Emmy Mom--One Day at a Time

What Do You See?

2012-01-27T05:30:00.000-08:00

Look at this picture what do you see? The boy nicely doing his homework?

Me? I see the bag- the bag that contains his blanket that I tossed outside in a minute of frustration.

You see, he was sitting down nicely and doing his work, but then he decided to get up and terrorize his sister stealing her blanket-a blanket that just the day before had been missing and caused the end of the world (you can read about that on my photo blog here)-- so I calmly went up to his room, grabbed his blanket from his bed, put it in a bag, and tossed it outside- telling him he would get it back when homework was done.

See this picture, what do you see?
Me? I see a boy nicely doing his homework.

And that is some good news.

Linking up with

P.S. Next week on Tuesday the 31st- it will be the next round of Ten Things to Smile About- spread the word, tell your friends, great way to look back and find the good things in the month as even in the worst months there is always something that makes us smile.

Proud Mommy Moments: Daddy Doesn't Lie

2012-01-26T03:00:00.000-08:00

It's Thursday! Time for Proud Mommy Moments! Proud Mommy Moments (#PMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kmama and myself. It is your chance to brag about your kids, tell us the things they did and/or tell us about those things that make you so so "proud"-i.e. totally embarrassed- but hey at least it makes for good blogging material. Grab the button, link up and play along.

Last week I let a few extra links up slide, but please do not link up unless you are linking up a PMM and please add the button to spread the word.

Some noise and commotion arose from the family room. Lucas and Alex were at it again- both equally guilty, both doing things back and forth.
Then suddenly Alex comes running in.
Alex: "Mom, Lucas is kicking me!"
Eric sarcastically replied: "Mom, Alex is breathing the same air as me."

Alex stopped in her tracks. "Dad, you tell the truth; you don't tell on people."
I think I snorted then asked: "So why do you?"
Alex: "Because Mom, because... because I.... because I am supposed to."

And that my friends is the the sort of things I deal with on a daily basis. Jealous?

P.S. This Tuesday the 31st will be Ten Things to Smile About for January! Spread the word and link up!!

What is your Proud Mommy Moment this week?

What To Wear On the 100th Day of School

2012-01-25T05:30:00.000-08:00

If you have a kid in elementary school you are probably well aware of the the 100th day of school. Not only do they count down to it, but they have a party for it. And of course if there is a party there is usually things the kids have to do, like bring in 100 of something and my son has to wear something for the 100th day.

Since we recently failed at a mini science project (more about that next week) I wanted it to be something good. The paper suggested a chain with 100 beads, a shirt with 100 safety pins and other ideas. We came up with 100 Fingers for the 100th day of School

There are five people in our family- so each member did their hand prints twice- once on the front, once on the back. Our hands all fit nicely, even with my husband's huge hands (he is 6'8"- his hands match his body).

Lucas wrote the names of each family member and I wrote 100 days.Cute huh? We thought about doing our feet on the back- but decided that with my husband's size 15 feet it would be a tight fit.

Tips: We did one side a night- so plan ahead- or leave time to dry before flipping. Also, I stuck a flat box inside the shirt while painting each side to ensure the paint did not soak through. We used regular acrylic paint. We used a sponge brush to brush the paint onto our hands, rather than dipping, to ensure an even coating and not too much paint. What are you doing for the 100th day?

Easy School Lunch Ideas

2012-01-24T05:30:00.000-08:00

The reason I joined Pinterest (follow me here if you are pinterest)) many months ago was for lunches; specifically school lunches. I hate lunch! Why? I never know what to make for it, and now I have to make a lunch for my son to take to school everyday? Trust me, I tried to get him to buy school lunches, but when we went through the menu there was about one thing a week that he agreed to eat.

I started searching for lunch ideas- but I realized a problem, there was no way my son would eat half of the things I was pinning. At home, he might eat them with ~~bribes~~ prompting but at school on his own, I knew right where all those lunches would end up.

So I used the ideas I found and scaled it down a notch- or ten- as yes, I am crafty and creative but I am not going to spend 20 minutes creating a house from a sandwich.

The Lunch Box:
I looked into all of those sites with great lunch boxes with the containers with dividers and was all set to buy one, but then at Target I happened to stumble upon this lunch box and went to the Tupperware section and found Ziploc divided containers.Some of the lunch box sites talk about how the Ziploc ones are inferior and wear out, I bought two sets of four and have used them for 5 months now and they are still in perfect shape and a fraction of the price.

Easy Lunch Ideas:
*feel free to modify these with what your kid likes.

What is your favorite school lunch idea?

And it's Tuesday so linking up with IA and Shawn

And linking up with these amazing craft/project parties

I am linking this post up at the following crafting blogs

Some Days

2012-01-23T05:30:00.000-08:00

Some days I feel guilty for letting my daughter watch one too many shows;
Some days I don't care as I need a break.

Some days I rock at the whole housekeeping thing, laundry, dishes, floors swept;
Some days I wonder how I will make it to the other side of the room because of the mess.

Some days I put on cute clothes, pants that fight just right and know I am smoking hot;
Some days I look in the mirror and wonder when the circles and lines got so big and dark.

Some days I find whatever snack looks good and is within my reach;
Some days I eat good healthy meals even getting all of my vegetables for the day.

Some days I just don't know how I will do it and don't even want to;
Some days it just seems so easy.

Every day no matter what that someday may have brought, I know that I am a daughter of God who loves me and wants so much more for me, some days I just remember it more than others.

Memories Captured: Little Boys

2012-01-20T05:30:00.000-08:00

Okay I have had this picture ready all week but am finally getting this post done now. Have you see the great Memories Captured meme- if not check it out it is fun.

So I have two pictures this time. I started off creating this first onewhich I love, but as I was making it, my mind started forming a poem

and this was born

Proud Mommy Moments: Really Already?

2012-01-19T03:00:00.000-08:00

It's Thursday! Which this week for us is like Friday as the kids have no school tomorrow- yes they just went back and already have a four day weekend! Anyway, focus Emily, Proud Mommy Moments is a weekly meme hosted by Kmama and myself. It is your chance to brag about your kids, tell us the things they did and/or tell us about those things that make you so so "proud"-i.e. totally embarrassed- but hey at least it makes for good blogging material. Grab the button, link up and play along.

All of the sudden the last couple of days Ryder is talking up a storm. Well way more then almost nothing he had been saying. A lot of it is still pretty unclear but he is obviously repeating everything I say. He even surprised me by saying, circle (ircle), square(quare), star (ar) and triangle (tri-gule) while he stacked those shaped blocks the other day. It is adorable when little kids begin talking.

As they get older sometimes the talking isn't as cute- especially when they get big into potty humor. It get's old fast.

So let me set up the scene while I was changing Ryder's diaper the other day.

"Ryder your face is messy," I stated while changing his diaper, "we need to clean it."

Ryder then grabbed the clean diaper and began wiping his face with it.

"You don't use a diaper to wipe your face" I said

His eyes suddenly lit up "Pee!" he said while waving the diaper in the air and then began uncontrollably giggling.

Seriously?! Potty humor and you aren't even two?

Heaven help me.

What is your Proud Mommy Moment today?

The Shovel

2012-01-18T05:30:00.000-08:00

I ran through the backyard my hair flowing behind me my dog quickly on my heels. We stopped and I rubbed my hands through her fur ending at her brown silky ears. I loved petting her ears, so soft- especially the black tips on the end of her ears, soft like velvet.

I had been the one who picked Duchess from the humane society, though I was too young to remember; as far as I knew she was always part of my life. She would sit on the stairs waiting for the bus to bring my sister and I home from school whining and crying if we had to stay after school for an activity.

And she loved to run- she especially wanted to run free sneaking out the back gate whenever she got the chance, her black nose always right there trying to push through your legs and out the opening. We would wander up and down the street calling her name. We knew she couldn't be too far our street was mostly surrounded by cornfields except for the new subdivision they were building at one end.

As she aged she still loved to run but she was happy staying home and wouldn't run off. We could even take her in the unfenced front yard with us now, she would run around, but never out of the yard. So when my mom and older sister went out to shovel snow they let Duchess come outside with them.

I stayed in to enjoy the snow from the warmth inside. Suddenly my mom came running into the panic in her eyes. She grabbed the keys and headed towards the door.

"What happened?" I squealed?
"Duchess got hit by a UPS truck, it was going so fast and spooked her and she ran in the street." she said while hurrying out the door. My mom and older sister carefully and gently put Duchess in the back seat and rushed off to the animal hospital. I sat there starring out the window, hot tears rolling down my cheeks. And then I saw it. The blood. Lots of blood screaming it's ugly red color at the end of our driveway.

I put on my coat and gloves the tears yet not stopping. I knew what had to be done. I grabbed one of the shovels and began scooping, one scoop of clean snow after another trying to cover that spot- that spot mocking me, that spot that took my dog from me. I wanted it gone, I didn't want it to be real. I wanted to protect my little sister who was yet not home. I could not let her see it. Yes she would know what happened but no she could not see this. The tears now froze to my cheeks. I banged and hit the snow another spot of red always seeming to soak through.

Finally it was done.

It was gone and so was my Duchess.

Linking up today with

**Come back tomorrow for Proud Mommy Moments with Kmama and me. Your chance to write about the things that make you so proud (i.e. brag away) or so "proud" (totally embarrassing)

Embroidery Hoop Wall Name Decor

2012-01-17T05:30:00.000-08:00

Okay so the title is a bit long but I wasn't quite sure what else to call it. But here it is.I made this project back in November when my mom was here and we were going crafty crazy, can see all of the projects we made here, but have never told how we made it. This project is so easy! And it is also one of the few things we allow to hang on the wall over my daugther's bed (earthquakes here-don't want anything heavy falling on kids while they sleep)

Supplies:
Embroidery hoops- one for each letter in name
Fabric
Wooden Letters for name
Glue Gun
Scissors
Ribbon/string to hang it with (got mine from $ bins at Target)

Did you know fabric stores sell fabric quarters? I did not as I am not a quilter-but these were perfect for the project as then I could get four different colors without having to pay for a lot of fabric. (if you have scraps you like, use those!)

First place your fabric in the hoop, making sure it is in tightly and smoothly; secure the hoop closed.Roughly (and I really did roughly) cut the fabric closer to circle of the hoop- but leave some extra to glue down to help secure (as you don't want to cut it exact to only have the fabric slip out)On the wrong (or back side) hot glue around on the hoop and push the extra fabric down gluing into place (this is the side that will be against the wall so doesn't have to be pretty)When dry, flip over and hot glue each letter onto each fabric- make sure the hook is at the top center. I found it easiest after I glued the letter in place, I carefully flipped the entire thing upside down, so the letter was on the counter and then pushed and held the fabric onto the letter while it dried (though careful it is hot!)

Tie the ribbon into a bow and wrap and tie around the embroidery hook and then hot glue onto the hook for extra security. Hot glue the ends of the ribbon to create a closed loop.

Then hang and enjoy! (I just used push pins to hang them from)
Since it's Tuesday linking up with two of my lovely ladies Impulsive Addict and Seriously Shawn for

And since it's another project I am or will be linking up (some are Friday link-ups) here

Treasure Under The Bed

2012-01-16T05:30:00.000-08:00

NEW Winner of Power of Mom's Retreat Giveaway is Michelle L! You have 24 hours to email me emmy (at) emmymom2 (dot) com.

"Is Ryder in my room" Lucas will holler from downstairs if he hears a door open.
"No, it is just me putting away some clothes." I reply.
"Okay, good. Keep him out of my room."

Lucas' room is full of Lego's, hundreds and hundreds of Legos- so it is a Ryder free zone.

Alex is a little more generous and will allow Ryder in her room. He loves her Go-go dog, though I think it kind of scares him too. And I will often find him playing with her doll house. But unfortunately he has always found something.

Alex's tea set.

A cute porcelain tea set with matching plates and cups. She hides it way under her bed- but Ryder has long ago discovered this, shimming under to retrieve the box they are stored in.

One time while I was ~~stuck on the toilet~~ unavailable at the moment I heard the familiar tink tink of the plates and cups.

"Alex!" I hollered, "Ryder has your tea set."

Lucas of course hurried to Alex's room to aid in the rescue, ripping the box out of Ryder's hands, causing a plate and cup to shatter. Of course tears and yelling ensued. I became available and hurried in to defuse the situation. Daddy with some super glue came to the rescue.

But several days latter I hear the all to familiar tink tink- this time I remained quiet and rescued the set myself resulting in do damage.

Ryder has learned there are treasures under beds. Which might be what he was thinking when he went under mine, and ended up like this.
Stuck.

I was putting away laundry only to hear him crying and discover him halfway under unsure of how to get out.

With a little coaxing and guidance he was soon out, treasure-less.

Sorry kid, only blankets and dust bunnies under my bed.

Good News Friday

2012-01-13T05:30:00.000-08:00

**Winner for SoCal Power of Mom's Premium Retreat has been drawn!!

The winner is MeganCongrats Megan! Please email me at emmy (at) emmymom2 (dot) com So I can get your info to the Power of Moms.

Joining up my friend Grumpy Grateful Mom for her new weekly meme

This week's good news- it could be the lack of homework battles- truly a small miracle. Or it could be the fact that after almost two months of sickness the whole family is healthy!

But nope, this week my Good News is shopping- stick with me here.

How much would you guess I paid for all of this?
Try $100! We have some amazing thrift stores about 20 minutes from my house and I love love going out there and finding good finds- something exciting and successful about it.

And to break it down a little more in this stash is

7 shirts for Alex
2 dresses
1 skirt
3 pair jeans still for Alex
5 shirts for Lucas
1 pair jeans
1 shirt for Ryder
2 pair jeans
35 kids books (Fancy Nancy, Junie B. Jones, Bernstein Bears, etc.
1 giant mega blocks truck
Package mega blocks
2 heart shaped Wilton cake pans
1 heart metal Valentines basket
Lincoln logs set
Mouse trap game (complete looks brand new)
2 kid puzzles- both new (Disney Princess and Littlest Pet Shop)
3 blue table center pieces (for cub scouts)
Small container of Glitter
Wooden craft balls (who knows what I am going to do with these)

Oh and not pictured- a pair of cute boots for Alex

enjoying the loot

So yep, it may be a little silly (which is totally allowed by the rules) but this shopping success made me happy and is my Good News for the week.

Proud Mommy Moments: Reading

2012-01-12T03:00:00.000-08:00

**If you are looking for the Power of Mom's Premium Retreat Giveaway-click here.**

It's Thursday! Which this week for us is like Friday as the kids have no school tomorrow- yes they just went back and already have a four day weekend! Anyway, focus Emily, Proud Mommy Moments is a weekly meme hosted by Kmama and myself. It is your chance to brag about your kids, tell us the things they did and/or tell us about those things that make you so so "proud"-i.e. totally embarrassed- but hey at least it makes for good blogging material. Grab the button, link up and play along.

This week's proud mommy moment goes all the way back to Christmas- well before Christmas. One evening Eric took all three kids out shopping-yes he deserves some kind of medal for that. They were going to buy me and present.

They got home wrapped the presents and Lucas was writing on the present who it was for.

"To Mom, From Lucas and Ryder" it read. Ryder chased after Lucas as he carried it to put it under the tree.

Ryder sat right down by it, "O" he said pointing the letter o in Mom. He then pointed to each letter in mom and then said "Mom"

I was floored! This from a kid who hardly speaks at all.
I was very proud.

Link up! It's fun.

Power of Moms Retreat Giveaway

2012-01-11T05:30:00.000-08:00

"Educate a man and you educate an individual. Educate a woman and you educate a family."
-- A.Cripps

"If mama ain't happy, nobody is happy" - source unknown

As moms we often forget to take care of ourselves, forget our power and who we are and what we can do. And sometimes, we need a little extra help, encouragement, and ideas along the way to help us be our best selves. Which is why I am so excited about this giveaway today!The Power of Moms is "all about moms helping other moms become the mothers and people they really want to be". The retreats they organize are special events designed for learning and growing. At this retreat you can learn about Mind Organization for Moms (M.O.M.) by April Perry (the founder of M.O.M.) on Friday. M.O.M is a way to help you feel less stress and more joy as a mom as you learn to organize your papers, tasks and thoughts in a way that really helps you get more done WHILE enjoying your family more. And not to mention the fun Friday night dinner and games after the first session.

Saturday will be a day of mini sessions with topics ranging from: Taking Care of the Person Inside the Mom, Family Systems and Making Great Ideas into Reality.

But I will let you find out the full details by clicking the link right here. Here are a few quotes from past attendees:

“My husband is amazed at the peace and productivity that came from just 2 days at the Retreat. Thank you for the life-altering changes on the way I look at motherhood and my life. I feel like a happier healthier me.” – Susan C.

“What a magical weekend! I haven’t laughed so hard or learned so much in a long, long time.” - Jen J.

Now for the real fun! Power of Moms has given me permission to give one of you a chance to attend the Premium Retreat in Southern California for 1/2 price!

If you are in or can easily get to Southern California on January 27th and 28th- this is your chance! The winner will be able to chose from either 1/2 price for the full Retreat (Friday afternoon sessions on organizing, Friday evening party, and Saturday 9-5 sessions) for only $107 (regularly $215) OR if you can't attend the whole thing you can pick 1/2 price for just Saturday for only $65 (regularly $130).

If you are wanting to attend- do not hesitate to enter this giveaway- and do not hesitate to go take advantage of the EXTENDED early bird rates (20% off) that only runs through the 13th. When you buy your tickets at the early bird rate and then if you happen to win, the difference will be refunded to you. I have been told there are only about 20 tickets left as this is limited retreat as we are meeting in a beautiful home. So hurry!

So seriously, go buy your tickets! It is going to be awesome. I have a cousin-in-law coming all the way from the Bay area to attend!

To enter- simply leave a comment stating why you would like to attend.
For a bonus entry- tweet about this giveaway, please mention @powerofmoms and link to this giveaway. Then leave a separate comment stating you tweeted with a link to the tweet.

If you are attending and you are on Twitter- look me up @Emmymom2 as I look forward to meeting those attending.

The giveaway will be open until Friday at 12:00 PM Pacific time- at which time the winner will be randomly selected and announced that afternoon.

Good luck!!

Disclaimer: All pictures and quotes where used with permission from Power of Moms

And for my friends not in SoCal- you can always go check out my 366 Journal blog and leave me some love there.

The Status Quote

2012-01-10T05:30:00.000-08:00

It's Time for the Status Quote! What is the Status Quote? It is monthly (second Tuesday of the month) meme hosted by CA Girl and myself. It is your chance to find those funny/strange/disgusting/etc. facebook or Twitter status updates and share them with us. No need to tell who said it to protect the ~~guilty~~ innocent.

So grab the button, copy the status and play along, it's fun.

Since we did not do this meme last month I have a few Christmas ones. As usual my thoughts are in blue.

"When I want something a little healthier than an ice cream sandwich, I usually go for an ice cream salad." Is there really such a thing? How I have I missed out and been deprived so many years?

"I only ever buy organic produce. I generally can't afford organic produce, so I stick to a diet of nuggets and fruit snacks." sounds like heaven to my kids

"I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and think, "Well that's not going to happen."" I think this may have happened to me- which would explain why I hardly cook anymore.

"O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how lovely are your Chinese-made, synthetically fabricated, polyethylene & polyvinyl chloride mix branches."-- makes me miss a real tree

"Walmart should make all its greeters wear Miss America sashes stating what nursing home they represent."- okay really funny but kind of sad too

"If you're working on a project and suddenly see red on it- it probably means you cut yourself. #alittleslowtoday #ouch" --yea that was me-- when I was making the Grandkids signs! Cut my finger taking the back off

"I love it when I am blatantly staring at someone and they can't tell because I have my dark sunglasses on but then after an awkward few moments I realize I am wearing my regular glasses."-- total reason to have dark sun glasses and contacts- then won't make this mistake

See, fun and easy! So play along and link up. And tomorrow- tomorrow I have a great giveaway for any of you that live in or around Southern California.

And linking up today with Impulsive Addict and Seriously Shawn cause I love those gals!

Date in a Box

2012-01-09T05:30:00.000-08:00

For Christmas I made my SIL and her husband a month of dates in a box. And now that Christmas is over I can show you the boxes and what I had in them.I made four boxes, so four weeks total, all designed to be able to be dates that they could do at home after the kids are in bed. I also had to design these boxes ready to ship- as they were being sent a couple of states away- so if you are delivering this to someone local you could always modify it and get cute baskets to put everything in. Each box has a theme: Movie Night, Ice Cream Night, Game Night and Spa Night.

The Boxes
The boxes were four Plastic tote boxes from the dollar store. I lined three of the boxes with tissues paper to help hide the gifts a little better and to add to the look.
Movie Night Box

The movie night box contained popcorn, movie theater style candy, popcorn tins (2 pk from $ section at Target) and a movie. And for the lid, I found a clip art of a movie ticket and wrote a little poem.

The poem says:
Movie Time!
Pop the corn
Eat some snacks
watch the movie
Sit back and relax!

And guess- what you can download the file for it here! Click here for jpg file and click here for photoshop file.

The Spa Box
This was was one of my favorites. It contained: body massage mitt, fancy chocolates, plastic wine glasses (since shipping-from $ store), bath luffas, bath salts (Target $ bins), LED electric candles, and a mini bottle of martinelli's.

And here is my poem

Spa Night:
Light the candles
take a drink
fill up your tub
and soak more than your feet!

Click here for the Spa Night jpg file and click here for photoshop file.

Game Night
Beef Jerky, Red Vines, Tootsie Pop Drops, Chocolate stick things and the game Picturkea

And the poem

Game Night
Pull up some chairs;
get out the snacks.
Play the game.
Have fun, relax!

You can download the game night jpg file by clicking here and click here for photoshop file.

Ice-Cream Sundae Night
Obviously, the ice-cream was not provided in this one. But what was provided: icecream cones, M&M's, nuts, sprinkles, and hot fudge. Before I shipped the package I wrapped up the hot fudge with several layers of paper towel and put it in a plastic bag (I did the same thing with the drink)-- everything made it there safely. I also created a barrier of sorts with part of a box (around M&M's) to help anything from crushing the ice-cream cones.

And the poem

He screams, she screams
We all scream for icecream!
Grab a cone
Grab some treats
Dig in; It's time to eat!
(Just provide the icecream)

Click here for Icecream jpg file and click here for photoshop file.

I wrapped each box individually and labeled them with stickers as to what order to open them, though it didn't really matter. I also included this letter in an envelope for them to open first.

The air is crisp, the ground is white,
it is too cold to go out tonight.
So stay inside and spend some time
with a date in a box -it will be sublime!
A date a week is our gift to you.
Enjoy your time- I hope you do!

Click here for cover letter jpg file and click here for photoshop file.

And those were my dates in a box. I hope they enjoy them and feel free to download and use files to create your own date boxes.

I am linking this post up at the following crafting blogs

P.S. Tomorrow is the return of the Status Quote! An easy meme to copy your favorite facebook or twitters status that you have seen.

Power of Moms

2012-01-06T10:54:00.001-08:00

Okay- I know two posts in one day- not my usual- but I had to hurry and tell you about something awesome I learned about.

Registrations for blogging conferences are starting. Last year I wanted to go to one but just wasn't sure. I spent some time yesterday looking through the list of all the conferences wishing and hoping.

Then I heard about The Power of Moms Premium Retreat in Southern California. The Power of Moms is all about being the best mom you can be- it helps teach you organization, taking care of yourself, there are monthly themes to help you grow in different areas, and so much more. Their retreats core curriculum includes “Taking Care of the ‘Me’ in the ‘Mom’” and “Three Steps to a Strong Family.” This sounded like the perfect fit for me.So January 27th and 28th- I will be there! And if you live in SoCal you should too!! I would love to meet you IRL and I think this is going to be a ton of fun.

I will tell you more details about it later- and you can find out all of the info on the website here but I had to tell you today- as today is the last day for the early bird registration!! So if you have been thinking about it at all or have never heard of it but thinks it sounds like something you would want to attend- go check it out today!!

A 365 err is it 366?

2012-01-06T05:30:00.000-08:00

Two years ago I participated in the Project 365. I started off all gung-ho, then just did it because I had to and then I started missing days, then weeks....

Last year I had this great idea to use that blog to take a day showing how to edit pictures, a day participating in some photo link-ups, etc. That lasted a couple of months.

But this year- I think I may have figured it out. This year I am doing a 366 Journal. It is kind of like a 365 project, but I am focusing on documenting the little every day things. The things that I want to remember but might not make the cut for the main blog here.

So today- I am turning comments off here- so you can head over and see what I have already done for this year and leave me some love there- please :)

Oh and if you are doing any sort of version of a 365- please leave a comment over there with a link to it, so I can update the blog lists on the side of that blog.

Proud Mommy Moments: What To Say

2012-01-05T03:00:00.000-08:00

Proud Mommy Moments are back!! What are Proud Mommy Moments? Well most of us are always writing about our kids and we all like bragging a bit- so in this weekly meme you can have your chance to brag about your kids, tell the fun awesome things they do or on the flip side you can tell us those moments that made you so "proud" -i.e. they totally embarrassed you but at least it makes good blog fodder.

This meme is hosted by myself and Kmama every Thursday. So write your post, grab the button to help spread the word and join in!

Right before Christmas break Lucas had a school project that we all ended up getting involved in. He had to think of a different way for Santa to deliver his presents as the reindeer were sick. He decided Santa should fly in a blackbird. He didn't like my ~~simple~~ awesome idea of the picture of a blackbird, the world and Santa on a poster board but he wanted to make a blackbird.

So, I got my creative cap on, started thinking and we figured out a way to do it. One of the things we needed was Popsicle sticks. Luckily I have a big box of about 1000 in my craft closet. Alex saw the box and could not resist. She was soon grabbing handfuls of Popsicles sticks and running off to the living room to build her creation. After about the fourth handful I told her she had enough and did not need anymore. She happily created while we helped Lucas with his plane.

The blackbird - the white strip actually says "North Pole Blackbird Express"

After about ten minutes, she slowly came back into the kitchen.
"What was I going to say?" she asked herself aloud.

"Oh yes!" She said with a smile. "I need the box so I can put away my Popsicle sticks." she happily proclaimed.

"Miss" I said calling her bluff.
Lucas then chimed in, "I can tell by that tone that isn't the truth."

Yep, I nearly lost it then- it was all I could do to hold in the laughter so I could talk with Alex about honesty.

Well at least we can still tell when she is lying right.

What is your PMM this week?

The Winner And I was Right

2012-01-04T05:30:00.000-08:00

Thank you thank you to all who linked up with the Review Extravaganza! It was so much fun reading all of the recaps and getting to know so many new bloggers. And a huge thank you again to my co-hosts!! Thank you ladies. Are you ready for the winner?

Well first, I am going to show you why I was right- then I'll announce the winner- so mean aren't I?

Uh-oh where did he go?

Where's Ryder?

There he is!

Ryder got all dirty playing in the back of Eric's truck.

Eric said we should take him inside and get him washed off.

I said I should get my camera.

I love being right.

And now for the Review Extravaganza Winner! I had a spread sheet I kept track of entries- everyone had a number next to their name, I threw their number in as for as many votes as they got- cut those numbers all up, threw them in a bowl. I then texted CA Girl and told her to tell me when to stop- my hand was in the bowl mixing around the numbers- she did and we got number 10!Which means--- Denton Sanatorium!

Congrats! I will be contacting you for your address. Thank you again so much for all who played along- hope you do again next year.

Linking up here today

Ten Things to Smile About

2012-01-03T03:00:00.000-08:00

Another month has come and gone- so it's time for Ten Things to Smile About. This meme is usually the last Tuesday of the month- but with the Review Extravaganza and the holidays I put it off until today, so I hope you take the time to link up still- the linky will be open for almost a week.

Ten Things to Smile About December

1. Christmas of course
2. Having my mom here in December so we could craft and paint together

3. Getting a chance to actually spend a day with my best friend CAGirl
4. Christmas cards in the mail and surprise treats from our landlord

5. Having a successful and eventful photo-shoot of my kids

6. Spending New Years Eve Day at a mini amusement park with the kids and then watching favorite movies until midnight with Eric.(3rd car from front is Eric and Lucas-he was finally brave enough to go on the big coaster)

7. My tomato-cage tree tutorial got stumbled upon and got lots of hits on it

8. Watching BYU win their bowl game in awesome dramatic fashion(picture from somewhere online that my husband copied)

9. Taking the time to make goodie baskets and deliver them to friends and neighbors

10. My in-laws visiting after Christmas and spending a great week with them
(pictures still on camera! Doh!)

So what made you smile in December? Grab the button, write your list and link up!

I am also linking up my list with Impulsive Addicts and Seriously Shawn's Talk to us Tuesday Meme

DIY: Grandkids Picture Sign

2012-01-02T05:30:00.000-08:00

Are you ready for this? Today I am going to teach you how I made the Grandkids picture sign.So many of you have pinned this already-thank you! You totally made my day. But here is the real post you will want to pin- and make sure you click on the blog title and get the direct URL to this post so it will help everyone find the right page and not just my blog in general.

This project really is easy. I made it for my mom and MIL and I heard from both sides that it made them cry- good happy tears though of course.

Materials:
-Wooden board/ frame thing (got mine at Michael's)
-scrapbook paper- for board back, clothes pins, etc.
-Wood glitter letters- approximately 1 1/2" tall size (.99 each at Michael's)
-mod podge
-mini clothes pins
-decorative accessories (flowers, buttons, etc)
-paint (I used black acrylic paint)
-paint brush (I used foam brush)
-scissors

You can use any rectangular board you would like- I found these at Micheal's they are ones where the back comes off- which makes it so easy for putting on the paper.

1. Paint the board your desired color2. Cut the scrapbook paper you want to the right size to cover the back. I used the bottom half of two identical 12X12 papers- there is a seam, but when you mod podge over it (when putting on letters) the seam pretty much disappears.

3. Apply a good layer of mod podge to the back piece of the board and glue paper on. Make sure you smooth out any air bubbles.

4. Once the glue is dry arrange the letters on the paper. The letters this size will NOT fit straight across, so you need to zig-zag the letters. I laid out the letters then would pick up one letter at a time, apply a layer of mod podge on top of the paper and then place the letter back to glue into place. 5. Figure out how many clothespins you need- you do not want to do more than 8 with a board this size as it's too crowded. So, for my mom who currently has 13 grandkids, I just did 6 pins- one for each of her children and then have family pictures hanging in each spot. If there are possible future grandkids, you can make a holder spot card- shown later.

6. Cut out scrapbook paper in color(s) desired to size of clothespin face- I laid the clothespin on the backside of the paper, traced it then cut this out.
Paint a thin layer of mod podge onto the clothes pin then place the paper on the clothes pin. After the mod podge is dry, trim any extra as needed.
7. Glue on with mod podge any embellishments onto the top (part you push on to open clothespin) of the clothespin. (I found my embellishments in little bags on clearance row in Michael's)

8. Arrange clothes pins on board spacing evenly. I lined up the top of the clothespin with the top edge of the boarder.
Once you have them spaced where you want, apply a coat of mod podge to the back of the clothespin making sure the end that can pinch and hold the pictures is down. Hold into place for a minute or two while mod podge dries.9. Print out pictures of grandkids- for my board I made each picture 2.5" x 2.5"
10. Optional- if you need an extra space (like I did for my little sister who got married a year ago and doesn't have kids yet) you can make a filler card so there will not be an empty clothespin. For my filler card I used a wooden tag I bought from Pick Your Plum a site that my good friend Janette of Johanson Journey told me about that is so worth signing up for!I traced it onto the wrong side of some scrapbook paper and cut it out and mod-podged it on. When it was dry I placed a "family" sticker (from clearance row of Michael's) on it. I poked a hole through the paper and tied a string to hang the card from.
So there you have it! No fancy machines or crazy painting skills required and a gift that will truly be loved. You could also make a similar sign that says "Family" and hang pictures of your own kids. Let me know if you make it, would love to see how yours turns out.

P.S--Tomorrow is my Ten Things to Smile About Meme-- where you can look back and find ten things that made you smile in December-- please come back and link up!! And the winner of the 2011 Review Extravaganza will be announced Wednesday-- you can link up through Tuesday at midnight!

I am linking this post up at the following crafting blogs

2011 Review Extravaganza- Week 4

2011-12-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is the final week of the Review Extravaganza! I have truly enjoyed it and have loved meeting new bloggers. I just want to take this chance to thank my co-hosts who went along with my crazy idea. These ladies are some of my favorite bloggers. They are (CA Girl, Emilisq, Impulsive Addict, Janette of Johanson Journey, Mimi Living in France and Runn er Mo m). And remember, you can receive a bonus point if you follow all of our blogs and when you do so go the the rules post here and leave a comment letting me know you are doing so.

So grab the button, link up and definitely take the time to read some other linkers, it is a great way to meet new bloggers. In our final review, we are reviewing October, November and December

October

October I started to get into a crafting mood and created this

(instructions for sign here)

And painted dollar store pumpkins

(instructions for pumpkins here)

And painted a table while I was at it (instructions here)

We celebrated lots of birthdays

Including my own birthday

I ran my first 5K and made this movie trailer in honor of it

I shared a talk I gave in church

We went to the pumpkin patch

And there was Halloween of course

November

I wrote an ode of sorts to homework

Alex told me not to talk like an Idaho person

I told why my kids are not allowed to change the toilet pa per

I told my husband's secret

Celebrated Thanksgiving with family

I told Alex's birth story in honor of her birthday

I put together a fall birthday party in three days for the birthday girl

December

My crafting bug continued

(instructions still to come on these)

(video tutorial for tomato cage tree here)

Easy DIY Sweater Pillow Recover-instructions here

Dollar Store Bell Wreath

Began the Review Extravaganza!

I told you what it is really like to do a photo shoot

Showed you my Christmas decor

We celebrated Christmas

And I finally got to show you some of the gifts I made for Christmas-- instructions coming soon!
It really has been a wonderful year, full of change, full of new beginnings, full of trials and blessings but a good year.

Thank you to all who have joined in this recap, I truly get so excited when I come and see another link (except those spam links- I delete those) and I hope you all have a wonderful 2012.

Link up below.

Just Business

2011-12-29T05:30:00.000-08:00

Eric's parents are in town so I am enjoying the day with them- just writing this post for a quick reminder of the final week of the Review Extravaganza tomorrow!! You can do a link for the whole year if you haven't participated yet, just include the button please.

Also, Ten Things to Smile About- will be THIS Tuesday. This is your chance to look back at the month and find ten things, whatever they may be that made you smile.

See you tomorrow with your recaps!

A Christmas ReCap

2011-12-28T05:30:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas gets too far behind us- here is our Christmas in pictures.

Christmas Eve

Sugar Cookies- Ryder helped spread out the flower

Gingerbread houses
(a Halloween kit I bought after Halloween then just got our own candy)
(clock-wise starting top left: Ryder's, Alex's, Eric's, Lucas and mine)

Christmas Eve we also acted out the real scripture story, drank hot chocolate and lit a fire-- all of which I do not have pictures of

Christmas Eve Pajamas
Christmas morning the kids opened their stockings- Alex was very excited she got tic tacs- one of the two things she asked Santa for

Then off to church for wonderful music, talks and a reminder of the real meaning of Christmas

Then back home for a few pictures
(Lucas had already changed his pants)

And then of course presents

The aftermath
Hauling off some of his loot
It was a wonderful Christmas and I am quite sad it is over. And once I take down the decorations my sadness will compound as my house always seems so bare after I take down the decor. Are you happy or sad that Christmas is over?

P.S. Week 4 of the Review Extravaganza this Friday!!

A Homemade Christmas

2011-12-26T08:18:00.000-08:00

Did you all have a wonderful Christmas? I hope so. We did and the kids are now busy playing with their new toys. Since Christmas is over I finally get to show you two of the presents that I have been wanting to show you for a long time.

For my SIL and her husband we gave her a month of dates in a box.

(one of the boxes)

For the grandma's I made them each a sign like this one.

(The sign I made for my MIL)

I will tell you in more detail all about these gifts in the next couple of weeks.

All the recipients loved their gifts and the grandma signs brought tears to both grandma's eyes.

This is not the first time I have made people cry at Christmas.

When I was probably about 8, I decided I wanted to make presents for everyone in my family. But I did not want to tell anyone as that would ruin the surprise. I quietly gathered the materials, random pieces of scrap-wood, some paint and brushes and began.

First in my childish writing I painted a sign for my mom "I love you Mother" I believe it said. A second sign with "#1 Sister" for my older sister. But then, well my inability to spell kicked in.

For my brother - "#1 Bother" - the r accidentally left out.

For my other brother was "A genisus" (genius)

And my dad, well I didn't just paint a sign for him, I free hand stitched on a piece of scrap material a picture of a desk and then this saying, it looked quite a bit like this:

This time the placement of words and lack of punctuation leading to everyone's laughter as after my other follies they of course read it as "busy butt".

They tried desperately not to laugh knowing my intentions were good, but the laughter and the tears did come.

And yes, it is still brought up to this day.

Luckily my skills have greatly increased and there was the invention of something life saving for me, nothing other than spell checker.

Have you had a homemade disaster?

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The last Tuesday of the month is usually my Ten Things to Smile About Meme- however, due to the Review Extravaganza in progress (still time to link up) I will be doing my Ten Things Meme NEXT Tuesday.

2011 Review Extravaganza- Week 3

2011-12-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

We are halfway through the Review Extravaganza! (#RE2011) Have you linked up? Have you clicked any of the lasts weeks links and read the great recaps? Have you meet my wonderful co-hosts? (CA Girl, Emilisq, Impulsive Addict, Janette of Johanson Journey, Mimi Living in France and Runner Mom)

If you answered no to any of these it is not too late! This week are are reviewing July, August and September so you can just jump right in or review Jan-September if you are just joining in. I love reading people's recaps and writing my own as it is fun to go back and look through old posts and remember what happened.

So when you join us, make sure you include the button (just copy and paste the code from the little box) so you can get your point towards the 8 fabulous prizes the co-hosts and I will pick out for the winner. The winner will be randomly picked, but the more points you have the higher your chances.

Enough chit-chat, here is my review.

July

July began with me very grateful my parents were visiting and our slave labor as we tried to settle into our new home

Ryder saw his first fireworks and didn't cry at all!

We cooled off in the sprinklers

I rocked the baby with Shell-- warning lots of adorable baby pictures at this post.

We took a boat ride- only to end up with our boat dying and having to be towed

We went to Utah to visit family which involved me almost flipping a go-kart, lots of cousins and donuts, a professional photo shoot- by me, and snow! (Yes, in July), and camping for the kids in the backyard.

August

I told about the time I was robbed- but couldn't even tell

Also told about the time I stopped an attacker.

Lucas started first grade and Alex started her second year of Preschool

I met up with my best friend from when I was a kid.

I took my own family's picture

We had the incident with the marker and the balloon

I really got into pinterest and Alex and I made this together- instructions here

September

I unplugged from the all social media for a day

We had a great labor day weekend that involved my brilliance and the dollar store, a new couch, BYU football and Scandia

Another Pinterest inspiration Oreo Cupcakes- recipe here

Participated in a color swap and my awesome swap partner got me this shirt!

I made this toddler puzzle for Ryder

I began really training for a 5K

So what happened in July, August and September for you? Remember- you can still get a bonus point by following all of the hosts- then just leave a comment saying you are doing so on the Rules Post here.

How and Why I decorate For Christmas

2011-12-22T05:30:00.000-08:00

I hear him flop, his crib bars shake. I can tell he is standing now. "Mama" I hear him call. I roll out of bed and head to get Ryder. He is standing there paci in mouth and one in each hand. I pick him up and he turns toward his bed, chucking each paci in one at at time. "Good job" I praise him.

He hugs me tight and I carry him downstairs, his legs now dangling well past my waist. When did he get so big? I stand there and sway back and forth while he peacefully cuddles up against me. When he begins to squirm, I lay him down to get a new diaper.

"On, on", he states, one of the few words he knows how to say, pointing at the Christmas tree.
"Okay as soon as I am done with your diaper."

After I finish his diaper, I crawl over to the tree reaching down to plug it in.

As soon as it is plugged in he darts into the living room, running as fast as his toddler legs can carry him. He first runs to the red tree by the snowman grabbing the plug and trying to put it in himself.

"No, no" I correct while taking the plug from his hand, "just mommy does plugs".

Next he wants the tree on, followed by every other thing that lights up in the room.
He doesn't miss one.Happy now that the lights are on, he runs off to play.

I made or painted most things shown in above collage

my dollar store wreath

tree decor when you have kids

That joy, that smile- that is the reason I do it.And yes, I like it too.

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Do you have your Week 3 Review Extravaganza ready for tomorrow? If you haven't joined in yet- it isn't too late! Read the rules here.

Taking Back Christmas

2011-12-21T05:30:00.000-08:00

"I want this... and oh I want this.. and this too." my children seem to constantly be saying.
I look around their rooms, cluttered with toys.
Isn't it enough?

The nativity we have for the kids lay scattered across the fireplace, upturned, pieces missing and forgotten.
"Happy Holidays" "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" and other secular songs play on the speakers in the store. Definitely not any songs mentioning the word "Christmas" or even worse "Jesus" phrases and words that have become almost politically incorrect to speak and share.

Enough.

I am done.

Yes, everyone does not share my views. But why, why have the views and opinions or the minority superseded the majority. I will not shove it down your throat, I will not trample you with my beliefs-- so why is it okay for the minority to do it to those who believe, saying we can't say that because it offends them. Would someone who doesn't believe in Jesus truly be offended if someone wished them a Merry Christmas ? Or would they simply return what is meant to be a kind pleasantry with a wish of Happy Holidays? Both parties can then go on their way, happy that someone acknowledged them, reached out to be kind and no offense would be given or felt.

Why has it become offensive or bad for me to believe in God?

I straighten the manger back up. Carefully placing baby Jesus in his place.I have the kids help me make gift baskets to take to our neighbors and friends and point out how good it feels as we are delivering.... serving... giving.

"Happy Holidays" the store clerk greets me. "Merry Christmas to you too" I respond with a smile.

I am taking back Christmas.

Linking up today with Shell

P.S. Friday is Week 3 of the Review Extravaganza- it is not too late to join in- you can just recap all of the months we have done or just jump in with July, August and September Reviews. You can read the rules here.

Christmas Decor From the Dollar Store

2011-12-19T04:00:00.000-08:00

Remember this wreath I made with all of the supplies from the Dollar Store?Today I am telling you how I made it- but not here- but over at my friend Adventures In Mommy-Land's blog.

So get there by clicking here.

And if any of you are stopping by from Adeventures in Mommy Land- welcome!! So happy to have you. You have come at a good time- as you have until tomorrow to join us in week 2 of the Review Extravaganza 2011 (#RE2011)- you can read the rules here. And then Friday will be the day to link up with week three.

Review Extravaganza 2011- Week 2

2011-12-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome back for week 2 of the 2011 Review Extravaganza! We were so happy with how many people linked up last week. I loved reading the reviews. In case you are new, and please do link up-still three weeks left-- you can read the rules here.

Last week there were some that did not include the button- but this week if you don't have the button you will not get a point towards the giveaway at the end of the Review. Just copy the code in the little box, make sure you get all of the code and then paste into your blog.

And if you follow all of my lovely hosts (CA Girl, Emilisq, Impulsive Add ict, Janette o f Johanson Journey, Mimi Living in France and Runner Mom) and myself and leave a comment on the Rules post-click here- stating you are following all, you get a bonus point.

So here is my week two review which covers April, May and June

April

We spent our Saturdays watching Soccer games

Ryder learned to crawl

(what!?! Seems so weird this was just April- they change too fast)

CA Girl and I got to meet a blogging friend Glamazon Mom when she was here for vacation

(excuse my double chin)

I took a mental spring break while reading Hunger Games- i.e. I ignored my family until I was done reading and a real vacation with a trip to Vegas- family style that is- and well the rest of the story here

We celebrated Easter with lots of eggs and new Sunday outfits

Proud Mommy Moments began as a weekly meme and I asked Kmama to host with me

May

I celebrated Mother's day with a lunch at Alex's preschool, songs from Lucas' kindergarten class, a smokin' hot new Sunday outfit, flowers and sushi

Ryder turned 1! We celebrated with a party and I reflected on his crazy birth story- he born at 32 weeks while we were on vacation in another state

I was Shell's Friday BFF! Very exciting day.

June

I wrote a poem of sorts intitled "The Ride" talking about our upcoming move

I finally finished Ryder's First year video- it is a tiny long but I think you will really enjoy it

Eric and I got to enjoy a great night on a boat for his work party

Alex graduated from preschool and Lucas from kindergarten

I had lots of great guest posters while my life was in boxes-literally during our move

And that just about sums up those three months. What happened to you during those months?
Grab the button and link up!! I'll be around to read all of the posts for sure as I love them!

iPPP-Cold, Beauty and Sick Kids

2011-12-15T06:50:00.000-08:00

This week the temperatures took a dip

Brrrr! Too close for comfort for this now SoCal girl

I tried not to eat the entire bag of thesethough it wouldn't have mattered; they are healthy and so so good!!!!

This girl saw the Nutcracker with her preschoolAnd when her brother saw her all dressed up he said "You are so beautiful I can't even look at you!"

And this guy and I got extra cuddle time when he fell asleep in my armspoor little sick guy

Linking up today with

And tomorrow!! Tomorrow is Week 2 of the Review Extravaganza!! So so excited. Linkey will open tonight at 12:01 AM Pacific time.

Shooting My Kids

2011-12-14T05:30:00.000-08:00

First I have to say thank you, thank you! Thank you to everyone who linked up for our first week of The Review Extravaganza 2011! I have loved reading all the recaps and loved meeting some new bloggers.

If you missed linking up with week one- please jump in and join us now. You can read the rules here and you will still get a point for every week you link up, so still so worth it to join in!

And very important: Proud Mommy Moments with Kmama and me is going to take a break until the new year. So again-no Proud Mommy Moments the rest of this month.

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I took my kids picture a few weeks ago. As a professional photographer I love taking pictures- but honestly sometimes it is easier to shoot other people than my own kids. (wonder what sort of Google searches that will bring up) Today I am going to give you an inside peak of what a photo shoot can really be like.

Me: "Allright, is everyone excited? Let's head out here by this tree."
Lucas: "I don't want to go that way! Let's just go home!"
Me: "We just got here!"
Alex: "The ground is all bumpy, I am getting things in my shoe!"Me: "Okay put Ryder in the picture"

Ryder: Begins immediately crying
Me: "Ryder what's wrong? It's okay!"
Eric holds Ryder
I quick snap some pictures of other two.Ryder is calm now- "Okay let's put him back in."

Lucas: "He's crying again!"
Me: "Alex move your finger."Lucas: "Aren't we done yet?"Me: "Quick Ryder is actually smiling!"Me: "Okay let's trying going over to the path."

Lucas: "I want to sit on the chair."
Alex: "No, I do, my legs are so tired! I can't move anymore! I am going to die if I have to take another step!!"

Me: "Why don't you guys all hold hands and walk towards the chair? That would be fun right?"Me: "Oh Ryder, sit down- I don't want you to fall"
Lucas: "Are we done?"
Me: "I know, how about a candy break!"
Lucas, Alex: "YES!"

"Okay just a few more shots with everyone, how about on the blanket."
Alex: "I still have things in my shoe!"
Me: "Why is Ryder crying again??"Me: "All right time for individual shots."

Lucas: "Can I have more candy?"
Alex: (Thinking) "It's all about me now, my time to shine!"

Ryder Ryder (Thinking) "well I tried to be happy- it's not my fault I am developing a high fever and end up with hand, foot and mouth"And that my friends is how you shoot your kids.

How to Recover Pillows with Sweaters

2011-12-13T05:30:00.000-08:00

I am not a sewer. Yes, I paint, make cakes, take pictures and do all sorts of creative things- but the sewing machine and I are not friends. In fact, I had to have my mom thread it for me so that I could make these pillows. So if I can make them, you can too. I found the instructions for these originally here (thank you Pinterest!)

Materials
Old Pillows you don't like anymore
Sweaters or shirts (L, XL or XXL for big pillows)
Sewing machine
Scissors
Needle and Thread

I have had the two big floral pillows for as long as I can remember. And yes they were sitting on my couch. When I went to the thrift store to find sweaters (all $1.98 each) I ended up picking the other two little pillows for $1 each.
1- Place each pillow (or pillow) on sweater to make sure sweater is big enough and the look you want.

2- Turn sweater inside out

3- Place pillow on sweater, if possible line pillow up with one of the seams of the sweater (less sewing this way)
4- At this point you can trace a straight line around outsides of pillows- I simply grabbed scissors and started cutting. I made sure to l leave approximately 1/2" extra on sides of pillow (allowing for my free form method). I then just cut through both layers of the sweater at once.

5- While sweater is still inside out, sew three sides of pillow- getting as close to edge as possible. I did not even bother pinning- I just jumped on and starting sewing.

6- Do the Corner trick if needed (I forgot to take pictures so made a little diagram)In the sewn corners, if your stitch is not right at the edge (maybe yours is then you are golden)- simply cut in a diagonal some of the extra fabric. Make sure you are outside of your stitches or you will just make a hole and have to resew. If you do this, it will help so your corners can be more defined and not as "mushy".

5. Turn the sweater right side out.

6. Go to each sewn corner and push the corner out with your finger so it is not tucked in.

7. Place pillow inside sweater

8. Hand sew 4th side shut

9. Optional- add an embellishments to the pillow (see below)

10. Enjoy your beautiful pillow!

Sweater picking tips--
--You don't have to look for just ribbed sweaters, the green fuzzy sweater ended up being all of my kids favorite. And in the end I preferred the bigger ribbed sweaters over small ribs and designs, looks fancier.
--Get big sweaters (L, XL or bigger) especially if you have a big square pillow you are trying to recover
Embellishment Tutorial -okay first a small confession- my mom totally made the little flowers and I didn't 100% pay attention to what she did.
--basically- take some of the extra sweater pieces and cut into skinny strips. She then folded the strips in half with the rough or non folded edge up and then just roll up the piece into flower shape.
--then added a few hand stitches through the bottom to keep it together then sew whole thing to pillow.
-- For the two toned ones just start with a small piece of the other color and roll around it; then follow above directions

Enjoy! And let me know if you tried it!

I am linking this post up at the following crafting blogs

The Mall Santa

2011-12-12T05:30:00.000-08:00

I first just have to say I am so so excited about everyone linking up for the Review Extravaganza 2011! (#RE2011) I have really loved reading all of the recaps and am meeting new bloggers in the process! If you have not linked up, you can read the rules here and you have until tomorrow (Tuesday at 11:59PM Pacific) to link up the first week- so there is still time! And don't forget if you link up all four weeks you get a bonus point- so hurry and do it!!

Oh and one more side note- there were a few who recapped who did not include the button, which is required for the point-- since it is the first week I will let it slide- but starting week two if you don't have the button in your post you will not receive a point - I need to be fair to those who follow the rules. If you don't know how to include the button- please please email me (emmy (at) emmymom2 (dot) com) and I will happily help you.

Okay enough business.

Yesterday we took the kids to see Santa.
.......
......
......

Yes, this is where the picture should be. But you see I did not want to spend $22 for the picture package (which included 1 5X7 and 1 4X6)

And I had my camera- actually Eric had it at the time... but I guess our guilt won and we didn't sneak a picture.

Santa was amazing- kind, not scary, awesome blue eyes and the best real beard.

Alex sat on his lap, Lucas gave him high five and Ryder starred at him from the safety of my arms.

Wishing I would of snuck a picture.

I did get a picture of this thoughthat package of wonderful, yumminess, going to kill my stomach, treats came from our landlord.

Yep- he stopped by the other day as he wants to plant some fruit trees in the backyard (yes please) and gave us that!

Yep, best landlord ever. Makes me always want to rent a house, though we probably will anyway since we move so much.

Tomorrow I will be back with a tutorial on these pillows- so easy!
I am NOT a sewer (read I had to have my mom load the sewing machine for me) and I could make these.

Have you seen Santa this year?

2011 Review Extravaganza: Week 1

2011-12-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

It's week one of the 2011 Review Extravaganza!! (#RE2011) If you missed or forgot some of the details you can read the rules here. That rules post is also the post where you will want to leave a comment saying you are following all of the hosts blogs for your bonus point.

Today on week one, we are recapping January, February and March. You have between now and late Tuesday (11:59 PM Pacific) to link up to be eligible to get your first point. Every week you link up you get a point, follow all of the hosts blogs and leave a comment saying you are on the rules post (click here) for an extra point.

And-- one additional possible point- if you link up all four weeks you will receive one more bonus point!

Please remember the button has to be in your post in order for it to count for a point.

Let the fun begin!

January

The Cooking Club was still going strong

Ryder and Lucas got their two bottom teeth at the same time- one was just the adult version

I was a work-site widow when Eric worked 26 consecutive days many were 13+ hour days

I revamped my Photography 365 blog (which sadly I do nothing with again)

Put a few videos on my blog- including this one (click here) where you can hear how I say things

I told about how socks almost made us late to school

February

My family got a private tour of the newly finished hospital my husband builtI had two flat visitors

We had a fancy family Valentines Dinner (a new tradition)

My baby turned 9 months old

(little heart breaker)

March

My husband celebrated his 32 birthday and I made him a hospital cake (not because he is old but because he builds hospitals)

I took one of my all time favorite pictures

(I have this hanging in my house as a 16X20 metal print)

I told why my inability to fail had me at the grocery store at 6:30 AM

Showed you the many faces of Ryder from his 10 month shoot

I wrote my first Proud Mommy Moment- and started to get the idea for a meme

Created this map after a conversation with Alex about California being "the world"

It has been so fun going back and rereading some of these posts and it is amazing how much I have forgotten already! It makes me very grateful for my blog as I am a horrible journal writer.

So ready! I can't wait to see your recaps! And if you don't have done today- don't fret you have until Tuesday for week one. Next Friday will be recaps of April, May and June.

Proud Mommy Moments: Prayers And Service

2011-12-08T03:00:00.000-08:00

**Tomorrow! Tomorrow is the first day of the Review Extravaganza! Do you have your recap ready?? Details here***

It's Thursday- so yes you know the drill, it's time for Proud Mommy Moments! What are Proud Mommy Moments? This is a weekly- every Thursday- meme hosted by Kmama of the Daily Dribbles and myself. You probably write one most days on your blog, it is those moments or those things that your kids do that make you so proud that you just want to share and brag (and hey we are asking you to so it is okay) or it is those time where they do things that just leave you scratching your head or hiding it in shame-i.e. you are "proud"

Please, please grab the button for your post to help spread the word about this fun meme. Also, please remember to link up to your specific post and not your blog in general. And as always, remember that PMM are not just for moms!

We have had a lot of this in our house lately.It started with Ryder- actually is started with Eric when he almost got pneumonia-- but more recently it started with Ryder when last week he came down with hand, foot and mouth disease. Not fun listening to a very hungry 18 month old scream because he wants to eat but the sores in his mouth make it too hard to eat.

Just as he was getting over it then his big sister got it. She understood a little more so a little less screaming, but still not fun.

Then right as she is finally getting over that, the cough and the night terrors and the fever came on.

And I am going on my third week of not working out thanks to sick kids. And I'm eating candy because I am stuck at home with sick kids....

anyway- this is a proud mommy moment. What is my Proud Mommy Moment? Well it comes because of this boy.
Every night we say family prayer and then the kids say their own individual prayers. Lucas' prayers are so selfless and kind and he asks in every prayer that Ryder and Alex will get all better soon and that they won't be sick anymore. During the day, he gets his sister water, he gets her her blanket, he does everything he can to help take care of his sister.
Yep, I am a proud mommy.

What is your Proud Mommy Moment?

Memories Captured

2011-12-07T05:30:00.000-08:00

**Proud Mommy Moments tomorrow! Need more info- read about it here then come link up with Kmama and me! AND Friday is the first day of the 2011 Review Extravaganza--more info here***

Pictures are worth a 1,000 words- but sometimes a few words make pictures that much more.
All of the pictures are from my most recent photo shoot of my kids-- I will show you the rest whenever I find time to edit them!

Linking up with Galit Breen and Alison for Memories Captured

How to Make a Tomato Cage Christmas Tree

2011-12-06T05:30:00.000-08:00

I have seen these or similar trees at the store and loved them but did not love the price. So with a few supplies and a little bit of time and after only spending about $13 I have my own Christmas tree. And the easiest way to show you how to make it is with a video tutorial.

I am linking this tutorial up to these great crafting blogs today.

And linking up with Impulsive Addict and Seriously Shawn for their Talk to Us Tuesday- as well I am definitely talking!

P.S. Are you writing your post for the Review Extravaganza?

Craft Explosion!

2011-12-05T05:30:00.000-08:00

**Get Ready for the Review Extravaganza this Friday!! Details can be found here***

Things are a lot quieter here today. My parents have been here for the last few weeks. There has been lots of good food, lots of family, lots of card playing, some movies, shopping and the last few days my mom and I have gone crazy doing something we love- crafting!

There was the Dollar Store wreath
There were cheap/ugly thrift store sleds painted to something nice
There was the cute decor for my daughter's room
There was epson salt Christmas balls
There was ugly pillows redone with thrift store sweaters
There was Tomato Cage Christmas trees
(video tutorial on these tomorrow!)

And more painting

(three painted by me, three painted by my mom)

Yep- we have been busy and I am going to miss my crafting partner. Thanks you mom for teaching me how to create so many beautiful things over the years.

Review Extravaganza 2011- The Rules

2011-12-02T05:30:00.000-08:00

All right are you ready for this? I am so excited about this year's Review Extravaganza that is going to be begin NEXT Friday! So today I am telling you all the rules and nitty gritty.

What is the 2011 Review Extravaganza? It is your chance to write up some posts and recap what happened during the year. You can put your favorite pictures, tell your favorite stories, link back to your favorite posts, however you want. That way if you had a slow month, since we will be reviewing three months at a time it will be just fine. And it does not matter if you did not blog during any of the months- after all you still were living so something had to happen./

Starting next Friday- you can come here or to any of the other bloggers hosting this extravaganza (who I will list here soon) and link up your post. You only need to link up at one location as it will show up on each of the lists.

Friday the 9th, you will link up with your recap about January, February and March.
Friday the 16th-link up with recap of April, May and June.
Friday the 23rd-link up with recap of July, August and September.
Friday the 30th-link up with recap of October, November and December.

See how nicely that works out-by the time it is December's recap, December will be practically over. You DO NOT have to write your post on Friday, you can write it any day that week, that is just the day to link up. And you will have a few extra days to link up- until Wednesday. When you link up, make sure you put a link to your post and not just your blog in general. ((To do this, just click on the title of your post and then you can copy all that www gibberish that is in your browser bar))

And now the Extravaganza part! Every time you link up with a recap AND include the cute little button you will get entered into the drawing. Link up on the 9th and get an entry, the 16th and get another entry, etc., with a total of 4 possible entries. When all is said and done, I will let random.org do the dirty work and pick a winner and what will you win? Each of the hosts- all 8 of us will personally pick a present for the winner- so imagine getting 8 pacakges filled with something just for you!!

You can also receive some bonus entries- if you follow through GFC all of the hosts of the blog you can receive a bonus 5th entry. Once you are following all of the fabulous hosts come back to THIS post on my blog and leave a comment telling me that you following everyone.

So who are the hosts?

In no particular order:

Emmy Mom

California Girl

Em of Emilisq

Grumpy Grateful Mom

Impulsive Addict

Janette of Johanson Journey

MiMi Living in France

Runner Mom

All great ladies you should definitely read! So to break it down really simply

Link up each Friday with your recap-- you will have between Friday to the following Tuesday to link up for it to count for points
Receive 1 point for every week you link up -button must be in your post (4 possible)
Receive 1 bonus point for following all of the hosts blog (1 pt) -leave a comment stating you are following on THIS post
If you are the winner receive 8 gifts picked just for you!

Any questions feel free to ask as we want this to be a great experience for everyone! So get your recaps ready and join in next Friday for the fun!

Proud Mommy Moments: Manners

2011-12-01T03:00:00.000-08:00

A Fall Kid's Birthday Party

2011-11-30T05:30:00.000-08:00

Note: Sorry for the formatting issues- I wrote this last night when blogger was having issues and it will not fix for some reason. :(

My daughter's birthday always falls right around Thanksgiving so trying to figure out when we are going to do a birthday party is often very tricky. She has never had a friend party- but her big brother did at 5, so we decided she should to and it would be best to do it before Thanksgiving- so I threw together a birthday party in three days!
The party's theme all started because of the cake. We kept seeing fall cake ideas- all of which seemed crazy and very time consuming. But then in a moment of inspiration- I created The Apple Basket Cake.

CakeI used three cake mixes- most of which went into the 12x12 cake pan. After the cake was fully cooled I cut skinny triangles from both bottom sides- they were about 1" at the bottom then came to a point to angle the square to make it more basket like. I used Wilton's brown food dye, making sure to put a crumb coat (or lots of frosting) on where I had cut the cake. I then just added a little extra brown dye making it darker and drew the lines and rims on the basket.
For the apple cupcakes I used NO TASTE red dye. You need a lot of red dye to make something truly red so you need the no taste red other wise it will have a bitter taste. I broke pretzel sticks into thirds approximately and stuck the pretzel into the top for the stems. The leaves are those crescent shaped gummies. I cut each gummy in half as otherwise it was too thick and also trimmed the ends to make them a little more leaf shaped. And of course there was the bonus worm.

Games

Q-tip Tree Painting- I drew the outline of a tree and gave the kids a plate with a bit of red, green, yellow, and orange paint and a q-tip. The kids were then supposed to dip their q-tips and just dab circle leaves on the tree. My son (who's tree is shown) did a little extra painting
Pin The Apple on the Tree- Like Pin the Tale on the donkey. I bought a large poster board sized board at the dollar store and drew and then painted a tree. I then cut apples out of construction paper.
Pine Cone Races- like an egg race just with pine-cones (acorns would have been even better) to go along with the fall theme
Pine Cone Relay- divided kids into two teams and gave a pile of pine cones that they had to get into the cup on the other side of the room by carrying it down on their spoon
Balloon Races- race with a balloon between the legs
Pinata- Not fall related but a party tradition here

Goodie- BagsWe searched the dollar bins at Target and the Dollar store to fill the goodie bags. I bought a piece of gold sparkly paper and printed some leaf shapes onto the paper.I cut roughly around the leaf shape and then glued (just used a glue stick) each leaf to a piece of ribbon. I then taped the ribbon to the back side of the goodie bag (lunch sack)

Decorations and Food<The great thing about having a fall party near the end of fall is all of the fall decor is 50% off. I bought the pompom and leaf garlands that we simply taped to the ceiling at Party City.

I cut the pumpkins out of construction paper and then folded them accordion style. I glued the green stem onto the back and the clipped each pumpkin onto a piece of yarn. I taped the yarn to the counter.

On the counter I had a garland of leaves from some of my fall decor and a bag of fake gourds and vegetables scattered on the counter. The fall plates I later filled with vegetables.We also served pizza and pop.
It was a great birthday party. All of the kids had fun and there were no tears involved...well except when the birthday girl realized her brother helped with the candles.I am linking this post up at the following crafting blogs this week or next.

P.S. There is still time to link up your Ten Things to Smile About lists- go to yesterday's post here. And don't forget tomorrow is Proud Mommy Moments! So get your post ready to link up.

Ten Things to Smile About

2011-11-29T05:15:00.000-08:00

Okay- this totally snuck up on me! Did you realize it is the last Tuesday of the month? I did not until CA Girl texted me yesterday. So it means it is time for Ten Things to Smile About.

What is this? Ten Things to Smile About is a monthly meme that I started after a really rough month where I needed to look for some positive things. It is your chance to look back, find ten things that made you laugh/smile or that you just really like and write a list and link up.

I just ask that you grab the button for your post to help spread the word. The linky will be open for a week so you have plenty of time to link up.

Ten Things to Smile About November

1. Celebrating Thanksgiving with family and lots of good food (Eric ate 12 plates of food)Two of my siblings, my parents and me

2. Watching Alex and her cousin who was in town visiting get along so well the entire visit
3. Doing a photo shoot of my three kids-- the bad and the good

4. Going on a great date night with Eric-sushi and Breaking Dawn on opening night!
5. Needing to go shopping to buy new pants since reaching my goal weight loss of 10 lbs since I began really working out in August

6. Lucas receiving two awards at the awards assembly- the most possible that day
7. Warm Donuts

8. Celebrating this girl's 5th birthday
9. Coming back from running errands to hear that my dad rocked Ryder back to sleep

10. Putting together a successful friend birthday party for Alex in only three days
(More to come on this soon)

What made your list this month?

A Planned Birth Story

2011-11-28T05:30:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was very nice and the fun continues today as today 5 years ago our family expanded.

I sat in the doctor's office. He looked at the calendar. "Let's see your due date is in early December... how about November 28th?"

"Perfect." I replied. The date for my c-section was now scheduled and it was in November. I was so grateful as it just seemed that much further from Christmas. If I hear December I automatically think of Christmas- but November- well that isn't so bad.

The date quickly approached. Two-year-old Lucas keeping me so busy I barely noticed being pregnant. My mom helped me prepare the baby's room. We painted a tree and flowers around the room.Then the day arrived. Eric and I headed to the hospital, my belly really large but no contractions just as planned. We walked into the hospital when the fire alarm suddenly went off, doors automatically closing throughout the hospital, no one needed to be evacuated though, so we sat in the lobby and waited for the doors to reopen.

"Do you need to go up now?" the concerned receptionist asked assuming I was in labor. "Nope, we can wait."

Several minutes later we were finally able to make it to the maternity wing. I got prepped and they hooked up some monitors and asked if I was feeling the contractions I was currently having. What! No, did not feel them. The anesthesiologist came in and talked through what he would be doing, it all went really well and then we just had to wait. He asked Eric if he had the camera and told him he could bring it in and take pictures. This was a whole new experience, totally different than the 18 hours of labor followed by an emergency c-section I went through with my oldest. I was suddenly very sleepy. They wheeled me into the room and began the c-section.

(a thermometer on my head- as I know someone will ask)

I was in no pain or discomfort and really almost felt like I could fall asleep. After a few minutes they brought Eric in. Before I knew it I heard a baby crying.

My Miss Alex.

After Eric cut the cord, they weighed her, cleaned her up they brought her over to me. She was beautiful and so chubby- I was in love.

Meeting his sister for the first time

And now- well time has just gone too fast and today she is now five years old.
Happy Birthday to my beautiful daughter. You amaze and baffle me daily. Your confidence and the big bold way you live life are inspiring and tiring. You are my special girl and I will always love you.

We Want to Know Wednesday: Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T07:41:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Or afternoon depending on where you are. I haven't been around much this week as I am enjoying time with lots of family. And will be doing so the rest of the week. Just wanted to let everyone know there will NOT be a Proud Mommy Moments tomorrow as Kmama and I will be busy enjoying Thanksgiving Day. Thank you to everyone who always links up.

But next week I will be back as I have to tell you all about Alex's Fall Birthday party we had.

Today I am going to link with Mamarazzi and Quesso and also this week Crazymama to answer so Thanksgiving questions.

{1} What is your favorite food item at Thanksgiving dinner?

{2} What is your least favorite?

{3} Do you have a favorite pie? (Share a recipe if you want or just tell us about it and make us drool)

{4} Do you have any thanksgiving traditions?

{5} Black friday shopping? Do you participate in the delightful running through the stores in the wee hours of the morning madness or hibernate at home and shop online?

1) This is a tough one- for many years I really wasn't a big turkey fan, maybe it wasn't ever cooked quite right- but Eric and I have cooking that bird down to a T so it has jumped my list, but I think my favorite Thanksgiving food item may be the stuffing. Not sure why but I surely do love it.

2) Least favorite-cranberry sauce- I just don't eat it

3) Apple- classic apple. I also didn't like pie for years- yes I know I am weird. But I love a warm apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

4) I don't think we really have any. We always have a meal- so years we have done little turkey gratitude things, my husband does like to read a scripture from the bible about eating a roll- but otherwise mostly just over-eating and getting stuffed.

5) Nope, not really a fan of Black Friday- there are so many great deals throughout the year it just doesn't seem worth the chaos.

Review Extravaganza Sneak Peak

2011-11-21T05:30:00.000-08:00

Have you seen this button around the blog-sphere or here on my blog? If you read my blog last year you may remember the Review Extravaganza that several bloggers and I did the month of December- well it's back and bigger than ever!

What is the 2011 Review Extravaganza? It is your chance to write up some posts and recap what happened throughout the year. You can put your favorite pictures, tell your favorite stories, link back to your favorite posts, really however you want to do it. And just in case you had some slow months, we will be reviewing three months at a time.

This will begin Friday, December 9th.
So-Friday the 9th, you will link up with your recap about January, February and March.
Friday the 16th-link up with recap of April, May and June.
Friday the 23rd-link up with recap of July, August and September.
Friday the 30th-link up with recap of October, November and December.

You can see my first review by clicking here if you want an idea of how to do it. But don't worry there will be a lot more details next week.

I have to tell you the best part-- there are prizes involved-- 8 prizes in fact! A personal prize will be picked by each of our hosts for the winner. And how do you win? Every week that you link up with your review you get a point- and the more points you have the more time your name is thrown into the hat.

Next week I and the other hosts will break down the nitty gritty of all the rules and introduce you to all of the lovely ladies hosting this extravaganza. Set your Fridays in December aside as you are not going to want to miss this.

The Post Where I Tell My Husband's Secret

2011-11-18T05:30:00.000-08:00

Eric and I are going on a date tonight. We are going to go for some good sushi and then going to see Breaking Dawn- we even got our tickets last week. Yes, my husband is going with me on opening night to see Breaking Dawn. And no, I am not dragging him along- in fact he is just as excited as I am.
A few years back I was somehow living in a rock and had never heard of Twilight. After the first movie came out I started to finally hear some chatter about it and after it had been on video for a while we rented it. I enjoyed it but really wasn't blown away and wondered what all of the fuss was about.

Curiosity got the better of me and I checked out the book from the library, and well let's just say I was soon making my way to the store buying the whole set. I was hooked. My husband humored me and went with me to New Moon on opening night. All he knew of the story was what he had seen in Twilight and a few tidbits I had thrown his way.

He had fun laughing at all of the screaming girls but did actually enjoy the movie. I of course kept telling him how much better the books are.

When Eclipse was coming out- the plan was once again to go on opening night, just this time I was going to have a baby the next day. Yep, I scheduled Ryder's c-section for the day after Eclipse opened so we could have one last night out before his birth. But he came 8 weeks early so that changed that plan. We did see it a couple of months after his birth though.

Then this summer Eric had to help out on a different job- which resulted in his usual 50 minute commute turning into a 2 1/2 hour commute- each way. He survived it by listening to audio books. He first listened to The Hunger Games and a few other books. Then he decided he would listen to the Twilight Series. He said he barely made it through Twilight- but sometime during New Moon he started to like it-- a lot.

So yes, my husband likes Twilight.

We have both been excitedly anticipating Breaking Dawn and watched the first three movies this last week in preparation.

Tonight we will both be sitting in the theater with probably a lot of teenage girls and one of us might even be screaming a bit--though no, I won't tell you which one of us it is.

Are you going to see Breaking Dawn?

Proud Mommy Moments: Awards!

2011-11-17T03:00:00.000-08:00

Did I Hear a Word He Said?

2011-11-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hi! I am guest blogging for the awesome Missy of Literal Mom today.

She is doing the NaNoWriMo thing and so I am happy to fill in for her today.

Head on over to her blog by clicking here and read about The Glaze

And if you are coming from Missy's- welcome!! So so happy to have you. Have a look around, leave a comment and I will be sure to get back to you.

And don't forget everyone- it is Proud Mommy Moments Time tomorrow!! Are you writing up your post? So come back tomorrow for PMM and a link to another guest post I am doing- which you will not want to miss!

Don't Touch the Toliet Paper!

2011-11-15T05:30:00.000-08:00

I am all for teaching responsibility to my kids. Every Saturday we spend a couple of hours cleaning the house as a family. The kids help vacuum, dust and even clean the bathrooms. Yes- I am talking about scrubbing toilets.

They also are required to clear their dishes after every meal. Every evening they have to help clean up all of their toys and straighten out their rooms a bit.

The other day when Alex was complaining that she did not have a cup to drink from at dinner time I made sure to let her know of all I did myself to get ready for dinner and so if she would like to ensure she has a cup next time I would love it if she helped me set the table.

I want to teach my kids to be responsible so they can learn the value of hard work, finishing a job and heck so I can be a little more lazy and do less things myself. Hey, I'm being honest here.

But even with all I want my kids to do- there is one job they are NOT allowed to do.

They are under no circumstances allowed to change the toilet paper.

Several months ago, Lucas had enough to finish up, was flushing and while flushing was changing the toilet paper. At that exact moment the toilet paper holder slipped from his hand, fell into the toilet and went down the drain! Yes, the entire stick-thing toilet paper holder fell was flushed! Though- the next day the toilet would no longer flush. Eric happened to be there at the time and still says he would not believe it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.A few months after that, while Alex was in the bathroom and the toilet paper ran out mid-usage- she went to change the roll and the little stick fell in the toilet. And well, she hadn't just gone pee. Fishing things out of poop filled toilets is probably the lowest thing on my list of things I like doing.

And then when this exact same thing happened just a few days later- I was done.

Now my kids know that they are no longer allowed to change the toilet paper.

So, if I walk into the bathroom and see an empty roll- it doesn't annoy me as it might most, but it makes me happy because I know my kids are actually listening.

Linking up today with the lovely Impulsive Addict and Seriously Shawn for their Talk to Us Tuesday

Monday Mugs: Thankful Week 2

2011-11-14T05:30:00.000-08:00

I am hooking up with Heather of Oswald Cuties again for an easy Monday post.

This week's theme is Thankful week two.

This week I am thankful for the simplicity of life at this stage.

By this I mean the fact that on Saturday night, when dinner was finished early, it was cold and dark and everyone was a bit restless....

A simple trip to Krispy Kreme's made everyone so happy.

The kids watched the donuts being made while we waited in line (and some more after we ate our donuts)

And of course we got to eat some. Warm, glazed donuts.We made short work of a dozen

And everyone was happy. It won't always be this simple. But for now while it is, I am going to enjoy it.
What simple things are you thankful for?

Reading- It's Hazardous for my Family

2011-11-11T05:30:00.000-08:00

As a child I loved reading. My sister and I had a shelf full of books in our bedroom and I remember picking out piles of books to read. In my scrapbook my mom put together for me, there is an award from 2nd grade where I read over 300 books.

My love of reading soon lead to a love of writing. If I had a blank notebook I just had to fill it up with stories. In I believe third grade a story I wrote, The Witch Who Lost her Broom, won a school award. In high school I wrote a short play that the Y0ung Women of my church acted out during an Evening in Excellence. I of course was the star of my own play- hey why not, I wrote it.

I have always loved a good book.

But I don't read anymore- or at least I shouldn't.

A few days ago while I was waiting in the pick-up line to get Lucas I opened up my iPad and began reading Emma- one of the many free iBooks available. And what have I done the last few days? Nothing but read Emma.

You see, when I begin a good book and get hooked- well you might as well not bother trying to talk to me until I am done. When I read the Hunger Game series, I couldn't even put the book down while unloading the dishwasher. When I finished, Eric proclaimed- we got mom back!

So it is probably best if you not recommend any books to me as my family's health may depend upon it. Luckily I finished Emma- so I can now spend the day reading all of your blogs that I have gotten behind on.....

hmmmm.... is that much better?

Oh well. Read any good books lately?

Proud Mommy Moments: Type A

2011-11-10T03:00:00.000-08:00

It's Thursday! Time for Proud Mommy Moments. This is a weekly- every Thursday- meme hosted by Kmama of the Daily Dribbles and myself. This is your chance to brag about your kids and tell us those awesome things they have done or tell us the times that make you oh so "proud"- but hey at least it gives us all a good laugh.

Please, please grab the button for your post to help spread the word about this fun meme. Also, please remember to link up to your specific post and not your blog in general. And as always, remember that PMM are not just for moms!

Definition of Type A Personality: An individual who is as ambitious, aggressive, business-like, controlling, highly competitive, impatient, preoccupied with his or her status, time conscious, and tightly wound.

As exercise class wound up on Monday another mom commented that Alex is definitely a type A personality. And well I totally had to agree.

You see, Alex loves going to exercise class with me. The class is at church and the kids run around and play in the gym around us. Alex never plays by herself. In fact, she is usually leading a line of kids around the gym.

"Follow me- I have to be in front" she will bark.
"Now, everyone do this." she says while spinning in circles
"And now dance"

Five or six kids follow behind complying to her every command.

Occasionally another kid will try and cut to the front.
"No, no. Don't you remember I am the leader" she will calmly and matter of factually state.
At which point the would be cutter will take their place in line.

Occasionally I will see someone else at the front of the line. But on the way home she let me know all about this. "I am always supposed to be the leader, but they were not wanting to play, so I let them have a turn so they would keep doing what I say."

"Now let's play monster everyone. The boys are the monsters, run girls!" to which all the girls will run with her with the boys chasing behind.
"Bam- I got you with my lazer!"

She has also told me about one of the boys that always tries to be mean. "He was trying to get my friend to do something mean to me; but I told him- she is my best friend she will not do that."

And this isn't a one time thing- every single time we go things just like this happen. Alex leads and the kids happily follow along. Class always ending with Alex telling me who her newest friend is and asking if they can come over to our house to play.

Type A personality: ambitious, aggressive, business-like, controlling, highly competitiveYep- I'd say so.

The girl baffles me. So unlike my shy childhood self. But controlling and all- I'm still proud of her.... I think.What is your Proud Mommy Moment this week?

No Idaho People

2011-11-09T05:30:00.000-08:00

As a child I loved imaginative play. Everything from house, to restaurant, to the grocery store. I would even cut out families out of the Sears catalog and have whole dialogs and role playing with my family.

Now as an adult-- I just seem to have lost some of that imagination and joy from it. But everyone once in a while I harness that inner child and really get into the play.

Alex: "Mom play restaurant with me."
Me: "Okay let's do it."

Alex ran and got a pad of paper and a pencil and instructed me where to sit. She then approached me.
Alex: In her snooty/elegant/important voice, "And what would you like today?"

Me feeling silly and possibly a bit punkish responded in my best hick/ignorant/stupid person voice, "What ya got today, any good grub?"

Alex: "Mom! No Idaho people! Do not talk like that. You are talking like your an Idaho person."

Sorry Dad- really I never taught her people from Idaho are like that.

The Status Quote

2011-11-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

It's that time again- time to copy those funny/weird/sad whatever you want Facebook or Twitter status and paste them for an easy post. Then link up with CA Girl or me- you only need to link up in one place, it will show up on both blogs and you are set to go.

My commentary is in blue.
This gets to be a busy time of year with so many holidays and things going on- so here are some status in honor of this crazy time of year:
"Today is national "the only day where it's okay for a stranger to give you candy" day"- kind of ironic huh?

"Daylight Savings needs a mascot. Like a cuddly bear that shows up the next day and gives children sleepy cough syrup an hour before bedtime." now that would be nice!

"Is their a time zone I can cross into where it's the weekend again already?" - or how about one where it is always the weekend?

And these one just made me laugh:
"Asked my 5y/o to go get me some water. Specified from the fridge. I have this paranoia that one of my kids will fill up my cup using the toilet water." --Thanks- I think I might have developed this paranoia now

"I think the self-check out line was invited by a guy who had to buy tampons. Thank you Mr. Real Man of Genius." - hey girls don't even like buying these things

And these made me well just kind of wonder, say ewe (and laugh):

"I smell like tuna, raw potato and oil. And that, my friends, is how you catch a man." what kind of man?

"So, as it turns out, it wasn't actually me that was throwing feces at people. I'm extremely happy to finally get that monkey off my back." - the lesson at church on Sunday involved talk of the monkey on your back-glad I saw this after church otherwise I would have never been able to stop laughing

See, fun easy post. What status did you see? Play along and link up!

Monday Mugs: Thankful

2011-11-07T06:51:00.000-08:00

I am definitely in need of an easy Monday Post- so today I am linking up with Heather of Oswald Cuties Monday Mugs. She gives a weekly theme for pictures to post and you can post one picture or as many as you want. This week's theme is Thankful.

I have been in a funk lately. In some ways I have been more productive, keeping up with laundry, unloading the dishwasher first thing in the morning, ran 5 miles on Saturday... but I just feel blah. I have had windows of time where I could get things done and all I want to do is sit. But then after two hours of sitting I regret it of course, continuing the cycle.

And this weekend when I still felt this way at times and didn't want to do a thing- my husband without even knowing how I was feeling stepped in. He played with the kids, he made breakfast while I was off running. He just stepped up and took care of things like he so often does.
So today I am very thankful for my husband.Who loves and supports me and who is the best father I know.
Head over to Heather's and see what others are Thankful for.

And don't forget tomorrow is the Status Quote.

It is a monthly meme where you can post those funny facebook or twitter status you see out there- no need to tell who said it.

The Ode to Homework

2011-11-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

Did I ever tell you how much I like Fridays? No? Well I LOVE Fridays. Not only is there still school on Fridays (so free-ish time for Mama), but there is also NO homework. And on Friday's-well we always go out to eat. Plus Friday's are the beginning of the weekend. So I love Fridays.

Especially the no homework part.

This week, Lucas has gotten out early every single day- thanks to parent teacher conferences. That has meant extra time- so homework wasn't crunched in there with everything else. This resulted in a nice calm homework week. Until yesterday.

Tears, yelling, bribes, threats, whining, complaining, ignoring, throwing, and finally slowly complying all occurred in some order and at some point during homework time.

And sometime during this whole process, I wrote a poem. And so with no further adieu-

My Ode To Homework

Do your homework! Do your homework!

I seem to always beg and plead.

Why do you whine, why do you cry?

You make me crazy-my little guy!

I hate homework yes I do

I might just hate it MORE than you.

For homework brings the monster out

It often makes us both scream and shout

So to all the homework that you have to do,

We really really really hate you!

But hate it or not-it still has to be done

So guess what, time for you to get over it my son.How homework makes me feel some days

So glad it's Friday!

Proud Mommy Moments: The Conference

2011-11-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

Ten Things to Smile About: October

2011-11-01T03:00:00.000-07:00

Can you believe October is over! This year really is going too fast. And since another month has passed, it is time to look back and find those Ten Things that made us smile. This is a monthly meme I began after a really hard month when I wanted to find the good. So write your list, please grab the button for your post (just copy and paste the code) to help spread the word and link up. Oh and the linky will be open for almost a week- so if you don't have your list done for today come back anytime this week!!

Ten Things to Smile About: October

1. Birthday's, birthday's birthdays- Lucas, my MIL's, CA Girl's boy and mine!(best friends and almost b-day buddies)

2. Cute little trick-or-treaters

3. My awesome husband for taking over the home front while I spent a day shopping and eating with my beastie CA Girl
4. Spending an uplifting weekend listening to the Prophet and Apostles speak at General Conference.

5. Candy, candy candy and an excuse to eat it-- though my stomach may not be smiling

6. Umm... the funny goats at the petting zoo
7. Getting a serious crafting bug and completing so many fun projects--makes me feel all productive and awesome

8. Sucessfully completing my first 5k! My official time was 33:57 - I finished 14th in my age division.

9. Getting a new precious- I mean the new iPhone 4s-- I love Siri

10. Fall and Halloween decorations
So what made you smile this month?

Halloween Galore

2011-10-31T05:30:00.000-07:00

Before I forget to mention it- tomorrow will be your chance to link up with Ten Things to Smile About. This will be October's list- it is your chance to go back and find the good things during the month- even if it is something as simple as the leaves changing color. I started this meme after having an awful month and I needed to go back and find the good. You can just write a list, add pictures, I just ask you include the Ten Things button found on my sidebar.

For today, I am linking up with Four Plus an Angel and Sellabitmum for their Boo in the Blogsphere meme. You can link up through November 5th.

We had a church Trunk-or-Treat on Saturday so I already got pictures of my trick-or-treaters.

So all aboard and join us for our Halloween fun.(Hat $5 party city, pocketwatch I made, jacket $1.98 at thrift store, church pants)

And if get on the train only to find out you are in trouble- you might just find a superhero --but she is in disguise so look closely

(Hooded cape- made by my MIL, mask $9 Halloween store, ballet leotard she had - "S" I made out of felt, skirt $6 target, boots $3 thrift store)

And in case that superhero was hiding and you missed her- well this Superman can help you out!(Lucas' old costume- so no cost)

Oh and I even got in on the action a bit this year.(or I just wanted a reason to wear the cute hat I found at the thrift store)

So never fear- someone is always watching out for you.
Happy Halloween!

What We Do at a Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-28T05:30:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we had a little family fun at the local pumpkin patch.

There were slides
Look I even got in on the action

Swings for the kids

Things that the kids enjoy- but would make me sick
And of course a group shot...wait someone is missing

Oh there she is

Try again...
nope still no go

Oh and I jumped in one too.and look finally a smile!

And what song did the kids ask for and sing on the way to the pumpkin patch?

We'll you have to watch to find out.

Proud Mommy Moments: Steps

2011-10-27T03:00:00.000-07:00

They Say It's Your Birthday!!

2011-10-25T05:30:00.000-07:00

In case any of you came today ready with your Ten Things to Smile About This Month posts- that is going to be held off until Tuesday, November 1st- as otherwise we have almost a whole week of October left- so please please come back next week and link up. And if you already wrote your post, definitely just link up next week.

Today I am going to be linking up with Impulsive Addict and Seriously Shawn for their fun meme Talk To Us Tuesday. This is a meme where anything goes- so easy peasy! You definitely should go read both of these ladies blogs- their blogs are laugh out loud funny, I would say pee your pants funny, but Shawn does that enough for the all of us.

So last Friday I told you all about how I was going to begin my birthday celebration- which yes my birthday is today-- on Saturday with a day out of shopping.

I began my day early 7:09 AM to be exact when I walked into Kohls for their powers hours and to utilize my 30% off coupon- which I did with several new shirts and a few cami's

9:00 AM- Morning at the pumpkin patch with the fam- more on this tomorrow.

12:00- begin to watch my Cougars kill Idaho State University

1:20- Begin the now too far drive to see my BFF Lourie- while listening to the game in the car

me and my beastie- CA Girl

2:10- Pick up Lourie to begin my "within reason" shopping- and get text updates about the final score-thanks Eric!

2:00- 5:15- Hit up Tuesday Morning, the Dollar Store, two thrift stores. Most ~~damage~~ "within reason' shopping done at Tuesday Morning. Oh and I did score two chairs for my kitchen table that I am going to redo for only $16 total! Squeal!!

5:15-6:15ish- Treated to dinner out by Lourie and she gave me my hilarious and perfect presents
The candles and matches- actually made me bust a gut. You see at Lucas birthday- we realized we did not have candles, so we hurried and ran to the store last minute to get candles- only to come home and realize we had no matches or at least no idea where they were, we had to use the stove to light the candles- so Lourie is making sure I am taken care of.

Dinner

Yes I had a chilli cheese dog so big and messy it required a fork! mmmm
Lourie was a bit neater in her choice

We had our dessert

And ate it too

6:15-6:30- Swing by Target

6:30-9:30 Head to Lourie's oldest daughter's school to watch her perform in The Hobbit. The kid that played Gollum- was beyond amazing and creepy- he had the voice and movement down perfectly! It was insane.

9:30- Begin drive home :(

Then when I got home I showed my husband my loot-
though this doesn't do it justice as everything is back in the bags and boxes and my chair aren't in the picture-though there will be lots of pictures when I refinish them.

(And sorry- all pics were just quick ones from my cell with no editing done- as yeah, I was just lazy)

And today-today I have presents, one from each kid, teasing me all wrapped up pretty which will be opened as soon as Eric gets home and then out to eat for us-- definitely not cooking on my own birthday!

Do you cook on your birthday?

Shutterfly Christmas Cards

2011-10-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

I love blogging- I love writing and telling my story, having a record of my life. And sometimes there are great perks. Last year I was able to get free Christmas cards from Shutterfly, here is the card I made last yearI loved the cards I got last year, they are great quality- I was very happy with the colors that came out- as not all printing services are created equal. When I take a lot of time to post edit my pictures only to have the printer mess the colors all up- well I don't like it. So I was so so happy with the colors of the cards that Shutterfly made for me.

So when I saw a deal for bloggers again offered by Shutterfly I was more than happy to accept that offer.

Have you been to their site? There have hundreds of Photo Christmas Card options. Or if you are having a big party- they even have Christmas invitations you can make. Plus, if you need a great idea for Grandma or someone that is harder to buy for they have so many great photo gift ideas.

To break it down simply, they have tons of great templates and formats that are easy to use and this professional photographer who pays extra to use my own printing service, was thrilled with the quality of the cards and the color that was made.

Now I just have to decide what pictures I want to use and which of the hundreds of Photo Christmas Cards I want to use. Maybe I will use just one picture this year on a card like this
Bloggers- you can register here for your chance to receive 25 free Shutterfly Christmas Cards.

Our Prayers Are Heard

2011-10-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

As I entered church today my heart began pounding. I was going to be speaking today. In my church there is not a paid pastor or clergy men but things are done by callings and volunteers. Eric and I were asked if we would speak in church today. And while this is also a lot longer than most of my posts, I felt like I wanted to share my talk from today as it expresses my feelings, several events that happened in my life and the testimony that I have of the power of prayer. So if you get a few quiet moments today, hopefully my talk about prayer will help bring some peace to your day.

I began the talk by introducing myself, which I am not sharing here, and then began...

Today I have been asked to speak on President Monson's conference talk "Stand in Holy Places".

One of the greatest truths of the gospel is that we literally have a Father in Heaven. He isn't just some great power or spirit; but our Father who knows and loves us. He wants us to succeed, he wants us to have a relationship with him and talk with him always.

President Monson taught "It is a relationship I cherish—one I would literally be lost without. If you do not now have such a relationship with your Father in Heaven, I urge you to work toward that goal. As you do so, you will be entitled to His inspiration and guidance in your life...He freely gives if we but seek them."

So how do we seek Him? We can seek Him through scripture study, through church and temple attendance. But if we truly want to know Him- we need to talk with Him through prayer.

We are told to pray always unto the Father in the Son's name. Now before your knees start feeling sore from the thought of praying always- there has to be another way.

I know I do a lot of self talk.
"come on Emily just one more mile."
"okay calm down- breath Emily"
"you do not need that second brownie- put it down Emily."

And the more serious times where I ask what I should do to help my kids, what I should do to rid my mind and heart of an ill feeling. In these times, rather than ask myself these questions- in my mind I address my Heavenly Father- so I am continually having a prayer in my heart.

In President Monson's talk he recalled the story of his $5 bill he was sure was lost in the laundry sent out. He pleaded to his father in heaven for that bill to be in his pocket when his pants returned- and it was.

I too recall a time as a child when I sent a plea out to my Father in Heaven. My family was on vacation in Ohio. We went to this huge park along a river. After we played to our hearts content we began walking down a path that ran along the river. We stopped off at a row of bathrooms along the path. Each bathroom was it's own individual room with a large door from the outside leading in. I finished my business, went to open the door and it did not open. I pulled on the handle and the handle moved but the door did not. I panicked. I banged on the door- nothing. What was I going to do. I then remembered what I had been taught at home and in primary- I folded my arms said a prayer and then began banging on that door again. By this point my mother and sister had returned, heard the banging and rescued me much to my relief. My mother on coming out of the bathroom herself had not seen me and figured I had headed down the path following the rest of my family. As she went down the path she felt prompted to return to the bathrooms. I am grateful she listened to that prompting and returned to rescue me.

My prayer was answered through the actions of another - in this case my mother.

Prayers can also be answered through the scriptures. During my sophomore year of high school as part of gym class we were playing volleyball. The team I was on we're doing pretty good, except for teammates crashing into each other as everyone was forgetting to call for the ball. So as the ball came over the net, I would shout out-"call it". Apparently this got on the nerves of one of my teammates- I apologized but said we would play better if people called it. She did not like my response and decided to respond by trying to make my life miserable for the next several months. She would openly criticize me in front of others, bump into me in the hallways, and just find any way to make me miserable. I would slowly change after gym in hope of avoiding her outside of the locker room; I changed the path I took to some classes to avoid her-it was awful.

One evening as I lay in my bed upset wondering what I should do and praying for help, I felt like I should open my scriptures. I opened the Bible to Matthew 5:44 which reads "but I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despite fully use you and persecute you." That night I prayed for the strength to be kind- and I am sure I also sent up a plea for her heart to be softened.

Valentines day was soon approaching. I had bought these little boxes filled with Hershey kisses to give my friends- as I looked at those boxes I knew what I needed to do.

On valentines day I headed into class- we were now in a classroom for the health portion of class. I quietly approached her desk, set one of the boxes on her desk said Happy Valentines day and walked away. My heart was racing a million miles a minute and I dare not look back her way. She never said thank you, but she also never teased me or bumped into me again. My prayers- with the aid of the scriptures had been answered.

President Monson stated: "The storms will still beat at our doors from time to time, for they are an inescapable part of our existence in mortality. We, however, will be far better equipped to deal with them, to learn from them, and to overcome them if we have the gospel at our core and the love of the Savior in our hearts."

When I prayed for love, to love my enemy- I was then equipped with answers of how to deal with my problems.

And sometimes, at those times when help may be needed the most prayers can be answered through a direct answer.

A year and a half ago we were vacationing in Utah. While there Eric's mom and one of his sisters bravely agreed to watch all of the grand kids so the rest of us could enjoy a morning session at the temple. I had to rent a temple dress as I was 32 weeks pregnant and mine definitely would not fit over my belly.

I sat and relished in the spirit during the session. I love the joy I feel and know that I am making it possible for someone else to feel that joy too. During the session when we stood for the first time- I suddenly felt some water trickling down my leg. I was not having any contractions and wondered what in the world was happening. I sat down along with everyone else and began wondering what I should do, should I just stick it out and not spend a lot of time in the Celestial room?

What was happening I pleaded. At that moment I heard a voice very distinctly tell me "everything is going to be all right.". I was immediately filled with peace. We were all prompted to stand again, the water that then ran down my leg left no doubt what I should do. I gathered my things, went into the isle motioning for Eric to follow and went to the back of the room. I told the temple worker my water had broke.
"Congratulations!" she said.
"No, it's too soon."

As I lay in the hospital the next couple of days trying to keep the baby in as long as possible - that distinctive answer I received resonated through my mind letting me be filled with peace despite
everything going on. And when my son was born at 32 weeks and during his 19 day NICU stay- while there were times of uncertainty and fear- overall I knew all would be well.

And all is well. And while I could have felt, why did this happen? Why couldn't the answer have been that he would make it to 40 weeks as he was supposed to be- the answer I received did not take away the trial- but helped me get through it with peace and increased faith.

Our prayers are heard and will be answered. Sometimes the answer may be- you figure it out. Which is often my answer to Lucas while he is doing his homework. Yes, i know the answer- but then what would he learn? Our Father wants us to learn, to grow, so sometimes we are told to figure it out. When Lucas figures out the right answer, I will smile and assure him it is right. Our Father in Heaven will give us that same assurance also.

Other times answers will come strongly and quickly- if my toddler is wondering what would happen if he touches a hot stove- I am not going to stand by and let him figure it out. But will give a very distinct answer. When we receive these answers or promptings do we respond and react or do we let our hand get burned?

Just as my son has learned to look up and look at my eyes while he is writing his answer as my eyes will give away if he is doing it right and my toddler has learned which tone in my voice means- danger very serious- as we come to know our Heavenly Father we too will recognize
his voice and know how he answers us.

But no matter how or when the answers comes or what the answer is- our prayers are heard. Heard by our perfect Father in Heaven who can see the whole picture and who wants us to be truly happy and return to Him someday.

Don't Wanna Miss This!

2011-10-21T05:30:00.000-07:00

Okay the title might be a bit misleading- but couldn't think of what else to call a bunch of random ramblings. And because I feel like it and it is kind of fun I am going to use bullet points.

Do you remember when I left a subtle hint to my husband about what I wanted for my birthday?
No?
Well I told him I wanted a day out to go shopping with my BFF and some money to spend.
And guess what??
It is happening tomorrow.
And he told me to "buy whatever you want"
he may have followed up with a "within reason"
But what is reason??
hehe- I kid, I kid.
So tomorrow CA Girl and I are shopping until we drop, eating dinner, and then watching her daughter break a leg in The Hobit
And yes we are doing this for my birthday-which is Tuesday by the way- as I know you are all dying to know when you need to come back and leave me oodles of love.
Speaking of Tuesday- it is the last Tuesday of the month and the time I usaully do Ten Things to Smile About This Month but since there is almost a week left in the month after that- I will be hosting the link TUESDAY NOVEMBER 1st!!.
That way you can post the adorable Halloween costumes as part of your list if you want.
So even though Ten Things To Smile About won't be on my actual birthday- I would love to get lots and lots of people to link up- you can consider it your birthday present to me :) See aren't I easy?
And if you are saying what is Ten Things to Smile about?? Well you can read about it by clicking here-- or I will tell you. Basically it is a way to look back on the month and find the good, funny, things that made you smile. I started this meme after having an awful month and really needed to look for some good.
So I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I know I will--oh and I get to end it by speaking in church!
Or is that a good thing?

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?

Proud Mommy Moments: Potty Humor

2011-10-20T03:00:00.000-07:00

Ah, such a proud mother I am. Or aren't I?My three trouble makers

What is your PMM this week?

Goats, Pumpkins and Bouncy Things

2011-10-19T05:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went with Alex's preschool class to a local Pumpkin Patch...or more like a glorified road side pumpkin stand.

Alex...loved all of the animals in the petting zoo;

Ryder...wasn't quite sure- he would get close but never touch.

Alex...
loved sitting by the pumpkins to get her picture taken;

Ryder...
yea, not so much.

Alex...
loved the bounce house and giant slide;

Ryder...
don't think he really liked it.

So 50/50- not bad odds I guess.
But to Ryder's credit he is getting a cold and slept horribly the night before.

Painting Laminate Furniture and Picture Frames

2011-10-18T05:30:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting to the final project of the three that I showed you a few weeks ago- the table.I have had this table for almost ten years now. When Eric got it for me we were poor college students and this was the perfect table to help furnish our little apartment. I loved it! But over the years my love for it has waned a bit. And my new love affair with Pinterest made me realize a little paint could make a big difference. I love the antique blues and whites- but the lines of this piece definitely called for a more modern look, so I chose black.

This piece is laminate- a piece of real wood glued on top of fake wood or particle board- so I couldn't just slap some paint on it.

I did some research and used Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Primer. This primer does not require any sanding, can be used with any type of paint on top and dries in about 1 hour. At the store the associate asked if I wanted the primer tinted since I was going to be painting black over it- I declined though as I knew I would be using this primer for multiple projects.
I took the table out to our court yard and started painting- I started priming the top first as I was just excited to get started- but this was a mistake. Since the top was wet, I had to lay on my back to do the underside of the table. If I had flipped the table over first and done the underside, I could have turned it upright to do the top.
I waited the hour and sure enough- it was dry. For my color I used Behr's- Black Suede- I got it in semi gloss. I bought a quart which was way more than enough. I used a regular big brush and a small 1" brush for corners. When I was painting- I did remember to flip it over and paint the underside first- made life so much easier!

And the result...
The table was a bit tacky for about three days, so we waited to put anything on it until it felt fully cured.

And if you notice the picture frames are different- since my table was now black- I didn't really want black frames on a black table. So I busted out two of my favorite acrylic paint colors

Americana French Grey Blue and Avocado

I first did a very fast sand job on each frame- the frame with my oldest two (green one) was much more plasticy so I sanded that one a bit more. I did a fast paint job since I wanted some black to show through. After the paint was dry I went back with a fine grain sander and roughed them up a bit.

and this was the result
I am very happy with how it turned out and am loving the "new" table I now have.

I am linking this post up at the following crafting blogs

Running My First 5K

2011-10-17T05:30:00.000-07:00

About six weeks ago I was talking with some of my friends after exercise class.

"So we'll meet this Saturday to go running," they said. "Come running with us we're training for a 5K."

No way I thought- running is not my thing and I have never even ran more than a mile in my life.

But somehow by the end of that conversation I had agreed to at least come that Saturday and see how it went. And well- let's admit it, I am way too competitive and pretty stubborn so I knew I was in for the long haul.

Six weeks of training and yesterday was the big race.

We posed for pictures before- and yes we matched on purpose We joined the big crowd-
Then we were off!

My official time hasn't been posted yet- and I missed it when I finished-- but I came in right around 34 minutes- so I was very happy with that for my first 5K. Post Race- we did it! The girl next to me came in third for our age category

Life's Lessons: Random Ramblings

2011-10-14T07:58:00.000-07:00

Today I just have a bunch of random garble going through my mind- so I figured it would be the perfect time to link up with Rach (Donut's Mama) and Sara's meme and share the lessons I learned this week.

Every kid will do it at some point--what will they do? Be embarrassed by you. It is going to happen at some point. For me -it happened today. While driving Lucas to school I was entertaining the kids with my singing of Zombies on the Lawn (Plants Vs Zombies song)- to which Lucas quickly said "Don't be singing that when we stop and the door opens."-- it happened. I was kind though and did stop singing. Must be feeling compassionate.

Today I am stuck home most of the day- I am waiting for some awesome packages though-new iPhone4s- squeal! But you know when they will try to get delivered- while I am picking Lucas up from school- as that is just the way it seems to happen. Keeping my fingers crossed that I am wrong.

Since we are getting new phones- we are selling our old ones on e-bay. Last night e-bay was not being nice to me and I was having trouble getting them posted. I was supposed to go to a girls night out--well I did-- but that is for the next bullet-- so when I was back home I was just going to quick post my husband's phone then head back over-- it was going slow, not working, so then I got all worked up and so yea- wasn't about to go anywhere then.

And the girls night- got the first text inviting everyone out-- didn't get the second text saying they were going out to dinner first and were bumping back the girls night a half hour.... (sometimes our reliance on technology sucks)
so when I showed up at the house and the babysitter was there I was a bit confused to say the least.
The host totally apologized and told me to come over as they were all there now- but the whole ebay thing happened.
Totally failure of a night

But I do have a babysitter lined up tonight and a bunch of us are going to pay to get subjected to terror with a haunted house-- so tonight should be better

except I am kind of worried about leaving Ryder as he has had excessive-read 5 times or more a day- pooping for the last week and his butt is paying the price. And so now he really doesn't like getting his diaper changed much-poor guy.
But still going out.

Oh and tomorrow I am running my first 5K! Totally excited and nervous- and really hoping a cool front comes in- over 100 here again-BOO! And last week when it was cold it seemed so much easier running.

Come on cold!

So there- enough random for you. Did you learn anything from the ramblings of my mind? Head over and link up with Rach and Sara.

Proud Mommy Moments: My 7-Year-old

2011-10-13T03:00:00.000-07:00

DIY: Dollar Store Pumpkin Redo

2011-10-12T05:15:00.000-07:00

As you saw from my post a bit ago, the crafting bug has bit me hard. Last week I showed you how I made the DIY superhero/brother sign. And guess what- my sign got featured!!

Totally made my day to see that Ashley of Cherished Bliss featured my sign.

This week- before Halloween is over, I am going to show you the pumpkins.

Just the blue pumpkin in the center

Supplies:

Dollar store pumpkins
Acrylic Paint-- French Gray Blue, White, Black, gold, brown
Paint brushes

I painted the first pumpkin the French Gray blue color I am in love with lately. You do not have to worry about covering every little spot- in fact it is fine if a little orange shows through.There was some of the bright ugly orange on the stem- so I painted up the stem a tiny bit covering them with the the blue with a small brush.

I then took the brown and a small brush and painted the stem brown. I did not make a straight line across at the bottom of the stem but instead made it more jagged and natural looking.

I then dry brushed some splotches and streaks of gold all over the pumpkin. I espeically concentrated on the bumps of the pumpkin- but really just did it randomly. The key is to have a very dry brush with a tiny bit of gold on it. And the finished results....You can see the orange peaking through at points but it works.

For the other two pumpkins I followed the same techniques, I painted one white- with a black stem- but it was too stark white for my taste, so I very lightly dry brushed steaks of black. The black pumpkin: I painted black, white stem, and dry brushed in a little more dramatic steaks of white.

So easy to do- and it only took me 30 minutes at most to do all three. I already had the paint and brushes so only cost me $3! Have you made any crafts lately?

I am linking this post up at the following crafting blogs

The Status Quote

2011-10-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's that time- what time? Status Quote Time! Status Quote is a meme CA Girl and I host the second Tuesday of every month. It is a time to share those funny/weird facebook or twitter status updates you see-- and no need to incriminate who said them.

So an easy fun post! Copy those status, grab the button and play along.

Just Funny:
I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down.-- sadly this was one of the few new funny ones from my BIL-- I think the new FB is throwing everyone's game off.

When you stop to think about it, trick-or-treating is really just advanced hobo training for kids. -- oh now I have a costume idea for my kids!

Kids:
Doing laundry has become hazardous- it is a game of get the clothes in the dryer before my toddler smashes my hand with the dryer door.-- sounds like time to call it quits with laundry

Me losing my voice is like a tender mercy for all around.-- if only this would happen to my kids occasionally

Why does homework have to be a knock-down, drag-out, this is the hill I am willing to die on kind of battle? Seriously.-- this one is not funny at all as it is way too true

Life lessons:
I teach my first graders that a synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the other one. -yep so true- I use synonyms all the time!

What did you find on FB or Twitter this month?

This Month is Such a Special One

2011-10-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday!! My first-born is now 7-years-old! I can't believe it!

He woke up Saturday morning more than ready to open his presents.
He had a wonderful birthday weekend and got to celebrate with his Mimi and Papi.
And he was very excited about the many Lego sets he got

And he loved the cake I made

Sunday the fun continued and we celebrated Eric's mom's birthday-- what made her so excited?The fingerprint flower painting the kids made for her

Sunday afternoon we headed to CA Girl's house so these two could celebrate their birthdays together another year Lucas and CA Girl's son Ryan

More present fun

A cake made by CA Girl's sisterIt was a great weekend and I hope Lucas had a wonderful birthday weekend! I will be doing his 7-year-old shoot soon- so will post those pictures once I take them.

Speaking of CA Girl-- tomorrow is our monthly Status Quote meme-- so be copying those FB and Twitter status to share!

Chicago is The Best!

2011-10-07T06:15:00.000-07:00

Did you know Chicago is the best city? I am telling you why over at the hilarious Lisa of the The O'Gs today. So head on over and see why Chicago is the best- trust me you don't want to miss this. Simply click here.

Proud Mommy Moments: He said what???

2011-10-06T03:00:00.000-07:00

You know the drill- or just in case you don't... It's Thursday! Time for Proud Mommy Moments. This is a weekly- every Thursday- meme hosted by Kmama of the Daily Dribbles and myself. This is your chance to brag about your kids and tell us those awesome things they have done or tell us the times that make you oh so "proud"- but hey at least it gives us all a good laugh.

Please, please grab the button for your post to help spread the word about this fun meme. Also, please remember to link up to your specific post and not your blog in general. And as always, remember that PMM are not just for moms!

This weekend Lucas and Alex were playing school. Lucas was the teacher and would show Alex what to do and she would copy his work.
"Okay what is 4+10?" he would ask. It was quite cute and many memories of playing similar games as a child flashed through my head.

I had to interrupt their game so we could go pick up the babysitter. Eric was out of town and I was going running with my girls-- only two more weeks until the 5K! Yes- I paid a babysitter so I could run. That is a statement I never thought I would say.

"Alex is a good student and her card never gets turned over." Lucas told me while we drove in the car. "But we are pretending like there is one bad kid Max and he always gets in trouble. He even kicked a kid in the private parts."
"Hey, you don't need to pretend that." I replied.

We made it to the babysitter's house. The kids were both very excited and were soon both talking the babysitter's ear off as we drove back home.
"Do you want to play school with us?" Lucas asked. "I am the teacher and Alex is the student. I am teaching her math and writing. She is a good student and doesn't get in trouble."
"But there are some bad students" Alex added.
"Yes including one boy Max," Lucas jumped in. "He is often mean and he kicked one boy in the p****!"

Yes- he did just say the correct name to the the 13-year-old girl babysitter.

Yea- wasn't so proud at the moment.

What is your PMM this week?

Dates and Lunch

2011-10-05T06:15:00.000-07:00

What makes for a great date? As I was trying to think of my all time favorite date one single date didn't really pop into my mind.

Though, I did remember my first date with Eric. It was a group date- we went up the canyon and roasted marshmallows and just laughed and had a great time.. oh and we may have kissed on that date.

A picture from our first date

Or the time that we played lazer tag with a bunch of our friends and then went to a local dance even though I thought I was ready for bed. Eric had to keep me up a little longer that night though- as that was the night he proposed.

Or I thought about the time that Eric and I went mini-golfing and then out to dinner. Or the time when we went to BYU's bowl game in Vegas and froze our butts off in the constant 40 mph winds. But BYU won and it was a ton of fun- and this is the only time Eric and I have gotten away overnight just the two of us since having kids. Wow-that needs to be remedied.

I think the one common factor in all of these dates I thought about-besides the obvious factor- Eric-- is that we did something different than just dinner and a movie. Even if it was simple, like mini-golf, it was just not an every day thing we do and so made it that much more special.

And why I am writing this post today? Well because I am being featured and hosting a "lunch" on a great new blog called Blossoming Bloggers.

This is a site with the intent to help new bloggers. They feature tips and advice and talk about how to do things on lunch- and every Wednesday someone hosts a "lunch"-- they post a recipe and write a prompt for people to respond to. My question- what is the best date you have ever been on?

So what is your best date? Write your response and head on over to Blossoming Blogger to link up- and make sure you go see what recipe I shared.

DIY: Superhero Brother Sign

2011-10-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

The results are in and the project from yesterday's post that everyone wanted to know about first was definitely the Superhero Brother sign. But don't worry, next week I will tell how I did the pumpkins and table. So here is how I did it.
I saw this quote about brothers on Pintrest a while ago but wondered what I could do with it, and then I remembered one of my all time favorite pictures of my two boys and got the vision for what I wanted in my head.

Here is what you will need to make one like it:
Supplies:
-Board- mine was cut to 19X19"
- Picture frame- mine is 5X7 size
- Paint- I used Acrylic paints, white, brown, black, antique white
-Paint brushes- large flat brushes, flat small stencil brush, flat shader
-Tracing Paper
-Computer/Printer- to print picture and print font/words to trace

I began with a board I bought at Home Depot- the board was 24X24 for around $10- I did not want it that big so my husband cut it down to 19X19. I think I got that size because I wanted equal space on either side of the frame- so your size of board will vary depending on your frame.I went to the dollar store to look for the picture frame, intending on painting it- but I found one just the right size and color, I was thrilled.

I first painted the board white. I usually buy the small bottles of acrylic paint-however for white, black and brown, I usually buy big bottles as those are colors that are used all of the time. I then intended to use my can of stain to antique it-however, when I went to pull out my stain, it turned out it was actually a protective finish and not stain- so on to plan B.

I then used my big brush to dry brush in brown. To dry brush- dip your brush into paint then wipe it on a plate or your paper towel several times until hardly any paint remains. Start at the edges and then pull in.

This part is not a precise science and is up to you how it looks. When I added the brown, it was too dark at parts and too brown for my taste, so I added some black, and then well I just started going a bit crazy and just streaking and slapping on paint everywhere. It was a bit too much color though, so I then finished it by cover mostly just the middle section with one more dry layer of white so the words would show.Once I got the board a color I wanted- I needed to find the font I wanted. I had pinned a few sites with great free fonts- but ended up finding my font at dafont.com -- it is under the stencil category called Capture It. I measure the board and guessed about how big I would want the words, typed them up and printed them. ***

***If you have one of those fancy cricut machine- (anyone want to buy me one?) you can make vinyl letters rather than paint the words on. Or you could also use stencils-- I am just showing you the method I did.***

I then lay the words on the board- realized I wanted them a little bigger and printed again-yea measuring first may have been better.
Once I had the text the right size, I used a ruler to measure and put little dashes for where the bottom of my text in the first line should line up. Luckily, this font is very straight- so it was fairly easy to line up. I put down my tracing paper and lined up my words on the dashes that I could barely see through the tracing paper. I used a blue tracing paper-since I was tracing onto a white surface.You trace the letters by outlining with a not very sharp pencil-so you can push hard- the letters or object you want.

After tracing the first line of words, I went onto the second, once again measuring and marking. I then measure how much space was between the first and second line and used this number for the rest of the lines. It might not have been exact and perfect in every space, but it was close enough. If you had painters tape, you could measure and then tape down a line so you know where to place your words. All the words traced on the board

Then the painting began. I used my little flat stencil brush, it was about the same thickness as the letters, and carefully painted every letter starting at the top. I watched TV while doing this to make it more entertaining :) I loved the distressed look of the text I had printed- but I decided to just print the letters solid black first...and then I went back with my small scruffy shader brush and very dry brushed in some dots and spots with antique white (hint: antique white looks more brown if you looking for it in the store). And don't worry about being neat or consistent as it is supposed to look scruffed- my new favorite made up word.The letters scruffed up

The blue is from the tracing paper--when the paint is all dry-simply take a barely wet paper towel and carefully wipe over the blue lines and they disappear like magic.

And finally the frame. First print the picture you want in the frame. The frame I chose is one that can sit on a desk- so I put the picture in and used the clips that are supposed to hold the back on to directly hold the picture in and did not use the back.I then glued- can use hot glue or crazy glue- the frame into place. And there it is- though in this picture the frame was not actually glued on yet- I was just too excited and wanted to get a picture.Finally, Ryder's bare walls will have something on them.
If you have any questions, just ask in the comments as I would love to help.

I am linking this post up at the following crafting blogs