i really, really like them

-hey abby! you won the giveaway! email me :)-


When I say that I love these ladies, I am not even kidding.

Each one is truly amazing to me and I think you'll agree.

Grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and spend a few minutes with them.

I think you'll feel blessed.

Hi Loves!

Im Melina from "It Just Feels Right"! Well, Melina if you grew up with me or married me, Betty if I cut your hair, or Mama if you are my daughter, Bailey. I’m a hair stylist by trade, and a writer/mama/wife/carb inhaler by nature. I blog to get my crazy thoughts out there, and find that most of you think the same things I do! (you nut jobs, you!) I’m always striving for honesty, seeking beauty and creativity, and just trying to live a life of love on the way, the rad life that God created me to live. Oh, and I love frozen yogurt. Obviously. <3

Hi there! I'm Ashley and Sugar Mama Bakeshop is my little happy place full of gluten free & vegan cupcake mixes and fun cupcake kits! I also blog about life, love, crafts and cupcakes at gogreeno. Sugar Mama started a little over a year ago when my husband went back to school full time and I was supporting us both with my full time job. ... He lovingly referred to me as his sugar mama so that was my easy choice for a name when I started selling my goodies at a local farmer's market. Now (surprise ;)) I'm really a mama and staying home with miss Lily Belle has given me a chance to start selling my mixes online! I usually have a coupon code for facebook fans... if you're into that kind of thing ;) 

Hi, I'm Rachel! I used to live in a place far away from where I grew up.  I loved it there, met my husband there, (met Carina there, too!) and lived there for many years.  It really began to feel like home.  But I also loved my home state and home town.  So torn, so torn!  A year and a half ago, in a complete whirlwind, my husband, kiddos and I made the move from the West Coast back to the Midwest, to the neighborhood where I was raised.  It's been a fun adventure and, for me, a total time warp.  I recently started a blog that touches on some of the adventures and observations of being back home again after all these years.  Being back in the old 'hood, a mere mile from my childhood home, means my mom and I have been able to embark on some new creative endeavors together, as well.  One of which is a vintage Etsy shop called, Middle Girl Vintage.  We call it that because we both find ourselves right in the smack middle of various things...our projects, our families (big sis, little bro), indecision, and the good ol' USA, for example.  I'd love to have you stop by and join us as we continue on these adventures!  And a big shout out to my wonderful friend Carina and her darling family...I've watched it all unfold before my eyes, and I'm so excited to be watching as exciting things continue to unfold for them all!

{psst! rachel is offering 20% off at her shop with the code "triplep". thanks, rach!}

Hi! My name is Kelsey, and I write a little blog called Everything's Coming Up Roses. I am a 23 year old California girl living in the heart of Seattle. I am a hairstylist by day and crafter/blogger by night. I have an immense love for the little things in life, like a good cup of coffee or rereading a favorite book. I also really enjoy baking, and hanging out with my awesome husband. I love Jesus with all of my heart, and strive daily to show love to people the same way he does. My blog is really a mixture of sorts.  I tend to write a lot about my obsession for fashion and beauty, as well as bits and pieces from my daily life. There’s really nothing like getting to meet new bloggers/friends, so stop on by and say hello!

Have a lovely Sunday, friends. Be blessed!

{diy}: doily love and a wreath

I would first like to say, with some pride, that this craft cost me nothing. Now, this is partially because I have purchased too many supplies in the past for unfinished projects, but still. I started watching Extreme Couponing yesterday and those ladies are some kind of talented - and organized - in a way I will never be, so I get kind of excited about a "free" project.

It started when I opened up our fall decorations bin and there was a naked little wreath right on top. I don't remember where it came from, but there it was and it needed a little love, you know?

I decided to try my hand at paper flowers, and they are a cinch!

I'm not about to attempt teaching you, because there is the most perfect tutorial right here.

I used card stock for a few of the flowers, but the rest are made from grocery bags. 

Reduce, reuse, recycle. 

They worked so much better than the card stock, and hello free! and green!

But here is my favorite part, and where I share my love for doilies with you. 

Can I just say that I seriously adore them? I think they're just about the cutest thing on the planet. Aside from babies.

This is my favorite part of the wreath:

I stenciled some fabric using paper doilies and stamped on one of my favorite verses.

It didn't take very long, and would be a.dorable for baby bunting. Don'tcha think?

Here's how it works.

gather up some fabric, a few paper doilies, a foam brush, some scissors, a pen, and white paint. I used some washable craft paint from my kids supply, but you can use pretty much anything on hand.

I traced the scalloped edge with a ball point pen and cut the fabric to the size I wanted it.

Next, get a little paint on your brush and press your paint lightly all along the edge of the doily. Reposition the doily where the edges meet to join the paint. 

Once the paint is dry, flip it and fold the edge over and press. 

If you're stamping or painting a verse or word or saying on, now's the time. 

Most ink can be heat set with an iron so it becomes permanent.

Get your twine ready and fire up your hot glue gun and add a little at a time, attach the twine, add a little more, attach a little more, and fold the fabric down over the twine all along the way. 

{sorry no photos for all that gluing and folding. don't be sad.}

Lay the fabric face down and flip your wreath over. Wrap the twine around each side a few times, tie a little knot and set the twine with a few dots of hot glue to keep it in place.

And voila! I ripped a little piece of muslin to hang the wreath.

 I think twine would be cute, too.

I love having this verse hanging right in our dining room - a daily reminder to be thankful for all the goodness around us. 

And using doilies for stamping? My mind reels at the possibilities!

november sponsor spots

I have loved working with my sponsors in October.

Do you want to join us next month?

ad space is just $5 as we continue to grow.

also open to trading spaces - 

email me for details

punkpumpkinpeanut {at} gmail {dot} com

sponsor love: a giveaway!

I am in love with this giveaway. 
Melissa and her family have started the cutest little shop you ever did see. 
I am so happy to have her as a sponsor this month - she is one sweet lady!
Take a look!

Hi, I'm Melissa, co-owner of a little shop called Dejigle.  

Here's the story of how it all began.

Earlier this year, my sister (Lindy) and I decided to do something we have been talking about for a long while. That is when Dejigle was born. Repeat after me: Duh - Jig - Lee.  Duh Jig Lee.  DuhJigLee.  Dejigle.  There, now you can pronounce it properly.

Where did this weird name come from?  Well, I'm glad you asked.

My family is Danish.  Although I've never set foot in Denmark, I take pride in the fact that I'm a purebred Dane. Special traditions and customs have been practiced and passed down for generations.  At our church on Christmas, we sing Silent Night in Danish.  It is printed in the bulletin, in case you don't have it memorized.  We don't.  But, we also don't know how to read/speak/pronounce most words.  Long story short, the word "dejigile" was mispelled one Christmas and we mispronounced it and from that point on it became one of many family inside jokes.  So, while the word "Dejigle" really has nothing to do with what we sell in our shop, the correct word means lovely, and I find that to be quite fitting.

Today there are three shop members.  Let me introduce you.

Myself. I am a stay at home mom, spending my days chasing after my almost 1 year old son, Mason. If you want to get to know me better and see zillions of pictures of my little guy, I blog over at Just Another Day. I am a little obsessed with babies right now, so anything in the shop that is baby related - made by me.

Lindy. She's my little sister, who has actually been taller than me for quite a few years now. Right now she's living in Sioux Falls, working a 9-5, and going to school online working towards a photography degree. Lindy is very artsy and makes beautiful ceramic tile coasters and glass tile necklaces.

Barb.  She's my step-mother-in-law (such a mouthful), a spunky grandma, and basset hound lover.  Recently Barb realized she has a creative itch that needs to be scratched and started making greeting cards.  She's constantly trying new things with them and is completely open to custom orders.

These lovely ladies are offering 15% off to all my readers with the code
punkpumpkinpeanut

How awesome is that?

Today Melissa is offering two pairs of absolutely adorable baby leggings of your choice
to one winner!
I kinda wish I could win. 


All you have to do to enter is
leave a comment!
Bonus entry: go like their facebook page and come back here and leave another comment.


good luck to all of you and happy tuesday!

pinning realized

I have a problem with time management. Oh, I've mentioned that before? Like 3 bajillion times?
One thing that doesn't help my cause is pinterest, but I can't help myself. Sometimes I justify letting my kids watch a show so I can tackle some cleaning project, and then before you know it, it's been 25 minutes and I have just pinned a million decorating, clothing and recipe ideas.


Last week I decided it was time to put some of those pins to the test, rather than just looking at all those pretty boards. Let me give you the low down. 


Mexican Chicken Casserole from Cooking Light

Source: myrecipes.com via Carina on Pinterest

My husband totally loved this. Here is my take: it's good, but just leave out the tortillas and then put it in a tortilla once it's cooked, or on top of chips or something, otherwise it's just kinda mushy. Tasty and mushy, though, so that's a plus.
Egg and Bacon Cups

Source: None via Carina on Pinterest

I actually made these weeks ago and they are soooo good and so easy. And my kids devoured them.
Healthy Pumpkin Bread

Source: None via Carina on Pinterest

divine.
homemade butterfingers

Source: tastykitchen.com via Carina on Pinterest

Don't question it, just do it. Candy corn + peanut butter + chocolate = holy cow. But do yourself a favor and make a half batch.
diy pore strips

Source: petitelefant.com via Carina on Pinterest

This seriously works! I did not like using it on my whole face, but definitely on the t-zone. So easy and cheap.
Wax Paper Leaves

Source: None via Carina on Pinterest

This was super fun - maybe more for me than for my kid, but still.
And because most of my pins are food related (at least the ones I actually do), I am going to start using this one today:

Source: healthconfessions.com via Carina on Pinterest

What about you? Have you used any of the ideas that have inspired you?

blessed and bakin' it

Today was an amazing day.
Today our church youth group hosted a pancake breakfast benefiting our adoption. 
Friends, family, and church goers all came to share breakfast and show their support.
It was humbling, overwhelming, and we are grateful.


The proceeds from the breakfast are making the journey to our baby girl a little bit easier.
Our prayer is that it would all be in God's timing and in His provision, and He is making it happen. Through others generosity of time, finances, and prayer, our little girl will come home just when she is supposed to. 


We don't know who she is, or which city she will be from, or who her birthmother will be.
But God does. 
And we're so excited to meet her.


___________________________________________________________________________________

(if you don't know what bakin' it to the streets is, catch up here.)

We had plans to make pancakes tomorrow with all of the leftover mix and hit the streets on what promises to be a dreary morning. But since we don't have the right containers (as of yet) for a pancake breakfast to go, we're putting that off until next week.


But we are going to get some donuts (my children's lifeblood, just so you know) and take them to the people. I think that may give the boys the clearest understanding of sharing with others in need. I mean, it's donuts. They're a pretty big deal. For the sake of the guilt I feel handing out a such a spike in blood sugar, I am also including fruit. Balance, right?


The next post on Bakin' it to the Streets is going to be on November 11. Will you join us? Do you know someone down on their luck, experiencing loneliness or tragedy, have a neighbor you've never met, know someone who has given of themselves and gone unrecognized? Bring someone a little love, write about it and come back here and link up. Reading your stories makes my day. Take a minute and check out this lovely lady and her blog. She has a heart for the hungry, too. So blessed by her stories.


Let's go love the world together! 
Happy Sunday. 

worst case scenario

It's been a long couple of weeks as sickness has moved its way through every member of our household. Eddie got a gross little cold, then passed it onto George, then onto Nick and me. But then last weekend Lute got sick. It wasn't a cold, but a stomach bug that had him throwing up every night... but just once. And then he'd be fine until the next night.
And I kind of started to freak out.
I am a worst case scenario kind of girl. My mind goes to the most dramatic of conclusions. 
I envisioned needing to have tests run, and wondering if we'd missed some crucial signs that he had something much more significant than a stomach bug.


I will pause to say that he didn't. He is fine now, over it, and thank goodness we are all ok at the moment.


But having kids changed me. I used to be the anti-worrier. I would counsel people that worrying had no point. And while I know that in my head, my mind still goes to places that bring me to tears. Literally.


When Nick and I are away from one another overnight, I fret over farfetched possibilities of what could happen to him or the kids, if they're with him. Whenever my babies are on an adventure with grandparents or aunts and uncles, I think something tragic might happen. I check on my kids multiple times a night before I go to bed just to make sure they're safe. I worry that stomach bugs are terminal.


I haven't watched the news since my babies were born - the stories are too much for my heart to bear.

The thing is, if you know me, you'd probably never know any of this. (Unless you're my friend Rachel, because we're cut from the same cloth and our husbands stop us mid-conversation as all our worst case scenarios play out for all to hear.) 
I am actually a calm person, peaceful, quick with encouragement for others who are worried or anxious. I don't fret about the small stuff. In fact, I don't really fret too much about anything that is actually happening in real life, good or bad.


In the midst of all the heaviness on my heart in these moments, I have a choice. 
I can entertain these heavy thoughts, and follow the downward spiral and worry and become anxious.
Or.
I can stop, and realize that the reason I feel these things so deeply - like they are actually happening, even - is because I am so blessed with so much love around me. Deep, unending love for these babies, for my husband, for my family.
I don't want to live one day without any of them.


And I also want to realize that if I have to, I have a God whose all encompassing arms, whose all consuming love, is big enough to carry me through it. 

what i wore {#4}: the girl with purple tights

So I mentioned last time I linked up with Lindsey for What I Wore that I finally bought myself some purple tights at Target after drooling over them for awhile. Well, I finally whipped them out and I was right: I love 'em. 

blazer: limited dress: forever 21 tights: target boots: steve madden
Trying to stick with what's in my closet can get a little boring, so buying fun tights is an easy way to play things up a little.
Hmmm... which color should I choose next?

Linking up today because it's fun - join me!

{diy} hand painted slippers

Here is how it all began: It's Saturday morning and my husband is trying to think of the perfect gift for his dad's birthday. 

Which is that night. Of course.

Then a thought occurred to him: His grandpa wore a belt everyday with each of his grandkids names stitched into it. Nick loved that belt.

"So do you think you could make something like that?"

{crickets.}

I'm artsy-crafty, and I am flattered he has such confidence, but that would be 
a big, fat, resounding no.

I told him I would think of something as we all headed to the mall in hopes of finding the perfect gift.

The idea of the names on the belt was milling around in my brain, and I thought, "well, I could paint something." I didn't want to obligate my debonaire father in law to wear one of my craft projects around his waist out in public, and that is when I thought of slippers.

You can never have too many slippers, amiright?

I shared my idea with Nick and he loved it, and now I am sharing with you!

It's a fun little afternoon project and a cute gift for the grandparents in your life.

Here is what you need:

slippers (suede or microsuede works best), matte fabric paint, a paintbrush (I used a size 1 from a cheapo craft pack), white eyeliner or permanent marker for lettering

I typed each grandkid's name out in some of my favorite fonts to freehand onto the slippers.

Since the slippers were black, I used a permanent marker to write each name and then went over it with fabric paint. You can also use white eyeliner (thanks, google), which can be wiped off with a damp cloth once the paint dries.

I ended up doing two coats so the lettering really popped. Between coats, and when I was finished, I used my hair dryer on the hottest setting for a quick dry.

My research told me to let them dry for 72 hours, but that doesn't work for procrastinating folk like myself.

It was a quick, fun project that I was able to do in the midst of all rambunctious boys and they were a huge hit at the birthday party.

Try it and surprise someone over the holidays with something personal and snuggly!

cupcake giveaway winner is Haley! congrats, friend!

guest post: casey wiegand

I have been super blessed in the last few months as I have followed along with Casey's blog. If you haven't already had the chance to check it out, please do. She is an amazing girl, filled with a love for her children, her family, her faith. 
Her message today: share YOUR story. 
You never know who God is going to touch.


Thanks for visiting today, Casey!

My name is Casey Wiegand, I am a freelance artist, wife and mama. 

I love painting and sharing our life through my blog...where you can expect pieces of my perspective on life, faith, kids, marriage, with touches of art, creative inspiration, projects and things I love along the way. I have two little ones in the hopes of lots more and am married to the love of my life :).

 Im a sensitive soul, I am a people pleaser, I tend to be insecure at times.

I am trying to say "no more apologies"...

this is who I am.

I AM that mom that hates being away from her kids, even for an hour.

I am NOT that mom that cooks amazing meals, in fact my kiddos eat waffles and sandwiches a lot of evenings.

I AM that girl that gets hurt easily.

I am NOT that girl that balances her time wisely.

I AM that mom that advocates co.sleeping and NOT letting your babies cry it out.

I am NOT that mom that is crazy about schedules, about dropping pasies/bottles etc etc

I AM that wife that chooses her husband through it all.

I am NOT that wife that does everything right.

I was going through some messy stuff in December and I read this quote by Leslie

"If you haven't already gathered, or happen to be reading this blog for the first time in your life, I am a melancholy girl through and through. I find beauty in not only the beautiful things in life, but the bittersweet and sad as well. To me, there is something poignantly lovely about the human experience from its splendor to its grief. God created all our emotions, not just the happy ones, and for His good purposes. That's why a good cry can feel so good. And hitting our limits forces us to look outside ourselves for a Savior. It is in the plea, when we're at our end, that we can find that which is truly life-giving. Personally, my moments of deepest grief, deepest pain, have resulted in the most beautiful seasons in my heart. I've met God more intimately in those moments than in all the other pleasant ones combined. What isn't completely lovely about that?"

In a moment where I felt alone, I felt heartbroken, angry.....I read this and suddenly felt like someone out in the world possibly understood. In January of this year with 20 followers I started speaking out on my beliefs. I started talking about mama stuff, some heartache, money trouble, csection scars, NICUs, my miscarriage, almost killing my dog on accident....and that's not the half of it. I havent even gone down some of the REALLY tough roads of where I have been with you all yet.

I wanted (and still do) this to be a blog/ a place of inspiration, uplift, joy...but also truth. Because life is hard. 

A lot of us have been through some seriously icky stuff. 

And so I wanted this also to be "real". 

It's easy to take beautiful family photos and pretend to have it all together-but  who does that help?

Then Rachel (who blogs here) said this...

"To be taken seriously, I must realize the seriousness of  blogging.

Not in a "I take myself very seriously" type of way at all. More in the way that you realize the importance of the words, the faith and the beliefs that you hold.

I have a responsibility and far reaching arms when I share my words and

so

do

you.

Use your blog, your words and your person to share the Lord (and your heart) with others.

They desperately need to hear your story as much as you need to hear theirs.

Be serious. Be passionate and Be you."

Use your voice. No apologies. 

We are all different and have been through different things, believe different things.... but whoever you are there is SOMEONE you can touch with your story.

Don't hold onto it.