Picture Frames... Practice

As I have stated before, I am going to be redoing a lot of furniture... hopefully soon.  I found this blog, All Things Thrifty, and it's one I really wanted to share!  Every time I read it I add another project to my list, it has really lit a fire under me!  I had held off on decorating anything because I didn't want to spend a lot of money and what we had didn't seem to fit the way I wanted it to... BUT why not make the old new again?!  Brooke is amazing, and if you ever have a few minutes to check out her site, DO IT!  I'm so excited to get started!  BUT... I'm a little new at this.  So instead of using my tables and dressers as guinea pigs... I decided to start with picture frames.  And then when I ruined one (yep, totally did) I didn't have to hate myself... ;)  Here are the frames in my living room...  

 And now!  SO much better! (Sorry about the glare, it's bright in AZ.)

 I did about 15 frames in all.  Don't worry, I'm not going to post pictures of a bunch of pictures.  ;)  I did use her glazing technique, Glazing 101, on all of them that weren't black.  Here is one of my favorites.  It's now in my bathroom.   

Spray paint is my new best friend!  haha.  And I'm even more excited about getting started on everything else.  So hopefully there will be more exciting redo posts to come.

The Tree

A friend of mine has been looking for cute wall decor ideas for her girls room, we were trying to figure out a cute way to do a vinyl tree.  She found this online and we both thought it was super cute.  

Anyway, long story short, I found some vinyl circles I had bought for the boys room (they matched their bedspread colors exactly) almost 2 years ago.  I had totally forgotten I had them... and when I found them I instantly thought of a tree.  Why not?  Right?!  I didn't have much brown left, but the wall space isn't too big either, so this is what we came up with. 

That is a branch...  ;)

It's kind of fun and the boys really love it!  Yeah!   

Milestones...

Miss Reagan is sitting... unassisted... for a few minutes at a time!  

Yep, I'm talking about you!  Oh, I LOVE this sweet girl!

WOOP!  WOOP!  ...Enough said!   

HaRdCoRe!

Harrison and I got bored today... so he got a tattoo!  Nothing says "Hardcore!" like a fish and a positive message. haha.  He was showing me his scary face.  This kid makes me laugh all the time!  
(This picture is my FAVORITE!  He could BE Patrick!  haha.) 

  A little Gene Simmons in him too.

I love it when free stuff ends up being hours of entertainment!  haha.  I also LOVE this kid!

All About Jackson...

Jackson got to be the All Star student in his class for a whole week at the beginning of Sept.  He got to be the special helper and line leader.  And he had to make a poster ALL about HIM... (I think he did a pretty fabulous job!  He even let Harrison help with the stickers.)

FAVORITE THINGS:

Color:  Red
Animal:  Sharks
Food:  Ramen Noodles
Book:  DK Eye Wonder - Sharks & Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?  (Which he can read all by himself)
Sport:  Basketball & Soccer
Thing to do at School:  Ride the bus & recess
Thing to do at Home:  Play on the computer, play, Rock Band, Sing

OTHER FACTS:
He wants to be a Border Patrol Agent when he grows up.
He can ride a horse all by himself.
He learned how to shoot a BB gun this summer.
His best friend is Wyatt.
And... he worries more about girls trying to kiss him at recess than bullies!  Oye.  :)

He also had a Spirit Day at school this past week and got to wear PJ's!  :)  So, we decided he needed some new ones.  (Actually, it took PJ day at school for mom to realize he despirately needed PJ's, in a bad way!... yes I'd like to thank the Academy, I'll be watching for my award in the mail.)  He looked very cool and he had a lot of fun! 

I still can't believe how big he is!  He is learning and doing SO much.  He is even quite the little reader.  I'm so proud of this kid and I LOVE him so much!  I also LOVE that he LOVES school!  :)  

SERIOUSLY?!

Never in my life have I been more grateful that I made Patrick take the stinky diaper out to the garbage!!!  Because this...

was waiting on our porch!  I had no idea anything was wrong... and then there was knocking on the bedroom windows... and then the back door.  So I look out the back door and Patrick is standing there in the dark yelling at me to close the front door.  ...Ya ok, you opened it, you weird-o....  But before I could even ask him why he was in the backyard he yelled "There's a rattle snake on the front porch."  I'm pretty sure that was the fastest I have ever ran in my life!  (He made fun of me later for taking off so fast.)  We both went out front through the garage, armed with a shovel and a hose. (I stayed on the rock in the yard, it felt safer!... which he also teased me about!) 

We sprayed it and rocked it (because the smartest plan is to make the poisonous snake really angry before you try to kill it... but we were hoping it would move enough for Patrick to have a clean shot)... it wasn't going anywhere.  At that point Patrick decided to get brave.  He sent me in the house and had me shut the garage door.  And I waited.  And when I looked out the front window a couple minutes later... Patrick was on the big rock in the yard.  haha.  (I was totally laughing at him, he saw me and laughed too!)  That's when he had me call our neighbor, apparently he was running out of courage.  Darin arrived with another shovel... and some skill... in shorts no less.  I watched and listened from the front window, it was actually pretty funny to listen to.  And as soon as I heard Patrick tell Darin "that was a clean hit", and he was smiling, I bolted back out the garage door to see the carnage! (He was a little over 2 feet long.) 

He shouldn't have come to our house... he'd probably still have a head.  Ewwwww! 

Faith, Hope, and Charity

A friend of mine posted this talk from the Ensign on her blog... and it spoke to me.  I needed to remember it, to record it somewhere where I would read it again... and again.  Because... well, in my life, at this moment in time... I feel Hope... but there just are not words... at least not my own.  

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=6a25ceb47f381210VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRDLarry Hiller, “Hope: The Misunderstood Sister,” Ensign, Jun 2009, 8–9


Hope is anything but wishful. It is expectation based on experience.

I think of them as three famous sisters whose names are frequently linked, always in the same order: Faith, Hope, and Charity. They are mentioned several times in the New Testament and with remarkable frequency in the Book of Mormon.

Of the three, Faith may be the most well known and popular, the one whose companionship is sought most often. She’s active and energetic, definitely the can-do type. Faith can move mountains, if necessary.

I picture Charity as being modest and refined, beautiful and gracious. In her presence you feel genuinely loved and accepted. She’s unfailingly kind and generous, patient, empathetic, aware of every need, and responsive without being asked. How could you not want the companionship of someone like Charity?

Then there’s Hope, who seems to have a problem with the way people perceive her. It may be her name and the way it’s commonly used: “I hope the car passes inspection.” Or, “I hope the weather will be nice for the wedding.” Used this way, the word hope is the verbal equivalent of keeping your fingers crossed. Consequently, many seem to think Hope is unsure, even fickle—she may or may not grace you with her companionship. But surely that’s not the kind of hope our Father in Heaven commands us to have. Nor would it be the kind of hope our Savior offers.

My desire to know Hope better was sparked when a high councilor speaking in our sacrament meeting quoted Romans 5:3–5:

“We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

“And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

“And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

As I read and reread those verses and pondered and prayed about them, the one concept I could not seem to wrap my mind around was how experience fits in the equation. I could understand that tribulation “worketh” (or brings about) patience. Often that’s all we can do in tribulation—have faith and wait patiently upon the Lord. But what is the experience that patience brings about? And how does it result in hope? This seemed to be what I call a puzzle piece.

For me, things I don’t understand about the gospel are like pieces of a larger puzzle I’m working on. If I don’t see where they fit, I put them aside and work on other parts of the picture. From time to time I pick them up and look at them. If I still don’t see how they fit, I put them aside again. I have already received a witness that the whole picture—the restored gospel—is true and complete, so I don’t worry about the pieces that haven’t come together for me yet. They will.

And so one day, as I reexamined this particular puzzle piece, I saw a possible connection I hadn’t seen before. When we endure tribulation with faith and patience, what we experience is the Savior’s awareness of us and His love for us. We experience them through the ministrations of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. We receive this witness after the trial of our faith (see Ether 12:6).

In my own life, when I patiently endure trials, the Savior, who took upon Himself all of our ills and sorrows (see Alma 7:11–12), ministers to me through the Spirit. I experience the Savior’s tender mercies. My trials may continue, but having taken upon me the yoke of Christ, I find Him sharing my yoke, making my burdens bearable, and giving me hope. I then have strength to endure. I have assurance that all will be made right, not just in eternity but also for eternity. Hope is anything but wishful. It is expectation based on experience.

I see Hope more clearly now. She is serene. Her eyes have the deep, knowing look of someone well acquainted with sorrow, the luminosity of recently being wet with tears. Hope has the confidence of one who clearly sees a bright future even when the next hours seem fog shrouded. Hope is steady and strong, a friend I am glad to have beside me during my own trials.

Walking with Two Sisters
By Larry Hiller

Faith walks before me,
Holding up her lamp
As I try not to stumble in the ink-dark hours before the dawn.
Her light illuminates
One step and then another.
Beside me, Hope, arm linked with mine, encourages and steadies.
Sometimes in the tedium,
Distracted by the pain,
My mind begins to wander, then my feet. I hesitate.
Unsure, I look to Hope.
Her hand takes mine.
The touch reminds me of another hand held out to me,
One pierced and scarred
Yet oh so tender
Lifting me and blessing me when I had fallen and despaired.
Remembering,
I move ahead

Buoyed up by Hope, who sees the end with perfect clarity.

Creative?!

I don't consider myself to be a super creative person.  I have my moments... every once in a while.  But I am definitely not one of those people who has fabulous ideas oozing out their ears!  ...I'm an idea thief.  Yep, I admit it.  I LOVE to steal other peoples good ideas.  :)  ...So I am going to share a couple of fun, super cute, easy ideas that have come my way!  Cuz, we can't all be oozers!  ;) They aren't my ideas, we did them for a RS craft night. (I have fabulous creative people in my ward!  I hope my Sah. peeps don't mind me sharing.)  But what I LOVED about them was... that ANYONE can do them.  You don't need any special tools or machines.  Just some supplies and time. 

Halloween Jars
(Or really any holiday you want to do.)

Supplies:
Jars - any shape or size with label removed
Tissue paper - any color, cut into strips about 1"-1.5".
         (It doesn't take very many strips to do a jar)
Mod-Podge
Ribbon
Vinyl, card stock, embellishments, whatever else you want to use to decorate them

Basic Instructions:
I had the best success with starting the strip at the top of one side, applying the mod-podge as I went, and working my way across the bottom and up the other side.  I only applied the mod-podge to the strip of area I was doing and I didn't apply the mod-podge to the top until I was done with the whole jar.  Then I would go over the whole thing at one time. (too much mod-podge makes the tissue paper really soft and harder to work with.  So I would just brush on a strip and then smooth the tissue paper down and keep going.) 

When they are dry, apply vinyl or mod-podge card stock for faces or whatever else you want to do to them.  Trim the top if needed and hot glue ribbon on and you are done!  They turned out so cute!  I am already planning to make some for other holidays!  :)   

Christmas Countdown Calendar:
(Cute mini muffin holes for hiding a treat!)

Supplies:
1 - 24 ct. mini muffin pan
12 - 2.25" x 2.25" green card stock squares
12 - 2.25" x 2.25" red card stock squares
1 - 24 ct. number sheet - Here - First: Download the file.  Second: Print.  When you print, you want to make sure you "Shrink to Fit to Page" or it won't print all on one page. (I am new at this linking stuff, so if it doesn't work and you want it, let me know.)
48 - 2" peel and stick magnet strips - you can buy these at Wal-Mart
1 - 30" piece of ribbon
1 - black ink pad (optional) - to distress the edges
1 - corner rounder (optional)
1 - Christmas Countdown tag - you can pretty much do whatever you want for that.

Basic Instructions:
Construction is pretty self explanatory.  Cut the colored card stock into squares.  Use corner rounder - if desired.  Cut out the numbers.  Distress - if desired.  Glue together.  (You'll want to pay attention to what number you glue to which color, 4 and 5 are both on the same color, etc.) Stick magnet strips on back - across the top and bottom so they'll stick.  Drill two holes in the top of your pan and lace ribbon through.  And that's it!  I am already trying to think of other ways to use muffin pans... 12 days of Christmas, chore chart... the ideas are endless. 

Side Note:  I laminated mine with clear contact paper.  It's not necessary... but I know my kids... and they'll be touching it!  And I really want it to last!  :)

My plan is to keep posting crafts/ideas/inspiration as I find them!  So hopefully someone finds it useful!  haha.  And I wouldn't mind terribly if anyone else wanted to do the same!  ;)