Ok so I promised DIY's.
We celebrated my son's first birthday last weekend and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share a few of my favorite DIY's that I put together for his party.

I tried my best to add some links to the products I bought so hopefully it will help!

For the guest book I got everyone to sign on a Project Life card, that I had printed online. Didn't pay a cent, other then ink I guess. That way I could throw them into J's Project Life photobook I am making for him!

CHALKBOARDS:

I had wrote everything on little chalkboards. But we all know chalkboards are pricy. I bought one chalkboard which you will see below and I used a 40% off coupon at Michaels. For the rest I bought little pieces of plain wood from Michaels (ranging from .50 cents to $1.25) and I already owned some Martha Stewart Chalkboard Paint. Made my own Chalkboards!

All you need to do is two coats of paint and then take some chalk and draw over the entire thing. Then take a cloth and rub it off. It will give it the chalkboard finish.

CHALKBOARD POTS:

To incorporate more of the chalkboard/garden theme I had bought some small ceramic pots from the dollar store and again just painted them with chalkboard paint. Then bought some small little plants from Walmart for $2.50 a piece. 

BURLAP POTS:

These cute plant pots were from the dollar store again, no more then a dollar each and already owned some burlap. You can buy it from Michaels for pretty cheap if you look around and use a coupon. I hot glued it to the pot and left some extra burlap on the top to fold over into the pot and glued it in the pot as well. I had some cute polka dot ribbon I had got on sale awhile back from Michaels and just hot glued it around the edge of the burlap. I did not actually glue that part to the pot just because I liked the three dimensional look to it. I then took some parchment paper and cut some squares and shoved it in the pot.

CAKE POP HOLDER:

My amazing Mother-In-Law made these adorable cake pops. The little boxes I got from Target for .50 while they were going out of business here in Canada. I then bought some Styrofoam from Michaels and wrapped them like a present in gold paper. They worked wonderfully.

PAPER PENNANTS:

The pennants were all homemade, VERY easy again! Bought a stack of paper from Michaels (it came in a package with brown, beige, grey, yellow beige and black) cost me 5$. Also bought one sheet of gold paper. I just cut out some little triangles by hand (I am not super picky about them all looking the same, if you were picky about them I am sure a paper cutter would work and maybe cutting one and tracing it.) I then used a tiny hold punch and just threaded some string threw. Quick and easy and I made 4 of them in no time!

WOODEN CRATES:

Let's talk about the crates. These were again a bigger splurge for me although I did stain them myself. I looked for the cheapest place to buy crates and sure enough Walmart had them for $10 each. I bought 3 and stained them with a Walnut stain that I bought for the Growth Charts I had made. I kept them outside for a good week since the smell was strong but they turned out really nice in the end. 

MILK CONTAINER FAVORS:

 The favors were probably my longest project. My dear friend Erika was the one who gave me the whole idea of milk and cookies party and all thanks to these little milk carton favors she had a cut out for. Check out her blog: Scraptherapy. She is amazing. She pretty much put these adorable favors together. All I did was assemble them and then I created the little "thank you" tags on photoshop with a graphic I found online. Inside: Cookies and Cream Hersheys drops. I managed to score 4 big bags off amazon for $12.

FLAGGED STRAWS:

The black straws with the gold flag: Straws from Ikea and the flags I just made with gold washi tape, just stick the tape together over the straw and cut a little triangle at the end.

Made the picture on Photoshop and just printed it. Added pinecones as a bit of decor.

Hope you enjoy these DIY's!

Growth Chart DIY

Well I have promised a DIY for way too long!

First up: Growth Chart.

To be honest I found it hard to get a handful of nice photos through the process of making mine, so instead I thought I would just try to explain it, again it has been too long.

We have all seen them, the giant ruler growth charts!
A few months back I stopped at a friends house just for a quick visit, while there I saw her gorgeous wooden growth chart. It was a must have. After explaining all she needed was a sharpie, wood and stain to do it (plus a few more supplies I will explain), I was hooked. I not only made one for myself but one for both my sister-in-laws.

The whole thing took me about 1.5 to 2 hours long, and did not cost me more then $30:

1. Buy a 6 foot .... (Home Depot, Rona) Approx. $10
2. I started by drawing faint pencil marks with a ruler at every inch going up the board, making sure I made the half and feet marks a bit longer.
3. After double checking all the lines looked straight and accurate I grabbed a brand new black sharpie and went over all of the lines.
4. For the numbers, if you have stencils that would work really well and save you a lot of time. I did not so I printed very large numbers (1-5) off of Word in a font I liked. I then cut out all of the numbers and taped them onto the feet lines. Then I traced them with a pencil and then went over them with a sharpie.
5. After all of that was complete, I took a break.
6. After a short break, I had bought some oil, wood stain in colour: "Walnut". You can get whatever colour you like but I found the "Walnut" gave it a really nice finish. About $15 from Walmart.
7. I applied the stain while following the instructions on the back: applying and whipping as I went along.
8. I kept the chart outside for a handful of hours and then kept it in our kitchen for a few more days since the stain can be quite strong and did not want it in my son's room.

Easy-peasy. Hope you enjoyed! I loved this idea for my own kids and also as a really thoughtful, easy, fairly cheap gift you can make for others!

"I Would Be Happier If I...."

If you didn't already know, other then taking care of my little dude at home I also do photography as a pretty consistent side job. Over two months ago, while sitting at my table finishing up some photo editing I finally convinced myself to quickly upload a handful of my most recent photos to an online contest called, Shoot and Share.

I had come across the contest awhile back and at the time quickly decided I was definitely not good enough to put my photos in the contest. I was nervous that mine would stick our like a sore thumb in a wave of amazing photos. But after a couple of weeks I finally changed my mind, not totally sure why but for whatever reason I thought, why not?

In the weeks to come my husband and I took a couple of evenings to sit down with a cup of tea and vote a bit. It was fun, four photos pop up on the screen and you pick your favorite. Easy peasy. You have no idea whose is whose and chances of seeing your own in the 111, 000 photos submitted was a rush, although it never did happen.

For the next month, the contest continued to eliminate a percent of photos bit by bit. I would get Facebook update: Round 1, Round 2 etc. I never paid too much attention to them but it was always fun to see here and there how much better the photos got each round.

What happened next though I never would have anticipated. Sure enough after a few weeks I received an email while blow drying my hair that read: Julie, you have made it to the finals. I was blown away (no pun intended).
Um excuse me? I thought to myself. There must have been some sort of mistake. I could not believe it, I had made it to the finals! I had made it to the top 10% of 111, 000 photos!

The next days were spent voting, trying to see if I could see which picture(s) exactly had made it this far. Finally within another few days I received an email again: Julie, you have made it to the Top 100. I again could not believe it, with 111, 000 photos submitted and only 21 categories of photos one of MY photos made it to the Top 100. I was ecstatic.

In the midst of excitement, what happened next was even more surprising to me.
I was SO excited and so grateful to have placed in the finals! But what was once a complete shock and gratefulness to everyone who got me this far quickly turned into: Finals aren't good enough, I want more. When I placed in the Top 100, I was excited but quickly my feelings faded and again I wanted more. What was once a complete surprise, a gift I never would have expected, and a complete joy quickly turned into great expectation and a quick loss in joy when I did not see it pan out. Why is it we always want more?

I often think, if I just had more money I would be happier. If I just dressed like all those other fashionable moms I would happier. If I just decided to spend my money on getting my hair done every month I would just be happier. Sure I just got two new tops, but really I want two more now. Sure I got a nice hair cut a few months back, but now I want to dye it and get a new style. It is never ending. It is so sad to think we look so much on the outside to make us happy rather then looking on the inside. Rather then savouring the very things we have been so gracious blessed with. I often have to stop and remind myself we are the top 1% of rich people in the world, that I have NO idea what it means to be poor as "poor" as I think I am.

I never had such a vivid experience as this that made me really think about how quickly I turn what I have into "not good enough". The grass is always greener on the other side hey? Nah it is garbage. It is never ending, even if I place finals in a contest I will want more. I make it to Top 100 and guess what, I will still want more. It won't stop. And even if I would have won, I would have taken a few moments to celebrate, probably walked around most of the day on cloud nine but quickly the moment would pass and I would once again have greater expectations for myself.

Through it I have spent more time praying that I would see what I own, what I have accomplished, who I am, what I do as is and be grateful for what God has given me. I personally need to learn to live in the moment, to savour the the things God has so graciously given to me. My cars, my clothes, my money, my family, it is all His.

Check out this TED talk on this topic: The Happy Secret to Better Work

DIY and New Hobbies!

The last few years, my first 4 as a mom, have been full of joy. There have been so many fun things to do, experience for the first time, and establish as new traditions. We have taken field trips, spent rainy afternoons at home, tried new foods and tried to woo our little one toward our healthy favorites. We have spent our first years as parents in a special sort of glow.

But things definitely changed when we became parents, especially for me, as the mom. Suddenly, most of my every day was full of child care, in all of its forms. And a lot of my favorite pastimes fell to the wayside, as I made time to take care of another human. I stopped reading as much, scrapbooking, playing guitar, rollerblading, shopping for leisure (ha!), painting, etc. It was too frustrating to get started doing something and then be interrupted and never have time to pick it back up again. I started to resent the pile of scrapbooking supplies that represented my lack of free time.

But seasons definitely do change, don’t they? As we approach my baby’s fourth birthday, I’m amazed at how the landscape of my days and weeks has changed. I recently shared a few posts about self-care and spending more time on myself. One thing I did recently as an exercise in carving out time for myself was to complete a month long makeup challenge (which felt totally luxurious in how unnecessary it was!) I’m getting better at claiming minutes during my day for myself. I even sat down recently and completed a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle! I mean, wow. I couldn’t have imagined doing something like that even two years ago!

As my time begins to feel more free, I’m considering my hobbies again. I’m opening that cabinet that has held my art supplies for so long, and I’m starting new projects that I have never considered before. I took a calligraphy class online with my mom. So fun!

And she’s teaching me to sew. ME! SEWING!!

My mom made almost all of my clothes when I was little. She sewed matching outfits for all of my siblings for all of our photo shoots and family events. She is an amazing seamstress. But I can’t make anything with fabric! It all seems so overwhelming and confusing when I sit down and look at a pattern. Cutting all one direction, measuring, sewing inside out, gathering…it just seems like a lot to absorb, much less gain mastery of! But my mom is awesome and very patient, and she’s been giving me lessons.

How cute is my Mom? Seriously!

We’ve made five summer dresses for Austen. I’m so proud of us! Four of them are very basic, I mean LEVEL BEGINNER, pillowcase style dresses. But I did a whole dress BY MYSELF! And then we did one dress with a pattern. It is so fun and satisfying to make something useful and cute for my daughter to wear!

So here is my DIY of late. I have photographic evidence! See that blue pinstripe? I did it MYSELF!

I think the one thing all of these cute dresses illustrate is this: sometimes in life we end up doing things that we never thought we would do. And it's exciting and confidence-inspiring when something unexpected goes unexpectedly well. So I'm learning to expand my borders and take on hobbies that are maybe more "me" than I ever thought, and I'm hoping that this experience will help me be brave about other "unimaginable" tasks, like tart-making or home decorating or photography.

Are you stepping bravely out into "hard" tasks? Taking on new hobbies? Let me know how you've stepped out of your comfort zone recently in the comments!

Love, 

Courtlandt

For Everything There Is a Season

I hope you all had a lovely Easter. 

I wish I could have pulled together a post especially for this weekend, but with all of the family festivities this weekend time seemed to slip by. 

We had a lovely weekend celebrating it with family and friends and hope you did, too! 

However, I will mention this Easter weekend for me came with a heavy heart. Rather then a time of joy, I found myself struggling with the need for answers and the feeling of a thick oppression over me. Sadly in our home when these questions come up, they are often backed up with so much emotion that my hubby and I almost always end up in a heated argument... one that is almost always completely avoidable. All that to say, it was a harder weekend then most. 

On a weekend that is meant for remembrance of an incredible God who sent His one and only Son to die on the cross for all of us, I found myself angry and questioning God once again for the pain and suffering so many people go through. For years, I never struggled with this anger. 

Over the years though, as I have grown more and more aware of the world around me rather then just me and my life, my heart breaks ever so quickly. People's stories of loss hit so much deeper then they ever have. I am a sensitive spirit this way; I have a great desire to see fairness in our world and yet our world is the least fair place. I struggle when injustice is done, and I have such a hard time just giving it up to God as I should and trusting He is the one to judge and will rightly do so. Instead, my heart hurts so quickly, and I find myself angry.

I felt it the most after I had my baby boy last April. Something happened; something changed. My heart broke even more than it ever had for babies/children all over the world who are sick, hurting, in unjust circumstances, or are orphans. 

I am not sure if anyone has seen it yet, but my husband brought up the idea of watching the movie "Dropbox" this weekend. A perfect weekend to deliberately spend time watching the miracles/good God is doing in the world. As much as I have wanted to watch this movie, I instantly shouted "no" at the idea. Everything inside me struggled to want to spend yet another evening saddened (instead of happy) by the very idea of little babies/children everywhere without their mamas caring for them. 

The truth is there is good going on even in the bad. A truth I struggle to make sense of. God said it in His very word: "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." Romans 8:28 NLT.

 In all of the anger I struggle with, there is a decision I have to make. A decision to trust that God has a plan for absolutely everyone, no matter how short or long, or how hard or easy, their time on earth is. God is chipping away at all of us, molding us into the people he has called us to be. In all of the pain, struggles, grief, and confusion I feel at times, I personally have to choose whether I will abandon the very God who gave up his Son for me, or choose to trust Him that through it all He has a plan, one I may never understand, one that may ALWAYS seem unfair during my time on earth. But it is one plan that I know and believe will have a unimaginable, wondrous, everlasting, eternal end as long as I choose to trust.

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing." Ecclesiastics: 3:1-22 ESV

Julie

Keeping Fit

As we all know, I have been beyond horrible at posting the DIY's promised. I am hoping to do a few in the next couple weeks. With our little guy's birthday approaching, I am finally getting a chance to get a couple of those final tasks complete.

These past few weeks have been filled with craziness in our home with my husband nearly finished with his semester of school, and for me photography season is just starting to pick up. With all of this, we have been taking every bit of extra time we have to spend with each other and our little man.
We are also so excited to be expecting a baby niece into the family hopefully this Easter weekend! We will keep you posted.

With all of the additional tasks this month, I also decided to get a membership at the gym. "What?!" you say. Yes, it is for real.
As I have already been very honest about..  I am not a huge gym-goer. I do not love the atmosphere, and I really do not enjoy "working out." I would much rather play a sport or go for a hike. But, sadly, I do not do that either.

I can say before I had my son, it didn't feel like it was that big of a deal if I never went to the gym. I got out a lot and walked around a lot, but as many of us know things change when you have a kid. I read so many blogs of these women who somehow can manage their active lifestyles while having a newborn and I think "HUH?!?" I was lucky enough to get out of the house to buy groceries let alone to have free time to go for a jog.

But now after a year, I finally feel like I can sneak-in some "me time." The gym never sounded like "me time" in the past, but now being a mom... having a deep desire to staying healthy and strong for my kiddos... going to gym as grown into "me time." Even more so after a super stressful day. My hopes are that over the next couple years, we as a family will be able to be a much more active family, however that looks. Whether it be regular hikes, home workouts, who knows?
We will see what is in store.

Love, Julie

Dear Kristi

Dear Kristi, 

This morning while scrolling through Facebook, I came across your video clip of "Kristi Gordon: responds to haters criticizing her pregnancy wardrobe." Being a mother of one, and a recent prego, I was interested to hear your response. 
What I was not expecting though was to feel as much emotion as I did while watching the video, nor did I think the comment/emails you had received would be as ridiculous, ignorant, cruel, cowardly, and down right mean as they were. My heart broke for you, and every other woman whose joy of being pregnant and growing a wee one could be stolen by someone's so called "jokes," mean words or ridiculous expectations.  

Now I will start by saying I have no idea what it feels like to be in your shoes. I don't get any regular hate mail that I have to scour through in my email, nor did I receive any mean comments about my weight or wardrobe through out my pregnancy minus the few "you are wearing that again?" comments. I will say though if I had, I would have most likely broken down and cried... on camera. I am happy you are strong, I loved that you laughed at them. But it does not change how unacceptable and horrible these letters are. 

Yes, I am sure it was some, pardon my french, jerk-face who was just making a practical joke to get themselves on what they would call "Global News." But I was surprised by these people's lack of integrity and need to make themselves feel better about themselves through a sick joke. I am sad our world is not filled with men and women who always open doors for each other, comment on how well you are doing as mother of as many children as you have, and are always willing to give you a helping hand while carrying your many groceries to the car. I am thankful for the people we do have like this.

If this was a joke, no one is laughing. Those words were down right mean, and as happy as I am that you, Kristi, are so strong... there are many people out there who are not. Words have power, and if these people continue down this road, there will be consequences to their words one day, even if they never put a return address on any of their letters.

Now for the important part: Kristi, as you probably know, you do/will look beautiful no matter what you wear. But let it sink in. You are carrying the most precious gift ever given, which I am sure being a Mother already you are well aware of. I can almost be 100% certain that the very person(s) who wrote those emails are not parents and, if they are, sadly they probably have a lot of work to do on becoming better parents, because everyone who has been fortunate enough to have experienced the miracle of a child and the 9 month process beforehand would NEVER say what these people said. I am certain of it. Life really is too short to worry about the "haters," and there are too many people who see it how it really is. It is sad we live in a world with cruelty and horrible people, but the great thing is we also live in a world with amazing, kind, courageous, brave, supportive people... with incredible souls (and wee babies that take our breath away and give us more joy then we ever could have imagined). 
My family and I are thinking of you, and pray for a healthy, safe delivery. 

Love, Julie

Project Life

Project Life: Core Card Kit and Pocket Photo Pages

Alongside all of the DIY crafts I am in the process of completing I took on yet another task that I have been so excited to share.

I am all about simplicity. Although I am quite perfectionist I like to do things quickly and efficiently.

One thing I talked about in my post "when a 1000 photos just isn't enough" was this idea of starting an online scrapbook. I loved the idea of creating a book that was clean and polished at the same time not having to invest in a ton of supplies. I took a look a couple of sites online such as MixBook and MyPublisher (which by the way I would go with MixBook over MyPublisher any day) but once again it just did not seem to do the trick for me.

A few pro's of an online scrapbook:
1. Clean and polished
2. Simple minus the cropping and stretching of photos which could take time
3. Can add text
4. Pretty cheap compared to investing in scrapbook materials
5. I think the whole process is a lot faster

A few cons of an online scrapbook:
1. Uploading can take forever (although MixBook was much faster then MyPublisher)
2. Often cropped too much of my photo off
3. Could only fit so many photos
4. Could, but thought it would not look as nice, hand write events on the pages.
5. Did not find it simple to sort through my photos
6. Can't add memorabilia

I had finally kind of put aside the thought of making a scrapbook altogether until I came across Project Life.

If you are anything like me, you like to do things quickly and still like to see amazing results, Project Life is for you. It is made for anyone on the go who doesn't have a lot of time to cut, glue, paste, etc. You will see below the end product looks clean and neat.
It is a bit of a investment in the beginning but I feel it is well worth it (approx. $125 not including developing photos). Here are the steps:

Project life:
1. But a Core Card Kit... there are lots too choose from (29.99 USD online)
2. Buy the Pocket Photo Pages (29.99 USD online for a large package which is what I got)
3. Buy an album (range in price online, I already owned one)
4. I bought an edge rounder cutter because I am that perfectionistic and wanted all my photos to look the same
5. Pick out your photos and order them at any photolab close to use (no larger then 4X6 to fit the pocket pages)
6. Cut them as you like to fit the smaller pocket pages
7. Add the cards from the card kit however you like
8. Write on the cards as you like
9. Can easily add certain memorabilia

There are tons of free cards online as well if you are looking for something specific. Below is my start to Project Life. I have yet to order photos... so my book is just filled with the cards so far but take a look.

Album I actually already owned which was a money saver

The start to my book 

Work in progress

Corner Rounder

I'll be sure to share more of the project as it progresses. I am so excited about the end project! 

My Drugstore Top 10

Hey, ladies! Here’s a fun little change of scenery for you—a makeup post! Lately, I’ve been exploring how and when I can spend time on things that refresh me (and as a mom, that is a LOT harder than it sounds!) One of the ways I’ve been exploring my time flexibility and “me-time”  is by doing a month-long makeup challenge, trying new and different ways to apply products and colors that I usually skip over in my hurry-up-and-get-ready-so-I-can-get-everyone else-ready routine.  I’ll admit, it’s been much as I expected—some days have been easy and fun, and others have been harder (for instance, my daughter had a high fever one day—a makeover wasn’t on my radar). But overall, I’m happy with the daily little something that I am doing just for me, even if it’s only an extra five minutes in the grand scheme of things!

So, since I have been thinking about fun makeup products almost every day this month, I thought I would share some of my drugstore makeup favs! Part of what made this challenge do-able for me was the rule that I had to use what I already owned—no buying new makeup to meet any of the daily challenges. I wanted to learn new skills that I could keep using and not need to spend extra money going forward. So most of what I have is from drugstore brands (or Ulta brand, which is basically drugstore quality/price). 

Let’s get started! Here's my Top 10:

1. Anything Burt’s Bees. I am regularly reaching for the Radiance Day Moisturizer, the Intense Hydration Eye Cream, and the Radiance Facial Cleanser as the mainstays of my skincare routine. (I waited and got all of these on sale, budget-conscious moms!)

2. EcoTools makeup brushes. I mean…guys. These are so good. I have the Fresh and Flawless five piece travel brush set, and I just use those for my everyday applications, rather than saving them for my purse or travel times. They blend all of my products amazingly well. Every time. And you can buy them anywhere…Target, Walmart, pharmacies, Ulta…I just can’t say enough here!

3.  Maybelline FIT Me Shine-Free Foundation Sticks. These apply smoothly and quickly and allow me to spend the bulk of my get-ready time TRYING to perfect the different eyeshadow/eyeliner techniques that I somehow have no natural talent for…here’s looking at you, cat-eye liner. :) 

4. BB Creams/CC Creams. I love these and will love them forever. It’s like old me (no makeup whatsoever) somehow sent wishful notes about sunscreen and skin perfecting and anti-aging and LIGHTWEIGHT coverage to future me (makeup for fun—almost daily), and I discovered the perfect makeup for me. It’s all of those amazing things, but it doesn’t feel heavy (which I cannot tolerate, even for SPF--gasp!). The ones I have pictured here are from Physicians Formula and Ulta brands. Both are awesome. But basically every drugstore brand carries these formulas now.

5. Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powders. They cost like $3 and work like a charm. I consistently repurchase. Enough said!

6. Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 Hr Wear Cream Eyeshadow. I only have this one shade (creamy beige) and it’s pretty close to my natural skin tone, but here’s the magic. It works as an eyeshadow primer, keeping my eye makeup on ALL DAY without creasing or fading or smudging. It’s awesome, and WAY cheaper than those expensive brand eyeshadow primers!

7. Physicians Formula Powder Finish Concealer Stick. They have colorful ones to eliminate redness or dark spots, but I just have a light tone one for my under-eye area. It applies smoothly and gets the job done! Also, for those of you who are looking for a bargain, I happened to see a Walgreens ad for this week, and they are on sale for $3.77! WHAT?!? Check out the Walgreens website!

8. Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Kohl Kajal Eyeliner (the formula for Brown Eyes). Is it obvious yet that I really like this brand? Haha.

9. Revlon CustomEyes Eyeshadow palette in Naturally Glamorous (020). Love how pigmented these shadows are, and the palette includes all the shades necessary for adding dimension to a neutral everyday eye look, even a nice highlighting shade. It’s getting to be my go-to option, especially if I am doing my makeup in the car (from the passenger side, people!). It’s super portable, conveniently sized, and even includes a tutorial graphic on the back.

10. Model Co. Cosmetics Blush in Peach Bellini (02). It’s highly pigmented, blends nicely, and is a pretty universally flattering shade.

I’ll stop here—I don’t want to put so much information on here that it ceases being helpful. Basically, I wanted to make some products accessible, just in case some of you only have five minutes in CVS and that wall of cosmetics is alluring but too overwhelming. I’m finding a lot of fun playtime in this lately, and I definitely want to share it with other moms! Sometimes the things we do in our spare moments as moms don’t actually reflect self-care any more than our busy moments do—we are tidying up or planning out tomorrow rather than relaxing or taking care of ourselves. I picked a challenge that would actually require me to pamper myself a little everyday, and maybe when the challenge is over, I won’t have to give myself permission to keep it up.

Join me in allowing yourself time for self-care? Even just five minutes/day?

Have any good ideas or ways that you practice self-care as a mom? Leave me a comment! I’m always open to new ideas. :)

<3, Courtlandt

Another Milestone

Well I promised a few posts back a few DIY's were on there way.
But sure enough life happened and I have yet to fully complete any of them! Every day nap time arrives and I think... I need to take some photos of these DIY's in progress. But sadly something catches my attention like the sink full of dirty dishes, the laundry that is still in the dryer or the little cries I hear coming from my son room... awake a little early.
So finally 8pm comes along and I try again but at that time there is not a single ounce of natural light coming through a window (a necessity for good pictures... the perfectionist in me as a photographer).

I don't think I can put all the blame on the stack of dirty dishes or the unfolded laundry for hogging all my time. Last week something special happened it our house... and truth is it is making our house a lot more active.

This past week my Dad came over for dinner, as my little guy cruised around our house while holding our hand my dad challenged us to let him walk on his own. Sure enough with a few tries and little a bit of encouragement our little man was taking his first few steps by himself. We were beyond ecstatic.

Now, everything has changed. Every day his confidence grows more and more, he gets stronger and stronger, and everyday my husband and I find ourself needing to keep just a bit of a closer eye on him. So three weeks ago I could place him nicely in front of stack of toys and sure he would crawl around here and there (he was never much of a crawler but he gets around a bit) and this week he is pulling himself up onto everything and at times taking the risk of walking on his own.

I could not be more excited for Summer with this new milestone our little guy has tackled. Our house makes me go a little crazy going around and around our kitchen and living room with a nearly running toddler. So the dirty dishes and unfolded laundry will most likely have to wait just a little longer while my little guy perfects this new skill.

Now for a bit of a heart to heart, in all honesty I do not know how so many Mothers of one or MORE do it. How easy so many make parenting look. And for all the Mothers who don't know where the days go, see the dark circles under their eyes and not sure when the last time they washed their hair was... I am with you. Girl you are doing great!

Yours Truly,
Julie

10 Things Every New Mom Wants You to Know

1. She may just fall of the face of the earth
We all know babies are all consuming. She will spend a lot less time on social media, she will loose her phone 4 times a day, and she may just decide at times it is "family time" instead of talking on the phone/hanging-out-with-you time.

2. She may always be late
Seriously, as someone who was never late for anything I am surprised how often I am late now. Everything takes twice as long, so just have a little grace when maybe not only the first time, but the second time and third time she is late.

3. Baby is all she will talk about.
Many moms have nursing problems, colicky babies, and babies who wake up very often at night. When you ask her how she is doing, don't be surprised if it is often the same topic. Yes, she should try to ask you how you are doing and possibly talk about something more then her life but truth is it will come up and if you truly care about how she feels you will listen and be patient.

4. Don't be surprised if she always asks you to come to her house.
Babies nap, babies go to be early, babies need to nurse and a lot of these things are just done better at home. But don't worry as her kids get older it will change again and she too will completely understand when you have your own kids.

5. Make her a meal or two when baby arrives
Out of every single thing people did for us when we have our first son it was making us a meal that was the MOST helpful! Were starving!!! No need to explain, just do it.

6. Don't tell her she looks exhausted, because she is and she does not need the reminder!
No one likes to hear they look exhausted it really is just another way of saying... you look bad! Truth is she is exhausted and instead of pointing out how she looks instead, come over, watch her baby (if she is comfortable with it) and let her take a nap.

7. Support her if she has to cut a coffee date short.
Before I had my son I judged people all the time for not having their kids on a nap schedule! But truth is, it is not that easy. Your baby changes every day and I would have to say it is not until now (10 months later) that we have a pretty consistent nap schedule. Till then I had it was all up in the air. Baby woke up early, slept later, wouldn't eat blah blah blah. I had to come late to breakfast dates and leave early from friends houses, that was just the way it was.

8. Accept things will change and either adapt or move on, her life will never be the same.
Things have changed forever. She has a child now and that is her priority. Don't get me wrong it can hurt when your friends aren't there like they use to be or when it starts to feel like they don't try very hard. I don't think it is right that you are always the one making the effort, that friendship needs some reconsideration or a good talk but having some understanding is key. By all means through it all I hope she appreciates you!

9. Her house may never look the same, don't judge.
Just don't judge. She may not have time to clean it and its ok! As her baby becomes a toddler her sink may be full of dirty dishes, laundry all over the place and her house not cleaned for weeks. She may just live in yoga pants and her kiddies may be running around in just a diaper every time you come over. That is just life for now. Just love on her as she is!

10. Don't examine her baby when you come over.
If you didn't already know, all babies develop differently. So don't come over and point out why your other friends baby is crawling and hers is not. You get the point. All babies are different and instead of examining them just love on them.

Yours Truly,
Julie

Party Planning + DIY's

As many of you already know I have already started to plan my little guys first birthday.
I know, I am crazy. It is beginning of March and the planning is nearly complete. And in all honesty, I started in February, right after I finished planning for this baby shower above.

As I have already shared I love to decorate. I wish someone would pay me to decorate. And even better decorate and take pictures of the decorations!
But for now I will keep dreaming.

Back in February I had come up with the idea of doing a vintage lemonade party, however I lacked a lot of decor and knew it was going to be a bit of an investment to make it work. Luckily a dear friend of mine (who loves to plan parties as much as I do, and her parties will be on my photography blog soon!) came up with the idea of doing a milk and cookies party! BAM! That is what I want to do!

It has been tons of fun scouring pinterest, browsing Michaels for ideas and creating things at home. I am defiantly the type of person who sees something and most of the time says: I am going to make that. I have a hard time spending money especially on decor and feel as if I am being super thrifty if I DIY. But hey if you hate to craft and want to buy it, do it!

One of my all time favorite things to do is sit down in the evening with a good show on, sip tea and creating something!

So on that note I thought since we have so many moms interested in this blog it might be fun to do a few DIY crafts on here. Simple things all of you can do! For instance: a wooden growth chart, tissue paper tassel, paper pennants, chalkboards and maybe a few more.

So that is what I am hoping to share in the next couple posts to come. Always feel free to leave a comment or write us an email if you have any questions as all! Look forward to sharing with you all!

Yours truly
Julie

Making Me-Time a Priority

I saw a book lately that I immediately wanted to buy. It was called “The Fringe Hours: Making Time for You” by Jessica Turner. Hours? For me? I immediately chuckled to myself over the idea. But it was so appealing, this idea of Jessica Turner’s. She wants moms to practice self-care and do the things they love, so that they can then feel refreshed and ready to care for their families, but she suggests this: what if moms did this within the context of the already-existent pockets of time in their days?

Now, there are not many extra hours in any mom’s day, if any. Sometimes, there doesn’t feel like there is a spare minute. When my little girl was a newborn, there didn't appear to be a spare second. I remember thinking that my whole 24 hours per day had suddenly been swallowed by this very tiny body that somehow kept me from ANYTHING else, especially sleep! I didn’t know how to pull away and take a shower, how to cook a meal, how to maintain my home, or how to do anything except meet need after tiny baby need during that time. There was no time for myself. There was no time for anything except baby and trying to catch my breath and a few extra winks!

But over time, things changed. I began to predict her sleep better and grab my showers during those windows of time. I began doing chores and cooking meals again, whether my baby loved the idea or not. Life had to move forward, and motherhood wasn’t the only hat I was supposed to be wearing. This is the lesson we moms have to live out—that we all have the same job, that of a Professional Multi-tasker. We are moms, we are wives, we are employees, we are daughters and sisters, we are carpool drivers, we are educators, we are homemakers, we are cooks, etc. 

I am a dedicated mother. But over time, I learned to make time for other responsibilities beyond the baby, time for just about everything that needed my attention, except one thing. There was still no time for me to focus on me. There was no regular time to pick up old hobbies, or relax alone, or leave home and do things I enjoyed by myself. My awesome hubby helped when he could, watching our little one while I caught up on dishes or cooked or went to my prayer group. I knew this was a luxury. We were all busy during that time, especially him.

Don’t we feel kind of guilty as moms when we admit to spending time on ourselves? Don’t we sort of consider it a mark of dedicated motherhood when we spend all available time tending to the kids and run out of spare time for self-maintenance? I think a lot of us have a little bit of a martyr complex when it comes to motherhood, thinking we need to shelve all of our self-care or else we aren’t being good enough moms. I have known a couple of moms who seemed to have it all together from the beginning: everything in their homes was kept tidy and they somehow magically got dressed and did their hair and makeup every day. I just didn’t know how to be that well-balanced mom for a long time, and I felt guilty if I prioritized me-time over my daughter or husband or home. I’m still working on balancing my life, and I probably always will be.

But I’ll admit it. I’m spending time on myself these days. My daughter’s almost four years old now. It’s been a long lesson in the making, but I’ve learned over time that while I may not have a lot of available time to spend by myself, it is possible to do things that refresh me a few minutes at a time. I can read a little something, or even a big something, a few pages at a time. I can paint my toenails. I can do a quick devotional. I can take a tiny catnap while my daughter sleeps. I can cook or bake something really fun (hard to believe for some, but I LOVE cooking!) And I have also learned this: I need this time. I am a better, more fun, more successful mom and wife when I am doing things that feed me, even if I am sneaking it into my days or late nights. It’s really fun to pick up old hobbies. It’s really fun to introduce them to Austen, too.

I’ve picked up an interest in beauty and cosmetics. It’s a funny thing, too, because I was never a makeup person prior to getting married and having a daughter. While we were dating, my husband almost never saw me in makeup unless there was some special occasion. The interest just came to me over time, I guess. Now I’m pretty crazy about it. I love playing with all the different colors and brushes, and the packaging is just so fun. And something about it feels refreshing—spending a couple minutes doing something totally superfluous just for myself somehow makes the day so bright for me.

I’m starting a March makeup challenge. I’m celebrating my own “fringe hours” and allowing myself a few minutes each day this month to get ready. I claim no talent in makeup application—a result of totally avoiding cosmetics for the first 25 years of my life—but I do have an interest, and it’ll be fun to experiment with different styles and see how much I can learn this month. I have a good friend who wants to do it with me, and I’m excited about actually planning me-time in advance.

Do you have any time in your day in which you can cultivate your interests? Are you in a phase of motherhood in which there very few extra minutes in the day? Please be encouraged, Moms. If you are practically swimming in the demands on your time, don’t despair. Seasons change, and perhaps there will be more time soon. If you find five minutes during the day, do a tiny something for yourself. And when you do, celebrate those “fringe hours!” I’ll be here celebrating with you, and maybe I’ll even read that book. :)

<3, Courtlandt

Being A Mother Of A Boy

After our little guy was born, I shared on my previous blog a bit about the shock I had when we found out we were having a boy. My mother had two girls, and I grew up in a home with just women. Other than a short time living with my Dad, my husband was the first man I ever lived with. There's nothing unusual about this situation; however, when it came to having babies, the realization I was having a boy was one I did not know what to do with.

I remember sitting at a restaurant with my husband, and this gut feeling of fear rushing over me. The feeling was just that: fear. How do I raise a boy? All I know is girl. How will I ever relate to him? Will we be close like I would have assumed I would be with a girl? All these thoughts flooded my mind as we sat there looking at the ultrasound picture, with the small writing of "boy" with an arrow pointing to his "you know what" and this small note above confirming it.

Sure, the moment did not last long, maybe an hour, and I was already over the initial fear, and the pure joy of knowing a bit more about my very first child rushed over me. But in all of it, I carried with me a deep need to know that somehow I would be able to do this. 

For months leading up to our son's birth, I started many books and read many blog posts, like "Top 10 Things to Know When You are Having a Boy" or "Raising Boys," by Dr. Dobson. In all of it, I was looking for some sort of answer for how to deal with the fear of my darling child having more energy than I could have ever imagined, the desire to play with swords and guns, wrestle, and ultimately probably break more than just a few bones in his lifetime. I wanted answers to his possible love for violent sports, fast cars, or anything extreme. I wanted to know how I would possibly talk to my son about his attraction to girls one day, and for goodness sake, some things will just be left up to my husband. Basically, I needed to understand testosterone. All that to say, as much as I am sure the stages boys go through are similar to those of girls... I felt afraid due to my lack of knowledge and the unknown.

My thoughts were evident during the time when it was just me, hubby, and baby in my belly. But may I just say, once he got here, I have yet to really think about it since. I would have never expected the amount of unknown that came with being a parent. Those few things I feared regarding having a "boy" was minuscule compared to the reality of raising a child in general, girl or boy! In all of it, I know there will be differences, but for now... I look forward to facing those challenges with other mothers of boys. 

On Being an Everyday Mom

I didn’t want to post this. I haven’t written in a month or so (MUCH longer than I had planned), and it seemed easier to come back with a celebratory “hooray” and some post that justifies my silence lately…something that tells you all of the glorious busyness that has kept me away from my writing this month.

But here’s the truth: I got busy with my normal life. I ironed shirt collars, made PBJs, played outside with my little one, ran errands, did chores, and taught the toddler class at church. We had the flu right after I posted last, and you all know how fun that is. And all the while, my weekly writing somehow got off-track, faltered into writer’s block.

“Why am I not writing?” I finally asked myself this week. And there it was—a hard truth immediately dawned in my heart. It’s not that every moment of every day has been impossibly full of responsibility or fun (because we do have a lot of fun!), and thus I had no time. It was worry that held me back. I didn’t want to confess about the normalcy that filled my days. Don’t we all want to put our best foot forward and highlight the special things? My life this month didn’t feel glamorous. It didn’t feel inspiring. It felt plain. But it’s not.

And here’s the long and short of it: we are everyday moms. I never want to deny the beautiful, daily normalcy of matching socks or cutting onions to the background music of Austen giggling furiously about Curious George. I hope this is what I remember someday when I think about this phase of our lives. I want to remember my little girl playing outside passionately every sunny afternoon in the spring. I want to remember ironing my husband’s work clothes, the kale breakfast smoothie-making, the looooong nights trying to put my toddler to sleep, all of these things in my life that are so normal but are cumulatively shaping me into a better, future me.

I’m writing this because I have a heart to mother well, to be a good wife, to be a writer for all of you fellow moms who need a comforting, relatable voice out here in the internet void; I do not want to show you only the pretty and picturesque parts of my life. I want you to see me as I am: an everyday mom. I am just like you.

We all do special things, go special places, and celebrate special occasions. I want to share those things, also. But I don’t want excitement and novelty (or the lack thereof) to determine when I write. I want to deny comparison all of its power. I want all of us to be real moms together—with all of our milestones and achievements and all of our struggles and laundry piles. There is no need to hide our true selves on social media—denying that we have normal (even boring!) moments somehow diminishes their value in our own minds and allows the comparison game to continue among moms, something that I desperately wish I could eliminate entirely.

To me, the most boring parts of my life as a mom are cherish-worthy, or else they should be. I don’t want to forget them, pretend they aren’t there, and I don’t want to hide them from you. This is my life! It’s amazing, every minute of it. 

Join me in celebrating being an everyday mom?

<3, Courtlandt