emilia's vanity chair.

My daughter wanted a dressing table like mom.  I was lucky enough to find this pictured one for very cheap at a yard sale.  I was then on the hunt for a vanity seat and found this dusty, unloved beauty at a summer estate sale.  I had fabric left over from making over the vanity stool in my dressing room.  My daughter picked out this sweet lavender shade of paint and we made her a coordinating dressing area in her room.  She is getting lots of use out of her new space "like mommy's."

vivianne's homemade quilt.

I make my children, nieces and nephews (pics to come) a quilt with their name on it (see previous entry links to view: Alivia's quilt   Emilia's quilt   Jackson's Quilt)  As many of you know our family is expecting another baby girl this October and I have finished Vivianne's quilt this past week. Above are the photos of the finished quilt and I am feeling very anxious to snuggle this new bundle of love soon.

jackson james turns 5...farm style.

My son loved tractors from the time he could first express a preference in toys! One of my son's favorite places to hang is my grandparent's hobby farm just a few miles from our home.  For his fifth birthday we combined those two things with a few great friends and family, snacks, bandanas, crawdads, rainboots, a hay ride, smores by the campfire and old fashion cane pole fishin' to throw one heck of a bash to celebrate our little boy.  He had a blast!  Happy Birthday, BooBoo.

vivianne is sharing a room with her sister.

I am currently 6 months pregnant with my 3rd child, a baby girl who we will name Vivianne Lou.  She will be sharing a room with her sister and we are beginning to make additions and changes to the room to accommodate two beautiful girls.  A great friend of mine, Sarah, made "Emilia" in  the same type of letters as shown above and of course Vivianne needed a set to match.  I would like to share the pictures of how "Vivianne" turned out and of course I will post pictures of their room and the furniture makeovers that are currently taking place later.

our baby girl is 2.

Emilia Jane turned 2 this past week and we had a sweet party to celebrate. I love having her birthday so close to Valentine's Day because love is in the air and pink is in the stores! She wore a beautiful outfit that fits her fun loving personality and we decorated the house in her baby Anthropologie, pink style! She had a great day! She wants to thank all her family and friends for so many great gifts and her mom and dad want to give all their thanks to God for this sweet angel baby!

trick-or-treat success.

What a beautiful night. The weather was great. Our street looked beautiful and the neighbors were delightful.

stay at home mom.

Last night, my grandma and I were able to go see "The Help" at our local theater (such a treat). Much of this movie revolves around how much help the maids provided the mothers of the Civil Rights era. Seeing the bond these mother's children shared with the help really brought out some of my personal feelings about being able to stay at home with my children full-time (Warning!!!-about to get mushy).

My blog is titled "Mrs. Livin the Dream" because that is exactly how I perceive my life today. I have a luxury that many woman of today do not. I am able to stay home with my children and raise them, love them and make memories everyday. I do not have to pick them up from somebody else at the end of my workday and learn about their days. I am not faulting moms who do because I realize many do not have a choice. I just do my best everyday to be grateful for my opportunity to share in my children's daily life and be present for it all. Somedays I feel overwhelmed or like nothing is getting "done" around the house, somedays I wish I had more money I could spend but EVERYDAY I make a point to thank God, my husband and my children for this opportunity I have been afforded to be with my children everyday. I am home, teaching them, playing with them, caring for them, decorating our home, becoming a better cook and homemaker. I realize how important my gig is and I am proud to be here. Before I go too far I should just wrap it up by saying I love everything about what I am doing as a stay-at-home-mom, I am grateful and I truly am "livin' MY dream."

jackson james.

My son is 4 years old today...it is hard to believe how quickly he is growing. He is an intelligent, charming, kind and generous little man. I am mesmerized and proud of him each and everyday. It is incredible how he can be so good when we as adults feel so flawed. I thank God for giving RJ and I- Jackson. He made us realize all that we had at a time in our relationship when we needed it. His smile and spirit make us happy everyday. I love you so much little boy.

fulton family cottage.

In 2004, I remember rushing up to Caseville, MI because my boyfriend's family had just purchased a cottage on Sand Pointe. It was an exhilarating night when we first arrived and fun to go as a group and pick out a boat that we would park at the newly purchased dock. It was also fun to hang porch swings from trees, walk the new neighborhood and cruise the sunsets by boat. I do not know if all of us realized the memories that we would find there and how big a part of the family this place would become.

This little cottage has come to mean more and more to our family as we have grown. It became more important as my newborn son put his toes in the freshly poured cement that would also serve as the "stage" where he was baptized. On that same patio, I would marry that "boyfriend" one stormy Michigan, August evening in front of all our friends and family. As I watched my soon-to-be husband cruise up to that dock while Top Gun's "Highway to the Danger Zone" blared from the boat stereo, I knew this place would be more than a cottage to our family. I try to never take this place and this retreat for granted. That Sand Point cottage has already made so many memories for our growing family. As we introduce it to spouses, friends and grandbabies we understand all it has already done for us and can only imagine all the memories that are still to come.

emilia's ponies.

My baby girl can finally make a ponytail out of her hair! This weekend she was able to sport a "sprout out the top of her head" style pony and tonight we made low pigtails. Her daddy has absolutely melted into putty. Her curly blonde locks were already tugging on on our heartstrings, but this humid weather partnered with new style possibilities take it to a whole new level and suit her personality very well. This is going to be so much fun:)

emilia's homemade quilt.

Emilia had to have a quilt like her brother's (see previous blog entry). I love this quilt pattern I have from a children's craft/sewing book. The round tree fabric that I used on Emilia's quilt was especially sweet and I love seeing my little girl snuggled in a quilt mom made and embroidered her name on. Dream on sweet baby...love, mom<3

Springtime kiddies

The dandelions have overtaken our yard...I set the kid's park bench out and had a mini photo shoot. The results speak for themselves. I love the bright colors and the smily, sweet faces of my kids.

alivia anne.

My sister-in-law, Stephanie and her husband recently made me an aunt, my husband an uncle and gave our kids their first cousin. Their daughter, Alivia Anne, is a sweet little baby girl with a teeny nose and lots of hair. I am so happy for their growing family, and today their little girl is one month old. I wanted to share this little sweetie pie with you.

Jackson's Style.

My son is the most handsome thing in the world. I would describe his personal style as outdoorsy and preppy. He loves tractors, fire trucks and being outside. He is tough but sweet and thoughtful. He is an old soul and an amazing little boy. He is the light of my life.

Jackson's Homemade Quilt

I completed this quilt for my son on my sewing machine at home and I have purchased the fabric to make a girly version from the same pattern for my daughter. I really love this quilt pattern because it gives the opportunity to mix and match prints and patterns. It is also a really nice size for little kids. I am proud to have made them an heirloom item they can keep and eventually share with their children. I embroidered Jackson's name and the year on the front of this quilt (the backside is a solid piece of the blue ruffle fabric).