Turkey killing and a freebie

I may or may not have accidentally killed a turkey and two cats when I was a little girl. I grew up on a farm in Orem, Utah. It was just a really small family farm and all we really did was raise a few animals and an abundance of dogs, but as you can imagine it was a very eventful childhood and there was always some kind of crisis going on, one of which I will tell you about now :)

We'll save the killing-of-the-cats story for another time. But as for the turkey, let's just say I thought he really really needed a bath. Looking back, it's really quite amazing that the bath itself didn't kill the turkey. I mean, I was quite talented to be able to give a turkey a bath period, but then to not drown it is another thing entirely. It was after the bath that was the problem. I don't really remember what time of year it was, but it was cold and my around-7-year-old-brain couldn't think through the fact that Mr. Turkey should be dried off really well before he was sent back to his barnyard home (where were my parents?! really :). It suffice to say that his death was probably a slow and unpleasant one. May Mr. Turkey rest in peace.

In honor of Mr. Turkey, I have a Thanksgiving giveaway! Remember this post from last year? Here are some new "thankful" tags for this year. What a wonderful way to record what your family is thankful for from year to year.

You can download the PDF here.

Check out this freebie from last year as well!

Or all of these Thanksgiving posts.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Family Picture Wardrobe Ideas

We are getting our family pictures taken next week. Most of you have probably already gotten yours taken for the year, but I thought I'd share a few wardrobe ideas for those of you who haven't!

Sometimes, choosing a wardrobe for the family seems overwhelming. There are a million options and it can be hard to coordinate without looking too matchy-matchy. Here are a few of tips to help your family look like a million bucks!

• Start with one favorite piece of clothing and work from there (look for something that's unique)
• Choose one, two or three basic colors, then vary with shades and patterns
• Choose clothing that looks tailored and thoughtful (pleats, buttons, ruffles, etc.)
• Dont put anyone in the same shirt or outfit- different outfits add visual interest to the photo
• Layer, layer, layer! This is the #1 secret to having magazine-worthy family photos 
• Accessorize with hats, leg warmers, scarves and belts

Notice her beautiful orange jacket with pleats

For a larger family, doing one color really simplifies the photo and makes it feel classy

 I love the dressed-up-with-jeans look

Notice all the layers in these two photos! The vests are so adorable on the boys.

Her boots are great, along with the brown tights

Love the addition of the brown velvet blazer and dress for texture.

When trying to choose colors, think of the color wheel. Any colors across 

from each other will generally look good together. 

If all else fails, find a family photo that you love and copy it to the T!

Now for where to get your clothing... Most of us don't (or choose not to) shop at the pricey name-brand stores. If you would like a tailored look without the expense, try shopping at H&M, Forever 21, or my new favorite online store, Nextdirect.com. They are a UK-based company (I think) and are the perfect balance between great style and affordable prices. I am in no way being compensated for promoting their store- I just love the clothing :)

Good luck! Here's to beautiful family photos.

All photos by Rebekah Westover Photography

Freebie Friday: Being happy in the journey

My husband and I have been spending a large portion of our free time putting together house plans and looking for building lots. It's been oh-so-much work already and we haven't purchased a thing! Despite that, though, it has been such a pleasure to daydream about our someday home. The designer side of me is so very excited for tall ceilings and layout and finishes of my choosing; the mother and wife in me is sentimental about the memories that will be made within the walls of this home and the inches my children will grow, and the practical side of me feels incredibly guilty for the whole thing.

This process has caused me to give a great deal of thought to the conveniences we enjoy as a culture. What a blessing to have all that we could need and want. How is it fair to enjoy so much excess when there are millions of people in the world that get by with a fraction of what we have? Suddenly, building a home with all the best finishes seems like indulgence to the max! But more than that, I've realized in a very sure way that having a nicer home is not going to make me happier than I already am. Sure, it will be nice to pull into a garage instead of parking outside- but I have a car! It will be amazing to welcome guests into a perfectly put-together living room and have the mess beyond the entry be invisible - but we have a warm home and an abundance of toys for my children to make messes with! 

It is so easy to think of the next step in life and believe, "When this happens I will be happy." But I have come to know in a very real way that finding joy and happiness in the journey is the mark of a grateful, humble person. And that living with this perspective, we can each find that we are more abundantly blessed than we had ever realized. 

Of course it's ok to enjoy the luxuries in life, we just need to be sure our hearts

are in the right place and that we aren't waiting for the next big thing to bring

us happiness. 

We will still be planning our dream home, but in the meantime I will look for

ways to make our current home more beautiful - not just in finishes and decor,

but in the time and love shared with my family here.

To download the "joy in the journey" PDF, click here.

*****

I found a wonderful article on this very subject as it pertains to your home. 

You can read it here.  She gives some wonderful tips on loving your home now, 

even if it's not perfectly the way you want it to be.

You can also find a wonderfully inspiring speech on the topic here.

Happy Friday!

Freebie Friday

In an effort to get ready for baby girl, we moved the furniture in the nursery 

around. It left this wall right when you walk in completely empty so I set out to

create a print to hang on the wall. 

I inherited the frame when my grandpa passed away. With just a simple coat

of gold spray paint, and a custom cut matte from Hobby Lobby (about $4),

I am so pleased with how it turned out and how it looks in the room!

I want my children to always know that they are children of a loving

Heavenly Father - and what better way to remind them of this than to have

it hanging on their wall?

Click here to download the free PDF!

Freebie Friday

Anyone who has had children knows how difficult it can be to see how your body changes during pregnancy and childbirth. Pregnancy and childbirth are miracles: miracles that leave your body less than perfect when you're all finished.

With my first pregnancy I lost 15 pounds in the beginning from being so sick which helped the weight come off really fast after I had #1. I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight just 10 days after having him! But the composition of my body was very different than it had been before.

Now, after pregnancy and childbirth #2 the story is the same plus an extra 5 pounds. 5 pounds may not seem like much, but even 5 pounds can mean a lot when it's the difference between fitting in all of your jeans or not! We can all relate to that, right?

So! This is where I am-- with a body that seems foreign to me. I'm ready for a change, and I'm ready to fit into all of my designer jeans again :) Here's my plan:

Click here to download the PDF.

The goal section is empty on the PDF so that you can set your own goal.

Who's with me?!

Back!

It has been almost a year since I said goodbye to the Whimsy Place blog. In that time we added another member to our growing family!

Cambridge Colette is now 8 weeks old and my little angel. We are so delighted to have her here and her sweet little spirit brings so much happiness to our home! I love being a mother to my two beautiful children.

As many of you know, my pregnancies have been so incredibly difficult that it's nearly impossible to focus on anything other than getting by - which is the real reason I had to take a break from Whimsy Place. But now that my babe is here and we are over the hump of sleepless nights, I am so very excited to be back!

Over the last 5 years I have dabbled in a number of creative pursuits: frame making, photography, interior design, stationery design and sales, etc. I get in full-swing with a website, clients, sourcing, etc. only to come to realize that I cannot sustain the amount of clients I've received without jeopardizing my roll as mother. It's been hard to find a balance between being a wife and mother, and having a fulfilling creative outlet. I'm sure so many of you have been in the same place!

Every time I have decided to "quit" something, or shift my focus back to my family I have felt guilty and silly for letting all my clients down, but knew it was the right decision at the time. After a lot of thought and consideration, I believe I have finally found the right place for me! I will use this blog to share my creative pursuits - whatever they may be at the time. For example,

• I'm working to lose my post-baby weight and created a chart to track my progress. I will be posting that as a freebie tomorrow. 
• My son needed some activities to keep him entertained during church so I designed a magnetic quiet book which I posted on Pinterest and have now had over 20,000 page views from.
• I designed some art for our new nursery which I will post as a freebie next week.

So, my plan is to continue doing and designing the things I would normally do! The only difference is that I will post them here for anyone and everyone to use. I can't promise regular posts, and my posts may seem random, but I hope you'll still stick around and enjoy some of my creativity. 

Thank you for your love and support!