DIY Burp Clothes and Blankets

My sister also made me some adorable burp clothes and a blanket. They look fairly simple to make. This is a soft flannel and will be great for Baby T.

I found a few different tutorials and have listed them below. They are not exactly like the ones I got but are very close. 

1. Burp Cloth Tutorial - by Sew She Sews
2. Flannel Burp Cloths - by Craft Rookie
3. Terry Flannel Burp Cloths - by The Homes I Have Made
4. Burp Cloth Tutorial - by Jill
5. Baby Shower-Gift - by The Happy Scraps

I hope this helps give you an idea - Rejoicing in the Present

DIY Headbands and Bows

I don't know if you've heard the phrase "the bigger the bow the cooler your mom."  I laugh sometimes when I see a precious little baby with a bow that is bigger than her head.  Now that I am a mother of a little girl, I'm afraid that may be me. :-)  I crocheted a few, but when I got on Amazon and found the shabby flower pack, I had to buy them. :-) 

So this is what I ordered/ bought.

1. Cloris Shabby Flowers (14 Piece) 
2. Crochet Elastic Headbands (24 Piece) 
3.  These both came from China and it took a few weeks to get here but they both arrived in great condition.
4. Clips - Like these: Hair Clips from Michael's

This is what I did:

1. When they arrived, I hot glued the flowers on the headbands. I used a vase to hold the headbands, while I glued.
2. Then I glued the flowers on the clips as well. 
3. I used a piece of felt on the bottom side of the clip so that it would be softer for the baby.
4. It was all very easy and super-cute. 
5. You can also find these flowers and headbands at Walmart, JoAnns and Michaels in their craft sections, but I could not find them cheaper than on Amazon (even with shipping costs)

DIY Picture Frames

I had a bunch of old picture frames but I wasn't using them.  I got the idea, from Pinterest, to spray paint them all white and make them uniform.  It took multiple coats to cover them but it was well worth it.  I am also currently working on a mirror I found at a garage sale for Baby T's room.

Here are some tips.

1. Make sure that you take out the glass and cover whatever sides you don't want painted with painters tape 
2. If you are spray painting a picture that doesn't come out, like a mirror or chalk board, make sure that you cover the inside part with paper and painters tape
3. You will need to spray multiple times, so place the frames on a tarp inside or somewhere they can stay protected while they are drying
1. A great place to spray would be the garage. You can open the door while you are spraying and let the fumes out.
4. Don't hold the spray paint too close but make sure that you get all the cracks and nooks of the frame, especially if it has an intricate design.

It is really quite simple and easy to do.  I'm still waiting to print out some family pictures but that will come with time. Give it a try, find all your old frames and make a picture or mirror wall for your family like the one below from Better Homes and Gardens. - Rejoicing in the present.

Dinner w/ the Tylers - Spicy Chicken Penne

Over the last month or two I have resolved to cook more.  A lot of the time, it’s cheaper, tastes better and is healthier.  I wasn’t doing great cooking and was very uncreative.  We were having meat and a veggies almost every night and, well, the veggies was usually green beans. So, I’ve gone on a crusade to find and make a variety of different recipes.

I believe my husband is enjoying it and I feel better knowing that my son is getting a healthier selection. So I’m going to share with you some of my favorite recipes.

Brandy from Cooking w/ Brandy is expecting #4 – because of that she can’t stand the smell of food cooking.  So we are going to give her a break and I will be sharing Dinner with the Tyler’s.

This was one of the recipes that I found on Pinterest.  It looked interesting, yummy and spicy and so I gave it a try.  It turned to be SUPER delicious!  I have made it 3 or 4 times since then. 

What you need..

•  1 pound penne
•  1 1/2 t salt
•   1 1/2 t pepper
•  1 1/2 t garlic powder
•  1 1/2 T paprika
•   1 pound chicken, diced
•   2 T oil (or just 1T if you aren’t using celery)
•  1 cup chopped celery (optional)
•  2 T hot sauce (plus extra if you wish, see note below)
•  1 c mayo ( low- or non-fat if you want)
•  1/2 c ranch dressing  (use the good stuff here since it gives most of the flavor)
•  3/4 c milk
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella or 1/2 cup blue cheese (optional, see note below) 

This pasta is amazing without any cheese on top at all, which is how I made it recently, figuring I was cutting at least some calories by not adding it.  Use mozzarella if you want it gooey or blue cheese if you want that chicken wing flavor.

DIRECTIONS:

1.  While pasta is cooking according to package directions, season chicken with the spices. I use a Ziploc bag to shake it all up and coat the chicken.
2.  Heat 1 T oil over med-high heat and cook chicken (about 5 minutes or so, until completely cooked through)
3. Add 2 T  hot sauce and cook for one minute.
4. If you are adding celery to your dish: remove chicken from skillet, heat the other tablespoon of oil, add celery and cook for about 2 minutes. Then return chicken to the skillet.
5.  Combine mayo, ranch, and milk and mix in a small bowl. It will be lumpy. This is where you can also add another tablespoon of hot sauce if you’d like your pasta spicier.  Add the sauce to the skillet with the chicken and celery. Cook a few minutes, until heated.
6. Pour sauce over prepared pasta and stir to combine.
7.  Top with mozzarella or blue cheese crumbles if desired.

DIY Lamp

I needed a lamp for Baby T's room; when I stumbled upon this lamp at the thrift store, I figured it would be perfect for her room. 

DO's and DON'T's

DO:  Did you know that you can paint lamps?  After I brought this baby home, I felt like there was too much pink in the room so I decided to paint the base of it. It has a porcelain/ceramic/cement-like base. It was super-easy to paint. I used about three coats so that it could take some wear and tear.

DON'T:  Did you know that you can not paint or spray paint your lampshade. Yes, I tried and it didn't work.  When you turn on the light, every detail shows and it's not a nice picture. SO, I found this cute lampshade at Walmart for $7. It all turned out nicely.

An option for a lampshade redo would be gluing flowers or ribbon on an old shade. I wanted a more simple look so I didn't take that path.  For a cute idea, see the picture below from projectnursery. 

DIY Diaper Cake

Lori, a sweet friend from church, threw us a couples' diaper shower/bbq.  She also made this ADORABLE diaper cake.  It turned out super-cute!  Baby A was also given a few diaper cakes from close friends, including Brandy and my friend Marcelle.  You can do these cake quite easily and they are always a hit. Here is directions from domestic8d

What you need:

• diapers
• ribbon
• small, medium and large elastics
• double sided tape or glue dots
• small decorations

What you do:

1. I started first by making the bottom layer of the cake.  Using a small elastic, I rolled the diaper from the open end to the closed end and fastened with the elastic.  This will be the center for this layer.  
2. Next, I placed a medium elastic around the diaper and rolled up additional diapers and stuffed them inside the medium elastic to form a row.  For the bottom layer, I used three layers of diapers, securing the final layer with a large elastic.
3. To make the top two layers, follow steps 1-2, only changing the number of rows (2nd layer will have two rows and the top layer will have one row).
4. Center the layers, one on top of the other.
5. Cut ribbon to length, for each layer and use double sided tape or glue dots to secure and hide the elastics.
6. Lastly, add some pretty decorations 

Beautiful Lady – Part 2

Since we are on the topic of beauty, I just had to share my heart with you about a trend…?Selfies?....

This whole "selfie" phase where girls post every other day, of shots in the bathroom of what they are wearing, is one of the biggest trends going on.  Why do I need to see what you are wearing?  Is that what is important to you?  What you look like? Now if you are showing your baby bump to your friends or showing off a new outfit or even sporting your favorite team shirt, OK…I get some of it but a daily “look at me and what I’m wearing,”  I think we need to ask what we are trying to portray.

Let's go further. This may be a little harsh but I can’t stand the whole pouty or serious faces that people put on their profile. I  get the “couple in love” or senior pictures but this “sexy pout” or sad pictures do not portray you.  Lady, your smile is one of the most beautiful assets.  When a woman smiles and laughs she can light up the whole room or a picture, so why are you hiding that?  We are to show people the joy of the Lord;  that is easily seen on our faces.  So why oh WHY do we not show it?

LADIES!  You are beautiful-- but when you post every other day it looks like you are dying for attention.  It looks like your focus is on how everyone sees you.  I personally want to see your heart.

In fact, I personally, would rather see your lovely family, or an encouraging quote, or your precious children, or even a lovely picture of you (but not a different one every day).  Ladies, let's show Christ on your face and in your clothing.

Now, I want you to know that I say that with a lot of love in my heart, because some of my closest friends are part of the "selfie" trend.  But I want to encourage each of you in this matter.  I love you all, yes, you ,my selfie friends but I can’t not say what is on my heart today.

Facebook is way to minister and to encourage and love each other. It is a way that we can reach the world with Christ.  It is a way to communicate and keep up with our friends.  What are you using FB for?  How do you portray yourself to the world?  How do you want the world to portray you?  Do they see Christ or do they see your puckered pouty lips?  Look at your Facebook wall today and try to see how others see you.  Is it about Christ or you? - Rejoicing in the Present

PS. *As a side note, I want to admit that I am just as guilty when it comes to posting pictures on FB. I love my little family and love to share what is going on. I just wonder if I was as obsessed with my Savior and sharing Him, how much more His work could go forth. I have to remind myself daily, what it's all about. - JT

Beautiful Lady - Part 1

I’m doing a study with my teen girls about lies that our culture teaches us;  it’s appalling to think how many lies we actually believe.  One lie that I believe too many of our young people believe is that “beautiful girls are worth more.”  Hence the reason we spend time flipping through magazine articles, scrolling through pictures on Pinterest, pinning hair-do’s, outfits and make-up tips.  I watch many of our teens come in to church and make a pit stop in the bathroom, making sure that they look "ok".

I shouldn’t laugh but watching our young girls mature into the teenage years is a lot of fun.  When one of your girls shows up at youth group with bright lipstick or dark dark eyes, you just want to hug them.  You know that they are trying so hard to fit in but look amazing at the same time. However, these girls need so much more than that new outfit, the newest diet or even more make-up. They need to exercise the “hidden man of the heart”.  They need to get in the WORD instead of in front of the mirror.

However, this article is not just directed toward my lovely teens; this is a message that we adults need as well.  We watch movies and see these stick-thin ladies and feel we must look their size.  I have friends in all shapes, heights and sizes and they are all beautiful to me, not because of what they look like but because of what they act like.

Ok, so stop and imagine.  If you could picture the most beautiful  lady, what would she look like? What would her hair look like? What size would she be? How tall would she be? How much would she weigh? What clothes would she be wearing?

Now lets look at the Bible and see what it says about that beautiful lady.

Proverbs 31:30 says “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised”

Yes, ladies, we all know that beauty is fleeting. As I write this I have a belly that protrudes almost to my computer screen.  Ok, so maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration but, as I am 8 months pregnant, it is way out there.  I have seen how much I have changed since my teen years.  I already see the wear and tear on my body. I  am NOT the teen I used to be, but my beauty can still increase. Through fearing of the Lord and the close relationship I develop with Him, my beauty can and will increase.

I Peter 3:3-4 “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”

The Bible even talks about how our beauty NEEDS to be inward.  It’s not to be the jazzing up of our hair or the newest outfit or the jewelry we find at Charming Charlie’s.   It is to be the woman inside, a meek and quiet spirit, focused on God and others.

1 Timothy 2:9-10 “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.”

Godliness and good works: that is beauty.

So now picture that beautiful lady?  Now how do you see her?  Now it’s not really about what she looks like, but how she acts, what she is doing for others, how she responds to people. I picture a lovely lady with a smile on her face, reaching out and helping others.  She is making her friends laugh, wiping a tear, putting her arm around the needy and leading them all to Christ.  This is a beautiful lady and she is worth more then rubies (Prov. 31)

Let’s apply it to you.  What is hanging on your walls, teens?  What are you looking at? What are you completely focused on?  Have you spent more time in front of the mirror or in front of your Bible today? 

Coupon Tip - Walmart

Did you know that Walmart will match B1G1s from Publix and Winn Dixie?  If you live in another state you might want to go to your nearest Walmart and check out their store policy, but I know that our local stores will. 

Here is how I found out. I was at Walmart, last week, buying some chicken. It's only $1.99 per pound, so I usually buy it there. While I was there I ran into a friend who works there. She said "Did you know that WinnDixie is having those B1G1?" I said, "no." She replied that Walmart matches the prices and that I could get a free one if I had the ad. So, we worked it out and I was able to buy four packs, two of them being free. It was super exciting and now I have enough chicken for a month! WOO HOO! 

So, check out the ads at Publix and WinnDixie and if they have it on sale, you most likely can get it matched at Walmart! - Rejoicing in the Present

Mom's

Very recently this video went viral. It was put out by an Boston agency. They were looking for job applicants for the toughest job.

Of 2.7 million people who saw a job posting by a Boston agency for a 'director of operations' position, just 24 applied. That's likely because of the brutal requirements.

The website rehtom.net posted the job and paid for ads, hoping to get the right applicant. To see the full list of requirements, go to Fox,

NOW STOP...watch the video before you continue reading.

Ok, so wasn't that sweet! I actually teared up by the end of the video. We all know that the list of requirements was a bit exagerated but who doesn't like have someone to go above and beyond to compliment their work. This video didn't say anything negative about fathers or other hard working people, instead it just commended the work that mothers do. 

Well, there has been some negative responses to the video and a blogger , whom I normally enjoy, jumped on the negative train. Here are a few of the negative statements from (themattwalshblog.com)

1. "Never mind the cruelty of tricking desperate job seekers "
2. "What you’re describing here are the conditions of a North Korean prison camp, not a home in the American suburbs."
3. "It’s only relevant in so far as it reveals a troubling attitude; an attitude that makes these sorts of commercials so effective; an attitude that portrays parenting as the most torturous endeavor anyone could possibly attempt."
4. " Yes, it’s a Mother’s Day commercial, but we all know that not a single company would ever conceive of making a Father’s Day commercial proclaiming specifically fatherhood to be ‘the toughest job’ in the world, and if they did, many of the folks who loved this ad would hate that one."

And on and on and on he goes. To Matt's credit, I will say I get his message of parenting. I get that both parents should get credit. I don't believe that this video makes non-parents say, wow, that's too hard, I can't do that nor do I want to do that. They all had moms or dads and they saw what they did.  It was their parents that gave them a positive outlook on parenting, not a little 4-minute WE LOVE MOMS video.

I get that the video exaggerated the mother's job, but I also get that, sometimes, moms need an exaggerated THANK YOU!  Moms DO, DO ALOT! 

As a stay-at-home, there are days that I don't sit very much. Why? Not because my child is running the household, but because there is ALOT to do.  Unless you're rich, stay-at-home moms have a child or children to whom to teach life, play with and entertain.  (I don't believe in the TV doing my job :-) ) Also, due to only one parent working, they usually must watch the finances by saving money, clean, cook, coupon, do laundry, take their kids to appointments and sometimes even work from home. This doesn't include the lack of sleep (baby years), sick days/nights, the waking up in the middle of the night and all the extras that come with it.  You can also add in the bonuses of homeschooling or helping with homework, nursing your child back to health and all the other surprises that come along.  Most of the wives or mothers that I know do not retire. When they put in their 25-40 years, they still clean, they still cook, they still do the laundry. They are still wives as well as mothers to their grown children.

Most mothers do not get Christmas parties or bonuses throughout the years. They don't get awards from work. They don't get little presents from their students for teaching them or gifts from their coworkers.  So, when someone wants to post an exaggerated thank-you to mothers I commend them. 

This is not to say that fathers are not amazing.  I had an incredible dad and I'm married to an AMAZING daddy as well. Both these men worked/work full time jobs to provide for their families as well as fathered and loved their babies.  I would love to see a video done for them as well, but, come on people, let mommies have a little love. 

To close, I want to say that I had an amazing example of a mom.  My mother had 5 children whom she loved, trained and taught. If there was an award for a Stay-at-Home Mom of the Year, she would have won it every year.  She made most of our meals from scratch; she couponed, cleaned, nursed us, and read it to us for hours each week, drove us to school, church, lessons, and games and so on.  She went above and beyond with me as she home schooled me from 5th grade to 12th grade. She also nursed me for months at a time, as I had four major back surgeries, where I was on my back for about a month each time. I know there were days that she didn't sit down much, and plenty of nights, she didn't, and still doesn't, sleep. 

She has always been one to put her stuff down and talk and counsel me when I call. (I call almost every day)  She took time, everyday, to have a private time with God and taught us to do the same. She was and is a godly woman. Is she perfect? No, but she tried to give her best. She didn't do it for glory; she did it cause she knew that was what God was asking of her to do. So, jump off the negative train! Let's give our moms a break and thank them for all the back- breaking stuff they do. And, if it really bothers you, write Hallmark and ask them to make a special dad's video and I will post and brag about it in June. - Rejoicing in the Present