Under My Umbrella...

...I have cupcake! Okay. Ever since I did a beach themed birthday party at church of one of my girls, I have been meaning to post about this super cute and fun cupcake decor.

Here's what they looked like on the cupcakes:

So, here we go!

You need:

2" circle paper punch
Cardstock or scrapbook paper
White Glue
Toothpick
Glue gun and glue sticks

First thing...plug in your glue gun. This will make your life easier. Then punch out several circles. Then cut each circle on the radius (1/2 way across the circle). Next add a little white glue to the edge of cut and merge the two sides together to make the umbrella tops. Allow to dry. Then add a dab of hot glue to the under side and attach toothpick. Let cool and your ready to have fabulous cupcakes.

Now, you should know that you can use these for so many things. I used the same technique and bamboo skewers to make jumbo umbrellas for a center piece. But, you could use stir sticks instead of the toothpicks and you've got instant fabulousness for drinks, too!

I love taking simple things and making them into something special...

Infinite Hope

This weekend I spent two days with some amazing women. I went to a women's conference, called Time Out For Women, in Atlanta. The theme for the event was infinite hope. It didn't actually occur to me until I was there, but this is exactly what I had been studying and focusing on in my own personal study. Many of the speakers pointed out that it's your thoughts that become your attitude and your attitude becomes your character and in turn it creates your reality.

We were encouraged to write down ALL of our hopes and dreams, no matter how big they are and then believe that God wants you to have all things that will provide you with Joy, Peace and Love. So, I've decided to do just that. I wrote my list. I read it every day. I say it over and over in my mind and I believe and trust that God truly wants me to be a joyful personal full of hope. Something else that I've started doing with this is getting rid of negativity. Any time my emotions are letting me know that my thoughts are dwelling on negative things, ie: I feel stressed, mad, sad, sick..., I just stop what I'm thinking, take a deep breath and begin to think about things that bring me joy and gratitude. I've also learned that being outside helps me to release the negative and grab the positive. Singing and dancing also help me, too.

One of the many highlights of the event was Michael McLean. He's a singer/ song writer who performed on Friday night. He has a new website called Mission To Be Happy, where he writes about finding happiness in his life. It's interesting. At Time Out, he spoke about trying to overcome depression for 30 years and the answers to prayer that he received and how he looks for the little joys in life to hold to and celebrate each day. I was interesting to see him there. I was able to see him perform about three years ago. And comparing his demeanor and enthusiasm was neat to see the change.

But all in all I had fun and I'm working on my own mission to be happy and having infinite hope.

Life and all that is....

I can't believe it's been almost two months since I posted here last! It goes with out saying that I've been busy! But, that just means I have lots to share with you! I'll be posting more as the week goes along. So, here's a few photos to keep you happy.

Shiloh was helping me to do some laundry.

DIY Knock Off Jewelry

Okay, so about a month (maybe two) ago, I was thumbing through a Rachael Ray magazine. She has a few pages in there with pictures of her faves. I love looking at them and getting inspiration for my own wardrobe and life, however, I can rarely afford them and/or the prices shock me and I think I could make that myself!
So, like I said, i was thumbing through and I came across this cute necklace called The Trinity. But it's $128 for three pearls on a leather strap and I think to myself: I could absolutely make that myself!!! And I go to the website listed in the magazine. Allison Craft Designs

I found out that she actually has a lot of her stuff in shops on the beach about 30 minutes from here. So, just looking at these beautiful pieces made me want my own, but not at those prices! Are you kidding me? So, that's what I did. I made my own. I didn't even go to the store for this one. I had everything on hand. (Yes, I'm a craft hoarder.) I didn't use leather because it comes in short supply here locally. I used hemp instead. What do you think?

These are just the photos of a few of the creations that were spawned from viewing her website. The necklace isn't for sale on line, but it is in the slide-show at the top of the page. I made the trinity and the strands, but I haven't taken any photos of them yet. I think I'm going to make some more in different colors. I had a ton of these green bead leftover from a previous project and so I picked them for my experiment. Really all this jewelry boils down to is knots, leather or in this case hemp, and beads or pearls...

Rain Check!

It's been raining a lot all summer. It rains everyday for a little while at least. So, today after the lightning and thunder there was a steady drizzle. It reminded me of when I was a kid in Kentucky. My parents would let us run through the rain in our swim suits. I have fond memories of doing that so when Jenna asked me if she could run in the rain today, I said yes. And since Jenna was out there you know Shiloh just had to be there too! But Shiloh was the only one who stuck around long enough for her close up!

Favorite things

One of my favorite things is to watch my kids explore their environment. I love seeing the excitement in their eyes and the smiles on their faces as they discover something that I see as ordinary for the first time. Or when they understand something that I've known for years. each day bring a little bit of magic. Today Shiloh said, "Side! Mama!" Which always means that she wants to go outside. So, I took her out on the front porch where she saw one of her favorite things. Mr. Fluffybottoms. She LOVES Ashton's cat. And my favorite thing is to watch her with the cat. And take endless photos of the whole ordeal, of course!

Brownie Points

So, today has been a very successful day! I went shopping and got a weeks worth of groceries and got a good deal on hamburger meat. Came home and put up everything--including making the ground beef into 33 patties! So, I was feeling like I earned super brownie points today. While I was in the kitchen, I asked Ashton to take some cream cheese down to Debbie's house. It was taking him awhile and just as I was going to check out the door, he came back. He looked absolutely beat. (I can't blame him...I can't stand the heat, especially while running) So, he comes in and says, "Hey mom, I ran around Grammy's house and I tried all the windows and doors and nobody is home and I couldn't reach the spare key, so I just left it sitting on her porch." To which I say, "Ashton your so awesome for doing that for me, but we can't leave it out there in the heat, could you go back and get it?" So, he jumps up and runs down there and brings it back to me. He flops in the chair like he was just worn slap out. Then sits up and says, "So, what do I get for it?" "You get brownie points!"
So, then he wanted to know what brownie points were and I explained it to him and then followed a battery of questions in which he wanted to know what he could trade his brownie points for. Today, I let him trade them for a handful of toffee bits. But, then of course it was how many he had and then how could Jenna earn brownie points. (At that point I got her to do a load of laundry....) But, the whole thing got me thinking... I could really use this to teach them responsibility and initiative. So, I made another chart for the fridge:

On each of theirs, I put their name on it in the center and I made it transparent, but this one I just left blank so you could personalize it for your young-uns. And I'm going to put them in sheet protectors. I was thinking that I could track each of their points for the day and the week. Then, they could be turned in for something personal, ie: time with mom/dad, special reading time, and extra board game...

P.S.- You can download this one, too!

Family Food

Okay, so I've been really lame in the "staying on a food budget" category for awhile now. But in an effort to change my ways and have more money than month, I put together a weekly menu board for my fridge. See? I think it's prettiness will increase the likelihood that I'll actually use it...


So, I just printed it and I'm going to slip it into a sheet protector and then tape it on the fridge and then it will be easy to write on with dry erase markers. I'll fill in what I'm going to cook this week and then next week it will be easy to change (because I need change and variety in my life...). I'm also hoping that it will ease the "What's for dinner mom?(honey?)" question every night, too.

P.S.- You're free to download and use it, too! Happy cooking!

That's intrinsting...

Ashton has this quirk. He likes to ask me questions, but then frequently will answer them before I get the chance to do it. Today, I was in the kitchen and feeling kinda sluggish when he started pummeling me with all kinds of questions. He asked me about what I was making and my mouth opened and all that came out was a mumbled grunt. He then answered his own question using his classic, "you mean..." and then he says, "Mom, I just took the words out of your lips!" (BTW: intrinsting is how he pronounces interesting) I love that boy! He can always brighten my day which I totally needed.

Jenna is 4 years older than Shiloh. So, I had completely gotten out of the habit of living with a toddler and I think Shiloh knows it! Today, she climbed on the dinning table, where Ashton was painting glow-in-the-dark fangs on his latest sock creature. She grabbed the little fella and stuffs him face first in her mouth, freshly painted fangs and all. She spit him out and threw him down and bawls and spits and coughs and chokes. I run. I get her cleaned up and give her some love and send her on her way. I turn my attention to the sock creature. While I perform surgery to repair the fangs....SHILOH runs into the living room and standing on tip toes, reaches up and gets the acrylic paint that I had just poured out to paint my latest art piece. Grabs the brush dips it in the cobalt blue paint and begins painting the front of the fireplace! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!?

I'm glad Randall came home a few minutes ago. I need some sort of distraction...some adult conversation.

OMG!

I've got my fingers crossed! I'm hoping that I'm the lucky new owner of this fabulous new machine! I can do everything and it's been on my list of things I want really badly for awhile now. It's called a Silhouette and it's awesome! Anyway, if you want to enter this fabulous giveaway, just visit Sugardoodle and get on the bandwagon of followers!

Ponder It

If money and time were no object, what would you do? Would you be an eternal tourist? Would you buy an island and move there? Would you take your kids to every single amusement park on the face of the planet? Would you pick a topic and study everything that you could possibly ever find on the subject? Would you give back in some way? I'm writing my goals and dreams for the future. I writing down what makes me happy and what I love to do. Did you know that I love music and dance? I didn't realize it about myself until the last few days... I was thinking about what I really enjoyed doing. I love to dance, although it's painful to watch me do it. So, it's now one of my goals to learn to dance and dance my way to a healthier me.

So, I want to challenge you to take some time today or tomorrow or sometime this week and ask yourself some questions. What is it that you truly love? What dreams do you have for the future? I'm starting to realize that so often I'm on auto pilot mode. And sometimes it's even just a fake-it-til-u-make-it situation. But now, I want to be more alive. I want to act in my environment and not be acted upon...

Tee Shirt Refashion

I've finished all the shirts that I got from the put-n-take for Shiloh. But, my daughter has turned into an elusive nudist and I could only photograph 1 of the dresses on her. She's at that stage when she fully believes that running naked is the only way to go. I can't say that I blame her, if I could I'd be doing the same thing... The other day she pooped in her diaper and took it off sat on the floor and started playing in it and Randall caught her just before she got to lick it off her hands. AUGHHH! Any who, here she is in her new purple dress.
I'm totally digging the flower. It completely makes is sing for me! It's hard to get a non blurry picture of this child! I think I need to fiddle with the settings on my camera. I thought the picture of Ash and Shi was so cute I couldn't resist taking like fifty! Shiloh hero-worships Ashton (Ahhh in Shiloh speak) and Jenna (Ya-ya in Shiloh speak).

Just Call Me Frisco...

So, last night we decided to do a service project for FHE. We drove over to a friends house, had dinner and a lesson then all drove over and around completing our service. On the way, Randy was driving and paused at a stoplight and then pulled out in front of a cop. And yes, on the way to do a church service project, we got pulled over. The cop lectured us all about the imprtance of complete stops, checked Randy's license and then let us go without the $250 ticket for rolling through a stop in the state of Florida all because we mentioned church. See, you do get blessings when you're on the Lord's errand! And I'll always remember to come to a COMPLETE stop at lights and signs.

Too cool!

Every time that I've had a baby I've always held them I few minutes after birth and I am always amazed at how I could have created such an amazing little person. I'm literally speechless. Well, today I felt that feeling all over again when I finished another birthday cake for some of my Young Women. I put the finishing touches on it and every time I look at I think, "Wow! I can't believe I made that! It looks so completely cool!"
I saw this cake a little while ago and I thought, man that's awesome. I wish I had the talent to create that. I've been thinking about it ever since. I couldn't get it out of my mind. So, I decided to do a music/rock theme for two girls in yw that have birthdays a week apart. And this cake became my inspiration for my color scheme. I thought I would attempt the cake, but before I did, I read this whole series on making fabulous cakes. I used her recipe for fondant since every other time I used my recipe for butter cream fondant it was crap. And can I just say that I love the way it turned out; way easier to work with! So, after all that I jumped in. Monday I baked and froze the cakes and made the fondant. Tuesday I cut, filled, stacked and frosted the cakes. Today I put on the fondant and decorated the whole thing. Check it out! Jusst ignore the sink full of dishes that are about to spill on the floor in the background. Right after the photo shoot, I cleaned them all...

Redress

There have been tons of posts lately of t-shirt remixes. Well, I was inspired by a recent put-n-take at church where I received several tween t-shirts, which Jenna would never wear, but Shiloh would be ages before fitting. And I had an Ah-ha moment and thought, ya know, Shi really could use some more dresses for church this summer. And then the cutest things were created. I've done two so far and I have two more to remix. But, so far I could only get one pic of her wearing any of them. What do you think?

Cow Apperication Day

Okay, I'm dong a little back blogging. July 9 is always Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A. That happened to be Friday. Every July 9, if you visit a Chick-Fil-A dressed as a cow, then you get a free meal, whatever you want, free. I love it! So, we dressed as cows. Can you believe it? Yes, I'm starting to really enjoy the whole embarrass your kids aspect of parenthood... And I love that our new business affords us the luxury of doing this in a Friday afternoon with our kids.


















After this we went to the movies, sans cows, and saw Despicable Me in 3D. Which was really cute! All in all, life is a blast and I'm looking forward to more embarrassing photos like this in the future!

Oh! Nature! Get it off me!

Okay. I just spent 4 days camping in the woods with a bunch of teenage girls. Not one, not ONE, bug bite, sting or crawling thing did I encounter while I was there. And the bugs were thinck as thieves, too! Many other people came out looking like they had chicken pox they had so many bites. But me? Not one! But today, home, rested, cleaned and repacked to start another trip, I must have had a giant target attatched to me! I got what we can only assume to be a scorpion sting. While I was loading the van with our bags, I felt the most intense searing pain in my foot. My whole foot is swollen now and the pain is still crazy. Now, I've got to come up with a creative shoe source for church tomorrow. Grannie slippers anyone? Maybe I can use this tutorial and create something fabulous in the face of this sour lemon...

The baby's coming!

No! Not another one for me! A friend of mine is due August 15 and a couple ladies at church have gotten together and planned a surprise shower for her! I'm super excited about it. She's having a boy and were doing the whole thing in Dinosaur themed decor. All that to say, I've been busy. I've made 8 bibs and I'm working on 9 onesies. My favorite part of what I'm doing are my appliques. See, check it out:
































I made these 4 with the dinos on them and I made 4 more from a button up shirt I go on sale for $0.50. I like them all! I just love the way that they all turned out.

Beach Party

Last night I put together a party for one of my girls. She told her mom that she wanted a beach themed party and so, that's what I did for her. I forgot my camera and I had to use my phone to take some pictures of the decor. I made some pom poms, like these, that I hung from the ceiling. I used this cupcake template to create the cupcake liners. And then I made the umbrellas that I was inspired to make after seeing this fabulous spread. The center piece uses mini pom poms and larger umbrellas.

Dance Baby Dance!!!

Anyone who knows Shiloh, or has spent any time with her, knows that she has a soul that is born from music. We recently were at a church activity where she ran out to the center of the room and just kept dancing to the music and didn't care that she was competing for floor space among many an adult. For weeks since then, we have heard multiple times that she was the life of the party. We have a wii. And for our wii, we have the game Just Dance. Which has become insanely fun in recent months as Shi has become more and more active. It's amazing to see a 15 month old have rhythm and timing with all her moves. And I mean moves. The others never had moves beyond a hip wiggle. But Shi really gets into it and every inch of her body moves to the music. Don't believe me? Just watch this... I was only able to get a few seconds before my camera was full and died, but it's enough....