Family Home Evening

We are on a wacky schedule today, so we had Family Home Evening this morning. When I told the kids we were having Family Home Evening Lily ran and grabbed a pillow from the couch, threw it on the floor and sat on it. I was so impressed she did this all on her own. During FHE we have the kiddies sit on pillows. It helps with the wiggles and wandering. I have been thinking about making them each FHE sitting pillows.Every Monday night our family tries to have Family Home Evening. Family home evening is a time where we have some gospel instruction and an activity, mainly we just spend time as a family. We usually pick a topic and prepare a lesson in two minutes with the help of the Nursery Manual. The new nursery manuel has great lessons perfect for kiddies from ages 18 months to 3 years old.

Last Sunday I was reading this article from April's General Conference. Even though we have been having FHE, I felt that we needed to maybe prepare a little more and give the kiddies responsibilities. With the help from the nursery manual and the Family Home Evening Resource Book I picked topics for our lessons for the next couple of months. I also made a chart assigning responsibilities. So long story short here is the our family's FHE schedule for the next 7 months. Feel free to use it if you would like. The lessons come from the Nursery Manual (NM) and the Family Home Evening Resource Book (FHE), so it will work for all ages. Every 3rd Sunday I do sharing time in our primary, so sometimes the lessons are the sharing time lessons (the links for the sharing time ones are not working right now, I will load them later).

September

7 Priesthood blessings (NM p.116, FHE p.84)

14 The Commandments (FHE p.7)

21 I am a Child of God (NM p. 8, FHE p. 20)

28 Prophets/ General Conference (NM p.100)

October

5 Jesus Christ created the World (NM p. 32, FHE p. 23)

12 Scriptures (NM p.96, FHE p. 17)

19 The Proclamation to the World (Sharing Time)

26 Prayer (NM 16, FHE p. 27)

November

2 Service (Sharing Time)

9 We can choose (FHE p. 31)

16 Heavenly Father provided a Savior (NM p.20, FHE p.36)

23 Thanksgiving

30 Faith (FHE p.43)

December

7 Repentance (NM p.68, FHE p. 39)

14 Baptism (NM p.108, FHE p.52)

21 Christmas (NM p. 128, FHE p. 156)

28 Sacrament (NM p. 116, FHE p. 56)

January

4 Recognizing the Spirit (NM p.28, FHE p. 64)

11 Families are Forever (NM p. 56)

18 The Godhead (Sharing Time)

25 A House of Order (FHE p. 92)

February

1 Loving our Neighbors (FHE p.98)

8 Family unity and love (NM p.48, FHE p.92)

15 Atonement of Jesus Christ (Sharing Time)

22 Sharing our blessings (NM p.92, FHE p.109)

March

1 The Sabbath Day (NM p. 36, FHE p.218)

8 Journals (FHE p. 199)

15 Reverence (NM p.84, FHE p.216)

22 Safety in following the prophet (Sharing Time)

29 Being a Missionary (FHE p.208)

If you have questions about what I believe in check out http://www.mormon.org/.

Award!

I am super excited to announce that my Queen B blog won its first award.

The I love your Blog award.

I have to admit though, that the awesome person giving out the award was my sister in law. So she might be a little biased. But I am glad that someone is enjoying my blog. I have been having a great time creating it. I love that it pushes me to work on the things I enjoy.

Thank you Tricia for the award.

check it out on the bottom of my sidebar

Little House Garden

I am getting sick of this little house. I want to move on to other projects. My attention span is too short for such a big project. I had a couple more ideas but I think I am just going to keep it to this. I am in the process of sewing it all together and then I will post the final product.

And of course the inspiration for this garden is from Make it and Love it's fort. That is where I got the whole "little house" idea from anyway. The middle flower is inspired by Meg's flowers over at whatever. FYI: whatever is my favorite blog. I just love all of her pictures and I want to live in her house. Or have a house exactly like it for my little family.

Love your Kitchen Week Recap

"Love your Kitchen Week" turned into Love your Kitchen Month. Our kitchen has had a lot of changes.

First: A deep cleaning.

Second: New Paint. We had our whole apartment professionally painted (paid by our landlord). It is amazing how paint can even make your furniture look good. Our house feels clean and fresh. The biggest transformation was in the kitchen. The ceiling, cupboards and walls used to be a light blue. The ceiling and cupboards are now white and the walls are an off white. We are happy that the blue is gone.

Third: I put new contact paper in almost all of the cupboards. Who knew that this would take FOREVER?!!! There used to be a blue floral pattern from the early 80s. Now it looks so clean and bright in there.

Note the clean, white contact paper, NOT all the pots and pans shoved into a tiny cupboard.



Last and definitely not least: Our new kitchen table. We should have taken a before picture. We got this table from Justin's parents. It was a neighbor's craft table. Justin sanded off all the craft paint. He used polyurethane for the table top and and antique white on the legs. Justin did an awesome job. Now we just need more chairs.

More Chalkboard Placemats

I made 4 more chalkboard placemats. I was planning on keeping 2 and then giving 2 away. But now I am feeling greedy, and I think I am going to keep them all to myself. Last time I made them I kind of just guessed around the corners. The final product was not that great. This time I adapted this make it and love it tutorial to sewing the bias tape on the placemats. Same idea as the door just reversed. I cut 4 pieces for the 4 sides, sewed them together and then attached them to the chalkboard and oilcloth. The corners look way better this time. Now I feel bad that Hilary got the bad placemats. We might have to trade some how.

Being Creative

Part of me dreams of having time every day to be crafty. I have a never ending list of things I would like to make and it seems like the list just gets longer every day. To tell you the truth I was even getting frustrated that I wasn't finding the time to do the things I wanted to. But then reality hit. I am a Mother! I love being a mom, this is what I have always wanted to be. These little kiddies will not always want all of my attention, so I am trying to soak it all up before it passes me by. Which means that being crafty does not always happen. So if you are ever wondering why I haven't posted forever it is because I am busy soaking up life.

As many of you noticed I finally figured out how to make my pictures large on blogger. I had tried a couple of tutorials, but they didn't work for me. I finally found one at made by madeline that worked and was super easy.

Love your Kitchen Week

This picture of my kitchen was taken last November. It looks pretty much the same right now, except dirtier.

I am declaring this week LOVE YOUR KITCHEN WEEK. My kitchen is in desperate need for love. I'm not talking about doing the dishes or wiping down the counters, although that might be a good place to start. I am talking about cleaning out the fridge, taking things out of the cupboards and wiping them down (I might even replace the 80's contact paper), and maybe even cleaning my oven. GASP! Okay I will probably not clean my oven because I refuse. But if you would like to join me please do. I'm starting today and will be done by Friday. Because I don't want to clean on the weekend.

***Update: Last Tuesday I cleaned out my fridge. It looked better than ever. On Wednesday I looked in there and a root beer bottle on the top shelf got to close to where the cold air comes out and broke open. Root beer is on every single shelf and pooled at the bottom of the fridge. I felt so discouraged that I was going to have to take everything out and clean it all again that I actually made NO progress in my kitchen last week. So I guess I should get on it this week.

Little House Photo Wall

Today I finished the photo wall for the little house. Only one more wall to go! The photos will hang inside the house when it is finished. When I hung it up to take pictures the kids went crazy. They were crawling underneath it and checking out all the photos. It was impossible to get pictures without the kiddies in them.

Please ignore Lily's sunscreen, swimming, bed head.I made 4 frames with some scrap baby fabric. There are two boy frames and two girl frames. I used some leftover vinyl from the window to make the "glass" for the frames.

I printed off 9 photos of family and friends and laminated them for safe keeping. The pictures slide in and out of the frames so the kids can change the pictures whenever their little hearts desire.

This photo was not staged the kids were loving it. It gives me hope that they will like the final product.

Sunflowers

Little House Door

I finally finished the door and mailbox for my little house today. One of my friends asked me how I was holding up the walls for the pictures. I am just temporarily holding them up with masking tape for the pictures. Once I finish each side I plan to sew them all to the roof piece. The house will hang over our card table, just like the fort on Make it and Love it. I have not finished the bottoms of the walls because I am not sure how I am going to finish them yet.



I have had these postcards since I was 13 years old. I wrote little notes to the kids and laminated them so that they will last more than one day of play. I received a Xyron 510 years ago for my birthday. I got it for all my scrapbooking but had never used it because I stopped scrapbooking shortly after receiving it. Today was the first time I used it. I bought a laminating cartridge so I could laminate the postcards. It was amazing. I can't believe I have never used it. I want to laminate everything now.

You are welcome to send the kiddies a postcard and I will laminate it and put it in their little house mail box.

I was trying to find an inexpensive way to finish the door and window without buying premade bias tape (I don't know how to make my own). I found this twill ribbon (I don't know what it is really called) sold by the yard at Beverly's. All I did was iron it in half and use it like bias tape. I love how it looks. It turns out it is not all that much cheaper than the pre-made packaged bias tape but I think I prefer it for this project anyway.

Little House Curtains

I finished the curtains for my little house. I was surprised how fast and easy they were to make and the thought came to me "Why have I never made curtains for my own house?" Then I remember how we move almost every single year.

When I decided to make curtains these are the ones that I envisioned in my head. I love how they turned out. I hung them using a dowel. I put the curtains on the dowel and then sewed the curtains to the "wall". I then added a ribbon in the middle to add a little more support. I love that the kids will be able to open and close the curtains.

Next: The Door... maybe.

Twilight in the Park

Livin' it up in San Diego: Twilight in the Park

I have lived in San Diego now for a little over 3 years. I feel like I have a good feel of fun things to do around town, especially with kids. This city has so many fun things to offer. I decided I would begin posting some of my favorite things to do around town to help out the new San Diegan or the vacationer.Twilight in the Park is a free summer concert series in Balboa Park's Spreckels Organ Pavilion. It runs in the summer from June 16 to August 27. Concerts are every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6:15-7:15. All are welcome, including children. Bring a picnic, sit back and enjoy the music. For more information go to Twilight in the Park Summer Concert Series.
Lily eating her free microphone.

Azure Sky Creations

My very good friend, Kim, just opened an etsy shop called Azure Sky Creations. She makes and sells the cutest hair accessories. I have been shopping with Kim when she is buying materials, and let me tell you, she is very picky. She only uses the best quality materials to create her hair things. She is very careful and meticulous when making them. She makes them perfect. And the best part is she is selling they are SUPER inexpensive.

Today she is hosting a giveaway at Give Away Today. So go enter to win and if not just go to her shop and buys some bows.

P.S. Kim did not ask me to mention her on my blog. I just really like her product. Not that my blog is all that popular.

Little House Window

I had been wanting a little house/tent for my kiddies. Then I saw this ONE on Make it and Love it and decided to make my own. I have lots of plans for my little house. I'm going to keep you updated as I go along. Because lets be honest, this project is going to take me awhile. Today I made the wall with the window. This was my first time sewing plastic. Luckily when I made the chalkboard placemats my friend Chantal told me that if I had any trouble sewing with oilcloth to use tissue paper. I did not have problems with the oilcloth but did with the plastic. I just put the tissue paper on top and sewed it all together. When I was done I tore the tissue paper off. Genius.

Tomorrow: Curtains

Card Factory

If you are in my family, you know how bad I am on birthdays. I never send cards, I rarely call. Sometimes I even remember it is someone's birthday, or I will think about them ALL day, but never pick up the phone to wish them a happy birthday. Last year I made a new years resolution to send a card to everyone (meaning family, sorry friends) on their birthday. I didn't even do the January birthdays.

I decided it was time to get organized. First, I wrote down all the cards I needed for the next year. Second, I pulled out all of my scrapbook supplies that has been sitting unused for years. Third, I started a Card Factory. This is the first time I have really ever made cards. So here are a few. If you are family, beware you might see a card coming your way, if you want it to be a surprise, close your eyes. Cards for the November babies.

I made almost 20 of these. They are simple and it was really easy to replicate, over and over and over.

I only made a few present cards and two unique birdie cards. I did the birdies at midnight when my brain was fried.

These are my absolute favorite. I was inspired by Meg at whatever's designs for the shirts she makes. Let me tell you, something about making these flowers is super therapeutic. I had the biggest smile on my face the whole time I was making the flower cards. I only wish I had a stash of pretty fabric like my stash of pretty scrapbook paper.

Flower Pots

Before:

I painted these flower pots for my daughters first birthday party. The colors were great for the party but not so much for the everyday.

After:

I wanted something bright and cheerful. The name of this paint was True Blue. I told Justin I am just getting ready for BYU football.

Lemon Cake

Every year my husband requests Lemon Cake on his birthday. Last year I found this super yummy recipe from Martha. I made it again this year and I am sure I will make it every year on his birthday until I die. Find Ligurian Lemon Cake recipe here. Seriously, it is really good.

The Truth about Potty Training

I think there are some parents in the world who just have it figured out, at least about potty training. I was not one of those people. I knew that I had NO idea what I was doing. A couple of months ago I tried to teach my son how to use the potty. We tried everything and nothing was working. I started asking everyone what worked for them. I found a lot of advice on using positive encouragement, and no pressure. But nothing was working. We tried sticker charts, m&ms, setting a timer, bribery, begging, and unfortunately punishment. Can I just say that Tanner filled up a whole sticker chart and he still didn't tell me when he needed to use the potty. So we stopped potty training for a couple of months. I know I needed a break.

But I knew it was time to try again. I was embarrassed that he was still wearing diapers at 3. I know that it is generally acceptable. But I always had the belief that kids could be taught a lot younger than that. I just didn't know how to teach him.

So last Tuesday it was official, Tanner was a big boy and we started training again. Halfway into the day we were right where we left off. Frustrated, Annoyed, Depressed, and Discouraged. I know I just expected it to happen in one day. Like magic. Like all those people who blog about it just taking their kids hours. Out of desperation I turned to the internet. Not for how to potty train but to see if I could pay someone to come in and do it. At that moment I was willing to give anything to just have it over with. I know some might be thinking "Its not that bad" well I thought it was.

I couldn't find anyone to pay to actually do it, but I found several "Potty train you kid in 3 days" programs. I figured I was desperate. As far as I could tell all the programs looked pretty much the same. Except one said that it trained the most stubborn of children, I decided that one was for us. I purchased the program off of 3 Day Potty Training by Lora Jensen. I am kind of embarrassed to admit that I bought it and that I needed help.

When I bought the program I downloaded an ebook. I read all 40 pages and felt a new determination that we could do it. The program is not rocket science. After reading it I thought ,"That's it, I should have thought of that, it is so simple."

So do you want to know if it really only took 3 days? It pretty much did. By day 4 he would pee a few drops and then tell us he had to go. A week after training begun Tanner has had NO accidents. He is able to hold it while we are out. I do have a potty in the back of my van for when public toilets are too scary for him. He has only used it once. We were having a harder time at night, so Justin started taking him to the bathroom when he wakes up at 5:30am. Tanner goes to the bathroom and goes right back down to sleep. Tanner is actually sleeping in later because he doesn't have to wake up to go to the bathroom.

The program suggest the earliest to start potty training is at 22 months. I am anxious for Lily to turn 22 months to try it out on her.

We are really happy with the results. If you are feeling desperate or confused like I was just go buy a program. I am not getting paid to tell you all this (I wish I was). I just am passing this along to help any desperate mothers like I was.

Articles of Faith

In our ward (church congregation) when the primary children memorize all 13 of the Articles of Faith they get a certificate presented to them in our sacrament meeting (Sunday service). On Sunday I was impressed with a little boy in our ward who received his certificate. He seemed so young. Then I got to thinking, if Tanner (3 years old) can memorize the Pledge of Allegiance, and all of his books then he could learn his Articles of Faith. So I made a goal that as a family we would memorize our Articles of Faith. One a month, until they get too long then we might take two months. I hung this in our entry to remind us to go over it every day. I thought having pictures would help Tanner, because he can't read.

Lily's Apron

Wow! Have you missed me? I have been out of town for 4.5 out of the last 7 weeks. I got home a week ago but have been recovering from being gone for so long. I feel like I will never get things back in order.

We are having a major cleanse at our house. We are getting rid of all of our junk, and all the things we have been holding on to for years now. I'll let you know when we are finally done.

I started this apron for Lily last summer at a church activity. I didn't finish it until December. Luckily it is just starting to fit her. For the straps I used pink grosgrain ribbon. I was a little nervous at the beginning because it was one of my first sewing projects. But it turned out to be really easy. I also made a boy version for Tanner, but he was not willing to be a model. I will have to try to get it on him another day.