Progress on the kids room

So, I told you guys a while back that I was starting to re-do the 3 big kids' room. It was quite an undertaking. The walls were green, the bedspreads didn't match and were NOT cute at all, and some of the furniture was just plain yucky. Some still is...like i said, it's a work in progress!

Here's a few shots of the room before I re-painted.

See the tear on that closet curtain? That thing was a mess since we moved in. So glad to be making a new one finally!

Pretty 'blah' right? Yeah. It really needed help. I grabbed my paint and roller, and got to it! First, I attacked the green. It was sort of a pukey shade and it had to go.  Next, the curtains. Oh...the curtains.  They were the originals, i'm pretty sure. Left to us by the owners, they were the pully kind. Ya know? You pull on one side, and the curtains part in the middle. They were on a track system and everything. Polyester, plastic lined ont he back. Great for blocking out the light, but SO ugly. And half broken! Wish I had gotten a picture of those.
So the curtains were replaced by a nice, thick, brown cotton. After that, I made duvet covers for each kid. Just finished Ro's yesterday, actually!
One of the furniture items that really needed some help was Bella's bedside table.  It was literally gross to look at.

My friend Morgan had painted this thing a few years back, and when she gave it to me, it was in great condition, but I guess that's what 4 kids will do to your furniture! :)
I gave that baby a paint job, which you can see in the pics below.
I then hung some stuff up, rearranged a few things, and decided it was time for some pictures for y'all.
Keep in mind it's not done yet!

I got the idea for this painting from Smile And Wave; she is a genius!

Gotta find some cute stuff to put on top of that dresser

The closet curtain you see here is just a bed sheet. Actual curtain coming soon!

I made this garland after I saw it at www.danamadeit.com! so cute!

Asher's bedspread was made with some of Joels and my old dress shirts, as well as fabric scraps I've had forever.

this dresser is my next project. Color ideas? I was thinking dark grey or a light greyish-green, and probably some knobs.

see? Really needs some help!

I think this is my favorite view.

There's a few more things I plan on doing to spruce this room up, so you guys will see them as soon as I'm done!
Paint dresser
More wall stuff, probably their initials above their beds
Paint bottom of boys beds
Closet curtain

Any other ideas?!

Pictures. Because it's been too long!

I have some random, un-thought-out things I can put on here right now because, frankly, I remembered that sometimes people do check this blog! And maybe you're thinking, "man, it's been ages since Jenn has posted ridiculously cute pictures of her kids and random musings on life, and by golly, I miss it."

Today's your lucky day!

from our weekend camping. an attempt at a place for Haven to nap! He loved it too much to sleep in it.

Just too cute.

in the poncho Grammy made her! She's saying 'cheese!'

Asher made this firetruck out of play-do. Do you see the sirens?

Ro in his Thanksgiving play. He refused to wear his costume but he sang and said his lines brilliantly! I was one proud mommy.

And some pictures of my latest inspiration of projects I'd love to do soon. Sorry I can't link to them: I have no idea where they came from. Ha!

Thinking about doing this above my dining room door. Love the scroll-y brackets

So easy and cute, how could I not?

This is going in Havens room. Someday.

How much would your hubby's love this? Heck, I'd love it myself!

Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving. Who is making gifts for Christmas this year? I'm working on some baby gifts because get this: 2 of my sisters and one sister-in-law are having babies soon!!
I've currently got these projects, some gifts and some not,  cut and sitting on my desk:

4 pairs of leggings
3 shirts
1 flannel jammy pants
2 blankets
a nursing cover
wipes case
changing pad
3 purses for the shop
a pillow cover for my new guest bed

I may be in over my head, but I guess we'll find out! :)
Blessings, all!

Wordless Wednesday

Did somebody say coffee?

Apparently, I didn't know what 'having kids in school' looks like. Cuz I'm still trying to find my solid ground here!
Not used to the routine and schedule and all that snazz. Packing lunches, paperwork, picking out clothes, WAY more laundry for some reason...etc.

Here are other very important reasons I've ignored you:

my bathroom is currently under renovations (hallelujah praise the Lort!)

hello and good bye rotting wood!

yeah that was behind the tile

yup.

we put all 3 big kids in the same bedroom so we could scoot baby H upstairs in his own room and finally have an office/guest room downstairs! Needless to say, that's been fun.

(PS. Ask me if 3 children can stay up until 10 PM rehearsing and reciting the same Dora episodes in the pitch black until they finally pass out on the floor. Go ahead, ask me.)

I've been working on a bulk order of Buttercup Bags for a sweet friend who is getting married and using them as bridesmaids gifts! 

Did I mention the laundry?!

And lastly, my little Ash has a nasty cold that has kept everyone up most of the night the past two nights. So, I'm afraid I'm lacking my usual sunny disposition (joke) today. 

Cue coffee part deux.

On a happier, less complainy note, here's some cute pictures from our trip to the fall jamboree! While Joel was out of town, my sweet MIL took the kids and me. So fun! Hayride, horsies, fried dough..mmm...oh, and the kids liked it too.

Happy Monday!

One of those days.

You ever have one of those days?
You know what I mean.
You don't get dressed into real clothes until 4:30 pm (and that's only cuz you don't want your husband to think you've been in your pajamas all day when he gets home from work), your kids eat hot dogs and popcorn for lunch, you spill nail polish on your favorite rug and scrub, not blot, to get it out, you step in the pee all over the bathroom floor and forget to clean it up until the entire house smells like pee, you trip on the bra you left on the bedroom floor and smack your head on the dresser, the kids scream every single second that you're on that important phone call you've been waiting weeks for, and your baby stays in that poopy diaper far too long because it doesn't really smell so you forget about it.

Not saying that ever happens to me.

But lately, I've been having days completely opposite of that. Pretty peaceful. It's kind of strange really. I'm sort of expecting something to blow up or fall from the sky.  Sure, my kids are a handful and sometimes I feel like jumping out of the window, but most days, I love every second of it.  Even on days like the above, it's not all that bad. Because they are worth it.

Motherhood...it's a strange word really.  It entails so much more than 'they' tell you.  Before I had kids, I pictured life with a baby as pretty hunky dory. You snuggle this little bundle til they fall asleep, then you go about your business. They wake up bright eyed, eat and poop, and then just fall asleep again and life goes on as such until they're eighteen.  No problem.

What?! You mean that ISN'T the way it is? 

Not my kid, but funny, no?

No, I reckon it's so much more.  All the stuff up there in the first paragraph is not what's important.
It's how I respond to those things that is important.  I find myself getting so irritated that I make this throaty, mad noise, just so I don't scream, throw stuff, or put my kids on E-bay.
Soon after, I realize that now, my 4 year old is also making this noise.
I do not like that.  Do I really want him responding that way when he's upset? Nope.
They really do hear everything, and repeat it.
I'm teaching my kids how to react when things don't go their way.
Ugly throaty noise?
No thanks.

Every response matters, even and especially on one of those days.   Take a deep breath, sit down, snuggle them, and forget about the mess.  Apologize and repent for responding in anger, pray for grace, and ask God to put some peace in your home where the enemy has sought to take it. 

Because after all, in the grand scheme of things, really, what's a little pee on the floor?

Ode to my job.

Actually, I think an "ode" is a song or poem, so maybe this isn't an 'ode' so much as it is a 'shout-out'. Say 'ode' again.

ODE.

Doesn't even sound like a word anymore.
But I digress.

Lately, as I've been paying more attention to my kids and less to my home improvement endeavors (I know, I should have been paying them the most attention to begin with, but hear me out.), I've been struck by some thoughts that I've thought of before, but are just now hitting me full on.  Bam. In the face.

I am responsible for teaching these little people that I love right from wrong.
I am in charge of raising them in their destinies and talents.
I, therefore, am responsible to find out what those talents are and once I learn that,  I have to help them grow in that way.
And get this: I'll be held accountable to the Lord if I fail to do my best.

Yikes McGee!
Thats tough stuff.
And a little heavy.
But seriously, moms and dads out there, this is our JOB. It's more important than your finances (what?! Did she just say that? Don't get me wrong though; if you don't provide for your family, that's bad news too), more important than your friendships, and more important than your house. (did you hear that, self?) In fact, parenting the children you've been given is the most important, impactful thing you will ever do in your lifetime, other than giving and living your life for Jesus.

So as I sit, watching my children play, I re-up.
I'm committing again in my heart to raise them in the way they should go.
I know it's not a guarentee, but I sure would love to see my kids grow to be loving, kind, caring people who go hard after God in everything they do.
I'd love to see them walking through this life caring about nothing more than their relationship with God, and consequently, sharing that with the people in their world around them.

Discipline matters more than everyone thinks.  Especially for the little ones. I see my almost-3-year old daughter getting feistier (word.) and sassier every day, and I know that it's part of who she is, but it has to be honed through loving discipline. My 4 year old has begun whining and so, it's time to crack down and be consistent. 

I've seen what children can end up like when the parents are too lax in their discipline, or when they're too involved in work so that their children don't see them as the true authority figure in their lives.  That's not to say those parents don't love their children; of course they do! But, I so desire to be that mom who, when looking back on their childhoods, my kids can say this about me: "My parents were consistent and loving in discipline, and we always knew we were precious and loved by God because of them."

So, to all you moms and dads out there, you've got these little lives in your hands, just waiting to be taught boundaries. To be shown love and affection more than you sit at your computer. To be read to and tickled rather than sit in front of the TV all day. To be hugged and kissed good night every night without you being in a hurry to get away.

(I'm saying this more to myself than you, believe me!)

I know this is kinda heavy, but it's a big deal, yes? Let's step up and take this job full on! Let's bear the weight of this, knowing it's for the glory of the Lord and for the good of the next generation. Let's leave a legacy, friends!

Running on low...and a mini-DIY

I have a love-hate relationship with teeth.


We obviously need them to chew, speak, etc.  I'm fine with that.
But when my babies are actually getting the teeth...that's the hate part. And did you know that, while in the baby's gums, the teeth have secret meetings where they conspire to only do their growing at night?!  True story.

It's a good thing these kids are cute.

So as you can guess, today, I'm not firing on all cylinders. As a result, this blog post may be a bit choppy.

I wanted to share with a little mini-DIY. I say 'mini' because I forgot some pictures of some of the steps. But you'll get the idea.

So my friend Aimee invited me and two of my kiddos to her kid's birthday party this past weekend, and since I didn't have a single dime to spare to buy them gifts, I thought I'd make them something instead (which people usually want more than store-bought anyways). I knew she'd appreciate the thought and time put in, cuz she's sweet like that.
I had lots of broken crayons in my little crayon bin, so I thought, why not make them some homemade, molded crayons?!   The kids are ages 4, and 2, so this is something they can use.

Here's your DIY:

Supplies:
Lots of crayons
Chocolate molds of different shapes (Any craft store has these or you can buy them online)
A medium sauce pan
A smaller sauce pan, or a tin can (this will make your double boiler)
Spatula

Gather your crayons. I used a bunch of the crayons that were broken, peeling, old, or just plain cheap! Dollar store crayons are also great to use for this.

My sweet friend, Mona, doing the peeling.

I separated my crayons into like colors so that I could blend them and make an assortment.

 

Start some water to boil on the stove in a medium sized sauce pan.  While the water is on, go find a tin can or a smaller sauce pan to use as your double boiler, where you will do the melting.

 

While the water is boiling, stick your tin can or small sauce pan in there. (Make sure if you use a tin can, that you do not touch it with bare hands. It gets very hot!).  Grab your lightest color of crayons and dump them in the smaller sauce pan.  

This is the part I forgot to take a picture of. But basically, you just stir the crayons until they melt completely into a liquid. Make sure the pan isn't too hot, because your wax could burn! 

I did the colors in order from light to dark, so that you could just dump the next color in without having to wash the pan in between. If you get a little yellow into the next color, which would be orange, not a big deal. But if you did yellow and then say, purple, that'd make a different purple than you're probably going for. Get me?

K, next step. 

Look at cute baby is patiently snacking.

Moving on.

Very carefully and slowly pour your first color into the desired molds. Fill as many molds as you want, then move on to your next color. Dump that one in the sauce pan and stir until liquified, then pour that into the molds. Repeat until you've completed all of the desired colors and shapes.

Put your molds into the fridge to set.  This will take about 10-20 minutes.   They're done when you can poke them and there's no 'squish' or give to them. 

Turn the molds over, and your new crayons should just snap right out, lookin' like this!

Make cute little gift boxes out of scrapbooking paper, using this tutorial.

I printed off some coloring pages with Biblical themes from the internet, rolled them up, and attached them to the boxes. Then I wrapped ribbon around to complete the package!

And voila! A new present for a friend.  Enjoy! Come back and let me know if you do this project, and take some pics for your blog or facebook, and let me know you did!