FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY - KING OF THE JUNGLE

Here he is - Judah - King of the Jungle!
Ohhhh, I love this cupcake!

First taste of watermelon!

Judah giving his "RRRRoar"!!! Yes, I do know that is a giraffe he is holding!
Judah and cousin Brooke Lynn


Just over a month ago we celebrated Judah's first birthday - King of the Jungle! We have been working on his "roar" for months. Judah, what does the lion say, "RRRROAR!" SO cute!

Here are some pictures of us celebrating Judah! All pictures were taken by Ann Purcell and you can view more of her work here. We have had her take pictures at several of our events and have been grateful and blessed that a dear friend has captured our special moments leaving us free to enjoy them! I would have never gotten the amazing shots that she did!

It has been an amazing year with this little boy; he has added so much to our family. Judah loves life and he loves his family. He is sweet, curious and on-the-go all the time! I am amazed at how much one little person can change a whole family. I am thankful to God for the gift of Judah - in His perfect time.

Over the next few days I will share more highlights of the party such as our worship time, family pictures, food with recipes and decorations/favors. First birthdays are my favorite and Judah's was no exception.

Thank you all for sharing this wonderful year with us!

And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; Genesis 29:35

Worn out after a wonderful day!

For the story behind Judah's name and newborn pictures, click here

MY SISTER

I could write a long, mushy post about my sister Laurrie, but I won't today being that this is a picture of her as a clown! I just got off the phone with her and reminded her that I do have a blog where I post pictures, so here she is, one of my beautiful sisters! The long, mushy post coming soon because it sounds like a great idea. Her birthday is next month, so I'll do it as a gift to her and you, so you will have a chance to meet the greatest sister alive (no offense to your wonderful sisters).

Just so you know she's the more serious one!

A HORSE IS A HORSE

These petticoat hanging lampshades inspired me months ago and I have been looking for the perfect project to knock-off this shade. I found it! A $13 (including shade) horse lamp for my daughter who loves all things horse.

Photo from Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic site

This is exactly what it looked like when I brought it home. Isabella posing proudly with her now trash, soon to be treasure. I love that she can envision all that I tell her I am planning to do. So, it was off to Michael's, Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann's - we completed the crafting triathlon in under two hours at rush hour...not bad for metro Atlanta.Here we are prepped and ready to paint, she chose white. She also handed me a McDonald's french fry bag (when you have four little ones these are readily available on your garage floor) to cover the light socket and knob. She's a born crafter!Here are the first three layers of our petticoat knock-0ff. I ripped off the cowboy fringe and hot glued eyelet fringe around the shade.Do you like my hat?
Voila! The finished product. The lamp is metal, so the body area can be used as a magnet board. I am working on making some spectacular magnets to finish it off. I am re-doing the second row of eyelet because it is not spaced right.

I covered the horse with a floral scrapbook paper, again the ole' trace, cut and paste (spray adhesive) method. I sanded around the edges for a more finished, shabby look.

In retrospect, I would spray paint the shade white first or cover it with white fabric. The picture below is after I adjusted the second row of eyelet.

Linking to Trash to Treasure Tuesday at Reinvented and Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm - check out these sites for other AWESOME ideas, tips and transformations.

AWESOME GARDENING DEAL

SpringHill Nursery offers $20 off $20 or more with code 414217. The coupon works on Liquidation Items as well as regularly-priced items. Shipping starts at $7.95.

I bought the package pictured above on sale for $18.95 (regularly $29.99) and only paid $7.95 shipping. I plan on ordering another garden package next month for my Mother's Day planting.

Of course, I will do a before and after picture when the first plants come in.

TSMSS - FIELDS OF GRACE

I have been repeatedly listening to this song. If you've ever heard this song sung in a large group of people there is always a shout out when they sing, "There's a place where religion finally dies", but this is the part that makes my heart sing lately:

I love my Father, my Father loves me
I dance for my Father, my Father sings over me

And nothing can take that away from me

There is something SO beautiful about that picture!

For more Then Sings My Soul Saturday, visit Amy at Signs, Miracles, and Wonders.

COMMUNICATION IN THE THRONE ROOM

The toilet in my bathroom has its own little space, door and all. In that little space I hung a bulletin board (where I post encouraging things or those dear to my heart) and a dry erase board. The dry erase board has become a place where Isabella (age 7) and I communicate. The photo above is one of the sweetest ones. We encourage each other here, make each other laugh and share tender moments. We have great in person communication, this is just another form. Sometimes she starts it and sometimes I do...it really doesn't matter. It can go on for days. No matter what it is I treasure the words or pictures she shares here because I know she is sharing her heart!

FOR YOU MOMMY

For more Wordless Wednesday click here