Bedtime prayers

One of my favorite times of the day are early morning and  just before bed with my little girl. Part of it is the snuggling and the coziness of that time of day and the honest conversations we have about our day (either about what adventures await us or about what we have already experienced during the day). Evening is also the time we pray together.

 

Prayer is important in our home and we’ve always made a point to pray for people and to give thanks. For months now, our little girl has said her bedtime prayers on her own and you just never know what will come out of her honest mouth:

Often she prays for the usual suspects: Yaya, Nana, Papa, Mommy, Daddy, Grams, Gramps, aunts, uncles, cousins, teachers, friends. Then she gives thanks for the fan, her blanket, toys, babies, nightlight, doors... (a lot of which we take for granted). I mean when was the last time you gave thanks for doors? Without doors, we would not have protection from the elements outside, privacy or a solid home. They deserve that thanks in prayers.

“Dear Jesus, thank you for my Daddy and Mommy. Not for my Uncle Matt when he teases me. I am not his property.”

“Dear Jesus, thank you baby who did not go potty in her undies.”  That was heard while potty training. And upon checking, her baby doll was indeed dryJ

And my personal favorite, from the other night:

“Dear Jesus, thank you for our meal and the best gift of all, our family....”

Melt my heart!! Simple, sweet and oh so heartfelt.

~Angela

Blogger Award

I was nominated for the Liebster Blogger Award by Laurie at http://www.laurieslittlebitsofcreativity.com/.  Thanks Laurie!!

This award acknowledges up and coming bloggers for outstanding accomplishments within design that is presented on their blog.

Here are the rules for accepting the award:

1.  Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves.

2.  Answer the questions the tagger has set for you, and then create 11 new questions for the chosen bloggers.

3.  Choose new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award to and link to them in your post.  

4.  Go back to their page and tell them about the award.

5.  No tag backs.

 11 Random facts about myself:

 

1.  My dream job as a child was to be a Garbage Man or Ice Cream Man. The job as a Garbage Person still has some appeal to me.

2.  Later in life, I seriously considered a career as a Pediatrician or as a Computer Programmer. I don't have any of the above mentioned jobs.

3.  I could eat pizza every day.  I don't, but I could.

4.   I asked out my dentist on a date. Because of my mom. Best decision ever. We went on said date. I married my dentist a year later. I know refer to him as my husband rather than my dentist, even though he is both.

5.  I am constantly in the midst of at least 14 projects at any give time. I like to make things, but find it often it costs me more to buy the materials to make them than just buying the item to begin with.

6.  I love to inline skate and have skated in a marathon for the last 13 years.

7.  My favorites (foods, colors, cars, etc.) change daily. Which I why I hate that so many passwords have them as their security questions!

8.  I am afraid of the dark.  Not inside dark..........outside dark.

9.  I often dream about things that happen. Usually random, non-life changing things.

10. I went skydiving the year I turned 18 and loved it, but have no desire to ever do it again.

11. I enjoy running, but I do it mostly so I can eat chocolate chip cookies:)

 

 

Here are the questions that Laurie asked me:

 

1.  If you suddenly came into a million dollars how would you spend it?  I would take a vacation with my family and give most of it away. I would not change my life in any drastic way.

2.  What is your favorite room in your home and why?  Our nursery. So much love, so much thought was put into this room. I have so many fond memories of rocking and reading and feeding and cuddling in this room with my husband and little girl.

3.  What is the last book you read? Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin

4.  Do you work outside the home?  If so, what do you do?  I work as an Administrative Assistant at an Investment Company and I am a Mom.

5.  What is your favorite season and how do you decorate for it?    I love all the seasons and decorate for all of them

6.  What part of your home is currently in need of a makeover? My daughter's new room. We are in the process of moving her to a Big Girl Room from her nursery. We just painted the walls a glittery gray.

7.  How much time do you spend blogging?  too much:)  3-4 hours a week.

8.  Coffee or tea?  Or something else? Water.

9.  What is your favorite take out food?  Subway.

10. Do you make your bed everyday? Of course.

11. Where do you get the majority of your inspiration? In my mind in those random fleeting moments, just before I fall asleep at night...and other blogs.

Here are the blogs that I have chosen to pass this award to.  Please visit them and give them a little lovin'.

 

1.  Truly Lovely

2.  Practically Functional

3.  Serenity Now

4.  Or So She Says

5.  Navy Wifey Peters

6.  Erica Start Walking

7.  Bugaboo, Mini, Mr. & Me

8.  What More Can I Say

9.  Waiting Stitches

10. Hey Mommy, Chocolate Milk

 

Here are my questions for them: 

1. What was the first blog you started following?

2. What is a hobby you have aside from blogging?

3. Where do you live? State/Province, Country? Big/small town? In a city or the country?

4. How long have you been blogging?

5. What is your favorite book?

6. What is your favorite charity?

7. What is your dream vacation location?

8. How much sleep do you get each night?

9. What is a pet peeve of yours?

10. Where do you go to for your source of news?

11. What project are you currently working on?

~Angela

Polka dot walls

It's no secret that I love polka dots. The way I dress myself and my daughter and accessorize gives that away. I even painted polka dots on my slow cooker. I've been thinking of painting polka dots in my home and recently came across a post on this blog that showed polka dot walls made of vinyl and I was immediately drawn in!  I ordered the vinyl circles from www.wallsneedlove.com already cut in gray that just needed to be peeled off and adhered to the wall like stickers! Way simple and easier than painting them all!  I ended up putting the polka dots on one wall in my laundry room 12 inches apart.








I don't mind doing laundry and spend a decent amount of time in my laundry room. I also keep it very organized so the door is usually open to my laundry room and I can enjoy this wall often! I still smile every time I walk in there and see the polka dots:)
~Angela

Valentines breakfast

I started making heart shaped pancakes for my parents and brother on Valentine’s Day when I was in middle school. I continued the tradition through high school and even college since I lived at home for my first couple of years. When I bought my first house (still in the same town where my family lived) I still continued the tradition. Then I met my husband and moved away from my family. Of course, we created our own family and now I carry that tradition with him.

Except this year.

I realized late last night that we are out of pancake mix or the ingredients needed to make them homemade (although the mix is more my style anyway). I improvised this morning, not breaking a tradition, but altering it.



Heart shaped toast & eggs


A candlelit breakfast with just my husband was a great start to the day.

Happy Valentine Day!

~Angela

Paper Heart (Easy project for kids)

 

Supplies: 

-12 x 12 cardstock

-Glue dots

-Heart paper punch

-scraps of colored/designed paper or paint chips

  

 1. Cut out hearts from the paper scraps or paint chips. (I used paint chips because I had a ton of them)

 

 2. Place a glue dot on the back of each heart and adhere to the cardstock, either in a pattern or randomly. (I intended for mine to be roughly an inch apart and did put a pencil mark at each inch, for my helper to follow as a guideline).

 My helped had to make some final adjustments:

 

 

 Viola!



I like the texture so nixed the glass when I put it in a frame to display in my entry.

~Angela

Valentine Mailboxes

We love getting mail!  (I blogged it mail here and here)  So when I spotted these mailboxes at Target for $1 I knew we had to get them!

There is one for each of us- red for Daddy, pink for Bundle and white for me. (Of course I had to add some bling to mine!) We put them by the door and wait for the flag to go up, signifying there is mail in our mailbox!

We don't get something in there every day...just like the Postal Service's mail. And often the "mail" in our mailbox is something found. This was not intended to make our Valentine's Day tradition become an expensive, gift giving holiday.

It may be an article that was found in a newspaper or magazine  (in my mailbox!):

It could be toys that were found at the bottom of the toy basket (in my little girl's mailbox):

It may be a kiss token (my husband and I have been passing this around for years. The current owner of it gets a kiss!):

Other items that have been found in the mailboxes: stickers, coins for a piggy bank, finger puppets, coloring pages, bookmark, love not, barrettes, funny photos from the past, candy. The options are endless!

We have more fun just watching for the flags to go up!

~Angela