pssssst…. pass it on.

a friend of mine shared a “new” way to tie a scarf and i think it’s darling so thought i would pass it on.  although, i am typically a little behind when it comes to this stuff so it could be that what i learned has already been around the block a few times.  so, let me know if this is so last month or a total treat! 

oh, btw, my husband came to lux it studios today with the kids in-tow {ahwww} to take these pics.  he took great snaps, but let’s just say my face did not cooperate!  lol…, so most of them will be cropped.  i know you understand.

first, fold the scarf in half . . .

and put it around your neck . . .

 

then, take one end and pull it through the loop . . .

after that, pull the bottom side of the loop . . .

then take the remaining end and pull it through . . .

 

finally, make adjustments as you please. 

the scarf  lays nice and flat and reminds me of a pretzel. 

. . . a new technique to add to your repertoire of scarf tying skills!  my favorite accessory for men, women and kids.  fun and low maintenance.  a good combo.

goodnight lovely peeps! 

xo . rae . vp + mom . armommy 

i heart boys.

this past weekend was spent with 12 adults and 15 children [plus grandma jane - armommy pres.] at my families vacation home in leavenworth....  our second annual.  it felt like an extended sleep over and i was completely pooped by the time we got home, and the day after, but it was SO worth it.  there was delicious food, beautiful surroundings, complete chaos, excitement, lots of laughter, a few tears, some games, sledding, more tears, a couple colds, late nights, early mornings, good conversation, and constant activity.

the first morning, after getting a brief glimpse of an igloo the night before, the boys wasted no time before going out to play.  still in their pj's, no jacket, no hats, no snow-boots, not even a good-morning kiss, just pure joy and anticipation.  we can learn so much from them.  

[my first real attempt at editing my photos in photoshop....  oiy.  i need some more practice!]

it touched my heart to watch them.  so wrapped up in being with each other that they were oblivious to the cold.  they are blessed to have great friends.  some to look up to, others to look after.  one day they will be teenagers and i am choked up at the thought of our babies becoming men.  but i am grateful that they will be on the journey together...  at least for now.  i pray that they would encourage one another and hold each other accountable.  that they would laugh together and lean on each other.  i pray that they would be pace setters, cheering each other on and leading their peers.  i pray that their friendships would be rooted in Christ and that their faith would be unbridled and contagious.

oh how i love these boys....  including the ones that are not pictured.

it was a fun weekend indeed.  i'm hoping i'm not the only one willing to do it again next year!  

flower power.

i won't be "working" much the rest of the week so i thought i would give you a double whammy...  two blog posts in one day!  not that that's a good thing - lol.

this is the other type of flower we made for lux it studios grand opening.  love it.  especially the orange.

this is also my first attempt at wearing a belt somewhere other then through my belt loops.  when i went into the bathroom earlier i started undoing it.  then i realized it was not necessary and laughed.  a habit i didn't know i had....

have an incredibly blessed rest of your week!

xo

irresistable.

  remember this invitation?  i shared it a couple weeks ago and mentioned that i would fill you in on my friend's shower details once the party was over.

so here goes!

deliciousness...

guess how many of these i ate?

cute decorations 

{follow the directions from this post but cut a sheet of paper into 11 - 1" pieces.} 

goodies for the guests. 

goodies for the baby.

the adorable mom to be.

and the wonderful ladies that came out to shower emily!

it was so much fun and mama was blessed.

on another note, can i make a confession? 

 i have never really enjoyed baby showers. or mom and me play groups.  considering my business and passions you may gasp at that.  others may be in complete agreement.  they have always seemed a little forced and stuffy and socially awkward.  i'm not exactly sure what it is.  the games {hillary, just in case you read this blog, your games always totally rock!}, the mixture of people, or the fact that i can be pretty bad at starting conversation and am really good at getting tongue tied or saying something completely stupid...?  whatever it may have been God has been changing my heart.  i absolutely could not wait to attend this beautiful shower.  i soaked up every moment of it while i was there and was the last one to leave {sorry kc}.  i was free to enjoy the beautiful company that surrounded me, to celebrate my precious friend and her baby and was simply happy just to be me.  a very welcome change.  

xo . rae . vp + mom . armommy . rae@armommy.com

job jar.

i think chores are a really good thing....  

for my darling children.  they don't agree.  

this is our job jar that sits on the kitchen counter and as you can see it is well used.  sometimes they are assigned chores to teach them responsibility and other times because they are being disciplined.

i'm not a child development specialist so i have no idea if using chores as a punishment is helpful or detrimental, but i do know from experience that it works for all of us.  for instance, if they are causing a scene at the grocery store i let them know that they will have to pick a chore when they get home.  if it continues they have to pick two chores and so on.  it took a little while to prove that i was serious and that they would have to complete their jobs, but now they get straight to work.  my favorite part is that i don't have to think up their chore{s} according to age and ability after having to regulate whatever situation required attention.  it's already been done!

i give partial credit for this lovely idea to the book parenting with love and logic: 0 to 6 years and another part to my bff martha stewart.  it was in a MS kids issue years ago.

as always, please share any questions or comments you have!

xo . rae . armommy . vp + mom . rae@armommy.com