It's OK, I'm OK.

I find myself repeating this mantra a lot lately.
My life is busy, sometimes chaotic. I deal with depression on a daily basis, I don't know if depression is a result of some things that happened to me when I was a child, if it's because an imbalance in my brain, or if it's delayed postpartum depress, no matter where it stems from, I know I can't let depression keep me down.
I'm a Mom of 3, I'm a wife,  a friend, a Daughter, Sister and Aunt.
I'm going through a lot of emotional chaos right now.
Am I complaining? I suppose some could view it that way.
I'd like to think that  I'm just  venting.
I live in a rural area, I'm not around any other adults much during the day, so sometimes I guess I do speak without thinking that maybe it could come out as a complaint or frustration.

However, the goods news is that I am aware of this. I'm tired of losing friends and pushing family members away.
I have made a vow to work on myself, my patience, my complaining and just being an overall better person.
It's going well, so far, at least I think so.

Life isn't easy, I don't care who you are. It's never easy.
It is what we make of it and I'm not sure if the upcoming New Year has made me reflect on all these issues I need to work out, or if it's just life in general that has made me contemplate these issues  and made me want to do and be better. What ever the case may be, my children, my husband, family and friends deserve a better "ME". So, I'll give it to them.

Life goes by way too fast and I want to try to enjoy every moment of it that I can. 
When I lost my Mom 16 years ago  in a car accident. I turned to her and I knew in my heart of hearts that she was already gone, but I was hoping that she could somehow be able to hear what I had to say to her. Those words were, "Mom, it's ok. I'm ok." Those were the only words I could force out of my mouth. My mind was spinning but I wanted her to know that her daughter was going to be OK.
So when I find myself in the midst of chaos or when I'm feeling overwhelmed, I'll repeat those words as a reminder that everything is going to be just fine. "It's OK. I'm OK".

Shoe Make Over

Back in May, my Daughter and myself attended an annual Mother's day tea.
The theme was to come dressed as your personality.
After giving much thought to this, I decided that I would be the "Queen Bee" and my Daughter would be a "Honey bee" because she's such a sweetie.

We had fun decorating our hats with flowers & bees. We both wore black & yellow dresses, but we still needed some shoes to match our outfit.

At the last minute, I decided to do some fabric flowers and glue them on our shoes.
We didn't win a prize for our theme, but I was very happy with the overall outcome.

Linking to:
http://makingtheworldcuter.com
http://sewcando.blogspot.com/2011/08/mid-august-craftastic-monday-link-up.html
http://singingthreelittlebirds.blogspot.com/2011/08/inspire-me-monday_15.html
http://itsablogparty.com/show-me-how-8-15-11-frosting-for-the-cause/

Happy Birthday, Baby!

I'm very late posting this, but our little guy turned 1 on June 24th.

It still blows my mind as to how the time can go by so fast. I still remember the very first day I held him in my arms and how I wanted to capture that moment in my mind and keep it forever.
He is a very active boy. He likes music, he goes back and forth between being a "Mama's boy" and a "Daddy's boy". One minute he wants to be held and cuddled by me and the next he's crying for his Dad.
He isn't speaking much, but does say, "Mama, Dada, Wow". He also knows the sign for "More" and "Please".
All in all he is a joy to have around and we are so glad we have our little "Bonus" baby.

Quick craft for Easter.

At the last minute, I came up with this super easy craft for my kiddos to make for their friends at school.
I had a bunch of those chocolate candies in a wrapper.
We cut out Butterfly wings out of construction paper, taped the chocolates in the middle and added some
google eyes and pipe cleaner for antennae.

SUPER Easy and cute.

Last Minute Baby diaper cake

I had a baby shower to attend on Saturday. I knew there would be a diaper raffle and I forgot to buy diapers, so I thought of a last minute idea for a diaper cake.
Luckily, I had some diapers at the house because my little guy is only 9 months.
Mind you, they were a size 3, but they'll come in handy once the baby is older.

1. I started out with a small mixing bowl. I rolled up the diapers and gathered them all together with a rubber band.
2. I used some white raffia and unrolled in around the diapers. Kept it together with a small piece of tape on the back.
3. I used a white napkin for the top of the "cake". Just unfolded it and tucked it into the raffia paper.
4. Got out my scrapbook supplies and came up with a cute little sign that read "baby". Glued the sign on to a popsicle stick, stuck it in the middle of the cake.
5. Took a flower and put it under the sign to complete the diaper cake.
6. Tied some ribbon around the whole cake for a finished look.

So fast, simple and cute.
My friend loved the cake!

Almost time.

It's almost that time again. The time when I wipe tears from my eyes because I find myself thinking about her.
Almost time to try to forget the horrific images I have ingrained in my memory of the day the accident happened.
Time when I reflect on all the good memories I have of her. All the funny memories.

Like the time when we were driving down a busy street and she took the turn a little too fast and her car door flew open which resulted in her purse flying out of the car and plopped onto the middle of the intersection with all her loose change and dollar bills blowing into all the other oncoming vehicles. She just kept screaming, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, what do I do?" All the while her car door was still wide open and she continued to drive down the road. I screamed back, "Shut your door and pull over!". Then I had to run into the street to get her purse and gather up all of her personal belongings, shoving them back inside her purse as I tried to dodge vehicles who wouldn't stop for me to accomplish this task.

It does bring a smile to my face now, just thinking of her and her clumsy things she would do.
Who is she, you ask?
My Mom.
My beautiful, wonderful, caring , loving Mom.
She was killed in a car accident on April 6, 1996. I saw her die. Right before my eyes, I swear I saw her spirit leave her body.
That day was the most traumatic day of my life. However, it was also one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. I was the last person that she ever saw before she entered into the afterlife. I was the last voice she ever heard. I knew in my heart of hearts that  she was gone, killed instantly. The last words I said to her were, "Mom, it's ok. I'm ok, it's ok." Those were the only words that I could manage to say. I have heard that when a person dies, the last thing to go is their hearing. I wanted my Mom to know that I was ok. I wasn't injured. She could go in peace knowing that her daughter was safe and alive.
A few short days after her death, I had a strange kind of peace about her untimely death. I thought to myself how special it was for me to be with her during her death. She brought me into this world and I was able to be with her when she left this world.

April 6. It's only a few short weeks away. During the early years of her death, usually around 2 weeks before the Anniversary date I would start getting anxious. My Husband will tell you that I was not a person he would want to be near. I would have crying fits, my temper would sometimes become volatile, I would be in a deep state of depression. It was just an awful 2 weeks for me and for anyone else around me.
It wasn't until my Daughter was born that I was able to view the Anniversary in a different way. You see, my Daughter was born in April. She was born on April 26. My life had come full circle for me the day she was born. Instead of dreading the month of April, I now had a reason to celebrate. I celebrate my Daughter's birth, I celebrate the fact that I am a Mom..... of 3! I celebrate that I'm alive and I was able to give life!
I now understand how much my Mom loved me. It is truly a blessing to be a Mom. For me, it's an even more special blessing to be a Mom of a Daughter.
Don't get me wrong, April 6th is still an emotionally difficult day for me, but I try to make the best of it. I choose to remember how she lived life and not how she died.
So yes, it's almost time.
Time to live, time to love, time to laugh. It's time.














Linking to:
Creative Girl
Hodgepodge Friday

How to give yourself a quick boost of self esteem.

It's actually quite easy. Volunteer! Yes, that's all you have to do. Volunteer your time by fixing a meal for a new Mom, pick up the phone and call someone who is ill, babysit for a couple who could use a night out on the town together, or head over to your local homeless shelter and ask how they can use you.
It is a great way to lend a helping hand and you will feel so much better after you are done.

I started volunteering my time at a local homeless shelter a couple of years ago.
I held monthly jewelry making classes for the women who resided there.
I received several generous donations from friends, family, and complete strangers who wanted to donate money and beading supplies.
Most of the jewelry we make is fairly simple. We mostly make string beaded earrings and necklaces.


I had been out of the game for a while since the birth of my son, but I started jewelry classes at the shelter again this past week and it was wonderful!

I met several fantastic women who were eager to try their hands at a new craft.
One of the most interesting women I met was named, "Annie". She was very familiar with jewelry making. She told me that she knows how to make jewelry and when she lost her home (due to foreclosure, I'm guessing) she had to sell most of her jewelry supplies to help her out financially.
Half way through the class, she had an idea on how to improve on the bracelet she was currently making. She ran up to her dorm room and came back with a garbage bag full of beading supplies. She must have had at least 10 lbs. of beads in that bag! She proceeded to pull out her supplies and she was more than willing to share her beads with the rest of the women, if they chose to.
She then told me a story about when she was a child in school. Her Teacher used to give out beads for good behavior, and good grades. Her teacher taught her how to macrame and used the beads in her weaving.
"Annie" told me that ever since she was a child, she always felt rich if she had beads with her.
She got a huge smile on her face and said, "Look at me now. My beads are all I have left, but I'm rich".

There was another gal in the class who wasn't more than 8 years old. She was so excited to make her own bracelet, she gathered up a hand full of beads and carefully carried them to her table to start designing her bracelet. Her eyes lit up when she rummaged through the supply of beads. When all was said and done, she had made four bracelets. When I asked her if she was planning on sharing her bracelets with her Mom, she just kept talking about how pretty the bracelets were and how all the colors matched her shirt. Her Mom just rolled her eyes at me, I'm guessing the answer was "No".

It was a great time and I plan to go back again next month. So get out there and volunteer! I promise you, you'll feel spectacular!
If you'd like to read more about the shelter, please click here: The Shade Tree.

I am running out of beading supplies, if you'd like to make a donation, simply click on the Donate button on the upper left hand corner of my blog.
You will be helping out with a great cause.
Thank you!








Linked to:
Keeping it Simple Sunday
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MMM Mondays
Crafty Chica Friday
Craft envy Saturday
Project Weekend Party 

Tatertots & Jello Weekend wrapup
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Get your Craft on Tuesday
Finding Fabulous Friday
Blessings overflowing Friday
Hodgepodge Friday
Flaunt it Friday
Frugal & Fabulous Friday
It's a hodgepodge Friday

Names have been changed to protect identity.

8 months

Where does the time go?

Even though this little guy is Number 3 for us, I still can't believe how fast the time goes by. He'll be 1 year old in just a few months.
He sure is a sweet little guy. He has started doing the "commando" crawl. He just seems to drag himself along with only one functioning leg. He hasn't figured out to use both of his legs to help him with his crawling.
He's finally sitting up on his own.
Not a very whiney little guy either. He usually only cries when he is tired, hungry or irritated.
Grandma just came to visit us last week and I know she just hated to leave.
Happy 8 month Birthday!

Some random stuff

We went on a family bike ride about 3 weeks ago. The weather was gorgeous and we rode about 4 miles. It was my first time using the bike trailer to bring baby along.

 All went well, except for the one wipe out I had when a 9 year old kid crashed into me which in turn made me crash and fall off my bike. It was quite a site to see.

I was fine and the only one I was really worried about was the baby, but he was unharmed.

The boys' parents apologized profusely and I just smiled and dusted myself off.

The day before our bike ride, Hubby took the older two kiddos on a hike. I decided to take the baby and do some shopping. Wasn't up for a hike. They had a good time though and enjoyed the beautiful view of the city.

Had a friend and her baby girl over for dinner. The babies weren't quite sure what to do with each other except suck on each others faces. It was very cute.

What else have we been up to? Let's see? My oldest son got 100% on his spelling test this week. Nothing really exciting about that because he usually gets 100%. Yes, I'm bragging.
My daughter got moved up to a new reading group. Bragging, again.
Our baby started crawling around, he's using one of his legs, but he hasn't figured out how to use both of his legs to help him move along.

That's really about all the excitement around here. Well, there's always my anxiety that keeps things fun and exciting. I seriously hope to slay that demon soon, because I've had it with anxiety and depression!
Have a great weekend!

Snazzy Sandwich for your kiddo!

I was tired of making the same ham & cheese sandwich for my kid's for their lunch.

So, I got a little creative one day and this is what I came up with:

 

Cute, don't you think?
Very easy to make.
1. Sliced celery for the eyebrows.
2. Sliced cherry tomatoes and carrots for the eyes.
3. Cheese slices for the teeth.
4. Lunch meat for the tongue.

I'm sure there are lots of variations you can make up.
My kids got a good laugh out of these sandwiches and wouldn't you know it, they ate the whole thing!
Show me your sandwich creation!



Linked to:
Sugar & Spice #51 Wed.
Sister Stuff Wed.
Life as Lori Thursday
HOH Thursday
A crafty Soiree Thursday
Friday
Craft Friday
Finding Fabulous
Fab Friday #33
Frugalicious Friday
Check me out Saturday
Craft Envy Saturday

7 Months

Our little guy is 7 months old today.
He is such a joy to us all. He is a very happy baby. Only cries when he is hungry, tired or needs to be changed. Well, he does cry too when he wants to be held, but most of the time he's content playing alone. He likes digging through his little tub of toys.

He is also starting to scoot along on his belly. He hasn't figured out how to use his legs yet so he just pulls himself about and that seems to work just fine for him.

He is eating jar foods mostly, but also likes bananas and avocados. Go figure.
Big brother and Big sister still can't get enough of him and I have to constantly remind them to stop loving on their baby brother so much or else he'll get used to all of the attention all the time. Ha ha.

We'll see what new adventures month 7 has in store for our little Bug a Boo.

Can't get enough of these fabric necklaces

Here is one more fabric necklace I made for myself.

I love the colors!

See how to make your own here.










Linked to:
Whipped up Monday
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Motivate Me Monday
Making Monday Marvelous
All Things related Tuesday
Take A Look Tuesday
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Friday Fun Finds Kojo
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Young & Crafty Friday

Easy Peasy Hat Re do

Bought this hat at TJ maxx for $3.00.
Although it was cute, I wanted to add a little something to it to make it a little cuter.
Made a couple of fabric rosettes, glued them on with my glue gun , added some sparkle in the middle of the rosettes and there you have it!

Easy peasy!






Linked to:
Sew Can do Monday
Sew Cute Tuesday
Sugar & Spice Wednesday
Wallet Friendly Wednesday
Sister Stuff Wednesday
Look What I made Wednesday
Sew What simple Wednesday
Get your craft on Thursday
Hooking up with HOH Thursday
Make it Wear it Thursday
A crafty soiree Thursday
A vision to Remember Saturday
Craft Envy Saturday

Just have to say......

I'm so proud of my Son & Daughter for sending some of there allowance money, $2.44 to be exact to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
A friend of mine is raising money & will be competing in a Marathon in Nashville on April 30th.
She is a great friend and was so happy when she received the envelope full of change that my kiddos sent to her.
If you would like to donate to her great cause, please click on the link below.
Thank you!
TNT Fundraising

Super Easy T shirt Re do Tutorial

Seriously, super easy.
I'm not a complicated gal and I don't like complicated things.
Came up with this "design" on my own.
Bought a plain blue T shirt for my Daughter at Target for around $3.00.

Cute, but it needed a little "something something".
Rummaged through my ribbons and fibers and came across this sweet little pink ribbon.

Now the fun part.
I took a long strip of ribbon and ran it through my sewing machine on a single stitch.
When I got to the end I pulled one of the strings which made the ribbon crinkle.
Pinned the ribbon down on the shirt across the upper chest and ran that through my sewing machine.

Once that was done, I created a ribbon rosette, sewed that onto the shirt, glued some bling on the center of the flower and PRESTO!
Now, is that super easy, or what?

 

Linked to:  

Sew Can do Monday

Tot Tuesday 38

What I whipped up Wednesday

Sister Stuff Wednesday

 Fireflies & Jelly Beans Wednesday

  Somewhat Simple Thursday

Life as Lori Thursday

HOH Thursday

Thrifty Thursday

Paisley Passions Thursday

Frugal & Fabulous Friday

Frugalicious Friday

Fix it Friday 

Kojo Fun finds

Chic shoestring Friday 

Shabby Nest Friday 

Simply Sweet Friday Favorites

Young & Crafty Friday 

Craft Envy Saturday

Tatertots & Jello Weekend wrapup