Vinyl Love

Hello, my name is Tristen and I'm addicted to vinyl!

There, I did it-- I admitted it.

I also must admit that I'm a sucker for monograms too. I mean how many S's can I have in one house?? With such a busy week for us, I was still able to complete a project off of my "To-Do" list. I have been wanting to do this for awhile.

Remember this adorable mirror I scored on sale at Kirkland's? Well, I love it on my mantel and use it display my holiday decor. But, when we are between holidays, it looks a tad bare. So, I didn't want this beauty to be naked any longer.

Enter my addiction to monograms!

What do you think? I cut it out using my Cricut and black vinyl. The font is from the Elegant Cakes cartridge!

New treasures = new projects

This past weekend was our town's annual garage sales. I absolutely love having a garage sale and watching people buy your old stuff. It's funny, every year I am surprised by the true "junk" that sells first! The stuff I would think is a true treasure, ends up being packed away for the next garage sale!

Either way, as always, I sold a lot of our stuff, but I also acquired some more from scouting out the sales with my sis-in-law and mom-in-law.

Check out the awesome things I bought:

This adorable accent table for $3. Stay tuned for the transformation.

These gorgeous urns were only $2.50 each. I absolutely LOVE them and now am trying to find the perfect spot for them.

Now this cute, little desk for my daughter was only $.50!!!! Can you believe it? I even asked the lady, "Are you sure you only want $.50 for this?" So this was by far my best steal of the day.

Keep checking back to see what I do with all my new treasures!

April Showers bring May Flowers

FINALLY, I am done with transforming the front flower bed. At least, for now I am satisfied. Sadly, it took a bit longer than expected, but I love the outcome. I have to admit that I am a bit picky, so when I have an idea in my head, I can't stop until I have it exactly that way. So, that explains the delay!

Here is a before picture from last year:

It is such a big space and I tried to make the best of it but was never happy with it.

So this year, my project was to do a complete overhaul on a tight budget.

I was fed up with the overgrown irises, so I ripped them out and added some small shrubs.

My wonderful husband and daughters bought me the fountain for Mother's Day. I added a bag of slate rock around it. Then the hubby made a berm in the front to add some dimension.

(Sorry, I had just watered).

The berm isn't total love just yet, but it's getting there!

We added landscaping edgers to keep the mulch contained better and give it a more finished look. I love the way it turned out!

I thought adding some stepping stones would be a great way to fill up some of the extra space.

For each side of my garage, I wanted huge urns, but they were soooooo incredibly expensive. So, I opted for a cheap alternative and LOVE the new planters. Someday I'll get the expensive, beautiful urns, but for now I'll love my affordable, plastic planters!

So again for the before:

And the after:

Now I'm looking forward to painting our front door. Any suggestions on a color? I was originally wanting black, but now I'm not too sure.

My Mother's Day

Mother's Day is such a fun day to celebrate all the wonderful mother's out there. It's a day to pamper, spoil, and appreciate moms. I love this day because it reminds me what an honor it is to be a mother and how I'm blessed with such a great family.

This year my oldest daughter was able to really understand the day. In her class at the library the teacher had all the kids make little baskets for their moms decorated with stickers. Then, they each planted lettuce in a pot and gave it to us at the end of class. It was by far, the sweetest thing EVER!!!

All week my husband told Madysen that Mother's day was coming and that she had to be extra nice to mommy. It was so cute. He used our new Flip video camera (total love) to get a video of the girls wishing me a Happy day and posted it to my computer in the morning. The best was that he let me sleep in -undisturbed until whenever I decided to wake up. It was AMAZING!!!! And my big present was a water fountain for the front flower bed of our house. All in all, it was a great weekend and I was truly spoiled to the core with love and kisses!!

I hope all the mothers out there were able to enjoy their day however they wished! Anyone can carry a child for 9 months, but it takes a special heart to be a mom. It's not always easy, some days are frustrating and difficult, but it is the MOST rewarding job ever created.

Flirting with Organic

Since watching the documentary "Food Inc." I have started to make conscious efforts in changing the Smith Family's food habits. Part of that change has also included finding alternatives for all the chemicals I use everyday to clean. I have been in search of an All Purpose cleaner to use in the kitchen that actually works. I have tried other Organic products with disappointment, but I came across this in the clearance bin.

Introducing my new love :

Drum roll please.......

Seventh Generation All Purpose Cleaner!!

It was on clearance, so I figured I was wasting $1.98, but I had to give it a try. Had I discriminated against this just because it was thrown in the "not cool" bin, I would have missed out. I should have known better than to judge...

This stuff actually WORKS. Tonight while cooking, I made my usual mess on the stove. After dinner I decided to play with the girls instead of clean up right away. So, needless to say the grease had become one with my stove. I sprayed a bit of this on it, walked over to the sink to get a sponge.. and poof.. GONE!! No lie...

You must try this out..

The best part is that it is safe for the kiddies and pets. It's non toxic and biodegradable.

What could be better?? Good for the environment and it WORKS!!

I highly recommend watching Food Inc. too for all those that haven't seen it yet. It is very informative about our Nation's food system. I promise you...it'll make you think next time you are in the grocery store!

Baby Shower gift

Aren't baby shower gifts so fun??

My friend is having a baby girl soon, and for her shower gift I really wanted to make something different. So, I decided to make her a bow holder for the nursery to organize all the tiny hair bows.

I know these are all over blogland, but they are so adorable and easy to make! We all know one of the best parts about having girls is all the adorable bows to decorate their hair...what a perfect way to add to your nursery decor while organizing at the same time.

I also had the privilege of shooting her maternity pictures, so I thought a collage would be a cute personal touch.

Add some pink dresses, put it all in a cute pink basket, tie up with some pink ribbon and attach a cutesy girl poem and you have the perfect baby shower gift.

A girl can never have too much pink.

Motherhood

Being a mother is undoubtedly, the hardest job ever. And, even though most days are insanely rewarding, some days are, in fact, a job. However, it seems as I talk with other moms, that I am not alone when I say, that we all seem to battle the same illness... the guilt syndrome. For whatever reason, men do not seem to suffer from this as strongly. (I'm not saying men don't feel guilty for decisions they make for their family, but I truly believe they do not carry the same weight on their shoulders as we mothers do.)

It starts as immediate as conception. You are so excited to be pregnant, but then the questions start. Are you going to stay at home? Are you going to breastfeed? Did your doctor say you could eat that because mine didn't? You aren't going to put a 6 week old in daycare, are you?

And the delight of being pregnant has suddenly been overtaken by the G word- guilt. You feel guilty if you do not stay at home with your children, you feel guilty if you use formula, you feel guilty if you have a c-section, you feel guilty if you drink pop while pregnant...and the list continues.

I battled with this syndrome terribly after my first daughter was born. I felt like I had to be supermom and do everything as "they" say. But really, who exactly is they?

I mean, I know they say nursing is proven to be better, but has anyone suffered drastic side effects from formula? Like I'm at the grocery store and a man is backing his car out of the parking spot without even looking, and almost hits my daughter and I. Do I say wow he must have been fed formula as a child?? NO!

Don't get me wrong, I am a total supporter of breast feeding your child; I'm just saying if you choose not to, don't feel guilty. I'm not a psychologist by any means, but I think that we ourselves are the biggest critics of ourselves. I'm not speaking for anyone, but I know I am guilty of putting the most pressure on myself. Isn't that just crazy?

Since I've had another child, I feel like I have treated my guilt syndrome better. When I'm feeling that obnoxious G-word, I try to take a step back and realize that I am doing a fine job. Sure, my kids act up in Target from time to time, and yes I have been that mom who shoves a sugary sucker in her 14 month old daughter's screaming mouth to get her grocery shopping done. And I'm the first to admit that I swore I would NEVER do that, but I am guilty of it (that nasty G word again).

The biggest battle I still struggle with is who am I. Am I a mother first? A wife first? Somedays the kids are so time consuming that I have neglected any quality interaction with my husband. I am so exhausted by dinner time, that I have honestly forgot to ask him how his day was. I value being a mother as one of the most precious responsibilities, but I also value my marriage. My husband is my best friend and my rock. Our marriage is the foundation for our family, so that too is just as important. For us, we try to reconnect by having a date night once every few weeks. That too, can be a battle with finding a babysitter, but it is very important to make the effort. Otherwise, in all the blissful chaos you start to lose the strong connection with each other.

So, this post is just for all the moms who can relate. Take it easy on yourself. We are all doing the best we can for our children and families. No doubt, we all have our crazy moments. No one is perfect, but our kids think we are and that's all that matters.