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Nearly 2 years ago

Nearly 2 years ago we packed up our things and left New Mexico, The Land of Enchantment, for Colorful Colorado.

It looked something like this…

And Hope was this size.

We left our church. Our friends, that we still miss SO much. Our families.

We were young and footloose.

🙂

And now we’re approaching the 2 year mark of life in Colorado.

Sometimes it’s still crazy to think that we live here.

Other than a summer in San Diego and 5 months in DC, this is the longest I’ve been away from good ole A.B.Q.

I think we’re finally beginning to feel settled.

Time and again we’ve seen evidence as to why the Lord directed us here.

To Colorado.

To Community Bible Study.

To CCU.

And it’s been SUCH a blessing living just across the way from my sister and brother-in-law. Our kiddos love Auntie Kels and Uncle Jo time.

Love it.

So seeing as we’re coming up on the 2 year anniversary of our move I thought it was time for another move.

No. Not that kind.

This kind.

A blog move.

!!!

My Messy Life has been such an appropriate title for my little blog and it will always hold a fond place in my heart…it’s message still ringing true in our daily life…but it’s time I upped and moved.

Please come on over and keep up with our family at Sweatpant Couture.

It’s time for a new phase to begin.

A new chapter to be written.

And I needed the .com

🙂

My IT hubby contacted the owners of mymessylife.com and asked if we could purchase it from them…they declined…or so we concurred after they didn’t write back and then renewed ownership of it in February…so we went with a thought I’d mentioned in passing to my friend Susan many months back…we text A LOT.

And they’re always mostly hilarious observations about motherhood.

I suggested we write a book called “Sweatpant Couture”.

Then we thought we’d go for it in the form of a blog…but who were we kidding…4 babies between the two of us?

Silly us thinking we could manage our personal blogs plus another.

Needless to say…the .com for Sweatpant Couture was available back then and the dear old hubs snagged it for me.

Happy Valentine’s Day to me.

🙂

So moving I am.

And in the words of my darling 2 year old, “I am really, really so escited!!!”.

Because I’ve always chuckled to myself over the whit of that statement…I mean, sweatpants are a.dime.a.dozen.

There’s not one single thing couture about them.

But all you stay at home moms know how they just work best. And so I dress ’em up…with cute T-shirts.

Because those are couture.

🙂

Anyway.

Join me.

For all the things you find here.

Just with a new name.

reality

A sniffly little lovey girl.

A few bucket loads of laundry.

Recovering from my own intense bout of allergies.

Sleep deprived from said bout of allergies.

A nap…and chores…and other business to attend to…

Happy Monday!!!

the finished product

It’s up and Hope was as excited as I suspected she would be.

She promptly began taking all the letters down…

I had so much fun putting this little project together and it was super easy.

Due in part to finding the frame with sheet metal already put together at my local Goodwill for just shy of $5.

But you could just as easily head to a local thrift shop, find a big frame, spray paint the tacky out of it, then go to your local hardware shop and get a piece of sheet metal cut to size.

After attaching it with your glue of choice (the one I purchased had been hot glued to smitherines but I don’t mind because from the front you don’t see it.) prime the sheet metal and put a few coats of chalkboard paint on top.

It’s great for leaving little messages on.

One day…down the road…many days down the road if unsupervised…she’ll be able to color on it with chalk too!

And to keep all the numbers & letters ($1 a pack at my local big box) corralled I grabbed three acrylic shower caddies ($2.44 per caddy)…the kind that suction to the walls…gave them a shot of spray paint and hung them just below the board.

Just.like.that. miss Hope now has something else to keep her entertained with during her “nap time” if she opts out of napping.

Good Grief to Glam! Toddler Decor

This will be brief…it’s mostly finished…just needs to be hung in Miss Hope’s room…

Do you remember this?

This lovely hand-painted frame complete with a sheet metal insert???

And for this price I could hardly justify passing it up.

Well, with a little bit of this and this…

It began to take on a whole new look.

After the primer and spray paint sat for a day I opened this can of worms paint.

I’ve been so eager to put chalkboard paint on SOMETHING.

I let it dry for the recommended time…forever…and after it dried it looked like this…

With just a little bit of seasoning and magnetic numbers & letters,  it now looks a little bit like this…

Next on the agenda…let the letters (the red ones got a shot of white spray paint too) and bins dry…then into the lovey girls bedroom!!!

She is going to get the biggest kick out of this…I can’t wait to have it completely finished and hung!!!

To see a slew of other B&A’s head over to Thrifty Decor Chick!!

Sweet reminder

Good friends of ours are in Argentina planting a church.

A little while ago Leann posted this ABCs of Christian Parenting list on her blog.

I’ve been wanting to share it since I read it, but for some reason, until recently, when I tried opening her blog I would get re-directed to another site.

Now that it’s fixed I’m so glad to post this here.

Make sure to head over to Leann’s blog to keep up to date with their little family, the oh-so-dashing Mr. Parker and sweet-as-can-be, London Kate, as well as their blog about life in Argentina.

The ABC’s of Christian Parenting

A – Affirm who your children are in Christ.

B – Build a foundation of love and trust.

C – Communicate openly and often.

D – Discipline consistently and fairly.

E – Expect the best of them.

F – Forgive frequently.

G – Give unconditional love.

H – Help them to grow spiritually.

I – Invest time in them.

J – Join in family night fun.

K – Keep Christ central in your home.

L – Live what you teach.

M – Make your home atmosphere positive.

N – Notice and commend achievements.

O – Organize family vacations

P – Pray for them faithfully.

Q – Quote Scripture when appropriate.

R – Release them as they’re ready.

S – Set a good example.

T – Train them well in the ways of the Lord

U – Understand their God – given gifts.

V – Value each child individually.

W – Welcome creativity.

X – eXplain why when you say no.

Y – Yearn to see them become all they can be.

Z – Zero in on Christian values.

Thank you again for sharing this Leann!!! Love you friend!!

really? already?

It’s hard to believe the little mister is already 6 1/2 months.

Here’s a shot of my always-pajama-clad son…in a pile of…hold your breath…clean laundry.

Shocking. I know.

Laundry and I keep our distance from one another…for the sake of the relationship we’ve determined it’s better if we each do our “own thing”.

I wash and dry it.

It decorates our master bedroom.

So far things are working out just fine.

…..

Oh. Seth. 6 1/2 months. Right.

Yep…that means one thing…it was time for these guys to get in on the meal planning action yet again.

When I first started homemade baby food with Hope I went the route of freezing in ice cube trays…seems to be recommended by every site and book I read.

But I did not like them.

Not one bit.

And, one day, as I was feeding the lovey girl a jar of Earth’s Best pears (which, by the way, as far as store bought baby food goes, this is the best), I realized I could kill two birds with one stone.

Recycle the jars AND have perfectly portioned baby food servings.

Done and done.

Needless to say, in a very short amount of time I amassed quite a collection of jars and it was so much easier to pour the homemade goosh into the jars, pop a lid on, and put ’em in the freezer.

And, aside from loaning a handful of them out to a friend, they’ve just been holding up prime real estate in one of our kitchen drawers.

A.whole.drawer.

They take up so much space, you know, with all the lids and such.

But their time has come.

To return to the freezer and dinner table because the little guy is really getting into this solids thing.

It took awhile.

I should have started him at 4 months like we did with Hope.

But I decided this time around that it goes by so fast…why rush?

Well, let me pass on my advice. Rush. Rush those little people right to rice cereal.

I have a slew of theories and this is one of ’em. I have two whole case studies to back this one up so it’s even mildly sound.

We started Hope at 4 months and never had one bit of resistance.

Seth…5 1/2 months…and the child was resistant.

As in clenched jaw.

As in I put my pinky in the side of his mouth to get it to open and then, quick as lightening, slipped the food in.

I know what you’re thinking…that adorable face…stubborn? No. You must be mistaken.

Mistaken I am not. Stubborn? Yes. Very.

So, 4 months with Hope, no trouble; 5 1/2 months with Seth, a battle of the wills. My theory is start ’em early before they’re old enough to be too stubborn.

🙂

My favorite part of those battles…we’re beyond them so I can laugh about them now…was the day I asked Hope to tell Seth who always wins.

“Mama. Mama and Daddy always win brother.”

🙂

The Vitamix has come in super handy yet again. Absolutely earning it’s keep…best blender ever.

And, due to some tummy troubles, the little guy is eating all those rich in fiber foods.

This concoction seems to be his favorite.

Pears, carrots, spinach, and apple juice.

Yum…eat up little man…now that we’re past the I-will-not-and-no-you-can’t-make-me phase (to which I responded “Oh yes I can”), the boy puts food away.

Your Daddy and Uncle Jo have big plans for some intense man time.

And you’re going to need to grow big and strong if you plan to keep up with ’em!

*Making all this baby food…stocking it away and such reminded me to be SO thankful that we have the opportunity to provide adequate nutrition for our little people. So thankful.

this’ll only take a minute…

Famous last words right?

20 minutes later…and the clock is still ticking…

Well this really will only take a minute…or maybe 5…

I mentioned we had a very successful treasure hunting trip to our local Goodwill a little over a week ago…pictures of our finds are in order. Plus…a peek at my $10 Craigslist steal.

And let’s just call these purchases what they are…cheap…in cost…not character…quality? Debatable.

But beauty is in the eye of the beholder right? And besides? Who really wants to spend a fortune decorating their home?

Not me.

The cheaper the better I say!

So in no particular order…

No…silly.

I didn’t find these 2 there. Just brought them along…certainly makes walking the narrow and moth-ball infused lanes a bit trickier!

First up…and let me preface this by saying that I actually purchased 4 of these bowls (2 minis & 2 mediums) but the precious girl checking me out, who told me she wrapped them up, in fact just stacked all 4 of them and wrapped 1 piece of newspaper around them…needless to say, 2 broke…1 mini and 1 medium…what do ya do?

Anyway…I L.O.V.E. these bowls. White and whimsical…and I KEEP FINDING THEM. I have a few others scattered throughout the house so imagine my excitement when I found 4 more!!! Down to 2 more and still excited…at .49 cents a pop they’re a steal!

These crates are already making themselves useful down in my kitchen…I’d originally thought I would paint them but they’re doing such a wonderful job holding sweet potatoes and onions I think I’ll just let them be…just .59 cents a piece!

This little tray is also in the kitchen…very busy corralling my EVOO, utensil jar, and salt dish (another find, from another day that I’d better show soon…too cute). It will be getting a make-over…plus a little chalkboard paint…then it’ll really be stylin’! This one was .99…love.cheap.finds!

As far as finds go this one is hard to beat…a Pier1 tea pot…for $3.99! I knew it was a keeper when I saw it…did ya notice it’s white?…but I was really curious as to what it retailed for…somewhere in the ball park of $15…ah…one good bath later it’s ready for tea!

I’ve been wanting to put chalkboard paint on something for quite some time…and this looks like it’ll make a great little message board…after the carrots bid every farewell…say “bye bye” carrots.

This was one of three pieces on this venture that will get a touch of chalkboard paint on them…so excited.

.79 cents.

So.

Excited.

A few pillow cases that are an identical match to the color of our sofa fabric will soon be given a new life as throw pillows…with some Pottery Barn inspiration, home made style, to boot! These were .99 a piece and they had three racks full of pillow cases…three…

And finally…the piece that is actually knee deep in it’s make-over as we speak…this beauty:

I know…it really doesn’t look like much now, but trust me…it’s looking pretty.darn.adorable. with it’s new coat of white paint and…can you guess? Chalkboard paint!!!

It’s just the thing I’ve been looking for to finish up the little lady’s big girl bed room.

Magnetic? Check.

Chalkboard? Check.

I was pretty pleased with the $4.99 sticker after flipping the frame over and seeing that someone paid $17.99 for just the frame. Deal.

Okay…now…the cherry on top of my latest venture into the world of bargain decorating…where to begin???

Ah yes…All Bower Power…

One of the three blogs I religiously stalk.

And one day while reading the latest post by the fabulously creative and frugal, not to mention downright hilarious, Katie Bower I saw a picture of her coffee table.

I immediately fell for it. Hard.

Well, late last week I was keeping myself entertained by scouring Craigslists…I do this periodically just to see what people are selling…you’d be surprised what you find.

And then I spotted it.

Coffee table.

$10.

I was curious so I took a look.

And I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw an octagon table just.like.the.one. in Katie’s living room.

After sending a quick email to the seller I fully prepared myself for it to be sold or a hoax.

The next morning the seller wrote back, “two people in front of you…if I don’t hear from either of them I’ll let you know.”

Two whole people. It’s a goner…why would either one of them pass at this?

“Okay…sounds good. Just let me know if you don’t sell it. I’d love to purchase it if neither of them does…here’s my number…”

Not 10 minutes later I got a call back.

It was mine if I wanted it.

And you know I said yes!

So here it is…in all its undressed-I-need-a paint-job-glory.

Even though nothing says pretty like a fresh coat of white paint, I’m thinking Chandelier Sparkle will suit this table nicely…my hubby suggested “leaving the cane as is for a little bit of depth”.

He’s quite the decorator. He just wouldn’t tell you that…you know…to keep up pretenses.

🙂

I’ll see how it looks…might be just the ticket to make this $10 find look like a million bucks!

Well you know the next thing I had to do was send an email to miss Katie…let her know…I thought she’d be just as giddy as I was.

And you know what?

She was.

In all her past-her-due-date-craziness she even took time to write back…isn’t that just so nice??? I’m sure she has at least 10 other things to do while she waits for her little one to arrive…but she did.

And guess what? She only paid $10 for her coffee table too!

No kidding.

The moral of this story: you’d better keep your eyes peeled…maybe these octagon coffee tables of old are the latest craze…and if you’re lucky you might just score one for $10 yourself!!!

So…those are my finds. Not only are they bargains but it’s nice to give something a second wind…much better than buying something new for twice the price and it keeps it out of the trash. Done and done.

Who says you can’t put together a spiffy place to call home without spending a fortune. A little creativity. A little scavenging. And a whole lotta fun!

And seeing as Goodwill treasure hunts seem to be posted about daily in blog land,  I’m curious what great finds you might have found? Any thing you’re giving a second wind? Maybe you’ve just been inspired and now you’re heading out to find your own treasures…dumpster diving… 🙂 Either way you go about it I’d love to see pictures if you’ve got. Stories? Do tell.

Happy Treasure Hunting!!!

Spring cleaning the schedule

I’ve never participated in anything related to Spring cleaning…

Ever.

My mom was the “tidy up” type.

Deep cleaning wasn’t a term I learned until much later.

And even then…well, have you met my little people?

This is Hope…age 2…

Very busy girl. Lots of questions. Always finding some new way to turn our home into her very own jungle gym.

Probably should have skipped the Curious George books at bedtime.

🙂

And this is Seth…6 1/2 months…

He’s added a little tooth to that gummy grin since this picture was taken but you get the idea…he’s lively!

Seth loves toys and being entertained. So content and chatty…sounds like a dinosaur…or at least the way Hollywood has informed me they sound…

Needless to say…the plate is a little.bit.full. and although I think cleaning every nook and cranny sounds like so much fun…I can’t justify it.

Not right now.

Not all at once.

Not with little people around who are growing up so fast.

That’s not to say there aren’t a few things getting tidied up around here…closets…I have tackled all but one of our closets…and the afters are good.

The kitchen cupboards are next.

I will be as ruthless with them as I was with my collection of unworn shoes.

Big plans…just need to find the time…

One little bit of tidying up that went on not too long ago was to our daily/weekly schedule.

The idea was sparked because my friend, Meg, builds a fort for her little people every Monday…by the way, Meg…if you’re reading this I’d really like to see pictures…I’m sure everyone else would too…plus I’d like to know all about it!

And so all week long they can look forward to Monday being fort day!!!

Isn’t that a great idea?!!?

Well it got me to thinking about how crazy Meg would be if every day was fort day!!!

Can you just imagine the hair pulling that would go on???

And it would be such a shame because Meg has great hair.

Well, anyway…it got me to thinking about the hair pulling that was going on around here because there are so many things I was trying to fit into our day and I was SO frustrated that it wasn’t working.

Then it hit me…please cue laughter at my ignorance now…I don’t have to do EVERYTHING EVERY DAY.

Oh…

Imagine my relief.

I just needed to be a bit more scheduled…a little bit more organized…so I made a list of everything I wanted to fit in…crafts, music, baking, Spanish, Bible verses, etc.

Some of these things go on daily…like the quiet time we do with Hope in the morning or the devotions we do before Daddy leaves for work.

But some only happen weekly.

Like Little Pim.

For some time Monday has been Little Pim day.

Little Pim…as in the Spanish speaking (and 9 other languages, including English, for that matter) panda.

And so every Monday, we watch one of three 35 minute DVDs. They’re so great because they’re broke down into 5 minute segments that can be watched a little here and a little there if you want.

We want it all at once.

They’re that good.

Let me put it this way, total, I spent 4 years “studying” Spanish. I say that very loosely because I’d like to think that after 4 years of anything I’d have something to show for it.

But I don’t.

Nothin’.

Other than the handful of words that are just obvious due to growing up in New Mexico.

Well, let me tell you…I’m learning Spanish. Albeit…vocabulary and basic sentence structure but folks that’s a big deal for me!

It was important to us that our children have an opportunity to become bilingual at the most opportune time in their lives…right now. So for Christmas 2009, Little Pim was on the wish-list.

Alex’s dad and mom delivered…we’re so grateful!

Little Pim was developed by Julia Pimsleur Levine. She’s a mother as well as the daughter of renowned language teacher, Paul Pimsleur.

Long story short, she wanted a quality tool to teach language to her children.

Thank you Julia!!!!! We love it and are learning!!!

Anyway…Monday is Little Pim, every other Tuesday is craft day (because I’m not so confident I’ll be able to come up with enough crafts for the little lady and I don’t want to crash before really taking off!), Wednesday is baking day…yes this is every week thank.you.very.much., Thursday is music day, and Friday is a free day.

Do you know how wonderful it is to feel like, amidst the craziness of just keeping a house running, somewhat tidy, and feeding little bellies I’m not going to just rush through these sweet moments without purpose?

Pretty darn wonderful.

So…although the house may not be spick n’ span it’s sure gonna be filled with love, laughter, and some sweet moments!

Now, I’m curious what your days look like? Are you as desperate for a game plan as I am in order to get stuff done? Do you fly by the seat of your pants and manage to fit it all in…I know there are some of you super moms out there? What are the activities of choice around your place? Any cute craft ideas for toddlers? Please share…I’m always looking for ideas!

*By the way…did you notice the glass table top Pim and his DVD buddies were sitting on? I’m not going to get into too much but I will tell you 2 important things about it: Craigslist & $10. Steal of a deal.

late night…

He came…it was foretold…and He came…to ransom sinners…to lay down His life that this clay pot and many others would have the opportunity of a lifetime…to move from slavery to death into life as a bond-servant to Almighty God…He came…and gave up all…for clay pots…

But, as is the case on many occassions, I’ve found another source that puts it better.

The other day I mentioned the new CD that came in the mail…and this song is so appropriate…a reminder…to not forget how a relationship with God Almighty was made possible…

Redemption Song

Voice of mercy, breath of God

Life from life, sustaining us

Earth below and skies above

Beautiful redemption’s song

Melodies like morning rise

Darkness leaning toward the dawn

Into our sorrow sings the light

A beautiful redemption song

Hallelujah, love is come

Hallelujah, God with us

Hope restored and death undone

Beautiful redemption song

Weeping will not last the night

Nor will sadness be for long

Joy was born of sacrifice

Beautiful redemption song

Let the wounded come and see

Empty grave and lifted stone

Sinners saved and captives free

A beautiful redemption song

Hallelujah, love is come

Hallelujah, God with us

Hope restored and death undone

Beautiful redemption song

Beautiful redemption song

Beautiful redemption song
And…very soon…an interview (!!!) with the very talented Adie Camp and an opportunity to win Just You and Me, her latest album. But…in case you just can’t wait to hear Redemption Song for yourself…you can purchase the full album here or via the always convenient I.Tunes!

Have a blessed weekend as you celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus!