The Coolest Canvas

As you might have noticed, I'm a little obsessed with photos, so when Photowall reached out and offered to create a canvas print for us, I jumped at the chance!  

Over the bed in our master bedroom, I've always had three canvases of Jeremy and me from our engagement shoot.

So, I decided to use one of the photos that Jolene Broad Photography did for us this summer, and replace the photos above our bed.  

Photowall was amazing to work with, and the canvas came so quickly.  This is how it showed up (in a box, of course)...

 Initially, I may have been a bit intimidated...and I may have left it in the box for a few days.

But, then I read the very simple instructions, grabbed Jeremy, and went to work!
Each of the four boards is lined with a heavy duty double-stick tape.  Basically, you line each side up along the canvas, attach via the tape, and then screw four corner pieces in, and that's it!!

The corner pieces tighten the canvas.

It was so easy, and so much fun to do!

Here it is now.  I may could have gone slightly smaller, but I love it.

And, I love it in my hallway, too!

So, surrounded by photos of the kiddos, I think this will be a great fit. 

What's so neat is that this Swedish company even has wall murals...how fun would one be of the kids in your playroom?  Or of a piece of art in the office?  I'll definitely be re-ordering some canvases, and if you'd like to as well, here's a code: pwtffilescampaign2017

Thanks so much Photowall!  I'm obsessed! 

JORD Wood Watches: The Perfect Gift

I know you all know my love for JORD and my wood watch - it's lightweight, unique and just a really fun accessory!  Every time I get to choose one for a campaign, I'm always tempted to keep it for myself...especially when it's the Frankie, like this one is.  It's my favorite.  But...it's the season of giving, and that's just what we'll do.  JORD has brought about something new to make these watches even more special...engraving!  You can have wood engraving on the box it comes in, watching engraving on a select few models, or both!  

For this, I chose wood engraving.  I wish I had put just a bit more thought into it.  But, it's a Christmas gift for my cousin (surprise!), so I thought this would be perfect.

There are different fonts to choose from and different character limits in terms of which watch you choose.  Next time, I think I'll do a favorite quote.

Here's the beautiful watch...

My cousin is a momma to three little ones, and I feel like this larger face will suit her perfectly.  Just a quick glance down at her wrist, and she'll be reminded if it's nap time, lunch time, play time, or time for the sweet momma to have a break!

My kids always think a JORD watch is theirs when one arrives in the mail.  Some day, maybe.  

Until then, we'll celebrate this Advent and Christmas with little traditions here and there.  From baking Christmas cookies for friends to delivering goodies to some of our favorites, and now gifting my cousin with this beautiful watch, I hope in it all that they'll see the joy of giving during the holidays...and always.

If this is a gift you'd like to give, click here to get $25 towards making it possible!

Merry Christmas!

Our Morning Litany: Other Side of the Fence

Our days can be a little chaotic sometimes.  With our new homeschooling adventure, I try to bring as much order to the mornings as possible.  Some days are better than others.  But, we always start in prayer.  Even if the prayer(s) are scattered with one child already needing a potty break, another only mumbling and still one just trying to get the others to laugh, I feel like God appreciates our efforts? Right?

So, when Gina asked if she could make our family our very own Litany of Saints, I almost didn't even let her finish asking before I said yes.  

Isn't it beautiful?

And, as you can see, I'm not great about decisions.  So, we have maybe a few more saints on here than most, ha!  I still think I could add another ten or so and be good.  Right now, we have the following: all of the patron saints of our children, Jeremy and my confirmation saints, and Mary...who I probably call upon the most during the days.  I was soooo tempted to put the name of our newest patron saint for this little guy in January, but since we aren't 100% sure, I refrained.

Gina is a fellow Catholic, blogging friend and Blessed is She writer.  She is one of my blogging friends who I immediately felt connected to when I "met" her online.  She is a mom of six beautiful children!

When she's not homeschooling, making amazing homemade goodies, sewing, or navigating the everyday surprises of motherhood, she's creating beautiful prints and litanies at her new Etsy shop: Other Side of the Fence.

Gina told me that she wanted to create these beautiful litanies for families as a reminder to call upon the saints to carry our prayers to Christ.  Who better to have praying for you?  

So, I'm about to frame this beauty and place it in the center of our dining room table where we begin our school mornings.  Each of the kids (maybe with a little help) can call upon their patron saint as we pray with the help of this beautiful litany.  

And, you can have Gina create one for you as well!  Today she's opening up her shop for custom orders!  The first ten orders will receive free shipping, too!  Grab one while you can!  For you...your best friend...your sister...or just anyone who could use a little extra prayer.

God bless!

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See Kai Run: The Kids' New Shoes

If you have boys (and maybe girls do this, too), and they're anything like mine, they're always asking a few things when we have to find new shoes: 1) Will these make me faster? and 2) Will these make me jump higher?  I don't know why but I always say yes.

Well, the sweet people at See Kai Run offered to send the kids new shoes, and boy were they ever excited!  Sweet John Paul still doesn't understand the concept of ordering something online and having to then wait for it to come.  He thinks that if we drive to the mailbox right after the order is placed, whatever we've ordered will be there.  So, every morning he asked when his new shoes would arrive.  Then, last week, after naps, he woke up to this:

The best thing for everyone is I finally relinquished a bit of control and let them pick out their very own shoes.  I really wanted to give my opinion but decided not to (except for Genevieve's), and I'm glad I didn't.  Because, they are so very proud of what they picked!

Initially they didn't even want to take them out of the boxes in fear of them getting dirty.

Sophie was so excited to help Genevieve with hers!

Then, we went outside for the big test later that evening...

Aren't Sophie's adorable?  Maybe my favorite out of the bunch!

Carter feels he now climbs higher...

Peter says he is definitely stronger with his on...

If it's possible Genevieve's might make her cuter than she already is...

And, John Paul, well he says these green See Kai Run shoes make him the fastest ever!

See Kai Run started a little over ten years ago when a mom, just like me, was on the quest to find the best for her kids.  For her, it was a shoe that was the best in health and design.  When she didn't find it, she made it!  And, they really are great!  They're comfortable, functional and the kids love how "cool" they are!

And, my kids are hard on shoes.  Whether they're chasing cats, running down the caliche road, or helping Dad with the cows, these shoes work!  Carter says he can't wait to go on a hike in his.

But, there's more!  Not only did this momma seek to create an amazing shoe for precious little feet, she's using See Kai Run to help little ones with special needs be accepted for who they are, with a percentage of sales going to help a local nonprofit.  That makes me feel even better about getting behind this brand!

One more great thing for this behind momma...none of these have to be tied!  We all love them...

...even Gen.

Take a peek for yourself here!

Ele Story & Motherhood

For every child we have, my mother-in-law gets photos taken of them at 11 months old.  So, recently I began the hunt for a sweet, timeless dress for Genevieve who has her photos next month.  I posted some of these photos in an earlier post, but I wanted to save some of just Sophie for this.  I found the dresses at the sweet online boutique Ele Story.

The story behind the name of this store is so inspiring, and now the mother (and co-founder) is sharing her dream with others as she makes these beautiful dresses for little girls, and I was lucky enough to stumble upon her store and benefit from her artistic talent and her sweet story as a mother.

I didn't set out to buy a dress for Sophie, but once I saw this one, I couldn't help it.

Because, I have a feeling we will need to take some sister photos.

She is so proud of her "pretty dress"!

Ele Story features a mother every month, and this month, they asked to feature Sophie, Genevieve and me.

They asked me questions about my childhood and about my relationship with my mother...of which I told them it was my hope that I could be the mother to these girls that my mother is to me.

So, if you are in need of a beautiful dress for your little girl, or if you want to buy a matching dress yourself, or if you want to learn a little bit more about my mom...head to Ele Story today.

And if you leave that visit with a cart of timeless dresses, welcome to the club!