Babble Love

Have you found BABBLE yet? It's a great site for crafters, moms, aunts, babysitters, sewers, and etc. You get the point! Look at this great find on AUTUMN DOORS. These are my two favorites.

I also LOVE these crafty ideas. Easy and cute - the supplies are something I have on hand. Are you a no-sew-crafter? If so, these are for you! My sewing machine is a tad bit messed up, or maybe the sewer is? ;)

I love the creative energy crafting gives me. I also love to have fun little festive touches around our home! I recall my mom always putting a huge poster of a pumpkin with a cat coming out of it on our door for Halloween. She still has it! I also remember cinnamon brooms filling our house with a fall aroma...and yes, I buy one or two every season. Check out BABBLE today! All photos courtesy of babble.com

Jackets, Boots, Oh My!

Raining here! That's really ok with me because we have no major plans this weekend...say whaaaaaaa? ;-) It's been a bit of a wild week around our house, so I'm looking forward to getting in my jammies early, cuddling with a soft fleece blanket, drinking some good coffee, and eating some comfort food. Are your hoodies out yet?

Also planning on finishing a craft I started awhile back {EEK}. I've tried a few ways but haven't found a great one yet. I'm hoping for a big tulle ball, not small. I'll keep you updated if I find a new and improved way to make this.

Whatever your weekend entails, I hope it's fun and fulfilling. Big shout-out to my sweet nephew Owen - he's turning the big 4 today! Owie rocks our world!

Fall action...I'll take some of that!

It's Monday and the windows are open. It's that weather where you dress the kids like summer and put a hoodie on in the morning because it's a tad chilly. Also time for runny noses, scratchy throats, and sneezes beyond control. We have a little Cooper or "snots" around here toddling around. When a sneeze comes on him, you better watch out. Look at these little pieces of fall-favorite.

HERE, HERE, and HERE. Look at these fun things!

Sick-O

It's been a week of double sick babies around here. Ear infections, runny noses, sneezes, and etc. Hopefully we'll be all smiles again soon!

Are you following me on Instagram? Pretty much an iPhone, iPad thing. You should hook up with me! bethlynn816 Wishing you a lovely weekend filled with rainbows and happy thoughts!

All about the love!

Guest-bloggin' over at Mrs. G and the Artist! Take a peek --

Raining in Indiana today. I love the fact that it's helping replenish our plants from the dry summer, but man it makes me dreary! I might put my rain-boots on and go take a splash :)

Hanging from the Heavens

It's Labor Day weekend! Who is ready for it? We have some campers at my house and I'm awfully worried about their trip being nothing but puddles and rain-boots. Fun, nonetheless. I was really excited when I found this cute post over at Oh Happy Day {you know she's one of my faves}. A very do-able weekend project for any crafty guy or gal. Hula-hoop and material is all you need!

Picture from Oh Happy Day This reminded me that I had not posted about some of the touches in Ella's new room. I'll give you some background first; Ella and Carter have shared a room since Ella was old enough to be put into a baby-bed. First we had a toddler bed and a crib. Then we remodeled before Cooper was born and moved them into the big room and Carter graduated to a twin-size bed. After Florida, we decided to put the boys together and give our sweet girl a room of her own with a brand new shabby-chic bed that screams sweet pea. I'll be giving you sneak-peeks of their rooms over the next few weeks. With all that being said, THIS is something that gave me inspiration for Ella {If you don't follow me on pinterest, you should}.

Very simple DIY found HERE. I might try the hula-hoop/fabric project this weekend for my kitchen. Every high ceiling should have something hanging from it. Crafty Lantern Materials include: Scrap Fabric (cut into circles) Hot-Glue Gun/Hot-Glue Paper Lanters (bought mine from a second hand store) Hook for the ceiling Thread/Fishing String

Third Babies

I wanted to give you a little inside view into Coop's birthday party in the sunshine state! It makes me giggle when I think of how over the top we made Carter and Ella's birthdays and with Cooper it's all about fun and simplicity...with everything. Here's the majority of the party favors/decor right here! Cute. Simple. Fun and party ready!

Baby boy loved his cupcake! He dived in just like Carter did - face first. No hands necessary people.

The gang was all there! The kids were all super excited about Cooper turning 1. We sang, played, helped with presents, and adored the little brother of the family. Of course Cooper thought the wrapping was more fun than anything, but he had fun with his new toys. We decided upon two usable toys from Target that we knew he would play with. I also have been looking for a little snuggle blankie because Coop loves a soft blanket.

Miss Ella joined in the fun as well...after about 20 minutes of Put your party hat on Ell! She finally did :) You should hear her version of Happy Birthday! Priceless.

Are you back in the full swing of things? We are sure trying around here. Carter missed the bus this morning but we made the best of it. This week has been a bit...crazed. Looking forward to some Pinterest time tonight to catch up on my creative energy and get happy about a new DIY project. Trying to slowly get back to blogging...come back and see me soon! Decorations were purchased at Target. Little Brother shirt via Carter's outlet.

Yeehaw!

June came. June went. July came. July is gone. I've been off the face of blog-land for quite some time! I'm super duper sorry and have no real excuses...other than life has been beyond busy and now we are settling back into a routine. SO, let me recap a little of our summer. We traveled south to Florida for a week and caught some great rays, had lots of fun, ate too much, and learned how to become master travelers with three little ones.

Cooper Thomas turned 1. Yes, he did. I cannot believe it! Coop had a big birthday in Florida with presents, cupcakes, candles, the beach, and party hats. He's the sweetest baby around! Recently he had a fun little experience which I will share with you soon, but I'll keep you guessing until that post. Thankful for my Cooper-baby, he fills my days with sunshine and giggles.

...then my girl. Ella Layne is talking way too much, getting a little more prissy, and loving life! She is her daddy made over but with mommy's special little touches :) she's almost potty trained but we're not stressing too much over it. Ella's back in the swing of going to our local montessouri pre-school and she loves to sing!

Then we have babe #1, my little Carter-boo. Whoops, not so little anymore. My big kindergartener is happily getting up for school each morning and running in by himself. It's been quite a journey over the past week to watch him become so independent and to really see him growing up. It's been an eye opener for me to be the parent instead of the teacher. REALLY makes me see things a tad differently. Carter is such a good boy, a "pleaser" and I know he will make his teacher proud. His enthusiasm is contagious and I miss him so much. It's almost unbearable at times. BUT...I'm so thankful for him and what he's growing to be. My sweet boy...

Then. Someone had a birthday. The big 3-0! I'm excited about the thirties and what they will bring. The past ten years have been a world of changes, things I never dreamed. My sweet husband through a surprise birthday party and I really had NO idea. The first words out of my mouth were "My house isn't clean!" -- of course, isn't that what everyone says? It was a lovely time and my parents and sister even showed up and took two of my little ones for the weekend. Momma got to shop at TJMaxx for new bedding and visit a flea-market with Coop and J. Now, that's my kind of birthday bash.

Jonathan is busy in classes again for the fall semester, working towards his masters degree. I am working with 2nd grade this year and really enjoying my students! 2nd graders are beginning to read fluently but are still little kids and have fun with everything. I'm sure there are still changes coming down the line for us, but right now we are enjoying life, loving our babies, and relaxing (or trying to).

Be expecting more posts from me as we settle back into our routine...I've missed you!

Artistic

We have lots of art going on at our house everyday. Coloring books, paper, paper-plates, boxes, markers, paint...you name it. Ella loves art just as much as Carter does, so I'm working on finding a good kid-friendly and house-friendly art display, but until then we will continue to stack up our art that we want to be hung up! My kids adore THESE and so do I. The twist-up crayons are a life-saver.

I found THIS on pinterest {image below via pinterest} and thought you might be intrigued. The 20-minute tie looks like a total breeze for people who are remotely into sewing. For those sewing pros out there, you could jazz it up a bit! With Easter approaching, who doesn't want a funky tie on their little guy?

THIS is an amazing add to your kitchen, but look at what else you can do with the IKEA magnetic knife strip! I have one in the kitchen, but when I visit the store again I'm going to get one for Carter's cars. Such a great organization tip {image via pinterest}. Quite lovely.

Here's to a wonderful day, from me to you!

Natural

Is he not the most angelic baby you have ever laid eyes on? I know he's mine, but I cannot get past his sweet little nature. He's currently getting about 6 teeth total and he's still as happy as a little song bird.

Cooper is the third in line, so of course he is using all of Carter's hand-me-downs {which are so cute} but I am thinking hard about trying a few new things with him. Modern cloth-diapers and home-made baby food. I considered the cloth diapering system before, but I am definitely weighing the pros and cons now. WHY you might ask? I enjoy keeping the earth clean, good, and being natural but I also would love the financial aspect. Most cloth-diapering systems cost about $200 to stock up, but they are selling THIS BRAND at Walmart! Can you believe it? There is a great product review HERE if you are interested.

The home-made baby food process is not as tricky. Cooper is eating about 4-6 jars a day, and he has a sweet-tooth {like big sister and Momma}. I found an easy and very specific process HERE. Look at how pretty these baby-food cubes are.

So basically, there is no fancy-shmancy details here. You need a blender, ziploc baggies, and some good ice-cube trays {I did make THIS purchase}. You steam the veggies or whatever you want to make, blend until smooth, put in trays, and freeze. Pop them out when frozen and store in ziploc bags. One of the foods I saw made was roasted-red-peppers and goat cheese. Wow. That's better than any baby-food blend I have purchased :)

Birthday ideas

The big 5 is right around the corner for our oldest little rascal! It had me thinking of birthdays and I realized I never shared something with you. Remember when I sent you to this spot to find such cute calendars? I used those calendars for a sweet little birthday gift. I also used a frame that I painted {to add some special touch} to give the calendars a hom-ey feel. I know it's March, but you could still give the gift of a calendar!

Any cool thoughts on a big number 5 birthday party? We tend to go small scale, but we are planning on doing something with friends and family. My little guys birthday is also Easter weekend, speaking of which...I just bought Ella and Cooper's outfits. You will be so jealous!

It's hhheerrreee....

iPad!

We are loving the iPad around here. About a month ago, I was chosen for an award centered around my teaching efforts with my families from the last academic year. I thought I was going to get a good pat on the back, and maybe a certificate but when it was paired with a new iPad, I about did a cart-wheel :) Jonathan and I have wanted one for awhile, and decided we were going to get one when we had an extra bit of money just lying around {does that ever happen?} so now we don't have to wait any longer! Yippee! Of course this little dude is loving every minute of the iPad entertainment.

Your favorite apps? Good for kids? Inspiring musical apps? Drumming apps? Pre-K apps? I'm all ears!

Friday Freebie

In the mood to help your little one be more organized and independent? Go to Living Locurto and print these off! I can't wait to add them to Carter's room. I'm thinking of framing them and hanging on the wall, but placing on a shelf is a great idea as well and will not put extra holes in your wall.

Innocent faces...

As promised...

They are the sweetest faces in my world. I think the photo-session turned out nicely and we basically opted for a 30-45 minutes session with only one outfit change for Cooper. I have SO many pictures that I don't need tons and tons. I have quite a selection and I'm so pleased! We are planning to do a family portrait this summer around the time Cooper turns 1, maybe on the beach? Oh yes, you heard that right. We are gearing up for a family vaca, but not until the warm months. I might sneak another post in to you today -- stay tuned...

Back to normal...

Wow, what a whirlwind has been happening around here. Sorry to leave you hanging - but there has been lots of major stuff happening. These two cuties are doing well and my other babe is teething and re-cooping from a major coughing/sneezing/runny-nose/breathing epidemic. Don't worry, Cooper will have a post soon :)

Both older kids are having fun and living the life of little kids! Ella is sporting the black boots, which she does on a daily basis. They kind of match her attitude - spunky :) Carter loves this crazy red-knit hat from Old Navy. Don't you love how he has his eyes closed? We are working on that! He's getting geared up for his big birthday coming up. 5, no...he can't be. I've been keeping up with my weight-watchers and have started making roasted veggies about 3-4 times a week. They are simply SO good. No doubt. Here's some pics of HOW to make/cook roasted veggies.

1. Lay out veggies in a single layer on a cookie sheet. With weight-watchers you can use cooking spray + some olive oil. If you're not on WW, you can use all the olive-oil you want! 2. Set oven to about 400 degrees or higher. 3. You want to toss the veggies around a few times. Roast for about 20-30 minutes.

My favorite roasted choices are asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and I love to throw some red-potatoes in. Crispy, filling, and you can make them however your family likes. We love the Italian blend of spices that McCormick sells. It's a grinder with all those yummy flavors in one. For about $2, you can't beat it. On tomorrow list - another view of the photo shoot!

Delayed...

Have you noticed I've been a bit delayed? Yikes! I've had my time eaten up with quite a few things for school, including a major teacher training. Please excuse my absence :)

Here's a sneak-peek of our photo-session about 2 weeks ago. Finally, a good picture of all three babes together! There is more to come, just hold on to your seat. In the meantime, check out THIS POST from Jordan about baby-food-jars. It's a lovely one. I also will share a few of my latest pinterest finds -- catch ya soon!