Now this is what a snow day calls for!

And it was all for about a dollar!  Yes...100 pennies...the bowl was only 99 cents @ Goodiewill and I already the paint as well as the letters...

I saw this very outdated bowl sitting on the shelf that was just screaming to be made anew so I grabbed her...and since it was half-off made it only more inviting! 

So I did what I do...came home, put the babies down for naptime, whipped out my black paint and went to town!  Three layers to be exact and then I applied the letters...done!

                      

Our 3 yr. old daughter loves to find letters on here and our two oldest daughters like to see who can make the most words in a minute...not too bad for a dolla dolla :)

Four canvases plus some painters tape = one happy 10 yr. old!

We have a 10 yr. old daughter, who is wanting a BIG girl room...like her 16 yr. old sisters...
                                       so I've decided to work in "baby" steps
as I'm in no hurry to send her into her teenage years just yet.  She wanted her name in letters...well, that's an easy request!  But, I didn't have any of her letters laying around but I did have some handy canvases laying around...four to be exact and that was what I all I needed!  I took out some painters tape, masked off her letter and then painted away!

This project took all of about 15 minutes and cost less than $10.00!  She loved them, I loved them...cue the music...

**for some reason, canvases doesn't look like a word to me...but for my sake, let's just make it so**

Sometimes simple is the best...

when it comes to decorating...don't make it too hard or it'll drive ya crazy!!  When you walk into our family room there is a really big wall that at first, I had no idea what to do with.  I have hoarded acquired quite a few metal stars but it just looked all mish-moshed when I put all of them on the wall and it literally drove me insane UNTIL...

I remembered the nice big ol' metal star that I had outside!  I dusted her off, hung it up & added some barn wood pieces and happy happy is my wall!  And we all know, happy wall = happy mom...or is it nice happy decor = housework no more...happy wife = happy life?  Whatever...I'm just happy to be the proud owner of a nice big wall that is bare no more...

Not gonna lose my mind over a few windows...

Oh how I don't enjoy looking for window treatments...no, take that back.  I enjoy LOOKING at them in the store/online and imagine their beauty in our home but don't like messing with hanging them & let it be said...I don't sew...DO NOT.  No, take that back...I have sewed a button back on, by hand, a few times.  I even bought a sewing machine once...the one for kids so I wouldn't feel overwhelmed and I felt...overwhelmed.

So, what to do in order to stop the sun from shining in my eyes each morning & blinding me before I am ready for it?  Grab some tab tops, nail them up & slap a piece of an old door over the nails (to give it some kind of "look") and you've got a window to be proud of!  I have a passion for old doors & windows...the other side of the door is over our other bedroom window and the other half of the door is a shelf in our living room...does that make sense?!?!

It's called a window "mistreatment", a phrase coined by the wonderous Nester and I could just go on mistreating all day...my windows...not the loved ones as to whom I share a home with...

This is not a recipe...it's not rocket science either...

Believe it or not, I DESPISE cooking...I have no patience for it but I've been married for almost 19 yrs. and hubby + our four kids aren't starving or licking the snow outside so I guess I'm doing okay...I just don't like it.

Now baking...oh baby, now you're talking!  I could tie on my pretty little apron (if I had one) and just bake alllllll day...though I doubt our two babes, as to whom I am in 100% charge of during the day while everyone else abandons me goes to work & school, would appreciate me ignoring them all day for the sake of the sweet smell of cake...

Back to my 3 "ingredients"...take a can of biscuits (cheap old Wallyworld works for me!), spaghetti sauce (yes, I know all about pizza sauce...didn't care to grab it) and some shredded mozzarella (no I don't shred my own...I tried it once & truly thought I was going to lose my mind!).  Take your biscuits & flatten them out on the counter, take a little anger out on them if need be, poke holes with a fork so they don't do what biscuits are supposed to do & rise up on you...spread a spoonful of sauce and drop GOBS a little cheese on top...a little extra calcium is a good thing!  Bake them for about 10 minutes & you've got little baby pizzas for all!

YUMMMMMMMMMM!!

Never underestimate brown paper...

I love plants...I love for our home to have a few sitting here & there but I'm a little weird when it comes to buying planters...I wonder why...

Anyway, when it was time to transplant this particular plant I didn't have any planter that would work with our living room design so what to do, what to do?!?!  I just ripped off a piece of brown paper from my roll ($2.00 @ the Dollar General!) to the size I needed (too lazy to cut it) and then tied some ribbon around it...done! 

I love my brown paper :)

No craft...but an observation...

Being a mom is hard...really hard most of the time! sometimes.  It requires lots of love, even when you feel like you can't give another ounce.  You were born with two arms but you need to have 10, you need to be able to think a thousand thoughts at once while keeping your mind on task and you have little people who count on you for every.little.thing...then let's add a husband and his needs to the mix!

We have four children...though I never knew exactly how many children I would have someday, I never thought I'd have four...and so far apart with a bit of an age gap at that!  But, it works.  While changing diapers I get to threaten our 16 yr. old with her cellphone usage...while wipping a nose I get to hear how the dramatics on the playground unfolded between girlies from a 10yr. old's perspective.  I cut up ones food as he acts like he's starving to death while observing another deciding if she wants to eat what I have offered. 

But you know what?  These are the blessings that God has given me and they are all TRUE blessings...

When I was younger, I prayed that when I grew up I just wanted God to give me someone to genuinely love me...someONE but he gave me five...my husband and our babies.  They all love me when I don't feel good, when I just get out of bed & need a shower, badly!  When I create an ala-carte dinner because I haven't been to the store, when I freak out because the house is a mess & company is coming in 10 minutes!  They just love me...even at times when I couldn't love myself.  I am their teacher of life.  I am a referee, a taxi-driver, cook, cleaning lady, laundry gal, banker, schedule maker, etc...but most of all, I am their mother and I am blessed beyond words...