Back At It! :)

Hello everyone! I know it has been 2 months since mylast post, but there has been so much going on! My dear mother-in-law has been in and out of the hospital all year, but towards the end of July she got very sick and was put into ICU. We were there for several weeks when the Dr's gave us the news that the percentage of her making out were extremely low. So, my husband's family made the decision to keep her comfortable so my brother-in-law and sister-in-law could get home. Anyways, long story short, she passed away on Aug. 4th. In the middle of everything going on, my wonderful husband and I found out we are expecting again :) We are very exciting and really hoping for a girl (but as long as it's healthy we do not care what we have.) August 16th got here quickly and my baby boy turned 1!! We had his John Deere party on the 13th and had a blast! All of our wonderful, amazing friends and family came... Bentley had such a blast! Mommy and Daddy got him a battery powered 4-wheeler and he was/still is infatuated with it... he loves to try to give mommy a heart attack by trying to stand up and ride it haha After the birthday party, we had the big 1 year checkup... Our pediatrician is predicting Bentley to be tall and skinny, but we will see! Bentley also had his first dentist appt and he did awesome! He loves to get his teeth brushed now and he makes the funniest noises while we do it! If all of this was not overwhelming enough, Bentley started walking!(or should I say running??lol) Everything was starting to get back to normal and on schedule, when an ear infection, upper resp. infection, and sinusitis (sp?) made our little man not feel well at all.. along with a bad diaper rash! I felt so horrible bc I couldn't make him feel better instantly... but a couple days of medicine and he was at it again! When I took him to the dentist and dr, they both said he is about to have a bunch of teeth pop through including molars.. but nothing yet. Thankfully, he doesn't seem to be in pain, so who knows when they will come through! All of this, including the horrible nausea and migraines I have had, is the reason I have not gotten to do any projects lately :( But HEY when you are a mom and your family needs you, you gotta be there, right?!?! I joined Pinterest, but have absolutely NO clue how to use... therefore, I just go on there and look at all the beautiful, creative things people post. AAAANNNNNDDDDD, I have gotten some awesome idea's on things I want to do/try/make for our home and gifts! Once I make some new things, I will def. post them... But for now, here are some photos of our sweet lil man at his birthday party!

 The yummy cakes! (by M.E Cakes)

 Sneak Peek of pics by SJ Photography!

 Trying to stand up and ride

 Our precious lil man :)

 He really didn't want to share his cake lol

 Daddy, Bentley, and Mommy

 The adorable shorts we had made for him (4 peas in a pod)

Bentley with majority of his gifts... We had already opened some and there were also some in the house!

Terra Cotta Pots Fountain!

I am very very very excited to present this next project that my husband and I got finished! We have been wanting a fountain, but 1. can't agree on one. and 2. aren't forking over tons of money for one. So, I saw a little table top fountain made of terra cotta planters and it dawned on me... Make one how we WANT! So, to Old Time Pottery we went! I got all 3 pots for $9 (Thank you coupons!) At first, I wanted to paint them with polka dots, stripes, swirls, etc. But decided on something that can be kept out for everything! I absolutely adore black and white so it was decided.... Then I thought "why not make it more personal since it will be right outside my front door?" I cut tissue paper out to the same size of printer paper and taped it on it. Then I printed "Welcome" on one piece and "friends" on another. I cut the words out of the paper as close to the letters as possible. I then mod-podged it to the pots... and let me just say "HUUUUUGE SIGH!!!!" that was very discouraging be the ink bled and made a huge mess, but we fixed it and made it look good. After some more paint, a lot of stress (lol), and letting everything dry, we were off to Home Depot for pea gravel and a water pump. My husband got all the right things and I was super excited to get home and get it finished! After using water caulk to seal the holes in the bottom of the pots and my husband putting in the pump, we ran into a small problem... the pump was to strong and blew water everywhere in our kitchen HAHA We bought the smallest pump and had it turned down so far it was almost off.... so needless to say, I was sad bc I thought I had wasted so much time and got my hopes up. Not so fast..... I still have a beautiful decoration by my front door and I won't have to deal with mosquitos bc of the water! I added some pretty fake daisie's and love the finished product! Here it is......

My 3 plain terra cotta planters

Drying after spray paint

Painted and with word's mod podged on 

After it was finished

                                                  Another shot

                                                             Top pot

                                   Middle "WELCOME" pot

                                          Bottom "FRIENDS" pot

                                While putting flowers in

  Got my daisies in (sorry it's kinda dark, took this at night)

                                                              Top pot

                                                  Finished product

                                              Welcome Friends

                                     Another shot

  Top picture of flowers (I have no clue why half of it is green??)

Finished Projects.... Part 1

Hello Everyone! So sorry it has been a while since I posted, but we had the "crud" last week, my little man has started trying to walk, and we are planning his 1st B'Day party! I can't believe he will be 1 next month... where has the time gone? But, I shall post on all of that at a later date. A few projects I have finished in the past few weeks were really good and exciting! I made a new door hanger for the 4th of July, FINALLY! FINALLY! FINALLY! finished my terra cotter planter fountain (will describe and tell more about it in the next post!), and got our new shelf thingy in our kitchen! So here are the door hanger and shelf!

                                                      up close of the star's

                                                       Happy 4th of July!

So, let me just say a HUGE thank you to all of the military past and present for what you do for us and being so brave, strong, etc etc (I could go on for a while!). I got my dear hubby to draw the lines for me bc I can not for the life of me draw a straight line. Then I just painted the stripes and my blue box. Then I painted the stars and decided to be different (and patriotic:D) so I wrote with a sharpie (then went over it with black paint) a line from The National Anthem. I feel like this project could be done in many different holidays, plus this specific one can be used for Flag Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Veteran's Day, and Labor Day... and who doesn't want to make/buy something that can save you money in the long run :)

             AND FOR MY OTHER PROJECT....
I call this my kitchen shelf thingy lol I absolutely love it and can't wait to explain the story behind it! My husband's uncle was cleaning out his rental house and was going to throw this big, bulky, ugly shelf thingy with a lot of cubes in it. He asked Joey if he wanted it along with some other things and he told him we could prolly use it (How sweet he is!) So, after I saw it, I thought "where could I put this?" And it dawned on me, after a little paint, sawing, and work, it would be absolutely perfect for my newly painted red kitchen! So, I got some spray paint at the Dollar General for $0.75 (YES! It was on sale!) and we painted it black. Then Joey sawed off this big ole shelf thing off the bottom of it and made it look good. We got it up and put some of my favorite things on it (My first Willow Tree Joey bought me right after we were first married and the one he got me right before our son was born... A LOVE sign we had at one of our wedding shower's, and my chef picture that say's "Never Trust A Skinny Chef" hehe) Back to the point, It has really made our kitchen look awesome and we have gotten many compliments on it :) Just remember... You can make anything look good and how you want it!

          Love this shelf on my "cranberry whip" wall

          Close up of the shelf (excuse the clutter!)


I'm really excited to share this with everyone and can't wait to post the next few things I have been working on! Hope everyone has a great weekend! Bentley and I are going to the aquarium tomorrow with my parent's... can't wait to write a blog on that! :)

It's Been A While...

So sorry I haven't posted in a while.... I have been extremely busy (and lazy lol).. also I have been out of town. I went to Kentucky this past weekend for a family reunion.. and boy did we have a blast! We had family there from Chicago, Fort Payne, Memphis, and Arkansas. It was so great seeing family that I haven't seen in a long time and also meeting family I had never met. Bentley sure did have a great time... He didn't sleep very well, but he was super friendly and rode extremely well. I oculdn't have asked for a better child! Anyways, I have still been working on a few crafts and I can't wait to finish them so I can post them on here for all of you to see! Hopefully, by this evening I can have one of them finished.. but I really doubt it lol. Something that I have been working on is a "vision board" for our home. I have been making this so my husband and I can "improve" our home and make it how we want it. It is only a little over a year old, but there are tons of things we want to do to it. We are almost finished fencing in the backyard, getting the ditch in front of our house tiled so we can extend our yard, and hopefully going to get our fountain/pond done next weekend (wish we could do it this weekend, but Joey's family is coming in for a reunion). Some other things I have on our board are building an arbor type thing over our back patio so we can use it more, getting grass to grow and planting flowers/a small garden, and finally finding the perfect furniture for our porches ( joe and I hardly agree on things like this lol). Hopefully before long, I can get some of things accomplished and put on here... I really suggest making a "vision board" for whatever you want- whether it be yourself, your children, your home, etc.- so you can see your goals and it makes it easier for you to reach/accomplish them! I hope everyone has a great day! Enjoy the first day of summer and the longest day of the year :)

Coupons and Savings

So, my wonderful husband got up early this morning and went to get my papers. He got me 2 Huntsville Times and 2 Chattanooga papers (no, we don't steal lol) He got home and said to check the HT bc people have been complaining about not getting their coupons... evidently, someone has been stealing them at the warehouse where Huntsville stores them here in S'boro. Mine weren't in there, so you can bet tomorrow I will be calling them bc I don't pay $3.00++ to not get anything lol Anyways, I am doing this post bc I have had tons of people ask me about saving money, coupons, etc. I posted this on Facebook, so if you are my friend on there, you have prolly seen it :)


So, I have had tons of people ask me for sites for coupons, freebies, etc. Just to make it easier on myself I will just put them in a note so anyone can see and use them. I'm not a pro at this but I have been saving money and getting freebies in the mail :)
www.thefrugalgirls.com
www.southernsavers.com
www.regularmom.com
www.findingdeals4you.com
www.extremecouponing.com (this may not be the right site, but look them up on fb)
www.allyou.com (great magazine with toooons of coupons!)
www.heyitsfree.net (might be .com but I think this is right)
www.dealseekingmom.com
www.couponsandfreebiesmom.com
www.freebies4mom.com
www.thekrazycouponlady.com
www.coupons.com
www.pgeverydaysolutions.com
These are just a few. Some advice from myself is:
1. set up an email address only for coupons/freebies bc majority of the time they ask for email.
2. do what feels right for you. If you want to use a binder, box, accordian file, etc. do what you like, not what others do/use.
3. if you can't find a coupon you need, use google. Just put in EX: free printable coupons for gerber baby food
(you can't go wrong with google lol)
4. Alot of people have said set up a special FB for "liking" places, but I didn't... once again do what you want.
5. "LIKE" brands, stores, sites, etc on facebook.... they keep you updated and often give coupons and freebies to their fans :)
That's about all that I have, but if you have any questions please let me know! I'm def not a pro, but I'm kind of addicted to this stuff now... no I don't dumpster dive, beg for coupons, or hoard up stuff lol I'm just trying to save money for my family so I am able to stay home with my sweet baby boy!

Fun Things For Father's Day

Good afternoon! Yesterday, after I finished with my latest post, I thought about doing another one last night on some things you may want to get for Father's Day... but with an almost 10 month you never know when you will get a little time to do something (the only reason I'm getting this done now is bc he is napping lol) Anyways, yesterday I ordered 2 free father's day cards and brought my terra cotta pots in to paint so my husband can make us a fountain (suuuuuper excited about that :D) Anywho, thought I would share some of those sites with you, so you can get in on the "goodies" too!


www.tinyprints.com Make your card and use code FREEFD totally free, personalized card! (I love this site and they have great customer service! I ordered a mother's day card that never arrived, so I called them. They gave me 5 free credits and resent the card)


www.cardstore.com  use code FREECARD




I plan making another post later about some fun ways to spruce up things/places in your household without spending tons of money... I'm about to get started on some of them myself and I'm beyond excited! Hopefully, pics will come soon with some of the posts so you can see if you would like to try them or not!

A Few Things For Your Household

Hello All! Today is my first day back to the "real" world after a nice, family weekend at the beach with my boys. We had an amazing time... beautiful weather, visit with my brother-in-law that lives in Pensacola, and of course, some shopping :) Bentley did not particularly care for the sand or the waves, but we all enjoyed the pool and most of all, spending time together. I decided while I was away, I would come home and post a blog about some things you can make and use in your household. I have some recipes for homemade laundry detergent, baby wash, and a few others. I hope that you all will try them and enjoy them. They are very easy and work extremely well. Plus, it will save you money and who doesn't want that?!?


Foaming Tear-Free Shampoo

What You’ll Need:

Empty Foaming Soap Dispenser {Bath & Body Works, Dial, Johnson’s, etc.}

Tear-Free Shampoo

What You’ll Do:

Clean out your empty foaming soap dispenser

Then… add about 1 inch of Shampoo to the dispenser…

Fill the bottle the rest of the way up with water {leaving a little room at the top}

Then, gently turn side to side to mix together.

There you have it ~ you’re all done… and that was seriously easy!

Give it a try ~ it’s a simple way to save $$ and stretch your dollars on Tear-Free Shampoo!

Homemade Laundry Detergent  
   What You'll Need
1/2 Cup: Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda {not Baking Soda}
1/2 Cup: Borax {print a coupon here}
1/3 Bar of Fels-Naptha Soap {you could also use Ivory soap, but if using Ivory… use the whole bar}
Bucket {2 gallon size or larger}
Empty laundry detergent containers or bucket with lid to store detergent.
What You’ll Do:
Grate 1/3 bar of Fels-Naptha Soap (or Ivory) over large pot or saucepan…
Add 6 cups of Water.
Heat over medium-high until soap dissolves and melts.
Add Washing Soda & Borax, and stir until dissolved.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Pour 4 cups Hot Water into bucket, then add Soap Mixture.
Stir, then add 1 Gallon + 6 Cups of additional water. Stir.
Transfer to a bucket with a lid, or pour into empty laundry detergent containers.
Set aside, and let it sit overnight, or up to 24 hours, to thicken and gel up.
Consistency and color will vary depending on your soap & water ~ it may be lumpy and watery… kind of like a watery gel, but it works great!
Stir or shake before each use, as it will continue to gel.
Good job… you did it!
Don’t forget… to save more money, you can cut your dryer sheets in half and make Homemade Fabric Softener!
How Much Will it Cost?
Borax, 76 oz. box ~ $2.98 at Wal-Mart
Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, 55 oz. box ~ $2.99 at Kroger/Fry’s.
Fels-Naptha Bar of Soap ~ $1.79 at Kroger/Fry’s.
Total Cost to make around 2 gallons: About $1.00!!
This recipe makes a low-sudsing detergent, and I know several people who use it in their HE machines, too! 






Homemade Fabric Softener

What You’ll Need:

6 cups HOT water
3 cups white vinegar
2 cups Suave Refreshing Waterfall Conditioner {or other favorite scent}
What You’ll Do:
Mix conditioner & hot water well, until conditioner is dissolved completely.
Add the vinegar, and mix well.
Store in a large container {empty fabric softener container, empty large vinegar bottle, etc}
Pour into a downy ball… or the fabric softener spot in your laundry machine… then wash!




Homemade 409
What You'll Need:
2 Tbsp. Distilled White Vinegar
1 Tsp. Borax
1/8 cup Dawn Dishsoap
1 cup Hot Water
Triggered Spray Bottle {16 oz.}
What You'll Do:
Pour vinegar, borax and hot water into spray bottle.
Then continue filling spray bottle with cool water.
Add Dawn Dishsoap last. {no need to shake}
It’s as easy as that!

Glass Cleaner
What You’ll Need:
1 cup Water
1/4 cup White Vinegar
2 to 3 drops Dawn Dish Soap
Empty Spray Bottle
Combine water, white vinegar, and dawn dish soap in an empty spray bottle, and… that’s it! You’ve just made Homemade Glass Cleaner!

How to Save $$ on Dishwasher Rinse Aid   
  fill your rinse aid dispenser with white vinegar. Vinegar does a great job at removing spots and disinfecting, too!

 Homemade Weed Killer   
 Simply fill a spray bottle with white vinegar, and spray generously on all parts of the weed ~ leaves and root area.
The combination of the vinegar and sunshine will make those stinky weeds shrivel up!
Be careful to spray only on the weeds you want to kill, and keep away from your plants that you want to live!

Dryer Sheets
One way to save money on dryer sheets, ir by cutting them in half. I do this everytime I use dryer sheets, and it still works the same and gives the same fragrance! My husband thinks I'm silly, but oh well lol (love you babe!)


***A few other things that I have read is to not use the recommended amount of laundry detergent on your clothes. Use half of it, because the manufacturers are making it so strong now that it can discolor or ruin your clothing.
*** You can always use a shower curtain to hang and dry clothes on to cut on electric bills. (or hang a clothes line)

Hope this helps and works for you!