Be Present Service Challenge–Week 5

Neighbors!

Week 5 is all about loving our neighbors!

Download the free printable here. It will give you ideas on how to serve.

1. Get to know them – Last summer we moved into a new house, and I’m embarrassed to say there are a couple neighbors I still haven’t met! I’ve waited to see them outside, but I haven’t. So this week I plan on knocking on their door with a some goodies in hand and introducing myself.

Let’s make an effort to meet somebody new this week.

2. Serve your neighbor – It’s easy to serve those we know, but what about those we don’t know? I feel like serving neighbors can make a huge impact in their life. But remember it doesn’t have to be big! Even shoveling their walkway or taking in their garbage can is a great place to start.

I have three incredible neighbors who make a big difference in my family’s life and it pushes me to be better at recognizing other neighbor’s needs. One older neighbor watches my daughter every single week while I take my boys to speech! I am so grateful! This week I not only want to give back to them, but to other neighbors I haven’t met.

Here’s a FREE PRINTABLE to help you serve your neighbors. I always feel it’s easier to show up with something in hand when introducing myself.

3. Invite them over – Here is one to stretch all of us! Invite your neighbors over! Spending a little time with them will help build a better relationship and will help you enjoy where you live even more. Invite a neighbor (or two) over for dinner, dessert, or even a game night. There’s more ideas listed on the printable as well. The goal with this option is to really form a long lasting relationship.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes. I’ll be sharing some ideas on social media, so stay tuned!

Easter Printable

The past few days we’ve been out and about more and it officially feels like spring! I’m itching for warmer weather and so are my kids.

Recently, I’ve developed a huge love for plants! I’ve started filling our new home with houseplants and have been doing some research to spruce up our landscaping in the front of our house.

With Easter quickly approaching and it being week 4 (friend week) in our Be Present Service Challenge, we created this darling FREE PRINTABLE to add to any flower or plant. I love how it turned out, don’t you? You can bet I’m also giving these to the ladies I visit teach! I plan on delivering them this Friday.

You can’t go wrong with gifting any type of flower arrangement, tulip bulbs, or succulents. So go grab something that catches your eye and make your friends smile.

Happy Gifting.

Be Present Service Challenge–Week 4

Can you believe how fast this challenge is speeding by? I hope you’re starting to see how easy it is to make small little changes that make big differences. So far we’ve completed:

• Love Yourself
• Love Your Spouse
• Love Your Kids

And this week we’re focusing on loving our friends!

• Week 4 – Love Your Friend Printable

This is when people usually tend to panic and doubt themselves. We’re no longer serving inside our own home and sometimes we get so caught up in our gift being perfect that we tend to overthink it.

I get it, we all want our actions to be received well, but I promise, most times it really is the thought that counts. But hopefully we’ll help give you a little confidence this week. 

Find our custom watercolor cards over at Presentlee.

1. Write a note - How often do we express our love and appreciation for our friends? I know I don’t do it enough. One of the sweetest gifts I received after we lost Preslee was handwritten notes. They were a treasure and so personable. Though they were often sent to express their condolences, many wrote incredibly nice things and I couldn’t help but save them. They did a wonder for my spirits, and helped give me confidence.

With e-mail and texts, handwritten notes seem to be rare these days, so let’s take some time to send a note to the people we love most. It doesn’t have to be lengthy, just express your gratitude for the role they play in your life.

Find our necklaces over at Presentlee.

2. Send a gift – Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve learned about some friends experiencing difficult times. Some live close, others are childhood friends spread out across the country. My goal is to send a couple small gifts (along with a personal note) to them in hopes to brighten their day.

And remember, they don’t have to be struggling, with anything, sometimes my favorite thing to do is send a gift just because or one that contains an inside joke! Let’s let our friends know we truly care for them.

This cute measuring cup is part of the Chip and Joanna Gaines line at Target

3. Serve them – This is my favorite way to serve friends. I love grabbing small things and leaving it on their doorstep with a quick little text. I love the surprise aspect to brighten their day and it doesn’t take have to take a up a lot of time. When you’re out and about grab them a treat or a drink, babysit their kids, or even send them an uplifting text. I promise they’ll appreciate the effort your putting into your friendship.

Here is a FREE PRINTABLE to help you make some cute and inexpensive gifts.

Good luck this week! Let me know how it goes. Make sure to follow along on Instagram as we’ll be hosting another givewaway. This week we’ll be giving away two prizes, one for you, and one for a friend!

Halloween 2015

We loved Halloween this year! This post is a little late, due to a two year old stealing and losing my SD card right out of the computer (Not sure which one) but luckily I found they had been uploaded to Dropbox!
I was so happy that I didn’t lose our pictures!

It was our first Halloween away from home, and though I was little homesick for family parties, we really did have an incredibly fun night. Our boys loved every second of it.

We were TMNT (surprise, surprise :) Ledger-Michelangelo, Cannon - Donatello, Cruiz - Raphael, Patrick - Leonardo, and I was April O’Neal.

We started the day off with painting/carving pumpkins. We cut it pretty close this year, but gratefully our boys had no idea!

Ledger, Cruiz

Cannon

Cruiz

Painting was a hit! I’ll for sure do this again, it kept our boys busy, and didn’t make Pat and I do all the work.

We invited our neighbors over for festive Halloween Dinner. The witches brew was a big hit with the kids.

 

Once we finished eating dinner, it was trick-or-treating time! Oh my goodness, it was so much fun this year! I wish I caught Cannon’s face on video when we went to the first door and a stranger handed him candy. Haha! It was literally too good to be true! He would leave his bucket up from the minute he stepped foot in front of the doorway, and until the person shut the door. Since he never moved it, I think people must have put more than one piece of candy in, because when we got home he had double what both of his brothers’ had.

            

The highlights of the night were:

• Visiting a house with a huge blow up dragon that growled and blew (fake) fire. The kids thought it was real. Underneath the dragon was treasure, and if the kids were brave enough, they could grab a coin.
• Hearing Cannon and Cruiz say, “Tank ew” “Candy!” “Pwease.” “Go!” over and over again.
• Ledger thinking people truly thought he was Michelangelo. And his ninja moves.
• Spending the night with friends and eating great food.

Our boys are at such a fun age and each year I’m so grateful we have kids to celebrate with.
Here’s to hoping we don’t forget anything.

The Ride

It was a warm Idaho morning. I dressed Preslee in her pink little swim suit, packed what we needed in my purse, and drove to Rexburg to meet two of my friends at the splash pad. We spent the afternoon watching our kids play in the water. Preslee, usually a fish, wouldn’t go near the water that day. She sat quietly on a park bench, repeatedly glancing at me, and then gazing off into the distance. It was as if she was deep in thought and every time I picked her up off the bench she cried. Eventually I decided to try and lighten her mood, so I grabbed her little hand and led her towards the carousel.

Preslee watched as I handed a dollar to the teenage girl in charge. We stepped onto the carousel and I could tell Preslee was intrigued, but still apprehensive. I went ahead and picked out a black and white horse, with a big pink bow on its side, the one I felt would be the best match for Preslee. Being a first time mom, I was excited and giddy, trying to coax a smile from my rather serious daughter. Eventually my excitement rubbed off and she too, became rather happy, flipping the reigns and signing horse over and over again…and then the carousel began to turn. Preslee immediately grabbed onto the horse for dear life, not sure why her mom had thrown her onto such a strange contraption. There she sat, going round and round, up and down, all the while a loud drum and unique music blared in her ears, making it difficult for her to hear me. She kept looking at me and scanning her surroundings, her facial expression read, “Why Mom? When will this stop?”

All the while, I sat to the right of her, cheering her on, reassuring her that everything was okay. Eventually her stone cold face turned into a smile, and she learned to embrace the breeze blowing her wispy blonde hair.

Today as I walked by a shelf in our home, a little pink image caught my eye.
As I stopped and stared at this framed picture, a connection was made.

Five years ago, I was forced onto my own carousel. When Preslee was found in the canal, my world began spinning. Up and down, round and round, and sometimes my grief, just like the loud music Preslee heard, takes over and makes it difficult for me to function or hear what I need to. In the beginning I was frightened, not sure what to expect. I grasped onto the reigns, begging for my circumstance—my worst nightmare, to come to an end—but it didn’t. And just when I felt all was lost, I looked ahead and spotted a loving Heavenly Father standing ahead of me with a smile on His face, cheering me on, coaxing me to let go, hoping someday I’ll understand the point of ride.

As I sit here and type this, I’m honestly in disbelief that today marks five years since our crazy ride began. Five years, 1,825 days, 43,764 hours, or 157 550 400 seconds without my daughter often seems like eternity. Though I’ve been consumed by intense heartache, pain, and tears, something changed this past year. I think part of it stems from keeping a daily gratitude journal, but I’m beginning to see the beauty of the ride. Though I will never stop missing her, I realize the growth that has taken place in both Pat and I. I’m beginning to see what a blessing it is to have an older sister in heaven for 3 little boys – who now have their own guardian angel. Sacred experiences have been life-changing, which has caused my testimony to grow in leaps and bounds.     

 Today I’m grateful that I’m the one who gets to be her mom, along with three crazy boys running around with strong little heartbeats.
Today Ledger was the one who wiped away my tear and said,
“Mom, I miss her too. So much.”

Sometimes the cost of a carousel ride which enables one to feel the breeze, is worth the ups and downs that comes along with it.
I just have to keep on reminding myself that on days like today.

We’re five years closer to seeing you again, sweetie.
We love you.

Favorite Things Party + Free Printable

For a couple years now, I’ve watched my SIL Cara throw a “Favorite Things” Party with her friends. I finally decided I wanted to throw one myself. 

How it Works: The whole point to the party is to learn what products other people love. Usually, the person hosting the party sends out invites, sets a price limit, and explains how many gifts to bring, along with their favorite treat.

Well, my house isn’t nearly big enough, and along with my New Years Resolution: To Simplify! I decided to hold the party at Pizza Pie Cafe. I booked their events room and it turned out perfect. All you can eat pizza, salad, and pasta. No cleaning, prepping, cooking, or stressing. It was just grab your gifts and get out of the house as fast as you can kind of night!

I asked the girls to bring two gifts, each costing $10, so $20 total. (Pick any price range your friends can afford, many pick 3 gifts at $5 a piece) Upon arriving, I asked each girl to write their name on two pieces of paper, fold it, and put them into a bowl. We later used the names to draw for who would get each gift.

We then grabbed food, and chatted for awhile.

 

We then went around the room and explained each gift and why it is our favorite. Then we went around the room and drew two names, and those people received our gift.

It was fun to see what people love, and I discovered quite a few new products.

Our Favorite Things included:

• I  brought -  Artisan Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat + Favorite Method cleaner from Target.
• Wackee Six Card Game
• Punch cards to favorite workout classes.
• Favorite Cookbook
• Maybelline New York Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Primer + a cute decorative bowl
• Eos Lip Balm + a decorative bowl
• Banana Boat Summer Color Self Tanning Mist
•  Maybelline New York Baby Lips + Nail Polish + Leave in conditioner
• Gift certificate to Kiwi Loco + nail polish
• Scarf + Maybelline New York Baby Lips + Liquid Eyeliner
• Kenra Hair Spray
• Soft Stretch Cable Knit Slouchy Beanie
• Favorite Kitchen cleaner + kitchen gloves + favorite kitchen spoons
• Scarf + Chocolate
• Hair Spray + Argon Oil

We all had so much fun we decided to make it an annual party. As the host, I also added another drawing, where two girls went home with a caramel apple from the Carmel Tree, which is a local little shop in Rigby.
Their caramel apples are to die for!

I went home with Wackee Six and kitchen cleaner, gloves, and spoons.
Since then I’ve bought the baby lips chapstick and am obsessed!

Free Printable

I made these gift tags up for the party, and thought why not share them?
Click here to download my “Favorite Things” gift tags.

T- Shirt Memory Quilt: Preslee’s Blanket

 I remember packing away Preslee’s clothes. Crying. It was excruciating realizing that my daughter’s life fit into six small bins and there wouldn’t be anything more to add to them. Pat carried each one downstairs to our basement, and just like that, our daughter’s room was empty.

Two years passed, and I did everything I could to avoid those bins. Until I accidently knocked over the pink one, and some of Preslee’s clothes spilled out. On top, laid her pink toddler boots. The tears began to fall, and I knew I still wasn’t ready to decide what to do with Preslee’s belongings, so I quickly shoved everything back inside leaving them to sit for another two years.

This past summer, right before Preslee’s four year Angel anniversary, I finally felt ready to open the bins. I knew I wanted to make a blanket using her clothes. Late one night after putting the kids to bed, Pat brought up each bin and I sorted through her clothes deciding what I wanted to use for the blanket. I cried through the entire process, but knowing I was starting the last task I needed to complete, took a weight off my shoulders.

I luckily have an amazing seamstress for a friend. Crazy talented! Tiffany, who runs Tiny Seamstress Designs offered to help with the project, and I am still soo grateful for all that she did! (Details below) Tiffany went above and beyond, she put a million details into the blanket, and the final result turned out better than I could have ever imagined!

Thank you Tiffany, I love you! 

   

She kept a few ruffles from from Preslee’s dress. (Yellow square) 

One of Preslee’s favorite books, In My Nest, by Sarah Gillingham, contained a blue bird finger puppet. While Tiffany was working on the blanket, Cannon and Cruiz destroyed the book. I was upset. Pat suggested I see if Tiffany could incorporate it into the blanket. Tiffany worked her magic and fit it in perfectly.

 

Tiffany kept the buttons on jacket and then sewed the coordinating onesie below. Amazing! 

A reader left me a comment sharing the idea of leaving a few tags of the size of clothing.
Tiffany left three blocks with the sizes on it. One of my favorite details on the blanket.

 

Tiffany came up with the idea of incorporating Preslee’s binky. I cried.
She attached the binky to ribbon and sewed it into the pocket.

      

Tiffany told me she envisioned this hanging in our future girls nursery above a changing table. 

(We’ve gotta talk Pat into that one… :) 

So she added two pockets (up above) to make it easy to hang with a curtain rod or dowel.
I used them while taking pictures, it worked great.

 

I can’t get over the quilting details! Along with how perfectly the three pieces of fabric tie in.

The Process

 I showed up to Tiffany’s house with a large bin of sorted clothes, I put in anything that still had meaning after four years, (There was a lot). Tiffany had different patterns waiting for me to pick from. I also brought examples that different readers had sent me, (Thank you! They helped so much!). What I learned from the different examples was that each blanket showed a different personality, so I knew whatever pattern we picked, I wanted it to scream Preslee! I also learned I wanted a quilted look to it, and wanted it to be on the smaller side. I knew if it was too large I’d pack it away because I wouldn’t know where to keep it, and after spending four years in bins, I didn’t want it to go right back in one.

As I was looking through Camille Roskelley’s book Simplify, the pattern Sweet Pea, instantly stood out. Tiffany agreed it was a good match for all the different colors of clothing we would be using. Then we got to work.

I told Tiffany I wanted to help as much as I could. The first step was to narrow what I brought down to what we would use to cut out five inch squares. Some of the fabric wouldn’t work well, so we eliminated items like swimming suits, jackets, and some dresses.

When I began cutting, I instantly panicked. I was so emotionally tied to each piece of clothing that I felt sick about the possibility of messing up. Tiffany quickly read the situation and suggested I iron the squares after she cut them out. I was incredibly appreciative, and ironed like a champ :) We didn’t finish before I needed to leave, and she asked if she could work on it while I wasn’t there. I said yes, and before I knew it she sent me a picture of all the squares cut out.

After that, there wasn’t really much I could do. I don’t sew well enough to attempt a project like this, so my job was to buy the supplies and find fabric I wanted to use. I spent hours looking for the perfect fabric. I was frustrated. I wanted it to perfectly represent Preslee. I was about to give up when I walked in to a local variety store (Abbotts) and my eyes immediately were drawn to the turquoise and pink sitting next to each other. I was ecstatic. I found three pieces that matched what I had in mind.

When Tiffany called and said it was finished, I ran over as fast as I could! All the little details are out of this world, and with all the different mismatched pieces of fabric, I find something new every time I look at it.

What I Learned

• If I would have made this blanket just following Preslee’s death, I realized I would have picked different outfits. I know I would have picked mostly 18 month – 24 month sizes, what she was wearing at the time she passed away. But four years later, I found myself picking the clothes that held strong memories. I’m really happy I waited to complete this project, (Though it wasn’t planned) because I was sure I knew what I wanted.
• I was terrified to cut up Preslee’s clothes, but when Tiffany sent me a picture of all her clothes cut into squares, I was surprised how happy they made me. I no longer saw little girl shirts, noticing how small she was when she passed away, I just saw pleasant memories. My suggestion is to have someone else cut up the clothes. It was terrible.
• I’m glad I had Tiffany to piece the blocks. It was better to have someone who wasn’t so emotionally tied to each block, and she was able to make it work.
• I think one of the reasons I subconsciously waited to make the blanket was if I had a girl I wanted to use Preslee’s clothes. But six years later, most everything was out of date. I knew if I have a girl down the road, I wouldn’t use most of it anymore. My cousin suggested I save some scraps and make bows out of them if I still want to incorporate them. I loved that idea. I left a few pieces of clothing untouched, and I plan on donating about eight dresses to Primary Children’s Hospital.
• As I was looking at our blanket, I couldn't help but think how anyone who has lost a loved one wouldn't appreciate this. I think it would be such a special thing for spouses, children, siblings, parents, ect. 

I love the finished product. I catch Ledger looking at it all the time. I’ve threatened him with his life, and explained he can look with his eyes, but can’t touch any of it, if I’m not with him. He loves asking questions about all the different pieces of clothing. I’ve also walked by the room and saw Patrick looking at it quite frequently, smiling.

For right now, it’s draped across my chair, and we’re in love with it.

Thank you Tiffany, we will always treasure it!
 

Seamstress: Tiffany Jenkins, From Tiny Seamstress Designs.
Design: Camille Roskelley’s book Simplify, Pattern: Sweet Pea.
Fabric: Sweet Harmony, Designed by Amy Hamberlin,