Things I'm doing via blog

Right now I've got a lot going on in my life.

My husband is going back to school in June to be an Air Traffic Controller which requires we move upstate.
So we are trying to:
find an apartment up there,
rent our house out down here,
find him a new job up there (part time...yikes. Just wait, I'll have plenty of budgeting posts for you!),
sell our second car down here,
and the list goes on.
In fact, in order to get the house ready to rent, he used some vacation time a few weeks ago so we could work on the house.
He re-tiled our entryway with a family friend, we re-painted the bathroom, pulled old trim off (seashells...not a pretty sight), painted existing trim, and put up new trim in 3 rooms.

All of this stuff is hard on both of us.
We love our little house. It's our home. Our first one. And we've put a lot of work into it.
We did the hardwood floors ourselves which was the biggest project, and then we painted every room and all the trim and put in new carpets. And we had a lot of plans for this house. A lot of plans that will now likely never be completed. Plans to redo the kitchen, to add-on in the back, to gut our bathroom and start it all over, to add a porch to the front. And we're sad that this little old house will never be as pretty as we'd hoped it would someday be.

On top of that, I've got several family issues going on behind the scenes, which tends to add a little stress even when it doesn't have me buying plane tickets at 1am for the next morning. Don't ask.

So anyway, to reduce some stress I'm following a LOT of blogs.

Granted, it's probably not as much as some people, but this is all still new to me; the blogosphere I mean.

So it feels like a lot!

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you a few things I'm doing/learning via blog, with links so you can too!

I'm learning the basics of photography over at Shabby Blogs, as in aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
I have always regretted not taking photography in high school when I had the chance!
I'm also learning some HTML/CSS coding over there that's a little more advanced than what I'm used to.

I'm learning how to put parties together (which I've never done!) over at: I Heart Naptime, Love & Sugar Kisses,  and many, many others but I'll just include TomKat Studio for now because I'm loving their mothers day printables! Love&Sugar Kisses has some great ideas for Cinco De Mayo by the way! Like I said, there are many more of them, but I'm sure I'll do a whole "party" post at a later date.

And I'm learning how to DIY more home projects over at Welcome to Heardmont" and at Seven thirty three.

And I can't forget the aforementioned  eighteen25 where I'm learning all sorts of crafty things...too many to pull one out of my head at the moment!

I hope you all click over and enjoy learning some new things! If only to grab some printables to decorate and share.
My little one is waking up, so its time for me to go!

Jessica at J.LiLy

Proud/Happy/Relieved for us all

I have to say that YES I am one of those Americans who are so happy, relieved, and proud right now.

So proud.
Proud of our TROOPS for everything.
Proud of our FAMILIES who have sacrificed over this.
Proud of our PRESIDENT, for continuing the search if nothing else.
Proud of the NAMELESS & FACELESS who were the integral forces in bringing him down.

So relieved.
Which is not to say I think it's over. I don't think that anyone thinks it's over.
But Bin Laden has hung over our heads as the metaphorical "Terrorist". As if he were the only one. The head of it all.
We know that this is not the case. By far.
But to have him GONE?
It feels like a huge weight has been lifted.
That a fear has been diminished; though not demolished.

So happy.
Happy to have something to be happy about.
Happy to have one less "bad guy" in the world.
Happy to feel as though we accomplished something.
Happy for all those who devoted so much time, energy, and life to this.
And Happy for all those who are out there celebrating right now. I hope they're celebrating hard.

And a pride swells in my chest when I think of the troops at this moment.
Because, for me at least, it feels like we're one step closer to being done.
To ending this war.
To bringing our men and women home to their families and children.
Maybe a small step? But it feels like a step none-the-less.

And I would love it, if for just a few hours, people everywhere could feel content about this.
I know it won't happen.
The backlash has already started.
With "inside stories", and warnings of "don't believe everything you hear", and people condemning all sorts of people involved for taking "too much credit" or for taking any credit at all.
There will, unfortunately, always be naysayers. But I hope that the majority of us can enjoy this moment. If only for a moment. If only before you decide to not "believe everything you hear".
I know personally, when my mother called and told me I was SO excited.
September 11th happened when I was in 7th grade. And now I have my own daughter, and we've finally got HIM.
It doesn't solve the problem, or fill any voids. But it still feels like a victory to me.
I'm still enjoying this moment.And I hope that you are too.

Jessica at J.LiLy

Freebies and Crafty-Stuffs

I've been following a TON of crafty blogs lately (I'm sure you'll see them on our sidebar at one time or another) and I'm totally smitten.
I am definitely not a crafty person by nature. I'm artistic, not creative. Which means I can draw or paint something well, but I lack direction, I need someone to tell me what to do.
And I have found that craft blogs are perfect for that! They have tons of crafts, layouts, designs, and ideas all ready for the taking! I can take their freebies and ideas and make them my own. #Love

Freebies? What freebies you ask?
What I'm talking about here are:
Printables (so-called pre-designed cards, tags, labels, posters, and party decor that you can download free and print out at home),
and Fonts (for your computer, blogging, and graphic designing)

I have found a few AMAZING sites in the time I spend combing through blogs that offer all kinds of freebies like these. I'm bringing you my current TOP TWO faves.

My first fantastic site for printables can be found here at: It Is What It Is: Pictures, Projects, & Printables.
You can find everything on her blog from Big Sister/Big Brother favor tags, Posters, and Thank you cards, to relevant material for nearly every conceivable holiday.
Some examples:

As you can see she has some pretty darn adorable printables. But the real charm is in the crafts she does with them. Swing over to her site to grab the printables, and find out just how easy it is to create the Valentine Paper Chain, or the Springtime Candy Flowers. Your every holiday (or any day) at home can now be decorated with ease and whimsy!

My second fantastic site for printables can be found here at: eighteen25
Aside from printables they also happen to have free fonts and all kinds of crafts and tutorials for creating computer-made or home-made items.
These girls are SUPER creative. (I'm loving the emergency clutch made out of a potholder! Amazing!) And they also have some great fonts. They do a fantastic job of detailing for you (if you aren't as tech savvy as some) how to download and use them yourself.
I'm going to show you some pics of their printables, fonts, and craft ideas:

And those are all just from the 1st page! I think these sisters might just be the craftiest women on the face of the planet.

They are sponsored by the Silhouette (see my previous blogpost about it here) So they do have a lot of crafts that need it at least in part, but many of them can be improvised if you, like me, have not yet won the lottery.
As you can see, they too will keep you in decoration style for each and every holiday. For example, the picture in the top row, right-hand side is subway art in honor of Teacher Appreciation week.
And the picture in the bottom row, left-hand side? The pot-holder clutches! How cute right? They'll tell you how to make them yourself. SUPER easy!

I hope you enjoy these sites and utilize them to your full advantage. Not many places are giving out their ideas or designs for free these days. Enjoy!!

Jessica at J.LiLy

The Royal Wedding

I'll be honest, I have never understood the allure of celebrity weddings. I mean really, I don't know these people! And more often than not, that marriage is going to end in under a year. So I just can't see trying to get excited over something that I have no personal connection too. And I guess I just assumed that Kate and William's would just affect me the same.

Of course, the Royal Family are not celebrities. They aren't famous for something like entertainment. They are famous because of how well loved they are. By the British, and the rest of the world.

Now I'm asking myself why it is that a wedding between two people on the other side of the world is so exciting for me?

I'm still not sure as to why, but I'm going to just roll with it for now!

For those of you who didn't stay up to watch the nuptials or view them online, here are some details:

First of all, before the ceremony, Queen Elizabeth II gave both Prince William, and Princess to-be Kate each a total of 3 new titles. They are:

Prince William the:                       Princess Katherine the:

Duke of Cambridge                      Duchess of Cambridge

Earl of Strathearn                        Countess of Strathearn

Baron Carrickfergus                     Baroness Carrickfergus

The ceremony took place in the Westminster Abbey in front of 1,900 guests. After which they rode in an open carriage waving to their cheering subjects with smiles of adoration.

But nothing about the ceremony has been as blogged or tweeted about as the kiss. I've got to admit, that one baffles me. Why are people so excited about this? Are they surprised? Because that seems odd...doesn't everyone kiss their spouse? Especially on their wedding day? So I'm going to leave you all to fill me in there. Let me know why that is just SO exciting for everyone.

To be honest my favorite part of the whole thing was simply Princess Kate's dress, designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen (her sister also wore a dress by McQueen). It was so simple and subtle, but beautiful and elegant. It was modest, but not old fashioned. And I think it played off her mix of youth and grace very well.

Not that Prince William wasn't looking dapper, which he definitely was. He's a very handsome man after all!

I am not one of the people who would have woken up my kid to see it. (She's only 2 1/2 anyway, so she wouldn't appreciate it) But I think it was worth it to stay up to watch, if only to be witness to something that will become a part of history.

It was beautiful.             

People have been writing for weeks, comparing Kate to Diana. I don't want to be one of them, but I'd like to share my thoughts.
I can't see the new princess being every bit as influential as Princess Di, but why should she be? She has her own mark to make. She's a completely different person. 

I can see that she looks happy, and unafraid to embrace the responsibilities that being a part of the Royal Family entails. She looks determined, and she looks like she's found her home. So Kudos to her!

And good luck to Prince Willliam and Princess Kate. We wish you all the best in your marriage.
We hope your special day was just that, special! And we can't wait to see some little ones running around again.
Congratulations!
♥ the girls at J.LiLy

Jessica at J.LiLy

I Got a Sick Obsession...

Yup. That's right.

It's Ke$ha.

$.

For those of you who don't listen to Ke$ha, I'm not actually obsessed!
Those are some of the lyrics to "Your love is my drug".

I know okay.
I'm a mother. I shouldn't love ke$ha. It's wrong.
Blah, blah, blah.
(hehe)
I can't help it!
I do. I just plain do.
I love her style, her songs get stuck in my head for days on end, and her attitude makes me smile.
It all takes me back to high school. Ha.

I tried not loving her music.
I really did.
I thought, mother's do not love kesha. They love elvis, the beatles, bono.
I wondered whether or not to post it,
wondered what the other mothers would think of me.
And then I realized, oh yeah!
I don't CARE if people think its wrong.
It's love!
Haha, I kid, I kid.

But seriously. Don't care.

All I know is for my birthday, I am going to see KE$HA in concert.
September 10th.
There will be jumping. There will be yelling of lyrics. There will possibly be screaming.
And there's gonna be glitter ALL up in here.

♥

Jessica at J.LiLy

I want it.

The Silhouette SD

Digital Cutting Tool

And yes, I'm in L ♥ V E.

This thing...its amazing.

The things it can do!

(I think I feel a Dr. Suess rhyme coming on!  ...  oop, guess not.)

But seriously. I think it could just possibly change my life.

Or at least my house.

And ALL the stuff inside my house. And my blog. And my clothes. And my daughters clothes. And,

I digress.

What kinds of things can it do you ask? Well! Let me show you!

That's scrapbooking, sketching, card designing, glass etching, apparel decorating, and vinyl wall-decal making, respectively.

How does it do this!? you ask with the proper level of excitement and intrigue.

Let me tell you.

It's like a printer, but rather than printing on paper, it has a blade that cuts the fonts or images out instead.

GENIUS!

I'm all jittery just thinking about it.

For real. My hand is shaking like I just had a case of Amp energy drinks.

(And that can hospitalize you, no joke.)

Basically, the software it comes with gives you tons of free fonts and designs to cut out of virtually any pliable material from paper, to fabric, to vinyl.

You can also open any image or clipart you want from your own computer and use it in the program, or you can download inexpensive designs direct from the site.

The program then lets you arrange the fonts or designs in any way you please, and then you begin the cutting process.

OR

You can swap out the blade for this nifty thing:

then stick one of their pens inside, and sketch the font/design onto paper to make custom designs for cards, scrapbook pages, subway art, etc.

I want it.

I want it SO bad, its going on my 'Lottery Wishlist'.

My list of things

I.WILL.OWN.

Just as soon as I win the lottery.

Because this bad boy tops out at

$299.99

...

Yeah.

And pens, the pen holder, vinyl, adhesive backed cardstock, etchall etching creme, and etc. are all extras.

So while I'm dreaming (and scheming...that lottery thing isn't going to work itself out), you can jump over here to view (if you're broke like me) or purchase the Silhouette, or over here to check out their blog and their many beautiful creations.

Personally, I'm following the blog in hopes that someday I'll own it and be able to create for myself all the projects I've drooled over for however long.

Which at this point is about 2 hours.

Jessica at J.LiLy

Treading the Line: Free Spirit/Spoiled

My husband and I are trying to raise our 2 1/2 year old to be her own person. We want her to be self-assured, self-confident, conscientious of others, an independent thinker, a strong decision-maker, and unafraid to stand for what she loves.
It's more important to us that she be independent and confident as she grows older than for her to be blindly obedient. Because in my opinion, blind obedience has never been good for anyone.

All good things in theory right?

The problem is finding the line between letting her be her own person, and letting her run wild.
I don't want her to be a child who screams "NO!" when told what to do, or who runs off when she needs to be disciplined, but I also don't want to break her spirit.
And this becomes a balancing act between free spirit and spoiled (or good and evil!) that breaks down into almost every part of our everyday life.

Luckily, we seem to lean towards the happier side of the line for the most part.

For example, when she passes gas.
She and daddy will laugh. A lot.
Then she will usually say something like "Haha, I fahted".
And then she'll say with a smile, "Excuse me!".
Because in our family, its okay for farts to be funny, but we should also be curteous to others. (Win!)

Or, like when she went through her screaming phase.
So long as she screamed because she was happy, or excited, or for no reason at all, we would say something like "Wow! That was a good one!".
If she did it because she was sad or scared, we would comfort her, and let her know it was good that she was telling us she was scared or sad, and then try to demonstrate a better way of sharing how she was feeling.
But if she did it because she was angry or unhappy, we would simply ignore her.
Lucky for us, it worked. She actually stopped screaming in just a few months, except for when she is playing, and surprised or excited. (Win!)

She is also one of the most polite kids I've ever been around (something we've been complimented on a lot, but the kudos really go to her), she genuinely cares about other people's feelings, and she keeps her room immaculately clean (again, ALL her). (Epic Win!)

But with the good comes the bad, and things have backfired on us too.

We like to give her options so she learns good decision-making skills. So we will ask her what she wants to eat for breakfast: a banana, a bowl of cereal, some strawberries, or some toast? And she will usually tell us what she wants.
But sometimes, (okay, 45% of the time), she'll say something like: "Tootie! I wan tootie mommy!"
Translation: she wants cookies for breakfast.
Or crackers.
Or m&ms.
And her being her stubborn self, she will choose to not eat any breakfast rather than eat ANYTHING other than a cookie.
Which leaves me feeling like a terrible parent because my kid skipped breakfast and is complaining about being hungry.(Fail.)

Or we'll tell her that she needs to do something.
Anything.
And because she's so used to options if she doesn't get them she tends to get pretty defiant. So we get to deal with the "No!" child. Which in our house results in time-outs. (Fail.)

Part of the problem is really our own.
We will ask her to do something when we really intend to tell her to do it.
She, having been asked, chooses not to do it, and if she's in a particularly stubborn mood she will
just. not. do it.
Which usually results in time-outs. (Fail.)

The result of all of this is our constantly treading a line between her being a free spirit, or spoiled.
A line that can at times be very fuzzy and hard to see.
A line that is sometimes, unfortunately, but inevitably, crossed.
And the hope is that consistancy and effort will help to guide her into being a free-spirit, but one who recognises and follow the rules.

Oh, idealism. How you taunt us.

Anyway, I'm sure you'll eventually make up your own mind on which of the two she is, if not now, then as time and posts go on. Until then this is me, carefully treading the line.

Jessica at J.LiLy