Flash Sale!!

I've been crazy busy gearing up for a flash sale on 9th&Elm that starts this coming Monday.  What's a flash sale, you say? Well, you sound like my husband when I first shared the news with him. A flash sale is a sale hosted by a third party website that offers your products to customers at a discounted rate.  A designer doesn't make as much profit from these types of sales, but the goal is to create awareness of your products, boost your customer base and hopefully sell enough product during the 10 or so day sale to offset the hit you take on your usual profits.  My items will be offered at a 20% discount from normal prices and many of the items in my Etsy shop will be available.  You can sign up for emails from 9th&Elm here (make sure you sign up under me!) so that you can have first dibs when my sale starts, but in the meantime, here are a few shots of what I've been doing this week to prepare:

Punching out and sealing all the 1" images

 Sealed images with glass domes glued on

 Images that have been printed (so much paper!) and are waiting to be punched

 I printed "Product Care" cards....if these babies get wet, they are goner.

My super classy shipping supply storage.

Have I mentioned my shoes lately?

I had very little knowledge in the world of running when I ventured out to buy my first pair of actual running shoes.  I went to this great local shop near me that focuses on running, Running Central.  They specialize in fitting you for the best pair of running shoes based on several factors.  They asked me where I did the majority of my running, asked me how far I ran and what my running goals were in the near future, watched me walk back forth a few times while barefoot, noting any pronation or things like that, and had me stand on a machine that measured the pressure and weight distribution of your feet.  Based on the results of all those things, the very helpful and knowledgeable associate started me in a "base" shoe and had me test how they felt and had me run outside while she watched my feet.  I gave them a good review (not sure what shoe they were, I was a bit overwhelmed at this point) and from there she had me try on four more pairs of shoes, having me try one of each on each foot so I could compare.  I did a short little jog outside with each mismatched set and narrowed it down to the most comfortable pair.  In the end, these were the winners:

The Mizuno Wave Rider 16.  I absolutely love them.  When comparing with the others (I tried on New Balance and Asics, though I'm not sure which styles) these had a more comfortable fit around my heel (they didn't rub or squeeze) and they seemed to run by themselves as the ball of my foot left the ground.  They actually seemed to propel me forward.  I know there's a term for that with all you runner people, but I can't remember what it's called.  My foot seems to melt into the shoe and they have so much support and cushion it's ridiculous.  I was wearing an arch support insert with my previous pair of non-running shoes (just a $10 Dr. Scholl's guy from the store), but I thought I should give these newbies a try without it and see how it went.  They were much better than the old shoes, but I still wear the inserts every time I run because my arches feel better with a little extra support. (My fancy shoe fitting confirmed that I have slightly high arches. Who knew.)

I am two months into my new shoes and I love them even more than the day I got them.  Maybe I have just now "broken them in", but they are actually more comfy now than two months ago.  If you are just getting into running or getting more serious about it, you NEED to get a decent pair of running shoes.  Even if you aren't having foot or ankle or knee issues. You need them.  It makes a world of difference, trust me.  You wouldn't play any other type of sport without first getting the proper equipment, right? So why would running be any different? Save your money, dig in the couch for change, sell some old stuff, whatever you have to do to afford a pair. (because they are a bit pricey if you're used to buying the $40 pair from the outlet mall.)

Already taken the plunge for new skips? What are your favorite pair running shoes??

Homemade Laundry Soap

I had a lot of people asking about my homemade laundry soap recipe after I posted about it on Facebook, so I thought I would put the recipe out there for all to read.  This is recipe is all over Pinterest, so I'm not taking any credit for it.  My mom actually found this recipe and shared it with me.  I love it and have been using it for months.  I feel it works just as well as store bought stuff but it is tons cheaper and not full of harsh chemicals.  Normal laundry soap (okay I used to use Tide so that's what I'm going off of) is about $.25 per load.  This homemade stuff costs about $.01 per load!! That's some huge savings.  And you can choose whatever scent you'd like it to be, or leave it plain for a less intense flavor. :)

Here is the recipe:


Homemade Laundry Soap
1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap
1/2 cup Borax powder
1/2 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda
(All found in the laundry aisle at walmart)

Grate or chop soap and add to sauce pan along with 6 cups water. Heat on medium until melted. Add powders and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat and pour into bucket along with 4 cups hot water. Add 1 gallon + 6 cups water and stir. (If you want to scent your soap, add at this point. Use any scent you like of essential oil. I use Airwick refill bottles and pour them directly in) let stand for 24 hours to gel.

This is a picture of the soap gel-ing up about 4 hours after I poured it into the bucket. 

Stir well and transfer to jars or bottles. (I use empty half gallon juice bottles that have been cleaned) Shake before each use as it tends to separate a bit. As a note, it tends to be a little more runny than store bought soap. Use 1/2 cup per load. Happy laundry-ing!

A bit of normalcy

Tonight out of nowhere, we had our first little taste of "normalcy" in our quiet, boring little lives.  Raegan has been doing so well in her new bed, despite the fact that she isn't really napping during the day.  She goes to sleep just fine and has adjusted to the big girl bed very well.  Saturday morning she even got up and back into her bed several times and fell asleep again until about 9:30.  All while Jesse was outside making all kindsa racket prepping our front yard for new landscaping.  

Now, let me start by saying that a typical response to us telling Raegan it is time to go to bed is a bit of whining, a few "no, no ni-night"s and her asking repeatedly to watch more tv. She settles into her bed just fine, but she puts up a good fight for a minute or two before we get there.  So you will see why tonight was a total shocker to us. We had finished dinner and Raegan had already taken her bath, so we settled down to spend some quality time with  the Bubble Guppies, one of her favorites.  Pretty soon she looked up at me and said "ni-night".  It was 7:15!!!  I asked her to repeat herself, and she did.  I said "you want to go night-night, really?" and she nodded.  She even hopped down from the chair and walked over to Jesse to five him a goodnight hug and kiss.  So I asked her again if she wanted to go to bed (you know, just to be really, really certain) and she said yes and reached for me.  I picked her up and she laid her head on my shoulder.  Which is the ultimate tell-tale sign that she is ready to sleep.  So we headed upstairs, I went through her new normal routine and she was out like a light in about a minute.  What?!  My husband and I hardly knew what to do with ourselves. Ha ha. We are just hoping that this means she is adjusting and starting to settle into a routine and is starting to love her new bed.  Now....let's hope she's not up at the crack of dawn tomorrow!!

Partyin' it up in the new bed with her cousins

driving daddy's "big tractor"

our awesome next door neighbors let Raegan use their swing set whenever she wants. They are the BEST!

Rae with Papa Mike opening her Easter eggs

Big Girl Bed: Day 3

Today is Sunday and this is Raegan's third night in her "big girl bed".  The first night went better than I ever imagined it would go.  She stayed asleep and in her bed all night long!  You can read more about what led up to the big girl bed switch here. Night two went a little quicker, she was still reluctant to go upstairs, but she settled in once we got there.  She fell asleep in minutes and I was able to creep out.  She did wake up around 5:45am though.  i heard her cry and when I pulled her up on the monitor, she was getting out of bed and kept saying "blanky" because she had dropped it out of her bed.  She got up, grabbed her blanky and went to the door saying "mommy...mommy read book" and even grabbed a book from her bookshelf. (Insert broken mama heart here!) And just when I had decided I should probably go in and put her back to bed, she dropped the book, walked to her bed, crawled in and snuggled up in her cozy corner.  She laid there for about 20 minutes or so and fell back to sleep.  All on her own!!  I couldn't have been more proud of my sweet girl.  She woke up this morning at about 8:15.  She slid out of bed and walked to the door.  My husband and I raced upstairs and opened her door quietly.  She was standing there with a huge grin on her face and she ran into our happy, open arms.  Tonight she went to bed a few minutes early and fell asleep even faster than last night.  She has continued to totally blow us away with how easily she is transitioning into her new routine.

I should also mention that with this new bed, bedtime, sleep routine we have not been giving her a nap during the day.  Naps have gotten harder and harder for her lately and it seems that on the days she was napping well, she was sleeping horribly at night.  So yesterday and today we decided to not make her nap, but that if she told us she was tired, we would give her the chance to sleep.  She did not act tired at all during the day yesterday or today.  Although today we brought her home in the car and she fell asleep for about 10 minutes.   We were beginning to wonder if she was phasing out of naps before we switched her bed anyway, and we didn't want to make her new bed anymore traumatic on her than it had to be.  Since she has been crying for 30+ minutes at naptime lately, we decided we didn't want to risk her associating her new bed with a horrible experience.  I also think it is helping with bedtime; since she is so exhausted from the whole day, she falls asleep almost instantly at night. So it is still a work in progress and I'm sure she will fall into a new routine and maybe need a nap sometimes, but for now, this seems to be working for us.  And can I just say that, in the two days that we have not made her take a nap, she has been in better spirits and on better behavior than she has in quite a while.  She is throwing less fits, she is playing on her own even better than before, and she is just acting more content and happy in general.  Coincidence?? I'm not sure.  But I plan to find out....

This is our sweet little nugget all conked out in her "new" bed :)

Today I failed

Not everyone wants to admit it, but every once in a great while, we all have one of those where we just, well...fail.  Miserably.  A day where you would have been better off if it had never existed.  Today was one of those days for me.

My day started at 3am with my daughter crawling out of her crib and crying.  After several attempt, she made it clear that sleep was not in her plans, so I did my best to just keep her quiet and calm.  We have been dealing with some nap issues of late and she has been all out of whack, but this was too much.  My husband and I spent most of our 6am hour converting her crib to a toddler bed, even though we are sooooo not ready for all that a toddler bed entails.  To make a long story short, my daughter slept all of 30 minutes after 3am today.  By 4:00pm, she was cranky, I was cranky, we were all tired, and I was losing my cool.  I confiscated two of her toys because she was throwing them after repeatedly being told not to, she went in time-out twice, and when I tried to make her pick up her toys, she laid on the floor and laughed at me, I spanked her, she cried, and I needed to get out of the house and away from the madness for just a moment. I was going to snap.

So my dear husband allowed me a super quick errand trip.  On my way home, of course all the songs I hear are about God's faithfulness and trials of this life.  I lost it and started crying.  Now I know you must think I'm some sort of whack job super-sensitive weirdo mommy with teeny tiny problems.  But please understand that this is my life.  This is my job.  And I take it very seriously.  And it affects me on a very deep, personal level that cannot be explained.  So, yes, I sometimes cry about it.  And I'm okay with that.  Maybe you will read this blog post and think "Oh, honey, please.  That's nothing, I do that everyday and smile about it."  And to that I say good for you, you are amazing and I wish I had one percent of the strength that you do.  But I do not.  I must dissect every little detail and wallow in it until it becomes me.  I've always been an internalizer and I will always be an internalizer.  That is just how God made me.  So, like I said, I sometimes cry about seemingly meaningless things. I was anxious and stressed about what bedtime would hold for us and was prepared for the absolute worst.  Like toddler banging down her bedroom door and screaming bloody murder, worst.  My stomach actually sank as we pulled into the garage tonight and I knew that bedtime was only minutes away.  I put my unwilling daughter into her new big girl bed, and I did my best to soothe her.  I had to "read" to her in near darkness until she finally drifted off to sleep (twice) deep enough that I was able to sneak out.  My body was physically shaking when I came downstairs and I was almost afraid to breathe for fear of disturbing the peace.  At one point after I came downstairs, we noticed her stirring on the video monitor.  I thought well, here we go, here comes the screaming.  My stomach sank again and I began to feel like I would throw up.  I even got tears in my eyes.  Raegan sat up for several moments, looked around, and then slowly cuddled back up into her favorite corner of the bed and fell back asleep soon after.  Success and relief washed over me.  And then the feeling of utter failure overtook me.

 I felt like I failed today as a mom.  I was not patient or kind or peaceful or self sacrificing with Raegan (well, ok maybe I was a LITTLE self sacrificing). I felt like I missed it entirely. God is teaching me something here, I know it, but I feel like today was a complete loss for me.  I didn't get it.  I cried. And in the midst of my tears, I asked God's forgiveness for being short with Raegan and feeling like I just wanted to shake her. I thanked God for his unconditional love for me, even when I am a complete failure and I do exactly the opposite of what I should do.  I thanked him for always being patient and kind and loving.  And I asked him to help me do better tomorrow.  That I wouldn't miss the point next time.  That I would embrace unconditional love for my daughter, even when she's not sleeping and screaming and doing everything BUT what I want her to do.  And I thanked God for the small win tonight in Rae going to bed much better than anticipated.  Even when I am a total failure at whatever lesson God is teaching me, God still loves me enough to give me a tiny blessing.  And for that, I am eternally grateful.

Bedroom makeover!!

In December of last year, I set out to find a new comforter/bedding set for our bed.  I got in way over my head and I think I lost half of my hair and returned quite a few sets, but I finally found a set that I liked and that was in our price range.  I used that as a starting point to give our bedroom a makeover.  We were still using a comforter that was Jesse's when he moved out of his parents' house and everything in the room was tan or some form of tan and felt so manly.  I wanted to dress it up a bit. And I must say, I am very happy with the results (as is the hubs). And I am also quite certain that one can redo just about any room in your house just by shopping at Hobby Lobby.  It is the BEST store on this planet.  Here are a couple before shots...after the new bedding, but before new decor:

 And here are the after shots:

Over the bed decor - all from Hobby Lobby

Turquoise curtains from Hobby Lobby

jewelry rack

My favorite piece! Jewelry rack from Hobby Lobby.  It was even half off :)

Gass vase from TJ Maxx

Close-up of fabric

Pillows: Turquoise chevron cover from The Hob, other 2 are from TJ Maxx.

 Almost everything you see was purchase at Hobby Lobby, one of my most favorite stores.  The bedding came from Sears, the blue glass vase from TJ Maxx and the turquoise spray inside it from The Square Nest, a local shop in Morton.  The only thing left to add is a swag over the window that I made using leftover fabric from the frames above the headboard. (No added expense!) I also would like to recover the lampshades with the royal blue fabric I used in the frames, but I haven't been back to The Hob for that.  It will probably cost another $10.  Still, a lot cheaper than buying new lampshades!

Total expenses were $146.50, and I even sold our old curtains and pillows for $18, so really the total is $128.50.  Not too shabby for what feels like a complete makeover to me!  Happy Hobby Lobby-ing everyone!

drive a momma crazy

Let me start this post by saying that my daughter (now 21 months old) has never been a great napper.  She arrived in our lives very alert and didn't sleep as often as most newborn babies.  We spent the first 6 or so months of her life getting used to the fact that she only slept about 30 minutes at a time. She went through a period where she would sleep about an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon, but shortly after we got used to that, when she was about 15 months old, she dropped her morning nap.  We struggled back and forth with the time she spent sleeping in the afternoon; sometimes she would sleep 30-45 minutes, other times she would sleep over an hour.

For the past several months, however, she has been sleeping about 75-90 minutes in the afternoons, and sometimes will play for another 30 minutes after waking up.  Until about 4 days ago. She has been throwing her blanky (the one she can't go to sleep without) out of her crib the instant she stands up.  She started doing it on wednesday.  She woke up after about an hour and instantly threw her blanket out of her crib.  And of course she cried.  So I got her up.  The next day, same thing.  On Friday, she slept for maybe 30 minutes, then got up, tossed the blanky, and started crying.  I left her in there for about 20 minutes, then I got her up.  Yesterday and today have been the worst.  She tells us she's tired, I put her to bed, then within 5 minutes, she is up and crying.  Yesterday she threw her blanket out, I gave her about 25 minutes, then I went in and gave it to her again.  I knelt by the crib, handed her the blanky and said "Don't throw it out again. It's time to go ni-night." and I left the room.  Screaming ensued, of course, and after about 10 minutes, my husband went in and got her up.  Today is an exact repeat, however we put both of her blankies in her crib with her.  SO far, she has only tossed the one.  We are trying very hard to stick to our guns here and not go in to get her up.  First of all, I WANT HER TO GET SOME REST, for crying out loud.   Second, we are both fans of sleep training.  It worked so great with her at bedtime - she has slept 12+ straight hours at night since she was 6 months old (minus one or two nights when she was sick) and goes to bed willingly since we started sleep training.  And we think the same principles apply at naptime.  If we keep going in to give her a blanky or let her get up or whatever, she quickly learns what to do to get what she wants.  But uugghhh, I'm really struggling here!  I'm not sure what has flipped the switch in her but I'm just so frustrated.  I will say that she has had a bit of a cold this past week, so that may play a part.  And she seems to go through small spurts where her daytime sleep gets severely out of whack for a week or so, then she gets back to normal.  So maybe this is a similar out-of-whack situation and I will be back to singing her praises next week.  But geesh.  Drive a momma crazy.  I will keep you posted on her sleeping patterns (or lack thereof) in the upcoming days.  In the meantime, let us remind ourselves how cute this sometimes frustrating little being really is.....

the stairs are one of her favorite hangouts

wearing her snow coat inside and posing for pictures with her cousin

cuddled in daddy's chair with her "big blanky" and some juice

even with stickers all over her face and disheveled hair, this stinker is one of my favorite things.

Clean Eating Day 2 & Cross Fit Day 8

Last night was my husband's SECOND night trying Cross Fit!  Wahoo!!!  I thought for sure he would want the night off, but to my surprise, he met me at the stairs after I put our daughter to bed and said, ok what workout are we doing tonight?  Which is saying a lot because was super tired when he came home from work yesterday.  Bless his little heart.  And he is even attempting this clean eating deal with me, to some extent.  I know, I know, he's a keeper.

So here was my workout last night:

4 rounds each of
10 step ups
10 kettle swings
10 squats
10 sit-ups

My time was 5:13 (although I switched to just kettle swings and no squats half way through...my thighs were screamin'!)

Hubby's workout:

10 burpees
15 push-ups
15 sit-ups

His time was 10:01

Now....as far as the new diet.  Yesterday was ok, until after dinner time. (here is the meal plan if you missed it in my earlier post)  I attempted breakfast, but it was just so much food for 7:30 in the morning, so I only ate half of it.  I did not eat the first snack since we were running errands and I didn't get too hungry.  But I ate the snack with my lunch since I did not have any chicken to put on my salad.  Lunch kept me surprisingly full.  I didn't really get hungry again until around 3pm, when I ate the second snack.  Dinner was delicious, but my husband was still hungry after it and I ended up hungry by bedtime.  But neither of us did any snacking. Hubs said one thing he is working on with this health movement effort is knowing how much to eat and when to stop eating.  He claims he always eats until he feels full, then continues to get stuffed since your brain is always catching up to your tummy.  So he says it is doing him some good to experience real hunger pains.

Today I am trying to really hit the water hard.  Drinking more water will make you feel full, which is something I struggled with yesterday.  Hopefully this does the trick.  I'm a little more excited about today's meals though.  Here is a sneak peek of my delicious breakfast....

Yumm!! I'm so excited for the rest of my day!!

I think I can eat clean....

The same friend of mine who turned me on to Cross Fit has been on a kick this year with clean eating.  You know, organic, healthy, no additive, whole foods.  Another friend of ours even claims that this clean eating has solved the eczema problem she has been dealing with her entire life. (Wow!) I was very, very skeptical at first, but when I heard about that fact, I started paying attention.  And I started wondering how "fake" foods may be affecting my life as well.

I have dealt with chronic headaches for just about my entire life.  It started in high school and has been a battle ever since.  I wake up with them, get them in the middle of the day, go to bed with them, everything.  They range from tension headaches to almost migraines to pain that starts in my neck and moves to my head.  I even can get a headache from holding my head in a certain position for too long. It is quite frustrating, to say the least. So when my friends started saying how eating clean helped some of the body problems they've had all their lives, I began to wonder if it could help me.

So, starting tomorrow, I am doing a detox and clean eating diet for 3-5 days.  The meal plan I found gives a 3 day breakdown of breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks in-between meals.  It focuses on drinking plenty of water and eating real, whole, natural foods.  I'm going to try it (although I am allowing myself black coffee in the mornings) for 3, possibly 5 days.  The author claims that you will feel results within the first day. So we will see how I am feeling and I might continue the rest of the week.  It is very uncommon for me to go without a headache for 5 days, so I would think that, if I don't have any headaches, there may be some validity to this whole idea that clean eating can affect how your body feels. I mean, after all, you are what you eat, right?  I'm not saying it will be easy.  In fact, I have a cabinet full of Reese's Eggs and Kit-Kats that will be taunting me and eventually become the bane of my existence over the next 3 days.  But I am willing to try anything for a few days if it means I may find a cure for my incessant headaches. Stay tuned!!

day 6!

Today's WOD:

For time:
10 burpees
20 squats
30 push-ups
20 squats
10 burpees

My time was 3:05.  My husband is going to join me tonight for his very first round!  I really hope he likes it so that I will have a workout partner again. :)

Day 4

Yeatredy was my rest day. It was nice to nurse my sore kettlebell swingin' legs! Holy ouch. They were easy at the time but they must be very effective because I was definitely sore later.

Today I did 4 rounds of the following for time:
10 step ups
10 kettle swings
10 push ups
10 sit ups

My time was 5:10 and my heart was pumpin' like crazy!

I have really been wanting to try knees to elbows but I do not have a pull up bar. But I DO have a friend that is willing to lend me theirs. Stay tuned to see if I fall and can't get up!!

Crossfit Day 2

My arms and legs are sore today from yesterday's workout. My abs tingle a little but not too bad. I wanted to do a little different workout today so that I wouldn't work all the same muscles again. Here is what I did:

4 rounds for time
10 step ups
10 dumbell swings (my variation of kettle swings)
10 squats

The dumbell swings turned out being a lot like a wide stance squat, but it works your arms and shoulders since you have to swing the weight. To my surprise, my heart rate was pretty up there. See, these workouts are deceiving: they sound so easy but they actually get your heart pumping and really work your muscles.

My time was 3:48. 3:48!! For a workout! Can't beat that.

I was telling my husband (who has the same thought process as me when it comes to exercise) about these workouts and he was very intrigued. He is even going to start doing some with me tomorrow - added bonus! Stay tuned for his thoughts on Cross Fit!!

Cross Fit Challenge!

A friend of mine recently turned me on to Cross Fit.  She and her family started doing it and have had some pretty fantastic results.  I just thought it was another passing workout fad at first, so I didn't pay too much attention to her many facebook updates about it.  Then she told me it was a workout of an average of TEN minutes a day.  I stopped dead in my tracks.  So I talked more with her about it and did a little googling of my own and have decided to give it a go for one month.  Even I have ten minutes a day to devote to a workout.  Hard for me to wiggle my way out of that short amount of time.  And with a tropical bikini-wearing vacation in my not too distant future, I thought I should at least see what kind of results it gives me.

So today is day one.  I found this Cross Fit beginner's website that gives a bunch of WODs (workout of the day) for beginners and a whole slew of others to go off of as you advance.  Here is what I started with:


As many rounds in 10min:
10 Squat Thrusts with broomstick
10 Push ups on Knees
10 Sit ups


I thought things were going smashingly as I completed my third round.  Then I made the mistake of checking my timer.  Only FIVE minutes had gone by!! I thought for sure something was wrong with my clock.  Anyway, I pushed through and completed 8 rounds.  The squats were fine for me, as well as the sit ups (apparently my quads and abs are actually kind of strong??) but the push-ups...man oh man! I thought my arms were going to fall off.  And even as I write, 30 minutes post workout, my arms are still shaking.  I always knew they were my weak point.n as I write, 30 minutes post workout, my arms are still shaking.  I always knew they were my weak point.

Working out is not something that is in the forefront of my brain everyday, but since this is only ten minutes each day (with a rest day or so each week), I will continue on! And I will let you all know how it progresses for this weak-armed lady.

as of late...

A few things my family and I have been up to as of late:

Raegan being a cheeseball while I'm shooting photos of new pieces

New pendant necklaces I made for my Etsy shop

Jesse and Raegan snowblowing the few inches of snow we got recently (this kid LOVES being in the snow)

And Raegan wearing her backpack and helping me out with a little housework (apparently I don't unload the dishwasher fast enough)

team player!

I just joined an Etsy team this morning.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can read more about Etsy teams here.  I joined a team called Midwest Street Team.  It is a smattering of artists of varying degrees who live in the "midwest".  I browsed through some of the members (to my surprise, I found a member who I have already made a purchase from and LOVED) and thought I would share some of their items that caught my eye.  Please check out their shops and give them some encouragement.  We Etsians just love that.

PajamaEatersbyKate - Pajama Eater  (I have GOT to get one of these cuties for my daughter.)


IndigoCrochet - Crocheted baby rattle


Vintage Beach Tree Fine Art Photography - HoneybeeDawn.  This shop has some beautiful still life photography that I just couldn't quit thumbing through!  (I wanted to post a picture, but refrained because I wasn't sure the artist would appreciate that....something about copyright laws... :) )

MNPrairieCrafts by Amanda McBrady makes my heart smile.  I desperately wish I could crochet, although then I'm pretty sure my entire house would be wrapped, covered or filled with crochet items of some form.  I couldn't pick just one of her items to post, so please look through the whole shop, it's sure to make your day. So adorable!

And this is an item from one of my already favorite shops who just happens to be a member of this team.  The shop is called Perfect Pendants Plus, and i have been using this item


to create these glass pendant necklaces.  I LOVE them.

 

Happy browsing everyone!!

please pray

I know this blog probably does not have a ton of readers, but I am writing this prayer request anyway.  I know that God hears prayer whether it is prayed by one person or by thousands.  There is a person in my life who is close to the end of her life and she does not know Jesus.  In fact, she refuses to know Jesus.  I am not close with this person, but she is very dear to people that are very dear to me.  People that have prayed and prayed for her and have told her about Jesus numerous times.  Yet she still refuses to acknowledge him. I ask that you pray for a miracle in her heart today.  She may have days left or she may have months, we are uncertain, but I know that without an absolute miracle taking place in her heart, she will spending the rest of eternity in hell.  Please pray for this miracle, that god would find a way to win the battle for her soul before it is too late for her.

Happy Valentine's Day!

A little fun for today....these beauties of mine were featured in this Etsy treasury list yesterday, just in time for Valentine's Day.  It is a gorgeous list and I was more than happy to be included.  Hope everyone gets to spend the day doing what you love with the people you love.

wisdom is priceless

We finished our read-through-the-New-Testament project at the end of last year (or round about since I got behind over Christmas break :) ) and I was feeling kind of guilty that I didn't really have another reading plan lined up.  I should start with this: the beginning of the year is always a rough time of year for me.  I know it's supposed to be all clean slate, fresh start, new goals thinking, but for me it's the dead of winter and I desperately need some warmth and sunshine, I get overwhelmed by feelings that I should have resolutions and goals, but I don't, then I have a quick change of heart and try to restructure a whole bunch of things in my life, only to get overwhelmed by all of that pressure and give up.  I know, it's a vicious cycle and I'm working on it.

 So this year, I am taking it easy, not rushing into any changes or goals, and just letting myself enjoy the time I have with my daughter everyday and letting myself breathe just a little.  I have to admit it feels excellent.  Like, an I could do this all year kind of excellent.  And I decided to take this new attitude and apply it to my Bible reading.  I remember my pastor telling me that whenever he is in between reading plans or studies he reads through the book of Proverbs.  It has excellent and straight to the point directives and instructions for your life that are written in an easy to read and understand format.  Just what I need right now.

I started reading through the book about a week ago and I am surprised at how deep these harmless little verses can penetrate.  I have read so many verses that I think "wow, that's so true!" or "ok, God, I get it." (I won't share all of them).  It's an easy book to read, there are 31 chapters so it's perfect for a monthly reading plan, and the verses are actual instructions on how to live your life.  Who doesn't need that?? I am really enjoying hearing from God in these tiny little Proverbs and I'm only on chapter 12.  I would really recommend reading through this book to anyone, whether you are new to faith or have been a follower of Jesus your whole life.  If you've found yourself in a lull between readings or you're just not sure where to start reading, flip your Bible open to this great little book and hear what your Jesus wants to tell you.....

Chocoholic

Okay, so this is another atypical post for me, but the other night I got a huge craving for ice cream (just like every other night). Then I realized I had just finished off the chocolate syrup. And what good is delicious vanilla ice cream without even deliciouser chocolate syrup?! It was a real dilemma. So my crafty brain went to work thinking there had to be a way to make it, right? So after some consulting with my good friend google, here's what I came up with:

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
Dash salt

Heat water and cocoa in saucepan, stirring until mixed. (This kinda takes a while). Then add in the sugar and stir until dissolved. Heat on medium until it boils, stirring often to keep from boiling over (may need to turn down heat). Boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, add vanilla and salt and let cool until you can pour into an air tight container.

This was delicious!! A culinary win in my book for sure. It tastes just as good and maybe even better than Hersheys. It is a little thinner, but I wonder if it would thicken if you let it boil and reduce a little longer. I will try that next time. Happy chocolate sauce making!!

what's that smell??

Okay this is not going to be a normal post for me.  But, I think it will be one that many can use and learn from, just as I learned.  So here's the story....

I recently purchased a Coach bag second hand.  It is beautiful and will be the perfect not-so-diaper bag for me.  I picked it up, got in my car, opened the plastic bag it was in.....and I about choked.  It REEKED of cigarette smoke.  And that's putting it mildly.  My father and most of my extended family has smoked my entire life, so I'm accustomed to the smell, and it reeked even to me.  It was awful.  My heart sank as I realized I would never be able to put my daughter's belongings in this bag since it smelled so horribly.  

I brought it home and thought about it (and got extremely angry with myself for not asking if it was from a smoke-free home, and angry at the person for not disclosing she was a 5 pack a day smoker.) This bag is the typical Coach fabric with a nylon lining in all the pockets, so the smell permeated every inch of the bag. I tried sealing it in a large Ziploc bag with a couple containers of baking soda, but that didn't do much for this monster odor.  After much thought and internet research (God bless google) I decided I was going to try washing my bag.  And of course, I documented the process.  So here's what I did:

First off, here is a picture of the purse before I did anything to it

Here are the materials I used:

- Fels Naptha soap (found at Walmart in the laundry aisle $1 per bar)

- Soft, clean cloth or rag

- Warm water

- Large tub filled with warm water for rinsing

I soaked the rag in warm water and scrubbed soap onto it.  I used the rag to gently clean every inch of the bag, making sure I pulled out all the pockets and inner lining and scrubbed those too.  I scrubbed all the leather and hardware and the bottom of the bag.  I paid special attention to any visibly soiled areas.  Every mark or stain came out, except for a few ink marks on the inner lining.  

Then I used the tub of hot water to dunk and rinse the soap off the bag.   Then I laid a towel on the floor, placed the bag on it and patted it dry. Here are a few pictures of the bag after it's bath:

Then I laid a towel on my kitchen table, placed the bag on top as open as I could and turned the ceiling fan above the table to high.  I left the bag there for a few hours to dry, checking every so often to adjust so certain areas could dry.

 The bag was visibly cleaner and smelled TONS better!!  I could still smell some of the smokey smell, so I decided to re-wash, using a soap that had a fresh scent to it.  (I used Bath & Body Works white citrus soap). Then repeated all the steps listed above.  This worked wonders and the bag is like brand new!  The washing did not hurt the integrity of the bag at all. I am so glad I took the risk and washed the bag.  And I hope it give you the guts to do the same.  Happy washing. :)

Finished product: