My Next Sign Order

So, I have another order in to do by the 20th of Febuary. Thankfully that more than enough time for one that will only take two days to do! I'm excited for this one, for it's simplicity yet homey feel it will have and bring to her apartment.
It will be a half wall sign, stacked boards totalling 11 in all. It will be on the larger side, but it will look just awesome. For this project, I'll be falling into the practice use of webbing. Now, my husband suggested using webbing, a thich fabric much like the straps on back packs. It's sturdy, can hold a decent amount of weight, and won't add to the over all weight of my sign much.
 That is a big appeal to me right there because some of my larger signs can get pretty heavy! This way, the customers can fold up the sign when moving them and also not have to sink anchors into their walls at home to hold up the larger signs.
I'll be posting pictures of the process once I start this one so others can see how I do them!

Newest Projects

Ok, So some of you may know that I have taken up reclaiming wood and making it into awesome, hand painted signs and decor pieces. I've actually been doing well with it, making just enough to pay for supplies and a little extra from time to time.
Soon, I'll be making an Etsy store or website that I can sell and SHIP them aorund the country. I'm very excited about this but worried that I'll be spending more money than earning with this endevor.
But bear with me!

Here are some of the latest things I have done in the last few months. The bottom one is the last order I have filled and she was thrilled about it!

Today is January 16th, 2015....

Yesterday was my husbands 25 th birthday. Amazing. We married when he was freshly 17, with a baby on the way. Not your typical happily ever after I imagine, buy so far it has worked for us in our own ways.

Lately, I've been tired. Tired of cleaning, tired of picking up dirty clothes, doing dishes, vacuuming that same stupid carpet everyday. I'm burnt out. I've lost me. And km lonely. It hurts to admit it, bit I'm not the same person I was years ago, full of life and hopes. There's no exciting future ahead of me and it makes me feel ashamed. I have children, I love them both dearly. But it feel like I lost the woman I was into the mom I am now. I'm just a wife and mother. I'm no linger an individual. There's nothing unique about me, nothing stands out. When someone says, "Tell me a little about yourself," I simply would say I'm 26, have two kids and I've been married for almost 8 years now. That's it? Is that all I really am made of?
I've taken to hobbies to keep my sanity. I did nails, I make pallet signs and hand paint them. I feel good about that. But over all, my day is serving others. I'm drowning in my own home in sippy cups, dingy sink water, lame Disney Junior cartoons that make me want to chuck my flat screen.
It seems like there's nothing to me anymore, no passion, no fire lit in my heart. Every day is routine, stuck in a rut. How do you get out of it? I just don't know what to do anymore.

Parenting the Better Way??

Today, as I sit on the couch, folding laundry while my son watches Frozen for the hundredth time, I realized something.

I don't get this day back. Today is the only today I get with him.

He may get on my nerves, he may not.listen much, if at all, some days. But he's my son. He's a part of me just like my daughter who is at school currently.
I recently read an article written by a dad who seems to have the perfect grasp on how you make your child feel.
Do you want to be the parent who strikes fear to use as "respect" just to make the child cower and surrender? Or do you want to be the parent who encourages, supports and openly lobes that child?
I know I personally have a temper. I always have, especially in high school. Those hormones, man, were a bitch I tell ya. But after I had children, my maternal instinct has kicked in. I'm more mellow. I nurture and teach my children to love and treat one another with care. That doesn't always stick, its a constant battle, but its my job. I'm a mother. Its my duty as a human being to turn little people into the best that they can be, even if its not exactly what I want for them when they grow up.
I want my children to look back at their childhood and remember every happy day, every happy family memory possible. I don't want their minds clouded and poisened with angry parents and hard hands.
Some parents have had to go through the misery and grief of losing a child. I am lucky. My kids were born healthy and still have not gone through any real trama. So far, only my daughter has had any decent accident with bodily harm and its was just five stitches and a few weeks to fully recover.
One place I normally see other parents out and about is the grocery store. I don't get out much, do not go to any mommy and me groups, and I'm not very social. So the weekly trips to the store is where I see my peers. But there, you'll hear it. The angry parent yelling at their energetic child. The exhausted mom of four trying to corral her kids that are screeching and touching everything. The angry, domineering looking father with the defeated little boy in tow trying to do what he came to do and get out as quickly as possible.
It starts with a simple request. "Daddy, can I have a candy bar?" In a little voice. Then the sharp tone of the dad, telling him to be quiet and don't dare ask for anything. Then you see the sweet face of the boy fall in a shadow, not because of the no. You know its because of the way his father, who is supposed to love and support him, lashed out at him over such a little thing. And if this happens in this situation, only God knows what happens at home or when the sad little boy actually acts out and misbehaves.
I snap at my kids, I know I do. Some days, it seems that all they do is run me over and ignore everything I tell them to do or not to do. But then days like this, I have to remi d myself that its OK. I'm not perfect and my children don't need me to be. They have to forgive me just like I need to forgive them. They're children, not adults. We cannot, as parents, expect them to act like adults when all we do is treat them like children.

Today, I have decided to make a vow to my children.

I will yell less, whisper and giggle more.
 I will just shake my head instead of sighing and using attitude when my son throws a tantrum over my saying no.
 I will hugs and kiss and cuddle both my kids at least twice as much as I already do.
 I will read to my kids at bed time even if my oldest has an extremely high reading level already.
I will say yes whenever I can, but say no when needed.
 I will get on the floor more no matter how it hurts my back to play with my three year old and his cars.
Today, I want to be the best mom I can be and not just do what I think I need to do. I need to clean less to spend more time with them.
I need to turn off the cartoons and have my son help with chores during school days.
I need to give my daughter more personal space now that she's getting older.
I have so many more things in my list and I know I won't be a super mom. But I'll be the best me I can be. And maybe, just maybe, my children will grow up respecting me as well as loving me as the mom I am.
Maybe they will look back when they have kids of their own and not say that they will do everything so differently than me.
Here's to a new day, a new beginning.

A tutu for my princess

So my oldest decided to catch some weird version of the flu Sunday night. She was up four times that night, puking her little heart out, the poor thing. No momma bear enjoys her baby cub being sick.
Anyways, she was out of school two days and finally got got better Wednesday morning, so back to school my trooper went.
On Monday morning, I was trying hard to get a smile out of my pale girl so I decided to use some left over tulle I had packed away in the abyss that is her top closet shelf. I busted it out and made a way too big tutu, white and sparkly.
Now of course, there is glitter pretty much all over my house but it was fun and took only about two hours to complete.
Below I'll post pictures that I took along the way!!

 Now, the process, if you're not too familiar with it, is pretty simple. You need to measure how long you want the skirt or tutu to be and make strips of tulle TWICE that length and fold them in half.

 Then you make a loop in the top of the folded tulle strip and pull through the rest after you've tucked it under and behind whatever you're using for the waist band. Some people use ribbon to make it pretty and tied on, or elastic banding. I used a head band of hers which worked out for me who took on this project on a whim.

 After you pull the rest of the tulle through, you gently pull tight to make a knot similar looking to a men's neck tie. After you go all the way around, bunching them closely for maximum fullness, you're good to go!
Below is my finished project, before I trimmed up and evened out the bottom edges of course. I personally like the flowly, fairye look but I've been told it looks "unfinished". Ahem... Anyway, I did it, got it done and she loves it.

 My girl, all smiles and dressed up.

Now I have promised my kid to make an Elsa (Yes, from that damn Frozen movie we have seen 154,483 times) tutu dress.
You can look up Pintrest as well to get directions, with pics of course, for many adorable or fancy tutus!

The tea party was a success with the children, thank goodness.

Alex joined us as well and was very gentle with the China and his little cup, it was a blast. I do have to say though, the cakes turned out super yummy!

On a sad side note, my princess is sick! She has been throwing up all night and morning, missing Grease day at school as well. She's pretty bummed about that but my little girl is pale and frail looking.
So, she's finally asleep again, catching up on some sleep that we missed. I would have done the same but as all you other mommas know, one kids sick that other is usually well and NOT wanting to sleep in.
 Sigh.
I'm exhausted and my three year old is bouncing off the darn walls. Gaaahh!!
Haha, anyway I'll be making another tutu today I think. I'll take some pictures along the way so anyone who might read this can learn just how EASY it is and not spend a fortune on buying one from someone else.
See you later mommas, whomever you are.

disaster in my kitchen!

Well, I attempted the mini cakes, donned petite fours. They're adorable and tasty so of course I figured I'd be victorious in my endeavor.
I was sadly mistaken. Oh boy, was I wrong.
First, you bake your cake.

Then you decide on the shape. I wanted the adorable little square ones so I could decorate them like present boxes bit my daughter won the battle. Anyway the only thing small and round I had was my blender plug-thingy. So I used that to basically punch holes in my 13/9 cake after it was cool.

See? Cute right?? That's what she thought. So after those were done, I sliced them in threes and fours to make them stackable and I could layer them with sweet, sweet buttercream frosting and raspberry filling. 

so cute

So I read that Candyquik, a hardening candy coating, would work well for these like cake pops and chocolate dipped strawberry. Once again, I was wrong. They were wrong...

Yep, that's me in all my PJ morning glory haha. My kid thought it'd be funny to snap my pic while I was cussing at these little bugger's...

Any who, the Camdyquik was sticky and not as smooth rolling as I hoped. It clumped up the sides and tops of my cute little cakes.

After doing more research, I discovered I should have made up a batch of poured fondant. Good to know!! 

And this is what we finished with:

So in conclusion, if you plan in taking this terrible adventure, make poured fondant, drink caffeine, and pray for patience!!