WILW

I'm linking up with Jamie today to share my loves of this week.

 1. Gracie got some sparkle Toms for her birthday from her aunt and uncle. So cute! These are the turquoise ones. I will have to get a different color for fall.

 

 

2. White Collar.  I Am OBSESSED!! I always get hooked on shows through Netflix.  First it was True Blood, then it was Bones, and now, White Collar.  Does anyone watch this? It's so good!

3.  I am loving the way my sweet girl likes to nap in the living room watching Sprout.

4.  I am not a Toms girl myself, I like more dressy flats or heels, but I do love these pink herringbone Toms for Gracie, and I love me some squeaky shoes!

5.  I love this article written by Samantha at Crafty Texas Girls.  She wrote about some health statistics and trends in fast food and mass produced processed food.  The facts are overwhelming.  I don't eat the healthiest and y'all know how I feel about Chick-fil-a, but it did make me question what I put in my body just a little more.  Gracie eats pretty healthy 95% of the time, but Eric and I really need to improve what we eat.  I have already stopped drinking coke, and stopped using artificial sweeteners, so that's a start.  I'm not big into buying all organic, it's just not realistic for us, but the part that really got to me what that cake, candy, happy meals, and chips are marketed as "kid friendly".  I need to start looking as food to fuel my body.

6.  I love that Gracie girl loves to push her babies around in her stroller, but then she'll stop, throw them out, and get in it herself and look at me until I push her around it it, haha

 

7.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE Picasa and Picnik! I have created so many fun things!! I am so sad that Picnik is going away soon, they have such cute fonts.  I created these recipe cards in Picasa, then added the "from the kitchen of..." in Picnic, then back to picasa for the regular font.  I am loving these recipe cards.  I am making it a goal to put all of my favorite and well used recipes on these cards, laminate them, and that way they will be easy to get out and wipe down.

 

Spring Cleaning!

I am feeling the spring cleaning bug!!  I really hate to take the time to do it, but it really needs to be done and I know I'll feel so much better after it's finished.  I have made a list of things I want to get done during March and April, then divided that number by the number of weeks in left to spend a realistic amount of time on each project and not get overwhelmed with anything.  I am giving myself 9 weeks because I'm counting this week, and the last week of April.  So that means by May this will all be done.  I'm posting this here to keep me accountable and to serve as a reminder.

9 weeks kind of sounds like a long time, but I REALLY want to deep clean everything! And, I work 4 days a week so I'm limited on the time I have available to complete these.  And let's be honest, even when I am home with Gracie it's hard enough to find time to complete these because I'm constantly chasing her around!  So I made these cute little cards for each week.  

Hopefully I will be able to stay on track and get everything done. I plan to laminate them, add a magnet to the back and stick on the fridge for an extra reminder =)

I would love to hear what's on your spring cleaning list to make sure I didn't miss anything!

Semi Recap/Misc. Monday

We just stayed around the house this weekend and didn’t do much of anything because G was still recuperating so I’m doing this bullet point style =)

1. I made the best spaghetti ever this weekend, recipe to come

2. I forgot to include this in Gracie’s birthday post {here} but I made these really cute and easy water bottle labels. I ordered the stickers from ebay for like $2 for 24 of them. Then I just cut out scrapbook paper and secured it around the existing label with the sticker. Easy peasy!

3. And this picture of the birthday girl was left out of the original post. It is too cute not to share

4. I have no projects or sewing things to share this week. With her birthday craziness, then her getting sick, this girl hasn’t gotten much sleep and I just wasn’t feeling up to it. Besides, I have SOOO much work stuff to do that I brought some home this weekend, ugh:

5. I ordered this cute cuff bracelet custom made from Blissful Bird Designs on Etsy. It is so cute, and I can’t wait to wear it! I also ordered my friend one from there that said “don’t stop believin”. It was her son’s 1st birthday on Saturday and it was her “momma present”. Because let’s face it, our kids birthdays are about us too =) Anyway, that song always makes me think of her because she used to sing it all the time.

6. Gracie ate a cookie for the first time. I normally don’t let her have junk, but since she didn’t get to go with me to the birthday party on Saturday and have a piece of cake I gave her a thin mint. She wasn’t sure at first,

But this is what she thought of it after a few bites:

7. I am REALLY wanting to go shopping for some cute spring clothes. I really am trying to have restraint though because my closet is SO full and I just need to get more creative and stop wearing the same things in the same ways. I’m really just wanting some new shoes.

I think that’s all I have for now. Did everyone have a great weekend?

The Day My Baby Turned 1

Wednesday {G’s actual birthday} was quite an eventful day {you can read about that here}  But I want to take a minute to write a little letter to my sweet girl since this blog doubles as her baby book =)

To my sweet Gracie Girl,

I can’t believe you are 1 year old.  I say that with absolute disbelief.  Looking back, I realize how clueless I was about what it would feel like to love you.  It seems just like yesterday I was dreaming about what you would be like, and here you are, just running around, playing with everything, and lighting up our lives.  I can’t even imagine what our lives would be like without you in it.  I am your momma and although I am supposed to lead and guide you, it is you who has taught us so much more.  You have helped me grow in my relationship with the Lord, taught me about the important things in life, and taught me what it feels like to love so recklessly.

I love the way your sweet baby giggles fill our home.  I love the way you light up when you recognize someone you love.  I love the way you are so curious about this big world.  You have filled our hearts and home with an unexplainable love.  Everything about you, is more than I could have ever dreamed you would be.

Having you as a daughter has been the most incredibly humbling experience of my life, to know that God trusted your daddy and I to be your parents and shape your little life.  I pray every day that I can be the best momma that YOU need, and to love you the way God loves you.  The love we feel for you is just a slight fraction of the love God has for all of His children.  I pray that we can lead you to know that truth and to trust God with everything.  I pray that not a day goes by that you don’t know the love I feel for you.

I sit in awe as I watch your little personality come out each and every day.  Every day, you amaze me with your sweetness, your ability to learn so much in such a little time, and your ability to show your love to us.  Being your mom is the BEST part of me, and I thank God for trusting me with that responsibility. With His grace and guidance, I pray that He shows me how to love you the way He does and to make the right decisions for YOU.

As much as I want to keep you this little forever, I know that as you grow you will do great and wonderful things.  I hope you always know that you are so special and so beautiful and loved beyond measure.

You are sleeping right now, but I sit here and look at pictures of you all over, I am filled with overwhelming love and gratitude.  I know that time goes by way too fast and so I cherish each and every moment with you.

So although it was your birthday and you get all the presents, the real gift belongs to me and to those who know you.  Because to know you is to love you.  You are the BEST gift to me.  My cup runneth over for you, my dear.

Happy first birthday my sweet Gracie Ann