gift ideas for mom's day!

Hello Friends!

I'm back with a few Handmade Mother's Day gift ideas to share with you all...

these are gifts I have made for other occasions in the past...they are simple and sweet... a perfect way to show your mom how much you care!

photo coasters...
These little lovelies are great for the sentimental mom on your list:) I made them for quite a few family members this past Christmas, as well as a set for our home...and I have to say, I love them! It makes me smile every time I walk past the coffee table and see all the people I love smiling back at me =)

For a full tutorial on how to make these, click here:)

lavender eye pillows & sachels...

When I decided to make some of these little treats, I ordered a big bag of dried lavender in bulk online...a week later a sweet smelling box arrived on my doorstep! I have used these as both christmas and birthday gifts for various friends and family members, and am tempted to make myself a set!

For a full tutorial on how to make similar goodies, click here!

crocheted scarf and matching flower pin...

Although this gift is ideal for the colder months of winter...you can be sure your mom will be counting down the days until she can wear your handmade creation! This particular pin and infinity scarf was a gift for my mother-law-law, whose birthday was in January...but I have made a few more similar ones in the months since to give as gifts... and I made myself one as well;)




For a full tutorial on a similar little flower pin, click here!

Hope everyone is having a great week and that these ideas have gotten your creative juices flowing;)

Sharing with:
Tip me Tuesday
Get your Craft on
Ta-da Tuesday
Savvy Southern Style

Baseball and Fatherhood...

Yesterday we took Hunter to his first baseball game...(this week has been full of lots of firsts;) along with Hunter's Mom-mom, Grammy and Pappy, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins...

Growing up in a house with all girls, we never really got into sports that much...so for me, a baseball game is all about the sights, sounds, and smells. I thoroughly enjoyed the smell of french fries and hot dogs cooking, the taste of nachos drenched in cheese whiz, and the sounds of people yelling at bad calls, missed catches, and the little men running around the bases...hehe

For my hubby, who grew up playing baseball...yesterday held more significance. He was thrilled to take his little man to a ball game, just like his dad used to take him. He repeated multiple times throughout the day, "oh man, I miss this game". He cannot wait until Hunter is old enough to play catch in the backyard and join a community league with him...just like he did with his dad.

It makes me so proud and thankful when I hear about all the things my hubby wants to teach and pass on to his son, and all the memories he plans to make. It makes me SO grateful for his wonderful Dad and Pop-pop, who took the time to do these things with him...teaching him the value of father-son time and a good 'ol game of ball...but mostly? It makes me fall even more in love with my hubby as I see what an amazing dad he is:) He genuinely cares and is intentional about fatherhood...

On the way to the field yesterday, Mike and I were laughing about a little argument we got in before we left the house and I said, "do you think Pop-pop is in heaven laughing at us when we fight and make up...amused at how young we are?" 


"Absolutely", Mike said, "we probably sound just like him and Mom-mom sixty years ago..." 


We both smiled as we linked hands....


"One thing is for sure", Mike continued, 


"Pop-pop would have loved going to the game with us today...he wouldn't have missed it for the world..."


we both fell silent for a minute...


"Oh, I'm sure he will be there", I replied.


and I am certain that he was...probably grinning from ear to ear watching his grandson hold his baby in his lap and tell him about the game.

After the game everyone headed back to our house for some hot roast beef sandwiches, baked beans, and this awesome baseball cake that my sister-in-law whipped up for the occasion (we were celebrating multiple birthdays).


Then my hubby brought out his 4-wheeler to give all the kids rides, which they loved;)

All in all it was a great weekend:) 


And guess what?? Next weekend is Mother's day already!! Come back later this week, I have some gift and wrapping ideas coming!!!

The Zoo!!

On Monday, Hunter, myself and some of our favorite peeps when to the zoo!! It was his first trip...and I think he liked it :D


I thought I would share some pictures from our little adventure! 

Happy Wednesday, Friends!!

The Highs and Lows...

      High: Yesterday was my Hubby’s birthday. I intended to give him a proper birthday salute on this here blog…but the day was filled with lots of running around (namely driving an hour from home for a “real” prosciutto sandwich to surprise him with at lunch time:)…so one day late… Happy Birthday Babe! I love you so much and am blessed beyond compare to have you in my life…I cannot imagine being a mom without you by my side being a dad…You challenge and inspire me daily and love me in the best ways possible and I. am. Blessed.

       Low: We had dinner with my Grandma on Monday night, which in itself is a high, but she has dementia, which is getting me pretty low. Prior to having Hunter, I prided myself in my optimism surrounding my Grandma’s memory loss. But sitting in the booth two nights ago, repeatedly reminding her who my son was brings tears to my eyes. My grandma has been a best friend to me for years. I remember my sister and I fighting over the phone as little girls, anxious to hear her voice on the other end…telling her the triumphs of our day, and smiling at her familiar cackle when we made her laugh. I lived for that cackle…I remember thinking, “Grandma thinks I’m funny… yes!!” In recent years my goal has remained the same…I tell funny stories, recall sweet memories, and poke gentle fun at her…and when a laugh escapes her lips it makes me smile. The problem is…its becoming harder and harder to draw it out of her lately… she doesn’t follow my words or the people in my story…she doesn’t remember the start of the sentence by the time I end it. It is making my heart ache.

        

      High: My mom is one of the bravest women I know. She flies out of this country in a few short hours to travel half way around the world to spend the next 5 weeks with strangers. She is serving the Lord, she is going alone, and she is making me proud.  I am thrilled at the thought of what this trip will teach her and how God will shape her heart through the experiences she will have. She is a woman of faith and one of my best friends. I’m gonna miss you Momma! GO live it up!

        Low: A dear friend of mine is going through a difficult time with her husband and it is tearing me up. Sometimes I think we forget just how sacred marriage is until it is threatened to be destroyed.  It leaves me with two thoughts: Marriage was made for life … and anything short of that can cause mass and sometimes irreversible destruction.  Stay married. Pray it out. That’s my mantra. (obviously there are some circumstances where this is not possible or healthy, I know)

        

      High: My little guy continues to light up my life. I find myself missing him when he takes a nap. I go in his room to sneak a peek at him while he sleeps, and secretly wish that the creaking floorboards I step on would wake him up so we can smile at each other and he can grab my face with his chubby little fingers. He is heavenly. And he looks just like my hubby… which is a major bonus;)

I hope this post isn’t too much of a downer ;) …all in all life is beautiful and full…but I can’t always just share the good and not the bad…right?

And how about you?  Is anyone else thanking God today for good husbands, babies, and mommas?  Or maybe feeling a mix of jumbled emotions, like me?

life lately...

Things have been a bit crazy around here the last few weeks...lots of partying (more on that later this week) and hanging out with friends...


Sadie and Hunter have been loving every minute of it...

 I just unloaded 2 weeks worth of pictures off of my memory card...so in the next day or two I will post them...woot woot ;)

Camping out...

The other day I set up a tent in the living room for a little camp out...

The kids thought I was certifiable:

Hunter- "Sadie, did you know mom was nuts? What is she thinking??"

Sadie- "I know buddy, she's been this way as long as I can remember...we just have to smile and play along..."

Hey mom...this is pretty fun...

 ok, actually, this is really fun...I love tents in the living room!!

 Sadie...I changed my mind...mom is so right, this tent is awesome!

Hope your having a great weekend!!

Because He Lives...

          
Hunter went down for his afternoon nap a little early today, affording me the luxury of a little alone time. I grabbed a granny smith, my Bible, workbook, and a pen and headed to a sunny spot by the window. Sadie curled up next to me as I cracked open my dog-eared workbook to the final few pages and began to read. They were the final pages of a seven-week study that some girlfriends and I embarked on two short months ago. The study focused on the life and writings of James, the half-brother of Jesus. It was a study that shook me to my core, and profoundly impacted my relationship with the Lord.

            As I filled in the blanks, read through the notes, and flipped through the tissue paper pages of my Bible…my heart raced at the thought of completing the study. That old familiar feeling crept up like on the last day of school before summer break…exams complete, papers handed in, books returned to the library…bittersweet melancholy. Excited at the accomplishment, saddened at the finality of it all.

            I have been a follower of Christ since I was four years old, and yet I have learned more about the founding fathers of my faith in the last few weeks than in the last 18 years. As I filled in a timeline of the events that took place in the decades following the death and resurrection of Christ, I got goosebumps. These were real men who wrote those New Testament books…they knew Jesus as a friend and brother…they stumbled and fell like the rest of us…they sinned…they were forgiven…and they were murdered for their faith. Murdered.

            It makes me wonder which side of the street I would have stood if I lived 2000 years ago. Would I have been a follower of the Lord and lived in the danger which following Christ entailed? Or would I have claimed this world as my home and played it “safe”? The thought makes me shudder a little. I have faced general ridicule for my beliefs, but never imminent danger (much less death) for them.

            Anyway, I digress…what I really wanted to record on this page is how I have been changed by the teaching of James. He has an annoying and effective way of stirring up hearts to feel conviction. I have never before felt so acutely aware of my sin, or the frequency in which I sin, as I do now. I am amazed that God continues to love me and consider me His kid, when I am so so so unworthy.

            As I closed up my books today, stashed them on the coffee table and walked upstairs to dry my hair, my mind raced with thoughts of my own inadequacy. As I turned on the hairdryer, an old familiar hymn came humming out of my closed mouth, without me even realizing it…

The words to which are as follows…

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus,


He came to love, heal, and forgive.


He lived and died to buy my pardon,


An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.




Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.


Because He lives, All fear is gone.


Because I know He holds the future,


And life is worth the living just because He lives.




How sweet to hold a newborn baby,


And feel the pride and joy he gives.


But greater still the calm assurance,


This child can face uncertain days because He lives.




Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.


Because He lives, All fear is gone.


Because I know He holds the future,


And life is worth the living just because He lives.




And then one day I’ll cross the river,


I’ll fight life’s final war with pain.


And then as death gives way to victory,


I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives.




Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.


Because He lives, All fear is gone!


Because I know He holds the future


And life is worth the living just because He lives!

Isn’t that beautiful? It spoke to me like a blazing reminder that even though I my sin piles up around me and life can challenge me to my limits, I can face tomorrow, Because HE lives.

(Words to “Because He Lives” by Bill & Gloria Gaither)
(Pictures from Easter morning:)