Easiest and most delicious small batch raspberry peach jam!

I'm a total novice when it comes to making jams. It wasn't until a few months ago that I made my first batch of apricot jam, thanks to a generous friend who had given me bags full from her harvest. When I made my apricot jam I had decided to can them using the heat process. It was a wonderful learning experience and the initial start to my jam making obsession! 

Since apricot jam was such a huge hit with my family I started thinking of other fruits to work with. My busy schedule and lack of motivation caused a stand still in my kitchen. It wasn't until today that I realized my over ripe peaches and delicious raspberries needed to be put to good use. Like I mentioned before, I'm a novice... Easy is what I look for and thankfully jam making is just that! 

Here's what you need to make a VERY SMALL batch:

*2 cups chopped ripe peaches (about 2 large peaches)

*2 cups raspberries 

1.5 cups sugar (use less if you desire)

*** 2-4 inches or so of green Granny Smith apple---- I did not have lemon (for natural pectin) so I cut the skin from a green apple and cooked it in the mixture. 

After pouring the sugar over your raspberries and chopped peaches, let it sit until all the sugar is absorbed and the mixture starts to look like there's some liquid. 

Grab that Granny Smith apple and cut the skin off, not all of it though. I cut three slices and that was plenty... About 2-4inches each. Continue letting it sit and accumulate a liquid looking mixture. There will still be chunks of fruit, of course but the sugar will start getting a little thicker. I let mine sit out for about 30min.

Place the mixture in a sauce pan and cook on medium for as long as it takes to start thickening. Mine took about an hour.  

STIR MIXTURE CONTINUOUSLY. If you don't keep an eye on this it will start sticking to the bottom of the pan. ***** once foam starts collecting on top, use a spoon and just scoop out what you can. 

Once done take it off the burner, let it sit for 10minutes and then pour into your mason jar. This makes almost 2 cups. 

Now, taste it!! Seriously... Taste it and enjoy every minute of it! 

Store in the fridge for 1 month or in the freezer for 6 months! 

Enjoy! 

Cheri

Old Hope Chest given new life!

Life has once again taken me in a whirlwind and placing me in a pile of laundry. Rarely do I get placed calmly, in a chair, next to a computer... So, here I am and so sorry for not posting lately! 

I love repurposing things. There is such a thrill when you take an item that no longer has it's charm and bring it back to life with a little TLC.

I first received this Hope Chest when I was 14 years old. 

It was my birthday gift and I couldn't have been more disappointed... Of course I got older and wiser, therefore truly realizing how precious of an item this is! 

Since first receiving this Hope Chest, I have moved many times. It's received many battle wounds upon the moves. I wasn't a fan of the fabric originally placed on this piece and wasn't really sure if I would be able to place new fabric on it. Luckily I was able to! 

After a little brain storming, I came up with this:

Purchased cheap and funky knobs (the two round pieces) and painted all of the knobs shown (I used my acrylic yellow paint). The yellow painted knobs add a fun pop of color instead of being drowned out by the dark wood. If you can find colorful knobs, go for it, but it might come at a hefty cost. I unscrewed the top piece of the hope chest and re-covered it with new fabric in the color that matches my home color scheme. I made and added the yellow chevron pillows. I've never been one to match- the more colorful and funky, the better! This beautiful Hope Chest is the beginning to my "mud room". All materials were very inexpensive, costing me a total of 12 bucks!! Use those coupons, people!!:-)

Happy creating! 

Take care! 

Cheri 

Fun and useful....

Pinterest. Just the thought of Pinterest makes you a happy person... Or is that just me? I could easily spend hours searching through Pinterest. It's addicting as I'm sure you can already confirm this for yourself. 

Pinterest is a great site to help catapult your ideas. I've been so inspired by the things I've come across. Lately, I've been trying to find some things around my house to reinvent. It's fun for me and makes me feel like I'm getting full use of something. 

I don't know about you but I love creamer. Yep. No matter how "clean" I try to eat I just can't knock the creamer. Recently on Pinterest I noticed a similar creamer bottle being reused. To me, this was genius. 

After washing it I decided to store gold fish in it. This container makes traveling easy, it doesn't pour out fast when opening it and turning it over and it snaps closed which keeps it fresh. 

The next item I had in my home was a foam noodle for the pool. Mind you we do not have a pool. Last summer my kids begged me to buy a few at the dollar store so I did. For the past year they have been driving me bananas as they serve no purpose in our hall closet and my children have lost interest in it long ago. A while ago I saw a pic on Pinterest of a foam noodle being used as a bath toy. The pic I saw was a noodle cut up and placed in the tub.... Well, I did exactly that....

It was so neat to see my kids reactions to this. They were so excited and the cut foam entertained for quite some time, which allowed me to sit and watch them in controlled and happy peace. 

Tissue Paper Pom Pom Tutorial

Inexpensive, easy and fun!! Have I got your attention? 

Tissue paper pom pom's are incredibly inexpensive. You can find tissue paper at the dollar store! If you're looking for a specific color then the price can range but usually it's still very inexpensive. These adorable creations are the perfect items for a party, as wall decor, hanging from the ceiling and even as center pieces!! Use these as every day home decor too! Believe me, they're so cute you'll want to place them all around your home. 

I'm sure you've heard of these an perhaps you've been curious about how to make them, we'll check out the info below for an easy tutorial on how to do so....

Step:

1.) I'm sure many people do it differently but for me this is what I used.. 

Tissue paper- 8-10 sheets (got mine at the dollar store)

Scissors

Something to cinch the tissue paper and keep it secure. 

2.) Fold your tissue paper accordion style.

3.) Secure center. I used little metal wire.

4.) Cut the outer edges in either a circular curve or a point. 

5.) Now, GENTLY, GENTLY, and GENTLY start separating each piece of tissue paper to create either a complete circle to hang from the ceiling or flat on one side to hang on walls. Expect to rip a piece of your tissue paper your first time trying. It happens- no biggie. Just trim that part with your scissors or fluff more of the tissue paper around it and you should be able to hide the rip.  

6.) And done! As you can see I started off with a different color tissue paper with rounded edges and posted the final pictures of pastel colors with pointed edges. These make fun and creative additions to any room. My daughter especially enjoys these all over her room.

Thanks for checking this out and HAPPY CRAFTING! 

Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts~ Heart Shape

I'm definitely NOT skilled in the art of cooking and baking. I flop more than I succeed, but every now and then magic happens. On occasions I make something that is more than just edible- it's actually really, REALLY tasty! haha! 

Don't you love when that happens?! 

Anywho- here's a quick recipe for delicious and somewhat nutritious homemade pop tarts...

Ingredients for dough: 

-2 cups flour (I used wheat flour although take note that your pop tarts will be a bit harder with wheat flour.)

-1tbls sugar

-1tsp salt (I used Himalayan pink salt) 

-1cup butter (I only used 1/2 cup butter because I ran out and substituted 1/4 sawfflower oil) 

1 large egg

2tbs milk

**** mix all dry then add wet ingredients. Mix dough, sprinkle some flour on flat surface, roll out dough and use cookie cutter to form shape that you desire. 

BAKE at 350 degrees for 15-20min. Times vary... Keep an eye on it!

*NOTE: you will be cutting out a heart (or whatever shape you choose) for both bottom and top, then will pinch around the pastry to "seal" it.

Filling: 

I used 3/4c Costco's organic strawberry jam.

3-4 fresh strawberries chopped.

2tbls corn starch 

1tsp water

Frosting:

I didn't use measurements for this... Sorry. But good news is it's pretty easy and totally upto your taste buds on how much you want to add...

Use powdered sugar, pure vanilla extract, butter and a little milk. That's it. I kept mixing until the taste and consistency was what I wanted. 

I drizzled the frosting on top and added sprinkles for a fun finish! 

Like I mentioned before, I'm no master chef/baker... But my kids and I really enjoyed this and I'm sure you'll be able to add your own spin to make these even better! Enjoy! 

Create your own clothing/accessory labels! Cheap & easy to make!

Having labels on your handmade items adds a professional touch while also branding yourself and appealing to wholesale markets! 

Not everyone has the time or wants to deal with making their tags by printing from their computer, ironing from the paper to fabric etc. Not everyone wants to spend $$ on lavish tags. Well, these tags are definitely inexpensive, easy to make and cute. Although they aren't anything fancy they do allow your own personal touch to truly be added to this from designing how it will look to how you write your company name. 

Take a look at these pics to see how I constructed mine!

I purchased Muslin material as well as a fun, funky print. I chose a purple fabric pen. 

I also chose a vibrant orange ribbon as a possible "backing" (later pics will show what I mean) for label. 

Cut material any size of your choosing.

Place the Muslin material, which would be cut slightly smaller than colorful fabric, over the colorful fabric. 

Write your name BEFORE you cut.... I wrote the name after cutting. I don't recommended doing that. 😁

Sew your tag into your item! 😀🌟🌻

Here is an item I made with the tag sewn into the top right hand side. 

It's a simple, inexpensive, and personal way to add your label to the wonderful items you create! 

~Cheri

Make your own Bath Melts!

During this time of year my skin is extremely dry. I'm not talking just a little dryness...I'm talking cracked and bleeding dry skin. Nice, huh?!

I love buying beauty products from cool places such as LUSH Cosmetics. They're awesome and they're also a wee bit costly for me so I only venture out to them once in a blue moon.

I found a cool recipe for homemade bath melts on ecoyogini.blogspot.com . I changed it up a bit due to what ingredients I had on hand.

Here's what you'll need:

4 Tsp Cocoa Butter
4 Tsp Coconut Oil
1/4 cup Almond Oil (A little less would be fine)
Beeswax (This is the part you need to get a bit creative with. I added roughly around 4 Tsp of beeswax to                     add a little hardening to these so they didn't just melt the moment they left the fidge. Add a little                     more or less depending on what you think. Let me know if you add an amount that works better!)
8-12 drops of essential oil ( I used Eucalyptus EO)
5-8 drops of Tangerine EO <-----optional

Use a double boiler and melt all ingredients together, except EO,  over med/low. Remove and add EO. I used an ice tray that I purchased at the dollar store and put oatmeal in each "molding" before pouring mixture. Pour your mixture into the cube molds and place in the fridge for an hour and then they're ready for use! Just drop 1/2-1 melt in  a hot bath and viola!

NOTE: It is recommended to keep these melts in the fridge until use due to potentially melting in room temperature. ALSO, a reminder that these melts will create a slippery bath. Use with caution when entering and exiting your bath tub.

Enjoy!
Cheri

Eucalyptus & Tangerine with Oatmeal Bath Melts

New name, same gal!

Hey there! It's been a while since I've made a post. Sorry about that.... you forgive me, right? This past year has truly been a whirlwind; new baby, school for kids, school for me, yada, yada , yada. Finally the calm has come after the storm and I'm able to get back to some of my beloved hobbies.

Having 4 kids has been wonderful----ly tiring and painful at times. No solid sleep for months at a time will surely cripple you into this horrific monster. No sleep, a teething baby, a potty training and needy 3 year old, a diva 5 year old and a know-it- all 7 year old. These 4 kids are my world. I love them more than anything. These 4 children have also caused me to creep to the corners of insanity. Being a parent is no joke. Down right difficult and I love every bit of it. Yes, even those sleepless nights because there will come a time when they wont be little babies waking me, they will be teens causing me heart attacks.

So in order to keep my sanity I like to create things. I love "Do it yourself" (DIY) type stuff. Last night I made some awesome bath melts. The bath melts would make perfect gifts!I'll post pics and ingredients on the blog later so keep a look out! And keep a look out for my bath bomb post too!

Take Care,
Cheri

Home Alone!!!

My house is quiet. Yes, absolutely quiet. I can hear the birds outside, the fridge running, the quick tapping of my keyboard. Why is it so quiet in my home, you ask? Well, daddy decided to take the kids to the park and that leaves me ALL ALONE!! It's amazing how strange it feels to be "kid free". I'm almost positive that any second one of my kids will ask for something to drink or complain about the other one taking his or her toys. I wait for the screaming and yelling to take place but nothing. Nada. Zip.

My mind is running with idea's of what to do....gym? Shopping? Cleaning (BOO)....... I feel like I've won a prize and have yet to claim it. So, what in the world shall I do?? Do other mom's have this problem? That when left completely alone you have no idea what to do? My children are with me everyday so it feels pretty foreign when they're not with me. While I'm sitting here thinking of all the things I could do I realize that sleeping hasn't crossed my mind yet. Sweet, wonderful, uninterrupted SLEEP! How about I do nothing but stay in my jammies, curl up in bed and close my eyes...guilt free.

I think many of us mom's feel guilty if we're not "getting things done" but we need and deserve the extra R&R. Let the dishes sit in the sink a little longer and let the toys lay scattered on the ground. De-stress and enjoy what I'm about to enjoy. SLEEP.

Goodnight...uh, I mean day? ...GOOD SLEEP!;)

The Hunger Games Trilogy

Much time has passed since my last post. Busy days have made weeks blend together and before I know it spring is already coming to a close as summer's knocking at my door. No matter how busy I've been or how heavy, blood shot and undeniably tired my eyes are, I just can't help but read a good book. Or in this case, good books. The Hunger Games was recommended to me by a stranger standing next to me in the book isle of Target. As I hemmed and hawed at all the options the lady to my right seemed to notice my frustration as I tried to find something appealing to read. "You should read The Hunger Games trilogy. You will love it" she said. Why not? I told myself and I'm so glad I did.

 I'm a big fan of Suzanne Collins books. Although the writing is simple and easy to follow it is the intricate concept that makes this book a page turner. From the moment you start reading the first book you are immediately intrigued with what will happen next. Suzanne does a great job keeping her readers continuously entertained while still maintaining a fluid story line, natural growth of relationships between characters and descriptive moments that allow you to picture each detail in your mind.

Each book had a surprising factor. There's something is each book that leaves your jaw dropped a little and maybe even a little gasp here and there. You fall in love with certain characters, your angry with certain characters and you hate with passion at certain characters just as "the girl on fire" does. The only thing that I would tell you with concern is that you will not want to put the book down. No matter how important of a day you might have ahead or how tired you might be you will not be able to put these books down. On that note, read with caution!=)

If you haven't read the books yet, definitely do. I believe that the odds of you pleasantly devouring each book is ever in your favor!

Christmas is fast approaching. Our tree is lit, the stockings are hung and the scent of cinnamon is drifting through our home. In the background I can hear the little chattering of...... uh, my kids telling me of all the things they want? All of a sudden my mind comes to a screeching halt! Okay, I get the fact that kids want everything under the sun but I definitely don't want my kids to think that Christmas is all about getting "things". My 5 year old comes up to me with a magazine in hand and shows me 4 pages of toys that he so kindly circled to indicate the items that he would like from Santa. Wow. No bueno.

No matter what religion you practice or how you celebrate this holiday season I think that we all can agree on the importance of teaching our children that giving to others is far better than receiving. I told my 5 year old that he needed to go through his toys and pick out what he would like to donate to other boys and girls. I was unbelievably surprised at how excited he ended up getting when he fully took on the task. My son transformed from "wanting" for himself to "wanting" to give back. Although this might change tomorrow I am still excited to see his growth in such a positive direction.

There are so many struggling people who are waiting for all of us to put our "wants" aside so that we can give them what they need. If you feel compelled to do so, please visit the site below (one of many sites!) and see how you can be of service to a family in need. Not just this holiday season but always!

http://www.habitat.org/cd/giving/lander/default.aspx?media=Google&source_code=DHQOQ1107W1GGR&keyword=needy&gclid=COGg0tLQg60CFRJthwod4zoPKw&tgs=MTIvMTUvMjAxMSAzOjEyOjA3IEFN

Getting GLITTER fever!

I think most mom's would agree that keeping up with a regular Mani and Pedi is just plain difficult. With our kiddos, schedules, home and work...how can we possibly touch up our nails? I think it's important for every mom to feel beautiful and sometimes it's the little things (like having our nails looking nice) that can make all the difference in how we feel about ourselves. Thanks to Cosmopolitan Magazine, a very obvious solution was brought to light.

Facets of Fuchsia

 I decided to paint my nails instead of getting them done at a salon. I just don't have the time to go. I painted my nails a dark purple/blue and I absolutely loved the color, especially since it's so fitting for this time of year. After a few days of washing dishes, taking care of my kids, laundry, cleaning etc, my nails began to chip away. I was frustrated at the thought of having to take enough time to make sure my entire finger wasn't purple from the polish. Cosmo made me realize that there is an easy and quick fix to my problem. The solution? Chunky glitter polish. Yep, glitter! Now, at first I thought to myself- "Really? I don't think so....I'm not 15yrs old!". For some reason I felt as though I wasn't able to wear some fun, funky polish. I mean, c'mon...I'm a MOM!! WRONG!!....even more reason to wear some fun colors and top it off with some dazzling glittery polish.

 I picked myself up Revlon's Fuchsia chunky glitter polish and let me tell you how easy it was to put on my nails and how effective it was at covering up the chipped polish that hid underneath. Viola! I saved time covering my chipped nail polish as well as adding a little flare to my style. It's the little beauty tips that help make a mom's life a smidge easier.

I survived.... my auditions.

So, my auditions came and went. All of my preparation for this audition was put to the test the moment that I stepped in front of the casting director's.

The morning of the audition:
I woke up early....REALLY early. Too early in fact. At 4:45am my cell phone alarm went off, echoing in my ear drums. All I could think of was how comfortable my warm bed was. I got ready and left my house hoping to bypass the horrific LA traffic that was more than likely waiting for me. Sure enough I sat in traffic for over an hour. The worst part was I didn't even have my coffee to give me some sort of morning boost!

I arrived at the audition venue and noticed a large line of people wrapping around the old building. As I walked up to the line of people I couldn't help but wonder who was a better vocalist or actor than me. I patiently stood in line until everyone was brought into a large, stuffy room. I soon found out that I wouldn't get the chance to audition for another 6 hours!! Let's fast forward 6hrs, past the boring story of me sitting on my butt for 5 hours and spending the last hour driving to a Starbucks for tea; It was finally time for me to audition!

I stood next to the door that I would soon enter, hoping to amaze the director by giving a superior audition. My heart was beating pretty fast and my palms began t sweat. I kept telling myself to relax as I took in a deep breath but I couldn't help the involuntary shaking. I walked into the audition room, handed the pianist my music and took center stage. I smiled and the director's smiled back. I began to sing "I dreamed a dream" from Les Mis and finished after belting "shame". The director said "that was very good" then looked my resume and head shot over again and then told me thank you for auditioning. I left feeling defeated.

On a positive note~ I am happy with my audition and for the wonderful experience! I love meeting new people and having the chance to do what I love and grow from each audition that I have.

A friend of mine that is a very famous person in the entertainment world once told me this: "there are many talented people in this world but the people that will make it are the one's that can control their nerves. The other 75% wont be able to handle the pressure".

Now that I'm a wife and mommy it is definitely a different "ball game" when going on auditions and being part of the entertainment world. There's a lot of benefit such as how I approach my auditions now that I'm a wife and mom. I appreciate each opportunity and respect the arts to a new level. The trick is balancing it all! That will be a work in progress!

Surviving the Lion's Den

Yes, I'm here. Although I haven't posted in a while, I can assure you all (if anyone is out there haha!) that I am still circulating in the world of "blogs". Life has been crazy and somehow each day, week and month seems to exceed the craziness of yesterday.

 I'm jumping back into the world of performing and hoping that I can keep my nerves in check. My un-ending love for performing is the reason I've jumped back into the lions den. Why do I call it the lions den? Well, auditioning for something is never an easy task. Auditioning requires confidence, ability in whatever you have to showcase, as well as being dynamic, fun, energetic....blah, blah, blah...you get the picture. More importantly for me, it's keeping my nerves in "check". If I can do all that then I have to wait and see if the "lion" is going to chew me up and spit me out (reject me) or allow me to live (a call back).  A call back is HUGE. A call back means they liked you enough to have you come back again and hopefully WOW them again.

I'll never forget a time I was in a singing competition. I knew I had to wow the judges and so the pressure was on for me to remember my lines, show emotion and energy in my acting and hit all the right notes. The room that I auditioned in was dim. There was a small stage and in front of me was a table. At the table sat 3 lions...I mean judges;) The judges didn't smile, talk or even turn away for a second. They kept their gaze on me as if to not miss the moment when I failed. I took my spot on the stage. My feet were firmly planted on the little black piece of tape that was stuck to the stage floor. I nodded to my pianist to begin and away I went. I became the character and lived, at that moment, as if the words I was singing were true reflections of my real life. I wouldn't have been able to tell you what was reality and not because I became the character I was supposed to be. Once my audition is done it's as if a light switch has been turned on. Reality is back and the fantasy of the character is safely placed in the lyrics on my sheet music. This particular audition went very well and the "lion's" were pleased. I won the competition and all the hard work and time put into had payed off.
So, now I'm back in the whirlwind of auditioning and now practicing for a few auditions that are coming up. I'm very excited as well as being very nervous. It's the bitter and the sweet, right?

My kids are amazing when it comes to me practicing for an audition. I'll sing my song to them and they'll listen, critique or sing along with me. Perhaps I have a few performers in my brood? No matter what happens I can walk away from each audition with a smile on my face knowing that I am doing something that I love! Keep the dream alive, folks!!

Today was a crazy day... one of those days where you feel like everything has literally been passing by with snail speed. I felt completely overwhelmed yet extremely bored. Is that even possible? Apparently. The past few weeks have actually been pretty crazy; preschool, family gatherings, deadlines, adventures...you name it and it seemed to happen.

One particular event that took place, sometime during these past few weeks, has made me think... a lot. Do you ever have those days where you just sit for some seemingly endless amount of time about a cluster of stuff that should be nothing but really is something? Wow. I just confused myself so I assume I've lost any of you reading this. I guess what I am trying to explain is that sometimes things happen that leave you feeling like you need to ponder the experience. You have to dig deep and figure out what it all meant. But sometimes when you dig deep you have a rush of unwanted emotions that saturated your clear thinking. These emotions leave you foggy, drained and confused. You almost feel angry for even wasting your time on these emotions because you most likely will never find a resolution as to what it all means. Life is funny that way, don't you think? We live each day, some days better than others, and are left with experiences that can either move us in a positive way, enriching our lives further, or in a negative way which will drag our hearts down to our feet. Or sometimes you left in the middle. Your neither up or down, just smack dab in the middle trying to make sense out of something.

love not hate

All through school my biggest fear wasn't whether or not I made it on a sports team, dance or leading role in the play. I feared not being liked. I was petrified at the thought that someone wouldn't think I was nice or fun to be around. I had such a difficult time accepting the fact that someone may not like me.

As an adult my feelings on this have changed quite a bit. I'm sure there are people that don't like me and for reasons I will never know or understand BUT there is nothing I can do about that. I except it as their problem, not mine. I don't feel that way I did when I was younger and as a matter of fact I don't think much about it except when I think about my children going through the same feelings that I had.

Now, as a mother, I have a new fear.A fear that my kids will be engulfed with the same worries that I had growing up. I don't ever want them to feel sadness or pain, yet I know that it's inevitable. I hate to think that someone may not like my kid!! Of course, I think to myself, "how in the world could someone not adore my child?" but, as life goes, someone will hurt their feelings and break their heart's.

I hope that we can all be aware of how our children will feel as they go through school. Our children may be scared to meet knew people for the mere fact of being rejected. I believe that it's important to treat each other with an open heart and absolute kindness so that our kids can see how to treat each other.

www.thesunnybelle.com

Natural vegan and non-vegan soaps, lip balms as well as oils and creams; The Sunny Belle is a little online shop catering to those that crave a natural, artsy and healthy way of living. All products are homemade and created with the utmost care and concern for each client. All items are made in small batches and most items are made to order!

The Sunny Belle takes great pride in using some ingredients from local farms as well as from The Sunny Belle garden=) Custom orders are welcome, especially when ordering gift bags for special gatherings such as baby shower, bridal showers and more!!

Check the Etsy shop, Facebook and Website for new items that are added weekly!!


COMING SOON: Baby food jar candles! ~ Pre-order now for your baby shower!! Email with questions thesunnybelleshop@yahoo.com

Come and check out The Sunny Belle on Facebook and Etsy!! Also, check out www.thesunnybelle.com

The Busy Life Of Bees.....

Things are crazy in my life right now.....I have things going on with my kids such as swim lessons, play dates, doc appts and more as well as my own little business (http://www.thesunnybelle.com/) going on, my hubby and his work, family, friends........My head spins just thinking about everything! Please bare with me if I don't post often. I will try to be consistant but there may be times that the blog is uneventful.

Once I get on the roll with things and become better at time management I plan to update the blog regularly=)

So, how many of you feel like your a worker bee; buzzing along working...and working...and doing more work? Do you feel worn down, exhausted, beat up? I guess this is what life is all about. Life must be about working hard for that reward you desire. I would LOVE to go on a vacation for my 5 year wedding anniversary SO I continue to grind and get work done in hopes of getting my desire for a much needed vacation!

Comment below and let me know what YOU hope to do this summer....maybe it's something you have been working towards for weeks, months...even years! Tell me all about it!!!

**NOTE: for some reason I am UNABLE to leave a comment in response to your comment. I am in the process of figuring out why this is so but until then leave me a comment=)

Insomnia

Every night I tell myself the same thing..."this is the night I'm going to bed early", and every night I end up looking at the clock, rubbing my blood shot eyes, and shrieking at the fact that it's past 2am. For some reason I just can't get to bed early. Don't get me wrong...I WANT to go to bed early. As a matter of fact I day dream about it all day long; tucking myself into my cozy bed, relaxing and drifting off into the land of Zzzz's is what I look forward to. As we all know, a parents job is never done and although we try to stay on some sort of schedule, things change all the time and my hopes of going to bed before the sun even goes down is a more distant possibility than I acknowledged.

Our evenings are insane. I'm not sure if you all can agree, but once it hits 5pm all Hell breaks loose in my house!! It's almost as if the kids have some type of clock set into them, signaling when it' 5pm and when it's time to drive me insane. The baby is screaming for food, my daughter just decorated my floor with juice and my son is annoyed that I haven't fetched him a glass of milk quick enough. All the while I am dreaming of my jammies, sneaking into my warm bed and falling asleep. Nope....not tonight, because after dinner it's bath time and then after bath time is story time and after story time is a million questions as to why they should have to go to sleep and a million answers why I NEED them to go to sleep. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. Once the circus has ended I creep back down stairs and start my own personal work. Almost like clock work the monitor goes off and my 6mo has woken up and demands me to put him back to sleep...there goes another 30 minutes to an hour away from my work.

Some of you might be wondering where my husband is during all of this. Well, I could say he's passed out on the couch as I'm running ragged BUT that's not true. My husband deserves a lot of credit since he does help me with everything from dinner to bathing the kids to putting them to bed. He usually hits the pillow long before I do...lucky hubby. So, here I am...awake in the middle of the night, working on special concoctions or sometimes writing, as my house if full of the gentle rumble of snoring. Once my eyes have become far to heavy to keep open I grab my water and head to bed. The feeling I have when I hit the pillow is beyond words...so why can't I fall asleep?!?!? AHHHHH I'm tired but I can't sleep....all I hear is TICK TOCK TICK TOCK......the minutes are melting into hours and before I know it my phone reads 3:30AM. I think there might be a lot of mom's out there that can relate....usually it's late at night when we take care of things and more often then not we are too wired to doze off. I'm going to try to get to bed early though, even if I'm wide awake, starring at a blank ceiling. It gets lonely at 3am ya' know.

Art Heals Mommy

Art is all around us. It is vibration through speakers, ink on paper, seeing through a lens and creating with our hands. Art is something that almost all of us can find a common ground with. There is something that we can all agree on….art is everywhere. So how does art heal? And how does it heal this mommy? To me, art is a necessity. Much like air and water; art feeds my soul and gives me strength to get through the days ahead. I take each and every artistic moment of my life and keep it locked away within me, ready to surface into my work space when the time is right. As a mother it might be hard to tap into your creative self. How in the world are we to find our creativeness amongst the care giving of our young? How do we find time to make creativity happen in a day limited by time screaming past us? My children are my keyhole to the creative world……a creative world for moms. My children give me the gift of seeing the world through their eyes and this gift is a beautiful one. I see life piece by piece, with movements slow and colors vibrant.

A tree is no longer just a tree. A tree is a skyscraper with arms; colors that are crisp earthy forest greens and browns. This tree is so much more to my children then I ever gave it credit for and so with that the art of play has taken place. I get inspirations from my children. Every story they tell, cloud they marvel at and hug they give has opened my eyes to what they value as artistic and fun.

Art has given me a chance to embrace difficult times as a parent. It heals the heart and allows a re-birth of the mind. During the time I lived in Montana I was constantly surrounded by beauty. The scenery was amazing. Mountains were so high it looked as though it was a path to heaven; climbing towards the endless powdery blue skies. I would lose myself in thought as I watched the clouds pass by. During my time in Montana I began to write….a lot. I tapped into the art of writing and fell in love with the freedom of it. Every time I would write I was allowing a little piece of me to spill out onto paper. How vulnerable of me yet exciting all at once. Now as a mother I write for the same reason….I love it, but also because my children keep each and every day interesting and fun which gives me more and more inspiration. Art is alive and well in my home.

Here are 5 ways Art Heals<this>Mommy:

1)      Art, such as writing, clears a cluttered mind: I can release thoughts that are crowding space within my mind. Whether good or bad, writing allows me to “get it off my chest”.

2)      Art keeps me grounded: Seeing, reading etc someone else’s art opens my eyes to the diversity and the amazing talent that others have. I become a student every time I dive into someone else’s work.

3)      I’m bonding with my kids: Nothing heals more than to see our children happy. Art can be painting a picture or running through the mud and making foot prints on the concrete. My kids dig it and so do I.

4)      I can “find” myself through art: As a mother it’s easy to feel like I’ve lost myself but art allows me to feel connected to who I am as an individual.

5)       Art is stress free in a stressful world: If I’m working on a project I don’t feel stressed. Art gives you a chance to open the creative flood gates and turn off the panic button.

So, as long as I can fulfill my creative needs and share this love with my children, I will continue to be happy and inspired by all that surrounds me.