St Patty’s Day

Willow Melodie

4.5 mos old 

No cuter St Patty’s Baby!!!

The week before March 17th got a little chaotic. I had plans to make a cute little outfit for Willow and I had all kinds of time. That’s when I got a very dreaded call from Emma to meet them at the ER so I could take our Willow girl home as Joe got checked in to the hospital with a blockage. OH NO!! The next week I made myself as available to the kids as possible. Emma spent many hours at Methodist hospital with Joe or long nights at home playing the role of a single parent. Poor Joe was in horrible pain and hating his time away from his sweet family. We did what we could to be helpful. 

At the last moment on Sunday March 17th I whipped out my computer and silhouette to make this “Lucky Girl” shirt to wear for 4-5 hours on St Patrick’s Day. Is that silly? Maybe but it’s what I do. 

After 10 long days, Joe returned home on March 21st

Praying for good health for this young man 

 

thankful for you

Our 2022 Thanksgiving Crew!

Dean . Lynn . Chris . Ryan

Helen . Levi . Kelly . Selah . Lisa . Linda . Melanie . Joe

Jael . Reagan . Olivia . Emma . Emma L

Davis' are missing from photo

We are thankful for these peeps

We hosted the great day of gluttony and football, which I enjoy. It gives me motivation to really clean and usually do a couple little projects around the house that have made it from the "to-do" list to the "procrastination" list. Chris has said before multiple events, "you aren't repainting a room!" So I may have done that in the past. I try to keep the projects on the smaller side now. This year it may seem like I redid my fire place for thanksgiving. In actuality, I planned that project about 2 years ago and we finally got it started this November. There are a few things that need tweeked but for the most part I love it! You can kind of see it in one of the pictures. 

I am thankful for the clean house and revamped fireplace.

We had 4 people unable to come at the last minute which brought our numbers down to 19 people and 2 dogs. Poor Bella and Luna were shipped to Nana and Papa's house for a couple days. They cats don't like dogs and I'm not sure how well the dogs tolerate cats. We didn't want to perform a Black Friday burial. We are thankful for good health and well behaved pets

The other thing I really enjoy doing is cute little chalk board drawings or quotes. I started with just a plain piece of black board. Before Emma's wedding I had Chris build an easel. I love it! Now I use it all the time- birthdays, celebrations, holidays, work, husker games. 

I am thankful for Chris' ability to make things and my love of doodling.

Thanksgiving Chalk Sign 2019 above .  2022 below

We have so much to be thankful for even in the midst of really hard situations. I'm trying to focus on the blessings I do have. The world is full of negativity and sin but Jesus came as the solution. We all need a little more Jesus. That's my daily goal. More Jesus!

 

Be my Valentine

My forever Valentine!

Easily Chris’ least favorite day of the year. We don’t really celebrate except going out for dinner sometime that week, never on the 14th!

Care packages for the college girls

10 things I love about you!

You love Jesus

You call home

You give good hugs

You are honest

You love coffee

You can talk to anyone

You come home

You share your emotions

You are low maintenance 

You are a good communicator

You love cookies

You love Jesus

You are a hard worker

You are funny

You come home

You are caring 

You are humble

You are adventurous

You are loyal

You are a deep thinker

Olivia and I made this little rag heart for my office. It was cheap easy and fun. 

 

F. O. U. R. T. E. E. N.

This year Olivia and I agreed back in November that her friend birthday party would be in January. It's just so hard to find a time that works for this girl. The musical, the concerts, the rehearsals all filled her days and nights. So LESS THAN one month post actual birthday we hosted a movie night with 8 friends. It was perfect!

liv . caitlyn . bella . hailey . shay

kaitlin . grace . maggie

cupcakes that look like starbucks frappecinos

this sign comes out for every holiday

Thank you Olivia for having such a great group of friends.

Many middle school girls can get a bad rap but these girls are generous, kind, loyal, authentic, creative, funny and intelligent. 

I love you dearly sweet girl. Make year 14 the best one yet!

MelKate Creations

Click HERE to explore my blog of signs.

The funny thing is...I actually started it over 2 years ago and FORGOT!! Yes, I forgot that I had started another blog. Now that I have people asking me where they can find my work I have decided it's time to make my work a little more visible.

If you have a saying, quote, scripture or name you want on a sign let me know. And if you can think of something outside the box that will challenge me...go for it. Tonight I was asked to create a soccer crest for Liverpool. This will be a new feat, the spirit is willing, who knows about the skill. I love to create one of a kinds. You will see, occasionally I make duplicates but that is not what I enjoy. My prices are usually too low because it's not realistic to charge for my creative time. If Reagan was my business manager she would remove me from talking money. That girl is no-nonsense! Gosh, I digress. Anyway, you will see my prices are lower than etsy or the local craft fair and you will receive in return a piece of my heart. Check out what I have made right here. Come back often as I hope to keep new fun seasonal signs coming you way.

I Have a Sign For That!

Pinterest can be my worst nightmare but also a very useful tool. So often friends will ask me to make a sign but they don't have a clue what it should look like. Let me start by saying, I think that is very odd. Typically, when wanting to hang something on my wall I can see something in my mind or I found it in a store or online. In either case, I know what I want. Anyway, it's easy to direct friends to Pinterest, it it's there I can probably make it. I took my own advice this fall and started making signs for a craft fair. (Let's not talk about the craft fair, it was an epic failure) Once I found a few ideas, it got my creative juices flowing and then it was hard to stop. 

Below are a few of my favorite recent creations. 

6"x9"

I sold 6 of these signs. 10"x48"

Now I need to find a new design for my own front porch.

I thought about doing the "and" in red, probably should have.

9"x9"

I love this one! It's a cabinet door off an old Hoosier cabinet.

Chris' dad is now on the hunt for more of these door at farm auctions.

12"x12"

I made Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State, UNO and Chicago Bears boards like these.

6"x9"

A Joanna Gaines recreation. You can find others on Etsy for $119, I would never charge that! This was fun to make but much more time consuming than I anticipated. I can't wait to give it to my friend Amber this week. 

12"x40"

I guess it's time to start thinking about spring and graduation signs. I also decided to redo all the table center pieces for Millard West Girls Soccer Banquet. The existing decorations were good in their day but people they can only be reused so many times. I assume they are 4-5 years old. Holy Moly!! You can expect blog or instagram posts in April or May.

December and the official start of winter is right around the corner. Break out the coats, mittens and scarves, the midwest was hit with blizzards last night. It's time to turn up the furnace a couple degrees and make sure the pantry is stocked with hot cocoa. Christmas decorations are going up everywhere...it's the best time of the year. 

Scrappin' Christmas

I'm not ditching the holiday, I'm back to scrapbooking and oh does it feel so good. Many years ago I decided to do a book of our annual Christmas cards and letters. I sort of scrapped 2000 and 2001. They were both ugly to say the least. Since then I just stuck the card and letter in the book. My plan was to get back to it when I had time. Apparently last night was when I finally had time. I creatively documented 11 years of our family cards and letters. It's not surprising but certainly is disappointing that I am missing several years of cards. So if you happen to be a person who keeps Christmas cards and would like to scan my old cards/letters from 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015 I would love to have a copy. In the meantime I have a couple places to dig through.

People like FlyLady warn again the dangers of keeping junk, so many of us suffer from some form of hoarding.  However, I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am to have these pictures and letters from the past. The quotes we included both make me laugh and cry. 

The practice of sending out cards and letters is slowly going away. Chris would love for me to email the letter, I just can't! Life BC (before children) is not typically highlighted in year end letters. Oh how I would love to reminisce about what 23 year old Chris and Melanie thought and did BC. 

Too often I compare our family to others, we just never seem to measure up. Darn social media! What I realized while lovingly pouring over these pictures is that our family has a rich history. I love what Chris and I have created over the years. In a blink of an eye we have gone from one baby girl to three phenomenal daughters who are on the verge of becoming adults. For sure we have a blessed life. And just like the title of my blog...it all happens so fast.

Below are some pictures of the simple scrap projects I did last night. It felt so good to use up some unfavorable supplies. I like the way it turned out. Nothing is overly decorated, after all the picture and letter are the important aspects.

I know...ugly but paper from early 2000's

this page isn't really done

again, kind of ugly but happy I used
up a bunch of old supplies

Graduation Time

Just showing off some of my handiwork. I made the first tri-fold board for a senior soccer awards night. The board below represents Q through the years, family, faith and friends. I'm pretty proud of the way they turned out. Quinnton loved them too.

actually this board is missing a couple pictures...oops

Bathroom Beautification

As a parent of teenagers I became a facebooker, instagramer, tweeter, pinner, etc. You have to. This post isn't about parenting or social media but I promise you, it's important to be able to navigate the same sites your children are. Obviously, they do it better and more often but I make my presences known. ANYWAY, one day as I was scrolling through instagram I found a post by daily_bibleverses that I knew had to go on my bathroom wall. Fast forward about a year and finally there is paint on my bathroom walls so I could start the creative process.

Here is the finished product. I love walking into my bathroom each morning and the first thing I see is this design with a reminder that With GOD all things are possible. 

I don't want anyone to think I am more capable than I really am. An old-school projector helped me shoot the image on the wall. I had to free hand the four ends of the cross but all that tough stuff I had a guide. Here's the kicker, my bedroom, bathroom and laundry area all have to be clean all the time so I can show off my artwork. I guess next time I will do something like this in the entry way. Ha

VERSE OF THE DAY

With man this is impossible 
but with God all things are possible

Matthew 19:26

So often this verse, like many are misused. It doesn't mean if I follow God I can do anything that I hope and dream for. This verse is in the middle of a passage about what it takes to get into heaven. Remember we are saved by FAITH! Jesus is telling a rich man and the disciples to follow the commandments and sell your possessions to give to the poor then follow me (Jesus). The rich man was sad and Jesus tells them,  it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. It's not our possessions that hold us back, it's the love of our possessions that gets in the way of us fully devoting ourselves to God's purpose. This is when Jesus points out to them, with man this is impossible but with God all things are possible. God is good all the time.

Now I'm off to Hobby Lobby to purchase a canvas. I have two orders for this design. Oh how I love to create. Have a great weekend!

Easter Bunny, Fox, Lamb or Rooster

I know the story about Christ's birth, life, death and ultimately his Resurrection which is what brings us to Easter but often I have wondered where the eggs, bunnies and candy came into the equation. First I went to the all trust-worthy Wikipedia.
EASTER EGGS, also called PASCHAL EGGS, are decorated eggs that are often given to celebrate Easter or springtime. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tradition is to use dyed and painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as jelly beans. Eggs, in general, were a traditional symbol of fertility, and rebirth. In Christianity, for the celebration of Eastertide, Easter eggs symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus though an egg appears to be like the stone of a tomb, a bird hatches from it with life; similarly, the Easter egg, for Christians, is a reminder that Jesus rose from the grave, and that those who believe will also experience eternal life.

Then I found this little video that I found helpful.
Watch This Easter Video by the History Channel

The girls and I had fun making these Easter Egg decorations. Thank you Pinterest
Items Needed:
Water Balloons
Flour
Sta-Flo Liquid Starch
Embroidery Floss, one skein per egg
Paper to cover your table, this is a messy project

 The directions gave me a heads up on this one. Gradually unwind the skein of floss into the flour/starch mixture otherwise you will have a HUGE mess. Do not take a short cut on this, you will regret it.

 As you can see, this project also required a few Frappuccinos
Let the balloons dry completely, turning a couple times.

 I know this isn't the full instructions but you can easily find it on Pinterest.

Finished Product

Pinterest suggested making a wreath from the eggs, we decided we didn't like that look. Instead we have a center-piece for the table.

Tonight we plan to dye eggs. This is one of my favorite activities. Chris is planning on being gone.

First and foremost, I am a Christian who believes that Jesus Christ is one part of the trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He left Heaven and became fully man to live amongst us so that He have a relationship with man-kind. Jesus knew He had to die on the cross to take on all the sins of humanity, he was the perfect sacrifice, also known as the Lamb of God. The Earth shook and veil in the temple was torn at the moment of His death. There was mourning and fear but three days later He arose from the dead. To this day Jesus sits at the right hand of God the Father. All will see Him face to face one day. Knowing this story is not enough, even the demons know this story. Believing Jesus is your Savior and knowing you are saved by His grace and your faith IS ENOUGH!

HAPPY EASTER TO EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU! GOD BLESS

VERSE OF THE DAY

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is 

eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

All Kinds of Goodness

If I want to be completely honest, last night I was dreading today. The calendar on my phone was overwhelming. Now that I have completed the day, I look back on it with a sense of joy and accomplishment. Thank the Good Lord I have a husband who is helpful. That Mr Raabe is a pretty good guy to keep around.

Emma overbooked herself which means she enlisted her mom's help without prior consideration. The day started with taking her across town early for babysitting. (I'm NOT a morning person) What came after that is a bunch of goodness... 

P O W E R T O O L S !!

My friend (pictured below) and I built a super cool filing device. I am bound to be uber organized now. We shopped at Home Depot, used a chop saw,  circular saw and nail gun. Loved it!!

I do think I will end up painting the bare boards.

The rest of our day consisted of taking Reagan and 2 friends to a movie

Olivia & I went to "Cinderella" since it was $5 Tuesday...great flick!

Shopping for a birthday party gift for Livie's friend.

I babysat for 3 hours while Emma went to track practice.

Reagan going to the dentist...2 cavities. :(

Olivia to soccer practice then to a sleepover party.

Chris sold stuff on Craig's List

Me going to a meeting for busy women, ironic huh? 

Chris going to men's bible study.

It's so nice to relax over spring break. I know I sound like a clanging gong. Actually I enjoy my kids being home and running around with them. The days can be long but the years are short. I was created for such a time as this, right??

VERSE OF THE DAY

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. 

Proverbs 17:22