Grace ~ Faith ~ Hope

Block Words Tutorial

2011-11-09T09:54:00.000-08:00

I have been asked to do a tutorial on these and show ya all how easy they are to make. So, here I go....

Okay, first use a 2x4 and cut blocks of random sizes, don't try and make them perfect!! I wouldn't make them bigger than about 6in. tall. spray paint all sides whatever color you want. I choose espresso brown.

Next they need to be sanded for that rustic look and to get rid of the roughness. Some blocks I use more pressure, others not as much. You just don't want them looking identical. Next use a damp cloth to remove all the dust from sanding.

Here's what you need next, scissors, MODGE PODGE ( i love this stuff ) a paint brush or I used a stain brush, the paper you want to use. Set the blocks out how you want them and figure out what piece of paper you want on each block.

Cut the paper a little bigger than the block and put a light coat of modge podge on the block. Put the paper on the block and with your hand smooth the paper down. I then put a little modge podge on my finger and put a light coat on the edge of the paper. This softens the paper so you can sand the edges a bit for that distressed look.

Another way to do it would be to gently rip the paper and then set it on the block. The next step to to put the letters on. You can do this however you choose. I use a sharpie marker and write on them, you could use stickers, stamps, whatever floats your boat. Once you have the letters on, I put another thin coat of modge podge over the front of the block. Then you're done!! Let them dry a few hours and set them out how you choose.

You could also use fabric instead of paper, I have done that as well. You could use these as photo props, seasonal decor, kids names for their rooms, lots of fun possibilities!! Have fun!!

a quick before and after...

2011-11-08T05:44:00.000-08:00

From old and used to redone and new!! I did this in a very short amount of time yesterday and was pretty happy with how it turned out. I just added a small amount of new padding, new heavy fabric, and fresh coats of espresso spray paint. Oh, how I love fun fabric. This one is from JoAnns in case you're wondering.

more fall decorations and 7 years....

2011-09-29T17:46:00.000-07:00

I keep adding fall things! My fav time of year and my favorite decor! I have learned that adding a few drops of food coloring to some modge podge, you get the jars you see in the pic. I painted the insides and when I am sick of that color, I can peel it out and do another look!!

Dont put it on too thick, it does take a long time to dry.

This is Punch Needle Embroidery, another winter craft I love and is so easy!
I took a class last winter and was hooked! Yes, I am only in my 30s...not 75 like you might be thinking.

These are my two favorite little girls and now two favorite tiny boys! My precious nephews Preston and Jackson. I cant believe how fast they all grow and how much they mean to me.

Seven years ago today Emma Grace came and went from this world. You were here for a reason and you live on in so many ways. So often I get to share your story and tell how Gods loving, faithful hand was in it all and continues to be. To God be all the Glory!! Happy Birthday sweet baby girl!!! We miss and love you and so thankful for Heaven where we will meet again!!

few new crafts...

2011-09-11T11:31:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Pinterest, I have made a few new things at home this weekend. I loved the idea of having a "lost sock" sign. Socks normally sit in my bedroom and now they have a place of their own. lol!

These are just a few extra blocks I had sitting around from the baby shower ones I made. I used fabric for these instead of paper and they turned out pretty cute! I love that falls coming and I can decorate for it! Its my favorite time of year!!!

My latest crafty obsession is crocheting. I have always wanted to make big blankets for people or baby blankets. So, I have been sucked to You Tube and learning what all the stitches mean and how to do a granny square. I have learned how to do one version and I am going to keep practicing...probably making a small blanket for the cats but its a start!! (this is just a pic of one I like)

Pinterest addiction

2011-08-28T06:20:00.000-07:00

Oops, its been a while again since my last blog. We recently had a great family vacation!!! It was great to get away and be with just the 4 of us!! The girls did great which made it even better, I wasn't sure how they were going to do in the van riding for so long.

Inside a butterfly garden, the girls loved being in here

So really this blogs turned more into my crafts than my life, well crafting is definetly part of my life! :) My latest addiction is Pinterest. If you dont have an account get one, even if you dont craft. Its awesome for everyone!! It has recipes, vacations spots, books, wedding ideas, fashion....its just fab! Pretty much, its like bookmarking a page you find on line but organizing it on your own page!!

So what I have done is find some cool things to try and make and when I have time. Here are a few things I did this week.

I cant seem get this bigger but you can look on pinterest! This is a tea ring that I made for the teachers lounge at my girls' school.

I made a few different versions of this for the teachers. It was so cheap and turned out so cute!

I am so ready for the school year to begin, I know its busy but I love being involved at school while they think its still cool to have me there. I love that i will have more free time while they're in their classes learning! I cant wait for ellie to start reading!! I pray they have a great year and learn and grow and stay healthy!! I love hearing about their days and friends. This is a great time in our lives!! Hope you all have a great back to school month!! Blessings!!

Baby Shower with Argyle

2011-07-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry its been a while. Summer is busy...swimming lessons, VBS, beach days, pool days, and just being outside enjoying the heat that we wait so long for during the winter! I love this summer!! Each year the girls are older and can do so much more with us and its less work for me! Love it!

We recently had a baby shower for my sister kristie who is due with a baby boy in September! I found some napkins I liked and went from there. It was a fun theme to work with!!

Kristie with our beautiful Aunts!!

Preston came to visit, aunts got to admire how adorable he is!!

I am going to try and post sometime soon about the blocks behind the sink. So easy and cute to make!

I like to keep the food simple but cute! Making these trail mix bags were a hit!

My sisters and my girls.

gluten free questions

2011-06-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

I was asked how I got started with getting rid of the gluten in my life...

I am still learning a lot!! First, fresh fruits and veggies are great!! I know they are safe and I eat lots and lots!! Thank goodness its summer and I have many options!

Plan on a longer grocery shopping day. I read lots of labels now which is great to raise your awareness of what you're putting into your body!! Visit a natural food store. Yes, its more expensive but if you do this with someone else you can share and split the cost!

The grocery store I use has a growing section of GF foods that are pretty good. My sister made me a GF chocolate cake for my birthday and it was fabulous!! No funny aftertaste just pure yummoness!! It was just a betty crocker mix!! Check this out ... http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/gluten-free-baking-mixes

Part of the energy I think, comes from just eating better and healthier. Food from the ground, not with all the additives! The biggest things that I have been told to avoid is WHEY, MALT, WHEAT.

Mexican food is something I get often when going out, corn shells are safe! I love as a snack blue corn chips and GF guacamole! MMM!!! When we go out to eat, I use my phone! Say were headed to Wendys. I type in Gluten Free menu and Wendys, and a list pops up. The chili is gf and baked potatoes! (theres more but I love those two) and you just don't add the crackers to the soup like I did the first time!! Its a learning process!!

So theres some of the things that can help you get started!!! Let me know if you have more questions that I can maybe help with! For the anxiety/antidepression medication people, this may not make a big change but even a little more energy is huge for me!! I hope it helps with you too!!

Gluten free is ME

2011-06-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

So, this is my new thing! I have been thinking about going gluten free for about 6 months and finally took the plunge. To be completely honest I was sick of having to know where the bathrooms were everywhere I went...for me, not for my kids! I used to work in a hair salon and there was this sweet old lady who had the walking farts something fierce and we would all quietly laugh....that was turning into me and Im only 30!!!! My dad decided to try it, I have a few cousins, and an aunt that all really notice a difference. I have been doing it for almost two weeks and can totally notice a difference. The biggest difference for me is the energy, that alone has been worth it! I feel so motivated! I just thought taking zoloft for my anxiety/depression was just going to make me sleepy all the time but the past few weeks have been great!!! I am so thankful. Things have been better in the potty room too! Yes, this is all a lot of TMI but this has been so great and so good for me to be reading labels and what I am putting into my body! I will let you know how it continues to go for me!

My Nephew is here!!

2011-06-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

Preston Kendall has arrived!! 6 weeks early but doing so good and his mommy is too!! Hes going to have to be in the NICU for a bit until he figures things out on his own a little more but other than that hes in so healthy! Praise God!!!! Here are a few pictures of the new little man. He is just so precious and cute and soft and makes the sweetest little faces, and wiggly, and I could go on and on. I am a very proud auntie!!

Preston Kendall, 5pds 10oz. 18inches

A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.

Author Unknown

Love you buddy! Cant wait to watch you grow!!!

Vintage Dick and Jane Baby Shower!

2011-05-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

This Sunday we got to celebrate my sister who is due to have a little guy soon!! I had it in my head to do a vintage dick and jane/ABC shower. Thankfully my mother in law saves absolutely everything and finding old things was easy. Here are a few pics of the get together.

Alphabet Sugar Cookies

The Goodies

Sisters! Love them!!

Outfits that my Grandpa wore when he was a baby! Precious Treasures!!

Yummy Yummy Yummy Cupcakes and Gluten free cake from brown sugar bake shop. They were marble with chocolate ganache in the center. heavenly!!

My two little helpers with their auntie and the baby they call bubba!

Fixed blog!!!

2011-05-28T06:56:00.000-07:00

Meet Katie, I adore her! Thanks to her I have my blog back. She fixed it and now I can keep everyone up to date on whatever it is I do! I wont be trying to change anything with templates any time soon, or I will just call Katie if I want to do something to it! This is her little kiddo Grayden and he likes to say "I appeeeeciate you" and its stinking cute! So Katie...."I appeeeeciate you"!!

Old window turned chalkboard!!!

2011-05-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to find and redo some old windows for the house. I love the look and love to refinish things lately! So, I found this big old window at a garage sale for 5.00! I took it home and sanded it with my hubby's sander so it was easy(glass too)! I put a light layer of paint over the frame and re sanded the edges. Next I bought chalkboard paint and sprayed a few layers on. When it was hung up I thought it needed just a little more and asked one of my creative friends what she thought. It just so happened that she had the perfect thing at home that she wasn't using and cost only 1.00. A tiny metal bird and little flowers.I loved it and took it home to paint a little and added it to the chalkboard! I love it! To top it off I found chalkboard markers from Fris Office Supply. It writes so much better and looks fabulous!!

the finished product!

one of the cute little flowers

3.00 garage sale redo...I don't like how I have it decorated yet. Ideas??

I re did two of these and love the new look

spray paint and sand paper are my friends!!

Field Trips and Trees

2011-05-14T06:15:00.000-07:00

I think we can officially say that winter is over and we are finally into spring!! Hallelujah!! Trees are full, the woods in our backyard are thick again, and if we had grass it would be green!! Ha ha! Birds are singing their songs and I love to hear them!!!! I love this time of year! May is always busy with school field trips, they gotta pack them in while the weathers nice. Ellies had a few and one I got to go along with was the Outdoor Discovery Center. Its one of our favorite places as a family to visit. This time was great with a tour guide to teach the kids (and mom) so much stuff.

Who has been here before?

Mr. Jamie showing the kids a minty smelling flower.

Looking for a leopard frog.

Looking for creatures.

I took this picture because Ellie is standing next to her buddy Parker here. She is quite a fan of Parker and I get to hear a lot about him. Its so cute!

Our little quiet road has had lots of activity lately. Next year our road will get paved! It will be so great to not have such a dirty van and take bike rides but its super sad to see these very old, large trees go down. I'm not really a tree hugger but still, it looks so bare around here. I am begging Dan to get some pine trees in here to fill it in a little!!

Before removing the big ones.

there it goes (tear, tear)

So bare, and I don't think they are done yet.

painting on pillows!

2011-04-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a blessed easter!! We had a great one celebrating Jesus!!! I have been busy with redoing some furniture. I have done two end tables and I love how they have turned out. I am hoping to tackle a bench this week! Not a lot of sewing happend this week. What I have done has been combined with painting. I love to paint and wish I was better at it!! Here are a few and a ruffled fun one!

sewing projects

2011-04-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

Craft day! I want way more of these! Some friends came over with crafts and we played, the kids played...it was something that needs to happen more for me, its a great way to get more ideas, try new things and just socialize!! Ha ha Jess, I got you in the picture!!

A new pillow that I tried! I found this one from www.cluckclucksew.com. Its called a sprocket pillow. I have to keep practicing...this one was tricky for me but SEW cute!!

the back! I am very into dick and Jane right now....later I will show you why.

Tulip onesies. I have made a few of these too, and a few orders for them! Gotta love a little extra cash to feed my sewing addiction!!

burp cloth and bib set!

I am working on pillows for my sister, this is one she gets to decide if she wants. I learned how to sew this flower from www.treyandlucy.blogspot.com I think I sewed 8-10 of these before I liked it. She makes it look so easy!! Turned out pretty cute though! So, there you have it, some more stuff I am monkeying around with. Hope you all had a great spring break!! Its finally starting to warm up (a little) in Michigan!

antique redo!

2011-04-04T18:49:00.000-07:00

My sweet dad and I went antiquing this past saturday and it was so fun. I dont often do that without the kids so I got to dig and really look at all the treasures. Plus time with my dad is priceless, we had a great day. One of the treasures I picked up were these pictures!

All I did was sand the frame, paint it in a soft white and sand the edges again for a cleaner antique look! I love them and love the look! It only cost me 12.00!! Love that!!!

Easter eggs...how to...

2011-03-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

It is such a bummer that easter egg kits haven't really changed in 30 some years. You can get tie dye, sparkle, swirl, throw on a sticker that doesn't really stick, or for something super exciting you can get a clear crayon and watch it magically appear after you dye it in super stinky vinegar colored water. So, what do you do instead......stalk other bloggers for ideas!!! I saw something similar on another blog and decided to try it. I love cute easter decorations and even more if I can make them super cheap!!

Hobby Lobby has paper mache eggs 3/$1.00. I took a few old childrens books and tore out nine pages, one for each egg. I took one of the pieces of paper and wet it under the sink. This makes it easier to tear (i liked the torn look over the scissors) and easier to shape around the egg. Modge podge the whole egg then start ripping what you want on the egg. Cover it all, modge podge it again and smooth it out as much as you can. Be careful not to rub too much or you'll end up rubbing off the paper. You will be sticky...its kind of fun!! Let your egg dry without touching the other eggs. Thats all there is too it! I have also thought of tearing up an old piano book too...wouldnt that look cute! Not something I have on hand! Cant wait for garage sale season so I can stock up on random things!! Happy egg decorating!!!

Spring...I love....

2011-03-17T18:08:00.000-07:00

I love spring, I love that I can poop my kids out by sending them outside and that they can explore the woods and puddles...they love it out here!!, I love the birds singing, I love seeing little green buds poking up, I love Michigan and that we appreciate spring because we just came out of a long winter, I love not having to pack snow clothes for school , I love how its lighter out later, I love, love Jesus and thank Him for seasons and all the beauty each one brings!!!

I found this blog with a tutorial, its here.... http://www.cluckclucksew.com/2009/10/tutorial-scrap-buster-fall-pillow.html . I love this pillow!!! I made mine springy instead of fallish!! I needed a little owl break! :) If any of you want me to make you any of these pillows (like the people I know, I'm not so sure I want to ship these all over) I honestly would love to, as long as you're okay with all my imperfections! :)

new hair pretty

2011-03-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

So, I made this tonight in about 20 min. and its so easy!! I will post a tutorial if anyone is interested. Ellie needed some new hair accessories so I threw in some green for tomorrows St. Patricks day! Have a great day bloggers!!

Owls....again

2011-03-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, I just posted about Owls I made and it disappeared?? So, I will try this again!! I have been trying to make a pattern that I really like and this is my favorite so far. Let me know what you think, what I should add or try differently. I decided to add pockets on these...maybe for pacifiers, the tooth fairy or just some little treasures. They are really fun for me to make and I love using different patterns!!

Ice and Owls

2011-03-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend Dan surprised the girls with tickets to Disney Princess' on Ice!! They had a blast!! I totally enjoyed it too!! The lights, costumes, music...so very Disney!!! Aubrey pretty much just stood clapping the whole time while Ellie's eyes looked like they were going to bug out of her head!! I love being able to take them to super special things like that! I would highly recommend it to anyone with little girls!!

The 7 dwarfs

Tinkerbell going for a ride

The girls' favorite part...the big fiery dragon!!!

I have been trying to come up with a pattern for an owl. Owls are my fav bird!! They are also my favorite to sew right now. So far this is my the pattern I like, I will probably always keep tweaking them but I think they are pretty cute. To jazz them up a bit, I added pockets to the back...maybe for pacifiers, money from the tooth fairy or for my daughter, treasures that are only special to her!! :) Let me know what you think, what should I add or do differently?

Felt Flower Tutorial

2011-03-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

Quite a few of you have asked how I have made the felt pillow flower. There is a blog that I found one on but I did it a little different. I am not usually very good at giving directions or explaining things well so bare with me. If you are a perfectionist this tutorial is going to drive you buggy because I just wing everything and don't have exact amounts or measurements to any of what I do. Sorry!!!
This flower can be done with or without a sewing machine! It truly is easy and can be done in an hour or so....really I don't know how long it takes. I stop to get someone a drink, help get out a toy, etc. :)

Step one, decide how big you want your pillow and where you want your flower/s to be. I find a CD works for a good object to trace, it makes a nice sized flower. I start by cutting out felt circles. Cut out about 2in. across and cut out 10 or so start and then cut those circles in half. Each of mine are a little different, I don't cut them all out exactly the same, I like the look that gives.

Like my choice of CD!? lol!

Next you need to lay out your first layer of the flower, overlap them and then pin the petals down. Use either your sewing machine or by hand to secure this layer.

The first layer, see how IMperfect it is....thats okay!!!

With the second layer, you use the same sized circle halves as the first layer.

When you get to the next layer cut some smaller circles. As I do this layer I create a small crease in the petal. It gives it a little dimension. Your machine will kind of want to do this crease anyway. Mine does anyway.

So heres what it looks like after four layers. Add more or less, do whatever you want for your look. There are no right or wrong ways to do this.

I like to add a twisted flower to the middle. All I do is simply cut a section of the felt and twist it. I sew it by hand with dmc floss. Use a strong needle to get through the felt.

Heres where you twist until you form enough of a flower to cover the center.

Looks like this as I do it, then I secure it to the middle of the flower.

Here is what you end up with, flippin adorable!!

Today I decided to add a small flower too, so I did the same as the other.

Now you sew it and make it a pillow!! Careful ironing around it...but you will want to iron, it gets kind of wrinkly looking!

So, here is the front of it.

And to change it up a little bit, I put a patterned fabric on the back.

There you have it, simple, fun and all your own!! Plus these are cheap to make...if you shop clearance bins like I do!! :) Have fun with these and I would love to see pictures of your own!! If you have more questions or I didn't explain well enough please comment or send me an email!! Thanks for your interest in my crafting!!

a few new sumin' sumin's to share

2011-03-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

So, I decided to play around with something a little different than pillows. Well, I shouldn't say that, this is an stuffed owl. There are so many cute ones out there so I thought I would try a small one and see what happens. Its not bad but has some pretty large ears!! I wanted to work on a "ladder stitch" here and I am not very good, definetly need more practice. Thanks becki for letting me know what it is!! Things will be much more professional looking!!

Aubrey still thought it was the coolest thing ever...gotta love her!

I have been wanting to put some ruffles on something ever since I figured out how to do it on the machine...so fun and easy! I found something like this on line and thought I would try it on a kid size shirt first. When I do it again I will do it on a tank top and add a few smaller ruffles. Kind of cute!

Life and pillows (shocker, I know!)

2011-03-02T16:06:00.000-08:00

Happy March!!! I love being able to write that! It feels like spring is in sight now. February is the shortest month yet the longest feeling month!!! Hooray for waiting for the daffodils to peak out!

Little Ell is already taking home school projects! The kitchen was a mess of magazines and modge podge. She had a lot of fun making "her" and even let her little sister help!

For school, parents are asked to make a Jazzy Jar for fun night. I decided to make mini bean bags with some scrap fabrics. They are used with tickets and can include anything from candys to gift cards etc. Kind of a fun thing for parents and kids!

The pillows this week are these...one with felt bundles and one with a doily. (or as Dan said "nice spider web pillow")Both ideas came from the Girl Creative blog on my page. Dan asked me what in the world I am going to do with all of these pillows so if you have an idea, let me know. I was wondering if there are any fundraisers around here that could use some?? Like church auctions? Contact me if you would be interested. The house can only use so many pillows!!

90 years Celebration and of course...more pillows!

2011-02-27T13:15:00.000-08:00

This weekend was my great grandmas 90th birthday!! Wow, 90 years!! As I was working on some projects for her party I read a lot about the year 1921. So so much has happened in her lifetime! Through all of it, she has followed Christ and wants that for each one of us and I love her for instilling that in her family! Here is a 5 generation picture of great gram in the middle, gram in the back standing, my mom with my kids and me on the left. After seeing this picture weight watchers is screaming my name again...good grief I hate how that happens when you see a pic of yourself. Anywho, on to the pillows.

I made this one out of scrap fabric at joanns,(under $2.00) and the bottom of my daughters old dress that has a stain on it. I cut the bottom off, wound it into the flower and hand stitched it on. Then I took some other scrap fabric I had and did an accordion fold and hand stiched the ends to unfold into a circle then I decided to add a few buttons from a giant bag of buttons my mom gave me. So, this one cost me about 3.00 when I was done.

This one I decided to try today because I keep seeing blogs of people using this "wonder under" stuff and I had to give it a whirl. So, I came up with an easy pear, used the "wonder under" and stitched around it. Its so not perfect but fun to use. Opens up a whole new area of sewing!!

(showing the front and back)

So, there are a lot of things I am learning about sewing! First, I love You Tube. I have learned how to use my machine that way and lots of different tricks and advice. I never thought useing pins was going to be as important as it is, along with ironing. Both very useful in sewing!! As long as the machine works good I find it to be really relaxing and rewarding. I dont see myself making clothes for my kids in the future but the stuff I am making now is fun.If anyone has tips or tricks for me please let me know! Im open to learning!! I have a towel sewing pattern I want to try this week. If it goes okay, I will show ya! Thanks for checking out my new sewing addiction!

Sharing...

2011-02-24T19:59:00.001-08:00

Here is the sight that I found from the flower pillow. I tweaked it and did a smaller version. Really easy!!

http://www.cluckclucksew.com/2008/09/petal-pillow-tutorial.html

Pillow crazy!!!

2011-02-23T18:07:00.000-08:00

I will admit I am obsessed...and I enjoy it! So heres what I have been doing. I look up blogs about moms like me and try what looks cute and doable for me. I think I am so into it because I feel like I finally have a place to do this stuff and my kids are old getting old enough and busy enough on their own. So, I think all these ideas came from the blog "The Girl Creative" These are sooo not perfect but they're good enough for me!
One more thing I found to do with old kids books is cards and I cut out words from the books to add as well and little embellishments. Pretty cute! Although, I cant use these cards because my lovely ladies signed them on the inside! nice!

My Girls...

2011-02-22T18:57:00.000-08:00

zipper down, shorts too small from last summer...looking good ellie!

blue eyes, green dot on nose

art work

notice...same day, new outfits. They change at least 3 times a day!!!!

Beauty queen on her first day of school!!

Snow days bring on lots of me entertaining and coming up with crafts and yes, I do end up throwing them in front of the tv so I can get things picked up and caught up! When we don't leave the house all day I let the girls just put on whatever they want. Lately its been swim wear!????? Wackos! They have been having beach parties putting on gobs of lotion as sunscreen. I love that they are finally using the basement together. It has taken awhile for them not to want me down there too. We also painted for a long time...as they get older their attention span is getting better. Love! Ellies art is getting so cute! Much more detailed.

Aubrey had her first enrichment class at HC today. She was so pumped up about it! She would have gone to all of them but she is just now potty trained...and I cant yet say completely. Sometimes she will just pee because "she doesn't feel like going right now" She is so stubborn!!!! I am just glad we are this far and she can get in a few more of the classes!! She had to take a backpack with some of her treasures. Her treasures included, scented lotion, a tiny stuffed animal, a bottle for the animal, her princess crown, and a picture she drew for mrs. sytsema. She always has a stash of little things with her. In her room, will be little things all laid out in a row just so and if we move it she goes ape on us! Its so funny!! Ellie was so sweet to her after school looking at all of her pictures and telling her what a good job she did. I love watching them grow together, they are my treasures. I cant get over how blessed we are that God is letting us raise two of his children! Being their mom is the best job ever!!!

what I did today

2011-02-20T19:44:00.000-08:00

I go through spurts, I will read like crazy for a while, sometimes I crochet 10 wash clothes in a row, or for one week I will crosstitch every night for hours...right now its copy cat blog crafts. If only I had an addiction to exercise...oh well! This is way more fun! Today I made a t-shirt necklace. Found it on a blog and thought I would try it. So, here it is! Kinda cute! Took a little longer than I thought, but hey it was free! Love that! I also made some pillows...I ran out of thread so you'll have to wait to see the other three but here is one of them. I get all my fabric so far as scrap in leftover bins a hobby lobby, or joanns. Cheapola! Since I am still self teaching myself sewing with a machine, I don't want to put a lot of money into something that could end up in the trash!

house additions

2011-02-19T10:01:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics of things we have done recently. Living with my dear husband there are always going to be house projects! Its fun though, we enjoy it! We finished off the bathroom back splashes with tiles...not so fun but looks good now that its all done!! I also am always crafting something and get inspired by others blogs and what they do. I see it and want to try it so I make many visits to hobby lobby, Michaels, and JoAnns. These letters I did this week for Ellies room. I think they turned out pretty good! It was a lot of fun and cheap...whole project under $10.00!!

tonights craft...

2011-02-14T17:46:00.000-08:00

Garage sale finds!

Painted the boards brown, sanded the edges, cut out the pictures I wanted to use.
Modge Podge the pictures onto the board and over the whole thing.
Cut some fabric I had and super glued and stapled it to the back, tied a knot and tada, these are now hanging in our half bath behind the potty!! :)

Reading other blogs today got me in the crafty mood but I didn't feel like leaving the house today to shop. So, I had to get more creative by shopping around my house for something to make. Here is what I came up with. I found two boards dan had in the house (hope he didn't need them for something :)) At garage sales this summer I would get random books for the girls...I have a few pretty old ones that I didn't toss out yet and now I am glad I kept them!! With some paint, some modge podge, and a little fabric I did these in less than 2 hours...most was just drying time! I love birds right now, I guess its living where we do but thats why I chose what I did. I totally dig the shabby chic look that's in right now and I really love when it doesn't cost me a dime!! What ya think?!

Craft!!

2011-01-29T06:30:00.000-08:00

I came across this Valentines day craft on line and the girls and I tried it out. All you do is collect crayon shavings,(i used an old lemon zester) put it in between wax paper,iron, and cut out hearts. It got a little messy with the shavings but it cleaned up easy.

Green Thumb??

2011-01-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

We are settling in well at home! We enjoyed having all the parties here this year!! Family time is the best time!!! The girls again have been spoiled rotten! We always love celebrating Jesus' birthday!!
Now that the trees are down, we have some massive bare spots! So, I have been researching plants. I tend to get winter blues and reading into it, plants are very beneficial for depression, allergies, mold etc. Right now Lowes has some great plants on sale so we are going to give this plant growing a try! I am actually excited about it! What a noodle I am!! Here's some of what we got to try out! I also want to find some rosemary, basil, herbs. Any ideas where to get them!??

all moved in!

2010-12-12T19:01:00.000-08:00

HOME!!

2010-12-04T17:48:00.000-08:00

We are home!! I cant believe we're finally in here. Twelve years ago Dan and I started dating and quickly started talking about our future together. There is a pond right near our house that we used to go fishing and swimming in and do a lot of talking!! Many of our talks were of Dan saying how much he wanted this property someday, that it would just be a great place to live and raise a family....well, here we are. It seems so surreal to be sitting here in this beautiful home. We woke up this morning to watching a deer in our backyard and some super crazy squirrels. I feel so blessed. Ellie said it best in her prayer the other night "thank you Jesus for this lovely, lovely, lovely home, its so lovely!" Our prayer is that this house is a home of comfort, happiness and safety. That God will use this house to bring others closer to Him for its because of Him we are here!!!

crafts and house

2010-11-20T18:03:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm making another slide to show you progress. Things are moving along and that makes me happy!! Sinks are going in and being hooked up, electrical is all going in and fixtures going up, paint is on almost all the walls, the island was put together today and i love it!! Dan will have a majority of the next week off so that will be a huge help and I am hoping we will get far!! Hoping to move in in a few weeks!! Hallelujah, we will have a home again!!

I absolutely cant wait to put up all our Christmas decorations! I love to do it anyway, but in a new house...oh I just cant wait!! I have been inspired to come up with some crafts from a MOPS meeting a few weeks ago. I have a few pics of the things I made. So cheap, and so fun!!

This will be a busy week of house work, thanksgiving parties,shopping, and more house stuff!! I will however take the time to be thankful for the blessings that God has given us. I cant put into words how thankful I am for the life God has given me and my family. For the promise of eternal life with Him, for the opportunity to share His love! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

(this blog post is dedicated to Kim T.... ha ha! Here's your update babe!!)

2010-10-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

So, this is where we are at...its getting there and im getting excited and antsy!! I cant wait to be in there!!! The more changes I see, the more excited we get!!! It may look like we have a ways to go but a lot will be happening in the next few weeks. Painting, counters, island, flooring...finishing touches!!
Dan has had a very busy job that has set us back 3-4 weeks. We are so blessed he has the job and is so busy but yet we bummed that he couldnt do as much. Oh well, hopefully we will be in sometime in november!
Besides the house, we are all doing good. So far, healthy besides colds/coughs. Ellie still loves school and has lots of new friends, Aubs is going through a major stinker stage (again) and she still isnt potty trained. Im pretty sure she will never go to school because she wont use a dog gone toilet! GRRR!! Its a very frustrating thing for me! Good thing shes cute and can crack me up!
I have recently learned to crochet and I love to do it. Im not great but good enough! I'd love to take a class on using a sewing machine this winter...after we're settled in. I cant wait for my craft room (dan calls it an exercise room..ha ha) to be done to throw all this fun stuff in it!! Anyway, thats where we are at!

blog slacker!!

2010-07-19T19:33:00.001-07:00

I have totally been slacking again! Sorry!! Summers are busy and fun and full of camping and this year building the new house!!!Its fun to watch the progress but im not gonna lie, I miss dan!!! I am also glad that hes able to do a ton of work himself and save us money!!
We have had three camping trips already with one more to go! We have had such great times and made so many memories. As soon as we get back the girls start asking when the next trip is! Aubrey turned three and Ellies going to be turning five in august! School is right around the corner! Summer just flies!!! The girls finished swimming lessons and did great. Im just going to let the slideshow do the talkin'!!!

May

2010-05-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

May was a great month! Weather is warmer, tulip time, camping begins, school ends, its just a super kick off to summer!! Ellie graduated from preschool which was bittersweet. It was such a fun year, all of it so new for us. We were so proud of her and all she has learned and how she has grown. Shes excited for a break and looking forward to young 5s next fall!! Our first camping trip was fabulous! Well, croup invaded camping so it got cut short for a few of us but other than that it was a super week!!! Today we celebrated our freedom by playing in the mud at the Meistes!!! Take a look at these pictures...the kids love playing there!!! Oh, and we went to Binder zoo on mothers day which was just a perfect day with my girls, dan and my dad! I will just post all the pics.... ((apparently my computer is giving me issues so you will have to stay tuned for the pics, sometimes technology just drives me crazy!))

waiting patiently!

2010-04-28T17:17:00.002-07:00

new friends

reading to her animals

Uncle jeffy reading

So, I frequently have been asked how the house is coming and whats happening so I thought I would post whats going on. Unfortunetly I have nothing to share with you. Dan continues to burn wood and cut it but thats it. We would love to get going but the title company says to wait 30 days. From what I understand, title companies have always had this rule but until recently havent enforced it. So, everything is set with the bank, with who we plan on using for all of the different things being done, (I think, thats kind of dans department), colors are picked for the outside. (thanks gdk ladies for helping out with that one!!) So, were ready to roll just abiding by all the rules first!

Living with the VDKs has been going great. We are all used to schedules and what we do and when. I think the kids think they have two sets of parents. Just this morning Aubrey woke up about 6am and came up to uncle jeff who was getting ready for work. She was all distraught saying that Ellie was going to drive her away...dreaming. So uncle jeffy calmed her down and brought her back to bed and tucked her back in. Dan and I slept through it, we had no idea until he came home from work and told us. I just think its sweet that she went to him and he totally took care of it! I am pumped up to get outside and hopefully put in some landscaping with them soon. The kids are making friends with kids in the neighborhood. One in particular named Kennedy! They wake up asking if today they can play with her! Its so cute! So, thats us lately. Hopefully I can post pictures of some kind of progress with the house soon!!!

We are in Drenthe!!

2010-03-10T04:18:00.000-08:00

Sooo, heres the update on us! We have moved out of the hotel this past weekend and are now at Jeff and Angies. The basement they finished for us is so nice. I love the smell of new carpet and paint. The girls are adjusting wonderfully. They love having more room to run and this weather has been perfect for bike rides and just running around outside. Praise the Lord for warmer weather!!! I have enjoyed being back in the kitchen and being able to clean again, and do laundry without using quarters and taking the elevator to do it!! (although I do miss all of the sweet people we got to hang out with all day there!!) Weird how I missed all of that housework but I so did. Its my calling in life right now I guess?!

I am so excited to have spring finally around the corner!! I cant wait to help outside with landscaping stuff,grilling, mowing and just sitting out there soaking up some vitamin D. The girls ask almost everyday when we are going camping, that is definitely a high lite of our summer!!! I cant wait either!!!!

Oh, I was so excited talking summer I forgot that we are still in the house building process. Right now I can honestly say its not going like I thought. I really thought we would have started by now but were not. Drawings just aren't coming together like I thought they would. We keep looking and tweaking it but something isn't flowing just right yet and that's so frustrating and its not something you can just say "oh, good enough"...its a house for goodness sakes!! So, I just keep praying that God will make it clear to us what should be happening with the drawing plans and hopefully soon we will know!! Patience right!!?

The Suite Life of Dan and Val...

2010-01-27T17:04:00.000-08:00

...is still doing great! The kids, Dan, and I are still having a great time. We are often in the pool at night. We hang out in the lobby during the day chatting with the workers, and drawing them beautiful pictures! I know the housekeepers schedule, what meals are good and which are not! I think when we move out of here (probably in 3 weeks) we will miss all the people around all the time!

Last week was a big craft day at mops and these are the crafts my craft buddy Katie and I came up with. We took these clear glass stone things cut out paper circles, and glued them all together to magnets and this is what we came up with...

The next thing we made where coasters. We got ahold of some tiles that were donated and bought a whole lot of rub ons from hobby lobby. Once the rub ons were applied we applied a sealer and felt pads to the bottom and there ya have it! Cute huh!?

HOME...for now.

2010-01-05T06:36:00.000-08:00

The house is officially sold and we are out!! I thought it was going to be super hard but I was so sick of packing that I just wanted out so bad!! Living here isnt bad at all. I have played a lot with the kids and am thankful for all the time I get to just play!!! All I have to do is my laundry...everything else is done!!! The above picture is what our living area is suppost to look like, later I will have to take a picture of what it looks like when the Nyhofs invade!!!

Here is where we eat breakfast and supper and its always really good! Last night was taco and nacho night! Yummy!! The pool isnt up and running yet but hopefully in the next few days. It is being repainted and cleaned! The girls and I have also taken some toys to play here just for a change of scenery.

packing up!

2009-12-29T06:51:00.000-08:00

We are in the process of packing and its more work than I thought it would be. We have boxes for garage sale, for the hotel, for storage, for jeff and angies, for dumping...its crazy!!! Dan has been busy making a new home at the Meistes for the dogs. They will stay there until we move to our new house. Thank you meistes!!! He has finished that and today we will be getting the enclosed trailer for bringing boxes away! The timing of all of this couldn't be better, again God has perfect timing! Dan had to use up vacation so he is off all week and Leona is on Christmas break and is able to help out watching the girls.

Aubrey is very excited about all of this. She just really wants to go in the pool! Ellie is having a harder time, she cant quite comprehend whats happening. She tells me often she doesn't want to move, and she wants to live here forever! So sweet. This is the only home shes ever known! When we tell her how much fun she will have living next to her cousins and that they can play all the time she is excited but I think she thinks we will be living outside in the woods, she doesn't get that there will be a house there eventually! I know that she will be just fine and they will adjust! I continually tell them that it doesn't matter where we live as long as were all together as a family!!!

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-25T06:28:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to you all!! This is a crazy time of year with a lot of busyness going on and this year we have even more!!! We have sold our house! We sold it in less than 2 months, we were shocked!! We have had a lot of inspections and waiting to hear back from those but we passed all of them and we will be signing this week Wednesday and out of the house 7 days after that. We will first be living at the Residence Inn for about 6 weeks. I am totally looking forward to that, Monday through Thursday they serve breakfast and supper!! Hot Dog!!!! Plus we will have the pool and hot tub to enjoy! After the hotel stay we will be moving into Jeff and Angies house until ours is finished. We pray that this will all go smoothly and we can enjoy it and not get too stressed out as we hope to not have to do this building thing again!! Happy Holidays to you all and Happy Birthday to our Savior Jesus Christ!!!!

Thanksgiving week!

2009-11-29T20:06:00.000-08:00

Heres whats happened in the Nyhof home lately...We have had a lot of activity with our house being for sale! We have been surprised at how many showings we have had. I have a routine on how I clean the house for them! We have had an offer and if all goes as planned the house could be sold. Where are we going to live you might be asking and the answer is we dont know, but God does. We have a few options out there and I am sure everything will fall into place! Building probably wont happen until Marchish.

This week my great friend Steph and I went to go see the much anticipated movie NEW MOON, it was fantastic and we cant wait for the next one in June. Who knew that I would become so obsessed with this series. I seriously feel like a teenage girl dreaming about a heartthrob on t.v. Its crazy!

A few weeks ago I dragged my grandma with me to a Punch Needle Embroidery class in Jenison. I loved it!! Its just another thing I can do during the long winters! This is the one I just finished tonight...mine has a few different colors, I grabbed a picture of this one on line. I would like to try and do a few Christmas ornaments next!! If you want to learn I would be happy to show you how! Its easy!!!

Thanksgiving was great! I love the holidays!! Wednesday night dan and I did the turkey, we did it different this year. Its called spatchcocking a turkey...you cut out the backbone, flip it over, crack the bones and throw it in the oven for a few hours. It was easy and yummo! Dan wanted creamed turkey so thats what I did. We had dad over for dinner on Thursday and went to my moms at night. Friday we had a showing, and on Saturday. Saturday night we went to Dans side for Thanksgiving and that was great too!! Prayerfully next year we will be able to have all the parties at our NEW house! Wouldnt that be great!!? I am super excited to be able to do that! Hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving with your families! Enjoy your week!!

Winning at Home!

2009-11-16T17:32:00.000-08:00

I had my first counselor meeting today and I wasnt quite sure what to expect but it went great. I really believe they can help me control my anxious thoughts without having to continue to up my medication! It feels so great to know that this can be solved. It sounds like over the next few sessions I will be having to dig up the past and she has warned me that it can get tough but it will all help in the long run. I just really felt like I was right where God wanted me to be. I will not let Satan steal my joy and peace I will live my life to the fullest as God has intended for all of us.
Something else that has really helped me out lately and has drawn me closer to God is the book Sparkling Gems by Rick Renner. My dad recommended it to me and I havent given it back to him yet. Sorry dad!! I just love it and am soaking it up like a sponge!! So if you need a new devotional or a great Christmas present this would be great!! Have a great week bloggers!!

2009-11-08T17:45:00.000-08:00

Things have been better with my anxiety. I am thrilled to have been able to get in at Winning at Home and to see someone who takes insurance! That's coming up in about a week. I also have a Dr. appt. set up in a few weeks to see if maybe I will need to change my medications. I have received so many emails from people after writing my last post...we should start a support group or something!! Gee Whizzers! This cartoon is perfectly fitting for me...

So far, my kiddos have been healthy! Praise God for that!! I did have them get the first dose of the HINI, hoping to be able to get the next dose when they need it!

Aubs has been as naughty as ever but hilarious too! Ellie is 4 going on 14, she is suddenly into the Jonas brothers show, Hannah Montana, and Suite Life on Deck...so crazy. The other day I had to do her hair just like Miley Cyrus. Shes still adoring school, and we love seeing her grow. Dans been remodeling the old Family Fitness center in Holland, kind of nice that hes working close to home so we can stop in and see him. The girls love to visit daddy at work! So far it looks like a quiet week at the Nyhofs and I am totally great with that. Hope you all have great weeks as well!

Just not myself...

2009-11-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

So I am going to share with the world a bit about myself so I can ask for your prayers. For about 7 years I have been dealing with generalized anxiety disorder and have been on medication for it which has been working and I have been doing great but recently I had a health scare that I have been told I am okay and I am so thankful for, but my anxiety has not gone away even on my meds. I know this is satan trying to take me down and take my joy. If you have never experienced anxiety its kind of hard to explain but its like I am doing my day to day activities while living in fear of anything and everything. So that brings on a type of depression where I just want to sleep the days away...its honestly just a horrible thing. I have contacted winning at home for advice and counseling, I refuse to live this way it affects everyone around me. It affects me physically and I am just drained!! So if I am not myself,please forgive me and know that I am doing all I can to get this fixed. So if you think of it and can send a prayer my way i would appreciate it. Thanks blog friends!!

life lately...

2009-10-03T19:22:00.000-07:00

Life at the Nyhofs has been great. Let me catch you up on whats been going on. I had jury duty the middle of September, that was a learning experience I could have lived without. It wouldn't have been so bad if the case didn't bug me like it did. We live in a very sinful world and I have just had to remind myself who is in charge of that world and He brings me comfort. Because of that, we had to pass on our last camping trip of the year...that was a bummer. So the camper is all winterized and put away.

On the up side, its fall and that's my favorite time of year! I love all the fall foods, the crisp air, colors and smells. Its the best!!

Ellie adores school! She is great at it!!! She loves her teachers and everything that goes with it. Its amazing how much of a difference I see in her already. Dan went on her first field trip to Teusinks farm. It was a chilly wet day but they had a great time together. She has a great daddy willing to do that kind of thing with her!!

Aubrey on the other hand is a bit difficult lately. I love the girl with everything I have but boy is she a stinker!! She is my more artsy daughter, she loves to sit and color or paint and for 2 years old, shes pretty good. A few nights ago we thought she had finally fallen asleep. (lately its been between 10-12 before she falls asleep) So, I went off to bed and as I go up the stairs I see this drawing all the way up the stairs and I am not just talking about a line...there are many large circles!! I was so mad for not hearing her!!! She wants to do EVERYTHING herself and she gets down right ticked off if you try to help her. She is evil to Ellie, but that can go both ways! She cracks us up and has a great personality but right now...she just poops me out!!!

One more big thing in our lives is we are looking into selling our house! We have talked to a realtor and are thinking we will have the house up for sale in the next few weeks. This seems so crazy yet we have been talking about it for so long. Who knows what will happen, we are just really praying and listening to what God wants for us. So that is all for now! Thanks for reading!! :)

This is what we caught Aubrey doing at 10:30 tonight...making beds for babies.

Ellie with Daddy!

this is when I caught Aubrey coloring this wall, I made her clean it up. If you could see her face, you would see her crying asking for more soap (on the washcloth). Getting caught isnt good!!

School days!!!

2009-09-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

At the new school!!

Getting excited!

Ellie before school

Ellie had her first day of school today. It was only for one hour but she loved it and did great. Getting up so stinkin' early was a little rough on all of us but we managed. Ellie had some nervous stomach issues this morning and couldn't eat any breakfast...she is such a Prins. Once we were there it was fine. Being super on time was kind of nice so she got comfortable b/f all the kiddos came! She came home with all kinds of papers! I am so excited to make the first scholastic book order...I dont know why I have been so looking forward to those!? We got her color,number and shape of the month plus all of it in spanish!! Wow! We pray she continues to do well and enjoy her year at preschool!!

Day at DeVos

2009-09-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

Well she did it, Aubrey had her tests done at DeVos today and did soo well!! We arrived on time and she had a chance to play in the cool waiting area with a large fish tank, play room with a tv for video games, toys, books, it was definetly kid friendly. First she had her ultra sound and she did amazing, the nurse had her lay on her tummy and play with a toy then had her flip on her back to get some more pics of her kidneys. The tech told us if she didnt know it, she wouldn't have ever guessed that she was only 2. She did that good. We were brought to another kid friendly room to wait to take the medication that would make her sleepy. She played with all the toys in the room and watched a show about tigers with Dad. Eventually she was given the sedative and it only took a few minutes before we noticed her giggles and heavy limbs. We had to laugh, it was like she just got off of a merry-go-round and her head was 20 pounds. She thought it was funny too! Praise the Lord that she was silly, we were told some kids get super emotional because they cant move like they want to. When we did the test she did really well until she had to pee, she started crying pretty hard then. I dont know if it hurt or she started to panic but it was soon all over and we could go home. All in all it went so well and we were so proud of her, and thankful to God that so far it all looked good!
Not sure if this video will work, I will work on it if it doesnt.

2009-08-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

School is right around the corner and I feel I need to get myself more organized. There is alot of things coming up that I cant forget about! SO, my question for you moms that have been doing this school thing for a while is how do you stay organized? I was thinking of getting some kind of calendar or planner...what do you use? Thanks for your input ahead of time!

Birthdays and Bladder Infections

2009-08-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

This week has been a little rough for Miss Aubrey. On Tuesday afternoon she started complaining of a back ache (lower) really bad complaining!!! So I called the Dr. took her in and of course she was totally fine...so we thought. On Friday she had started with a fever and super tired, fussy just couldn't seem to get comfortable. Saturday we called our Dr. and he recommended going in. We sat in the ER for a good chunk of the afternoon. Got a cathedar and did so good with it. As a mom and a person with super high anxiety issues I am thinking the absolute worst and PRAYING for a simple solution. Praise God we got an easy solution, she has a bladder infection. Kind of weird that she never complained when she had to pee but I guess were all different. Anyway, I was thinking that by Sunday afternoon she'd be feeling better. Wrong!! She woke up from her Sunday afternoon nap with Daddy with a fever again and just the same as before. I was holding her just praying that God could give me an answer and tell me what to do for her and seconds later it hit me that I needed to check the messages on my phone and God answered my prayer by having a nurse from the hospital call and say we needed to call her back, the medicine they gave us wasn't going to be helping her get better. So with this new drug she should be feeling better tomorrow. As a mom I am praising God that we have medicine and doctors and most of all prayers for our kids!

It was Ellies fourth birthday on Saturday too!! Luckily she was totally thrilled to go hang out at grandpa and grandmas for the day. Saturday night I took her with me to church and while we were gone daddy baked her a cake...how sweet is that!!? She was super excited. We also took her to toys r us and she got a cool new marble racer toy and the bedroom set to her dollhouse!! She had a great birthday!! We are looking forward to a stress free relaxing week camping again before all the school events start!! School...ahhhh!!!

Busy Fun Summer!!

2009-08-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

We are having a great summer over here at the Nyhofs! I havent blogged in a while so let me bring you up to speed. Since my last post we have a new nephew/cousin, Owen Mark was born on July 3!! Hes so sweet, looks just like his daddy!
We have camped three times (i think). That is just the best. Our girls love it and so do I...we have had great trips with so many different people. Looking forward to all the rest.

Ellie took swimming lessons a few weeks ago. It went better than I thought and it really boosted her confidence. Praise for Monica for taking on the challenge of ellie in the water!!

I have been selected for jury duty for the last few weeks of september...of course over a camping trip!! Grr, not excited but ya gotta do what you gotta do I guess.

The girls have gotten a new sandbox made by their dad and they love that. Ellie really loves throwing sand down aubreys diaper! Everyday is an adventure with the girls...they are so active and curious. I could put that another way by saying they have so much darn energy and are into everything they shouldnt be...thats really what I was thinking!!! I love them so stinkin' much!!!!

We had this big ol ordeal with our bed and to make a long story short, we got money back for our old one and got a new one for a lot cheaper so we purchased carpet that we got on sale too. It looks so much better and more up to date.

I think thats about it for now. Coming up we will be getting ready for some school shopping!! I am so excited for that to start for Ellie!! We have some more camping to do, a birthday for Ellie, day at Shipsea, good times and more sunshine ahead!!!!!!

2009-06-14T17:31:00.000-07:00

Aubrey is two!!! Not that I would have to tell you that, if you spend any amount of time with her you will know how old she is. She wants her way all the time and throws many tantrums because I wont give in to her!!! She is a stinker lately and yet she is our cuddler, our singer, our brave one, and always an entertainer!!! We love her dearly, she is precious and is such a blessing!!! Here is pictures from today, her first birthday party combined with Ellies. Her birthday is in August so instead of having 6 parties we have 3. The girls had a great day dinner, cake, presents, and a water fight to top it off!!

Obsessed...

2009-06-07T18:29:00.000-07:00

So I have a new obsession going on right now. A few weeks ago I was at the library and they had the movie Twilight there, I decided to rent it to see what all the hype was about. I quickly found out and am now in love with a fictional character who happens to be a vampire and I am kind of digging the werewolf too. I normally wouldnt get into a vampire book but this movie got me hooked and the books are even better!! Call me crazy but they are really good, so if you want to try something new and you havent read these yet go and get them because I would love to chat with you about them. Thank goodness my girlfriend is also reading them and we can talk together about what is going on! Dan doesnt really get why I am so excited so thanks Steph for loving Edward the way I do..ha ha ha!! I am on the third book right now and there is one more...I want to know what happens but yet I dont want them to end!! So now you know what I have been doing all week!!!

updates in reverse

2009-05-31T20:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I have been slacking in blog world lately. Here is some of what we have been doing. Summer is so busy and I absolutely love it!!! I feel like we live outside as much as possible! Dan just built the girls a sandbox so they love that, I have been planting and weeding and we just started a little garden out back. We are so excited to get back into camping! For me, it just doesnt get much better than being with great friends, relaxing, drinking coffee, playing games, watching the kids get filthy dirty, spending time as a family and just making memories!!!

A trip to the zoo

Camping at Dutch treat in Zeeland. We had a great week with great friends and cant wait for more!

JEff and Angies wedding was perfect. Everything went so smooth and it was so beautiful! They had a great honeymoon and are adjusting nicely to married life!

Free Jewelry...

2009-05-06T10:28:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to share with you ladies the FREE jewels I just recieved for having a small show!! All but two of these were free, the other two were half off!! I am just super excited to wear all of these jewels and had to share my excitement. If you want to know a great jeweler let me know and I will have Stephanie get in contact with you!!

sunday adventures...

2009-05-03T17:40:00.000-07:00

Dan was gone overnight for the bachelor party so Sunday we decided to head over to Wildlife Unlimited. If you have never been there before, it is a great time for adults and kids!! I have just as much fun as they do!! Plus its a great time for them to learn some things and get exercise!! The girls are beyond tired and so am I!! Good times!!!

2009-04-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

Dentist

2009-04-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

She did great!! Ellie had her first dentist appointment today and did well. A while back I took her for her first haircut and she had a crying fit and I had to be mean! So...I figured this could go real bad as well. Ell shocked me by sitting still and listening to the hygenist and Dr. Maybe it helped that Dr. Bolt is family but either way I was so glad she did well! As a reward we stopped at Rite Aid for a prize. She reallllly wanted fake nails like the "cool girls" ( i dont know where that comes from??) but she settled on blue nail polish with fun nail stickers. Here are a few pictures...

stuff...

2009-04-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

The countdown to Angie and Jeffs wedding is getting closer!! A few weeks ago we worked on her super cute wedding favors! Her dress is finally here and ready to go, our dresses are all set, things are coming along.

Another craigs list buy...Ellies headboard and footboard. Soo cute!! She thinks she is sooo cool. She says "I have a big girl bed like Natalie and Abby!!" She is just so grown up. Tomorrow we head off to her first dentist appointment, I am not sure how that will go. Say a little prayer!!

Heres a few pictures of Aubrey doing her peace out sign and in her crib. When I took Ellies picture she had to have hers taken too. She will in this crib until shes 15. Cant trust this one yet!!

Hope everyone had a great Easter. I think that its better than Christmas! I especially love church that day, I get goosebumps all over!! The girls had a great time on an easter egg hunt..sorry forgot my camera. I am so glad its warming up!!! I guess thats I all I have to report on for now!

I love Craigslist!!!

2009-03-29T18:07:00.000-07:00

I am an addict of craigslist!!! I have been on a hunt for a few things. I have been looking for a swing set for the girls. Just a cheap one to get them through a few summers so I dont have so much stuff in the yard!! I found out that many others also are looking for a swing set so I have been checking 3-4 times a day and I think we got one! Dan is going tomorrow night to pick it up!!

I have also been looking for a dutch dance costume and am hoping to go look at one tomorrow morning!! Today we got a cute dress for Aubrey!! Its so cute!! I love finding deals!! Woo hoo!

Acai Berry anyone???

2009-03-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

So, its only a few weeks until Jeff and Angies wedding and I am trying to hit the weight watchers pretty hard again. Can I just say YUCK!! Steph, I am right with you that dieting is noooo fun!! Anyway I feel I need more help this time and everywhere on line is this berry stuff and I am wondering if anyone knows anything about it or has tried it? Is it a pill, a liquid?? Kmart and Target dont sell it, I have checked and I am leary of buying that kind of thing on line. So just leave me your thoughts if you know anything about it. Thanks!

New Easter Eggs...

2009-03-19T18:07:00.000-07:00

I came across this craft in a magazine and had to try it. I included the girls and my sister Cara which made things a bit more difficult. Cara is messy when she comes over for crafts. Shh...dont tell her I said that! :o) Anyway, you can check out the pictures and see what we did.

I havent written in a while so I will fill ya in a little bit. Last weekend Dan and I had a getaway for the weekend to IKEA and Birch Run. It was my first weekend without both the girls. It was great but I missed them!!! Dan and I got a lot of shopping done and eating in nice restaurants without spilling drinks and throwing food on the floor. It was great hubby and wife time!!!

Cara turned 21 last weekend too and we all went out as a fam to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings!! Tomorrow we are going out to a comedy club for sibling night! It should be a great night that we're all looking forward to!!

The girls have been loving the springy weather!! Everytime I leave to go somewhere Aubrey just runs to the backyard saying "eep, eep" she wants to ride the barbie Jeep! It is getting me super excited for camping!!!! Ellie woke up this morning telling that she dreamed about camping all night!! So cute!

For Marcie....

2009-03-03T06:37:00.000-08:00

So my dear friend Marcie has to go back to work next week after having two beautiful babies and has requested that some of us update our blogs before she goes so she can catch up on our lives. Mine is not all that exciting so Marcie, here was my day yesterday....
When I woke up Ellie was next to me wanting to watch cartoons so I did and I got up hearing Aubrey. I gave Aubs her breakfast of healthy raspberry poptarts and milk. Ellie then came down saying her pull up leaked and she got pee in my bed. Awesome. So, I washed my sheets, and blankets. Next the girls wanted to play games so we did a few and cleaned them up. Soon it was time for lunch which was mac and cheese and bananas. Aubrey thought she would decorate the dinning room with noodles so that took some cleaning and chewing out. Some time around there Steph called to chat but then she had to go b/c she needed to pull over to re-seat belt Abby. So I had a 5 min. window that I thought the girls wouldn't damage too much and I took a shower. Then Steph called back and we finished our chat. I cleaned the house a bit, and did more laundry. The table got made into a tent/house for the girls. They fought, Aubs climbed the table and somewhere there I put her to bed. Ellie then had "resting time" and watch the Bernstein bears movie. I did a little bit of cross stitch and read a few chapters in my book. I snoozed off for about 20 min. and Aubs woke up. They played some more and Dan came home to shower and took off for a class he is taking on Mon. nights for work. Soon it was time to figure out supper so again I whipped up a gourmet meal of veggies, dino nuggets, and french fries and for dessert and oreo cookie. Supper usually gets followed by bath time. Hair has to be washed right away in case Aubrey decides to let out a surprise which she often does. Yuck! Luckily last night she didn't! Once they were out they like to dry off by running around the house saying "naked babies" and then I lather them in baby lotion and cozy jammies, I love that smell!! Time to try and wind down usually by watching a cartoon and sitting on the couch with a blanket. I try and sneak in some facebook and email at night and of course some early in the day too! :o) Then my sister Cara came over for a visit so she played with the kids while I got some baking done if we have bible study here Tues. night. Eventually it was time to put the kids down and that was done. That process goes on for a while. Ellie kept telling me that Aubs was trying to get out of bed and Ellie has to come down to pee a few times as well. Dan got home about 9:30 and we chatted about our days as I was watching the most dramatic Bachelor in history!!!!!!! It really was a good one! Then we headed off to sleep in our freshly cleaned sheets! So that Marcie was my day and what most are like. Pretty boring but yet its my life and I really do love it!! Its just not too blog worthy so sorry nothing super exciting has happened lately.

twist crayons!

2009-02-17T18:24:00.000-08:00

For all my mommy friends out there, these are a must. I was so sick of picking up the paper from crayons and broken ones all over. My good friend Beth told me about these and this is all I am buying from now on!! My kids love them and so do I. Just passing on the info.

cadillac weekend

2009-02-16T16:47:00.000-08:00

We were invited to a weekend away with the Meistes and Habers. We had a great time bonding with friends and playing with all the kids. There are a lot of pictures to check out!

2009-02-11T06:34:00.000-08:00

Im a fan

2009-02-08T19:07:00.000-08:00

So I was updating my playlist tonight since it just does it for you if you remove your songs, who knew!?? (probably everyone) Anywho, I have discovered I love Michael Bubles music!! Its the kind of music you can curl up with a glass of wine a good book and your man cuddling next to you!! I know tons of his songs are remakes but I love them. Maybe because so many of them are used in romantic comedy movies? I think I am going to get his cd this week. I never buy cds but I think this one will get some use! Hope you enjoy the new playlist.

Cheap Entertainment

2009-02-05T18:50:00.000-08:00

Ellie and Aubrey recieved these for Christmas but they have thrown them in the water, watched them grow and they are gone.

However, Ellie and her partner in crime Aubrey have discovered that these are grow toys as well!! They are also fun bath toys, something to put your crayons in, or pretend your fishing. I am not sure why as parents we buy so many toys for our kids,but how can you not want to give them all you can...tampons included!!

2:00 am

2009-01-31T06:10:00.000-08:00

Attention all book lovers, please read this book. If you know me you know that I love true stories and this one is truely inspiring. (thank you Ron for the recommendation!!) I was literally moved to tears, more like sobs, last night reading the book to finish it at 2:00am. If you have read it I would love to know what you thought. It will change how you think about people.

still in the works

2009-01-29T17:48:00.000-08:00

Well, the bathroom still isn't quite finished. When Dan dives into a project, he's not messing around. The first time we changed the bathroom we put in a glass sliding door. It was fine but once we had Ellie I really wanted a shower curtain, they are easier to give a bath in and clean!! I convinced him during this re-model project to get rid of them!! Once he did that, there were holes in the tub. Today some man came and filled in all the holes and buffed and whatever you do to make a tub pretty again. After that I was told not to use the shower until tomorrow night so tonight this is what I did for Aubrey b/c supper always lands in her hair! I think shes outgrown our sink!! Kind of cute though...

Cara please dont hate me!

2009-01-18T20:52:00.001-08:00

Okay, one more thing. I was looking at some pictures today and found this. This is my baby sister Cara, BEAR hunting in Canada. She is sleeping while there are BEARS around!!!! Maybe this is only funny to me but whenever I look at it, I just crack up!!! I think I am done posting things tonight!!! :0)

10:30 pm....

2009-01-18T20:12:00.000-08:00

Dan and Aubs went and took a nap upstairs today and Ellie and I were going to have our "resting time" like we do everyday and watch a movie. Well, it didn't take long and we were both out. OOPS, so at 10:30 she was still full of energy so we played Don't Break the Ice. A great game for her age. She loves games as much as I do!! I love that because IF Dan plays one its out of obligation and he's just not that into it.
Tomorrow we go to South Side for our open house/meeting for pre-school. I just cant believe shes old enough! I know shes ready though, I feel like shes getting bored at home and eager to put on a pack-pack and go to school to meet friends.
I also found some of these land pictures on Dans camera. Some company came out and bought trees from us. How crazy is that?? So, apparently this is what it looks like. I have no idea if they are done or not. Anyway...hope everyone has a great week in blog world!

Who Dun it????

2009-01-11T08:09:00.000-08:00

book party...

2009-01-07T15:09:00.000-08:00

Hey ladies,
check it out, I am having a book party for At Home America. Its super cute stuff for your house!! I am having the books sent out to me but if you want to look on line to see the stuff first, you can click here and just let me know what you want. Happy Shopping...
http://www.athomeamerica.com/dtimmer

wall words?

2009-01-05T14:41:00.000-08:00

Does anyone sell wall words or something like it? I would like to do something for my bathroom and my girls' room. Leave me a comment if you do, thanks!!

more help...

2009-01-04T19:36:00.000-08:00

...you bloggers are sooo helpful when I have a question so I have another one. Angie and I were talking wedding tonight and we were trying to figure out where to get out make up done. I think we will be doing our hair at Panopoulos and then do our faces. All three of us love makeup, so who should we go to. We thought of Smooches or Merle Noorman in Holland. We would like to be able to get it done at the same time. Looking forward to more of your thoughts. If you have more bathroom advice I will take it, the room is at a stand still at the moment!!!!!!!

Opinions please ASAP!!!

2009-01-04T07:23:00.001-08:00

Okay, be totally honest! Dan and I needed to repaint our bathroom because he had fixed a leak and patched it up. It was the yellow and now this blue. Dan hates it and says its way to dark and doesnt match the counter. I totally dont mind it, I was planning on doing brown accents to decorate. SO...I want everyones honest opinion. Even if you side with Dan. My sister said maybe try a brownish wall??? I like that idea too. Here is what it did look like and what it does right now.

a few new years pictures....

2009-01-01T12:28:00.000-08:00

Rock Star...

2008-12-30T08:29:00.000-08:00

I guess this is my rocker side, I felt like listening to some of my favorites today. Enjoy the new playlist!!!

Our dress

2008-12-29T18:10:00.000-08:00

This is the dress Cara and I get to wear in May!! Its going to be in a deep purple though. I love it, and its comfortable but will be even better when I kick my butt in gear and drop 10-15 more pounds so here I go again...blahhhh. I hate dieting!!! So, they have the church, minister, reception, rehearsal, cake, flowers and her dress all figured out. They are making great progress!! Fun fun!!

All done...

2008-12-28T19:04:00.000-08:00

Family Photo

Aprons that Grandma Leona made for all of us girls along with a family cookie recipe. Such a cool idea!!!

A photo from the Prins party that we were at really quickly b/c the girls have bad colds and we didnt want to expose all the little babies. Plus we had another party to go to!

We are all done with Christmas parties!! We have about 4 more get togethers this week for new years but thats okay. I hate that I get so sick of it but its a lot of work with kids. Packing up the food, presents, stuff for the kids,....yadda yadda yadda. Its all very fun, and the girls had a great time so its all worth it! Just glad to start getting back to our normal routine and catch up on some much needed sleep!! Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!!

Another Prins Miracle!!

2008-12-24T05:10:00.000-08:00

The Prins family takes very seriously when God said be fruitful and multiply!!! My cousin Ben and his wife Laura had their baby this week too!!! Amelia Josephine was born on the 22nd!!! Mom is now doing good and so is baby Amelia, PRAISE GOD for babies and families. Our family has soooo many things to be thankful for, we are so blessed. I know my grandpa and grandma Prins are smiling down from heaven watching all of their 20+ great grandchildren with more on the way. No, not from me right now. :)

A Different Kind Of Christmas

Sometimes Christmas is just overwhelming, it seems,
As we rush around buying up stuff.
We spend without end, and we rack up those bills,
But it feels like it's never enough.

So this Christmas, let's all take a different approach:
Let's try to be more in accord
With God's Christmas gift, the best one of all--
Our sweet Jesus, our Savior, our Lord.

We'll be gentle and patient, and loving and kind,
And we'll keep our priorities straight;
The gifts of the Spirit, the gifts of the heart
Are the ones that we'll all celebrate.

And our stress will decrease, and we'll feel more at peace,
As we decorate, package, and trim;
Our new Christmas will be a pure joy and delight,
As we try to be much more like Him.

By Joanna Fuchs

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!! Happy Birthday Jesus!!!!

New baby girl in the Prins family...

2008-12-23T17:10:00.000-08:00

Announcing Greta Joy...isn't she gorgeous!? My cousins Matt and Deb welcomed a new baby girl yesterday. She looks just like her big sister Grace!! Congrats guys!!! This is my Uncle John holding her...proud Grandpa!!!

Snow day!!!!

2008-12-21T06:45:00.000-08:00

So...what are you doing today?? Our Prins family Christmas party has been cancelled until next weekend and I am so bummed! This was going to be our big kick off to Christmas fun, shoot! The girls and I have started a Muppets marathon! We have 4 videos that are a few hours long!! Days like this are kind of fun. I am hoping to nap, read, work on a puzzle, drink hot cocoa...gotta love winter snow days!!

A little change of subject but I have to share this too. Why is it that when a man hears "avoid traveling on the roads if at all possible" they have to jump in their vehicles and drive somewhere just to prove they can do it???? Maybe this is just my dear husband who seems to love this challenge but it is a bit annoying!! Like they have to prove their manhood by driving on poopy roads?? What is that about? Right now he HAD to go get milk?? Like we haven't ever been without milk for a day??? What a goober! Well, I hope you all stay safe and warm today.

Gingerbread house

2008-12-14T21:23:00.000-08:00

Our first gingerbread house turned out okay. I have always wanted to make one so Cara went and got a kit for me at Michaels. There was a lot more to it than I thought. It turned out okay but I dont think I am going to get hired into the cake decorating business any time soon! I still want to take a class just because it is kind of fun!! Anyone want to join me?? The girls thought it was fun and Ellie is very proud to show it off. We will see how long it lasts before Aubrey just chomps into it, or Ellie picks all the candy off! Hopefully this becomes a family tradition and eventually the girls can do it more on their own.

To build or not to build...

2008-12-11T11:20:00.000-08:00

So lately I have been going through all of Dans house plan magazines. I have fallen in love with the exterior look of this house. The only thing Dan and I know we want is a "mountain" home and room for all of the toys in the basement when we move in!!! My house looks like a daycare center right now!!
Our problem, is wondering when we should build? The economy stinks as everyone knows so that makes me want to wait. Who knows if this house will sell fast or if we will sit on it for years. I pray about this a lot. I have asked God for a clear cut answer on what we should do! Like this would be ideal: someone would come to our door and want to buy our house for a great price and say they need 6-8 months before moving in. Is that too much to ask??? I know the chance of that happening are slim to none but I do pray that God directs us in the right direction. Until then I am pretty content in our house. Yes its getting smaller but it works, I kind of like cozy! Plus we have done so much! If the time comes to build/move I will be shedding a lot of tears. I am so proud of our little home and all we/Dan has done!! So there is one of my thoughts for the day.

the pics, I got it to work!!

2008-12-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

things...

2008-12-05T08:53:00.000-08:00

Well, I had a blog all written out and I was going to add pictures of last Sat. dress shopping but silly me used the camera on the highest resolution and it takes wayyyyy too long to put the pictures up!! So...sorry! When we go tomorrow I wont do that so I can show you some pictures! We did see some pretty gorgeous dresses on a very gorgeous girl!! Cara and I had fun trying on silly bridesmaid dresses until she too got sick!! That flu has gotten around our family! Luckly we are all done with it. We hope!!
An announcement...I am going to be an auntie again! Mark and Amanda are expecting their third baby this summer!!! So fun!! So be in prayer for her and baby!!
Another prayer request is for the Leegwaters who are expecting twins any day! You can follow her blog to see how things are going. Praying that those kiddos stay in there just a little longer!!!!
A note of Praise is that I had another spot removed on my back and the results came back just fine!!! It had been a long time since I had any of my moles looked at and I just didnt want to go. I have had pre-cancerous spots taken off before so it just scared me!! I was soooo relieved when I got a postcard yesturday that said normal mole!!! YEAH!!! I have promised myself I will be better about going to get them checked!!!
Maybe next time I will get a little botox and a spray tan too! Dekkingas office has it all!!
One more little story I thought I would share is about Ellie. We were talking yesturday about why we get presents at Christmas and that we are celebrating Jesus' birthday and its the biggest party!! Well, she asked if Jesus was going to be coming over for the party and I explained that He is here right now and He will be with us always, we just cant see Him. Well, then she said "is He at Aidens (her new boyfriend) house?" I tried to explain that Jesus is with all of us all the time. Thank goodness for the faith of a child because she just accepts what I tell her. Today and yesturday, Ellie has been as she says "playing with Jesus, showing Him her room, showing Him our bathrooms..." its so cute. I am sure God is smiling down on that one!!! Child like faith!!!

Stay away from the Nyhof home!!

2008-11-28T10:34:00.001-08:00

Last week Friday Aubrey got the flu, the out of both ends flu. Sunday Dan got it, and early Monday I did. We finally were back on top of things, getting the house all sanitized and after spending all day with family and cousins, Ellie got it last night. Grrr, I am bummed and feel so bad for exposing everyone to this nasty bug. Thankfully, Dan and I are competely back to "our" normal and Dan could get movies for her and puzzles for me. I have kept up on all the laundry sick kids bring and got the Christmas lights on outside. Hopefully this is the only flu bug we end up with this winter. Wouldnt that be nice!! Here is a picture of Ellie, she had to smile even though shes feeling poopy. We asked her if she wanted the shade shut and she just said that she loved to see the sunshine, how sweet is that!!
Dan is heading to the football game tonight of Holland Christian in Detroit area! He is really looking forward to it since last week he stayed home and missed going to the Penn State vs. Michigan State game. Sorry babe!
I get to go wedding dress shopping tomorrow with my sisters and mom. (so long as no one gets the flu!!) I am sooooo excited!!! I cant wait to see her in a beautiful dress!! What fun I am sure we will have!!! Everyone have a great day, hope all of you crazy black friday shoppers got some great deals!!!

Give Thanks!!

2008-11-26T19:58:00.000-08:00

I found this cartoon, and it cracked me up. I totally have my dads sense of humor!! I truely hope all you bloggers have a fantastic Thanksgiving.

do you know anyone???

2008-11-19T15:03:00.001-08:00

Flowers and Cakes...

So, I am privileged to be able to help Angie with her and Jeffs wedding plans!! How fun!! Currently she is on the hunt for a flower person and cake person. So, if you know of someone and happen to have any pics of their work, that would be helpful! Thanks in advance and thanks for all your replies on my Christmas questions!! Blogging is great!!! :)

Girlfriends

2008-11-15T18:45:00.001-08:00

To all of my girlfriends: thanks for being who you are. Each of you are a HUGE blessing in my life, you are all so unique and dear to me! I just was thinking tonight how lucky I am to have such a large group of you to turn to for whatever life throws our way! I appreciate you all and love ya'!!

"The better part of ones life consists of his friendships." - Abe Lincoln

"A true friend is one who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." - Bernard Meltzer

questions

2008-11-12T19:56:00.000-08:00

I put up our new tree tonight and it looks pretty good. I got a new one because I feel our house is shrinking a bit and so I got a smaller, slimmer tree. Maybe I wont feel like its so in the way like the other one.( i will put up a pic when its all done!) Now I am getting in the Christmas mind set and I have some questions for you all...

First question, does anyone know someone who sells discovery toys? I am kind of interested in getting the little race track set for my girls for Christmas. (hopefully they still sell it!)

Second, every year Dan gets me a new book light for a present and now its kind of a joke that we have wondering how long it will last. Its never very long, I either read too much or have bad luck with book lights. So, if you know of a really great kind that's not too bright or heavy let me know.(or Dan) :)

Third this isn't a Christmas question but just a comment...my three year old is amazing!! When they say that kids grow up too fast, its no joke!! We were watching some country music show and she was critiquing all the girls. One of the winners walked up and Ellie said "she is skinny" and later "oh mom, I like her hair" and again "her dress is sooo pretty". What the heck she is 3!!! What am I teaching the child? Goodness! She cracks me up.

Great book...

2008-11-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

You know those monthly book clubs you get in the mail? Well, I tried it out once and really thought it was a great deal IF you dont forget to send the info back in the mail each month. If you fail to do so you will get two books they pick for you and you get stuck paying for. Well, of course that happened to me ONE time!! Luckily one of the books I got was good and called Amazing Kitchen cures. It is an awesome book that is useful to everyone. It takes me hours some nights to fall asleep and many nights I find myself reading this. So, if you're looking for a Christmas present for someone that you just arent sure what to get, this is a good one. Just thought I would pass along the info.

Bummer...

2008-11-05T16:55:00.000-08:00

Well...things didn't turn out the way I had hoped. Part of me thinks its pretty cool that we have our first african american president. Another part of me is just plain worried, it just scares me when someone who is okay with taking innocent life (abortion) is about to be in charge of ours. But again, God is still the same God today as yesturday and that is a comfort for us all. So, congratulations to President elect Obama and his family. I am bummed we wont see more of that cute Sarah Palin anymore!! Have a great day bloggers!!

Pray and Vote!!!

2008-11-03T19:09:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is finally voting day!!! This will sound cheesy but I always feel good when I vote, I feel proud that we have the privilege to do it...the FREEDOM! Whatever happens tomorrow, God is still in control. So lets all just pray for our country and for the new people who will be leading it. Happy Voting!!