Blissful Blooms

Just Some Eye Candy

2012-02-28T06:29:00.000-08:00

Hello My Dearies!

Thought I'd give you a peek at the vintage market I went to on Saturday.
The Prairie Sisters!

Let me tell you, there were some very fun venders!

Not only do I enjoy going to these shows for the fun shopping,

but I love connecting with people who have a mutual love
for fun old stuff.

It was like a big ol' vintage lovin' party!

Right when you walked in was my personal favorite booth

(and yes, I'm a little biased)

My beautiful girls from Station 8, Colette and Rachel.

Don't you think that 'A' should come home with me?

Yes, I think so too.

Just look at the way they dressed up their vintage dress form.

Yes, I believe that is wax paper.

I know . . . amazing!

Next up are two of the three adorable creators
of my favorite vintage market,

The Vintage Whites Market.

Meet Sandy and Vanessa!

Love these gals!

They introduced me to the JOY of selling vintage goodies.

Their market has GROWN so much and they have been featured in a few magazines.

See ladies?
Dreams do come true!

Don't you LOVE their sign??

Swoon!

Every space had amazing colors, junk, and ideas!

I LOVED this potting bench!

I have plans for Josh to build me one using old windows.

Don't you love the enamel 'sink'?
And the barn wood?
Be still my heart!

I saw this idea on Pinterest

I need to make this for my house!

I love the chippy frame and the fabric choices . . .

Just lovely!

And now . . .

it's time for me to have a Popsicle.

My sweet darlin's shared their ickies with me and my throat

is on fire!!

I need to call in a substitute!

I think this teacher may be teaching in sweat pants today!

Hope you were inspired today my dear friends!

Happy Junking!

Scenes From The Weekend

2012-02-27T06:20:00.000-08:00

Goooood Monday Morning To You!

Hope ya'll had a delightful weekend!

I had a splendid one myself.

Although, it started with this little munchkin having a tummy ache

and ended with this sweet knucklehead feeling under the weather.

I enjoyed all the extra cuddle time my girls needed this weekend.

I didn't get as much done, but I was totally ok with it.

I'm learning to cherish every moment.
Even the snot rubbed on my shoulder ones.

We made some fun progress with the kitchen.

My handy hubbie has all the counter tops built

now "we" just need to apply the finish, install and add a few little finishing touches.

Since all the dusty part is finished (alleluia!)

I was able to start moving back in.

I am so thankful for this fresh start in my kitchen.

There are no crumbs in any of my drawers.

No flour piles in the corners of the cabinets.

The expired food is gone.

It feels so . . . new!

"We" should be able to put the cabinet doors back on this week.

I even made a little space pretty.

Hello happy color!
The kitchen is coming along quite nicely.
We still have quite a bit to go,
but I truly am enjoying the process.
I have an amazing carpenter.

I had some fun play time too.

Saturday morning I had breakfast with my friend Jen, then we headed to a vintage market.

SPEAKING of Jen . . .

She just started a sweet business making the most beautiful jewelery.

You should go check out her Facebook page.

I bought 3 necklaces.

I reeeeally like them.
Jen ahem cough -start a blog-cough cough
She is hilarious.
And she gets me.
I dig her.

We both scored some pretty sweet goodies.

This is my little pile.

On my way home from the market

I decided to squeeze in a little more junking.

Hello. My name is Amy and I may have a junking addiction.

I was following up on a Craig's list inquiry and it turned into the sweetest afternoon.

Oh, how I want to tell you the whole sweet story, but I'll try to give you the short version.

Since I don't like to go to strange people's houses by myself, my AMAZING husband met up with me.

I was looking at an old Singer sewing machine and ended up with a few other things too.
After speaking with the gentleman for quite a while,
we figured out that he goes to our church and that we had been praying for him and his wife for years.
His wife battled with cancer for 3 years and our church prayed for them weekly.
His wife past away last year and I remember feeling so sad, even though I had never met them in person.
It was incredibly touching to meet the man in person and listen to him tell stories about his beloved wife.
His love for her is beautiful.
It was such a sweet afternoon.
And there is so much more to the story, but we'll leave it at that.

So as we were loading up my purchases, my WONDERFUL husband spotted THE kitchen light.
The light that I had just showed him on Pinterest the day before.
There it was dangeling in this shop.
So my stud husband asked about it and we got it
FOR FREE!!!
When ever I look at this light it makes me smile.
Not only because it was exactly what I wanted,
but because of the story that goes with it.

Hello happy light!

The rest of the weekend was filled with sweet little moments.
We got a bit of fresh snow.

And Josh has the funnest way to plow.

These 2 lovely ladies

had a date to the symphony.

It really was a splendid weekend.

Hope you have a great start to your week!

Happy Friday!

2012-02-24T06:50:00.000-08:00

I couldn't do it!

I couldn't go three days without writing a post.

And I have NOTHING to say.

(this is a pic I took weeks ago to show you my fun thrifted mug and my new spectacles. But this is such a dorky picture I didn't post it. And now here I am posting it because I don't have any pictures to share. I'm such a nerd!)

I haven't done anything fun and creative

because I don't want to add another mess to my messy house.

I don't have any current pictures

because my house is too messy- ha!

I did revamp my space at Station 8 yesterday

so I'll try to get some pictures of that soon.

So all this is to say . . .

Have a

WONDERFUL

weekend!!

They Had Me At Hello

2012-02-21T05:38:00.000-08:00

I found a few treasures recently.

We'll start with a little rusty metal number.

Rusty metal and me- surprise surprise!

I originally bought this guy to display blooms.

But then I realized he would be a super fun way

to store all my ribbon

and keep it organized!
Now I just need a craft room to display him properly.
But I think I'll wait to mention that to my husband . . .

Then I spotted this lil' lady.

Will you look at those feet!

With all her wheels!

And the sweetest little foot peddle!

I originally bought her to resell,

but oh she's so cute!

And the girls gave her a name . . .

Meet Miss Booby!

Oh dear . . .
I know!

I really did try to bite my lip and not smile . . .

but the giggles won me over!
So Miss Booby it is!
Wouldn't she be a fun way to display
all my jewelry and blooms?

Then there are these 2 sweet numbers.

He had me at aqua.

This sheet

is perfect cheestastic vintage fabric.

I may attempt to SEW a little curtain for my kitchen.

Have I ever told you how thankful I am that I get to
shop for fun vintage treasures

ALL THE TIME

because of my little space at Station 8?

I got a good gig goen'.

Now I just need to stop falling in love
with everything I bring home!

Hope you have a splendid day

filled with little things that make you smile!

Scenes From The Weekend

2012-02-20T05:29:00.000-08:00

14 drawers

21 cupboard doors

52 individual pieces of 8 ft. bead-board

and a WHOLE LOT of dust

That's how we spent our weekend.

Man-o-man!

Things are a movin' and a groovin'!

I'm pretty sure I consumed more sawdust that actual food.

I am incredibly thankful for my hard workin' hunk-o-rama husband

and my angel of a mother-in-law Jean.

We sanded for hours and hours!

It looked like I had a head full of gray hair.

Oh the joys of making a house your home.

The kitchen drawers are empty and piled high in Maggie's room.

The appliances I'll be cooking with this week.

The girls think it's fun because

we eat quick and easy bad for us food on paper plates.

My girls are rock stars.

They did such a great job entertaining themselves

while we dustfully neglected them.

So it was a GOOD weekend.

We got a lot done.

But I'm feeling like I need a weekend to recover from my weekend.

And I feel how this guy looks

Cabinets get primed today.

Hip hip hooray!

Hope you have a marvelous Monday!

Happy Friday My Friends!

2012-02-17T05:55:00.000-08:00

Can I just say . . .

my heart is so full!

I received the sweetest and most encouraging comments yesterday.

I was so nervous about putting my knitty gritty out there,

but ya'll know how to lift a sistah up!

Can I also say . . .

Girlfriends!

We need to be nicer to ourselves!

So many of you shared that you experienced many of the same thoughts and negative thoughts in general.

I have to admit, that I was a wee bit relieved that I was not the only goofball who struggles with this,

but it also hurt my heart tremendously to hear that we all do this to ourselves.

So let's guard our hearts and be armed with scripture so that we can drown out the negativity.

You in?

Ok, hands in . . .

On three . . . so long negativity!

1-2-3

See you later alligator!!

Ok, now that you're all pumped up, I have one more thing for you.

I LOVE music.

This is THE morning song in our household.

Just about every morning, I BLAST this song

to get our morning started right.

I was planning on sharing a video of

me making the girls dance with me,

but I think I've been vulnerable enough this week.

Just picture me busting a few junior high moves-

oh yeah . . . I can still rock the 'Roger Rabbit'

So before you hit play,

I want you to turn your computer volume up as loud as it will go,

stand up,

HEY- I mean it- stand up!

and get ready to shake what your momma gave you!

Have a wonderful weekend my friends!

Vulnerable

2012-02-16T05:29:00.000-08:00

I want to share something God put on my heart.
I have to admit, I'm feeling a wee bit shy and vulnerable with this post.
But I feel the Lords tug, and He wants me to share.

I have been in a yucky funk lately.

I couldn't figure out what the problem was,
so I took it out on my family of course.
Lovely.

I was just down.
A heavy heart.

Heart hurting, I'm a freak, what's my problem, down.

Then I realized what the problem was.

My thoughts.

Oh, man, I was so mean!
I was speaking to myself in the cruelest way!
I would never talk to anyone else this way, not even my dog.
Here's a little glimpse:

We had cornbread last night and I didn't sweep up the crumbs- it felt like you were walking on the beach as you walked across the dining room-

"You are so lazy! Your house is filthy, you are disgusting."

We didn't start school until 9:30-

"You are the worst teacher. You are not fit to teach your children. If they were in regular school, they would have been at it for hours already"

I hurt a friend-

" You stink at friendship. How many times have you hurt a friend? How many friendships have faded because you are selfish and don't give enough time to your friends?"

I snapped at my children continuously-

"You stink as a mom" You are seriously mean and screwing up your kids lives."

I was rude to my husband-

" You have no idea how good you have it. You're lucky he's even with you. You don't deserve him."

I got a new blog header-

"Who are you kidding? Do you think you're some big time blogger now and need a fancy blog header?"

As I'm working on blooms-

" You seriously think theses are good enough to sell? What makes you think you're good enough to have an Etsy shop?"

There was a mile long list of fun valentines things to do with the girls, that we didn't do-

"Your priorities stink."

I was tired of hearing my kids noise

"You stink as a mom. Have some patience already!"

The number on the scale is getting higher and my clothes a bit snugger-

You don't even want me to go there.

ENOUGH ALREADY!!

I tried so hard to drown out these negative hamster-wheel thoughts, but they just kept getting louder,

and meaner, and more painful to hear.

So I turned to scripture.

(a negative thought even tried to sneak in with this idea
"you stink at memorizing- how many times have you tried and failed")

But I knew this was the only way to shut those yucky thoughts up- so I wrote down and repeated Philippians 4:8.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-

meditate on these things.

I don't have it memorized yet.

But if one of those nasty thoughts tries to creep in,

I pull out my cheat sheet and read.

Oh my goodness, I cannot tell you how much this has helped!

If you struggle with negative thoughts and low self esteem, I highly encourage you to memorize scripture to drown out those negative thoughts.

Because those thoughts are not from Him.

Would you ever allow someone to talk to your child like that?

No stinkin' way!

So don't talk to God's child like that!

I am so thankful for these learning lessons.

Sometimes they're not fun, but the result is always good!

And I'm not in a funk any more.

Praise Jesus!

All Together Now

2012-02-15T05:54:00.000-08:00

As you know,
I've been a bloom making crazy woman lately.

Does it bloom seem bloom like I say bloom every bloom other bloom word lately?

I do apologize, but if I have a spare minute,
that's what I'm working on.

I don't have a craft room, so I use the school table.

It's sort of a pain in the keaster
because I am the messiest crafter you ever did meet.

So every morning I'm ~~cramming~~ cleaning up my mess.

In order to make this process easier, I decided to corral most of my supplies in one spot.

Say hello to my little friend

I know, he's perfectly chippy isn't he?

This guy is one of my favorite finds.

It's an old tackle box.

I have used him for so many different purposes.

A cash box, bead storage, . . .

And now he's my bloom-making go to guy.

Now I have one spot to ~~cram~~ store all my supplies.

I highly suggest you put an ol' tackle box on your junk hunt list.

They come in mighty handy!

Hope you have a handy dandy day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T05:41:00.000-08:00

Love suffers long

and is kind;

love does not envy;

love does not parade itself,

is not puffed up;

does not behave rudely,

does not seek its own,

is not provoked,

thinks no evil;

does not rejoice in iniquity,

but rejoices in the truth;

bears all things,

believes all things,

hopes all things,

endures all things.

Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

Hope you have a day filled with love!

Scenes From The Weekend

2012-02-13T05:56:00.000-08:00

Goooooood Monday Morning To You!!

Before I show you some pics from the weekend,

did you notice my new digs???

Ain't she puuuuurty?

I am SO thankful for Molly who was the mastermind behind my beautiful blog facelift.

If you need to make your blog prettier, or make your Etsy shop cute,

or have beautiful business cards designed, or need a unique photo card . . .

Molly's your gal.

She was SO fun to work with and incredibly patient.

Oh, and super duper talented!

You can go check her out here.

So I am a few steps closer to opening that Etsy shop.

There's nothing in it yet, but it looks cute!

Ok, back to our weekend.

It started out yummy

with heart-shaped pancakes.

"We" made some progress with the kitchen.

"We" took out some cabinets, changed them up a bit,

and made a new one.

It sure helps having a handsome, I mean, handy carpenter.

After a bit of work, we headed out to play.

We went sledding with our bible study group.

Can you fit any more cuteness on a sled?

Addy and Elijah- best buds

These crazy girls decided to try it standing

It was a delightful weekend.
Now I'm gearing up for a busy week.

Hope you have a marvelous Monday!

10 On 10: February

2012-02-10T06:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday on this fine day in February!

It's the 10th!

So I'm participating in Rebekah's fun challenge.

10 pictures in 10 hours

You can read all about it here.

Here's my day
finding beauty in the ordinary.

Miss Maggie happily eating cheerios in bed watching Dora.

Mmmmmm . . . . breakfast

Sweet messy morning hair

Sweetest music ever

Sweet big sister making Dora paper dolls from her coloring book

Hmm . . . can you guess my favorite shoes?

Studying Anatomy

Snack time

Valentines love notes

School is done
Time for tea and a little crafting

There ya have it!
Finding bits of beauty in a crazy day!

Hope you have a delightful weekend

filled with bits of beauty!

The Yummiest And Easiest Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie!

2012-02-09T11:39:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends!

I wanted to share a treat with you today.

If you lived next door I would just bring some over.

But a recipe and pictures will have to do.

In our house we call these

'Daddy's Favorite'

They are seriously the EASIEST cookie

and they ALWAYS turn out.

Here's what you need:

1 package devils food cake mix (told ya it was easy!)

1 stick of butter, MELTED

(the other part I love about this recipe- I always forget to take my butter out to soften!)

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 package peanut butter chips

(sometimes when I'm feeling KA-RAZY I'll throw in a handful of semi-sweet chips too)

Mix it all up and plop onto a cookie sheet.

I never pay attention when a recipe tells me how many teaspoons to put on the cookie sheet.

But you're gonna want to do a rather large scoop- about 2 tablespoons.

If you don't, they come out kinda looking like turds.

I know, not very lady-like or appetizing,

but I want your cookies to look pretty!

Bake in a 350 oven for 10-12 minutes.

Yummy every time!

You need to try this recipe.

I promise,

it's deeeeeeelicious!

Hope the rest of your day is filled with sweet moments!

Linking up with Alison today over at
Stuff and Nonsense

It's In The Bag

2012-02-07T06:19:00.000-08:00

I'm an avid thrift store shopper.

I use to just look for fun vintage items or furniture that needed a face lift.

But lately, I've scored some pretty great deals for my family.

In fact last Sunday, the girls each had something on from the thrift store.

Love it!

A few weeks ago I came across this nifty purse that still had the Target tags on it.
Five buckaroos!

I usually use this cute little purse that I love!

I bought it from this gal at a craft show .

But sometimes I need a big momma bag

to hold ANYTHING I might need.

You know, wipes gummies, sippy cup, kleenex,
Polly Pockets, granola bars, coloring books,
Swiss army knife, the kitchen sink . . .

For days we're going to be in town ALL DAY.

I thought this big boy would be perfect.

But he looked a little too . . . hmmmm . . . boring.

So I pulled out my stash of vintage lace

and blooms of course!

I decided to just clip the bloom on so I can switch out the colors.

I really do love having the home made touch.

So I have to show you my adorable check book cover

My friend Mica and I did a swap.

I sent her a bloom and she sent me the check book cover.

Isn't it cute??

You can check out her Etsy shop here.

She is an amazing artist and has the CUTEST vintage goodies all over her house!

I love having and wearing home made goodies.

They're unique and ya feel good buying them.

Hope you get a chance to be creative today!

Scenes From The Weekend

2012-02-06T06:18:00.000-08:00

Goooood Monday Morning!

Did you have a nice weekend?

Me you ask?

It was delightful!

My hubbie and I had a short but sweet get-away with dear friends.

Our Friday night started with a fun dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant.

We got to the cabin, jumped into pj's, scooped huge bowls of ice cream and stayed up late watching a movie.

We slept in, drank lots of coffee, and spent time in our bibles with this view . . .

After having a yummy breakfast

and playing a few games,

we headed to the hills to go snow shoeing.

It was a beautiful hike to a little look out point.

Can I tell you how much I love these girls?

Rachel and Alisha are sisters and I am so blessed to have adopted them as my sisters.

(missed you Em!)

The rest of the gang stayed all weekend,

but Josh and I headed home Saturday evening.

We came home to our precious girls to pop some popcorn and watch old episodes of 'Little House on the Prairie.'

Love that show!

We made some ice cream and my official taste testers approved.

Sunday was church, prepping for school, a little bloom making,

snugging up with books,

and of course eating too much while watching the Super Bowl.

Hooray for starting a new week feeling refreshed!

Have a marvelous Monday my friends!

Kitchen Inspiration

2012-02-03T07:10:00.000-08:00

As you know, we're starting a little kitchen face lift.

My cute hubbie is quite busy during the week, so this will be a slow weekend warrior project.

I'm just happy that it's happening.

I am very thankful for my home,

but it's not exactly my style.

It was built in the 90's, so I've been slowly eliminating baby blue.
I have a dream to someday live in a farm house with fun old character.
Who doesn't have that dream right?
So until then, I will choose to be thankful and have fun making our home more our style.
Here are a few images I've been collecting as inspiration.

Come dream with me . . .

source
Love the colors in this one

source

We've been roaming around all the local wood stores

source
to pick out our wood for counter tops.
Aren't they beautiful?
The ones pictured above I believe are from IKEA,
but "we" will be building ours.
The closest IKEA is 10 hours away and my handy husband is an amazing wood worker.

I already have my old iron brackets

source
to have beautiful open shelving.
We will also be putting in a bead board back splash.

source
I'm not brave enough to paint my walls aqua
(although I LOVE this color combo-
and I NEED those polka dot bowls, NEED I tell you)
but "we" will be painting the cabinets white, changing out the hardware, changing out the faucet, and installing new lights.

source
Which my handy hubbie is going to make me these lights.

I'm so excited to put in checkered flooring
(no not black and white)

source
but something soft like this.
This is my amazing sister-in-laws kitchen.
So I am totally stealing her flooring idea.
You should check out her total kitchen transformation at her
adorable blog.
She has the funnest style!

All in all you can see that I'm trying to make it a light and bright kitchen.
With plenty of color and vintage touches.

(I couldn't find the source on this one- opps)

source

source

So many fun ideas!
And I love the challenge of being on a squeaky tight budget.
I'll keep you updated on the progress!

Hope you have fun plans for the weekend!!

Craftin' With My Girls

2012-02-02T06:17:00.000-08:00

My girls are so excited for Valentines Day!

They love any holiday really.

Who doesn't love a reason to make decorations and eat more sweets?

Yesterday we made yet another Valentine wreath.

Another quick easy craft made with sweet hands.

And lots of giggles.

We gathered our supplies

I always seem to pick up these embroidery hoops while I'm out junkin'.

I don't know how to embroider, but it's #237 on my 'someday' list.

We put a couple to good use.

The girls just glued hearts around their hoops.

Addy used a paper plate.

She needed a little more surface area for her gluing.

After their hoops were filled with hearts, they chose a few Valentinesy words to hang in the middle.

Hope you have a day filled with kisses, hugs, and lots of love!!

I'll be linking up with a few creative gals:

The 36th Avenue
Stuff and Nonsense

Don't Ya Love A Doily?

2012-01-31T06:08:00.000-08:00

Since tomorrow is February,
I thought it was high time to break out a few
Valentine decorations.
When I got my small box of Valentine decor down
I was not impressed with what I had.
Ho hum . . .
So I decided to jazz it up with a few doilies!

I gathered some of my vintage Valentine cards and
attached them to a doily.

I love how wonderfully cheesy they are!

I clothes-pinned them to some twine to make a quick banner.

If you're a Pinterest reader (and who's not?!?) you've seen this fun idea from this creative gal.

Does it get any easier?

Old jars, a doily, felt and twine

Have I convinced you to go get a package of doilies yet?

As I was cleaning up my mess,

I had another idea!

So instead of starting dinner

I grabbed a few supplies.

I made a quick wreath form out of a small paper plate.

I wrapped it with red yarn and made a few rosettes with the doilies.

And made the quickest doily-lovin' wreath!

I do love a doily.

Not to mention how they can so easily jazz up a plate of cookies!

Hope you get a chance to be creative today!

I'll be linking up with a few creative gals!
The 36th Avenue

Scenes From The Weekend

2012-01-30T05:37:00.000-08:00

And so it begins . . .

The dust, the clutter, the kitchen appliances stashed in a bedroom

I hired the smartest, handiest and CUTEST carpenter I know.

I am so HAPPY to finally start our kitchen face lift.

It's just a small (VERY DUSTY) start

but it's a start!

After cleaning up the drywall mess

We went for a little snow shoe hike.

Is there anything cuter than little red snow shoes?

Ok, I guess there is . . .

Grandma did great her first time out!

Warmin' up with some tailgate hot chocolate.

I love playing outside with my family.

On Sunday

I spent some time making a few more blooms.

And while I was busy blooming away,

I made a few bazillion mental notes about my (hopefully) soon Etsy shop.

Did you know that

to open a Blissful Blooms shop?

As I was day dreaming, I turned around and saw the girls had written this on the board.

So I'm setting some personal goals . . .

and saying some prayers . . .

and getting some courage . . .

I picked up a few library books.

Oh yes . . . I'm gearin' up to sew.

I've got to teach those girls!!

And I highly recommend Jenny Doh's book

Signature Styles

Quite a motivating book for an Etsy dreamer like me.

So here's to a new week!

Hopefully a productive week!

Have a marvelous Monday!

Bits of Happy

2012-01-27T07:26:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday to you!!!

Yesterday was . . . um . . let's just say challenging.

I think my grumps started to sneak in when the HUGE glass of chocolate milk was

SPLATTERED

everywhere.

Should be no big deal right?

Spills happen quite a bit around here with 4 lil' ones.

But it was just one more MESS in the house.

So as I felt the grumpies take over

(because everywhere I turned was another MESS)

I decided it was going to be a day to focus on the

BITS of happy.

So here they are:

1. Kaityln folding the laundry

WITHOUT

being asked.

2. Slowly getting caught up with blooms for the shop.

3. Feeling like a health nut because I had taco salad for lunch.

Salad for lunch?

Who does that?

4. Going to town, without kids, for an eye appointment.

5. Milking the time without kids for as long as possible.

6. A trip to Starbucks, Target, and Costco all by myself.

(can you hear the quiet?)

7. Being the cutest coffee drinker in my neck of the woods because of my new coffee cozy.

Which I ordered from the CUTEST Etsy shop.

Receiving an order from Alicia's shop is like receiving a birthday present.

It comes all wrapped in fun packaging.

Definitely a fun way to add a bit of happy to your day.

8. Buying a pizza at Costco for a friend who just had the cutest baby and grabbing one for my family too.

Hooray for a meal that all 6 of us will eat without a single groan!

(good thing I had that salad for lunch)

9. Valentine M&M's

Peanut butter M&M's!

(Again, good thing I had that salad!)

10. Buying myself fun slippers that were on

SUPER CLEARANCE

at Target,

without kids.

This is me with a very weird attempt at 'air guitar.'

Is it bad that my husband doesn't even ask why

when I ask him to take pictures of my feet?

I must be a blogger.

11. And the very last bit of happy is a fun blogger who gave me a little award.

Thank you Lisa !!

She gave me the Liebster Award.

Liebster is German and means 'dearest' or 'beloved' but it can also mean 'favorite'. The idea of the Liebster award is to bring attention to blogs with less than 200 followers. So, in the spirit of good fun I am passing this award on to 5 other bloggers.

The RULES are:

Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
Reveal your five picks for the award and let them know.
Post the award on your blog.
Bask in the love from the most supportive people on the blogshare-other bloggers.
Finally and the best rule of all.......have fun and spread the love!

So here are just a few of the blogs I enjoy reading:
1. Station 8 Antiques
2. Embrace Ink
3. Camp Whimsy
4. Finding Healthy Hope
5. Pray.Craft.Love.

I'm off to clean up a few of my messes!

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!
.

Mom's Granola

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

The other day I made my Mom's delicious granola.

As it was baking, the yummy aroma instantly brought me back to my childhood.
It was such a special treat growing up and my girls now love it too.

Part of my joy of being in the kitchen is creating sweet memories for my family.
My mom and I put together this cookbook the year I got my first apartment, I was a sophomore.
I adore each little grease stain and smudge.
I can still picture my Mom and I sitting at the kitchen table copying all my favorite recipes.

It really is an easy recipe.

You melt all the wet ingredients together.

Stir all the dry ingredients together.

Then mix the two together and bake.

My girls like it with milk.

But I love it with maple yogurt.

Oh yum!

Thought you might enjoy the recipe with your family too.

Mom's Granola

3 cups coconut (7 oz. package)

3 cups nuts (I like to mix a few kinds. I know, I'm crazy!)

5 cups old fashion oatmeal

1/2 cup wheat germ

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup honey

After melting the wet ingredients, mix all the ingredients together. Put in a shallow pan and bake at 275, stirring every 15 minutes, until crisp- about 45 minutes.

Hope you have time today

to spend some sweet moments

with your family in the kitchen!

Blooming Bellies

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

I have a new friend.

Her name is Jessica and she has an

AMAZING

store.

It has everything you need as an expecting mom.

Maternity clothes that are SO cute, stylish diaper bags,

many different types of fun and useful products.

My baby making days are over

(sigh)

but she has the most adorable kid clothes starting at

newborn up to size 12.

This is Sarah, Jessica's right hand woman.

Just a sweet sweet girl who will be super helpful in your shopping.

There are tons of fun and unique toys.

Maggie enjoyed her shopping experience too.

This is my new favorite store for expecting and new mamas.

And for my girls clothes.

And for cute kid gifts.

And she is now carrying

Blissful Bloom clips!

That's how we met!

Jessica is a Station 8 shopper and bought a few of my clips.

I was completely

FLATTERED and DELIGHTED

when she asked if I would be interested in selling my clips at her store.

I am so thankful for this new opportunity and for my new friend.

So if you live in the area, you'll have to stop by her adorable shop.

36 2nd Street East

in Kalispell.

Hope you have a delightful day

filled with sweet surprises!

This Little Light Of Mine

2012-01-24T05:35:00.000-08:00

Well how do you do on this fine Tuesday?

Here's a fun little craft the girls and I did yesterday

I was inspired by this gal who I found via Pinterest.

We first gathered our supplies:

tissue paper

recycled bottles

water color brushes

glue mixed with a little water

We then covered our bottles with a layer of white tissue paper.

Just brush on a little glue and then layer with tissue paper.

Once covered, we then stuck on our tissue paper hearts and covered with a thin layer of glue.

When dry we put in a few candles.

Such a sweet little glow

made with sweet little fingers.

Hope you have a terrific Tuesday!

I'm linking up with a few fun gals.
You should go check out all the amazing creativity.
Stuff and Nonsense
2805

Scenes From The Weekend

2012-01-23T06:07:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday my friends!

Did you have a nice weekend?

Oh man, did I ever!

We had nothing planned and so we filled it with sweet moments.

The hubsters and I had a date Friday afternoon to do a little more planning for the kitchen.

I'm not a very good decision maker.

But we did hit up a junk store that I've been eying.

I really wish I had my camera.

It was . . . we'll say interesting.

But I did manage to find a few treasures

We finished the day with a good ol' movie night.

Saturday we slept in and made a yummy breakfast.

Mmmmmm . . . . homemade doughnuts.

I mean, can you start a day off any better than fried goodness?

After a few hours of cozy relax time-

girls playing Barbies, Josh reading, me making a few blooms

we headed out to play in the snow.

We went to a gravel pit and sledded for hours.

This girl loves to sled.

And I love watching my girls be braver than me.

We even got Grandma to go down the hill.

She LOVED it.

She was so cute!

It was a great day.

Sunday was church and a little planning for the week.

We finished the weekend off with a little snow painting.

I bought these condiment bottles at the dollar store

(you know when I went for one thing and came out with a handful of random other things)

I filled them with water and a few drops of food coloring

and the yard was their canvas.

A wonderful weekend filled with sweet moments.

The best kind of weekend.

Hope you have a marvelous Monday

and a great start to your week!

Orange You Glad It's Friday?

2012-01-20T06:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday to you!

I have wanted lockers in my mudroom for

forever!

I have come across a few sets during my junking adventures,

but always end up putting them in the shop.

But these bad boys had me at hello.

And I knew they were going to stay.

I have this area in my mudroom that always looks like this.

So I'm hoping this guy will help.

He's been waiting in Josh's shop for a good scrub down.

But Josh needed more room so we brought em' in.

So I'll be starting my weekend with some good ol' bleach.

And then heading out to play in this

Have a wonderful weekend my friends!

Hope you get a chance to go outside and play!

A Joyful Day and Bookmarks

2012-01-19T06:44:00.000-08:00

Before I show you our craft,

I want to share with you my sweet day yesterday.

The last few days have been . . . well . . .

grumpy.

I was in a yucky funk and was just having a hard time being cheerful.

Does that ever happen to you?

It's not fun.

So I read my bible and spent some time in my prayer journal.

I asked God to please help me be

joyful.

To be so full of joy it would pour out on my family.

I finished my quiet time and opened my computer

(my morning routine).

I went to my dear friend Alicia's blog and she had written an entire post about lil' ol' me.

Um . . . , talk about a happy way to start your day!!

It truly was a dandy way to start my day.

I'm smiling as I just think about it.

I felt quite loved.

And I met quite a few new people who showered me with encouragement.

I love the way God answers our prayers-

in such fun creative ways.

And let me tell you, my heart was/is FULL of JOY!

It feels like a 4 year old with her own beater of cookie dough.

So thank you Alicia, you're the sweetest friend a gal could hope for!

Now . . . on to our lil' craft.

I haven't been brave enough to try the sewing machine with the girls yet,

but decided I could teach them how to sew on a button.

That's a good skill to have right?

I went to the dollar store for push pins and came out with a handful of other things

(and no push pins of course).

I found these paper clips that I thought we could transform into bookmarks.

After gathering our supplies, it didn't take long for the girls to ace this little domestic skill.

"Really Mom, do you have to take a picture of

every move I make?"

She's only 8 but she has 'that look'.

I thought I wouldn't see that until junior high!

We had gobs of fun combining felt and buttons and making bookmarks for those we love.

(some of you may be seeing these near Valentine's Day)

I think they're kinda cute.

Well, I'm off to have a joyful day.

We got gobs of fresh snow

and the girls are so excited to play in it.

Ha! I've got some leverage for school today!

Hope you have a day FULL of JOY!

Valentine Wreaths

2012-01-18T06:02:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed during your tour of my shop yesterday

a few festive wreaths.

They are very simple to make, but just take a bit of time and patience.

I used a styrofoam wreath form for both.

I first wrapped them with neutral fabric so the back would be pretty.

Then I cut out a bazillion and one red felt circles.

I folded each circle in quarters and pinned them in

one by one.

Yes, it took a while.

And yes, my pointy finger was quite sore afterward.

Lastly I fastened some pretty vintage lace in the back

so she could hang just right.

I did the same thing with the other wreath.

But this time I used a bazillion and one dictionary pages

cut into a flower shape.

Cut, fold, pin, . . .

and repeat!

I always make sure I like what I make for the shop enough so that if it doesn't sell, I would enjoy having it in my home.

I really like how this one looks over the piano.

Maybe I'll make another one with vintage sheet music.

After my pointy finger heals.

Oh, and if you decide to tackle one of these bad boys,

I suggest you do not pin while you're in bed . . .

Youch!

Just sayin'

Hope ya'll have a wonderful Wednesday!

I'm linking up with a few fun gals!
You should go check them out and be inspired!
Stuff and Nonsense

2805

French Country Cottage
The 36th Avenue

Spiffin' Up My Space at Station 8

2012-01-17T05:58:00.000-08:00

A week ago we did a little rearranging at the shop and I moved to a new location.

I love my new spot!

It was so fun moving everything around and giving items a fresh look.

With Valentine's Day around the corner, I added a few fun crafty goodies to make it 'lovey dovey'.

Plus I love any excuse to add more red to any space!

See that fun cubbie in all its awesome rusty metalness?

Josh had a great idea to use it as a wine rack.

My shop neighbor, and dear friend, Rachel

thought it would be cute in a bathroom with towels rolled up.

So many possibilities . . .

I love making fun banners for every season.

I think I need to make one of these for my house.

I've noticed that while I'm out junking,

I seem to be drawn to metal things.

I'm kinda hoping those bar stools don't sell.

They would look great in my soon-to-be

face-lifted kitchen.

And those red-rimmed pyrex dishes,

they make me smile.

I spy a goofy girl.

Well, that's how it's lookin' for now.

Have I mentioned how blessed I feel to have this little space?

I am so thankful for the amazing people I've met and grown closer to because of my favorite store.

If you live near by, you really should come check out the ever-inspiring Shops at Station 8.

In fact, Colette and Rachel are on a fun buying trip right now filling up their trailer with vintage goodness!

I may lallygag in the parking lot and wait for them to come home.

Can't wait to see what they scored!

Scenes From The Weekend

2012-01-16T05:54:00.000-08:00

Rise and shine sunshines!

Happy Monday morning!

Did you have a delightful weekend?

I sure did.

Had some good cleaning time, crafting time,
hanging with friends time,

a hot date to Home Depot with my honey . . .

A whole lot of little things that all together made it
deliciously relaxing.

On Friday Josh took the two older girls on a little adventure

Oh the things they do when their worry wart Mommy isn't around.

Like climb a frozen waterfall.

They all three had a blast and came home with
huge smiles on their faces.

So with the littles occupied with Veggie Tales

I got a little more crafting done for the shop.

Can't wait to show you the finished project.

I was happy with the results.

I was also able to spend a little time at Station 8

giving my space a little lovey dovey face lift

for Valentines Day.
I'll show you tomorrow.

So now it's time to start the week.
I'm 83% ready for school.
So I better get movin'.

Hope you have a marvelous Monday my friends!

There Will Always Be Laundry

2012-01-13T06:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday To You!

The other day I was DETERMINED to get the laundry done.

I'm really good at starting laundry,

then leaving a load in the washer and dryer a few days.

Then I have to rewash the load in the washer . . .

So I was going to do it!

ALL the laundry in one day.

Nothing was going to stop me.

Then my sweet girls asked if they could ice skate.

Addy just got her new skates.

The weather has been oddly warm, so the rink has been a pond.

But it finally got cold and the rink was solid.

Oh . . . but I was SOOOOO close with the laundry . . .

But a wise man said

"There will be laundry tomorrow"

Ok.

So off we went and I am SO glad I took the time to play.

Addy was awesome on her new skates.

And I had to include this one of the hubsters.

It was a big wipe out.

Hilarious!

Hope you get a chance to play

with your family this weekend!

Skills

2012-01-11T06:17:00.000-08:00

The girls and I are reading through Proverbs 31 this year.

If you're not familiar with this chapter in the bible,

it illustrates what a godly woman is.

The text book we're using is Polished Cornerstones

It has been so good for all of us.

We have been focusing on verse 13 for a few weeks now

She seeks wool and flax,

And willingly works with her hands.

The text talks about teaching our daughters skills they will need in their adulthood.

So I decided to teach them to sew.

But as Kaitlyn sweetly pointed out

"But Mommy, you don't know how to sew."

True, true

But I can handle the beginning projects just fine

and I look forward to NEEDING

to practice with a sewing machine

so I can teach the girls.

This is going to be an adventure!

Our first project was quite simple,

but the girls thoroughly enjoyed it.

I just had them hand-sew a small heart to a larger heart.

We clothes-pinned them to some twine

and hung it in our window.

Oh I just love those sweet little stitches.

The girls had fun and are eager to learn more.

Wish me luck as I attempt to use my sewing machine next.

It's never too late to learn a new skill!

10 On 10: January

2012-01-10T05:37:00.000-08:00

It's been quite a while since I've done one of these fun posts.

I honestly just kept forgetting.

I've missed doing them and needed one to be quite honest.

Rebekah from a bit of sunshine puts it eloquently like this:

The project has since grown to be a fun and interactive way for blogger's from all around the globe to document a snap shot of their lives too, once a month on the tenth taking a photo an hour for ten consecutive hours. Finding much life and beauty among the ordinary things of our day!

I needed to be reminded,

to find the beauty in the mundane.

So here it goes:

As always, start my day the best way,

with the Lord.

Keepin' math fun with a game to teach multiples.

Mmmmm . . . . left over soup for lunch.

I love library day.

It makes the house so quiet.

Thank you Nana for the fun surprises!

The girls loved them.

Addy wanted to make sure all the peanut butter was out before I tossed the container.

Yum.

A Nancy Drew she hasn't read.

My sweet clean babies.

Ahhhh . . . my mommy duties are done for the night.
It was a dandy day.

Hope you're able to find beauty

in the mundane today!

Scenes From The Weekend

2012-01-09T06:28:00.000-08:00

Goooooood Monday morning to you!

We had a delightful weekend.

It started off right with a fun date with the hubsters.

The girls had a sleep over.

Saturday morning Josh and I did a little volunteer work with our church

picking up Christmas trees from the curb.

We do it every year.

So really, we had a TWO dates this weekend.

Yea, I like hanging out with the guy.

I squeezed in a little Valentine crafting for the shop.

Which, by the way, we did a little switching around at the shop.

I'll show you more fun pics soon!

Saturday night I had a good ol' fashioned girls night out with my dear friends Alisha and Rachel.

I think my cheeks are still sore from all the laughing.

We started the night with a bit of shopping.

TG Max baby!

Without kids.

Lish and I tried on the same shirt.

And were cracking up over the waist difference.

We got some fun new things to spiffy up our mommy uniforms.

Alisha couldn't understand why I didn't

want to try on this shirt she picked out for me.

It had feathers dangling off the sides.

We finished the night with a fun dinner and a movie.

And stayed out WAY passed my bed time.

I loved it.

It was a wonderful weekend.

Have a marvelous Monday!!

Occupational Hazard

2012-01-06T07:29:00.000-08:00

Don't you love the optimism this time of year?

We set goals.

We clean cupboards with the hope they'll stay organized

the rest of the year.

We eat more salads and less M&M's.

And as much as the house feels so plain with Christmas decor put away,

I love re-spiffing up the joint.

One of the perks/ hazards of always having good ol' junk around

is it can find its way into my home.

Sometimes it never makes it into my space

and sometimes it finds a home with me if it hasn't sold.

Either way, it's fun.

Here are a few little things that have settled in my home,

for the time being at least.

This sweet corner cabinet has been here a few weeks now.

It's waiting for a little fun color for the back of the shelves.

She was intended for the shop, but feels right at home nestled in that corner.

This beautiful long mirror

just fit too perfectly over the piano.

I love this sparkly lamp.

She had been in the shop since the beginning,

so she decided to go home with me.

I need to figure out something fun for the shade.

Every time I put this sweet dresser in the shop, I hoped it wouldn't sell.

So I decided to bring her home.

The old stain glass lamp is just waiting for a spot in the shop.

Until then, I like the fun color.

And my very favorite little addition . . .

is this old metal fire truck.

He does a dandy job of holding the napkins and

salt and pepper on our table.

Isn't he a cutie?

That's all for now.

I have so much fun rotating fun stuff

in and out of the shop.

Only a few things have taken up

permanent residence.

Have a splendid weekend!

It's Never Too Late

2012-01-04T07:52:00.000-08:00

I received the neatest package yesterday.

A very special book.

The author is near and dear to my heart.

She's my Grandma.

My Grandparents are such an inspiration.

They have been married for 63 years.

Their commitment, love and support for each other

is such a beautiful witness.

They love the Lord

and Grandma wanted to share it with the world.

She couldn't have done it

without the support from Grandpa.

Again, what a beautiful witness.

My Grandma is legally blind and still accomplished a

life-long dream.

Wow.

source

I am so thankful that Grandma and Grandpa have given me and all who they love such a special gift.

Not only is it a book about Grandma's path to prayer,

it is a beautiful picture of her life's journey.

And a sweet reminder that it's never too late to follow a dream.

Hope you get a chance

to day dream

about your dreams today!

You Might Be A Redneck . . .

2012-01-03T05:39:00.000-08:00

. . . if instead of throwing away your

gingerbread house

like normal people

you set it up outside to use as a target for the BB gun.

I highly overestimated the strength of a BB.

It didn't do much damage.

Oh dear.

Thankfully we are back into the swing of things with school and will have less time on our hands.

Oh and mom,

we did use it as a lesson to review gun safety with the girls.

And it was just a wimpy BB gun.

Hope you have a marvelous day!

Scenes From A Delightful Christmas Break

2012-01-02T07:25:00.000-08:00

We had a WONDERFUL

Christmas break.

Now I'm

trying

to get back into the swing of things.

It 's not easy.

I kinda got use to sleeping in, not wearing make up

and eating too much chocolate.

But I am looking forward to working at a few goals and

embracing what God has in store for 2012.

So here are a few (bazillion) pictures that capture our week.

We were so blessed by my folks coming for Christmas.

The girls adore them.

We made Happy Birthday Jesus cupcakes.

Maggie thought they were ok.

We take a long time opening gifts.

I love it.

We have cinnamon roll breaks, we'll play with a new toy . . .

No rush.

We got new ice skates to use in our rink.

Oh my!

Ice skating is a hoot!

Is 35 too old to start training to be a figure skater?

Even my cute Mom gave it a whirl.

We tried to play as much as possible.

Do you see my bribery lolly pop?

It worked.

She wore her gloves the whole time

and I don't think she even licked that thing once.

We had plenty of relax time too.

Thank you Nana and Papa for coming to our house for Christmas!

We had a wild and crazy New Year's Eve.

It consisted of movies, games, wrestling . . .

and some serious knitting.

I know.

I'm KA-RAAAAZY!

It really was a splendid break.

I loved all the relaxing.

But as much as I loved it,

I'm ready to get back into the routine.

And I'm ready to start all my unrealistic goals and house projects.

Hooray for 2012!

Let's do this!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-22T06:37:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to wish you all a very

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I pray you have a delightful time with the ones you love celebrating

the birth of our Savior!

I probably won't be posting much

being wonderfully busy with my family.

We send you love from our home to yours!

Blessings to you!!

It Takes A Village

2011-12-20T05:48:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Raise your hand if you still have a wee bit of Christmas shopping to do.

Um . . .yeah

me too.

No problem man!

I work best under pressure.

Another new tradition we added to our household

is a fun new train set!

Josh was like a little kid picking it out- so cute!

We brought it home to the girls from our Spokane trip.

So yesterday the girls worked on painting a village for our train.

I picked up these little buildings at Goodwill

for less than a dollar each.

I love how they turned out-

in all their sweet messiness.

I especially like Addy's color choices for the church,

purple and pink.

Can't wait to add these around the tracks!

Hope you have a wonderful day

preparing for Christmas.

Keep on chuggin'!

Scenes From The Weekend

2011-12-19T05:42:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

My Oh My!

How is it Monday already?

Did your weekend just fly by?

We had a fun and productive weekend.

It started with a bit of fresh snow.

And a lot of Christmas baking.

Can anything with that combo taste bad?

Mmmmm . . . . chocolate peanut butter fudge.

Of course we had quality control.

It comes with the job.

While the girls were busy in the kitchen,

my hubbie was busy building an ice skating rink in the backyard.

Yep,

he's a really fun daddy.

We also went to a Christmas party.

This is no ordinary Christmas party.

My best bud throws it every year

and it is the

funnest and craziest party of the year.

Alisha and Matt always organize some type of scavenger hunt

that sends us scurrying all over town.

And my friends are quite competitive-
which makes it even more fun.

Here was my team

Josh was lucky enough to be the only boy in a team of hot chicks.

I love the way my friends keep it crazy fun-

running around like we're still in college

even though we're all in our 30's .

Keeps us young in heart.

I am incredibly blessed by such a great group of friends.

Since my immediate family lives so far away,

these guys have become like family to me.

Blessed.

So stinkin' blessed.

Hope you all have a wild and crazy

start to your week!

Another Christmas First- A Gingerbread House!

2011-12-16T06:10:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

When I was filling out activities for our advent stockings

I must have been feeling wild and crazy because I said we would make a gingerbread house.

We've never made a gingerbread house.

It's always intimidated me.

And seemed so messy.

I always imagined the frustration of frosting not holding the walls together and droopy candy.

But, I decided to try it.

For the love of the Christmas season!

I did cheat a wee bit.

I bought a kit.

So all the walls were baked for me.

And I also used my hot glue gun to fasten the walls.

Oh yeah baby, no wimpy walls in this gingerbread house.

Josh was at a meeting, so it was just us girls at the construction cite.

Kaitlyn, my future photographer, captured a few action shots.

Um . . . yeah.

This picture motivated me to do my hair today and gussy up a bit.

Yowza!

Isn't she pretty?

I am no longer afraid of the frosting mess.

We will definitely add this to our Christmas traditions.

Hope you have a delightful weekend

with plenty of sweet moments!

A Fun Christmas Tree Ornament

2011-12-15T06:24:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Thank you for all your prayers!

It worked!

We have been barf free for over 24 hours!

Hooray!

The girls are feeling back to their fun and spunky selves,

so we're back into the swing of things.

A few days ago I was shopping at Target,

and came across the cutest ornament.

And as any crafter would do,

I thought

"I can do that . . ."

So that's what we did today.

So all we did was cut circles from felt

and cardboard in three different sizes.

We then glued 2 circles on both sides of each cardboard.

Lastly, we strung a wooden bead between each layer and

Viola!

A fun Christmas tree ornament!

So cheerful!

And the girls loved making them!

Hope you have a colorful day!

Let's Roll

2011-12-13T05:21:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

So yesterday was an interesting day.
I get out of the shower to find
my cute husband emailed me this picture.
I guess I forgot to add the coffee when prepping the night before.
OOOPS!

But after consuming some real coffee,

I was ready to hit it hard.

I had our lessons planned down to the the minute.

We were going to bust a move in the classroom.

Then Clara's tummy started hurting again.

Alright, we can adjust.

Quick change in plans.

Kaitlyn and I will hit it hard in the classroom.

Five minutes later,

Kait started throwing up.

All the while, my sweet Maggie wants Kix for breakfast.

We're out of Kix.

She really wanted Kix.

She couldn't deal with Cheerios.

She stayed under her crib like that for quite a while.

Believe me sistah!

At this point I wanted to hide under the covers too.

Thirty minutes later

I convinced her to eat Cheerios.

She ate them grudgingly.

It was about this point in my day

when I realized I had a choice.

I could be grumpy and impatient with my circumstances.

Or I could roll with the punches.

It's getting a bit easier for me to let go

when things don't go as planned.

And it ended up being a dandy day.

(minus the throwing up)

So if you wouldn't mind lifting us up in your prayers I would greatly appreciate it.

I reeeeeeeally don't want to deal
with a 2 year old throwing up.

Oy.

Hooray for a new day!