My All Star on the Water Bottle

My awesome baseball playing son (and his Granddad!) are on some of the water bottles sold at the Miracle League games.

Linked to Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs

Baby Onesies

I don't know what exactly it is about creating baby onesies but I love doing it and recently created several for J's best friend and his wife who just had a baby boy about a week ago. 

I bought a package of plain boring baby onesies and went to town decorating them. I used designs I purchased from the Silhouette store and designs I made myself in the Silhouette software. My Silhouette machine cut all the designs out of freezer paper. I then ironed the freezer paper on each onesie painted them. 

(To learn more about how to freezer paper stencil, check out this post.)

The baby's name is Austin. This one was a little difficult because of the layering. In hindsight I should have left a space for the plane and not layered the plane on top of the cloud as the paint didn't cover the cloud very well.

Austin's parents are huge Clemson fans too.

I just love onesies with ties.

Simple whale silhouette

These became a very cute and personalized but inexpensive gift.

(Linking to the crafty parties listed in my sidebar)

2 Year Surgery Anniversary

Two years ago today Noah had his Scoliosis Surgery. Before surgery Noah's curve was 96.3 degrees and post surgery it is only 11.9 degrees! Definitely a success! It was a rocky road, stressful and very scary at times and recovery for Noah was long and hard but it absolutely the right decision. We've seen many positive changes in Noah since the surgery and I like to think some of those are a direct result of the surgery.

The only real negative is that he lost the ability to crawl, which was how he'd get around the house when he didn't feel like using his wheelchair. But he has made up for that by learning to do this adorable little hop/scoot around the house. 

I leave you with a look back prior to the surgery, one year post, and nearly two years post.......

Weekend Wonders: Cooking Out

Summer is drawing near which means lot of cooking and grilling out. At least that's what it means in our family! So for this edition of Weekend Wonders I have gathered some different ideas related to cooking out!

Condiments in a Muffin Tin

Catch my Party shares this awesome idea of using a muffin tin to house condiments for a cookout.

Cook Out Printables

Hostess with the Mostess shares some cook out printables which include water bottle labels, place cards, cupcake picks, and more. 

Orzo Salad

This Orzo Salad from Real Mom Kitchen looks like a great side dish to bring if you are responsible for bringing a side dish at a cookout you'll be attending. 

Hot Dog Bar

This hot dog bar at Pocket Change Gourmet would be fun for any cookout.

Grilled Peaches

These grilled peaches from Skinny Taste would be a perfect ending to any cookout meal.

Happy Anniversary to my 'Rents!

I'm interrupting regularly scheduled programming (aka blogging) to take a minute to wish my adorable parents (aka the rents) a very happy 39th Wedding Anniversary!

Thank you for being such a great example over the years of what marriage is supposed to be about. 

Last Day of School

Today was the last day of 9th grade for my boy. It seems like just yesterday I was writing the post about his first day of 9th grade and how he is now technically a high schooler. 

Noah has done SO well in school this year. The Winter Parent/Teacher Conference was probably one of my highlights of the whole year as his Momma. In that meeting, I learned how well Noah was doing, how well his behavior was, and how much he was growing and learning. 

This year he really has grown by leaps and bounds in school. He has learned so much, gained independence, and continually amazes us all the time. 

I feel so blessed to be his Momma and have the privilege of watching (and hopefully helping a little bit) him grow. 

Brushing his Hair

Noah has been "helping" me brush his hair as shown in these pictures (before his new super short hair cut) taken last week. He doesn't really hold the brush right but his independence is admirable and cute.

Linked to Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs

Year End Teacher Gifts

So for this year's end of the year teacher gifts we took some simple but practical and useful plastic cups with straws perfect for summer and dressed them up just a little bit. 

I wanted to get the teal cups - Noah wanted to get orange and since they were for Noah's teachers, as you can see, he won. We were telling my Mom about it and she had the suggestion for the tag which Noah found hilarious so we went with it. 

I threw together a quick tag and cut it out with my large circle punch, punched a small hole in it, and tied it on the straw with white curling ribbon. Then Noah added 4 individual packs of lemonade mix to each cup and they  were finished! 

Cute + Play on words + Inexpensive + Simple = Perfect Year End Gift for Fabulous Teachers! 

PS. If you'd like the tag (you aren't limited to teacher gifts with it since it doesn't actually mention teachers) just click the image below and then right click and save it to your computer. 

Thinking of You Cards

When I was at my Mom's house over Mother's Day weekend my Mom showed me some cards she had made for the greeting card ministry at church. I came home inspired to make some cards of my own. 

I used the "library pocket card" file that I purchased from the Silhouette store. My Silhouette machine did most of the work for me, cutting and scoring the card. Using the print and cut feature, I was even able to add the phrase "thinking of you" to the top of the insert and a verse. Then just assembled the card and used sticky strip to adhere the flaps on the back of the pocket. I decorated the pockets with ribbon and paper flowers from my stash. 

They turned out super cute and were incredibly easy to put together. 

(Linking to the parties listed in my sidebar)

Quote of the Week:

"I may not have gone where I originally intended to go but I think I have ended up right where I was meant to be." 

- Douglas Adams

Weekend Wonders: End of the Year Teacher Gifts

As the school year winds to a close, it's time to show teachers how appreciated they are. There are lots of teacher appreciation projects popping up lately; below are some of my faves.

Thanks for Helping me Grow

This planted flower in an adorable pot would make a sweet year end gift for any teacher. Mariah at Giggles Galore shares a step by step tutorial on how to create it. 

Teacher Sized Pencil

I love this huge pencil made out of a recycled Pringles can. It can house whatever type of treats you'd like. Head over to Glue Sticks and Tape for a step by step tutorial. 

S'more Teachers Like You

Make a cute S'mores kit for complete with marshmellows, graham crackers, and chocolate. Download the free printable tag that says "We need S'more teachers like you!" over at Creative Juices. 

Mouse Pad

Every teacher nowadays had a computer in her classroom so a mouse pad (this one is made from a cork tile) is a great gift. Head over to Simply This and That for the how to. She also has several other cute teacher gift ideas such as this pen planter set and this "ball" teacher/coach gift. 

Candy Gram Year End Teacher Gift

This candy gram at Simply Savy is an adorable year end teacher gift and perfect for male teachers who I always find it a lot harder to find gifts for. You could totally doll up the pail or use a different type of container. 

Free Printable Tag

This adorable tag at Darling Doodles would go with anything you decide to give the teachers in your life. 

Teachers Cannot Live on Apples Alone

Last but not least, is this cute little teacher gift I made a few years back that consists of a little bucket filled with Hershey hugs and kisses and completed with a cute, free printable tag. 

Five Minute Friday: Perspective

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 PERSPECTIVE. 

Sometimes I think a lot in life boils down to your perspective; to how you see your life and your world around you. Your perspective can lead to your happiness or to your unhappiness.

Last Friday night, Noah had a huge autistic meltdown. In the course of this meltdown, a soda was thrown, I was scratched, Noah bit himself, he was crying, and I was near tears myself. I was feeling pretty down. I called my parents and got Noah calmed down, mopped up the spilled soda, and put us both to bed. When I went to bed, I was feeling pretty defeated.

I’ve never been one to let life get the best of me. Sometimes it tries to get the best of me but there are a couple of things that I tell myself in the midst of a storm to try and keep a positive perspective and outlook.

1. God never gives you more than you can handle. 
2. You were made for this.
3. Breathe. 
4. And tomorrow is a new day. 

Those simple little mantras give me hope which gives me a fresh perspective after a bad day and life is really all about how you see it.

Yarn Wrapped Vase and Votive Holder

I created the vase (and matching candle holders) you may have noticed in the "Sweet Surprise" post to use as part of the decor for the BirthMom Buds fiesta themed retreat. 

It was quiet simple to make. I just started off with a vase and two candle holders both from The Dollar Tree, along with a ball of yarn, and some clear tacky glue. Since I was creating this for a brightly colored Fiesta, I chose bright, multi-colored yarn but you could certainly use a single color or a combo of colors. 

To begin, start at the bottom and put a little bit of glue all the way around the bottom of the vase. Hold it for a minute and then just start circling the yarn around the vase going up the vase. Every couple of passes around, you'll want to take a finger and just push the yarn on the vase down a little bit just to keep it nice and tight. 

I put a little more glue in the middle and just continued wrapping around and pushing down until I was almost at the top. Then I put a little more glue on the top, finished wrapping, and cut it off. I made sure that my starting point and ending point were both on the same side of the vase just in case it showed too much but honestly you couldn't really tell once it was all done. 

To make the votive holders, you'll do the exact same thing! 

And now you have a fun little set.

I think this one is perfect for summer! 

(Linking to the parties listed on my sidebar)

Looking for Planes

Recently we dropped off my BFF at the airport and Noah was fascinated with the airplanes and enjoyed watching them out the window.

Linked to Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs

A Sweet Surprise

One day last week I walked out on my front porch and found a surprise waiting for me. It was a FDT Flowers box. I recognized it and immediately knew I had received flowers but wasn't sure from who. I opened the box and found some beautiful springy flowers and a sweet card from some of the BirthMom Buds thanking me for all the hard work I do. Suddenly the random questions about flower allergies that my friend Monika asked before made sense! 

It was so out of the blue and made me feel very loved and appreciated. Thank you to my girls who sent the flowers! I love them!

Quote of the Week: Being Creative

"Being creative is not a hobby; 

it's a way of life!" 

- Unknown

Mother's Day Collage

First of all, happy Mother's Day to all the Mommas out there and for those of you out there that this is a hard day for, your in my thoughts. 

This year for one of my Mom's Mother's Day gifts we decided to combine our talents - mine of photography and his of being cute! 

For years I have always wanted to make one of those little photo collages of siblings each holding different signs that make a sentence like "I love Nana" but I just have Noah and thought that might be silly to have him in all the photos but decided to go for it anyways. Since he signs, instead of having him hold a sign that said love, I just had him do the sign for love. It actually turned out super cute! 

And here it is already hanging on her wall.......

Tip: If you are taking photos of a child holding a sign, sometimes it can be difficult to get them to hold the sign where the words are legible and readable so this time I just had Noah hold a blank sign, then in my editing program, I added the words in a handwriting font. I must have done a good job because my Mom had no clue! 

I like how my Mom's turned out so much that I have decided to make one of my own. 

Just need a frame now! 

(Linking to the parties listed in my sidebar)

Hair Clip Holder

I love to wear clips/pins in my hair or on my clothes or even attached to a bag. I'm starting to acquire quite a few of them and the only problem with that is that I didn't have a way to easily display them so I wasn't wearing them a lot. So I decided to make something to hold my hair clips.

I simply took a picture frame and painted it my favorite shade of teal. Then I ran two pieces of cream colored grosgrain ribbon on the back of the frame and glued them on the back of the frame using E-6000.

I cut a small butterfly with my Silhouette machine and glued it on the front and hung it up, added my flowers and I was done!

Linking to the parties listed in my sidebar

Setting the Table becomes a Moment to Remember

As a society we often get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life that we forget to take time to stop and notice the little things in life. Since January, I’ve been making an effort to notice the small moments, enjoy them, and live in the moment. 


Sunday night, as we were getting ready to sit down for dinner, I got out plates and silverware and set them on the table. I walked back to the counter for something else and when I turned around I noticed Noah at the table. He was setting the table! 


I was so proud to see him doing that on his own for the very first time. It was a moment. My heart smiled as I watched my little boy in his wheelchair, setting the table. I breathed in the moment and etched it into my memory. I never want to take these moments for granted. Because of  his special needs, because of cerebral palsy and autism, I’m aware – so very aware – of these little moments and for my boy they are actually big moments. 


(This post is a part of the CP Connection. Click links below for more info.)