A Moment

My heart

Firsts

Tom and I were up in Canada this past month and the weather was wonderful. We took a stroll in Point Pelee National Park and Liam experienced the Lake for the first time. He loved the water.

Tuesday's Tunes

I love Nickel Creek! I have had the privilege of seeing them play live. Pure talent! We even used one of their songs in our wedding. So sad they are no longer together. Maybe someday they will have a reunion tour? ::crossing fingers:: Enjoy this sweet little ditty.

As Cute as a Button!

Here are a few shots from the "Cute as a Button" themed baby shower that me and a few friends threw this weekend. After all the work, it paid off!

So excited to meet the new addition to our group,...Baby "S".














One of the gift's I made for baby "S". Hope he likes it!

Tuesday's Tune

Oasis says it all in this song. When life gets us down, when people disappoint us, when it seems as if nothing is going right, we need to look at the Big Picture! Something I have been learning lately.

5 Things Blog Along,......Crafter

"Art is when you hear a knocking from your soul - and you answer."
~Terri Guillemets

"Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in." ~ Amy Lowell

I love these two quotes, because they are so true! I consider crafting a form of art. An expression of ones self. I have always been interested in different mediums of art. I have painted, sculpted, and built things. I have also knitted, stamped, created, scrapbooked, sewed, stitched and decoupaged. Lately my newest love has been photography. So when I think of the things that make my life easier as a crafter, many things come to mind:


1.) Craft Stores: JoAnn Fabrics, Pat Catan's and Michael's have been my best friends lately. They are constantly sending me these delish advertisements with coupons! It doesn't take much for me to head to the local store to do some browsing, but when they tempt you with a 40% coupon,....it just gets me giddy! Here are some coupons (only good until tomorrow) you can print off:

* JoAnn's

* Michael's

2.) Blogs: I am now officially a blogg addict! They are so inspiring! I was chatting with a new friend I met at MOPS about this very thing. She gave me a few new sites to look at and it then I linked to more for there. It helps spark my imagination and gives me ideas for crafts that I can do with things already in my house. You can check out a few of my favorites on my following list.

3.) Scrap Book Days: I haven't been to one in a long time, but before Liam was born I would go at least twice a year. You bring all your photo's, your materials and tools. You pay a small fee to have a spot at the table, they feed you lunch (and dinner if you want to stay the full day) and the liberty to use their special tools on the center table. Every five pages you complete you get to enter a drawing for some amazing supplies. It was fun seeing all the ladies ideas, and the stories that go along with the pictures they were scrapbooking. I would get a lot done! I would leave with an album finished and some new friends!

4.) My Sewing Machine: (In the picture above) I love to sew! I have been sewing since I was a kid! My grandma taught me. The woman has the patience of a saint. I learned from a young age that the seam ripper was my "best friend". She instilled in me the idea that I could create anything! I have made dresses, pj's, doll clothes, pillows, etc. Now that I am home with Liam and have a little more time on my hands (than I used to working full time away from the house), I have gotten back into the craft. Right now I am working on a banner for a baby shower that I am helping with. I hope to have pictures up soon.

5.) Organization: I laugh when I write this one. In theory I try to keep all of my craft idea's organized. Well at least "together". But lately I have noticed that because my craft sessions are so sporadic lately (in between feeding Liam, on the phone with the hospital, e-mails etc) I have had trouble finding things. It helps so much when I stay organized. I dream of a day when I can have my own little sewing/craft room. Maybe when Liam outgrows his nursery? Maybe I can convince Tom to share his office?

Don't forget to check out the other girl's blog along:

Amanda

Julie

Christy

Brown Paper Packages,.....

So I found a very interesting site this week. It's called, "Thred Up". It's an online children's clothing exchange. The cool thing is, it's free! You click the gender, size of clothing that your child needs, the season that you are looking for and if you need tops, bottoms, or both. You are sent to a list of boxes, that you can browse through (but brands and descriptions only). You select the box you want, and then pay for the shipping. Each box contains 10-18 items. If you want, you can upgrade your membership for $29.00 for the year, or $19.00 for 6 months, and it will allow you to find out more information about the boxes, save more friends in your inner circle (which is like a favorite's list) and be first to know about special promotions. You may exchange one box at a time. When you are sent a box, they will automatically send you an empty box to send out your clothes in. It doesn't cost you a penny to send out a box of clothes,..you only pay shipping for the boxes sent to you! They have a star system to rate those that have sent out clothes that were "good quality" and rated positive by the person that received them. The assure those that use Thred Up that the clothing exchanged is of good quality and ask that you remember the motto: "Only give, what you want to get." They also have another Thred Up exchange site for adults! I am thinking that I may try this and see if it's as good as they say it is. Who is with me? Is this something you would want to try?

Tuesday's Tunes

So I was thinking I would start something new with my blog,.....

Tuesday's tunes! I love music and I enjoy seeking out new styles, artist and bands. I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorites! To kick it off, I thought I would share with you my favorite band: Coldplay (for those who know me, I am sure you're not surprised)! I had the chance of being in the second row at their last concert. A-mazing! I admit, they could sing me the phone book and I would still be swooning. This is their cover song from their latest album Vida La Vida.

Enjoy!

5 Things Blog Along,.....Cook

So this is the one post that I have been thinking about since the beginning of this blog along. Like I have said before, I am more of a baker than a cook. But Lord knows I would love to be! I always see these brilliant recipes online that I would like to try, but when I attempt them, they never look as appealing in my dish. ::shrug:: But like I have always been told, practice makes (almost) perfect! I will just have to keep thriving for that "good cook" status. So bear with me,...


My 5 things:

1.) Cookie Sheets - I use them to put under any of my lasagna or casserole dishes to catch any dripping before they land on the bottom of the stove. It saves on a lot of cleaning, and also from making my house smell like I had a campfire in the kitchen.


2.) Betty Crocker Cookbook - I know that I listed this in my baking post, but,...you just don't know how many times I use this cook book!!! It's a staple in my kitchen.


3.) Cast Iron Skillet - Something that my great grandma, grandma and mom all use. It's awesome to make chili in or to fry up some chicken. If it is well seasoned, it adds such an amazing flavor to anything I make.


4.) Tools from Pampered Chef - There is something about Pampered Chef that makes life easier in general. I have been to a few parties and have always felt empowered to be a better cook afterwards. I have some handy tools from an apple slicers, small paring knifes, flippers to measuring cups! I love them all!


5.) My Dear Husband - He is such an encourager when it comes to my cooking. He is always willing to try anything I make and never complains when I fail at a recipe. (Well, I am my worst critic) Most days you'll find me with a baby on my hip. He has been super helpful with Liam, so I can cook.

Don't forget to check out the other girl's blog alongs:

Amanda

Julie

Crafting Hours

I have been working on a few projects this week as I gear up to help throw my friend Brooke a baby shower! A bunch of girls from my bible study group picked the "cute as a button" theme.

Ideas have been buzzing around in my head lately. I hope to post some pictures soon. Today in between balancing babies, feedings, changing and rocking the munchkins, I was able to cut out, and assemble the small match boxes for the home made candy buttons I plan on making early next week. I just hope I can get it all finished in time for the party! ::crossing fingers::

To be continued,...........

5 Things Blog Along,.....Baker

For some reason the rhyme "Patty cake, patty cake bakers man, bake me a cake as fast as you can,......" comes to mind. With a 4 month old at home, my brain seems to always be in mommy mode. I am excited that this week's topic is baking! I am sort of a sweets addict. Although I have tried limiting my sweet tooth these days. "Tried" being the key word. I have been doing more baking recently. Yesterday I made some yummy Banana nut, chocolate chip bread (which I ate for breakfast this morning) shhhh! How could I resist? With a nice tall glass of milk,...mmmm

Here are my five things:

1.) Spring Form Pans - I have a few of them. I love making cakes! I have a hard time trying to flip cakes out of a traditional pan without them falling apart. Sooo frustrating!! But with a spring form pan, all I have to do is open the sides! Can't believe how easy it is!

2.) Betty Crocker Cookbook - Both my mom and my grandma have this cook book, and I was blessed to receive one at my bridal shower. It has a lot of really great tips on baking pies with picture demonstrations. (For us visual people) There are some amazing baking recipes that I have used many times.

3.) Alternative Ingredients - There have been a few times that I have gone to grab an egg and didn't have one or realized that I didn't have any cooking oil. I have found healthier ways to make the recipe without altering the taste too much. A great substitute for eggs is canned pumpkin. It makes the cake a bit heavier, but really tasty! For oil, I have used apple sauce! Try it sometime!!

4.) Corian Counter Top Island - When I moved into my house I never realized how much I would use it. It's perfect for rolling out pie dough and cookies and keeps them at the perfect cool temperature. It's also great for putting cookie racks on to cool cookies and to have a large enough space to ice a cake. I don't know what I would do without it!

5.) Music - I know it's not necessarily a baking tool or helpful tip, but for me, it's a necessity! It helps if I sing along as well. I love just being in my kitchen, decorating cookies, icing a cake or mixing bread while singing my heart out to Coldplay, or Sting, or whomever it is I am in the mood to listen to. (It changes daily) I have found that my Mother in law is the same way (with her Christmas baking). Her grandma, and her mom used to make the same Christmas goodies every year. She can't make her Czech Pastries without listening to her records from the old country. I love how tradition, combined with music, and the smells of family recipes make it Christmas for her and all of her children. I hope that someday my children will enjoying the memories of me baking them special things in my kitchen.

Don't forget to check out the other girls in the Blog Along:

Amanda

Julie

Feels Like Summer!

I am wondering if it is still April 1st and nature is playing a trick on us here in Ohio. It is a beautiful sunny 78 degrees out!! Because of Liam being born in the fall, he hasn't spent much time in the outdoors. I was so excited to take him out side before his nap. He was thrilled to be out in the sunshine. (We didn't stay out long, because I was worried his little skin would get red) I put out a blanket and enjoyed watching him discover the feel of the grass or the first time. I wonder if someday he will like running barefoot in the grass like his momma did as a kid!?