Crafting with your Kids {Truth in the Tinsel}

http://truthinthetinsel.com

I was reading one of my Mom blogs this morning MOB Society and it was about crafting with your son (the blog is for "Mother of Boys")  I loved the idea behind it so much I had to share.  There is a ebook called Truth in Tinsel that is kinda like an advent calendar for a crafting idea every day in December.  Not only is crafting a great way to spend time with your children and teach them creativity but the reason I love this book is that the purpose behind it is to help you as a parent lead your child to Jesus. Each day, you read a selection of Scriptures from the Christmas story and make an ornament craft to go along with it. They also have talking points and suggestions to start conversations about what you just read about Jesus. It is a great thing to consider doing to help your kids remember the true reason we celebrate Christmas amongst all the commercialism going on in December!

Happy Monday!

My Favorite Blogs

Happy Monday!  I am loving that the weather is getting cooler and Fall is in full swing.  I spent the last week with family in town getting ready for B's 1st Birthday. I can't believe how fast the first year has gone!  Here is a pic from his 1st Birthday Costume party :)

Even though I am not good at posting often I am very good at reading other blogs!  I separate my blog reading into three categories: Interior Design Blogs, Christian Blogs, and Food Blogs so I thought it would be fun to post some of my favorites for yall.

Interior Design Blogs:

http://www.bungalowblueinteriors.com/ : She is my absolute favorite and her style is very similar to mine!
http://www.patinagreen.typepad.com/ : This is a local shop in Mckinney that is also an organic farm to table lunch shop that is too cute!
http://brookegiannetti.typepad.com/ : Velvet & Linen is the name of the blog and is also super cute, I wish I could buy so much stuff.
http://blog.houseoffifty.com/p/diy.html : This used to be called Isabella and Max Rooms and I think just changed names but she always posts great DIY stuff.
Lonnymag.com :  This isn't really a blog but my obsession online mag for interior design. Do you remember the magazine  Domino that is no more? This is by some of the same people who did that but in a better electronic format! They also have a blog in addition to the mag called http://blog.lonnymag.com/


Christian Blogs: I usually get these sent to my inbox and read them in my email.

JointheJourney.com - Daily devotional done by real people at our church
www.themobsociety.com - Since I have a boy I love this Mother of Boys blogs. It is always so true!
http://skyranchskymoms.blogspot.com - this a blog by a Christian camp in Texas and is a great resource for a family devotional and has some good easy recipes too!
www.incourage.me - this is a great Christian blog for encouraging women

Food Blogs:  
http://www.yumuniverse.com/ - This is all about how to have a plant based diet with yummy recipes I love!
http://themarathonmom.com/ - this is a super popular blog but she always has easy great recipes for a family.
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/ - this a blog about how a mom went on a mission to cut all processed food out of her diet for 100 days. It has great tips and encouragement for healthy eating!


What are your favorite blogs? I would love to hear of some other great ones! Happy Reading!

Finding the Perfect Moisturizer

Every since my skin has cleared up after being on Juice Plus I have been on the hunt for a skin regime that will focus more on my face beyond acne and really making my skin smooth and looking healthy.  I was told about La Mer from a friend who swears by it and got some samples at Neimans before knowing how much it costs (bad idea)!  I have ended up loving it but can't bring myself to justify the price of it yet, soo ... I have been on the hunt for a cheaper option. 

After much research I have decided to try OLAY Regenerist Cream, No 7 Beauty Serum, and Dr. Hauschka Quince Day Cream.  I went out today and bought all three of them to try.  I am liking that Dr. Hauschka is all natural and the reviews all seem to be good. Olay gets good reviews but I have read several that say it makes some people breakout, and No 7 from what I have seen also gets all good reviews as a serum to put on in the morning before your moisturizer.  Right now my plan is to use the Olay at night and the No 7 serum and Dr. Hauschka in the morning.

I would LOVE to hear what yall use and what products you LOVE!! 

[Neiman Marcus + Target] = Perfect Holiday Combo

So I am probably the worst blogger on the planet since I haven't posted in forever! I have come out of mommy world and promise to post more often!

When I saw this video on the Neimans website I had to share! I have to admit I am a sucker for all the Target collaborations and some items I have bought I have loved (my Missoni towels and Privet items) and some I have not loved as much but Target is doing a big collaboration with Neiman Marcus, 24 top designers and the CFDA just in time for the Holidays.  It will be available at Neimans and Target (for the same prices) on December 1st and I can't wait to see all the stuff! There is something so exciting about getting affordable items from designers that are usually way out of your price range.

Happy Shopping!

Pool LOVE!

I posted a couple months ago that we had decided to put a pool in our backyard and it is finally complete. I am so excited to show the before and after! It was a much bigger project than I ever expected [don't know why I thought it was going to be simple :) ] and took up a ton of my time but now that we are enjoying it I couldn't imagine our backyard without it!

Here is our backyard before and right after they finished the pool and filling it up with water

And here is the after ...

Looking at all my inspiration pictures together I love the way everything came out..  I love the steps across the whole pool for B to sit on.  Its also probably hard to see in the pic but there is a 5 foot sun ledge on the far side of the pool with an umbrella hole in the middle so we can have plenty of shade in the pool. I was so torn over the fence but in the end knew I had to do it for safety for B. I was going to do a hedge fence but ended up planting pink knock out roses all the way down a rod iron fence. They will be perfect when they are fully grown and blooming. We can' wait to have our first party on Friday!!

Toddler Nibbler Tray

I think all parents struggle to make sure that their kids get enough fruits and veggies in their diet. Lately I have seen this idea of a toddler niblbler tray everyone.  Dr Sears suggests it in his 9 Steps to a Healthier Family video and flipping through Parenting magazine last month I also saw it as a way to get your kids to eat more fruits and veggies. 

Photo credit http://www.ontobaby.com/2012/03/easy-diy-nibble-tray-for-your-picky-toddler-eater/

So what exactly is a nibbler tray? Find any type of tray you have your house like an ice tray or muffin tin and fill with yummy veggies, fruit, and cereal.  Add peanut butter, hummus or yogurt and you have a fun colorful snack tray to set out during play time for your kiddos to eat. Get them involved in making it and they are more likely to eat it!

I can't wait to make these for B when he gets a little older. He isn't quite old enough to eat completely solid food yet and has been super picky to rough textures but I make sure I pick all colors of baby food so he gets all types of fruits and veggies and I also make him shakes with fruit, cocunut milk, yobaby yogurt and the Juice Plus shake mix to make sure he gets all the nurtients he needs!  He loves it as you can see below :)

DIY Outdoor Rug

We got some new outdoor furniture the other week so I was on a hunt for a new outdoor rug.  C and I were cleaning out our garage and I came across two Ikea outdoor rugs I bought years ago. I was about to throw them away but decided to do a quick search on Pinterest and saw that you can paint outdoor rugs with outdoor paint. I figured why not, and I actually am thrilled with the way they turned out! 

Here is the before (I started priming one of them before I took the pic, oops)

First I primed the rugs and then taped them in the design I wanted. I used masking tape and duck tape since painters tape can get a little epensive.

After taping I got semi-gloss outdoor paint from home depot and rolled it on! Depending on the rug, it might take two coats of paint. I then took off the tape while it was wet and let it dry. I went back and touched up with white outdoor paint where the tape was but you could always do another base color if you didn't want white. I plan on going back with a polyurethane, but here is the final product.

Considering I was about to throw these away I think they turned out great. I also love that I could put whatever design I wanted on them! 

Family Love

Hope everyone is having a great summer! We spent 4th of July at the Jersey Shore with my family and had such a good time. It was a good time to sit back and just slow down and be so thankful for our little family we have created. Its easy to get wrapped up in the little stuff but at the end of the day no matter what happens we always have family to fall back on and that is true Happiness :)

Pool Inspiration

So after 6 HOT summers in Texas I think C and I are going to take the plunge and build a pool in our backyard. I am so excited, especially since B came along and his bedtime is around 7:00 we are now finding ourselves home a lot more than usual with a very different social life, so it will be the perfect little oasis in our backyard. Here is some inspiration for the pool, I will be sure to keep y'all updated on the progress once it gets going!

Benecki Homes

I love the pool and concrete pavers surrounded by the grass, simple and classic

At Home in Arkansas Magazine

Lots of chaises and umbrellas on one end of the pool and again set in the grass: LOVE

Martha Stewart Living

 

 

Love the stairs going across the whole pool, perfect place to relax

Summer Quinoa Salad

Sorry some time has passed since my last post. Every week I had intentions on posting and then the week seemed to slip away and when I looked back I wonder what the heck I accomplished that week (I know there are some stay at home Moms out there that feel me right? ) Here is a little pic of what has been taking up my time. My 7 month old B has now learned to walk in his walker thing and I have a glimpse what a terror he is going to be :)

B trying to help with the laundry

Anyways, back to a very yummy summer quinoa salad recipe that I took from a friend. If  you don't know what quinoa is, its kinda like couscous but I think its better and it is loaded with tons of protein. You can find it in the rice aisle and its gluten and wheat free!

Summer Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup of traditional Quinoa (make sure you get the pre-washed, it will say on the box)
1/2 can of black beans
1/2 cup of peaches (I get the plastic cups on peaches you can put in kids lunches)
1/2 package of cherry tomatoes diced
1/2 avocado cubed
1/4 onion diced
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Instructions:
1. Cook the quinoa according to the package
2. Add all the rest of the ingredients except the avocado. Just add a couple dashes of Olive Oil and a generous amount of salt and pepper. (If you don't put enough salt it won't taste right so make sure you check it)
3. let it come to room temperature.
4. Add avocado right before you serve and Enjoy!

This recipe is so easy and if you don't like some of the ingredients then just change them out with veggies and fruit you do enjoy. You could also make an Asian version with green beans, sprouts, edamame, sesame seeds and add meat if you want. Get the kids involved and they can use their imagination!

Did you know there is no longer a Food Pyramid?

Last weekend my husband and I watched the documentary Forks over Knives and I have to tell you it seriously changed my perspective on what we put in our body. The documentary was packed with a ton of scientific information, too much to go into in this blog (I would recommend watching it if you are interested, it's on Netflix) but the overall gist is that eating a whole-food plant-based diet can prevent or reverse disease. In the documentary, one of the largest studies conducted was called the China Study, which showed that eliminating meat and dairy from your diet and eating a more plant-based diet could prevent and sometimes reverse heart disease and several forms of cancer.  One thing discussed in the documentary was that the food pyramid has been replaced by a MyPlate program promoting more fruits and vegetables. Created to resemble your dining plate, it is divided into four differently sized sections:

• Grains—approximately 30%
• Vegetables—approximately 30%
• Fruits—approximately 20%
• Protein—approximately 20%

I thought I was fairly educated on nutrition, being an athlete my whole life, but I was not aware of this change and all the research that shows that more fruits and vegetables are not only good for us but are absolutely necessary for our health. The statistic that the leading cause of death in the US is unhealthy eating and physical inactivity in the form of heart disease and cancer is startling. But the information that most of it can be prevented by eating healthier was new to me. What? I thought cancer and heart disease were genetic? apparently not... Even more surprising to me was that the recommended fruits and vegetables, which was the 5-a-Day campaign, has now changed to a new program called Fruits &Veggies - More Matter which the USDA recommends 7- 13 servings a day of fruits and veggies. Don't know about you, but with our busy life I don't think that is going to happen.  That is why I am so glad that I add to my diet with Juice Plus (disclaimer: in case you didn't know I am a distributor so I do have a bias) which gives me 17 fruits, vegetables and grains in a whole food supplement with a food label, not a multivitamin.  This makes me feel better about getting those servings.

Being a meat-eating Texas family, I don't think eliminating meat from our family is completely possible, though the documentary was convincing, I am for sure reducing it greatly. I am also going to be buying almond milk instead of regular milk for our family. When I tell people this they say, well don't you need to eat meat for protein and drink milk for calcium, and the answer is No. Watch the documentary and it can answer it much better than me! Most people don't make a change in lifestyle until they have a health event in their life, or in the life of someone they love, but knowing the research, why wouldn't you make the change now?

Coral and Blue Happiness

Lately I have been obsessed with the color combination Navy Blue and Coral. I have a plan in the works to redo our living room in this color combination and here is some of my inspiration!

Diane Bergeron

lilandgaines Esty shop

ccduexvie Etsy Shop

Bungalow Blue Interiors

Country Living

DIY Business Cards

When I became a distributor for Juice Plus and saw the business cards I knew that I wanted to created my own. When planning our wedding I created our Save the Date magnets on VistaPrint.com and it was super affordable so I knew it would be the best place to create my business cards.  I wanted a simple front and a fun back so the networking cards from Vista Print were perfect because it has two sides and you can get 250 cards for $10! Using the digital paper I bought on Esty.com and the Free photo editing software called Gimp I cropped the paper to the card size, added my initials and a border to make the back. I just uploaded the image to Vista Print for the back and filled out the text for the front and I LOVE how they turned out. If you don't have a business you could create gift tags, luggage tags or I loved these Mommy Cards you can create for your kids and they already have some super cute templates like the one below. If your kids have any allergies it is also a perfect way to let school, day care, or other parents know.

Vista Print Mommy Card

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

I saw this recipe on the Marathon Mom blog for homemade granola bars and absolutely LOVE them. They are always a crowd favorite when I make them and kids gobble them up. I adjust her recipe slightly by using pecans instead of peanuts, adding dried cranberries and dropping the wheat germ. I have also made them with crushed graham crackers and marshmallows to make "smore" granola bars. Get your kids involved and have them pick out some ingredients and get creative!  On top of being so yummy its so much cheaper than buying them from the store. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/3 cup local honey
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 1/2 cups oats
• 1/2 cup ground flax seed
• 1/2 cup  chopped pecans
• couple handfuls of chocolate chips
• couple handfuls of dried cranberries

Steps:

1. Melt peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil together in a small sauce pan over low/medium heat, stirring constantly.
2. Stir in all other ingredients except for chocolate chips and cranberries
3. Let cool off heat for several minutes.
4. Place mixture onto wax paper (I use Martha Stewart paper) on cookie sheet and press into square
5. Sprinkle chocolate chips and cranberries over top and press down firmly with hands.
6. Place in fridge or freezer to set.
7. Flip the mixture out onto cutting board and cut into desired bar sizes. 
8. Store in fridge for best results.

Is Giving Thanks the Secret to Joy?

I am thankful for my life and the blessings God has given me but I feel like over the past couple months I have felt God tug on my heart to start a gratitude journal for my life.  Going from a corporate job to staying at home my days look very different than they used to. Doing laundry and changing diapers sometimes (a lot of time) loses its joy for me day in and day out.

I am in the middle of reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Ann is a stay at home Mom on a farm and she challenges herself to list one thousand things she is thankful for in her life.  She writes about Grace, Thanksgiving, and Joy and how through Gods grace we give thanksgiving and thanksgiving is what brings true joy. I have had several "ah ha" moments reading parts of her books but the following quotes has impacted me the most and created a desire to take on a similar challenge of thanksgiving.

She writes: "The greatest thing is to give thanks for everything. He who has learned this knows what it means to live ... He has penetrated the whole mystery of life: giving thanks for everything" she continue later in the book that "Joy is the realest of reality, the fullest of life, and joy is always given, never grasped. God gives and I give thanks and I unwrap the gift given: Joy",  "Thanks is what multiplies the joy and makes any life large."

Starting May 1st join me in the challenge to write down three things you are thankful for everyday and see if you have more Joy in your life! They can be the littlest of things, here are some she wrote that I thought were so small yet I smiled that she gave thanks for:

                                       2. Jam piled high on the toast
                                     22. Mail in the mailbox
                                     38. Wool sweaters with turtleneck collars
                                   943. Stepping over a dog when coming in through the dark

I wanted to end this post with a song that was played yesterday morning at my women's bible study luncheon that brought tears to my eyes called 10,000 reasons by Matt Redman (this is an acoustic cover that I like). May your heart find 10,000 reasons to be thankful and bring Joy to your life no matter what situation you are currently in.

Jotter Cards

For Valentines Day my husband got me a gift certificate to Susanne Roberts to buy stationary (such a sweetie). I was so excited! There is something about personal stationary that makes me feel grown up.  After two hours looking at books of stationary we finally picked out a set of family stationary and then I spotted these jotter cards and had to have them. They finally came and I am so excited to use them for to do list, tags for gifts, and just random notes.  And of course if you own jotter cards you must have a jotter card holder right? (Did not know there was such a thing 2 weeks ago)  I just ordered this Kate Spade one so I am carrying my jotter cards in style.

Kate Spade Jotter Card Holder (Lord&Taylor)

Now I just have to organize my diaper bag that my husband likes to call the black hole ( He says once you put something in it that it never comes out, which is sometimes true) so I can fit my new jotter cards! Sometimes it the little things that can make you happy :)

DIY Patio

My DIY Patio started after texting my extremely budget conscious sister two new planters I bought at Target for $75 each. I thought this was a good price however she instructed me to return them immediately and told me I could redo my whole patio for around the same price as the planters. She sent me a materials list and off I went.  [Disclaimer: I went slightly over budget but not much!]
  
The Plan: To stain the concrete on my back patio a blue/grey and to hang outdoor lights across the patio using flower planters to make a cozy outdoor dinning area.

The Materials List:
1 gallon of concrete stain
1 bottle of concrete etcher
1 etcher brush
1 stain pressure sprayer (paint section of Home Depot)
2 2X4
2 Box woods
2 to 3 boxes of outdoor lights (I got mine from Target)
1 package of hooks to hang lights
2 large planter boxes (I got mine at Ikea)
1 bag of concrete
Planting Soil
Seasonal Flowers

Take Action:
1. Set the 2x4s in two paint buckets by mixing the concrete in the bucket and placing the 2x4 in the concrete. Let dry overnight.

2. Stain the Concrete: This was by far the hardest part. When the paint guy at Home Depot told me I had to etch the concrete so the stain would take I was not too excited about it. In the end it wasn't hard, just time consuming. The etcher is a liquid that comes in a bottle and all you have to do it put it in the pressure sprayer and spray it on the wet concrete patio. This makes the concrete bubble up (if its not bubbling then its not working) and then you take the etching brush and brush the surface. wash off the concrete after you have brushed the whole surface. Once you wash off the concrete from the etcher apply the stain by placing the stain in the pressure bottle (after washing it out). Make sure to apply the stain when the concrete is damp. Spray the stain on in a circular motion and let dry for about 5 hours before you put planters on.
Tip: wear gloves and closed toe shoes because the etcher seemed like a chemical I didn't want on me. Also do it during the day. I started it at midnight after B went to sleep and the stain was still wet in the morning because there was no sun to dry it.
3. Build the Planter Boxes: This is the fun part! The number of planters you need will depend on how your patio is setup. Take the 2X4s in concrete and place them in the planter (if you want to stain the 2X4 do that now). Fill the planter with soil and plant the box woods and flowers you got. Place planters on patio to hang lights.

4. Hang lights: Take the hooks and put them at the top of 2x4s. Place the planters on patio so that you can place hooks on the house and create a zig zag of lights across the patio to the planters.
Tip: My electrical outlet is low to the ground so I bought a white extension cord to reach to my first hook and then started the lights. Also I suggest you buy more packages of lights than you think you need and return any you don't use. I thought they would be longer and had to go back for more.
5 Enjoy: Place dining table on patio and you have a cozy patio to eat at for your summer BBQs! Here is my final product!

I am constantly changing things and creating new projects around the house which drives my husband crazy :)  Here is my next project for the patio, Keep you updated!

                                                Shipping Crate Sectional (Pinterest)

Mr Clean Magic Eraser

Yes I am doing my first blog post on Mr Clean Magic Eraser because these things literally changed my life yesterday by increasing my Happiness in cleaning my Home! I was volunteering at a cooking ministry for newly married women last week when the host mentioned to the girls how much she is in love with these magic eraser sponges.  So much so that she introduced them to her sister in law and after giving her a nice necklace for Christmas, the sister in law responded that she could have given her a box of these and she would have been happy. So I knew I needed to get some.  I went to Sams and got a box of 10 for around $10 and went home to try them out.  My least favorite thing to clean is the bathtub and I am embarrassed to admit this but it probably hasn't been cleaned since B has been born since that isn't the highest priority when sleep deprived. I am usually scrubbing the tub out for at least 20 minutes with every product and it still doesn't feel clean to me so this would be the true test.  I was amazed when I cleaned my whole bathtub in about 5 mins and it was sparkling!  I then moved onto our bathroom floor which is white natural stone tile and was the worst renovation decision we made especially if you have kids or dogs (we have both) because it is porous and never looks clean. Again I was amazed how clean I got it in no time.  I moved onto our white granite sink and baseboards with the same result, as I said these things have changed my cleaning life. Every other cleaning product in my house is either Method or an all natural cleaning product but these will be a staple in my house from now on!

Entering the Blog World!

Today I am officially entering the blog world!  Over the past 6 months I have gone from a pregnant career woman to a new stay at home Mom with a precious 5 month old son.  As you can imagine I have gone through body changes, life changes in my career along with mentally and physically trying to care for a newborn with little sleep.  Also through my passion of health and some random events I have become a distributor of a whole food nutrition supplement called Juice Plus which I am pretty passionate about and you will probably see in some of my post (you can see my whole  "Juice Plus Story" on my blog to the right).  When thinking about starting a blog I decided to write about the three things I enjoy: Health, Happiness, and Home design. I am excited to share my adventures in motherhood which I would consider in the Happiness category most of the time as well as insights, random thoughts and inspiration on Health and Home Design!