As Promised...

Here are photos of this past weekend's wedding...thanks for your patience. ;) Enjoy!
(Location & Catering by Hiawatha Beach, Flowers by Kelly's Cottage, Cupcakes & Cake by The Cupcake Lady)

Wedding Jitters

I had REALLY hoped to be able to keep blogging this week...but I am running crazy for a wedding this weekend...just not enough time in the day! How about I promise photos of the wedding on Sunday?! To whet your appetite I can tell you that I am spending my week:

*Sifting sand...who PAYS for sand?! NOT this girl! I borrowed sand from the beach, am sifting out the large pieces, and will have that "pretty" sand that the stores charge big bucks for.

*Spray painting frames, cupcake stands, branches, and direction signs

*Checking printers to make sure the photo booth will be a success

*Finding supplies for the rock ceremony


OH! I just got a call that our rental place is giving my Bride a free upgrade from the white folding to the white garden chairs...hooray! I am PSYCHED to share photos with you Sunday. :)

See you then!
Stacy

Scripture Verse Week 2

"For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.’[a]
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’[b]” Revelation 7:17


The entire verse is shown here, but younger children can focus on part b, and we parents and older students (grades 3+) will learn the entire verse.

To help solidify the concept you might spend some time at a meal discussing...
"What sorts of things make us cry?"
"Do you think there will be crying in heaven? Why or Why not?"
Talk with your kids that in heaven God will wipe away ALL of our tears...there will be no more suffering or pain, we will truly live happily ever after. How does that make them feel? Is it something that is easy or hard to believe?

Question for YOU...

Alrighty, I've been answering YOUR questions now for awhile and now its MY turn! (We're working on sharing at our house...can you tell?!?!)

Here it is...
What do you like about this blog? What would you like to see more of?

I honestly I am asking not to get any verbal pats-on-the-back, but rather to get a feel for what makes my readers happy.

To help, you might ponder these things...
Do you like essays like "Why is there Popcorn on the Bathroom Floor", "Babies are Easier than Houseplants", or "Bathrobe Mafia"?

Do you like tutorials that you can do as a Mom? Examples are the flower tutorials, or the cuffed pants.

Would you rather have more fun project ideas that you can do with your kids? Like the suckers, nature notebooks, or silk dyed Easter eggs, for example.

Maybe you're more into the Mom-devotionals like "Motherhood; A Lesson in Humility"?

I am LOVING having this blog as an outlet and am truly humbled that you all keep coming to check things out...seriously. I KNOW how busy life is and the fact that I average about 45 visits a day means a lot. I am honored to help you enjoy motherhood and am curious what sort of content would best do that. :)

Bathrobe Mafia

Okay, I have to ask...do the rest of you have well behaved Bathrobes?

Here's the deal. I have this great bathrobe...it's a hand-me-down from a friend so it is already worn in and cozy. It is a lovely purpley blue and fits me so much better than previous bathrobes I've owned.

The challenge? My bathrobe is a total jerk, cleptomaniac, and completely sloveny. Examples? I hang it up clean on the back of the bathroom door and it is filthy just days later. Not to mention that it often is not where I put it and I'll find it down by the clothes drier or in one of the kids' bedrooms under their bed. The final kicker, though, is that it's always taking my stuff...earrings, necklaces, rubberbands, but this morning was the KICKER...my credit card was in there! I'm sure I'll have to comb through this month's purchases to see what my bathrobe ordered online...Ugh...I'm pretty sure the credit card company will not consider it fraud since the fuzzy thing belongs to me. Darn robe.

By the way, I'm sure it's the robe and has nothing to do with my four children's active imaginations or the fact that I am trying to run a household, homeschool, hold down my jobs, and still be somewhat nice to people.

Actually, I NOW see why this robe was handed to me...ahem...

Anyone want a great bathrobe?!

Tis a BIG, BIG Day!!

Alright, I can't TAKE it anymore...I have to shout it to the world...well, my 22 "followers" anyhow...ANNE IS OPENING HER OWN STORE!!! I get to go today and help...I am so excited!!!! She has been doing this out of her garage for the last 4 years and now is opening up the most beautiful storefront full of amazing products and food...and I am SO PROUD of her.

So proud that she's following her dream. So proud that she is stepping out of her comfort zone and opening herself up to the good and the bad that comes with retail stores...so proud of her for sticking with this and being so conscientious about what she wants the store to embody...most of all so proud of her for working hard to be a great Mom to her two daughters during this process...can you imagine how difficult that must be?! She has included them in the process every step of the way and they are as excited as the rest of us to have their Mom's store opening.

Please keep Anne in your prayers as she ventures forth and, if you're from area, be sure to stop on by...you won't be disappointed!

Flannel Stacked Box Flower

So here is the second version of the fabric flowers. You can find the first one here.

For this one you'll cut numerous flowers of the same size and shape.

You'll lay one down flat to begin.










One at a time take each flower and fold it in half, laying it on top of the first one. Add one flower at a time laying one end of the flower on top of the petal
before it and half of it under the other petal after it...it is tough to describe, but if you think of it as closing a box by folding the flaps in it looks very similar...the grey on grey doesn't make the photos any clearer, either!






Here is what it looks like...you can keep adding layers upon layers if you'd like.








When you have it the size you'd like it to be add a button to the center making sure to catch all the layers of the petals as you go through with your needle and thread...add a pin back and you're ready for action!