At Home With The Hinsons

Slip-n-Slide Summer

2011-06-08T19:31:00.000-05:00

I'm here to tell ya that at the Hinsons'

it's not summer until mama buys a slip-n-slide.

And now, it's officially summer!

Joseph was in charge of assembly.

So that meant James was in charge of test sliding.

Hope you enjoyed,

we sure did!

God's blessings,

Sarah :)

They Keep Me Hoppin'

2011-05-06T08:28:00.001-05:00

Good morning all!

I'm still here.

No bloggy break or tornado's force,

could hold me for long.

There's so much I could say...

stories to tell,

projects to share

& don't forget lessons learned

{the hard way no doubt!}

Today's message is this:

My people

& my life in general

may keep me hoppin'.

But I love this life,

and wouldn't have it any other way!

Wherever you are

and whatever you're doing,

put a smile on your face & keep hoppin'!

God's blessings,

Sarah :)

Stomach Bug & Valentine Decor

2011-01-29T11:58:00.000-06:00

Hi all,

happy Saturday!

Remember that yucky stomach bug James had?

Well guess who inherited it??

Me :(

Apparently my body didn't get the memo

that Mama's don't get sick.

It also forgot that we went to school to be a caregiver,

NOT a patient.

How could we ever forget those 2 long years of nursing school?!

The good thing is that the fever and body aches are passing

and I'm able to work in craft projects between bathroom breaks.

Here's a simple, quick Valentine's Day project.

Ahh, it is LOVE. :)

Now I'm off for another bathroom break.

God's blessings,

Sarah :D

The Purple Cow

2011-01-19T06:00:00.002-06:00

Good morning all,

I'm here with a morning dose of fun. :)

It all started a couple of weeks ago

when Joseph & I were discussing his classes for the semester.

He was sad to be trading in Bible class for Speech.

But as any good Pollyanna mama would do,

I began to tell him what fun he'd have

and how taking Speech would benefit him.

As we talked I reminisced on one of my Speech assignments...

reciting a poem on stage in front of the entire class.

The poem I chose?

My all time childhood favorite,

The Purple Cow!

And because my mom still had

her Child Craft books,

I was able to nab a pic to share.

I never Saw a Purple Cow,

I never Hope to See One,

But I can Tell you, Anyhow,

I'd rather See than Be One.

What can I say?

I'm a sucker for the silly AND sentimental!

God's blessings, Sarah :D

Freshman Football Banquet

2011-01-18T18:48:00.000-06:00

Tonight is Joseph's Football Banquet.

They'll be reviewing and celebrating his Freshman Season.

Since I'm home with the sick little brother James,

I thought I'd give a HOLLA to my favorite football player.

I'm so proud of all his hard work. :)

Last but not least,

two of the cutest football lovin' fellas I know.

God's blessings friends,

Sarah :D

Newest Follower

2011-01-15T11:06:00.001-06:00

I think it's only fitting to celebrate my newest follower.

Although you won't find her listed as a "follower",

you can be certain she's checking out the posts.

She has At Home With The Hinsons

bookmarked on her desktop.

Wanna know who this shout out is for?

My NANNY!!!

I'm not really sure how it happened,

but boy am I glad it did.

She jumped aboard this crazy ride through cyberspace.

HOLLA!!!

Over the years there were many ways

I've wanted to be just like my Nanny,

when I grow up.

The woman that could run a nursing home,

care for her family,

and still find time to pitch a game of softball.

She's loved me more than the law should allow.

Her cooking is the best that's ever been.

And she's as feisty as the day is long.

Her willingness to own her first computer

and determination in learning to navigate it

is absolutely inspiring.

This latest feat just proves that my Nanny

loves her family,

more than a hog loves slop...

and that's a lot of love!

Thanks for helping me welcome Nanny to our blog-a-sphere!

God's blessings friends, Sarah :D

Valentine's Day Decor

2011-01-15T10:35:00.000-06:00

Good morning all!

I'm here with a couple of announcements:

1. We survived a week snowed in together.

There were a couple of close calls,

but nothing a sleepover & trip to Hob-Lob couldn't fix.

2. I haven't lost my crafting mojo.

As a matter of fact, it's in full swing.

Sometimes I just get too into it to grab the camera. ;)

This year, I really missed the Christmas decor.

I didn't mind it being put away,

I just needed something in it's place.

That's when I decided to decorate for the L-O-V-E holiday.

What better and cheaper way than with a rag wreath?!

I used what I had in my fabric stash.

Added a bit of ribbon.

Then topped it off with a heart made with my Cricut.

Now I have a cute Valentine wreath

AND shared it with you.

Ahh, all is right with the world!

God's blessings on your day, Sarah :)

BCS National Champions

2011-01-12T08:21:00.000-06:00

Wanna know what happens when

your Daddy's waited 46 years

for Auburn to be the BCS National Champions??

You grab a roll of toilet paper

and head outside.

No weather too cold, no snow to wet

to keep these AUburn fans from celebrating!

WAR EAGLE BABY!!!

God's blessings, Tiger Mama :D

Snow Days 2011

2011-01-11T10:22:00.000-06:00

Good morning all,

I'm enjoying a lazy snow day in the south.

After some fast paced living

I'm enjoying the perfect reason to stay home!

Yesterday we spent the day outdoors.

The fun started before we ever

stepped foot out of the house.

Layers-layers-layers!

Even Maggie had to wear a coat.

And our little secret??

Both boys sported leggings under those pants.

The boys were kind enough to pause for a sweet pic,

before getting c-r-a-z-y.

Being the Mama,

I had a plan for our activities:

1. Build a huge snowman.

2. Have a snowball fight.

3. Make snow angels.

It was all about staying dry

as long as possible.

Of course James' first mission was a snowball fight.

Luckily we had another snowed in Mama

join us with her littles.

I kept them rounded up,

and she kept them on task.

Because we've been tagging teaming

kids together for years. :)

After a few facial expressions went missing,

we were able to refocus and bring our Frosty to life.

Frosty & his boys.

When things settled down we let Pepper,

the canine equivalent of James, join us.

Last but not least we shucked a few layers

and cozied up by the fire

for fun, laughter & hot chocolate.

Hope you're enjoying your snow days.

Stay safe, warm & merry!

God's blessings,

Sarah :D

Happy Anniversary Baby!

2011-01-03T09:56:00.003-06:00

Good morning all!

This weekend the Hinsons celebrated

our 12th wedding anniversary.

We grabbed a yummy chinese lunch

together with the boys on Friday.

You know you're enjoying wedding bliss

when you realize the importance of time together.

Yet you choose to celebrate as a family...

in a cost effective way.

And our gift?

There's nothing we both need,

other than bringing Emily Margaret home.

So we chose a practical gift

as the parents of soon to be three children.

An all floor, light weight, attachment yielding vacuum cleaner.

I spent Saturday attacking all our after-Christmas-dirt.

Yes Mr.Dyson, it's l-o-v-e!

Last but not least Sunday, our actual anniversary,

found us spending time together.

It was wonderful to have Andy home & off work.

He's missed every holiday for the past 6 months. :(

Which brings me to my last point.

I've always known that God brought the two of us together.

I felt God say "this is the one" while we were just friends.

Granted, there were times when we both wondered.

The times when our differences seemed to divide us.

Over the last couple of years

we've found ourselves in a good place together.

The place where our lives were meshed together

and we found strength in our differences.

A place in marriage designed by God.

The last few months have been a harsh reminder

of exactly how wonderful a team we really are.

I've found myself flying solo and wishing

my partner in crime were there to catch me.

I know this too shall pass,

so I'm choosing to find comfort in the wisdom learned.

God put us together for a reason.

We've found that good place.

And I am SO blessed to be celebrating 12 years

together with my Prince Charming.

He's the man of my dreams and love of my life!

Happy Anniversary Andy!!!

God's blessings, Sarah :D

Happy New Year 2011

2011-01-01T14:52:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year loved ones!!!

How have ya been?

I've missed my time here

so I'm here with a short post.

Today if you were to peep in my window,

you'd find my Christmas tree still up,

new toys strewn,

the hubs napping

and myself comfortably dressed

alternating between cleaning and chilling.

Yes my friends it's been a busy holiday season.

Today I'm living the good life. :D

So it's New Years and I have

some recapping to do.

But first I wanna go traditional.

Do you complete a year end review

and then set goals for the upcoming 12 months?

I've never been much of a resolution gal.

Oh I've set them,

I'm just not very good at following through.

This year, I'm filling out a questionnaire

I downloaded from Simple Mom.

I'm a rather reflective person so I've already

thought a lot about lessons learned in 2010.

Things like knowing your core purpose,

taking leaps of faith and staying true to self.

I've been reminded of the importance of family

and how it's never too late to follow your heart.

Now during my remaining chilling time

I'll be setting goals for 2011.

I encourage you to check out Simple Mom's site.

It'll be fun to look back on our accomplishments next year!

No go,

reflect and plan.

Let's make 2011 all it can be!

God's blessings, Sarah :D

CHRISTmas Break

2010-12-21T07:51:00.000-06:00

Good morning all!

It's officially CHRISTmas break at the Hinsons.

We've had a schedule full of holiday fun.

Today Mama's taking the day to finish up the ho-hum.

Like finishing shopping & getting some fresh hair before CHRISTmas.

Just the little details that make a world of difference.

Here's a glimpse into last week's festivities.

Thursday was CHRISTmas lunch at East Elementary.

Friday followed up with a CHRISTmas party

and then a field trip to Children's Theater.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Best CHRISTmas Pageant Ever.

Now I'm off to deck the halls...

err, my hair. :D

God's blessings!

Sarah

My Secret Delight

2010-12-15T08:12:00.000-06:00

Good morning all!

Today's calling for bad weather

so school has been canceled.

The boys are still asleep.

Know what that means??

Time for one of my rare, secret delights.

I love the kinda morning

when I grab a cup of coffee,

my laptop and jump in the bed.

It's nice to pretend there's

not a mile long to do list calling my name...

even if it is just for a few minutes. :)

God's blessings on your day friends,

Sarah :D

Sweet Baby James

2010-12-10T12:34:00.002-06:00

Hi all,

happy Friday!

Life around the Hinson household has been

a little different the past 2 weeks...

ok, 12 days to be exact.

Awhile back James asked for a picture of

Emily Margaret for his birthday.

I sadly told him there was no way

that was possible.

Then God stepped in.

We now have a picture of a precious

2 1/2 year old we refer to as "Baby Girl".

We're praying that China approves

us to be her family.

Until we know for sure,

I think God winked

and honored James' innocent request.

Now on to the main event. :)

Today we celebrate our Sweet Baby James.

Born 8 years ago today at 12:27pm.

Andy & his Mini-Me.

That child has always been just like his Daddy!

His brother's pride & joy.

The love and adoration is mutual!

I think in the country they'd

call them Thick As Thieves.

James Hinson,

this world holds great things for you.

You have the curiosity of an animal

and the joy of a saint.

This is what happens when you watch

your mama pull her hair up,

one too many times.

And not only did you have to have a ponytail,

you insisted Daddy have one too!

In preschool the kids started calling you James-Hinson.

They'd go home and tell stories about you.

When their parents said

"Are you talking about James?"

they'd reply

"NO, James HINSON!"

You started out playing ball

to be like Joseph.

But you've blossomed into quite a little sportsman.

You've always loved to dress up.

And you love good jammy tales

as much as I do.

You light up my life and are a gift from God.

Happy Birthday, my Sweet Baby James.

God's blessings & love,

Sarah aka Mama :)

My Winter Uniform

2010-11-29T09:06:00.001-06:00

Ok, so it's Monday.

You've survived a long weekend

and you're ready to tackle your to-do list.

But, first you need a laugh.

And being the thoughtful person I am,

I'm here to make that laugh be totally out loud.

I reveal to you what is sure to be my winter uniform...

well the one I wear at home of course.

Here are the top reasons this outfit

will be a season staple:

1. Nike Tempo shorts are the most comfortable shorts evah.

2. I get hot & sweaty when I clean house,

so I must stick with active wear.

3. I'm secretly still mourning the loss of summer.

4. Since it's cold outside, I need the boots to stay warm.

5. And probably the top reason this get up's a keeper...

Andy almost fell off the couch laughing

when I walked into the room this morning.

So there ya go,

your morning dose of silly fun.

Now, go tackle those bathrooms.

It's Monday ya know!

God's blessings,

Sarah :)

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-29T08:48:00.001-06:00

Good morning all!

I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving.

We enjoyed a low key holiday.

Tuesday night we helped Nanny make dressing.

Hello Y-U-M-M-Y!

Andy had to work on Thanksgiving,

so we gobbled up two days of feasting!

Wednesday we had dinner with Franny & Frandaddy.

Then, Thursday we headed over to eat with

Nanny & Op, Nana & PaBill.

We devoured serving dishes loaded

full of delicious food.

Of course I made my infamous Green Bean Casserole.

Then while the cousins played outside

and the adults chatted,

Joseph & Alan snuck in a little game time.

We shared a Hinson only dinner

Thursday night.

Thanksgiving dinner leftovers

served Mama style, no less.

It was nice to avoid rushing from table to table.

We were able to savor our time with family,

thanking God for a year's worth of blessings.

I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with

the stuff memories are made of!
God's blessings, Sarah :)

Laundry Room Update

2010-11-23T22:19:00.001-06:00

Hi all!

I'm here to share my last project.

It's been completed for several weeks now.

You know, long enough to be messy again. ;)

Here's the only before shot I could find.

This was at our house blessing

when we moved in three years ago.

That's my mom & niece enjoying a smackerel.

Now here's my confession.

I chose to paint the kitchen & laundry room orange.

I really wanted my Auburn dishes to feel at home.

And they did.

For awhile I loved it.

But then??

Well, I got over it.

I decided my tiny laundry room

with zero natural light,

needed a mini-makeover.

For my paint color I picked

a shade lighter than my bathroom.

Good thing it's almost time to prep for Emily Margaret.

I'm gonna need to inject a some pink in this home.

After several days,

numerous paint colors

and what seemed like a bajillion coats of paint,

it all came together.

Mama was pleased!

Please look past the poor lighting

as you admire my impromptu hanging rod.

This adjustable rod makes the perfect

home for my extra hangers.

Check us out now b-a-b-y.

No more bags of cat/dog food to climb over.

Since we mix it all together I don't have to worry

when I pick up a different brand food on sale.

One day (soon I hope) this little nook

will house a set of Daddy made lockers.

But until then my dresser will

help us stash away clutter.

Last but not least I pulled this

bad boy from the garage.

It originally served us in our closet

at the old house.

It's new mission?

To house my sewing machine,

embroidery supplies and ever growing stash of fabric.

Sooooo, there ya go.

The last project I did before I placed myself on probation.

No more painting & beautifying until

everything is clean and organized.

It still needs some froofing,

but I'll get there.

Thanks for stopping by!

God's blessings, Sarah :D

James Hinson, CRNP Jr.

2010-11-22T06:48:00.001-06:00

Good morning all!

Here's a quick peek at last week's fun.

East Elementary School does spirit week

before the Auburn/Alabama game.

They raise money for charity

and the kids get to dress up.

Now you know James is all about dressing up.

So what was a boy to do when

it's community service worker day??

Dress up as Daddy of course!

Here's James as a Nurse Practitioner. :)

He was absolutely adorable.

I'd let him take care of me anytime!

God's blessings on your day, Sarah :)

In Memory of Buddy Cat

2010-11-20T20:01:00.002-06:00

This week the Hinsons

lost a dear loved one.

His name was Buddy,

but we called him Buddy Cat.

I'm not sure when we started calling him that,

maybe it was once James started talking??

Anyway, this is his story.

When Joseph was 2 years old

we tried to teach him to sleep in his own bed.

Since he'd been wanting a dog,

I thought we'd bribe him with a pet.

I explained that we couldn't have a dog

(we lived in a little duplex apartment at the time),

but I thought a cat would be pur-fect.

We'd had a rabbit, Doby.

That ended with me carrying the rabbit,

cage and all his related accessories back to the pet store

and telling the owner to do whatever he wanted to with it!

So, a cat it was.

After a couple of nights in his own bed

it was time to seal the deal.

I headed to the animal shelter,

only to find that they were fresh out of kittens.

I checked the Vet's offices,

nothing.

As a last chance option

I called Decatur's animal shelter.

I explained the situation

and the lady on the phone said they had ONE kitten left.

I told her I'd head her way,

to please hold the kitten for us.

She said it was against their policy to "hold" animals.

"Umh, I'll be right there" I said.

Joseph & I arrived in Decatur about 45 minutes later.

We introduced ourselves and said we were there for a kitten.

The nice lady replied, "Oh we don't have any kittens."

Needless to say I melted down

"But I just called and you said you had ONE left."

Once she realized who I was she went to the back and got him.

She was unofficially saving him for Joseph. :)

When she came from the back she brought

the cutest kitten I've ever seen.

Buddy Cat was tiny with long black hair.

It was love at first sight.

Long story short, Joseph never slept in his bed again.

He'd just bring Buddy Cat and pile up with us.

Now let me tell you, Buddy Cat was wild.

I remember him climbing up the door facings...

good thing he was cute AND Joseph adored him!

As soon as he was old enough we

had him neutered and his front claws removed.

I lovingly referred to him as our walking stuffed animal.

As the years went on,

he settled down.

Although he once attacked a stray dog

that was coming too close to Joseph.

He was known to run off any other cat

that we attempted to rescue.

When Tiger became ours,

he thought Buddy Cat was his mother...

and Buddy Cat took him in.

He was the ultimate survivor.

Mama forgets to give you water?

Drink out of the fishbowl,

dripping faucet and yes, even the toilet.

Out of food??

Just wait till the boys finish eating dinner

and then eat their leftovers.

For years he didn't have a litter box.

He'd just meow at the door and go outside.

Every summer when we went on vacation,

we'd leave Buddy and a bag of cat food outside.

When we'd get home he come out of hiding.

He'd be beyond mad at us

but with a little coaxing,

he'd come back inside.

He never did anything except what he wanted to do.

On this day, he didn't

want to be in the Christmas card picture.

When we had company,

he'd hide.

Even if the company was there for days.

Occasionally he'd run through the house

and people would say

"When did ya'll get a cat?!"

And this cat shack?

He h-a-t-e-d it.

He only stayed in it long enough

for me to snap a picture.

He was loyal,

and he loved his boys.

This was were we'd find him

if James was sleeping.

Buddy Cat you were 12 years loved.

Once you were King of the Castle,

forever you'll be King of Our Hearts.

"Where I'm From" by Joseph Hinson

2010-11-12T06:00:00.001-06:00

Earlier this week as a homework assignment for English,

Joseph had to write his own version of "Where I'm From".

Joseph explained that this poem was compiled of things

that only the writer and their family would know the meaning of.

Here's his sweet and simple poem,

that's no frill but all heart.

Enjoy!

Where I’m From”

I am from Op’s old truck, the blanket and couch daddy laid me out on.

From Focalin, Adderall, and Stratera.

I am from the tall grass near the edge of my apartment.

From wooden spoons and switches.

I’m from I love you and stop singing becus’ you can’t.

From squares and tic-tac-toe.

I am from the pages of “Winnie the Pooh” and “Franklin”.

From “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and “Shoulder Lean”.

I’m from Noony and Booch,

From Op and Nanny.

I’m from “I love you too the moon and back” and “more than a hog loves slop”.

From Calm Down and You have to take a nap.

I’m from Get that phone Edith and Op’s mom dying when he was a child.

I’m from the Lord has risen, He has risen indeed.

I’m from thick hair and A.D.D.

From Chicken Helper and Ramen Noodles.

I’m from turkey dressing and Christmas ornaments.

I’m from the Bible and a cross.

From the importance of family, Aunt Pat ascending into the clouds, and popping fingers.

From the broken trash can and splintered light pole near the bridge.

In a pocket watch box full of Op’s army pictures, Auburn grass and a mouth piece.

I am from those memories—

Who made me who I am—

Who continue to shape me.

That child is precious

and I'm proud to be a part of where he's from!

God's blessings friends,

Sarah :)

Hinson Family Pics

2010-11-11T09:40:00.002-06:00

Good morning all!

Today I'm here to share this year's family pics.

As you know, my baby sister is a blossoming photographer.

Since she's a professional and all,

I have to let her boss me around when it comes to photo sessions.

You see,

I hadn't even given Christmas card photos a thought.

That is until she said, you know we've gotta get this done.

So instead of hem-hawing around

I scheduled our session, pronto.

Here's how the conversation went...

Me: "I don't have the time or money to get our Christmas outfits."

Rach: "That's ok, wear what you have."

I like matchy-matchy, she prefers color coordinating.

Me: "I really don't want to do red again.

Can we do all white?"

Rach: In her very professional tone, "Well white is a color reflector."

Me: "What about black, can we do black??"

Rach: Same tone, "Well black is a color absorber."

Now I don't really know what all that has to do with

family photos but I got her gentle message, NO.

After several phone calls and assessing what we had

we decided to go with Auburn colors.

We're orange & blue through and through

and I really needed those colors on my photo wall.

My thought was,

we'll do the Christmas card in black & white if necessary.

So, I prepped the clothes and the peeps.

They complained,

I lectured.

"One day when I'm dead you'll be glad we had the pictures made!"

Way to throw out those rays, Mama Sunshine.

Rach likes to rotate her photo locations.

Her current fav is my mom's house.

That meant we had a place to change,

extra man-handlers

AND a hot meal after we were through.

Score!

We started out a tad uptight.

Until Rach instructed us to be silly.

Oh yeah, the Hinsons can do silly!

Next she had James stretch out across us.

This is an accurate picture of our family dynamics.

That James, he's a laugh a minute!

Once we were over the sofa,

Uncle John decided we should shoot one Cosby-style.

And what about Mom & Dad?

Those lovebirds deserve an updated pic together. ;)

Now this photo started out just the boys,

until Mama said

"Wait, don't forget about me."

Short black sox and off centeredness considered

I think it's cute.

Next it was time for wardrobe change.

But first, Daddy Hinson aka Cam Newton

needed to make an appearance.

As long as we were going with the Auburn colors,

why not bust the jersey's too?

I LOVE this picture of my boys!

Joseph looks so sweet and gentle with his gorgeous hair.

James' handsome grin looks like he's about to get into something.

Mama's AU outfit was the addition of a chunky Auburn necklace.

This was when the boys said

"Are we almost finished?? No more pictures, please!"

Here's those loyal Auburn fans, the Hinson four.

How hilarious is it that the boys insisted

I hold this football?!

Now it was time for some candid shots.

Mama left the scene of the crime,

and the boys got a little c-r-a-z-y.

There-are-no-words-to-describe-what-follows...

That's us, the Hinsons.

Laugh with us OR at us,

but you're certain to be laughing!

Thanks Aunt Rach for our greatest photo experience.

The clothes weren't perfect.

The session wasn't overly planned.

But the memories made WILL last a lifetime.

And that my friend,

is certainly a ray of sunshine!

God's blessings & love,

Mama Hinson :)

Resting on the Sabbath

2010-11-07T13:07:00.001-06:00

Hi all, happy Sunday!

Are you soaking up the Sabbath?

After a long week the Hinsons are

catching up on some much needed rest.

I think we worked/played so hard this week

that we were physically exhausted.

As in I actually thought I was sick yesterday.

But after a seriously long night's sleep,

I feel much better.

God knew exactly what He was doing

when He commanded us to rest.

I all too often skip over that instruction.

How about you?

Do you get so caught up in the doing

that you forget the being?

I'll be back with a recap from our week.

Enjoy your day and by all means,

ponder God's wonderful design. :)

Small Change, Big Impact

2010-11-01T21:13:00.001-05:00

Hi all!

How was your Monday?

Mine was busy,

but so much better than last week.

Thank you Heavenly Father!

I've been working to finish

up several projects that I can't wait to share.

Now you know,

if there's one thing I love, it's organization.

I dream of things being fixed.

But my problem is always how to fix things.

I like my solutions to eliminate clutter,

not make it worse.

I try to think through the

short and long term goals and options.

So here's my current situation.

With the return of backpack & jacket season

my dining table has turned into a dumping ground.

I missed my clean table and had

given up on ever using it again.

That's when Andy came to my rescue!

Before starting back to work last Thursday,

he pulled out the drill and super duper

wall anchors and fixed me up.

Now I give you my minor update

that delivered BIG impact.

Hooray for my simple coat rack!

Joseph's backpack was too heavy so

it sits neatly in the corner.

Since I couldn't be outdone by the boys

I cleaned out the bottom left cabinet for my stuff.

Because a Mama's gotta have a place to put

her purse, planner, adoption binders & such.

Then this afternoon I decided my little coat rack

was ready for the finishing touches.

I started by hanging our Ikea leash hook.

How cute is that little doggy tail

sticking out of the wall??

The cherry on top was that I finally

framed and hung our New House Blessing Picture.

Because I'm all about 3 year turnaround time.

The boys look like babies!

So now when the boys come busting in

I can usher them to the corner for our tidy drop-zone.

Now spill it,

what project are you working on?

Come on inspire me,

and thanks for stopping by!

God's blessings friends,
Sarah :)

Halloween Part 2

2010-10-31T22:42:00.001-05:00

Happy Halloween, again!

Tonight we dressed up

and headed out for trunk-or-treat.

Before the festivities began we stopped

off to visit Nanny & Op.

It was nice to chat and chill...

all while munching on yummy candy. :D

When it was time to go

I let Joseph drive to the Quick Stop

at the end of the road.

Whew, talk about S-P-O-O-K-Y!

Finally we made it to the sight of the fun.

Nana & PaBill's church, Livingston Chapel

hosted a spectacular trunk-or-treat.

Theirs' was held behind the church...

in the cemetery.

That kicked the spook factor way up!

Here are the party animals now.

Joseph as a Bearcat Boy,

Nana & PaBill as Popeye & Olive Oil,

Addison Marie as Little Red Riding Hood

and James as a *glowing* radiation skeleton.

In classic PaBill form he set up a laptop in their trunk

and had Popeye cartoons playing.

Once the kids had visited all the trunks,

it was time to enjoy the treats.

I think Claire didn't want to share Jo-Jo's sucker.

Look at that real tear!

What better way to work off that sugar high

than with a little playground action?

Addison was so proud that she went

across the monkey bars

"All by myself!"

Aunt SaSa only helped, a little.

That's it for us.

We're about to call it a night.

Thanks for joining in on our fun!

Halloween Part 1

2010-10-31T13:26:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Happy Halloween!

I'm proud to announce that

with the help of my flashlight,

sensible flat shoes,

and careful attention to where I was walking

I made it through trick-or-treating on two good feet.

Thank you to my family {aka hecklers}

for keeping me focused.

With Andy working we were

unsure of whether he'd be joining us,

so we kept our plans low key.

Well, that and the fact that Auburn was playing.

Luckily Andy made it home in time to

adorn his AU game earphones and pumpkin hat.

Andy's Good-Buddy-Allen brought Steven

and away we went.

We made the rounds on our street

but sadly most people weren't playing along.

So we loaded up,

and hit the ground running.

The boys love the neighborhood over by East Elementary.

Here's a glimpse of why.

Lots of the houses got in on the fun.

Look at James' beaming

as he prepares to beg for more candy.

As the littles were having good clean fun,

these jokesters were lurking in the street.

Poor innocent Joseph just wanted to smile for a pic.

Some people ought not be let out of the house.

As we finished up our trek,

we ran into these Hallo-weenies

that came bearing gifts.

James said "Mom, did Boompa & Gigi

drive from Birmingham just to see us??

WOW, they must think we're really special!"

Of course son, you boys are really special. :)

After one more neighborhood we headed over
to see another set of grandparents...

the Franparents.

And of course there were more prizes for my little tricksters!

Once we made it home we it was time

for one of my favorite Halloween memories,

digging through the loot!

We chillaxed in our jammy tales,

ate a late dinner

and enjoyed the Auburn game.

Thank you Lord for DVR's.

Last but not least

I want to thank Big Daddy.

First for my Halloween tiara.

Isn't it the greatest?!

But more importantly for sacrificing

extra hours on call

to be able to trick-or-treat with the fam.

That makes him the greatest Halloween treat of all!

Tonight we'll be going for Halloween Part 2.

We're heading to visit Nanny & Op
and then to Nana & PaBill's

church for trunk-or-treat.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing in our fun.
Now do tell,

what was your favorite part of Halloween this year?

Good Morning Halloween!

2010-10-30T10:00:00.002-05:00

Good morning all

and Happy Halloween.

Even though tomorrow's Halloween,

in our part of the world we'll

be trick-or-treating tonight.

James is going as a skeleton,

a radiation skeletion no less.

Joseph says he's too old to dress up,

but I'm prepared for the last minute

"You didn't even get me a mask to wear?!"

I picked up some hair spray paint

and he'll be toting a bucket that says

"Never Too Old For Candy!"

Mama will be sporting her razzle dazzle

Trick or Treat shirt and comfy shoes.

Big Daddy's in the middle of his seven on,

so it looks like the boys and I will fly solo.

Maybe this year I'll heed his warning

and take a flashlight with me?

We plan to meet up with some friends

because the more the merrier, right?!

That's what's happening with the Hinsons.

I'm still working on the blog makeover

but I'm kinda stuck...

idk why my html code doesn't work??

Makes me flash back to 7th grade computer,

complete and udder torture for an ADHD kid.

Now I'm off to clean house!

Enjoy your Halloween and be safe. :)

A Work In Progress

2010-10-25T10:40:00.001-05:00

Good morning all,

what a crazy morning this has been.

Last night we had some serious storms,

so the boys' schools delayed starting until

9am.

Andy was home & cooked a fabulous breakfast,

Y-U-M.

As we were eating I received an email

from our social worker saying we need to talk,

G-U-L-P.

I scheduled the call for 9am

and finished getting the boys out the door.

On the way to the car we saw that our

ginormous political sign had blown into Andy's Volvo,

SERIOUSLY?!

Luckily upon inspection, no damage was left.

Once home Andy & I had

a conference call with the social worker.

Everything's fine,

W-H-E-W.

Then as our conversation was coming to a close

Andy got another call saying he was late for

an unknown meeting at the hospital,

Of Course He Was!

Now it's 10:30am on Monday morning,

my bathrooms have yet to be cleaned

and I'm wondering what happened to my day??

But, in other news and yes,

the real reason for my post

is that I'm making changes to the blog.

I've fallen behind on posting lately

because my blog was so blah.

I searched for an economical way to update it

but nothing fit just right, until now.

I spent the majority of yesterday working

on a new design that I can't wait to complete.

So, if you were tired of the old design,

and don't completely love the current one

hang in there,

a makeover is in the works. :)

Talk to you soon!

BOO Germs Be Gone

2010-10-16T09:08:00.003-05:00

Good morning friends.

Remember when I made my monkey sanitizer?

Well you should never forget a good thing.

This year as an adoption fundraiser and small gift idea

I created a spooky version.

Simple hand sanitizer +

cricut halloween shapes +

modge podge +

ribbon +

diamond accent stickers ='s

BOO Germs Be Gone.

Don't be scared,

it only spooks the germs. ;)

So what do you think?

Is this BOO-tiful craft on your to-do list??

I'm linking up with the DIY Showoff.

Click on over for eye candy galore!

Parent Picnic Day

2010-10-15T17:46:00.000-05:00

Hi all!
Today's the kinda day when I miss
the time of poopy pants &
hours spent being the breast buffet.
Here's today's recap:
wake the kids up,
get them ready,
take them to school,
come home & get dressed,
straighten up,
run a couple errands,
pick up lunch,
have a picnic at East with James,
come home to do a few more chores,
run several more errands,
start the afternoon pick up process,
after picking up James head to the high school,
pick up Joseph & Joshua,
run more errands,
come home & change clothes,
take everybody to a fundraiser dinner,
drop Joseph & Joshua off at the high school,
bring James home to chill for 30 minutes
and finally, go back to the high school for
tonight's homecoming game.
WHEW!
See you know it must be crazy
for me to miss poopy diapers. :)

Now that I've vented
let's visit today's fun.
Every year East Elementary School
has a Parent Picnic Day.
I packed up my basket
with a blanket and snacks.
Per James' request I bought our lunch
{in other words he wanted lard}.
He was quite happy with his chicken & fries.

After lunch it was time to work off some energy.
This mama's been around the block once or twice
so my picnic basket held some entertainment options.
We started out just the two of us tossing the football.

But before long we had a full blown
tackle football game under way.

I think it's safe to say our group enjoyed their picnic!

Easy Halloween Decor

2010-10-12T14:30:00.001-05:00

Hi all!
I'm here with an easy & inexpensive
update for your Halloween decorations.
Today we're focusing on your light up pumpkin.
You know the one.
The pumpkin from the 'mart
that you paid less than $10 for.
We've all bought at least one in our lifetime!
Well if your lil' pumpkin is like mine,
it's seen better days.
The orange on mine was a bit faded
but it still worked perfect.
SO I did my favorite update...
I spray painted it!
Now look at how cute that once
ho-hum pumpkin is.

Now we all say,
Happy Halloween
and HOORAY for spray paint! ;)
Stop by the DIY Showoff for more fab ideas.

Ready For Fall Ya'll

2010-10-11T10:37:00.004-05:00

Good morning friends!
I'm here to state the obvious,
I'm a summer kinda girl.
Although I've been in denial
that fall was in full swing,
I'm finally moving on to acceptance.
I've decided I'm ready for shorter days and
evenings piled up with my peeps.
I'll be tired of hibernating come spring
but as of now, I'm ready for fall ya'll. :)

Now just like a gal can't go to a party without
the right attire, a home can't prepare for
the next season without the right decor.
So to announce that we were welcoming fall
I spent the weekend accessorizing.

I started by giving my door cross
a coat of paint and moving it.
I loved having it on the door
but it was time for a change.
Thanks to my Prince Charming
for installing the hardware. :)

Don't laugh but I rescued my

bouffant pumpkin from the yard sale donations.

I'm planning a makeover,

I just haven't decided what direction she'll go.

Next I took down my spring tulip
and replaced it with a spooky cutie cat.
With the help of my cricut, a recycled felt cat,
2 cardboard remnants, a little scrapbook paper,
a ton of modge podge and a touch of ribbon
I created THIS:

I'm loving my cutie cat.

Next up a took my white hob lob pumpkins

and hit them up with a touch of spray paint.

Once dried I added a vinyl monogram.

Hello hottie!

Now my past it's prime spring/summer entrance

is officially welcoming you AND fall.
Although I might need to raise cutie cat
up higher, I'm liking the look.
That's last year's halloween rag wreath
that all fattened up with an extra layer of tulle.

So, enough show and tell.
I wanna know,
are you all decked out for the season
or still looking for inspiration?
There are some fabulous projects floating around.
Check out the CSI project for spray paint overload. :)
Thanks for stopping by.
Have a fabulous day! :)

Dishtowels With Bling

2010-10-02T09:10:00.002-05:00

Good morning all!
Today I'm teaching my Breastfeeding Prenatal Class
but before I get going I had to visit. :)
The boys have kept me super busy this week.
So I'm sharing a crafty creation from awhile back.
You know I have a thing about taking the
ordinary and making it extraordinary.
Well, my kitchen towels were next in line.
My old ones were pathetic so
I gradually weeded them out.
I picked up these towels at the Dollar General.

They're a microfiber towel and I LOVE them!
They were already fun colors
but I wanted to make them sing.
I pulled out my Brother and together we
added a quick monogram and layers of ribbon *bling*.

The old dishrags have made their exit

so now when I open the drawer

these gals are smiling back at me!

Look at how sassy my gal looks just waiting

for one of those dirty boys to wash their hands.

Now I'm off to teach my class.
I seriously love teaching newbies about breastfeeding.
Thanks for stopping by!
Enjoy your weekend
and by all means,
beautify the ordinary. :)

Serving Tray

2010-09-28T06:22:00.002-05:00

Good morning friends!

I'm here to share a quick therapy session project.

I tackled this a couple of weeks ago

and I'm proud to say it's doing it's thang perfectly.

I started with a past it's prime Auburn tray.

After sanding, spray painting,

Modge Podging scrapbook paper,

and antiquing the sides

I finished it off by clear coating my heart out.

Whew!

Now I have an adorable tray to serve snacks on

when we entertain friends that are girls. :)

Don't underestimate the treasures you already own.

They're FREE and just waiting for a breathe of new life!

Click over to Today's Creative Blog for more inspiration.

Have a beautiful day friends.

Morning Grin

2010-09-27T06:39:00.000-05:00

Good morning all!

Don't ya just love this picture?

Today it's my reminder

to enjoy the simple things.

Even when life gets busy,

crazy busy.

Don't focus on the mismatched clothes.

In doing so you just might miss out

on a grin big enough to wash away your worries.

So today I challenge you

to live life like James and Pepper,

enjoying the simple pleasures! :)

The 12 Month Bedroom Makeover

2010-09-18T12:00:00.003-05:00

Hi all!
I'm here to share our bedroom makeover...
and it only took 12 months to come together. :)
Last summer I knew a bedroom makeover was needed.
This time I wanted a plan before I started shopping.
Who better to got to than Layla,
from The Lettered Cottage?
Her style is classic, beautiful and peaceful.
Exactly what I wanted my bedroom to be.
After emailing back and forth,
this was her vision.

Needless to say I loved it.
I slowly started heading towards our inspiration photo.
Through a combination of yard sales,
ebay, hand-me-downs and Pottery Barn
I'm getting closer to my goal.
That's code for:
The room's not done,
because no room is ever done. ;>

We did rearrange the furniture.
I really like the new layout.
Now this view

is this view.

And this wall

is now this.

Oh and that not feeling it bathroom,

is now loved.

There are still lots of details to fill in
but today I wanted to celebrate the finished parts. :)
Hooray for makeovers,
especially 12 month makeovers!

Master Bath Makeover

2010-09-12T13:52:00.003-05:00

Hi all, happy Sunday!

Today I'm here to update you on the Hinson household.

I'll elaborate later but here's the short version.

Joseph played his first games this week.

James is loving life.

Andy's on his seven off.

Thursday he made a man-trip to Mississippi

and enjoyed the Auburn vs. MSU game.

With life traveling at break neck speed,

I've found therapy in my projects.

Last week was the garage sale.

This week?

A long overdue master bath makeover.

We've lived here for three years

and for three years this has been my bathroom.

I've seen worse but,

I've also seen better.

You know how it works.

You buy a new house and your suddenly

faced with a bazillion decisions.

Needless to say my bathroom was

way down on the list of priorities.

It was clean and functioning

and for a while, that was enough.

Until this summer when I was designing the boys' room.

That was when I stumbled

across my first Polyvore creation.

I made this about a year ago and totally forgot about it.

Ahh, after finding it,

I knew a bathroom makeover was coming soon.

Hinson Bathroom by shinson1 on Polyvore.com

On Monday I ordered my shower curtain,

the shower curtain.

Thinking it would be next week before it arrived

I bought my paint samples.

I'd no more than got the paint on the walls

when my package from Pottery Barn arrived.

That was all it took.

I decided on the paint color and bought the paint

all before picking up the kids from school.

I planned to have the first coat of Nantucket Fog

on the wall before Auburn kicked off that night,

but alas, it didn't happen.

So an Auburn victory and a CHS defeat later

this was what greeted me.

Hello breath of fresh air!

As soon as I had the bathroom put back together

it was time to crown the queen.

Hello GORGEOUS!

I love how the bathroom is relaxing and calm

all with a sweet sunny smile. :)

It still needs the finishing touches

but even as is, I'm in LOVE!

Now I need your thoughts.

Do you think I should paint my cabinets black

like in the inspiration photo?

What type of window treatments should I go with??

Thanks for stopping by!

Enjoy your beautiful Sunday afternoon.

And by all means,

if you've got a project you've been procrastinating

go tackle it now.

Still need more inspiration?

Visit

You'll be SO glad you did. :)

Yard Sale Checklist

2010-09-01T11:38:00.000-05:00

Garage set up, check.

Ad in the paper, check.

Permit purchased, check.

Best friend/helper, check.

Extra tables, check.

Tons of items collected over the last year, check.

Sinus crud so I'm leaning on the Lord, check.

Tomorrow's the big day.

If you're in my area please stop by.

I love garage sales

so it'll be more than the average event!

The best part?

The profits go towards our adoption.

I'll keep ya posted,

it's gonna be a good one!!!

Boy Toys With A Mama Makeover

2010-08-27T07:00:00.003-05:00

Hi all!
Thanks for loving me through yesterday's meltdown.
As promised I'm back to normal today,
whatever that is. ; >
Today I bring you a project that was a year in the making.

It all started at a yard sale last summer,
when James purchased a boy's dream come true...
a real treasure chest!
Here's a picture of him once the transaction was complete.

He's beaming!!!

Now flash forward 12 months, to last week.
That's when I went looking for a solution to house
the every growing figure collection in my living room.
I had lots of ideas but decided on quickest turn around time.
Mama wanted to wrap it before school pick up.
I started by lightly sanding the chest.
Then I spray painted it with Valspar's Wrought Iron.
Once it was dry it needed a little something extra.
I scored a roll of these damask stickers months ago
and had them stashed back for the right project.
I'm thinking this was just the right project.

I love it so much that I'm actually excited
about James keeping a few toys in the living room.
Hooray for Boy Toys with a Mama Makeover. :)
For more mama makeovers stop by
the Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After Party.

Still Here, Still Hanging On

2010-08-26T19:28:00.003-05:00

Do you ever have one of those days?
The kinda day when you realize how
very busy and crazy your life has become?!

Yesterday I was the woman that seemed to balance
the weight of the world, with a smile and hot meal.
But this morning?
I just wanted to go back to bed and cry.
The worst part is that I'm not even
a lay in the bed and cry kinda girl.
Who has time for that anyway?!

So seriously, what's my problem?
More importantly why did I meltdown today??

Here's the way I see it.
We've had lots of changes lately
and today was the day they all caught up with me.

We started August with Andy's new job.
It's an awesome opportunity
that I'm certain he was made for,
yet it is kicking our tail.
Then Joseph started high school.
Not only do we have high school classes,
we have high school football too.
And James?
Well he did start elementary school.
But nothing has been as challenging for him
as being without his Daddy and brother in the evenings.
By the time bedtime rolls around I'm
certain my eyes are crossed and ears are bleeding.

So today Andy was off
and home for the first day in a week.
He knew I wasn't myself and
asked what was going on.
I told him the best way to describe the way
I was feeling was to picture this...
the world was a million piece puzzle
and I was the Gumby holding it together.
True to form he stepped in and saved my sanity.
After a hot bath and early jammy tales intervention,
I'm chilling.
I promised to be good as new tomorrow,
and I'm certain I will.

This morning I silently wished for my life to return to normal,

then realized I wasn't sure what normal was.
Now tonight I have hope that we'll find a new normal.
Life will settle down long enough for us
to laugh over our crazy days.
But the best part is that the God who brought us to it,
will carry us through it!

J-E-S-U-S Baby!

2010-08-12T22:15:00.002-05:00

Hi all, I hope your week is going well!
I just ran across the greatest YouTube clip,
and I couldn't resist sharing it with you.
Your gonna be singing this all day tomorrow. :)

Hang in there, it's almost the weekend!

Freshman Football Overload

2010-08-07T09:32:00.001-05:00

Hi all, it's me.

Remember me??

That hopeless DIY romantic,

who tries to balance the must do's

with the wanna do's?

Well after a week of working in the boy's room,

I've been playing catch up around the house.

I'd planned to have my yard sale this week,

but decided to postpone it.

Andy started his new job.

It's kicking our tail but we love it.

AND, Joseph had two-a-day practices this week.

Two-a-days as in Monday he practiced

from 7-11am and then 4-8pm.

That's a total of 8 hours of practicing.

When he walked through the back door,

soaking wet with sweat

I said "How was practice?!"

His answer?

"Not as bad as I thought it was going to be!"

So it's been wild, but having a child

loving every minute of it makes all the difference.

My mama reward came yesterday afternoon

during football pictures.

You see I was tired from a long week.

Read: tired mama = sassy mama.

So while the boys were changing into their uniforms

I tried to find out the 411 on the picture process.

Needless to say the assistant coaches were unsure.

I decided I was over patiently waiting

for my parenting orders.

You know: show up, smile and whip out a checkbook.

That's when I found the photographer unloading his van.

He kindly explained all the details.

But the best part was this...

if I'd wait until the coaches got their shots

then I could have my boys' picture made together.

Hello framed print for their new room!

As I headed back to the car

I passed the head coach who was fussing

about "finding out where the picture forms were".

Before I could stop myself,

I blurted out "The proofs will be here in 2-3 weeks,

then the parents can order online,

I just talked to the photographer."

Oh snap was the look he shot me.

But remember, sassy mama had taken over and

I had jumped through that man's hoops all week.

I felt a little bad but couldn't be bothered

with explaining myself.

Later on when the photographer had finished his poses

I walked over to ask if he was ready to do sibling photos.

Luckily I had another mom who wanted the same,

and you know there's safety in numbers.

That's when a man turned and put his arms around me,

shot me a big grin and said "Sibling Photos!?!"

When the man turned I realized it was the coach.

He probably hugged me to keep from

strangling me, but whatever.

I consider myself paid in full for those

two-a-days I had to choreograph my life around. :)

I did nab several pics of my own.

Remember, sassy mama

can't leave her best laid photo framing plans

in the hands of football coaches.

Here are the boys' on the new field.

Which by the way, is gorgeous.

I LOVE this photo

of my boys.

James was so proud to be part of the fun.

Here they are in the stands.

And last but not least I give you,

the Three Amigos and their Mini-Me.

Thanks for stopping by.

I hope your week was twice as blessed as it was busy.

School starts back on Tuesday,

are you ready??

Boys' Bedroom Makeover: Perfectionism Kicks In

2010-07-28T22:16:00.002-05:00

Hi all!

I hope all is well with you. :)

Today I ditched my mama work
and chose instead to finish painting.

Bright and early this morning
I finished up the khaki wall color.

While I was still feeling froggy
I decided to paint one stripe white.

The problem??

We loved it!

Yep, that meant I had seven more white stripes to paint.

So I struck a deal with Joseph,

if he'd tape off my lines then I'd paint them.

Lucky for me it he took the bait,

and together we finished in just a couple of hours.

I have to say I'm really glad I listened to your advice,

pushed through the "I'm so over this project blah's"

and added that pop of white.

I LOVE the results!!!

Now I just need to play catch up

on all my abandoned mama work.

Clean clothes, dishes and house OR

a fresh coat of paint for the boys' bedroom makeover?

Yep, you read my mind

and knew exactly what I chose. ;>

Tomorrow's agenda?

Reassemble the bedroom so the boys'

can stop sleeping on the couches.

Not that they mind.

I'll update when there's more progress to share! :)

Beach Vacation 2010

2010-07-28T06:39:00.002-05:00

Hi all!

I'm a bit behind on my vacation post.

Once we got home I hit the ground running.

Now that I'm ready to slow down a bit,

I thought I'd share some of our vacation fun.

Since we were all ready to get our vacation started,

we headed out early.

Early is in,

we were hitting up our local Redbox

for movie rentals at 4:52 AM.

Here are the kids still sporting their jammy tales.

Dontcha' just love that packed out car?

This was our first beach vacation with friends.

We had a wonderful time

and enjoyed several new adventures.

Here are a few of our favorite things...

We'll start with the first night when I thought

it was a good idea to set up the Wii in the living room.

Rock Band at the beach anyone?!

This set up was promptly moved to the

kids' room, the following day.

How about a nice henna tattoo?

The three little people all loved their ink!

Swimming with friends is great,

but swimming with friends at the beach is even better.

Probably not the boys' favorite part of vacation,

but still a necessary piece.

Joseph working on his English summer reading.

James taking his daily afternoon "rest".

Daddy doing a little beach watching.

Here are those Hinson boys after a

delicious dinner at Tacky Jack's.

I'd say they're being true to form,

wacky!

One of the fellas' treasured memories

is saltwater fishing at Alabama Point.

The fish were really biting this year.

So much so that Andy's

first catch snapped his rod in half.

Luckily it was no biggie for my veteran fishermen,

they just kept on casting!

After James had enough of this,

he rode back to the condo with me

for a quick dip in the pool to cool off.

Followed by a shower, dry clothes

and a nap, err make that beach watching.

One of the fellas' new treats was a boys only trip

to watch the Blue Angels fly.

My peeps thought it was the coolest!

While the boys were having their time,

the girls snuck off for a day of shopping.

We had a blast and came home with some incredible deals.

Needless to say all the children now have

back to school clothes.

Of course Emily Margaret got her share of prizes too.

These were the adorable deals I just couldn't resist.

Her first yoga pants set,

an I <3 USA shirt and tiara

and my fav, a yellow tutu bathing suit. :D

I'm praying that yellow suit makes

it's debut appearance on our next summer vacation!

The Hangout was a first time dinner treat for us.

While the kids waited on dinner

they had a blast in the foam machine.

How precious is this trio?

But don't be fooled by those smiling faces.

There's a wild-child hiding behind every grin!

Here are our vacation cohorts.

Aren't they a cute couple?

Ours is a rare friendship that is such a blessing.

Finally, I want to say thanks to these great guys.

Joseph, I couldn't have done it without you.

You are growing into such a wonderful young man

that I am proud to call my son.

Thank you for all your hard work,

before, during and after our vacation.

Andy, without you vacation wouldn't be a year long event.

Thank you so much for all you do for our family.

You provide the very best for us

and still manage to share your passions and time.

I think we enjoy our beach vacation

so much because for one week

it's all Daddy, all the time.

Thanks prince charming, I love you!

Hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our beach vacation.

We are already planning what next year holds! :)

Boys' Bedroom Makeover: Day Too Many

2010-07-27T13:50:00.001-05:00

Hi all!

Hammer the lid on the paint cans,

cause this girl is done painting Auburn stripes. :)

Yesterday I had to get my real work done

so I'd have time to paint today.

I tried to paint some last night,

but after a long day I didn't have much left to give.

So I ate take-out and crashed on the couch early.

Then this morning after I finished my Mama work,

I got right back at it.

Here's the paint as it looked last night.

The orange stripes did get one coat of their new paint.

When I went to the paint store we realized

they'd mixed the wrong color.

If you look close you can see

the pale shade of orange on the tape.

Today the orange and navy blue both

got one more coat.

That's takes the orange paint to a total of five coats.

Remind me to never try to paint over that.

Here's the BIG reveal,

and yes, all the blood, sweat and tears were worth it.

It still needs some touch up

but I am very pleased with the results.

The only thing that might possibly change

is that I might paint a thin white stripe

on either side of the navy blue.

Per Mr. Hinson's request.

The paint has to set for three days

before I can re-tape,

so we'll see how I'm feeling this weekend.

Now don't be shy,

I can't wait to hear what you think!

Boys' Bedroom Makeover: Day 2

2010-07-25T23:37:00.002-05:00

Hi all!

As promised,

I'm here with a bedroom update.

After many hours of prayers and hard work,

we now have paint. :D

Let me tell you, this was no easy project.

There were times I questioned my sanity

as I was sure horizontal stripes were my arch nemousis.

The problem was that I was trying to use

a laser level to guide me as I taped off the lines.

For whatever reason that thing and I

just couldn't work out our differences.

So I went old school and used a yard stick.

I taped off my lines on the yard stick.

Then every several inches I used it to mark small dots.

Once I'd dotted all the walls,

I used frog tape to mark off my lines.

Now it was around this time that my straight lines

started waving like Old Glory during the star bangle banner.

And that's when I lost coping skills.

Before things got too ugly

Andy came in and saved the day.

He offered to help and then

sent me to Lowes' for a few more supplies.

While I was gone he finished taping the room.

Hooray for Big Daddy!

As I thanked him repeatedly,

I promised not to ask him for anymore help...

on this project anyway. ;>

Now it was time to get paintin'.

The orange was a little trickier to paint

than the navy blue.

I'm not sure if it was the paint color

OR the different roller I used.

Whatever the reason,

I ended up applying several coats of orange.

I'm considering having the paint store

darken the orange a little.

I'm not completely convinced it's

the right Auburn orange.

I'll also apply a second

coat of the navy blue.

Now that I've filled you in on the details,

here's Joseph working on the results.

Tada!

I'll update you on tomorrow's progress.

But please don't leave without first
telling me what you think. :)

Boys' Bedroom Makeover: Day 1

2010-07-24T20:24:00.002-05:00

Hi all, happy Saturday!
This week was super busy.
So I gotta tell ya,
I'm glad it's finally the weekend. :)

As you know I promised to start
the boys' room makeover after vacation.
I want it done before they start back to school.
Since there's no time like the present,
I chose today as my start date.

This morning the boys and I
picked up all the needed paint supplies.
We had to get both navy and orange for the stripes.
We also scored some cute Auburn wall decals.
Joseph was great picking out the colors.
And really, as long as they're happy
with the results, then I'm happy.

After lunch the work began.
But before I could start painting,
I had to rearrange the furniture.
Now let me say I thought this
would be a quick task.
Nope!
To move one desk out and one bed in,
I had to take three doors off the hinges
disassemble and reassemble the bed.
Oh, and don't forget wash all the linens.
Whew.
Five hours later I revealed phase 1
of the room makeover to the boys.

The original layout had the beds in an L shape.
Needless to say, it didn't work.
So even though the windows are partially covered,
we like this arrangement much better.

Tomorrow after church I'm planning
to tape off the walls for the stripes.
If that goes well (read: quick)
then I'll gladly start painting.
Truth be told, painting's my favorite part!

The boys' are loving their work in progress room.
James' keeps asking if he can sleep
in Joseph's room tonight.
Each time I reply "No,
but you can sleep in your new room."
He thinks that's awesome!

So now that I'm good and tired,
I'm needing some feedback.
Do tell, what do you think??

Home From Vacation

2010-07-17T19:12:00.001-05:00

Hi all, happy Saturday!
The Hinsons are home safe from vacation.
We enjoyed a fabulous seven days
at the beach with friends.
But more on that later.
For now, I'll leave you with
a cute pic of the pups...
I think they missed us
while we were gone.

The dogs spent their time at the vet.
I think it's safe to say,
they didn't enjoy their vacation as much as we did.
If I were to guess they're thoughts,
here's what they're wondering.
Next year we could opt for a
stay-cation instead of a vacation?!

Boys' Shared Bedroom Inspiration

2010-07-04T11:57:00.002-05:00

Happy 4th of July!
This morning I stayed in my jammy tales
and had a little quiet time.
After I had finished my devotional
my mind wondered to my current design dilemma.
While my mind was fresh and the ideas
were flowing, I created a visual.

Here's the 411:
1. We have a three bedroom home. At present each boy has his own room.
2. Joseph sleeps in his room and James occasionally watches TV in his.
3. We spend ALL of our inside, awake hours in the living room.
4. It's time to prep for Emily Margaret.
5. Our plan was to combine our offices and convert my office into her room.

Now here's my thoughts:
1. As Emily Margaret because more of a reality, I'm struggling with the thoughts of her being on the other side of the house. Even though we all know she'll sleep with us.
2. The boys are ages 14 and 7 so there is a considerable age gap.
3. Neither child ever "hangs out" in his room.
4. At some point I will combine the boys together anyway.
5. So it's starting to be clear that my wisest investment of time and energy is to go ahead and do it now.
6. The bonus?? The boys would have an awesome room AND the extra office would be converted into a den/playroom.

Early in our adoption process,
the boys asked to keep their own rooms.
But I know that with the right plan
they will quickly jump on board.
SO, here's the visual I created to illustrate my thoughts.
A plus, both boys have already asked
to redo their rooms in Auburn colors.
AND they already have matching beds and TV's...
hello, is anyone else sensing God's hand here??

Since I haven't revealed this to the boys yet,
I'm needing your creative ideas.
Thanks for your feedback and encouragement!

Hinson Boys' Auburn Room by shinson1 on Polyvore.com

HR Windows White Aluminum Single Hung Window w/ 6/6 Grids 300 Series...
$249 - homedepot.com

NCAA Auburn Patchwork Quilt | Overstock.com
$50 - overstock.com

Twin Size Captain's Bed
warehousedirectusa.com

Auburn University - Team Spirit - Milliken Area Rug
plushrugs.com

College Wall Logo Stencils, College wall borders, College Decals,...
teamstencils.com

Flat Screen TV Wall Mount
chicagotvinstallation.com

Cornice Board
thecornicefactory.com

Auburn Patchwork Quilt
sportsnchips.com

Auburn Tigers Toss Pillow - Sidelines Design
sportskids.com

Auburn Tigers Square Pillow
sportskids.com

Auburn Pennant Flag
sportskids.com

Dealing With Stress

2010-06-25T07:42:00.004-05:00

Good morning friends!
I just finished my devotional
and grabbed a second cup of coffee.
As I'm preparing to start my day
my mind is evaluating my to do list.
1. Shower and dress for the day.
2. Send the boys to Nana's for their play day.
3. Clean house
4. Paint the boy's bathroom.

Everything sounds fine and good
until I reach number 4.
Repaint the bathroom, seriously?
YES, I'm bribing myself to hurry
through my chores so I can have a little fun.
Taking a dreary bathroom and making it cheery.
And that's what has got me thinking.

My life has been a zoo lately.
Now don't get me wrong,
God has choreographed every-single-detail.
I am SO excited to see how He works out
all the big decisions going on right now.
I praise His name for filling our home with His spirit.
Most importantly, regardless of the outcome
I give Him all honor and glory!

It's the meantime that's wearing me down.
As I spend time in prayer and thanksgiving,
I try to maintain summer as usual.
But I find myself taking on the most unusual projects.
I know that stress makes us do weird things but really?
I just spent four days (off and on)
working on our mailbox.
It went from this.

To this.

Have I totally lost my mind,
or is it just nervous energy??
Hhmmm...
I'm thinking it could go either way!

So tell me,
how do you deal with stress?
Do you take on silly projects
just so you feel you have control over something?
I hope I'm not losing my mind.
But if I am, I might as well have
a gorgeous bathroom and over the top mailbox. ; )

Father's Day Shopping Story

2010-06-18T14:40:00.000-05:00

Hi all, happy Friday!
This morning the boys and I finished
up our Father's Day shopping.
Between Big Daddy and all the grandparents,
we had our work cut out for us.
So, now that the shopping's done
I have a funny story.

I'll start by saying that the boys insist on
spending their own money at holidays.
Which I think is precious. :)
Since the boys are saving up for the beach,
they decided to go in together to buy Andy's gift.
We had picked out the perfect gift
and were on our way to the register.
As we put our money together
James said he could only spend $5.
And I knew Mr. Odd Jobs
had more than that in his pocket.
Before I could interject Joseph lit into him,
"James, you're gonna have to put in $10."
He continued, "That way I can pay $25
and Mama only has to pay $20."
As I turned around to get control of the
situation I saw James had tears in his eyes.
Oh snap, I thought. What a stingy little jerk!
To maintain my composure I told the boys
to just pay whatever they wanted to
and we'd discuss this later.
Oh yes we will.

It was during the check out process
that James had an emergency bathroom break.
We left Joseph in line and headed to the potty.
As we were trapped in the bathroom together,
I figured it was the perfect time to discuss our situation.
"James" I said, "you need to be careful when you say
that you can only spend $5 on Daddy.
You see I know you have more money than that.
I don't want you to spend it all,
but we want Daddy to feel special on Father's Day.
When you won't pay your part,
it sounds like you're being greedy. "
It was his answer that caused my heart to sink.
"Oh no Mama, I want to buy Daddy something
nice for Father's Day. But when I told him I
was going to buy him a nice gift he said I couldn't.
He told me I could only spend $5 on him.
So I want him to get a good gift AND
be proud of me!"
Seriously, who is this angel son??

Needless to say, we bought the gift
and then had a long talk in the car.
Joseph & I both apologized to James
for getting frustrated with him.
Poor fella, he just wanted to make his Daddy proud.

Now we're off to finish the cards
and wrap everyone's presents.
Enjoy your afternoon! :)

God Is CRAZY Awesome!

2010-06-17T07:45:00.002-05:00

Hi all, happy Thursday!
I have so much to say
that I don't even have the words to say it all.
Instead, I'll give you a visual. :)

Last night we went out with friends for dinner.
Since God is still working out the details,
I couldn't really tell them what was on my mind.
So I think I talked non-stop about absolutely nothing.
Picture me sitting on my hands,
while on the inside I was jumping up and down.

As you know,
blogging has been scarce lately.
It's true we're taking on our summer routine
and working out the kinks.
BUT, more importantly God's
been working overtime in our family.

He's used the past couple of months to
show us His will,
set our priorities in line with His
and provide us with several faith journeys.
W-h-e-w, if only I could have
organized all that into a little jar.

I guess I summed it up best when I told
Andy that God was CRAZY.
He gave me the look.
No, not cra-cra crazy.
Crazy like so unbelievably awesome.

Our Heavenly Father has worked in our home.
He's also been busy in the lives
of our family and friends.
We've spent lots of family time praying together,
and frankly at His feet.
Now that we're seeing things
from the other side of the mountain,
I'm so glad we journeyed with Him.

God is so CRAZY awesome.
I encourage you to invite Him
to rule all the pesky little details of your life.
When you come to the other side,
you'll be SO glad you did! :)

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and will all your soul and with all your strength.
These commandments that I give you today
are to be upon your hearts.
Impress them on your children.
Talk about them when you sit at home
and when you walk along the road,
when you lie down and when you get up.
Tie them as symbols on your hands
and bind them on your forheads.
Write them on the doorframes of your houses
and on your gates."
Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (NIV)

Chore Jars

2010-06-14T09:31:00.003-05:00

Good morning long lost friends!
I've missed you
and all the therapy that blogging brings.
Remember when I told you
that the first few weeks of anything is tough?
Well, establishing our summer routine has been c-r-a-z-y!

Between juggling everyone's schedules &
the things that have to be done
(you know, buying groceries, cleaning & such)
there hasn't been much Mama left over for fun.
I look back on last summer and wonder
what happened to the Mary Poppins I remember??

So today I'm here to share the possible key to my sanity.
Instead of saying the s-a-m-e things over and over,
I've created an ongoing jar of instructions.
I considered a chore chart,
but I never keep those going for long.

As I considered solutions, I realized a few things.
1. I was more willing to put work into it on the front end.
Then I could make minor tweaks as needed.
2. It had to be completed in one day.
3. It had to allow me to customize each day.
4. Last but not least, cute!

Here's what I did...
I printed out the boy's everyday tasks,
routines chores and a few extra things.

I cut the paper in strips,

then used Modge-Podge to attach them.

For the base I took large popsicle sticks

and spray painted them.

You know I love me some spray paint. ; >

Once everything was secure I topped it off

with a clear coat of glossy acrylic.

Remember, I intend for these babies to last.

Finally this morning, everything was ready to go.

I separated them into jars.

Well not just any jars,

jars with ribbon of course.

The turquoise jar is James'

and the navy blue jar is Joseph's.

I also made an extra jar that includes

green sticks for bigger chores

& silver sparkly sticks for summer fun.

Every morning I can decide what needs to be done

and load our jar full of instructions & fun. :)

There you have it,
the equivalent of a spoon full of sugar.
Just call me Mama Poppins,
because these jars full of instruction
promise to make the summer go round!

Need more ideas?
Stop by the DIY Showoff
and the CSI Project for inspiration.

Home Training with the Hinsons

2010-06-03T06:35:00.003-05:00

Good morning all!
I hope you're having a wonderful week.
We're transitioning into our summer routine
here At Home With The Hinsons.
You know those first few weeks of anything
can be rather bumpy, but we're getting there.
I LOVE summer with the boys because it
provides the perfect time for Home Training.

My version of Home Training turns daily
tasks into teaching opportunities.
So far we've:
1. Reviewed banking skills
2. Mailed packages
3. Voted
4. Grocery shopped
5. Bargain shopped

Ah, the list goes on and on.
It keeps my fellas' minds learning
and prepares them for the world.
Here's an example:
Mama wanted to run to Tuesday Mornings.
The boys both took a little of their money with them.
While Mama browsed and picked up a few treasures,
the boys got life lessons.
They learned how to look for a quality product,
a good deal
AND
how not to spend money just because you have it.
Whew, life lessons... I LOVE that stuff!

I'm also continuing to work on my mad coupon skillz.
I received my Home Made Simple coupon book yesterday.
It has over $30 worth of great coupons, SCORE!
I've signed up with Start Sampling.
Every night while we watch TV,
I cruise the internet for free samples and great deals.

The sweetest part of it all?
My Prince Charming has noticed my hard work.
Just so I knew how much he appreciates all I do,
he delivered me flowers on Tuesday.
It was wonderful to know that not only am
I becoming a Proverbs 31 woman for the Lord,
but my husband loves it as well. :)

Thanks for stopping by,
I hope you enjoy a wonderful day!

Coupon'ing Queen Hopeful

2010-05-30T20:28:00.001-05:00

Hi all, happy Sunday!
I hope you're enjoying
this rainy, lazy afternoon.
James has swimmers ear
so we had a l-o-n-g night.
Needless to say we're taking
advantage of our slow paced day.

Other than the ending of another
school year and baseball season,
what else have I been up to??
Well, I've been inspired by all
you coupon clipping, blogging mamas.
Inspired as in, I want to be in the
Shoppers who Snag $80 worth of Groceries
for $1.57 Club!
Like any other adventure, I began with research.
I read up on all the tips and techniques...
and now, I'm all in.

I started by developing a system for myself.
The goal was to create a simple,
cute and inexpensive coupon organizer.
I picked up a plastic container for $3.50.
Armed with my Cricut, decorative paper and Modge-Podge,
I got to work.
Once my organizer was pretty,
it was time to make it functional.
I used 5x7 envelopes as divider pockets.
To make them more sturdy,
I backed the envelopes with card stock.
Since I was a bit unsure of the best way to categorize them,
I took the easy route and just wrote on the envelopes.
Once I've perfected my method I can redo them.

So, what do you think??
I've been printing online coupons
and snipping the ones from the paper.
I even used a coupon this afternoon,
when I filled James' ear drop prescription.
That'd be a $15 co-pay for medicine
with a $25 CVS gift card in return.
Sweet!
I used the gift card to purchase ear plugs
and a few random things we needed here at home.
With the $7 remaining,
I'm planning a return trip for more bargains. :)
I'll keep you posted on my coupon clipping progress.
But now I wanna know,
do you love and use coupons?
What are your best coupon tricks of the trade??
Thanks for sharing! :D

Thrifty Summer Shopping

2010-05-26T06:21:00.000-05:00

Good morning all!
Just had to take a minute to post.
Today's the boy's last day of school...
HOORAY!!!
I'm so ready to get this summer started.

Now on to the topic at hand.
You know I love to shop.
The only thing that makes shopping
more fun is when I score a tremendous deal.
Since this weather's heating up,
I've been pulling out the summer wardrobe.
Let's just say it left a lot to be desired.
Either too big, too small, or just plain u-g-l-y.
Yes, I've been like Goldilocks.

I thought I could purchase everything at once.
You know the kind of shopping.
If you like it, buy it in three colors.
That so didn't work.
Instead I decided to buy one piece each time I shopped.
It made finding the perfect piece so much easier.

I've frequented Walmart, TJMaxx, Tuesday Mornings,
Catos and even stopped by Target.
My favorite finds were two dressier tops from Walmart.
The top I wore to Joseph's party was $3
and the one I wore to church on Sunday was $5,
SCORE!!!
I also love the white to the knee linen shorts
I found at Cato for less than $20.

I know Andy's noticed my bargains.
I'd say I've really impressed him
with my mad shopping skillz.
The proof?
On Sunday I picked up a pair of
dark denim to the knee shorts at Target.
I've been looking for a pair of dark dressy
shorts for about three weeks now.
These fit and I liked them so I had to make them mine.
When the lady at the register told me my total
was $21 Andy gave me the big eye.
I could read his thoughts...
that is SO not a good deal for you!

The morale of the story??
If you're in the market for a summer wardrobe
and you want it on the cheap,
keep your eyes open and check out the clearance rack.
You can pair your bargains with
some cute switch flops & Brighton jewelry.
Before you know it your styling and profilin'! ;>

Middle School Awards & Such

2010-05-20T11:53:00.000-05:00

Hi all!
This morning I had the pleasure of attending
Cullman Middle School's awards ceremony.
As I sat on the bleachers in the hot gym,
I realized what an honor it was to watch Joseph
receive both academic and physical awards.
Although I was proud of his accomplishments,
my joy came from simply being his mother.
In just four short years this man-child of mine
will be graduating high school.
I am cherishing every single moment. :)
Here's the proud Mama & sweet boy, after the ceremony.

So, what else is going on??

School's almost out... SqUeAL!
Only 2 more weeks of baseball (bitter sweet).
I'm thoroughly enjoying being outside. I started helping Andy with the yard work & I'm loving it.
I've scored a few fabulous and thrifty summer outfits. Thank you Walmart clearance & TJMAX!
My birthday is coming up, May 23rd. Andy calls May the month of Sarah. :)
Last but not least I've been spending a lot of much needed time with God. He's got me studying Family Driven Faith by Voddie Bauchmam Jr. If you don't already have it, it's worth buying. I was borrowing a friend's copy and just got my own. It's a must have reference book for raising children in today's culture. Who knows, maybe when I finish it I'll post about my thoughts.

Now I'm off to get my hair did.
The birthday girl can't have bad hair. ;>
Enjoy your afternoon!

Pepper & Joseph

2010-05-10T06:43:00.002-05:00

Good morning all!
Yesterday while I was kicked back
in my hammock, I captured a great moment.
Pepper and Her Boy (as we call them)
enjoyed a little game of tug of war.

The video's cute but I love what it's a reminder of...
life's simple pleasures. :)

Happy Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-09T21:20:00.000-05:00

Hi friends,
happy Mother's Day!
I'm proud to say that not only
are we celebrating Mother's today,
I'm secretly impressed that
Andy & I survived Joseph's party. ; >
But, more on the party later.

For now I have to share what my sweet boys
did to make their Mama feel special.
I started out the holiday last week,
with an early gift from James'.
It was either open it early OR
risk him exploding with excitement.
He bought me a beach ball charm
for my Brighton watch.
He spent his own money and was super proud!

Joseph's was the first gift I opened this morning.
Let me just brag on the boy,
he totally wowed me!
He purchased a beautiful silver & pearl Pandora charm.
After a long night followed by lots of clean up,
I'd say we're almost even. :)

Of course my handsome hubby
couldn't let his boys show him up.
After all, he is the Daddy of gift giving!
I made two gift requests,
a new t-shirt and switch flop covers.
He got them both!

And then??
I opened what I was certain was an air-soft rifle.
Only to be surprised with a hammock chair swing...
HOORAY!!!

Since my fellas hung it
I've been doing my best to get it broke in. ; >
I spent the afternoon swinging, reading and playing with the boys.

Ah, Mother's Day at it's finest!

A 14 Year Old & A Boy/Girl Party??

2010-05-08T08:25:00.000-05:00

Good morning all!
I hope your enjoying a lazy Saturday.
I'm preparing to morph into the roadrunner,
again.
So here's what's up.
Yesterday my first baby boy turned 14.
Yep, FOURTEEN!
He wanted a party.
As in boy/girl party.
To protect my sanity and keep it fun
I came up with a Survivor theme.
We'll be having water balloon tosses
and airsoft challenges.
Of course there are prizes and medals too.
I having lots of DIY projects to share.
Pray for a great party!
I'll share the details once I recover. ; >

Crafty Creation "C" for Carson

2010-04-28T21:07:00.002-05:00

Hi friends!

How are ya'll doing?

It's only Wednesday,

but it's already been a busy week here.

But, I'm never too busy

for a crafty creation.

Right?!

This crafty creation is for my cousin's son, Carson.

He just celebrated his first birthday this past weekend.

Since I was at home sick all weekend,

we missed the festivities. :(

When James found out we missed the party he said

"Well YOU might have been sick, but I wasn't!!!"

Needless to say Carson might forgive me

for being sick, but James won't.

Oh how that child loves a good party!

Now on to the fun...

the gift.

I started with a "C" from Hob Lob.

I painted, modge podged, sanded, decorated,

antiqued and then modge podged some more.

Until this...

became this.

I just couldn't help myself

and had to make a matching card.

Once everything was good and dry,

I used my Crop-a-dile to attach twine as a hanger.

Finally, a cute gift demands cute giftwrap. :)

Since I'm practical and crafty

his gift included a cute pair of camo shorts too.

So do tell,

do you wish your name was Carson

and this was your gift?!

Don't forget to stop by the CSI Project
for the ultimate in Modge-Podge Inspiration.

James' Fun Filled Field Trip

2010-04-26T13:51:00.000-05:00

Hi all,
Happy Monday!
Are your bathrooms cleaned yet?
If not go right now and clean them.
I promise it'll make the rest
of your week so much sweeter. ;>

So I'm gladly back among the living and functioning.
The gross allergy/sinus stuff I had this weekend
is exactly why Mamas can't be sick...
we don't have time!

Speaking of time,
it's probably time I share last week's field trip with you.
James' 1st grade class visited
Burritt on the Mountain in Huntsville, AL.

It was a breezy overcast day,
but when the sun shone it was warm
making it the perfect field trip weather!
Here's the class in front of one of the homes.
They call this a Dog Trot home...
because a dog can trot right through the middle.

This is inside one of the homes.

The lady was showing us their bathtubs.

All the kids were excited when they found

out that people use to just bathe once a week!

Here the kids were learning about how clothes were made.

If a child outgrew his coat,

for a new one to be ready in the Fall

his mom would start working on it in the Spring.

Oh mercy I've got it good!

To make the clothing they started by sheering the sheep.

Then they combed it into a little wad.

Which I can't remember the technical name for.

That's when they spun it into yarn.

If you were "well to do" then you had your own loom.

If not?

You had to wait until the weaver came by

to weave your yarn into cloth.

Here's James checking out the weaver's loom.

Once we the kids learned about clothing,

we moved on to farm animals.

They actually preferred to have mules,
which comes from a male donkey and a female horse.
Mule's can be trained to pull more weight than donkeys.
Oh the things we learned. :)

Now you can't have a farm without a cow.

And this cow?

Well, she was sticking her tongue out at me!

Simmer down Bessie,

I like your milk just fine.

I only get upset when it's made into

formula and fed to human babies. :)

The kids were astonished to learn that

there was no such thing as computers

or telephones in the 1800's.

What if you needed to tell someone something?

Well then you hand wrote a letter to that person,

and mailed it...

which took about a week to get there.

The kids were amazed!

Lastly the lady asked us if we knew
what a jar like this might contain.
The answer she was looking for
was something poisonous.
The answer she got from a kid in our group?
Voo-doo!
Honestly, what are that kid's parents teaching him?!
I think it's safe to say that poor lady
will never ask that question again!

We ended our trip with a picnic lunch.

And this kid,
well he talked me into checking him out
and taking him home with me.
Look at this face,
there's no way I could resist!

Thanks for reliving our fun filled field trip.
I learn so much on field trips as an adult chaperone! ;>

Lazy Weekend

2010-04-25T21:16:00.000-05:00

Hi all!
I hope this finds you recovered
from yesterday's storms.
We were blessed to not lose power
or suffer any damage.
I'm actually quite thankful for the rain
and hopeful that it'll put an end to the pollen.
I usually don't have problems with allergies
but his year I've been miserable.
So this was the song I've been singing...
"Down came the rain and washed away the pollen!"

Between the weather and being sick,
I was happy to stay inside
and in my jammy tales all day long.

Thankfully today I'm beginning to
feel among the living again.
And the kids,
well they're just glad to see the sun again!
They enjoyed an afternoon outside
playing water guns, shooting birds
and making snow cones.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Birthday Baby Sis!

2010-04-20T06:52:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday To You,

Happy Birthday Baby Sister,

Happy Birthday To You!

You might be getting older, but remember...

No matter how old you are,

I'll always try to be the boss of you.

But it's just because your the one who

taught me how to be a mother hen.

I'm so proud of the God centered woman you've become.

God's blessings on another fabulous year sis!

Our Spring Break Patio Makeover!

2010-04-18T14:05:00.006-05:00

Hi all,

I hope you've enjoyed this weather as much as we have.

This has been one of the prettiest Spring Breaks.

I'm so glad the guys chose to revamp the patio.

It was the perfect excuse to ditch housework

and spend the week playing outside!

So now that phase 1 is complete,

I'm ready to share our patio makeover with you.

We'll start out with a before picture.

Here we have a nice but dirty patio,

with random furniture scattered about.

What followed was 5 days of...

Hosing down,

Rearranging,

Cleaning up and hauling off,

Father & Son teamwork,

and several crafty creations.

So that when we week was over

we could enjoy our hard work

and relax, at home.

Now, here's the after.

Remember the Christmas turned patio stars?

And the retro garbage can makeover??

They were joined by the bench

that hides all our outside toys.

Yes friends, that'd be the same bench

that has sat in pieces for two years,

because nobody could figure out how to put it together.

Although it made great shields for airsoft wars,

I much prefer it's current use. :)

The basketball goal has been relocated

and so far the kids are loving it there better.

Here are a few close up photos.

The largest Santa star got a special paint treatment.

But in all honesty I'm not sure that I love it, we'll see.

I used our same table and rocking chairs

and just added a few accessories.

Here's the bench again.

I topped it with two of the outside pillows

from last year, and added in a few new ones.

For this years pillows I used the same type

outside place mats from Tuesday Mornings

($9.99 for a set of 4).

Except this time when I split them apart

I monogrammed the front panel

before stuffing it and stitching it back up.
Four monogrammed outside pillows for $9.99,
everyone together, SqEaL!!!

In case you're wondering why I chose 1403,

it's actually our house number.

And here is my Mama hangout.

This is my two year old, $20 lounge chair.

I topped it off with a hand me down cushion from my Mom.

Thanks Mom!

This little spot is quite cozy.

It's been perfect for kicking back,

soaking up some sun

and watching the kids play. :)

Speaking of kids,

I couldn't start off the season without

a new water sprinkler.

Pepper loves how this one sprays a million different streams.

Last but not least,

we finally hung our IKEA swing and rings.

I gave up on having the perfect place to put them

and tied them around a couple of tree limbs.

I'm so glad I got over wanting everything perfect.

Because this swing has brought more moments

of joy and laughter than I ever expected.

In the process of our week,

Andy's also gotten his little garden ready for planting.

We're super excited to have a garden again this year!

As our week and project list came to a close

I've already started thinking about phase 2.

I'll no doubt find more things to spray paint.

I also plan on adding flowers.

I'm sure some will go in the flower beds,

but how great would our patio look with a few window boxes?

Now you wanna see what I've really got my heart set on?

A hammock swing!

I forgot how relaxing it is to be outdoors

and do nothing.

So, just as soon as the budget for phase 2

has been approved (wink, wink)

I'll get started again.

But until then,
you find us finally enjoying our patio the way it's meant to be.
Grilling hot dogs with family
and enjoying water gun fights with friends.
I'd say our Spring Break Patio Project
turned out to be a delightful design on a dime!

Thanks for visiting.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on our revamped space!
Don't forget to stop by
The DIY Project Parade,
and Somewhat Simple
for more inspiration.

A Fabulously Fresh Retro Garbage Can

2010-04-13T23:10:00.006-05:00

Hi all,
and welcome to my weirdest,
most fabulous crafty creation yet!
The patio project is moving along nicely.
We've cleaned, rearranged and decorated.
The only thing missing?
A fancy-smancy garbage can...
that is until now.

It all started as I was digging around
for new found treasures behind our shed.
I was rummaging around when I came across this.

Can we agree that it's quite possibly
the most retro garbage can evah??
Yes, I was sure you'd agree.

The cool part was that it was metal
and although u-g-l-y, it still had life left.
So I set about giving it a beautiful makeover.

I started by spray painting the lid.
Pink,

that's right a pink garbage can lid.
Because really, if we're going
it might as well be all out!

Next I started painting the can.
The official color name is Watermelon.
I knew I was going to attempt stripes
and I wanted the top to match the lid.

Side note: If you're trying a new technique
it might as well be on something that was already garbage.
That way when if you mess up,
there's no harm, no fowl.

I progressed on to my second color.
I call it Pistachio green,
but Krylon calls it Ivy Leaf.

Finally, I taped off again and started my last color.
For the bottom I chose Navy.
I wanted a dark color and
I already had 2 cans on hand,
SWEET!

After multiple coats of the Navy

I had the coverage I was looking for.
Once I couldn't stand it any longer
patiently allowed my paint to dry,
it was time to take off the tape.
I removed it slowly and at an angle.
For the most part my lines were crisp and clean.
Not bad for a first timer! ;>

Although I was loving the stripes,
I knew it still needed a little something.
Hum,
think, think, think...
and then,
Cricut to the rescue!

I whipped up my saying in white vinyl.
I used my painter's tape to line up my words.
Toss
It
Here
(cause yo Mama is really tired of picking up after yo tired tails)

Of course I added a small flower to dot the I
and another flower on the handle.
Because I just couldn't help myself. :)
Finally I topped it all off with
a clear glossy top coat.
TaDa!

You like?
Me LOVE!!!
All it took was a couple cans of spray paint,
painter's tape,
vinyl wording,
a bit of imagination
and a little hard work.
HOORAY for crafty creations!
Thanks for stopping by
and don't forget to visit,
The DIY Project Parade,
Somewhat Simple,
Tales From Bloggeritaville ,
Today's Creative Blog,
Blue Cricket Designs
Someday Crafts,
and last but not least

for more inspiration. :D

From Christmas Stars To Patio Decor

2010-04-12T08:00:00.002-05:00

Hi all!
Let me be the first to tell ya,
we are thoroughly enjoying our Spring Break.
The weather is gorgeous...
sunny skies, a good breeze and not too hot.
Yep, it's the kind of weather that begs you to be outside.
I'm so glad the fellas chose the patio
spruce up as our Spring Break project!

Since we already have a great brick patio in place,
we'll spend our time just freshening things up.
Our backyard was really in need of some color!

Luckily I found the perfect way to interject a little color.
I picked up two Christmas starts at Tuesday Mornings,
for $3.99 each.
SCORE!

I promptly hooked them up with some spray paint.

Krylon's Ivy Leaf, to be exact.

It took multiple coats to cover up all that beautiful tole painting.

No worries though, I persevered. ; >

Finally, I used twine to make a hanging loop.

And of course I added a touch of fringe!

So now here's where you come in.

I need to know if you like the star

hanging on the window,

hanging on the brick.

I'll keep you posted on our patio progress.
I can't wait to hear your thoughts
on my Christmas stars turned, patio decor!

Spring Break

2010-04-11T20:00:00.002-05:00

Hi all!
Today I have two words for you...
Spring

Break!

I'm not sure who's more excited,

the kiddos or us parents?!

Andy & I take off during Spring Break,

so we look forward to our week of fun.

This year we'll be working a few days,

but not our normal schedule.

So to jump start our excitement I had my

Spring Break banner hanging

when everyone came home on Friday afternoon. :)

As a special treat on Saturday,

Andy took the boys for a men-only day.

They spent the afternoon with friends,

shooting guns & fishing.

Here's James first time shooting a REAL gun.

This is the can Joseph shot.

Does this child look like he's

having a blast or what?!

In all honesty I'm still a bit uneasy

about the whole gun thing.

I thought it was a big deal

to let them shoot airsoft guns.

But then, I'm a girl.

Which is why I spent my afternoon shopping.

In my book bargain hunting

is the BEST form of hunting! ; >

So, wanna know what I was shopping for?

Well we discussed it and decided that our

Spring Break project would be fixing up our patio.

What better way to get things going

than to look for color inspiration

and pick up a few supplies?!

For less than $30 I picked up

everything I need to freshen up the backyard.

HOORAY!

Several of my projects are already under way.
Check back later this week to see our progress.
I plan to have the big reveal by next weekend.
Still looking for inspiration for your very own
Spring Break project??
Click over to the DIY Showoff for some great ideas!

Paper Posies

2010-04-08T18:00:00.004-05:00

Hi all!

Today's post is totally inspired by spring.

But before we get started,

I have a question for you.

I was wondering if you've seen

all the beautiful posies floating around?

They're everywhere and gorgeous!

Now although I love the fabric ones,

you know my heart belongs to paper crafting.

So when I decided to try my hand,

I knew paper posies were the way to go.

I started by cutting out flowers with my Cricut.

I used two different petal styles

and lots of different sizes.

Once I had a good variety,

it was time to for a little spray acrylic.

After a couple of coats of acrylic

and some drying time, it was back to the fun.

I layered my petals and placed a large button on the back.

I used a thin black strip of tulle to lace everything together.

Here's the back...

and here's the front.

Finally, I attached my paper posy

to a plain orange candle with a loop of tulle,

and TADA!

So do tell,
don't cha just love it??
Yep, I'm definitely seeing more of
these paper posies in my future.
Wouldn't they be adorable on the corner
of a plain picture frame?!
Oh the ideas! :)

I'm linking up with The Idea Room
and Today's Creative Blog,
so click on over for some fabulous inspiration!

Easy Egg-stra Special Easter Eggs

2010-04-04T21:35:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

and Happy Easter!

I hope your day was as beautiful as ours.

Today's warm weather and gorgeous sunshine

made for the perfect Easter egg hunting weather.

Which was good, because we enjoyed multiple

Easter egg hunts over the course of the day.

So if I promise to share our Easter in more detail later,

would you indulge me with a crafty creation?!

I wanted something cute and cost effective

to hand out to our family on Easter.

Enter Mama's Egg-stra Special Easter Eggs!

I started with plastic eggs,

and added a strip of ribbon with hot glue.

I left the two sides open

and tied ribbon fringe to top it off.

Big Daddy even busted out the grill lighter

to seal all those ribbons.

Thanks sweetie! :)

Here's all my easy-peasy-eggs now.

To finish them off I stuffed them with candy.
Then I used them to make little Easter basket style goody bags.
I'd say those are some especially exciting,
egg-stra special Easter eggs! :)

So do tell, what do you think??
Thanks for sharing in my Easter fun.
But most importantly I tell ya...
He Has Risen,
He Has Risen Indeed!

Good Friday, Indeed!

2010-04-02T07:44:00.005-05:00

Hi all!
I hope your enjoying the
closing to a beautiful week.
Between James' baseball and
Joseph's football spring training,
the boys have kept us busy this week.
No worries, we've still spent our share
of time soaking up those fabulous rays of sun.
OH how I LOVE spring!

Speaking of spring,
today is Good Friday,
God's ultimate spring time gift.
The day when we celebrate Jesus
paying the price for OUR sins.
It's today's darkness that makes the
light of Easter morning all that brighter.
When we exclaim,
He is Risen...
He is Risen Indeed!

It was my morning devotional that got me thinking.
So I want to share today's prayer from Proverb's 31 Morning Devotional.
Dear Lord, my heart is filled with thanksgiving and praise for You. How can I begin to thank You for sending Jesus, and for His sacrifice for me? Thank You also for the lesson that nothing is too big for You. Help me remember that truth when I'm facing what looks like failure. In Jesus' Name, Amen

So today when your reminded of Good Friday

instead of death & failure,

you'll instantly think of God's spring time gift.

No winter is too cold and no grave is too deep

that our God can't bring beauty to life! :)

Monogrammed Spring Tulip

2010-03-29T06:00:00.008-05:00

Hi all!
Are ya'll enjoying the longer days
and warmer weather as much as we are?
One word,
GORGEOUS! :)
Spring has arrived like a breathe of fresh air,
and not a moment too soon.

As part of my Spring has Sprung frame of mind,
I've been adding color to my blah winter decor.
So while on a recent trip to the Dollar Store
I spotted the perfect addition to my project list.
A simple, cute and PINK Tulip for one dollar, SWEET!

Here's how I made this tulip blossom.
I started by simply tying a green ribbon
around the top to use as a hanger.

I wanted to add a custom monogram by adding a fabric H.

I even used my Cricut,

but it didn't turn out so well.

So I compromised by attaching

some extra ribbon to add color.

Here's my spring tulip now,

bringing bright cheer to my front door.

I liked the results, so I lived with it for awhile.
Until, I came across this...

the monogram I needed to complete my project,

for a $1.50! :)

I promptly brought it home and got to work.

The wood was a bit rough so I sanded it.

Then I painted my H black with craft paint.

Next I traced the H onto my toile scrapbook paper.

Oh scrapbook paper,

I can find a million ways to put you to good use. ;>

I used Modge Podge to attach the paper.
To make the edges crisp,
I cut it a little big and sanded the extra paper off the sides.
To finish it off I topped it with a glossy spray acrylic.

Once my H was dry it was time to move on.
I attached my H to the tulip with hot glue.
Then I tied a ribbon through the tulip
and around the H to secure it.
And of course I added on some extra ribbon,
for color and FUN. :)

I gotta tell ya,
the finished product made me smile!
Here it is, back out on the front porch.

Now my toile flower hanger
has found a friend
AND my front door is balanced.

Hooray for thrifty decor, color
and SPRING.
I love the way my monogrammed tulip turned out!
So, what do you think??
I'm linking up with The DIY Showoff,
A Soft Place To Land,
My Backyard Eden,
and Today's Creative Blog,
so click on over for more project inspiration.

Saturday, Baseball & SUN

2010-03-28T11:08:00.004-05:00

Hi all!
I hope you're having a fabulous weekend.
As you know James' baseball season is in full swing.
With games starting in April,
our coach wanted to get in a little extra practice.
He scheduled a couple of scrimmage games for Saturday.
Which was wonderful for me.
It was too gorgeous outside to spend my day cleaning.
Which is exactly what I would have guilted myself into doing. ; >

We started our day by all sleeping a little late.
Andy did yard work,
and might I add did a mighty fine job.
The boys worked in their rooms,
which is a never ending task.
While Mama did a little ADD house spiffing special.

We showered, dressed, packed up some snacks,
picked up a friend and headed off to play ball.

We played out in the county
so the facilities weren't the greatest.
Let me tell you that first team had it going on.
Our tired, sun wilted boys got spanked!
No worries though,
after a snack and pep talk,
they were ready to go again.
They won their second game 16-7.
Hooray for going out with a victory!

I gotta tell ya that after playing Saturday's games
our kids are gonna be ready for anything!

Here's James in all his catching glory.

Remember last year when he called it
being the BEHIND CATCHER?! :)

Now here's the best part.
Since our coach is a good friend
and his family are our vacationing buddies,
we took the opportunity to enjoy a good dinner together.
It was quite a drive but well worth it.
We devoured dinner at Top Of The River.
Fried catfish, shrimp scampi & crab claws.
YUM!!!

On a side note:
Sunburn, dehydration, exhaustion
and fried foods DO NOT mix.
This sweet Mama ended up with
a version of dinner in her bed last night.
James response,
"Mama, those fried pickles didn't taste so good that time."
Poor fella's feeling a little better this morning.
We stayed home from church just in case.
No need to share that kinda love!

Thanks for stopping by for the recap
of our Saturday, Baseball & SUN.
Have a beautiful day! :)

My God Is Bigger Than The Boogy Man

2010-03-24T06:03:00.001-05:00

"God is bigger than the boogy man,
HE's bigger than Godzilla
OR
the monsters on T.V."
Veggie Tales

Good morning all!
Do you ever have something happen
that totally quakes the ground you stand on?
Like you do a double take,
right before your ears start ringing?!

Well I had that kinda afternoon yesterday.
Nothing tragic,
but I certainly felt the earth beneath me rumble.
That's when I felt GOD's presence.
He called me to HIM.
Reminding me that everything in my life
is a good and perfect gift from HIM.
My husband?
A blessing from GOD.
My children??
Are actually HIS children.

It's at times like this that I'm reminded
of WHO's really in control,
cause it sure ain't this gal. ; >

Thank you LORD for watching over and protecting me.
I find comfort in knowing that nothing comes to me,
that hasn't come through YOU first.
You are my rock, my salvation,
and YOU are bigger than the boogy man!

Simple Kid's Wall Decor

2010-03-22T07:00:00.005-05:00

Hi all!
I've been meaning to share this project I did last weekend.
I was in the mood for a quick and simple craft.
I looked for inspiration in my craft supplies.
When I came across two wooden J's,
I knew I'd found what I was looking for!

I started by painting the sides of the J.

Then I traced and cut out a J on scrapbook paper.

I modge-podged my scrapbook paper in place.

Next I topped it with a layer of clear spray acrylic.

Here are both of the boy's J's drying.

Because I'm OCD I had to make sure the back was pretty too.

And one last time,
here's James' bright colored J
& Joseph's school themed J.

I'm going to hang James' over his bed
and Joseph's with his football team pictures.
Speaking of hanging...
I tried stapling a ribbon on the back to hang it from.
The staple went through the front.
Then I tried to attach a picture hanger
but that didn't work out so well either.
SO, I'm planning to drill a small hole
on the back to hang them from.
Whew, who knew hanging my decor
would be the hard part??
I'll post pics once I have them hung in the boys' rooms.

Please tell me, what do you think...
Did you think my simple
& quick project turn out too cute?
Should I make an H to hang on the front door??
Oh so many projects, so little crafting time! ; >
I'm linking up to the DIY Showoff
and Today's Creative Blog.
Click on over if you're looking for even more inspiration!

At Home With The Hinsons

Slip-n-Slide Summer

They Keep Me Hoppin'

Stomach Bug & Valentine Decor

The Purple Cow

Freshman Football Banquet

Newest Follower

Valentine's Day Decor

BCS National Champions

Snow Days 2011

Happy Anniversary Baby!

Happy New Year 2011

CHRISTmas Break

My Secret Delight

Sweet Baby James

My Winter Uniform

Thanksgiving 2010

Laundry Room Update

James Hinson, CRNP Jr.

In Memory of Buddy Cat

"Where I'm From" by Joseph Hinson

Hinson Family Pics

Resting on the Sabbath

Small Change, Big Impact

Halloween Part 2

Halloween Part 1

Good Morning Halloween!

A Work In Progress

BOO Germs Be Gone

Parent Picnic Day

Easy Halloween Decor

Ready For Fall Ya'll

Dishtowels With *Bling*

Serving Tray

Morning Grin

The 12 Month Bedroom Makeover

Master Bath Makeover

Yard Sale Checklist

Boy Toys With A Mama Makeover

Still Here, Still Hanging On

J-E-S-U-S Baby!

Freshman Football Overload

Boys' Bedroom Makeover: Perfectionism Kicks In

Beach Vacation 2010

Boys' Bedroom Makeover: Day Too Many

Boys' Bedroom Makeover: Day 2

Boys' Bedroom Makeover: Day 1

Home From Vacation

Boys' Shared Bedroom Inspiration

Dealing With Stress

Father's Day Shopping Story

God Is CRAZY Awesome!

Chore Jars

Home Training with the Hinsons

Coupon'ing Queen Hopeful

Thrifty Summer Shopping

Middle School Awards & Such

Pepper & Joseph

Happy Mother's Day 2010

A 14 Year Old & A Boy/Girl Party??

Crafty Creation "C" for Carson

James' Fun Filled Field Trip

Lazy Weekend

Happy Birthday Baby Sis!

Our Spring Break Patio Makeover!

A Fabulously Fresh Retro Garbage Can

From Christmas Stars To Patio Decor

Spring Break

Paper Posies

Easy Egg-stra Special Easter Eggs

Good Friday, Indeed!

Monogrammed Spring Tulip

Saturday, Baseball & SUN

My God Is Bigger Than The Boogy Man

Simple Kid's Wall Decor

Dishtowels With Bling