Diggin In

Well the process has begun and we have started our dream home! It seems to be going very slowly right now, but I have been told things will really start to move once we have walls...we'll see! Its so exciting to be doing something that we have always talked about and dreamed about. When you first get married you have all these wonderful ideas of what your future will hold, but things happen...jobs, kids, bills, vacations, weddings, and well life! I never put it out of my mind, but it definitely went to the way back, something I thought was just not going to happen. That was okay, I mean we have 2 great kids, a happy marriage, a roof over our heads and wonderful friends and family to fill up our lives so a dream home is just not on the "must have" list! Watching this process from the ground up is both exciting and nerve wrecking! 

Kids standing in the hole...strange really.

Basement forms have shown, up and the walls should be poured today...fingers crossed!

Looking forward to all the fun to come with design choices, paint colors, and decorating!!

String

I have had so many projects on my To Do list on Pinterest that it is CRAZY!! I am just finally getting to some of them.  One of the many projects that I finally finished is Name String Art. To complete this project you need:

• board (can be any size, depending on where you're hanging it)
• string (I used embroidery thread, cheap and great color selection)
• nails, preferably small ones
• hammer
• paint

Time to start!!

1. To begin, I painted my board. I just used some craft paint I had around, but you could use almost any type.
2. While the paint is drying, I used my Silhouette Cameo, to cut out letters to fit the size of my board. I then printed and cut them out. I went simple for my son, but plan to get a little more fancy for my daughters!
3. Next I took the letters and laid them out on the board. Once I got them adjusted I traced around them with a pencil, this will help with the nail placement.
4. Now its time to do some hitting!! I started by placing nails in all the corners of the letters. Then spaced them out about a 1/2 inch apart. I hit them til they were about 1/2 inch above the wood. I did this for each of the letters...thankfully my son has a short name! 
5. Then the fun of playing with string came. I started by knotting the string on one of the corner nails. I then wrapped it around the outside creating an outline of the letter. Once that was complete, I started to just criss-cross from side to side and top to bottom. I did this until I felt it was enough. Then I tied off the string. (Make sure that as you are twisting and wrapping you keep your string tight, and go slow. I ended up having my sting come off a few times, ARG!!)
6. Now you are all done and ready to hang it up!! I can't wait to do the next one and would LOVE to make a BIG one for my kitchen!

Still Here

Wow! So much has happened since last I posted. I am making it a priority to keep up with this blog more and update about all my crafting and fun projects! 
Speaking of projects, it's official we have sold our house and are building our dream home! I am excited and anxious all at the same time. I know that it will be fun choosing all the finishes, but the details could be the death of me! 
I'm planing to create a specific blog all about the house so those who want to follow along can. Our family is doing well. Kids are glad that summer is here and we are able to spend time at the beach and the pool!  I also can't figure out how in the world I have a 4th and 6th grader! And don't worry I've got crafty ideas coming your way!!

Goodbye

Tonight brings back some really hard memories. 5 years ago tonight I didn't say goodbye. I thought, I always have tomorrow. But there wasn't a tomorrow.
5 years ago today you left the physical world. But took a piece of me with you. Where there is joy, there is always a bit of sadness.
I know I always have you with me and lately have seen much of you in myself. We talk of you often and remember all of the good times.
I miss you...and hope that I make you proud.

Happy Holidays

Hope that everyone had a VERY Merry Christmas and  Happy New Year!!  Ours started out a little slow...the flu slowly worked its way through all of us and thankfully we didn't get hit too bad. Toby took on the worst and ended up missing our family Christmas party.
Happily though we were all feeling much better by Christmas Eve and got to enjoy some family fun together! We started a new family tradition...Chinese for dinner followed by a fun/cheesy Christmas movie! This year we enlightened our children to the fun of Elf (Its one of my favorites!!)
Our elf Chip was pretty adventurous this year and definitely had some FUN!! Here is a look at his adventures this year:

I've of course jumped in the fun of crafting again!! I made some of the gifts again this year and plan to post a tutorial of how to make the FUN fleece blankets I gave the kids this year!

Upcoming posts include:

Fleece blankets

Freezer Meals

Snow Storm

Redecorating

Subway Art

Gone

Wow!! Its been too long! A lot has happened in the last months, the kids have aged, we moved (then moved back) started a new school year, celebrated my dad's 80th birthday, enjoyed some time with family and friends, took in some baseball, and so much more!!
I am back and plan to continue to post not only family updates, but I've have been on a major crafting spree lately that I MUST share all the fun!!
To start I first want to say how thankful I am for all that I have...the many friends, the loving family, a roof over my head, a great job, food to eat, and too many more to list. I hope you are able to take some time in the next couple of days to show your thankfulness to the ones you love!!

10

As we have hit a milestone...10 years, a decade, I spent some time thinking about what lessons and thoughts I wanted to share with Emmah. She may not appreciate all of these yet, but she will and learn to understand them too. 

1. You won’t be liked by everyone and that’s all right. However, I strongly encourage you to BE YOURSELF even if others don’t recognize how special you are. I'm sure this will take awhile to settle in, it did for me, but in the end you're a wonderful person and if someone doesn't see that...they are missing out! "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends." (Dumbledore-Harry Potter) Don't be afraid to fight for what you believe in. As I heard many times from Memah..."Kill them with kindness, and don't stup to their level and be the better person. None of which will be easy.

2. Always ask questions...no question is a dumb question, unless it goes unasked. There will always be something to question and an answer to look for...get out there and ask!

3. Keep smiling. It’s a cure for common sadness and can truely "make" someones day. Laughter is the best medicine and even in tough times a smile can warm the heart.

4. Dream BIG!! Believe that no matter what it is you want to do you can do it and we are always behind you, cheering you on along the way. It may seem impossible some days, but the more you push and perservere the closer that goal will become to reality. 

5. Don’t do favors or charity with the expectation of getting something in return, or having the favors returned to you. Do them because it makes you smile and warms your heart. Compassion for others is  gift to share...share it!

6. You’ll have your heart broken at some point, and you’ll inevitably break someone else’s. Pick up the pieces, hold your head high and look for love again. Sometimes...when you're not really looking at all you'll find it right in front of you. Let yourself love and be loved. Eventually, you'll find that one true love and when you do, your heart really will skip a beat, and and feel whole in their presence. Love isn't easy, but worth the work!

7. Always write thank you's...take the time to write a short note to the person to let them know you appreciated their thoughtfulness. As your Memah always said "If you're not thankful you don't receive."

8. Dad and I will embarrass you in front of your friends. This is inescapable, and at some point in your life you’ll appreciate the fact that we were weird,. Until then, please try to exercise some patience. Every crazy, wacky, and weird thing we do or say is, only because we love you. And that will NEVER change!! All the crazy years that are to come...the fights, the yelling its all bound to happen, but we'll always be here and LOVE you no matter what! We will tell you "We love you" (and won't tire of hearing you say it!) and will love you everyday, even if some days you don't think we do. You hold a special place in our hearts and that can NEVER be replaced!

9. Keep your family close, and surround yourself with wonderful friends. Family is there no matter what...when you make the wrong choices, the right choices and every step in-between. When you find the right friends they will become like family and fill the gaps, join you in laughter, cheers, and sometimes tears. They will you always believe in you and be there through thick and thin.

10. You are beautiful inside and out. You won’t always feel that way when your stand in front of a mirror, or with your friends. I know this struggle all to well, and kids and the world can be tough and sometimes down right MEAN. Striving to be perfect will only cause you more frustration, be content in who you are and always believe that's enough because to the right people it is.

Emmah Ruth Bloemers...you are an AMAZING miracle that has been brought into our lives. You bring us joy, laugher, smiles, frustration, and happiness. You will never fully understand how much we LOVE you until, hopefully someday you are blessed with a child of your own. Until then know that we are always here and love you til the end. Watch out world she is just getting started and she is going to be SPECTACULAR!