gifts

I heart pinterest. I found this great link the other day for gifts under $5 and was giddy over all the goodies they had listed. I was drawn to the "bird nest necklaces". They were beautiful! Here's her link: http://www.sarahortega.com/2011/05/diy-bird-nest-necklace.html

I quickly ran to my craft stash (read: where all my stuff ends up) and found everything I needed to make the necklaces except the chains and I knew I could get that at a craft store (especially with a Sunday coupon). I was into beading back in college and have hung on to all my supplies, thankfully!

Here's my finished product (I plan on making a few more...just ran out of chain).

May 2012

Yesterday we celebrated James' third birthday! What a fun day we had. James has been anticipating this day for weeks (months even) and was so happy to wake up yesterday and not have to say "I'm almost three". James got to celebrate with his friends at school and was so excited when they sang happy birthday to him. Last night we had our families over and had such a special time celebrating with them. James LOVED having all the attention on him and his face showed it when we were singing to him. He had multiple priceless faces while opening presents too. He was excited with each gift and couldn't wait to open them.

I love that sweet boy and can't imagine how our life would be without him. He is such a sweet boy and is very loving and tender. He loves his family very much. He gets so excited when Gracie comes home from school and usually runs to give her a big hug when she comes in the door. He loves books, just like Gracie. One of his favorites right now is called "Space Adventure" from Jason's childhood. His parents had this book made for him and it's about Jason and three of his friends going on an adventure. James loves reading it and pretending he's one of daddy's friends.

Another big deal in May is that it's ALS awareness. Please visit alsa.org to learn more about ALS and how you can help support those who have ALS. The Walk to Defeat ALS is scheduled for October 13, so mark your calendars. This year the walk will be held at Region's Park and I hope we have an even bigger turnout than last year. Please continue to pray for Suzanne. She has had a good week and was even up for coming to James' party!

Here are a few pictures from the party last night. The first picture (I'm on my phone and can't figure out how to put text under the pictures) is pin the tailpipe on McQueen (I think Gracie and James were the only ones to do this). Gracie requested games, so this is what we came up with. James helped me color that one and Gracie did the one for the front door.

*this was my first attempt at a cake with fondant (I made marshmallow fondant). James loved the cake and gave me a big "wow!!" when he first saw it.

For the Gran

Today is Suzanne's birthday. We were all together for a fun night of celebrating. Yesterday, with the help of Julie and Ryan being silly in the background, we got this picture. There are more than a few 'bloopers' so I was very thankful to get this great shot.

A little more sewing

I made this skirt this week and love it! I just used the same idea as the bottom of the dress from a couple of weeks ago and did a single seam up the back. I then made a casing for the elastic waistband and slid that in. I plan to make a few more as soon as I find a cheaper place to buy the fabric. :)

Gracie update

Last week Gracie had a nasty fever virus. It started early Monday morning and lasted until late Thursday. She stayed home all week from school. I am so thankful that Jason's work is flexible so that he can work from home. He stayed with Gracie four of the days and my Mom stayed with her one day (very thankful for her too). She would be totally fine, but then when her temp would spike she was just pitiful! She didn't eat much at all last week and took naps...very different from her norm. Gracie was so thrilled to go back to school today and said her friends were equally excited to see her. One day last week Gracie made a card for her teacher that said "I love Mrs. Cannon" and at the bottom she wrote "I love subtraction"...she was really missing school!

Now that Gracie is all better, James is running a low fever. Lots of prayers that his is a quick virus and that he wakes up 100% better in the morning.

By the way, I just added blogger to my phone :)

Grandparents Day

James celebrated grandparents day at school last week. He got to have a special picnic with Ma and even did a little dancing with Mommy. He made a sweet card for Ma, but was a little attached to it and didn't want to give it away. Thanks Ma for coming!

Easter Sunday

Today has been a great day. One of my favorite points from Dr. Fenton's sermon today was that Easter is about transformation, not inspiration. God wants to transform us through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus. Jesus died so that we can live and he rose so that we can have eternal life. I want to be transformed daily to be more like Christ. I am so thankful for God and his sacrifice and love for us.

We spent a wonderful afternoon with Jason's family and then the evening with my family. The kids had a great time hunting eggs and then hiding them for us to find. We even got a new family photo that I love. Here are some pictures from our afternoon (I forgot to take pictures with my family).

Mary Katherine helping James find an egg.

James hiding the eggs for us.

Someone was a little tired.

Not sure what she was doing, but this is a great shot.

To get a picture like this...

You have to take a pirate picture and

a silly face picture.

He is Risen!

On Friday my class made Resurrection Rolls. I can't wait to make these with Gracie and James tomorrow. The process of making the rolls is so meaningful, easy and tangible for kids (and adults too). Friday was my first time making this type and I was so excited to see that it really was empty when you opened the "tomb". What a wonderful thing we celebrate tomorrow. 

"On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away form the tomb, but when they entered they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" Then they remembered his words.

Luke 24:1-8

Sewing

I love Pinterest. I've never pinned something that was original, I just re-pin what someone else has already pinned. I saw this dress a week or so ago and decided I needed to make it.  Click here for the tutorial from the original blog. I already had the fabric I just needed a tank top. I'm not real big on taking pictures by myself, so my little assistant hopped right on in with me...not real sure what that face is about, but it sure made me laugh. 

It has a cute little belt that ties in the back. I made the dress Thursday and then wore it to work on Friday with a cute red jacket. I don't think I'm very stylish, but I think this dress is perfect.

I had this fabric also (clearance at Hobby Lobby) and decided to make another dress out of it. I made the dress today with a tank top I already had that I didn't wear anymore because it was too short. Perfect for this pattern because you chop the bottom of the shirt off. I did mess up on the belt so it's not as wide as I would like, but it still works. I have a great khaki jacket that I think I'll wear with it tomorrow. 

I'm on the hunt for more dress patterns and cheap fabric!