Wordless Wednesday

My Lovely Rag Wreath

Look at all the BEAUTIFUL strips of LOVELINESS!!

As I said in my previous post it took me a while to pick out my fabric, but once I did I was THRILLED with my choices!! Here they are in their glorious beauty!! My favorite...the one I began with is the vintage yellow lemon material!! "Isn't she lovely....Isn't she wonderful?" Recognize that Stevie Wonder song...wait...it is Stevie Wonder right?

I am in love with these color choices. I lucked out that the birdie blue and green were on sale at Jo-Ann. However, the lemons and blue (Heidi Grace) fabric were full price...ouch!! Thank you momma for the monetary donation to my project!! ;) I was not aware that having good taste {wink wink} would mean paying so much per yard! ;) Teehee!!

I used the tutorial by The Cottage Home to make my Rag Wreath....I started with my strips only 12 inches long (which works on a medium size wreath form). I thought I had a medium size (ugly straw) wreath. Apparently my wreath is HUGE!! The 12 inch strip barely made it around my wreath...and then I couldn't even tie it!! So I had to alter the length...probably to 14-16 inches. Once all the strips were cut I just started knotting them...in no particular color order!

Here she is taking shape...ain't she grand?? :)

Here is the finished project on my front door. This is where I planned on keeping her...yes, her!! But after considering this door gets full sunlight and very little protection from the elements, I decided she must come in and hang on another door. :(

And here is her new home...inside! I hope everyone that enters our house enjoys her beauty as well!!

The Joy of Jo-Ann

OMGoodness!!! I have shopped at Jo-Ann's (Clothworld for the old-timers) before, but I have never shopped for fabric by myself before. So I set off with a coupon in my hand and an idea in my head...make a quick shopping trip for some fabric and hot glue sticks. Simple right? OH NO IT WAZZZZN'T! It took longer than expected just to pick out hot glue sticks...still not sure I got the right kind. Then I carefully, excitedly, anxiously made my way to the back of the store....the fabric mecca!! Ahhhh...I stared at all the pretties!! Now where to begin...and then the panic set in!! I texted my momma (thanks momma) and got some reassurance that I could do this! I found some material right away...I was IN LOVE right away....then I actually found the other material quite quickly! It is all beautiful and I cannot wait to make the rag wreath! I'm hoping to get the strips cut by today...but there are four kiddos needing my attention...we shall see. I can't wait to post the finished product!! Woohoo!!

OMGosh.....My 100th Post!!

I can't believe this makes my 100th post!! I'm so excited about it. Sadly I have not been able to scrapbook as much...oh, who are we kidding...I haven't scrapped at all since around March {insert VERY VERY sad face here}. I haven't even started scrapping last years Christmas photos yet...YIKES! Anyways, without that outlet (which takes LOTS of time and LOTS of space and can cost LOTS of money) I have needed some other area to create, write and vent. I know at some point I will get back to scrapping (it might not be till my kids leave the house...teehee), but until then I will enjoy my little bloggy time!! :)

There are some posts I can't wait to share...pics of the kiddos, stories about date night, linking up to parties on other blogs....LOVE THIS...and then there are times that I struggle with what to write. I have so much to say, but there are days I don't have it in me to say it...even in a post. I have so much happiness to write about, sadness isn't absent either, and then some days anger is the emotion I wish to write about. Sometimes I have things to say that might unintentionally hurt someone's feelings, or might make me feel uncomfortable (ie: my faltering faith, loss of babies, hard to deal with kids, difficulty with the hubs and searching for a new...better for us....place to worship God). Today I find it hard to think of a subject I want to focus on, so I will leave with a great song that describes my feelings on sharing myself with blog land....HAPPY 100TH POST to me!!! ;)

Take all of your wasted honor.
Every little past frustration.
Take all of your so called problems,
Better put 'em in quotations.

Say what you need to say

Say what you need to say

Say what you need to say

Say what you need to say

Walkin' like a one man army,
Fightin' with the shadows in your head.
Livin' up the same old moment
Knowin' you'd be better off instead

If you could only...Say what you need to say

Say what you need to say

Say what you need to say

Say what you need to say


Have no fear for givin' in.
Have no fear for giving over.
You better know that in the end
It's better to say too much, than never to say what you need to say again.

Even if your hands are shaking,
And your faith is broken.
Even as the eyes are closin',
Do it with a heart wide open.

(song by john mayer)

Red, White, Blue and Brown Nursery

I've decided to post pics of Owen's nursery...some things I made and some I didn't...but I thought it was time to share them! We (and when I say we, I am referring to Ashlee {my super awesome friend and neighbor} and myself) painted the room and some of the furniture! Now to start off we looked through NUMEROUS blue color swatches and Ashlee picked this one out. I just trusted her completely and we went with it. I knew I didn't want to go with a "baby" blue, but this color is absolutely PERFECT....I am in love with this color. We painted the bookcase, shelves and dresser a wonderful red (also used this color for my other son's's {not sure where to put the apostrophe....teehee} room.) Below is a metal yellow airplane I received at my baby shower...it fits in just right!!

Below is the bookcase we painted (I took pics of the entire process of adding the material on the back...unfortunately I accidentally erased them all)..insert very sad face. :( It was my first experience with a staple gun....OMGOSH...IT WAS SOOOOO MUCH FUN!! I couldn't wait for another project to use it on!! I know...so pathetic!! I was so proud of this project...and again it is perfect in the room!!


Below is a very large airplane (about 4ft long). My grandma bought it for Aidan years ago at a resale shop. It has traveled with us to each house and it will continue to...I love it sooo very much. It was originally a very ugly beat up red/green combo...yuuuuck! So I painted it white and sanded it to give it a little more personality. Happy? Why yes, yes I am!! ;) I still haven't finished decorating it yet....can't quite decide what to display....hmm, any ideas?


And now for the letters....I know I've said it before, but I LURVE the way these turned out. They are from Joann's and they are adorable!! They are about 8inches tall and fit in the space just right. They are paper mache and can hold a good amount of paint. I was worried that the paint we used (the same as the dresser and bookcase) might be too heavy for it...might make it tear....luckily it didn't!! I did have to put two layers on, but I was sooo excited for them to dry so I could sand them and hang em!! Once they were up I decided they needed a little something extra...so I added strips of the same material from behind the bookcase. The letters turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself!!



Another great airplane that I've loved from the moment we hung it up!! So cute!


The changing table....it has baskets below that were once white (okay a dirty white) that I painted brown. Man, SPRAY PAINT rocks!!!

Below is a small shelf that we painted....but my favorite part of this setup are the vintage block letters spelling out Owen (thanks Ashlee)!!! Next to that are pics of Joey and I when we were little....awww!! ;)


And the dresser....the thorn in my side!! It had a slick finish on it, so we primed with latex primer, then painted the same great red. Unfortunately, the paint has not held up well. I sanded it to rough it up, but I didn't want the paint to actually peel off. Every time I put something on top of the dresser it takes the paint off....grr! And the drawers stick...BAD!! It takes all my strength to open them...grrr again. I don't know what I did wrong, but it is quite irritating!!


And another project I am so pleased with....the 10X10 canvas squares that I again covered with the same material I had used on the back of the bookcase and on his letters! I was so proud of the way they turned out. It was not my plan...I had planned on painting sweet scenes on them, but this is so much cuter...okay and WAY EASIER!! They hang just above one of the other shelves I painted.


And finally here are three Dollar Tree frames featuring precious pics of baby O-bug! I H-A-T-E the ribbon...so cheap...but I haven't had a chance to replace them yet...so pretend you don't see them!! Hahaha!
Well, there ya have it. I am thrilled with his nursery and so PROUD of the way all the projects turned out. It has given me such confidence to move onto other projects. I hope Owen enjoys his room now and in the future. Thanks for reading!! Have a great week!

Happy Father's Day

TO MY FATHER,

I am so grateful that God chose you to be my daddy. You have been an incredible influence on my life....you always have been. I remember when I was little and thought, "my dad knows everything" then I got older and thought, "my dad knows a lot, but not everything" and finally, "my dad can tell you SOMETHING about EVERYTHING...even if he is just making it up!!" I remember riding in the car with you and listening to you talk, and you would casually turn your head in different directions slowly taking it all in. I could listen to you talk all day. I knew that I wanted to be just like you when I grew up....laid back, smart, maybe even a bit of a smart mouth, and confident. I hope that some of those qualities did rub off on me. Thank you for being my own personal "Heathcliff Huxtable". I love you dearly daddy.



TO THE FATHER OF MY CHILDREN,

Where to start? I thank God for you daily. He blessed me beyond measure when he joined our two hearts together many MANY many years ago!! Teehee. We just celebrated 10 years of "mostly" wedded bliss.....and you have been a father for 8 of those years. You are so great with our kiddos...you play football with Aidan, you listen to Finn tell his "stories", you even dress up in scarves and hats for B, and you hold Owen with such a sweet tenderness. They are blessed to call you daddy. Four kids was NEVER in our plan, but I gotta admit you handle being a FATHER OF FOUR pretty well!! I hope our kids get your "never meets a stranger" personality, your goofy sweet grin, your selfless manner, your quiet confidence and strong love for family. You have my heart, but you hold your kiddos hearts in your hand also!! We love you sweetheart.


TO MY HEAVENLY FATHER,

I couldn't be me without you, I couldn't be a wife or mom without you. Even though I am struggling to feel your presence in my life right now, I know deep down that life is nothing without you. I am so grateful for all that you do for me....today especially I thank you for my daddy and my husband. They are two wonderful men in my life. (I also thank you for my father-in-law Bill...a great father to Joey and great grandfather to my kiddos.) Thank you for watching over me as a father does, for guiding me as a father does, and for loving me unconditionally as a father does. I love you so much.

Wordless Wednesday (my first time!!)

Can I Do It All?

There are so many days I wonder if I can do it all. Or can I do it ALL the way I want it done.

There are days when B will go without getting dressed all day, and if she is dressed I might not even have bows in her hair. Or today for example, she fell and scraped her leg....did I have a band aid like a good mother would? Oh no..I..HAD..nothing.

Aidan and Finley have both gone to ball practices (and games) and have come up to me afterward and asked if they could have their drinks. Um...what? What drinks? Did I remember to bring them some water or Gatorade? Of course i didn't. What a bad momma!!

I've had 3 weeks worth of coupons just sitting waiting to be clipped...I just got to them yesterday. Oh and don't even get me started on the GINORMOUS PILE of mail screaming out my name that I haven't touched...geez, I hope there isn't something important in there!!! haha!

Oh, how about all the thank you notes I haven't written yet....yes, thank you notes for B's birthday party, for meals brought to us during those first few weeks Owen was home, and numerous others!

I have been trying (for months) to get a plan ready for this summer. I wanted to have all these great ideas for the kids to participate in this summer...going to new parks, having a picnic, attending VBS at numerous churches, etc. But have I gotten this list ready...no...failing grade...again. :(

And please don't be grossed out by the fact that I haven't cleaned a toilet or dusted in weeks. Eeeeek!! Some days I don't even get a freakin' shower!! Man the pressure is really getting to me...I know..."this too shall pass" but I am here, now, dragging on, barely making it, struggling, wondering when it will all go back to normal.

I just want to enjoy every single moment of life with my husband, children, family and friends...and not feel like I am shortchanging ANY of them in the process. Hmmm....moving on to another Monday! :)

Star-Spangled Wreath

My poor front door wreath has been naked for a while now...and I decided it was time for a change. Well, this is what I started with...a couple of stars and a wreath hook!! All three pieces were on sale at Target....$1.50 each!!! Rock on!! I never hit GREAT deals like this! I knew once I saw these pretties I had to have them!!


I changed out my plain jane wreath holder for the new "lovely" and then went to work on the little stars.


The stars had these horrible ugly wire pieces attached to them...but I replaced it with my handy dandy raffia!! Easy Peasy!! ;)



Here they are in all their GLORY!! This was such an easy project, but made a big difference to my front door!!



And there ya have it....my purdy patriotic wreath....good to go throughout the summer...well at least until the end of July!

I already have plans for my next wreath. I found the idea on another blog.... http://thecottagehome.blogspot.com/2010/05/summer-fabric-rag-wreath-tutorial.html...it is one GORGEOUS WREATH!! Enjoy friends!!

Update on Owen

We now have an appt set up with the Hematologist. It is for July 6th. After reviewing his files they determined it wasn't an emergency, but to get in at the next available appt...which was July 6th. I am happy that they aren't worried enough to rush us in, but having to wait 24 days is going to be difficult for this momma!! I am more level headed then when I wrote my last post. I know that no matter what God is involved in this. Good or bad, positive or negative, health or sickness...God is there to hold my hand and guide me through. I pray that he actually does provide me peace and wisdom during this time. I will definitely update after his appointment...in 24 days...did I mention it's gonna be 24 days??!! :}

{Please continue to pray for my sweet wonderful family. And I would also ask that you pray for my MIL...who is having to make some very difficult decisions regarding her mother (Joey's grandmother).}

My Worst Fear

See this precious boy? The fourth light of my life? We received some news about him today that I feel is my worst fear trying to come true.

Months ago before he was born I read an extremely sad post about a little boy who died after contracting Pertussis and RSV. Unfortunately I have not been able to put that story out of my mind. A baby does not get vaccinated for Pertussis until 8 weeks....so I have {im}patiently been waiting for today's visit to the doctor...his 2 month check up!! I thought finally I would be relieved that he was finally going to get his vaccine and I would have nothing left to worry about. I was not expecting to have something new to worry about.

As soon as the doctor came in she asked if I had gotten her voicemail...I hadn't....so she proceeded to tell me that Owen's blood work was abnormal. And not just abnormal once, but twice. Infants are screened when they are 1-2 days old and then again after 2 weeks of age. Here in Texas they are tested for approximately 6-8 different tests. She then tells me of all the diseases he could have this is the best!! REALLY? I don't want my child to have any diseases, but hey....guess I'll take the best one!! He failed this:

Hemoglobinopathies: These inherited diseases of red blood cells result in varying degrees of anemia (shortage of red blood cells) and other health problems. The severity of these disorders varies greatly from one person to the next. These disorders are:

• Hb S/S (sickle cell anemia)
• Hb S/A (hemoglobin S/beta-thalassemia)
• Hb S/C (hemoglobin S/C disease)

Okay...breathe, don't faint, don't hyperventilate just breathe.

His doctor promptly said he didn't have Sickle Cell. She was sure. Yay!

But of course I came home and did research on the computer that showed he could have had false positives (which I would have believed if he had only failed once), all the way to cancer....leukemia. Seriously?

And there you have it? My worst fear EVER recognized. Of course I know that once we see the Hematologist he could say O-bug is just fine, or he could give me the worst news ever. I will be calling for an appointment tomorrow afternoon. The docs have to review his case...and decide on the urgency. I don't want to call tomorrow and they say he needs to come in immediately....but I also don't want them to say don't worry about it and we'll see ya in a few weeks. I will worry myself silly. So here I will sit and wait and try to put all my faith in Christ that my sweet little O-bug will be fine.

I love you Owen....you are such a sweet baby!!

My Sweet Little Man