I just shared our Pulse Ox Testimony on AHA's You're The Cure website: Pulse Ox Screening Saves Baby From the Unexpected

I just read a great article on AHA's You're The Cure website: Pulse Ox Screening Saves Baby From the Unexpected

Happy Anniversary

 

 

 

We aren't into doing the traditional yearly wedding gifts.  Actually, we usually just go out to a nice restaurant and tell each other happy anniversary.  Exciting, yes?!?!  This year, I wanted to do something different.  We have gone through some tough times and have always pulled through them, together.

 

This is our 15yr Wedding Anniversary gift to each other. A permanent reminder of the past 20yrs, 15 married, and all that we have endured and accomplished. We hold the key to each others heart.

 

I love you! You have been there for me through some of the darkest days and nights. I am blessed to have you in my life and our girls are blessed to have such an awesome daddy. You are my best friend and I love you! Happy Anniversary!!!

Tattoos done by Jason at

-Rock N' Roll Tattoos

I love IKEA!  I really love, LOVE, lOvE that store!  If I could live there, I would move out of my home immediately and move my family there.  It's a little dream I have.  While my kids and husband would rather stay at Great Wolf Lodge up the road a bit, I would rather spend my money shopping at IKEA.  

The closest IKEA is over two hours away, by vehicle, in Charlotte, NC, but I could go every week and never get tired of visiting. To me, IKEA is like taking a vacation.  I LOVE IKEA!  Oh, did I mention how much I LOVE IKEA?!?!?!?  : )

Any-who... IKEA obsession aside... I kept seeing great organizational ideas on Pinterest and decided to try it out on my own.  It gave me a good excuse to shop at my favorite store... you guessed it, IKEA!   

This is pretty simple and the photo is self explanatory.  I bought two of IKEA's Bygel hanging bars, several sets of Grundtal hooks, three Fintorp metal buckets and hung them all to make a catch all for our keys and sunglasses.  I love it!  

Very inexpensive and useful.

I love IKEA!!!!

Hair Bow Frame

Okay, I cannot tell a lie... I am officially addicted to Pinterest and finding and creating new ways to use old items!  I have been looking for ways to organize and display my girls hair bows for a while and I finally decided to try one of the hair bow frames I came across on Pinterest. This was super easy and only took about an hour to make (not counting paint drying).

The original pin I found and used to inspire my creation was here: Hair Bow Holder Tutorial  or here at the original blog post.

Here is my creation and what I used to make it:

I would love to make another one with a funky color and maybe animal print ribbons.  I chose white and matching shades of brown and turquoise to match the colors of our bathroom, since it serves as a guest bath, as well as, my girls bathroom. 

Here are the supplies you will need to make your own Hair Bow Frame:

• An old frame (Remove the back, glass, and any other parts that may get in the way)

• A can of spray paint (Slow and steady wins the race, don't rush spray painting, take your time)

• Patience! (My frame was dry within 20 minutes of spray painting, by placing in the warm sun)

• Picture Hanger (Make sure you have a hanger attached to the back of your frame and that you know where you will hang your frame, once it is finished)

• Ribbon(s) of your choosing (This was the hardest part for me.  So many ribbons to choose from.)

• Measuring Tape  (Measure a few inches past the length of your frame, so you can fold the ribbon over and glue it down on top of itself, to prevent fraying.)

• Scissors (To cut your ribbon to size and to help push down on the hot glue, to avoid burning your fingers!)

•  Glue Gun (You can use the glue gun alone or with a staple gun, for a more secure bond.)

• Staple Gun (I used my manual gun after hot gluing the ribbon into place on the back of the frame.  It was really easy to staple into the frame.  I didn't need to use an electric gun at all.)

That's it!  The girls love it and it gets the hair bows out of the drawers, baskets, and off of the counter top.  They are displayed neatly and tucked away on the wall, not around the sink!  Woo Hoo!!!

I can't wait to make another one, with more personality!

Pinterest Rustic Photo Frame

 Homemade Photo Display Frame

Here is my first creation that I found while looking through Pinterest.  I have seen this style of frame out in stores and it always seems to cost just a bit too much for me to be willing to shell out money for one.

One day, I ran across this pin on Pinterest and I realized I could do this for less than half the cost of a new, shiny one in a trendy store.  The original pin gave instructions on how to create the frame, but I already had a large frame, so I skipped through those steps.  You can usually find large frames at flea markets or yard sales, also.

I already had an old photo frame in our storage house that was collecting dust, so I cleaned it off and added a fresh coating of wood stain.

I purchased a picture hanging kit from Michael's Craft Store for about $10 (you could probably get it cheaper somewhere else).  Instead of using twine, I used picture hanging wire and the hooks included in the kit to secure the wire.

I purchased a box of small clips for about $4 to hang my photos with.  Since making the frame, I found some really cute mini clothes hangers at Walmart (in the office supply area) for about $2 and I have switched out the clips for the clothes hangers.  They both work well, but the clips have a more industrial look.

To have a more uniform look, I took a group of some of my favorite photos and uploaded them to a photo printing website.  I edited them to make them all black and white and added white borders around the photos to frame each picture.

I love it and whenever I get tired of a set of photos, I can switch them out!

Pinterest Easter Wreath

For the past few months, I have been addicted to a photo and website sharing site called Pinterest.  Browsing through the many photos, I have found several products, rearranged my spice rack, created a frame that displays 16 photos, cooked new recipes, and last night we made two Easter themed wreaths to hang on our doors.  I am going to start adding my Pinterest creations, one by one, soon. 

When I say "we", I mean myself and my two daughters.  They helped pick out the items and they glued the daisies on each wreath for me.  : ) 

I found a similar wreath on Pinterest, but could not find the same type of "grassy" yarn at any of the four stores I visited.  The girls and I settled on a soft, pastel green yarn that is meant for making baby blankets, etc.  I purchased two foam wreaths, two spring colored ribbons with wire, and two sets of daisies in the sewing section of the store.  I wrapped the yarn around and around several times and tied the ends off.  As I wrapped, I made sure to tighten as I went along, so the yarn would not sag.  The rest was pretty easy.  I cut and made two small bows and glued a piece of ribbon around the wreath for hanging.  The girls helped me hot glue each daisy (we used 30 per wreath) to their wreath. 

It came out rather cute.  In the future, I would like to use a bolder colored yarn and add something like Easter eggs, larger flowers, etc.  This can really go any direction for any occasion. 

The best part is that my girls were able to help out!

 CHD Awareness Week ~ February 7th - 14th

This year, we will celebrate my daughter's 8th Birthday!  It's extra special, because she is a miracle.  She was born with undiagnosed congenital heart defects and has undergone numerous heart procedures, three open heart surgeries, and more medical intervention related to her heart condition.  

She was born with Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome or HRHS, Pulmonary Stenosis or PS, and Tricuspid Stenosis or TS.  We were thrust into the world of heart defects, just hours after her birth and have been blessed to be a part of this family, ever since.  I found friendship and advice from other parents, soon after she was diagnosed.  The help and support we received gave me the strength to get through some really tough times and sent me on a path to volunteering for a local Mended Little Hearts chapter.   

February 7-14 is CHD Awareness Week.  Our local group is celebrating by hanging a Quilt from the CHD Awareness Quilt Project, along with a display including CHD facts and local heart warriors.  I am working with our local American Heart Association, to help pass a Pulse Oximetry Bill in our state.  I am also posting my daughter's story and picture on Pinterest, with The Faces of CHD, in order to raise more awareness of heart defects.

Our daughter is a gift from God and has blessed our family with so many lessons and so much love.  We are so happy to have her in our lives, along with her big sister.  Please help us, by learning more about CHD and by helping us raise money to fund more research for this #1 Birth Defect.

CHD Facts and Information:

Mended Little Hearts

American Heart Association

Cove Point Foundation

Childrens Heart Foundation

Pediatric Heart Network

Pulse Ox Advocacy

Triangle Mended Little Hearts on Facebook