I've been doing some exciting things in my shop lately.
The most exciting is that I've changed the name to Mila Jo Designs.
I liked the name Clip Clip Hooray, but my shop has changed from hair bows and headbands to strictly jewelry. So it was time for a name chage too. Mila Jo is a play on my kid's names Micah, Ella, and Josiah. I'm so clever…right?
I've also been adding some new items. It's fun to design and create again. I haven't had a chance to do that in a while!
Here's my latests little beauty!
You can find this bracelet here.
Guess what…..
Fall is here! I'm so excited.
The leaves are beginning to change.
PSL is back at Starbucks.
The weather is cooling…everything I love about fall is so near!!
That means I get to bust out the boots again. I love my boots.
And I found a new pair for $20. Seriously.
There is nothing like a great deal! Granted they are not the best quality, but at $20 I can replace them in a couple years.
I've had these curtains for my boys since before Micah (4) was born. They were ok…nothing special. But they get the job done.
But I've always hated the curtain rod. I bought a really cheap one and naturally, I bought it too small. So it's always been on the verge of falling off the wall.
Then just the other day the kid's shower curtain rod broke. Shocker.
I was just about to throw it out when….
I had an idea….
I'll fix that old crappy curtain rod!
Waste not…want not…right?
I turned that shower curtain rod into a brand new, faux wrought iron curtain rod.
The only problem was there was no way I could get the old end caps onto the new rod.
Unless….wine was involved, of course.
I grabbed a wine cork to see if it would fit…..and…..
It fit perfectly! I added glue to the cork and the edges of the knob to make sure it was super secure. P.S. E-600 is the best glue ever!
Cheap Matte Spray Paint ($.98 at Wal-Mart) and… BOOM…
I had a new curtain rod…for free!
I also painted the cheap silver brackets with the matte paint.
The curtains with the loops on the top might be the only one's that work. Because the end cap was glued onto the rod…I have to use curtains that will fit over the knob.
Lucky me…I already had them!
Phew!
And there you have it…
New curtain rod from trash. I'll take it!
The best part is always seeing how much I just saved…
These brackets alone were $10
And this guy is $40
I'm pleased. A new makeover for the cost of $1 can of spray paint.
I try to be fun-loving; easygoing. But it's hard for me. I'm not sure why. I don't know if it has to do all the piles of dirty laundry, or the constant noise. Perhaps, it's just due to the fact that I'm trying to keep them alive.
I always thought I would be a mom who played with her kids. I thought I would wrestle everyday with my boys, bake with my girl, and do crafts. It makes me sad to think I can't find the energy or time to do these things.
Don't get me wrong…I will let the boys capture me, and then I'll have a tickle war with them. But I can't do that for very long. I mean after 15 minutes I'm spent. I can play board games with them…but after one round of Sorry I need a nap. I'll bake with Ella, but then I have to clean it up…so it doesn't happen very often.
To make sure they know I'm in charge I'll say "no" for no real reason. Like in the morning my boys love warm milk (so weird)…but I''ll say no. Why? I feel like it's just easier for me to say no then give in to them. I don't want them thinking that I say yes to all of their requests either.
They are respectful kids; sweet kids. And yet, I worry about their future.
I want them to grow up to be responsible, God fearing, compassionate, and respectful human beings. So I teach them to obey, speak politely, and listen. What tends to manifest through my desire is that I can be strict. Too strict.
I've been trying to say yes to the little things more. It's not a big deal that they still want to drink their juice out of a sippy cup, right? Or that they hate wearing socks with shoes (gross). Sometimes they will ask for lucky charms, and I'll give them cheerios…just because they asked for lucky charms. Problems, Bethany….you have problems….
I'm really not that strict with them being "kids". I let them run around in their underwear, and jump on the couch (don't worry…it wasn't expensive). I let them get cavities eat fruit snacks, play ninjas, grunt, growl, kick, and punch. I let them make a mess, and try not to cringe as they do it.
It is just a hard balance to find. Between being a "fun" mom, and raise kids who are respectful and polite. Granted my oldest is 6…I should probably just relax…
I still have a few years to control their minds teach them.
I was so excited when Rope and Canvas contacted me and asked me to try out their amazingespadrilles shoes.
I chose white, seeing as how I think they will compliment everything!
When I first put them on they were really snug (which is weird for my itty bitty feet), but within a few minutes they molded quickly to fit my feet perfectly!
They are made in France with plant based materials….and how adorable is this packaging??
I like my other canvas shoes, but here's a huge benefit of these….they are made to be much sturdier than any other.. The soles are thick, and the canvas is super high quality. I can tell these are going to outlive any other pair of canvas shoes I own!
Go like their Facebook page and tell them I sent you! You won't regret these beauties!
I'm not really one to just add a "pop of color" to an outfit. I usually go for the classic color coordination. But for some reason i thought this outfit was perfect to add a hint of mint to it. Hence the mint necklace and ring. Again…sorry for the blurry pics!
And look at this…even decided to add a scarf (Walmart, baby)…I'm getting crazy people!
I'm really trying to spice things up in my outfits lately; adding accessories or heels I normally wouldn't wear. It's been fun. I can't wait to show you guys my new boots!
I've discovered that peg board is amazing!
My garage will never be the same.
We are so fortunate to own a home with a three car garage, which has allowed us to create a huge mess use it as storage. But, the problem is that I'm not the most organized person in the world; that might even be an understatement. It was just a mess. A big hot mess. It was driving me crazy!!
So one day…for no reason…James and I pulled EVERYTHING out of the garage and began our "de-hoarding"and organizing adventure.
Phase one:
Clear out the junk.
Yeah…that's us…classing up the neighborhood.
Phase 2:
Paint the floor.
This made such a difference! We love, love, love it. And now we just hose it out to clean it. So easy!
We used Sherwin Williams Porch and Floor Enamel in grey.
Phase 4:
Hang Shelves & Peg Board
We have big plans on finishing the basement and we knew we had to clear it out first….yikes.
Now you get to see all of my hoarding tendencies. Look at all of that crap!
The problem is I have clothes for both genders up to size 6 for the kids. That takes up 13 of those boxes. I'm not getting rid of them until after we welcome the 6th member of the family into our home.
But what is awesome about these storage area is that all of our garage "chemicals" are high enough that the kids could never reach them! Woo Hoo…now they can't poison themselves!
This is the first time I haven't hated the chaos of the garage. It feels SO good to get it organized.
If you are wondering…
We got all of the supplies at Home Depot.
I promise to keep it this way….as much as the rest of my family will allow it!
These are some pictures of my community.
Courtesy of The Denver Post.
This flood is absolutely nuts. People in neighborhoods right by me have had flooding.
Flooding…in CO. Where I live nobody has flood insurance. We live on the plains.
We had rain for 3 days straight causing rivers, creeks, and lakes to overflow and pour into neighborhoods and homes.
I used to live in this neighborhood. This is so heartbreaking.
James is helping somebody from our church shovel mud out of their basement right now.
We are so incredibly fortunate to live in a neighborhood that sits high and directly out of any water pathways. We are totally, completely safe.
No water damage other than a little leaky roof.
A lot of my friends lost water connection and we were given the order to boil our tap water.
I won't lie…I started to panic for a minute about the potential to lose our water. I filled every bathtub and sink. Used the filtered water from the fridge to fill up every pitcher, bottle, and bowl. We haven't lost water yet, but we are being conscious in the boil order. Contaminated water is nasty! I don't want my kids putting it in their tummies.
We are also a bit trapped. The roads into Longmont are blocked off due to the flooding of the roads. The major interstate is closed from the edge of Denver to the Wyoming boarder. I won't lie…I feel a little claustrophobic thinking about it.
Boiling water is nothing compared to the loss and devastation that our community has experienced.
I am praying for CO now, will you join me?
I love the innocence of childhood. When I saw rain, I saw devastation; my kids saw a fun tag game (in their undies, naturally).
Never grow up boys….never.
