{Crazy Life of Mine}

2010-04-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

I have officially moved to Life as I know it. I will leave Crazy Life of Mine up though for the archives. Hope to see you at my new online home. :)

2010-04-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

I know you all have been wondering where I have been. Please visit my new blog: Life as I know it .

Blue!!!

2010-03-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to taking pics of the kids completed room. I didn't take another pic of their Ikea flower and star lights since I already posted that one a while back. I absolutely LOVE their room now.

Not a single photo but a really great time

2010-03-22T06:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my hubby didn't have to work so we decided to do something together. After going through hell and back to find a sitter my best friend came directly after she got off work and babysat for us. THANK YOU TONI!!! I LOVE YOU GIRL!!!

So where did we go? A fancy restaurant? A movie? Nope none of those. We went to the country to shoot our handguns. Three hours and over 500 rounds between the two of us and we packed up and went to dinner. Hubby insisted we stop and try a sushi place and I was completely grossed out. But we ate there anyway and let me tell you it was fantastic. We ordered California rolls with crab and shrimp. SO good. There are 12 of them in our fridge right now waiting to be eaten. It was a fantastic day. Just me and hubs out in the woods. Very relaxing and a perfect stress reliever.

And I must say that my aim was pretty darn good. I even hit a glass bottle dead on towards the end. Yea me! It was the most fun we have had together in a long time. :):)

FINISHED!!!

2010-03-19T13:50:00.000-07:00

We finally finished the kids room today. I couldn't be happier! The photos aren't capturing how beautiful the walls are but believe me it is a fantastic blue. I haven't gotten any really great photos yet since the kids are home but I will do it when they go back to school on Monday.

I was browsing Flickr a few weeks ago and came across the idea to use Ikea spice racks as bookshelves so I bought three of them and each of the kids have one above their beds. They turned out so cute. Here is the boys bed and I will take photos of the rest of the room very soon.

Next stop on my mission to paint every room in this house....the bathroom.

Bummer

2010-03-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

It is a pretty big bummer when you have about a half hour more painting to go in a room and you run out of paint. It is an even bigger bummer when the paint you bought does not come in anything smaller than a gallon size. But the biggest bummer yet is when that gallon of paint costs $33.99.

Thankfully I love the color enough that I can paint my bathroom with the leftover.

Family Movie Night

2010-03-16T06:53:00.000-07:00

Last night hubby came home late after a job and handed me a Willy Wonka chocolate bar from Walgreens. He then told me that we were going to watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. My response was not too pleasant. You see I had never seen the movie and there was a reason for that. I DIDN'T WANT TO. But he insisted.

The kids were supposed to be asleep already but Makayla was still up so I told her she could come in the living room with us since it was Spring Break. Shortly after Macie woke up and wanted to come in.

So we made it a no notice family movie night. The girls had a blast and loved it. As for me I did NOT like the movie. But it was fun to watch it as a family. Even Limo got in on the family movie watching. He laid on Macie and me most of the time.

Memories

2010-03-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was at my mother-in-laws house and she was starting to pack to move. She opened her huge armoire filled with antique quilts and made a huge pile for me to take home. She said that she had carried them around for 30 years and that it was my turn.

I love these quilts. Each of the kids got a completely handmade one for their beds and the rest I washed and folded up to keep until we need them.

These quilts have always been a part of my in-laws home. I can't count the number of times she pulled some out for us when we stayed the night.

I hope that one day I will pull them out for my grandchildren when they spend the night.

We have been cleaning like crazy around here. Today I am continuing to purge and do a complete clean sweep. I am so tired of having so much useless stuff around the house. Spring break started today. The kids are going to be put to work too. :)

I really didn't want to

2010-03-13T08:33:00.001-08:00

I just joined the grocery game again. I really really didn't want to. It is great savings but the time it takes to keep up with the coupons, plan the lists, etc. is a pain in the you know what. So I am not happy about joining again. I just felt like I needed to in order to build up our stockpile again for cheap.

It will probably cause me more stress than it is worth but oh well. I will give it a try again.

Almost done

2010-03-11T15:25:00.000-08:00

.......and loving it!!

Wishing......

2010-03-11T06:52:00.000-08:00

I am so ready to plant our garden and go blueberry picking. We have had some beautiful weather lately. Let's just hope it keeps up. There is great excitement in the air over our soon to be garden.

( Photo taken last summer)

Batman and the Bad Guys

2010-03-10T14:05:00.000-08:00

One thing I never get tired of is hearing ( and seeing) the boy play with his toys. Right now he is very much into Batman and other super heroes. He carries them everywhere we go.

It is hilarious to hear him play. He makes the cutest bad guy voices and sounds when they are fighting. I also must brag that he plays extremely well by himself. Today he was at the kitchen table for almost an hour playing with Batman and the "bad guys" as he calls them.

I LOVE having a boy!!

A much needed family trip

2010-03-08T09:02:00.000-08:00

Saturday turned out to be the most beautiful day we had seen in a long time. So on the spur of the moment we decided to pack up and make the very very long trip to see the Battleship Texas and the Texas Monument. We had such a fantastic day as a family. We really needed a day to escape the sadness and stress and focus on us.

We went to the battleship first( kids were absolutely mesmerized) and then we ate and visited the Texas Monument. The kids were great the whole day even in the monument museum. By the time we got home we were beyond exhausted. Macie came up to me shortly after we were in the house and said...." Mommy, can I PLEASE go to bed now?"

I took over 50 pictures but blogger is acting up so I will have to post them another time. The last pic is of me and the kids. I love the pic except it was very windy and my hair is blowing in every direction. Oh well.

I will post the rest of the pictures as soon as blogger starts acting normal. I am SO glad we went.

A little sneak peek....

2010-03-05T15:56:00.001-08:00

My aunt and I have been painting since 9:00 this morning. She left at 5:00 and we still aren't done BUT it looks so incredibly awesome that I can barely contain myself. Oh my I am excited.

And my kids are pretty happy too. :):)

I heart IKEA

2010-03-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

Today I went to Ikea with my friend and her kids and what a blast we had. I got everything on my list and can't wait to paint the kids room so I can put everything up. SO EXCITED! Towards the end of the trip my friend let the kids watch Monsters Inc. on her phone. The boy looked SO cute watching it.

I really do love IKEA. I could have easily spent $5,000 there today but instead I showed restraint and only spent $80. Not bad at all for everything I got though. The day really got my mind off of everything that has been sad around here and I feel a lot better tonight. I think reconnecting with my friends is going to help me.

Here are the pics of my cute cute kid. I *heart* this boy..............and IKEA. :)

Together

2010-03-02T15:31:00.001-08:00

Every 100 years or so my kids will sit down together and play nice and calm. And if I am really lucky I will be able to capture the rare moment on camera.

( If you look closely you can see that the boy brought an action figure to the loving family neighborhood. )

Think before you throw away

2010-03-01T17:22:00.000-08:00

I have really been struggling with being frugal lately. I have several auctions on Ebay I am bidding on. I am doing my best though and truly trying to watch what I spend. I love to make smoothies for the kids and me. Usually I use milk and they turn out great. I have been reading that plain yogurt is great for making smoothies so I bought a HUGE container of it and tried out a smoothie with it. YUCK!!! I couldn't even drink it. Nasty texture and taste.

The kids love yogurt but only strawberry or peach. So here I have an enormous container of plain yogurt in my fridge. Normally it would have been thrown out right away but I kept it in there thinking I could put it to good use somehow. So I did some research and found a master muffin recipe mix here. I choose the liquid option using the yogurt and voila! Cocoa muffins that the kids and hubby devoured in one night.

Sure it was only a $2 container of yogurt but think about how many times you throw something out after a failed recipe. You may not be guilty of it but I sure am. So I saved myself $2 and in the long run maybe I will think about finding another way to use something before I throw it out.

The Return of Scrapbooking!

2010-02-27T15:57:00.000-08:00

Shortly after we moved to the house I stopped scrapbooking. It wasn't something I intended to do. It just happened. I missed it terribly but just couldn't find the motivation to get back to it. My mother-in-law asked me to do an album for my father-in-laws funeral and I was very touched. I had to complete a 20 page album in less that a week after taking a year break.

I did get it done and I was thrilled with the results. After that I felt my creativity and the want to sit down and record our history coming back. Friday night I sat down and worked on 4 pages for myself. I am back! This time I am scrapbooking for ME. For my family. I don't care about what others think is "in" now. If I like it great but I don't care if others think the techniques or products I use are outdated. If I love it then it is a great page. I am not done with this page yet since I need to go buy an archival safe pen. This is the start of oodles of pages I will be working on now. It feels so good to be back! :) ( You can click on the pic to make it bigger if you want. )

Moving Forward

2010-02-26T06:16:00.001-08:00

Part of the reason I have had a hard time blogging is because I feel guilty about doing the things I enjoy. I feel as though I should be mourning 24/7. But when I stop to think about it I know that my father-in-law would want us to be happy. He wants the kids to laugh and run around happily. He wants hubby and I to move forward together. I know this because family was everything to him. So now I am trying to make an effort to get back to the things that bring us joy.

It isn't easy and lord knows it hurts deeply but we are trying to move forward. We miss him SOOOO very very much. The picture was taken several years ago on Thanksgiving.

Now

2010-02-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

Right now we are struggling in many ways. Our hearts are SO heavy. One thing that came along with this is an extra burden of financial stress. We had to pay for the funeral. Well my brother-in-law and mother-in-law helped too but it was still a large amount of money that we now have to pay back. We can live with that. We accept that. Now we also have to be able to help out my mother-in-law financially if she needs it. So with this tragedy came a new way of looking at how we spend our money.

We have been trying for a very long time to agree on how we should save, etc. Well now we don't have a choice. Things are changing with how we view our income because they have to. Since everything has happened I have not felt the need to buy a lot of stuff. The day before I had four packages arrive at my door step. I was buying books and other things. Now I don't feel the need to spend each chance I get.

Today I made an exception. Our home is our sanctuary. And right now it is the ONLY place that any of us want to be. Since I was a teenager my favorite artist ( besides my aunt who is truly the most AMAZING artist) is Amy Brown( link in my sidebar). I used to collect postcards of her prints. For years I have wanted an 8.5X11 print of her work but for some reason I always held off. Today was the day. I went to her site and feel in love with several prints. Then I looked on Ebay and found a print that I had never seen on her site. I feel instantly in love and have already paid via Paypal. It cost me $19 after shipping. But I don't feel guilty. I LOVE it. It is something I will treasure for years to come and I have waited years to buy one.

Being frugal is something that we have to do now. I enjoy being frugal but I also believe that sometimes you have to make an exception.

Sad

2010-02-23T08:28:00.000-08:00

I am trying to get into a mood where I feel like blogging. It just hasn't really happened yet. My mother-in-law ended up in the hospital a day before the funeral and life is very sad and uneasy right now.

We are trying to hold on but it is proving extremely difficult. We are taking it easy and today was the first day we returned to our normal routine. Hubby went back to work and the girls are at school today.

Right now we are finding comfort in our small little home. Not really wanting to leave. Just hanging out, napping, crying, talking, breaking down, laughing, and crying some more all in one day. It has been a roller coaster and not a very fun one.

I keep praying for God to give us strength. I took this pic yesterday. We got a ton of plants and flowers for the service. My brother-in-law sent some home with us including a HUGE arrangement with three separate plants from hubby's work. We now have five new plants in our home and I must say that they are bringing me comfort.

Thank you all so very very much for the comments. I am still feeling very very sad and depressed. We miss the glue that held our family together.

Peace and comfort

2010-02-21T20:53:00.000-08:00

Right now there is no peace in our hearts. We are grieving to the point of being physically sick. So much has happened in the past week that I feel like my chest is going to explode. I have had to find my own kind of peace and comfort in little things this week. I just wanted to get a few of them posted so I could get it out.

* Laying on hubby's moms couch last night at 3:00 a.m grieving and crying with hubby's arms wrapped tightly around me.

* Watching our kids run into hubby's arms

* The support of family and friends has been amazing

I need to continue to remind myself to breathe and thank God every single night for my blessings.

2010-02-16T22:03:00.001-08:00

I wanted to let you all know that I am going to be taking a break for the next week or so. I need to focus on getting our family through this. My mother-in-law asked me to do a scrapbook for the service so I have to get that all together. I have lots of posts I want to do when I come back.

Thank you for the prayers and well wishes.

2010-02-14T19:03:00.000-08:00

I don't know what to say. My head is pounding and my heart is devastated. My father-in-law passed away today. I can't think. My head is clouded. Our family is crumbling. I don't know what to say or do. It was so sudden. I just don't know how we are going to pull through.

I have to get some sleep. Or at least try. My chest hurts from crying since 10:00 this morning.

Super powered smoothies

2010-02-13T14:34:00.000-08:00

Since we are all pretty miserable over here I made a super powered smoothie today at lunch time. I used:

bananas
strawberries
peaches
fresh baby spinach ( Shhhh. Don't tell my kids)
orange juice
plain yogurt
honey
a little bit of sugar

Mix it up and you get some super powered disease fighting goodness. It was so good that the boy drank his with 2 straws.

I am off to cook dinner now. Wanna know a little secret? I haven't cooked dinner in my kitchen in over 3 weeks. That's right. Three weeks of ordering in, eating out and fast food. Wanna know how much we have spent doing that? Well I am not going to say because if I type it out I will get depressed. If I get depressed I am not going to feel like going into the kitchen right now and fixing dinner. See how that works. I HAVE to get myself back on track with cooking. So my readers better hold me to it. I WILL cook dinner EVERY night for at least a week starting tonight. Now let's see if I follow through.

Two little broken hearts

2010-02-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

Last night I had two very excited little girls at home. They were filling out all of their Valentines cards and getting ready for their Friday Valentines parties at school. They were beyond excited. This morning I get them off to school and then not long after I get a call from the nurse saying that Macie has a 101 degree fever and has to come home. My poor baby is missing her party. I would have left her there but if a kid has over 100 fever they HAVE to go home.

The second broken heart is Makayla. I go to all of their school parties. I go to Macie's first then Makaylas. I had them pull Makayla out of class so I could talk to her and let her know that I couldn't come to her party now because Macie would be home sick. She broke down and started crying her little eyes out right there in the front office. BROKE MY HEART IN HALF! So now she is sad because I will not be there for her party and Macie is sad because she will not get to have her party at all. They have been counting down for 2 weeks now. :(

I just want to cry for them. School parties at that age are the greatest thing ever. Hubby is really sick but still not calling in from work. I am coming down with something too. We are a house full of sickies. And heart breaks. I am hoping that the Zhu Zhu pets I bought the kids for Valentines will cheer them up this weekend. They have no idea yet so it should be exciting for them.

First pics are of last night writing the cards out. Last pic is my miserable and heart broken little sickling today.

Comfort during a storm

2010-02-11T08:45:00.000-08:00

A couple of nights ago we decided on the spur of the moment to meet up with my aunt and uncle and have dinner at IHOP. It was supposed to start storming later in the evening but we still had a few hours to eat before the storm hit. We left at just the right time. It was starting to get very dark and windy on the drive home. We were about five minutes from the house when Macie started crying that her babies were scared at home by themselves and that we needed to get home.

We walked in the house about three minutes before the rain came crashing down. Once we were inside we began a mad hunt for Macie's babies. She couldn't find her monkey so that caused an all out panic on her part. We did eventually find her and then the kids started grabbing ALL of their "babies" and putting them on the couch with them. They said that they wanted to make sure their babies weren't scared during the storm.

This made my heart melt because I knew what they meant was that it would make sure THEY weren't scared. They just didn't want to admit it. So they piled all of their stuffed animals and dolls onto the couch with them to watch a movie. SOOOOO sweet and cozy.

Soap Instructions

2010-02-10T06:27:00.001-08:00

Several of you asked how I made the soap for Macie. These are super basic and easy but I will tell you how I did them. During the winter months Macie's eczema gets out of control. She has a prescription steroid cream which helps but not nearly as much as she needs. In October we went to open house night at her school. She was scratching her legs when we got out of the car and by the time we were in the school she had blood running down her poor little legs.

I always buy the hypoallergenic body wash for her but every time she got out of the tub her legs were so raw she would just cry. So I figured that hypoallergenic really isn't all that much better.

This soap is SOOOOO easy you can do it with a toddler helping you if you want. First you need a soap base. This kind is also referred to as melt and pour or something like that. I found mine at Hobby Lobby for $9.99. I choose shea butter because it is good for skin. There are other types you can choose from. Goats milk would be great for Eczema as well.

You simply melt the amount you need in the microwave. I figured out that for my molds I needed about 2-3 small blocks( it comes with 36) for each soap bar. After you have melted it you add in the other stuff. I choose aloe vera because it is healing. Vitamin E would also be really good for eczema. The instructions were to add a few drops per ounce so I did that. This is also where you would want to add in color or fragrance. I did NOT add color or fragrance because I wanted it to be as natural as possible. The bottle of aloe vera concentrate(below) was $2.99 at Hobby Lobby.

While the base was melting I took out my blender and ground up some oats from my pantry. Oatmeal is SUPER great at soothing eczema. We usually put some in a sock and hang it from the faucet for Macie's bath. It really helps. After it was completely ground I simply added it to the soap and mixed.

Then you pour your mix into the plastic molds($2.47 at HL) and wait for it to cool and harden. It says it should take 20-40 minutes but mine took about an hour to be ready. Then simply pop it out of the mold and VOILA!!!!! Eczema fighting soap power. It lathers very well and when my cutie pie gets out of the tub she isn't screaming how bad she is hurting. I hope that this helps any of you who try it. It really did help Macie and I now know we will continue to make our own soap. The possibilities are endless with all the stuff you can add to them and use.

I will also add that this is not a decorative soap. I didn't care about color, etc. You can definitely make yours more attractive but my primary goal was for my daughter to get some relief. They will turn out like the ones in my last post. If you make some I would love to know if it helped you or you child out with skin issues. :)

Have fun making it. I think it could become rather addicting. :)

ETA: Make sure that you let your soap dry in between use. Don't let it sit and stay wet on the side of your shower. It will waste away.

Soap success!

2010-02-09T13:48:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you add a shea butter base, aloe vera concentrate and ground up oatmeal? You get some super powered all natural eczema fighting soap. I made four bars as a test run. They were super easy and Macie loves them. Yeah! I am going to make a ton more soon.

ETA: I am so over winter. I want some warmth. I want my flip flops and my little girls in sleeveless sun dresses. I want to stop being frozen solid. I can't believe I am actually saying this but this cold weather has got to go.

Target trip

2010-02-08T10:21:00.000-08:00

Just a few short hours after I posted my last post this morning the boy and I went to target and what did we come home with?

A new camera of course. I think I am really going to like this one. It is basically just a little point and shoot but it takes pretty darn good pics. And it is the highest megapixel camera I have ever had.

Gotta love Target. Oh and the best part is that it was on sale. :) Saved myself $40!!

Missing my camera

2010-02-08T06:24:00.000-08:00

I am still without a camera. I have a lot to share but without my camera I just don't feel like it. Hubby took it today to see if we can get it fixed or if I need to buy a new one. I can't go much longer without it.

Be back when I have new photos to share. :)

Moments

2010-02-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

This was the last picture I took right before my camera broke yesterday. Grrrrr. I am so not happy about having to replace that but anyway...moving right along.

Makayla came home from school early yesterday because she was sick. I sat her on the couch to watch a movie and read. I spend every single day missing the baby years. The precious moments when my babies would lay in my arms and coo and smile that precious little toothless grin.

But then seeing moments like this make me so grateful for the bigger years too. The curiosity that comes with having learning children. The thoughts that they share from their little world. I love it all. These are also such precious moments.

It is so sweet to watch your kids lying on the couch reading a book themselves. I need to make a better effort to focus on the present instead of the past.

And what could be better motivation that three precious kiddos?

ETA: Forgot to mention the quilt Makayla is using. I found it on clearance for $29.98 at Target the other night. Originally $59.99. SCORE!!!

The Game Plan

2010-02-03T06:27:00.000-08:00

The last few days in our home have been anything but peaceful. We have been dealing with anger in one child. Severe tantrums in another and on top of all that our kitchen sink has been clogged and completely out of order for over a week.

Let me tell you that I have spent an insane amount of money eating out every day for lunch and dinner. The landlord is fixing it but it isn't done yet. Not a very good week for us.

When my kids come home they are so tired that they can't stop picking fights with one another. It is pure chaos from the moment the van door closes at school to the moment the last child asleep shuts their eyes.

I have been trying to figure out ways to give them (and me) a little peace during the late afternoon and evening hours.

This is my game plan. A bean bag, new books, a puzzle and a card game. I am hoping that the beanbag will be a good way for a child to go off to the side alone and get some time to themselves. They can read, play quietly or just relax. The games should help them with boredom. If all goes well we will be adding more stuff to the game plan but for now I am starting small. If we don't get some peace in our home soon I am going to loose my mind.

ETA: The school nurse just called me and said Makayla is miserable and in her office. I kept her home yesterday with a low grade fever and coughing. Now she is feeling worse so I need to go get her. When will life slow down to a calming pace?

Being Prepared

2010-02-01T05:57:00.000-08:00

I like to be prepared. Being caught off guard doesn't sit well with me. Hubby is pretty much the opposite. He takes whatever comes his way and doesn't really worry much about the future. After a few conversations we decided to start building up a stockpile of food. My reason for this varies. I want a full pantry so I always have something to make and I want a good stockpile so we aren't ever caught in a situation where we have to stay home due to an emergency situation without food.

My grocery store has been having an insane sale on several things we use constantly. I got the mac-n-cheese for $.50 each and the Goldfish for $.88 each. You can't see it in the photo but there are also about 15 packages of spaghetti under the other noodles. I am only buying stuff I know we will eat and rotate through. This is just the start of our stockpile. We decided to take a couple hundred extra dollars and get a head start.

Like I said I am big on being prepared. I am also making an emergency kit. This will include flashlights, first aid kit, water, small snacks, change of clothes, etc. The kit is for in case we have to leave quickly in our car for some reason. We would have everything we need right there available. I am going to do other posts about being prepared as the kit is completed, food stocked up in the shelves, etc. I do think it is very important to be ready. And believe me it is worth it. I have been through a flood( 2 feet of water in our home) and numerous hurricanes. With a family to care for I feel like it is the only smart thing to do. You can always use up your stockpile before it goes bad. I checked the pasta for dates in 2012 or even 2013. That way I don't have to worry about it going bad before we eat 20 pounds of pasta.

Do you have an emergency stockpile? What else do you do to be prepared?

A good laugh

2010-01-31T07:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we decided to go to IHOP for breakfast. It ended up being way too busy with a long wait so we decided to go somewhere else. When we were leaving the parking lot of IHOP Macie said...

" Mommy. Why aren't we going to IPOD???"

:):):)

Rain

2010-01-29T07:01:00.000-08:00

It is rainy outside which is my favorite kind of day. It was storming all night long. I LOVE wet, dark, rainy weather. LOVE it. Today I have to catch up on the house and probably run a few errands. First on the list is the laundry. It is once again over flowing.

But the best part of my day is spending time with this boy. Snuggled together on a cold and wet day. This boy rocks my world in ways I can't explain.

Kids Organization

2010-01-26T07:22:00.000-08:00

Sunday was spent purging and organizing the kids room/closet. I started off grabbing containers so that I could make piles. I did a container for the boys tools, dinosaurs, hot wheels, bigger cars, mega blocks ( which all 3 of my kids still LOVE), Barbies, Snap on dolls, etc. Anything that was broken, missing pieces or for babies went. I tackled the closet, their armoire and every space in their room. I LOVE the end results.

Now when you first look at the closet pics you might think it is insane in there. But if you look closely everything IS organized. They have a LOT of toys. I don't like toys to be at their reach because during bedtime they will pull them all out so everything goes in their closet(locked) or in their armoire (also locked). Our closets are huge so it works pretty well for us.

I feel so much better now whenever they ask to play with something. I don't have to trip over all of their stuff to pull anything out. And here is the best thing about it.....MY KIDS ARE PLAYING CALMLY AND NICELY TOGETHER. The last few days they have agreed on what to pull out each time and then they sit and play together. They are feeling the calmness too. I love it. A little organizing really does go a long way. Before they were overwhelmed with their toys because they were all clumped together with NO organization what so ever. That isn't the case anymore. Every space in the house is getting a makeover. This is the best feeling!

Have you guys been doing any purging/ organizing lately?

Suncatchers

2010-01-25T09:32:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I ran to Wal-Mart to get some plastic containers for organizing the kids toys. I took a stroll down the craft aisle and found these really neat plastic suncatchers for the girls to make. They had such a blast painting them and there were 12 in the package.

The best part was that they were under $4.50. I hung them up this morning and they are so pretty. My girls had so much fun painting them. There are no words for how much I love having creative kids.

Playing Hurricane

2010-01-24T17:33:00.000-08:00

I want to take a minute and thank all of you who commented on my last post. You guys really helped me feel better. I am not going to be quiting anytime soon. Thank you lurkers who came forward. You put a smile on my face as did everyone who posted. :)

On Friday I had a really weird day. I was nervous and my chest hurt all day long. Every little thing made me jump and I was not at all feeling like myself. I am happy to report that after a good nights sleep ( with the help of some super strong meds because I was really freaking out) I felt better the next day.

I have so much that I want to post but not much time. I spent the ENTIRE day today organizing the kids room/closet. I took pics and will be working on that post for this week. I also took lots of pics of my girls playing today. The boy is spending the night at my mom's so I got to spend time with my girls. I came into their room and found them playing with their dollhouse.

All of their dolls looked so cute in the house together. I couldn't stop laughing when they told me " Mommy we are playing hurricane." See how all of them are hunkered down together in the house? LOL. My kids crack me up.

Oh and before I forget...I wanted to say that some scrapbook related stuff is coming soon as well. I am jumping back into my love for it and will be posting about it soon. :)

Roll Call

2010-01-22T06:41:00.000-08:00

I have been feeling pretty mellow about blogging lately. I love it but I haven't really felt a push to do it. I have several of you who are regular commenters( THANK YOU!) but I want to know who all is out there reading me. So PLEASE leave a comment. Even if you are one who always posts please comment anyway. And lurkers...I know you are out there. Come forward please. I need a push to continue blogging. :)

Evening Light

2010-01-20T07:38:00.000-08:00

4:20 p.m.

Light shining in just right.

Cooking dinner for my family.

Little toy on the table to remind me how incredibly blessed I am to have our little family.

Moments like this get me through the hard days.

Busy

2010-01-19T09:08:00.000-08:00

We have a lot going on around here right now so I have been pretty absent from the computer. Life is catching up to us and there is a never ending list of stuff to accomplish right now. The other day I decided to clear out the toy box in our room and make it a place to store all of my yarn and crochet stuff. It is working out great since I no longer have to store it in various places. I hope to have more pics of my de-cluttering and organizing mission soon.

Life is very very full right now.

In this house....

2010-01-17T07:25:00.000-08:00

We like to snuggle up. Throughout the day and evening you can usually find someone snuggled up under a ton of blankets. There is nothing better on a cold day. Just ask any member of our family.

Proud Mama

2010-01-14T06:08:00.000-08:00

I was cleaning out Makayla's school binder the other night and came across these. I think my heart skipped about 30 beats. I mean is she trying to kill me? This melted my heart completely. And I of course HAVE to brag. She is only 6 years old! I am so very very proud of her. :)

( Click on them to see bigger and more clearly.)

Target toys

2010-01-12T14:48:00.000-08:00

For Christmas hubby's grandparents sent each of the kids $5. They have a TON of people/grand kids to shop for each year so we think it is really sweet that they think of our kids since they only see them maybe once a year. I had promised the kids that we could go to the store after school today to pick out some toys.

I knew the price was going to be an issue on EVERYTHING that they wanted. I was right. I called hubby in the middle of it because I was getting tired of telling them no to everything they wanted. After spending so much on Christmas I didn't really want to fill in the cost of the toys they were asking for. Luckily right as I hung up with hubby they found stuff that they loved. Makayla has been "texting" using a calculator( creative or what?) so when I pointed out the play cell phone ($4.99) she was thrilled. Macie spied a pair of high heel dress up shoes ($4.99) and the boy found a motorcycle he loved( $3.49) and a hot wheels motorcycle ($.99).

They are beyond thrilled. Makes me think about the insane amount of money we spent on Christmas. $5 toys rock!!

Better

2010-01-12T10:12:00.000-08:00

I am feeling a lot better now. Things have been pretty low key around here again and I am getting some of my pep back. I will do a big post tomorrow. Right now I have quite a bit of stuff I need to catch up on. The laundry is calling my name as I type this.

Are you kidding me????

2010-01-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

I have had a rough few days. Yesterday Limo was missing for almost 4 hours. By the grace of the Lord we found him after my mom and aunt came over to form a search party. He is home safe thankfully. But emotions were running high yesterday when all 5 of us were crying because we thought he was really gone. But thankfully it is ok now and he is home safe.

Then today I was waiting to make a right turn and then BAM!!! I'm hit. AGAIN!! Thankfully the woman was really nice and I have already filed a claim and the damage is very minimal but my neck hurts. Bad. Tomorrow I am really gonna be sore. Thankfully the boy seems fine but I have a doc appt. for him on Monday to be sure.

It is cold. I mean really really cold. Yesterday we were against the clock to find Limo because it got down to 22 degrees. He would have frozen to death. Now I do love cold weather but this is MISERABLE cold. Right now it is 28 outside. I am frozen solid even inside with the heater on.

So I am not in a great mood right now. My neck and head hurts. My hands are completely frozen and on top of that I have to deal with yet another insurance company even though it is a very simple and small claim. I may not be blogging for a few days since right now things are pretty glass half empty. Sigh.

My WIP( work in progress)

2010-01-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

This is the blanket I am currently working on. I am having so much fun with it. It is a little less than 3/4 of the way done. The pattern is SOOOOOOO easy and I have been working on it while watching T.V or a movie.

I think I am even more excited about my next blanket I have planned. It is going to be awesome. I do believe I might be a little hooked(pun intended) on crocheting now.

Dream Vs. Reality

2010-01-04T08:07:00.001-08:00

The Dream:

For a few years now I have been dreaming of owning a farm. Of having a cute little house in the country and a huge garden. I imagine my children running around the clothesline and not coming inside until it is dinner time.

The Reality:

I told my hubby my dream last year. After that I never brought it up again because he is dead set on never living in the country. EVER. So for a while I was pretty down about it all. But then I realized something. We do live in the city but it is a pretty quiet neighborhood. We have a yard that is private due to a rather high wooden fence in the back. I may not get my 100 acres but there is still a LOT I can do with a small yard. I can garden and hang a clothesline. I can learn to can. The possibilities are endless. So the plan is to fake myself out. I can still do a lot of what I have been dreaming about instead of being sad that I will never have a farm.

We won't have chickens or livestock but I can live with that. The neighbors down the street have chickens that run around in the ditch and by the road. Seeing them is good enough.

This year I am challenging myself. Some of the things I plan to do are:

Grow a bigger garden this year. Last year we did a test run of two tomato plants. This year I am hoping for at least 8. I also want to plant peppers and some other stuff but I am still deciding.

Learn to can. I plan on canning blueberries this year after we visit the blueberry farm and I would also like to make salsa.

Hang a clothesline in the backyard. Our backyard is completely private so it will not be an issue to hang it back there.

I am going to start making soap. Macie has SEVERE Eczema and even the "hypoallergenic" soaps are causing her pain. So I am going to start making them for her comfort.

I also want to do a big indoor garden. I have a 60 inch window in the kitchen and a 36 inch window in the kitchen/dining area that I can use to grow herbs and such. I have already started green onions.

These are just a few things to make me feel less like a city girl and more like the country girl I long to become. And like I said...those chickens down the road sure do help.

Calm and happy

2010-01-04T07:12:00.001-08:00

It has been a little bit calmer around here the last few days. The kids have been relaxing a little more and playing pretty well. The other night we let the kids stay up in our room until midnight and watch movies. They went to bed without a sound and then yesterday morning at 8:45 they were still asleep. It was a really fun night.

If you look really closely in the picture you can see Makaylas arm under the boy's feet and Macie's arm above his head. We were all piled up together.

I got quite a bit of crocheting done.

The kids have made picnics.

And they have built forts to hide under.

It has been pretty calm. I am very grateful for the moments of peace in our home. The girls start back tomorrow. I think we are ALL ready.

New Years "TOAST"

2010-01-02T07:08:00.001-08:00

On New Years Eve I told the kids that we were going to make a toast to bring in the new year. A few minutes later Macie came up to me and said " Mommy, can I put jelly on my toast?" I about died laughing and so I realized that we now really did HAVE to have toast for New Years. I told her what I had meant but that didn't stop us from having our New Years "toast". We had Sprite later.

:Refresh:

2009-12-30T09:24:00.001-08:00

I have never been a huge fan of New Years. I mean I get why people celebrate and all but over the years I have come to feel that it just isn't as big of a deal as everyone says. Every year I make goals and then when they fail within the first week I get bummed out. So I told myself that this year I am not going to make any resolutions. I am holding firm on that but I did start thinking the other night. Instead of resolutions I came up with a word. A single word to motivate me throughout the year. It isn't about goals but motivation.

The word for 2010: refresh

Obviously this can refer to everything. Mind, body, spirit, home, life. Don't you love the feeling when you spend a Spring day cleaning and in the end everything smells so good and fresh? You just can't help but smile. I want that feeling all the time with everything that surrounds me.

So where is the best place to start? Well for me it was my laundry room. The last few days it has been such a mess that you couldn't open the door without a mountain of laundry falling on you. I couldn't even get to the dryer because I would slip on the piles of dirty clothes before I made it that far. So last night I decided to tackle it. And tackle I did. I started a load of clothes and then got started on my shelving that holds our towels, sheets and kids blankets. I purged a ton of our stuff. I got rid of old sheets we don't need or use. I even got rid of a few blankets. It is feeling good. I have several bags to donate and I am still going strong. Out with the old crap this year. I am completely de-cluttering our home. I am pretty good about getting rid of stuff but I am now doing a serious purge.

This is not a New Years resolution. This is a change I want to make and keep up with. Today I keep going into the laundry room even though there is only one more load needing to be done. It is quite refreshing to walk into a clean and organized laundry room especially when it is used as much as ours is.

One year ago today

2009-12-29T00:37:00.000-08:00

One year ago today my husband called me from work to tell me that he stumbled upon a house for rent and he wanted me to come look at it with him. We were all very excited but we could never imagine just how much it would change our lives.

We adore living here. It is the first place we have ever lived where we both are completely happy and content. We have a yard and great neighbors. We feel safe and are planted in an area that we LOVE. I feel very fortunate to be here. It is a small house but it is perfect for us. There are no plans to move on any time soon. I still can't believe it has been a year already. This upcoming year we are going to be making some changes to the house. Some of the changes involve paint samples.

I love the saying " Bloom where you are planted." Well let me tell you that we are doing a lot of blooming here.

Calm????

2009-12-27T07:13:00.000-08:00

I had hoped that after Christmas I would be posting about how calm it was in the house. About how well the kids were playing together and getting along. Well I am sorry to say there will be no post. I COULD do an entire post about how often my kids try to rip each others throats out or how the sharing of one toy very quickly becomes an all out fight to the death.

Last year the kids were amazing the entire holiday. They played well together and shared. It was like little aliens had invaded their bodies. Well the aliens have returned to their home planet this year so it looks like I am out of luck. There have been fleeting moments of play where they all came together peacefully but those moments have been so far in between that my head feels like it is going to explode.

The favorite gift this year was the Barbie camper that Santa left. It has been a HUGE hit with all THREE of them. The boy loves to have Batman drive it and the girls of course do not appreciate that. In all honesty I think I learned that it would have made my life easier to shell out another $80 so they would have two instead of having to share that particular gift. But they are incredibly happy with it and the sharing is starting to get a little bit better. It is the neatest gift I think I have ever seen too. I mean this thing is awesome!!

I am taking the tree down today and I must admit that there is a feeling of relief. I LOVE Christmas. It is by far my favorite holiday however I am always a little relieved to pack it up and continue on with our normal every day lives. So by tonight everything Christmas decorating related will be in the attic.

I hope you all are enjoying some peace and quiet in your home today. As for me.......well Batman just attacked the roof of the pink camper and apparently there is a riot being staged. Need to go break that up. Wish me luck.

Catching Up

2009-12-26T11:46:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas. I took a ton of pictures (like that is a surprise) and enjoyed every minute of the holiday. I have SO much to share but I am still exhausted. The house is still a mess and the kids new toys are thrown in every direction. There is a lot to do in our home right now so I just don't have time to do a great big Christmas post. I have several posts planned for soon but for now I need to focus on getting all of our new stuff organized and surviving the kids daily fighting. I will be back soon. Hope you all had an amazing Christmas.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

2009-12-22T09:59:00.000-08:00

I am going to be rather busy today and tomorrow so I probably will not be back on for a few days. I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!!! We are so excited about the next few days and I hope that all of you find as much joy in the season as we do.

From our family to yours....MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Breath

2009-12-21T01:47:00.000-08:00

I turned around last night and saw this. My sweet girls reading their I Spy Christmas book together.

Curled up together with wet hair fresh from the tub and pjs on.

This reminds me to take a breath. To enjoy the holidays together and not stress about my insane to-do list.

This warms my heart.

The day in which I start to PANIC!

2009-12-19T07:30:00.000-08:00

Crocheted doll blankets not done.

House a mess.

Santa gifts still not wrapped.

A few other gifts still not wrapped.

Christmas cards not ordered. ( So not going to end up happening this year.)

Did I mention the house being a mess?

I think I will go outside and scream now.

How is everyone else doing right now?

Pajama Day!

2009-12-17T20:38:00.000-08:00

Today was pajama day at school. The girls could not have been happier. They got to watch Polar Express and drink hot chocolate while kicking back in pj's. Even the teachers wore pjs. How awesome is that? They had a blast.

I made cookies for them so when they came home they would have a fun snack to top off their day. Have I mentioned this month how much I heart my Kitchen Aid mixer? Cause I do. I really really do. :) Other than that a pretty low key day. The girls Christmas parties are tomorrow. So much excitement at school this week. The boy wants to be in school so bad already. He still has a few years to go and it is already breaking my heart at the thought of him being a Kindergartner.

Here are my fleece pajama wearing girls.

Key Lime bread

2009-12-16T10:39:00.000-08:00

I am in a domesticated mood today. Cleaning and organizing and such. I have had several people show interest in the key lime bread recipe so here it is.

The recipe calls for walnuts but I did not add any because of Macie being allergic to peanuts and walnuts. It is delish without them anyway. Seriously you can't go wrong. Enjoy.

Key Lime Bread recipe

Bits and Pieces

2009-12-15T12:21:00.001-08:00

Here are some random shots from our weekend.

I took this pic right before we left for my grandma's. See Macie pouting in the back?

I enjoy cooking and baking from scratch but it is such a pain to pull everything out each time. So I made pre-made jars of crepe mix. Just add eggs and milk and we are good to roll. I plan to do this with other favorite recipes soon.

I made fudge.

And Key Lime bread which was FANTASTIC!!

I am enjoying some time alone right now. My mom took the boy for the night and the girls are in school right now so I have a little time to myself. Hope you all had a great weekend.

History

2009-12-14T06:19:00.000-08:00

I have so much to share from the weekend but I can't just yet. Hubby is home today with a HORRIBLE migraine and the boy and I are about to retreat into our bedroom to give hubby some quiet. I'll have my crochet needle and the boy has Ice Age 3. This weekend we went to my grandma's house to visit and we had a really good time. She brought out my great grandma's cookbook for me to see. I was mesmerized by the book. I kept envisioning the hours my great grandma stood in her kitchen flipping through it. It was so neat to hold a really old piece of our family history.

The kiddos also got to play with my grandma's really old chalkboard. I love to see stuff passed down over the years.

Be back later when everyone is well again.

Wrapping paper, boxes and bows

2009-12-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

The wrapping has officially started and I am very happy to say that it is almost done. I do still have to wrap the gifts from Santa and then haul them up to the attic. I am SO grateful for an attic this year. Past years I have had to hide Santa gifts at my aunt's house and pick them up the day before. Then when we got home from my grandma's on Christmas Eve at 9:00 I had to wrap them all. I would never get done until midnight or later and then the kids would wake up 6.5 hours later. This year it will all be ready to go. All we will have to do on Christmas Eve is pull them down from the attic and stuff the stockings!! Yippee!!!

I am really loving all of the presents under the tree. So cozy and festive. Can you believe we only have 2 weeks left?

Excuses

2009-12-09T06:11:00.000-08:00

...Because my hubby is physically incapable of waiting till Christmas to give a gift.
...Because we didn't want the kids to be overwhelmed on Christmas morning.
...Because technically it will not count as a Christmas gift and therefore my budget isn't blown near as much.
...Because I caved when hubby suggested it.
...Because I was just too dang excited.
...Because it will help with boredom during Christmas break.

This was the scene at our house last night. I can't help it. We're weak. But seriously....this so doesn't count as money spent for Christmas. :)

Oh and my arms are sore. Really sore. Wii boxing will do that to you.

Balance

2009-12-08T07:05:00.000-08:00

This year I have spent more on the kids than any other year. My planned budget was around $375. That got blown out of the water rather quickly especially if you include the Wii. Every year I feel guilty about not spending enough or I feel guilty about buying too much. It never fails. Every year I put myself through that.

I worry that I am focusing too much on the gift giving part of the season or I worry that I am not giving my kids as much as I should. This year I am not going to feel guilty about any of it. I am going to sit back and enjoy this time with my family.

I am going to focus on activities and time spent together. On Christmas morning I am going to watch my kiddos open all their gifts from us and Santa and I am going to enjoy it. I started buying little gifts here and there since early November. I would take $10 or so out of grocery money each week to make a dent in the list. The girls asked for Barbies this year. Barbies they will get. They were really excited and it was the one thing they REALLY wanted. Barbies are not cheap. Every year our budget keeps going up because as our kids get older the stuff they want gets more expensive. I am ok with that though.

Our family traditions are so special. Since my first Christmas my family has always done a fantastic balance of the real meaning of Christmas and the gift giving. The tree at my grandmas house every year has so many packages under it that they expand to cover the entire 10 foot wide wall it is against. There are 7 adults and then my 3 kids that celebrate this tradition every year. That is a LOT of gifts. But it NEVER feels like it is about the gifts. It is about the magic.
So this year I am not feeling guilty. I am feeling blessed that we are able to give our kids the gifts they want. The kids and I are reading and talking about the real meaning of Christmas every single night. There is not a focus on the gifts even though we have spent an insane amount of money on them this year.

It is possible to balance the gifts and real focus of the season. We do it every single year. And this year I am not allowing myself to have one moments pause.

Christmas Links

2009-12-07T10:00:00.000-08:00

I wanted to do a quick post about a few of the gifts the kiddos are getting this year. They are going to be receiving some pretty neat stuff. Here are just a few links. The girls are getting this to share. Although they might just have to share with Mommy too.:) The boy is getting this and this. SO FUN!! I am loving everything I have gotten so far. I have the list all written out. Now if I can just finish it.

And the best gift of all which was decided by my hubby the other day............. A Wii for the whole family!!!! I am so excited. I have been wearing on him for months over that and then the other day he decided we should do it!!! Yippee!!!!

Glow

2009-12-06T07:41:00.000-08:00

This makes me very very happy.

The kids remind me every morning to turn the lights on. Not that I need a reminder but I will not dare tell them that.:)

Snuggle kids

2009-12-05T17:48:00.000-08:00

Kids in footed pajamas are good for the soul. After all is there anything cuter?

Our snowy day!!! ( I can't believe I can say that!!!)

2009-12-04T14:46:00.000-08:00

We woke up super excited about the possible snow this morning. When hubby left for work he shut the door and immediately came right back in telling me that we were missing it. It was snowing! I ran to get the kids ready but by the time we got out there most of it had stopped. So we came back inside and baked cookies. Then we all piled up in our room and watched the first movie I had rented which was Santa Buddies.

Throughout the day the snow came and went. We went out several times and then FINALLY it started to stick when the boy was taking a nap. So the girls and I went out for a little while and nearly froze to death. It was just so beautiful. My mom lives 25 minutes away and they got SO MUCH more than us. It looked like a blizzard at her house. But we all enjoyed it so much. I LOVE the pics I got. My kids were obsessed with eating the snowflakes. Tonight it is supposed to get into the 20's! I have footed fleece pj's ready to go for all 3 of them. Macie is already in hers. LOVE this time of year.

Major excitement around here!

2009-12-04T11:44:00.000-08:00

We got it!! It's snowing!!! It has been on/off all day long. None has stuck yet but it has been pretty steady. Look how happy my no snow seeing kids are. Back later with MANY MANY more photos!!

!!!!!!

2009-12-04T03:46:00.000-08:00

Kids: Staying home
Entertainment: 3 rented Redbox movies
Snack: pre-cut Christmas cookies ready to bake
Reason: Possibility of lots of snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is a big deal here. This only happens once or twice a decade so we are going to take every advantage of it.:)

I don't know who is more excited. The kids....or me???

Take a moment

2009-12-02T14:16:00.000-08:00

Leah over at Life as Lou has a wonderful post about the stress of the holiday season and how it is a blessing in motherhood to be able to hand down all of these holiday traditions. I LOVED the post and found myself completely in agreement with her.

Personally I LOVE the hustle and bustle of the season. It inspires me in so many ways. There isn't another month where I feel so incredibly blessed to be a mother. I get to pass down our families traditions and make sure that my children feel the magic of Christmas. Take a moment or two to pop on over there and read her post. Chances are you will leave feeling pretty inspired too. :)

Bittersweet evening

2009-12-01T14:40:00.000-08:00

The kids have been very excited about putting up our tree tonight. Then today we found out that Macie's little friend passed away this morning. When I picked them up from school they were upset and told me that the assistant principal had told them all. So then we had to talk about it more at home.

Macie was very concerned that she would forget about her friend so I asked her if she wanted to go to the store tonight and pick out an ornament for our tree so she could always remember her. She loved the idea and we will be going tonight.

Thankfully they handled it a lot better than I thought. By the time the tree was going they were happy and excited again. I know it will come and go in waves. I got a few pics of them decorating. Macie is absolutely incapable of giving me a regular smile. The kid is CONSTANTLY goofy and can't pose normally no matter how many times you beg. But I love to see them happy and goofy. It makes me realize how truly blessed I am.

So the tree is almost done. I need some ornament hooks to hang the remaining ones and then we are good to go. My heart is breaking for the family that lost their precious little girl today. I am continuing to pray for peace for everyone in the situation. She was such a sweet child and I know that she is healed and happy in Heaven this very moment.

Quilt giveaway!!

2009-11-30T16:13:00.000-08:00

All of you know that I have a serious obsession with quilts and blankets. That is why I REALLY REALLY hope I win the contest over at Marie Madeline Studio. They are giving away a beautiful quilt this month. Actually you get to pick from not one but two of their gorgeous quilts. I keep drooling while looking at their photos. So if you want a chance to win head on over there and enter. And if you win send the quilt to me because you love me. Hehe. I love them both and I don't know how I would choose should I get really really lucky and actually win. Good luck.:)

Beautiful day at the park

2009-11-29T14:26:00.000-08:00

Today was an absolutely GORGEOUS day! The sun never came out. There was a slight wind and the temp was in the low 70's. My bestfriend (since I was 2 years old) was in town with her 3 kids for the holiday and so before she left to go back home we decided to meet up at the park. The kids had a blast. By the end we were getting eaten alive by mosquitoes though. One of the pics of the 3 of them together is going to be our Christmas card photo. It was a really fun and happy day.:)

Thanksgiving Blessings

2009-11-27T16:13:00.000-08:00

I wasn't planning on posting today because I am really not in a very good mood. BUT I realized that the sooner I posted about our Thanksgiving the sooner I could move on to all things Christmas. We had a great Thanksgiving. Lots of family, food, fun and friends.

It started on Wednesday night when we went to the inlaws to spend the night. My mother-in-law wanted me to help her with the food this year. That was a lot of fun. Then around 10:00a.m on Thanksgiving we headed on over to my aunts house. We ate and had a great time. The kids played outside a LOT. My aunt and uncle have had a bunch of their trees cut down recently so there are lots of tree stumps in their yard. Apparently playing on tree stumps is the greatest thing since Chuck E. Cheese. Then we went back to the in-laws for dessert and played the Wii. We all had a great time. And now for the pictures.

All 3 of the kids slept on my nieces bed. They looked so cute I had to take a picture. Macie eventually fell off face first but she didn't ever wake up so we moved her downstairs on the other couch by me for the night.

Tree stumps are SO much fun to climb!

My aunt set up a kids table this year in the room connected to her dining room. They looked so cute eating at their own table and all 3 of them LOVED it.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving too.:)

Still busy

2009-11-24T14:51:00.000-08:00

I am just popping in for a minute. We are having a great time with my friend and her daughter. The kids have been playing great together and soon it will be story time and then bed. The next few days are jam packed so I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Hope everyone eats way too much and enjoys the time spent with family and friends.

Busy busy and seeing stars

2009-11-23T06:54:00.000-08:00

This week we are crazy busy. I cancelled my physical therapy for this week because the girls are out of school for the entire week. The thought of all three of my children running around a physical therapy office while I am lying on my back doing stretches was not at all appealing.

Tomorrow afternoon I am going to pick up my best friend and her daughter for them to spend the night and just hang out. Then when I take her back on Wednesday evening we will pack up everything we need and head to the in-laws.

My mother-in-law wanted me to come and spend the night with her the night before Thanksgiving so I could get up at 5:00a.m with her and cook dinner. We will get up at 5:00 and I will cook with her until about 10:00. Then we will get ready and leave for my aunt's house to have dinner over there first. Then back to the in-laws later in the afternoon.

We alternate whose house we go to first each year and last year we ate at the in-laws first. Then we will eventually make it back home exhausted and stuffed. It is going to be a busy week for sure. After this week the real fun starts. I have made a dent in the shopping for the kids already. I got their "BIG" gifts and a few things already. The sad thing is I have already spent $230 and I am not even close to being done with the kids much less everyone else. *Sigh*

On a happy note.....The other day Lucy at Attic 24 posted a link to a twinkle star tutorial. I fell in love and immediately turned a few into garland. At this point I feel like a fairly confident crocheter. Enough so that when I see a pattern I want to try I can attempt it without my mom helping me through. I did the stars with no problems at all. I was doing a little happy jig.

I will probably be MIA for a while this week but I will continue to briefly pop in and post. Happy Thanksgiving week everyone!!

Moments like this

2009-11-20T08:27:00.000-08:00

Today is a cold and rainy day. I am loving it already. But what makes the day really awesome is the person I am spending it with.

The boy was in our bedroom watching Bob the Builder. I came and laid down next to him to cuddle up. All of a sudden I yelled " There's a dinosaur coming!" and threw the comforter over both of us telling the boy that we had to hide and be quiet so he didn't get us. We laughed and then pulled the covers back down after he said the dinosaur was gone.

Not even 10 seconds later the boy gasped and yelled " Thewe's anotha one comin!" So we pulled the covers back over us until he said it was safe. But then a bunch of them kept coming. We had to hide in our cave for quiet a while before it was safe. Then I went and grabbed my camera and then started it all over again.

Right now we seem to be safe but there is talk of a heard of dinos coming our way again. I guess I better go take shelter. :)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-11-19T15:47:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow night at 10:30 I will be sitting in a movie theatre watching New Moon. I want to jump up and down like a kid in a candy store. Until then I will just have to watch the trailer over and over again. :)

Oh how I love him!

2009-11-18T14:51:00.000-08:00

For the past two years or so I have had a nightly ritual. I take my shower, get into my pjs and then crawl into bed. I then proceed to turn on the t.v and watch several episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond on DVD. It is my all time favorite comedy and I never get tired of watching them. I do this every single night. Two months ago during a thunderstorm our lights went out for about 30 seconds. After that the t.v would not turn on at all. So we have been without a t.v for roughly two months. It has been a nightmare for me. We watch our movies on the computer still but hubby goes to bed way later than I do. While he is up he plays World of Warcraft on the computer so I can't watch anything. Like I said....nightmare for me.

We have priced t.v's lately and we still weren't sure which way we were gonna go or when. Hubby called me today and told me to go to the shop next to his work and pick up two things. Those two items?? An awesome LCD flat screen t.v and a DVD/VCR combo. Oh how I love that man. Seriously rocks my world. This is an awesome t.v. We have never had a flat screen t.v before. YAHOO!!!! I haven't measured it yet but it is slightly bigger than our last one which was a 20 inch screen I believe. I am beyond thrilled knowing that I get to return to my routine tonight. What a happy surprise for us. Have I mentioned that I love that man?

Snuggle Happy

2009-11-17T09:52:00.001-08:00

I love the cold. I thrive in it. Nine months out of the year I am completely miserable. This year it has been looking like we would all be enjoying Thanksgiving in flip flops and shorts. The cold just wouldn't come. We have had a few nights that were chilly but not REAL holiday weather. Well last night changed all that. It got down to 42 degrees. I adore the holidays. I just haven't been able to get in the mood with the hot weather. Last night we let Davy and Jack in to sleep with us since it was so cold. Limo also made his way onto the bed.

Now I know I have said before that Davy and Jack prefer me where as Limo prefers hubby. When we were all in bed last night we realized that all THREE of them were sleeping directly on top of me. Literally on top. I had one on my legs. One pressed up against my back and one directly under my...well lets just say between my back and legs. Hubby thought it was hilarious. I was not so amused since I could not turn or move at all. I was completely stuck in my position. I probably could have resisted and kicked them of the bed or made them move down lower but I was so exhausted I just didn't have the energy. So I feel asleep.

I woke up several times due to being uncomfortable but I just smiled softly and went back to sleep. I realized that it is actually really sweet. Our animals love us. They are loyal to us. They are happy with us. Isn't that a sweet thought? I am such a lucky girl. It makes me appreciate the things we have even more. Without a yard there is no way we could have taken on three dogs. Little blessings are constantly unfolding from the big ones.

Now I can't wait for the holidays. I am completely in the mood. The weather is fantastic and what could be cozier than snuggling up in a bed full of fluffy blankets and comforters, three dogs and a husband that I love more than words can say? Not to mention the three sleeping kiddos all cozy and snuggled up in the next room.

Relaxing and Fun

2009-11-16T08:32:00.000-08:00

Weekends aren't usually my favorite days. With all 3 of the kids home they are usually completely chaotic and stressful. But this one was great. My mom took Macie for the weekend on Saturday morning. Then I went and did our weekly grocery shopping with Makayla and the boy. We stopped and had lunch at McDonald's and the kids got to play. Later I went out by myself and picked up a few Christmas gifts for the kids. We just hung out and relaxed the whole day.

On Sunday hubby ended up with the day off. Before lunch we cuddled together on the couch while watching Sharkboy and Lavagirl with the kids. For lunch we ordered a highly nutritious meal of pizza, boneless buffalo wings, breadsticks and cinnasticks from Pizza Hut. Later we went and picked up Macie and then headed to our friends birthday party. After that we made it back home again and then off to bed for the kiddos. So to sum it all up this weekend was a ton of fun. I love just hanging out with my little family:)

And yes I am well aware that I have not taken any pics of my girls lately. They are sneaky little things.

Off to a good start

2009-11-14T06:05:00.000-08:00

A clean kitchen to start our weekend. Lots of plans. Shopping. Cleaning. Friend's birthday party. Hopefully the start to a great weekend.

Refreshing the house

2009-11-13T06:24:00.000-08:00

The last few days have been spent cleaning and decluttering. I have gone through a ton of stuff that is still waiting to be donated. On Wednesday I changed all the linens on all four beds.

I kept going and going until I couldn't stand anymore. The house looked great. Then yesterday I wasn't motivated. By the time I got home from physical therapy I just wanted to crash. I cleaned up a little but then I slacked off for the rest of the day.

This morning I woke up in a bad mood because of the messy house. I don't have physical therapy today so I am going to hit it hard only stopping for an hour to watch last nights Grey's Anatomy.

I have a lot planned for today and this weekend is pretty packed as well. I am hoping I can get a ton of stuff accomplished around the house today as well as some crocheting and reading tonight. Only time will tell. Looking around I am feeling pretty overwhelmed. Hope you all have a great weekend.

My latest crochet victory

2009-11-11T05:30:00.000-08:00

For my birthday my mom gave me a big canvas bag with my very own set of crochet needles( I had been borrowing hers this whole time) as well as a wonderful binder FULL of patterns she got online that she thought I might be interested in. She printed out pages upon pages. It was the greatest gift.

One of the patterns in the binder was for a scarf. Not just any scarf though. A flower scarf. I was in love. So I sat down with a bunch of super soft left over yarn and worked the pattern. I am so happy with the results I could giggle with happiness all day every day. It is 12 flowers long. Now I just have to wait for it to get cold.

And since I haven't posted many pics of the kids lately here is one of the boy. Curled up on the couch watching Scooby Doo of course.

I have been working on purging the house big time. My trunk is full of bags waiting to be dropped off at Goodwill. Today I am continuing that journey. I have a lot of stuff I want to post but not much time. Back soon.:)

Late Birthday Happiness

2009-11-10T11:14:00.000-08:00

Today my aunt and mom came by and my aunt gave me my birthday present. Things have been pretty crazy lately so she hadn't had a chance to bring it to me.

I am beyond happy. It was this awesome little light that clips to your book for reading and a Barnes and Noble gift card! To say I am excited is an understatement. Now I just need to find a way to escape tonight and the real excitement begins.

But there is one problem with the gift........ How will I ever decide which books to get?

Crochet Happiness

2009-11-06T08:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had an idea pop into my head in the early morning. I decided that for Christmas this year I am going to make the girls a blanket for their baby dolls. Then I decided to make the boy one for McDonald's. So now I am working on 3 adorable sized doll/stuffed animal blankets for Christmas. They are so fun. I am using the not so soft yarn for theirs.

There are several reasons for that. The first being is that it is cheaper. But the main reason is that it holds up better. You can wash it over and over again. So they will be super durable.

You can see in the pic that I have started on the boys. Those little squares of blue, green and brown happiness. You can also see my granny square blanket. I took a break from it for a while but now I am back and loving it once again. There is a lot of hooky happiness going on in my little part of the world. I work on my projects before bed each night while hubby is playing his game. I miss scrapping and know that I will eventually get back to it but right now my heart belongs to my crochet hook. There are lots of Christmas presents coming out of our home this year that will be hand made ( as long as time allows it).

Are you planning on making any gifts this year?

Right now

2009-11-05T09:55:00.000-08:00

Our family has benefited greatly from the recent time change. Our kids are in bed AND asleep by 8:00. Hubby and I are in bed by 10:00. The kids wake up super early now which would normally be a bad thing but hubby has been super great about watching them and letting me sleep in. I feel refreshed and energized instead of run down.

This morning hubby came into our room and curled up in bed with me. He leaned over and put his arms around me and we just laid there together under our warm covers. Then it popped into my head just how close the holidays are. He reminded me that it is about to start getting really cold and that makes me so very very happy. All morning long I have been thinking about Christmas gifts and everything else that goes along with the holidays. Right now I am so thankful for all of my blessings and can't wait to celebrate them all season long with family and friends.

I also have the added bonus of knowing that any day now I will get to use my hoard of blankets for layering at night. Right now....Life is good.

A good day

2009-11-04T15:14:00.000-08:00

This morning when I checked my email there was a message from Macie's friends mom. She said that she has heard about Macie since day one and would love for us to come visit. I took Macie out of school early to visit her and I am so glad we did. We had a very fun day and I got some pics that will be cherished forever.

And I do truly believe that the Lord is hearing all of our prayers. And when this family gets their miracle Macie will have a friend for life. Watching Macie and her friend today was the most amazing thing. They have a bond like you would not believe. No matter what happens I am SO very thankful that the Lord sent us to know this little girl and her family.

HUG YOUR BABIES

2009-11-03T14:49:00.000-08:00

Macie's bestfriend in school has an inoperable brain tumor and has taken a turn for the worse. Today Makayla heard that she was going to die and was upset too. We have kept it pretty low key with Macie ,telling her only that her friend is sick since that is what the parents, Macie's teacher and us all agreed to say. But today it was time. Hubby and I discussed it and we decided it was time to tell Macie the truth.

It was the most horrible thing we have ever had to do as parents. By the time we were done hubby, me and Macie were all crying. How do you tell a 5 year old her best friend is going to be with Jesus? Tonight hug your babies. Don't take a single second for granted. Tell them every single day how much you love them and never stop letting them know what they mean to you.

Tonight our hearts are heavy. And after we say our prayers tonight I am going to devote more time to thanking God for my healthy, happy and safe babies. So hug your kiddos extra tight tonight.

Perfect season

2009-11-02T19:57:00.000-08:00

The Halloween decorations have all been boxed up and are now awaiting placement in the attic. I went to Target last night and they were already cleared out of the majority of their Halloween items. Now the aisles are filled with Christmas and there is a certain feeling in the air. The busy holidays are fast approaching. Thanksgiving is right around the corner followed by Christmas. I absolutely adore this time of year. There is a pull towards family during these months. Towards spending time with all the people you love and being thankful for everything we are blessed with.

This year I have an insane amount of things I am thankful for. I don't really know where to begin. Baking will soon be underway as well as hunting for the perfect Christmas gifts. The inside of our home gets a little cozier every single day as the temperatures drop and the holidays draw near. I am so glad this season is here. It makes me want to run around and twirl just like my girls do when they are excited about something.

And here is a pic of my boy. My mom crocheted each of my kids a blanket before they were born. All 3 of my kids are completely attached to theirs. The boy takes his everywhere and the other day he grabbed the blanket I just finished to lay with him too. Oh heart be still. Even my baby boy loves mamas crochet. Am I raising these kids right or what??

The boy saved our city and the girls lived happily ever after

2009-11-01T05:41:00.000-08:00

Our Halloween was very interesting. It started with us getting our van back only to learn that the $700 we just paid to fix it didn't matter at all. That wasn't the problem. So basically we flushed $700 down the toilet. I ended up having to use my father-in-laws car to get to my moms while he looked at the van. We went to see my family and then we went back to the in-laws. We had a blast. My brother-in-law got my niece a Wii for her birthday and my mother-in-law and I played an insane amount of bowling games. It was so fun. That Wii sure is addicting.

My aunt made the kids costumes again this year. The girls wanted to be princesses and the boy wanted to be Batman. She even got the girls high heel princess shoes and crowns from the Bridal department in craft stores. They were AWESOME!! Macie's wouldn't stay on though so we had to put a headband under it so it wouldn't slide. It ended up being a great Halloween. The last pic is my niece. She was so excited to be giving candy to trick or treaters. So sweet!! Her and I share the same birthday too. I love that kid.

My TA-DA moment

2009-10-30T14:09:00.001-07:00

When I started crocheting in January I was hoping that I would enjoy it. I wanted to try it out and see just how far I could go with it before I lost interest. What I didn't realize was just how much I would honestly LOVE it. I didn't know just how much it would become a part of my life or have an impact on my family. My kids absolutely love that I crochet. They are always asking me about the blankets I am working on and how I do them. I have about 100 ideas for future projects. I love crochet. It is a huge part of our lives now. Today I finished up my big granny square blanket. I needed an edging to put around it and I found it in my favorite place for inspiration, Attic 24. With Lucy's great pattern I was able to create an edging I love and call this blanket finished. So here it is. My big granny in all it's SUPER soft and warm glory!!

Turning the day around...

2009-10-29T14:33:00.000-07:00

with some brand new books straight from Scholastic. Oh how we LOVE placing an order with them. Today we put my new van in the shop to the tune of $700. Not a good day. So when Macie came home with her order it was just what we needed to add some good stuff to this very expensive and depressing day.

Calm evening

2009-10-28T17:13:00.001-07:00

I am in physical therapy for my knee almost every day now. Two years ago I dislocated my right knee and it never healed right. My knee cap was actually UNDER my knee. Yes it hurt more than labor and childbirth in case you were wondering. Anyway...during the accident that knee hit the dashboard and now I have even more damage to it. My MRI showed some tearing from the accident and some arthritis from when it happened 2 years ago. So now I am attending physical therapy which my attorney set up so I don't have to pay anything right now. He will add it to my settlement. So my days are pretty booked.

Tomorrow I don't have to go to therapy so I have to cover every other errand on my list. My day will be non stop. Tonight our home was slower paced and so I took a few pics to remember that it isn't always crazy around here. After the kids all had their bath I put a movie on for the boy to watch while his sisters did homework. He choose Ice Age which is always a popular choice around here.

Introducing....our living room

2009-10-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

I promised a while back that I would share pics of my living room since I added a bunch of stuff to it. This isn't every corner of it because to be honest not every corner is clean right now but I wanted to show the new things I did and what it basically looks like right now. Here is a list of what I changed recently.

New rug: This is a braided rug from JcPenney and cost me a fortune. I plan on having it until I am an old lady.

New quilt: On the sofa is the new quilt I bought from Walmart online. I fell instantly in love with it and had to have it.

New curtains from Target

Quilt rack: Found on Craigslist for $15!!

New baskets for books/toys

Work in progress crocheted afghan on the back of the love seat

My " Keep Calm and Carry On" poster which I LOVE!! Found on Etsy.

I absolutely LOVE our living room now. When it is dark outside and the lamps are all on it produces such a warm and welcoming glow.This is finally how I wanted this house to look. All it took was some splurging and now I am done. ( Well done for the most part anyway.)

Oh and in the photo with the red coffee table it looks like I just threw the red in but I didn't. There is a ton of red in every corner of the living room. You just can't tell because of all the teal I have on that side but believe me it all blends.

So here it is: My living room in it's finished state!!

26!

2009-10-25T16:45:00.000-07:00

Today I turned 26.

Now you all may remember that last year I was pretty depressed about my birthday. I thought that turning 25 was the worst thing that could happen to me. Now I am a year older. Truth be told though I don't feel as panicked as I did last year. We are at a pretty good place in our lives right now and I feel happy and content. This year I am not going to over analyze my birthday. I am going to enjoy whatever the day brings and celebrate it happily. Now I can't promise I won't flip out on my 30th birthday though. That is a whole other ball game.

New van!!!!

2009-10-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

We found a great minivan for an awesome price!! It is now sitting in our driveway waiting for my hubby to do a few small things to it tomorrow. And the best part is..... it is a 2001!!!! That is a big deal to me because I have never had a vehicle that wasn't from the early 90's. All of my previous cars and the old van were from 1991 or 1993. So yeah...this is a big deal to me. I LOVE it and it has a CD player. Another first for me. I am so excited. I had been praying and praying for us to find something really great and we did. They had to sell it quick because they really needed the money so we got a pretty good deal. I will share pics soon.

I poured a half pot of boiling hot water over my hand and wrist last night by accident and I am still hurting from it so I don't feel like taking pics at the moment. Soon though.

Family night out

2009-10-23T06:12:00.001-07:00

My hubby's shop does a ton of work for our local police department. Hubby has even popped locks for them during the middle of a drug bust. So he is on pretty good terms with all the local law enforcement around here. The other day he called me and said that one of the constables came in selling tickets to the annual family dinner that the constable holds every year. So his boss bought us two tickets and hubby bought the other three. Last night we piled up the kids( one still sick and having to go to the doctor later today) and headed out. It was a spaghetti dinner and it was pretty decent. I could have made the same thing in my house for oh about $40 cheaper than what we paid but it was about family time I keep telling myself.

Macie and Makayla loved the dinner and the desert was really good. They had a moon bounce and face painting,etc. for all the kids. All three of them actually sat and let the face painter put something on their hands. The girls choose rainbows and the boy choose a bat for batman.

All in all it was a fun little evening. We stayed about an hour and a half and the kids got pretty upset when we told them to crawl out of the moon bounce so we could go home. Even the boy got in on the moon bounce action and he is usually very shy about stuff like that. He LOVED it.

The pictures are not good because the lighting in the pavilion was absolutely horrible. I did the best I could. The last pic I am posting is very blurry and there is a weird shine on the back of hubby's shirt but it is my favorite one from the night. Those four melt my entire heart.