Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Changes... again

Life is ever changing.

This is just reality, we know things will change we know things will keep evolving we know that life never (or at least rarely) stays the same.

I have been away from the blog for a while but I have been very busy!

Robyn was in the hospital again last week (He was admitted early in the morning on Good Friday and was there until the Wednesday after) so much of my time was eaten up traveling back and fourth with him, and trying to keep the kids out of the Easter chocolates...

However other big changes are happening too...

I have recently started course for Event and Wedding Planning!

Its taking up a lot of my time... (not that I mind) and I am loving it! I plan on opening  my own business when I finish the course and that too will take a lot of my time.

SO I have decided to take some more time away from the blog... I am going to leave the blog up here so that anyone who wants to look around can come by and see what I have posted and so that I can come back to it when I'm ready... and I do plan to return.

You may also see another website or blog from me in the future with a bit more of a party/event planning theme to it...

With that decision in mind I am going to close the Facebook page and I am closing the blog for comments and if you are reading this and would like to comment on something I have done or if you have a question please feel free to email me or find me on Pinterest or Twitter!

marsh dot emm @ gmail dot com

I have had a lot of fun with this blog and it has gotten me through times when I just wasn't sure I could keep going... So thank you to all of the people who liked what I have made, the things I've had to say, and who have followed along with me on this supper fun journey!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Kids Bedroom Organizing!

So as of late I have realized just how messy the toys in the kids room and play room are.... OK so many people have pointed it out to me and I have recently come out of denial... (Its not just a river in Egypt you know.)

So I was determined to show said people that I could organize the toys and keep the toys off the floor with some help from Delaney!

So off to the Dollar Store I went! Because well, I love a sale, and lets face it they have something to solve every problem at the dollar store... right...


I picked up this dandy little paper towel holder that you mount to the underside of your cupboard for $2 and screwed that baby to the ceiling (into a stud of course...)


Then I hung this toy holder that they already had on there and filled it with toys... 


 VOILA! Problem solved for just $2!

Love a Dollar Store problem solver! What are your favorite Dollar Store problem solvers? Share in the comments you never know your problem solvers might just help me out!

Monday, March 11, 2013

Chronic Diesease

I am wife to a man with a chronic disease. Robyn had Crohns Disease which I have mentioned before and I have gone into some details about before as well...

What I don't think I have ever really gone into is just how it effects our family and truly how it effects me as not only the wife but as the mother too...

Its hard not knowing when your spouse will be debilitated by pain, when your spouse will be confined to a hospital bed on IV steroids, when he will be able to eat, when he will be able to rest without fighting pain all night... but you know that all of this WILL happen. Its a matter of time before you have to watch him wince in pain as his digestive system attacks its self and makes every meal more difficult than the last.

I will never know personally how it feels to have this disease, I will never understand how he copes with it all everyday, I will never truly know the pain, but I certainly have my fair share of the worry I have my share of the pain, and most of all I have more than my share of the stress.

As wife and stay at home mother I have my role here in the house of making sure that the house is clean, the laundry is done, the meals cooked and the children and the husband cared for. Crohns throws a monkey wrench in the works of my life. When Robyn is admitted to hospital (and he has been twice in this past month) I have to split my time. I have to split time between our home and the hospital, I have to split time between him and the kids, I have to split time all the time. I have to plan even more in advance than I normally would because I need to plan what will be made for all meals, who will watch the kids, how I will get to the hospital, when I will get back. I have to plan what night am I going to stay late at the hospital so that I can get home early another night, I have to plan what he needs and what I have to bring to him, I have to plan when I am doing the laundry so that I can bring home his dirty cloths and get it cleaned and back to him. All this while taking care of me too... and lets just say that I am the last to get cared for in these situations...

I sleep less soundly when I am alone in our bed, I crave more sleep and admit to rolling over and trying to sleep in a little even knowing the kids are awake and ready to start their day. I have to find things to completely capture my attention throughout the day so I am not calling for updates every ten minutes. I have to be busy all the time to distract myself from feeling helpless in his struggle, alone in our relationship because his concentration is on his health.

Back when it was just us, me and Robyn, when we had no kids, no rings, nothing but each other I could spend every moment he needed me in the hospital next to his bed, and I did. I would go to my college classes and then straight to the hospital where I would do my assignments and homework with him and stay as late as the nurses would allow. Back when it was just us, I had no idea what to expect and foolishly thought that this was rare and that hospitalization was an occasional thing and once you were better you were better and that was it. Back when it was just us, it didn't matter if the laundry was done, it didn't matter if the supper was cooked it didn't matter that no one was at our home at any given hour...

Now though with our little family in tow, I must do all of those things. I must make sure that the family is taken care of and that things run smoothly with Robyn in the hospital. I must help the kids not to be afraid of the IV and the big hospital room, the Doctors and the patients that may share that room with Daddy. I must ensure that both the kids and I are taken care of at home to make getting "better" his only priority. No matter how long he is "better" for.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Happy Birthday Hubby!

Today is Hubby's 33rd Birthday!


I am so excited to have our little annual family celebration!

We always make a cake, blow up balloons, hang a banner and have a great little family party together! I am extra excited because this year I am giving Robyn a gift that I have wanted to give him for a while but in one way or another it wasn't possible or it was not available at the places I had looked...

This year we are giving him a "DAD" ring...

This may sound silly to some and many men who don't wear jewelry may turn their noses up but this is something that Delaney and I have searched for for quite some time...When we picked up this lovely little gift for him I suggested that we have a look around and see what one was best for her one and only Daddy!

When we went into the first store I did all the talking and I made sure that I was clear on what we were looking for, a "DAD" ring in white gold, stainless or titanium, and something in a size 10. After not finding what we were looking for in the first store we left letting the lady know that we may come back. In each store after Delaney walked up to the lady at the counter of the store and said "I am looking for a Dad ring for my Daddy's Birthday..." and then she took over...

In a way I am so glad that I waited to get this gift for him so that Delaney can have the memory of giving it to him, the memory of shopping for it and the feeling of being all grown up and getting her Daddy his Birthday gift!

I hope you have a lovely Birthday Robyn and that you enjoy the day as only you can!

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Tell the Truth Thursday! School!

Delaney's has finally had her first day of kinder-start! (that's like pre-school in our area...)

I am so excited for her to FINALLY go to school. I have had a few Momma friends ask why I'm so excited, aren't I a little sad, don't I wish she were still a baby? My answer... not really.

I am a little sad that she is growing up so fast and becoming so independent so quickly but isn't the point of having children to raise them and watch them grow into happy, successful, productive members of society? Isn't part of the joy of being a parent watching your child discover the things that make them happy or sad, the things that are their strengths and their weaknesses.

She started kinderstart back in January and she loves it!


She will be starting regular (french immersion) kindergarten in the fall but for the winter leading up to their first year of school they have one session a month where they go to school with some of the kids that will be in their class and get use to the school atmosphere. (Its only for one hour one day of each month so it is a bit of a pain in the behind for us parents!)

She has already made a few friends little S is in her dance class so she already knew her, it was so lovely for them both to have a familiar face on the first day, and little A is the cutest boy you ever saw (you know besides Max) he is super shy and sticks close to his Momma but I'm sure he will adjust fine in the fall.

Delaney has been so excited for school and she really shines when she is there, sure like all kids she has to be reminded that she has to sit on her bum and that she has to listen to madame, but hey she is only 4!!!

To tell the TRUTH I am not only OK with her going to school I couldn't be happier... I was a little worried about her... she has never gone with anyone other than family by herself, she doesn't go to daycare or a babysitter she is home with me all day and with the exception of her brother and the short period when I was sitting for her friend G she hasn't had much one on one time with other kids her age. But if the last two sessions of "school" are any indication of how she will do I think we are in the clear!

Whats your school truth? Does your local school have a program like this? Give me all the details in the comments!

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Have you been here? Hello Cuteness!

I love blogs... Which is one of the reasons that I started my blog...

Anyway...

I love blogs and I love finding great ones, and this one is a GREAT ONE!

At one time this blog was found at Anything but perfect... but recently its been re-branded and they have moved here to Hello Cuteness!

More like Hello A-FREAKING-DORABLE!

Its amazing the little printables available there...

Including the calendars that I use...

She has created so many cute printable calenders and charaters that it is down right hard not to love them!

Stop by and have a look at!

And yeah they are full of Cuteness!!!




Monday, March 4, 2013

Party Time! Library Baby Shower!

Earlier this year (yes I am aware that it is only March but this party took place in January so give me a break!) I helped plan a party to celebrate that Best Friend is expecting her first baby!

As a little background on Best Friend and her Hubby I should tell you that they are both post secondary teachers, they are both supper geeky and supper fun! But most of all they love love love books! I mean LOVE books, Best Friend got encyclopedias for Christmas last year and she was so excited, I mean thrilled... that's how much they love books!

So when planning a shower for their little bundle that is soon to arrive what else could I do other than a library theme!


Best Friends mom provided a lot of the decor as she had picked up most of it at a big party store in Florida during her last trip down south! (It is my dream after seeing what was brought back and hearing about this store to go there and shop for every party I will ever plan!)

So here you have it the Library Baby Shower!

 These super simple centerpieces are simply my kids books straight from their bookshelves at home, I stacked them and used a bull dog clip to put the quote on top written on a library card!

I added the expectant parents as the authors on the library cards and made the due date the babies due date of course and then I used them for everything from the centerpiece toppers to the game cards. (we played Baby item Price is right! Daddy Knows best and the more traditional games like guess the baby's birth time and weight)


 I knew exactly what kind of cake I wanted to use for this shower and after trying to make it perfect and with only fondant I resigned to the fact that well... it wasn't going to happen, but I still got the look I was going for. (hardest part of this cake was trying to make sure that one breast wasn't too much bigger than the other... it was a riot!)



Best Friend and her fabulous Momma did up the favors and the poem from one that I had posted on my Pinterest party idea board and it came out so cute! I love the tiny Chinese food boxes and I think that the poem on the scroll really worked with the theme.

We also had the guest fill out wishes for baby cards (see link below) which I think was the sweetest part there are so many nice comments on them for both Best Friend and Baby J to read and re-read over the years!

To top this off I had written a poem for the invites which let the invited guests know that rather than bring a card we wanted to build a library for the baby and to bring a book! (so not my original idea but it worked for us!) I just have to share... (please if you like it use it but be sure to credit me or at least don't say that you came up with it in your brilliant little head... thanks!) We did most of our inviting on Facebook, which I know to some is considered tacky but hey it worked for us, so I don't have any photos of the invites to share.

Our favorite stories stay with us as we grow,
Both ____ and ______ love to read as we know!
So when planning a shower to greet Baby _____
There was no better theme for us to go with!

Lets build a library fit for this girl,
bring a book in place of a card, lets give it a whirl!
Write your message just inside of the cover
for Baby _____ to read and discover.

In just a short time she will learn how to read!
What a smart little girl and you helped plant the seed!
Join us for a game or two or three
and if a treat you'd like to bring please do check with me...

Were inviting you to share in the baby shower joy
Help us shower this baby and remember its NOT A BOY!
Meet us at the Hotel from 1 until 3
The beautiful Momma to be you will see!

Need help with a gift well that is just a snap!
If you prefer give your computer keys just a tap...
Online number: (fill in info here!)

Or if you are one to shop till you drop
At Toys-R-Us is where you should stop!
(fill in info here!)

We hope you will join us at this her first party
We will have lots to do so please don't be tardy!


Find the items that I used through the links below!
Library Cards
Wishes for Baby

If you would like the printable for the games that I used please email me or leave a comment and I will gladly email you the word document to personalize and print for your showers!

Our little shower went over very well everyone had a great time, complimented the theme and asked where did you get the library cards!

Hope this gives you some inspiration for your parties in the future!


Thursday, January 17, 2013

Tell the Truth Thursday! I'm a Whovian!

I have a confession today... I love the Doctor....


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I have a sick kind of an obsession with Doctor who! Its just something about this show and the characters that makes me happy... it lets me escape and live the excitement for a little while.


Silly I know that you can get lost in a show and love it but I do.

However I find that people who are not whovians are constantly looking at me like I'm crazy, like why would you watch a show about an alien and companions flying around in a blue box...

Well the answer to that can be summed up in a video... a short video from Craig Ferguson!



So this Thursday my TRUTH is that I am a nerdy, Si-Fi Geek who loves the Doctor!
Yep I'm a Whovian!


Are you a Whovian too? Feel free to follow my Doctor Who board on Pinterest! 

Friday, January 11, 2013

Photo Friday! Snow Day!

It's another snow day in my neck of the woods!

Hope your warm and safe at home (with power too!)



Thursday, January 10, 2013

Tell the Truth Thursday! Honesty!

We have heard it our whole lives...

Honesty is the best policy!

I don't always practice this everyday but I do my best...

I have posted about telling the truth and nothing but the truth before when I posted I hate liars! so you may already just how important being honest it to me.

What you may not know is that this is one of the corner stones to my relationship with my husband... I know that many people say they are honest with their husbands but lets really think about it... do you tell your husband everything? Do you tell him when he is at his worst? Do you let him in when your upset and cranky?

So my TRUTH this Thursday is that I tell my hubby the truth all the time! If I think it he hears it! If its good, bad, happy, or lets face it just plain ugly.... he hears it!

I know that its a hard life being married to me, I mean come on I am a handful, but I feel that its better to be honest and tell him what I feel and what I think so that he has an idea of what it is that is bothering me and why. lets face it he isn't a mind reader and he needs as much help as possible.

I do my best to be nice but sometimes the truth isn't nice, I don't say things to hurt him on purpose, I don't want to hurt him but sometimes we need to hear those things too...

Maybe I tell him the truth because I need to get it out, maybe I tell the truth because I feel he needs to hear it, and maybe just maybe I tell the truth because I know its better for our relationship to tell the truth than to allow the issues as small as they may be to grow and become resentment.


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What is your TRUTH this Thursday? Tell me your TRUTH in the comments, are you honest with your hubby or are you a tight lipped wife?

Friday, January 4, 2013

Photo Friday! Butterflies

You know when how it felt when you were young and you find that boy across the room looking in your direction and you think "Hey he's looking at me..." and your tummy goes all funny and you blush and feel extra pretty for the rest of the day... Butterflies right!!

Well I'm not talking about those butterflies...

OK so looking at this photo gives me butterflies that just make me want to smile and look at the world a little differently...


Happy Friday!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Tell the Truth Thurday! Changes....

Ok just the tittle of this post scares me....

And also reminds me of this

Crazy I know...


Anyway the changes that I am talking about are mostly blog changes... things have changed so much in my life in the last 2 years... (yep I'm just shy of my 2nd blogging year!) Our family has been changed from career loss, moving, adding baby #2, losing a very special family member, and lets face it just growing as a person and as a Momma...

Things have changed so much and yet I have just let the blog sit here in my corner of the blog-o-sphere and rot... well OK rot is a bit strong... I have been neglecting the blog and I keep coming back and giving lame excuses as to why I haven't been blogging and well I seem to have come to a conclusion that I need this blog, I need this space for me and that I need to change it up a bit because well I keep losing interest and if I'm not interested well how can you be interested??

So from here on out I am going to change up how this whole blog is going to work I am not going to be forcing myself to post a recipe every single Monday I am not going to be forcing a photo every Friday and if I just want to sit here and type well... I'm gonna!

I have been feeling very forced lately and while I want to post I feel that the blog is limiting me to crafts and food and well I'm more than that just like all of you. I will be working on a new "schedule" if you will over the next week or two that will include a few features, a few kids activities, a few recipes, a craft or two and maybe even a book review/post here and there too! (yes I've been reading!)

So if you will please rejoin me as I start to blog again and get back to the ideas that started this little place I call mine!