In My Mailbox!

I had so much goodies in my mailbox I had to share!

Two books for me!

Ladybug shoes for Emma!!

Stay tuned for more info this week 😀

Wasted Space Not So Wasted Anymore!

Emma’s closet has been only used for storage since she was born. We have a big chest of drawers for her and since her clothes are so tiny I would just fold them up and put them in there. We also had the changing table drawers for sheets and blankets so there was really never a need to hang up her clothes.

This resulted in using the closet to put things she wasn’t using in! For a while I’ve wanted to do something differently and I finally got the kick in the butt to change things up around here 🙂

Emma’s closet has this nook inside of it that I’ve been dying to make a little reading spot out of! So while I was giving the closet a useful makeover I decided to make this part a little place to hide out for Emma.

On one side she has her spot to sit and read with her books.

The other side is her stuffed animal pile and puzzles on top of the shelf. Sometimes she’ll crawl into the pile of animals and hide out!

The rest of her closet got organized and is finally be used for it’s main purpose!! For the past few mornings she’s had a blast picking out her outfits not that she can see them all!

When it gets quiet around here I know just where to find her!

 

Now I need to make a special spot for me to go hide and get things done 😉 I wonder if Emma would let me work on my blogging in my closet?

 

Love Always,

J

 

The Alchemist

Thanks to an amazing blogger friend 🙂 Kristin from Bliss At Home I found an online book club that this busy mommy can attend!! This week we were reading The Alchemist:

 

Barnes and Nobles Overview

Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. The Alchemist is such a book. With over a million and a half copies sold around the world, The Alchemist has already established itself as a modern classic, universally admired. Paulo Coelho’s charming fable, now available in English for the first time, will enchant and inspire an even wider audience of readers for generations to come. The Alchemist is the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist. The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only a few stories have done, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life’s path, and, above all, following our dreams.

 

After reading it Niki from Book Babes asked some questions about the book and here are my answers 🙂

 

What did you think about the way he described love in the book? Do you feel true would keep you from wanting to be apart even if someone you loved had a destiny to fulfill?

It was interesting! As much as I’d never want Brian to leave me or me to leave to leave my husband, I can see how we probably do get in each other’s way of fulfilling dreams due to the fact that we both have to comprise things.

Have you discovered your own personal legend? Or do you have any idea of what it might be?

Last year I realized that I didn’t only want to be a stay at home mom, that I also wanted to be my own boss by selling the items I make for myself and my home.

This unique story was unlike a lot of the books I’ve read, both in content and writing style. Did you love or hate it for it’s uniqueness?

I love the uniqueness – the way he uses his words really puts a picture in your head. I feel like the way he wrote also kept my attention. In most books I might read a paragraph and then think about a story similar to my life and then have to cut myself off and go back to the book. This story held my attention without me wandering off anywhere!

I would have never picked this book up for myself but I do think it’s worth a read to anyone who likes books. It’s a great change of pace, a great way to stop and think about your life, and a new perspective on our goals for the future. It’s a keeper!!

Have you read this book? What do you think about it?

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Love Always,

J

Taking it Easy Today!

 

I have two little girls here today and we are going to be taking it easy! Most days we spend half the day inside and half the day outside but since the weather is going to keep us from going out – I decided to take a practice day of keeping them entertained inside!

 

Since they are 2 and 3, their attention span is about 30 minutes. Here’s our usual schedule for a day that includes outdoor time:

8:30-9:00 Excitement to see each other which involves, hugs, kisses, chasing each other, and showing each other toys. Then they’ll usually “help” me get breakfast ready.

9:00-9:30 Breakfast time!

9:30-10:00 Free play time in the house.

10:30-11:00 We go for a walk.

11:00-11:30 Color or Play-Doh

11:30-12:00 They help me make lunch

OR

10:30-11:30 Park Time

11:30-12:00 They help me make lunch

12:00 Lunch

12:30-1:00 Quiet Time

1:00 -4:00 Nap Time

4:00 – 4:15 Snack

4:15 – 5:00 Puzzles, Reading Time, or Blocks usually.

 

So what I’ll need to do is find an indoor activity to keep us busy from 10:30-11:00. Some days we’ll bundle up and play out on the back patio but for those really cold or yucky days I wanted a few options to keep us entertained.

Today we are going to try music time. I’ve got a bunch of musical toys ready and I’m hoping it will include lots of dancing and giggling to get out all their energy!

Do you have any great ideas you’d love to share?

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Love Always,

J

 

 

 

Get It Together Girl!

Sorry for the late post this morning – I’ve been trying to get it together over here 😉 Since I’m waiting for my studio organizers to come in I decided to get to work on my desk. It seriously needed some TLC!!

This desk was being used for pile things instead of actually work on. I can’t tell you how many time’s I’ve had to organize this desk because it’s become a dumping station. I decided I need to create enough space in the drawers to keep things off the desk so it doesn’t pile up anymore.

The first step was to clean out these messy drawers. We had a ton of stuff in here that was just taking up precious space – including a bunch of things that didn’t necessarily have anything to do with desk work. Surprisingly I had a ton of crafting related things in this desk that I gladly took to the studio room. It doesn’t belong in here and definitely wasn’t getting used being in this desk.

After I got the drawers all cleaned out, I was able to decide what I wanted for my desk.

1. A place to keep and organize my coupons.

2. A place to keep and organize my receipts for taxes.

3. A place for paying my bills and desk supplies.

4. A place to write cards (thank yous, invites, and such).

5. A place to file my paperwork (which was already there).

6. A place for the books I’m working on and reviewing.

7. A place for my notebooks and organizing tools.

Some things just can’t fit in the desk very well so the last two items got cute boxes to be used to store them.

After two hours – taking loads to the studio, thrift store pile, and trash – this desk was finished!! I even hung up a hanging folder to put my “need to be filed” items up so they don’t pile on my desk. The gray container holds the books I’m working on and reviewing. The tan container holds my organizing notebooks and tools – including my pens, pencils, and scissors!

In my drawers I made room for my coupon notebook, my tax/receipts notebook, my bill supplies & desk tools, my notecards, thank you’s, and invites. The bottom drawer stayed the same with my files.

In order to keep this desk from getting back to being a dumping ground, every night I’ll be cleaning it up so in the morning it’s ready for some work to get accomplished!

What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

Love Always,

J

Blogging Book Giveaway Winner!!

So here it is – the big moment where we find out who the lucky winner of this book is!?

If you want to see more about the book here is the blog post I did about it: Blogging Book Giveaway

And the winner is………………………………………………………………….

 

HOLESINMYSOCKS!

Congratulations! I hope the book gives you the guidance to either start your new blog or gives you tips to help you out! Be sure to come back and let us know what you thought of it when you get it 😀

Thanks for stopping by!

Love Always,

J

If you like this blog, please click on the button below daily to vote for me!

Sneak Peak at Next Week

Here’s a quick sneak peak at next week! Let me know what you are looking forward to!

 

A messy situation at our place!

A blogging magazine review

New listings of course!

Another bed sheet project.

A scrap fabric project

And the book giveaway winner will be announced this coming Saturday!

What are you excited to see?

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Don’t forget to sign up for my book giveaway – the winner will be announced Saturday 15th!

 

Love Always,

J

 

If you like this blog, please click on the button below daily to vote for me!

Blogging Book Giveaway!

Hey everyone! I am excited to do a book giveaway today 🙂 I picked up this book while I was out shopping a few days ago and had a chance to read through it and thought it would be the perfect book to giveaway.

 

If you are a newbie blogger and you are trying to figure out your way around this world this book is for you. If you a blog reader and haven’t even started a blog – but are thinking about it – this book is for you too!!! Even though I’m way past the starting point of my blog, I picked up this book to see what guidelines and hints it might have that I might not know about 🙂 Plus the title was pretty catchy!

After reading through it this book I had wished that I had found it when I was wondering whether or not to start up this blog! It has so much wealth of information from starting your own page, running it, writing tips, picture editing, to making it a piece of you.

 

Another thing I love about this book is between all the information they feature a few blogs to give you examples but the way that they feature them is like a little journal into why that blogger started, what they do, what they love about it, and it makes you look at blogs in a completely different light!

So if you are a newbie blogger or haven’t started a blog but want to – SIGN UP NOW! To enter to win this book all you have to do is leave your email address in a comment below or you can email me your contact information – just make sure to put in the header Blogging Book Giveaway! theunderestimatedmom(at)gmail(dot)com

This giveaway will be open until September, Friday the 14th at midnight! Saturday the winner will be announced and contacted and the book will be mailed right away!

Who loves giveaways!? I DO I DO!

Love Always,

J

Book Wall Art

I saw on pinterest that someone took a mat, a book page, and a letter and made wall art out of it. Well of course I’m going to change it up a little and make it more like me 😉 Since my mom and sister are the bookworms and I’m more into magazines – I decided to take a magazine page and add a letter to it.

 

Since I had all the materials laying around the house – this cost me absolutely nothing 🙂 Nothing makes me happier than free projects! So I got my black vinyl paper for the cricut, my mat board, and a sheet from a magazine for the background.

 

I put some adhesive on the back of the mat board and placed the paper and let it dry while I cut out my letter on my cricut machine.

 

Then I put peeled the vinyl off and placed on the magazine sheet. Simple as that and now I have one more crafty thing to hang in my studio room 🙂 I plan on doing the same thing for the book people in my family! Can anyone say budget friendly Christmas presents?

Thanks for stopping by!
Love Always,

J

 

If you like this blog, please click on the button below daily to vote for me!

Fresh Style: The Holiday Issue – Magazine Review

This magazine grabbed my attention for multiple reasons. 20 DIY gifts under $20 dollars -HECK YES. Easy decor – Yes Please. Quick Projects – WIN! I love all of those things 😉

When it comes to gift giving for my family I love to go out and buy things that they really want (with a budget in mind) and then on top of that I like to make something that’s more personal as well as budget friendly. Whether it’s an ornament, home decor, or just something fun I couldn’t resist – it makes Christmas over here a lot easier to handle. When you have a large family like mine it’s even more difficult to give a lot of gifts when there’s just way to many people to buy for!

So when I saw this magazine, I instantly picked it up, didn’t look at the price, and trucked it to the check out counter! You can never have too many cute, small, budget friendly gift ideas!

After one quick flip my heart was already racing and ready to go. They have enough choice options to make sure there would be something for everyone in here. From buttons, to books, to personalized pieces; this magazine really makes you feel like you could be a gift giving queen! Another plus? If you don’t feel like making these things – you can easily purchase them from their directory in the back.

Not sure where to pick up all the pieces for these crafts? Oh they got you covered there too! Under Resources for Readers in the back they list where they got what pieces and how much certain things cost (decorative things). Talk about getting your homework done for you? Right!?

Now I didn’t forget – the how to’s, pictures, and descriptions. Icing on the cake people. Their pictures are fantastic – for those who see instructions better through pictures; they give you a taste here and there so you aren’t lost. Their descriptions are easy to read and not so long-winded to keep the attention of those easily distracted people like me 😉 Lastly: How to’s! If the descriptions don’t give you enough details in the back they have Step by Step instructions. Ahh what a life. This magazine beats anything I’ve ever seen so far and I am so in love with it that I’m not willing to let it go!

Since Fresh Style only comes out once a year they don’t do subscriptions but since it’s only $7.99 a magazine – it’s totally worth it. I’m adding this magazine to my yearly inspiration 🙂

• 5 points for ideas & inspiration
• 5 points for easy how to and guide steps
• 5 points for exciting pictures & fun reads
• 2 points for the amount of issues
• 5 points for price (7.99 for one issue)

Four out five stars for this one!

Thanks for stopping by!

Love Always,

J

If you like my blog – click on the link below daily to vote for me!