Lemon Wreaths

I am so excited to share with you my Lemon Wreath!! 

My friend Bert from FTM, sent myself and another friend, Rawney from Mishaps and Mayhem, a link from The Adventures of Ordy and Joon to make this Lemon Wreath...

                                       

Joon's Wreath

We gathered at Bert's house and got to work. However, we had a HARD time finding lemons that were not $1 each. Finally Bert and her mom found some at Hobby Lobby. Each bag came with "large", medium and small. The large wasn't very large...at least not compared to Joon's!! But after some debating, rearranging, and dividing we split up the lemons and got to work on our wreaths. 

Joon has a WONDERFUL tutorial so check it out here! I will let you know what we did different so if you have any of the issues we had you will have a little help. I mean what's better then learning from our mistakes and mishaps! 

The first thing was our ribbon...yep we all ran out! You think we would have learned from Joon!

Rawney working on gluing on the ribbon.

Bert had a thicker wreath and ran out after only half! 

I missed just a little...but still sad! 

Then we got to work with our lemons. Here is where we also ran into problems because we didn't have the LARGE lemons that Joon had! Our "large" was more like her medium. So we had to make do. 

Each of us decided to do our own pattern with the lemons we had. I placed all my larger lemons on the outside. Then added my medium ones on the inside, spacing them out quite a bit. After that I added leaves to fill in the gaps. Once I had leaves all around I added the smallest lemons to fill in. 

Because I ran out of lemons I made a little cluster to place at the bottom of my wreath. I really liked the way it turned out!

Here are our finally projects...

Bert's Wreath

Rawney's Wreath

My Wreath

I still haven't found her a home yet...maybe the front door...maybe the dinning room...not quite sure! 

****Where I purchased...****

1. Wreath and leaves at the Dollar Store ($1 each/3 items)

2. Ribbon (1 spool...should have gotten 2) at Walmart ($2 something)

3. Lemons at Hobby Lobby (used a 50% off coupon) (had 5 bags for 3 wreaths and should have had 2 bags/per person totaling 6 bags) ($3/per bag after coupon)

Cost of project: $10

See where I like to link up by clicking here. Cherished Bliss

Gone with the wind...

I feel like I am gone with the wind...or more so sun! It has been so hot and uncomfortable in our house that I have not felt like blogging. So, I figured I better give you guys something to read so everyone doesn't abandoned me while I am melting to death. (*Side note...today is beautiful...not like yesterday's heat).

Our update...

1. I have been doing a lot of photo shoots these past few weeks!

1 year old Cole

My friend, Jess

Skoglund Family

2. Elijah does NOT like baby food anymore! He wants table food! He enjoys noodles, bread, chicken, peas (sometimes), cheese, rice cakes, avocados, bananas, and puffs!

3. Elijah is moving everywhere and FAST!! He is so tall (32 inches) that NOTHING is safe at about table height and lower! He loves exploring and getting into every thing!

4. Elijah loves animals! He LOVES Pablo and Pablo loves him! (Pablo is my sister's dog) They kiss, wrestle, play with the same toys, and take adventures under the table together...

5. Josh leaves for his annual River Retreat this Sunday! So glad I don't go...pooping in a hole, sleeping on the ground, carrying all your stuff on your back for days. Yuck!

6. My mom is on her first cruise (and vacation without my dad...I think) ever!! Her and 3 of her girlfriends from church will be boarding their ship tomorrow for Alaska! She did it in honor of her 50th birthday! A much needed vacation for her!! 

7. I broke my phone! Yep...for the first time since I started using a cell phone, back in 2003, I actually broke it. I kneeled down on the screen and crack...all white! But my brother-in-law gave me his old one. Thanks Mark. Oh yes...speaking of...Happy Birthday! 

Mark (my brother-in-law) and Elijah

8. I am getting back into holding Mary Kay parties again. I took a little break after Elijah and have my second one this next week and then one already booked for August! Looking forward to bringing in some extra money and getting out to see some friends! 

9. We have a wedding this weekend. It will be Elijah's first wedding!! 

10. I LOVE my Cake Pop Maker!! I tried it out tonight. It is so simple! My first batch was a little goofy looking...but after that I was on a roll. Now I have about 6 dozen naked cake pops to coat tomorrow! 

There is a quick update on our life. I hope to be back more regular this next week. PLUS I have a great project I am working on tomorrow (*hint: Lemons) and one next week (*hint: white paint). Stay tuned for those projects!! 

Sweet Potato Fries

We love Sweet Potato Fries! 

Especially my little man! 

So I whipped up a batch last night. 

Start with two LARGE Sweet Potatoes. You can peel them if you want.

Slice them into fries, while preheating your over to 400 degrees. 

Then add them all to a zip lock bag. 

In a bowl, mix your Olive Oil, Cinnamon and Brown Sugar together. 

Then add your mixture to your bag and mix around until all fries are coated. 

Then place on a baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes or until potato "meat" is tender. 

And enjoy!! 

Here is my recipe! 

Sweet Potato Fries

2 large Sweet Potatoes (about 30-40  long fries)

1/4 c. Olive Oil* 

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Brown Sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees while cutting the potatoes into fry shapes. Then put them into a zip lock bag. In a bowl mix the Olive Oil, Cinnamon and Brown Sugar together, then pour over the Potatoes in the bag and mix around. After they are coated lay on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until tender. The skins will get a little crispy but the potato "meat" stays tender. 

*You could even use a little less oil...my fries felt a little greasy.

Click here to see parties I link to.

Cake Pop Maker

It's here!! My Cake Pop Maker from Kohl's has finally arrived!!

Isn't the box so cute!?! 

And here she is...

*Click to see it on Amazon.com

I decided to order the Cake Pop Maker so I could make some Cake Pops in a Sports Theme. AND I did not want to task of doing all the mixing and rolling by hand! Plus a friend had gotten one for her daughter and they had GREAT reviews about how easy it was and how great they tasted! 

Here are a samples of ones I would like to make for Elijah's 1st Birthday party (can you guess the theme!?!)...

via

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I have heard you can do all sorts of things in the Cake Pop Maker! Do you have a good recipe you have used for Cake Pops? Have you made some fun Cake Pops? I would love to see what you all have made!

Vacation

We are on a "vacation" from our life in the city! Josh is a guest speaker at a Teen Camp this week and Elijah and I got to come along. I managed to bribe someone to let me on to the Internet!

We are enjoying someone else cooking for us, not having chores, lounging in the pool, play dates with E's cousin (who lives about 20 minutes away from the camp), and seeing old  familiar faces (this is the camp Josh and I worked/lived at for years)!

Here is a quick cell phone picture of E's first time in a big pool!

I hope you enjoy the rest of the week! I am taking if off from blogging!!

Make-up Monday- First Edition

Today is my first [and maybe last if no one reads it] edition of Make-up Monday. Being a Mary Kay Consultant for the last 4 1/2 years I feel like I have gained a lot of knowledge about the do's and don't's of skincare and make-up so I decided to share some tips.

So here goes nothing...

My top three tips for today

1. Always cleanse and moisturizer your face, EVEN if you have oily skin (just make sure you buy the right formula for your skin type {ex: normal skin? use a formula for normal skin...it will add extra moisture})

2. Always replace your mascara every three months (bacteria builds up the longer you have it and the more air that gets into)

3. Apply foundation from the center of your face outward so there are no lines around your neck (also helps if you have the right shade of foundation).

What's your favorite makeup or skincare tip?

InspiredByFinn Review (Teething Necklace) **Update**

Remember my first mention of Elijah's teething necklace here? Well that necklace broke! :( Sad day for us. I wasn't sure what to do because I couldn't find anything about getting a replacement one on the website so I decided to send them an email. In LESS than 24 hours I had a reply and they were going to replace E's necklace for FREE!! They would send me a prepaid envelope so I could mail the old one back and and form to fill out then they sent me a new one! I got it today!! 


Now I wasn't 100% sure the necklace was working before...I mean I knew somethings were for sure helped...but still wasn't 100% convinced. That was UNTIL the necklace broke! Then WE KNEW! Shortly after it broke, E was drooling (NEVER drooled once before that...while wearing the necklace), he started sleeping bad, started spitting up more and pulling on his ears A LOT (checked for ear infections...it was from teething). I knew from that moment on that the necklace was amazing!! 


The necklace is made of Baltic Amber Wood. Here is what that does...When Baltic amber is worn on the skin, the skin's warmth releases trace amounts of healing oils from the amber. These oils contain succinic acid and are absorbed into the skin. (*info taken from their website)


And great news...the necklace can also be ordered for adults. It helps with things like: pain relief, strengthening the body's immune system, restoring energy (I think I need this), maintaining wellness, and to help break a cycle of (chronic) inflammation. 


If you still aren't convinced I challenge  encourage you to order one and try it out! I think I will be ordering one for myself! 

E's necklace is a Butter Round necklace. I purchased his necklace off InspireByFinn. They have great customer service and great products!




I  received the necklace at a discount from InspiredByFinn  for giving my honest review. All opinions on this review are my own.

Sneak Peek of Jess

Here is a sneak peek of my beautiful friend from college, Jess (and fellow blogger), who I had the privilege of photographing!

Five Question Friday 2

I am really enjoying the Five Question Fridays over at My Little Life. Don't forget to hop on over and join us answering the questions for today! Here they are...

1. If you had the opportunity to bungee jump, would you?

I don't know if I would. The thought of it makes me want to throw up. And now that I have a baby I probably won't take a risk like that. Maybe before...

2. Would you rather go to the movie theater or to the drive-in?

Drive-In...such a fun experience! (Unless it's HOT like today...then Movie Theater for the air conditioning!)

3. Do you have your groceries delivered?

No, I wish I did! I worked for a family who did and it was so nice to just answer the door have them wheel in your groceries and then just put them away! 

4. Eyebrows: Do you wax, thread, pluck, or stay au naturel?

Pluck. Sometimes wax my own. I am a little nervous about waxing at a salon...what if they take off half my eyebrow?!?!

5. Would the people you went to high school with be surprised by your life today?

Nope! I think this is probably what they would all expect me to be doing!