DIY Home Scent

I have always wanted my home to smell like the Anthopologie store.  So I went on a Pinterest/Blog search last year to see how all their stores smell so consistently good.  What I didn’t realize, until I started researching, is that just like beautiful marketing, companies make scent profiles for their businesses as well.  Anthropologie sells a Volcano candle that they burn in all their stores.  So if you too have been wondering, which it seems that many people are enchanted with this smell, you will be happy to know it is available for purchase at their store.  But save your pennies, it isn’t cheap.

While I was wandering around the blogosphere, reading about scent profiles I found quite a few that were appealing and inexpensive.  So, why not try them out?

On Pinterest I saw a recipe for Williams Sonoma store scent pinned over and over.  From the number of pins I figured this would be a great one to try out first.  I ended up using a recipe from One More Moore.  It contains vanilla, rosemary, and lemons.  I absolutely loved it!  But alas…my husband couldn’t stand it. He doesn’t like vanilla fragrances. So unfortunately this one is not going to make a come back in our home.

After realizing how easy it is to make scent profiles, I started playing around with different fragrances.  Obviously, I had to leave the vanilla on the shelf since it made my husband feel sick.

Try these combinations out:

Lime and cilantro (very fresh)

Orange, honey, and lots of cinnamon (Christmas)

Orange, cardamon,  cloves (Thanksgiving)

Thyme and lemon (clean)

Just add all your ingredients to a small sauce pan on low or small Crockpot, fill with water and wait for the scent to consume your home.  I prefer brewing in a Crockpot because it just seems safer. If you try out the stove version, just be careful to not leave it unattended.

For a few months I was brewing this daily.  I would usually decide what scent I was going to do, depending on what I fed my kids that day.  I would peel their oranges and stick the peels in our mini crockpot with spices.  It smelled so good by the time my husband got home.  My kids usually thought I was making something yummy and would keep checking the oven.

So be creative and try some new scent profiles in your home.

Encouraging Word Art for Kids

Time and time again my husband and I are surprised by the complexities of parenting.  It is one of the deepest relationships we will ever know on this earth, to love a child.  Elizabeth Stone said: “Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”  And I might add it is to realize you have a lot less control than you think you do over this little being carrying around your heart.  Sometimes its easy to want to control and micro-manage our kids. We might worry about how their choices will affect their future and how their choices reflect on us.

When we, as parents, start to become motivated by fear, one of the most common tenancies is to want to control your kids.  Often this is done at the expense of the relationship.  How often do you (and I am asking this of myself as well) tell your child who they are not, before you tell them who they are.  Does that make sense?

What my husband and I try to do is speak into who they are on a daily basis.  Calling them up into who God made them to be, instead of focusing on the negatives of who they are not.  We like to say that we are calling them up, instead of calling them out.  Once I heard someone say: “The grass isn’t greener on the other side.  It is greener where you water it.”  We want to spend the majority of our time “watering” who they are, instead of reiterating who they are not.

One day I sat down and started writing descriptive words down for both of our boys.  Words that I thought would be encouraging to hear, that I associated with their strengths.  I found that there were many unique to each of them and some that overlapped.  I decided to make art for their room, so that when those hard moments come or when we are just snuggling at the end of a long day I can remind them of who they are. If you would like to make word art for your kids, here is a tutorial you can follow.

I had two cork boards, just waiting to be made over.  Target carried the cheapest vinyl letters for the price, so I snagged two packages which allowed me to spell out enough words. Then comes the word layout. Spacing some letters out more and switching the direction of the letters makes it more interesting to look at. Just have fun with it and don’t stress about it being perfect or you will never finish this projects. Trust me!

Also keep in mind that the letters do not stick to the cork perfectly.  Try not to lean them upright against anything like I did in this first picture. To my surprise, the letters started sliding down and shifting, as you can see if you look closely.   So save yourself the trouble and leave it flat, so that you don’t have to do all the adjusting I had to do after I took these photos.  Go ahead and tape off the frame so that you can have a contrasting color when you are finished.

Using spray paint, I began dusting thin coats onto the surface of the cork.  Being that cork is porous, it took a lot more spray paint than I had imagined.  So do thin coats and let it dry before going at it again. Otherwise, it will only continue to suck all that paint into the cork.  Once you are getting the coverage that you are looking for, do a quick clear coat.  Here comes the fun part!!!

Once everything is dry, start peeling away.  This is so addictive!  You may need to get a stylus or a pair of tweezers to help lift some of the letters.  Take the tape off and you are good to go.

I had some bright green basic craft paint on hand. So, I painted the frames, let it dry, and then slightly roughed them up. I put a clear coat on to see it and put them up on their walls. Do you see the blank squares left on the boards? Pictures are eventually going to go in those little spots. I have just not found exactly the right ones to pin up yet.

Our Family Photo Shoot

So, we decided to do a DIY family photo shoot for our family Christmas cards this year.  It took a lot of planning and gumption, but we got it done.  Here is our final product that we came up with.

Becky Higgins has a contest every year for Christmas card design.  After they announce the winner the final templates are put up on her website for free use.  Here are a variety of styles that we used this year.

We came up with these couple of photos after about 100 blooper pictures that didn’t work.  Thought it would be fun to share those with you as well.  If you don’t see the animation in the pictures below, click on them and they should play a little video for you.

The kids were having a blast, but it was hard to catch them in all being still enough to take a picture all at the same time.   I made these little photo “flipbooks” on a website called make-animation.com.

Sunny Yellow Front Door

I have already posted pictures of our front yard makeover, but here is the step by step of what we actually did to make it look so much better.  Again, I wrote this back in September.  But I am posting it anyway, because who doesn’t love a bright yellow door?

June yellow has been beckoning me to paint her on my front door. I have been wanting to for a couple of years. But between kids and the rainy season in Oregon, it just hasn’t been my top priority. My husband and I have been so busy this summer and haven’t touched much around the house.  So, we decided to spend the weekend pumping a little life into our neglected house front before the weather turns south and the kids are back in school.

1st on the Agenda:  Freshen up our curb appeal by painting our front door a beautiful sunny yellow.

2nd on the Agenda:  Paint our walkway leading up to our future yellow door.  Although I enjoy the Wizard of Oz, we don’t want to paint that yellow.  No yellow brick road for us, just a nice contrasting taupe or brown/ gray color.

3rd on the Agenda:   Take out the railing that spans across our front walkway.  Someday we want to make our walkway into a front patio, extending it a few feet forward.

Here is the before:

The yard actually does look quite nice in these photos, due to fresh yard mulch and the fact that it is in the summer.

Here is the after:

We got two of the projects done on our list and I think it looks much better.  However, the daffodils have come out in full bloom since I took these photos, which adds a whole other dimension of pretty yellow layers into our landscape.

Changes…

So, I kind of feel like a blogger drop out.  Similar to the beauty school drop out from Grease, but hopefully a little less pathetic.  After building steam and becoming a more consistent blogger it all came to a screeching halt. I came home after some much needed time by myself to my oldest son asking me, “Mommy, do you love me more than your computer?”  Smile on my face I said, “Of course I do, Sweetie.”  He started crying and admitted that while I was out he and his brother broke my computer.  Big bummer!

So, long story short, here we are almost 7 months later I am finally starting up my blog again. A lot of things have happened in the time between that have really needed my attention.  So, ultimately maybe the loss of my computer wasn’t the worst thing that has ever happened.  It may even been a good thing for a season.

We were so excited about a month ago to be offered a position at Newberg Foursquare Church, only an hour away from where we currently live.  It does mean that we will be moving.  Which also means that finishing our home has consumed our time.  We worked two weeks straight on all of our small and big projects that remained. And now it just looks beautiful and I pray that someone else can enjoy our home as much as well have.

Since the beginning of the new year, I have been reading Sarah Youngs’ Jesus Calling devotional book in conjunction with my Bible journaling.  A couple days ago I read an entry that talked about Waiting, Trusting, and Hoping.  Simple concepts, yet so incredibly hard to do at times. Although I absolutely love our life here, it is hard for me to live in the limbo of waiting to sell our house, waiting to find a new home, trusting that God has perfect timing for all of it and remembering that  I really don’t have to worry.  I don’t have to worry.  It is all in his hands.

So, we are eagerly anticipating the new things that God is going to do in and through us.  As well as looking forward to the new relationships and church family that we get be apart of.  So, it is truly a new season, not without challenges, but new and exciting nonetheless.

So, here it goes…I am going to finally finish posting pictures of our progress on our home. It only took moving to get me going on it.   I am so thankful for all the wonderful memories we have gotten to make in this home. Since these are the pictures I took for the house listing it is a bit depersonalized, but still the general idea of what our home looks like finished.

 

The Waiting Place

I found this post in my drafts from last summer and realized that I never posted it. So here you go…

There is a book that I often read to my kids called “Oh The Places You Will Go.”  It is a Dr. Suess book that is about going out in the world, facing your fears, facing failure, and finally finding success. But there is a section in the book that refers to The Waiting Place, that resonated with me the first time I read the book and still resonates with me.

The waiting place is a place where people are just…waiting.  I could actually recite the whole book to you, but I will save you the bore of my ramblings.  How odd that a children’s book made me think so much.   I do feel like I am currently in a holding pattern of sorts.  The last time I posted was the week my kids got out of school.  My little window of time I used to blog and do projects has all but evaporated into thin air.

It has been a delight to have the kids home for the most part. However, there are those moments when I am just dying to do a project or write a blog post, but I am literally up to my elbows in kid projects, mud soup, or paper airplanes.  And when I say up to my elbows in paper airplanes I really do mean it.  My oldest son is absolutely fascinated with making paper airplanes of all shapes and sizes.  One day I counted 60 that he had made.  I find them in the bathroom, under the couches, on my nightstand, and anywhere else they can fit.  Joseph even roped one of the youth leaders at our church into buying one for a dollar to support the African well fund we save for every year…but I think in that instance it was a paper boat, not to be confused with a paper airplane. 

So, getting back to the point of this.  I know that I am just in a season of being busy with my kids and it will not last forever.  I am trying to really soak up all the little moments and be available not just physically, but mentally as well.  Which is hard for me when my kids ask me a zillion questions about all these little things that I have no clue about.  Like…why do ladybugs look like they have no eyes?  Never noticed they look like they don’t have eyes.  What kind of a plane is faster, a jet plane or an army plane?  Not sure what the difference is.  How do astronauts not get busy (dizzy)?  I don’t know, but I am starting to feel a little busy…I mean dizzy right now.  And there I go…I just zoned out, started nodding and saying, “Sure, honey.”  It is that easy and I am in my own little world of my own thoughts and questions. This is what I try not to do…zone out.

It also reminds me of our relationship with God.  In my prayer times often I am all over the place asking questions, saying whatever pops into my head, but he never leaves me or forsakes me.  I complain and I whine to him about how hard my days are sometimes.  He beckons me into a place of rest and relief from my over anxious mind.  He quiets my soul.  He gives me peace when I feel void of it.

So, it may be a few months before I am up and blogging again regularly, but what better reason for me to take a break and wait on my stuff.  I get to spend time figuring out the difference between types of airplanes, Googling why ladybugs look the way they do, and checking out what keeps astronauts from getting dizzy.   But these are all things that matter to my kids so they matter to me.  I joke about loosing interest and honestly it is hard to stay focused with them, but I want them to know that I care about what they care about.  Even if it means immersing myself in the study of bugs, airplanes, and astronauts.

Maternity Photo Shoot: Tea Party

You cannot comprehend how excited I was when my dear friend Alexis asked if I would take maternity pictures of her and her sweet family.  Last year Alexis and her husband Travis took our Christmas pictures which was such a blessing, so I figured it was time to return the favor.  Being a little anxious, because I am obviously no professional, I spent the evening before collecting small props and thinking about different poses that would be memorable for them.  Alexis and I share tons of common interests including a love of all things Jane Austen.  So, I had to add a little Jane flare with my vintage Sense and Sensibility copy.  We met at a local park, scouted out a spot and got to work.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Such a beautiful family inside and out.  We are so excited for their new little one, who is expected to make her grand entrance within the next two weeks!

Pretty in Pink Converse Shoe Refashion

There is something about a converse shoes that just screams “American Kid” to me. I never had a pair growing up, but I have always wanted them to be the fall back shoes for my kids. You know…those pair that you throw on and you can make them work with anything.  So I always keep my eyes open for them at sales and online.

Last week I found a practically new pair of pink converse at a resale event in our area.  The only thing that seemed less than new on them were the laces, which are so easy to change out.  So, I snagged them for $4.  They even came with the original box.  Since the shoes were pre-owned, I decided they needed to be washed.  When I took out the laces for washing it dawned on me… how cute would it be to put ribbons in these cute pink converse instead of the laces?  I am sure a million other moms have thought of this before, but it was new to me.

So, I scrounged up some white grosgrain ribbon…Hold the phone…Did you just way white?  I know what all you moms are thinking.  I know white won’t stay white for long, and the ribbon will be way less sensible than having laces in.  But it is so cute, and I already had the ribbon.  Who cares if it doesn’t last for more than a few weeks.  Aren’t these cute?  I think next time I will use gray ribbon.  The only tip I have for this little project, would be to melt the edges of the ribbon so that it doesn’t unravel.

At first Sophia was delighted to dance around in her new pink shoes (I have more picture than you want to see to prove it), but she decided they just weren’t girlie enough or something.  Or maybe they didn’t make the right kind of noise when she danced. I am not quite sure what goes through her head.  She ran to the closet and pulled out her purple jelly shoes that are two sizes too big, which make a clip-clop noise with every step.  So, here is what she proceeded to do…

I am sure this is just the beginning of her and I having differing opinions on what is cute or how to put an outfit together.  But I am happy she has an opinion.

I am not a super pink = girl mommy.  Although you would think I am from the pictures above.  I really love the little gray converse.  How cute would it be to lace those up with yellow or navy grosgrain ribbon?  Anyway, just a fun little way to change up your little girls’ shoes.

What kinds of things do you do to spruce up everyday items that make them a little extra special?

Back to School

Pictures of Joseph’s 1st day of school, in his classroom and with his teacher.

I always imagined the first day of school for my kids would be a day of great rejoicing and excitement. I thought it would be a time to celebrate some ME TIME. Maybe I would throw a party for all the other mommies who would finally have a little extra time (still might do this once all the kids are in school).  But that was the farthest thing from my mind today as I dropped my oldest off for the first day of kindergarten.  I was more nervous than he was leading up to this day.  He was cool as a cucumber and so excited to become a big kid.  I tried to stay super upbeat this morning…I might have over done it on the drive to school, but it was either that or I was going to start crying.

It isn’t the first year that Joe has gone to school. He has gone to preschool and Pre-K the last two years. But there is something so significant about kindergarten.  There is no going back…it is like a vacuum that sucks your kids in and doesn’t let them go until they are off to college.  In our case, Jack will be following right behind him next year and we are jolted into a new phase of life.

So, today it was very bittersweet to see him sit in his seat with his little uniform on.  As I said hi to his teacher, I choked up a bit.  Luckily, his teacher is a friend of mine.  She handed out coloring pages and he colored and wrote his name the neatest I have ever seen him do either.  Every once in a while he would look at me like: “Aren’t you ready to go yet?”  I held it together until I walked out of the class room and then came the tears.

Don’t get me wrong, I am know I will be delighted seeing Joe experience kindergarten, and I will enjoy taking care of one less kid every morning.  But I also know that the time goes so fast.  I just want to take every moment and cherish it.  Not wishing time would speed up, which I have been so guilty of when we have been in rough seasons like during night feedings, teething, tantrums, etc.  You all know what I am talking about.

This year we decided to home school Jack for preschool, which is another thing I never imagined I would do. I am up for the challenge, hoping it goes great and we can stay focused.  To make Jack feel like the home school thing is legit, we made sure to take pics of his first day at home school as well.  So far so good.

Hoping your back to school experience for you and your kids is great!

Brianne

It’s Time to Say Goodbye To the Summer

Summer, summer…why have you flown by oh so fast?  I couldn’t wait for summer to finally kick into gear here in Oregon, and now it feels like it is waving goodbye to me as my oldest is starting kindergarten next week.  My husband and I began to discuss all the things we need to do and I started to get so overwhelmed. Thankfully, we were able to spend the day as a family today.  Enabling me to forget about the long list of things I have to get done.

The day started with a blank slate.  Then we decided to head to the Columbia River Gorge for a nice little family hike. We first decided to hike Horsetail.  However, after reading a review that there is an area on the hike where a boy almost FELL TO HIS DEATH, Followed by: “be very careful if you have children with you.” We decided to drive up to Mirror Lake.  I am not sure if Horsetail Falls is really that dangerous, but I thought that I would definitely want to hike it with fresh mommy eyes before we take the kids up there. I am sure whoever wrote the review was being overly cautious.  Being that our boys are very curious, better safe than sorry.

We got a later start than we wanted, but the kids had great attitudes the whole way up the trail and back.  We were a bit nervous, because Sophia missed her nap time to go on this little adventure.  But I couldn’t have imagined our outing going any better than it did.  The drive home was a little different story, but we will just focus on the positive.

Here are some pictures from our little trip up the mountain.  If you live in the Portland area and like day hikes this one is pretty manageable for younger kiddos as long as you take plenty of breaks and  snacks.  In total it was about 2.9 miles.

The boys toward the beginning of the hike.

Sophia and I in front of Mirror Lake with Mount Hood behind us. Such a stunning place to bask in God’s creation.

I think the ridge in the picture above is called Tom, Dick and Harry Mountain.  I would never have thought that was a real name of a mountain.  You learn something new everyday.

This is such a bad picture, but we found crawdads or whatever the Northwest version of the little creatures are called in the lake. Aaron and I both took turns trying to catch it, but those little pinchers were swinging around trying hard to catch us.

Yes. Shockingly, we did get reception up there.

Back at the beginning…almost the same picture, but much more dirty. Notice Jack’s tennis shoe…after being warned he might fall in the lake, Jack fell in the lake.  A dirty bath tub at the end of the day is always a strong indication in our family that fun was had.

The hike was such a fun time for our family.  I cannot wait until we hike more of the Gorge hikes with the kids.  Hope you all enjoy the rest of your summer.  Although I love summer and all that it brings, walks in the crisp autumn air do wonders for clearing your mind.  And who doesn’t love going from summer clothes to fall layers.  I certainly do.