Quote of the Week: Life is Like a Camera

"Life is like a camera, it's what you focus on that will develop." 

- Unknown

You were Made for This Thanksgiving Style

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Click here to find out the story behind my mantra, "You were Made for This." 

Click here to see more of my "You were Made for This" photo series. 

Wordless Wednesday: Checking on the Turkey

Noah is so excited that we are hosting Thanskgiving at our new house for the first time. He has gone to the fridge repeatedly to look at the turkey. He doesn't even really care for turkey all that much but he knows it's a part of Thanskgiving. 

Have a blessed Thanksgiving everyone!! 


For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Moms and Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs

Christmas Counterdowner

I made this super simple Christmas Counterdowner (they call it a "counterdowner" on a Christmas video Noah enjoys watching over and over and over and over) using a cheap, plastic frame as I figured this might be something Noah would want to help with and he'd do better with a plastic frame versus glass. 

I made the image inside the frame in PSP and printed it out. I left a space big enough to write in the numbers with a dry erase marker. You can download the image here. It's for a 5 x 7 picture frame. 


So easy I don't know if I should even call it a craft or not. Wait, I did use scissors to cut it out so that counts, right!

Linking up to the following link parties:

Making Monday Marvelous @ C.R.A.F.T.

Craft-O-Maniac

Making the World Cuter Mondays

Just a Girl Show and Share Day

Feature yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge

Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts 

Quote of the Week: Live by Them

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."  

~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Update on Noah's Behavior and Meltdowns

Well we have adjusted Noah's medicine twice and added a new one into the mix since I posted about his meltdowns almost a month ago. We have noticed  a huge change in Noah - a good, for the better change! I think the latest medication adjustment has done the trick. He seems much more like his old self. He's being silly again and is content to just play again. His repetitious behaviors have also calmed down somewhat. (He's always going to have them but they aren't at all time high as they were a month ago.) 


His teacher has also noted a change in his behavior. She sent home a note this week saying that he has had a really good week and earned extra school store money for his excellent behavior in music class. She also said that he seems much happier and content. 


So here's hoping things stay that way for a little while! 

You Were Made for This Fridge Reminder

Recently I was feeling nervous about something and my sweet hubby was reassuring me and told me, "You were made for this." 

He then wrote this little reminder on the dry erase board that hangs on our fridge. 

 Click here to find out the story behind my mantra, "You were Made for This."

Click here to see more of my "You were Made for This" photo series. 

The Cell Phone Bandit

Now that we live in a one story house, Noah is in his wheelchair a lot more than before. I think he enjoys the freedom of being able to wheel wherever he wants to go. There is one slight problem though...... 

 He is now able to easily reach my phone almost all the time. Since I am short vertically challenged there are few places that I can reach (I think I'd have to put it on the top bookshelf!) that he can't reach without a little stretching. 

So, he often grabs my phone and starts punching buttons and trying to call Nana or Uncle Andy or whomever he has in his head that he wants to call at that moment. But he really doesn't know what he is doing and pushes buttons and ends up calling someone or even texting someone! So, if your name is in my cell phone address book and you get a phone call from me where I'm not saying anything - it's probably Noah! And if you get a really random text from me - that's probably Noah too. 

PS. Yes, my phone has a lock feature and yes, Mr. Smarty has figured out how to un-do it!

Wordless Wednesday: Sock Monkey Jammies

Noah loves his sock monkey jammies. Sometimes when he is wearing them I'll notice him look down at his arm and smile at the monkeys. So sweet!

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Moms and Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs.

Chalkboard Ornaments

So lately I have been seeing so many cute different chalkboard ideas (using chalkboard paint) all over the crafty blogs. I bought some chalkboard paint thinking I wanted to give it a whirl. Then I started thinking about Christmas and thought a chalkboard ornament would be adorable. You could use it as an ornament and write the person's name or short message on it, use it as a gift tag on a present, or use it as a place card/favor at a holiday dinner or party. 


I started playing around and here's what I came up with! 

Pretty cute, huh? And not too hard. :)


What you'll need: 
Cardboard coasters - I used some thick cardboard coasters I got at Michael's on clearance for 25 cents for a package of 8. You could also used a thick piece of cardboard you cut into a circle or a thin piece of wood. 
Decorative scrapbook paper
Adhesive of your choice
Stickers/buttons/embellishments
Think chipboard or cardboard
Chalkboard paint
Foam Brush
Hole punch
Ribbon
Chalk


What you'll do: 
1. Flip your decorative piece of scrapbook paper over and trace your coaster on to it. Cut it out and adhere it to your coaster. Sand any edges that may need sanding. 
2. Cut a slightly smaller circle out from your cardboard or chipboard. I used my 2 inch circle punch and I punched that circle out of cardboard from a cereal box I was about to throw away. (Yay, for being green!) 
3. Paint your smaller circle with the chalkboard paint according to the directions on the bottle. (I painted the circle using horizontal strokes with the foam brush, let it dry an hour, painted vertical strokes, and then let it dry overnight. When dry, mark on your circle with chalk to "condition" it, then wipe off the chalk and you should be good to go.)
4. Adhere your chalkboard circle to the middle of your larger circle. 
5. Embellish with stickers, buttons, or whatever you like!
6. Punch a hole in the middle of the top of the ornament and thread some coordinating ribbon through so you can hang your ornament. 


And your done. Hang and admire or give them away!! 

Linking up to the following link parties:

Making Monday Marvelous @ C.R.A.F.T.

Craft-O-Maniac

Making the World Cuter Mondays

Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts 

Just a Girl Show and Share Day

Feature yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge

Get Your Craft On

Quote of the Week:God in Control

"In the ever changing circumstances of life,
there is a faithful never changing God in control." 

~ Unknown

My Thanksgiving Mantel

I finished my Thanksgiving mantel last week but I kept forgetting to take and post pictures! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. 

 Close up of the left side of the mantel which includes the "thankful for" frame and one of the newsprint decorations.

 Close up of the right side of the mantel which includes another of the newsprint decorations and a cornucopia basket filled with leaves and mini pumpkins.

The candle holders you see on either end of the mantel are just cheap candlesticks and candle holders from the Dollar Store. I spray painted the candlesticks brown and then glued the candlestick and the candle holder together and added a bow when dry.

This is the Subway art that is hanging above the mantel. It was super easy to make using a free printable from Just Another Hang Up. I just printed the file on cardstock, cut it out, and then adhered it to an old wooden plaque I had covered with cardstock. 

And that's the Thanksgiving mantel. :)

Linking up to the following link parties:

Craft-O-Maniac

Making the World Cuter

Get your Craft on Tuesday

Fingerprints on the Fridge

Just a Girl Show and Share Day

Whatever Goes Wednesday