We are Tickled Pink...We are having a Girl!!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Comfort and Harmony for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

  We are expecting our 3rd child in early September. We already have two boys, so we were literally tickled pink when we discovered this baby is a girl! I can finally make all of those fun blog projects that involve ruffles, pink, and infinite girliness. I was especially excited when I received an offer to try out a new nursing pillow by Comfort & Harmony called the Mombo.

I am 6 months pregnant and I am gaining quite the belly. I was relieved when the Mombo easily fit around my waist or lack of waist comfortably. One side of the mombo nursing pillow is firm and the other side is softer. This allows dual functionality for nursing or using the pillow for tummy time. Perfect! I am definitly packing this pillow for the hospital.

Did I mention all the attractive covers available for the Mombo? There are bright colors, neutrals, taggie covers, and more. They are available in store and online at BabiesRUs. Since I am not ready for this pillow yet, I brought it over to my friend's house to try it out.

 

 

Her little girl loved the Mombo. She was giggling and rubbing her face on the soft cover within minutes.

 

 

 

 I would imagine she would love it just as much for nursing. I can't wait to try it out myself when my little one arrives.

Join me in liking Comfort & Harmony on Facebook and following Comfort & Harmony on Twitter.

 

 

 

    

Baseball Team Favor Sacks for Game & Party Time

My son started t-ball for the first time now that he is 5. We had to sign up to bring snacks for the team twice during our short season. I can't miss an opportunity to make something a little creative to pass out the baseball favors or snacks. I know I have mentioned how to print on brown paper sacks before. The hardest part, is just figuring out how to load them in your printer properly, so that they print facing the right direction. I also tape the back flap and seal the top with a small piece of tape so they don't get stuck in my printer.

 

 

Supplies:

Brown paper sacks

Printer

Ribbon (or tie)

 

Directions:

 

If you want a good tutorial for printing sacks check out Cottage Hills blog post here.

 

Here is my little Red Sox. I think he enjoys dressing up in his uniform more then he does going to play the game. Maybe the love of the game...will come with time.

 

 

I barely lasted through the game to hand out sacks at the end. My three year old was not feeling well, and he threw up all over me and himself with ten minutes of the game left. There is never a dull moment. Lol! We washed up quickly and made it back in time to hand out treat bags. 

 

 

The baseball team favor bags were a homerun! I will definitely do these again next year. I filled them with red candied popcorn and some other treats.

 

 

 

Nurses Week or Teacher Appreciation Gift

This week is not only Teacher Appreciation Week...it is also Nurses Appreciation week. This gift, with a little modification, would work for either. For a teacher...You could easily put your a life saver! This simple DIY project is so fast to make. The vintage look really appeals to me, so I found an antique looking nurse graphic for these jars.

 

 

I filled the jars with a brightly colored loofah and some homemade goat milk soap. Tied with a little rafia and a sweet tag, the present was complete. The gift itself is so simple...but I think it is all about the presentation!  And besides, who doesn't love to be appreciated.

 

Mother's Day Personalized Tea Bags

We had a great weekend away. We went to some Texas Country concerts in Stephenville, Texas. The concert series starts on a Tuesday and lasts through Sunday. Six days of amazing artists. My husband and I only went for three days, but it was a perfect mini vacation. It is at a camping location called Melody Mountain Ranch. There are millions of people, campers, food vendors, and a stage of great artists. Definitely our cup of tea!

 

Now that I am back home, it is really sinking in that Mother's Day is just two weeks away. Unbelievable! I have yet to come up with any unique ideas for my own mom. However, I made this personalized tea bag set for a dear friend of mine. I think it would make a perfect Mother's Day gift. It is also a very easy project for little ones to help with. Did I mention it only costs as much as a box of tea??!?

 

I bought this cute ceramic dish at Say Your Piece.

 

Supplies:

 

Tea Bags

Computer/Printer

Scissors

Glue

 

Directions:

 

1. Print small photos to affix to the tea bags.

 

2. Carefully cut open the individual tea packets.

 

3. Cut out your photos and glue them to the small tag at the top of tea bag string.

 

4. Tape the tea package with one piece of tape in the bag to somewhat seal it back together. 

 

 

5. Wrap them up and give them to your MOM!

 

DIY Secret Agent Spy Kit Game

Oh did I have fun making this present! We had a birthday party for my son's cousins, and I couldn't seem to find a present I thought he would really enjoy. I searched the internet for a DIY spy kit to no success. I really wanted to make a spy kit that functioned more like a mystery game or a solve the crime kit. Of course, I came up with the idea a day before the party, so I really had to get to work fast on this birthday present!

 

I took a box and modge podged some spy symbols such as fingerprints, a spy, and some words like Top Secret.

 

I picked up some essential items for my spy kit at the store: spy disguise, handcuffs, gun, agent badge, and some rope.

 

Here is the full spy kit list.

CSI Field Kit

1.      Spy notebook for recording clues

2.      Ink pad for taking fingerprints for evidence

3.      Fingerprint file cards for keeping track of suspects

4.      Spy disguise

5.      Secret message maker wheel

6.      Fingerprint lifting tape (scotch tape)

7.      Fingerprint dusting powder

8.      Flashlight

9.      Specimen swabs (Q tips)

10.  Evidence bags (ziploc bags)

11.  Evidence: Plastic gun, knife, money

12.  Suspect cards

13.  Magnifying Glass

14.  Specimen Containers (old spice containers)

15.  Disappearing Ink

16.  Fingerprint glass (picture frame or glass) and brush

 

Several of my spy kit items were on sale at Michael's craft store. I completely lucked out.

 

 

I made some Solve the Case cards and had them laminated. The object of the game is to determine the criminal, weapon, location, and crime.

 

By laminating the cards, the players can use a dry erase marker to write on them. The cards can be easily erased with a cloth or paper towel.

 

I wanted this spy kit to be personalized for the birthday boy, so I made the suspects family members and good friends.

 

Thank goodness for facebook so I could capture images of all the suspects I needed. I googled some funny names such as Robin Banks (bank robber), Sam Dayoulpay, Sue Case, Nadia Seymour, and more.

 

I wrote funny things about each family member because I hoped the birthday boy would get a kick out of reading each suspect's profile.

 

 

Secret Spy Guidelines

1. All spy gadgets need to be in working order.
2. A good spy always keeps his or her wits about them.
3. A good spy has only one fear and that is other spies.
4. Keep your face neutral, you do not want to express your emotion.
5. Make sure you don't get yourself into any trouble!
6. Don't spy on people you don't know. Stay safe!

7. Be careful! Always keep your name a secret. Don't trust suspicious members of your team, for they could be double agents.
8. Never wander away from your team and don't trust strangers.
9. Find a secret meeting place.
10. Don't make too much noise! You don't want to get caught.
11. Bring a spy bag with you, to keep all your gadgets in. Maybe even some snacks in case you get hungry.

 

How to Play Secret Agent

 

Setup: Fingerprint each player on the Fingerprint File Cards.

 

1.      Select one or two detectives for each game. The detectives should leave the room.

The rest of the players will be in charge of creating the crime scene.

2.      Crime scene team should decide which suspect is the actual criminal. If present, they can place the criminal’s fingerprints on the fingerprint glass.

3.      Select crime scene location and label it with caution tape or clues.

4.      Select a weapon of choice between the rope, plastic gun, plastic knife, and fake money and leave it at the crime scene.

5.      Leave some evidence for the evidence bags and specimen containers. Example, if the criminal loves ketchup leave some out at the crime scene to be swabbed.

 

 

6. Choose 3-4 suspect cards to leave out for the detectives to help narrow down their search.

7. Once your crime scene is set up, allow the detectives to enter the room and investigate the clues with their secret agent supplies. They may even decide to question any witnesses and record their findings in their spy notebook.

8. The detectives may dust for fingerprints, collect specimens, collect items in the evidence bags and possibly wear their disguises while on the case.

9. Once the detectives have assessed the evidence, they will complete a Solve the Case card with a dry erase marker to see if they are correct.

10. Good luck Secret Agent!!

Now my oldest son is insisting he needs his own spy kit too!

 

 

 

 

 

We sold our house! Time to build a new one!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Moen, Incorporated for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Well, we put our house on the market last month and we have already received a contract on our home! We live out in the middle of the country in Texas, and feel very blessed to have sold our house this quickly. However, our plan is to move about 30 minutes away, and build a new home. This should be very interesting!! Did I mention we were going to live in an RV on the land we purchased with our 3 and 5 year old boys while this transpires. Oh...and we have one more on the way. You can say it...we are not too smart. Ha! This year will definitely not be boring.

 

 

We have been working on plans for the new home already in hopes for a quicker transition. I was excited to be offered this post about the Boardwalk Spot Resist bath faucet. I had never heard of it before, and even better, it can be purchased at Lowes.

 

 

I wish I already had the Boardwalk Spot Resist bath faucet in my home while we had our house on the market for a month. Keeping a 3 bedrooom, 2 living, 2 bathroom house clean with little ones for the last month has been a bit of a nightmare. I would have loved to not have to wipe the bathroom faucet down every morning from little tiny fingerprints and water spots. The Boardwalk Spot Resist bath faucet is spot resistant and fingerprint resistant. Awesome!! Count me in for my new home.

 

Look how beautiful it is too. What will they come up with next? Oh and I forgot to mention it is WaterSense Compliant. It uses less water without sacrificing performance.I guess I am off to talk to my builder about incorporating this amazing faucet in my plans.

Don't forget to join me and become a fan of Moen on Facebook and Twitter @Moen!

 

Here is a tour of the rest of my house. It was very challenging keeping it clean through this process. I wish Moen made spotless solutions for my whole home!

 

 

Our second living area.

 

Our kitchen...a complete remodel in this 100 year old farmhouse.

 

Family room

 

One of the boy's bedrooms

 

Guest bathroom with the custom vanity my husband built. (Instructions available on another post)

 

Our bedroom

 

Chicken coop...I love them!

 

Our old barn...the old kind you can drive through the middle like the Dukes of Hazard

 

Bye Bye house. We will miss you if everything goes well. We are set to close at the end of April. Wish us luck!

 

Puzzle Easter Egg Hunt

Our house is buzzing with the excitement of Easter. We have been hiding eggs around the house, outside, and anywhere we can just for the joy of the hunt. My boys will be seasoned veterans by the time Easter arrives. Those plastic eggs are worth every penny. In an effort to change things up, I filled eggs with the pieces to one of our puzzles while my boys were napping.

 

 

I left the empty puzzle box in the Easter basket. When they woke up, they immediately began scouring the house for plastic Easter eggs. They were just excited the eggs were actually filled this time. We knew immediately when we were missing an egg, because we didn't have all 24 puzzle pieces.

 

This would also be fun on Easter Day. Candy is great, but sometimes a little variety is nice too. Do you have any fun egg hunting traditions at your home we can borrow??