25 Haziran 2012 Pazartesi

Splish Splash

To contact us Click HERE

I've mentioned before that Friday night is Craft Night with my friend, Christine. This girl needs to start a blog. Seriously, you'd flip for what she creates and decorates. She's amazing.


A scene from Craft Night - Paints, Art Supplies, Tulle, My Laptop, Beverages, Snacks and the Baby Monitor. We're all set! 

So, a couple of weeks ago, I decided to personalize this little bucket that I snagged for Aubrey at the Target Dollar Spot when we were in Pennsylvania for Christmas. It was only 50 cents and I wish I had bought quiet a few more!




I decided to use it to put in Aubrey's bathtub toys. She love playing in the tub but because we aren't living at home, I can't quiet keep all her toys in the bathroom like it would make sense to do.  So, instead, every night I bring them back and forth from her room to the bathroom. This little bucket just makes that process cuter.

I cut the vinyl using my Cricut Expression and adhered the words "Splish Splash". I think it turned out pretty cute!




Here is a picture of Aubrey because I just can't get enough of her!


And yes, I am one obsessive momma because I dry each and every toy before putting it in the bucket so that they won't mildew or have stinky water collecting in the bottom of the bucket. I am that mom - always have been, probably always will be. :)


My Pure Potential Life

To contact us Click HERE

Hi! Hi! Hi!

I'm so excited to introduce you to my friend Christine. I know I've chatted about her numerous times on my blog and have even mentioned that she needs a blog. Well Friends, she is now blogging! I'm so excited to share a little about my best gal pal, Christine, and point you in the direction of her new blog.

Let me share a touch of her awesomeness with you.

First, this girl is a crafter. Hello! Take a peek at some of her projects!


Paper Posies for a baby shower.

Coffee Filter Wreath

Hair Clip Holder

Canvas Newspaper Art

Strawberry Tree

She's on Pinterest and is just as addicted as I am. One of my favorite boards is her Pin Wins/Pin Fails where she talks about the pins she's tried and shares her success (or not so much success).


Secondly, Christine is a decorater. Oh my, her house is amazing. Truly truly amazing. I'm hoping she'll highlight some of her decor for you but in the meantime, here is a sneak peak of some of her home.


Her sons room.





One of my favorite spots of her home. I love this photo wall. We sit at the table and craft every Friday night. 


Her daughter's room. 


Thirdly, she's a party plan diva. She used to own her own wedding planning company and she pours herself into the details. Christine is in the throws of planning the second birthday party in just a couple of weeks. It's Yo Gabba Gabba themed. Oh, I cannot wait!!

She yard sales! Someone give her a crown because she is a total queen. We've already made plans for hitting the sales this summer. Here is a photo of a one day haul. Everything in the picture for $60! And can you see some of the cuteness in the background? It's the playroom she designed. It's INCREDIBLE. I'm hoping she posts photos on her blog - but if not, I'm going to take some to share with you. It's an awesome space.

$60 yard sale haul. 


And finally, she's into taking back her health. Christine recently signed up for Weight Watchers and together we are tackling the battle of the bulge. We chat back and forth about recipes we've tried, tips we've learned and we're even making attempts to go to the gym for some workout classes. Right now you can read about her journey as a momma of two little ones and her declaration to reclaim her health. She's a wealth of information and wisdom. I can't wait for you to get to know her.

So head on over to Christine's blog, My Pure Potential Life, and follow along. I can assure you you won't be  disappointed. I can't wait for her next post!

Dressing Your Truth - It's Changed My Life

To contact us Click HERE


Have you ever experienced something that has changed your life? Well, in the past few months, I have. But it was only when I decided to commit myself and not just flake through it. But first, let me give you a little background.

I've struggeled since childhood to love my appearance. I was always got caught in the comparision game even at an elementary school age. My clothes weren't as cool, my hair wasn't as great, I wasn't as tiny, my teeth were crooked...and on and on the things I said to myself went. It's truly been a struggle for me in every way. It probably didn't help that I was drawn to more of a "different" kind of style. I remember once writing in my journal about why it wasn't fair that I didn't like crew neck sweatshirts like all of the rest of the girls. I loved my second hand tee shirts with funny sayings. My favorite was "Bald is Beautiful. God only created so many perfect heads - the rest he covered with hair." I loved that shirt! I didn't fit the typical mold and though I loved putting my outfits together, I so often felt out of place.

When I was in my first year of Master's Commission, I had a real struggle with myself. I was in a new place, a new city, surrounded by people I didn't know, who were dripping with talent, experience and style. I felt like a schmoe - whatever a schmoe is. And finally one day, after realizing that everytime I looked in the mirror, I was picking out my flaws. And I stopped. I stopped to look at myself. To truly stare myself in the eyes and see who I was. I looked at my lips. I looked at my eyes. I looked at my nose. I stared at myself. This was my face. This was my body. THIS was my physical apperance. This is how God created me. Perfect in his eyes.

It was an eye opening experience for me to actually see myself as I truly was. Later that day I had a long conversation with my Director of our Master's Commission team. He helped me realize I was a person who had a lot of "trophies" but lacked the knowledge of who I truly was to help walk in that truth. See, I was my high school prom queen. I had won first runner-up in a beauty pagent at our county fair. I had been the leader and president of a number of groups. I had a ton of friends. It wasn't like I was stuck in a corner isolated in my life. I had a vibrant, active, full life. I just had this incredible internal struggle. My Director gave me a list of scriptures that eventually helped changed my life. They were Bible verses that specifically show us who God says we are. I challenged myself to read a scripture a day and to concentrate on living that out. I would pray over the verse, journal about my thoughts and speak it forth all day long. It was truly, truly life changing. And God began to really erase those dark areas of my heart that had been shrouded in insecurity. Just a couple of weeks ago, Christine and I were talking about our weight loss journies, and she said "I never hear you say anything negative about yourself." And I don't. I've been changed from the inside and it's a stronghold that has been broken. My prayer and challenge in this life is to help other women break that in themselves too with the truth of God's Word.

Enter a few months ago.




My mother-in-law came across a program called "Dressing Your Truth". She had been blog reading and came across one woman's experience with this life changing program. And from that instant, we were hooked. Dressing Your Truth can best be described as a makeover program that teaches you how to highlight your natural beauty so you look amazing and feel great. It's absolutely changed my life. Before, dresssing was a struggle. Now it's freedom and I'm excited about creating outfits. I've learned how to purchase clothes and wear my hair that honors my true beauty. I'm finally wearing all of my clothes because I've gone through all of the clothes that don't honor me anymore and what I'm left with is stuff that truly highlights who I am. I'm excited to get dressed. I'll tell you two quick stories and then I'll share with you how you can find out more about Dressing your Truth.





Story #1: A month or so ago, I took Aubrey to our local science center for an outing. We met up with two friends and their kiddos. I was dressed in a white long sleeved tee shirt, jeans, and had on a gold/pearl necklace with a big white flower pinned to it. (The same outfit as in the photo above - but with the addition of the flower. Like in the photo below.) Nothing spectacular - and in fact, probably not as stylish as the fashion industry would have you think. In fact, the two girls I was with would probably have been considered much more stylish. They were both dressed head to toe in black. They had on tights and knee high boots and killer accessories. They really looked great. But as we were walking down one coridor of the science center, one of the workers looked right at me and said "Wow! You look amazing!" I honestly thought she was talking to Aubrey as she was decked out pretty cute and I looked down at her and smiled. But the woman was looking at me! And I sort of fumbled and said "Oh, me?" And she said "Yes! You look so great!" I was quiet shocked honestly but accepted her compliment and beamed. It felt really good. I felt bad that the comment was said right in front of the other two moms, but I knew that DYT was changing how others saw me.




Story #2: I had an appointment at the bank to open a new bank account for Scentsy. As I approached the desk to tell them I was there for my appointment, the woman's eyes sort of lit up and she said "You are so beautiful!" It again, took me aback, and I told her how kind she was to say that. But she kept going on about how great I looked. Mind you, I wasn't in anything spectacular. A pretty white coat I bought at Old Navy, jeans, my purse, my hair done - really that's all you could see. But everything was honoring my type of beauty. As I waited for my appointment I even sent out a facebook update about how you should always compliment someone when you admire what they are doing/wearing because you never know how you could make their day. Later at that same appointment, I had the same sort of experience with the girl opening my new account and from the woman who approved my identification. At the end of my appointment, all three women were gathered around the check-in desk raving about how good I looked. It was unreal.




I tell you those two stories to share with you how life changing this program has been for me. And honestly, that's just two stories out of a host of situations where I have been stopped and complimented. It's not because I'm wearing something super fabulous or expensive. No, most of my clothes come from Old Navy. My jewelery is mostly from Walmart. I'm still a stay-at-home mom who get stains on her clothes. It's not that I'm drop dead gorgeous. Hello, no. :) But I've learned to take the beauty, the energy, the personality God has given me and use them to truly draw out my own beauty. This program has been life changing for me. I am confident inside and out. Finally, my outside matches my inside.





Dressing Your Truth has changed my life and the lives of countless other women - and men! I can't tell you what it's done to my marriage. I finally am at a point where I understand Shane and he gets me. It's incredible. This fall, my mother-in-law and I head out to a Dressing Your Truth confrence; Be You, Be Beautiful. I can't wait!




So, if you're interested in learning more about DYT, there is an awesome offer happening right now. You can get the Beauty Profiling Course (where you learn about your specific type of beauty) for FREE. Normally it's $39. And, once you learn what your type of beauty is (there are 4), then you take the Beauty Profiling Course to learn what clothes, colors, fabrication (and more) is best for your type of beauty. It's been the most freeing thing ever. The course is on sale for $99 until March 31st. It's normaly over $250.

So, if you're like me and you've ever experienced insecurity - or if you're moving through life and people just dont' "get you", I would encourage you to look at Dressing Your Truth. It's changed my life inside and out.

And P.S. If you go through the course - I am a Type 1. The Bright, Animated Woman. :)



Kool-Aid Playdoh

To contact us Click HERE


I am constantly searching for new activities to do with Aubrey. She's 14 months old and is really starting to explore her surroundings with major curiosity. I'm putting together activities to help her develop her motor skills and to expand her sensory. And hey, we just need a bit of fun around here too!


I recently made Aubrey some playdoh. And oh we had fun! I made sure to make the edible kind in case she decided to pop some in her mouth...which she did. But it didn't taste good so she made a funny face and out it came. 


So here are the instructions for Kool-Aid Playdoh!



Ingredients:
  • 2 Tablespoons of Cooking Oil
  • 1/2 Cup of Salt
  • 1 Cup Flour
  • 1 Cup Boiling Water
  • Kool-Aid Packets
  • Food Coloring (If you want a rich color to your dough)

Add one packet of Kool-Aid, one cup of white flour, 2 tablespoons of oil, a half cup of salt and one cup of boiling water to a large mixing bowl. The dough will be H-O-T so I used a spoon to mix the ingredients. When the dough cools enough, use your hands to knead the dough until the color is consistent and the dough is formed. (This is the fun part!) 








I stored our Playdoh in plastic baggies. They kept for several weeks! 


Aubrey got a big kick out of the playdoh. We really had a lot of fun with this activity. And it was SO quick. It took just a few minutes to make!



My only word of caution about this playdoh is to watch it around your dogs. There is a high salt content which can make your pooches upchuck if they ingest it. We had lots of brightly colored piles around the house. Ew. 


Organizing My Jewelry

To contact us Click HERE


My jewelry organization - or lack thereof - has been bothering me lately. I needed a pretty way to display my jewels instead of just tossing them in a dish or jewelry box. I came across this post almost two years ago from Kevin and Amanda blog. Amanda's earring organizer always stuck with me and it's taken until now to finally recreate my own version.



I started with an "as-is" frame from a decor store. There was no glass but it wasn't needed for my project so it was perfect! I also scooped up this photo hanging kit from the dollar store. I mainly needed the photo hanging wire, but there are some really great hooks in this kit. This whole project cost $3.




The wire can simply be cut with some heavy duty kitchen shears.



I painted my frame with some cream acrylic paint and a foam brush. I would have loved to have spray painted it as it would have been MUCH easier, but at the time, there was snow on the ground. Not spray painting weather.



I then twisted the wire together to give it some dimension. You could also stick your stud earrings in those little bumps in the wire but I haven't got that far yet.




I decided to use thumbtacks to hold my wire in place. I just wrapped the wire around the tacks and pushed them into place. I can easily move the wire one day should I need more rows for my earrings and plus, Christine's son had finally went to sleep so I was not about to use a staple gun or hammer and nails to secure my wire.

And wa-la!



I hung my earring holder on the wall on an existing nail.



Here is how I'm storing my jewelry right now. The wrought-iron necklace holder is an item from Pier-1. It was sold a couple of years ago so I doubt it will be in stores now. I have it holding a basket with some body sprays and perfume in it. When I find the right sized plate, I'll add that and make a more pretty display, but for now, I'm working with what I have. :)




I also purchased this little rectangular plate to hold a little dish that houses the rest of my stud earrings, a few bracelets and some odds and ends. I like to keep my flower pin right on top. This plate also holds my wedding rings at night.

Baby monitor in the background. Just keepin' it real.





So there you have it! Jewelry storage! I love looking at all of the dangly bits and bobs. Now, I'm wearing so much more jewelry than I had when it was shoved out of site!


24 Haziran 2012 Pazar

Movie Monday: This Means War

To contact us Click HERE
Yup. This week I'm reviewing This Means War. Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine & Tom Hardy
We went to see this back in March with my mom. It was entertaining but definitely not in my top choice of movies. We will not be purchasing this but it does make a great Red Box movie/date night!
It's basically about two guys who are the best of friends to the point they call themselves "brothers". They are both in the CIA and get suspended for causing a little too much trouble. They discover they are dating the same woman and wage an epic battle against one another to destroy the other's relationship with her.  Here is the preview:  I say this is the perfect date night movie because it captures the CIA action which keeps you on the edge of your seat (for the men) as well as the lovey cute guys fighting over the girl thing (for the women).  We were glad we saw it but wish we would have rented it instead have gone in theaters. Here the boys are pretending to meet and not know each other:  Like I said, it wasn't our favorite movie... but it was really cute. Check it out and let me know what you think! That's all for this Movie Monday! Thanks for stoppin by! 


Portuguese Food: Bolo de Bolacha

To contact us Click HERE
Photobucket

Bolo de Bolacha literally means Cookie/Biscuit Cake. Well, I'm not sure you can label it as a cake as I traditionally have the idea of a cake being something that is baked but I guess a dessert should fit. It is a traditional portuguese dessert and, if I may say my two cents about it, it's really good and heavily caloric. In my mind, this is that one thing you eat when a) you're dying for a dessert; b) you're in the need for comfort food; c) you just don't care about calories. This being said, I reduced the amount of butter in my recipe so you could actually get the flavour out of all the layers of this dessert (I personally love the flavour of biscuits and coffee together!).Have fun trying this recipe!Não tenho a certeza se é possível classificar isto como um 'bolo' já que tenho a ideia tradicional de que um bolo é algo que é cozido mas acho que 'doce' serve. É uma sobremesa tradicional portuguesa e, se é que posso dar a minha opinião, é muito bom e altamente calórico. Na minha mente, isto é aquilo que se come se a)estiveres a morrer por uma sobremesa; b)estiveres a precisar de comida de conforto; c)simplesmente não te importares com calorias. Dito isto, reduzi a quantidade de manteiga na minha receita para se poder ter todo o sabor das várias camadas desta sobremesa (eu pessoalmente adoro o sabor das bolachas e do café juntos!).Divirtam-se a experimentar esta receita!
Photobucket


Ingredients: Ingredientes:

300 g Maria cookies (also known as 'Rich Tea') 300g de Bolacha Maria
250g butter 250g de manteiga
300g sugar 300g de açúcar
300g soluble coffee 300 g de café solúvel


Start by grinding 20g of Maria cookies so that it is as thin as possible. Set aside.Add the butter to room temperature, sugar and 1 tablespoon of dissolved coffee. Make sure you get an homogeneous cream. Set aside.Soak the remaining biscuits in dissolved coffee slightly and make alternate layers with the cream previously made.Finish with cream, sprinkle with the grated cookies. Refrigerate.
Comece por triturar 20g de bolacha Maria por forma a que fique o mais fina possível. Reserve.Junte a manteiga à temperatura ambiente, o açúcar e 1 colher de sopa de café dissolvido. Certifique-se que obtém um creme homogéneo. Reserve.Demolhe as restantes bolachas ligeiramente no café preparado e faça camadas alternadas com o creme reservado.Finalize com o creme, polvilhe com a bolacha ralada reservada. Leve ao frigorífico.

Photobucket
Photobucket