Kids grow up so fast, don't they? It seems like just yesterday I was bringing our oldest child (now 11 years old) home from the hospital, earning what it was like to function on no sleep, take care of a newborn, and work (yes, I had to work too!). Back when I only had two kids, or even three kids, I had more time to spend with them and came up with some pretty creative ideas!

I was looking through some old photos the other day and found this mosaic of photos I had taken:

Painted wood signs are a hot new trend in farmhouse, rustic, and country style decor. If you go on Etsy and search for "wood signs" you will get upwards of 250 PAGES full of signs for sale. Some have vinyl lettering on painted wood, but those aren't nearly as popular as the all painted wood signs.

BUT, if you struggle like I do with painting a straight line, it can be a daunting task to try and make your own wood sign. That's where products like our vinyl stencils come in to play. They make wood signs an "easy peasy lemon squeezy" kind of project!

Want to see just how easy it is to use one of our vinyl stencils to create your own hand painted wood sign? Check out the latest video we added to our YouTube channel and see for yourself!






Now do you believe me? Whether you buy a vinyl stencil from us, or use your own vinyl cutter and design to create your own sign, I hope that you have discovered just how easy it can be to add a little homemade farmhouse touch to your decor!






* If you would rather purchase a painted wood sign, you can find them in our Etsy Shop.

Today my grandma is celebrating her 89th birthday! She is healthy, and may just live forever -- and I am so thankful for that!

When it comes to Christmas and Birthdays, her philosophy about gift giving is simple: "If I can't eat it, watch it, or plant it, I don't need it." Usually we give her a gift card to her favorite restaurant, but this year I decided to do something a little different.

We all know that as grandparents, and great-grandparents get older their memories start to fade. Not ALL people, but some. To help preserve some of those memories, I put together a memory book for her. My kids helped by giving me quotes about whey they love G.G. (great-grandma), and drew pictures for her. I included memories I have from time spent with her over my 35 years. Just quick thoughts about things I enjoyed doing with her, vacations we went on, and things she taught me.

I put together 89 pages of pictures, memories, drawings, and quotes... one for each year of her life.



It was really simple to do, and honestly you can get as creative (or not) as you want. Here is what you need:

Those of you who have been following for a while know that my son has severe food allergies. He is allergic to dairy, eggs, and peanuts. Sometimes finding and cooking "safe" foods for him can be a real challenge. I am always pinning new recipes on Pinterest  that are either safe for him or can be adapted to be safe for him.

The other day I came across a recipe by one of our favorite allergy friendly companies, Sunbutter. It was for Chocolate and Sunbutter Popcorn Mix. I loved how easy it was to make and I happened to have everything on hand so I whipped up a quick batch as an after school treat for my kiddos.


It does make a LARGE batch, so be prepared to share with your friends and neighbors... or set it out at a party! Just know that you won't have any leftovers.. because it is THAT good!



Here is the recipe :

INGREDIENTS:
2 bags of popped microwave popcorn (or pop 2/3 cup popcorn kernels)
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups light corn syrup
1 1/3 cups Sunbutter
1/2 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips
1/2 tsp coconut oil

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place popcorn in a large bowl. Be sure to remove all un-popped kernels.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil.
3. Turn off heat and add Sunbutter, stirring until creamy and completely combined.
3. Gently pour Sunbutter mixture into popcorn and fold in until popcorn is coated.
4. Spoon Sunbutter popcorn onto a parchment lined (or greased) baking sheet to cool.
5. Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until completely melted.
6. Stir in coconut oil. Using a spoon, drizzle the chocolate across the cooling popcorn.
7. Place the sunbutter popcorn in a cool place (or in the fridge) until the drizzle hardens. Break apart the popcorn, serve, and ENJOY!



This would make a fun holiday treat to give away. Place it in a mason jar, tie a cute ribbon or some twine around it and add a sticker to the top!


You could go one step further and add some pretzels, nuts, coconut, or anything else you want to the mixture. Try different combinations to see what you like the best!


Let me know if you give this recipe a try! Looking at these pictures again is making my mouth water... time to make another batch...