family

Mena, Arkansas

July 6, 2016 by Jessica Leave a Comment

This year we changed things up a bit for our summer vacation and went north. We wanted to try out a place we haven’t been too before so I looked up a bunch of places that were under 7 hours away from us and came across a small town of Mena, Arkansas. It looked really pretty and once I found Stonehill Cottages I knew we needed to try it out. I’m happy to say we had a great time and loved where we stayed. Our kids love nature so they had a blast as well because it’s a really small town and nature stuff is about all there is to do. I would really recommend this place if you are looking for a quiet getaway and enjoy the outdoors. It still wasn’t my sweet Tennessee, but it was a nice mountain fix for a much shorter road trip.

How adorable are these little cottages? I want to share pics of this place because the couple who owns them did such a cute job in designing and decorating them. We loved the farmhouse decor. My children now want a house like this haha. There were four of these on the property plus the owners house so it felt secluded but not like you were completely alone in the woods. It would be a great place to do a family reunion or something and rent out all the cottages.

We walked around the property a lot in the evenings and my girls enjoyed picking flowers and exploring. During the mornings we would go out and about for activities. One of our favorite places was Board Camp Crystal Mine. We had a blast and found so many pretty crystals. We like searching for seashells and sea glass, so this was right up our alley. The owner was very kind and goes with you to show you what to look for and all so you are for sure to find something. We walked away with a bucket full of all kinds of crystals and most were found right there on top of the dirt.

We also took a morning to go to Queen Wilhelmina State Park. It was a pretty drive to get there and the park itself was nice. It has a lodge where you could stay, a camping area, and a few fun things for kids like a mini train, mini golf, and play ground. We were interested in the trails and did the Spring Trail which was shorter but really rocky. Unfortunately it was really dry and we saw no spring. I saw places which looked like water would flow down, but we didn’t see a “spring” like place they make it sound like it has…so not too sure about that. We also hiked some of the Lovers Leap Trail which we enjoyed more because you were able to go to this spot and get a beautiful view. If you can’t tell, we enjoy hiking when there is something to see like an old cabin, a pretty waterfall, etc…. It helps motivate the kids (and us!) when they (we) start to get tired 🙂

We are always on the lookout for new places to see, so please share any cool places you like to visit on vacation! -jess

10 on 10

June 11, 2014 by Jessica 1 Comment

I’m am determined to keep this 10 on 10 up. Even if I skip a month or am a day (or more!) late. It’s fun to share a little bit of life along with craft stuff. My oldest got out of school in May and we have been having a fun and very full summer so far. 1> I started it off with finishing up some Fourth of July projects. Yes, I actually did something way in advance for once. Go figure 😉 Those giant pinwheels were mostly made from wrapping paper. Believe it or not, I made them all during a two hour nap time. I had never made them before and was a bit nervous it would be time consuming. I was really surprised when they weren’t. 2> We have been able to visit with my sister and I loved seeing her artwork (see more here). I have one painting she did of miss J and plan on acquiring more over the next few years. 3> We like to pull over and watch the animals sometimes. Both my girls are big time animal lovers. 4> Miss E went on a carousel for the very first time at the Kemah Boardwalk in Texas. My hubby had to go work right outside of Houston for a week and we swung over there and hung out one night. It was a lovely time. 5> Miss J is currently obsessed with having a parakeet and a hermit crab for pets. The hermit crab is in top place though since it will be easier to take care of. One of her uncles found her some at the beach to play with one night while she awaits one of her very own (you know, one that doesn’t need to live in the water). 6> I have always wanted to be a better drawer and I have been wanting a new logo for a while. I decided to just try and see what I could come up with. I found with some better drawing supplies I pleasantly surprised myself with how I could do. Hopefully one of these will be my new logo soon.

7> Our garden has continued to give us all kinds of yummies. Especially our tomato plant as of late. I’m so glad I actually stuck to it this year and really tried. The girls have been much more excited to eat their veggies when they go and pick them from the garden all by themselves. 8> Another pic of my family having fun in Kemah. 9> We went to a Lego store for the very first time and I think you can see the “big kid” of the family was in Lego heaven! He was one of those kids who was really into them and he still really likes them. Maybe I should get him some for Father’s Day? 10> With the girls getting older, we have been trying to incorporate them more into the big people chores. It’s usually so much easier and faster to just do things ourselves, but they need to learn. Plus they actually enjoy it right now, so we definitely need to take advantage of that.

-Jess

Christmas Pictures at the Park

January 7, 2014 by Jessica 15 Comments

Happy New Year everyone! I’m trying to get back into the swing of things over here. I took some time off to enjoy some family that came and visited and to just focus on taking of the girls because my hubby was out of town for a month for some work training. We weren’t able to pull off Christmas pictures as a family, but I did try to get some pics of the girls. They were less than cooperative, but who could blame them? We were in a beautiful state park on a gorgeous day and the deer were out! I will just let the pics speak for themselves for this post 😉 I’m happy to be back and ready to share crafty things! I’m hoping to make some good changes over on this little space this year as long as time allows.
-Jess

Us

April 9, 2013 by Jessica 1 Comment

Just wanted to share a few pics from Instagram that I have taken the past few weeks. We have been settling down a bit now that spring break is over. We had a great Easter and I really need to get those pictures off of my camera. But i had this one of them above on my phone. Miss E just kept wanting to sit in that corner for some reason. Little ones can be peculiar at times, can’t they?

I don’t usually get in too many pics with my girls, but I made sure to get one while we visited the Houston zoo. That was an interesting and fun adventure.

My mom had a birthday in March and I finally got her present to her! I made this banner to go with her “beachy” decor.

Miss J recently went fishing for the very first time and look what she caught! It was the biggest out of all the others that were with her.

We have been taking advantage of the pretty weather and meeting up with friends whenever we can. I miss living by a beach so much! But at least we have a lake.

I have had a few custom orders I did recently too. I made the onesies for a friend’s sister. And I saw that the babies were just born the other day! Soon they will be able to wear these 🙂

I also made matching dad/son ties for my cousin. It’s a blessing to have family that supports me.

Here is a little dress, well it was more like a top, that I made miss J. She participated in a talent show at school and she picked out this fabric for me to make her an outfit. Sadly, at the last minute she decided not to wear it. But she did wear it to church the next Sunday. She’s getting pickier in what she wears in her old age.

I got around to updating our front door with a spring wreath too. I wrapped a straw wreath in burlap and then added these pretty flowers (from Micheal’s) and some vintage lace. It makes me happy.

Miss E has been getting some more handmade clothes lately. I made her these ruffle pants and just finshed a dress and some lace leggings the other night. I love it. I’m hoping to get a lot more made for them these next few months.

I’m still pretty preoccupied with Project Run and Play at the moment. I can’t wait to share my creation for this week. It’s been fun being creatively challenged, although I don’t think I’ll ever do a competition again. It’s a lot of work. Hope you all have a wonderful week!
-Jess

Our Family Pictures

December 19, 2012 by Jessica 9 Comments

I was so happy to have someone help with our family pictures this year. Last year we kept trying to do them using the camera timer, but we were not as successful as I would have liked. My parents came to visit this past October, so I took advantage of that for these pictures. I found this beautiful spot and we got there an hour before sunset. It was actually sooooo hot and the bugs were terrible, so we did this very quickly! I set up the camera and placed us. My mom played silly behind my dad while he snapped a bunch of pictures. I knew some would come out good no matter what 🙂 Then hubby and I took pics of each other with our kiddos. Miss J wasn’t into the pics as much and wanted to explore, but we still got some with her in them.

I just loved the sunshine in these! Being that Christmas is almost here, I will not be around too often while I enjoy time with family and friends. Enjoy this special time of the year!

-Jess