Dirt Pudding

My 9th birthday party was maybe the only birthday party that anyone in my family ever had with a "theme" {because I wanted it and asked my mom to do it...the only theme part was my 'cake' and the invitations}.  The theme was 'sunflowers' because I was WAY into sunflowers at the time.  My cake was this 'dirt pudding' with a huge sunflower in it.  I was THRILLED and I will obviously never forget it. Now I just make it to take as dessert to new moms, or for bar-b-ques or whatever.

Ingredients:
2 boxes of Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding
Oreo cookies
Gummy Worms
Pot
Flowers
Ziplock Freezer bag

Directions:
Make chocolate pudding according to the box and crush a dozen oreos.  Line the pot with a ziplock bag.  Pour the pudding in and  sprinkle the oreo crumbs on top.  Wrap the stem of either fake or real flowers with Seran wrap and stick in the middle of the pot.  Stick gummy worms all around the top.  Viola!

Seeds

As parents, we want the best for our kids.  We want to 'fill them up' with the best of everything. 

We fill their bodies with healthy food {most of the time, but occasionally an ice cream cone might fall in their mouth}.  We fill their minds with useful knowledge {Counting is overrated, it is more important to be able to name all 32 teams in the NFL}.  We fill their days with enriching activities {digging holes in the sand is a very coveted skill}. 

But how do we fill their HEARTS!?!?!

Deuteronomy 11:18-19 says,

'Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.'

Filling our kids' hearts can be a daunting task.  And the Bible says to do it all day, everyday!!! 

To help in my effort of filling Emrie's {and my} heart with wholesomeness, I purchased these 6 wonderful Seeds Of Worship CD's to listen to in the car.  Every song is a Bible verse {which I think is great because although a lot of worship CD's have wonderful messages, it is important to know the actual Bible verses too} and they are actually pretty catchy, even for adults.

What we put in is what we get out and as Matthew 12:34 says,

'For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.'

I don't want to just 'fill up' with Godly things...I want to spew it out too!

What are we filling our hearts with, because that is what is going to come out?

Emrie's Room: Before and After

I put a lot of work into this room and tried to do it on a reasonable budget {under $1,000...for no other reason than I just wanted to see if I could do it}. 

Here are some of the before and after pictures just for kicks.

For the first six months we lived here, the room was just a place guest could sleep, nothing fancy
Then the neighbors gave us their crib and we were trying to decide if we should leave the bed {which will be Emrie's 'big girl bed' in about a year} and the crib in there.  There just isn't enough room for both, so we took the bed out.

Before:

After: 

Here are some of the specific projects I did for the room:

Crib

Dresser

End Table

Mirror

The Budget Breakdown:

Crib: Free

Chair: $200 (Ikea)

Dresser: $220 (Antique Mall)

End Table: Free

Paint and Supplies: $65 (Lowe's)

Hardware: $30 (Lowe's)

Fabric: $150 (Premiere Prints Fabric)

Curtains: Free

Curtain Rods: $20 (Walmart)

Book Ledges: $50 (Ikea)

Rugs: $15 each (Walmart)

Puffs: $12 (Home Made)

Lamp: $18 (Walmart/Spray Paint)

Mirror: Free (Spray Paint)

Throw Blanket: $40 (Pier 1)

Pillow: $20 (Pier 1)

Stuffed Elephant: $30 (Pier 1)

E's: $30 (Hobby Lobby/ Paint)

Canvases: $10 each (Home Made)

TOTAL: $935

Emrie's Big Girl Room Reveal!!!

I have been working on this room for about 2 months and I could not be more thrilled with how it turned out!  Every piece in here has been a labor of love, and while not everything turned out as I anticipated, I'm pleased.

Here is the E is for Elephant {and Emrie} Pink, Blue and Green Room!

 

That book ledge is already worth it's weight in gold!

Bunting, E wall, ruffle crib skirt, fluffy rug and my favorite piece in the whole room...the teal bed a neighbor gave us and I repainted.

The dresser was bought at an antique store and had been made in the early 1900's!

Phil's Papa made the nightstand, I just painted it.  I am thankful to have a piece of family history here.

I found that the details make the difference so here are some of my favorite details...

Bunting became a reoccurring theme

Em loves her dolly and giraffe and sitting here to read

 Ruffles belong EVERYWHERE...including the curtains

Puffs just seem so girly

These Ee canvases were so easy and fun to make

Again bunting is everywhere

Paisley the elephant from Pier 1...and the pink elephant fabric which inspired the whole room!

 

But the best part of all...EMRIE LOVES BEING IN HERE!!!  A sweet room for my sweet girl!!!

Look for future posts with tutorials for many of the details in the room!

Pillow Case Dress

These dresses are so popular because they are so easy to make.  I won't even try to do a tutorial because there are FAR better ones out there than any I could make.

I used the tutorial from The Mother Huddle and adapted it for what I wanted to do {I wasn't using fat quarters and strips of material, I just used one big piece}.

Not only does she give REALLY good instructions, but she has an entire sizing chart which is spot on and helps a tremendous amount!

For what it's worth, because I was using one big piece of fabric with a smaller strip on the bottom, my measurements for an 18 month size were:

15"x13.5" for the main fabric x2 for the front and back {and actually, I wanted to line the inside so I had 4 pieces}.

3.25"x13.5" for the accent piece at the bottom x2 {and again I actually did this x4 so the bottom could be lined inside as well}.

 

Thanks to Mamma Rake for the sweet hairbow tutorial!

Of course, I couldn't make Emrie a dress without making a  coordinating one for the baby, so here is her dress.  I pretty much just made up the pattern and details so there REALLY is no rhyme or reason to how I made it {ie, there will probably never be a tutorial for how to make this, but it is still cute!}

Because it is a cotton dress {read, NO GIVE} I had to cut out a scoop in the back and put elastic across the back so she will be able to get her big Van Gelder head through, but I think it gives it a little character:)

In just two short months they will get to wear these together!!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!

What I Wore ~ Maternity Edition: Colored Pants

I have been LOVING colored pants, but didn't want to spend the money to get a pair that I wouldn't be able to wear long. So, I compromised and bought a cheap pair from Target...AND LOVE THEM.

They are way more versital than I thought they would be and super comfortable {even for non-maternity pants}. Great spring trend, even if you aren't pregnant!

Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas

Growing up, we went to Disneyland most years for our birthdays {my sister, Torrie and I both have March birthdays}. Besides the rides {specifically the Matterhorn}, the thing I remember the most about Disneyland were the frozen, chocolate and nut covered bananas on a stick.

Now that I am an adult, I don't have to go to Disneyland to get one. Now, I make them {with my own twist} and open the freezer anytime I want one!

Ingredients:
Ripe bananas
Magic Shell Chocolate Syrup {it has to be Magic Shell because it freezes and Hershey syrup never really freezes so it just drips off the banana}
Topping of Choice {sprinkles, nuts, crushed candy...etc.}
Saran Wrap

Directions:
Peel several ripe bananas and wrap them individually in Saran wrap. Place them in the freezer for several hours or until they are frozen solid. Take them out of the freezer and {optional step- put a Popsicle stick in one end} drizzle Magic Shell syrup over the banana. The Magic Shell freezes once it is cold {this takes about 20-30 seconds} so in that time sprinkle your topping of choice on it. You can either enjoy them right away or put them back in the freezer for another day!

Ewwwie Goooie Deliciousness on a summer day

{or any day for that matter}!