$2 in Under Ten Minutes!

Now, I know that I am not as crafty as some out there in the blogosphere, but I was pretty impressed with the outcome of my dollar project!

I took:
-One medium sized rectangular basket $1
-One piece of construction paper (FREE from Grandma!)
-One notepad of the foam alphabet in bright colors $1
- Contact paper
-Tape

First measure out (or if you are a busy mom of three like me, eyeball it!) the construction paper to fit the front of the basket. Then, affix the foam letters to the construction paper with the wording you desire. For us, we needed a set place for library books, especially because now one of my little guys is reading! Then put contact paper on top of the sign ( I did both sides for durability...which as you know is the main thing when you have industrious little boys!) And then to make the sign stick to the basket, I just taped it really well on the inside! And voila! A stylish home for our library books and videos! :)




(Sorry about the poor photo quality, using flash washed out the vibrant colors and so I opted for no flash which can be a bit blurry)

I AM IN LOVE WITH DOLLAR TREE!

He is risen!

Happy Resurrection Day!

I am so grateful that my Redeemer lives!

Avian Art

Here are the renderings of a Northern Flicker as drawn by my sons..

This one was done by Mr. Dramatic, age 6

This one was done by Mr. Independent, age 4

They had fun drawing the "polka dots" :)

Flying High!

One of the activities we really wanted to try on our getaway was a helicopter ride. God gave us perfect flying weather and so on our way home we stopped of to take to the clouds!

Here is my happy hubby sitting up front with the pilot as we take off.
Here I am about halfway through our flight...at this point I was starting to feel a bit ill. I am not one to get motion sickness but I think it was a combination of the vibrations from the engine, dramatic changes in equilibrium and slight nasal congestion. All together a recipe for airsickness! As I realized that the rising temperature was just me, slight panic set in. As inconspicuously as possible I searched for an airsick bag. Would you believe they didn't have any?! So I focused on keeping myself from hurling over the back of my hubby. I am pleased to say that I didn't end up puking but it took me quite a while to get my stomach back to a happy normal!


Isn't the coastline amazing from 2,500 feet?
The people literally looked as small as ants! It was so weird!
Here is a lonely, decomissioned lighthouse. Could you imagine living there? And yet lighthouse keepers did for over a hundred years!
Majestic mountains and rolling valleys.

The helicopter ride was amazing. But I won't be doing that ever again. I prefer large airliners for traveling.

My honey had a wonderful time and didn't get sick at all. He was hoping we could get a longer ride. I am sooo thankful we didn't! :)

We Did It!

We left our beloved children with trusted friends and sneaked away to here...


Well, we didn't actually sneak it was planned and it was part of our church's marriage retreat. Three awesome days being infused with great teaching, lots of fun and gorgeous weather! We had so much fun reconnecting as a couple and we are taking what we learned there back home with us.

Tomorrow, if Blogger is uploading photos more rapidly, I'll share snippets of our helicopter ride!

It's good to be home :)

Diamond studded tree branches bow gracefully
Sugar snow crunches beneath our feet
Serene silence blankets the city
As the delicate snowflakes dance to earth

Girly Grins and Giggles...

Her first Christmas, that she remembers :) Wouldn't this make the most adorable Christmas card photo?

I just cannot get enough of her grin!

Her first expression upon seeing snow...

Here she is posing coyly for the camera...she reminds me so much of my little sister!

She had discovered she could reach the chocolate shake remains that her brothers left on the table just within her reach...

There is something about her eyes that draws me in...I love her so...

When I first found out I was pregnant with our third and that she was to be a girl, I could not imagine what life would be like. Up until that point, my life had been all about little boys. But I am so thankful that God graced us with her! She brings spunk, spice and little bits of sugar into our life...calorie free too! :)

Can't Wait....

In the quiet hours before dawn broke crisply over my city, I was busy creating a present for my sister and her hubby.

I can't divulge many details, because she occasionally reads my blog.

I promise to post a picture when Christmas is over and she has received her gift.

But I really surprised myself...I have talents I didn't even know about!

Can't wait to share my first artistic masterpiece!

One Of These Is Not Like The Other....

Other than the adorable cutie I am posing with, what is the difference?
Before:

After:

(Okay, I have no idea what is up with the smirky grin on my face...you get a little silly when you attempt to take pictures of yourself, by yourself!)


I got new glasses! And I only paid $138.69 for them at Costco! What a bargain! Plus, they still have their polish dog meal deals for $1.50...just like I remember :)

Giving Thanks...

Today I am thankful for:

My place in the family of God.
El Shaddai/ Jehovah-Jireh Who meets all of our needs.
My health.
My beloved family both here in the States and abroad.
My husband who has unending patience with me.
My precious children, who bring us so much joy!
Our beautiful home.
Our quiet neighborhood.
Our friendly neighbors.
Our AWESOME church and church family.
Our faithful friends.
Two vehicles that work great!
My husband's job.
Being a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom :)
Living in a free country where I can worship God in the open.
Prayer.
Praise and worship music.
Beautifully crisp, sunny days.
A loving marriage between me and Mr. Q.
Sons that have given their hearts to Christ!
Love unending from my Father above.
The atonement Jesus bought with His blood for me.

Oh, there are so many more things to be thankful for, but I haven't time to list them all!

May you have a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving as you reflect on His goodness!

The Writing is On the Wall...

Even when you think your kids don't get it or they aren't learning anything....remember, they ABSORB everything!

I found these on the walls of their bedroom today. I had nothing to do with it. They haven't copied down a scripture ever, until today...



(Mr. Dramatic penned this one, age 6)



(Mr. Independent scrawled this one out, age 4)

And this happened because I have that exact verse written on a piece of paper on the front door. They wanted a verse to adorn their bedroom wall.

Just in case you can't tell what verse it is by the writing...

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way."
Psalm 37:23

New Birth!

Tonight Mr. Dramatic made the momentous and life-changing decision to ask Jesus into his heart! It came with little fanfare, just taking advantage of the opportunity that God placed within my reach. I made sure that he was serious about it and understood what he was doing. When I quizzed him, "What is sin?" He answered "Disobeyin'."

Yep, he gets it :) It is nice to know that all the times I have said that to them really sank into their hearts.

I cannot remember if I noted it on my blog that Mr. Independent accepted Jesus on September 22nd of this year. Again, just grasping the moment when it was presented. And I made certain that he understood what he was doing too.

My goal this year was to see both of my sons get saved. I have been praying and believing for them to come to the knowledge of their need for a Savior. Now I can just build upon their salvation and bring them to know this God Who loves them infinitely.

God is faithful to finish the work that He has begun!


3 John 1:4
"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."

Happy Birthday Mr. Querido!

What can I say about the man I love? He is everything I never knew I wanted :) His heart follows closely after God and he walks in His steps. He is calm and methodical (the polar opposite of me... lol!). He is intelligent and very creative. He thinks outside of the box when I can only see the inside. He is a man of great integrity and strong character. He stands tall when others bow to peer pressure. He is confident of where he is going and what he is doing. He is the most awesome father to our three little ones. He is someone I would be proud to have my sons emulate. And I hope my daughter finds a man similar to him to marry. He is so patient and kind. He is a faithful provider for us. And he is the first example of godly manhood I had ever been exposed to. He is Christ-likeness exemplified. He is my companion for life and someone I enjoy sharing life with. I cannot imagine life without him. We have only been married six years, yet sometimes I feel as if it has been longer because we know each other so well. I could go on and on about him but I don't have that much blogging time..lol!

So Happy Birthday Querido...I love you!

He Cares For You!

Sarah from Everyday Elegance has invited me to participate in her "My Favorite Things Monday" carnival. I am honored to be invited!

First of all, let me just say that I loved the Sound of Music when I was little. "The hills are alive..." Oh yes, I did watch long musicals when I was small...lol! (I'm going to have to borrow that from the library, my kids LOVE music!)

The prompt she gave us was something that has lifted us up when we were down. The most current thing I can think of is my new, frilly apron!

The main thing that I think of when I put it on, is that I have a Heavenly Father who knows my needs and my desires. And sometimes, just because He wants to, He chooses to fling a blessing my way. Just because I am special to Him.

I really needed to hear that from Him this past week. There have been behavior issues with one of our sons, a really squeaky budget, and exhaustion to weigh my spirit down. I won't pretend that when I tied those apron strings, all of those cares magically dissipated. No, they were still there. But the knowledge of how much He values me, far outweighs the weight of the burden I was carrying! I am still working on casting my cares on Him. However, I am being taught the second part of that verse thoroughly..."for He cares for you." (I Peter 5:7)

1 Peter 5:7 (Amplified Bible)

"Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully."

Oh, and just a little reminder, YOU are one of His favorite things!

Wrapped Up In Blessings...

Just last night I was perusing some blogs and I ran across the absolutely cutest aprons!

Pink and Polka Dot has the awesomest ideas and crafts, but her aprons really shine! I loved the flounce at the bottom and had never seen that done before.

Well, today when I got home from a friend's bridal shower, there was an exact duplicate just sitting on my chaise lounge! I did a doubletake. Where did it come from? My husband replied that our sweet neighbor across the street had been at a quilt fair and had seen it and bought it for me!



So my point to this post is that He is generous and He hears the smallest desires of your heart and bestows blessings on you!

Feeling so special and blessed today! :)

Psalm 68:19
"Blessed be the Lord,Who daily loads us with benefits,The God of our salvation!"

Centsible Spa Treatments

Here are some fun and frugal items to use for a Pamper-Yourself Day!


Baking Soda Cleanser::

1-2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup water

Directions:
Mix baking soda and water together to form paste.
Apply liberally to face and neck area. Leave on for 10-15
minutes and then gently wash off with warm water and washcloth.
This helps to minimize the appearance of large pores and is a gentle exfoliant as well.


Oatmeal Nourishing Mask::

Handful of uncooked oatmeal
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey

Directions: Mix ingredients together, warm slightly and apply to face and neck. Let sit for 10-15 minutes ( or until face feels tighter) and then rinse with warm water.
Oatmeal provides a gentle, skin brightening exfoliant. Olive oil helps rejuvenate dry skin .
The honey serves as a natural, rich, skin-nourishing crème.

Lemon-Egg Pore Opener::

Make a paste of one egg white and few drops of lemon juice.
Apply it over nose with soft brush (or washcloth). When the
first coat is about to dry, put another coat over the top of it.
Let these dry completely and then rinse off.
Use this to awaken and cleanse pores on your nose!

Olive Oil Face Pack::

A few drops of olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons of milk

Directions:
Blend ingredients well and apply to face and neck. Let sit
For 10-15 minutes before rinsing off with cold water. For optimum hydration, apply small amount of olive oil to skin before applying face pack. This helps skin retain moisture after pack is removed.
This luxurious face pack will hydrate dry skin.

Stressed Out Skin Cucumber -Tomato Soak::

Slice cucumber and tomato into thin slices. Put into freezer for 7-10 minutes and wash face while waiting for slices to chill. Lie down and place moist, chilled slices on your face and neck being careful to overlap slices. Relax for 10-15 minutes.
Cucumber contains natural astringent which helps to awaken tired and sagging skin. Tomato is slightly acidic and helps to close pores which helps prevent blackheads and breakouts.

Butter Lip Exfoliant::

Gently exfoliate lips by applying fresh butter on them and use a wet wash cloth to sweep off dry flakes. Follow up with warm olive oil application.

Avocado Under-Eye Circle Diminisher::

Placing slices of oil-rich avocado under your eyes will help to lessen the impact of dark circles.
Studies have shown that under-eye circles are not caused by a lack of sleep, but rather c congestion of the nasal cavities!

Coconut Oil Under-Eye Crème::

Use coconut oil to hydrate delicate skin around the eyes as well as reduce dark circles!

Tea Soak for Tired Eyes::

Brew tea, remove tea bags and refrigerate for half an hour. Place refrigerated tea bags on eyes for 10 minutes.
Tannic acid in the tea helps to soothe fatigued eyes and skin surrounding the eyes.

Lemon Juice Teeth Whitener::

Rub half a lemon with table salt and a pinch of baking soda will brighten and whiten your smile, as well as ward off bad breath!
This one is a lot of fun to do...if you try it, you'll see what I mean :)

Sugar Exfoliant for Hands and Feet::

Mix sugar with olive oil and gently rub over hands and feet.

Epsom Salt Foot Soak::

½ cup of Epsom salt
1 tablespoon baking soda

Directions:
In large pan of warm water, mix ingredients and soak feet for 15 minutes.
Epsom salts help to draw toxins out of tired muscles and skin. The baking soda will gently exfoliate the foot.

Epsom Salt Scrub::

After soaking feet and calves, exfoliate with Epsom salts on the moistened skin.

Coconut Oil Moisture Rub for Calves and Feet::

Liberally apply coconut oil to calves and feet and massage into skin for 10-15 minutes a day. Do this at night and then place socks over your feet to help skin absorb the nourishing oil.

**DISCLAIMER: I am not a beauty professional, nor do I claim to be. I have tried most of these, however I have not tried all. Please use your good judgement when using any product on your skin.**

These centsible spa treatments are best enjoyed with someone else, so grab your honey (or a friend) and have some spa fun!

MoRockin' Out

Ever since we got married, I have wanted Mr. Querido to have a music room. He plays bass guitar, and I wanted him to have a place for his guitars to be displayed and where he could store all the paraphenelia that goes with said guitars.

When we moved into our current home, I was a bit disappointed because we only had three bedrooms and we already had two boys and a girl on the way. It looked like Mr. Querido's music room was still a distant dream.

After we had Miss Precious, I realized that we weren't utilizing our space very well. We moved the boys into the much bigger master bedroom. Mr. Querido and I took the cozier second bedroom. Miss Precious's crib got squeezed into her brothers' room and now it is just collecting dust because she still sleeps with us...lol! All of this musical chairs methodology made room for what we now call the music/media room (aka: computer room)! I was so excited..finally my hubby would have a place to rock out!

But sadly, my inspiration took a nosedive when I attempted to mix up some old paint colors for a frugal way to cover the turquoise walls. (Yes, the boys' room was turquoise...and yes, WE were the ones that did that...lol!) I ran out of paint and so there has been an uneven turquoise swath about a foot deep all around the top of the room. It just looked awful, but budget constraints prevented me from fixing it.

Last weekend, I found an oops paint at Lowe's for FIVE DOLLARS! It is a lovely chocolate brown and slowly the decorating inspiration started to bubble. I thought about how I wanted the room to feel. Kind of lounge-ish and laid back.

We added a spare bed and turned it into a low couch. Plopped on some pillows and voila! Instant lounge! Something was still missing.
I also wanted some color to pop it. Originally, I considered orange to pair with the chocolate and maybe some lime green accents. (No, we are not afraid of bold color in the FITPH household..lol!) But then, Saturday night I couldn't sleep. I was up reading blogs (probably didn't help the insomnia any) and I just kept seeing the half-finished border out of the corner of my eye. Every time I turned around, there was the cavernous closet stuffed full of odds and ends. Very unpeaceful, very un-laid back. I decided to look through my fabric stash and see if I had ANYTHING that might cover up the cluttered closet. And then I found my inspiration....

My mom had given to me because, although she loved it, she couldn't find a use for it. If I remember what she told me, it is a hand-dyed batik. Oh it is just gorgeous and has the refined funky look I was thinking of. But I too suffered from the inability to find a use for it. Until now...

Stay tuned for my MoRockin' Room update (get it...Moroccan...MoRockin'? I crack myself up sometimes...lol!)

Redefining Your Interior

As I was perusing Melissa's lovely blog, I started to think to myself that "I bet I could do that too!" (My love of rearranging rooms goes way back and continues to cause more labor for my patient hubby today.) Tenatively, I wrote her an email with a couple of questions about interior refining. I didn't really expect an answer, but I hoped for one. She wrote me back the most beautiful email! In it, she encouraged me to use the strengths that God has given me. And to pursue my passions.

As I replied to her letter, I started thinking about all the things that I see others able to do, and how much I wished I could be them. "So-and-so could do it so much better than I could." and "She is more gifted than me."
How many times have you found yourself uttering those phrases?

Growing up, I lived in the shadow of my younger sister's abilities. She is naturally gifted in just about every area: muscially, artistically and even in writing. I often felt like I had nothing special to offer, nothing that would truly define me. (I have yet to find something that I am better at..lol!) And, even now, I find the old record player starting up every now and then.

But God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. And it is not up to me to decide what my talent is to be. He decided that for me a long time ago. It is my job to use what He has given me for His glory.

So let me leave you with this encouragement: The next time you are tempted to think less of your abilities, remember this...

"You don't have to have the exact same skills as someone else (I know I don't) but you can still be of great effectiveness and maybe even MORE effective because you will be uniquely gifted in your passions." Melissa Michaels -The Inspired Room

We all need encouragement to be ourselves and realize that God can work through us. Let Melissa's words inspire you and encourage you as they have me. The Lord has given us unique talents, but sometimes we are so busy envying the gifting of those surrounding us that we don't notice what we have in our own hands. Open up your eyes and look around, you never know what He will use!

Night

Night falls into an ebony void
All is black; everything silent.
Not a sound issues from the earth
Nor from the sky above.
Just the silence of the stars
And their celestial companion, Luna.
Her dullish gleam adds light to the inky quiet
And her round face adds words to the silence:
"Play little stars
Sparkle here and there
Frolic in the heavens
Until it comes time for you to disappear."
The young stars delight in their play
Their heavenly thoughts of causing bright
To appear to the silent earth beneath.
They twirl round and round
Watching their illuminated gowns swirl
In beams of laughterish light.

Copyright 1997 J.N. Gallegos

Smash Hit!

Yesterday, I threw my very first ever little kid's party! For those of you who know me in real life, I am not much of a party person...more of a party pooper...lol! So I took a deep breath when I realized my youngest son was turning four. Four is a momentous age, it is the year in which my little toddler becomes a little boy...sigh. So we had to commemorate it with a party! This whole past week I stressed over every detail, wanting it to be perfect. (I am a recovering perfectionist!) God gave me an awesome theme...garden and bugs...and with a lot of His creativity mixed in, I ran with it!

The decorations were just balloons I dressed up...

A friendly spider (is that an oxymoron?):


A hungry caterpillar:


A ravenous frog:


The hungry frog's lunch..a nervous blue fly:


Also seen flitting about were a ladybug and a dragonfly. The party was invaded midway by a colony of ants..sorry, no photos, they were a little camera shy! That was actually one of the crafts we did, we made ants out of balloons. The kids (and some of the adults too) loved it! I had an assembly line for body parts. One friend was cutting out eyes and the other one was cutting out the legs (from construction paper). We had a minor emergency when one ant had a foot severed, but the surgeon was able to re-attach (with scotch tape). The ant was reported to be in stable condition.

Our main feature fun thing was to make planters to take home (party favor and craft activity bonus!). I had prepainted some tiny terracotta pots with silver acrylic paint. Then we purchased some lobelia from the garden center. We had the kids stuff the pots (gently) and then they got to take them home. The kids loved it! Eight little pairs of eyes watched with rapt attention. One little boy told me "I have never planted anything at a birthday party before...this is the coolest party I have ever been too!" (There is no higher party praise than that of an actual attendee...lol!)
Here you can see the table "decorations", which did double duty as the favor and craft later on:


A bit messy, but a lot of fun!


The finished product:


We munched on some dirt and worms for a snack...

Surprisingly enough, everyone really liked the green worms!

And every kid seemed to have a lot of fun...especially sharing the toys!




Overall, I think it was a very successful birthday...I give myself a thumbs up! :)



And did I also mention that I had fun too? Who knew a party-impaired gal could throw a little boy's birthday that she would have fun with! God is so good!

And I am THE cool mom now :)