. Papa, please get me the moon by Eric Carle- read to little guy before bed.

Gifts

166. the funny things little guy says

167. watching little guy at a friends birthday party