EmPOWER'ed

This may seem like a contradiction or backwards to many, but being a stay-at-home Mom is one of the most emPOWERing things I have ever done! Don't get me wrong, I have MANY-A-DAYS consisting of wiping noses, tears and bottoms that might not feel so empowering but here are a few things that ARE emPOWERing to me about being a Momma!

First, CHOOSING to be a stay-at-home Mom is emPOWERing! Just a few short decades ago women stayed at home without option or choice, can you imagine? I can see how IMPOSSIBLE it would feel to be a mother with a grateful heart in that time, you would almost feel chained to your home and children. In OUR time as Mother's we are given so many opportunities, we can be working mother's, stay-at-home mothers, part-time working, freelancers, bloggers, crafters, Etsy sellers and oh'so much more! Having so many opportunities to be a Mother and to pursue our passions really provides us, the women and mother's of today, the option for choosing our Motherhood story and giving it our best!

Second, not only choosing to stay-at-home but getting an education and having AMAZING career experiences before making this choice. This was an important thing for me personally. Also, having a degree and a few years of relevant work experiences before being a full-time Momma has given me the confidence to know, REALLY know, that I am relevant and capable and VALUABLE at home OR in an OFFICE! Getting a formal degree may not be what accomplishes this for all ladies, but find your story, what provides you with the DEEP and I mean DEEP know that YOU, WHO YOU ARE is fantastic, indispensable and all around EXTRAORDINARY! Do what it takes to find the authentic person you are and DON'T LET HER GO!

Third, doing it the way I imagined. For me, I always had a picture of the kind of Momma I wanted to be. I think in some way we all do this, we take references from our Mother's and other Mother's who have influenced our lives growing up. We edit, pick and choose what we like and don't like and create our imagined Motherhood story. Many days can be frustrating BEYOND all belief especially when we are not being the Momma we imagined and it is usually a downward spiral, but look at the big picture. Are you being the Momma you imagined? If not, STOP, PUT on the BRAKES and change your course, BE THAT MOMMA! This is a constant up-hill battle (I NEED to do this AT LEAST once a week) but it is one that is worth WINNING!

Fourth, don't waste time. Our children are young once, we GET to do this ONCE! Don't waste time! So many of us say "oh I can't wait for...." in anticipation to get through a phase or to reach the next milestone but each phase of parenting and childhood is it's own big ball of challenge and AMAZING! Enjoy this phase and be in THIS MOMENT!

Are you an empowered Momma? What is your motherhood story?

That's my Shiny ~ J

*images found via Pintrest

Strawberry Cake with Love from Germany

This strawberry cake is DELICIOUS!! I made this recipe for Q's baptism this summer with strawberries that the kiddos and I PICKED FRESH! YUM!

I swiped this cake recipe from a google doc my Brother-in-Law's family started. His sister works as a house Mom in Germany for missionaries' high school aged children. One of her responsibilities is cooking. In Germany they do not rely on things like pudding or jello for fruit flavored cakes like we do in the U.S., sooooo... missing her Grandmother's strawberry cake, she found this replacement recipe. My vote is that this cake is a pretty fantastic healthier version that I WILL be making many more times in the future. Not to mention it's quite beautiful, PINK to be exact WITHOUT food coloring!

Strawberry Cake & Icing
Cake:2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
4 Eggs
1/2 Cup Butter
1 Cup Pureed Strawberries, I used fresh picked hulled and tossed in my blender
1/2 Cup Milk

Icing:
1 Box powdered Sugar
4 Tbsp Butter (melted)
4-6 Tbsp Pureed Strawberries

Preheat over to 350. Butter or spray and flour 2, 9" round cake pans or one 9x13 cake pan. Set aside. Combine dry ingredients in a larger bowl. In a separate bowl, beat remaining ingredients together. Add to dry, beating with a wire whisk. Pour into prepared cake pans. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes or until done when tested with a toothpick.

To make the frosting, sift powdered sugar into melted butter. Add strawberry puree to spreading consistency. Frost the cake and decorate the top of the cake with fresh strawberries just before serving.

I cut some fresh strawberries into quarters from the top down to the bottom and made little pinwheels or flower clusters on top of the cake.  I of course forgot to take a picture of this, sorry friends. I will get it for ya next time.

That's my Shiny ~

J

Funner Summer and Autumn Anticipation!

This Summer went by in a flash and was filled with gobs of fun for our little family! We are sadly saying goodbye to summer but happily welcoming autumn. I sure do love summer but I am looking forward to the slower pace, warmer clothes and comfort food cooking the fall season brings. I will however miss all of our fun outdoor activities, the beach, grilling, the sun, fresh produce and most of all our Up North get-away, the cottage.

Things I am ready to say "see ya later" to until next year,  the slammed packed summer agenda, road construction AND my house in an utter chaotic dirty state due to the slammed schedule.

Being a SAHM (Stay-at-Home-Mom) with my Little's has allowed for us to do many fun things through out the year, but much of our exploring here in Michigan happens in the warmer months.

Here's a little taste of our FUNNER SUMMER this year:

Berry Picking: This is such a fun activity for toddlers and all the kids! They enjoy picking and helping and seeing our hard works results! It also provides kids with the knowledge of learning how our food is grown and the importance of supporting local agriculture and of course healthy eating! This is also pretty much a FREE activity due to the fact that your only cost is for berries and most likely you will pay slightly less than at the grocery store because YOU are the labor. Lets face it WHAT IS BETTER IN THE SUMMER THAN FRESH PICKED STRAWBERRIES or BLUEBERRIES (I will post two of my favorite recipes that we made this summer from the pickings)!!

LAKE LIVING: The kiddos and I and a few of our friends were able to explore a few of our local beaches. Several of which are on Lake Michigan! What a treat! These days are fun and tiring, the kids SLEEP AMAZING! We traveled to Lake Michigan's Silver Beach several times and enjoyed the, carousel, water cannon park and of course the beach front and lake! We also kept it closer to home and traveled to the local beach on the VERY hot days this summer. Our beach trips consisted of JUMPING in the big waves, making sand castles, eating picnic lunches and chasing minnows.

Also, like many Michigan families we are blessed with a family cottage Up North and THIS IS MY MOST FAVORITE PLACE ON EARTH!! We had a TON of amazing moments this year, C learning how to swim, Q splashing like a wild woman, C casting his little fishing pole all over the place, antiquing with the ladies,  the kiddos snuggling with their Auntie, Uncles, GG and Papa and so so many many more awesome moments! We escaped UP NORTH as much as possible, which also includes lots of packing, unpacking, laundry and crying melt downs in the car, all of which doesn't compare to AMAZINGESS of the experiences!

The Mundane: We also had so much fun doing everyday tasks outside with the kiddos. Including washing the car, play dates in the backyard, trips to the park, TONS of walks both around our neighborhood and at a great local walking trail.

OH WHAT FUN!!

Even though we had such a FANTASTIC summer we are looking forward to fall IMMENSELY!   

Look out here we come fall activities!! Like:

 story time at the public library, brisk nature walks, a trip to the apple orchard, football games, baking, cooking, going to the pumpkin patch, carving pumpkins and oh so much more!

That's my Shiny -

J

SUPER simple, fun, practical, (one of the best gifts we got) gifts for babies / kids!!!!

Two and 1/2 years ago when I was prego with our first peanut (C), we received a gift.  It was a simple blue towel with a hood and a ribbon on top of that hood that said "Jesus loves me, this I know". We both loved the gift for our little man but did not realize JUST how much we would be lovin that thing!! As we now have experienced many-a-time, after ANY bath that the beloved blue towel is not clean, C shivers and cries "I FREEZIN"!!! Poor little guy! This is the INSPIRATION for this fun DIY gift-eroo!

Because before you know it those babies grow and they SURELY do NOT fit in the store bought multi-pack Gerber hooded towels. Our littlest peanut, Q's little cheekies have been hanging for months now! Looks like Momma needs to get to work for our house too! (This will be another project with our old white towels we need replacements for in the very near future).

Anyways back to the DIY gift. We are still lovin every piece of that baby gift we got so long ago and I imagine that we will be continuing to love that gift until about age 6 or 7. Wow!! TALK about longevity when it comes to a gift for a new baby or young child!!!!

Currently we have LOTS of friends having babies, mostly second babies (so I am making one towel for the new babies and one for big brother or sister). I have wanted to do this for a long time but need to 1. own a sewing machine (even if it is an ol'bitty) and 2. figure that ol'bitty out. Now that I had done both it was time to give it a go and make some awesome hooded towelness for our friends kiddlets. 

Here is how it went.

Attempt #1 (FLOP)

The hood was too big and it looked drastically out of proportion, hmmmm..... I realized I needed to sew a seam / hem in the front of the hood, this gave it a finished look and shortened the hood at the same time! YAHOO!!

Attempt # 2 (SUCCESS):

1. Fold long side of hand towel in about 3 1/2 to 4 inches, sew. This will be the front of the hood, adding the hem makes it look finished and corrects the proportions of the hood and towel

2. Fold towel in half, sew the second long side together (the side that is NOT hemmed)

3. Sew hand towel to big towel in the center, by attaching the two short sides folded out and with the point of the seam up and the sewn together side in the center (see pics below)

4. Place stencil in center of big towel, secure edges with clear packaging tape, spray stencil with fabric stencil paint

     

OR
DECORATE however you see fit!!

GET CREATIVE!

TAAAADAAAA!!!!!!

All in all each hooded towel cost about $10, not too bad.... however, in the future I will be hunting for towels on clearance and stock up for gifts and will NOT be paying retail. At this point in time I only paid full price ($5 for big, $4 for hand) because I couldn't pass up on the SUPER CUTE stripped towel funness that Target had to offer. 

Not too bad considering some of the larger hood towels that are for sale at boutiques and online are about $25 buckeroos and personalized hooded towels run closer to $40.

These from PB Kids are $39.50 a POP! YIKES! Really cute though!


Fantastic! From Moonbeam Baby, But cost $33.95 personalized

All in all this was a simple (towel took about 15 minutes total START TO FINISH), fun, personalized and handmade gift I am SO EXCITED to give!  Nothing is better than giving or getting a DIY gift that's practical, fun, cute and can be enjoyed for YEARS!!!

Here's the finished product being modeled by C =)

That's my Shiny ~

J

A Little Lemon Whimsy

Well the freebie find "garbage diving" highchair, that I previously posted about here, is now painted, complete and being used by our little peanut daily! It turned out great! It was a bit of a slow go at first. The can of spray paint I purchased of Rustoleum Sun Yellow didn't work properly and I spent too much time shaking and the nozzle kept clogging. We got things moving once I found the PERFECT fabric for the seat cushion and got a new can of paint.  

HERE SHE BE ~

BEFORE:

DURING:

This was the slow part using the faulty can of spray paint

CAN YOU BELIEVE I found this AWESOME lemon fabric?! It was almost like I picked the fabric first then picked the paint (this would have been the smarter route) but I picked the paint first and hoped some suitable fabric would follow. This is more than suitable it's PERFECTION!!!

AFTER:

I used quilt edging for the ties and the buckle. These old school highchairs don't have a safety guard to keep the little buggers from sliding under the tray, so I added straps on either side and one in the middle with a loop, adding a belt buckle thingy purchased at Joann's along with the fabric, batting and quilt edging.

 For the seat cushions I bought a pre-cut piece of outdoor dense batting that is washable and mildew resistant, this well DEFINITELY NEED to be washed a time or two. I cut it to size for the back and bottom cushion. I then made a basic cover using the fabric, sewing three sides inserting the batting and then closing the last side by hand.

So there you have it a piece garbage is now a little piece of sunny yellow in our dining room, fun and lemon whimsy! Oh yea, the best part, this project cost about $11.00 TOTAL!!! I spent $3 on the spray paint and $8.00 at Joann Fabric on fabric, batting, buckles and quilt binding (this would have been more but I utilized several of their AMAZING coupons!!) and I have fabric left over too, hmmmm I will have to think about how to use this on another project!

P.S. See you later large, chunky, ANNOYING, plastic Chico highchair!

That's my Shiny ~

J

What's your Ball?

In a quiet house while watching House Hunter's International I saw the new Ball Jar Commercial. The commerical made me smile and think how VERY much I love my own (small) ball jar collection. I do love a good ball jar and I know I am NOT the only one! I prefer my ball in blue and with a glass top not the metal. I use these for extra color and food storage on my kitchen counter. Food can be so beautiful when displayed and I just love the way my blue ball jars showcase things like chocolate chips and whole wheat penne.


I only have a small collection at this point because I am a little picky and want a variety of sizes, in the blue color and with the glass tops, not the easiest to find (and did I mention for a good price?). I currently have five and I am ALWAYS looking for more, I have a few of the good ole" clear with metal lids. These I use to store food in the fridge ( I try to avoid plastic food storage where possible) or to store baby food. At this point I haven't done any traditional canning but this year might be a first with our CSA veggies, I'll keep ya posted.

Among the ladies I know who cook or antique most have a few or avidly collect ball jars and each seem to use their jars for different functions around their homes. I just love when something practical becomes something beautiful! The ball jar is a perfect example of just that! Do think the Ball Brother's ever would have thought that 132 years (see the incredible timeline of the company here) later their jars would be a coveted utensil in the modern 2011 home?

What's your ball?

Here's a few of my fav creations:

Isn't this wall of ball jars and flowers just GORGEOUS!

I love the use of chains and the different height of the jars, the how to can be found here (click on photo for link):

What a unique light a little modern a little vintage, LOVE!

What a beautiful way to store craft or office supplies

That's my Shiny -

J

A Barn Sale, Hoarders and Two Pickles, OH MY!!!

*photo courtesy of Maggie Smith / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A few weeks back one of my girlfriends called and asked me to go to a barn sale, I was thrilled! So Saturday morning arrived and my little Q and I packed up and headed to the sale.  The day turned out to be quite an amazing ADVENTURE!!

The barn sale was a score, there were hand made things, vintage things and lots of random things and THIS GIRL WALKED AWAY WITH A GREAT THING!! I found an antique head board for Q's someday big girl room, for 18 bukeroos!!! SCORE!! The best part is that it's beautiful as is and doesn't need to be refinished or painted (however, that does not mean that this won't happen, right now I am thinking coral).

As we were checking out at the barn sale we overheard people chattering about another sale down the road with A LOT of furniture, I did hear the word "hoarders" in the chatter as well, but I was being optimistic and thought "oh they probably just like to collect things, and are just purging". Well I WAS WRONG!! I officially saw and went into a house fit to be on A&E, the things in the front yard were enough alone but the inside, oh the inside, was indescribable and NOT SANITARY!!! We got out of dodge fast, I am sure there were treasures to be found though. Like an old brass lamp I saw with a great drum shade that I am sure could have been updated with a little spray paint and fabric, or some cool old scrolly frames that could have been revamped with some paint but I couldn't stand the smell or the possible bacteria lurking to dig through the HOARD. Literally there was a hoard and I can't possibly imagine this home livable, but I think it was, ICK to the Y! I do, however feel a little special that I witnessed the sensation of hoarding!! On top of witnessing the sensation I also scored a great solid wood bookshelf for only $10! My score will need a little love and some paint.

(this beauty will be white with possibly deep blue gray on the bottom of each cubby)

So now the task of squeezing a headboard, bed rails a book shelf and a baby in our crossover SUV was another feat in itself. With A LOT OF maneuvering and some help from my friend and the hoarder we fit it all, except the baby!! So Q got to ride with our good friend to finish the rest of the journey. Which included an awesome stop at the local farmers market were we picked up two homemade GINORMOUS organic pickles for my two best boys as a delicious summer snack!!!

Oh here's another score from the week, I found this highchair by the side of the road AS GARBAGE!!! SAY WHAT!!! Stay tuned for bookshelf and highchair project updates! Can't wait!

(This little lovely will be yellow)

That's my Shiny -

J