January's Pinterest Project

At the beginning of this year, I made the decision to chose one Pinterest project that I had "pinned" each month of the year, sharing them with you hoping that would keep me accountable.  I'm calling it my Pinterest To-Do List.

January's project was sooo cute.  See?

Still seriously in love with these....  even if I didn't get to them.  {sigh}  They're from The Purl Bee.  And I will be making them in February.  I promise.

But I really do have a good reason for not getting to these this month.  It's because in honor of my sister's birthday, I made the February project in January.  Remember the February project?

Oh, my blessed cuteness.  It's from Watch Me Daddy and I'm completely enchanted, mostly because when I made my sister's it turned out exactly like the picture!  Can I get a Hallelujah from the congregation?  I haven't gotten a picture of my sister modeling hers, but I'm in the process of making more (for me this time) and I'll happily model my copy-cat creation!

So now on to February's Pinterest To-Do List project.  Can't wait to see how those hearts turn out!

Until then, you can follow me on Pinterest and enjoy pinning yourself!

Motherhood Is Calling - Open Mouth, Insert Mama's Hand

Someday, I'll be able to remove my hand from my children's mouths.

Until then, it will stay constantly hovering over their mouths, quick and agile in it's response to the faux pas that are inevitably about to pop out.

I see the wheels turning in their minds.  Their eyes get bigger, mouths open wide.  That's my cue. 

But what about when there isn't time or it would just be too obvious?  I try to pin them down with my eyes or distract, practically doing the hula to get them from noticing or remarking about the lady in the grocery aisle with the hairy mole or the punk kid with the green mohawk.  Sometimes it works.

Most of the time, it doesn't.

My job isn't over yet.

Can I just do a mass YouTube video apology for all of my children for everything they may have said to any and every hairy-mole-lady or mohawked-punk-kid?

{{crickets chirping}}

Guess not.

{sigh}


 
Motherhood is Calling, Ladies!  Please link up your "Motherhood is Calling" moments here using my super-duper cute button over there and then link up back here.  Photos, stories, tips, anything!  Have a blessed day!

The King of Sheba

Here he is, The King of Sheba.

Throughout our whole married life together, we've had a good thing going... you know, besides the whole "soul-mate, I'm so thankful to have met you kinda thing".  No, it's something even better.

He's had to wake up before me every weekday.  It's been lovely.  I have a terrible time getting up in the morning.  I'm fine once I actually manage to get my feet on the floor.  It's the whole opening my eyes and untucking myself out of the fetal position that gets me every time.  I can sleep through my alarm clock for forty-five minutes, people.  It's seriously bad.

So up until last week, it was with pleasure that I would gently nudge my hubby if I heard his alarm clock go off (which is hardly ever because if I can sleep through my alarm clock, you know I won't hear his).  He'd jump out of bed and start his morning ritual while I smiled dreamily and got more REM sleep.

But then last week happened and Paco got sick.  Like feeling-like-you-might-die-from-a-cold-kind-of-sick.  Poor fella.  In order to feel better, he let himself sleep in to help his body in the healing process.  All well and good, but would someone tell him his fine now and we can go back to our regular routine?!

Now, he's the one nudging me when my alarm goes off.  The inhumanity of it.  I've turned on him a couple of times, challenging him with, "What's the deal, yo?!"  Apparently, his place of business does not fall to the ground if he comes in 45 minutes later every day.  HA!  This is news to me. 

For eight years, he's always been rushing off, convinced that the world would end if he wasn't there at six AM.  Well, now that he's discovered this, I must set to thinking.  This is a dreadful turn of events and must be remedied at any cost.  But I'm feeling so sleep deprived, I can't think!

Oh dear, this is more dreadful than I previously thought.

When You Give a Girl a Camera - Motherhood is Calling

When you're at the park having a picnic on a glorious day, you might give your daughter the camera.

That's when you end up with pictures like this:

Yes, that's Jack's bum.

Hmm, a little too much shadow, I'm thinking.

Definitely Daddy's good side.

Hmmm, interesting angle, Maggers.

Then when you give the mama the camera, this is what you end up with:

Oh, yes.  That's something black and disgusting in my teeth.

There, that's better.

Now, which one of us would you like to have take pictures at your child's wedding?  I think our availability is wide open.






How is your week going, mamas?  Please link up and share with us!  I'd love to see your family in action.

The Mysteries of a Two-Year-Old

Notice this sweet little two-year-old:

This is how he got out of bed yesterday morning.  Yes, it's true.

How did this happen?  I don't know.

Where did he get the markers?  I don't know.

How could I have not noticed this when checking in on him before I went to bed?  I don't know.

Why did he get one look at my face, and say, "That's not okay, Mama," all while smiling?  I don't know.

Why do I let Daddy pick out unmatching jammies for him?  I don't know.

Why did I laughingly take his picture instead of tossing him (jammies in all) into the tub?  {sigh}

Because I'm his mama and I couldn't help myself.

Welcome to the mysterious life of being Judah's mama.

Snatches of Joy

Some times, I find myself getting lost in the day.  The laundry, grocery list, school, diapers, bickering, yadda, yadda, yadda.  At your house too?  (please say yes, please say yes, please say yes)  Yet the Bible tells us to be full of joy. 

So I went on a Joy Hunt.  I found joy in the softness of our flannel sheets, of games with precious friends while eating pizza bread, the coolness of the morning in which I actually get to wear a sweater, joy in the twinkle of Jack's eyes and piles of clean, folded laundry.

Joy in sibling snuggles...

Joy in watching my 96-year-old Nana hitting the pinata at her birthday party...

Joy in watching Judah be one of the big kids...

Joy in watching love between brothers and sisters...

Joy in watching my uncle monkey around, as usual...

Joy in seeing 12 of my Nana's 13 kids coming for the sole purpose of honoring her for her birthday...

Joy in watching my young-woman child enjoy being a kid for another day...




  
What was your joy this week, my friends?  Was it snatches or overflowing for you?  Link up and share with us!

The Year in Pinterest - 2012

I caved.  Several months ago, I kept coming across Pinterest on blogs and was determined to stay away.  I need no more reasons to be on the computer and I was scared that I'd quickly become addicted.  Then, I though, "What the heck!", which is not the best response I'll admit, but it's worked out quite fantastic!  I got a ton of ideas for the holidays, as well as for household decor ideas, which I'll share later.

All that to say, Pinterest and I have a very loving relationship.  Nothing like stalking or obsessive.  Just repectful and mutually loving.

The other day, I was blog hopping and came across The Modest Mom's idea of making a plan on using some of the ideas she had pinned on her boards throughout the year.  This way, she has a plan and accountablity to her readers.  I loved, loved, LOVED this idea.  So, of course, I copy-catted (yup, new word) so that y'all could keep me accountable, too.

For January, from the Purl Bee:

I'm thinking of stitching words in black floss on them them, like "love" or "P+J".  I want to do them this month so that I have them ready for Valentine's Day.

For February, this flower scarf from Watch Me Daddy:

It's perfect for springtime!  I would love to make one of these in every color of the rainbow for the entire year.

For March from Frugal Decor Mom:

Our spice cupboard is overflowing because we love to cook so much.  This project is perfect because not only do we have baby food jars coming out the wazoo (boy, that kid loves to eat), but it uses chalkboard paint, which I absolutely adore!  So easy and cute.

For April from How Does She:

My poor, poor neglected car needs one of these.  Or maybe ten.

For May, this rag rug from Rags by Sock Monkey:

My girls really, really, really need one of these for their room.

For June, these sweet ice-cream bowls from The Tum-Tum-Tree:

I'm so in love with these!  We have to come up with all sorts of new things to get us through the long Arizona summers.

For July, these frozen strawberry drinks from Heather Ross:

Again, anything to get us through these furnace-like summer months.

For August from notonthehighstreet.com:

I love the simplicity of this design!  It would be perfect in a master bedroom.  I might put our wedding date on the bottom.

For September, these adorable paper bag houses from Snippety Gibbet:

All of my kids would love these!  I'll love seeing how each of them personalize it for their own.

For October from the Origami Resource Center:

I can't resist this!  It's perfect for all the gatherings we have at our house during the holidays.

For November, this heavenly goodness from The Blue-Eyed Bakers:

As in Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts kinda goodness.  Oh, yeah, Baby!

For December, I can't get enough of these from Dear Lillie:

My tree would be filled pretty fast!  I love the simplicity of these.

So this is my year in Pinterest, plus any others that I will find myself wanting having to make because they're just so darn cute!

You guys keep me accountable, m'kay?!

The Broom Chaser

Have you ever seen TLC's Storm Chasers?  It's a show where seriously crazy people run toward tornadoes.  Toward tornadoes, people.  It's a favorite show of my husband and chill'ens.  I hide behind the couch in the fetal position trying to soothe myself.  It's freaky, y'all.

Living in Arizona, I've never seen a real tornado.  Although, now that I think about it, my children do destruct nice, clean rooms in about the same amount of time.  (sigh)  Because we don't have tornadoes, we have no storm chasers. 

We do have, however, THE BROOM CHASER.

He's so stinkin' adorable, that he should have his own show.

You know you'd tune in every week to watch this.

This would totally make riveting television.

Especially as everyone cries out, "NO, Jack!  Don't do it!  Don't put that piece of disgusting half-way chewed Cheerio (compliments of an older sibling, of course) into your mouth.  No, no, don't!!  Aw, man.  He did it.  Where is this child's mother?"

But then, you know you'd want to watch it again and again, every week because even though you know what's going to happen, you would still want to watch this adorable face filling his diaper.  Yeah, you know you would.

For our next episode, I'll show you how I carry him to the farthest corner of the house, put him down, race back to the kitchen to sweep as quickly as I can until I hear the joyful, excited breathing of my ten month old speed crawling to catch up with me.  Repeat the process five times.







Monday's Motherhood is Calling!! It's been a while, yes? Time does manage to slip away. Do you have a post to share with us?  Motherhood is hard, joyful, tiring, precious and wonderful, sometimes all at the same time.  I would love to come alongside you and encourage you today!  Link up right here:

Finally, Someone Who Is Unashamed!

It's called "TeBOWing".

Soli Deo Gloria.  Alleluia!

Amen.

What's Your Word?

Do you do this?  Do you pray and meditate and ask God to give you a word that is your theme for the upcoming year?

We did it together on New Year's Eve and our words were fun and interesting.  I'm excited to see what God is going to do with them.

Pat's word was preparedness.  Hmmmm, okay, God.  What exactly are we being prepared for?  Physically, emotionally, mentally....  We just don't know yet.  It will be interesting to look back at the end of the year and see what God has done.

My word was (wait for it, wait for it...) adventure.  ACK!  Adventure?!  I'm so excited and scared out of my wits at the same time.  I'm definitely a girl who likes her ducks in a row, a schedule to follow, predictability and routine.  I sound like a blast, right?  But, buried deep down in my heart somewhere is a streak of restlessness and wanderlust that has yet to be satisfied.

Oh, boy.  Hold onto your hats, ladies.  This is going to be fun!  (...and totally out of my comfort zone...)