Drab to Fab Link Up #11 + Features!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Was this your Spring Break week?  If so, I hope you had a relaxing and productive time with your families.  

I know I've been busier lately and dropped the ball a little bit last week in commenting on your great links and thanking you for participating in Drab to Fab.  My excuse is that hubs and I went out of town to a great wedding (Congratulations Cassie and Oscar), and we made a weekend trip of out it.  I didn't do much on the bloggy scene at all last week, but I am trying to make up for that this week.  

Thank you so much to all who linked up last week, even though I didn't do a very good job of making the party known.  Let's take a look at my faves, shall we?

Kelli at Eat Pray {Read} Love linked the before and after transformation of her master bedroom.  I think the bed really pops against the blue wall.  She did a great job adding tons of little details in the room to make it come together.  Truly drab to fab!

Isn't Alyssa from Impratical Composition adorable in this layered look?  She's got such a flowy and fresh look going on, and I just love her style.  Have you checked out her blog yet?  Do it by clicking the link!  

Would you believe that the photo above is a small box planter?  Look at that lush growth!   Mary from Sweetwater Style shared how she got her planters started in early spring so that they grew amazingly for her all throughout summer.  I'm ready to do my planting now, especially because it's been so warm!  Take a look at her link to see what her secret was!

Congratulations, Featured Friends!  Feel free to grab a button under the "buttons" tab in the menu bar!

Now it's time again to show us your great stuff.  What did you make fabulous?

Show us:

(1) a great D.I.Y. project in which you transformed something to make it fabulous

or
 
(2) an outfit you wore that you made fabulous with a little creativity

or
 
(3) a meal or dish you jazzed up and personalized

Whatever it is, link it up every Friday here at Sugar and Spice.  Let's celebrate how we can take what's drab and make it Fab!  

Oh, and you can link as many as you like each week.  Old or new!

Rules:

1) Follow me so that you will not forget to come back for the next link party!

2)  Grab the button you like best and add it to the bottom of your link.

3) Give some comment love.  We are celebrating each other here!

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Resurrection Eggs

Are you looking for a way to include the real story of Easter in your egg-coloring this year? 

I would highly recommend making Resurrection Eggs!  I had the idea last year to make them and they worked so well as a teaching tool and as a way to incorporate the real Easter story, that they are now a mainstay of our Easter festivities.

To make them you will need:

1) Regular egg-dying supplies (i.e. a kit from the grocery store)

2) Colorful tissue paper (available at the Dollar Store)

3) Glue - any kind

That's it!

You will make 4 eggs.  As shown in the picture above (from left to right), you will make (1) a passover egg, (2) a cross egg, (3) a tomb with the stone rolling away egg, and (4) a heaven egg.

Process:

1) Dye your eggs first and let them dry.  Choose colors against which the tissue paper you are using will pop.  This coming year I will change the first egg's backdrop color to a pale orange, I think.

2) Cut out your tissue paper to make the shapes shown above.

 - Passover egg will be a red goblet and a yellow loaf of bread.

 - Cross will be a red cross shape to also represent that Jesus bled while on the cross as our sacrifice

 - The tomb will be a wide square with an archway cut out of the middle.  You will also need a large circle for a boulder.

 - Heaven will be a long blue cloud with yellow beams coming out. 

3) Glue tissue paper onto eggs as shown and let dry.


Explanation for each egg:
Passover Egg:  Jesus had a final meal with his disciples called a Passover meal.  He explained to his disciples God's plan to save the world from their sins through Jesus.  Jesus was going to have to die on a cross.  Jesus told the disciples to eat the bread and remember his body that would be broken for them and drink from the cup and remember the blood that he would shed on the cross.  

Cross Egg:  Jesus was crucified on a cross.  The cross is red to show that Jesus bled and died on the cross.  When Jesus died on the cross, he paid the price for our sins by dying in our place.  Jesus never sinned.  He was perfect and took the punishment for all of our sins upon himself so that we could be forgiven.

Tomb Egg:  Jesus' body was placed in a tomb and it stayed there for 3 days.  On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead!  The stone was rolled away by angels, and when the women came looking for Jesus, the angel said, "He is not here; He has risen!".  When Jesus rose from the dead it showed that he was who he said he was because he conquered death and that he had the power to forgive us from our sins.

Heaven Egg:  Because of the Easter story, we will be with God in heaven when we die.  Heaven will be a beautiful place filled with joy because we will be with God and see all of his glory!

(You can use your own words, of course, but that is roughly how we explained it last year). 

How to involve the kiddos:

1) Ask your child to hand you each shape as you are ready to glue it on.  As you glue it on, explain its meaning.  Repeat this with all 4 eggs.

2) Go over the story again once the eggs are lined up.  Take out your children's bible (here's ours), and read the Easter story.  Have the kids point to the eggs being talked about.

3) Before Easter, have your kids tell a friend or relative about the resurrection eggs they made and each of their meanings.

4) On Easter morning, hide the eggs around the house, and have the kids find them and bring them back together before breakfast is served and Easter baskets are invaded.  

5) Pray together as a family and thank God for each aspect of the Easter story.

6) Ask your child which egg is their favorite and why.

7) If your child is into hard boiled eggs, allow them to eat that one on Sunday morning as part of breakfast.

Surely you will come up with even more of your own great ideas for the Resurrection Eggs.  I'd love to hear what you do with them if you try them!  

Happy (early) Easter to you! 

Drab to Fab Link Up #10 + Features!

Good morning, friends!

Thank you for coming to link up all of your great ideas each week at Drab to Fab.  I love seeing what you all come up with, and I get so many new ideas to try!

This week we will feature my top 3 - my favorite outfit, my favorite DIY, and my favorite recipe.

1)  My favorite: DIY

"The Woman Cave" (love that title) by 4 You With Love.  Check out the link to see the before and after transformation of this room.  Wouldn't we all love a little place like this?

 2) My favorite: Outfit

While not technically an outfit, I love the way Jeanna from Drama Queen Seams made her own ribbon sandals.  You have to take a look at the link to see the different versions of these sandals on her tutorial.  Hers turned out so pretty and I think the ribbon sandal is ultra feminine!

 3) My favorite: Recipe

The Cottage Market showed us these yummy chocolate dipped oreos with sprinkles.  I have so many people in my life that would just gobble these puppies up, I need to remember them.  Now I will because I can just come back to this week's D2F.

Congratulations, Featured Friends!  Feel free to grab a button under the "buttons" tab in the menu bar!

Now it's time again to show us your great stuff.  What did you make fabulous?

Show us:

(1) a great D.I.Y. project in which you transformed something to make it fabulous

or
 
(2) an outfit you wore that you made fabulous with a little creativity

or
 
(3) a meal or dish you jazzed up and personalized

Whatever it is, link it up every Friday here at Sugar and Spice.  Let's celebrate how we can take what's drab and make it Fab!  

Oh, and you can link as many as you like each week.  Old or new!

Rules:

1) Follow me so that you will not forget to come back for the next link party!

2)  Grab the button you like best and add it to the bottom of your link.

3) Give some comment love.  We are celebrating each other here!

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Another Potty Training Epiphany

Awhile back I wrote a post about my elation that we had finally gotten my daughter Grace potty trained.

 

(Read the whole post here)

The jist of that one was that we had gotten her to use a new dino potty and her diapers were taken away by the "Diaper Fairy".  Diapers were no longer an option as they were taken by the fairy and given to other little boys and girls in the world that needed them.  In one day she went from completely dependent on diapers and utterly averse to the potty to completely potty trained . . . on the dino potty at least.

Although we have been thrilled that she is out of diapers and mostly potty trained, we still have had to deal with the fact that she won't go to the bathroom anywhere else except that dino.  This means that she won't go on the little toilet at preschool, she won't go in any full sized big toilet, and we need to bring the dino with us when we travel or will be out for a long period of time. 

I guess that didn't bother me too much, until this past weekend.  I don't know if my patience just ran out because I was hormonal, or if I started to wonder if keeping the dino in the picture was enabling her, or what, but after my cousin's bridal shower on Saturday, with a girl in the backseat who had to go really badly and would not go at the shower, I told her that she was going to go on the big potty today. 

Thus ensued the wailing.  The little girl who had to pee so badly and just wanted to get home to her dino potty now was going to have to use the big toilet; the one she loathed and despised for inexplicable reasons.  Her life was just about over.  I know, I am a horrible person!

We arrived at home, and I had Jesse bring her to the big toilet and get ready to go as she squirmed about trying to hold it in while her pants and shoes were coming off.  Dino sits in the same bathroom where the big toilet does, and Grace sat on that big toilet for an hour without letting out a single drop of what had been making her dance for the past 2 hours. 

It was then that Jesse, remembering the whole concept of the Diaper Fairy, had a stroke of genius.  He took the dino, told Grace he was going away, and hid it.  OPTION REMOVAL.  Bam.  This is what it took.  Just like with the diapers.  Within a few minutes of the dino leaving, it worked.  She let it out.

Dino is now happily hibernating in an undisclosed location in our house and Grace is now going on the big white porcelain throne. 

Although it remains to be seen how she will do in public bathrooms, and basically all other toilets besides the one in her bathroom, we feel a sense of victory.

Let's hear it for progress!

Gatherered Thoughts: That still small voice

"Train yourself to listen to that small voice in your head that tells you what's important and what's not." - Sue Grafton

I am part of the Gathered Thoughts Writing Prompt Linky Party at Lovefeasttable.com. 

Each of us is writing on a specific quote or prompt and are all linking together today.  Head on over there to experience some great thoughts on some real heart issues.

My prompt is the following quote by Sue Grafton:

"Train yourself to listen to that small voice in your head that tells you what's important and what's not."

I have one of those voices in my head, don't you?   We all do, it's just a matter of how in tune with it we are.  Call it conscience, call it God's whispers, or call it whatever you will, but I believe that those small promptings to do what is right and what is good are from God.  His holy spirit gives us those thoughts and we are able to act upon them in obedience or reject them.

I have a cool story for you.

In May of 2011, deadly tornadoes ripped through Joplin, Missouri and left over 100 people dead and destroyed countless homes and communities. 

We all heard about the devastation, and a few families from my church decided to partner with a local food and clothing pantry to collect items to bring down and distribute to those families who had lost nearly everything.  They would be working through a local church to literally hand out the items collected to the families who most needed them.

As I went through my closets and around my house looking for items to donate, I came across some brand new king size white sheets, still in their package, that I had purchased awhile back as a spare set.  We had never used them because our bedding was more in the tan and chocolate color category, so there they sat.

"Give those away", I heard in my head.

Thinking to myself for a split second that it was a shame to give away the brand new sheets, I heard the voice again, saying, "Give those away".

Into the donation pile and off to the collection they went.

"Train yourself to listen to that small voice in your head that tells you what's important and what's not."

It was important that the family in Joplin who lost everything have those new white sheets.  It was not important that I have them sitting, unused in my closet.

Here is where the story gets humorous.

We recently changed our bedspread cover from the aforementioned brownish one to a light blueish grayish one.  The brownish one was in desperate need of replacement because it had gotten a huge rip in it, due in part to our family tickle-fests on the bed.

Part of me had forgotten that I had donated the white sheets.  Thinking that tan sheets would no longer look right with a blueish graying comforter, I went into the closet looking for them.  Then I remembered where they had gone.  

Interestingly enough, later that evening, Papa was talking about some of the items he had brought with him when he moved here from Arizona that he wasn't using and wanted to get rid of.  Included in these things were not one, but TWO sets of nearly new king size white sheets.

"Train yourself to listen to that small voice in your head that tells you what's important and what's not."

God took our one set of white sheets and gave us two in return.  He is so good.

What might He be telling you to do today?  

"Train yourself to listen to that small voice in your head that tells you what's important and what's not."

Much love.

Drab to Fab Link Up #9 + Features!

Was the weather as glorious for you this week as it was for us?

We spent some great time at the park, on walks, playing with chalk on the driveway, and all kinds of outdoor fun!  

 

 
It's that time again!  Drab to Fab!  Thank you to all of who linked up last week!  I say this every week, but I am SO inspired by you and am very grateful for your participation each week!

Let's check out some of the best of last week!
 

 

Rachel at My Happiy Ever After linked up this fantastic looking twice baked gorgonzola butternut squash recipe.  It looks amazing, and probably the best form of butternut squash I have ever seen.  I can't wait to try this!  Check it out by clicking the link!

Jenn at Girl Defying Gravity shows us 3 ways to "fab" up a cute basic dress.  I love to see the creativity you take with the pieces in your wardrobe, Jenn!

 

Kaysi from Keeping it Simple made this awesome ruffle bag.  Don't you love the fabrics she used?  One day when I learn to sew I, too, will be able to make one of these cuties!

 

 

We all know how much I love creative kid snacks, so I just adore this Dr. Suess themed snack by Dorothy at Crazy For Crust.  So cute, Dorothy!  They look SO yummy too!
 

Modern Modest Beauty submitted this great tutorial on how to dye a skirt - drab to fab!  Girls, thanks so much for coming to my party and showing us another way to transform our clothing!  

  I loved this transformed desk that Samm from Little House in the Big D linked up.  You have to check out her link to see the great tutorial she provided on how to get this done.  Lots of great photos and quite an amazing transformation!  

Congratulations, Featured Friends!  Feel free to grab a button under the "buttons" tab in the menu bar!

Now it's time again to show us your great stuff.  What did you make fabulous?

Show us:

(1) a great D.I.Y. project in which you transformed something to make it fabulous

or
 
(2) an outfit you wore that you made fabulous with a little creativity

or
 
(3) a meal or dish you jazzed up and personalized

Whatever it is, link it up every Friday here at Sugar and Spice.  Let's celebrate how we can take what's drab and make it Fab!  

Oh, and you can link as many as you like each week.  Old or new!

Rules:

1) Follow me so that you will not forget to come back for the next link party!

2)  Grab the button you like best and add it to the bottom of your link.

3) Give some comment love.  We are celebrating each other here!

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Do you host a linky party? Add yours here!

Hey everyone!

Do you enjoy linking your posts up to link parties?  I really do, because it's a great way to get a quick glance at what a bunch of others have thought up, and it's also a great way to find new blogs to read.

Does your blog host a linky?  

If so, I'd love for you to add it on my "Weekly Linky Parties" page up on the menu bar.  

I've reorganized the page, and I have included the parties I'm already a regular at, but I know I am missing many of them!  

Just find the proper day, and link up your party button.  This way I will remember to come and participate in your awesome party just like I so appreciate you coming to mine! 

By the way, if you are looking for another place to advertise your linky, check out LinkyHere.  

Have a great day!

Easiest Spaghetti and Meatballs Ever

I discovered there is a much easier (and even tastier) way to make spaghetti and meatballs than my old method of making my own meatballs (working my hands through the raw ground beef and all), baking, and then hoping the flavors in the sauce comes together with the meatballs as they simmer forever, etc.

Would you like to know the easy way to make this yummy dish?  I thought so.

Ingredients:

1 bag of Trader Joe's party size frozen meatballs (they come in a yellow bag with colorful letters)

2 jars of Prego pasta sauce (I use the "Fresh Mushroom' kind)

1 package vermicelli pasta

fresh basil for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Place frozen meatballs and both jars of pasta sauce in the slow cooker.

Cook on low 2-3 hours (that's it)

Serve atop al dente vermicelli pasta and add a bit of fresh basil.

I served mine with the awesome beer bread from Tastefully Simple.

This got rave reviews from my family!  Try it when you don't have much time - you'll be glad you did!

The thing I love about this recipe is that you can keep all of the ingredients for it around the house to use at any time.  Frozen meatballs, dry pasta and bread mix, and jarred sauce!

What are your favorite recipes to make with ingredients that you almost always have in the house?

 

Drab to Fab Link Up #8 + Features!

Happy Friday everyone!
Thank you to all of who linked up last week.  I'm grateful for each one of you coming to share your great ideas here.  


Let your friends know about our party too.  I always love to meet new people.

Let's check out some of my favorite posts from last week's party!

Thank you so much LouBelle's for linking up this MOUTH WATERING, fabulous dessert idea.  Why just eat plain old Reese's Peanut Butter Cups when you can have this yummy trifle of layered pudding, whipped cream, chocolate and peanut butter goodness?

Check out Manda from Once Upon My Life's fabulous look that she created using great thrift store finds!  I LOVE what she put together.  Everything she used in this outfit is so perfect.  Check out the great photography in her post too!

 I've always loved Maysem from Ode to Inspiration's craft posts, and this one is no exception.  This beautiful and unique Kitchen Hook Rack has pages from Julia Child's cookbook!  Check out her full tutorial on how she did this and make your own sometime!

 
Jeanna from Drama Queen Seams linked up SUCH a cool post.  She is taking a month and challenging herself (and us) to refashion those clothes we don't wear anymore.  She has awesome ideas, which completely embody the theme of our Drab to Fab party!  Definitely read her post and get some ideas!  Thanks Jeanna!

I was a huge fan of Mindie from Bacon Time with the Hungry Hypo's Southwestern Breakfast Wreath.  Shaped like a wreath, this dish includes eggs, ham, black beans, peppers, cheese, chipotle sauce, and mustard all wrapped up in crescent rolls!


Congratulations, Featured Friends!  Feel free to grab a button under the "buttons" tab in the menu bar!

Now it's time again to show us your great stuff.  What did you make fabulous?

Show us:

(1) a great D.I.Y. project in which you transformed something to make it fabulous

or
 
(2) an outfit you wore that you made fabulous with a little creativity

or
 
(3) a meal or dish you jazzed up and personalized

Whatever it is, link it up every Friday here at Sugar and Spice.  Let's celebrate how we can take what's drab and make it Fab!  

Oh, and you can link as many as you like each week.  Old or new!

Rules:

1) Follow me so that you will not forget to come back for the next link party!

2)  Grab the button you like best and add it to the bottom of your link.

3) Give some comment love.  We are celebrating each other here!

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