Design on a Dime Valentine's Day

This last weekend I finally decided to decorate my table for Valentine’s Day. Since we do not have a mantel in our home our kitchen table’s centerpieces are usually where I get to decorate for the season. Down fall decorating a mantel is so much prettier. Perk you don’t need a lot to make an effective punch!

Since I am a starving art student along with the rest of the many hats I wear I don’t like to spend a bunch on décor if I can help it. (Which we all know, this translates to my husband would have a fit and I can justify it better by spending lessJ) Since I know a lot of people can’t afford a huge amount on décor I thought I would share this thrifty but impacting idea!

I took a trip to our local Dollar Tree (Dollar Store) and picked up these adorable cylinder vases. Total for these $2

 Since I have three kids and not a hint of green thumb in my body I opted to use fake red flowers (roses) as a filler, I got 3 for each vase.  Total for these $6

So that is a total of $9 including taxes!

When I got home though I was a little upset with the fact that there was a lot of green showing through the vase, I happened to have rose petals here at the house, which you can find at Wal-Mart for usually 97 cents for a bag of 500.

This brings my total to about $10

Last night I added my “Love” blocks which I purchased at Target last year for $2.50.

SOOOO we are at about $14 including tax (complete guess-timation)

I have had the glass squares for many years and they have changed homes (the bedroom, bathroom, living room, and now our kitchen) So I can’t remember the price of them. :/ And I don’t really count them in lol.

SO lets recap!

Vases: $2

Flowers: $6

Rose Petals: $1

“Love” Blocks: $2.50

Total: $11.50!

 Don’t forget though to add your area tax which will bring my final total to…

$12.30

2012 in a Nutshell

It’s that time of year, the count down to the end of 2012! We are 2 weeks away till Christmas and boy am I NOT ready! I have yet to start shopping…. :/ I keep saying I will start earlier each year but seems like I wait later and later.  Such is life!

2012 has been an exciting year for us and the first full year we have spent in Arkansas. The girls have transitioned well, with the help of technology they are able to keep in better contact with family via, texting, calls and emails. I have yet allowed them on social networking since I think that they are still a little young for it.

All 3 girls are in school now and I experienced a lot of mixed emotions on this! Aaliyah is in Kindergarten and loving it. She is beginning to read and I am in awe with how far she has come in 5 months! Alora is a straight A student and loving 3^rd grade. She is my social butterfly and is always talking about playground gossip. (Laughs) Dakota is in 5^th grade and still in the gifted program; she was picked to compete in her school spelling bee later this week so she is excited. This is her last year in Elementary School before she is advanced in to Middle School. In May 2013 I will have the honors in seeing 2 of the girls “graduate”.

All 3 girls have picked a home church and goes with Alora’s BFF. They will be participating in the Christmas program this year, and yes I will be going (Pray the walls don’t fall around us). They are all in JBQ (Junior Bible Quiz), and seem to love the education they are receiving about God and his wonderful word. I am so blessed that Alora’s friend’s mom allows them to join her and her kids.

Anthony has stared his schooling for his electrical license and seems to be excited about it. When he isn’t at work or school; he still enjoys watching movies and being outside, either playing ball, or outside with the kids.

As for me I am a stay at home slacker , I mean mom, I am right at my one year mark in school and I maintain the kids, hubby and house. WtP is slowly picking up and the custom gifts is getting there too. Hard work is starting to pay off. I am excited to start new things with both departments in WtP and continue my schooling. I am still looking for a job, just something for extra cash and keep me from brainstorming too much.

2012 has been a year of blessing and a new road for us. We are looking forward to what 2013 will bring for us and if we will be closer to reaching our goals.

Happy 2013 you guys!

Thanksgiving

I know that Halloween is still not over and we have trick or treating this week, but I can not help but start thinking about Thanksgiving. Yes I plan ahead because things tend to sneak up on me!
This will be my first year for hosting. I will be sharing the menu and reciepes with you guys while I plan it out more and more! Until then Have a safe halloween!

1 Year later!

Tomorrow marks one year here in Arkansas! Time is flown by here. We have finally gotten to know the area a little more, and we have gotten into the full swing of life in Arkansas. Here are a few pictures to recap our first year!

 

 

Spooktacular Villa!

                I love the fall though I have told you all this many times before. This last weekend we decorated the house a little more for the Halloween this is always a fun task at our house. With three girls this can be such a challenging fun. We used a lot of fake webbing and about 150 plastic spiders! Leave bags and glow in the dark skeletons! Paper Lanterns, mini scarecrows, and lots more! This was a lot of fun! Here are some snap shots of the new décor!

 

Alora Parties!

 

This last Saturday Alora, my middle daughter, had her 9^th birthday party. It was a hit! She wanted a wild life theme, and though she is getting older this was not as easy as it sounds.

I looked all over Little Rock for some wild life, non-baby, themed birthday stuff. A task that I should have started earlier. We ordered the cake through Sanctified Cakes and I was as always pleased with the outcome. They have a Facebook page here and if you are ever in the area or live in the area I HIGHLY recommend them!

 

Alora was blessed enough to have received an out pour of birthday wishes from family and friends, she was also showered with gifts and cards and money from all around her! She received a bow and arrow, quiver, lots of makeup and jewelry, a new purse, Mirror Mirror DVD, Novi Star dolls, Silver Mist doll, BFF frames, nail polish.

We want to thank everyone who took the time to wish her happy birthday; this warms my heart to see how many people thought of her on her special day.

We had out of town guest come down just for her, her grandpa, aunt and uncle came to join us for the special day, our neighbors also came and joined us, as did my god-father. Thank you all for being here in person and we know that we had MANY more here in spirit who could not have joined us in person. They are not forgotten!

I will be taking her 9 year pictures this week and I am so excited for her to learn to shoot her bow and arrow and praying for NO ER trips due to it! J

Here are some pictures of the party for you all! ENJOY!

 

Happy Birthday!

Nine years ago today, I gave birth to my second child and my second daughter. Alora Diane joined us at 8:04 in the morning, the year was 2003.She was 7lbs, 10 oz and 20 inches long. I was a week from my 19^th birthday and I was so overwhelmed with the thought of having #2.

There are things that people do not understand truly until they personally experience it and this my friends was one of them.

I never thought I could love another like I did my first child. I had always wondered how a human’s heart could carry that much love, I always wondered what it felt like to love something so unconditional and so evenly dispersed.

As a mother you get the joys of finding and experiencing that type of “LOVE”.  I thank God everyday for my 3 beautiful girls. I know now why he has blessed me with girls and not a boy.

To Alora,

I am so proud to be your mother! You are my peace keeper, my social butterfly; my tender heart, my dare devil. You are a beautiful, loving child and I can never express how much I love and are proud of you! I want you to know that you are going to be great at whatever God has planned for you and I am honored to be the one to guide you into the right direction! Happy Birthday!!! I LOVE YOU!