So this post has zero rhyme or reason to it….just a bunch of random things. I’m feeling a little random this week so it matches my mood I suppose. I’m including a bunch of links today too….for those not familiar with links, if you click on the red words they will take you to another site/post.
My dad built Chris and I this bed a few years ago. Genius me painted my room brown and the bed totally blends in with the walls. So now several years later I am getting around to decorating my bedroom. I have never had such a hard time deciding on a paint color. It has been ridiculous actually. In the midst of my walls looking like this I got a Facebook message from a friend asking me if I could help her decide on a paint color. Yeah, I told her she asked the wrong person! If you are curious what I finally chose – “muslin”. In other words, after all that I chose off-white….and that is why no sane person would ever ask my help in decorating!
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So last week I came home from running around with a friend. I had 1 hour to get little ones to take a nap before a preschool Christmas performance. Once they laid down I realized I was supposed to take a food ‘representing my son’s heritage’ to his preschool show. Great. 1 hour. I found a sugar cookie mix that I had planned on using to make Betty Crocker’s Biscotti. I made it quickly, got it in the oven…then read it would take nearly an hour and half to complete. So the ‘biscotti’ got cooked once instead of twice and became crunchy cookie squares. I threw an Elle’s Studio tag on it and called it good. The way I see it….it is a great representation of my son’s heritage….some diy mixed with improv and chocolate.
P.S. – the cookie squares were devored at the school and I heard several moms comment how good they were. So…try that recipe either the orginial way or just cook it the first round and cut into squares.
P.P.S. – Once the performance started I realized I sent my son to school with a pair of pants 2 sizes too big. He spent the majority of the show pulling up his pants. Nice job, Ashley. (my son is on the right…the one time his hands were in the air)
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Basketball practice has started. This is his ‘I’m serious about sports” face.
My dear friend is also his homeroom mom. For their class Christmas party she had the kids make Blessed to Bless bags. So much better than a craft he’d just throw away when he got home. I love that he and his friends got to make them together.
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I finally made FireCracker another Cateye Glasses shirt. She had outgrown the onesie a while back. In the process of making it used paint for the ‘beads’ and squirted too hard in one spot. That spot became a bow. I’m not crazy about the bow, but it works for now. I’ll make her a short sleeved version in the spring.
My friend’s daughter turned one. She stopped by to visit and I got to pretend to be a professional photographer again. Cutie. Check out that pointed toe!
Our Christmas tree was beautiful in the field when we cut it down. Once at home it was beautiful until I started messing with it. No one wanted to decorate it with me. I got grumpy about that so I decided to do whatever I wanted to with it…since no one else cared. I didn’t put any of our ‘crafty’ ornaments on it. I’m pretty sure I had been on too many blogs of artsy girls that don’t have kids yet. I saw too many perfectly creative decorated trees. Those trees did not have wonky ornaments made by little fingers. They didn’t have angels made out of noodles or craft stick reindeer….just perfectly perfect magazine glamour.
Everything I did just kept making it uglier. I finally gave up and moved on.
Last week Meg posted this craft. I thought it was so cute, so I decided to make some with my little munchkins. I used fabric tape and decorative masking tape for my scarves.
Once I hung the ornaments on the tree it made me remember how much I love all those wonky preschool ornaments. I missed the noodle art and faded construction paper people. I thought about digging them all out from year’s past and putting them on the tree, but I think I just enjoy these four this year. I don’t want a magazine worthy Christmas tree…I want a wonky, kid creative, hodge podge mess of memories on my tree next year. I am sure many of you moms have already learned this lesson…I’m a slow learner. Thanks Meg for reminding me what I really want on my tree.
Joni - i like the bow on the shirt. perhaps it looks a little different in person.
Mallory @ R. Simple Life - I like wonky trees too. I especially love those ornaments you made. Are we going to see a picture of the final outcome of the wall color/bedroom? I really want to see the bed!
amanda torres - I like all the improvising going on. Funny and practical.
Sarah - For the past 7 years since i’ve been on my own; i have deocrated a ‘magazine worthy’ Christmas Tree for my husband and I. I always got compliments on it. My son is out of the ‘baby stage’ and I’ve been thinking alot about what kind of Christmas’s memories I want to give him. Next year i can’t wait to go to a tree farm; pick out that perfectly imperfect tree with my husband and son in tow and decorate it with gifted and handcrafted ornaments and garland. I’ve started a tradition this year-gifting my son a memory worthy ornament. Something that will bring back a memory of the past year. This year it was a John Deere Tractor-my boy loves him some tractors! Have a very Merry Christmas!!!
Lesley - I think my favorite part of this post is the use of the word “wonky.”
Tess S - perfectly imperfect. so true. we also made the handprint ornaments that meg posted. adorable.
meg duerksen - oh you are sweet. yes…my tree is no pottery barn tree. yesterday talby asked “where’s your coffee cup ornament mom?” and i said ” i don’t know…i didn’t do the ornaments this year.” i really was hands off. and there is not one fancy ornament on there….50% handmade and wonky and 50% of their personal special ones (aka- batman, spiderman, dora)
and its just fine.
your preschool story sounds like a day in my life.
i love the cute tee….and the bow! you could…sew a real bow on top of it if you were unhappy with the paint one.
jessibee08 - you. are. awesome!
Its a sad thing. Thank you for being so vulnerable, honest, pure, and genuine! I love your blog. Thank you for not only inspiring many diy projects, but for inspiring growth, challenge, encouragement, and inspiring mothering to me this year. Merry Christmas! May Jesus continue to reveal even MORE of himself this year to you and your family! MUch love,
this is why i love this blog soooooo much! You call it what it is! I like to call it blog comparison, but it is so true that one minute we are browsing blogs, and the next we feel insignificant. That somehow what “they” have is prettier, cooler, and ultimately better. And then we somehow think this = our life too.
sarah - I love all your tapes!
I’m all for the hodge podge tree! When I was little I wanted a tree that was all one color theme. Now I cringe at the thought of not hanging ornaments that look like cracked cookies, or snowman faces made of yarn. I love each and every one.
Seamingly Sarah - I get caught up in comparing myself to other blogs, homes, households and etsy shops. I have to take self imposed breaks from surfing the internet and fueling my pity party. I am me. I like what I like. And just because I like someone else’s product, pictures or house doesn’t mean that is what I want to make or have my home look like. I need to see it as appreciating something different and then going and doing what is best for me and my family…sometimes that is two very different things. Thanks for this post!
Angela Carter - love the snowman ornaments – we made them too! we gave them to our teachers and to our great grandma. i love a tree for kids – it’s the only way to go when you have littles. have a merry christmas.
Traciek - I too love a wonky Christmas Tree. The kids and I enjoy looking at old ornaments from preschool days and some of me when I was a kid. I love the hodgepodge look and not a “themed” tree. Happy Holidays
anna - love those ornaments and here’s to not perfect everything!!!
Jenny Joy - I love your blog for a million reasons. Today’s post? Reason one million and one.
amy - i love those ornaments wow!! i remember seeing a hand painted ornament like that. my mom bought it when i was a child and i would stare at it every christmas and was determined that i could make one just as gorgeous. it was a house covered in snow. except i can’t paint worth beans. but i think i could do this. doing this for sure!!!!
D'On - I love random! hahaha I would totally be that mom who put their kid in too big of paints. That makes me laugh. My son has those issues of constantly pulling up his pants because they are too big in the waist. I love the ornaments. I’ve seen it done on a little tiny canvas. I think I like the ornament better. It’s probably a little cheaper than the mini canvas too.
the whyte house - macgyver treats, too, eh? nice. so when your grandpa comes to do projects at my house, tell him he can bring a friend…like your dad(hint, hint). i will start making a list for them.
as for the ornaments…i did them, too. the paint, though, so does not look like that. AND the color of the ornament came off on my kids hands. so the white on the ornament has a red tint/purple tint/blue tint. ergh. and the paint didn’t come off onto the ornament right, either. not cool.
hearttypat - well i think the bow looks cute! That was the first thing I noticed.
Lanny Stanard - I like your Random… Merry Christmas!
Yanet - Ashley, the bow came out looking whimsical and adorable. Quit being so hard on yourself.
We have a tree just for the boys and they hang all their handmade goodies on it. I’d include a link to the posts but it seems like I’m always doing that. Like saying ‘look, mommy, look’. Kind of needy and pathetic coming from a 39-year old.
signe - thank you for the totally random post. it made me smile as i am sitting here at work. i love the photo of firecracker pointing to herself in the earlier version of the glasses shirt, too precious!
kari - I’m gonna make an ornament asap. Thanks for the post! Merry Christmas. XOXO
Cyndi B - Super cute ideas!!! Merry Christmas.
Courtney Henson - Totally thought of you as I was watching the Today Show this morning. They had your calendar with the postcards and paper in the cute little basket on a gift segment! And I have been planning on making those ornaments off Meg’s site for the last few days! Tonight is the night though as we are running out of time. I have been striking out with the glue though…having trouble coming up with white glue that doesn’t dry clear. I thought of white paint because I do have that around somewhere! Love your blog too…one of my favorites! Merry Christmas!
amber - Thanks for posting this…my random brain needed that. Why is the week of Christmas so crazy? I want to be a little girl again, worried only about baby Jesus, singing in the choir, & anxiously awaiting Santa & my family. Sigh…
We made the snowman ornaments too. My tree gets the questionable eye from time to time from others because of the ornaments on it. Kid created, old memories, ornaments from places we’ve been. But…I love it. It has meaning & that’s what Christmas is about. Meaning & remembering. Merry Christmas!!
Jaclyn - Oh my gosh I LOVE the cateye glasses shirt – I’m making one for my daughter immediately. So cute
And I think the bow looks adorable!
Elizabeth - The BOW makes the shirt! It’s fabulous!
Phyllis - Love this post. A couple weeks ago I went to church with my 4 year old in shorts (we’re in AZ) or so I thought, they were his brothers 18 month pants..it was quite comical, gotta love those moments….
Carissa Miller - I just had to tell you that I am cracking up about the preschool Christmas performance. Can I be honest that I am happy that I am not the only one these things happen to?!? I am always “that mom” who is scrambling around last second and forgot I was suppose to bring a snack or a present for the teacher or whatever else. Oh, and I definitely would put the wrong pants on and not realize til we got there too!
Crystal - I saw Meg’s post about the ornaments too & we have started (not finished) ours yet! I think they are so cute! I wish I had fabric tape like you though….that would be nice.
DIY « Tied Up With String - [...] I have followed her posts for over a year now and since then she’s even made her daughter a Cateye Shirt to replace the onesie she [...]