Memo Boards...

I made all the kids material covered memo boards a few years ago.
Poor Emma is still playing catch up on cute homemade things she doesn't have
that all the others have. I have had the supplies for her memo board for a few
months and just kept putting off. Mommy guilt finally got the best of me
so I whipped her up one the other day.

They are so cute and easy and can be used anywhere.
This is what I used for Emma's.
(Keep in mind, she's three.) :)

Small cork board.
I chose a smaller cork board than I did for the rest.
I figured by the time she needs a bigger one,
she isn't going to be wanting the wands and crowns anymore any way.

Batting.
I had some left over from some quilts I made.

Material.
The amount of material depends on the size of board you are doing.

Ribbon.
Any size or color. Just whatever you are wanting to use.

Buttons

Thread.

I have to admit, I got lazy on Emma's. I have so much going on but really wanted to make her one. Normally I sew the buttons onto the ribbon and then sew the ribbon onto the material on the board.

So it looks like this:


But that takes awhile, and I didn't have awhile. So I skipped the buttons on hers and just used hot glue to glue the ribbons on to the material.

Shhh..don't tell her I took the lazy way out.

This is what it looks like after you have glued on the batting.
(only one blister from doing it with the glue gun, thank you very much!)

Then you put the material on. The hardest part is getting the corners to look good and sharp. I folded mine like I would fold a present.

Size your ribbons and glue them onto the back.

The back is really ugly when it's done so I took extra material and covered all the uglies.

And that's it! You are now free to put whatever pictures or cards or
keepsakes you want on it and
you are good to go.
(My husband hates it when I say "good to go")

This one matches her room perfectly...for now.
Until she decides she doesn't like purple and flowers.
She acts like she is 16 so I am just waiting for her to say
she wants me paint her room black and put skulls all over...

Linking up to:

and

and

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery...

I sure do love this little girl..

Emma is something else. Keep in mind this little girl is three. You wouldn't know it by the way she acts: she's obsessed with Justin Bieber, like has to listen to him every night, gonna marry him someday and cries if you tell her he is not her boyfriend. Yeah, that obsessed.

She insists on wearing make-up and perfume and doing her own hair.

Her sense of style is nothing short of umm...fabulous??
(might be a good word to use.)

She has more sass in her little toe than some people have in their whole body. She is a diva through and through. Every one says she is a spitting image of me. Me? A diva? I don't think so!! And she thinks she has to copy a lot of what I do and say.

She uses a lot of the same phrases I use. Sometimes she says them correctly, and then other times, not so much. (I say, "That scared the crap out of me.
Emma says, "That scared me out the crap.)

She has some play makeup that she puts on the same way I do: she dips her brush into her bowl and rubs it all over her face. She smiles when she puts on her blush and makes the same dumb face I do when I put on my lipstick.

Every morning when I am getting ready for the day, I go to the bathroom and weigh myself before I shower. The other day Emma goes to the bathroom, comes out and steps on the scale and says, "Seriously?! Urggg...." and then walks off being all annoyed at the number on the scale. Yes, this incident was hilarious, but it also got me thinking...

This little girl is three years old and is all ready this impressionable. How many times have I said or done something in front of her not really thinking she has any idea what I am doing because she is so young? Way too many times to count...

How many times have I complained about my hair or skin or my weight with Emma right there? Is she all ready starting to think she's not good enough? I want her to grow up with confidence in who she is. I want her to know that no matter what her size or how many imperfections she may have, she is awesome!

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I love that Emma wants to be just like her mommy. This makes me know that I need to be a better person. I need to be more positive and more giving. I need to be uplifting instead of judgmental. I need to remember that I have a little girl who is copying my every move some days. It's up to me to raise her to be strong, courageous, confident, smart, talented and to have a love for life, herself, her family and her religion. And a love for candy and cupcakes....but I think I got that one covered.

There were a few years where I didn't think I would get the opportunity to be a mom. After we were told we wouldn't get pregnant, I was devastated. All I ever wanted to was to be a mommy. To have that ripped from me was the worst news I have ever received. I've never been one to sit back and not go after what I wanted. I am too stubborn and don't like getting no for an answer or being told that I can't have something. It wasn't an easy time for us then. There was a lot of pain, physical, mental and emotional. A lot of money was spent on doctors and tests and procedures. Some days I didn't even want to get out of bed. But now, looking back, I am grateful for that challenge in our lives. I love being a mom. I love being the one who gets to kiss the ouchy all gone. I love being the one who can make all the hurt go away. I love being the one who gets to snuggle with them every night. I love being the one they get excited to see. I love all of it. I love the fighting, the tears, the tantrums, the silent treatments, the whining, the not listening. I didn't know if I would ever get to experience any of it. Without the bad stuff, you don't enjoy the good stuff as much.

Emma can imitate me all she wants. (except for the addiction to Diet Coke and Grey's Anatomy...she can stick with Kool Aid and iCarly a while longer.)

Friday Confessional...

I confess:

We are heading out the door to go to Las Vegas. (as in right now. like I should be packing and loading the car but i'm here blogging instead. priorities, you know?) I don't want to go to Vegas...the drive is like 6 hours long. That means I have to talk to Marcus for six hours...oh wait! No I don't. I have the first book of The Hunger Games to keep me entertained. I am going to be in the same city as an H & M and I don't get to go....This whole we need to feed our children and pay our bills and not go shopping is a bunch of garbage if you ask me. Being responsible is so over rated.

I confess:

My parents are staying at our house with the two little ones while we are gone. I'm a little worried. I think sometimes my mom forgets she raised five of her own and then three grand kids for awhile too. She obviously did an okay job; I turned out fine. The jury is still out on the other four kids. My mom just worries about EVERYTHING!! What can they eat? What if this happens? What if that happens? Calm down woman! They are just kids; they can be scary but they are harmless.

I confess:

I am looking forward to a weekend with no kids and no responsibilities. Vegas isn't my idea of a dream vacation, but it'll do for this weekend. What I wouldn't give right now to be somewhere on a warm beach, laying in the sun, reading and eating lots of yummy food. It's spring break this week for the kids and it has been snowing since yesterday. The kids have been stuck in the house and are going crazy. I am so over all this snow and cold weather.

All right. Gotta hit the road. Have a great weekend. I actually have some ideas for blog posts next week that don't center around my wardrobe or my confessionals...I seem to only do link ups lately. Something original is long over do.