Mother's Day Gifts......check!

Now that the flu appears to be out of our house and life is coming back in to focus, a wave of panic has taken its place with all the upcoming projects and events that have snuck up on me while I was in a two week flu haze.

Cooper is turning two in just over two weeks...invites, theme, bouncer oh my! And then it hit me.....Mother's Day. I fretted all night over mini album ideas and then I realized I had actually planned out gifts months earlier and already had all my supplies. Glass pendants....check! Chain and findings......check! Bails and E600......check! Diamond Glaze.......check! Picture of the boys....check! Jewelry maker......jewelry maker........OOPS, she moved! My friend Kelli and I picked out and purchased chain and findings right before she moved but I forgot to make the pendants and mail them to her in time. I realized I was going to have to attempt a new craft and quick.

Luckily, I have several of her pieces to work from and I had studied her style enough to put these necklaces together for gifts and speaking of that.....Mom, stop trying to figure out which of these is yours because neither are, some things can stay a suprise!
I tried to get a close up of the pendant but it didn't focus quite right on the picture, it looks much better in person!

And they were all packaged and tied with ribbon and topped with a handmade paper posie and off in the mail they go!

Thursday Thought To Ponder

"When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile"

I'm Lovin' it Monday

My new issue of Ottobre Design arrived this weekend and I am Lovin' their new summer line! Ottobre Design is a magazine created in Finland that specializes in baby and children's clothing patterns. Each magazine contains over 40 patterns and you will love them all, don't believe me? See for yourself:



What attracted me to Ottobre last year was that they had boy clothing that you would want actually want to put your sons in which is very hard to find. Also, it covers such a great age range so they can grow with you and/or take care of most of your families needs! The magazine does ship from Finland but after receiving these for so long, I can tell you I haven't run into an issues or delays. You can even buy past issues and single issues from their site. Here are a few peaks from inside this issue:

Hello, Mr. Stomache Flu, we've been expecting you.......

Well, after round two of the stomach flu and one trip to Urgent Care the kids are perking up but the grown-ups are exhausted. Hence, the photo being posted that my husband has no idea I took and will kill me for posting.

p.s. PLEASE ignore the hockey play-off beard, I prefer to pretend it doesn't exist.

The truth about a house FULL of boys

So, people are always shocked when they realize I have a house of all boys. I can't tell you how many times I hear, you are going to try for a girl, right? Now, I never had any siblings so boys were new to me but I have found it to be such a rewarding and awesome experience that I don't know if I would have the patience for a bunch of girls. So here are a few truths and words of wisdom about raising all boys:

you will be the only one who knows how to find things

expect to get tackled every time you lay on the floor

you can not keep the bathrooms clean. If you are having company over you have to wait until 15 minutes before they show up to clean your bathroom in order to have any chance of it still being presentable.

you can not do braids or pigtails in any one's hair without getting in BIG trouble with your husband

Expect a lot of laughter and noise to fill your house with joy

Getting them dressed in the morning is a quick experience, they just don't care what gets thrown on.

Expect dirtiness and learn to look at as a measuring instrument for how much fun they have had. The better the time, the dirtier they are!

There will be occasional "potty humor" at the table. You can try to avoid it all you can but they are boys and it will sneak its way in!

Boogers are a part of life, a snotty nose does not equal a bad mom. Same goes for things being shoved up their noses, you will learn to respect and appreciate the alligator tool at the doctors.

expect to be adored and thought of as the most beautiful woman in the world

How is the nap stand-off going you ask.......

Here are your answers. Now why is it that we spend so much time fighting nap time as kids and then end up begging for them when we get older?

Thursday Thought To Ponder

"When drawing a map of your life, be sure to use a pencil."