Small talk.

Can anyone relate?

It's been more often than not lately that I find myself struggling to remember how normal adults converse in a social outing. Whats appropraite to talk about, whats not. Any of us find ourselves filling social time with talk of the babies?

Your not alone.

But thank you God, for my new social status, wouldn't trade these babies for world.

Homemade Pickles, y'all!

As you know from an earlier post my family came to visit at the beginning of the month. And you know what that meant? Food. And lots of it. I got a great recipe from my sweet southern sister, that is sure to please all you pickle lovers out there! (You know how I love your cooking, Sylv, and I'm allowed to call you "southern" because I'm a bona fide "northerner" now!)

Ingredients:

Cucumbers

Vinegar

Sea Salt

Pepper

Peel your cucumber and chop them up into 1/2" slices

 let them soak in vinegar, salt and pepper for about 20 minutes
or longer depending on how tart you like them.



Drain and chill.

Yum yum. Perfect hot summer day snack.

DIY Workout Tank

Even though my Zumba classes ended last week, 

I've been looking for things to lounge work out in.

Unfortunately, the spandex UnderAmour shirts aren't my best look,
so I decided to go another direction.

The DIY workout tee. 

*It works best with the softer material shirts, 

but plain tees work ok too. (Like the one I have pictured)

What you need:

 Step 1: Cut out neck, sleeves and bottom hem.

 Step 2: Cut the back of the shirt into a razorback.

 Step 3: Make sure you cut the neckline as low as you want it.

Step 4: Cut out a deep V in the back of the shirt.

 Step 5: Tie the back of of shirt, where you make the V, 

with the bottom hem that was left over.

 Step 6: Wrap up the back with the fabric, as high as you would like to go.

All done, party rock in your new lounge work out shirt. ;)

And the winner is....

According to our input into Random.org, the winner of our giveaway is....

Hannah Grantham

Congrats for winning the wall planter, and thanks so much for sharing it on all of your accounts! I am so thankful for all my readers! 

This Just In! Wall Planter Giveaway!

My Etsy shop just got a fun face lift, with a new fancy-schmancy banner from Danielle Burkleo. 

I thought it would be fun to do a giveaway to show it off a bit...

Soooo..

I'm giving away a favorite product, my Mason Jar Wall Planter! 

These are my best sellers in my Etsy store. Over 9,000 views and 1,300 admirers!

Giveaway will begin today and end on Friday, July 13th.

The winner will win 1 Mason Jar Wall Planter/Hanger, shipped to an address of your choice!

How to enter:

1. You have 4 options! You will get an entry for each one

 that you choose to do:

Tweet my shop on your Twitter,

Share my shop on your Facebook, 

Pin the above picture to your Pinterest,

Post the above photo to your Instagram.

Here's the link: www.shopmotherhoodmusings.com

  2. Leave a comment with your name and the links to where you shared it.

(i.e your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram)

3. And last, you can follow my blog, or favorite my Etsy shop if you fancy!

•  

I'm so excited to give one of these away, its always fun to win something! 

•  

*Valid for US only. No purchase necessary to enter. Void where prohibited. 

(That sounds serious, huh?)

Winner will be picked at random via Random.org.

The Seals came to Michigan.

Last week, my parents, my sister, brother-in-law and nephews came to visit us!

I was sooo happy to show them where I live.

Here's some photos from the week.

DIY Lamp Shade Revamp

Raise your hand if every lamp shade in your house is cream, beige, tan, or white.

Perfect! This is for you. 

It's 2 steps, and can be done in 5 minutes. Ready?

What you need:

Old lamp shade

Spray paint

Plastic bag

Tape

1. Tape off the top with any type of tape and a plastic grocery bag.

2.  Spray lamp shade in even coats until completely covered.

*Tips* To check if you have enough coats: Replace shade and turn on the lamp. The shade will be slightly splotchy if you need another coat.  Also, I suggest a lighter color paint so splotchy spots are minimized and light can come through better.

I also suggest doing this the first time with a shade you aren't necessarily in love with in case spraying goes astray. :) Better safe than sorry!