Hello ladies! Now I will be honest with you, when I saw this giveaway my mouth fell open because I was in shock! This is what us crafters dream of winning! Are you ready? Here is your chance to win an awesome sewing machine! Not just one, but two are being given away to increase your chances of winnning! The DIY Dish is giving you this wonderful opportunity to win these:
You can also enter up to 8 times!!! I am so excited for this and if you are curious to see who the wonderful ladies behind DIY Dish are watch this video:
Happy Sunday! I hope you all enjoyed spending time with your family and friends while watching the Super Bowl! Too bad the team my hubby wanted to win did not but that is ok because my favorite part of the super bowl is the food and the free time! My daughter loves watching football so she spent most of the day with the hubby and his friends in front of the t.v. so I was able to bake and get some projects done! Woo Hoo!
1) No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
-2 cups peanut butter - divided use
-3/4 cup butter or margarine
-2 cups powdered sugar
-3 cups graham cracker crumbs
-2 cups (12 ounce package) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels - divided use
--Beat 1 1/4 cups peanut butter and butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in 1 cup powdered sugar. With hands or wooden spoon, work in remaining powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs and 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Press evenly into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Smooth top with spatula.
--Melt remaining peanut butter and remaining chocolate chips in medium, heavy-duty saucepan over lowest possible heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Spread over graham cracker crust in pan. Chill for at least 1 hour or until chocolate is firm; cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.
--Once they were cooled I decided to take a cookier cutter and make them into footballs!
2) Valentine Heart String Banner
If you remember this post I feautured how to make this adorable banner. Well finally I was able to make it and I am so happy how it came out! I do not have a kitchen window to hang it over so I have it over our closet in the bedroom. I made it with 12 hearts so that next year I will have versatility where I can hang it in our own place! I also used white ribbon I had on hand and paper I had bring the cost to only 3 dollars!
3)Antique Newspaper Photo Canvas
I found this idea on another blog and for the life of me cannot remember where (I call it mommy-brain!) So if you are reading this and know than tell me so I can feauture them! As soon as I saw this idea I had to do it! I loved the bible verse they already has, especially since we had that same one read at our wedding. I changed a few other things and love the way it turned out!
4) Family Rules Canvas
As you have seen all over the internet almost everyone has a family rules canvas. I have wanted to do this for awhile but have not had the time or resources to get it accomplished. I finally was able to and had so much time to think about it I had too many rules and had to narrow them down. I went with a smaller 11 x 14 canvas based on cost, space, and unknown space in the future. I figured 11 x 14 will fit anywhere we move to. With that size I narrowed it down to 10 rules with a title so 11 strips total.
Hons Family Rules
-Obey Daddy & Mommy
-Use your manners yes, please...no, thank you
-Keep your promises
-Dream big, Smile often, Forgive always
-Always tell the truth
-laugh lots, tickle lots, be silly, have fun!
-Say I love you & give lots of hugs
-Always give to others first
-There is no such thing as "mine" in this house...it is all God's!
-Say your prayers...Thank God for this family!!!
So there you have it..3 projects and 1 baking session done all in one afternoon! I hope I am this productive next weekend! Enjoy!
Hello Ladies! I am going to make this short and sweet because I have to go start cooking for the big game! I know not all of us follow football but ti seems like almost everyone will watch this game today. I just wanted to share a page that I did of my daughter for my husband (he wants the Colts to win). It is made with the adorable kit Are You Ready for Some Football? by Just So Scrappy. Head on over and purchase for only 1.50! Have fun today with your family and friends! Enjoy!
Hello lovely ladies! I hope you are all having a fantastic night with your family and after you have accomplished your tasks for the day I hope you are able to sit down and read this fantastic information on re-kindling the romance in your marriage. I have found out a fantastic project on putting aside one night a week to date your husband! Keep reading this awesome article by Tiffany @Simply Modern Mom.
"I am excited about this announcement. And it involves you. Yes, you! I want you to participate and report back.
We approached that time of the year where we think about new goals and projects for 2010. I have been contemplating doing a Project 365 myself. Project 365? Set a goal to do something every day for a year all the while blogging about it or recording it somewhere somehow. You know, Julie & Julia. Then the more I thought about it, 365 is a bit too much for my schedule. If I am going to commit to the project, it has to be doable. So I am turning my Project 365 into Project 52. Cutting it down to just once a week. That’s feasible.
The project. I recently read an article in a magazine about a couple’s experience having date nights at home. Hum… sounds interesting. Nathan and I will celebrate our 6th anniversary in 2010 and sad to say, we have neglected consistent date night ever since Kaye was born over 3 years ago. We have the same excuses many of you also face. Nathan is in graduate school most evenings. We don’t want to find and pay for a babysitter every week. Our current financial situation leaves little allowance for date nights. We are too busy. We can’t think of anything to do. The house is a mess. We are tired. The excuses continue.
After reading the article, Nathan and I decided this was something we need to work on in 2010. We need to get better at setting aside time to enrich our marriage. And now, I introduce you to our Project 52: Date Nights. More specifically in house date nights, for us. The main points are for us to be creative, cheap and spend quality time together. Nathan and I have committed to do date night each week with the following criteria…
•Every Friday night from 9 -10 p.m. is our date night. We usually have both kids in bed by 8:30 p.m.
•Majority of the time the dates will be at home so we don’t need babysitters.
•We rotate being in charge of date nights on a monthly basis.
•Can’t do the same thing twice in one month.
•Dates need to be free most of the time. If not free, then under a budget of $30. Cheaper than if we went out.
•No children allowed.
•Must create a date-like atmosphere. No frumpy clothes or pajamas. Make it a special event. Mind the details. But most of all, keep it simple.
Not only are we going to have date night beginning January 1st, we will be blogging about it here on SMM. Every Tuesday we will recap what we did for our date night the previous Friday. You will get a he said/she said critiques of the date.
Here is how YOU are involved. Yes, we want you to participate in Project 52: Date Nights with us! Whether you are in a relationship, engaged or married, I want you to commit to having weekly date nights with your special someone. I want the both of you to take this pledge. Read it, fill it out, sign it and post it somewhere you can see frequently. A little hesitant? Don’t worry, you can join Project 52: Date Nights any time.
Then check in with us every Tuesday for ideas, comments, feedbacks from our Project 52: Date Nights and yours. We want to hear from you and what creative ideas you came up with for date nights. Make comments and report how your date nights went each week. By the way, this is a family friendly site. So all dates and ideas will be appropriate for all ages. And please keep your comments family friendly too.
The Pledge. Here is the Project 52: Date Nights pledge in PDF form for you to print out. Print one out for yourself. And maybe a few extras for your friends or family members to get them in on the fun. Discuss the project with your special someone. Talk about what is feasible for the two of you. Set a date and time to help you pencil that date in your calendars. Come up with a few criteria of your own. If you don’t want to do in house date nights, then plan going out date nights. The two important points here are be creative and keep it simple.
So… are you in or not? Make sure to involve your friends and families. Get them to take the pledge with their special someone. The more couples we get to do this, the more ideas and motivations we get to support each other in Project 52: Date Nights. While doing Project 52: Date Nights with us, if you come up with great ideas let me know so I can feature you on SMM! Come on! It’s only once a week. Only 52 dates to last you the whole year. Let’s do this!"
So there you have it ladies! Project 52: Date Nights is such a good idea that my hubby and I are going to vow to do it as well! They have already done some dates so you can go check out and get some amazing ideas for you and your loved one. How about a list to get you started that Tiffany has thought up for you:
A list of 16 creative at-home dates…. That’s enough to last 4 months
Discuss a book you both recently read. Create a cafe or coffee shop atmosphere at home.
Play the First Words game where you read a word card and the other person say the first thing that comes to mind. Here’s a free download of the First Words game.
Look through old photographs, wedding albums, other photo albums or scrapbooks.
Flip through both of your high school yearbooks.
Go through your digital music library to make a CD or playlist of each other’s favorite songs or songs that reminds you of each other.
Sketch out a blueprint of your dream house.
Borrow or purchase travel books and plan your dream vacation.
Write down and discuss each of your bucket lists.
Have a cookie or dessert baking contest. Each person try a different recipe and see which one you like best.
Browse through magazines and catalogs to a collage of clothing and fashion styles you would like to see the other person wear or try.
Watch family home videos.
Ice cream or soda or cheese tasting. Try flavors you have never tried before.
Set up a photo booth in your home, put the camera on timer and take pictures of the two of you.
Go through each room in the house and talk about what you would like to see done to the room.
Learn a new skill together – photography, painting, carpentry, massages.
Turn your story of how you met into a children’s book. Your kids will love reading it.
I would love for you to share your ideas on here as well! Enjoy!
Happy Thursday! I hope all you lovely ladies are getting excited to the end of the week and the beginning of the weekend! I don’t have a craft for you today because I would like to talk about a subject that was discussed in our bible study this morning. The speaker Jaimie is also a fellow blogger whom you have to check out at The Wonder Years. She is a mommy of two boys, ages 4 1/2 and 2 1/2. She spoke to us today about Finding Joy.
The first thing she told us was that there are 4 things that cause us to lose our joy:
1) Comparison
-We compare ourselves to other moms constantly. When those moms walk in with their breakfast dish hot, styled hair and clothes, and their 4 kids in tow you start comparing your cold dish, messy hair, sweat-wearing self to her and put yourself down. To make up for it we start putting them down in our minds any way possible to lift ourselves up. We all compare on a daily basis. I compare all the time, especially when it comes to living situation. “My husband is without a job so we have to live with his parents.” This is what I think about my situation. What I should be thinking is “We are lucky to have a roof over our heads and food on our table.” Instead of comparisons, choose contentment!
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Philippians 4:12
2) Isolation
-As most of you fellow moms know we have the tendency to isolate ourselves from the outside world. We have those days when all we want to do is stay inside because it is too much work to get our kids dressed and ready to go let alone ourselves. Another time we feel isolated is when we are one of the only ones out of our friends who has a kid. This is especially true when you are my age (24) and most of my friends are not even married. What we need to do is force ourselves to get out of the house and participate in activities such as MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers). This is such a wonderful place to interact with other moms who are going through the same thing as you now or have already done it and get guide you! Instead of isolation, choose involvement!
“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24
3) Mommy-Guilt
-Oh boy how we all have mommy-guilt! We start blaming ourselves for everything bad that happens to our children whether we were there or not. “If I had been there, she would not have been hurt.” So many of us think this on almost a daily basis and we are driving ourselves crazy!!!! We cannot sit here and blame ourselves for things we cannot control. With that being said, we can also not protect or children from everything bad in this world. Sometimes children need to get hurt to learn not to do something. What we might want to stop. God wants them to learn to become wiser. Instead of fear, choose grace.
“The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” 2 Corinthians 2:9-11
4) Fear
-I think Jaimie saved this one for last because it is the most relevant to all moms. Fear: a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined. I think that sums us mothers up pretty darn well when it comes to our children. We fear for their safety, we fear for their well-being, we fear for their future. Fear, fear, fear! That is a scary word when you think about it and that is how it sometimes overwhelms us. If we walk around fearing the unknown we will never learn to appreciate what is in front of us. All we are seeing is the fear of our child falling off the monkey bars instead of realizing their “big kid” accomplishment. Think of how fearful the Mother of Moses was. She had to hide Moses for 3 months and then place him in a basket in the reeds of the Nile to protect him from being killed by Pharaoh. She had to place her child in God’s hands knowing he would protect Moses, which he did. He was found by Pharaohs daughter and grew up to be a great man of God. Instead of fear, his mother chose faith.
“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe. “Proverbs 29:25
“For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13
So instead of those 4 things that take away our joy let’s make sure we have these four things to keep our joy: Contentment, Involvement, Grace, & Faith. Stay strong in your trust in God and turn to other moms when you are losing your joy. Together we can find our joy!
“There is no way to be a perfect mother, but a million ways to be a great one!”
Here is a video I made about my daughter and those days where I need to make sure I find Joy:
As most of you know I love Disneyland! And as hard as this is going to be, sadly my pass expires March 6th and we are unable to re-new right now. :'( With that being said I can assure you I will be taking the munchkin quite often between now and then to get our "fix" before we have to take a break. With this frequent visitations comes lots of pictures so I am happy to report I found an adorable freebie kit! It is called "Mouse House" and it is from the wonderful blog Dreams Fulfilled.
What a wonderful name especially given the subject of this kit!
Now their latest post is the last of the elements but if you go back a few days all the papers and element links are still in working order and can be downloaded to your computer so you can start scrapping! Here is my page...It is kind of plain but I did it at 1:30 this morning! Enjoy!
Welcome to the new 2010 edition of getting to know your family and friends. Here is what you are supposed to do...copy and paste then change all the answers so that they apply to you. Have fun and be truthful! I want to see your answers!!
1. What is your occupation right now? Stay at Home Mom
2. What color are your socks right now? I'm not a sock-wearing kind of gal.
3. What are you listening to right now? My daughter starting to wake up from nap.
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Ham & Cheese Sandwich
5. Can you drive a stick shift? I have before in emergency situations lol
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone: Hubby
7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? yes!
8 . How old are you today? 24
9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Baseball
10. What is your favorite drink? Diet Dr. Pepper
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes...many times
12. Favorite food? Italian
13. What is the last movie you watched? Post Grad
14. Favorite day of the year? Christmas!
15. How do you vent anger? talk with my hubby or mom
16. What was your favorite toy as a Child? Barbies
17. What is your favorite season? Summer
18. Cherries or Blueberries? Blueberries
19. Living arrangements? My hubby, daughter, & I live temporarily with my in-laws while my hubby goes to school.
20. When was the last time you cried? Last week
21. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes...lots and lots of shoes!
22. What did you do last night? Put the munchkin to bed and caught up on LOST episodes!
23. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? cheese
24. What are you most afraid of? Spiders
25. What is your favorite kind of dog? Lab or Golden
26. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
27. Diamonds or Pearls? Diamonds
28. What is your favorite flower? Sunflowers
29. What is your favorite blog to read and why? I have so many I love I cannot choose just one!!!
