Happy Monday, y’all!! Wishing you a beautiful, blessed day.
Monday morning sunrise
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DIY Carpet Deodorizer
Carpet Deodorizer
Don’t you just love freshly cleaned carpets?!? Having all of the carpets professionally cleaned makes the whole house look and feel better!
With 3 cats, 2 dogs, 1 rabbit, kids and a husband, the carpets definitely take a beating. Our little Miniature Pinscher was not potty trained when we got her last year and she still has accidents occasionally. The geriatric cat forgets to use, or misses, the litter box. Needless to say, our house and carpets are sometimes less fresh than I would like. Continue reading “DIY Carpet Deodorizer” »
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A Mom’s prayer for today
Lord, help me to be better today. Clothe me in the patience and understanding I need to be a better mother and wife.
Forgive me for raising my voice yesterday and most of all help me do a better job at keeping my daughters’ heart. Help her forgive me when I am not the mama she deserves and when I fail to be the best I can be.
Amen.
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Lord, let them see you in me.
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Gratitude
Hockey season is officially over in our household. The snow is melting and temperatures are inching warmer. Spring is here. So many things to be thankful for!
But don’t be fooled by the positive upbeat tone of my voice. Though I love the weekends and I love being home with my family but sometimes tempers and attitudes flair. Usually it’s Sunday mornings as we’re getting ready for church. I like to have a relaxing morning but usually we relax a little too much and end up rushed and running around to get ready in time. I can guarantee there will be an issue with appropriate church attire and where those clothes might exist in the house (dirty laundry basket, washer or put away somewhere incorrect). The irony of losing my temper in preparation for church is not lost on me. You’d think by now I’d anticipate these catastrophes and be able to head them off. But no, I am not that organized or self aware.
Despite our imperfections and mishaps, I have so much to be thankful for.
I am looking forward to:
Today-family dinner, not having any commitments outside the house.
This week: PTA meeting, being able to attend 4H meetings again
In the future: warm temperatures! Being outside more.
What are you thankful for or looking forward to?
Aileen
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Saying ‘I love you’
Do you tell your kids you love them everyday? Do you say ‘I love you’ or do you have something else special you tell them?
My daughter is an angel. Yes, an angel in the flesh. Let me explain… when I was 7.5 months pregnant, my dear sweet grandpa passed away. He was the kindest, sweetest, gentlest and strongest man. He helped raise me and acted in place of the father I did not have growing up (my dad was tragically killed when I was 4 years old). Grandpa took me fishing, game to every school event and taught me how to drive. I’m crying as I type this…Anyway, this amazing man died at the age of 90 while I was pregnant. Until this point in my pregnancy, Teagan did not move around much in the womb. I secretly and constantly wondered if she was alright because she was not as active as everyone said she would be. That is, until grandpa died.
Starting the day after he passed away, and especially from the day of his funeral, my baby girl was in constant motion. She kicked and punched and flipped all around. Maybe it was the emotion stress that was the catalyst for all the movement. I prefer to think that part of my dear sweet grandpa’s spirit became part of my unborn baby girl.
So that’s the story of when my baby became and angel. Since the day she was born, Teagan’s name has been interchangeable with “Angel” or “Angel baby”. Every day, I make sure to remind my little girl that she’s an angel. I thank her for being mine. I tell her that I am so thankful God gave her to me. I tell her that I am the luckiest mama in the world. Our extra special exchange is “I love you to Saturn and back”.
I hope these daily expressions of love fill her up. I want them to penetrate into her soul and become ingrained in her. My prayer is that these things will stick with her as she grows and battles the many challenges of adolescence and adulthood. I hope they protect her from the evils of negative peer pressure and society.
So how do you tell your kids you love them? Do you have a special word or phrase?
Aileen
Dirty walls, Cookies and Prayers
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Favorite bible verse
I found this quote while cruising Pinterest. It’s my favorite and just wanted to share.
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Family Fire Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Family Emergency Preparedness
Preparing for a variety of emergencies should be an important part of every family’s life. Whether it is fire, an intruder, major weather event, terrorist attack or something else, each family member should know what to do in each of these situations. Continue reading “Family Fire Safety and Emergency Preparedness” »
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Quilt Update!
Well, I finally chose the fabric for my first quilt! I am thrilled with the beautiful Jelly Roll. But before I go into detail, first, I want to share the amazing the selection of fabrics, sets and rolls available from Missouri Star Quilt Company.
Missouri Star Quilt Company has a huge selection of precut quilting fabrics (including jelly rolls and charm packs) and fabric by the yard from over 20 different brands! My favorite brand being Moda Fabrics with all of their fun and whimsical patterns. There are also amazing Daily Deals, a Sale Bin and Quilting Specials. I love beautiful fabric and a sale makes it even better! I want to buy absolutely everything they have!!
I chose a few different jelly rolls, batting and quilt back material. They were all a good price, I hit the free shipping threshold, I was able to get everything I needed and it arrived only a few short days later. Perfect!
After searching and pondering for hours, I finally decided on the Farm Fun pattern by Moda. It’s adorable with cute chickens, little farm house, and beehive patterns! Now that I had all the materials, ‘all’ I had to do was find a little free time to get sewing. Easier said than done! But I did manage an hour so while the little one was playing with her friend next door. I watched Missouri Star Quilt Company’s tutorials on YouTube before I got started. Honestly, I replayed the video many times before even while pulling out the sewing machine. Once I got started, it was a little tricky getting the strips sewn together and figuring out what to do with 1600 inches of fabric. I think I attached everything correctly but again, it took several viewings of the YouTube video.
I was able to get all the strips sewn together and compleye 4 rows before running out of time. This took much more than an hour even though the video says you can have the whole quilt top done in 45 minutes!! Not me, apparently. Oh well. Story of my life.
Maybe some day I’ll find another hour or two to keep plugging along. Good thing I have 18 months left before the quilt show. Wish me luck!
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DIY Stadium Seat
Do you sit on cold, hard bleachers at your child’s sporting events? Are you tired of a sore backside after every game?? I hate being cold and I hate sitting on freezing cold bleachers. Life as a hockey mom.
Until I remembered the warm cushions my father used to take on hunting trips. Anyone remember this roundish, bean-filled, camouflaged things? I didn’t want camo and I think I threw away those old seats anyway. I decided to make my own version of a hunting seat cushion to bring along to hockey games and practices.
So, here’s how I did it. As you can see, I’m not much for exact measurements. Also, feel free to adjust the size of the foam to meet your needs and budget.
Materials:
1 piece upholstery foam 15″x17″X2″ from Joanns (purchased with a coupon, of course!)
2 pieces of fleece in any patter/color about 10 inches wider than the foam (I eyeballed it)
Directions
To make life easier, I purchased 1 yard of fleece and estimated all the measuremts and cutting. With the fabric folded in half and raw edges together, lay the foam on top of the fabric approximately 4-5 inches all the way around. Then cut the folded edge.
Leaving the foam in place, cut a 4″ by 4″ section out of each corner. 
Now, cut 1″ wide strips all the way around, stopping 1/2″ away from the foam. 
Make a sandwich out of the foam and fabric with once piece of fabric on the bottom, foam in the middle and second price of fabric on top, making sure the right sides are facing out. 
Finally, double knot the corresponding top and bottom strips all around. 
Voila!! A comfy, cozy stadium seat to keep your bottom warm and happy!
If the fabric on your stadium seat gets dirty, it’s easy to untie and throw in the washer.
The entire project cost about $10 and took about 30 minutes, including tying.
**note that fleece is not the best material to use if you anticipate using your stadium seat in wet or snowy weather. For me, it works excellent for the multitude of indoor hockey games and practices each week. And it will be great for softball season as well.
Let me know how yours turned out!!
