Wee-Ones Wednesday: Rainbow Party Time

Good times were had by all, especially the birthday girl!

Misc. Monday: Rainbow Party Part 1

Die cut card stock to make the garland & sewed flowers together.

The ever changing console table.

Snacks + pizza.

Add a marble to the balloons before you blow them up and they do not fly around.

$ Tree wrapping paper for table runner.

Grandma, the famous cake/cupcake maker.

Can you believe these colors?

Crafts.

Rainbow Dot Art.

Happy birthday girl.

Wonderful friends and family.

Warm weather.

Perfect day!

Here's the decor and cake.

Kids and Presents to come Wednesday.

Fabulous Friday: Family

Blessing bags for the homeless

Yummy food +
Happy kids +
Grateful hearts+
Loving others=
Perfect day!
Jesus said, " Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ...Love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:37 & 39

Wee-Ones Wednesday: Getting Closer...

Card stock. Scissors. Glue Dots. Brads. A Printer. Paper. Felt. You don't have to spend a lot of $ to have an adorable party, just a little time. Lilly is beyond excited for her special day. We can't wait to share it with you!

Misc. Monday: Blessed

We have been so blessed this year! The girls are happily learning and loving Jesus. Our baby boy is growing and kicking up a storm, and Dan and I still enjoy each others company.  ;) Our families bless us with occasional meals every once in awhile and show up with super cute clothes for the girls. I think they know we are trying to save so I can work 3 days next year, but I don't think they realize how much these little surprises are really appreciated. Our loved ones forgive my "foot in mouth" syndrome, Dan's quirkiness, and our noisy brood. We are beyond grateful for their acceptance and love.
The other night when Lilly was laying in bed trying to fall asleep, she called out, "Mama, when you make our Christmas skirts this year, make sure they have crosses on them because Christmas is not about toys, it's about Jesus!"
Seriously. What more can I ask for? Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We love you!

Sew Crafty Saturday: Rainbow Party Mode



Found the "beyond wonderland" font at http://www.dafont.com/ and the little cloud printable at http://www.paperglitter.com/. There's an entire free rainbow party printable kit there. The cloud is supposed to be a cupcake topper, and there are some hats, water bottle labels, and different invitations in the kit. I didn't use much of it, but it's a great resource! 



I plan on using these little goodies as an inexpensive garland.
Dan's got a lot of blowing to do!



I always make a birthday themed wreath for the front door ...this one is partially done. I made my own water bottle
labels using that cool new font I downloaded. The babies are getting the bubble candy favors,
while the big kids are getting the wikki stix with rainbow candy.

 

I decided to go with a different shape for the birthday banners besides the trusty triangles I always use. It was super easy to make. I used a paper cutter to make the rectangles, folded one in half, cut a slit from corner to middle,
and used that one as a template for the rest.

We celebrated my niece turning 2 today, and my sister did a wonderful job planning her “Olivia” party. It got me thinking that with only one week away, I have a lot to do for Lilly’s 5th birthday party next week.

    Lilly is very particular in her old age, and asked me for a rainbow party with a face painter. I asked her if she wanted to go somewhere this year, but she was not interested in the least. The girl knows what she likes!
    She settled on the rainbow theme while at Disneyland. When she was younger she would pitch a fit if she didn’t get the pink caterpillar on the Alice and Wonderland ride. A few months later while we were in line, she said, “I don’t care what color I get anymore. The rainbow is my favorite color.” So mature, right? About a week later, she informed me that her birthday party would be rainbows this year. Sounded great to me, especially after I did a little search and found tons of pictures and ideas. Better stop typing and get to work!

Misc. Monday: Happy Day Project Wrap-Up

Sunday was the last day of The Happy Day Project and although we did not participate in all the activities. What we did do, felt great. Thursday was "give a book to a friend" and I know just who is getting what book. Also, The Joyful Life Library Project was shared. Through this charity we were able to sent three books to CHOC hospital. I can not begin the imagine what those kids and their parents are going through. I could barely stand being in the hospital for 6 days with Iris last winter. When we were there, we read a ton of donated books and watched donated VHS tapes. They were such a blessing to us!

All images are from Joy's Hope.
Julie saved me a lot of time taking pics this week.  ;)

We are finishing off with buying gifts of compassion with our life group at our annual after Thanksgiving meal. We just got our catalog in the mail and there are so many wonderful options you can do to help others, starting at only $5! Our family will be putting together blessing bags for the homeless on Thanksgiving day. We feel so blessed to be given the opportunity to give back. There are many links provided here, why don't you check out one or two?

Wee-Ones Wednesday: The Happy Day Project

We are continuing with The Happy Day Project this week. Yesterday, Julie challenged us to write letters the good old-fashioned way... with a pen. I sent a letter to my Grandma in Minnesota and Lilly wrote a nice note to her Grammy. It feels so good to do something that you know will make someone smile. I feel like I've been in a better mood all week. There are a few more letters I look forward to writing... I appreciate being reminded that such a simple act can brighten someone's day.

Today's act of kindness is to carry some food gift cards in your car to pass out to the homeless people we so often see, but don't see at the same time. I really love this idea. I have no idea how or why a person is on the street, but I don't have to know why in order to show God's love. 1 John 3:18 says, "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth." It's one thing to feel bad about something, or to say how sad a situation is, but it means so much more when you do something about it. I go to Burger King every Friday with my grade level team (exciting, I know). This Friday, I plan on buying some gift cards to put in my glove box, so I can do just that!

Visit Julie's blog and get some ideas on how you can brighten someone's day!

Misc. Monday: Project Snickerdoodle

 Julie from Joy's Hope has teamed up with her friend Jeannett to create The Happy Day Project. It consists of doing something nice for someone else for 7 days. How cool is that? They are also providing some sweet printable art, so you give a little and get a little.
Today, we baked some easy snickerdoodle cookies for some neighbors.
They are super easy to make:

1 box of Super Moist vanilla cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) melted
1 tbs Cinnamon
2 tbs Sugar
Mix first 3 ingredients with wooden spoon.
Mix cinnamon in sugar in little bowl.
Roll dough into 1 in. balls.
Roll balls through cinnamon sugar mixture.
Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
Taaaa-Daaa!
Now go be a good neighbor and check out Julie's blog to see what else you can do for someone this week!
Smiles,
Michelle

Free Fabulous Find Friday: 3D Ultrasound

I have the best find for any pregnant mom out there (if you live in Orange County, CA, that is)! Samsung Medison America trains techs on using their 3D ultra sound machines and always need mommies-to-be to volunteer. Just call 714.889.SONO and leave your name, phone number, & due date and they will call you back. I'm not getting anything for sharing this info; I just think it is one of the best free opportunties I've stumbled upon.
 I did it with both Lilly and new baby boy (sorry Iris). It is incredible. It takes awhile, but who doesn't want to watch their precious cargo in utero? You get to leave with a ton of pics, but the most amazing part is just watching the baby move in real time. Our little guy was sucking his thumb, stretching, kicking, smiling, flipping around, and playing with his boy parts. I could have stayed there all day... seriously!

Wee- Ones Wednesday: Trick or Treat, Please!

Halloween was a blast this year! Iris was a trick or treating maniac. She "meowed" at every door and woke up the next morning asking if "We go trick or treat today?" She was very disappointed to discover it is a once a year activity. Lilly (smarty pants that she is) took Pasquel, from the movie Tangled with her, and had him trick or treat too! She even had a little bag for him to put his candy in. Genius! Their faces when we got home and checked their candy were priceless.