Kay's 18 Month old Update

Hello lovelies! I know I haven't been blogging very much and it's because well, my lupus has been kicking my read like no other. I don't know if it's due to the weather change or is it because baby Kay has been more active then ever but let's just say boy do I need a nice spa day or a day to myself to rest. I'm glad I got a day last weekend when hubby was off that he took the kids to visit family and I was able to stay home due to still recovering from a cold and flare up I just didn't feel right visiting any one especially when there is babies around. Me as a mom wouldn't want anyone coming to visit my home sick to spread their germs so I just thought it wasn't appropriate. Who else thinks this? I really hope I'm not the only mom who thinks oh my goodness germs!!!

I'm hoping that as Kay almost enters her second year in less then 6 months that she calms down a tiny bit. She really is a handful but such a delight too! I feel like she hit the terrible twos early! Is that even possible? My other 3 never really had terrible twos so this is new to me. It's true what they say that no child is alike and Kay has brought on a totally different parent experience into our lives. She's lovable but stubborn. She's expressive and demanding. Hubby says it's because she's me and I laugh because she has all my little traits meshed with his and I can't help but to stare at her and think wow this lil girl really is a blessing and to think she almost passed during her birth.

Everyday we sit and try to practice some letters and words on her lil writing tab that she likes to draw on. Then I pick two books and read to her and leave them for her to flip threw once we are done. So I really try to incorporate some time with her everyday no matter how much pain I am in. She loves to sit and watch me cook and if I'm in the kitchen or daddy in the kitchen she's right there in the mix! She doesn't like to sit a lone during dinner even if it is in her own table and chair so Lily or Ethan tend to take turns to sit with her which is really sweet! The older kids are super helpful with her and love to play and spend time with her. I didn't doubt them and knew they wouldn't be jealous even though they are older and there was another person taking a bit of time away from them and I am glad. They all stick together and are very loving despite their lil petty arguments over the Xbox which is typical at their age.

 So I hope you enjoy this little 18 months update of Kay! I am now in the works of trying to see wether to do a blues clues theme or a Mickey club house theme since those are the two shows she's currently obsessing over. Im going to keep it small again and let it just be us and close friends. I guess when October comes around we can really know what theme I went with, stay tuned for that in my future blog! Take care and stay blessed!

 Xo, Vanessa

Family trip, the first of 2015

We haven't made many family trips since Kay was born due to sheltering her from her week stint in the nicu and trying very hard to keep her safe and waiting for the all clear medical wise. I mean you can't blame me! 

We decided that what better way to make sure the kids have a good spring/summer then to get the season pass to an indoor/outdoor water park. That way they can't get bored and we will have something to always do on his days off when we are on a strict budget!

It really pays for itself the membership because it's worth 2 entrances and in the summer it's not only indoor its outdoor and there's just so much to do that you cannot enjoy it all in just one visit. 

Im glad we were able to enjoy this experience with kay and the other 3. I spent the first hour and a half with Kay in the kiddie pool section and she attempted to swim several times and I had to remind her it wasn't deep enough but she still wanted to swim, my little mermaid! 

Then me and hubby switched and he took over baby duty while I went with Lily, ethan and branden to the family slide. It was a long walk up but it was awesome hearing them laugh and enjoy it so much. 

I was expecting either branden or kay to kinda feel weird or have a moment due to how loud it was. There was a dJ and tons going on but they handled it fairly well. I guess the excitement of this new adventure and even tho I was fairly disheartened about how a lot of the parents had zero control over their children. 

The lifeguards were more vigilant then the parents and to me that was very sad because even though I let kay walk and explore I made sure she was safe and in no danger and the others are so well behaved and always stick together. 

 Hoping the next time we go the experience is not like this one. And that kay continues to enjoy as much of what I can offer her to experience even at the age of 1. Enjoy some of these photos! 

Putting on her life vest for the lazy river that she made us do twice!

Enjoying the swing in the baby section :) 

Xoxo, Vanessa 

Diy toddler skirt tutorial

As spring approaches near us it's time for skirts and dresses! It's my favorite thing to wear and to put on my lil girls. I love The fact that I can piece this simple skirt in less than 45 minutes. I can't tell you specific measurements because I basically just eyeball measure from baby's waist and length and leave a few inches to me sewn down. So basically just measure out your child with the fabric and pin. 

Fold over a few inches on the top of the thickness you would like and that's how I see how long it will be on her so I measure it so she will be able to wear it for awhile past her knees. 

When sewing the piece of the skirts top first try to see it to the last row on the foot plate so it will have enough room to look ruffled etc. 

I make sure that the second sewn line is the size of my fingertip for when I slide the elastic in it will have room

When sewing the bottom of the skirt make sure to fold it twice of 1/2 an inch 

When sliding the elastic threw the second sewn line make sure you hold the other end if not you will lose it and it will pop all the way and you will have to slide it out and slide it back in. Trust I let go a few times and it can take away from your project. 

Hold pieces together and see it twice back and forth to secure elastic from popping off. Make sure when you measure the elastic around the child to stretch alil as if they were wearing it and leave an inch extra for growth so it won't be as tight on her. Just my tip. 

Now it's time to connect the final last step of making the skirt. Sew only to the part where the elastic is at. 

And then sew the final top part for the final closure

Flip skirt over and viola!!! A simple but great skirt fit for a perfect lil girl on a nice spring/summer day. The photo on the left is my oldest Lily wearing the skirt I made her and then on the right Kay's matching skirt so both sisters will look cute together for Easter. I've made several skirts today and here is the photos below. Enjoy have fun and don't get too frustrated it took me about two to three skirts to do it as fast as I do it now 30/45 minutes. My first skirt took me about two hours! Remember to always breath. 

This skirt I used two strips of fabric and sewed it to a plain fabric to make it pop! Always have fun and think outside the box so baby can look great and have a unique piece of clothing. 

This is by far my favorite skirt that I've made for baby kay. 

These are the other four skirts I made for kay. The first three I didn't do the middle elastic I just did a regular skirt which is a bit faster but the other looks so much prettier and girlie right? 

Hope this tutorial helped because I really tried to explain it as best as I could being still a novice sewer and no measuring tape lol. 

Stay blessed! 

Xo, Vanessa 

Let's get organized! Inside my planner

I discovered Bullet journaling via Instagram just one day upon many of my followers. It caught my attention! (Look on Pinterest to see which type of journaling/organization works best for you) I did some research and boom the next morning I set out and got the beginning of my new hobby/obsession!

Then I got my first planner which is a simple mead planner that I got at target. It has a zipper and once the planner is used up you can still use it for the next planners etc. 

I inserted two more journal notebooks into it. One for my brain dump which is ideas and stuff for my etsy shop Reyes boutique and blog before it totally escapes me due to my busy household of 6 (adding everyone lol). Then I have another where I just write my random daily stuff and check it off. 

I only write in the mead planner major tasks in the weekly parts. In the monthly part I am now using it for the memorable moments that I want to remember like my oldest Branden who has autism gave me a hug... Etc. 

Now as I continue to grow as a planner nerd, I have become comfortable enough to do the binder planning. I'm excited to say that there's only two that I would consider which 1 I have already ordered which is the kikki k live bright medium/personal planner which was on 50% sale so I scored it for $24.95 whoa!. The second one we will call it my unicorn which is the webster color crush planner in ocean or dark pink. 

Im hoping once my kikki k comes I can do a video and start doing walk throws and even planner layouts videos & hauls of goodies etc. Stay tuned for my YouTube channel. So yup one more gorgeous thing you can learn from me and even do with me! 

Look forward to a pocket letter pal post & pen pal posts soon!  

So much more is in store this year other than recipes like I mostly did last year. 

Enjoy the photos of the inside of my planner! 

Week 12 layout in the mead weekly planner

To bullet journal you must have a key. 

Index is to know where you can find which month begins & other info. I number my pages on the top right. For the index leave the page behind it blank just in case you need more space

I have a chronic pain disease so I keep track of the times during the day where my pains are intolerable to the point that I have to take meds. This is essential for me in my bullet journal for my doctor and for myself. 

Next few photos are of layouts I played with with the bullet journal. 

First layout with the top 3 to do 

2nd layout I broke it into 3 sections I plan to go back to this but adding more sections 

Current layout. 

Layouts can be fun and can be changed at anytime. I don't pre-write the dates, I just continue on using the space. 

I just discovered stamps so you will later see how I incorporate stamps into my layouts. 

I plan to have a section in my kikki k for bullet journaling! 😀 that's how much I enjoy it if I cant make the layout in the kikki k function but hopefully I can create my own daily page printable so I can have it in my planner and it will be more me! 

Hope that as i endeavor in this new journey you will join me. Watch it more on my Instagram Fourxblessed 

Xo, Vanessa 🌺

Regrowing vegetables DIY

I found this very interesting to do on PINTEREST of course. I just had to try it out for myself.

Now I'm even more eager to regrow even more vegetables. Not only does it save you $$ but it also is nice to watch how nature can regrow after its been used and a fun thing for the kiddies to see and learn about as well.

Here are my photos of the two romaine lettuces I've began to regrow.

This is after a week!

I hope this inspires others to look up what else you can regrow! The possibilities are endless. Help the earth and not waste food.

XO, Vanessa

Repurposed Baby Formula Can To a Wipe Container

My latest quick baby project is super cute and easy that just anyone can do it!
I save my daughters formula cans because you just never know when you might need em.
Low and behold I needed a wipes container since the box of pampers wipes that came in the mail weren't resealable and having them in a ziplock bag wasn't making me happy at all!

I put my thinking cap on and was like OMG I can use the formula can to place the wipes in em!
Mind you I did this without the help of PINTEREST. Ha, I feel real proud right now. And I hope other mommies that have this trouble can find my solution and redo what I did.

Below are the photos with some details. ENJOY!

Empty Formula Can.

Wipes.

Used cardstock paper to wrap the can. Some ribbon for decoration. Vinyl for the sign.

Cut an X slit on the top enough for the wipes to pull threw and NOT dry out.

Finished Product!

Note:Only half of the wipes fit in the can so place the other half in a ziplock air tight bag so you can refill this can once you are running low.

Kay's baby station. Doesn't it look great and pretty next to her bins of CLOTH DIAPERS!?

Hope everyone enjoyed this post.

Spring time

Spring is tomorrow. Even though the weather is gloomy and rainy I decided it was a great day to do Kay's spring photos. I used my new cricut machine for the banner I hang in my dining room and used it for the props even though lil Kay wanted nothing more than to chew it all. Im glad I invested in this machine! Enjoy the photos. Xo, Vanessa.

Macarons Review

Macarons are so popular and I just needed to see what the craze was about. A friend of mine has a wonderful lil baking design business and she had a taste sample box for sale so I snagged those up with the order I placed for my birthday. Once I ate one i just couldn't stop eating them. I didn't think I would enjoy the other flavors because I'm such a die hard chocolate fan but my favorite one is the Pina Colada! They were beyond perfect to me and by far the best lil cookies I have ever had. Each of my kids even had one and let me tell you they are cookie monsters! Husband was super impressed as well and was like oh man those are so good, she did a good job! So if anyone wants to place an order or even check out her wonderfully designed cakes head over to her site! http://ccxcd.com/ Please make sure you said Vanessa from four times blessed sent ya!

the chocolate one was my first victim :)

Being able to help other small business is something I would love to do even more often then not. Just wish more would be willing to let me help them.

On a brighter not those macarons made my day. Thanks Crystal! Keep on baking!

xo, Vanessa.

Coping with so much..

Lately Kay, our new addition has been oh so fussy. She's been with a lil cold so we got her a vaporizer to help her sleep soundly at night. Slather her up in baby Vicks rub and have the Baltic amber beads around her lil ankles. So far I've had it on her for less than a week and she's been ok. When she had a fever it got so hot and that's when I took her temp and was amazed! I will be purchasing her the necklace soon. 

I even got Ethan the same amber bracelet cuz he has a lot of growing pains. So far since he has put it on he hasn't woke up from his sleep screaming in agony. Usually when he plays outdoors like he did during our snow days he's out of commission and in pain but nope not anymore! I just hope it continues to work for him. And that when he gets his x rays and blood work we can get some answers to what's going on with him but as of right now I wish not to divulge the details.

On feb 20th my mom will be undergoing her surgery to remove her cancer. That has me on edge but I haven't displayed it nor spoken about it. I guess the less I talk about it the more I won't have to hear peoples fake sympathy.

I've become very introverted and just been very quiet about a lot of things. I used to be such a huge social butterfly and now I'm perfectly content not seeing or being around anyone. I mean I love going to church and doing stuff for my church but other than that I'm pretty much really closed off. 

Since the winter started I've been sick with the flu twice. I so hope I don't get sick again because man it knocks me off my axis and I can barely function correctly. 

So upon me dealing with so much I've discovered that experimenting with recipes and building new ideas for my girls has helped me cope with all the ongoing stress. I really can't wait for me to get my sewing machine to make up a lot of pretty lil skirts and sun dresses for the girls. Be on the look out for that. I will also be making lil girls matching button earrings with the skirts and matching fabric bows. Really don't want to deal with ribbon anymore.

Sparkles my other dog left three weeks ago and is still missing. I know someone has her but I'm still distraught about missing her sweet self that was so playful and lovable. 

Told ya there's been a lot going on! 

Well that's it, a slight update. Xo, Vanessa 

Chocolate chip fudge brownie Cookie Recipe

Need a chocolate fix? This cookie is for you chocolate lovers like me! Hope you enjoy the recipe xo

2 sticks of butter soft

1 1/4 cup of sugar 

1/2 cup of cocoa powder

2 1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt (I use sea salt)

1 tsp of baking powder 

2 large eggs

Mix all dry ingredients then the soft butter. The add one egg mix then add another egg. I added a cup of chocolate chips and mixed again. 

Ball up into lil balls and press down 

Bake at 350 for 10/15 mins 

They will be soft and gooey and oh so delicious! Enjoy 

Free app must have!

I came across this free app for apple users and want to share it with my readers. It's called 12 days of gifts feel free to download and see what apple gives you! It can give you music, books and even other free apps! Take care and have a happy New Years! 

Chocolate chip fudge brownie Cookie Recipe

Need a chocolate fix? This cookie is for you chocolate lovers like me! Hope you enjoy the recipe xo

2 sticks of butter soft

1 1/4 cup of sugar 

1/2 cup of cocoa powder

2 1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt (I use sea salt)

1 tsp of baking powder 

2 large eggs

Mix all dry ingredients then the soft butter. The add one egg mix then add another egg. I added a cup of chocolate chips and mixed again. 

Ball up into lil balls and press down 

Bake at 350 for 10/15 mins 

They will be soft and gooey and oh so delicious! Enjoy 

Free app must have!

I came across this free app for apple users and want to share it with my readers. It's called 12 days of gifts feel free to download and see what apple gives you! It can give you music, books and even other free apps! Take care and have a happy New Years! 

Chocolate chocolate chip cake -recipe

Every girl has her little chocolate fits, I know I sure did last night. So I decided to make a chocolate chocolate chip cake and it was oh so delicious. Here's the recipe I found and enjoy xo!

Chocolate cake mix: 

1 cup flour 

1 cup sugar 

1/4 cup cocoa powder 

1 tsp of baking powder

1/4 tsp of baking soda

1/4 tsp salt 

3/4 cup of milk 

1/4 cup of butter softened

1/2 tsp of vanilla

1 egg

Mix all dry ingredients first and then the rest. 

Bake at 350 for 45 mins

Enjoy