So my little girl comes into my room tonight just after I tucked her in. She says mom… Yah sweetie… Well, you know how you make a wish on the star at night? Yah…..Well,…. what happens if you make that wish night after night and it never comes true?
Pause….At this point I am thinking ..okay, this is one of those times I need to think of the perfect something to say, make it quick and make it good. Its needs to be memorable and exactly what she wanted to hear. The first thought that came to my mind was reciting something I heard from a Disney movie.
Well, you know Molly, a wish will only get you half way. You have to work hard to make your best wishes come true…
What do you mean?
Well, I mean a wish is your desire, your dream, in order to make it come true you have to work for it. Try hard to make it happen.
Well, I don’t know how I could do that…
Another pause, at this moment, I realize I know what her dream is. Her dream is to fly. She wants to soar through the air like the birds, sit on clouds and dance among the tree tops. I know this is her dream because I’ve heard her talk about it a million times. Because it was my dream when I was her age.
Well, some wishes Molly, are meant to come true only in our dreams. What’s your dream?…..To fly?….
Yah, its been my dream for a long time. And I know you can only fly with wings or pixie dust……..
Or, in your dreams…
Well…
Let me show you. Just lay down. I helped her to lay down on the bed. Now, close your eyes.
Sigh, Mom…
Trust me, close your eyes……
I smoothed her hair out of her face, I stroked my finger along her forehead…
There you are, outside in the backyard, beneath the Maple. You look down and see your toes nestled in the cool grass. You look up and see the blue sky. Its a perfect blue sky, the exact blue that beckons to you. You raise your hands up high and tilt your head to the sky, You can feel your feet leaving the earth, leaving the cool grass as your feet slowly pick up off the ground. You can see yourself getting higher and higher closer to the tops of the trees. You fly your body around in circles, your toes dancing off the leaves. And then you spring up, even higher and higher you go, the wind pressing against your face, your hair billowing behind you.. until there you are, flying around in the clouds. The perfect clouds, the kind that look like there made out of marshmallow. You turn around and sit down onto the cloud and you sink into it, like your sitting on a huge pile of feathers. You throw yourself back and lay down and as you do , you can see whispers of the cloud float off into the air. You move your arms up and down as if to make a snow angel, feeling the clouds airy softness. You roll all around in sheer delight, nothing but blue sky and clouds all around you. When you decide, you lift yourself off and fly back down to the maple where you can hear the birds singing. You stop, and you look at the birds, you look them right in the eye and surprisingly they smile at you, they smile at you because at that moment they know. They know what it is that you now know. Something so incredibly special. And you smile back.
You let yourself come back to the earth, slowly falling down until your toes have met the smooth, cool grass once more.
So, could you see yourself flying….
With a big smile, Yah….
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
The Hearts Have It
This past weekend was busy. The boys are all still baseball, baseball, baseball even though the season was over weeks ago. Now they have a special “Sunday” program to keep them in it and learning for next season. I’m so over it I can hardly stand it but it makes all three of my boys happy so, whatever! Any who, it was also my daughter’s 8th birthday party. She had a simple yet lovely little party and will share a few details later. What I was wanting to share now was the project I fit in amongst all the commotion of the weekend. My two lovely new heart signs. I think when it comes to these signs the ‘hearts really do have it!’
They are made from repurposing the wall paneling that came out of our kitchen. Before I made the signs, I sanded down the wood really well so it was nice and smooth and then added a dark walnut stain. Next, I applied two coats of polyurethane to seal and protect the wood. After I painted the sign, I sanded it a little to give it a distressed look.
I think my favorite is the yellow heart but I could really see the multi heart one in the girls room.
So that’s it. Thanks for stopping by and if you liked what you saw I would really, really, really love for you to share it. Thanks so much! xo
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Office Space in the Living Room
For me, it is imperative to have a work space that is in a common area of the house. With my own kiddos and the daycare, I don’t have the option to go very far. I thought long and hard about this and tried to decide which room this would work best in. I had the options of the kitchen, dinning room, or living room and none of these rooms are overly spacious. I toyed with different areas in different rooms until it was determined that the living room was going to be my best fit. It just so happens the living room was the one room I was trying to avoid. I did not want to invade the living room space. I had visions for the living room, wonderful visions of a well placed sofa and magazine article ready decor, and nowhere in these visions was there a place for a desk or work space. The other rooms were ideal for adding office/work space, but alas they were just too small with no workable options. I had no other choice but to give the living room a shot at it. I reluctantly placed a parsons desk in a corner of the room and stepped back to take in the results. As I stood back and starred at it I became glad I gave it a try. The more and more I looked at it, the more it grew on me, and I began to like it. Now, I may actually even love it. It turns out the desk flows nicely with the room and gives me space among my people to do what I need to do.
I still have some tweaking to do. I need to figure out something better for seating instead of the old storage ottoman and perhaps add some shelves for a place to stick all of my things. I’m thinking I would also like to update the lighting to something wall mounted, I’ve seen some great ideas lately that I just can’t get out of my head. What are your thoughts on office space. Would you ever add a work space to your living room? Do you need your space separate from all the commotion going on around you, or are you like me and need to be right in the middle of it?
Images: All Ivy Bingham for 'My Ruffled Life'
I still have some tweaking to do. I need to figure out something better for seating instead of the old storage ottoman and perhaps add some shelves for a place to stick all of my things. I’m thinking I would also like to update the lighting to something wall mounted, I’ve seen some great ideas lately that I just can’t get out of my head. What are your thoughts on office space. Would you ever add a work space to your living room? Do you need your space separate from all the commotion going on around you, or are you like me and need to be right in the middle of it?
Images: All Ivy Bingham for 'My Ruffled Life'
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Faux Frosted Glass Window
Our back door was in desperate need of help. Its an old door with the window cut out in it.
To cover the window, I’ve been hanging a curtain there but no matter which one I tried I have not been happy with its over all look in the kitchen. I want the window covered to help filter out the morning sun (its an east facing window) and also to cover the deep dark scariness that it becomes at night. After a while I just took the curtain down but Ihate hate hate strongly dislike walking into the kitchen at night just to have that gaping hole of mysterious black lurking there and wondering what is beyond! I had to figure out something!
I searched for solutions and learned about a trick to faux frost a glass window super easy for super cheap. All you need is a stencil and some contact paper!
The steps are pretty simple; just a little time consuming. First, I needed to decide on the pattern/design that I wanted. I liked a quatrefoil pattern that I had on a magazine holder and I decided that was the pattern I was going to go with. Now, as I sit here and write this, I realize that I should have just photo copied the magazine holder and then enlarged the pattern for my perfect stencil. That would have been a great plan and super easy, however, I didn’t do that! Out came the graph paper and I painstakingly designed my own!
I measured, erased, drew, erased, measured, drew, and erased, and drew some more until finally, I had what I wanted! (Phew, ever get indents in your finger from a pencil?) I traced my shape onto cardstock, cut it out, and had my finished stencil.
With the stencil ready I then had the job of tracing it over and over again onto the contact paper. You’ll want to settle in for this part because it takes a while ( is there a movie you’ve been wanting to watch?)
After all my tracing and careful cutting I had all my shapes ready.
Lining my shapes up on the window was a little tricky. I wanted to get the right effect that the glass came that way and so I had to do a little planning. I worked it out so my whole shapes started a few inches towards the center of the window and the pieces I cut were on the border to give the look the glass was cut that way.
You can see in this picture how I have shapes over lapping the edge onto the door. This was so I could cut them with a razor blade along the edge of the window.
I went slowly and carefully so to make sure my shapes were lining up to create my desired pattern. I had to place each piece on very carefully to avoid a large amount of bubbles. The bubbles I did have, I worked out by rotating using a dry cloth and plastic scraper. Using the dry cloth, I rubbed in circular motions from the center of the contact paper out to the edge. The plastic scraper was best used by running along the contact paper in a straight line. Some of the bubbles I just ended up chasing to the edge with my fingertips. After I trimmed all the outside pieces and got as many bubbles out as I could, my project was complete!
Soooo, a confession! Shortly after this project was completed, I found myself a little unhappy with it because the contact paper still had some very notable bubbles. But after a few weeks I saw that the bubbles were disappearing and this made me very happy! I think it was because of the sun heating it slightly and somehow helping to work the rest of the bubbles out but no matter the reason, my faux frosting is now bubble free and perfect!
Here is the window after the faux frosting technique.
Oooooh, so much lovelier!!
What do you think? I love it! It’s exactly the look I was hoping for. I like it waaaay better than a curtain and I think the frosted window really helps to update the door.
We’ve definitely had some high temps and high humidity this summer and the window still looks perfect. The contact paper is holding up beautifully.
So that’s it. What do you think? If you like this and have any questions before starting this project yourself, I would happy to try and answer them the best I can.
Ps. All these pictures were taken right after I applied the contact paper so you can still see the bubbles. I’ll post an update soon so you may see how much sweeter they look now!
IMAGES: All Ivy Bingham for 'My ruffled life'.
To cover the window, I’ve been hanging a curtain there but no matter which one I tried I have not been happy with its over all look in the kitchen. I want the window covered to help filter out the morning sun (its an east facing window) and also to cover the deep dark scariness that it becomes at night. After a while I just took the curtain down but I
I searched for solutions and learned about a trick to faux frost a glass window super easy for super cheap. All you need is a stencil and some contact paper!
This is the door before faux frosting the glass
I measured, erased, drew, erased, measured, drew, and erased, and drew some more until finally, I had what I wanted! (Phew, ever get indents in your finger from a pencil?) I traced my shape onto cardstock, cut it out, and had my finished stencil.
With the stencil ready I then had the job of tracing it over and over again onto the contact paper. You’ll want to settle in for this part because it takes a while ( is there a movie you’ve been wanting to watch?)
After all my tracing and careful cutting I had all my shapes ready.
Lining my shapes up on the window was a little tricky. I wanted to get the right effect that the glass came that way and so I had to do a little planning. I worked it out so my whole shapes started a few inches towards the center of the window and the pieces I cut were on the border to give the look the glass was cut that way.
You can see in this picture how I have shapes over lapping the edge onto the door. This was so I could cut them with a razor blade along the edge of the window.
I went slowly and carefully so to make sure my shapes were lining up to create my desired pattern. I had to place each piece on very carefully to avoid a large amount of bubbles. The bubbles I did have, I worked out by rotating using a dry cloth and plastic scraper. Using the dry cloth, I rubbed in circular motions from the center of the contact paper out to the edge. The plastic scraper was best used by running along the contact paper in a straight line. Some of the bubbles I just ended up chasing to the edge with my fingertips. After I trimmed all the outside pieces and got as many bubbles out as I could, my project was complete!
Soooo, a confession! Shortly after this project was completed, I found myself a little unhappy with it because the contact paper still had some very notable bubbles. But after a few weeks I saw that the bubbles were disappearing and this made me very happy! I think it was because of the sun heating it slightly and somehow helping to work the rest of the bubbles out but no matter the reason, my faux frosting is now bubble free and perfect!
Here is the window after the faux frosting technique.
Oooooh, so much lovelier!!
What do you think? I love it! It’s exactly the look I was hoping for. I like it waaaay better than a curtain and I think the frosted window really helps to update the door.
We’ve definitely had some high temps and high humidity this summer and the window still looks perfect. The contact paper is holding up beautifully.
So that’s it. What do you think? If you like this and have any questions before starting this project yourself, I would happy to try and answer them the best I can.
Ps. All these pictures were taken right after I applied the contact paper so you can still see the bubbles. I’ll post an update soon so you may see how much sweeter they look now!
IMAGES: All Ivy Bingham for 'My ruffled life'.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Reclaimed kitchen paneling ‘LOVE’ sign
While on vacation a few weeks ago, I had some projects planned that I wanted to try and complete. One of them was this ‘love’ sign that I’ve had in the back of my mind for a while now. It is made from repurposing some old paneling that came out of our kitchen after I painted in there this past spring. I’m kinda excited about this piece because I can already see all its multi-functions; Prop in the backyard during a family outing, display it in our home one the million ways I’ve already thought about, or lean it on the porch which is where I have it now. I’m really digging the fresh country look its offering our door step right now.
Since it is reclaimed from our kitchen I had to use the back of the paneling because the front was coated in several layers of paint. The back needed a little conditioning before I could use it. The wood was kind of rough at first so I had to sand it down really well. I should have used a palm sander but I did it by hand and so it just took me a little longer. Than I cleaned it off and stained it a dark walnut color. When that was dry (overnight) I added a few coats of polyurethane to give it a nice sheen. Later I painted my letters with white paint and added the heart I made a few days earlier. I made the heart out of ruffles made from left over drop cloth I had around from other projects. I like the mix of textures in this sign. It gives off a nice vibe.
Here it is on the porch. It’s a nice greeting for friends and family as they arrive.
What do you think? Besides needing to clean the porch floor I really, really like it! So have you reclaimed anything lately or made a love sign all your own? If you have, I’d love to read about it!
Images: all 'My ruffled life'
I will be linking up here!
Craft-o-maniac Monday
More the Merrier Monday
Motivate Me Monday
Savvy Southern Style
Made to be a Momma
Wicked Awesome Wednesday
Someday Crafts
Whimsy Wednesdays
Since it is reclaimed from our kitchen I had to use the back of the paneling because the front was coated in several layers of paint. The back needed a little conditioning before I could use it. The wood was kind of rough at first so I had to sand it down really well. I should have used a palm sander but I did it by hand and so it just took me a little longer. Than I cleaned it off and stained it a dark walnut color. When that was dry (overnight) I added a few coats of polyurethane to give it a nice sheen. Later I painted my letters with white paint and added the heart I made a few days earlier. I made the heart out of ruffles made from left over drop cloth I had around from other projects. I like the mix of textures in this sign. It gives off a nice vibe.
Here it is on the porch. It’s a nice greeting for friends and family as they arrive.
What do you think? Besides needing to clean the porch floor I really, really like it! So have you reclaimed anything lately or made a love sign all your own? If you have, I’d love to read about it!
Images: all 'My ruffled life'
I will be linking up here!
Craft-o-maniac Monday
More the Merrier Monday
Motivate Me Monday
Savvy Southern Style
Made to be a Momma
Wicked Awesome Wednesday
Someday Crafts
Whimsy Wednesdays
Sunday, August 4, 2013
A time for change
My husband and I are at the stage in our lives where we are trying to get physically fit and healthy. We are both in our thirties and are realizing that our bodies are just not as resilient as they used to be. Before too much time catches up with us, it is time for us to take a look at our lives and habits and make a change.
While our grocery list does not include a lot of sweets, it does include a lot of carbs. We eat fruits and veggies but it’s usually along side a plate full of noodles or a big honkin’ sandwich. I mean, I like to feel full people and my body is trained to feel full off of grain and bread and pasta! Unfortunately, what I am learning is all the stuff I like to eat; is all the stuff that is going to give me that stubborn belly fat! I have read a few articles lately about how cutting out your carbs is actually more beneficial than cutting out fat. I would like for us to cut down on both and learn how to incorporate this into our life, so to prepare more balanced and nutritious meals for our family. So therefore, goal number one is to research out and implement into our lives better eating habits.
Goal number two is to become more active. Our dumpy mid sections are getting to us! Were becoming dumpy and frumpy and at 1:00 on a Saturday we would rather take a nap instead of a bike ride (of course this may also be due to raising four children). Well, its time to change that! This summer, Mike has started going for bike rides at least 2-3 times a week and during the last week has really amped it up to just about every night. He’s doing great and becoming stronger and able to go farther. He would like to jog too, but due to knee issues biking is his thing right now. Which is fine because he loves it! I can see the changes already. He is shedding some inches from his midriff and he’s more energized and full of life. As for me, I started the summer out taking long walks and finishing some of them off with a little jog home. A week ago this past Sunday, I decided to kick it up a notch and really push the jogging thing. Last fall, I started and almost completed the couch to 5k challenge so I was proud of myself when after two days I was jogging two miles. I’m sure it is because of the effort I put in last fall that I was able to do this. This is not a lot to some people but to me it is a good accomplishment and I am proud of it. I pushed myself and on the third day jogged three miles. I do not find myself shedding weight like Mike, and I am becoming achy and stiff in my knees and hips a little. I just need to find the patience to wait for results and also let my legs rest a little more in the beginning rather than just go all gung ho. However, I am determined to push through this and prevail!
On top of the biking and jogging we have some strengthening and toning to do. Mike hasn’t really started anything yet but he plans to. I have plans to start a routine for weekday mornings before the day gets going. I’ve got the Jillian Michaels: Killer abs and trust me it truly is a killer! I’ve also got an exercise ball and my goal is to rotate the two activities for my morning workouts.
Our inspiration to keep us motivated; becoming healthier and living more fulfilling lives! This is our life and we need to take control of it! We want to do this for us but also for our children. Our children will learn a healthier way to eat and live and to stay active with exercise. The other day our seven year old went for a jog with me and I loved it. We were bonding as we were doing our laps and looking at each other and smiling and breathing. I watched her hair bouncing in the sunlight as she trotted right there next to me, a big ole smile on her face the whole time! All I could think was, I want this for the rest of my life!
Images: Image1-edutopia.org, Image2-theironyou.com
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