Please Help Today (November 4, 2011)

Today's the last day to vote for ABBA Fund (adoption funding helpers) to win up to a $50K grant from @GivingOfLife. Please take a minute to go vote here: http://givingoflife.com/browse/abba_fund

ABBA Fund provides interest free loans for adoption. ABBA Fund helps families overcome the financial barrier to adoption by maximizing the $13,170 per child federal adoption tax credit. Visit www.abbafund.org to learn more.

Lovely Free Printable from Joy's Hope

Don't you just adore this?  It's perfect - the message, the colors, everything.  It's so cheery and just what I really and truly need to see every morning. Go here to download it, print it as fast as you possibly can (I'm doing mine at Costco because they just turn out so nice there) and put it where you'll lay your little eyes on it often. (Mine's by my bathroom mirror.)

AND, guess what? (Yes, it gets better!) This little goodie is a harbinger of something I'm super-excited about: The Happy Day Project at Joy's Hope Blog!  Stay tuned to learn more!

Candy Corn Marshmallows

While we don't celebrate halloween in our family (some of this stuff bothers us, so we've made a personal choice not to be a part of it), we surely do enjoy fall treats and harvest-type festivities.  In fact, if the weather cooperates, we have a HUGE fall family day planned this coming Saturday and I promise to treat you to tons of pictures and ideas! Yay!

One of our little man's favorite projects this fall has been these Candy Corn Marshmallows.  The original recipe (as far as I can tell!) is found here at 3kidsandus.com, but I actually saw it on Pinterest. (Ohhh Pinterest, how I love thee, and how I have to limit my time with thee, for thou wouldst consume all of it if I let thee!!!)

Sooo, ours didn't turn out as neat as those pictured elsewhere (although they weren't THIS bad! Hee hee!), and I think it's because we left out the Crisco recommended by 3kidsandus, PLUS we were a bit impatient with letting them cool between colors, but we were thrilled with our results despite those small issues!

Instead of orange and yellow colored candy melts, we just used icing food coloring and vanilla [off-white] melts), whereby I was able to incorporate color mixing (for the orange) as well some excellent dexterity practice (and mommy-patience practice!) as the little guy toothpicked out the coloring and we carefully stirred the candy.

It was a super fun Sunday evening project - something simple and quick but rewarding for a boy who had done VERY well in the evening church service and was up later than little sister...


Perfect!

Sunday is Special

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. 

In all your ways acknowledge him,  and he will make straight your paths."

Proverbs 3:5-6

It's Fall at Our House!

What does fall look like in your neck of the woods?
At our house, well.... why don't you just come take a look?!

We have lots of leaves and gray skies, and there's a chill in the air most of the time;

but not allll the time, as you can see.  Our petunias are still going strong right beside the pumpkins!

Come on inside.  It's warm and cozy in here!  We're so happy to have you for a visit!  Don't be surprised if a very excited boy gives tackles you with his exuberant greeting, "Happy Fall, Y'all!"

 

For us, fall means grapevine wreaths and fresh squash and candles.  Lots and lots and lots and lots of candles!

I just love this "In every thing give thanks" print, and it was a free download from CheepIdeas.com. This is the pumpkin color, but they also have Toast, Cranberry and Pine. Lovely!  I printed mine at Costco and it turned out beautifully.

Our neighbor's grapevines (you can see them if you peek out our window!) are a bounty this time of year.

We love fall inside and outside!

Our school area even gets a fall makeover here and there.  (Found this autographed "November Boots" book at our neighborhood thrift store for 59 cents. Wow!

 

This monogram "wreath" was sooo simple to make.  I just took some "scratch and dent" upholstery foam, printed out a huge letter in the font I wanted, drew it on the foam with a sharpie, cut it out with my electric turkey carver, and wrapped it with pretty ribbon. Easy-peasy!

Of course we pull out the fall linens and I find a special place for my Sara Mincy pumpkin print.  I love her work! (She's pretty loveable herself, too! ;)

I love to tuck little hints and touches of fall everywhere - just to warm up the house with color as well as to add layers that hold physical warmth to combat the damp and chill that are setting in outside.

And finally, I have to let you know that we certainly have a fair amount of snuggling and cuddling going on around here - the VERY BEST fall activity, if you ask us!

Before and After #5: Green Couch Redo

One happy yard sale-ing morning in September, 2009, I stumbled upon this beautiful Ethan Allen couch for $15.  It smelled like unkempt cats and was sticky (as if it had been kept in a frequently-fried-food environment??), but it was structurally sound and had a sightly form so I scooped it up (with some muscley help, of course.).

At first I thought the foam could be re-used, but it was ultimately UNsalvageable, so I stripped it off and started cleaning (scrub, bleach, scrape, scrub, scrub, scrub and finally a little restore-a-finish wipe-down):

We moved it inside where it housed every single available throw pillow for FOR-EV-ER while I decided what to do with it!
At one point I so despaired of knowing what to do with it that I tried to sell it on craigslist...

THANKFULLY, it was at around this time that I got completely fed up with my beige on beige on beige living room color scheme AND this fed-up-ness coincided with the relocation and liquidation of my local JoAnn's!  So long story short: my couch budget suddenly looked a LOT bigger, and after much deliberation, I yanked my craigslist ad, ordered seat cushion foam (very, very happy with the Foam Factory's customer service, prices and quality, and no, they didn't pay me to say that. ;) and snatched up some delicious deep-discount grass green fabric (in a soft but sturdy denim, believe it or not!).

That was 6 months ago, and even though I had a great plan, I was still frozen about how to execute it, until..... I came across Creative Little Daisy's excellently clear tutorial on Sew, Mama, Sew! It gave me courage and understanding on how exactly to plan out the zippers...  so I did it! (Although I skipped the piping, not out of fear mind you {I was afraid of them there zippers, though!} but out of laziness practicality...)

And I used the previous over-sized-throw-pillows-turned-too-flat-seat-cushions as foundational back cushions in the same color, plus I recovered a few of the other stand-ins for a pop of color!

What do you think? Doesn't it liven up the space?!

 
Well, these little chickens help in that department too.... Yay!

[I think ultimately this couch would be perfect paired with sky blue walls... Check out the color combo on my Pinterest.]

Sunday is Special

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."

I John 4:7-8