New Spring Junque Digital Kits from House of 3

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

How do you like the Easter blog background & banner? All made possible by the new Spring Junque Border Kit from House of 3! I love all their new Spring Stuff, but I had to scoop up my favorites-the Border Kit, the Spring Junque Banner Kit (only $2!) and the Spring Junque Round Seals.

I printed out the banners on Manila File Folders and ran through a sewing machine with some ric rac to make a quick "bunting" banner for my house. I also cut out all the round seals and hung them from my chandelier for some unique dot garlands.



I also love the mini banners that came with the Border Kit, so I'm going cut those out and hang around the house somewhere.


Then I used the Spring Banner Kit from last year and printed it out with the Easter Backgrounds from last year, glued onto chipboard and hung vertically from a black ribbon. I added some chandelier sticky crystals and voila! a fab new piece of home decor to coordinate with my House of 3 Wall Vinyls.


There are soooooo many other sweet craft ideas to celebrate both Easter & Spring. Rhonna posted a little tutorial yesterday about how to make these darling Easter picks- I need to make some for my Peeps topped cupcakes I am having at our Easter Brunch.

Ooh and check out this fab album that Janet made with the new Spring junque stuff. She used the same techniques from this House of 3 Live Webshow for the Birthday Album. I must copy.

Speaking of the Live Webshows, there's one tonight at 7:00 showcasing all this amazing new stuff. Don't miss it-they usually have a giveaway for those watching live!

Domestic Success

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Hey remember when I didn't want to ever get married or have kids and I couldn't scramble eggs? Bwah ha ha ha. Silly Rosemary.

I've come a long way in a short amount of time, and I must share some of the most important things that I have learned. You simply can not be a domestic champion unless you have a fabulous chicken noodle soup recipe. I mean, it's just a staple that you will use for the rest of your life. Other recipes you must be sure to have is a fantastic birthday cake recipe, a sugar cookie recipe, a lemonade recipe, and a pancake recipe. Trust me, once you make all these you will know they are recipes that you will use over and over again and everyone will love them.

I took a big step yesterday and made my first loaf of bread by hand. I couldn't believe how freakin easy it was and that I haven't tried it before! Seriously, I may never buy another loaf of bread as long as I live. I think I will try and make at least one loaf a week (probably on Sundays) because it takes no time at all to put it together (especially if you have a stand mixer-the dough hook does all the kneading) and it just sits around rising so you can get other stuff done as this bread does its thing. Make some of this Homemade Honey Wheat Bread today and your husband will be so impressed that he married such a wonderful girl. Not every guy gets homemade bread you know.

I made both the Chicken Noodle Soup (from Paula Deen's The Lady & Sons Restaurant in Savannah) and the Honey Whole Wheat Bread (from the insanely talented Smitten Kitchen) for dinner last night. It is a great Monday Meal because you will will have leftovers for the rest of week for lunches!






Sugar & Spice

Saturday, March 27, 2010



Don't you just want to gobble them up? For those of you that can't come nibble on their sweet cheekies, I am posting THE ultimate sugar cookie recipe. I have searched and searched and tested and tested a million different sugar cookie recipes and these hands down blow every other one out of the water. They are a specialty of our friend Kathie and we get to have them for Easter so I am counting down the days until I get to shove 10 of these in my mouth.


Giveaway Goodness

Thursday, March 25, 2010

A couple of weeks ago I was approached by Miranda of Today's Giveaway and was asked to sponsor a giveaway on her blog. I totally forgot about it until today-run on over to her blog TODAY and enter to win your choice of a baby rosette headband! You can also get 20% off your order in the Etsy shop today only-visit the Today's Giveaway blog to get more details!

Twitterpated

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Ah, I love spring. Our neighbor's orange trees are blossoming and it smells amazing outside. Easter is right around the corner and I am determined to pull off a fabulous Easter Brunch complete with party favors, table decorations and delicious food. Of course, you have to start with invitations, so I whipped these up real quick using the new House of 3 Magical Brush Kit and the Easter Brushes from last year.





Aren't they fun? I'm foregoing the traditional pastels this year and using big bright colors this Easter. You should see my girls Easter dresses (I'll share a picture, don't worry), they are so bright and fun! I have a ton of great brunch recipes and Spring crafts to dress up your house to share so come back tomorrow!

PS- tonight is another House of 3 Webshow! I've missed the last 2 so I can't wait to catch it tonight!

One Week

Friday, March 19, 2010



Wow, I can't believe it's been one week since I had Evelyn and Georgia and it seems like they've always been here. It's funny how babies just fit right into your life like a puzzle piece and you can't imagine it any other way. It is the best feeling knowing that our little puzzle is now complete and there's no more wondering if there's any more pieces out there that we are missing.

I thought one week would be a good time to share the twins birth story, so here it goes!

I went into the hospital at 8:00 pm on Wednesday night to get my blood transfusion. My mom got me all settled in, and then went home and my husband was with the other kids so I spent the night by myself getting my transfusion. I thought I'd be lonely, but it was actually kind of nice to have some time by myself to mentally prepare myself for the next day. The only problem I had that night was they gave me some benadryl in my IV just in case I had an allergic reaction to the blood and it made me really drowsy which freaked me out. I have pretty bad anxiety so when my mind feels altered and I don't feel in control I start to panic. After the nurse calmed me down and gave me some anti-nausea medication I was totally fine and fell asleep. I slept through the whole transfusion and when I woke up my mom got back to the hospital.

We spent the whole morning waiting but finally around noon the doctor came in to do my ultrasound and see if I needed an amniocentesis. The ultrasound showed the babies fluid levels were normal, so right away they prepped me to do the amnio to test if their lungs were mature enough to deliver. At that point I was freaking out terrified that they were going to stick a needle through my belly into the placenta so I started bawling like a big pansy. My mom sat back because it kind of freaked her out too, but my day nurse (who was so nice) came and held my hand. I put my ipod on and just tried not to hyperventilate. They gave me a small shot with a local anesthetic to numb the skin, then put the needle in. I got a cramp in the spot, pretty much like a bad contraction; then the doctor told me it would be over in ten seconds. I counted to ten and it was over. It was definitely not as bad as I thought it would be. So if any of you ever need to get one-take it from me they sound way scarier than they are. I have a pain tolerance of ZERO, so you know it's not bad if I can take it.

After the amnio they had to test the fluid they pulled out, which took another 4 hours so around 4:00 or 5:00 they told me they would induce me. Another doctor came in to do the induction, and I started have more rapid and intense contractions right away. My mom, sister Eryn, and Grandma were all there with me since the amnio and they were laughing at me because I was getting pretty flippin cranky from the contractions. Braden came to the hospital around 6:30 and at that point I was ready for my epidural. The hospital had a new policy about no visitors in the room when they perform epidurals because they had so many people pass out watching so Braden was thankful he wasn't there to get his hand crushed by me. I was so happy to get my epidural I wanted to kiss the anesthesiologist. He must have the most rewarding job in the hospital.

Anyway after the epidural I was all good and happy so we pretty much just waited around until about 11:00 when I started feeling the pressure like the babies were coming. I got checked a few times earlier and wasn't progressing extremely rapidly so my nurses weren't all that worried when I was getting anxious about the pressure. They sent the doctor in to check me around 11:30 and she started laughing because I was dilated to a +2 (past 10 and totally effaced) and Evelyn head was descended. My doctor was awesome by the way and so excited that she got to be the one to deliver me, since she had met me a couple of times before during my false alarms at triage. So then it was a mad dash to the OR just in case they had to do an emergency C section and they prepped to deliver the babies.

It was kind of a circus in there because there was over 10 people in the room plus my mom and I. Braden opted not to go in with me because they only allow one person in the OR with you and he had a hard time being in the room with Landen and Penelope when they were born. He probably would have passed out with the twins so it's a good thing he didn't come in. Once everyone was ready, I pushed about 5 times with Evelyn and she literally came flying out, the doctor almost dropped her. She was born at 11:59 pm on March 11th and weighed 6 lbs 3 oz. 6 minutes later I pushed twice with Georgia and she came flying out like a water slide too. She was born at 12:05 am on March 12th and weighed 5 lbs even. They were totally healthy, ate from bottles right away and we left the hospital on Saturday all together.

All in all, this pregnancy was hands down the WORST out of all of mine, but the best delivery I've ever had. All the doctors and nurses were so incredibly nice and sweet and everyone was so excited for the girls to be born. Since then we've been to the doctor with the twins and he said they are doing perfect, absolutely no problems at all. We are definitely blessed to have such healthy babies, I am thankful I didn't deliver during any of the false alarms I had. It was worth the misery to have such strong girls.

Thanks so much to everyone for all the well wishes and nice comments you guys have posted on the blog and on facebook. It makes this whole experience so much more special that I get to share it with everyone. It's the real reason I blog-to share my life with the people I love that don't live by me or that I don't see very often. It makes this big world feel so much smaller:)

New Life

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

I forgot that when you bring a new life into this world (or two in this case) that everyone gets a new life too. Our family will never be the same as it was before the twins, and this new life that we are getting accustomed to with 5 children is better and more full of love than I ever thought was possible. I spent the last 8 and a half months be so completely miserable that I honestly never sat down and prepared myself for the fact that we get to love two more people. It is kind of overwhelming how much my other 3 kids have become attached to the babies, and how much my husband has fallen head over heels in love with them so fast. He usually isn't all that great with the newborns, but this time around he has been nothing but smiles and helpful and I couldn't be happier. I'm recovering at lightning speed it seems-hopefully my energy will continue this way. I am so glad that I never have to be pregnant again for as long as I live, because I hated it; but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat because having these two babies is so wonderful and I am so thankful that everything turned out perfect.

Sorry I'm being so mushy-my hormones are going bananas. Anyway, Eryn came over yesterday and took some pictures of the babies and these are my favorites. We had a disaster in the middle of them with Georgia peeing all over Evelyn but after that issue was resolved we got some good ones. Be prepared to be bombarded with photos in the coming months- we have a lot of events coming up which are always perfect opportunities to dress up our kids :)




Also today is my brother Lance's birthday! Happy Birthday Lancer Bug-we all miss you!

Twice as Nice

Saturday, March 13, 2010




As luck would have it, we have 2 winners of the birth-day pool to match our 2 sweet little bitties. Tiffany picked March 11th which was Evelyn's Birthday and Melissa picked March 12th which was Georgia's Birthday! Email me your addresses at rosemaryw@me.com and I will send you your prizes-I'll post a picture of them once I'm home!

Wishing & Hoping

Thursday, March 11, 2010



This is me waiting in the hospital for the news-they are going to induce me! Wohoo! I'm sooooooo excited, but it might take a while to get this party started so stay tuned!

Wish Me Luck

Wednesday, March 10, 2010


Ok, here's the scoop- My doctor told me my blood count is low so tonight I have to go into the hospital and spend the night while I get a blood transfusion. Tomorrow morning I will have an ultrasound done. If either of the babies' fluid levels are low, they will induce me. If their fluid levels are normal, they will do an amniocentesis to determine if their lungs are mature. If they are, they will also go ahead and induce me. If they are not mature, they will be sending me home so the twins have more time in there to develop. Everyone hope and pray with me that everything works out. I am terrified of getting an amnio, so any happy thoughts you can send my way would be greatly appreciated!

I've spent yesterday and today preparing for my hospital stay. I have my quilt my mom made me, some pillowcases I sewed up this morning so I can bring my own extra pillows (they never have enough, you know) and I have little beanies dolled up for the girls once they arrive. I've also made up some thank you cards for all the sweet nurses and doctors that have cared for me this whole time-everyone has been so nice! I used this new Magical Brush Kit from House of 3 that Rhonna will be showing in the Live Webshow tonight.


I'll let everyone know how it goes and post some pictures asap if they end up coming tomorrow!

A Hint and Surprise Sale!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

I went to the doctor yesterday and got some good news that I am planning on revealing tomorrow! But in preparation of that I am having a sale on all our in stock Adorn Jewels and Baubles headbands, baby headbands, and necklaces! I want to clear everything out so I can debut some new stuff next week after all the craziness is over! Hurry over to the Handmade Parade Etsy Shop to get up to 40% off!


Progress

Monday, March 8, 2010


The frame wall in the nursery is finished! Now all I need is two babies pictures to fill out the layouts!

Check out this sweet paper flower wreath. I found the tutorial on April Meeker's blog and modified it to fit a flat wood wreath. I just used a bunch of hot glue and the Dear Lizzy Papers & buttons- It adds just a little uniqueness to the wall.

Go here for her tutorial- her wreath is a little more complicated, but much more full of flowers.

photo from April Meeker's blog

Also, I need to give a birthday shout out to my sister Ashly! Happy 21st Birthday! Woot Woot! She picked today for the babies to come. Let's pray she wins.


Still in the running for the Babies Delivery Date Pool is:
- Monika with March 10th
- Tiffany with March 11th
- Lissa with March 12th
- Ashlyn with March 13th
- Stacy with March 14th
- Jessi & Peg with March 15th
- Lancer with March 16th
- Ashley with March 17th

Dear Lizzy Love

Friday, March 5, 2010

Last night around midnight I started having contractions. At 1:00 I called my mom and she picked me up to take me to the hospital. We got there around 1:30 am, but sadly we were sent home at 4:30 am. I am just not dialating and these girls are just not coming out. After a little sleep and a few tears, I cheered myself up when I discovered that Elizabeth Kartchner has started a new blog showcasing all the amazing projects people are making with her Dear Lizzy Line! The nursery is getting done in all Dear Lizzy stuff, so I am so excited to have more inspiration and ideas to incorporate into the room!


The frames are all getting filled slowly but surely, and I already love how they are turning out!

Birthday Presents & Cupcakes

Thursday, March 4, 2010

I've spent all day getting a bunch of birthday stuff done for everyone's birthdays in March. I have 2 sisters, a brother, a friend, a "nephew" (Diego), and a bunch of cousins birthdays already in March so the twins are coming into a pretty full month. I've been putting together a surprise present for my sister that needs to be mailed out tomorrow, so I won't be revealing it until next week but I will share one piece of it- the recipe for the perfect Birthday Cupcakes! These delightful Vanilla cupcakes are extra cute when you put some cupcake flags on top!




March is Here!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Wow I can't believe it's already the third day of March! We have been working fast and furiously to get our house together for when the twins arrive, and here are some photos of the progress



Braden painted the rooms in my Mint and Light Blue colors (and I LOVE them), we got the carpets steam cleaned yesterday (if you guys need your carpets cleaned- the guy we used is AWESOME and I've known him forever), I bought almost all of the frames for the frame wall we are doing above the crib and I've started filling them with the Dear Lizzy Scrapbook line like I talked about. The finished result will look something like this


My mom took it upon herself to make my hospital blanket because she knows what a procrastinator I am, and it turned out darling! Now I'll be comfy cozy in the hospital and not just have those crappy sheets.

Braden still has some furniture to finish and I have some curtains and bedding to make. Actually Eryn will be making the bedding-she just made some for a friend and it turned out gorgeous. I can't wait to go buy more Nicey Jane fabric so I can get that nursery finished up asap! I have also cleaned my house top to bottom in hopes that it would send me into labor, but no such luck so far. I'll keep everyone updated on my progress!


Oh, and as far as the Birth-Day Pool is going let's see how it's going:
-Fawn is out with the 24th
- Amanda is out with Feb 26th
- Erin is out with Feb 28th
- Krista is out with March 2nd

This is who is still in the running:
- Jenni with March 3rd (I hope you win!)
- Alyssa with March 4th
- Chelsea with March 5th
- Traycie with March 7th
- Ashly with March 8th
- Monika with March 10th
- Lissa with March 12th
- Ashlyn with March 13th
- Jessi & Peg with March 15th
- Lancer with March 16th
- Ashley with March 17th

There's still days open guys, so if you haven't guessed hurry and get your entry in!