DIY Heart Handprint Painting for Valentine’s Day

Welcome back friends!

My little girl hasn’t quite reached the age of exchanging multitudes of valentines amongst her classmates and/or friends so I thought we would create a few fun pieces of artwork instead! These heart handprint paintings are the perfect Valentine for moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles; the sky is the limit!

Let’s have some fun and get painting!

SUPPLIES
  • Small mounted canvas (large enough for a handprint)
  • Foam paint brushes
  • Acrylic paint
  • Heart shaped paper, small
  • Scissors
  • Sticky tape
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Select the colors you would like for a background, this can be one or more dependent on your preference.
  2. Squeeze dots of the background paint color(s) you selected on the canvas in any pattern you prefer. I was going for a gradient look so I arranged my dots from light to dark.
  3. Using a a foam paint brush, you and your little one can spread and blend the paint over the canvas in back and forth strokes.
  4. For a completed look, paint the edges of the canvas if you have not already done so, then set it aside and allow it to fully dry.
  5. Print and cut a heart out of paper and use sticky tape to attach it to the dry canvas.
  6. Select the colors you would like to use to create the handprint, this could be one color or more, we did six, one for each finger and another color for the palm!
  7. Using a different foam paint brush for each color, brush the colors onto your little one’s hand. Gently press the painted hand down on the canvas, aligning the heart under their palm.
  8. Gently pull the hand away, then peel away the heart if it did not come off onto the hand.
  9. If needed, use a small paint brush to touch up the edges of the heart, then allow the painting to dry.
  10. Enjoy!
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Traditional and Modern Anniversary Gift Ideas by Year

My husband and I just celebrated 10 years of marriage, 10 years! It’s hard to wrap our minds around it because it really feels like hardly any time has passed; we are happy!

The concept of anniversary gift themes by year is super fun and engaging! We’ve gotten a bit distracted the past few years and forgot to follow the list, but what a perfect anniversary to pick it back up again!

If you aren’t familiar with the anniversary gift themes, I’ve created a handy dandy list of traditional and modern anniversary gifts by year, along with a bonus of flowers by year too! Happy anniversary and happy gifting!

Chocolaty M&M Valentine’s Day Cookie Recipe

Happy February friends! I have some chocolaty Valentine cookies for you, and whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day or not, cookies are rarely unwelcome!

You may have heard that you can make cookies with boxed cake mix and this recipe does just that, but with a boost of unsweetened cocoa powder and M&Ms! They are delicious; rich and not too sweet. If you’re looking for something tasty to bake for yourself or someone(s) you love, please try these and enjoy!

COOKIES

  • 1 box of devil’s food chocolate cake mix
  • 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup of butter, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups of “cupid’s mix” Valentine M&Ms
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Pour the cake mix and unsweetened cocoa into a large bowl and stir gently to incorporate.
  3. Add the eggs and softened butter into the dry ingredients and mix until a thick dough forms.
  4. Divide the M&Ms: Mix one cup into the cookie dough and place the other cup into a separate small bowl.
  5. Roll the dough into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls, then dip the top of each dough ball into the small bowl of M&Ms and place each one onto the baking sheet.
  6. Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes depending on the power of your oven.
  7. Bring the cookies out of the oven and allow them to cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack for another 5 to 10 minutes.
  8. Repeat this process until all the cookie dough has been baked, this should yield about 16 cookies.
  9. Enjoy!

“Love” Lyric Page from Disney’s Robin Hood

"Love" Lyric Page (Robin Hood)

I love singing to Baby Zoey and she loves being sung to! I used to know all the songs from Disney movies by heart, but I’m a little rusty. I’ve started making lyric pages to refresh my memory or teach me new songs I’ve never known!

This song, “Love”, from Disney’s Robin Hood is calm and soothing. I typically sing this to her or play it for her as we’re winding down before nap-time or bedtime.

Please feel free to save these for quick reference, and let me know if there are any songs you would like to see lyric pages for!

Happy 8 Year Wedding Anniversary!

Every year, Cameron and I always find it hard to believe we have been married for five years, six years, seven years! This year we’ve been married 8 years and it’s still hard to believe! It’s not that we’re in total shock or disbelief that we lasted this long, it’s more that we can’t believe how fast the time has flown by.

Cameron and I are just right for one another and I am grateful every day that we found each other instead of settling for less. We love one another, we have fun together, we give each other space for our friends and hobbies, and we never fight. Oh sure we get a little irritable from time to time, more-so when we’re hungry or tired, but we’ve never had a fight and for that I am thankful.

Last August, we welcomed our first baby, Zoey. I have heard horror stories of how babies can be a real strain on a couple’s relationship, but we’ve squashed that stigma too. We support one another in raising her; we trade off feeding her, changing her diapers, we comfort her together, we’re united.

The moral of my story is that being with someone doesn’t have to be hard; if it’s right, it’s right. It should come naturally being in your person’s presence and you shouldn’t settle for anything less.