Name Your Design

I am head over heals for Name Your Design! Simplistic, eye catching, personalized graphic wall art. From babies to couples, Name Your Design has something for everyone.

I Love Mom Link Party!

Mother's Day is May 9th and in honor of motherhood I am hosting my first linky party. Include your favorite photo of your mom and complete this statement, "The Greatest thing I have learned from my mother...".

Honor your mom here by joining the celebration May 9th.

Feel free to grab a button on the right of this page. 

Soulful Sunday

Luke 10: 25-28
²⁵On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"  ²⁶"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
 ²⁷He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
 ²⁸"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

Monogram Your Mug

Just in time for Mothers Day, Coton Colors is offering BOGO on pink and green initial dot monogram mugs.
Also, take a look at the cute Derby items. Just in case you are curious as I was, click here for info on the Kentucky Derby. I could get into this for the parties alone! The hats are oh so fun!

photo from Kentuckyderby.com

TimeWise

I have been using the TimeWise Miracle Set for about a month now and I have to say , it is the best skin care line I have ever used! I have been through a considerable amount of skin care products in my time, you name it, I've tried it. TimeWise has beat them all, and I am hooked!

My obession with Mary Kay products does not stop there. I have since purchased mascara, eye color, foundation, eye makeup remover. Each product goes above and beyond my expectations. 

Visit my sister-in-law's online boutique and check it out! While you're there try the Virtual Makerover tool and take a look at Beauty on a Budget. 

Want to have a Look on the go, there's an app for that too!

Have fun playing makeup!

How I Met My House

A little over two years ago I was introduced to our first house. Our introduction was not a welcomed one, in fact I did not want to have anything to do with the house!
Let's start at the beginning. We were living in a one bedroom apartment, and found out we were having a baby! Excited and aware of the need for more room we set out on the search for our first house. Setteling on building our nest in the burbs, we put things in motion to start construction on our new home.

Here I am about 6 months pregnant, standing in the construction of our first house.

Hubby and I - tired but so excited (at this point of the building process...)

We soon found out that having a home built is so much work, even though we did not pick up a hammer! Hubby made daily visits to the house as construction was going on. Stressful times! The building process drug on and my tummy was growing.
Finally we were nearing the end and the closing date was set, or so we thought...A worker had run a tractor into the front of our house, while leveling the yard for landscaping! Oh my! Did not see that one coming huh?

As the builder scrambled to fix the problem, we were moving into my parents house with about two months until my due date! This was not the plan, but our lease was up and we had to move, house or no house! Hubby and our wonderful friends and family packed our apartment into a PODS container and off we went.
Some time later the house was fixed and we were on our way to the closing table once again. Then we get the call that changes everything. The day before closing, the sales manager called. Apparently the house was built over the front easement line, and was to be torn down!! At this point we were a little over one month away from meeting our first baby and I did not have a nest to fluff! You can imagine the hormonal melt down.
The whole process was one giant struggle and between hubby and my dad, they found another home in the same neighborhood that was in the builder inventory. I was about to meet our first home and I was not a happy camper. Don't get me wrong, the new house was bigger, in a nicer section, and had all the bells and whistles, but it was not the house we had spent 5 months building. With a deep discount in price on the new home (hmm...I wonder why? haha) we settled on buying the house, and moved in 3 weeks before Elise arrived!

Here is our home.

Looking back on the process, we can see God's hand all over the situation. He was in control and the first house just was not in the plan. We love our new house and are so grateful for the way it all worked out.

Head on over to

and join the How I Met My House party!

Blue Oil

For quick, on-the-go tension relief, I use this handy little vial of Blue Oil from Aveda. I was introduced to this wonder oil at the hair salon. The stylist will use the oil for a head, neck, shoulder massage before getting started. It is a nice way to kind of shake off the tension outside the doors of the salon. My mom jokingly refers the salon visit as "holy hour". It is a hour for me time, and these days me time comes at a premium!

BABIES

Have you seen this? I must have been under a rock because today is the first I have heard of the new movie, BABIES. It opens Mother's Day Weekend.

Headboard Project Part Two

Remember this?

This is the headboard that we bought at a local antique mall for Elise's new big girl bed.

After some work

The headboard is ready for Elise's new bed!

We chose to paint it a nice crisp white with a parakeet green trim.

Elise is excited about the new headboard, but not happy about her current toddler bed moving out. I think once she sees it all put together, she will love it! We hope to have it all set this coming weekend. Let's see how it goes...Stay tuned for the big reveal.

Beautiful Blogger Award

I received this beautiful award from Maine Mummy! Thanks Sarah!

Check out her blog and follow her "journey from England to small town Maine..."

Beautiful Blogger Award, pass it on!

• Post 7 fun facts about yourself.
• Link back to the award giver.
• Pass the Beautiful Blog Award on to a beautiful blog(s)

 Opie Dawn Facts

1. I love Jesus with all my heart!
2. I am a wife to my loving husband, mother of one sweet little girl, and SAHM trapped in a career girls body. 
3. I am a graphic design/photography studio art major, and only worked in my degree for two years. Now you will find me in a corporate office, swimming in excel spreadsheets and purchase orders. This blog is my creative outlet and me time!
4. Hubby and I went to NY for New Years Eve and braved the Times Square madness, to watch the ball drop. It was a blast, but we vow never to do this AGAIN! So very cold, and no bathroom breaks! We stood out there in 18 degree, sleeting rain from 5:30 to Midnight. Good times!
5. I enjoy volunteering along side hubby, as Sunday school teachers in the preschool department at church.
6. "Backpacked" Italy with my best friend of  19 years!
7. Most evenings after work, you will find me dancing ballet with our sweet baby girl, while hubby chases behind. Love it!

I am passing this lovely award onto the following beautiful blogs:

Carol's Heirloom Collection

Beckyzblog

These two blogs will touch your heart and bring so much encouragement!

 

Adorable Humidifiers

We have had one ugly season of massive amounts of yellow pollen, making allergies and sinus infections run wild! As a way to combat some of it, we run this adorable little humidifier in Elise's room each night. It really works well, and is so easy to clean and set up.

Frog Cool Mist Humidifier from Crane

Yellow Retreat

If you have not noticed, I love the color yellow! These rooms found at Coastal Living are right up my alley. I feel a master bedroom makeover coming on...

Weekend Recap

This past Saturday hubby and I enjoyed a date day, while Elise played with my parents. We have not had time alone since his company Christmas party, so this was a much needed date day! The morning was spent purchasing and assembling Elise's first play house from Step 2. Above are photos from the big reveal! Elise loves her new play space, and so do we as you can see!
Now, head on over to  Between You & Me's weekend recap linky party!

Have you seen Coton Colors?

Don't let the name fool you. Coton Colors started out as painted cotton apparel, but moved into painted pottery, ornaments, and other cute products. Below are a few of my favorite pottery pieces from this family business.
Also, be sure to remember Coton Colors for their Christmas ornaments. They have a fabulous set of eight ornaments that tell the story of Christ's birth.

Gymboree Safari Finds

Skip on over to Gymboree for the big sale!

Resurrection Sunday

He is Risen! He is Risen indeed! 

Matthew 28:1-10

I hope you had a beautiful Easter!

The Hunt

We participated in our neighborhood egg hunt this morning. It was our first time to go to the massive egg hunt, and we had a great time. Here are a few highlights. 

The field full of plastic colorful eggs, as far as the eye could see.

The was so much to do and see. Elise enjoyed the big kid playground. Mommy about had a panic attack watching Elise enjoy the big kid playground! The slides were a lot higher, and the kids were a whole lot more aggressive and rude for that matter! YIKES!

The Volunteer Fire Department was there giving a tour of an engine. So thankful for what they do.

Daddy and Elise waiting for the hunt to begin.

A sleepy Elise surveying the loot. This egg had a melted chocolate kiss inside! Ha! Today was the warmest day we have had since winter. The temp was 86 degrees.

Papa (my dad) stopped by to see Elise.

A very sleepy daddy. He was a trooper, fighting off the mega aggressive parents (probably the same parents of the very aggressive big kids! I know I am bad) attacking those plastic eggs like they were filled with diamonds! Seriously, there were some parents raking the eggs into their baskets, while their kids stood there dumbfounded. Not a pretty sight!

Good Friday

John 3:16

 ¹⁶"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,^[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

This is one of the very first verses of scripture I learned as a child, and it is one that will never be forgotten. It is a simple verse that has timeless impact.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter holiday.

What's in your basket?

We are forgoing the whole Easter Bunny concept for Elise, but will still give her an Easter basket full of fun items. It has always been our first priority to show the true reason for the season, while still incorporating the imaginative wonder. Santa made an appearance, but the Easter bunny, at least for now will not. Why not the bunny? Well, it is not because we think it will take away from the true reason. It is because she is freaked out over the idea of a bunny coming to her house and leaving a basket full of gifts! Seriously! I made mention of the illusive Easter Bunny and she looked me straight in the eyes and said, "NO BUNNY! NEVER!". Never is her absolute word she loves to use to show she means business! So, mommy and daddy will be delivering her Easter basket. Here are a few highlights from Elise's basket.

Egg shaped sidewalk chalk from Crayola.

My Little Golden Book About GOD

The Little Lamb

I hope you all have a very happy Easter!

Teething Jewelry

While flipping through the recent Parents mag. I came across this page containing the nubby necklace from Sonny & Reed. Upon discovery of this clever necklace, I jumped up to show hubby. He did not share the same enthusiasm, but still thought it was pretty cool. The only thing I wonder about is the drool factor. Otherwise this is a brilliant idea!