New Year, NEW craft-i-nization!

After years of SERIOUS crafty dis-organization my art supplies and all the things that make them finally have a place to call home. Yipeeeeee!!!! Thanks to Pinterest and some ideas that have been swirling around in my head for quite sometime now I have a craft/studio wall and table. I started the project this past weekend and have been madly working on it in the brief moments between mommy duties and work. The table is for my serger, sewing machine and both my computers. The cubbies and shelves are for the TONS of art supplies I have that were scattered throughout the entire house. This project makes me happy because I FINALLY feel somewhat organized...which in the world of small kiddos very rarely happens. Thanks to the hubby for hanging the shelves to make sure they were "level" as he says. Something I usually fail to do. I am more of a "wing it" it kind of girl :)







supplies:
Home Depot:
wood for table & shelves, table legs, screws, braces, spray paint, sand paper, wood finishing wax, pipe clamps to hold mason jars, Martha Stewart fabric boxes
Hobby Lobby:
cork board
Anthropologie:
hooks & cups
Publix:
mason jars

Six months

We have made it to the six month mark! I feel like it was just yesterday I was wheeling into the hospital to have baby Edith...my angel baby. She is the snuggliest, cuddliest, happiest chunky monkey ever. I would have ten more kids if I could guarantee they would be just like her. But luckily for my sanity there are no guarantees! Having two kiddos has been more fun and easier than I ever imagined. My sweet baby girls make my days happy and my heart full. My cup runneth over.





Santa Hat Brownies

Going to our Core Group Dirty Santa party tonight and needed to make a quick festive dessert. These are quick, cheap and SO easy.



Mason Jar Maddness

I love mason jars. Not really sure why. Maybe its because they are so simply southern and I can picture myself sipping cold lemonade in them on my wrap around cedar porch (one can dream) when I am old and gray or maybe its because they remind me of both of my grandfathers growing up who made jelly or pickles in them. So I decided for Hazel and Edith's AMAZING MDO teacher's Christmas presents that I would put aprons in them (saw something like this on Pinterest), their initials on the lids and attach a recipe card for Monkey Bread I had recently made for our E-Mealz blog. I hope their teachers enjoy them!

Click here if you are interested in printing the Monkey Bread recipe card and tags.






A Different Kind of Christmas Story

This morning when I was sitting at my desk at work the kind lady who cleans mine and Alex’s offices came in as she does every week. Today I decided in my very broken Spanish to ask her a little bit about herself. Her name is Juanita and she is from Mexico. She has four children but has not seen them in SIX years because she has been working here to make money and send back to them. She does not look much older than I am. I asked her if she would be celebrating Christmas and with sad eyes she said no because it makes her miss her family to much. Trying to hold tears back I gave her some money to send back to her children and encouraged everyone else in the office to do the same. My heart has been unbelievably heavy for her all day. I told her she was a wonderful mother and that I am sure her children were grateful to have a mother like her to provide for them. As a mom I truly can not imagine not seeing my kids for a year…much less six years. I take for granted everyday that I have such a wonderful life and that my family is by my side everyday. As both kids were screaming at the top of their lungs getting ready for naps…instead of being annoyed and overwhelmed as I usually feel before naps I was thankful instead. Thankful that I could hear their cries, thankful that I could see their little faces and thankful that I could pick them up and squeeze them whenever I wanted. Juanita can not do that. There are so many men and women just like her everywhere that are sacrificing their lives for their children in ways I can not even comprehend. I have heard stories like hers before but this morning it was personal and it really hit me hard. It also made me think of Jesus and His sacrifice for me. He gave everything so that we might live. Juanita is giving everything and sacrificing her life and happiness so that her family can live. It challenged me to think about what am I sacrificing? This Christmas season I WILL be grateful. Not for the presents and all the hoop-la of commercialized Christmas…but for Jesus being born and for the GREAT gift he gave of sacrificially dying on the cross for me. I will be grateful for my family and for the blessing of being able to walk into the room beside me and see my now sweetly sleeping little girls faces.


Twinkies

Our sweet Missa gave the girls the MOST adorable matching outfits. I am obsessed with the vintage looking yellow ochre (my fav color) fabric and am on the hunt for some more. I gigged to myself as I was dressing them for school in matching outfits for the first time because its something I thought I'd never do...but as my aunt Amanda says to me...never say never. OH, all the things I said I'd never do that I have done since having the girls! I mean why have two little sisters less than two years apart if you can't let them be twinkies :)


Cookie Creations for Lou Lou

One of Hazel's best buds, Evie Marelle (Lou Lou as Hazel calls her), turned two today. The two of them are quite hilarious together. Liz and I will have our hands very full when teenage time comes around. She was very sweet to open her home to lots of sticky little people making huge messes but having the time of their lives decorating cookies.

And the creating begins...
The fun cookie table
My little spark plug
There was a worm on the ground that was much more interesting than taking pics
One of the final creations
Happy Birthday Lou Lou!!!
The beautiful Estess family
Some of my sweet Core Group girls
and the day ended with Hazel eating the icing strait from the tube :)
Of course.

Home Love

My friend Liz's house is beautiful in every way. Warm, cozy, inviting and very magazine worthy. Here are a few snapshots of my favs.




A Treasured Heritage

A love note and precious gift from baby Edith's namesake, Aunt Edith, on her dedication day. I hope one day she will grown up to be just like her.

My precious Edith Lane,

What a wonderful day this is! That you should be dedicated to our Lord is most exciting and special. I pray that you will live a long, happy and healthy life. You must know how very much your great aunt Edith loves you. On the day you were born, your parents surprised me in telling me your beautiful name. How thrilled I am to share a name with you! Edith means "God's gift" or "Rich gift" and you certainly are God's gift to our entire family and especially me. I was named after Grandcharles Foster's grandmother who was very important to my father. I hear she was an outstanding lady! I pray we will always have a special bond because of our name and that we both honor and glorify the Lord with our lives and that others will see His good work in us. May you know His richest blessings all your sweet life. This silver baby cross was mine and I want you to have it and enjoy!


All my love ~ Edith Markham Foster Lyon

Novermber 13, 2011




My lil' Ladies





The BIG 3-0!

Thanks to all my incredible family and friends for making my 30th Birthday a very special one. And thanks to a wonderful husband who outdid himself this year. He got me an iPad, someone to clean our house (HUGE) and threw me a surprise party with some of my besties!! Not to shabby buddy. Good job :) Can't believe I am thirty...its half way to 60 as my lil' bro said. But I am truly blessed with everything and everyone in my life. Cheers to 30 more wonderful years!

AND thanks to Cameron for the ever hilarious present of two African Dwarf Frogs in honor of me bringing "random animals" home my whole life. Eli the pot belly pig may you rest in peace. Two more mouths to feed. Awesome. but Hazel thinks "Chuck & Norris" the frogs are the coolest thing ever. Thank you all for the amazing gifts you gave me...especially the ones I do not have to feed.





Art for the soul

Things have been so crazy around here with work and the kiddos lately that creative "me" time has all but disappeared. So this week I decided I was going to find time for some much needed and long over due art for the soul. My version of therapy. Thanks once again to Pinterest and a couple ideas I have had floating around in my head for a while...the basement playroom finally has a wall of art. Total cost about 30$. Not bad for a big wall of art. Hope to keep adding to it over the next year.

A really big whimsical painting on plywood
An old window filled with vintage ABC cards.

Vintage fabric stapled over canvas.
Fabric from this site on Etsy.
Sorry for the terrible lighting in the photos.
The flash on my camera is messed up :(