Happy Father's Day

 

Happy Father's Day!

 

Feel free to use this printable for the great Pop's in your life.

My husband claims that being a dad is cake compared to being a mom. This is completely untrue of course. What about the many, many times I've called him at work asking him to come home early because "I just can't anymore" and he showed up soon after with a bag of take out food.

 

Or the times I've rolled over at 2am and said "it's your turn", even though it really wasn't, and he got up anyway.

 

Or the times when there was 2 minutes left in the game and he turned it off to tuck the kids into bed.

 

Or the fact that I can't handle the post puke clean-up so I bathe the kid while he cleans up the mess.

 

Or all those times when he's put in a full day of work and I'm waiting, car keys in hand, in the drive way to take off as soon as he comes home.

 

Or when he's carried all 3 kids at the same time up to bed... because he's just that strong! :)

 

Or like last night when he took them to the store to buy my dads gift because I dropped the ball, and left me home alone to relax... and I know he spent extra time walking around the store just to keep them out a little longer. And even though I'm home alone he sends me little texts and pictures of the kids because he understands that just because I'm not there it doesn't me I don't love them and miss them.

 

Or all the times that he's played with them, disciplined them, read to them, cleaned up after them, fed them, washed them, and hugged them... and all the times that he's wanted to be doing that but has been at work instead, providing for them.

 



 

Dads are amazing, dads are strong, dads are needed and dads are very loved... everyday.

Our Home For The Holidays - And Free Printable!

 

I Love my home this time of year! Even sitting in the evening watching TV feels special when the only light in the room comes from the tree. Here is a few pictures of our budget friendly holiday decorations...

 

 I needed new printables for my side table this Christmas and this is what I came up with...

 

 

The printables are cute but I especially love my little 8$ white tree from Target! 

You can find a link to these printables of mine at the end of this post. Enjoy!

 

I love to hang our stockings on the stairs (since we don't have a mantle) so it's the first thing the kids see as they head down Christmas morning. Seeing there stockings stuffed with goodies will only highten the excitement for when they turn the corner and see the real jackpot... under the Tree!

 

 

Just a little shelf in the bathroom. My mom painted this adorable little Santa and we have it up somewhere in the house every year.

 

 

The countdown calendar is all stuffed and ready to go for this Saturday, the 1st of December. Each pockets filled with 3 treats, so we don't fight.

 

 

And this special corner...

 

 

Suprise suprise, my husband can play the piano! I really had no idea. I haven't heard him play before. I was practing my "Jolly Old Saint Nick" song when he came over to show me how it's really done. He was gracious enough to tell me how good I was doing for only 2 days worth of practice, but I admit I'm a little embarrassed to play in front of him anymore. I'll just have to get him to teach me what he knows. 

 

Deer Printable

 

Merry Little Christmas Printable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FREE Halloween printables for your home

 

These fun printables make a huge Halloween statement in our home for very little money. The frames I gathered from around the house and the prints only cost a few dollars to have printed out. I love the way they look grouped together in our entry way!

 

 

I made one in blue as well. Not a very traditional Halloween color but it matches our living room perfectly.

 

 

You can download your own set of Haunted Home Printables on box.com...

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN WITCH

 

CHEVRON BATS

 

WHEN WITCHES GO RIDING

 

HAUNTED HOME PURPLE

 

HAUNTED HOME BLUE

 

 

 

 

 

 

BYU / UTAH subway art

 

Football has returned to my TV. 

 

No, I don't really like football much. At least, I don't like to sit for 3 + hours and watch a whole game... or multiple games... all weekend long!

 

 I do love watching my son play his flag football games Saturday mornings.

I love hot wings, 7 layer dip, hot dogs, nachos and various other football watching snacks.

I love the excitement of going to a college game and watching the people around me get so fired up!

I love my husband, and my husband loves football, and I love to snuggle close to my husband while he watches football.

I love the fall.

 

So I guess I love everything about football except the actual game.

(which is a little harsh, I appreciate the game and a love when my team wins! Why do the games have to be so stinkin' long though?!)

 

 

 

 

We cheer for the U (University of Utah) in this house... or so I have been told. My husband got his law degree from BYU though, so even though he might not like it, I cheer for them too. We'll also be watching a lot Philadelphia Eagles games this season.

 

 I'll try a little harder this year to get into football (I say that every year). I'm starting with this subway art I made to set out on game days. If your a BYU or Utah fan feel free to use them yourself! I also thought they'd make a great back to school decoration or even a card for a college student!

 

Go UTES! (or BYU, whichever)

 

Family Life: Harry Potter Party Free Printables

Sorry, another Family Life post. Last one I promise, I kind of had them back logged for awhile!

Did you know Harry's birthday is this Tuesday (July 31st). We have been celebrating Harry's birthday for a few years now. It all started when my son was little and he was a HUGE fan. There was probably a year straight (about 5 years old) where he wore a pen drawn lightening bolt on his forehead everyday. I had to keep drawing a new one on for him after each bath. One year while playing on a little soccer team he insisted that they were actually playing Quidditch and would not call his coach anything but Dumbledore. One year he dressed up as Harry Potter for Halloween and we threw a large Harry Potter birthday party for him. Since then he's moved on the other things but he still enjoys watching the movies from time to time and reading the books.

This Tuesday afternoon, while it's way to hot to play outside anymore, we'll come in and I'll hand the kids their Hogwarts letters. We'll celebrate in the kitchen where we'll make some WANDS at Ollivanders, then head to Potions Class and try out a couple science experiments (HERE and HERE). We'll grab some treats from The Great Hall (butterbeer cupcakes) and take the Hogwarts Express to the living room where we'll watch a HP movie (probably #1, #3 or #7.2, our favorites)

Will you be celebrating Harry Potter's 32nd birthday? (according the fan sites he was born in 1980, I had to look that up) I made a few printables for my kids and thought I'd share.

Cupcake Toppers

Hogwarts Letter (you'll have to fill in your child's name and place/time of party)

Party station signs.

Why do I make silly parties like this for my kids? Mostly because I get bored as a stay at home mom. I also think (or at least hope) that the kids will remember me as a fun mom. I like to keep them very simple so they are actually do-able. I've seen some crazy good HP parties out there on blog land that would make mine seem pretty pathetic.  

July 4th Banner Printable

With all 3 of my kids running in and out of my room right now, hoping on my bed and being quite loud, I can not think of a single creative thing to say about this little 4th of July banner I created on photoshop! I guess such a simple thing doesn't need a great introduction. It's cute how it is, if you like it feel free to click on the picture below to save it and print it out. I don't really love where I've hung it right now so I'll take it down and hang it at the food table next Wednesday, I think it will be perfect for that.

 One month of summer break down and only 2 to go... we are having a blast!

Mother's Day Printable

Here's a little Mother's Day printable for you to share with those important women in your life. Folded like a matchbook it's a perfect size to slip in a favorite tea bag.

Every evening after we tuck the kids into bed my husband and I have a cup of herbal tea. Bruce likes to experiment and try new flavors. I stick with just one, my favorite, Bigelow Sweet Dreams. It's the cheapest brand at the grocery store and I probably never would have tried it if I hadn't borrowed some from my mom when we ran out. It's very yummy and helps me to calm down and get ready for bed.

So when thinking of what to make for Mother's Day I could think of nothing better to give the mothers I know than relaxation and a good nights sleep. That's really all that is on my wish list at the moment.

You can also download from Box.com HERE

A Very Special Day

We recently celebrated a very special day for my 8 year old daughter "P". She was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

8 years old is such a sweet age. I am enjoying my daughter at this age more than I ever have. P is still a innocent child and yet I see her starting to grow up. She very much wants to be my friend, she wants to "grow up to be just like mommy", but she is also developing ideas of her own, which is so fun to watch. She loves animals more than people, wants to be a veterinarian/artist when she grows up, and I have seriously started researching "meatless" meal ideas for that day when she finally tells me she won't eat my hamburgers anymore. She is a prefect student and really enjoys school. She can be a bit shy but has lots of little BFF's and loves to make people laugh. Her favorite time is family time and I'm hoping I can make that last for many more years. And lastly, I also see her testimony of Christ starting to form. She is very curious and wants to always do what is right. She is such a joy in my life!


Our forever family...
Little P and her daddy...

I made a few simple decorations for a luncheon at our house after the baptism. Lots of P's family and friends were there to celebrate with her.
Feel free to copy these and use them for your special 8 year old...



I also purchased some inexpensive paper doilies from my local party store to decorate the table with.
For my hanging decorations I just sewed down the middle of a stack of 6 doilies and then spread them out to create a "ball"...

As a special gift for P we got her her own set of LDS scriptures and I made her this little quilted scripture case to go with it. I am hoping to get a tutorial together for it soon!

For Your Quilting Space...

Have you been doing some Spring cleaning around your home lately? I hung some new curtains in the living room and took the time to clean my window blinds. They were so dirty!

After your cleaning is all done, why don't you add a fresh new piece of art to your home... Quilt Subway Art!

Just click on the picture to make it larger, right click on your favorite color subway art, save to your computer and you can either print it off right there or send it to your photo developer to have it done.

Enjoy!