Join Me

So I have been out of the social media loop for a few weeks thanks to our crazy busy non stop schedule of seeing all the family and friends we could see at one time.  But, today was the first day in a long time that I have really scrolled down the facebook new feed to see what everyone was up to.  It's funny because my mother in law calls it People Magazine and in a way she is right hehe.

Anyways, I saw a friend that I knew in high school post a link to a blog asking for prayers for her friend.  I CLICKED, read it and my heart just broke.  I just can't believe all that this poor mom is going through!  Her son has all sorts of complications with his heart and she will be delivering him soon.  There are just so many issues I can't imagine what she must be going through. 

As I read what she is writing I just want to cry.  My heart goes out to you Jillian and I admire your strength and faith.  I can't even fathom all that you are going through but I will be praying peace and comfort for you.

Reading this made me remember my own delivery of Boo and as she was going down her head smashed the umbilical chord cutting off her oxygen.  The little monitor stopped beeping and we knew something was wrong.  In the midst of the chaos my hubby and I just prayed and prayed and prayed.  I was flipped to my hands and knees and the mid wives were shaking my belly trying to get her to move and you can just imagine the fear that ran through us.  God heard our prayers and we delivered this beautiful baby girl. 

Well, this moment doesn't even seem close to comparing to what this poor mama is going through right now, but I believe that God can work a miracle in this situation as well. God helped me to deliver Cindy I am going to pray and believe that God would bring Judah safely into the world.  I ask that you join me in praying for this family as they go through this trial.  Pray that God would give them strength and most of all peace.  I will be praying God would ultimately heal baby Judah.  I don't know about you, but I believe in miracles and that is exactly what I will be asking God for.  So, please join me in praying for this family!

Ruffled Dress

As promised I am going to give you the link and tutorial for the cute little dress that I made for Boo Bear to wear for her first Thanksgiving.  It has been awhile since I have made anything for her and even though I waited until the night before to make it, it was so fun.  I got the main idea from the tutorial of the Rainbow Dress from Rae [with some minor changes] and though I love the rainbow idea, I didn't think it was very Thanksgiving-y.

 I bought this fabric from Beverly's in October and when I saw it, I knew it was perfect!  I just love all the colors and the fact that it was on sale was super!  I obviously only chose one print instead of a few different ones and I added pop with the headband and shoes she wore.

I wanted to show the dress in action but because it was cold for Thanksgiving most of it was covered by her cardigan SO... I took some pictures of her in it today, without the tights or cardigan to distract from the adorableness of the dress.   [One change I made was to the straps. Instead of rectangles, I curved one side so it is a little rounded.]

Is this not the cutest picture you have ever seen?!  This little girl is always on her tippy toes.  [Another change I made was I made all three tiers the same since she is still teeny].

Wanna know what she is looking at?  Mommy and Daddy's wedding picture.  

It was so cute because she kept saying da-da-da-da and waving her hand to say hi to him.

Then she got bored hehe.  But, I also made this cute matching yo-yo flower headband to match.  I just love the ruffled elastic!  I am definitely going to have to get more of that.

 

I just love this cute little dress and will for sure make it again, especially in the summer time.  It's surprisingly easy to make and is just darling.  So HERE is the link to the tutorial!

Torkey Torkey Day

I hope all of your torkey day was as yummy as ours and even though I greatly missed the love of mt life it was nice being surrounded by loved ones.  I am most thankful for the the man who I am proud to call my husband.  Thankful for the sacrifice that he is making for our country and for our family.  Giving up all that he has so that we can have a future and a wonderful life.  He is truly my better half and I don't know what I did to deserve such a man.

This picture was from the first Thanksgiving we spent together as a married couple [in good ol' Mississippi], just the two of us and the first turkey I ever cooked, Gilbert.

Boo and I got to share this Thanksgiving with both sides of the family. The food was endless and so yummy!!  I have to admit I missed cooking the entire dinner just for the hub [so much that my turkey this year tasted awful...], but hopefully next year I will be able to.  On the upside I had a nice time with my sisters and all the family and friends we were with

Boo Bear had so much fun that night she didn't even sleep until 12:30 in the morning!  Maybe she thought I was going to take her out to Black Friday and then realized I wasn't hehe.  She looked adorable though and I will post the link on the how to for the cute dress she wore very soon.

It isn't easy spending the holidays just the two of us but we are trying to make the best..  Life may not be perfect, circumstances may be difficult, but there is always plenty to be thankful for.  I am truly thankful for all of the blessings that God has given us

Headband Bonanaza

There is nothing I love more than headbands on little girls!  I always try to put a headband on Boo Bear and I think the day she tells me "NO!" I will cry.  My own bestie said Cindy isn't Cindy without a headband hehehe. 

I recently bought some elastic from My Sunshine Supplies for a really great price.  You can't beat $1.50 for five yards!  That is a steal and if you head over and order from them be sure to let them know I sent you! 

Once the elastic came, I couldn't wait to get make some headbands.  Cousin Krista came over last week because she wanted to learn how to make fabric roses and she brought her co-worker's daughter  Bailey.  We had a blast and Bailey loved all the headbands she got to make.  She picked out the fabric and made them all on her own.  How fun it is to be a tween with her animal print and super bright colors!

But the headband bonanza didn't end there.  A few weeks back, I promised my God daughters I would make some for them so last night, I let them design their own head bands.  We had a blast and it looked so cute on them! 

Angel chose these colors for her roses and then Chelsea followed big sister in wanting the same thing but a little bit different.  So this is the Angel headband.  They both got one and this one will be posted on my etsy site next week.

One fun thing about having the girls around was they told me exactly what they liked and they were great little designers.  Sometimes my brain goes dead and I don't know what to put on the headbands but they were so helpful!   Here is a preview of the ones that will be for sale next week for a super thrifty price.  This is the ballerina roses.  The pale pink just reminds me of ballerinas.

This is the pom pom and is made of pale pink tulle.  It is one of my favorites!  I jsut love the way the pom looks on their little heads!

And a fabric pom flower.

Aren't they the cutest?!

I wish I was cool enough to do a tutorial on the fabric roses but it is much easier to learn from a video.  I learned by googling and youtube searching fabric rose tutorials.  There are some great videos out there.  And don't be discouraged if it takes you some time to get it right because it took a lot of practice for me to do it. 

It's Part of Being a Mama

I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing worse than having a very sick baby.  I knew it would happen one day, that Boo would get really sick, but I never imagined it would be this awful.... 

I usually tell my bestie that I have a daughter but I don't always feel like a "mom".  In the same way I don't feel like I am 24 (more like 17).   I don't know if that makes any sense, but the past two nights when we were fighting this awful cold, I actually felt like a real mama.  All those you know you are a mom when... statements all of a sudden applied to me.   

 For the first time I was really scared for the health and well being of Boo.  She was shivering with chills, her fever got to 104, and my normally active wild child was so weak. 

Seeing her helpless little body just broke my heart into a million different pieces.  When she would throw up all over me, the last thing on my mind was to clean myself off but to tend to her first.  Every heavy cough made me cringe and everytime she pulled her ear I felt even more helpless.  I didn't even care that I couldn't shower, clean, or do anything yesterday because all Boo wanted was to be held while she rested.  I would have held her everyday with her head on my shoulder until she was all better.

We made our first urgent care trip at 2am and being there just brought relief. 

Thankfully we only had to deal with the worse end of this cold for two nights and this little munchkin is doing much much much better now. 

But through it all, I now understand the selflessness that moms have.  I understand on a small scale the fear that shakes your bones seeing your child suffer.  Feeling helpless and heart broken for them.   And I don't think I have ever prayed so hard for my little Boo other than when I delivered her.  

I guess all the feelings, emotions, sacrifices, and love is just part of being a mama.

Tutorial: How to Add a Cartoon Image to Digital Invitations

Who loves parties??? ME, ME, ME!! I don't just love going to parites but I love planning them even more. Lucky for me I have an itty bitty with a birthday in February and that means the planning has begun!

Back when Boo was about 6 months old, I was already considering party themes [yes I know I am crazy]. I couldn't seem to find one that I loved, but as soon as my older sister said Dr. Suess, I got warm fuzzies. Then came the google-ing and compiling of ideas. In the midst of the research I stumbled upon these super de duper, adorable Cindy Lou Who invites....

Now I chose Dr. Suess because Boo Bear loves Dr. Suess [no joke]. It was the only book she would actually sit through. I think she enjoys the pictures and the rhyming.   Okay and so do I. Even at a month old she was already a Suess lover.  Just look at the concentration on that little face hehehehe.

This post will only be part one.  You can see the finished invite HERE.  Now the biggest part of these invitations is the cartoon Cindy Lou Who. I wish I had a cool program like photoshop to imitate their's, but I don't so I had to work around it.  I saved the image, copied it to word and made it fit the full page [i'll explain why later], turned it black and white, riased the contrast and printed.

I know that already sounds like a lot of work but it only took minutes. If I had time to free hand the picture I would, but I don't so I traced it using a fine point sharpee, hence the need to print the picture. 

Once the tracing was done, I darkened all the lines and tried to match up the weight and thickness of the lines based on the original invitations.

Not to shabby right?   Well, I did mess up on the whites of her eyes and in a few other places but those can be erased in the next step.

Now scan the image onto the computer making the picture quality 300 dpi. The picture is on a full sheet of paper because the larger the actual picture the crisper it looks on the computer. No one wants a grainy picture like the very first one I printed.

If you have a picture editing program you can use that, but because I don't have one on this computer I used picnik.com. Upload the picture, add light by raising the exposure or brightness [until the background is white]. Then adjust the contrast so the ink turns black. I also erased those extra pen marks I accidentally made. See the difference?

Once it is saved, you can copy the image and put it on any program whether it be word, paint, publisher or whatever you have. Download the correct font, choose the right wording, and there you have it!

 Now for me, this isn't finished yet, I still want to add a border and the writing and all of that before I send it to vista print to make the card stock invites. And you can essentially do this with any character, not just Dr. Suess!  I forsee Hello Kitty in the future.

Came to my Rescue

Tonight, I finally went to visit my little sister's youth group [poor thing has asked me so many times to go already] and it was pretty awesome.  Sadly, I could only stay for the worship portion because I had to get back to my Boo, but it is amazing to me to see how pumped these teens are for God and how free they are when they worship.

The last song that we sang was from Hillsong called Came to my Rescue.  I haven't heard it in a long long long long time but the lyrics are so beautiful.  There was one part of the song that just hit me.....

I called you answered
And you came to my rescue and I
I wanna be where you are

It may not mean anything to you, but this simple phrase speaks volumes to me.  When I was 16, about the same age as everyone in that room, I called to God to rescue me and he did.  Yup here I am no makeup, no dye in my hair, just a crazy little teeny bopper hanging out in AP US History.....

In those 3 1/2 short minutes I had this flashback.  When I was a teeny teen I was a wreck and dare I say wild child.  I was a mess and just broken.  More than you could ever imagine.  But as soon as I placed my whole life in His hands, things changed.  It took time for me to mature and heal but it's undeniable.  It all started then and the first big blessing I recieved was this handsome fellow.  [I was turning 17 here... a new year for a new me].

If you knew me back then, you would have seen the miracle that has happened in my life.  I called and He answered.  He came to my rescue and didn't stop there.  He has blessed me in a way I wouldn't even think possible when I was 16.

It has been eight years since then [I'll do the math for you, I'm 24] and who knows where I would be today if God never rescued me.  I just can't help but be so thankful to Him for hearing my cry for help and turning my life around.  All I have, comes from Him.   I am so thankful to Him for giving me this wonderful priviledge to be a wife and mom to these two crazy kids.

And if you have never heard the song before, here it is.

How to Make Non Slip Socks

Fall is here, winter is right around the corner, and that means cold floors.  With Boo getting eager to walk and now that she is taking steps, those slippery socks have become a danger.  Poor thing slips and slides everywhere making it difficult for her to feel confident.  I wish I could let her go bare foot but it isn't worth having a sick baby.

So, I started looking for non slip socks.  I went to so many different stores and couldn't find any!  The closest things I could find were these darling Taget slippers, but after she spit up on them they became obsolete and are now waiting to be washed.  I finally decided to make my own!   It was so much easier than I thought it would be.

Here is what you will need:

Socks,  3D fabric paint, and some tissure paper [or plastic would work too].

Stuff the socks with the tissue paper so that the sole is flat.

Then start making dots using the fabric paint.  I did a simple design.


Right before it dried fully I smushed the dots down a little.  Then do the same to the other and WALA a pair of non slip socks!

Now I bet you are wonderin how well they work.  Well, we tested them out and they are great!  NO more slipping and sliding.  She has actually been taking more steps today than ever.

And as we were taking these pictures we got a package from daddy!  It was such a sweet surprise.

I am not a big Winnie the Pooh fan, but I actually loved this!  It was so cute and partially educational with a hint of adult humor [good ol' Disney].  

We highly reccommend it!

Monkey Slippers

May I first off say Happy Veteran's day to those who have and are serving our country.  Also, thanks to the military families and spouses for supporting their loved ones while they serve.

Now, let me introduce you to the most adorable thing in the world.... Mama J's monkey slippers.

Are they not the cutest or what?!  I wish I was talented enough to create something like this but I am not.  My sister in law from Nature Mamma Handmade made them for our mother in law for her birthday.

If you want to order a pair be sure to visit her facebook and contact her here.  If you crochet, be sure to stay tuned because she will be coming out with a pattern for these cute things.  You can purchase the children's version now on her etsy.

For now, she only has the monkey but who knows what other animals will be birthed in the next few months!  Fingers crossed that Santa brings me a pair \.

AND since winter is coming fast, she also made this cute headband/ear covers.  I love this color!!  So, if you aren't a fan already or haven't visited her page in awhile, be sure you do so HERE.

Ohhh and she is also haveing a cutie contest on her FB page.  You can check out the rules on her blog.  Enter your cutie for a chance to win whatever your heart desires.  Or go and vote for my cutie!

9 Months Old

Yup, another month has zipped on by leaving me thinking where did the time go?!  There is no denying that my baby is growing up. Puh puh puh....

I started this tradition of taking solo pictures of her each month and it seems the older she gets the harder it is for me to take these pictures!  I guess it didn't help that I waited until right before nap time to get these shots.  This was the only smile I got the entire time, but isn't it sweet.  I was doing her favorite sign, which is now "silly".

And poor thing, by the end she was giving me this "I'm tired leave me alone face".

But anyways, this past month was filled with lots of new things for her.  It is amazing how much these little munchkins can learn and grow in such a short time!  

She has taken her first steps...

And I was sure she would start walking, but she then decided she wasn't interterested in walking anymore and has stopped trying.  It makes me a little relieved because I am not ready for her to be up and walking yet... but then again I don't think I will ever be ready.

One of my favorite things that she has learned is how to say hello and goodbye.  It is almost as cute as those big slobbery kisses she likes to give!  She doesn't have full control over her arm so it is just funny seeing her wave it up and down like crazy hehehe.

We also experienced growing pains.  My poor Boo got two teeth at once and had a really rough time.  Fever, diahhrea, major craky-ness, sleepless nights, and the list goes on.  Poor thing!  But now that the teeth have broken through, she is back to her normal self again.

My beautiful baby girl, already 9 months old!  I can hardly believe it!