Monday, January 7, 2013

A New Year Update...

It has been almost 3 months since my last post. It has been somewhat intentional and somewhat inevitable as life has just been so busy. I thought I'd start the new year with a post as a general update about our crazy life right now.



I started a new job as the Elementary Coordinator at our church. I oversee the 1st- 4th grade program of about 200 kids a Sunday. I'm absolutely loving it but its been a huge adjustment working again after being home with my daughter and only Nannying for the past couple years. It has been a great outlet for me to pursue my other gifts and passions outside of motherhood and domestic home life.

Avaree, our 2.5 year old started preschool 2 days a week while I go into the office. She is thriving and LOVES it. Every night she asks me if she gets to go to school tomorrow. When I dropped her off even the first day she told me "go Mommy, go home, I play with my friends!" I cried a little but so thankful she is so independent and confident. No separation anxiety in this little fireball. Here she is on the first day of school...

My husband is still working two jobs to take care of us. He is so amazing. We are praying this fall he will be able to find a teaching position again and also begin work on his Master's degree. He has put so much on hold to allow me to stay home with our daughter and I'm pushing him to pursue his dreams and trust the Lord to provide some of the financial relief we need. Excited to see what God's going to do. Currently, he has to work most evenings which is so sad for our relationship and as a father it just kills him not to be home to eat together, or put Avaree to bed, etc. This will become even harder as we have recently learned that we will soon be....



A family of 4!!! Yep, I'm pregnant! We are thrilled. I'm 15 weeks and have had it rough so far. So thankful to be into the 2nd trimester and praying to escape the extreme "all day" sickness I've had. Avaree is so excited to be a big sister and has already been a big help to Mommy. She is convinced its a girl of course, and my husband is sure its a boy. I have no premonitions so far. The plan is for me to continue to work after some maternity leave... I am only 20 hours a week and have amazing flexibility and ability to work from home most days. We are blessed.


The thing thats been missing lately is any projects, crafts, or creative outlet for this girl. And I AM GOING CRAZY. I did get some pretty decorations up for Christmas (ha, actually they are still up- don't judge hehe) but I haven't taken any pictures. It is time for some projects and now that I'm feeling a bit better, I can't wait to get started. So, I'll do my best to get some pictures up. This blog is one of my New Year's resolutions because I realize how much I just love and need this creative side of me. I've been craving the inspiration of my blogger friends and dying to know what everyone's been up to lately. So, I'm back. I am putting no pressure on myself to meet any blogging goals or expectations. But, simply to continue to use this blog as a chance to connect with others who inspire me, and to give myself the chance to share my own passions and gifts. Thanks to everyone who reads and visits here. I've missed you all!

(Our New Year's Eve dinner party table) 

Here's to this new year and all the little surprises to come!

Monday, October 1, 2012

"A Baby is Brewing" Tea Party Shower

I had the blessing of throwing a baby shower for my good friend AJ this past weekend. She is having a boy in November and really wanted a final "girlie" party before her life becomes trucks, race cars, and all other things "boy". I can't think of anything more girlie than a tea party... 







This little photo booth had mustache's in honor of the "little man" arriving soon... Everyone wrote a message for the new mommy, daddy, and baby on a chalkboard and took a picture. 
I'll put all the pictures in a book to give to them later... 



Measure the belly game! 





It was a special day celebrating the soon to be Mommy. We took some time to pray for her and bless her in this upcoming adventure. So blessed to have wonderful friends and fun memories of these milestones. Thanks to Bethany K. for taking all the photos! 



Thursday, June 21, 2012

Our Bedroom Makeover... And Some Good Bedtime Reading.

As renters, not owners of our little two bedroom "condo" as I like to call it, I am often limited in what I can do. We are allowed to paint, thank goodness, but we have to be careful about holes in the walls or any permanent changes. We've lived here for a few months but I have left our master bedroom for last. I finally finished it this weekend. (Well, mostly.) What room is ever truly "finished", right girls? Anyway, I wanted to do something different on the walls but my husband hates painting and we'd have to undo anything we do when we move out someday. 
So, I just went for it. I put a whole book (well actually 3 books) on the wall. Page by Page. 
Here is the before wall as I was getting started... 

 

I used the little "dots" that are made for scrapbooking or photos to secure each page to the wall, overlapping as I went... Easy to remove without damaging the wall...




I also added some new accessories... I LOVE this old rusty birdcage I found at a local thrift store.




And the reading nook...


I really wanted our room to be soft and relaxing with lots of textures. I breathe a sigh of contentment as I sink into bed at the end of the day. My husband teases me that our bedtime reading is nice and convenient now. I love how it turned out. 

Here are some more pics of the whole room...






Thanks for visiting... I'm off to read in bed.. ahhhh.


Kirstin Joy








Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Ava Turns Two... A Pinwheel Party!

This weekend was my daughter's 2nd birthday! We had a special time with our closest friends and family. I did a backyard "pinwheel" themed party with a picnic feel. Thought I would share some pictures...


I made pinwheels out of basic scrapbook paper and used buttons in the center... 
So easy and very inexpensive. 

The food table was full of little finger foods, fruit, a deli plate, and popcorn... 
I used vintage decorations of course.


My first attempt at making "pie pops"... apple and cherry... mmmm.


Mini Pizzas and Souffles....




Mason jars with pink striped paper straws... And Pink Lemonade


 Vintage Soda Pop...


Yummy lemon and strawberry "Cake'os" by Gracie Cakes...


Popcorn...


Pictures of the birthday girl... And fresh flowers all around...


Pinwheels....


And a few pics of the birthday princess....





Happy Birthday our little sunshine girl!







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Saturday, May 5, 2012

Burlap Sack Curtain Tutorial

A while ago I was contacted by burlapfabric.com to do a tutorial or project with some of their burlap sacks... I was honored and excited to receive some free burlap! Burlapfabric.com has a ton of burlap options at a really good price... I'm definitely going to be ordering from them in the future.

I decided to use one of the grain sacks to make a curtain valance for my kitchen nook corner.



I started with this large sack and cut along the long side (leaving the short side seam in place for less sewing) I cut just above the green line because I wasn't going to use the stamp for this project. Here's what the bag looked like before...


I did a quick stitch around the edges so that the burlap wouldn't unravel and two long seams for the curtain rod... thats all the sewing it took... probably less that 10 minutes. 

For the stenciling I traced a circle with a smaller circle inside using plates and a sharpie... yep, plates and a sharpie. I wanted a stamped look....


Next I filled it in with black fabric paint to give it a worn ink look... being sparing with the paint, you don't need much. Just dab the sponge and get the excess off on a paper towel or something so its not heavy paint. 


Next I used stencils to do the lettering. My design has our last name spread out along the bottom edge with "Est. 2008" inside the circle stamp. 


I'm happy with how it turned out... I like the rustic edges and subtle lettering. Its a little country rustic in my little kitchen nook... It was much easier than I thought it would be and only took about an hour for the whole project. 

I love that its personal with our family name...






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Disclaimer:  I was given free burlap bags but I was not compensated to write this post.  All opinions and recommendations are 100% mine.