Happy Friday Foxy Friends, as you read this we are probably driving to Vegas to visit my brother and my Sister-In-Law. Hopefully there is no traffic and all goes well, fingers crossed! In case you didn't know the drive from where I live to Vegas is full of NOTHING, like desert wasteland...not much to look at. Let's get started with our Friday Favorites:
Did post much this week, just wasn't feeling it, and we had such a busy weekend that there was no time to get anything done ahead of time like there normally is.
I'm also back this week with another hair tutorial. This time I'm showing you how I do my top knot...which I pretty much always reserve for when my hair is really dirty and I probably should have washed it the night before but was too lazy, haha.
I'm joining Desiree, Stefanie, Justine and Whitney
for their new link up called A Year Of Color. Each month they want us
to showcase the color of the month, however you want to represent that. This month is pastels. I love Spring because the flowers are blooming and the previous owners were obsessed with roses and put every color rose in our garden. I was so sad when we redid our backyard and had to get rid of a bunch, although they tried to keep as many as they could.
This smells so lovely, my allergies don't like it, but my eyes certainly do.
We have some more that weren't quite blooming yet, or they were almost dying so I caught it at the wrong time, but I'm so happy that the former owners took so much time to take care of these gorgeous rose bushes.
We took the kids to the Carlsbad Flower Fields on Saturday and then LEGOLAND, long day, but super fun. Here are some of the pictures, I won't bombard you, even though I want to.
The kids did great...with a lot of fruit snack bribes, each year it seems to get slightly easier...fingers crossed for next year.
I promised myself that I was going to take more pictures at Easter but my cousin was in the hospital so my mom, sister and I went to see her and visit, making us 3 hours late for Easter. But the Mr. brought the kids and they had a blast...I haven't seen any photographic evidence of this though.
We did get this gem of a picture though...I think this might be my only Easter dinner picture, oops!
Perhaps next week I will share some more Easter morning stuff, I'm tired and want to go to bed right now, haha, priorities.
Cutest little baby video...Baby Fox used to do the same thing, it was my favorite part of getting him up in the morning. If you're in a bad mood, just watch this video, you can't not smile.
Happy Thursday, today is my last day of work this week, woo hoo! Seems like this week lasted forever, anyone else? I'm going to go ahead and blame an Easter hangover. I decided today is the day that I am finally getting around to tell you how I made Mini Fox's Ariel under the sea background from her birthday party last September.
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I had bought this bulletin board paper for a super hero backdrop a few years ago, crazy that was a few years ago. I pretty much have been using that paper for all of my backdrops the last couple of years, check the different ones out here and here. I realized that the back side of the paper was white, so I knew I could use that for my under the sea back drop. I always start with a plastic tablecloth. Do not get the 99 Cent or Dollar Tree ones, I tried that and they pretty much ripped the first time I tried to lay them down. Spring for the Party City ones, they are thicker and are easier to work with. Okay let's get started.
What You'll Need:
Plastic Table Cloth from Party City, color of your choice (I started with the 99 cent store one and they are too thin)
Birthday Banner
Things to Decorate the Banner with (I used my Cricut for this and also bought some from Party City, like this and then I took the pictures off the end of the streamer) Spray Adhesive
Can you tell Party City is my friend. I also buy a lot of things from Oriental Trading company, if they have free shipping, they are the same price as Party City, so if I can save myself a trip, I use them.
Directions:
Step 1:
I decided that I wanted Pink and Purple coral and some green seaweed on my background. I layed out the Bulletin Paper, white side up, on the garage floor. I did two of these, one for the purple and pink and one for the green. I didn't know how much seaweed I would need and how many mistakes I was going to make so I wanted to have more than enough.
For this part there is no right and wrong. I used 1/3 of the paper for green, 1/3 for pink and 1/3 for purple. I knew I wanted it to not be solid but spec-illy, hence the spray paint, it seemed like it would be more authentic. I randomly started spraying away, trying to not make it uniform, but thicker with spray paint in some parts but not others.
The marbling that you see, is me just spraying parts of the paper more than others. There really is no right or wrong to do this.
I knew I only wanted a few corals so I was only going to do at most 2 of each color.
Let dry, this took about 15 minutes.
Step 2:
Here is where your inner OCD cannot come out. You just have to cut (because I knew I spray painted way more then I need I had some liberty to make mistakes to see what worked. I probably cut about 20 or so seaweeds but only used 13. I randomly cut out the seaweed in tall strips, making sure that they weren't the same height, because we all know seaweed is not uniform. I knew I wanted some with leaves and some without, so the ones without leaves I made a little thicker and the ones with leaves a little bit thinner. I also cut out leaves, just randomly, no stencil, just cut leaf-ish shapes. In the end you are your own worst critic and most people won't know if the leaves aren't uniform. Of course I thought I had taken more pictures, but for the life of me can't find them...anywhere. So annoying.
So you're going to have to imagine it. I looked up some cartoon seaweed and coral reef on the internet and tried to copy that.
I did cut some and put them down on the blue background to see if I needed to go taller or shorter on the next seaweeds.
Step 3:
I did try to use a glue stick, then wet glue (like Elmer's) but those didn't work, that's how I ended up with the spray adhesive, because everyone has that laying around right? I did spray outside on the grass, one because the smell is pretty strong and because the strips were so thin I didn't want spray adhesive all over my floors.
Note: Use some gloves if you don't want to be picking off glue from your fingers. I made that mistake and it took forever to clean up the glue off my hands, then when I went back to finish I used some of my gloves I have for handling food to finish (I buy mine from Costco), it was a little trickier because the paper would want to stick to the gloves, but it worked out better to have a little more trouble placing them then to have to clean off glue from my hands. Step 4:
Finish off by putting the fish/sea horses or any other finishing decorations you want.Then hang on the wall. I almost always use blue painters tape. It does take several layers, but I know that it will stay and it won't ruin the wall paint when I take down the backdrop.
That's it, pretty easy, between using the cricut to cut out the shapes and the banner, it took me about 3.5 hours to complete. 2 hours to complete the cutouts (including the birthday banner and all of the fish/sea horses and sand dollars and star fish) and another 1.5 to complete the spray painting/cutting/gluing.
If you want to see more of the party details, click here.
Happy hump day Foxy Friends! I hope you are having a great week and you're not suffering too much from an Easter candy hangover. In full disclosure I went to Target on Monday and bought a bunch of Easter candy on sale...yep I'm that person who dragged to kids to Target to get candy...and I walked out of there only having spent $15, win in my book!
Today I'm sharing the same pattern in a different style, because when you find a dress you like you buy different things in the same pattern right? I can't find my exact dress, but this and this are the same pattern.
You guys I think this is the best I've ever done a braided crown. I think it was a total fluke, but it looked so good it was hard to take it out...you know how it is, when you get something so perfect and then it just hurts to take it out...
The lipstick is two Kylie lip kits mixed together and I can't for the life of me remember the combination I used. I want to say I mixed Valentine with Maliboo. But don't quote me on that one.
Even the back came out good, usually I cut the braid weird up my head or something, but not this time...now if only I could do this again.
I didn't record how to do this hair style, I think this one would be hard for me to do, since it never comes out the same way twice. I thought I would do as many easy hair styles that I know before I start trying to break down the harder ones. So this time it's how I do my top knots. Super simple and works for when you're on day 3-5 hair...and just want to go one more day before having to wash it. We've all been there right?
Thanks for continuing to link up with us! You make it successful, now go click on some links and get to know some people.
I posted this a couple of weeks ago on The Blended Blog, but thought that I would share it here as well. Most of you know, but just in case you don't, here is my family.
Let me break down this picture for you:
I casually mention being adopted here, but that's about it. I don't know why, maybe it's never come up? Whatever the reason, I'm talking about it now.
Background: Clearly my parents could not lie to me and tell me otherwise, so they have been up front and honest from the get go. Actually my brother and sister (see people above) were also adopted, not from the same biological family, but they have always been up front and honest with all of us. I was born in Seoul, Korea and was adopted and came to the United States when I was 5 months old.
Most Asked Questions:
Are those your real brother and sister?
To me they are, I call them brother and sister, just as you may call your siblings brother and sister. They may not have the same blood line as me, but they will always be simply brother and sister.
Do you ever want to find your biological family?
Every adoptee is different. I feel like my biological mother did the most selfless thing she could have done as a mother and gave me up for adoption because she knew she could not care for me. I am grateful for the family who adopted me and consider myself so lucky to have been adopted into a family who loves and cares about me so much. That being said, for me, I do not have a desire to find my biological family.
Do you ever want to go to Korea to see where you are from?
Yes, one day I would like to go there and see where I once came from, and if possible would love to share that experience with my family, both immediate and extended.
Do you ever wonder if you have biological siblings?
I do actually, and maybe that would be a reason to try and find my family, but for now I am happy where I am in life. Although when I was younger I always wondered if I was a twin and was separated at birth, haha. How cool would it be to find out you have a twin like these girls did. You can find a documentary on their story on Netflix.
I am very open about adoption and love answering questions. As a kid I would rather people ask questions then speculate and/or talk behind my back. So ask away, anything you want to know?
I also posted a FABFitFun unboxing on my Youtube Channel, go chcck out what I got and why you should be getting these boxes too!
Now that I've started making homemade popcorn (anyone want a tutorial? It's super easy), we've been making it a lot...what better way to wait for daddy to get home than eat popcorn?
Friday my good friend from college came over with her kids to visit.
That afternoon, Baby Fox had a baseball clinic, it was so well thought out and the kids had a blast. Here they are trying to knock down the bins out there.
Saturday morning I found the kids like this. They told me to leave and they weren't ready to get up because Baby Fox was reading Mini Fox a book.
Then we got ready and went to the park for some Easter fun. We missed the egg hunt, but took some pictures, bounced in a house and got our face painted.
I ran to Target really quick to get the finishing stuff for the kids Easter baskets, but found these gems...obsessed! I sent this picture to my cousin who then went out and bought two for her and two for my other cousin...it must run in the family.
Then Mini Fox had a soccer game...except the other team didn't show up, who does that?! Anyway, we played against ourselves and the girls still had a blast.
Meanwhile, Mr. took Baby Fox to a self defense class at the gym, they learned some great stuff. One tip ladies, if someone is attacking you, pull both of their ears as hard as you can, it will hurt enough that you can kick them where it counts and run like hell. Afterwards he took him to In and Out for burgers and shakes.
Sunday was church and then I took the kids to see Beauty and the Beast. It was fun to take the kids to the movies, I'm hoping this becomes regular thing...but holy cow are movies expensive!
And sticking with last week's theme, another picture of swoon worthy boots my Mother-In-Law wore to work. She has some good show taste.
This is Steph. She wrote an awesome article on the pressures of social media and it taking the fun out of blogging. So, so true.
I need to record what my kids say better. I never write it down, and I figured I would use Fridays as a way to do that. I used to keep up this blog, plus another private blog, but slowly that has turned into just this one, because who has time for that? Anyway, onto this weeks kid talk, hey that would make a good link up once a month...maybe make us accountable for writing stuff down if we know it's for a blog post...hmmm...?? Anyone?
Back Story: At Sunday this week, they were talking the Passion of Christ and how he rose on the third day. Baby Fox is making a cave with pillows and blankets.
Baby Fox: Mama! Do you want to come into my Tomb of healing?
Back story, my cousins have a dog Penny, who recently died. Their other dog is Spade.
Mini Fox: Where is Penny?
Me: She's in heaven now.
Mini: Oh. Is Spade okay?
Me: Yes
Mini: So Penny is older than Spade?
Me: Yes
Mini: Do you think Penny is okay?
Me: Yes I do
Continue this conversation for another 2 minutes in this loop.
My dad takes Baby Fox to karate every Monday, he lives for this because of the conversations he has with him on the way there and the way home. This is what happened last Monday.
Ampa (What Baby Fox calls my Dad): What was the name of the bad guy in Beauty and the Beast?
Baby Fox: I don't remember, that went into my forgotten memory file.
Then he goes into a whole thing about the different memory files he has. If he can't remember something he goes to the lost and found file, and if he does find it then he files it away to the file it should go in. Then he has the "forgotten file" which he says he literally learned it that day and forgot, the "lost and found file", "memory file", "sport file", "karate file" (for some reason it got it's own file), "school file" and then there is a file for everything he just knows, like numbers and letters.
Back Story: My grandmother died a couple of months ago, and we asked the kids if they wanted to go, Baby Fox said no he didn't want to be sad and Mini Fox said yes she wanted to see where Great Grandma was going to be buried. While out eating pizza, just me and her.
Mini Fox: Mama, I miss Great Grandma Jewell
Me: I know sweetie. You know if you want, you can talk to her and she will hear you.
Mini: She can?
Me: Yep.
Mini: Can I talk to her now?
Me: Yep.
Mini: Okay
She then proceeded to closer her eyes, and pray. She said Hi Great Grandma Jewell, and then I started filming this. I'm not sure what she said, but it seemed that she felt a bit better after she was done.
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Wednesday on the way home from the gym we grabbed some Chick-Fil-A on the way home and this is what happened:
Baby Fox: Mama, why does Chick-Fil-A have Cows advertising for them?
Me: Well they are trying to be funny, in that they don't want to get eaten, so that why they want you to eat chicken.
Baby Fox: Huh?
Me: Well hamburgers and steak come from cows, just like chicken is from chickens.
Baby Fox: okay, so cows are meat.
Me: Yes
Baby Fox: So are we meat?
Me: Well no one eats us and we don't eat each other.
Baby Fox: Well if a dinosaur ate us, he would find meat in us right?
Me: Yes, but dinosaurs aren't around...
Onto some videos I've seen floating around the interwebz.
It's only 2 minutes, but it's the best 2 minutes of watching, and really makes your heart feel warm and fuzzy. How can you not be in a good mood after watching this?
You too can be a hero, it just takes 60 seconds.
What 27K pennies on a floor looks like, pretty darn cool, but who has time to do that?!
