2012

Pink or Blue?

December 20, 2012 by beth 5 Comments

Hey there. I hope your week is going well. I’ve been thinking so much about the sweet souls in Connecticut that are grieving. There is nothing that can take away their pain, but it’s been so wonderful to hear the numerous accounts of heroism, service, and kindness coming from this tragedy. I hope those affected feel the prayers and know they aren’t alone in their grief.

I keep looking at my sweet boys and saying prayers of thanks that they are alright. The Hubs and I have limited the television coverage for our boys’ sake. Pickle and I had a long talk about what happened to the children at Sandy Hook. We hugged and cried with each other, and we discussed his fears and concerns. I wrote a letter to his teacher thanking her for all of her hard work and love for her students. Although I was worried about Pickle on Friday because he wasn’t with me, it was very comforting to know my little guy was with someone who cares so much about him.

On a different note, thank you so much for the well wishes for our new bundle of joy! We are thrilled to be adding one more to our little family. It’s crazy to think I’ll have 3 kids. 3! People keep asking me if I’ll have anymore after this, and I don’t plan on it. I know what I can personally handle, and three is my max. Three is good.

We found out last week what we’re having…. Would you like to know, too?

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WhooHoo!! Boy #3! I can’t believe it. I am a mom of boys! I think I need one of these shirts:

White burnout V-neck Boy Mom tee

One Hip Mom

When I found out this little muffin is a boy, I waited for that feeling of, “What? Not a girl?” but it never came. Instead I was really excited and surprisingly relieved. Since we have 2 boys already, I have everything this one needs, I know how to raise boys, and he has brothers. I’d be sad for a little girl who wouldn’t have a sister. There are no shot guns to be bought, and no prom, homecoming, or wedding dresses to save up for (you just have to rent a tux!).

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It’s my hope to raise gentlemen. Kind, sweet boys who are good people. I would love them to be helpful, considerate, and thoughtful of others’ feelings. I picture them working in the yard with their dad or helping the grandparents in their old age with chores and honey-dos. I pray they grow up to be good husbands and daddies – to treat their wives like queens – and to (fingers crossed!) cook and clean as well. I want them to be God-fearing men who love and serve Jesus their whole lives.

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When I think about our future, I see lots of sports, camping, trains, Legos, wrestling matches, living room forts, superheroes, dirt, bugs, and experiments. Yeah, there will be times that I’ll have no clue what they are talking about (are you sure the NFL doesn’t change its rules every week??), I will be the odd “man” out sometimes at the movies or some activities, and they’ll all go off on “boys only” trips. But guess what?

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I will still be their mom. We will have more in common than not. These 3 boys will be loved unconditionally…forever. I am so blessed. I sometimes can’t believe that God is willing to give me some of his best angels to teach and keep safe. I am a lucky lucky mom.

And I pray I don’t screw them up.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

An Announcement! {Yes, I’m Still Here…}

December 14, 2012 by beth 9 Comments

Hey Friends! It’s me. For reals!

I know, I know. I’ve been on a bit of a break. I had to stop blogging for a little while because I’ve been working on a behind-the-scenes project that’s taken just about everything out of me. Seriously. And I’m halfway finished.

Wanna see my new “project?”

Yep, I’m preg! There’s a muffin in the oven. And it’s such a cute muffin!! (Can’t you tell from the fuzzy, blurry sonogram?) I’m 5 months along, 20 weeks today. Wow. 20. Only 20 more to go.

My doctor says things are going really well. S/he is growing right on target, and things look good. Which makes me happy to hear. I worry a little bit about that kind of stuff because I’ll be 36 when I deliver, which is considered a “geriatric pregnancy.” Nice. Makes you feel like you’ll be eating baby food with your baby because neither of you will have teeth.

My cute boys are excited to have a younger sibling. Pickle is begging for a sister (because I can control such things), and J sometimes stops playing trains and Sonic the Hedgehog long enough to give my belly a kiss.

We keep talking about names, and it’s fun to think up funny ones. During the election, we joked we’d name the baby Barack Mitt Romney. Now we’re considering Mario, Luigi, or Princess Peach. I once mentioned to my older sister that I’m drawn to boy names with -son on the end (like Carson). So every name she suggests sounds like this: Samson, Danielson, Joshuason, Andrewson, Tyson-son. When it comes to girl names, well…I’m at a total loss! (I used to love Bella before the whole Twilight thing happened and everyone started naming their dog Bella. Yep, scratch that one off the list for sure.) I could totally use your suggestions!

As far as my absence from the blogging world, I blame it all on morning sickness. I know each pregnancy is different, each woman is different. How have things gone over here? OH MY GOSH. This little one has kicked my butt. Baby: 1, Beth: 0. No, wait. More like Baby: 18 1/2 weeks, Beth: 1 1/2 weeks. There has been lots of nausea and vomiting mixed with ridiculous headaches. Like headaches I’ve never had before. Sometimes they’ve sent me to my room where it’s dark and quiet and there’s no movement. And, as weird as it sounds, the morning sickness (which, to me is actually motion sickness) has given me aversions to things that scroll up and down – like Facebook, Instagram, reading, reading blogs, typing…all the things I enjoy doing on a regular basis. I had to put my phone away for awhile because that’s where I check my e-mail and Facebook. Even my ringtone made me sick for awhile!!

I’m not gonna lie…there were days that I couldn’t think about lifting my head off the couch (except maybe to put it in the toilet). So blogging was out for sure. I kept the kids fed and safe, and The Hubs kept up with the laundry and dishes, and that was about the extent of our existence for awhile.

I am SO glad to be out in the real world again. There are still a few rough days (days where my mascara turns straight to clown makeup from the puke fests), but I’m feeling so much better. They say the sicker the pregnancy, the healthier the baby. This baby will be really healthy – no doubt.

So thanks for being patient with me while I work on this new “project” for our home. I feel so blessed, and I’m grateful to be having another little angel. I’m still here, I still want to blog, and I’ll continue as my life allows.

We ARE finding out what we are having, and I’ll share the news with you next time…Monday? Tuesday? Place your bets now! What do you think we’re having? Girl? Boy? Come back to see!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Easy Halloween Craft: Cheesecloth Ghost {Cheese Cloth Ghost}

October 15, 2012 by beth 2 Comments

Hi friends! I hope you’re having a great week! I was digging through our Halloween decorations and came across these cute ghost friends I made a few years back. This was the 3rd post I wrote for Free Stylin’, so I thought I’d share it with you again. (Sorry some of the pics are so small. That was before I learned lots of bloggy lessons like use large pictures!)

Enjoy!

When I was a little girl my mom went to craft night at the church and painted a ceramic ghost. Near the end of her meticulous painting (my mom is a little bit of a perfectionist – I’m not gonna lie), she was painting the last spooky black eye and bumped the paint brush. The result is what looks like a little tear coming down her ghost’s face. I don’t know if it was a lack of time, or if she thought it was a great opportunity to show her kids how to roll with the punches (I’m thinking both), but my mom said, “Well, we’ll call him Boo-Hoo.” So we took him home, and he’s been a family favorite ever since.

I’ve wanted a few new Halloween decorations around the house, but (of course) I didn’t want to spend a dime. Nada. Zilch. So I was looking through some (free) magazines to help inspire me, and I came across a few ghost ideas. I liked some parts of this one and other parts of that one. Finally I decided to put them all together. This cute little guy is the result:

Yes, yes I had to spend a dime (or two). $3.45 for the cheesecloth. But it came with 4 square feet, so I have LOTS leftover for future F.U.N!!

Here’s how I made my new little spooky friend (and his brother):

First, I hauled the kids over to Home Depot and grabbed a package of cheesecloth. (It’s on the painting supplies aisle.)

Then I spread out the cheesecloth on my (clean) kitchen floor. (Mostly clean.)

I wanted to measure and make sure things would work out evenly, but I had a problem: The measuring tape was upstairs. And I didn’t want to run up and get it. I’m so lazy.

So I used my kitchen tiles as my measuring “device.” And I cut the cheesecloth into four mostly equal squares.

Next I made the glue mixture. I collected a few supplies:

*wood glue

*a container to put it in

*medicine measuring cup (since I have a bajillion)

*a craft stick. (K, who am I kidding…it’s a skewer for kabobs. I told you I was lazy.)

(P.S. The medicine measuring cup is now officially used for crafts only. I marked the bottom with a big red permanent X.)

I mixed two parts glue to one part water. (4 oz of glue and 2 oz of water was just right.)

It’ll look like ice cream, but I promise you don’t want to eat it.

I shoved a piece of cheesecloth into the container and then wrang it out (wrung it out?). Squeezed all the glue mixture out. “Un-peeling” the cheesecloth was a little tricky at first – it was sticky and the threads were delicate – but it got easier with each ghost.

Then I draped the wet ghost over a plastic cup. Make sure you have a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper or foil on the bottom to keep the glue off your counter and so your ghost doesn’t stick to anything. Also make sure the cup is the right height to let the bottom of the ghost “puddle” a little bit. It makes him look ripple-y. (Is that a description? Is that even a word?)

I let my ghost sit for an hour or two – just until his head was dry (it dries first). Then I shoved one of the kids’ baseballs underneath to give his head a little bit more shape.

I let the ghost dry overnight but a few hours is fine, too.

Once he was dry, he needed some eyes. I thought about using construction paper and gluing it, but I spotted these bad boys while digging around for the construction paper:

P.S. I got that entire bucket at Goodwill for 50 cents!

(I don’t know what their real name is, but I call them foam doo dads. It’s a logical choice.) I love that they have an adhesive back, so I was sold. There weren’t any black circles, so I just grabbed a Sharpie and went to town. Then I stuck them on my little ghosty and he looked great! (I considered making a mouth, but it looked funny, so I didn’t mess with it.)

Here’s my ghost and his brother:

Another shot on the couch (I like how the red showed through the cheesecloth…a little spooky).

So what do you think? I personally love him. A fun, easy, fast, and CHEAP ghost.

A few thoughts when making this:

You could spray paint him black – I bet that would look cool. Also, instead of using a baseball for his head, if you have balloons at home, that would be a perfect way to give him some shape. Just pop the balloon when the glue is all dried.

Happy Crafting!

Filed Under: Craft, Fall, Holidays Tagged With: Craft, Fall, Halloween, Holidays

Mod Podge Halloween Sign

October 3, 2012 by beth 4 Comments

Hey there! Today I’m excited to show you a craft I made recently for our front porch for Halloween! It’s fun and easy to make, so you could make one, too!

I recently received a box of goodies from Mod Podge, and included inside was the perfect ingredients to make a sign for our front porch.

Here’s what you’ll need:

*A poster board

*pencil

*scissors

*an old book, with the pages cut into strips

*foam craft brush

*Mod Podge in Antique Finish

*black craft paint

*Glow-In-The-Dark Mod Podge

Begin by writing out what you want your sign to say. I free handed the word “BOO.”

After cutting out the poster board, you’re ready for the book pages. Using your foam craft brush, brush on Mod Podge to a small section of your sign. (I used Antique Matte finish because I wanted our sign to look a bit aged.) Add the book page strip, and brush more Mod Podge to the top, making sure you get the sides and corners well. Let the sign dry.

Next, it’s time to add some black craft paint. I outlined all of the edges so the word BOO would stand out. I also dry brushed a bit of black paint across the sign to give it more of a spooky look.

The last step is to add some Glow-In-The-Dark Mod Podge for that extra bit of Halloween fun. It takes about 5 coats for a really good glow, but it’s totally worth it. (I have to apologize…I don’t have any pics of my sign glowing in the dark because of my camera is not the best quality! It totally glows, though!!)

Once the sign is totally dry, you can add some plastic spiders or other Halloween items to your sign if you want. Our little spiders are for my cute J…he is obsessed with spiders right now! They are attached with some raffia to keep with the “old, antique” look.

And that’s it! Time to put it on the porch!

I like the subtle addition of Halloween to our fall porch. It doesn’t knock you over the head with the next holiday, but it still lets people know we’re in the Halloween “spirit!”

If you like this project, be sure to check out all the other great Mod Podge Halloween Projects:

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Make sure to check out Plaid on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a paid campaign with Mod Podge and Blueprint Social. The opinions in this post are my own.

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Filed Under: Craft, Fall, Holidays, Porch, Pumpkins Tagged With: Craft, Fall, Halloween, Holidays, Porch, Pumpkins

Back to School Organization: Backpacks and Important Papers

September 17, 2012 by beth 1 Comment

Hi friends! I hope you had a great weekend! And I really hope you enjoyed our Organizing 101: Back to Basics Series!

I learned so much from each of these awesome ladies! If you missed anything from the series, please check out each post here:

My post on menu planning is HERE.

Visit Karah at The Space Between for time management.

Allison from House of Hepworths great post on organizing school lunches.

Jamie at C.R.A.F.T’s post about organizing your blog.

Becky from Organizing Made Fun’s morning schedule post.

It’s the 3rd Monday of the month, so, in keeping with the organization spirit, it’s time for another post at i Dream of Clean. Go HERE to check out how our family went from eternal laundry pile to a simplified laundry schedule. Ahh. Doing laundry is so much nicer now!!

And if you missed last month’s organization installment at i Dream of Clean, I shared how I turned a little spot in our laundry room into a place for school organization.

With school starting again, it’s easy for the house to become disorganized quickly. Where do new backpacks go? What papers am I required to sign by tomorrow? Do my cute boys have homework tonight?

Instead of having backpacks in a heap on the floor, important papers shoved under the mail on the counter, and shoes or lunch boxes dropped by the door, it’s important to designate “assigned seats” for these items. Just like in a classroom, there should be a very specific spot in the home for the kids to put their school items away.

Using only things I already have in my home, I made such a space near the back door.

*A mirror with hooks is secured to the wall for semi-heavy backpacks and jackets. (Single hooks, or even a a door knob, would also work.)

*An old mailbox that was found at a garage sale hangs underneath. My son knows to put his school folder inside the mailbox for me. I can grab the folder and go through the important papers without having to dig around in his backpack, hoping I can find things. (Instead of a mailbox, you could use a magazine organizer or file box on the counter.)

*And an inexpensive basket on the floor is just the right place to kick off shoes when everyone gets home. (If you don’t have a basket to use, just the designated shoe spot will work.)

The key is to make the assigned space and ask the kidlets to use it…just like at school.

Now getting out the door in the morning isn’t full of confusion…”Where’s my backpack? I can’t find my shoes! Don’t forget to sign my field trip form!” And when everyone gets home, we don’t trip all over jackets or coats. One shoe isn’t under the couch while the other is in the middle of the hallway. I can actually find my bake sale assignment…before the bake sale.

How do you stay organized during the school year?