Fun Teacher Gift Idea

I found this unique teacher gift over on Nichole Heady's Blog. It's called a teacher's journal jar. There are questions that you can print to put in the jar and they have some free downloads to go along with it. There is a full description on Nichole's Blog. (I'm finding some fun things over there! Nichole's blog was one of the very first creatively inspiring blogs I came across in blogland a couple years ago when I first started blogging!)

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This would have been perfect!

Just came across these today! They would've gone perfectly with the baby shower theme I just posted about!! You can download a free template and see the instructions over at Nichole Heady's blog.

Baby Shower - Bless the Nest!

here are some pictures from the Nesting Baby Shower I recently threw for my SIL and nephew.

The invitation

The guest of honor...my SIL

A little birdie made of colored chocolate sitting on a bed on chow mein noodles for the nest atop the cake. I literally had to hand paint SEVERAL of them with food coloring to get a color variation in the next. Then I threw in some coconut for good measure as well.

The table setting with all the goodies and a bird cage for all those gift cards.

Baby Sundaes were a yummy treat!

Especially for big sister, Miss D.

Some nesty goodness... sent my dad to the store to get blue jelly beans...he came back with orange.
To his credit...they were out of blue, but ORANGE? Love you Dad! =)

It was a gift card shower because she was moving across country a couple days later. So we filled some of the time with a couple rounds of bunco! Good times

Recent Home Pics & Purchases

Before you see the front family room I wanted you to see a couple new purchases I'm excited about...
This is the fantabulous mirror I just bought that I'm planning on hanging above my fireplace! I walked into HomeGoods and instantly fell in LOVE! It should really play off the 12' ceilings in that room quite nicely.

This is the bell I bought that my hubby will be haning on the front pourch. We live on 5 acres and at times it can be hard to find my kiddos when they are outside playing...so this will be what calls them in from now on! Don't you just love it?

The rest of these pics are all from the front family room. Just some of the details of the room. Once I can actually get my hubby to hang the new mirror I will take a picture of the fireplace wall and post it! but for now...here's what you get....

Here you go Beckie...more home pics!

I was talking to my friend Beckie who lives across the country the other day and she was saying she wanted to see MORE of my home...so here you go!

Guest Bathroom

Guest Bathroom Details

A shot from the outside

The back patio

My Son's Room

His reading corner

the lights by his bed (yes that is dust you see...just keepin' it real people!)

the mud room....I told you the mud room was boring Beckie!
yes...there is a framed corkboard on the opposite wall...but it fell down last week and I have yet to put it back up! =)


For the post and pics on my office / Design Studio
click here

For Pics of the entry and front Den
click here

For Pics of the front room and my daughter's room
click here


The front room has change with some new furniture additions and rearrangement. I will post those pics in the next couple days.

Aren't they cuuuuute!

Meet the newest residents of my back patio....

Now she's pole dancing!!!????

Are you stinkin' kidding me???!!!!

Reason #79510989017091849 Why I chose from the very beginning NOT to let my daughter watch Hannah Montana!!! Miley Cyrus - proving to be another Disney DON'T!



this was at the Teen Choice Awards tonight. Oh and did you see what she was wearing when she presented the award to Britney? Her boobs were totally hanging out!! Sorry. It just totally frustrates me to NO END!!

Prayer for my friend Beth

This is my friend Beth's home. This happened last week. Their house was struck by lightening at like 5:30 in the morning. They have been so blessed by their neighbors since this day but obviously it's a life changing event!



Can you even imagine???!!! To see pictures go to www.camalamaphoto.com

this moves me!

It's not one of those slow songs that can tug at your heart...but it speaks to me and often makes me teary eyed when I'm driving in my car. It's like an anthem or something. LOVE IT!

Sorrow and Rejoicing

It's been a very shocking, draining, revealing couple of weeks. A beloved wife and mother from my church unexpectedly went to be with the Lord. Wendee is not someone that I knew well on a personal level but I have known her since I was about 15 years old. She and her husband served at the youth camp I attended every summer and I have attended the same church as their family since that time.
From the moment I heard the news that she was on the way to the hospital I was instantly ROCKED by it. She has a loving husband and 4 children. As a wife and mother myself I was instantly affected by the whole reality of it all. The few days she was in the hospital before she passed were emotional and prayer filled for so many people that I love and care about. My neighbor and Wendee have been friends for THIRTY years! SO MANY people I love were going through so much pain, and it was overwhelming! But while I was overwhelmed with emotion I was also overwhelmed with the Peace of God and the knowledge that He alone is sovereign and in total control.
Although I personally didn't know Wendee well, I had something to deal with that was hard. About 3 years ago my family kept running into their family at least once a week. We just kept seeing them everytime we would go out to eat. I felt God nudging me. He was nudging me to seek out a relationship with Wendee and her husband and to have them mentor my husband and I. I was a bit intimidated by this....so I kind of ignored God's nudge. Then we would see them again...NUDGE...IGNORE! Then we finally stopped running into them and I didn't have to ignore the NUDGE anymore. To be honest...I never even told my husband. OK..OK...I know!! I was totally disobedient to what God was calling me to do!! I have no excuse! I was just plain disobedient! And NO....feeling intimidated is NOT an excuse!
So when I found out that Wendee had passed away I was quickly reminded of my disobedience. Now, I'm only left to wonder what God had to teach me through her and I'm left with the consequence of knowing that I missed out on an opportunity to REALLY know an amazing woman of God.
Talking about her to people who knew her well and loved her deeply has really shown me what I missed out on. Her Celebration of Life service really demonstrated that as well. WOW! I really screwed up! She had so much to offer and I missed it! The more I hear...the more I KNOW that God was calling me to seek her out and I can already see just SOME of the things that God wanted to teach me through her.
So I've shed many tears in the recent weeks. Tears for her family. Tears for my friends. Tears because of my own disobedience and the "what if".
I've been praying a lot for her family and friends. I've also been asking God to be merciful to me for my disobedience and to somehow teach me through her death what He wanted me to learn from her when she was alive. I truly think I'm seeing some of it already and I look forward to more.
As I and many others grieve her loss we also rejoice. We rejoice because we have hope. Hope in the Lord and the sacrifice that His son Jesus made on the cross. This was what drove Wendee in her daily life and it was a privilage to attend her Celebration of Life service and hear about the impact her life had on so many. We Celebrated not only her life...but her HOMECOMING. For she is truly at home now as she is with the Lord and rejoicing is his PRESENCE!
They talked at the service about how when her kids or a friend would being going through a hard or frustrating situatation she would always ask the question, "What do you think God is going to do through this?" So they turned that around and asked all of us to apply that to her death. Wendee would say to all of us, "What do you think God is going to do through this?" So I'm praying and seeking God for that answer in my life. I look forward to the answers!! One thing I know for sure...it's been a lesson in disobedience for me. God calls on us to be obedient to Him. It's a lesson I try so hard to daily instill in my children and I chose to ignore it for myself. I can't do that. None of us can. The consequences can be too great, and more importatntly....we miss out on what God has for us!