happy birthday jovi

 I went into labor with Jovi around 4 a.m. and had her around 8:30 a.m. She came out scowling and hasn't stopped. And has been full of sass and attitude ever since.

It has been a love/hate relationship between these two. At least I have proof that deep down they really love each other.

Happy Birthday Jovi!!

musing

I would have been 6 months pregnant this week. I would have found out the sex of the baby by now. I would have had a baby bump. And I probably would have still been sick.

At least I know I can get pregnant. At least I have two healthy, wonderful kids.

book review: The Hero's Lot

Back in March I got to review the first book in this trilogy: A Cast of Stones. When this book popped up on the list of books to review this month, I snagged a spot immediately!

I still loved this book, the story and the writing, but this second book felt a bit rushed. Patrick W. Carr explained some things in great detail and other things he rushed right through; however, I can't fault him for hurrying, the book was 448 pages! I also got a bit confused with the old characters' names, the many locations they traveled through, and all of the new characters.

"The Hero's Lot" was a great book and an easy read. I'm ready for the third and final book to come out and am now hoping it shows up on the list to review!

**I review books for Bethany House and was not compensated for my review.

birthdays

I am a tad obsessed with birthdays. There should be fan-fare, balloons, and memories. And above all, that birthday person should feel special. Like, they are the-only-ones-that-matter kind of special. 

My daughter is turning 2 this year and my son is turning 5. Here are their invitations:

The zebra is one of my kid wall art designs that will, hopefully, be available soon in my Etsy shop.

I am all kinds of UBER excited for Corban's party! Too bad it's not until September. You'll have to wait until then for pics of his party. It was a lot of fun to learn how to create the sunburst design. And what can I say, I'm a sucker for the Marvel comic's super heros.

independence day 2013

I love super heroes; especially Superman. I recently watched "The Avengers" and LOVE IT (I've watched it 4 times now that it's on Netflix)! And this is my absolute favorite scene:

Super heroes are brave, they protect, seem invincible, are strong, and above all, they fight for the little guy. To me, the real super heroes are those men and women in the armed forces.

God bless them and their families. And God bless America.

dirty clothes

When I joined Dressing Your Truth, I found out that a few colors do not work with my energy type, a.k.a. black, navy, gray, and white. I kind of jumped the gun and got rid of A LOT of clothes. 

BIG MISTAKE! HUGE!!

About one week--7 days--after I shipped off my clothes, I found out about bleaching and tea dying. Now, all those clothes that I thought I HAD to give away, I am repurposing them and using them in my wardrobe again!

Want to know how to dirty your clothes? Well, here you go.

1. Gather your supplies: 

My jean jacket, jeans, white shirts, white skirt, 

and pink striped shirt all ready for their bath.

My jumbo box of tea bags. 

2. Get your clothes wet.

3. Steep your tea. I didn't know what steeping was (I'm not a tea drinker) and had to look it up. You boil water and put your tea bags into the boiling water. I boiled 15 cups of water and added 30ish bags of tea and boiled them for 5 minutes. 

4. Fill your tub (or large pot or tupperware or other LARGE container) with warm water and the tea. **Make sure that the water is and stays warm/hot the entire time and that clothes can move freely. 

5. Add clothes. Leave them in tea bath until desired darkness is achieved. **Make sure if you have clothes in pot on stove that you simmer the entire time and STIR them!

My jeans didn't really change colors but I LOVE LOVE LOVE how my whites turned out. They're dirty looking and NOT white! Perfect for me. 

brown paper packages

Did you get the movie reference from my title? "The hills area alive! With the Sound of Music! Ah. Ah. Ah. Ah." My Grandma had this movie and LOVED to watch it whenever we came over. Do you know how long that movie is? She had a VHS copy. I would make it through the first movie and then would disappear for a "potty break" and conveniently find something else to do.

I digress...

Remember my top 10 favorite things? Check it out here. Here is a chance for you to share your favorite things with someone else; kind of like a pen pal, but with packages!

Who: You

What: Favorite Things Summer Swap

When: July 17-August 31, 2013

Why: Because everyone loves receiving a package of goodies in the mail

THE DETAILS:

• Sign up by emailing me with your name and address (You can also share this post so more people can participate). 
• I will then randomly select a swap partner for everybody and email them the address of the person they will send to. It is totally up to you if you want to let them know who you are or if you want to remain anonymous. 
• Put together a package of fun assorted goodies of some of your favorite things. Jump on over to the post office and send it off, and then eagerly wait by your mailbox for your package to arrive! It's a lot of fun to gather things to send, and even more fun to see what you get!

**I would love to see all of your favorite things! Take pictures of the gifts you receive (or send), email them to me before September 4, 2013 and I will share those pics here.

THE SWAP STIPULATIONS: 

• You must sign up by July 17, 2013. 
• You must spend at least $15 (before shipping) on your package, just to make it fair. Please only include items that you would like to receive yourself--no junk. 
• You must mail your package by August 31, 2013. 

Let me know if you have any questions, and happy swapping!