Miche purse....

When my sister mentioned she was having a Miche purse party I was thrilled. My personal handbag recently got caught on the seat belt and ripped the strap... see right there?

Can you see it now? Yeah, pretty sad. I haven't had this bag for long and I quite like it so I was not a happy mom.

So when my sis asked about it I showed her. "That's Ghetto!" Hmm, thanks sis. I go for function more than fashion. Thankfully she sets me straight on a regular basis. She promptly pulled down numerous purses for me to choose from. Then went to the closet to pull out her selection of Miche handbags. Now I must warn you, I use a bag until it is worn out, buy another, rinse and repeat. I seldom have more than 1 purse in my closet at a time. 

Thank heavens for little sisters. She showed me her bags and said, "here, why don't you take this one home to see if you like it?!"

Thanks sis. I think I do. Can I keep yours?

See lots of room...more than you would think. I can put my wallet, kindle, makeup bag and all the other goodies moms are to carry in it.

I kinda like being in fashion now. It makes me smile. Who would have thought a little thing could be so fun. Yeah, it's a girl thing. Now to decide which bag to put on my wish list.

The best part of having sisters is sharing fun fashion. My favorite place to shop is 

"My Sisters Closet"!

All thoughts are mine- no reimbursements what so ever ;-P

Americana Burlap Wreath

My sweet friend mentioned she wanted a wreath for her front door...ok she actually mentioned it several times. We had pinned a Patriotic Wreath we both really liked. After a bit of thought, the cogs started to turn....I wonder?! Yep, I've got a wreath. Ohh, and we can use this star. And finally something to redo this garland with. Here's just enough burlap left. This flag was losing some of it stick anyway, not to mention looking a bit weather worn- just perfect for our next project.

I LOVE it! We wrapped the burlap around then the garland. Now some way to keep the star in place....how about some jute twine. I soaked the flag in tea (black tea works better but I only had herbal) to turn it a bit yellow.

VOILA!
One amazing wreath made with supplies already on hand. 

Hmmmm, I wonder if I should have kept it for myself?

Looks wonderful huh!

Yep, Ms. Kaylyn loved it too. She didn't even put up too much of a fight when I told her to hang it on HER door. Yeah, it was a sure fire give away she was head over heels in love with this little project.

It looks perfect on her front door. Warm, inviting, and patriotic. You just can't get more American than a little boy in blue heading home.

Great dads!

We had a fantastic weekend. Spent Friday at Lagoon with my favorite boys. Just me and 4 boys with one wonderful father.

I have spent the past 16 yrs with this man. He is what makes my heart beat each day. I love to see him wrestle with his boys, play games, teach and lead them. He has been sharing more insites during our family scripture study each night. He never stopped amazing me. I love him and his boys love him. We all look forward to the weekends when dad will be home and ready to play. I am so thankful for someone my boys can look up to. He sets the perfect example of a man, husband and father. 

Then we were off to Idaho to see the other great men in our lives....

Growing up I missed a lot of my own dad. He is the ultimate work-a-holic! He always worked 2 or 3 jobs to provide for his family. We didn't have it all but we had all that matter- together. My dad taught me the value of work; the names of tools, how to work a shovel and a hammer. My dad taught me to be patient (still learning this one ;-p ). He taught me to value the simple things, the smell of fresh air and farming. He taught me by example to be true to myself no matter what. He taught me to set my goals and work to achieve them. He taught me to work smarter...not harder. My dad inspired me to go get "that stupid piece of paper", my Bachelors of Science in Nursing. My dad supported me through all the ups and downs. I remember my dad sitting with me on my bed during those crazy teen drama moments. With a house of girls he treated us each as a princess. He gave us all he had and prayed he could do more......

Dad- you never could have done more. You were already the best dad! 

My life would not be what it is without one last dad in my life....My sweet father in law. He is responsible for the man who stole my heart. He holds firm to his convictions, steadfast and strong. He faced life's greatest fears and won. He raised a house of 5 boys, all of which became Eagle Scouts and know the value of freedom. He taught my sweetheart to honor his priesthood and to follow his heart. He taught him the value of humility and seeking our Father in Heaven in prayer for guidance each day. He laughs at the antics of all the grandsons in his life, setting a good example for them to follow.

These are the men in my life, without whom I would be lost. Thank you each. I love you. 

Happy Fathers Day!

Burlap Americana Banner

I saw this pattern at my sisters house, loved it, then loved it more when I realized I had everything waiting for me at home. 

 The burlap was for some other project long forgotten. Now I had new life to give it. Thanks to my cricut I cut vinyl stars then used painters tape for the stripes.

Then we headed out to the driveway to spray paint.

I happen to have metallic blue, it was perfect. Just a hint of sparkle for the stars.

Red stripes with the soft brown burlap showing through.

In the end....It was a great hit. I love it. My front door decor is coming together. I have a hard time with garlands around the door although I absolutely love them.

Burlap and the old Red, white and blue....classic Americana.

Handmade Cards

I made 20 invite cards for a project at work. I love how they turned out.

Then some Thank you cards with the same color pattern. They were so simple and easy to make.

Here is what I came up with for a more masculine card. The writing says, "Dude, You Rock!"

Lots of complements came with these cards. 

Then for mom's day I made these for the 2 wonderful mom's in my life.

My sweetheart gave me a cuddle bug for Christmas and I LOVE IT! I love how a little imprint can make a simple paper pop.

Making my own cards makes me want to send them more. It's so enjoyable to throw together several cards and have on hand for birthdays or holidays. Just to send a homemade touch, straight from teh heart. Made with love from 4growingboys!

Batman Birthday Cake

 After having such a monumental FAIL with Ty's cake I made a call to a great lady requesting a Batman cake for our next spring birthday. She did a FABULOUS job!

 The city scene and logo on top were all cut by hand.

 

 The cake was yummy, the frosting even more so and....

Mr. Matthew was thrilled!

Cream of the Crop Cupcakes came through. 

Thanks so much Shelly!

Sewing 101 for boys

I think sewing is becoming one of those lost arts. Few ladies sew or even know how to do simple stitches. Fabric is can be a bit pricey which makes sewing clothes, if you shop the sales, not much of a value. I believe however that this is still a valuable skill. I am not a great seamstress but I have managed to make several simple projects. It is always fun to look at what you have created. There is a certain sense of satisfaction that comes with creating. 

Having a house of boys doesn't change my thoughts. Boys can sew too. One day, in the not to distant future, these boys are going to venture out on missions for our church. They will not have mom around to stitch for them. One of our 100 activities of summer includes sewing a pillowcase. Pillowcases are great projects to practice on. You don't have to worry too much about measuring. You have straight stitches and only 4 lines to do. 

A couple of weeks ago I took the boys to JoAnns and took advantage of a great sale on fabric. I let them pick out coordinating pieces to make their pillowcase. I was a bit surprise by the older boys choices but hey, it's what they wanted. Part of the fun is choosing a fabric. One that is fun, colorful and defines your mood.

Today, the lessons began. I explained the very basics of the sewing machine, helped them thread the needle, and to get started stitching.

Josh made a couple of mistakes. One that led to learning how to use a seam ripper. ehehehehehe.

Total concentration to get that line straight.

In the end he was proud of his new project. Short and sweet. Keeping the project simple helped. Something about a fast reward. ;-P

Then Mr. Keegan was up. He did better than his big brother but mom hung over his shoulder more too.

He is very cautious and steady. Not too many oopses.

Scorpions on flannel. Great job huh!?!

Then came the little boys. I threw Mr. Ty's together quick and easy. I didn't have the right color thread for Mr. Matthew's though. I picked it up but didn't get back to the sewing right away. When he realized the other boys had new pillowcases but he didn't he was devastated!! I quickly told him why and offered to go right then to sew it. He loved the idea but insisted he had to help.

I don't know how much "help" he was but he sat on my lap the whole time. Thanks to Ty for the photos. ;-)

They were silly and thrilled. Ya just gotta love big grins like this.

The boy prints out now are too cute to resist.

I had to get some monster truck fabric too. 

1 yard of each.

I think I will have enough to make another pillow case with the reverse pattern, green body with print trim.

I enjoyed seeing their smiles. They all raced to get replace their pillowcases with their new creations. It made my heart smile too. Proof even boys can learn simple sewing.

It was fun, quick, and easy. Right up the alley for a group of 4growingboys!

Landscape update

What a difference a little time can make. After showing a friend my old landscape blog posts I realized it was time for an update. We have lived in Utah for 2 yrs now- WOW! We started with only the front of our home landscaped. The back was....well....see for yourself....

Yeah, pretty nasty.

After a bit of time, and a lot of sweat our yard is coming together.

These quakies are growing so fast. They were just spindly little things, now they are branching out and actually provide a bit of shade.

The front beds are needing trimmed and perenials split.

Maybe by the end of summer I will have a bit of a flower bed trimmed around this tree.

I have Hastas and Bleeding Hearts filling the shady areas. I just wanna add some Columbines too.

I love the timeless look of the Bleeding Heart.

I love the rock work too. It creates texture and dimension to our yard I had not imagined. An added plus is the boys get to climb all over and have a natural "bunker" for their play time.

Instead of sharp thorns that sting even after being pulled out we have soft grass and a playset for 4growingboys.

The grass is growing well....guess I need to mow again. ;-)

We hope to have the deck on this fall. Something with a nice Pergola for shade in the summer.

My tulips are all spent but the Dianthisis are popping out with beautiful shades of pink. I took these pictures earlier in the spring...you should see them now!

I love these!....plus, see my lady bug hiding in the plants. FUN!

I hope my raspberries will really fill in this year. I am anxious for some raspberry/huckleberry jam.

One last plant I didn't get a picture of is my grape plant. I am thrilled with all the clusters of grapes forming. It was too cold in Idaho to have grapes vines so this is a new adventure in the garden.

Not a bad before and after huh!