I forgot to add in the last post that I am going to try to add a wreath to the door. I used to make them all the time and even sold flower arrangements in the past but i never do them for myself! Go figure! But I do think the door needs a wreath now.

Vinyl Schtuff

Remember the vinyl I was talking about last week? We decided on the verse we wanted and I bought the vinyl for the wall and did it Thursday night. As for the door, well ,the order never came and when I checked on it, it had just sent yesterday. That irritated me. SO my mom helped me make one today and I can figure something out with the one that will come in the mail. Maybe I can sell it again or something, I dont know.

ANYWAY, here they are! Not bad considered I had to hand paint the hall way quote last summer and I did some lettering in our bedroom (which I will eventually post pictures of when "Home with the Treslers" continues :)) Vinyl is a new addiction. I plan on doing a whole bunch more. Something in the kitchen and the boys bathroom for sure. Maybe the utility room and something for the both boys rooms. Overboard? Perhaps.

Produce Bags, Napkins and Grocery Bags

On Thursday, I was sewing a bit. I made 8 napkins for the boys so we can eliminate paper waste, and I started making produce bags so we can eliminate more plastic bag waste. I still have tons more to sew for both the napkins and the produce bags but I got a bit started.



I am also going to be making some grocery bags out of old tshirts and pillow cases (I started the tshirt ones). I am going to post the links for directions on here as well as the link for the produce bags in case anyone else would like to do them too!

Tshirt Grocery bags
Pillowcase Bags
Produce Bags

Design Team Projects

Yesterday I did the design team projects for Devine Memories . The first one I did was a page on Jaden using Dream Street Paper, Daisy D Chipboard Stamps and flowers. There's also a rubon in the top corner that says Such a Handsome Little Guy. I thought it was fitting to write him a letter about my little guy turning 3. The chipboard stamp is painted red and then has a flower cut from the paper with a rhinestone center.

The other project I did was a house mini album that I made into a dessert recipe book. I had to use pictures I already had taken of past desserts so I couldnt put my favorites in, but I think it turned out pretty neat!

Right now I am sewing some cloth napkins and grocery bags, I will post those tomorrow :)

Monster Truck Shirt

Jaden will be 3 on Friday and Sunday we are having a small family party. Because his little brother had such a big first birthday party (like he did), Jaden expects to have everything this same for HIS birthday. So we went to the store yesterday to buy monster truck plates and napkins and what have you and of course they didnt have any. Had he made up his mind on the theme a little earlier, we could have ordered them but last minute it didnt work out local. Thats ok though, we went with the stand by solid colors :) He wants a monster truck party so bad and loves "grave digger" (yeah I am learning more and more about things I did not even know existed until I had boys) so the colors will be green and black.

Last night I made him a shirt to wear for the party, and he loves it! I have to say, I think its pretty cool too!

Our Living Room

This weekend, I finally got motivated to paint an accent wall in our living room. I have talked about it for months and have had the swatch picked out since January. It really did not take me long to do at all. I did it all myself too! Micah took the speakers off the wall and helped tape the tall spots but other than that, I did it. I was pretty proud of myself because usually he is the painter...although I did paint Jackson's room and did the decorating paint in Jaden's room.

The mirror frames had to be repainted because it blended with the new wall color but now its all neutrals like the squares rug, so it works well.


Anyway. I also made a new wall art piece with a plaque I got for Mother's Day. Micah was so sweet when he gave it to me, he told me he thought it would be neat if I did a photo collage with it. How about that, he is thinking like I do!

Micah did the wood part with the frame, and then I decorated it. He even hung it already!






I'll give ya a little tour of the rest of the room too.... minus one wall because, well I just didnt take a picture of it. I forgot. :)

We used to have a coffee table that matched our shelves. The problem was, the corners were so dangerous, it freaked me out with the boys around it. I also wanted extra seating and storage. For a couple of years, I looked for something that could fulfill this, but it was always too small or too expensive. Finally I got my brain together and realized that Micah and my father in law could totally build one! My father in law used to upholster cars and they are both super handy.

It turned out better than I could have imagined, and they even matched the seams to the couches and I matched the material to the recliner. We all love it and its so functional.


If you look closely, there is a painting of Jesus by the slider door. I am planning on putting a scripture underneath it as soon as i can find the vinyl for it. I did order a vinyl "welcome" for our front door than should come in this week, and then was like "ya know, I could have made that myself". Oh well. Now I know for the scripture.


Its also kind of hard to see, but I made the cornices too. I should have taken a better picture. There are three, one for each window in the room.

I know I have posted this stuff before, but I thought I would add it on since its part of the room. These shelves hang above the tv.

Our "T"

Stuff on top of the entertainment rack thingy. Yeah, I dont care what its called. It does its job.


Stay tuned for more of "Home with the Treslers" :)

Lovin' the Rain

I wish it would rain more here. I know I live in a desert though, so thats not really possible. Maybe we could move to a place where it rained more, wait, we did that and it definitely wasn't my desert guy's cup of tea.

The plants have been enjoying the rain as much as I have. Cloudy days just don't get me down. I take after my grandfather with that. He used to be so happy on a cloudy day!

I think I have said before that we started out our garden as a container garden. For one thing, the soil is HORRIBLE for gardening, and I didnt feel like all that hard work would be worth it when I am just starting out gardening, and I know from past experience that one thing I did not inherit was my grandfather's green thumb. Its small right now, but as it grows, we keep thinking about doing a whole different garden on the side of the house. Micah built a little mister system for it now for the time being and its working pretty well!

Jaden's pumpkin plant is browing a bit, I don't know why yet though, but I better figure it out before it takes a turn for the worst. He would not be a happy boy! Anyone have any ideas on this?

Dr Bronner's

Dr Bronner's Magic Soap is absolutely the best soap I have ever bought! I have been usi8ng it for a week now, and the possibilities for this soap are neverending!

First what is it? Castille Soap is soap made from vegetable oil, or in this case, pure olive oil. You can make your own using these recipes or buy this fair trade pure organic soap. I chose to buy it.

What is fair trade?


Dr Bronner's site states:

"For our 60th anniversary, we are pleased to announce that we are now certified Fair Trade! We take care of our employees with generous salaries and benefits (no deductible PPO health insurance and a great profit-sharing/retirement plan that we fully fund), we cap executive pay at five times the lowest-paid position, and we give all profits not needed for business development to support progressive charities and causes. Now we have extended this philosophy to the farmers and workers around the world who produce our major raw materials (representing over 95% of our annual agricultural volume). Along with their families and communities, they benefit from fair prices, living wages and funding for local development projects. Shifting our supply chains to certified Fair Trade ingredients makes a big difference in the lives of several thousand farmers and workers — and is money well spent. We worked with the respected Swiss certifier IMO’s Fair for Life program to coordinate and certify the following projects around the world."

Now for the coolest part. It has SO many uses! For other uses besides the ones listed below, google it! You will be surprised at just how versatile this is! So far, I have used it for cloth diaper laundry, face soap, and baby wipe solution! I cant wait to keep trying it out for more things and it will eliminate the need for the other products in our house.

According to the website:

"Although the label claims eighteen uses, we do not have the space to write all these uses on the label and still accommodate for my grandfather’s philosophy, as well as the new labeling laws that are periodically implemented. In reality, there are far more than eighteen uses, as people constantly write in to tell us about yet another utility of the soap. We won’t detail them all, but below are some of the major uses and dilutions. For everyday body-washing: Get wet and pour soap full-strength onto hands-washcloth-loofah. Lather up, scrub down, rinse off, and tingle fresh and clean.
For other uses, dilute from one part soap into 40 parts water for light cleaning, to cutting it in half or using it full strength for heavy-duty grease-cutting jobs. For shampoo, people have been telling us for years that they like using our soaps to shampoo their hair. Now, paired with our new Citrus Conditioning Rinse and Organic Leave-In Conditioning Crème, it works better than ever. For details, click here. For the laundry, use 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup for one regular load; adjust as needed depending on hardness of water. I've been told that adding a dash of baking soda makes it even better.For pets, lather up well and apply to their body. Be careful to keep the soap and the lather away from their eyes. I find a mixture of peppermint and eucalyptus works best. For toothbrushing, apply a drop or two of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap (I prefer the peppermint) to a wet toothbrush. Brush as you normally would, rinsing accordingly. Be careful about using more than a couple drops of soap, as you might start foaming at the mouth (last time I checked "rabid chic" was not hip). Many people with sensitive or softer teeth like to use our soap as toothpaste because it lacks abrasives. If you're very interested in specific ratios & uses, you could find the book "Clean House, Clean Planet" by Karen Logan and published in 1996 by Pocket Books division of Simon & Schuster. They give a blurb on how individual consumers can place orders by writing to Mail Order Department, Simon & Schuster Inc., 200 Old Tappan Road, Old Tappan, NJ 07675. She presents hundreds of great ideas and manners to clean the non-toxic way, which gives rise for many examples that use an all-natural liquid soap like Dr. Bronner's."

Let me know if you try it and what you think!

100th post winner creations!

Christina won the 100th post contest and chose for me to do the pages rather than getting the kit. I finished them today and she said to post them, so I thought I would do one more blog for the day and get on to bed. They would probably look nicer if it was natural lighting but it is 11 pm and it was raining all day. The 1 page has lots of flowers and a quote about holding on to what matters most (i love that) and the second has a quote about siblings with lots of glitters on the flourishes and new sprockets from Tim Holtz. I think our kids are like the gears that keep the family going, so it was symbolic. So you can't see it too weal in the picture, but thats what is near baby Jack's head :)

I hope you like them Chris, they will be in the mail soon!

What I am reading now....

I love to read, and when I get into the mood, I can read TONS of books at a time. usually its just whatever I buyu at Target or the library.

On another note though, as I grow stronger as a Christian, I have a desire to become more knowledgable in the Word. Right now I am reading 1 John. It is short, only 5 chapers, but everything in it is rich in advice. Two of my favorite points right now: Love one another. (1 John 3:11-24) and Do not love the world (1 john 2:15-17). Thats not saying don't love and take care of the planet, thats talking about everything in the world.

Just something I am studying :)

Steven Curtis Chapman's Family's tragic loss

If you have not heard yet, one of Christian music's biggest artists, Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter was killed last night when her brother was backing the car out of the driveway.

The Story

Please be in prayer for this family, especially the brother as they heal from this.

Home Made Paper

Supplies Needed:

• Old bowl
• Old blender
• Wisk
• 3 cups HOT water
• Wire for the frame *I used an old wire hanger
• 1 cup of Shredded paper (recycled or not)
• old panty hose
• Anything extra you might want to add (buffalo snow is the purple bag) like gold specs, threads, glitter, etc

Start by making the frame with the old hanger and pantyhose. I just bent mine into a square and slipped the pantyhose over it. It was a little tight this way but it worked perfect.

Now get ready to mix it up! Pour the 1 cup of shredded paper and 3 cups of HOT water into the bowl

Stir in and let set for 5 minutes

Once it has set enough to soften, pour into a blender. I pureed it. To the point where it was pure liquid. This step is up to you how much you want it blended.

Place frame on top of the sink, or a baking dish or tupperware type container....anything to catch the water that will filter through. I did the storage container and it was the perfect size to rest the frame on top of so that I can press the water out of the pulp. I used my hands and a towel.

Now here you can either use your heat gun to dry it or sun dry it. It was a hot day when I did this, so I took it out and didnt waste time or electricity on it. It only took a couple of hours

Then, tada! Home Made Paper!!

I'd like to introduce you to my new best friend.

A few months ago, I got rehooked on coupons. We used to use them a lot more right before Jaden was born, hoping to save some money with the cost of a baby coming, but then with the madness of baby and other things, the coupons went to the wayside. Now with rising costs with everything, it is so important to use them! My husband likes to say its like someone just coming uop and giving you money when you shop. Why NOT use them?

And if you knew how much of that "junk mail" you get really isnt junk mail at all! I started going through the mail a lot more closely and its like a gold mine! We are able to eat out every once in awhile very cheaply, do activities as a family, get cool stuff, free samples, all because of the internet and the mail. I dont actively search them out as much but I do grab 'em when I see them.

We have gotten into the mindset that if we dont have a coupon or a good deal on it, we really dont buy it unless we absolutely have to (which is something Micah has always done, not so much me)

Every week we buy each of the papers and clip the coupons. I started out with a small coupon organizer. That lasted about a month. Then I graduated to a bigger coupon organizer. That lasted a coupe of months. This week after talking to my extremely bargain smart coupon savy deal seaker sister in law who has used this system for awhile now, my husband made me change to a binder system. I will have to say I was a bit reluctant at first, but now I dont know how I lived without it.

Melissa has a pretty sweet blog that I highly recommend you checking out. She's the pro on this!

On to the binder.

We bought everything you see for 11 dollars. The binder was 10, the store/restaurant page dividers were 1 and Micah already had the baseball card sheets. I still need to buy tabs and a small calculator though.

In the front I keep lots of stuff. Store cards, scissors, sticky notes, pad of paper, pens, etc.

Inside are the store coupons. Each store has its own spot in the 3 part page dividers.

The restaurants are later and do too.

Then I have sections of the baseball card sheets. The first is household, and everything has its own pocket or two, depending on how many coupons I have of that type of item. Then it goes on from there in each section. Off the top of my head I have household, baby, produce, refridgerated, freezer, meats and meals, "grabage" cereal, chips etc., toiletries, meds and vitamins, I cant remember what else.

I have to say, not shuffling through stacks of coupons really helped last night when we used this for the first time. We bought a cart full of groceries and saved 60 dollars and only spent 53. For the week! And this week I didnt really plan for anything, we just went and did it (bad Rebecca). The cashier looked at me like he was impressed and the guy behind Micah kept commenting on it.

So there ya have it! Thanks again to Melissa for showing me this way cool system to help save money for our family!

Our Bike Ride

The boys and I didnt make it to church this evening, so I loaded them up and went on a bike ride. Arent the trees in bloom so pretty?

Life's a picnic...

I discovered this link and wanted to share. You can do so many cool effects with your photos and link it right to a picture account you already have (like flickr!)

http://www.picnik.com/

Just sharin' the love :)

Mother's Day Gifts

Here are belated pictures of the mother's day gifts we gave. minus one.

Everyone got a framed picture of the boys (this one had black glitter framing it on the edges)

And potted flowers, so that they last a long time! We thought they were pretty "green" this way :)