Sharing a friends new creation :)

   This is just a post to share a friends recently published cookbook! It's filled with delicious desserts planned around being able to ship them to loved ones and also able to just be made for your loved ones nearby as well. I just had to share because I'm excited for her and wish her the best success following her passion to make wonderful things for her family's enjoyment in the midst of a very hectic professional life as a wonderful high risk OBGYN. Just love her and wanted to share her new project! 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1490882537/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr0_1?qid=1440819102&sr=8-1-fkmr0&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=dr+kathleen+edmunds

Thanks for stopping in!

Lots of love,

Momma Mia :)

Baby Brother Soon to be Here !

Big brother ❤️

Little brother ❤️

   In just a couple of weeks our new little addition will be arriving and my sweet little three year old baby will be promoted to Big Brother! We all are so excited and as it comes closer my whole hope and focus is to make my little one feel a special part of it all and my new little one transition and thrive happily! 

   It's funny how your thoughts change from the first blessing to the second. The first only makes you worry about everything being perfect still but in a very different way! With my first I wanted the nursery perfect, the clothes ready, toys and accessories for every need in place, and me to do the best I could taking care and chugging water to nurse him successfully. My whole focus was on one little angel coming home healthy and happy. 

   Well, as a side note, we were ready with supplies and accessories, but I had to have an emergency delivery due to preeclampsia with that little man so things went a little differently than planned. I did not nest, but instead my lovely mom did for me! Specifically she emergency nested in forty eight hours and throughout the night after I was put in the hospital! She was a huge blessing and the reason things were organized when we arrived home. I kept thinking I had time and surprise I did not! :) 

   Back to the things different for me this pregnancy, I am nesting and possibly not even the natural nesting, but more of the panic nesting in case something crazy happens! :) We have most of what we need so it's just special purchases for our new baby and special things for his brother. Most importantly though, my mental planning is so different. I want so much to make sure my oldest feels a part of everything and knows how special he is to us all while bringing our new little one home! I want our new little one to get all of the attention he needs as well! It's iust strange how from one to two little ones the planning for me mentally seems more intense. I just want the love to be felt from us abundantly and in a special way for both little angels in our family. :) 

   Currently my son is so excited and just keeps asking when his brother will be done growing? "Is he still growing, growing mommy?" He asks me often. Hehugs and kisses and talks to my belly often and his little brother responds to him like no one else! It's precious and I'm so excited to see when he gets to welcome him home! 

   Praying for a safe delivery and arrival home with a healthy happy new little angel. I am thankful for the blessing of another sweet little gift in our lives and just hoping and praying to do my very best at every moment for our family! 

   I just had to share an update and hope to be posting more often soon! This year just seems to have been so crazy, but I'm thankful for the crazy it has been too!!! 

Baby necessities: Newborn fishing hat ❤️ and precious little super soft baby accessories! 

Thank you for stopping in and continuing to follow!

Lots of Love

Momma Mia

DIY Table Layout! Handmade Place Settings

So my latest project was a simple, no sewing involved, project for my sisters new house! All you need for this project is the fabrics of your choice, a glue gun, a ruler, and scissors.

    She loves natural yet delicate combinations for her decorations and really favors burlap and lace detailing. She just refinished her kitchen table with white paint and wood accents so this was a perfect gift for her.

      Below you can see I just purchased my burlap and cut in length and width I desired. Be sure and place your utensils set or one of similar size into the pockets prior to cutting them and gluing to ensure the place settings are oversized by a little. This allows utensils to fit without hassle and gives a little flexibility if another set is purchased. I would always make sure they are made a little larger rather than smaller just to be safe. As a side note, I purchased a large section of burlap rather then pre cut rolls of burlap because it was much less expensive and it gave me flexibility to really choose the width I wanted without limitation. I made a set of eight for her. 

      I ran a small strip of hot glue on the inside edge I was folding up and over to create my pocket as shown below and then ran a thin strip of glue around entire parameter of the back of the place setting to stop any edges from shredding and shedding those little strings on the burlap. If you don't do this they really will shred quickly. I was having a difficult time just avoiding losing more fabric than I wanted to while I was cutting and placing everything like I wanted it. 

   After my pockets where glued I cut my lace in strips and just used hot glue sparingly and carefully to secure the pieces of lace down into the pocket so the ends were hidden. I also used a touch of hot glue around the back of the place setting so that the edges were all secure and concealed from the front view of the place setting when in use as well. 

   The finished product is below!!! I hope this inspired you to create your own special touch at your kitchen table with burlap place settings or any fabric that fits to your style and preference! This was a fun, no hassle project and I plan to make a set for myself as well!!! Thanks for reading and give me your thoughts on this project! Also, please feel free to share your special kitchen table project ideas with us!! 

~~Momma Mia~~ 

:D 

Outdoor Projects and Decor! Handmade Wind Chimes

   This time of year has everyone out in their yard adding special touches and making lists of special projects! I've come across so many lovely handmade ideas for wind chimes and outdoor decor that I just had to share!!! So here is the most recent thing added to my outdoor project list!!

The below is featured on Crystalarium. They have some beautiful pieces with crystal details. The great thing about this is there will be gentle noises in the breeze and wonderful prisms of color :) 

I really loved the below concept. Take antique pieces and attaches beads, utensils, small antiques and objects that reflect you and your likes! Beautiful and one of a kind! 

I also love the utensil chimes and decorative pieces! Really best reuse of these items and so fun! The reality is that if you enjoy home projects and DIY art then these are not difficult and just really unique and fun! Also, just to buy these already complete they are pretty expensive. Try your hand at creating your own. Then time spent makes it special! If you don't have the time though, which happens to us all, then definitely wonder in to your local craft and decor stores for some beautiful pieces already complete and ready to enjoy! 

Another chime that beautifully displays unique antique pieces, or duplications of them. Love, love this one! 

This really shows how you can take any okect and repurpose it for a chime. Be totally open minded. If you like the look of something upright, upside down, or sideways then make it happens. Use a steamer basket from kitchen, a metal wire basket for fruits, and the list goes on. Flip it upside down and add your attachment to hang the finished piece. Then add anything that clangs with a noise you think is pretty and add pieces that reflect your surrounding, personality, etc!

I really liked the concept of the below piece, but in my mind I would want to add children's handprints and seal them or special sayings that my family enjoys, my kids art on each piece, or all of us painting them together and adding special details! 

Here is another I loved! I just keep seeing so many beautiful ideas!!!! I really want to add this piece to my collection too! 

I am working on making some of these and so are the sweet little helpers in my life!!! Will follow with a post of my little boys wind chime and mine! :)

I hope this sparked some ideas in your mind for some beautiful creations to add to your porch or garden space! Happy creations!!! :) 

Thanks for visiting!!!! Share some of your beautiful creations and ideas with us!! Love seeing the ideas and special pieces!! 

~~Momma Mia~~ :D 

   

   I pray for my family, friends, daily decisions, and the example I set to show others and encourage others. I pray and search for guidance to a strong person relationship with God and also for my family to have the same. I pray at the center of our family for a strong focus and faith in God. I read this post on http://kirkcameron.com/praying-lords-prayer-marriage/ and just really felt the need to share it. I hope others enjoy it as much as I did. I enjoy his posts regularly. It's constant focus on family and relationships with God and each other and they are very wise and encouraging pieces I feel. 

Praying the Lord’s Prayer for Your Marriage

By Darlene Schacht at Time-Warp Wife | January 31, 2015 

It was about ten years ago. I was sitting in the basement with a couple of friends, huddled around our desktop computer. If memory serves me right, they had stopped by to get a little help with setting up their own blog and to taste my borscht. Blogs I knew, but ask me anything else about the computer and I had to call the kids in for help. You know how it goes…

It was around 5:30 pm. That I remember because we had just finished eating dinner together before we went down stairs. Laughing and chatting and clicking away, we kept ourselves busy until something stopped us dead in our tracks.

It was my 12-year old son.

“Thanks for the wonderful meal, Mom!” He hollered down from the kitchen.

Spinning around in her chair, my friend gasped, “What decade are we in?”

And with that we broke out in laughter.

Obviously this was a foreign concept to them, but to us it was an everyday thing.

I remember specifically training my children to thank me after each and every meal. “Bring your dishes to the sink, and thank the person who cooked it.” That was our rule whether they were at home or away.

And not just a simple, “Thanks,” either. I wanted them to pause for a moment and express a little more than one word. I’ll admit it felt silly at times asking someone else to stop and thank me, but it’s my job as their teacher to lead them in truth.

[Read the rest of the article at Time-Warp Wife.]

New Year and New Experiences Already!!!

   Just as the new year arrived we found out we were ready to go and able to start searching for our first home!!! I want to share this new journey that myself and my family are on right now.  It is the first new event of the year for us. We are shopping for our first home purchase! I have to say it is an ever changing, petrifying, emotional roller coaster. The upside is I know when all of this is done, complete, and we have found our perfect little home for our family it will all be worth it. Then I can go in and paint my own walls, hang my own pictures, and put up my own decorations. Let me tell you that is when the diy projects and blogs are going to start happening like crazy! I am so exited to share the journey with people too and all of the experiences of purchasing your first home just so that when you do it or if you have already done it you can share and relate to the experiences. Also, use it as some sort of comfort when you go to purchase your first home if you have yet to. There are days with a lot of stress and low moments and then the happy and well accomplished days with much progress made. 

   The next special event tha presented itself in the new year is finding out we are expecting our second little one! Wow... A new little family member, a new home in the works, and so much change all at once!

   I am searching a lot for guidance and calm. For peace and the ability to trust through every challenge. I fall short so often and it amazes me because I see proof every moment of every day that God His hands on our lives yet I second guess and put myself through the questioning and the attempts to take control! 

   One example, I was stressed about finances and felt things just we not looking up and I drove to grab a meal to split with my sister and when we got to the window someone before us had paid for our meal. I'm now really familiar either the pay it forward concept and think it is a special and yet such a simple way to impact a persons day. It made me break down in tears! It was to me an immediate sign He was in control and was going to work everything out if we just trusted. 

   So I simply wanted to just share these thoughts and hope that my ramblings encourage someone else today. 

   I'm thankful I know that I'm not alone, I'm thankful my family is not alone, and I'm so thankful that there is a higher purpose and loving arm around us to step us through every day. 

Lots of Love,

~~Momma Mia 

Our Handmade Christmas ! Enjoying the Holidays & Keeping A Budget :)

   If you have a lot of people to buy for this Christmas or even if you only have a few special people in mind, but either way you are trying to maintain a budget for the holidays then I have the list for you. :) I have compiled a list of my favorites and the list of things that I'm doing this holiday to cut down on cost, but really increase the meaning of the gift you're giving to your family and friends.

   A big focus of mine is handmade! Now this scares some, but don't let it! There is a wide range of handmade gift ideas and absolutely everyone can find something special to them to make from the heart! 

 1) Handmade Art by Your Kids :)

  Your sweet little ones can create gifts for the holiday that mean the world when received! Visit your local Hobby Lobby and pick up some of their canvas for handprints and footprints or a beautiful piece of art painted by your kids! This will absolutely be a hit and you won't ever get another like it! 

2) Gifts Fresh from Your Kitchen

   Go to the kitchen and pull out your favorite recipe! What is a signature dessert you love to make or a favorite hot chocolate with your special flare added to it that everyone just loves?! Now think mini version! :) Make your favorite pie, but in a cupcake pan for bite size gifts to fill small Christmas trays with or a batch of cookies would be perfect too. Back to the hot chocolate you could make one of those adorable ingredients layered ready to mix up mason jar gifts as well!!! Just get creative and pick your recipes and treats according to ingredients and pricing as well. There is no harm in picking the best dessert at the least expense. Everyone loves a warming, homemade treat and it will be a hit no matter what! 

3) Handmade Crafts by You

   Something I personally love to do is crafts. I am making a lot of crocheted things for the people this year. This is something that relaxes me and majority of the people I know love to receive these types of things. Pick patterns and projects suitable to their tastes too. I am making blankets, scarves, hats, head bands, and little cell phone purses. You can crochet all of these and at a very reasonable price especially if you watch your sales at your local craft store such as Hobby Lobby. They run sales for sections of their store every single week and they also offer a 40% off coupon for one regular priced item per customer. Also note weeks before Christmas even comes close to arriving Hobby Lobby and many other local craft locations are already marking down the Christmas everything substantially so this would be a great time to grab those last minute yarns and scrapbook papers with a holiday theme!!!! 

 

4) Now for the Festive Wrapping! 

   Now to "wrap" ;) this all up think about the wrapping paper that you are using. That festive pre-finished paper can be so expensive and for barely any paper! Some wonderful warm, personal alternatives can be butchers paper or some basic white paper that you can buy from anywhere for a multitude of purposes. The cost will not be nearly what it would be for some pre-packaged holiday wrapping paper because it's not geared towards the current high demand. Grab a silver or gold marker and write your Christmas note right on the paper. Get some solid white paper draw some pretty designs on it or make a little ornament and attach it to the top as a decorative edition. Examples of ornaments are in my prior blog post about handmade ornaments http://mommamiamoments.blogspot.com/2014/11/handmade-christmas-decorations-family.html?m=1 . I have also included some other ideas below. Simple little wooden ornaments you can create by just finding a tree limb in your yard or grabbing a dowling rod that you can get from your local hardware store and cut in slices. You want the width to be substantial enough to make a nice circular ornament so a few inches wide is ideal. Use a little wood burning tool kit or paint (whatever you prefer) on these and add some sweet sayings, a Bible verse , names and a date, or note the celebration of a first Christmas for a couple just married or in their first home. Highlight a precious baby's first Christmas or a gift for expectant parents and it will mean so much, but at a portion of the cost. 

   I hope that you enjoyed this and are inspired to out your own personal touches on Christmas this year!!! I appreciate each and every person that stops by and reads my page. 

Merry Christmas!!!! 

~~ Momma Mia :)