Alaska bound...catch ya on the North side!

Well the time has come. The movers show up in 5 hours to pack up our home and wrap up our life here in Washington. I am filled with so many emotions and stresses right now that its actually hard to express any one of my emotions. Have you ever felt that way? So emotional that you arent, or at least you cant focus on it? I think a good night's sleep will help. Tonight is our last night in our first home, the only home my son has known. We love our house, our town, our neighbors and our friends. It is going to be very difficult to leave them all behind. Usually I can combat the sadness of our moves with the excitement for our new home but I am finding that to be especially hard this time. There is just so much unknown. I have never been to Alaska and we don't have a house to move to and get excited about. We will be living in a hotel situation for up to 2 months while we search for our new home. While hotel living isnt always fun especially with a 2 year old, I am looking forward to the simplicity of it. No cleaning, maintenence, and endless projects to distract me. I'm looking at it as good quality time for us as a family and a great way to put what's really important into perspective. But, I also cant wait to get into a new house and start making it our home with projects that will undoubtably start filling into the pages of this blog. I am really looking forward to the spring so that our sweet Golden Retriever will finally be able to join us. He is staying with our family in Colorado until its warm enough for the airlines to allow him to travel. How crazy is that?

Anyway, so the craziness begins today and I am not certain what my internet access to this blog will be like for the next couple of weeks. I have asked six lovely ladies to help fill in for me and keep you company during this time...

I am so super excited and honored to have each and every one of these beautiful women here on FMA. I can't wait to see what they have planned for us! Meanwhile, I will still be popping in here every so often and I will be able to receive and respond to any emails and comments from my iPhone. Please keep my family and I in your thoughts and prayers as we embark on this incredible journey!

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DIY Cuddle Cases for smartphones

December holds alot of plane rides for us this year. It is always challenging to fly with kids but from my experience the more prepared I am, the smoother it goes. Its even more difficult now that my toddler son wants to be mobile and explore. One of the greatest kid travel tips I was ever given was to always bring new toys and books aboard. This works like a charm. The newness of the toys helps compete with the cool factor of the airplane. We begin our move to Alaska in a couple days and I was scrambling to think of something new that would capture his attention and that was small enough to bring with us. My son loves my iphone, and I have to admit with all the awesome children's apps and their favorite movies at a touch, I can understand why. Anyway, I was just telling my husband how I wish I could find a childproof case because my son would love to watch his favorite movies on the phone but his little fingers are always accidentally turning it off, pausing, rewinding, etc. I started thinking how I could rig such a device myself and that's how I came up with the idea to embed a smartphone case in a plush toy! My son would have something fun and eyecatching to hold (versus the phone's touchscreen) and the plush case would protect my phone from the inevitable bumps and falls. Brilliant, right?  This project is sooooo easy it takes about 15-20 minutes to complete and you probably have all the supplies on-hand.

Gifts for the men in our lives...

Men can be tough ones to buy for. Either they already have it or their wish list is so very specific you are afraid to pick it out by yourself. Or maybe you have the same problem I do... my husband never goes shopping so when he is forced to go around the holidays he sees all this cool stuff and starts buying for himself! I cannot tell you how many times my man has come home with the very same present I just wrapped and tucked under the tree!! This has forced me to be very creative when selecting his gifts. This year I had to be especially creative because for one, it has to fit in checked baggage, and for two, it has to be something he likes and uses in the next two months of hotel living. Ugh. Anyway, I wish I could share what I got him because I am uber excited about it, but alas, he is a darling reader of this blog. So, I will share all the things that couldn't make the cut this year. Read on 'cause they are super-duper cool!

Gift Ideas for the little ones {Link Party}

I am pretty pleased with the Christmas gifts we are getting for my 2 year old son this year. Besides lots of fun toddler toys, he is getting his first set of skis! Could a mama be more proud? Well, maybe if it were a snowboard ;) He gets to start on skis, but I am hoping once he gets the hang of it he will convert and be like mom. Anyway, I had so much fun looking for gifts, I thought I'd share the best of it all here on FMA for those of you still shopping for the little ones in your life. At the end I have opened it up as link party for all of you to share your favorites and handmade gift ideas. I cant wait to see what you all come up with!

Santa Baby...

My 2010 wish list set to the tune of Eartha Kitt's Santa Baby...

DIY Mercury Glass Ornaments

A couple weeks ago Stephanie from Under the Table and Dreaming asked me to contribute a handmade ornament tutorial to her 6 Days of Handmade Series. I was honored and thrilled! I had been toying with the idea of making faux mercury glass ornaments for awhile and this gave me just the motivation I needed. Read on for the easy tutorial...

Decking my halls...

The night after my son's birthday party, down came the clouds and airplanes and up went the boughs of holly. We only have 14 days left in our home before the movers come but I can't help it! I have to decorate. It breaks my heart we wont have Christmas in our home and that we cant have tree this year, so I had to do something. Read on to see how I decked my halls this year...