IKEA Tray Table "Unhack"

While I have the potential of being clever and am creative at times, it is not usual for me to come up with a good idea all on my own. That being said, I have to admit this one was all mine. 

I did not "hack" this table, it's not an invention, it's not even a twist, it's just a table I am giving a new purpose. And it has lived up to it's purpose so well that I thought I'd share. 

This...

via http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90174642/#/40193228

is Ikea's PS SANDSKÄR.

It's an outdoor tray table

that I repurposed into a...

Children's Bistro Table!

(Snapped with iPhone 5... to prove that I'm a normal mom with height issues and dirty counters...)

Best for 2-4 small children.

It's easy to put together, which is saying something, considering it's *Ikea*. Best part?! The tray top comes OFF! If they spill something, which is a regular occurrence around here, it doesn't go directly on the floor because the top has a lip on it. I can simply pull the top off and rinse it in the sink if the mess is bad.

It's lightweight and easy for me to move around, but not too easy for them to move. It's small and I love that you can get it in neutral black and white colors. When company comes over I can use it as a side table and fold up their chairs, making it appear there are no children living here. Until someone goes in the bathroom and sees jelly on the light switch...

The boys eat at this every day at least twice, I move it into the living room for snack times to set their drinks on. 

It's also the cheapest trendy kid's table I've ever seen at only $35. 

So, if you're in the market for a small, cheap, easy to clean, table for your little ones to use, this might be just the thing for you!

Wildflower

"Do 

You

Suppose

She's 

A 

Wildflower?"

-Alice in Wonderland

(iPhone 5)

<<< --------------- >>>

My husband's job has been a bit stressful lately, so I suggested that he plan a weekend to get away from everything. He was sweet enough to invite me along and my parents kindly watched our 3 gems while we were away. 

We journeyed to the White Mountains of Arizona, where we pitched a tent, then moved the tent, and got it up again just in time for it to hail. After a day and conflicting weather reports, we decided to move ourselves to a hotel room for the duration of the weekend getaway, to avoid packing up soggy gear. 

Thankfully, none of that really mattered, it wasn't our plan, but it was an adventure. We had a blast just being together and doing things other than sitting through pointless meetings or changing poopy diapers. 

I truly couldn't ask for a more perfect partner in life. We know how to read each other, when to sit in silence, and when to breath out the stresses of life to one another. Jacob is the kind of man who says "YOU are my bucket list" and stops for nearly 30 minutes while I walk down the highway to snap photos of a field of wildflowers. 

I'm definitely a mountain girl and wildflowers are like my happy drug. It was such a gift from above to be able to spend a weekend snapping pictures of something other than people. As much as I love people, my little people to be specific, sometimes it's nice to practice on subjects that don't throw tantrums. ;)

<<<< ----------------------------- >>>>

Finding texture.

 

After a cold night with lots of rain, we woke up to the sun and this view. His mercies are surely new every morning!

I was in love with these diamonds, I mean dew drops.

It's especially wonderful to be surprised when looking back at your photos. Hello little spider web!

Lassoing Light.

The following are from my iPhone 5 >>

*Please do not copy unless you ask permission first 

The Good Fight

I've been following the journey of a young pastor, husband, and daddy, who is currently imprisoned in an Iranian prison. Maybe you've heard of him, Saeed Abedini? He's been beaten, mistreated, and refused a shorter sentence, which is currently 8 years. 

He was in Iran helping to build an orphanage when he was arrested and falsely accused of participating in illegal evangelism. If that isn't bad enough, he's an American citizen, but our government has not tried to save him yet.

My heart aches for him and his family. 

To further my sadness, his case has had little publicity. Even with social media booming there has been little attention to his name.

After reading this I almost lost it, two little girls wanted a puppy, their parents said "Sure, if you can get 1 million likes on Facebook (thinking it'd never happen)". Within 13 hours the girls had *two* million likes on Facebook for a photo stating the challenge. They were on the news hours after.

That, and yet, Saeed has a mere 620,000 online signatures on his petition for release, from a foreign and dangerous prison, and it's been nearly a year. This man needs more care from from his country and certainly more prayers.

Sharing this is just one small way I could help. I can't save him, but maybe together, by God's grace, *we* can. 
 If you'd like to sign the petition to save Saeed, go to http://savesaeed.org/.

Pray. Sign. Share. Save Saeed.

I Am Not A Camel

A little factoid about me, I have something called Medullary Sponge Kidneys, I won't go into detail, but it basically means that I have a greater tendency to collect kidney stones. I have fought with them, off and on, for the past 6+ years and it seems to be getting worse.

I've done many tests and the doctors have all told me to "just drink more water." *sigh* In an effort to get it under control, I committed to 3 weeks of a Camelback a day, which is two liters of water. First off, I failed the challenge, because after about 2 weeks I got tired of filling up the camelback every day and having half of it pour out the tube. I did have some success though, and have managed to get *at least* 64 oz (2 liters) a day, usually I try to be closer to 80 oz. I have to space it out, because the idea is to keep things diluted so that stones can't form in the first place. I have no idea if it's working, but I'm hoping I see improvements by my next appointment in 6 months. 

I'm not a camel, but I wish I were, drinking water is hard. Especially if it's a busy day with the kids, I so easily forget. However, I am deeply motivated by the intense pain of having a kidney stone pass. For me, it was more painful than labor and I usually have to call for help with the kids, as I curl up in a ball on the floor. Not fun. I'm ready to fight with lots of praying and lots and lots of water!

(iPhone 5)

Hello Neighbor

It's only been a month and a half since we moved into our rental house and I think it's about time we said howdy to our neighbors. I'm an introvert and this is out of my comfort zone, but it is so nice *knowing* your neighbors! 
I have briefly met a couple of them, but I still wanted to do more. After our church's women retreat, where we discussed caring for and serving others, I was inspired to do serving spoons as a neighbor gift.

Supplies: 

• Gift/Spoons
• Embroidery thread or ribbon
• Scissors
• Hole punch
• Black cardstock
• White stamp pad
• White pencil
• Paper tape
• Alphabet stamp set

     I picked these cute spoons up at the Walmart dollar section, 3 spoons for $1! Also, these are pretty much "my colors", so it was perfect. I grabbed a cute alphabet stamp set and paper tape from another $2 bin at Walmart.

(iPhone 5)

I used a white stamp pad to "dirty up" the generic houses I cut out of black cardstock. Then I stamped "HELLO NEIGHBOR" onto them. I embellished with the paper tape and a white pencil. On the back I wrote "Please let us know if there is any way we can serve you! - The Adams"

To attach the note to the spoons I simply punched a hole in the paper and used contrasting embroidery thread to tie it on.

I hope to deliver them soon, spark some conversation, and maybe even make some good relationships with our current neighbors!