Jeepers Creepers!

What. A. Day.  Both girls were in a pageant today and boy is this Momma worn out!  After going through the pictures i realized i only got the camera out when they were wearing their theme wear.... I'm really hoping my mother in law got some pictures of them in their Beauty dresses.  Today was Saylor's first pageant and she sure gave me a run for my money.  Up until the last few months she has been my laid back, calm, go with the flow child....lets just say she's "livened up" a bit!  As we approach the dreaded "terrible twos" I'm reminded that this too shall pass...It seems like yesterday Lily Grace was there and now she's "Miss Independent"!  I could not be more proud of her for her performance today.  She modeled and carried herself like a pro, with a smile on her face and a great attitude.  While she and i were waiting to go on stage i asked her "When did you get so big"? to which she replied "Mommy i have to get bigger, so i can be a dadult like you".  If only she knew, how fast her childhood will go. 


My Little Scarecrow

Not Pictured: Saylor (Because she's too hard to catch :)

My Little Ghost (after she pulled off the eyes and mouth all while saying "uh oh"...thank goodness for safety pins!)

Aunt Amy and Lily Grace.  Couldn't have done it without her!

Saylor after winning "prettiest eyes".  She loves purses!

When it was all said and done we took home prettiest eyes, prettiest smile and First Runner Up, but most importantly we had fun!  Especially thankful to my family and friends for supporting our girls.  Now this momma has some serious snoozing to do....5:00 AM comes early (starting a new workout tomorrow...wish me luck!)

Thumb Tack Wreath/Dollar Store Craft

Well, I'm back from vacation (four days of being trapped on a cruise ship in hurricane winds and rain). it was awesome terrifying, although Derek thought it was fun. (he's a big kid :)  and i have a great craft for you!  I saw a picture of this on Pinterest but when i clicked on it the link had expired so i kind of "winged it".  I'm thrilled with the way it turned out!  For $5.00 or less you can have a beautiful wreath great for any season with just a change of ribbon!

I started with a foam wreath form that i had in my craft stash.  It was broken but there's nothing a little duct tape can't fix right?

Then i made a little visit to my favorite store......Dollar Tree! and picked up four boxes of gold Thumb Tacks. (you can find them with the flash lights, light bulbs and other miscellaneous household items....did i mention i Love Dollar Tree?)  There are 300 in a pack and i used four.....that's a grand total of 1200 Thumb Tacks!  An Hour of Grey's Anatomy and i was half-way through. I even let Lily Grace help! (and got fussed at later when the hubby found three thumb tacks in our bed...oops ;)

Here's how it turned out!

I love it!  Perfect for Fall and Christmas!  You could even paint it, but i loved the way the gold looked.

Happy Crafting everyone!

the most important decision you'll ever make

Until about an hour ago i had a fabulous craft that i was going to share with you, but the craft will have to wait because this sweet face accepted Jesus today!

You see, she goes to a church preschool, and every week they have Chapel time with the senior pastor.  Today, when she came home she began to tell me how God loved us and that he made us.  We talked as i scurried around the house picking up remnants of last nights play session and yesterdays wardrobe, until we ended up in my walk-in-closet.  As we talked her questions grew more and more in dept.  She shared with me that she knew Jesus died on the Cross for her so that she could live with him forever in heaven, but that she didn't know how to ask him into her heart.  I told her that when she was ready, we would pray together and i started to walk out.  She grabbed me by the hand and with the biggest smile on her face said "No mommy, i want to pray now!"  So, there in the closet we got on our knees and i led her in a prayer to receive Christ!  I believe with all my heart that even at three she understands her decision and that she is saved.  Since my babies were born i have been praying for two things: 1. That they would accept Christ and 2.  That God would be working in the life of a boy somewhere that would be meant for them.  God answers prayers and just like Lily Grace said " He loves us and He made us". 

Have you made the most important decision of your life? 

“because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Romans 10:9-10

Pageant baby

so i just entered Saylor into her very first beauty pageant.  At her age Lily Grace already had around five pageants under her belt and absolutely loved it!  She's been asking me for a while to let her be in another one, so i figured now is as good a time as any to start Saylor.  She will be wearing Lily Grace's first pageant dress (that mimi bought her) so that's really special. I can't wait to see what my littlest monkey is gonna do on stage.  Most of the time she's a bundle of personality, but at her age who knows?!   The most important thing to me is that my girls have fun!  I have so many great memories as a little girl of pageants.  We had a big grey conversion van with a TV and clothes rack (oh yeah, it was fancy) and we drove all over North and South Carolina doing pageants.  I made friends that i still talk to, and gained stage presence, poise and the ability to speak in front of a crowd.


 Lily Grace Playing with friends she made at the SC princess pageant

 My hope is that my girls gain all of these things and more.  There's so much more to pageants than just winning a crown or having a "pretty face".  I want my girls to know that you have to be beautiful on the inside to be beautiful on the outside.  Make sure to check back and see how they did!  No matter what happens, this momma will be proud!

My adorable nephews and Lily Grace at one of her pageants



Fall is here/owl cupcakes

It's official....Fall is upon us. It doesn't feel too much like fall, but I'm not complaining.  The hubby got us tickets to the USC game (go gamecocks!) tomorrow and I've decided to embrace the weather that is allowing me to wear the adorable strapless (garnet) dress i got for it. Tonight we are celebrating my mother- in- laws birthday (Happy Birthday Donna) and when i first saw these cupcakes i immediately thought of her! She plays "Whoo'per the owl in The Big Attic" at church and does a great job! They were super easy and turned out SO cute i thought I'd share them with you!

All you need is : Oreos, Chocolate cake mix, chocolate frosting, cupcake liners, and brown and orange m&m's

1. Make the cupcakes
2. ice them ( i put mine in the freezer right out of the oven so they cool faster)
3. split one oreo and place them side by side on the cupcake
4. dot each oreo with some left over icing and place a brown m&m on each one for the eyes
5. place an orange m&m underneath the eyes for the nose
6. enjoy!

Perfect for Fall and Tasty too!

Happy birthday to my wonderful mother-in-law (aka Big Momma) who gets more beautiful with age! We love you!

Big Momma with all the grandkids

Whoo'per the Owl!

side by side

"Oh we ain't got a barrel of money, our clothes may be ragged and funny, but we're travelin' along. singin' a song. side by side."

 As far back as i can remember this song has been sung in my family.  I can remember riding around in my Mimi's van (one of many) singing along with her.  I couldn't have been anymore than three or four when she decided i was going to be a singer.  She recognized that i could sing on key and thus the practicing began.   The first song i ever sang in church by myself was God bless the USA (it was during desert storm) i was four.  We rode around in her van practicing that constantly. (i loved it) 

Mimi at age six

Today, she would have been seventy-six.  It's been three months since she went to be with Jesus, and i  miss her like crazy.  Life just isn't the same without her.  She was my best-friend, favorite cook, biggest supporter, role-model....the list goes on...  Something tells me she is having a wonderful birthday in heaven with her mom, dad and all her close friends who went to be with Jesus before her. 

Mimi and her mom (granny walters) 

I'm so thankful for the time i had to spend with her and that she got to spend some time with my babies. Lily Grace still prays for her every night. (she misses her too) 

She's the only person I've ever known that truly loved unconditionally everyone she met.  She had a smile that made you feel at home and a heart for people.  I hope one day i can be half the woman she was.

For now, I'll keep candy dishes on the table because she did I'll start a spoon collection because she did  most importantly, I'll love with everything i have, forgive and sing for Jesus because she wouldn't have it any other way.



Side by Side.....





Chalkboard Label Jars

So i kinda went m.i.a. on you guys for a while...sorry about that....it's been crazy busy around the Patterson house lately.  Lily Grace started back to dance, Christmas rehearsals at narroway have begun and work has been kicking my tail.  Nevertheless, I'm back and ready to share this cute/convenient craft with y'all!  I saw it on Pinterest (my new addiction obsession) and i knew i had to make it!  Lucky for me i had all the supplies except for the jars that i found at ikea for 3.99 a piece! Deal!  Love Love Love ikea by the way....if you haven't been there....GO! (you won't be disappointed!)  they even have a play are for children who are potty trained....why doesn't the mall have this??  (somebody should totally open an adult supervised play area at the mall :)  Back to the point of this post... here it is......Chalkboard Label Jars.  Happy Crafting!


you will need : Glass jar(s), chalkboard paint (i used valspar, but any can of paint will do. Just don't buy chalkboard spray paint), painter's tape , paint brush.


This is what the jars looked like when i bought them. (nothing fancy, just a glass jar with a stainless lid).

First, i taped off the area i would be painting with the chalkboard paint.  I was out of painter's tape so i grabbed the closest thing i could find....electrical tape...not ideal, but i was in a pinch and didn't wanna run back out to the store! (here's what it looked like after i taped it off.  i didn't measure anything, just eyeballed it, but you totally could if you want it to be perfect.

Next, i painted a coat of chalkboard paint inside the area i taped. (it says to let dry for 24 hours but I'm waaaay to impatient for that so as i soon as i saw it was drying i layered on the second coat.  It took me three coats to get the thickness i was going for.

i got this brush at the dollar tree! it came in a pack of 8

When it had dried for a couple hours i pulled the tape off and Voila! i had three jars i could label with whatever i desired.  I used two jars for cookies and one for bagels, but the possibilities are endless.  Here is the finished product.

How cute are these?!  I also have chalkboard markers in an assortment of colors that would be really cute for labeling.  Lily Grace used them to do this today....

Not exactly what i had in mind when i bought her easel this weekend, but hey....she's creative!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous week! if you haven't yet, check out pinterest and follow me at http://pinterest.com/lauraepatterson/