What a little paint can do...

 Bought a lamp at Ikea that was originally baby blue for about $4. I decided to paint it red and it is certainly amazing what a little paint can do.

Didn't get a picture of it blue, but here is another one I own that is ivory.

Will post finished project with pics of my boys' room.

Pumpkinland

Had a chance to take some photos of the boy at Pumpkinland in Orem today. He's going to be a Newsie for Halloween!!! Why a Newsie and not something like Woody or Buzz from Toy Story? I realized that I will have few Halloweens when I have complete say in what our little boy dresses up as. I'd better take advantage of that while I can.

Since we're moving I'm not sure if I'll be able to take a ton of pictures on the big day, so hopefully these will be enough. Enjoy my cute little paper boy!

I know, taking pictures while he's crying seems cruel. Most of the time I don't. But lets face it, kids aren't always happy. I wanted to show what really happened in our day instead of just giving the typical posed picture.

Lone Crafter

Does your spouse ever have to leave town for work? Mine does. Up until this last position, the only nights we had ever spent apart came after my brother had been in a serious car accident. It was right before finals week so my husband wasn't able to come with me to be with family. With his new job we are still so fortunate that his work trips are not frequent. I know so many women whose spouse is in the military or other jobs in which they are required to be away from their families for weeks at a time.

When I look at it that way, a week here and there doesn't seem too bad. I have found that by adding structure and routine into my days, the week goes by much faster. I try to devote all my time to my son when he is awake and save blogging and projects for nap time and bedtime. Then he gets the attention he needs and I have the mental release and creative distraction I so crave when my husband is gone. The only problem comes when I get so into a project that I realize I've been at my sewing machine longer than I had planned. Is is really 1, 2, 3  AM?

The next day I find myself dragging my feet and praying that nap time comes quickly and will last the full two hours so I can catch a nap as well. So there are days of ebb and flow as I make up for my late nights, but it gets me through to the end of the week with the sweet return of my husband.

For all those who have spouses who leave town time and again, what do you do to make the time pass by? Here's what I created last night. My mom had something like this in her home. I used the same material from the crib bedding I made for my son two years ago (will post later... those pictures are on my external hard drive and I'd love to share the finished product with you). It was a quick and easy project that I plan on repeating twice more for our living room and bedroom.

I love it even with just the cover and ribbon. The others will look similar to this.

A Great Find!

My little boy is almost two years old. Two year old's need a LOT of attention and entertainment. Especially two year old BOYS! I am always on the look out for ways/things to keep him occupied. Last night at Wal-mart I stopped in the craft section (a guilty pleasure for me in most stores) and found this:

As you can tell I was so excited about this craft that I didn't even take a picture before painting it. And the best part is that it only cost 97 cents!!! A cheap fun toy for Ryan and satisfying my need to be crafty: Perfect!!! They also sell wood cars, trucks, and helicopters. You could even paint some of the planes and attach them to a homemade mobile.

Well if the plane holds up without being eaten or destroyed during the week, I think I'll have a good birthday project for our little guy! 

(As you can tell, even with an ultra sealing spray, some of the paint has worn off from excess chewing. I may need to find some stronger spray!)

Create

Three years ago President Uchtdorf, a leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gave a talk in the General Relief Society Meeting entitled "Happiness, Your Heritage". The words which were spoken in his talk have been my motivation to create many things. Whether or not you are a member of this church (commonly referred to as the "Mormon church"), this excerpt from the talk holds an uplifting and inspiring message that I believe people of all faiths can relate to. I hope this may inspire you as it has me.

Mariel's Photo Shoot

My niece turned one in August. I offered to take her one year old photos and these are a few of the shots that I came away with. My new camera definitely has helped the editing process. The shots came out so clear! What I saw through the lens was captured perfectly. Pure happiness describes my feelings as I uploaded these shots on my computer. The reading I've done from library books has helped too! I can't wait to learn more!

Tot Tea Party

A good friend of mine hosted a "Tot Tea Party" outside their front lawn. My son has known and played with each of their kids since they were born (they are all within a year of each other in age). It was such a fun get together. We miss living right next door to all these friends so we always enjoy any chance we have to visit!

Yep, this one is my pride and joy!

Many of us, including myself, are having the next generation of Tot friends. Can't wait for them to play together!

Try not to delete a photo until you have uploaded them to your computer. This is one piece of advice that I read in a book. This shot proved that point. I almost deleted this picture because there was more light exposure than I was wanting. But look at the face of the angel that was present there. So glad I remembered  to hold off my editing to when I could see the "big picture".

I love this. Poor guy looks so sad that his friend "cut in."