Linking up with  Conversion Diary for Jen’s 7 Quick Takes

–1–

First off I must thank you all for such a warm reception from my last few posts. I truly appreciate each person who took a few minutes to comment, email, or text me words of love and encouragement. I feel like wow I’m not writing to a black hole in the internet after all!
So yeah, your words of encouragement made my heart grow three sizes.
Thank you.

–2–

This coke commercial also made my heart grow three sizes in under 1 minute.

–3–

We have been blessed to be able to give our boys a few more presents this year for Christmas. Here’s what we did last year:

It was a beautiful Christmas, and we took joy in its simplicity.
However! I can bearly wait to see their excited faces, and anxious little fingers fumble over their new toys next week.

–4–

 I’m still working on my DIY Christmas gifts and I am dying to slather photos of them all over Instagram. I will. I promise. I have to wait a few dias.

But I’ll tell you what it is: the greatly hyped DIY Sharpie Coffee Mug 

I must add that Pinterest lies lies lies about the simple “sharpie mug” that you bake in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. LIE.

If you want the design on your coffee mug to be dishwasher safe:

1. Do not use a sharpie. Don’t waste the time trying. I tried.
2. Find a paint pen designed to be used on ceramic from Hobby Lobby or Michaels. They’re about $5
3. Let design dry overnight before baking.
4. Bake coffe mug at 425 for 30 minutes- putting the mug in the oven as it preheats.
5. Let Mug sit and cool IN the oven, with oven.
6. Once mug has completely cooled (cold to touch), apply an acrylic gloss medium over the design.
7. Allow to air dry overnight. again.
8. Repeat bake at 425 for 30 minutes.
9. Repeat cool in the oven.  or else your mug will s’plode.

NOW she’s safe. And I would still recommend hand washing.

So yeah. Simple? nawh.
Cute as a button? Yace.

I shall reveal my designs after Christmas.

–5–

A little more about Pinterest:  if you’re using your smartphone, beware!  The increasing ease with which we can now add pins is really handy. Just hold your finger on a pin, and slide it to any of the three options.

This is great.  Especially if you like to visit Pinterest as you’re falling asleep in bed and your finger lands on a pin of Marilyn Monroe and you accidentally pin it to your “Mom of all Boys” board.

I only noticed a few days later when after trying to be cool and send a Pin to Grace, I was cleaning up my own pins (I had recipes pinned on my shoes board and vice versa…)and was like, great. That makes me look just dandy.

–6–

Also on the Smartphone front: Lexington really enjoys the Siri function. I sat next to him as he mumbled into the speaker.  This was Siri’s interpretation:

–7–

I didn’t mean to, but I lied about Emmett’s birthday. We are celebrating his birthday on Sunday but his actual birthday is Christmas Eve-Eve.  I’ve been practicing with Emmett on blowing out candles and singing happy birthday to him after dinner each night when we extinguish the Advent candles.  He understands the concept of blowing out a candle and is really excited to sing Happy Burdaeee, but he still doesn’t connect the two.