Ele-FUN

We had a wonderful time in Phuket, Thailand this week. We got to see elephants on 4 different occassions! This little elephant made out of towels, was the centerpiece on our dining room table. I thought he was cute! Now I want to learn towel origami.

Got Quotes?

My sister-in-law, Janalyn has a vinyl business (see Stuck-On Vinyl Decor on side links). Last year she made this quote for me. It only took me a year to get a tile and easel for it to finish it, but better late than never, right? It sits above our linen cupboard and I think it adds a nice touch.


In case you can't read it it says, "May our Home always be a haven of Strength & Love to all those who gather here- our Family, Neighbors, and Friends." Thanks Janalyn, I love it!

A Place for Everything, and Everything in its Place!

I am an organized person by nature. You could say I even have OCD tendencies. However, since I've become a mother I've slowly had to just let some things go for my sanity's sake. So, instead of re-organizing the toys, books, clothes, etc. every day I go through the whole house once a year. And I mean the WHOLE house- every drawer, cupboard, shelf, cabinet, closet, toy bin, dresser, bookcase, nightstand, basket, file cabinet, you get the picture, and our car. Well, last year came and went and I never did my huge dejunking. Having active Gavin with me all day long, and having Kaleb's sports every single Saturday, it just kept being put on the backburner. This week I decided it was high time to get things ship-shape (maybe because my parents are coming next week?). Anyway, I worked hard this week and went through every room, except the office (as it is also our guest room where Kris is staying, so I will do it after my family leaves). I was able to get rid of 25 bags of stuff!!! Most of it was clothes we had outgrown that we donated to a children's orphanage. There were also a lot of toys that I bagged up and put in our storage room until the school's yearly flea market rolls around. I wish I could take it all down to a thrift store now and be rid of it, but those don't exist in this country. I can't bring myself to throw it all away though, as the flea market does raise money for the PTA which then buys cool things for the school that my kids get to use. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from me, it feels great! Now if I can just keep up on everything a little better this year, hopefully next year our closets, etc. won't be bursting at the seams again.

A bit of Whimsy

I want our future home to have something whimsical in every room. For example, a statue of a small harlequin dressed clown in the living room or a colorful rooster in the kitchen. I also want something homemade in each room. After all that's what makes a house a home right?

4 years ago we moved from our apartment to our townhouse in Canada. The twins were moving from cribs to beds, and from sharing a room to having their own. I wanted to make each of their rooms special so I painted them each a picture. These pictures combine my love of whimsy with my love for homemade.


Kaleb loves all things transportation, so I painted him this airplane.


Noe loves all things pink, so I painted her these flowers.


When we move again, I want to re-do all of our bedrooms. I would like to change Noe's room from pink, lavender, and light green to pink, black, and white. I sketched this picture that I want to paint for her new room. I love sketching first, because I already want to make some changes. I want all of the flower centers to be black with white swirls. I'm also not sure if I want to raise the center flower to make a more distinct triangle between the 3, or if I want to line them all up right in the middle. Now I have to think of a new theme for the boys' room!




Isn't this pillow adorable? I think it would be so cute in Noe's room!