Work in Progress--Jungle Crown

I thought I would share one of the projects I am currently working on. This crown has been really fun to create and it's for a special little boy who will be having a jungle themed first birthday party. How fun!
You can see I've included a giraffe and an elephant one side.

I've also included my favorite little monkey and a lion too.
The empty space on the far right is where the Velcro will be. So when the crown is all put together there will be fun jungle animals all around the birthday boy's head! Boy, do I love this job!!

Sharing My Passions

What does April 22nd mean to you? I'm looking at my calendar and yes, I have to take my daughter to ballet, clean the house, get some crowns made....and wait just a minute! It's Earth Day! I can say that long ago Earth Day didn't mean a whole lot to me, but lately it means so much more. Ever since my first daughter was born, I started thinking differently about the world around me. I wanted her to have the best in life-best food, best water, safest toys, cleanest environment to play in. The list went on and on. I began reading books and researching online and I realized that not only could I do things differently, but it really wasn't going to be as big of a change as I thought it would be. So, I'm going to use this year's Earth Day as a chance to start sharing some of my other passions with you. One of these passions, or obsessions as my husband would call it, is the environment. Don't worry, I'm not going to preach about global warming or bore you with statistics, but I would like to share useful information with you.


Did you know that you don't have to use all of those expensive cleaners in the store to get a clean house? Did you know that so much more than you ever imagined can be recycled or reused? My hope is that you will learn a little something along the way from these blog posts. I believe information is power. The more you know the better you can make decisions for yourself. I hope that you will find the information that follows in the coming weeks and months helpful in making your own decisions for yourself and your family. If you have tips to share please feel free to post here. I love your comments and I love learning something new!

Where's My Paycheck?

I'm writing this blog post as I finish cleaning our bathroom. My youngest daughter is napping and it's killing me that instead of cutting felt or sewing I am scrubbing grout and trying to unclog a stubborn sink drain. I know it's true that the bathroom has been neglected for some time now, but darn it I hate cleaning it! As I'm steam cleaning the tile in the shower I'm wondering to myself again... Why it is that I don't earn a pay check for this job called motherhood? How come I don't earn a bonus for getting up six times during a meal to get my kids something just so I can finally sit down to a cold meal? Where's the gold star on my report card for rocking a sleepless child back to sleep in the dark of night while everyone else is peacefully sleeping? Where is my "You make the prettiest piles of clean laundry" award? Where's my vacation time and sick pay? I keep looking for these things but they are no where to be found.

My sister has a saying that goes something like this "A mother's j0b is to keep her kids alive and to move stuff from one part of the house to another." I took the time to really think about this and darn it she's right! Of course I noticed she was right as I was taking toys back downstairs to the playroom and then gathering up a pile of clothes that belonged upstairs. I have a wise sister!



I often think that mothers who work outside of the home have it the toughest. I can't imagine how hard it is to juggle their time. It's funny though... I'm a La Leche League Leader who provides support and information to breastfeeding moms. I got a call once from a mom who was having some difficulty not only breastfeeding but juggling a busy life. She worked outside of the home and I expressed my admiration of her. She in turn told me that she thought that stay-at-home moms had it much harder. Funny how the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence!

I write all of this with a smile on my face because really I love what I am doing. I love being a wife to my husband and a mom to my kids. And really I wouldn't want to be doing anything else. So I'll continue to scrub grout and unclog sinks and eat cold meals. Even if I don't earn an actual paycheck for motherhood, I've found that the benefits are better than any job I've ever had!

So little kids around the world listen up! Give your mama a hug today! She works really hard and still manages to love you every minute of the day! Thank goodness for motherhood!...now back to my grout!

Little Ballerinas on the Brain!

My daughter's first ballet recital is coming up next month. It's such an exciting time of the year because it brings back so many memories for me. I took 11 years of dance lessons and I loved every minute of it!

Yesterday, my daughter had her first opportunity to get all dressed up in her recital costume. I did my best, as a first time ballet mom, to get her all gussied up with the proper stage make-up and a ballerina bun. I have to admit she was pretty darn cute and I was one proud mama! I can't wait until the actual performance!

So in the meantime, excuse me if I have ballerinas on the brain! If you have the same affliction you will want to check out all of the adorable ballet themed items I have found on Etsy lately. I'm beginning to think I'm not the only one thinking ballet!

Here is a beautiful watercolor print by Paint Ashley .


I love the sweet ballerina in this vibrant print by Jolinne.


And every dancer must have her shoes! Check out these felt ballet slippers by Evgie

If you have shoes you'll need a bag to carry them in. Check out this adorable ballet bag by Splendiferous Fiber!



I love this Ballerina Slipper Clippie by Gia Bowtique! Who knew you could take tiny ribbons and make them into ballet slippers? So cute!




Here's another pretty pink
hair bow by Peek-A-Bowtique!


And what a great way to store all of those cute ballerina hair accessories! I thought this was such a unique and pretty bow holder by Add a Lil Charm!


Really could it get any cuter than this knitted ballet dancer buddy doll by Granny Knits? Oh, how I wish I was a little girl again!

Oh, wait! I almost forgot! You can't have a ballerina if you don't have a tutu! Goody Goody Tutus makes some of the most gorgeous and adorable tutus I've ever seen!

Sorry if you too have now developed a case of "ballerinas on the brain!" It's not easy to get rid of you know! So, if you find any other fun ballerina stuff be sure to comment here. I just can't get enough!