DIY Painted flowers (and sign)

I don't know about you, but I am definitely ready for summer.  Cookouts, boating and fishing, bonfires, family trips, s'mores, everything!  Anyway, I love having a sign by my front door for every season/holiday, and I didn't have one yet for summer.  So...of course I decided to get crafty and make my own!  I had seen on pinterest a way to make painted trees using a q-tip, so I thought I'd try using the technique to paint flowers onto my sign.  Here' the finished product:

And here's how I did it:

You'll need a canvas, acrylic paints, paint brushes, letter stencils, q-tips and paint pen or Sharpie marker.

Start by painting your sign in the background color you like.  I liked yellow because it's nice and cheerful-perfect for sunny summer!  Once your paint dries, you can stencil in your letters.  I stenciled the word SUMMER and wrote the word CELEBRATE freehand.  

For the flowers, you'll need to pick a color in addition to white.

STEP 1: Using the main color first (red in the picture above), dip your q-tip in the paint and make a cross and and X in dots.
STEP 2: Mix your main color with the white, creating a muted tone (pink above), and begin to fill in dots to create a circle.
STEP 3: Using white paint, fill in dots in any empty spaces within the flower.  And there you have it, easy DIY painted flowers to add to any project!

I also tried this same q-tip dot process but made dots with tails to resemble fireworks. 

That might be a cute project to do with the kids for Independence Day! 

I hope you enjoyed this little project for summer flowers!  Happy Monday:)

Dear Elijah

Dear Elijah,
   At 18 months old, you are a sweet, curious, funny, and smart little boy.  You love to snuggle, hold hands, and help me with whatever I'm doing.  You really like to do whatever your big sister is doing.  Your laugh is so contagious.  You have recently realized that you are a great climber.  You use the dining room chairs as your personal step stools all over the house.  You are brave and very tough.  You love to dance.  You are not too talkative yet, but you are starting to say so many more words, including Beba (Bella), Man-Man (Cayman), uv ooh (love you) and many others that are becoming so much easier to understand.  You love when people come to visit, usually shouting their name from the top of the steps.  You hate when people leave.  You do not like to be scolded and usually get a pouty lip that turns into tears if you get into trouble (just like your momma was and NOT like your Daddy or sister!).  You melt my heart every single day with your sweetness. I am so thankful to have you as my son.

Here are just of few of the sweet and silly things you are doing at 18 months old:

• You wave goodbye to me every night when I lay you down for bed
• You love to hold my hand and lead me to wherever you want or need to go
• You shout, "Dada!" when we turn on Skype
• You yell, "Mama! Mama! Mama!" When you wake up every morning.  You will continue to shout this until I come to get you out of your crib.
• You stick out your tongue and pretend to be a puppy by panting and crawling around on the floor. 
• You shake your head no to answer almost every question (even when you mean yes).
• You love babies and will pat them gently on the head, give them hugs and kisses, and help feed them if allowed to.
• You love sitting in Bella's booster seat and much prefer it to your own high chair.
• You love to help put Cayman outside, feed her, and give her treats.

You are growing so fast and sometimes I just want to freeze time and enjoy this stage of life just a little bit longer.  You are a blessing to our family.  I love you so much Elijah.  Thanks for being you!

Love, Momma

Dear Bella

Dear Bella,
At three years old, you are both spunky and sweet.  You constantly amaze me with your vocabulary and your constant thirst for knowledge.  You are one of the funniest people I know.  You make me laugh every day, and I am so very thankful to be your momma. 

I recently asked you about some of your 'favorites', and here are your responses:

1. Favorite Color: Purple
2. Favorite Number: 3
3. Favorite Food: Doughnuts (which you pronounce Poughnuts)
4. Favorite Animal: Giraffe (just like mommy!)
5. Favorite T.V. Show: Curious George
6. Favorite Book: Princess Palooza
7. Favorite Song: 'I like You'

You are determined, independent, sometimes stubborn, very smart, kind, and beautiful.  I love watching you grow and learn every single day.  Lately some of the things you really enjoy include singing (and making up original lyrics), tea parties, playing with your stuffed animals (usually doctor), building castles, any kind of make believe play, and puzzles.  You also have learned how to differentiate between boy/girl, he/she, handsome/beautiful etc.  You tell Daddy that he's handsome and Mommy that she's beautiful (you're so sweet love!).  Your speech has become very clear and I find myself able to carry on a conversation with you often.  You love playing with your friends, church, and going to Grandma and Grandpa's house.  You have recently begun to ask to help me with almost anything I'm doing (baking, cooking, fixing something, chores around the house, etc.).  You can get yourself dressed, are almost completely potty trained, and you can get your own water from the fridge now.  I can hardly believe how big you are getting.  You are a good big sister, a wonderful daughter, and prayerful little girl.  We love you so much Bella girl.  Thanks for being you!

Love, Momma

Mother's Day

I love Mother's Day! Okay, let's be real, I love all holidays:)  But Mother's Day is the only holiday that I've earned, and because of that, it means something more to me.  Being a mother is the best and most challenging job I've ever had.  I am so thankful to have great Mom role-models in my life helping me to be the best mom I can be.  To my mom Jody and my mom-in-law Debbie, you are amazing mothers and so loved and appreciated.  Happy Mother's Day!  And to my babies, Bella and Elijah, being your mom is the greatest blessing in my life!  I love you both more than words can say. 

I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day with your loved ones!  I missed my hubby Matt so very much, but I had a fun day celebrating with some of the family:)  Cheers to Moms!

The Fam:)

That's right, I'm grilling up some burgers:):)  Aren't you proud, Matt?!

We love our awesome mom (and grandma)!!

Mom with the bird house I gave her (compliments of my father in law's business.)

Me with my two wonderful children, Bella and Elijah!  Bella is holding the card she made me at church:)       I am so blessed!!

While You're Away

As I've mentioned before, Matt recently got a new job that takes him away from home for weeks at a time.  To help us stay close while he is away, we skype, send texts, and I send him pictures and videos of the kids and all their silliness.  But I decided to do a few other things for Matt to help him feel like he's not missing out on day-to-day life around here.  Maybe if you have a loved one far away you'll be inspired to try one of these too!

1. Matt's Mailbox: In our front entry, we have cubies in the closet.  One of these is now dedicated to Matt.  The kids make art projects and drawings for Matt that we put in his 'mailbox' to open when he gets home.  I haven't actually found a little mailbox to put in the cubie yet, but I'm looking for one.  I think the kids would like a little mailbox that they could stick their projects in and put the little flag up for Daddy!

2. Dear Matthew Letters: This is just what it sounds like.  Dear Matthew letters are the letters I write to Matt while he's away.  I write to him about little things that happen during our day.  They may not be monumental or exciting, but they are the little things that make up our life, and I don't want Matt to miss out.  I give him all the letters each time he comes home.

3. Notes on the Road: These are notes that I send with Matt to open at different times while he's away.  They are just words of encouragement, and may contain a candy bar that I know he loves:)

4. Care Package: I haven't sent one of these with him yet, but I will soon.  This would be items I could send with him to enjoy while he's gone.  Perhaps a book, photos of the kids, snacks, CD, etc.  Just another way to let him know how much we miss him while he's away.  This last trip I did send homemade treats for him to share with his crew though-that should count for something, right??;)

5. Map It Out: The kids and I are currently looking for a good U.S. Road map for this project.  I'd like to put the map on a cork board.  Each night when we Skype with Matt, he can tell us what city he's in, and the kids can put a pin in that city on our map.  That way we can keep track of his route, and the kids can practice learning cities and states as they get older (Wow, can you tell I'm a teacher at heart?!). 

6. Nightly Bible Study: Although this doesn't always work out, Matt and I try to do a nightly Bible study together over skype.  This is another way to stay connected to each other and deepen our relationship. 

Here's a pic of all four of us ready for church this past Sunday.  We love our time together as a family!!

Do you have any other ideas that help you stay connected with loved ones far away?  If so, I'd love to hear them! 

Have a Happy Thursday!!

April Adventures

Can you believe it's the last day of April today?  This year is going by so fast.  It doesn't help that it JUST started warming up outside (and by the way, rain/snow mix in the forecast for May 1st, 2nd and 3rd, what? yuck!).  Well anyway, I thought I'd post some pictures of some of the fun adventures we've had this past month. 

Holding Hands (This is Elijah's new 'thing'.  He wants to hold hands with us and walk everywhere together.  Sooo sweet!).

Wrestling

Playdates with friends

Dancing

Baking

Children's Museum

(Elijah was upset when someone wanted to share the bubbles, but he got over it quickly.  I just had to show you his pouty face though!)

Skyping with Daddy (we miss you lots!!)

Backyard fun!

Hope your April was filled with fun!

P.S. Matt, you've been gone now for 19 days, the longest we've been apart in over six years.  I miss you so much, and I can hardly contain my excitement about seeing you in a few days!  Safe travels love!

Friday Letters

Dear Matthew, you are so missed around here.  I am so excited to show you all the work I've gotten done around the house, and so excited to enjoy the backyard as a family when you get home!  I am so thankful for all that you do for this family.  You are awesome and I love you more than frozen hot chocolate on a warm summer day:)  Dear Debbie and Al, we miss you!  So excited to see you this coming week and hear all about your fun vacation.  Have I told you both lately how much I love you and appreciate all that you do for me? Thank you for being such a blessing in my life.  Love you more than HGTV:)  Dear Traci and Julie, thank you for agreeing to start our bookclub together.  These last six months have been so much fun and I love having an excuse to hang out with you both!  (And the reading is pretty fun too!)  Love you both more than coffee AND lemon bars:)  Dear Mom, you are a rockstar.  You are so busy and yet still have time to spend with me and the kids.  Your help and support has meant more to me than words can say.  You are so selfless and giving.  Thank you.  I love you more than chinese food and caramel frappes.  Dear Emily, thank you for being such a great friend.  I love our 'playdates' with the kids.  Your schedule is always packed, and you still make time for me.  Thank you for that.  You are a huge blessing in my life and I am so thankful for you.  Love you more than Spring pedicures and girl time!   Dear Babe, yes, you get two.  Because you are just that special to me.  I miss watching movies with you.  I miss noticing something funny and getting that look from you because you were thinking the EXACT same thing.  I miss your hugs.  I miss your laugh.  I MISS YOU.  Come home soon love.  I call dibs on the first hug. 

 I love you more than peanut butter loves chocolate.