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Staying Home Sawyer

Real Life Living on a Real Life Budget

Birthday's, DIY

Do You Respect Wood?

12.01.2014

DIY Lime Coasters“I respect wood. I revere wood. I’m considerate of wood.” (Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm)

While I was looking forward to being out of work for four days for Thanksgiving break, I had to scramble to find the perfect gift for my friend. My bff turned 31 last week. Thankfully, her before me. It’s okay that we’re getting old though, because it just gives us more excuses to drink our life away. Or at least our birthdays away. So in spirit, I had to send her a margarita basket (you can view her box here), since she likes margaritas more than she likes me. She’d argue that, but I doubt she’s going to read this anyway. Hence why I’m blogging about part of her gift before she even opens it.

Lime Slice DIY Coaster

After putting the basket together, I found these adorable coasters on Pinterest. I had to make them. Instead of giving you the directions, I’ll just recommend you visit the site above. She gives much better instructions than I would anyway (and printable sized pieces).

DIY Lime CoastersThey turned out perfectly unperfect for me. I hand sewed each one, and I loved the end result. I hope she does too. I don’t know that they’ll compare with the bottle of Patron or the Skinny Girl individual servings, but they might come in third place. Third place still gets a trophy. Third place is perfect for me.

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DIY, Holidays!

This Year I am Thankful For Cheeseburgers…

11.24.2014

Thanksgiving Sweet Treats Party Favors

This week is a time for gratitude, a time of quiet reflection of the things you are thankful for. Since everyone knows I’m the farthest thing from quiet, I will share my gratefulness here:

Things I am Thankful For

Cheeseburgers

Wine

Cheetos Puffs

Wine

Ice Cream

Chipotle

Wine

You get the point.

On a more serious note, I am very grateful this year for many things. My husband, and the house we just bought. Our health, our families health. My parents, their new-found home of the Bahamas (seriously, who doesn’t want to visit their parents when they live on an island?). All of our friends who love us even though we don’t babysit for their children often. Or hardly. Okay at all.

I am also grateful to have a job, especially given that many people do not. I am grateful that I can pay my bills and still have money left over to buy myself nice things. When they’re on sale. Or clearance.  Or when they come in bottles of wine.

I like to spread the holiday cheer around the office (especially when everyone is wishing they would have taken the entire week off instead of just Thanksgiving). If you follow my blog you know that I have a lot of people to make favors for, so keeping them inexpensive is key. Like I just said, if it’s not on sale, it’s staying at the store. If I’m not buying myself  those new things, I’m not buying them for my coworkers. Sorry guys. You’ll have to buy your own wine.

So these little favors will have to do. Personally, I think they’re adorable. But that’s just me. Probably because I made them…but hey, that counts right?

Thanksgiving Sweet Treats Party Favors

Buy some Reese’s Pieces, get little baggies (I used mini ziploc’s from Michaels, and cut off the tops), some twine, and print this adorable little tag. Put them all together, hand out, and put a smile on someone’s face! Or maybe just my face. One face counts, trust me.

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DIY, Holidays!, Lifestyle

Coming Attraction: Reuben the Elf

11.20.2014

Guess what time it is? It’s Elf on the Shelf time! In other words, in our house, Reuben will soon return! You didn’t think that I would forego this bandwagon did you? Of course not! Reuben is the highlight of our Christmas season. I guess that’s a little pathetic…sigh. And before you ask, the only reason I have a Barbie at my house is to keep Reuben company. He wouldn’t be this cool without friends.

Since we don’t have any “official” children in our house (my husband qualifies occasionally), our elf Reuben can be a little dirty at times. So proceed with caution:

(From Top, Left to Right)

1. Reuben at the Strip Club. And not the kind that serves steaks.

2. Reuben is a Packers fan, so he went hunting Bears before the big game. Clearly he did well, the Bears lost.

3. On December 24th (last day of Elf), Reuben relaxed in a homemade hammock under the Christmas Tree. Don’t worry, that’s milk.

4. B couldn’t find Reuben anywhere, until he put on his PJs. Reuben sewed himself right in.

5. Reuben came in like a Wrecking Ball. Except with clothes on. He has much more common sense than Miley. We’re so proud.

6. Reuben started a bonfire on the stove with all B’s favorite Bears memorabilia. Take Note: He’s roasting marshmallows.

7. Reuben went out to party one night and got locked out. Take note husbands: You leave to party, you get locked out.

8. Reuben came in on a sleigh with 6 ReinBeers. They probably led the way to the party the night before.

My Favorites! The Movie Themes:

Can you guess before I tell you?

1. Silence of the Lambs: Buffalo Bill. “It puts the lotion on its skin.” Reuben even went the extra mile with a woman’s dress and high heels.

2. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: Uncle Eddy. Emptying the “shitter.” Don’t forget the cigar and white bathrobe!

3. Forrest Gump: Self. “Life is like a box of chocolates.”

4. The Godfather: Jack Woltz. Finds his prized horse’s head in his bed. And yes, that bed is handmade. By me. I had a lot of time on my hands.

5. Titanic: Jack. Notice his suspenders, and Barbie is even wearing the Heart of the Ocean.

6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Leonardo. He likes pizza as much as we do.

7. Castaway: Chuck Noland. On his last day, B found a note that said Reuben was on his way back to the North Pole when his plane went down. No one had heard anything from him since. At least he has Wilson.

8. Edward Scissorhands: Self.  He’s trimming the Christmas tree into animal shapes.

1. Dick in a Box (SNL).  Complete with directions.

2. Reuben wanted a brother or sister. Poking holes in protection!

3. Reuben the voyeur. Barbie was on the patio.

4. Spin the bottle. Hope Reuben swings both ways.

5. Beer pong! I hope he made us proud.

6. Ball and Chain. The year before our wedding. Reuben tried to tell B to get out while he could.

7. Marriage Counselor. If you like your marriage counselor, you can keep your marriage counselor.

8. Reuben was arrested. He’s grounded until next year.

We are very excited to see what Reuben has in store for this year. Which Reuben is your favorite?

Shameless plug: Pin your favorite photo collage! You can find all of these and more on Reuben’s Pinterest page!

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DIY

You’re Leaving Me?

11.19.2014

If I promise you fun things, will you stick around? I will promise you the world. It may or may not happen. I will promise you that I’ll be your date to In n Out (this will happen). I’ll even buy. Mostly because the most you could spend there is $5.95. I will also promise you a RedBox movie rental afterwards. I can swing for the $1.29. But don’t think you’re getting drinks too. No one likes greedy people.Going Away DIY Frame Gift

A co-worker of mine clearly didn’t like my promises, because he left anyway. Apparently the promise of a shorter commute was just too much to turn down. I still think my company is a better deal, but hey, my opinion doesn’t really matter. And by company, I don’t mean the job. I mean me. Duh. I bring the sparkle to the party. Do you think my sparkle is what brings all the boys to the yard?

So in honor of his grand exit, I put together this cute (sorry…manly) frame for him to remember us by. I had everyone sign the matte around the opening, and put in a map of our location as the photo. I added a heart for good measure. Because he will be missed.

Now, please tell me that my sparkle is going to keep YOU around. Because I don’t know what I’d do without you. All of you. 😉

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About Me

About Me

Hi Mamas! My name is Shauna, a 30-something (big emphasis on the 'something') new mama and wife living in Southern California. I've become a Stay At Home Mom to Sawyer, and I would do it forever if I could! I'm originally from Wisconsin and am a total Cheesehead! I'm here to share DIY's, travel tips, and baby stuff I'm sure!

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stayinghomesawyer

Save for later. PS: This is my husbands rendition Save for later.

PS: This is my husbands rendition of a “Sexy Willy Wonka.” You know, because being Aladdin, Flynn Ryder, Prince Charming…he couldn’t just be a regular guy for one year. 🤣🤣
Don’t spend today wishing for tomorrow. Find five Don’t spend today wishing for tomorrow. Find five things every night that you’re thankful for, and BE thankful for them. So much of our lives are spent waiting for the next best thing when in reality, it’s sitting right in front of us.
If there’s anything I’ve learned in this life, it’ If there’s anything I’ve learned in this life, it’s to SLOW DOWN.

So much of life is spent going, going, going. Waiting for the next stage. Telling ourselves, “Once we get through this, things will be easier.” Once the kids are older. Once life settles down. Once we have more time. But what if we’re missing the whole point? Because the moments we’re so eager to get through ARE the moments.

Today is the important stuff. The ordinary days. The messy days. The little conversations, the giggles, the routines, the chaos, the moments that don’t feel significant while we’re living them. We spend so much time wishing for the next chapter that we forget we’re already living one we’ll someday wish we could go back to.

So slow down.

Be here.
Pay attention.
Let the moment take as long as it needs to.

Because someday, these will be the days we miss.

**And if you know us personally, you know why I had to jump on this social media trend**
This is your permission slip to let the crafts be This is your permission slip to let the crafts be messy. 

They don’t need to match your house. They don’t need to be Pinterest-worthy. They don’t need to be made with a neutral color palette and a Cricut. They just need to be theirs.

Because someday I’m probably going to miss the paper scraps, the glue everywhere, the questionable color combinations, and the little masterpieces I had no idea what to do with. Let them make the ugly craft. Let them make a mess. Let them create something that looks nothing like what you had in mind.

Childhood doesn’t have to be aesthetically pleasing to be beautiful.
When you stop to think about the fact that one day When you stop to think about the fact that one day all of her toys will be someone else’s toys, she’ll be heading off to college, and all I’ll be left with are these videos…
This is NOT a post to bash moms that are happy the This is NOT a post to bash moms that are happy their kids are going back to school. My neighbors and I commiserate all summer long about how long the days are, how frustrating the kids can be, how much they’re fighting, etc. 

But my days are always like that, and even though it’s exhausting and overwhelming at times, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Even if I only have ONE moment like this a day, it’s one moment a day I could miss out on if they were in a traditional school. 

So here’s to whatever choice you are making in regards to your kids education. What’s best for YOU is most important. And what’s best for us is this.
I honestly never thought I’d be the mom saying yes I honestly never thought I’d be the mom saying yes
 to slime... but here we are.

The difference? This isn’t just a container of slime
 to squish around. The Slime Prank Lab by @CrunchLabs
turns it into an activity. We spent the afternoon mixing the slime, experimenting with different textures, and (of course) testing out the ridiculously funny booger and fart pranks. 🤣

My girls were completely entertained, and I loved watching them create, experiment, and laugh together. It feels like pure fun for the kids, but there’s actually some pretty cool science and engineering behind it all, plus Mark Rober walks you through even more with the QR code inside the kit.

Who in your family would be the first prank target? 
#sponsored #crunchlabs @moosetoys_
I’m about as outdoorsy as an overwater bungalow in I’m about as outdoorsy as an overwater bungalow in Tahiti can be.

#tahiti
A core memory I didn’t know I’d be making… This w A core memory I didn’t know I’d be making…

This weekend at church, my daughter got to light the candles for the first time. At the end of the service, when she went up on her own to extinguish them, proud tears dropped from my eyes. And as I looked around at others, I noticed I wasn’t the only one. 

If you had asked me in my early to mid twenties, I wouldn’t have imagined how much this community, this faith, and these little traditions would come to mean to our family. There was a season of my life, long before I became a mom, where I drifted away from actively going to church. Now, getting to watch my girls grow up surrounded by faith, love, and a church family who knows them and celebrates them feels like such a gift.
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