D.I.Y

So a couple months ago I posted pictures on facebook,of a few projects I have done the past year. I got an overwhelming response to them.People wanting me to make some for them, others wanting to know how to do it themselves. So since I don't have enough time to make these things for people right now I will just show you how to D.I.Y! So here it goes, my very first tutorial! Hopefully this makes sense to more than just myself, but if not feel free to ask questions.

   I chose the "flower balls" as my first tutorial because they are the easiest. Which is also something you have to understand. If it's not something I can do with my glue gun during nap time, I don't do it. So all my projects are way easy.

Flower Balls

(not the best name, but I can't come up with anything else.)

When I made the flower balls for Grace's room I used medium/small Styrofoam balls, and silk flowers. Since I forgot to to take pictures while I was doing that project, I had to make more. This time I wanted to be cheaper, since it was just for this tutorial. So you can either do it the way I show here for swap out a few materials.

These are the materials I used for this project.

1. Newspaper balled up with packing tape securing it.(Instead of styrofoam balls)

2.About 75-100 cute cupcake liners (instead of silk flowers)

3. Skewer (if you want to do this project you need it, but if doing the hanging flower balls you don't)

4.Hot glue gun and lots of glue sticks!

5.A cute bucket (again, only for this project)

6. Paint, and paint brush for stem (only for this project)

7. Ribbon of your choice for the hanging flower balls.

Crunch the cupcake liner up so it looks like this, and I found it worked better if I bent the end. It made it easier to glue it on the newspaper ball. If you are doing the project with the silk flowers, please don't crunch them (ha ha)

Just put a dab of glue on the ball, or on the flower/liner whatever tickles your fancy and secure it on the ball. Keep doing this over and over, making sure the flowers/liners are nice a cozy together. With the hanging project I bought two different colours of flowers and made a pattern on the ball (eg- a line of pink, a line of green, mixed with white...)

Keep going, and going. It feels like you will never be done, but it's very worth it in the end. So cute. Make sure you leave a space to put either a skewer in the bottom or if you are doing the hanging project loop a piece of ribbon and hot glue gun that on the bottom (which will become the top).

This is about when I put the skewer in, to make sure I could work around it and make sure there was no spaces.

Finish up the bottom and then put some beans or newspaper or whatever you want in the bucket to hold the ball and place the ball with the skewer in the bucket. If you are doing the hanging balls though, don't worry about this step, you should be ready to hang your finished product! I also forgot to mention that if you are doing the hanging ones it looks best in groups of 3. I did 1 bigger one and 2 smaller ones.

Ta-da! You now have a cute topiary or some way cute hanging flower balls! Enjoy!

For My Birthday Girl

My dear sweet little Gracie,

   It hardly seems fair that this year has gone by so fast! I feel as though I blinked and you grew up and turned into this beautiful, smart, stubborn little girl. Not that you weren't always those things, but even more so now.

   It seems like it was just yesterday that I woke up with contractions and after 9 months of waiting I couldn't wait another minute to finally see your little face, and hold your little hand. You had your own time line though and made me wait 11 more hours! That was fine though, because after those long 11 hours I did finally get to hold you in my arms. I got to see your beautiful face and hold your little hand. I loved you from the time I found out you were coming and even more so when I finally got to meet you. I still don't understand how your Dad and I could possibly create someone so beautiful!

   
   You are such a great joy and blessing in my life. I thought I knew what love was before I met you, but I obviously didn't because when you came into my life I felt love so strong that I have never felt before. I want you to always remember how much I love you, because no matter how old you get you will always be my baby girl.

   You have always been ahead of your self in growing up. You are just so smart you can't seem to help it. Doing things months before you should be able to. Learning and growing at alarming rates. You have made it pretty darn easy to be your Mom. If only we could have got the sleeping thing down before you were 6 months old! 

   I have enjoyed every second of this year. Watching you discover new things, and the excitement in your eyes in doing so. I wouldn't have a missed a minute of it for the world. Watching you learn how to smile, start babbling, eat solids for the first time, first tooth, learning to crawl, first word, and now learning to walk. You have done and learned so many things and it is amazing to me how you went from this helpless little baby to a little person who can walk, feed herself, and say some words.

     I'm not sure I will ever get used to you getting older and learning all these new things. One that is for sure though; that I will enjoy and cherish watching and helping you along the way.  You have a big huge fan club. So many people that love you and will always be here for you, no matter what. You Daddy and I love you more than you can ever know. Your Grandparents, your aunts and uncles and friends. 

   Thank you for joining this family and giving your Dad and I the greatest blessing in life, of being your parents. We have enjoyed the past year so much. We love waking up every morning and seeing your beautiful face. Hearing you giggle, and tell us your sweet stories every day. You make us laugh so much and give the greatest hugs and kisses we have ever had. I can't wait to get to know you even more over the years and watch you grow. I just have one request, could you please stop growing so fast? Just slow down a little. Please? For me? 
Happy birthday to my beautiful, sweet, funny 1 year old. 

Alien? Not me!

So if you know me at all,

You know that I am a very proud Canadian!

I married a very proud American...

And I caved and moved to the states.

When I came here I just said I was "visiting",

Then almost 2 years ago we decided we better get me legal.

We have been waiting and waiting.

We spent a lot of money on this.

And just had to keep waiting and waiting!

Things got sent back,

they were either wrong,

or the price randomly went up 

so we needed to pay them an extra $10,

or something silly like that. 

In the mean time, however,

My family and I are DYING for me to go back to Canada!

I can't wait to show off my little munchkin!

I have so many family members,

and very close friends up there who have yet to meet her.

And it's killing us all.

All this waiting.

So finally on April 11th

I had an interview with USCIS

The interview went great!

The officer said...

"You should be getting your card within 10-30 days"

A couple days later,

I get a letter. 

I thought it was my card!

But alas!

It wasn't.

In fact, it was a letter saying

"The FBI tried twice to read your fingerprints, and can't"

"So You need to get police clearance letters,

from all the places you have lived in the past 5 years"

Easier said than done people!

I went to the BCI in Utah,

and paid $30 to get my background check,

and my fingerprints done again.

The woman who did the fingerprints was astonished.

By what you ask?

My lack of fingerprints!

She told me (basically) I have none,

and I could commit murder and no one would catch me.

So then I called the police station in Star Valley.

The woman was delightful and so helpful!

Normally you have to appear in person to get a background check.

Since she felt for me and didn't want to make me drive 4 hours,

just for that...

she just did it and I got that within 3 days in the mail!

Perfect!

Then came the hard part.

Woodstock, Ontario!

(cue horror music!)

The woman there was MISERABLE!

Would not do my background check because I couldn't appear in person.

Which of course, I couldn't.

It was a horrible catch 22! 

So I did what any normal, frustrated person would do.

Went to the highest police in Canada.

That's right, I called the Mounties!   

They told me that given the situation,

it should be no problem and the miserable woman needs to do it.

I called her back and told her what the RCMP said.

This made her EVEN more miserable!

Eventually, after much arguing,

She agreed to do it...

IF I jumped through about 10 hoops!

So I did. And I got it.

And sent them all in to USCIS.

This was the start of May. 

We didn't hear ANYTHING!

My family kept calling and asking when I was coming home.

I was going crazy not knowing!

I didn't even know for sure USCIS got it!

  So Spencer and I decided enough was enough!

Last Wednesday we packed up and set out for Salt Lake.

USCIS closes at 3pm (ridiculous eh!)

So we had to get there at a good time.

We got there at 1pm,

Perfect!

Except that we got there and the parking lot was FULL!

And there was a line all the way down the sidewalk!

What!

We decide to wait in said line.

An officer comes out and goes down the line asking

"Are you here for the ceremony?"

Ummm excuse me?

What ceremony!

He gets to us and I say 

"No we just have a question"

He then tells us that they are closed 

because of the Naturalization Ceremony!

I broke down and CRIED!

He must have felt bad because he asked what he could do.

I told him the situation.

He took down my file number and everything,

and told me that he would talk to my officer.

And get her moving on it.

He was also going to tell her that I need to travel 

so it is urgent!

YAY!

So this was a horrible and long process!

But last night....

Drum roll please!

We checked online,

and it said 

"Approved, and your card has been ordered,

expect card within 10-30 days"

FINALLY!

So I am so excited to finally go back to Ontario,

very, very soon!

I can't wait to see my family and friends,

and introduce them all to my favourite little person!

And I guess...

I am now a Permanent Resident 

Of the good Ol'

U.S. of A! 

 

Warning:

   Ok So I just need to warn everyone that I'm getting back on the blogging wagon! I haven't done it for a while because I thought no one was reading...but now, I guess, I just don't care. Read, don't read, whatever you want. If you do read though, please comment so I know you are out there enjoying my blog and hearing about our life as a new family.
   So between us moving, people asking for pictures of the new place. Crafts that I have been doing and people wanting instructions on how to create such crafts. Our anniversary coming up at the end of the month. My parents coming, also at the end of the month. Grace's FIRST birthday, and other milestones in Grace's life that I love to share. Family reunion. There is going to be a lot of stuff to blog about this summer. So get ready to start reading! I'm excited to share our lives with everyone!

Oh Gracie!

So you know how

sometimes Cats think they are humans,

Dogs think they are cats,

Or sometimes humans...

Kids think they are superheros,

Kids think Mom's are also superheros,

Dad's aren't afraid of ANYTHING...

The list could go on.

Well, apparently, my Daughter thinks she is a Dog

And Koda thinks he is a cow,

No wait he thinks he is a pony,

Or was it human?

Maybe a lap dog?

Anyways, that's a whole other story!

Update!

So Last night Vanessa Wilde (formally Musson) scolded me for not writing on my blog enough. I told her that I simply don't do it that much because we are a boring little family and I often have nothing to talk about. However, just for Vanessa I will post today! I hope you are happy Van.

Thankfully, I do have something to write about today.

I feel like lately I have been getting the hang of this being a "Mom" thing. Spencer and I made it through the sleep training, and it wasn't bad at all! The longest she ever cried was 16 mins! pretty amazing right? I had heard horror stories of babies crying for hours upon hours...not my little munchkin! Mind you, those 16 mins were the longest of my life, it was worth it in the end.

  As we speak Grace is doing this-

 

Now I realize to lots of you, this is no big deal...

But to us this is a HUGE deal!

You see the only way I have ever been able to get her to nap is to put her in her swing.

She is now getting too big for the swing though,

sooooo,

Mommy had to figure this out.

I decided that she needed a "cue" to know that it was time for a nap.

At bedtime this is a bath and a bottle,

but we didn't have one for naptime,

the swing would just rock her to sleep.

So I thought, and I thought.

I figured I would read her a book and rock in the rocking chair for a minute with her.

We have been doing this for a couple days now.

Today I decided to try it,

and well, you saw the proof that it worked!

I'm feeling pretty good about myself right now!

On a side note.

Grace got her Christmas present from her cousin Izacc yesterday.

Here is an adorable picture of her with all her new stuff.

P.S Can I just mention that Izacc didn't make all this,

but my amazing sister in-law did, plus a lot more than what you see in the picture.

She is pretty much an amazing seemstress and should charge people money!

  Oh I almost forgot to mention that she slept for 12 hours last night! 

Yup, that's right...

8pm till 8am!

6 Months Already?!?

As I looked at the date today I almost broke down and cried. Time has gone by so fast. Between sleep deprivation and postpartum depression I feel like I have missed most of these 6 months. How can I get it back? Someone please figure this out for me. Someone make a time machine. It has gone by way too fast. 6 months is half a year! My parents asked me yesterday "what day are you planning on doing her first birthday?"

FIRST BIRTHDAY?!

What!

How could this be happening? I want time to stop, or at least go a little slower so I can just snuggle my beautiful little girl and figure things out faster.Like, housework and other things don't matter as much as I thought they did. Right now I'm wishing my house was a disaster, because if it was then that would mean that I don't regret how I spent my time, it would mean that I would have spent the past 6 months snuggling my baby. What was I thinking? She is only a baby for so long. Starting today, I am changing my ways, there is going to be more snuggling and less worrying about other things, because in the long run the only thing that matters is that my children know how much I love them.

The song "You're Going to Miss This" explains how I'm feeling perfectly. 

You spend your whole life just wanting to grow up and not being able to wait for the next phase in your life,

when really all we have to do is slow down and look at all the blessings we have right now.

I am going to miss this.

Even though my daughter is the worst sleeper in the world,

when she does sleep through the night,

I'm going to miss holding her,

having our little snuggle time in the middle of the night.

She wont want me to hold her forever,

One day I'm sure she will even be embarassed to call me "Mom"

So right now, I am going to enjoy the giggles,

the crying,

the wanting to be held,

I'm going to take it all in...

because they grow up so fast,

and the greatest gift I can give her now and forever is my time.

From this 

to this

and now to this...

 It goes by so fast doesn't it?