Supporting Small Business

Tags

Amanda Rachel Photography, Kickstarter Campaign, Newborn Photography, Photography, The Bella Bun

I have these friends; probably half of you know them, and I’ve written about them before. They are this beautiful family right here…

and they slay me with all they do.  Honestly; I can’t quite wrap my head around their awesomeness.  They accomplish so much, I think they must not sleep. (Is that why you prefer Pepsi, Amanda? The caffeine, right?) I mean…truly.  I do not understand how it all gets done in their household.

One aspect of their incredible selves is their creativity and their get-it-done personalities; I’m always in awe of people who have ideas and really go for it.  They are the dreamers AND the doers!  They don’t stop at the idea stage like the author behind this post so often does!

Amanda is a photographer, and she invented this really amazing poser for newborns.  She had a problem, figured out a solution.  And is now selling, but needs a boost…because it takes insane amounts of money to get an idea off the ground.  She and her hubby Jed are working together as a team…actually…the whole family is pretty much in on this little business.  It’s an idea that has taken off and their product is gaining in popularity, but funds are needed {have you any idea how much it costs to patent something? to advertise? ridiculous!}, and they are asking for help.  They  put together a little video for a Kickstarter campaign.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea behind Kickstarter campaigns.  I hatey hate hate the idea of debt, but I think it’s incredible  when people collectively come together to help each other out.  It’s as the way it should be.

So please do me the favor of viewing their video, and donating a dollar or ten…or a thousand.  Not only would you be helping a small business, but you’d be tangibly helping to support a superb family.  Thank You!!

Oooh a Double Posting Day

Tags

Art, Fieldstone Hill Design, Sneak Peek

After that rather inane, boring post of mine this morning (minus boy pictures, boy pictures are never boring), {darlene} popped up a sneak peek of her boys room.  We collaborated on a little project; I think it turned out great!

Go here to read about it, and while you are there; if you want to win a couple signs of your own, there is still a little time before February runs out!

Back tomorrow with another post.  Shocking, I know!

Worth It.

Tags

babies, organization fail

I was covered in baby spit up, baby food, baby snot, and baby pee this morning.  True Story.

But the baby is worth it.  All of my babies have been worth it.

…

The baby joined his brothers on the Top Bunk the other day (assisted by daddy, of course) and he was in such bliss.

We finally moved the crib into our bedroom; Luke has been sleeping in the co-sleeper/our bed since he was born…but in high hopes that we will be switching rooms with the boys in the near future, we moved his crib in to our room so he can get used to it.  He’s not such a fan at the moment.  It’ll happen though.  The boys can’t wait to sleep in the same room with their bro.

…

My hopes for last week (vacation up here in Maine) were to take advantage of my man’s muscle and start Operation House Organization.  But it was a big time fail; Erick’s back has really been bothering him, so as not to permanently disable my husband, we didn’t do any of the heavy lifting stuff.  Which was all necessary for said Operation House Organization.  Shoot.  As a stay-at-home, momma of a baby, homeschooling mom, I feel that nothing much ever gets done.  {Except for feeding the children and making sure the house doesn’t fall into utter pigsty status}.  What I really want to do is take one room at a time, chuck everything outside, and only move back in what is absolutely imperative.  I’m ready for a grand purging.

So guess what?  I need to get off my duff right now and do a little something before baby wakes up.  But first I need to feed the two older nuggets.  Suppose that’s more important than purging at the moment…nourishing their bodies should be a priority.

 This post was full of need to know information, wasn’t it?

 Have a good day today, and come back tomorrow, because I actually have a worthy cause I want to tell you about.  It IS need to know info, and there will be no talk of spit up or snot.  Promise.

Girl’s Weekend: The Details!

Tags

Girl's Weekend, Maine

A Story to begin:

While I was emailing the owner of the now-booked vacation house, she ended a message with the salutation…

Great Good Cheer,  Anne.

And I fell in love with that particular little phrase!   Thus was born…

I’m so excited, friends!  Would you like a little glimpse of the house we’ll be staying in?  I thought you might!

And the view from the porch?

That’s the ocean right there, honey!  Nestled in a nice little cove.  The house was built as a vacation home, and sleeps 12.  Which means that we have, as of my teaser post yesterday, only 6 spaces left!

Please come please come, please COME! I’m going with first-come, first-served, but if you miss the boat this time around, rest assured that I’m also planning a June 2013 get-away.  OH yes.  I don’t know if it will be at the same place or at the same price; the details are yet to be worked out.  But I’m thinking the tail end of June would be delightful.  And age or “mom” status matters not.  If you are a woman, you need a fun break, right?

As for September…I’ve been making plans and hope you will love them as much as I do!  I’ll get to the cost, right away, then give you a “loose” agenda.

$155 for two nights lodging and most of your meals.  Included in the cost will be Friday evening dinner, Saturday evening dinner, and Sunday Brunch.  Plus an extra little surprise or two!  Food-wise, you’ll be responsible for Saturday Breakfast and Lunch.

Agenda:

Friday the 21st:  meet at the house at 4:30; shop the outlets in Freeport then gather at Antonia’s for dinner at 8:00.  {Antonia’s is ah.maz.ing. Something for everyone, and great atmosphere.} Wrap up dinner, head back to the house (or late-night shopping at LL Bean!) and hit the hay or talk all night.  Whatever you wish!

Saturday the 22nd:  Options are endless, my friends.  Portland is 15 minutes away; I’ll be spending my time there!  Shopping, lighthouses, museums, galleries…you name it.  If you have something specific in mind, I’ll be sure to research and hunt down exactly what it is you want to do.  Funny; AARP just listed Portland at the #1 Getaway…this was a decent little write-up, although it certainly has more going for it than being a foodie town!  We’ll try to get some small groups organized within the big group that have the same interests; (shopping group/sight-seeing group, etc).

We’ll meet back at the house for a home-cooked dinner; we should take advantage of the gourmet kitchen and Viking 6 Burner Range.  Yes, we should.

Sunday, the 23rd:  Sleep in, brunch together, be a bit lazy and out of the house by 3pm (or before; whatever fits your schedule!)  Oh, there is even a little boat available for rowing around the cove…could make for some fun stories.

Now I have to tell you, as much as I want to just spoil myself silly, it is HUGELY on my heart to spread the Great Good Cheer around.  I think we should throw in a few RAOK’s during the weekend. {Random Acts of Kindness, that is}.  Put your thinking caps on and I’ll put mine on, too.  They won’t detract from the fun, but they’ll certainly add to it. I’m feeling that we should start with a big ol’ tip Friday night (already worked into the cost of the trip) then see where our little ideas of generosity take us on Saturday.

So!  Here’s the deal; even if you have already given me the “I want to come!” line, please email me with your FOR SURE at mrsmurray16@hotmail.com to make it official.  I’d love to have your physical address and phone number, and I ask that as a confirmation, you send an initial check of $25 by March 31st.  The remainder will be due by August 1st, in order for me to pay the house rental fee in a timely manner.  You can pay it all in one shebang or  little bits at a time over the next few months; I care not!

Here’s the deal, though; in researching the way other weekends out and about the internets are handled, I’m going to say that your money will be non-refundable if you decide to back out, unless you (or I) can find a replacement.  If we  can slip someone else in your spot, then it will come back to you in full!  If not, I’m not going to make the rest of the ladies pay for it, so it’ll pretty much fall in my lap to cover your costs.  Eek.

So, you in?  If things fill up, remember that the June trip will be here before we know it.  I’ll keep you updated via the blog; let you know as soon as things are booked.  I’ve been praying God would put together the perfect group for this go-round.  And I’m sure He will.  :)

Spring is in the Air!

Tags

Coffee, feels like spring, French Press, ladies weekend, Maine, minivan

Are you loving this winter?  I’m loving this winter.  I know many of my snow-loving friends are not loving this winter.  But I have green grass in my lawn, and that makes me very, very happy!  I could smell spring yesterday.  Ahhhh.

…..

I went to bed last night, excited to wake up in the morning and have coffee.  I do that sometimes; lie in bed, eager to get up and have a good cup of joe.  I’ve started making it with my french press; a Christmas gift.  I love it so.

I’m sipping it right now with some coconut creamer.  Life is pretty darn delightful at the moment.

…..

I’ve been so relieved to see that some of my new-momma blogging friends have not been posting much of late.  Whew.  Kinda gets me off the hook.  I wish I was on here more often; I have so many memories to record.  Last month I tried to take pictures every day; I’d love to take pictures every day! (I haven’t taken a picture this month at ALL).  I was looking at some of the January pics this morning though, and this photo pretty much sums up what my life is about these days.

My three sons.  My Three Sons!  I love that I can say that.  I have three sons.  And you know what?  They can now fit comfortably into our new mini van.  Well, not new, but a 2003.  We bought it free and clear with our tax return this year.  I get giddy just thinking about it sitting in our driveway!  Luke is 6 1/2 months old, and until we purchased it last week, we had been out as a family maybe…3 times?  And it was crazy every time, stuffed into the car.  I don’t have any personal pictures of it, but here is the Craiglist posting…

The back seat folds down into the floor, and the two middle seats come out.  I envision much flea-marketing this summer.  And I was so excited; when we bought our Camry a few years ago, it happened to have leather upholstery.  I never knew I wanted it until I had it; the clean-ability is awesome.  So I asked God for a van with leather; didn’t want to be too picky, but He gave it to us anyway.  He’s pretty awesome with the details.

We went to Bangor last Saturday and stopped at Target with the kids.  It was so GREAT to be out somewhere, together!  We loved it!  It was also hilarious that a gentleman commented on our “tribe” when we walked in the store.  Hahaha.  Since when did 3 children make up a tribe?  {admittedly, they can, on occasion, feel like a tribe…}

…..

Ok!  On to the good stuff, lady friends!  I have booked a house.  I have! I’m working on a blog post with the details; I’ll put it up tomorrow morning.  I will let you know that it will be September 21-23rd of this year, and that the house sits on Schooner Lane.  Eek times ten!  Space will be limited…so when you read my post tomorrow, if you are interested, let me know asap.  I think we have the makings for a very memorable little getaway.  And according to some other “ladies’ weekends” I have seen around the internet, this one is about 1/4 of the cost.  So get ready to send me your rsvp!

Ah ha!  Made it through a post before the kidlet woke up!  Woohoo!  Maybe if I sign off now I can wolf down some breakfast; one can only hope.  Have a great day!

I’m Singin’ in the Rain…

Tags

car shopping, Fairfield House, first baby food, kids, pinterest, singing in the rain

Thank you, my dear friend Katy, for pinning, and thank you Pinterest, for your pinning abilities!  I think I’ve found my bday gift.

Source: dancingplagueof1518.tumblr.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Isn’t that just the best thing?  LOVE!

Much has been going on in this household; normal stuff, funny stuff.  I was up around midnight with Luke the other night; he sleeps in a co-sleeper right next to the bed, but sometimes he just won’t take no for an answer and wants to cuddle up to momma.  Some nights that’s awesome, and some nights I need some space!  So on this particular night, I put him back in his little bed after feeding him, and he wasn’t having it.  But I didn’t really want to give in, so I just pretty much held him as he cried; in his bed; as in…I’m leaning over and my circulation is being cut off at my armpits, but I have my arms wrapped around my littlest nugget and singing to him; I’m practically holding him, but since he isn’t in the Big Bed, he is MAD.  And Erick rolls over at some point, and I do the “give in” thing and pick up the baby so the husband can get some sleep.  So the baby calms down for a brief minute, and in that calm I hear the other two boys crying their little hearts out.

I heft Luke over my shoulder and go check on Ryan and Jack; they are both in that semi-awake-but-not-really-aware state; Ry is coming down from his bunk because he has to pee, and I have to direct him to the bathroom so he doesn’t just let loose before he gets there.  And Jack is definitely bawling, but isn’t aware; luckily Erick wakes up to the ruckus and comes in to hold the J-man.  It’s just so funny, these nights.  Terribly exhausting, but hilarious.

….

Guess what?  Our tax refund is due in sometime this week, and we are going to pick up a Mini Van!  Are we cool or what? Blessed is what we are, for sure.  I can’t wait.   But you want some irony?  We had the clicker on, ready to turn into the driveway to check out the van yesterday, and we were REAR ENDED.  I couldn’t believe it; my first thought was “Well, we better like this van; at least we’ll have something to drive while the car is in the shop!”  Luckily our Camry can take a beating; she just had a scratch.  I’m a bit whip-lashed, but feeling MUCH better today.  Erick is fine, too, as well as the other driver.  Whew!

…

Oh YEAH!   Great response to this post, by the way!  So much so that I’m actually planning a late-September 2012 weekend, and a late June 2013 weekend.  I’ll start a page on the blog, soon, to keep you updated.  And not only are we going to have a fun, relaxing time, but I’ve added a little bit of blessing others to the mix.  Stay tuned for details.  Excitement!

…

One more thing! Luke is now officially 6 months old and had his first taste of food last weekend.  He’s a little bit in love with it!  We started with applesauce.  He took the spoon away and tried to feed himself.

Ahhh, such milestones.

….

Ok, just popped over to Deb’s and was met with some eye candy.  Go check it out…wow! Signing off; have a beautiful day!

I’ll tell you what I want!

Tags

girls weekend away

{What I really, really want}.  That song is running through your head now, isn’t it?  Ha!

I love my houseful of testosterone.  It rocks, in an incredibly amazing, fulfilling way.

 But girlfriend needs an estrogen weekend.

I want a weekend at a luxury rental house on the coast, filled with ladies.  The more the better!  And I want no structured agenda, other than fine food, fine drinks, shopping and being girlie.  Check out this place in Portland.  Wow.

Unfortunately I have to wait until little man is old enough, because I want a decent weekend.  Preferably a Friday Afternoon through Sunday Afternoon weekend.  This fall?  Early next summer?

Erick had his guy’s night two weekends ago; they have it a couple of times a year.  I was outnumbered 10-1!  And I kept thinking about how wonderful it would be to have that many of my lady friends all in one place…so here’s what I spent that time dreaming up while I was tucked away in my bedroom, giving them their guy-space.

• Friday evening; dinner at a dockside restaurant, preferably with classy (or fun, we could go either way) live music.  Or not live music. Or no music. Whatever.  Can you tell it’s been awhile since I’ve eaten out?  I’m not picky!
• Saturday, in any order; flea markets, makeovers, clothes shopping, furniture shopping, accessory shopping, art galleries…we’d have to wake up early, obviously.  (After being up late at night on Friday, so great coffee, and lots of it is probably in order).  We’d have to make time for staying at the rental house as well, because it will be too amazing not to spend time there.  So maybe Saturday evening we could just cozy in and cook a great meal and watch old romantic classics.  Sigh.  We’ll stay up late that night, too, on account of the *fun adrenaline* coursing through our veins.  Or, if all you are in need of is quiet; you could stay at home the entire day.  Can you imagine an entire quiet day?
• Sunday morning; brunch and relaxing until we have to get back to the real world; the real world that we really love so very much.  And will appreciate that much more, seeing as though we haven’t been there for a couple of days.  Back to hugs and kisses and cuddles from kids and husbands, happy and satisfied and refreshed (with, hopefully, a nice new wardrobe.  And satisfaction in the great conversation and loads of chocolate that were consumed).

Yep, that’s what I really want!  Plus a husband-only weekend, and a family week away.  Not asking much, am I?  :)

Any ladies interested?  Let me know, because I am SO VERY serious about this! Any ages welcome; you don’t have to be a momma of young ones in order to need a fun break!  And the earlier we start planning…the more time we have to save up for it.  ;)

A Little Fun, and a Giveaway!

Tags

art giveaway, barn owl primitives, Fieldstone Hill Design, mary poplins

I hadn’t yet made a sign for myself.  Isn’t that silly?  Well, I hadn’t until a couple of days ago, when one of my all-time favorite sign makers popped an inspiring thought into my head. Here’s what Kristi posted on Facebook;

That’s just what I need on my wall to get me through this winter, thought I!

So up it went.  :)

And yes, it makes me happy.  Watch the video; it’ll make you smile, I promise!

If you’d like something similar on your walls, I’m teaming up with {darlene} and giving away two signs alongside her invaluable design question this month! The signs will be made on the old farmhouse flooring pictured above (which is in limited supply, so it would give you some very unique art, for sure!) They are custom, so you choose the phrase and font.   Head over to her Fieldstone Hill Designs to sign up anytime this month.

Have a SUPER Friday!

Quick Things

Tags

Art, kids, peanut butter and chocolate and bananas

Trying my best to type this before the baby awakes!

Firstly, the boys are trying hard to teach Luke how to crawl.  I snapped quite a few pictures the other day, but this one cracks me up.  Jack can rarely stay put, and very often it’s hard for him to stay in an upright position.  After his “teaching” lesson, he was back to being a little monkey.

The older boys are now in a daily competition to see who can make Luke “crack right up” the most.  There is a ton of silliness going on in this house.

…

I made these yesterday.  Yum. O.

It’s not my picture; mine weren’t as pretty because I really globbed the peanut butter on there.  The more pb the better, in my opinion.  Click on the picture and it should take you to the link!

…

I wrapped up a new sign project yesterday, it was much fun.  Here’s a sneaky peek; I’ll be sharing the full deal in a couple of days!  Can you guess?

…

The baby is still sleeping!  One thing checked off the list while having the ability to use two hands instead of juggling a wiggly one.  Whew.  Must get to the next “to do”…have a great day!

Latest Obsessions

Tags

dwell studio, fabric.com, hymns, Jadon Lavik, premier prints, snow day, spare bedroom closet, the piano guys

It’s a snow day and the husband brought me coffee in bed.  That’s a mighty fine start, I’d say!  Also, the boys spent the night at their grammies last night; should be interesting figuring out a way to get them home today; it’s a wintery world out there!  In the meantime, it’s Erick and the baby and I; it’s hasn’t been the two of us and a baby in a long, long time.

Luke is napping, so I thought I’d share a couple faves I’ve come across.  The first two are musical; I can’t believe I’d never heard of The Piano Guys.  If you haven’t either, you are welcome for the introduction.  ;-)  I can’t get enough of them; Analisa introduced me to this song through her blog.  It’s stunning.

Very, Very close favorites…{or maybe they are just tied}, are this one and this one.  Amazing talent.  I am so going to be the dancing ladies in the Guaraldi cover video.

Also, I just bought this album by Jadon Lavik; thanks Amber!  I’ve been listening to it this morning.  Gorgeous.

…….

In completely unrelated news, I’ve successfully “neutralized” our living room.  Took the bright paintings down; put up black and white photos of the boys.  Tossed the pillows in the back bedroom for now.  (I’ll show some of it in an upcoming post). It’s very restful; now I’m ready to start adding some less energizing colors in.  They are still beautiful, but they fit my mood better at this point.  My computer screen is covered with fabric swatches.  :)

{fyi; all fabric is found at fabric.com; top three are dwell studio and bottom two are premier prints, just in case you are interested! if you like them as much as I do, I can give you direct links so you don’t have to search}

I’m planning on recovering the pillows; lengthening my curtains with a pattern on the bottom, and tying in the colors to our dining room with a table runner.  All ideas that are easily interchangeable for when my next “change of design” mood strikes!

…….

Again with the unrelated news, but this is another idea that I’m currently obsessed with!  I just finished reading The Duggars first book.  I’ve never really watched their show, but the idea of managing such a large family peaked my interest (not that I think I’d have a wit left in my brain if I had such a large family; but if they can do it with so many children, certainly I can do it with 3!)  One idea that I LOVED was the fact that they have a laundry room/family closet.  ALL of the clothes go in the family closet; it’s pretty much a wash, dry and hang-right-there deal.  I was mourning the fact that we have such a tiny laundry room until I realized that we have a perfectly use-able room RIGHT OFF the laundry room.  I had intended on this being a guest room/ craft room, but I always craft in the kitchen anyway, and we plan on purchasing a sleeper sofa for our living room, so that solves the overnight guest issue.  And this room, well, has become a dumping ground.  OH, it had such potential; I was almost finished decorating!  And then it became this.  Are you ready?  Hold on tight…

Oh yes.  It’s terrible, isn’t it?  We’ve wanted to organize it; now we are going to organize AND turn it into the Family Closet.  Remember how Lizzie turned her spare into that adorable walk-in closet?

We’ll go for the same general idea; storing clothes AND the kid’s toys.  We’ll keep the bed in there as well…(can you even tell where the bed is in those pictures?)  Anyway, we’ll start on that, then switch our bedrooms with the boys.  There is a very generously sized closet in the Master bedroom that we are going to turn into a reading nook/hideout for Ry and Jack and Luke.   I can remember making a little space in my closet to sit and read when I was a girl; I would of loved to have an entire nook dedicated to that!  We can do a miniature version of Kevin and Layla’s; it’s literally 2 inches too short to fit a twin mattress, but we could fit a toddler sized one.

I think it would become a favorite hideout of mine, as well!  I’ve loved seeing posts about families turning closets into other use-able spaces, and now that we are going to convert that back bedroom, we can do it!  I’m a happy girl.

Guess what?  Erick just said he plans on moving some of the junk out of the back bedroom today.  So I’m going to sign off and we’ll get to it.

Stay cozy, today…and enjoy your weekend!