etsy finding...

i have read many post about people LOVING esty. actually, it was one of my sister-in-laws who first told me about it a year or so ago.


i would look on there every once in awhile but never bought anything until last month.


i was in search for the perfect gift for my mom.


yes, its really late birthday gift but i think i accomplished what i wanted to do... finding something she will love & cherish forever... put it in a frame & you have our family tree.

the lady making it had to make it larger than she normally does - ha! i would say 21 family members is a BIG family! anybody else have that BIG of a family?



i have had it over a week now (sorry mom!) i am enjoying looking at it but its in the mail today!

for the past 3 days it has felt like spring - nice 70+ degree weather.

we are loving it, esp the boys!

we spent ALL of saturday outside - painting the garage door & shutters, mowing, new mulch & of course it would not have been a successful day if the boys didn't play in the dirt.


just look at their faces... too cute, even with dirt all over it!!!

almost perfection...

1. last night chad & i went on a DATE!!! shame on us, but we don't do this enough. our only rule for the night - no talking about work/church stuff. it was REALLY & fun! we went to a nice dinner & then late movie. almost a little late for me. i almost feel asleep in the movies. ha what do you & your husband do for date night??? give me so ideas for the next time :)


2. kaden found the remote control to the t.v. we looked everywhere but here...
   
   
3. a man in the church is a chef at the chef school & he invited us in today to try some things. FREE yummy lunch!
   
   
   
   happy friday! hope ya'll have a GREAT weekend!
   
   
   

something old / something new...

SOMETHING OLD...

i think it was last month that i was given an award by a beautiful friend rachel (sorry rach for taken so long to get it posted & pass it along)

The Great Attitude/Spirit of Gratitude Award

rachel, thank you to for seeing my blog as a place where positive attitude is expressed and gratitude is present!

Here are the guidelines.....

put the logo on your blog or post.

nominate at least 10 blogs which show GREAT ATTITUDE and/or GRATITUDE! be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog. share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Now to pass it on.....

the following ladies are simply incredible. its a privilege to have a small glimpse into their lives. they make me laugh, smile, think & challenge me.

becky @ the branches

ronel @ mommy accountablity

shannon @ bless our nest

tanja @ on that note

sarah @ life in the parsonage

lindsay @ bales & tales

lisa @ blessed

jennifer @ love, laughter & lyrics

michelle @ the froggy bottom blog

megan @ tales of the trees

melinda gave me my SOMETHING NEW...

it is the Friendship Award which means:

• These blogs are exceedingly charming.
• These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends.
• They are not interested in self-aggrandizement.
• Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.
• Please give more attention to these writers.
• Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

i pass this one to:

amber

rachel

suzanne

audrey

a moxie mom

sherri

monika

daisy

i HATE to leave people out so please - if you want either one of these awards then i award it to you :)

go & share the LOVE!!!

book #2...

i read this book in one day... not sure if i have ever done that before?!?!

AWESOME book! short (only 110 page) & easy reading.

the book: the truth about you / your secret to success

by: marcus buckingham(the picture is kinda small & you can't read it all)

not a christan book (usually what i read)

not a parenting book (usually what i read)

but a friend of chad's gave him this before christmas & said he thought we would both like it.

throughout the whole book it talks about finding & knowing your strengths & weaknesses.

to thrive in life, you must understand your weakness, so clearly that they never trip you up.

learn how to name, own & channel your strength's so that the rest of us can benefit from them.

weakness - any activity that leaves you feeling weaker after doing it

strength - pay close attention to what you're feeling before, during, after an activity.

along with the book come with a REMEMO PAD (helping you reveal your strenths using everyday experiences) - you carry this notepad around with you for a week & when you feel strong / weak you write down the activity you're doing.

i can't tell you enough, explain any better how good & how this book has changed my outlook on what i do as a youth pastor's wife. i no longer feel guilty for not doing certain things because i know its not my strength. i don't need to foucs on my weaknesses which makes me tired, upset, & discouraged. i need to focus my time & engery on what excite me, encourage,& uplift me. if you're doing something that you really like & you do it well then your attitude, your life will show it. the people around you will also benefit from it too.

a HUGE burden was lifted!

canvas pictures...

a few of you have asked how i did the picture canvas' of my boys, so i'm going to tell you.

all you need is 3 things:

• print out pictures
• canvas
• mod podge

we used 16x20 canvas' (it was a big wall we were putting them on, so we needed a bigger impact) got the canvas' at hobby lobby. i bought the 2 pack for $9.99 & had a 40% coupon.

mod podge can also be bought at hobby lobby.

the prints we got printed out at kinko's. i had them printed out a little bit larger (18x22) so i could wrap the picture around the edges. why do this you might ask??? i didn't want any of the white around the edges to show. i got all 3 prints for $3.26, but nothing i do EVER comes out right the first time. chad went back the second time & they charged him $2.50 each. not sure why???

i did black & white because we like it better but also because of $$$. if you would get this size print printed out in color your talking about spending A LOT of money.

why i had to buy extra prints from kinko's was because at my first attempt i put mod podge all over the canvas. this made the picture bubble & look horrible. we finally figured out to only put a little in the corner. let it dry, then seal it all over the top of the picture.

easy project & the whole thing cost less than $25.00 - SUPER DEAL!!!! you can't buy art work that cute in the stores!!!! ha ha

i hope i explained it well enough for you to try at home. please let me know if you do - i want to see your masterpieces!

on thursday i begin to feel a little "not so good"... sore throat, headache, neck pains, the chills...

perfect chance for me to get some good sleep, so i headed to be at 8pm!

(thanks chad!)

friday i was no better. actually i layed around until 4. i needed to get up & start cleaning the house. we were having out of town friends come over at 6:30.

i faked it & i think i was a good host!

saturday morning i woke up with knots down both sides of my neck. i was made to go to the dr right then!

i don't like to go to the dr... not because i'm scared but because i don't want to pay the money for the visit when i will feel better in a few days.... (just let me lay here a little longer in my warm bed while you take care of the kids is what i was thinking! ha ha)

so i went to a walk-in dr office place, like a good girl.

i was told i had something (inflamed throat & lipnoids)... she used this BIG word that i couldn't say, nor remember once i left that office building.

i am taking some HUGE pills twice a day for the next ten days. funfun!!!

so that is why i haven't been on here for the last 4 days (i think a record)

no fun adventurous to tell you about. sorry.

i do have something to brag about... chad finished my canvas project for me while i was laying around sick. so excited about this... he did an AMAZING job!