SEE FISH DECORATE ON A DIME

by Stefanie

In 2008 at this time of year I was in the middle of a remodel and did no decorating for Christmas. It was a relief and at the same time I missed being festive and buying/making fun things for the holiday season. My remodel took my house to a totally different color scheme and style, and I knew my old seasonal decorations weren't going to work for me. So I gave all my old stuff to my brother who had just recently purchased his first home and began brainstorming on how I could decorate really cheap for the next Christmas. (I was feeling very poor because of my remodel!)

The first tip I would like to pass along is to buy your decorations right after Christmas. I know it's no fun because they are picked-over and no use to you for a year, but they are also 75% off! That year I found 3 silver trees and some great ornaments for a fraction of what they were originally priced. It's also a good idea to buy wrapping paper and ribbon. I covered many pictures on my wall making them into "presents." It's cheap and festive.

The next inexpensive

thing I did was make paper chains forgarland. Yes, it was time-consuming initially, but I have saved them from year to year carefully in plastic garbage bags with all of their decorative danglies intact, and they go up quickly every year.

I saw a cool idea in the windows of Anthropologie and thought I would try and duplicate it because, again, it was inexpensive--and, yes, time-consuming initially. I saved packaging from stuff that was mailed to me; I saved white plastic grocery sacks; and I bought some white tissue paper and created all these "puffs." Some I sprayed with glitter spray. Some of the packaging that was thin foam disks I added a few small ornament balls in the middle. I tied all these to my stair railing. Sometimes I've added paper chains and silver, beaded garland and sometimes just lights.

This year I added some decal ornaments to the wall (that I got last year 75% off at a bookstore). My daughter had the idea to "hang" them from some cheap, silver, gift ribbon.

One year I made this table center piece out of a small, dead branch that I spray-painted white, added some origami stars and birds and hung some small, ball ornaments.

I also made some "trees" out of old phonebooks by folding the top edge and corner of each page to the center of the book and then the bottom corner up at a diagonal to meet the first fold and create a point. (I seem to remember making these as a kid with my cousin Suzee when my family would visit my grandparents at Christmas time. I remember it being a long project; it is. Phone books have lots of pages :0)

Well, I've got more to say and show but am so bugged with Blogger and how it places my pictures and messes up my text that I'm going to end. Last but not least, I'm one of the fortunate few that get to have a reindeer hanging on the wall, and yes, he does turn into Rudolf at Christmas time.

Some places I found great bargains were:

*"Dollar" stores--I got some great snowflakes to hang in my windows, wrapping paper, and random stuff to decorate presents with.

*Big Lots

*TJMaxx

*Target--one year I found stockings and ornaments all in my crazy color scheme!

*Down East Home--stockings

*Some higher-end furniture stores and nurseries after Christmas when all their cool left-overs are on sale--Don't spend all your money before Christmas!

Fish Family Favorites: Bulbs

by Stefanie

Every Autumn our brother Kevin orders amaryllis and paper white bulbs for his mom and sisters. (Thanks Kev!:) The amaryllis are our favorite. We love to give them as Thanksgiving and Christmas gifts and love growing them for ourselves. I personally have a hard time deciding which ones I should give away, and yet I want to give one to every neighbor and friend I have! They're so exciting and gratifying to watch grow and so easy to care for.

We order our bulbs at www.johnscheepers.com. You can order gift boxes that come with the bulb, soil, and a pot to plant them in or you can just order the bulbs individually and plant them how you wish. Lowes and Home Depot also sell the bulb gift boxes. However, the bulbs usually aren't as big and the variety is limited. I will post the end result in several weeks when these bulbs are blooming!

See Fish Finish!

by candace

In case you missed the first week of "See Fish Finish" you can see the master bedroom here.

Next, we have the nursery. The inspiration for the nursery started with the fabric for the crib and this is where it ended up.

Before I had to take the bumper pads off because my child was destroying them...

And now...

 Where did I get it?

The amazing crib bedding (including the sheet): made by my talented mom and sisters

Crib, dresser, changing table, lights: IKEA

Duvet cover, pillows, clock, rug, hippo, hour glasses: CB2

Curtain: Urban Outfitters

Next week? The office!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

by Marci

We celebrated my dad's birthday today by eating our very first chicken eggs.  The Man of the House mandated that we collect at least ten eggs before we ate any of them, so here they are.  I love the farm, all things fish, and provolone cheese because of my dad.  And the kids adore Grandpa, of course.  

My husband might also use this day to give tribute to my dad for a golden truth that opened his eyes almost ten years ago.  Explained in the context of "it's the same with people, too":  A hen does not need a rooster to lay an egg!

See Fish Finish!

by candace

I am not known for finishing projects...not one of my talents. I have lived in my home for 2.5 years and I can finally say that it is FINISHED!! This summer I got a serious itch to get it done so we started by getting rid of the tan walls and tan ceilings (that were the same tan as the carpet and the tile!). I have organized and accessorized and I'm declaring it finished! It's quite liberating.

Our style is more modern than anything and what I have found: modern is hard on a budget! But we've managed and this is what we have come up with. Here is our master bedroom.

And because I appreciated when I found helpful hints, I'll fill you in on where I purchased some things:

Bed, dresser, black chairs, side table, office desk, zig-zag shelf: IKEA

Art: Z Gallerie and World Market

Flowers on the wall: Chiasso

Rug and pillows: CB2 (my favorite place!)
Blown glass sculptures: Pier 1

Chrome floor lamp: Z Gallerie

Big mirror: Home Goods

Curtains: my friend Sally made them. Check out her awesome blog: http://abodecasahome.blogspot.com/

Stay tuned...the next few Fridays will reveal other rooms in the house!

National Adoption Awareness Month

by candace

 If it weren't for adoption this little man wouldn't be ours. I am very grateful for adoption and the blessing it has been in our lives up to this point. More on our story later....

My cousin also has been blessed by adoption. She posted this on her blog and I really liked it so I thought I'd share. You can see her blog here.

Open Adoption is a scary term to many people. I must admit the first time I went to and orientation at LDS Services to learn more about it I was NOT SOLD on the idea! Over time I learned  a lot more about it and met many wonderful people with open adoptions. It sounds impossible for birth families to place their children with families they hardly know and everybody ends up happy. I am here to tell you that it DOES WORK! I have two daughters that my husband I parent and my girls are blessed to have more relatives to love them than the average kid. They have birth families that consist of Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and even half-siblings! You can never have too many people to love your child. Both of my daughters are 4th children. They know their siblings and have a great time playing with them. At their young age they don't totally understand how they are related, but that will be come in time.We are blessed to be able to visit with their birth families multiple times throughout the year and communicate with them via the phone and internet often.  I am obviously passionate about adoption. I am happy to talk about our adoption experience, there is nothing I like to talk about more!

Myth #1

Adoption must be spoken about in hushed tones

 My children hear the word ADOPTION every single day. Adoption is a celebrated word in our home. My 3 year-old knows she was not in my belly, and she can tell you who her "birthday mom" is. It is not a secret that they are adopted.

Myth #2

I am not their "real mom"

 My children are blessed to have a birth mom and an adoptive mom. I take care of them on a daily basis. I do council with their birth moms about various things and get advice from them.

Myth #3

Their birth moms are going to try and take them back

The girls are legally adopted, everything is finalized. I have people ask if I worry that their birth moms are going to try and "steal" them back like a thief in the night. I do not worry about this whatsoever! I trust both of our birth moms. They made very conscious choices to place their child for adoption.

Myth #4

Birth moms are scary, bad people

Are you kidding me! Just because they had a baby in a tough situation does not mean that they are bad people. Most people could not handle making the difficult choice that they made. Birth mothers come from all different backgrounds, there is no stereotype. Most people picture a young teenager, but the average birth mom is over 25.

Myth #5

Adoptive parents must keep in constant contact with birth families

No one MAKES us keep in contact with our birth families, we choose to stay in touch with them. It is not an obligation, it is a privilege to be part of their lives and is in the best interest of the children to know where they came from. Like I have said before, no child can have too many people to love them.  Their birth mothers are part of our family.

Myth #6

Adoptive Couples compete against one another for children

There are so many amazing families waiting to be chosen to adopt children. Looking at www.itsaboutlove.org has got to be overwhelming for birth parents looking for the right family for their precious child. I honestly feel that birth parents are guided by the spirit to the right family for that particular child. I am not sad when a child goes to another great family rather than mine, they end up where they are supposed to be. I love seeing adoption bless homes like it has blessed mine.

Myth #7

Adopted kids are cuter than other kids

This is not a myth, there is something about adopted kids that makes them EXTRA CUTE! Their cuteness is unsurpassed!

See Fish Sing

Here are my sweet guys singing "I Am a Child of God" on our walk to the mall.  I love it and it makes me a little teary.  They only sing the first verse but I included all verses because the words are so beautiful and true.

I am a child of God,
And he has sent me here,
Has given me an earthly home
With parents kind and dear.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him someday.

I am a child of God,
And so my needs are great;
Help me to understand his words
Before it grows to late.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him someday.

I am a child of God.
Rich blessings are in store;
If I but learn to do his will
I'll live with him once more.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him someday.

I am a child of God.
His promises are sure;
Celestial glory shall be mine
If I can but endure.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him someday.

EGGS! Take Two

by Marci

Saturday we began and mostly finished the project of painting the chicken coop.  Our cousins joined us, and all the kids participated.  The guinea hens squawked at high volume through the entire process.

Before

 Primer

 Topcoat(s)

The chickens must like the color: 1. because they've been pecking the paint off the walls like crazy, ahhh! And 2. because we got our first egg the next evening. We've been anticipating this day for almost five months!  Here's a congested description of how the second egg was secured (this morning).

EGGS!

Greg came in late last night more giddy than I have ever seen him. He proclaimed "I have great news. We have eggs." I felt my heart leap - which is not something I normally experience. Seriously it felt like sharing you were expecting or engaged. So this morning I got all the kids out of bed and took them out to the coop where we discovered two little brown eggs. The kids were so excited and I had to rush them around all morning to get them to church on time. I even took one to church to use as a prop for my lesson. Today's meeting was about hope and I told the kids how I had faith and hope for so long that the hens would begin to lay. It is so fun to see this amazing process. I have been babying the eggs and trying to be so gentle. I am sure that the pictures below cannot do their beauty justice. I am also sure that this was not the intended use of the Tiffany candy bowl my mom gave me 10 years ago.

Veterans Day

by Marci

Happy Veterans Day to our very own soldier and to all who work and struggle and fight (and keep the home front!) to preserve our freedoms and families.

See Fish Bake!

by candace

This is my Dave that was referred to in the previous post. I took this picture a few weeks ago. I like how the pictures are almost identical. I just showed him this picture of Ryan and he said, "Ryan has been making my bread?? Whoa! What design did he use on the top? That looks pretty advanced. He is progressing quickly." This bread making is serious business.

See Fish Bake!

by maggie

My amazingly hot and 'domestic' husband decided he wanted to start baking his own bread. He got the idea from Candace's husband Dave, who got the idea from their aunt, Nikki. After Ryan witnessed Dave bake the bread himself, he immediately got online and ordered the book "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day"! He has already baked about a dozen loaves. He is the cutest! And the bread is delicious.

You can call me a real mom

by candace

Yep. I actually sewed my child's Halloween costume. Doesn't that make me a legit mom?