Scrapping Saturdays: Momma's Arms

Kit used: Check Yes or No by Josie R. Designs
Template from MJ-AJ Designs

Another Egg Wreath

I recently shared with you my wooden egg wreath which is now hanging above my mantel. Today, I want to share with you the wreath that is hanging on my front door. It is made of plastic Easter eggs and was super easy to make.

I gathered my supplies first. I used heavy cardboard (I recycled an old shipping box), plastic Easter eggs, a package of Easter grass, green acrylic paint, paint brush, hot glue gun and glue sticks, ribbon, old pencil, and scissors.

First I found two bowls in my kitchen. One was slightly bigger than the other. I traced the smaller bowl first then traced the larger bowl around it. I cut both out create a wreath form. It doesn't matter if it's perfect or not because you are going to cover it up.

Next, I paint my wreath form green just in case any of it showed. After it dried completely I began gluing down my Easter grass in clumps. I would down a bit of the hot glue on the wreath form, put a small clump of grass in the glue and then use my pencil eraser to push it down so I didn't burn myself. I kept doing this all the way around the wreath.

Once I had covered the entire wreath with Easter grass, I began to glue down my eggs. I just put a big blob of glue on the egg and then pressed it firmly on to the grass covered wreath form. I slightly angled my eggs as I glued them all around the wreath. And I just kept on going until I ran out of room.

Then, I decided the grass looked a little wild so I took my scissors and gave it a hair cut. I just kept trimming until I was happy with the desired look.

Lastly, I added a piece of ribbon to the back of the wreath and glued down as my hanger.

I thought about dolling it up some more by adding a bow or small stuffed animal or something else but honestly, I just liked the simplicity of it.

And now it cheerfully hangs on my door greeting any visitors that may come by.

(linking to the parties listed in my sidebar)

Play Ball!

The Spring Season of Miracle League has started! 

I think my favorite picture from the collage is probably the one of my Dad and Noah with their hats backwards. Too cute!

Linked to Special Exposure Wednesdays at  5 Minutes for Special Needs

Quote of the Week: Life is like a Mirror

"Life is like a mirror.
If you frown at it, it frowns back but if you smile it returns the greeting." 

- WM Thackery

Weekend Wonders: Easter Treats

Easter will be upon us before we know it. That is also the week of Spring Break here so I know Noah and I will be making some type of treat(s) so I was hunting for some possibilities and found lots! 

Spoon Nests

I love these adorable little nests on spoons shared over at Cute Food for Kids. They look pretty easy to make too which is always a plus in my book!

Nests with Peeps

These nests shared at The Crafting Chicks are made with chow mein noodles and hold Peeps. Too cute!

Marshmallow Egg Truffles

Taste and Tell shares how to make marshmallow egg truffles. Not only do they look delicious, the packaging is adorable too!

Rainbow Jello Eggs

Choose to Thrive shares how to make these festive Jello eggs.

Rice Krispie Treat Eggs

The Art of Dessert shares these Rice Krispie Treat eggs. I love the sprinkles! 

Will you be making any treats this Easter? If so, what?

Scrapping Saturdays: Are you Ready for Some Football?

As I recently mentioned, I have been doing some digital scrapbooking lately. I think that I will share some of my pages here on Saturdays. 

This is my favorite page I have done recently.... 

I love how this page of Noah in his Clemson jersey before the Orange Bowl turned out. Cutting the person in a photo out of the photo was one of my favorite techniques when I was doing traditional paper scrapbooking years ago but this was the first time I had ever done it digitally and I just love the impact it makes!

Page Credits: Are You Ready for Some Football? by Just So Scrappy

Five Minute Fridays: Loud

It’s Friday – the day where I join other bloggers and take five short minutes to just write from the heart. Five Minute Friday is hosted by Gypsy Mama and this week’s prompt is LOUD. 


Noah's laugh is loud. And when he smiles, it’s even loud and lights up his entire face.

And when he is vocal? You can bet, it’s usually loud. In the evenings, after his bath, he usually watches a little bit of one of his videos. Sometimes I will be in a different room like the kitchen or taking my own bath and he will loudly call my name. Repeatedly. And usually for no apparent reason. After about 111 times of hearing that sweet voice loudly yell “Momma” (with lots of emphasis on the second syllable) having typically checked at least twice to make sure he is indeed fine and only saying my name to say it, I usually yell back “Whaaaaatttt?” And then he will usually loudly blow me a kiss. Of course, after that kiss, I usually feel like a heel because I have just raised my voice and I waited so long to hear the actual word Momma. (He could/would only call me “Muh” for years.)

But you know what else is loud? My love for him – even when he is saying “Momma” for the 112th time!

Head over to Gypsy Mama to see what others are saying is loud. 

Wooden Egg Wreath

This past weekend I made a couple of more Easter decor items. Today I'm going to share a simple wreath I made to go above the mantle.

I started out with 12 wooden ovals from Michael's. I chose some different pastel patterned scrapbook papers and complementary solid color pastel paper from my stash. I traced the ovals on the back of the paper and then cut them out slightly bigger than what I had traced.

Using Mod Podge, I glued the papers to the ovals and then let them dry. Then I sanded the edges. (If you do this be sure and sand down, away from the paper otherwise it will rip.) If you just cut your paper ovals the exact size of the wooden ovals, you could omit this step, but I really like the look sanding gives it.

Next, I laid down my covered ovals which now look like eggs in a circle alternating between patterns and solids. Using hot glue, I glued the eggs on top of one another. Then I glued a bit of ribbon to the back of the wreath as the hanger. 

Lastly, I cut out "Happy Easter" with my Silhouette machine and glued it down using Mod Podge. 

It turned out pretty cute and I hung it above the mantel but it looked kind of blah. 

It needed something to help it "pop." I grabbed a thrift store frame out of my stash, painted it yellow, hung it up around the wreath and loved it! 

Linking up to the parties listed in my sidebar

Down Syndrome Awareness Day

Today is World Down Syndrome Awareness Day. You may be wondering why I am posting about Down Syndrome (DS) when Noah has CP and not DS but I think we need to bring awarness to ALL disabilities.

DS has always held a special spot in my heart since seeing a child with DS when I was a child myself is the first time I can remember learning about disabilities. My Mom went to college and got her degree in special education although she never actually taught because she was a stay at home Mom but she did educate us on disabilities at appropriate times.

I can remember being young and seeing someone in the store with DS and asking my Mom about them. She explained that they had DS and that they shouldn't be treated any differently just because they had DS. She  even told me words I might hear people call them and that they were not the proper words to use when describing someone with DS and that I was not to use those words. (See, I really was made for this!)

The video below was made by the International Down Syndrome Coalition. They asked different parents of children with DS if they could go back in time to right before they had their child with DS what would they tell themselves. While the answers are specifically given by parents of children with DS, they apply to me and just about any parent of a special needs kiddos. I love the answers given!

So, the video had me thinking. What would I go back and tell myself? I think I'd say, "It is going to be a bumpy ride, but you can do it. You were made for this, girl!"

Painting with Noah

Noah is still really enjoying painting. And I enjoy watching and helping him paint. 

He got a TON of different types of paints, markers, paper, and art books for Christmas. His favorites are clearly the dot paint markers which he received multiple sets of for Christmas so he has LOTS of different colors to choose from and then either the painting/activity books that are made specifically for the dot paint markers or the big huge roll of paper! 

Favorite books and paint markers

Orange is his favorite color. He always reaches for it first. 

Look at that sweet smile.

Finished paintings

Quote of the Week: Beautiful Pictures

"Beautiful pictures are developed from negatives in a dark room so if you see darkness in your life, be reassured that a beautiful picture is being prepared."

- Unknown

Weekend Wonders: Fashion & Accessories

Lately I have seen so many cute and springy fashion and accessory ideas all over the blogosphere. Below are some of my faves.

Polymer Clay Rose Necklace

Haute to Sew shares how to make this cute rose necklace out of polymer clay. My BFF is a master with clay, me? Not so much, but this looks easy enough that I could do it.

Lace Headband

Kitty over at A Law Student's Journey shares how to make this simple lace headband.

Frilly Scarf

The Pink Peony of Le Jardin made this no sew scarf from a t-shirt!

Braided Headbands

I love these braided headbands created by Alisa Burke.

T-Shirt Bracelet

This adorable bracelet shared over at The Hot Polka Dot is made from an old t-shirt.

Watermark T-Shirt

Check out this personalized watermark t-shirt shared at U Create.

Infinity Scarf

Linda at Craftaholics Anonymous shares how to make a cute infinity scarf from an old t-shirt.

St. Patrick's Day

Noah wasn't feeling so hot today (allergies I think) so we didn't do much but I did talk him into posing for a picture! 

We did venture to Burger King to try the St. Patty's Sauce. It was interesting!

Hope you had a good one! 

Bunny and Chick Silhouettes

I realized that Easter is going to be here before we know it so I started working on a few new things so I can get my Easter mantel decorated this weekend. Last night I made simple little bunny and chick silhouettes. 

I used two 4x6 picture frames I already had and just framed a piece of patterned springy scrapbook paper. I cut a chick and a bunny out using my Silhouette machine and then I glued on a white pom pom for the bunny's tale and I added a wing with a pop dot to the chick just to give it a bit of dimension as well. I put those on the glass with removable tape (I like Elmer's best) and that way when Easter is over, I can remove the bunny and chick from the glass, clean it off with soapy water, and use the frames again. 

   

They were simple to make, turned out cute, and cost me nothing since I already had everything on hand! 

Now I gotta get the rest of the Easter stuff up!

Linking up to the parties listed in my sidebar

Goodbye Corner Chair

Years ago when Noah was about 2, his physical and occupational therapists decided he needed a corner chair. I’d never heard of a corner chair before but his therapists explained that it would give him maximum support while sitting and that it would also help him with head control and the goal was that through sitting in the corner chair, eventually he’d be able to sit independently without the corner chair.

They brought me a medical equipment catalog to show me pictures of corner chairs. This was our very first experience with ordering medical equipment and I remember feeling so emotionally unprepared. I got teary eyed as I looked at the corner chairs. They were so sterile and clinical looking. The therapist consoled me by saying we could paint it, decorate it, and make it cheerier and less clinical.

When it arrived, there were a few more tears as it looked just as bad in person as it did in that catalog. Some may think this is vain or something silly to shed a couple of tears over but when you are thinking of your child’s life and the things you’ll buy for him turn you are not expecting to pick out things from a medical catalog and you realize that your child's life is turning out to be completely different than you imagined then sometimes you just have to take a minute and acknowledge that, grieve it, and then move forward.

My Mom and I painted the corner chair a bright royal blue. Then my Mom painted different Sesame Street characters in automobiles on the tray (which matched the wall paper border in Noah’s room at the time). It turned out really cute.

Recently, J picked up some of Noah’s old medical equipment that he had outgrown that was stored at my parents’ house. We gave them to the physical therapy department at Noah’s school so that other children can benefit from them. That corner chair was one of the things we gave to them and I found myself a little sad to say goodbye to it. Ironic isn't it? Something I loathed at first turned into a sweet memory for me.

But I know another special boy or girl will use that corner chair and smile at Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, Elmo, and Cookie.

I apologize for the terrible cell phone pic but check out the amazing job my Mom did on the tray!

Monthly Digi Scrapping Layouts

One of my goals for 2012 was to try and stay a bit more up to date on my (digital) scrapbooking. I actually find it really calming and therapeutic for me to work on preserving my family's memories. I decided that I will do monthly recap pages featuring a few photos taken during that month and then fill in with other pages when there are big events during the month.

I'll be sharing some of my digital scrapbooking pages here and since I just completed recap pages for January and February, I'll be sharing those with you today.

(click pictures to view larger)

Kit used is Winter Wonders by Trendy Girl Designs
Template is Template 29 by My MJ - AJ Designs

Kit used is Owl Love You by Snowflake Beach Designs

Quote of the Week: Thanking God

"Thanking God in your trials turns burdens into blessings." 

- Paul Van Gorder

Song for a Child with Cerebral Palsy

March is National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month so I'll be sharing some things related to Cerebral Palsy through out the month.

I recently came across That Smile, a precious song written by 8 year old Cassidy Matthews for her sister Elise who has Cerebral Palsy. Such sweet lyrics for an 8 year old!

Lyrics:

1st verse:
What would you do
If you weren't like anyone else?
If the easy things
Weren't so easy?
What if it took you longer to do it?
You might feel sad and lonely.
You may just want to sit and cry.
How do you move above all that? 

chorus:
What do you do?
What could you do?
You smile that smile
That perfect smile.
You show them all
That lifes worth living
And not to feel so sorry.
You smile that smile,
That perfect smile.
The one that melts us as your giving.
And leaves the heart
Filled with joy,
Why can't we all live that way? 

2nd verse:
What if the sounds from your mouth came out different?
What if they couldn't
Understand you?
What if they treated you
Not like the others?
You might feel down
And not so special.
You may want to fight
Or get frustrated,
But what would that do?
What would that fix? 

chorus again 

last verse:
What if each small step
Was celebrated?
If your world was at you fingertips/
What if your beautiful
Face could change us?
You might just feel happy and proud.
You may want to show your
Light to the people.
That's what we need
In a world llike this! 

Chorus again 

Oh let us all, be that way-ay!

Come On Dad

Noah said another sentence!  Noah asked J for something and J had told him just a minute and apparently J wasn’t being fast enough for Noah so he blurted out, “Come on Dad!” 

This was the first time he has ever called J Dad. He has been calling him “Daddy” for years but shortened it to Dad this time. It was very teenagerish. (So much of what Noah does is not age appropriate so when he acts like a teen I love it. Never thought you'd hear a parent say that, eh?)

As I mentioned before, Noah’s talking is not consistent at all and after fifteen years of just a handful of short words, every time Noah says something we are taken aback. J and I look at each other say “Did he just say…..”

We’re not really sure what has caused Noah to be forming more words and sentences. It could have something to do with the seizure but at the same time it could have nothing to do with the seizure and it could just be ironic that the talking began just two days after the grand mal. We’ll never really know for sure. And there’s no way to tell if this is something that is going to continue or not so we are just going to treasure it and celebrate each and every little sentence he utters for the small miracle it is.

JOY Prom

Last week Noah attended the JOY Prom. You may not have heard of JOY Prom so let me tell you a little more about it.....

JOY proms are for special needs high school students and young adults.  It is a movement that originally began in churches as a way to integrate the special needs population into churches and it has spread like wildfire and now other community organizations are picking up on it and organizing JOY proms in their communities. Proms are something most high school students are able to experience, it’s almost a rite of passage but it’s not something that all special needs people are able to experience and JOY proms are giving them this experience.

Special needs people in attendance are each paired with a volunteer “date” who helps them have an awesome time on their prom night. Upon arriving, the girls are whisked away for makeup and tiaras the boys get their shoes shined and boutonnieres. Then they walk down a red carpet where there is lots of cheering and applause. I think this was one of Noah’s favorite parts of the night!

Noah’s date was a sweet college student named Sam. There was a meet and greet the week before the prom in which the kids met their dates so that they would be a little familiar with them before the prom so Noah recognized Sam when she greeted him.  Sam and Noah danced the night away stopping for breaks to enjoy chicken nuggets and crackers.

The place where the JOY Prom was held was two stories so parents could go to the balcony and watch their children have fun from above while giving the kids space to enjoy the prom. Thirty minutes or so before the prom ended, parents were invited to come down and dance with their kids.

And now what you have probably been waiting for…. Pictures! I tried and tried and tried some more to get a picture of Noah smiling but he would not smile for the camera. He was a little overwhelmed with everything at first but all in all, he had a good time and was exhausted by the time we got him home!

Handsome in his suit

Yes, that's the "Angel Choir Boy" Pose in his suit!

Noah and Sam

Getting his boutonniere pinned on

Excited to be on the red carpet

Dancing the night away

Noah and Sam taking a break. 

Me and my handsome boy

All tuckered out at home after the prom! 

Linked to 5 Minutes for Special Needs

Spread the Word to End the R Word

It's not acceptable to use the "R" word nowadays. I know people still do it, though, but it's demeaning. Tomorrow (3/7/12) is the official day of awareness to Spread the Word to End the R Word. Can you commit to not use the R word anymore? If so, take a minute to sign the pledge and then spread the word and ask others to do the same.

Noah and I thank you! Let us know if you sign the pledge!

A New Quote Box

I love quotes. You may have gathered that now by my Quote of the Week posts every Sunday. Quotes inspire me, give me hope and a fresh perspective, and sometimes make me feel less alone. 

I have a quote box which is basically just a recipe box that is filled with index cards that have hand written quotes on them sorted by subjects. I’m sure there is a more high tech way to keep up with quotes I like and I do pin some that I come across but there is something I just love and enjoy about this old school way of keeping up with meaningful quotes. 

I’ve had my current quote box for quite awhile and it was starting to fall apart and wasn’t looking so good so I decided it was time for a new one. 

I spotted these plain, boring wooden recipe boxes at Michael’s and knew it would be the perfect quote box once I decorated it. I chose to do it in teal, black, and white so that it would match my creative studio which is where it will live. 

I painted it teal and then decopauged on some black and white scrapbook paper. I cut the word "quotes" in teal with my Silhouette and glued those on. I completed it with some ribbon and a teal flower. I love how it turned out! 

I decided it also needed some new dividers so I traced the old dividers and created new ones using different black and white patterned scrapbook paper.

Now I have a beautiful box to store meaningful quotes!

You could totally do something similar for recipes or even addresses and phone numbers but just change the colors to match your decor and style!

(Linking to the parties listed in my sidebar)