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!