Valentine Mailboxes

Aren't these cute?  They're in the $1.00 bin at Target.  LOVE Target!  I bought seven - enough for each of us and Paige and I got to work decorating.

We used Mod Podge and some fun paper to cover the sides and ends.  We added each person's name with stickers before we started brushing on the Mod Podge.

We notched a rectangle to slide around the flag and put a fun sticker on each person's flag. 

And now the fun part...we get to put mail or treats in each other's mailboxes.  You know you have mail if the flag is up.  I still need to work on the Mom and Dad mailboxes, but the kids have had fun finding their mail and treats.  Today Brett and Paige found TicTacs, Hart and Tate found heart suckers and my dentally-challenged (is that a word?) Hope found red and white polka dotted socks in the mailboxes.

Whatever!

What comes to mind when you hear the word "whatever"?  That used to be considered a four-letter-word in my house.  Seriously - my kiddos knew that saying that word could get them some precious alone time in time-out.  But a year or so ago, God placed a verse on my heart that let me hear "whatever" in a different way.  It also made me ponder why that word used to send a shiver down my spine.

Let me tell you why -- I used to say that word (quite often) to my mom when I was a teenager.  Please picture me with my right hip thrown out and my hand on said hip, at which time I would then spit out the word "WHATEVER!" to my mom.  And my voice was quite sassy and biting when I said it.  ShAMe on me!

When my kiddos would use the word "whatever" to me, even in an innocent answer to a question such as "would you like juice or milk?", I would hear what I used to mean by my "WHATEVER" to  my mom.  And my kids would catch it.  Poor things!  And then God handed me Philippians 4:8.

"whatever is true,

whatever is noble,

whatever is right,

whatever is pure, 

whatever is lovely,

whatever is admirable -

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - 

think about such things."

Now when I hear the word "whatever", in whatever tone of voice it is delivered, this is what comes to mind.  It's a verse I had read many times, but did not place on my heart until I had a teenager.  Thanks, God!

Me and my precious mom...that I love so much...and never say "WHATEVER" to anymore!

*The domino necklace above is for sale - $5 plus shipping and handling.  Or special delivery by Viv (my poor mom) if you live in Coldwater.  I think I have 2 or 3 left.

Rainbow Pancakes

Rainbow pancakes...'nuff said.

Framed Snowflake

I bought this beautiful snowflake/bell/ornament last month while I was Christmas shopping in Buhler.  Have you ever shopped there?  You have to go!  Call  me - I'll meet you.  Anyways...I was packing up our Christmas decorations and I couldn't bear to put this snowflake away.  I love it so much!  So I stuck it in my handy-dandy frame and it greets me every time I walk down my hallway. 

I can't wait to show you my thrift store finds that I bought today.  Grant stayed home with Tate so I could get my hair cut and I said to myself "Self, today would be a great day to hit the thrift stores."  So I did!  One item is still waiting to be picked up because it was too big to get into the Suburban with the rest of my treasures.  SHHHH - I haven't told Grant yet.  More later!

$25 Dresser

I need some pretty storage in our pool room/craft room/toy room.  Right now we have tracks and trains stored in our old plastic Little Tykes toy box.  It works, but won't this dresser be pretty after I paint it and add some cool handles?  I'm a fair-weather crafter if it needs to be worked on outside, so I hope to tackle this in the spring.  I found it on Craigslist (LOVE Craigslist) and my son, Brett, and I had quite an adventure picking it up.  Think "Deliverance."  Brett took one look around and said "maybe we should go."  But I WANTED that dresser!  And we lived to tell about it.  :) 

But I can make the inside of the tired drawers look pretty inside...where it's warm...and cozy...and I can wear my slippers and sip my coffee while I work.  Above is the before and below is the after.  FUN! 

Makes me want to clean out my kitchen cupboards and put some fun paper down.  That sounds like a great idea - until I walk into my kitchen and count my cupboards.  Might be a great way to get my cabinets cleaned out though.  I hope you're having a beautiful day.

Thrift Store Ice Skates Do-Over!

I know I have some old ice skates somewhere on this farm.  Can't find them.  And I've really been wanting to hang them on my front porch for some winter decor.  So when I came across this pair of skates at our DAV store for $2.29, I snatched them up.  And after they took a couple spins on our neighbor's frozen pond (not by me), I went to work on them.

This is what they look like now.  Knowing me, they'll look different in a week or two, but I think I'll sit with them a while.  I relaced them with some ribbon, stuffed in some greenery that didn't get put away with Christmas stuff and hung them on our sled that I WAS able to locate in our garage.

Easy-Peasy Valentine Decoration

What can you make with 1 piece of scrapbook paper, 4 paint samples and a spare frame?  A super-cute AND easy Valentine pic.  I cut my paper to fit my frame, grabbed a Sharpie and wrote a message and when I couldn't find any cardstock that I loved to use for my hearts, I grabbed my bag of paint samples and started cutting.   Actually I punched them out lickety-splickety with my favorite heart punch.  I stuck my hearts on the outside of the frame so I could get them right where I wanted them.  You could also make something more 3-dimensional and stick right on the frame.  I saw a cute idea today using Scrabble tiles that I want to try next. 

Sassy Napkins

"You know me, busy, busy, busy!"  Don't you love fun little cocktail napkins that make you laugh out loud?  I found a bunch on clearance for $1.00 at our local party supply store.  I think I came home with 8 packages.  Now I need to have some friends over for drinks!  I'm actually putting one package in the mail today to a friend.  I hope they make her smile. 

The Girls

These girls are the reason I started The Sunny Side blog.  That's me in the top left, then Kelly and Heather.  On the front row is Jolee, Teresa and Tiffany.  They are my life raft that keeps me afloat in my daily life.  I grew up with these girls and  they know the back story of my back story.  In 2002, my family suffered a tragic loss - our three-year-old Matt boy drowned.  These girls came from around the state to stand with me at his funeral and we've been thick as thieves (again) ever since.  So even though I'm the mother of six, we have five of our kiddos in our home and Matt boy waiting for us in heaven.  I hope you're having a blessed day.   

Welcome!

Welcome to The Sunny Side!  I am a wife and a mother of six who loves to read, laugh and figure out how to avoid housework.  I'm excited to jump into the blog-world and get to know you.  Please be patient with me while I figure it all out.