Quote of the Week: Light and Love

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." 

- Martin Luther King Jr.

A New Type of Seizures?

It seems Noah may be having more seizures......

They started about two weeks ago and are a different type of seizure from what he usually has (he usually has myclonic seizures). The newer episodes are like those of a temporal seizure - he stares off into space. When his name is called he doesn't move. If a hand is run in front of his face, he doesn't blink.

We took him to the neurologist just a few days after they started. The neurologist confirmed that they may indeed be temporal seizures and ordered an EEG. The EEG is scheduled for the end of January. 

Since previous EEGs they have found that sedating children alters the brain waves, so Noah will not be sedated when he has the EEG. This is going to be an adventure, folks. I'm skeptical that he will even go to sleep at all during the EEG but trying to not be a negative Nelly about the whole thing so I'd appreciate prayers and positive thoughts.

I'll keep y'all posted! 

Weekend Wonders: Organization

I'm not sure what it is about a new year that makes me want to get organized but it does. There are lots of great DIY projects out there to help you get organized. Below are some of my faves. 

Fabric Boxes

I Heart Organizing shows us how to take a cardboard box, cover it with fabric, and turn it into an attractive place to store stuff. 

No Sew Fabric Covered Bins

I love how great these no sew fabric covered bins from Sweet C's Design  look. 

Shutter Magazine Rack

My Re-Purposed Life shares how to re-purpose a window shutter into a magazine rack.

Craft Closet

My Fancy Frugal Life shows us how she turned a closet into an organized craft space.

Desk Drawer Organization

Using old cereal boxes, The Stony Brook House shows us how to create a desk organizer.

Cord Organization

I Heart Organizing shows us how to organize all those cords we all have nowadays. 

This Boy

This boy amazes me. 

This boy also aggravates me at times.

This boy has forced me to have patience

But like me at that age, this boy has no patience.

This boy has been through so much in his life. 

This boy also still has a lot to go through in his life. 

This boy may not talk with words

But this boy has so much to say. 

This boy is loved by many beyond words. 

This boy also loves many beyond words. 

I'm so blessed and lucky that God made this boy 

MY boy. 

One Little Word 2013

My word for 2012 was breathe. It was a great word for the year. When I decided on breathe, Noah had just had his first ever (and only!) grand mal seizure and my world had been rocked so breathe felt like a perfect word. And it was a very good word. I repeated it to myself, reflected on it, and used it all through out the entire year.

But in some ways I feel like I just breathed and got through the year. This year, I want to enjoy the year and all the little moments. So my word for 2013 is............

I want to find the joy in the all the moments - good and bad. I do think there are small spots of joy to be found in bad times, you just have to look harder to find them. I also think sometimes joy is a choice - you can choose to see the negative in a situation or you can choose to find the positive, the joyful so I am choosing joy. I'm also reading the 1,000 Gifts Devotional book so I think that will help me find the everyday joy.

And I want to build off of what I learned in 2012. I want to breathe in the situation, breathe in the moments, breathe in my life and then I want to find the joy and breathe in the joy.

Have you chosen a word for 2013? What is it?

The Best of 2012

As the current year closes, I always take some time to reflect back on what all has happened in the year. I decided to do this on the blog with a Top 10 posts of 2012. These posts are a combination of my favorites and yours.

1. Pretty Purple Punch

2. Year End Teacher Gifts

3. Mamarazzi Defined

4. Tender Moments

5. Baby Onesies

6. Yarn Wrapped Vase and Votive Holder

7. Chevron Flag

8. JOY Prom

9. Glittery Candles

10. Clemson Quilt 

Weekend Wonders: New Years Ideas

Are you doing anything fun for the New Year's Eve? The Clemson bowl game is also on New Year's Eve so needless to say, we'll be staying in so my boys can cheer on their Tigers. I was looking for some easy ideas though because even though there is a big game I want to celebrate the passing of this year and welcome in the new one.......

Below are a few ideas I found. 

Glitter Candles

You know how much I love glittery things so these fun candles at the Celebrations Blog caught my eye instantly. 

3 D Printable Numbers

Head over to the Basic Grey Blog to download these templates, print on cardstock, then assemble, and you have cute decorations. 

Printable New Year's Eve Hats

Eileen shares these cute printable New Year's Eve hats. 

New Year's Eve Kit

Inchmark shares how to make this cute little New Year's Eve kit that would make a perfect party favor or treat for the kids. 

DIY Balloon Drop

Been There, Pinned That shares how to make this fun DIY balloon drop. This would be so fun for kids!

New Year's Subway Art Printable

Download this cute New Year's themed subway art printable from the gals at Eighteen 25. 

Giant Numbers

If you are having a New year's Eve party these giant numbers from Tatertots and Jello are a must! They'd make a cute photo prop for guests or look great on a wall. 

What are YOU doing for New Year's Eve?

Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours....... 

I hope you had a great Christmas day spent with people you love! 

And for those of you who were without people you love this year, my heart reaches out to you. 

Hugs all! 

Peppermint Pretzel Kisses

Awhile back, I saw a recipe similar to this somewhere online (but can't remember where) and recently remembered it and decided to make a few changes to it to make it Christmas-y as a treat to include in the gifts for Noah's teachers.

These were simple to make, are delicious, and look SO festive!

You'll need:

Pretzels

Hershey's Peppermint Kisses (you could also use Hershey Hugs)

M&Ms

1. Lay the pretzels out on a pan making sure that they are not touching.

2. Place a peppermint kisses on top of each pretzel. 

3. Put the pan in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes. Watch them closely and pull them out once the kisses have melted a little bit.

4. Before they have time to set, put an M&M on top of each melted kiss.

5. Let them set. I popped my pan in the freezer for a few minutes to speed up the process. 

6. Nestle them in a box for gift giving! 

(Linking to the parties listed in my sidebar)

Noah's Orange Tree

If you've been reading this blog for long, you know that my Noah loves Clemson and has a cute little orange tree that we put up every Christmas. Our family rule is no Christmas decorations are allowed to go up until Thanksgiving night. We got Noah's tree and ornaments down from the attic on Thanksgiving night but didn't actually get his tree up until the day after. 

This year, I decided to put the tree ON his bedside table. He enjoys sitting/laying on his bed watching movies after his bath so I thought he could see the tree better if it was on the table instead of on the floor beside the table. I think this was a good move. 

He's really enjoyed his orange tree this year! 

Snowman Gift Box

Need a cute little gift box to hold a small gift or a gift card? This little snowman gift box is perfect, in fact, he's a gift himself! 

To make this cute snowman, I started off with a plain wooden gift box from Michael's. It was only a dollar. 

I painted the box white using spray paint. Then I made him a little black hat out of black cardstock, adding some red and white polka dot ribbon to the brim of his hat. Then I added button eyes and drew on an orange "carrot" nose with an orange sharpie. I punched out some black cardstock circles using a hole punched and mod podged those on with sparkle Mod Podge then I gave the whole box a coat of sparkle Mod Podge. 

Isn't he cute? He's the perfect size to hold a small gift, a gift card, or even a bunch of candy canes! 

Linking up to the parties listed in my sidebar
and 

JOY Letters Framed

This was pretty simple to make but I love the impact it has!

I started off with some J, O, and Y chipboard letters from Hobby Lobby. I decopauged Christmas themed scrapbooking paper to the J and Y and solid green on the O. I embellished them with ribbon.

Then I used thin white ribbon to attach the letters to a red frame I already had. I glued the ribbon on the back of each letter and let it dry then I just stapled the ribbon into the back of the frame and hung it up.

It hangs above my mantel. Love it!

(Linking to the parties in my sidebar)