Throwback bench re-do

Summer times as a kid was always fun. No school, running around with my mom, and being kids. One of my favorite things to do with my mom and aunts were GARAGE SALES! Other peoples old toys were my new toys and it was always a surprise! I needed things to decorate my house with and so I set off one summer for the deals. I figure I have a garage and friends with power tools I can fix it up. I started off with no tools of my own. Lucky for me I have friends so much like my other projects they love to help! That bench I found at a Garage sale across the street from me for $5. I saw it and saw potential. 

I spent a few afternoons removing the pieces of wood and sanding all the ugly red color off. 

When my husband put the bench back together we got some help from a small helper :) Yes he has his own Black and Decker tools, he loves to fix his "car".

The Monogram I ordered from a local gal that had a Vinyl machine. I designed the monogram myself and sent it to her. It was easy to apply and fit perfectly! Look at the great details on the sides of the bench. For five bucks and a bucket of paint and some sand paper. What a great investment!

Ayden - 2 1/2 years old

This is how I know this kid is mines! 
Yes that part of me giving birth to him shoulda tipped me off but from the minute he was born he looked like his Dad exactly! To this day people, by that I mean RANDOM strangers, all say "Wow ayden is Will's mini me!" True, in fact if we were at a store and he got lost if people saw Will they'd know oh it must be that kids dad haha! Back to the picture. We were at Will's friend's wedding and Ayden and I weren't even trying to smile the same it just happened. He's got this bubbly personality like his mom but the shy reserved personality for the first five minutes-like his Dad . He's now two and a half and talking a mile a minute. Asking tons of questions and answering questions even if they aren't directed towards him. What's funny is that even if you try to "trick" him and say it in another language he'll STILL answer hahaha. He's on four languages right now. English being the main, Teochew being second, third Vietnamese, and fourth is Cantonese. He'll answer in the first three languages the most but he hears Cantonese the most when he's out with my in-laws. 
My sister loves talking to him and when he visited her in Texas I think he talked her ear off. She got stuck riding next to him in the car and he kept showing her all the bells and whistles of the rental van as if he were some hot shot or something. He still amazes me every day. He's a great big brother and is very helpful... or at least he tries to be. I'm proud of both my kids. I'm thankful to have two kids, one of each, one "mini-me" of each I really couldn't ask for more. As long as our kids are happy - WE are happy. Our family has grown so much and as our story is being written each chapter gets better and better. 

Aria's first time eating

This is a belated post on Aria's first time eating since she technically started eating a couple of weeks ago. I forget when we started her brother on food but she had recently really been interested in food. Once in a rare time she sits on our laps while we eat food. She started to use her own hands to try to guide our hands with our spoons into her own mouth! We took that as a sign, so we got out the baby food! First up was sweet potatoes.
















She is such a sweet girl and so happy all the time. She rarely gets upset or fussy and we are so blessed at that. When she is upset her crying isn't even that loud...well thats what other people tell us haha. She's now six month old and we cannot believe that much time has passed. I swear some days I its like "wasn't I just pregnant?" Aria is my "mini-me" she loves to talk, looooves jewelry, sings in the car, and pays attention to detail (i.e. she correlates people with glasses to not be nice aka like her Aunt Stephanie -yeah you know its true steph!)

Aria still hasn't gotten the whole "using your tongue during food eating" thing down yet. We'll try more food soon and good thing her aunt Sam gave us a ton of free baby food score! I love her reactions she's so funny. We're happy that she's happy, and well you can tell in the pictures :)

My new venture

Jennifer Tran

I can't even begin to tell everyone how excited and thrilled I am to be part of this AMAZING company. From day one the women in this company have opened their arms and welcomed me to an amazing group and in the short time that I've been in this company only good things have happened. I had my doubts thinking "It can't be that great?" Yup I was scared and doubtful and was proved wrong FAST and met my first goal days after launching my business. And boy was I glad to be proven wrong. I currently work a part time corporate job, a webdesign freelance business on the side, and I am now a Stylist for Stella & Dot (plus I'm a mom of two wonderful kids, a wife, a daughter, a sister, blogger, and an aunty I'm friggin busy) When I say I can do it that really means YOU CAN too. Doesn't have to be a stylist!!! I mean this in any and every aspect of a dream, ambition, and goal in your life. It's so easy to say "I'm too busy, I'm too broke, I'm not ready" but when will you ever feel that ready? Take life as it comes, don't back down. Set a goal, DO IT, and success will change you. That misery that loves company, well that company doesn't have to be you so don't let it be. That's my two cents. Thank you to everyone who has helped me in this chapter in my life. My success would be nothing without you! So spread the word :) 

http://www.stelladot.com/jennifertran

Baby shower gifts

First off I love baby showers! This super cute party celebrating a tiny life thats not yet even here yet. A new mom especially needs to be showered with the cutest/usefull things. Me being a mom twice I know this very well and with each kid I was SURPRISED with a shower and the most beautiful gifts. I have been so blessed with amazing friends/coworkers that I want to "pay it forward" and give good gifts. Of course parts of it are so related to how much I know the mom. I try to be considerate and think of what they would need the most and if time permits I try to be as crafty as possible, try being a key word haha. I will also attempt to guide you through good gift giving through the eyes of a mom and crafty girl.

Key things to remember for a good gift

1. Yes it is absolutely the thought that counts not the dollars spent.

2. Gift registries are great to go off of so that the parents dont end up with four baby bath tubs. They only need one lol! 

3. Giant stuffed animals...NOT so great. why? Cute yes, but where am I going to put a 3ft monkey that collects dust for the first year of my childs life? So put the monkey down...just put it down.

4. Diapers are always ALWAYS a safe great gift EVEN if your mom/dad friend is planning on cloth diapering the first month its usually disposables or when they are on the go. Cause folks babies make the gift that keeps on giving...poop!!

5. YouTube will teach you the ways of creating unique gifts.

6. Gifts of babysitting, cooking food, and or cleaning house are the best FREE gifts a mom could get! My sisters give me this gift and I can't tell you how much I love them for it. So even if you are broke and want to give a good gift a card with a note promising one or all of these items and you will be genius!

All pictures seen on this post were MADE from by JennKnowsIt.com

The diaper cake above was made for baby Isabella, I worked with her mom and she was one of my first friends to have a baby and I had always wanted to make a diaper cake. BTW this "cake" was made like 3 years ago and was one of my first attempts at a baby shower cake so not bad for a first try. But I also had help from Trish and Sara on this baby. 

Super cute baby sleeping cupcakes, tutorial found at http://justjennrecipes.com/ she has some awesome recipes so go check her site out! 

 

This beautiful basket was taught to me by the beautiful Trishy, my friend and former coworker. She can work some magic because she used to work at a gift-basket-making place lol. Tons of baby items rolled into little roses and tucked into nooks and crannies were tons of things for Baby London. Items included onesies, mittens, pants, wash clothes, a bib, hats, baby lotion, and many others. It really was like putting together a bouquet of flowers!

And finally the "Welcome Wagon". This one was all my idea. I had already gifted a diaper cake and a beautiful "Flower basket" so I couldn't give something like that again. I thought way in advanced for this gift because Baby Samantha's parents are good friends of my husband and I. We both know the mommy and daddy from back in high school!! So I looked around and saw these "mini" little tikes red wagon and a light went off. A welcome wagon to welcome a little baby how perfect :) So we ordered the wagon from Amazon and bought all the items to go into it. This wagon was made very similar to the way the flower basket was made but less tissue paper. I did a small bouquet of "flowers" made from baby wash clothes. Rolled onesies into a cupcake roll, and randomly placed all the other items including two blankets, bath towels, more wash clothes, mittens, a hat, pants, and baby lotion. The sign in front I made with my vinyl cutter, hehe an excuse to make vinyl awesome! Plus when Baby Samantha gets older and wants to pull her baby dolls around her parents can remove the vinyl if they wish. So you get the size a toddler could very well pull this wagon..I know because my son pulled it lol!

I've somehow earned a reputation for good baby gifts, in fact some people have told me they want to specifically invite me to their baby showers hahaha while I'm flattered I really want everyone to know that a good gift is really the thought. I really wanted to give Baby London and Samantha very special gifts because their mommies were amazing to me when I was first pregnant with Ayden. I had to wait a year and two years to be able to show them how much I care. I think they loved it and thats all that matters. Have questions on a baby gift just ask me!