Sunday, May 30, 2010

[enter in discouragement]

Okay, so at almost seven months pregnant (four more days of my second trimester) I feel like a ridiculous failure. The bulk of my pregnancy has been spent in a melancholy state and/or in a state of chaos. I am so ready for life without these crazy hormones. I really feel done.

I began this blog as a way for me to record this homemaking journey I knew I was to make. And instead of becoming a better homemaker, I feel discouraged, stressed and (evidently) frustrated. Maybe it's the standards I'm holding myself to, maybe it is these crazy hormones, but maybe it's the call to something deeper that I can't understand. Regardless of which one it is (though I'm beginning to think it's a little of all three) I'm ready to not feel like this. Ready to have my cup "runeth over" once again and not feel like everything I'm doing is a total wreck.

Forgive my Ecclessiastes moment, however I must say "There is nothing new under the sun! Solomon, I feel ya brother... If there's anyone out there actually reading my blog, I'm asking for prayer. Seriously. This rut has held me far too long, and I'm so ready for normalcy and fulfillment again. I want to be content with the life and the calling the LORD has given to me. So, with that being said... cue out discouragement, and please, enter grace...

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Baby Decor! =)

So, I decided on a theme for the girls' room and I really love this set from Target.com, so I went ahead and registered for it and am hoping I get it during the baby shower...

So, this past weekend, my sister-in-law and I picked up some decor (and made some!) for the baby and her room, so here's a sneak-peek.
Over Daniella's bed, I wasn't sure what to use as a head-board or how to tie in the baby's theme without overwhelming her and we came up with a fantastic idea! We have shutters that we will paint chocolate brown and place them over the bed as though it's a window, and in between the shutters this painting will hang making it look like there's a giraffe out the window! =)

These are the letters we're using to monogram the girls' name on a canvas with scrapbooking paper coordinating the bedding. I'm *super* excited about this one.


I also made baby announcements ahead of time, so that when little Miss Aaliya gets here, they're already taken care of. I made two different kinds, and this is one of them. I'll be placing a wallet-sized photo of her on the announcement and then will attach the information. I think they're super cute, but I'm biased... :)

Cheri's also working on a piece of art that says "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty..." We love that Scripture and speak it over our little Liberty everyday. Just a start, but hey... I'm stoked!

Purge: The Closet

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I wanted to purge the house pre-baby and get things in order. Well, it's taken me a couple of weeks, but I've begun! I started in my closet by giving away clothes I no longer wear, putting away pre-pregnancy clothes that no longer fits (that pile was bigger than I expected) and (mostly) organize the rest of my closet. Granted, I could only do my side, because I can't very well give away Caleb's clothing without his permission, but I'm hoping my example inspires him to do the same! It was quite purging, and I found myself crying through most of it. (Not because of the clothes or the stuff I gave away, rather because that's what I do now: I'm pregnant.) Maybe this purging stuff is more than physically?

More Updates to come...

Amazing seesters

"I thank my God continually when I think about you..."

So, I spent this past weekend in Georgia, where I spent time with my fantastic sisters-in-law (my brothers-in-law are pretty cool too, but not nearly as cool as the girls) and we spent time shopping for home-decor and baby items! I am so very thankful to have these two ladies in my life. They are my pillar when I kinda wanna give up and my accountability in most heart-matters. :) Not to mention, Cheri is ridiculously amazing at art & decorating and inspires me to be more creative. I've decided to take up scrapbooking and card-making thanks to her. (Woop, Woop!) So, I'll be blogging about that soon enough. Priscilla is my ear in matters of the heart and I love her sooo much for it. I wanted to take a little corner in cyberspace to say thank you to my amazing sisters-in-law. <3 align="center">Priscilla :)
Cheri (woop, woop!)



Monday, May 3, 2010

Tortilla Pizzas!

After a stressful day at work, I (or shall I say the munchkin in the oven) decided that I wanted pizza for dinner. Being that I don't love pizza, this was quite the mood I was in. Instead of ordering though (working hard at being efficient with money) I decided I was gonna make it. After much brainstorming, I kinda put together my very own recipe and also googled "tortilla pizza" and found similar ones to it. Below are the simple ingredients and even simpler steps. I'm super excited about my new-found recipe idea. It'll be great on a Sunday afternoon after Church or even a Saturday with Daniella. She can participate in making it, and it's a great way for her to get her veggies in. :)

Ingredients:

Tortillas (I prefer small, but any size'll do)
Tomato Sauce (I use Heinz All-Natural)
Shredded Cheese
Olive Oil
Italian Seasoning or Basil
Tomatoes
Black Olives
Etc with Veggie List (Mushrooms, Onions, etc)

Recipe:
- Pre-Heat Oven to 375F
- Apply olive oil to baking pan
- Mix together about 1/2 cup of tomato sauce with Italian Seasoning or Basil (I never measure, sorry guys)
- Apply tomato sauce to tortillas
- Top off with cheese and veggies
- Place baking pan in oven for 3-5mins,
- Enjoy! =)

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Mother's Day Craft

So Mother's Day is coming up and I really wanted to share some time with Daniella making something for her other "Mommy" and her grandmas. This year, she's old enough to understand the meaning of Mother's Day and I'm feeling "Suzy Homemaker" so I think I want to steal her away this week so that we can go pick out the things for the craft (more on it in a bit) and to actually start putting them together. She'll have to make four, so I wanted to make it simple enough to where it wouldn't be drudgery, but allow it to be unique enough to where she could pick which one to give to which Mommy/Grandma in her life... Needless to say, I found the cutest craft idea at Michael's (kudos to super creative Boly) and am super excited to get Lou (our nickname for our lovely little Daniella) in on it. Here it is, in case you're looking for ideas for your little ones to get involved with.

"I love you Pot/Candle Holder (meant for little ones between 3-5)

Materials:
- Clay Pot & Saucer
- Acrylic Paint & Brush
- All-Purpose Glue
- Foam Shapes (Letters, Hearts & Another)
- Candle (optional)

How to:
- Paint Clay Saucer color of choice, as well as rim of pot. Let dry.
- Glue Pot & Saucer so that saucer is facing top and able to hold the candle.
- Glue Foam Shapes in "I love you" format and allow little one to decorate their little heart out on the pots. =)
- Add candle as finishing touch.

Ta-Daaaa! As my little one would say. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do. (I hope)
PS. At this point, I really wish we had a printer. I found amazing coloring pages for Daniella. =) Tons of printable-activities to keep her entertained for daysss!