Ever have those weeks where things just don't go as planned? Well, I have definitely been having those weeks. We've been busy and the kids have been... well... challenging. And to top it all off, my health acted up in a way very unbecoming of itself.
So, I'm now in recovery mode. :). Which means lots of rest and the household responsibilities have gone by the wayside. The Hubs has been great and is helping in anyway he can. As have some friends. :) My mom arrives tonight and will be staying for two weeks so that she can help and so that I don't backslide at all.
The Hubs had the amazing opportunity to attend the NFC Championship game with his brother! Go Niners! They made the drive to Atlanta the morning of the game and had a blast as well as a lot of brother bonding time! Of course, the 49ers won and are headed to the Super Bowl!!
The kiddos also thoroughly enjoyed having their uncle in town and celebrating his birthday with cupcakes and handmade cards and pictures!
I love watching the kids having joy in celebrating their friends' and relatives' birthdays. They know it is a special day and love on them in any way that they know how. They are both givers and nurturers and I love that about them. Sure, they have the selfish tendencies that come with the toddler years, but I know they will outgrow that. I hope they never outgrow their giving spirits.
Until next time!
~Monica
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
I Felt Like Being Crafty
I think we had a moment of insanity back in the fall when we asked different family members all to come to visit us for the holidays. His mom and her husband came to visit from December 22nd until 26th. His brother came to visit from the 24th through the 29th. Our family from North Carolina came for the night of the 23rd. And finally, my mom, dad, and two brothers came from the 29th until January 3rd. Crazy, right?
It was all fun and although hectic at times, it was less stressful than we thought it was going to be. Plus, everyone survived! Always a good thing.
Before everyone came, though, I felt it a good idea to destress as much as possible. So I got a little crafty. :)
While making a Michael's run for black frosting dye for Bub's Mickey Mouse cupcakes, I checked out the canvas prices. I really wanted to do a Mistletoes canvas that I had seen on Pinterest here and it looked easy enough. Then I saw the sale! 4-5 canvases (depending on size) for $19.99!! I didn't even have to ask the Hubs. He saw my face and said yes! So I threw in the pack of 5 16x20 canvases!
Ok, so I just lied a little. I didn't exactly grab the 16x20 canvas pack quickly. I actually stood there at the rack of canvases for quite some time. Remember back on my Liebster Award post? I'm indecisive! I hemmed and hawed over the 12x12, the 9x12, the 16x20, and some much larger... well... let's just say ALL of the size offerings. The Hubs had time to go back to where the other single canvas options were and picked out a 12x12 just for the Mistletoes piece and left me to my thoughts and lack of decision making skills. In the end, I knew in my head the art piece I wanted to create... so I laid them all out. Yes... I made different sized groupings of 4 so I could see how big or how small my final product would be. All in an aisle. A few employees were nearby and kept staring at me. What can I say? I have to make a decision somehow! In the end, the grouping of 16x20s won. :) And THEN I threw them in the cart... while the Hubs rolled his eyes at me.
A few days later, I wandered to the acrylic paint section and laid out different groupings of paint colors... because again... I could not make a decision. I knew the color yellow I wanted... and the color red. But did I want a greenish aqua color? Or maybe a more bluish aqua color? I even texted my mom some pics of the groupings... but she was busy and didn't respond. After 5-10 minutes of standing in the aisle surrounded by little groupings of paint, I made my decision and purchased the paint.
NOW... I was ready!! So the next day during nap/quiet time, I laid out my painting sheet on the floor in my living room and got to work. It had been a LONG time since I had painted anything... so I can't really give a good tutorial. I'm not even sure any of you would look at my finished work and would say, "I MUST make that!!" So I'm not going to go into a lot of details.
First, I covered all 4 canvases in two different tones of yellow, one more gold and one more mustard. I didn't want one flat color, so I made sure not to mix the colors completely.
Once they had dried, I put some of the aqua on my palette and began the lettering. I free-handed an "L," a "V," and an "E" each on their own canvas. I added a little charcoal grey to the aqua paint and added some shading along the edge of the letters to give them a little dimension.
After the letters, I painted a heart on the 4th canvas. I had the same charcoal grey paint and some white so that I could add some dimension to the heart. Then I let them dry!
Being this was the first large art piece I have made, I was super excited!! I even ran into our room to wake the Hubs up to tell him I was excited! He was not as excited as I was. :) Once they were completely dry... and the Hubs was completely awake...we he hung them up on the wall!!
In real life, they are straighter than they appear... they move every time Bub shuts our bedroom door.
I really love how it turned out. I think it fills the wall nicely!!
Until next time!
~Monica
It was all fun and although hectic at times, it was less stressful than we thought it was going to be. Plus, everyone survived! Always a good thing.
Before everyone came, though, I felt it a good idea to destress as much as possible. So I got a little crafty. :)
While making a Michael's run for black frosting dye for Bub's Mickey Mouse cupcakes, I checked out the canvas prices. I really wanted to do a Mistletoes canvas that I had seen on Pinterest here and it looked easy enough. Then I saw the sale! 4-5 canvases (depending on size) for $19.99!! I didn't even have to ask the Hubs. He saw my face and said yes! So I threw in the pack of 5 16x20 canvases!
Ok, so I just lied a little. I didn't exactly grab the 16x20 canvas pack quickly. I actually stood there at the rack of canvases for quite some time. Remember back on my Liebster Award post? I'm indecisive! I hemmed and hawed over the 12x12, the 9x12, the 16x20, and some much larger... well... let's just say ALL of the size offerings. The Hubs had time to go back to where the other single canvas options were and picked out a 12x12 just for the Mistletoes piece and left me to my thoughts and lack of decision making skills. In the end, I knew in my head the art piece I wanted to create... so I laid them all out. Yes... I made different sized groupings of 4 so I could see how big or how small my final product would be. All in an aisle. A few employees were nearby and kept staring at me. What can I say? I have to make a decision somehow! In the end, the grouping of 16x20s won. :) And THEN I threw them in the cart... while the Hubs rolled his eyes at me.
A few days later, I wandered to the acrylic paint section and laid out different groupings of paint colors... because again... I could not make a decision. I knew the color yellow I wanted... and the color red. But did I want a greenish aqua color? Or maybe a more bluish aqua color? I even texted my mom some pics of the groupings... but she was busy and didn't respond. After 5-10 minutes of standing in the aisle surrounded by little groupings of paint, I made my decision and purchased the paint.
NOW... I was ready!! So the next day during nap/quiet time, I laid out my painting sheet on the floor in my living room and got to work. It had been a LONG time since I had painted anything... so I can't really give a good tutorial. I'm not even sure any of you would look at my finished work and would say, "I MUST make that!!" So I'm not going to go into a lot of details.
First, I covered all 4 canvases in two different tones of yellow, one more gold and one more mustard. I didn't want one flat color, so I made sure not to mix the colors completely.
Once they had dried, I put some of the aqua on my palette and began the lettering. I free-handed an "L," a "V," and an "E" each on their own canvas. I added a little charcoal grey to the aqua paint and added some shading along the edge of the letters to give them a little dimension.
After the letters, I painted a heart on the 4th canvas. I had the same charcoal grey paint and some white so that I could add some dimension to the heart. Then I let them dry!
Being this was the first large art piece I have made, I was super excited!! I even ran into our room to wake the Hubs up to tell him I was excited! He was not as excited as I was. :) Once they were completely dry... and the Hubs was completely awake...
In real life, they are straighter than they appear... they move every time Bub shuts our bedroom door.
I really love how it turned out. I think it fills the wall nicely!!
Until next time!
~Monica
Monday, January 7, 2013
A New Year
We had a busy year in 2012!
-We welcomed 3 new pets into our home (2 hermit crabs and a cat).
-We visited my sister and her family and explored Washington DC.
-We went to Disney World with a 2-year-old and a 1-year-old (we brought an extra adult so that we outnumbered the toddlers).
-We helped family move from Atlanta to North Carolina and visited them a few times in both places.
-We had that same family visit us on numerous occasions throughout the year.
-Bub was diagnosed with a milk protein allergy and we learned just how many things contained dairy in some form.
-We traveled from Georgia to California to visit family.
-We had a small birthday tea turn into a party for 30 when Missy turned 3!
-We mourned the passing of my sister and her family (and flew back to California for a month for the services and to take some time).
-Missy got her ears pierced.
-We went on our first family vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC.
-We held Bub's birthday party just 2 days before Christmas.
-We hosted both Christmas and New Years and had 10 family members come during a two week stretch of time (although not all 10 were here at the same time).
And that list is just the big stuff!
But... all things must come to an end, right? 2013 has begun. 358 days of uncharted territory to explore and make the most of!
We have a few goals this year:
-Slow down
-Simplify
-Be more "green"
Life can get so hectic for us, but one thing we have learned from this past year is that you never know what can happen and we need to really enjoy the moments we have. In order to slow down, we are trying to simplify our lives. This means less clutter, less stuff... just... less! We don't need every gadget or every toy out there. Less can be more, right? We also want to become "greener." When Missy was born, I began making my own all-purpose cleaner, but I want to expand that to laundry detergent and candles and other household products. We also want to look at the way we live and see if little adjustments can be made to better use our resources.
All in all, we want to create a more healthy environment for our family, both emotionally and physically.
I mean, just look at these lovelies!!
I'm not saying that everyone should make the same changes in their own lives that we are making. I think that what we are planning and dreaming for this year is what is best for OUR family. Every family is different and has different goals... so what works for us may not work for you and vice versa.
I'm looking forward to sharing with you what the new year brings us!!
Until next time!
~Monica
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