In Blue Giveaway!

A few months ago I came across a diary I had in elementary school

Talk about funny stuff!

I had a good laugh looking at my horrible spelling

and reading all the gushy info about boys back in the day.

And although my spelling has improved (a little)

and I'm no longer writing about boys

I still have a journal.

I've almost always had one and I probably always will.

It is where I go to reflect thoughts and ideas, record things the Lord is teaching me, write out prayers, etc.

If you love your journal as much as me

or heart handmade leather goods (who doesn't?!)

you will love this week's giveaway!

I'm so excited to introduce you to

Mary Lynn

of In Blue

My name is Mary Lynn Schroeder, I moved from Chicago, IL to Carbondale, IL about 2 years ago, bought my first sewing machine on my way down, and never looked back :) I have been sewing like crazy since! I live in the country with my two dogs (daschu and chief). My friends,family, and boyfriend have been super supportive and inspire me to create every single day.

I own an all handmade boutique on the strip in Carbondale called Dayshift. We feature over 40 local artists in the store! The shop also serves as my studio, I do all of my sewing and etsy-ing here in the store while I greet customers. It really is a pretty amazing job :)

Etsy is a HUGE part of my work and I can't say enough good things about it! I started the shop in November of 2008, things were a bit slow for a while, then on December 2nd, 2009 etsy featured me in a newsletter gift guide, and I have had over 700 sales since! Thanks so much for checking out my work, and tell all of your friends! :)

Check out her awesome journals!

They are unique and crazy cute.

She has manly versions like this guitar one

and girly versions like this adorable bird and birdcage.

Seriously there is something for everyone!

She also has awesome wallets

(love those trees)

and adorable Ipod/Iphone cases.

I think my I phone would be really happy if this was it's new home.

This week Mary Lynn is giving away

a hand printed simple Iphone/Ipod case!!!

Don't have an Iphone or Ipod?

These cases also fit Palm Treo's and many other mp3 and phone devices.

How can you win?

(Please leave a separate comment for each)

1. Visit In Blue's shop.

Come back here and tell us what your favorite item is.

2. Follow my blog.

3. Follow me on Twitter.

4. Blog about it.

Make sure to let me know the blog address you linked from in your comment.

5. Do something nice for someone else.

Just because.

Then leave a comment with the word "nice" in it.

Giveaway will end at midnight

Thursday, May 6th.

Winner will be announced the following day.

Blingged shoes

I'm dying over these shoes.

Leopard. Sparkles. Converse.

seriously. crazy. cute.

Check out the details here

and make your own pair for your little princess

Clean at last

My hygiene has been highly questionable since my surgery.

Until yesterday.

After 10 days

of feeling dirty and gross

(deodorant, baby wipe baths and perfume can only do so much)

I finally was able to take a real bath

the most heavenly, divine bath I have ever had.

Not the most comfortable

seeing as I had to hang my feet over the edge

(they still can't get wet)

nonetheless it was hands down my best bathing experience to date.

Being clean has never ever felt so good.

Eating healthy

Things are changing..

I'm going green!

Well kind of.

My friend Cyndi gave me this book

to read during all of my down time

I have to confess I am (or was)

blissfully ignorant when it comes to nutrition.

I mean I know fruits and veggies are good

and Cheetos and french fries are bad

but beyond that I didn't know a whole lot.

And to be honest, I didn't really care to know

because let's be honest

I wasn't ready to make any real changes.

However I realized being intentionally ignorant

probably wasn't the wisest

or in this case healthiest thing to do.

So I read the book.

And my eyes where opened.

Now I feel like I am probably going to die really young from all the horrible cancerous things I have been eating my whole life.

In case you didn't know Diet Coke is really bad.

(but also really yummy...why is that?)

White bread....bad.bad.bad.

Sugar and Splenda...both bad

Basically every delicious cereal,

non organic meat, dairy and produce,

most snack foods,

regular pasta and white rice,

desserts,

etc. are all bad for you.

The author basically suggests sticking to foods in their natural state

fruits, veggies, organic meat, nuts, plain yogurt, olive oil, etc.

Which makes perfect sense

but also eliminates so many of my favorite things.

Anyways, I know I won't be able to do everything the author suggests

{baby steps right?}

but I am definitely going to implement healthy changes into our home.

What are your thoughts on nutrition?

Do you have any healthy (and delicious) recipes you'd like to share?

Happy Weekend!

Thank you for all of the prayers and encouragement!

I've been so blessed by all of your comments and emails :)

I hope your weekend is filled with lots of

sunshine

love

laughter

joy

and of course

fun!

Happy Weekend!

Heavy Heart

My heart is heavy today.

Since the kids were sick with RSV in March it seems like

we have been hit with one thing after another.

In the past month and a half we have been to the ER 3 times and the doctor more than I can count.

Our illnesses have been something like this.

Mackenzie-RSV, Ear Infection, Croup, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Mystery virus with an all over body rash and cough

Aaron- Strep Throat

Wesley-RSV, Ear infections (twice), Teething like crazy (fever, runny nose, all over miserable)

Me- Bunion surgery on both feet

Then on top of everything Mackenzie's doctor called us last night to go over a kidney ultrasound Mackenzie had a few days ago (because of the UTI).

You know when the doctor calls you personally at 6:45 p.m. to go over test results

it's never a good sign.

Apparently our baby girl has something abnormal in her left kidney.

They aren't really sure what it is at this point.

From all the medical mumbo jumbo I received over the phone

they think she has an extra functioning part in her kidney.

Sometimes it's ok to have two of something like a gallbladder or appendix but I guess two of whatever she has isn't good.

Your kidneys help with filtering blood and urine, regulating blood pressure, making Vitamin D to help with your bones, and stimulating a hormone that makes red blood cells.

All important things to say the least.

So for now we wait and pray and trust the Lord

knowing that He is good and that He loves our baby girl more than we ever could.

The next month or so will be filled with lots of not so fun tests and visits with specialists.

I'll keep you guys updated as we find out more.

Thanks for all of your support and prayers!

Random fact:

Did you know you can live a perfectly normal and healthy life with only one kidney?

Did you know Aaron (my hubby) was born with only one kidney?

Praise the Lord that it is only in one of her kidney's and that it's in an organ she has two of!

God is GOOD!

A pillow and a blanket

How perfect would this pillow/blanket combo be for road trips and airplane rides?

Genius!

Check out the tutorial and details here :)

A Day in the Life of...

the Sellars' family.

A couple Fridays ago

I woke up in the morning

grabbed my camera and documented the day

exactly how it unfolded.

The good, the bad and the ugly.

Not that my life is super exciting by any means

but I thought it might be kind of fun for you guys to see how I spend a somewhat typical day

(pre surgery and the move)

as a mom, wife, and business owner.

I'd love for you guys to do

"a day in the life of.." your family post as well

and link it in the comments section.

It might be kind of fun to get a peak into each others daily lives.

Here we go...

5:00 a.m.- Wesley wakes up.

I sneak into the kids room to get him without waking Mackenzie up.

Bring him back into our room to feed him and change him

and PRAY he goes back to bed.

5:30 a.m.- Yeah! Wesley falls back to sleep in our bed.

So do I :)

7:40 a.m.- I wake up and realize both kids are still sleeping.

Jump in the shower as

fast.as.I.can.

7:45 a.m.- Hear Wesley wake up (He's still on my bed. I'm still in the shower. Bad idea.).

Jump out of the shower as fast as I can and bring him into the hall to play while Mama gets ready.

8:00 a.m.- Mackenzie wakes up

happy as always.

8:10 a.m.- The day has officially begun.

We get into our morning routine which involves

making coffee, breakfast, breathing treatments (they were still getting over RSV),

and Mackenzie's favorite gummy bear vitamins

8:45 a.m. Still eating breakfast.

Does it take anyone else forever to feed the kids breakfast?

Maybe my kids are just slow eaters.

9:00 a.m.

Finally done with breakfast.

I pick Wesley up out of his highchair and feel something wet.

Never a good sign.

So I take him into his bedroom to investigate

and find poo

everywhere.

Emergency load of laundry.

9:15 a.m.- First sip of coffee. Ahhh :)

Happiness.

And not just any coffee.

Brazilian coffee with vanilla creamer.

While Aaron and I were engaged we lived in Brazil for a few months and came back full blown coffee snobs.

9:30: Playtime with the kids.

A little bit of reading, drawing, and building with blocks and a whole lot of laughing and silliness.

10:00: Mr. Happy (see his shirt) is not so happy anymore.

Wesley wanted nothing to do with his morning nap.

Maybe getting him to go back to bed this morning wasn't such a good idea :/

10:15 a.m.- I decided fighting Wesley to take his morning nap just wasn't worth it today (the kid hates to sleep) so we headed out to run some errands.

On the way out of the house we spotted the trash truck.

Yippee!

Mackenzie hearts the trash truck.

There I am in my minivan with my super cool sunglasses

that cover the not so super cool bags under my eyes.

On the way to our first errand (Target) we stopped to visit our local llamas.

Mackenzie will not let us pass them without sneaking a peek.

I don't blame her. I like them too :)

I pull up to Target and find Wesley finally embracing his his morning nap.

I had a feeling that would happen.

It seems like his morning nap is on-the-go 50% of the time.

My poor second child.

Demonstrate self control in Target by sticking to the list (which can be super hard) and stock up on lots of baby food.

On the way home from Target I decide to grab a few things I need from Joanns since me and the crew are already out.

11:45 a.m.- Finally get home from running errands.

Make and eat lunch.

Clean up after lunch, empty dishwasher from this morning, etc.

1:00 p.m.-Put Mackenzie down for a nap.

1:45 p.m.- Put Wesley down for his nap.

Ahhh...Peace and Quiet.

During the kids nap I...

spend some quiet time with Jesus, catch up on email, write a blog post, think about starting some orders and then...

3:00 p.m.-

Wesley wakes up so I recruit him to help fold some laundry.

3:10 p.m.- Aaron comes home early!

Yay! I love Fridays!

3:30 p.m.- Wake Mackenzie up so we can all go to Sonic for happy hour!

Mmmm...Lemon Berry Slushies are the way to my heart.

They put in a Sonic near our house while I was pregnant with Wesley.

It was the only thing that got me through being pregnant in July.

After Sonic we stopped by a super cool bird store near us to visit (and hold!) some birdies.

Next we headed to the mall to get some dinner.

As we walked into the mall Mackenzie spotted the Easter bunny from a mile away and flipped out.

Literally she screamed at the top of her lungs, threw herself on the ground and wouldn't walk another step in the direction of the bunny.

Hilarious and embarrassing

all at the same time.

Go to Happy Hour at our favorite restaurant

The Cheesecake Factory

where my cousin Becky works.

Their avocado egg rolls are another way to my heart :)

6:15 p.m.- Get home and get the kids ready for bed.

6:30 p.m.- Play a little Barnyard Bingo (Mackenzie's favorite game),

have a couple tickle wars, wrestling sessions, and Bible reading before bed fun.

7:00 p.m.- Put the kids to bed!

7:15 p.m.- Make some popcorn, grab a diet coke, snuggle up next to my hunny and watch "The Blind Side".

A great end to a great day!

What's a somewhat typical day in your life look like?

Thanks

Thanks for all your prayers!

The surgery went really well.

Now I'm just at home elevating, icing, and resting

while my amazing hubby takes care of me and the kids

(did I mention I have the best husband in the world!)

Even though I'm not looking forward to the pain and recovery

I am looking forward to catching up on some bogging and reading.

I even have a tutorial and some other things I have been saving

so stay tuned :)

Grandma surgery...

This Friday

I'm getting Grandma surgery

A.K.A. bunion surgery

on my feet,

both feet to be exact.

It's nothing too serious

or so you would think.

Apparently removing the boney bump from my big toes

is a major surgery

that involves cutting of bone and pins inserted into my feet.

Crazy. I know.

And not that there is ever a good time to get surgery on your feet

but getting it done less than a week after I moved

with a 8 month old and a 2 year old

probably wasn't the best idea.

But of course it was the only time I could.

I feel like this surgery might age me about 50 years.

Seriously.

I'm borrowing an 80 year old man's walker

(don't worry. He doesn't need it anymore)

to use around the house

and I'm getting a wheelchair from my doctor

to use on longer trips

(because you know we will be going to Disneyland a few times to get on the front of all the rides. At least there is one perk to this).

They are also giving me a handicap permit

which is kind of cool

except for the fact that I can't drive for 6 weeks.

s.i.x. w.e.e.k.s. people!

That's a long time!

Can you tell I'm SOOOO not looking forward to this.

So if you think about it

please PRAY

that the Lord would heal me quickly,

be with my family as they take care of me and the kids

and the He would use this time to make me steadfast

and bring me closer to Him.

Thanks friends!

P.S. While I am recovering I won't be able to sew for a while

so everything that's for sale in my shop will be pre made and ready to ship.

If there is something you like be sure to get it before someone else does :)

Also..does anyone have a yummy recipe that I could make before my surgery and stick in the freezer to be reheated later?

We are...

MOVING today!

So excited!

Except for the packing and unpacking part.

I didn't realize how much stuff we have until we had to move it all.

Definitely need to get rid of a bunch of stuff as we unpack.

And the Bit of Whimsy winners are...

Laura

and

Karma Dee

and

Gorby Family

Congratulations!!

Email me to claim your prize!

Ruffle Headband Tutorial

If you heart headbands as much as me

you will love my new

Ruffle Headband

It's

pure and simple,

girly,

headband perfection.

Great for toddlers and adults and everyone in between.

Plus it is super fast and easy to make.

A perfect nap time project!

All you need is:

-an old t shirt or scrap knit material

-elastic

-sewing machine

Step 1:

Cut two strips out of your t shirt. You will want the length of the strips to be approximately double the length of your total headband.

Step 2:

Sew the two strips together

creating one really long strip.

Step 3:

Sew a running stitch (the longest and widest stitch possible on your machine) down the length of the strip. Then pull the bobbin strings to ruffle your fabric.

Here's a great ruffle tutorial if you are new to ruffling.

Step 4:

Sew down the center of your ruffle a couple times to secure. This will keep your ruffle in place.

Step 5:

Now we need to add the elastic.

Wrap your ruffle piece around your head (or the head of whoever you are making it for) and determine how much elastic you will need to make it go around your head completely. Then, fold over one end of your ruffled piece so the raw edge isn't showing. Then fold both sides of the ruffle behind the elastic so your ruffle piece is wrapped around the elastic. Sew to secure. Repeat with the other side.

Step 6:

Tada!

Told you that was easy!

Now slip it on you or your little cutie and enjoy!

I also made a double layer ruffle headband. Just as easy and extra cute!

*FYI the headband is not super stretchy because the whole ruffle is sewn (therefore not stretchy) so just be careful when putting it on OR add a bigger elastic section to make it stretch more. Also I think it would work GREAT with elastic thread for the bobbin so that the whole ruffle section would stretch as well. If anyone tries it with the elastic thread let me know how it turns out.