the blueberry monkey

Inspiration.

2010-10-21T22:41:00.001-04:00

Inspiration. Noun. \ˌin(t)-spə-ˈrā-shən

1. a) a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation; b) the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions; c) the act of influencing or suggesting opinions

2. a) the quality or state of being inspired; b) something that is inspired

3) an inspiring agent or influence

Lately, I have been MIA from my blog. But, that doesn't mean I've been lacking inspiration. Sure, my list of creative projects has been ignored a bit. In fact, painting, sewing, scrapbooking, and home decor haven't really been on my radar.

However, I've been busy. I've been inspired. And I've been loving it.

What's got me so inspired? It's not really a what....but rather, WHO.

Let's start with this lady. Y'all may know her from her days on Taxi. But, I know her as the most energetic, naturally beautiful, and exciting red head on the planet! Yes, it's Marilu Henner.

I had the pleasure of meeting her several years ago, and...hold onto your shorts with this one...was in an infomercial she did. That's right - I'm a late night celebrity. About 5 years ago, had you awoken in the night and been bored to tears because you couldn't fall back to sleep, I'm guessing you caught a glimpse of me talking about how amazing Marilu is and what a health genius she is. Yup, I said genius. And I still think so highly of her that if you wake up tonight in the middle of the night, I'd tell you just to call me and I'd go on and on about how awesome she is.

Marilu has written several books about her healthy lifestyle, and gosh darnit, they rock. SHE rocks! Have I said that?!?! She's one of the sweetest ladies I've ever met! She has a great website, full of great info and there are even online classes that happen there. I feel like I've learned SO MUCH about health, food, and just striving to be my best.

One of my online friends from Marilu.com kept referencing a blog where she was finding super recipes. What she failed to mention was that not only are the recipes downright fabulous, but the blog in general ROCKS!!! I'm talking about peasandthankyou.com. Haven't been there?? GO. NOW! You'll thank me later.

Mama Pea is funny, creative, and a whiz in the kitchen. I have become nearly obsessed with her blog (not like, stalker obsessed, but more like inspired obsessed). She is a mom of two young kids and I feel a kinship with her. She's HILARIOUS. She understands being in jammies all day and not knowing what 'good hair days' are anymore. She finds her kids wearing costumes...bathing suits...tutus...whatever they can find. And, she's working hard to feed her family healthy meals and teach her young girls how to make good food choices. LOVE her!

And if we're gonna talk food....or photography...or being a cowboy's wife (wha??? I'm married to a computer guy)...we can't forget Ree - The Pioneer Woman. I think the kitchen is her mothership. She works a camera like no other. She's just....awesome.

I've got some serious plans to healthify her cinnamon rolls a bit and make them around the holidays for all my special peeps. I'm drooling just thinking about it!

Then, there are the 3 crazy, fun, silly, happy, wild, giving, and supportive people in my life who inspire me the MOST. The fam. :) I love the smiles I get, the requests for food or art projects, the laughs we share, and feeling of being together.

I really am one lucky lady. I feel so blessed to be at this point in my life, with the family I've got, my faith, great friends, fantastic food, and tons of inspiration.

anything goes.

2010-10-18T22:01:00.005-04:00

First off, let's try to ignore the fact that it's been awhile since I last blogged. It's certainly not because I hadn't thought about. And it certainly wasn't because I didn't have anything cool to blog about....

...oh, who am I kidding. This place does not exemplify coolness. We are the house of randomness. A house of chaos and crazy. We've got toys everywhere, Legos falling out of the kids pants when out in public (no lie, that just happened Saturday), and the reality of my husband's multiple careers is beginning to take over our kitchen counter. I love being creative, but sometimes, I just have to keep everyone fed and alive. Anything goes around here.

So this morning, after a night of non-stopping coughing, Lydia woke up looking and feeling not-so-good. When I went up to get her this morning, she insisted that I crawl into her germ-infested bed to snuggle her. Then she proceeded to tell me that she wished she had a TV in her room.

“Mom, I wish I had a TV in here. We could just put it up there (pointed to the ceiling) and stick it up there with some tape. You know, mom…we can just go to that store where Daddy and I went. The TV store. The one where Daddy and I were and he forgot his wallet (it was in mommy’s purse 7 stores away). That one. They have TV’s there, mom.”

I had to call the pedi, since she not only had a cough and runny nose, but she complained that her ear hurt. A first for her. Darn you, swimming lessons! I’m thinking taking my kids swimming in the fall/winter months is a bad idea. I mean, we’re either going to miss ALL of the classes because they're sick…or, the few classes that we DO make it to are going to cause them to get sick. *sigh* I’m seeing this as a lose-lose here. I mean, water safety doesn’t really come into play here between September and May. I may need to rethink this. Perhaps we’ll just teach the kids to swim in the safety of our own home. “Hon, the kids are ready for their swim lessons!” (in the bathtub)

This was the scene when I brought Sicky McSickerson downstairs.

On a positive note, she did promptly ask for breakfast after she finished her juice. She was beyond indecisive with her choices, and went from having pancakes (I vetoed that one), to cinnamon toast, to cereal, and finally landed on a smoothie.

"The banana-berry one, mom."

Out came the frozen strawberries, banana, strawberry jam, and rice milk. After a quick blend in my not-so-Vitamix-blender (I'm still sulking over the way QVC taunted me with their Today's Special Value yesterday), she was happy.

Max sucked down a cereal bar and a banana, and was as content as anything. The little guy is free from torment and torture when he's in high chair! No wonder he loves being in it so much.

We wrapped up our morning with some playing, singing with Elmo, and several sneezes and coughs onto mommy's laptop. Yay me. Anyone know how to disinfect a laptop keyboard?? Yeah, didn't think so.

I did take Lydia to the pedi, where they confirmed that while she didn't have a full-blown ear infection, she was well on her way. So we scooped up her antibiotics and some Gatorade at the drug store and came home to enjoy some yummy vegetable soup and garlic bread.

I topped off the evening with some Dancing with the Stars. I'm considering a little kettlecorn to make this day complete. Hopefully I can keep away the side of germs that'll inevitably try to sneak into my snack. We'll see how successful I've been in 3-4 days. ;)

am I a DIGI-SCRAPPER now?!?

2010-08-26T14:59:00.009-04:00

YOU BET!!!

I'm exploring the world of digital scrapbooking.

And........I LOVE IT!!!

It's INCREDIBLY addicting.

I've found tons of free stuff that I downloaded and played around with a little today. I am very new to photoshop, and have only done a few projects in the past, including the banner for this blog. But I found a nice tutorial, and just went for it!

Here's the first one I did of Lydia. :)

Then I did one for Max.

They are SIMPLE, but it's a start!!!

I'm so excited about this. I have TONS...I repeat

TONS

of photos.

I never get them printed out, so digital scrapbooking is a good fit for me. Just another crafty craft for me to delve into!

life liver....blog slacker....

2010-08-23T15:38:00.003-04:00

The end of summer is near...and I've been trying to enjoy every minute!

Consequently, the blog has been...well...IGNORED for the past few weeks. It's certainly not because we don't have things going on here that I could blog about. But, it's because there were things going ON here!

I've been a bit productive over the last few weeks - cleaning out the kids' dressers and getting them ready for fall. I reorganized our pantry and filled it with HEALTHY things. I'm still on my quest for better health, and I'm excited to share that I'm down 17 lbs! WOOHOO!! It helps that we're eating yummy food - like this:

...and enjoying some DELICIOUS local sweet corn! Lydia decided she was ready to eat it off the cob,

'BY HER OWN SELF!'

She can't get enough!!

We went to an awesome pig roast at the lake. Good food, great friends, GORGEOUS weather, and fun activities made for a super day!

Lydia had so much fun playing in the water...

...and the sand. LOL I don't really recommend army-crawling through a giant sand pile. It makes for a difficult bathing situation later on. Trust me.

Max loved exploring the yard, the toys, and the sporting equipment.

Over the last few weeks, we had a vehicle switch-up as well. We sold our one car and Steve got a jeep! He found a great one with a hard top (we need that here with our winters) and Lydia couldn't WAIT to go for a ride - with the TOP. OFF.

She didn't realize, though, that the top off meant a windy ride. She kept telling Steve,

"Mommy's going to be upset that my piggies are blowing out!!"

LOL!!!!!

Needless to say, she hasn't taken a ride with the top off since.

We've also had a few campfires. Lydia has loved getting to stay up a little later for special time with mommy and daddy around the fire.

Of course, she LOVES the marshmallows.

When we haven't been attending pig roasts, eating, riding in the new jeep, or campfiring, we've just been enjoying time together. Max LOVES going outside to play and makes his way to the door to pound on it, just to let me know he's READY TO GO! Our playground is his favorite hot spot to play....and suck on rocks. Good grief. BOYS!

I guess just as long as the kids are havin' fun, that's all that matters, right?!?!

Something really cool has been being featured on Blue Cricket Design TWICE in the last week!! Becca at BCD is VERY sweet and has liked some of my projects, so she was kind enough to feature my hutch and the scrapbook wall flowers. How cool is that?!?! Makes me want to get workin' on some things - STAT!!!

I have several projects on the horizon, including sewing projects, knitting (fall's comin', folks!), furniture painting, wall art, and more. So, hang in there! This mama's gettin' creative soon!!

the weekend...the kids...the scale

2010-08-02T21:11:00.018-04:00

Whew. What a weekend! We were busy this weekend, but it was a FUN busy.

Friday night, we went to a reception for my cousin, Luke, and his new wife, Beth. They were married at the end of June in Florida. With two small children and pretty crazy lives, we were unable to attend the wedding, but were excited to hear there was going to be a local party this summer to celebrate with them!

Luke and Beth live in Nashville. He's a country songwriter! He's had a few #1 songs, including a few for Carrie Underwood. In fact, her latest song, Undo It, he co-wrote - and it just went #1 this week! He lives a busy, successful life in Nashville, but when we get him back home, it's as if he never left. He's as down to earth as they come and his new wife is just as wonderful.

What a sweet couple!!

I love how happy he looks with her!!

It was a wonderful party at the lake. Lydia enjoyed the playground...

...and of course, the make-your-own sundae bar was a HUGE hit.

My Uncle Tim was ready for fun! If this outfit doesn't say BBQ, I don't know what does.

We enjoyed time with family, friends, and our own little ones.

We even got a FAMILY. PHOTO. That's right - all 4 of us! Together!

ONE

PHOTO!

Sure, the kids are lookin' a little squirrelly, but hey, you take what you can get, right?!?!

This little daddy's girl just can't get enough daddy hugs!

Max was chillin' by the water...enjoying the BEAUTIFUL evening!

Lydia even got some time in the sand with her cousin. They had so much fun playing together!!

Friday night was alot of fun...and the fun carried over into Saturday - the 90th annual family reunion for my dad's side of the family. The reunion means some games, lots of family, and TONS of food! I was proud of myself for eating as healthy as I could, but also glad that Lydia could enjoy some summertime treats (popsicles, popsicles, and more popsicles!)

The kids played HARD! Lydia rode the spinning merry-go-round thing on the playground for, what seemed like, hours.

She enjoyed the funoodles too :)

Max crawled around the park, picking flowers and trying to eat grass. You know, what all 1-year-olds love to do at a picnic!

He spied the swing and had to get in!

He had fun practicing his walking too. He really is sooooooo close! I think any day now he'll take those first steps on his own.

When the games began, Lydia was EXCITED! She got to hunt for money in a pile of sawdust and search for candy in the woods. There was a balloon pop game that she THOUGHT she wanted to get in on, but then decided she didn't want to play...then decided she DID want to...played for a minute, realized it was hard, then ran out of the game.

3-year-olds change their minds. ALOT!

But, then came the sack race! She was ready for it! See how excited she was?!?!

Ready-Set-GO!

She started hopping....

...then...uh-oh...she realized the other kids were hopping really fast and were waaaaay ahead...

...annnnd, she's OUT! No more sack race!

She was a trooper. She tried everything and just wanted to play, play, play. At the same time, she was soooooo tired.

Little did she know after that sack race, she'd have to cheer for....

DADDY!

That's right, folks. Adult sack race time!!

You should know, Steve was quite an athlete when he was younger. He was a gymnast for years and played soccer into college. He is an EXTREMELY fast runner, but I'll be honest, I've never seen him in a sack race, so I really didn't know what to expect.

Ready. Set. GO!

Alright, here's when it gets crazy. Steve jumped off like I've never seen ANYONE jump. He was hopping like a wild man! I immediately went into hysterics...I was doubled over with laughter. I couldn't contain myself - I nearly peed my pants!

When I finally looked up, he was at the halfway point!

See him down there?? Navy shirt, plaid shorts, and sack around his shins?? Apparently, holding onto the sack slows you down. Or so he says. I believe him.

This was the best picture I could get as he went whizzing by! He was a blur!

And I was STILL hysterical.

His freakishly amazing sack race skills landed him in first place...or second...we never quite figured that out. He and a distant cousin of mine dove over the finish line and I think it was determined that they both simply deserved accolades for their crazy sack race efforts!

Moving on...

...Egg Toss time!

The reigning champs from last year - my brother, Curtis, and my dad.

These two were pretty convinced that they could take the championship again. Mind you, my dad's still recovering from a heart attack and the placement of 2 stents in his heart, but hey, he's goin' for a repeat win, people!

Look at that form!!!

Sadly, those two only made it a few tosses before their egg broke. The winners of the egg toss were two cute boys - I'm guessing ages 4 and 8. Sorry dad and Curtis - the boys took the men on this one!

Yesterday, we tried to lay low at home and get the kids rested up. Lydia did go out on a daddy date last night. She and Steve went to dinner and then her first MOVIE!!

Apparently, she did well at the movies....she ate popcorn, scarfed down "NandM's" (that's what she calls them), and intently watched Toy Story 3. But shortly over an hour into the movie, she turned to Steve and said,

"Ok, dad - I'm ready to go home now. I've seen this movie before. Let's go."

LOL

She must have just had enough. I'm guessing she was just sooo tired from the rest of the weekend's antics that she just couldn't make it anymore. She came home and told me about the movie, her abundant snacks, and the fun she had with daddy.

This morning, I woke up slightly anxious knowing that I was going to get on the scale and see if my healthy efforts have paid off.

Well....I'm happy to say...I'm down 8 pounds!! WOOHOO!! I was so stinkin' excited! I got my walking shoes on and took off down the road. That success put an extra spring in my step. It was fabulous! I felt accomplished today, and even more motivated than ever.

So, here's to a great weekend with family, my dear, sweet kids and husband who keep me smiling, and the scale, that was so very kind to me this morning.

day 4.

2010-07-29T08:16:00.004-04:00

Today is Day 4 on my journey to better health.

This week has been a little squirrelly in some respects...especially since I gave up coffee.

Yup, you read right.

NO. MORE. COFFEE.

You can imagine what the last few days have been like. Two days of mild headaches. Complete exhaustion day 1 and 2...well, let's just carry that into day 3 too.

But here we are! Day 4! I actually woke up feeling pretty good too! Not overly tired...not real foggy...and I got out for my morning walk. LOVE that. The fresh air and sun really helps to kick off the day right.

Some of the views on this morning's walk....

So, not only have I given up coffee, but I'm also doing without red meat, processed sugar, and dairy. I've done it before, and honestly, have never felt better in my whole life than when I ate REALLY well. I've read several of Marilu Henner's books, and even got to meet her! She's AMAZING! She has done so much with her life and even with her crazy schedule, she manages to eat amazing food, exercise, and do everything with GUSTO! If you haven't read any of her books, you really should.

My new favorite breakfast??

THESE!

They live in my freezer and they call my name now each morning. Take one of these, toast it up, and put on a little natural peanut butter and a drizzle of honey.

YUMMMMMMMY!

I think I took 4 bites before I even got to the table.

I wish I could make them last longer....

...but they're just sooooo gooooood.

Almost......

...GONE. Not even a crumb left on the plate.

Off to enjoy the rest of my healthy day! It's GORGEOUS out today! We'll be running a few errands, playing, picking up the house a bit, and getting ready for a fun weekend.

Have a great day!

monkey how-to's: scrapbook paper wall flowers

2010-07-26T23:13:00.023-04:00

Awhile back, I saw these GORGEOUS paper flowers, done by Amy at H is for Handmade. She made these strips of paper flowers, hung in a store window display. Holy cow...go check them out - they were BEAUTIFUL!! She actually took inspiration for that project from another project she had done - a felt Chrysanthemum pillow. Again, quite a beauty!!

I've gone to her blog several times to gawk at those projects and figure out how, exactly, I could do something along those lines for my daughter's room.

It finally hit me...instead of doing the version Amy did, that hung on a ribbon, I'd figure out how to make one that could just hang flush against the wall.

So, while I had extra crafty hands here this weekend (my aunt from Texas and my mom), I insisted we give it a go!

I gathered my materials:

Scrapbook paper (several different sheets)

Cardboard

Scissors

Scrapbook Adhesive

Pen

Hot Glue Gun

Stapler

Tissue paper

I took a bowl from my kitchen and traced it on the cardboard. I then cut out the circle. I think it's about 10 inches or so in diameter. The cool thing about this project is that you could really make these ANY SIZE! Whatever you want/need!!

Then, I drew a flower petal on the back of one of the pieces of paper. We used 12x12 paper, and I made the petal 12 inches long (not sure if you can see that in this photo above on the back of that paper). These 12 inch petals are the largest. We used one petal to trace the rest and cut out 8 of them.

Here are all 8 of our big petals. Lookin' good so far, right?!?!

For our next row of petals, I knew they needed to be smaller. Check out Amy's tutorial for her pillow - she describes it even better. At any rate, I made the next row of petals slightly smaller than the big ones. We cut out 8 of those too.

Here it is with the second row of petals spread out. We staggered them so they'd fill the empty spaces.

Finally, we cut out 8 more petals, slightly smaller than the last ones.

So, once we were done cutting, we had our circle for the center of the flower, 8 large petals, 8 medium petals, and 8 small petals.

My daughter even helped me to trace and cut out a solid piece of cardstock that we stuck on the cardboard center. I used scrapbook dot adhesive to stick that paper on.

To add dimension to the flower, we decided to staple the ends of the petals together. I hope this part is clear! Basically, we took the smallest end of the petal (the end that will attach to the center) pinched the two sides together, and stapled them. You can see above the ones that are stapled curl up a bit.

Here's my mom showing how she pinched the petal ends.

Okay, first row done! All stapled - now time to hot glue them down!

Basically, I tried to flatten out the end enough so I could get a big glob of glue on there, then I stuck the petal down. I placed them at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 positions on the clock, then filled in from there.

The first row is glued down!

Lookin' good so far!!

WE INTERRUPT THIS CRAFT TUTORIAL TO BRING YOU OTHER GREAT IDEAS!!

Before we glued down the second row, we had the second row of petals laid out, and my mom looked at it on the table, and was like,

"This would make a beautiful centerpiece! Let's stick a candle in the middle!"

So we did! And she was right - very pretty! This would be a fun centerpiece for a spring/summer bridal or baby shower, or even a girly birthday party.

We decided to try out a vase of flowers too. Hey, when you've got an idea, you've gotta run with it, right? We thought maybe some tulle down around the base of the vase or candle (we're thinkin' flameless might be best here, considering all the paper!) to cover all of the ends of the petals.

Alright, so back to the project. For row two, we decided we needed a little something to help us hold down the petals right after we stuck them on. Since the first row was down, there was a good bit of dimension happening, making it a little tough to hold them in place with just our fingers. Plus, let's face it, the glue was HOT and we didn't feel like burning our fingers all night (my aunt's done that before, and we felt like we really needed to preserve what was left of her fingertips).

Here it is with 2 rows of petals down!

We did the same thing with the third row.

We then needed to make something for the center. We decided to cut out 4 (2 big, 2 little) X shaped flowers out of tissue paper.

My mom whipped up a tissue paper flower. I think she just accordion-folded a piece of paper, tied some curly ribbon around the center, then opened up the flower. Easy peasy! GO MOM!

I set all 4 'X' flowers on top of one another - the 2 big ones first, then the two smaller ones. I staggered them so the petals hit in different spaces. I put 2 staples in them so they'd stay together. Then I glued those down on the center of the flower. Next, I glued the flower on top.

Okay, that's IT!!! It sounds like alot, but seriously, I'd guess it maybe took us an hour and a half, including cutting out the petals, stapling, gluing, and picture taking! NOT BAD, right?!?!

The next day, while I was out enjoying a walk (ON MY OWN - GASP!!!), my mom and aunt gathered the scraps and helped Lydia make a smaller one!!! They didn't do the stapling on hers, just cut out the petals, stuck them on with scrapbook adhesive, made a fringy little center, and stuck on a button. Lydia was SO PROUD!!! (so was mommy!! **sniff sniff**)

Now...to see them on the WALL in her room!!

I am completely ecstatic with how they BOTH turned out!! I put them on the wall above her 'book nook' (using the 3M velcro strips!!) and purposely put them up a bit higher so she wouldn't want to pull at them all the time. Although, I'm kinda thinkin' we MIGHT need one more small one! ;)

That's it! I think it's a project that definitely ends up looking like it took longer than it did. The finished product has a 'wow' factor, I think...with the different papers and the dimensional quality of the flower.

If you have a little girl who likes flowers, enjoys crafting, and loves color, think about giving this project a try! I don't think you'll be disappointed!!!

**Linking up to:**

The Girl Creative: Just Something I Whipped Up

DIY Showoff

Today's Creative Blog

The Shabby Chic Cottage

Fingerprints on the Fridge

Tidymom

My Romantic Home

are ya feelin' the tie-dye craze?

2010-07-26T08:54:00.004-04:00

I'm guessing that most of you in blogland have no idea that I used to have a very small business on HyenaCart. I dyed cloth diapers and clothes. Totally random, right?

Well, this was a few years ago, before tie-dye came back with a vengeance. Actually, maybe we in the cloth diapering world brought it back to cool? Hmmm...I doubt it, but hey, it was worth a shot, right?

When I got pregnant with our son, I stopped dying because the smell of the dyes and chemicals used to set the dye drove me crazy. My little business went to the wayside. *sigh* But boy, in the midst of it all, I had FUN with the dyes!!

I dyed mostly cloth diapers...different brands and types. I cloth diapered my daughter and the fabrics and diaper options were endless!! But, since I'm a mama who LOVES color, I had to jazz up some of her stash. So I started with her diapers...

...I dyed, and dyed, and dyed. I went through all of her diapers, then got some white tees to do for her.

I loved making her matching sets!

And she LOVED playing in piles of clean, soft diapers!!

Then I ordered a couple of white cotton dresses and outfits for her. I dyed those up too! Needless to say, she was a colorful little girl! She loved when I'd make something new for her - and she'd ooooh and aaaah over the colors.

I got so many positive comments from some of the message boards I was on that I started a small business online. VERY small. I'd offer custom dye slots to dye others' diapers and clothes. I also sold some new clothes in my shop.

I loved doing tees - it was always so fun to see how things would come out.

Dyed prefold diapers were a hit too.

And these little dresses were some of my favorite things I had done - for two sisters. How cute do you think they were in these matching frocks? I bet adorable!

This morning, I was shopping around online and almost purchased a dyed tee.

SERIOUSLY?!?!?!

I had to slap myself!!

The one I saw was insanely overpriced and not even that cute. What was I thinking?!?!

My brain must have been in a fog...I gave up coffee today. Yikes.

But then I got to thinking that maybe I should dye up some duds for me and the fam. My little guy would look so cute in a rockin' blue/green/yellow tee. And my daughter could use a few tees for fall/winter. Hmmm....

Have you all been enjoying the dyed clothing craze? Some love it, some hate it. I have a love-hate relationship with it sometimes, depending on the dying I guess.

Who knows...maybe I'll bust out the dyes soon. If so, I'll be sure to keep you in the know. Do I smell a tutorial in the future?!?!?! Anything's possible!! ;)

wake-up call...time to get HEALTHY!

2010-07-22T15:39:00.006-04:00

Last weekend we had a birthday party for our little guy. It was a super day, but would have been even better if my dad would have made it to the party.

My brother called a few hours before the party to say that they were taking my dad to the hospital. He was having a great deal of chest pressure.

**insert nail-biting here**

He got checked out at the ER, and he was admitted. He was then transferred to a larger hospital about 1.5 hrs. away. He was in the process of having a heart attack.

Even though we missed my dad at the party, I'm so glad he went to the hospital when he did. He had a heart cath. done on Monday, and the doctors found he had 2 blockages - one was 80% blocked, the other 100% blocked!

SCARY, right?!?!?

The put in two stents and have now given him orders to take it easy and make some changes to his lifestyle.

I hate to say this, but events like this are sometimes a blessing in disguise. This was a wake-up call for my dad...but also for me. High cholesterol runs in our family...diabetes runs in the family...BELLIES run in our family. LOL (Sorry for the joke...had to slip that in)

In all seriousness, this reminded me of the importance of making good, healthy choices. Good food - CLEAN food - veggies, fruits, whole grains, lean meats, etc. Drinking enough water and good sleep are important too.

And exercise.

GOOD GRIEF! How many times have I put off that morning walk, or an afternoon stroll with the kids because I was too tired. Sure, I get out and run around the yard with the kids in the summer, but let's face it, in these here parts, you're LUCKY if you've got 3-4 months of really nice weather.

So, I'm done talking about it and I'm making a plan of action! I'm gettin' healthy, darnit! I'm going to make every effort to stick to a program that I know and I plan on making the best of it for my family. Fortunately, we don't eat horribly here. I cook almost every night, and we eat fairly healthy already - chicken, fish, veggies, grains, etc. But I'm kickin' it up a notch! And I'm going to make exercise a PRIORITY!

In an effort to get healthy and stay that way, I intend to blog about my journey. I plan to include recipes, ideas, struggles, and ways to get the family healthy too. Be on the lookout!

Thanks, dad, for the inspiration!

(and, of course, the KITA I needed)

I wish it would have been under different circumstances, but I'm glad, nonetheless, that we'll be able to change our lives together!

monkey how-to's: chipboard letter wall art

2010-07-21T14:56:00.007-04:00

I think this is my first tutorial! This is SUCH an easy project, I almost felt silly taking pictures of the steps. But hey, why not, right??

I've been wanting to find a sign or letters to spell something out up over the sliding glass door in our eating area. I didn't really know what I wanted, but knew I'd know if I saw it. Do you ever have that happen? You're not sure what you might like, but as soon as you see something, you know THAT'S IT!!

I was in Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago seeking out paper to line that back of the hutch I was working on. While looking for the paper, I saw a ton of giant chipboard letters in the scrapbooking section - .99 each!! So I grabbed E-A-T and my paper, and $7 later, I rolled out of HL with some great ideas!!

Before using any of the paper on the hutch, I actually came up with this project. I sprayed the chipboard letters with some black spray paint I had, then decided I'd cover the fronts with the paper.

Here's what I did:

Supplies needed:

chipboard letters

paper

Mod Podge

sponge brush

scissors

I laid the letters on top of the paper and traced them.

I then cut the letters out of the paper.

See...EASY, right?!?!

Ok, then I took a little Mod Podge, put a light coat on the chipboard letter, and then laid the coordinating paper letter on top. I smoothed out the bubbles and wrinkles.

I did the other two letters the same way. I'm not joking when I say that up to this point, this project had consumed MAYBE 5 minutes of my time. This is a QUICKY project!!!

Once they seemed sorta dry (let's face it, I barely waited for the paper to be stuck ON!), I took my fabric cutter and trimmed off a little bit of paper that seemed to hang over the chipboard. I guess my tracing skills aren't so hot. LOL

Finally, I slapped on another coat of Mod Podge.

That's it. Done. How EASY is that?!?!

And, best of all....

CHEAP!

You figure, $3 for the letters, and just pennies for the paper (I think the whole roll - and it's a BIG roll - was $4). And I'm guessing most crafters have Mod Podge on hand. So really, you could do something like this in very little time for a small amount of money!

I hung the finished letters with the 3M velcro hangy things. LOVE THOSE!

I think they 'pop' off the wall nicely, don't you? The black and white against the muddy/putty color of our walls?

I hope you liked this first 'monkey how-to!' This was a fun project for me and one I had to share. I think it would be easy enough to do with kids too. How fun would it be to do this same project, then embellish them with scrapbooking accessories, like dimensional flowers, stickers, ribbons, etc. I think my daughter would LOVE to do this project - maybe to spell out something for her room or for display in the play room. The possibilities are endless!

drab 2 fab: great-grandma's hutch (almost done!)

2010-07-19T13:22:00.030-04:00

Okay, so for the last several days, any and all of my spare time has been going into this project. We got this hutch out of my grandparent's house (there's been a trend here lately of finding things over there!) and my mom told me it was my great-grandmother's (our daughter's namesake).

When I saw what great condition it was in, I couldn't pass it up. My mom was just going to either sell it or donate it. WHAAAAT?!?!

MINE!!

The details are beautiful! It has four doors on top, two with glass, and two with wire backed with plexiglass. Then there are two doors down below on either, hiding shelves, and three drawers in the center.

I immediately loved the lines and the details. The curves of the wood...the etching...just beautiful!!

And the HARDWARE!!! Ohhhhhhhh....LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

So, with all this beauty, I'm guessing people are wondering why on earth it would even NEED a makeover. I suppose technically I could have just wiped it down and brought it in the house....

....BUT....

...that's not what happened. LOL

See, the thing is...the color of wood just wasn't going to be a good fit in our house. At first, I wanted to paint it white. Then, I changed my mind and thought I'd paint it black. THEN, I thought if I painted it black, I'd surely paint the INSIDE white so whatever I had in it would pop. My mind changed AGAIN when I started thinking maybe I'd paint it a COLOR - you know, really make it a WOW piece! But, I couldn't decide on a color, so I came full circle back to white. White....with an unexpected surprise....

...and after much sanding, painting (ohhh, the coats of paint), distressing, and surprising...

...here's what we've got so far!!

It's all done, minus the top doors!! I'm completely and totally in love! It turned out SOOO much better than I had even imagined!!

Look at these DRAWERS?!?! The curves...the hardware...the distressing...

My heart just goes pitter pat when I see the pictures. I'm like a purring kitten - total contentment!!

And the surprise was lining the inside of the back with paper. I found this paper at Hobby Lobby. It was in the gift wrap section, but this is a very thick wrapping paper. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was THE paper for this project!!

Here she is inside. Right now, since the top doors aren't done, I'm pretty much just using it for display. But, it will serve as a more functional piece once the doors are on. I have plans for vases, china, serving pieces, and cook books to live in here. My mom was here as I started tossing things on top to decorate it and make it look extra purdy. The little black suitcase was also my great-grandmother's and my mom thinks it was her 'train case' that she carried her make-up in when they traveled. Neat, right?!?!

I've even got my grandmother's old Better Homes and Garden's cookbook in there, with her notes and writing by certain favorite recipes.

And that's what I'VE been working on!! I really couldn't be happier! I still need to finish those top doors, but for now, I'm going to enjoy it as-is. I hope my great-grandmother is looking down from heaven with a smile on her face, saying, "Atta girl!!"

**HOLY COW!! Featured at:**

and

CraftGossip

**Linking up to the following:**

I pulled a 'Nester.'

2010-07-18T13:31:00.003-04:00

In case you don't know who the Nester is, go here. She's brilliant. She's a decorating genius. She's real...human...her home looks livable. I love her.

Well, awhile back, the Nester used her skills of awesomeness and managed to score some GORGEOUS hydrangeas. Read about her adventure - you'll love it!

At any rate, I TOO have been stalking some folks. There's a house up the street from us that has the most beautiful hydrangea bushes out front. Three big bushes (not as big as the one's Nester found, but still large and beautiful). They are full of pink, purple, and blue hydrangea blossoms.

I've been joking with Steve for weeks now that I was going to swing by and ask them if I could have some of their flowers. By the looks of it, (and by my careful stalking..errr..observation skills) they rarely, if ever, cut any blooms off. Do these people not REALIZE what they HAVE?!?! The BEAUTY!!!

Anyways, Steve ran out yesterday morning to get a few last minute party supplies, and called me shortly after he left.

"Hey, just thought I'd tell you that the R----'s are having a yard sale today. Just thought you might like to know that."

HINT! HINT!

I said, "Hmmmm...maybe I'll walk up and check out their stuff...then ask if I can BUY some flowers."

LOL

Guess who walked up the street?!?!

That's, right. ME!

My mom was here, so she stayed with the kids, while I took off up the street, armed with $5 and confidence that these people would love to share their flowers with me.

I got there and looked around the bit. The man of the house didn't realize who I was, but after perusing for a few, I went up to him and said,

"I have a strange request."

He's like, "Ohhh, nothing's strange at a garage sale!"

I said, "Wait 'til you hear my request before you say THAT!!"

I then proceeded to tell him that I'd been admiring their hydrangeas for far too long now and that I'd been joking around, saying I was going to come and ask to snip some. I asked if he minded if I bought some from them! I explained I was having a party yesterday and that I'd love some fresh flowers - theirs were clearly the most beautiful on the street.

He said, "Well, let's ask my wife."

(good call on that guy's part)

We asked her and she seemed ever-so-slightly annoyed, but then warmed up to the idea. She had no idea how to cut them, what to DO with such beautiful flowers, but went with the idea. I explained who I was (the husband had done some work with Steve before) and we began small-talking and chatting about our kids, yard sales, etc. while he grabbed his clippers.

He proceeded to clip me a BUNCH of blooms!

(picture me nearly dying here!)

When he felt like he had cut me enough, I handed him my $5, which he refused to take at first. I INSISTED for his trouble...he tried to give me CHANGE..LOL...but again, I insisted he take the $5 for his trouble.

His wife then saw the large bunch of flowers in my hands and asked a few questions about how to care for them, how long they'll last, etc. She quickly began to realize what a treasure she has in her front yard!!

I basically RAN home...trimmed them up...and got them into water.

Prepare to drool, people.......

Are you DYING?!?!?!

I put them all over...the windowsill...the table...the entryway...the new hutch (more on that soon!)

I just can't get enough! They're just gorgeous! Easily my favorite flower. I've GOT to send these people a thank you!

I just had to share. Nester, if you're out there in blog world reading this, THANK. YOU. You have inspired me to not be afraid to ask others to share their beauty with us....to not be afraid to think outside of the box...to allow the simplicity of nature's gifts fill us with joy.

THANK YOU

birthday festivities tomorrow

2010-07-16T08:48:00.009-04:00

Tomorrow, we are having a birthday party for the most special little one-year-old in our lives - our son, Max!

(1 day old)

His birthday was a few weeks ago, but because of vacation...the 4th of July...scheduling conflicts...we had to delay it a bit.

(1 month)

I have found this 1-year party to be much harder to plan than my daughter's 1-year, probably because I'm much busier now with TWO little ones to keep track of instead of just one!

(2 months)

Plus, I've not yet planned a SUMMER b-day party - my daughter's birthday is in the winter, so we usually have to plan for snow, blizzards, and people worrying about getting home from the party.

(4 months)

We aren't doing anything major tomorrow...a cookout with a tiki/beachy/cookout-y type feel. LOL My mother-in-law and sister-in-law are making Max a Pablo (from Backyardigans) cake, which he will L.O.V.E.

(5 months)

We're going to play outside with family and friends, try to stay cool, and enjoy some good food.

(6 months)

Hopefully, everyone will get to enjoy a little time with Max and see what an amazing little guy he is!

(7 months)

(1 year)

So, I'm off to clean, organize, cook, decorate, and find my sanity.

We love you, Monkey!

looking and loving: MORE subway art!

2010-07-14T08:48:00.005-04:00

I posted awhile back on a subway art project I did for Steve for our anniversary. I got the inspiration from another extremely creative blogger out there.

Well guess what?!?!! I've got subway art on the brain AGAIN!

I was checking out Tatertots and Jello, and saw that she's got some GREAT ideas for different kinds of subway art. Check out this summertime subway art!!

Is that not INSANELY cute??? If summer weren't half over already,

(and if I didn't have about 400 other projects half done right now)

I would totally make one! And that flag banner on the mantle?!?! ADORABLE!

She suggested doing one for Halloween and I think Lydia and I will DEFINITELY be making one together! She's at that age now where she notices decorations and seasonal touches around the house.

Maybe this inspired you too!! Every house needs a little subway art, right?!?! :)

so much to do....so little time....

2010-07-12T11:26:00.004-04:00

Honestly, I don't know where to begin today! I have sooooo much to do!

This Saturday, we're having a birthday party for Max (finally). Consequently, I have umpteen million projects that need finishing.

*sigh*

Home decor projects...furniture revamping...party planning/decorations...then the laundry....cleaning...oh, so much cleaning....

And Lydia's big-girl mattress arrived a few minutes ago, so we'll be converting her crib later today into the big-girl BED! GASP!!! When did my baby girl grow up?!?!

***SOB!!!!!!!!!****

Many of the projects have to happen while kids are napping or in bed for the night.

Clearly, it's a Monday. I'm rambling. More coffee, maybe?

How about a completely random picture to put a smile on my face??

There. That helped. :)

Alright, off to organize the disorganization in this joint.

**linking up to:

Disorganization Anonymous

Ramblers-R-Us

Confused Mommy.com

The Group for the Monday-Challenged

(totally kidding on these. LOL)

drab 2 fab: giant wooden silverware

2010-06-27T14:26:00.019-04:00

Alright, remember these beauties I dug out of hiding over at my grandpa's house??

Pretty nice, eh?!?! LOL

No, seriously - when I tell you that EVERYONE in my family - aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc. have had a set of these at some point in their lives, I'm not joking. My dad was stationed in Japan in the late 60's, and he and my mom did alot of shopping in the Orient. Somehow, they felt these giant silverware sets would make the PERFECT gifts for everyone!! I'm guessing they sent back no less than 30 sets.

I've never really loved them 'as is,' but I recently decided to bring this set home and try to give them some love. So, with a little black paint, I think I was able to update these giant utensils.

Whaddya think??

I think they turned out pretty cool!! Don't they have a Pottery Barn feel to them?!?!

You get to see just how big they are when they are up on the wall. It's funny because everyone I know that has them typically hangs them together on the wall, with the 'stems' up and the fork/spoon parts hanging down. Well, my genius hubs suggested we hang them this way.

LOVE!

They've got some cool details on the stems...

...and they provide nice contrast on the walls.

Steve's been threatening to use them at dinner. I better keep an eye on him....who knows what'll happen if he's REALLY hungry!!

(Linking up to the following parties:)

Frugal Friday at

Participating in:

drab 2 fab: vintage frame makeover

2010-06-27T14:10:00.017-04:00

I know I'm not the only one who's loving turquoise these days. My cousin's been in love with it for years, and now I see why. It is SO soothing....yet still vibrant. It's exciting....yet mellow at the same time. I like it. I really like it with our wall colors. Our main floor walls are painted either a medium muddy brownish/green (sounds HORRIBLE, but it's nice) or a soft mustard-y color.

Anyways, I found this old picture of my grandmother's. I immediately LOVED the frame, but didn't love what was IN the frame. I'm thinking what was in the frame was a needlepoint my grandmother did, but truly, I'm not quite sure who did it. At any rate, I knew it had to go. Just not my style.

See what I mean? The contents are...meh...but the FRAME! Wowee! I saw potential!!

See that detail?? I mean, it's so 'mirror mirror on the wall-ish', right?!?! At first, I thought I'd paint it. Just spray it white or black, as I was planning to use it in my entryway and I've got a black/white thing going on in there. Buuuutt.....I decided against painting it first and thought I'd just jump right in to replacing the guts, then go from there.

The back of the frame was covered with brown paper, so I just tore it off.

Underneath the paper - another barrier. A piece of cardboard was taped on with masking tape. No worries - I just took it off...only to find....

...MORE masking tape! I mean TONS of it! Was this my grandma's way of making sure no one could ever get rid of this needlepoint?!?! I think so.

It's okay, grandma! I didn't hurt your creation. But I did take it apart. LOL

I washed up the glass and got to work.

I busted out the iron and a scrap piece of fabric I had in mind for this project.

Once I got the fabric ironed, I simply used Scotch tape to get the fabric on the board.

(take that, masking tape!)

Seriously, that part took me a minute or two. Then I popped it back in the frame. Alright, who am I kidding. There was no 'popping back in.' It was more like poking, prodding, pushing, and almost swearing that thing BACK into the frame. I was sweating after finally getting it in.

I should note for any of you are might be cringing at the fact that I may have possibly ditched grandma's creation. I didn't touch the needlepoint at all. I'm thinking it probably came down to laziness....or the fact that I have limited time to create when the kids are napping...who knows, really. I was just on a mission to get it done!!

And I'm so glad I did.

*sigh*

**happy dance!!**

Isn't it FABULOUS?!?! I'm loving it! I still need to actually hang it on the wall - it's just propped up right now. My idea was really to use it as a dry-erase 'Welcome' message board, and write things on it depending on the occasion. I may even take it down from time to time and let my daughter doodle on it, just to change things up.

I seriously just love this! Completely free and totally beautiful!!

What more could a girl ask for?!?!

**linked up to the following link parties:

hot diggity dog!!!!

2010-06-24T14:05:00.004-04:00

For the last few months, I've been like this with my computer.

It's really been giving me grief. *sigh* I've had this laptop for 5 years now and Steve bought it for me BRAND. NEW. He surprised me with it - isn't that sweet?!?! I have looooooved this thing. It was my first Mac and my gosh, I really can't say enough good things about it. Well, let me take that back....up until a few MONTHS ago, I only said fantastic things about this sweet little 12 inch Power Book. Lately, though, I really haven't had many nice to things to say about. It's been systematically destroying each and every program. Word won't 'Save As' anymore...my address book no longer opens up....e-mail and other programs randomly shut down...I can't 'force quit' anything...and my iPhoto library is gone. I mean, I'm WITHOUT MY PHOTOS, people!! Refer back to that photo above.

However, last night, we did it. We ordered the new one! Steve found a super deal on a refurb'd 15 incher. CRIMINY! I'm BEYOND excited!!! I seriously cannot wait to get it! And get this....I'll be able to run....

...wait....

...wait for it....

PHOTOSHOP.

(this last computer couldn't handle PS)

Oh yeah, I'm PSYCHED!!!!

Needless to say, within the next few days, I'll be able to forever forget that image above....

Image found here

...and embrace THIS ONE! Along with my sweet new laptop!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh :)

the bearded lady - NOT!

2010-06-18T00:21:00.002-04:00

My daughter is downright HILARIOUS! I'm not kidding - she's a riot. I think everyone probably says that about their kids. But really, we're not the only ones that say this about her. She just has a way with words!

We're getting out of the car at the meat market today, and she says to me,

"Mom, did you know some girls can have beards?"

And I was like, "HUH???"

"You know, mom - beards."

I just looked at her for a few seconds wondering where on earth she got this notion. I mean sure, we've seen some interesting folks at our local Walmart, and I really didn't feel like getting into a long discussion with her about how some women DO have some hair on their faces....

But finally, she said,

"See mom, LOOK?"

and she pointed to a person coming out of the meat market.

And that person....

...was a MAN!

A man with very long hair in a ponytail and a thick beard.

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I started HOWLING with laughter (we were still in the car, mind you, so hopefully this gentleman didn't think I was hysterical over him). But, in her little 3-year-old mind (actually, exactly 3 1/2 today!), that was a woman with a beard, because hey - only ladies have "piggies," right?!?!

Oh, how I love this little girl.

drab 2 fab: dining chairs

2010-06-17T23:06:00.005-04:00

There is absolutely no denying that we were in DESPERATE need of new chairs at our table in the kitchen. I mean, to say we had 4 mismatched chairs would be an accurate statement, but it really doesn't describe what we lived with for FAR too long. These mismatched chairs had all been covered in nice, gold velvet chair covers, with funky bead trim. But after 4+ years, one house move, 2 kids, 2 dogs, and a whole lotta meals, those chair covers were dead. They really had to go once the beads started falling off and Lydia started collecting the beads as "gold." So we lived with the mismatched chairs for awhile without the covers, but when we got the opportunity to get some new ones, we JUMPED at the chance!!

While cleaning out my grandparents' house, we realized that their old dining room chairs might work for us. We had to have vision, as they were not overly pretty to look at...they needed some bleach, some paint, and some new fabric.

I liked the 'bones' of these chairs, but the creamy/peachy/yellowy finish had to go. They had mildew spots on them that needed cleaned up as well. And the fabric??? Well...it was time for updating. (and let's just pretend, shall we, that there is no mess whatsoever in the garage BEHIND those chairs.)

I think the legs on these chairs are pretty neat.

The old fabric up close - not HORRIBLE, but definitely not a fit for our house.

Steve removed the chair covers for me. His assistant was a very big help. ;)

And after some white spray paint, and new fabric on the seats, here's what we've got now...

Muuuuuuch better! Seriously - a ginormous improvement over what we had prior to this! Heck, if I'd have left them exactly how they were in the photos above, they would have been a vast improvement over what we had! Steve can't wait to start a fire with the old chairs we had.

I like the dark fabric - I'm hoping it won't show too many food stains (from the kids, of course).

And just a shot of the tops of them, all pulled up to the table. I need to get some better shots of them altogether, but honestly, we were so excited when they were done, we wasted no time getting rid of the old ones (a.k.a, kindling) and sitting down on these new fancy schmancy ones!!

So things are coming together here, slowly but surely. I'm starting to feel as though our house is turning more into our home...we're making it more 'us'...and that feels good. :)

looking and loving: Fishers of Men

2010-06-16T08:30:00.002-04:00

Alright, I *just* stumbled across this sweet little creative genius over at Playing Sublimely. I've only gotten to read a few posts, but I already can see the she'll be one of my favorite bloggers out there. Ok, so this week, she's doing an art camp (I'm guessing through her church) and the kids are doing some AMAAAAAZINGLY cool projects!! Like THIS:

HOW GORGEOUS IS THAT?!?!?! The theme for day 1 was 'Fishers of Men.' I mean, c'mon - where are the ADULT CHRISTIAN ART CAMPS for crying out loud?!?!?! I want one of these. Like, NOW! This could be my calling....although, I need to know how to paint. MOM! MOOOOOOOOM, I neeeeeeeed you!!!! (she can paint - think she'll hear me calling her from the internet??) At any rate, my eyes are going to be glued to this blog all week. Genius. GENIUS I tell you!

And now I'm off to find some old-school Bob Ross on PBS so I can learn how to paint.

too early for this.

2010-06-15T09:33:00.005-04:00

We woke up to ants this morning. OY. You know, those little, tiny, little baby ants that come in packs of thousands? They're pretty slow, but man, they're annoying. So, with no coffee in my system, I tackled those pests. I'm sure a few are lingering, and we're fresh out of Terro, so we'll see what the day holds.

While I'm trying to process the whole ant situation, Steve was fixing a crashed server, and Lydia's like, "Mom, I need something.....something that's yellow, has salt and pepper, and is on a Mickey plate." Here's what I want to know - when did everything turn into a CLUE around here?!?! It's like we live with Dora, but with fewer Spanish words. And no talking backpack. And I guess we don't have a sneaky fox trying to take our things either. But still - you get the idea. Instead of asking for "eggies," she has to go through this big mystery to figure out what, exactly, she'd like to eat. I'm not really complaining. In fact, I really love it. It's darn cute and someday I'll say, "I remember when you made us figure out what you wanted by giving us clues! Awwww!!"

So I'm off to drink my coffee and make eggies for my most favorite little girl.

drab 2 fab: grandma's armoire

2010-06-14T22:41:00.006-04:00

I had mentioned in a few other posts that my mom is in the process of cleaning out my grandparent's house. It's chock full of stuff. Much of it needs to move onto others who can give it love, but there are a few gems - like this armoire. When I was talking one day with my mom about how much sewing stuff I'm acquiring, she told me about what my grandma used back in the day to hold all of her material. It was this armoire! She told me grandma loved how deep the drawers were and that they could hold lots of supplies. My mom was like, "You should take it! It would be perfect for what you need!!" Check this thing out!

Now I should mention, these photos were taken AFTER I had doused the thing in bleach. It had some mold and mildew issues, so it really needed a good cleaning.

It's got some nice details...

...and some details that were a bit too dated for my liking.

I took care of the datedness that was bothering me and got to work.

And after some sanding, 3 coats of white paint that I got for free (thanks, Dad!!), a little more sanding, distressing, and new hardware.....

...here she is!! Isn't it GREAT?!?!

How funny is it that the top drawer is different than all the others??

I just distressed it slightly, to add a little character.

I was able to keep it's black hinges - they worked great with the new hardware.

And guess what?!?! PEEK-A-BOO! The 'closet' part is CEDAR!!! WOOHOO!

So, to recap this project:

Armoire: FREE

Paint: FREE

New Knob/Pulls: around $30 from Home Depot

A few hours of my time and sweat (it's been humid here!)

TOTAL: $30

Pretty awesome for this beauty, I think!! I need to make room for it tomorrow in my craft area, then bring it in and fill it up!!

Now, wait 'til you see the dining room HUTCH!! EEEEK!!!!!!!

**Linked up to Friday's Remodelaholic Party**

master bedroom inspiration

2010-06-13T10:08:00.008-04:00

Soooo...I'm thinkin' about redoing our master bedroom. I decided the other day that I'm going to jump on the beachy bandwagon. I mean hey, everyone else is, right?!?! No really, we want something soothing in our bedroom...a retreat, of sorts. Right now, it's a dark box with nice furniture, buried under clothes (mostly clean, surprisingly...just not put away). We spend so little time in our room right now. I rush piles of clean laundry upstairs during the day, but rush back downstairs to make sure the kids are ok. I hardly ever get stuff put away and almost never get it totally cleaned up. BUT, I'm thinking...if we can do it up NICE and have a place for EVERYTHING, perhaps it can turn into that sanctuary we're looking for.

With that in mind, hows about some inspiration!! We're thinking a robin's egg blue color...perhaps a little seafoam in color. We'll paint the trim white (right now, it's the same color as the walls, which are a dark olive-y color), and use our current furniture - a gorgeous dark cherry sleigh bed, matching night stands, and a couple of dressers - also dark wood. I'm toying with the idea of painting a dresser - maybe white, or a few shades darker than the wall color - something a little different than the rest of the furniture. Here are some pics of rooms that have different things I like...

Decorpad

I love the khaki/lt. bluish-green combo in here - very calm and refreshing. And those bamboo shades? Mine. I want 'em. BAD. Oh, and I think I now have my heart set on a board and batten wall. Just one. The main one that the bed will be up against. I think our dark bed will just pop with the crisp white b&b background.

Courtesy of HGTV (Credit: Caren Baginski)

I love seeing how the dark furniture will work with the beachy theme and that blue-greeny/khaki combo.

Coastal Living

And I think that's our bed up there! It looks just like that! Now, the rest of the room...well, it's much...much more tidy than our room at present. I see no clothes in this room. Yeah, not really the case in ours. Seriously, the only way we may be able to keep the room looking tidy is if we become nudists - not even have to worry about clothes. The hubs might like that idea...'specially since he's been workin' his p90X.

Coastal Living

Again with the dark wood, the light blues...and I'm likin' the glass accents. Very cool and calm. We need some of that around here.

Perhaps a tropical looking ceiling fan sorta kinda like this one.

And I'll be honest, there's nothing I want more than Nester's striped drapes. Yeah, I'll DEFINITELY be makin' some of these for the room. I'll be on a wild and desperate hunt for wide khaki and white striped fabric, I just know it.

That's what I've got for now. Steve's agreed (PRAISE THE LORD!) but feels as though we should paint, like, tomorrow before he changes his mind. He loves the current setup (minus the bazillion stacks of clothes) and really could care less. But, I think he'll see just how heavenly it could be with a little paint, fabric, and TLC! Wish me luck!!

how does your garden grow?

2010-06-03T13:38:00.005-04:00

Here we are again - another year of gardening! Last year was the first year that we actually tackled a garden, and Little Miss Blueberry LOVED it!! She loved planting the seeds, watering, and then picking the veggies. So we got excited this year to get going with the garden.......a little TOO excited, in fact. We decided to plant the seeds at the end of March. GULP. We learned something from this. In these here parts, that's TOO. EARLY.

Here's Steve reading over the directions with Little Miss. She's making sure he does everything correctly!

Next is the careful and precise placement of the seeds.

She was quite fascinated with the different kinds of seeds. We used a little ready-set-go type greenhouse that has the little dirt pods that you water, then put the seeds into. BAM. You've got a garden. Put the lid on and watch the magic happen!

A week later, this is what we had! A very curious set of eyes couldn't stay away from the garden.

Fortunately, I failed to take pictures of the in-between stage from what you see above and what you see below. Here's the deal....since we planted SO early, the plants quickly got out of control. We had to REplant everything into bigger pots and leave them inside for awhile (because around here, an Easter or May snow is NOT unheard of...). When it got warm enough, we put them out on the deck and they basically baked themselves into oblivion since the deck gets full sun. They all started growing together...some started dying because they didn't have enough space...it was getting a little ridiculous, really. By the time this last weekend rolled around, we still had some beans and peas that were makin' it, and then of course, the giant ball of zucchini and cucumber plants that had grown together. Our tomatoes and peppers could not be saved, so Steve picked up a few at Agway. Oh, and let's not forget the blueberry bush he decided to snag. ;)

So here's the garden now! We just had the one box last year (on the left) and realized we just didn't have enough space. So he threw together another one!

Here's my sweet hubs working on the second garden box...and his tan. ;) And Belle, of course, was barking incessantly at the staple gun. After all, she IS the boss around here.

Here's a shot of the zucchini/cuke box. I think those are beans in the back. Are you loving the stakes and yellow yarn trellace?? I think it works.

Then here are the tomatoes and peppers. Our neighbor told us that he grew some fantabulous cantelopes a few years back but that he won't plant them again since they took over his whole garden. We're contemplating doing another box, just for cantelopes!! If that's the case, we better get on that.

So, here's hoping to a summer full of fresh veggies!!

I think I might need my own tools...

2010-05-22T22:32:00.004-04:00

Alright, I've got umpteen million projects on deck right now. It's almost too much. ALMOST. I love feeling creative and find that when I've got the ideas, I really need to run with them. I like making time for myself to actually DO these things. I got a little bit done today, but let's face it - I wasn't lighting the world on fire. I did laundry, cleaned up, played with the kids, more laundry, wiped down the kitchen cupboards, redecorated above the cabinets....did I mention laundry??? OY. I should be tired, but really, my mind is swirling. Here's what I'm thinking about:

Sewing Lydia's quilt for her big-girl bed
Painting a basket for her room
Making tissue paper flowers for her room
Hot gluing letters on canvases for Max
Hanging Max's pics in his room
Making 'white board' for craft area
Hanging decor over sewing table
Spraying storage boxes
Adding fabric to front of storage boxes
Spraying flower pots
Making wreath for entryway
Redecorating entryway table
Painting giant fork and spoon
Sewing kitchen valances
Painting kitchen chairs
Recovering kitchen chair cushions
Making pillows for family room

Woah. That was exhausting just going through that list! And I know I'm missing a bunch of stuff. I kinda think I might need my own tool kit. You know, the basics - a few screwdrivers, a drill, a level, hammer, sanding blocks, etc. Steve's got tons of tools, but I can't really find what I need most of the time. I'm thinking my own set that's all PINK! That way, they'd be easy to find if something strays away from the pack. Does a pink tool kit exist??? I may need to look into this further.

The list above might not take long for most people, particularly if they've got great tools! But let's not forget - I've got 2 munchkins. Two very busy, adorable, snuggly, creative, hungry munchkins. They keep me on my toes! So my creative time is slim - I'll need to make the most of it when it comes along.

I got the fabric for my kitchen curtains/chair cushions/family room pillows. I LOVE the fabric! I really like that it's going to help with the neutral palette I'm going for, so I can add color throughout the seasons without too much hassle.

The florals will be in the kitchen/eating area, and the fun words/numbers/polka dots will be family room pillows.

For now, I need to shut down...recharge the batteries...get ready for another day. It's supposed to be B-E-A-UTIFUL here tomorrow - all week, actually - so I'm thinking it may be a good day to paint some stuff outside?!?! We'll see.

goodies from grandpa's

2010-05-18T14:51:00.006-04:00

I mentioned recently that the clean-out process has begun at my grandparents. My grandfather died nearly 4 years ago, and the cleaning out of his and my grandma's things had just not been a priority. Well, it's underway now and we've found some vintage BEAUTIES in amongst the trash!

First up, this beautiful black plate. I think I'm going to use it for display above my cabinets. It's SUPER shiny and such a rich, deep black. Just beautiful! I knew it had to be mine.

Then we found this AMAZING Wedgewood set. This was my grandmother's. I remember her using the ashtray. And get this - when we opened the square box, we found personalized matchbooks that had never been used! I think this set will go on display in our 1/2 bath (way out of reach of little fingers, of course).

Ok, look at this GORGEOUS piece!! I'm SO in love with this. My mom says it's 'milk glass' and she thinks the pattern it was described as 'hob nail' with all of it's bumps. I'm going to Google it and find out more. Not only is this thing absolutely stunning on the outside, the real treasure was INSIDE!

I opened up the lid only to discover an old perfume bottle....and the scent of my grandma!!! OMGosh, my mom and I nearly burst into tears! How cool is this?!?!? We immediately put the lid back on so we didn't lose ANY of the smell, but I do find myself occasionally opening up the lid just to catch a small whiff of that heavenly scent. Miss you, Grandma!! *sniff sniff*

Lastly, we can't forget to give some love to these guys!! Who doesn't need a giant fork and spoon in their kitchen?!?! I swear, these things must have been gift-giving gold back in the 70's because I think my parents got everyone they knew a set of these, and then bought a few extra sets 'just in case.' My dad was stationed in Japan for a few years, so they picked these beauties up (and 60-70 of their cousins, I'm convinced) while shopping overseas. We've always joked about them, but I'm seriously considering putting these bad boys up in my kitchen. We'll see....I'm not sure Steve will go for it (unless, of course, he's given total permission to use them now and again!)

Just a little sneak peak at my delicious finds. There's still a hutch and possibly a few more furniture pieces I'll be calling my own soon. Stay tuned!!!

faux brick sidewalk

2010-05-18T09:47:00.004-04:00

I can't believe how much I love this! I stumbled across this FANTASTIC blog today called The Painted Home. Wow - this woman has done some gorgeous things with her home - inside AND out. What she did to her outside walkway - genius!! She's got a cottage feel to her home and painting the sidewalk created such a warm, inviting feel. I want to find out where she lives and just walk up her sidewalk (ok, I think I'd want to go in and check out her beautiful home too, then sit out on her back patio and enjoy a glass of wine in that hammock!) Seriously - check this out - it looks SO real!!

So here's her before:

And here's the after!

Doesn't it look SUPER?!?! Here's her post on how she created this gorgeous walkway!!

Now, off to scour the neighborhood to see who's walk I can paint like this....... ;)

browsing and loving

2010-05-17T17:21:00.005-04:00

So many of the blogs I read actually post about projects they've seen OTHERS doing. I've decided today, I'm gonna give it a go. I've seen SO MANY things I love and I really don't want to forget some of them.....so, I think I'll put a few here!

Ok, HOW CUTE ARE THESE????? I found them at Just a Girl and I'm completely in love. I neeeeeed to find some of these so I can make not only the first aid kit, but the dog kit - that idea is BEYOND genius! This woman should win a Nobel Peace prize for the dog kit alone. I mean seriously - keeping all of the dog's 'equipment' in ONE PLACE?!?!? Wow. She blew my mind for the day with that one!

Then there was this super cute tutorial I found over at House of Smith's for hanging roses. These are GORGEOUS! They look a touch time consuming, but I'm thinking Lydia's big-girl room will need a few of these.

There's so much more.....but I've gotta go for now - the kiddos are wakin' up!!!

stage debut + birthday wishes + creative overload = my weekend!

2010-05-16T22:38:00.003-04:00

What a weekend! I've had a few pretty nice days, I must admit. Friday night, my daughter had her very first school program. She did SUPER! Oh my gosh - SO PROUD here. She sang all of her songs, did all of the movements, and listened to her teachers. She looked like such a BIG girl up on the stage - and she's only 3! She wore a mommy-made dress and was just adorable. She was so excited that she had family watching in the audience and was surprised when daddy gave her flowers after the show. All in all, Friday night was darn near perfect in the world of a mom!!

So then Saturday was my birthday. I'm getting old, but really, I don't feel it. Steve wanted me to get out on my own for a bit, so I went to my mothership - Hobby Lobby. Honestly, I could have walked around there for HOURS. Like, 5...maybe 6 hours. That sounds crazy, but really - there's so much to see there! I carefully selected a few things I liked and decided I need to checkout and get home. Well....as I'm unloading my cart and the cashier starts to wrap up my breakables, I reach into my purse for my wallet. Um, no wallet. I DUG through my purse (which barely had ANYTHING in it - I mean, I could see the bottom of the bag easily, but still no wallet in sight. I panicked. I told the cashier to hold up, as it didn't appear that I had my wallet with me. I called Steve - "Hon, can you check the diaper bag and see if my wallet's in there?" He's like, "Oh no...you drove all the way over there and forgot your wallet??" Yes, I did. I'm a doofus. Sure enough, the wallet was in the diaper bag. Why??? Because I've probably only left the house 2 dozen times in the past 3 1/2 years WITHOUT a diaper bag. *SIGH* So, I had to come home empty handed. They held my cart full of goodies for me and I was able to go back later that day to get my things. Geez - how embarrassing! I apologized no less than 10 times to the cashier and the woman behind me in line.

We went out for a yummy dinner Saturday night, and although I didn't have a birthday cake, I got to have some super delicious Tiramisu (specially adorned with a candle!).

In the midst of this fun weekend, the clean-out process swung into high gear over at my grandpa's old house. He passed away not quite 4 years ago, and it's been tough to get going on the clean-out process. But it's underway finally and I've gotta say, it's kicked this creative streak I've been exploring lately into HIGH GEAR! Basically, it's an entire house full of things - clothes, furniture, accessories, dishes - you name, it's probably there. I was able to go over last night with my mom and we looked through some old things my grandmother had treasured (i.e., silver plated serving dishes, old lamps, pot-de-cremes <---have you heard of these?!?!). I'm SUPER excited about a hutch we'll be bringing to our house from there. I'll be painting it, shabby-ing it up a bit, and putting it in our kitchen. I have sooooo many ideas running through my head right now of projects I'm hoping to do soon, I can barely keep everything straight! I blame this creative overload on the reading of blogs. Many, many blogs. Holy cow, are there some creative people out there or what?!?! And so many love to post their creations on the internets!! I'm fascinated, inspired, and completely overwhelmed. I'm lovin' it.

I'll be getting up some pics soon for what I'll be working on. In the meantime, I'm tired. Peace out from this now 34-year-old mama.

sheet music canvas

2010-05-11T22:28:00.003-04:00

I have had a GIANT space of blank wall over my living room couch for far too long now. I thought I had figured out a plan by using some neat tin wall tiles, but hanging them was going to drive both Steve and I completely loco....so, we canned that idea. We hemmed and hawed and tried to rush the creative process, but people, c'mon - great ideas mustn't be rushed, am I right?!?!Finally, it hit me! I had a few canvases around and we've had these two empty frames that we'd be trying to figure out what on earth to do with. We have a piano in the living room and it hit me - use old sheet music to cover the canvas, then hang that canvas inside the bigger frame. Voila! Something BIG enough to make an impact over the couch and it would look great in the room.

Here's what I used:

old sheet music (from when I took piano lessons as a KID, hence the aged look!)
letter (simply printed from computer and cut out)
blank canvas
Modge Podge
sponge brush

I'm new to this, so I didn't take step-by-step pictures, but basically, here's how it goes. Tear the sheets, apply a thin layer of Modge Podge on the back of each sheet and lay them on. BAM! That's it! I did wrap the sheets around the sides so it would cover the sides of the canvas where the staples were. Once each piece was on, I let the whole thing dry for a bit. After a bit, I applied a coat of MP on the entire canvas, then let it dry. I then printed out a very large 'G' (used Word to make a giant one), cut it out, and glued it on with the MP. I let it dry, then applied one more coat of MP. Done. Seriously, other than the drying time, this project took 20 minutes, TOPS!

And here it is with the black frame around it. I just used a long piece of wide black satin ribbon to tie it up.

Here's a shot where you can see it up over the couch. I wish I would have gotten a better shot of the room, but I had my long lens on - this one will have to do. I think it looks good! But the pillows, not so much. I now have ANOTHER project to add to the 'to-do' list: new pillows for the couch!

anniversary gift

2010-05-11T22:05:00.004-04:00

So, I had NO idea what to get Steve for our 10-year anniversary. I was really stumped, but knew I wanted it to be special and, in some way, sentimental. Then, I ran across this tutorial a few weeks ago for subway-style art on Ucreate (GREAT blog, by the way). Anyways, when I saw it, I LOVED it and knew that's what I wanted to do! I'd MAKE Steve a super cool gift.

Well, the idea and assembly of the project is quite simple, but coming up with all of the sayings, words, dates, etc. needed to fill the board (which mine was probably a bit large) - now, that took time! Needless to say, Steve's gift was a few days late. But, I think it turned out SOOO great! Now we just need to figure out where we'll hang it.

Love you, hon!! Hope you love the gift, the memories, and the thoughts of our future together!

Lydia's Lydia dresses

2010-05-10T21:53:00.006-04:00

My inspiration to learn to sew came from the genius, Chelsea, behind Pink Fig Patterns. She makes the greatest patterns that are so user friendly, even for a beginner like me. When I saw she had a 'Lydia' dress, I HAD to make one for MY Lydia! I made one...

...then, I made another...

...and now, I want to make more. LOL I mean, how many dresses is TOO many for a little girl?? She doesn't have too many places to wear them, so I guess I should be practical and not go overboard...for now. I do know a few other little girls who might like one, though!

I think I need to take a small 'clothes' break and focus on my first quilt! I bought some absolutely GORGEOUS fabric by Lila Tueller and I cannot wait to get started. Lydia will be moving to her big-girl bed soon, so I need to get on it! Like, NOW! Here's what it looks like all laid out:

So, I've got some sewing to do. I'll be sure to update as I get underway!

Could it be.....the PLAGUE???

2010-05-06T22:20:00.003-04:00

Good grief, am I tired of being sick. **sigh** I have now had a 'cold' for two weeks straight. Basically, it blossomed pretty quickly into a sinus infection, but since I'm still nursing, I can't take anything. The pressure in my head...the swollen glands...the mucous...sounds attractive, right?!?! Wrong-o. And last night, the icing on the cake was when Max woke up to party at 3 a.m. Not sure whether it was the hours of thunderstorms or teething, but at any rate, he wasn't a happy guy. Seriously, could a Tylenol/Motrin recall have come at a worse time?? I think not.

Tomorrow is our anniversary (10 years!) and we're celebrating with.....wait.....wait for it....BULK TRASH DAY! We just hauled out a bunch of crap from the basement, including a large, non-working television. I had visions while we were pushing this beast up the steps of it letting loose and crushing us both and then wondering what on earth would happen in the morning when the kids wake up and mommy and daddy don't come running because they're TRAPPED under a GARBAGE in the basement. Yeah, I think my brain's still a little loopy, you know, from this congestion and all.

On the creative front, there's been little action. I did finish a dress for Lydia last weekend. But for the past few days, I've done nothing. Nada. Zilch. I'm a blob of creative nothingness at this point. BUT, I'm hoping it passes soon! I've got so many things on the horizon and things I really want to get done, so I need to get cracking. Maybe if I get super motivated, I'll post a pic of the quilt I need to start for Lydia.

In the meantime, I'm gonna soak up some juicy daytime drama with today's GH episode.

our dog

2010-04-23T11:07:00.007-04:00

This is our dog, Belle. She is a Sheltie (Shetland Sheepdog), and for the most part, she's a super dog. Note I said 'for the most part.'

A few facts about Shelties:

Even though they look like little Collies, they are no relation to the Collie
They are herding dogs
They tend to be barkers
They are herding dogs

Belle is a very friendly pup. Well, she's not a puppy - she's actually 9 years old. She LOVES people and runs to greet everyone - neighbors, the mail lady, whoever. She loves everyone - she's not picky. She's not really into squirrels/birds/other critters, which is kind of nice because she pretty much sticks around the yard...except, of course, if she sees a person that she just has to go and see. Although, yesterday I let her out and, like most days, forgot about her for a few minutes. When I remembered to go let her back in, she was nowhere in sight. Usually she's laying on the front step, enjoying the fresh air. Not yesterday. I was holding Max so I didn't really go outside with him, but called her several times - no sign of her. I put Max in his bouncy and stepped outside to investigate. I started heading towards the driveway, continuously calling her, and all of the sudden, I see her sprint out from behind the neighbor's house - ACROSS THE STREET. Um, hello?? Belle, don't you get that it's not cool to cross the street? You're a smart dog, you should know to stay on OUR yard. And really, she's very good about sticking around (on bad days, we've secretly hoped she'd disappeared after we'd forgotten about her outside, but nope - she's always on the front step), so I was surprised not to see her. She must have been drawn away by something very interesting.

Have I mentioned these dogs like to herd??? Yeah, well that's the main drawback around here. Her herding nature leads to her barking. She hates when any of us leave a room and strongly dislikes having doors closed on her (i.e., when we leave the house, go the bathroom, you get the idea). Some days, she barks non-stop! It gets to be a little trying when she's barking, Lydia's talking, and Max is crying. Not exactly PEACEFUL!! She's everywhere - always up in everyone's business. Wherever the kids are, she's there. Wherever Steve and I go, she follows. Here's a shot of her making sure Max isn't getting into any trouble on his baby laptop.

I've been missing our other dog lately. He had to be put to sleep last year, only 10 days after we found out he had cancer. Soooooooo sad. We were heartbroken. His name was Boris and Steve got him when we were dating. He had what seemed like a cold, but after it just wasn't getting better, the vet suggested we check things out further. He had to be put to sleep to get x-rays done, and before the vet even did an x-ray, he took a look in his mouth. There he saw a large tumor that had been growing about his soft palette and had grown so large that it was now pushing down into his mouth. He figured that it had grown up into his nasal/sinus cavities as well and that was what caused his breathing to sound congested. Ten days after learning of this, we said goodbye to Boris. Needless to say, we think about him often and miss him terribly. Even Lydia knows Boris is in heaven. We love you, B!!

NOBODY puts Baby in the corner!

2010-04-22T22:02:00.003-04:00

Alright, no one - not one person - can dispute that 'Dirty Dancing' was one of the best movies of our time. I mean sure, people will try (like Steve), but they would be wrong. Very, very wrong. I'm sure everyone on earth can agree that 'DD' and 'Ghost' were easily Patrick Swayze's best movies. He was such an amazing dancer...and who knew he could SING?!?! C'mon - SHE'S LIKE THE WIND?!?! I'm feclemped.

Talk amongst yourselves...I'll give you a topic: Patrick Swayze's abs. DISCUSS!

Sorry - 'DD' is on TV right now. Just thought I'd remind the world that this movie ROCKS!

mommy guilt

2010-04-21T22:36:00.002-04:00

I’m completely sure that I cannot be the only mom on the planet who experiences mommy guilt. You know, the kind of guilt you get as a mom because you are, let’s say, going to work, when you have to tell your kids ‘no,’ or just that overall bad feeling you get when you can’t please your kids 24/7. I was chatting with my sister-in-law last night on Facebook and we had both had long days. We were conversing about how our days consist mostly of toddler conversations (her youngest is 2.5) and that the ‘outside world’ feels so foreign to us at times. We also discussed how other people in our lives (mainly the men – sorry guys!) do not understand the full-time nature of being a mom. I am not at all discounting the work that our husbands do outside of the home, or how HARD they work (geez, I think Steve is one of the hardest working people I have ever known!). However, the job of a mom is non-stop. A mom is a caretaker, a meeter of needs, a healer, an ombudsman, a scheduler, a cook, and a cleaner (well, only sometimes in my case! LOL). From the time we wake up in the morning until our heads hit the pillow at night (sometimes we even have night duty with the little ones), our minds are constantly going with what needs to happen next within the household.

This topic popped into my head recently because I’ve been realizing that I need to take more time to myself. I should NOT feel guilty about having ‘me’ time – uninterrupted time to shower/craft/walk – whatever!! So many times I’ve ‘asked’ Steve if he’d mind keeping an eye on the kids so I could go shower. He’s pretty much always been completely fine, but at times, I do get an eye-roll or a sense of frustration from him that he has to stop what he’s doing to watch the kids. Then I feel bad because I even asked and I don’t even get to enjoy my shower, darnit!

So here’s to all the moms out there who don’t take enough time for themselves and who feel guilty for not being ‘Super Mom’ ALL of the time. Lighten up, and go take a shower!

what the heck happened yesterday???

2010-04-21T07:33:00.003-04:00

Yesterday didn't really turn out how I had originally hoped. Lydia's cough was still too nasty for me to send her to school....Max got more miserable as the day went on...the kids didn't nap at the same time, which meant no downtime whatsoever...and Steve ended up getting home late, which meant no by-myself walk to regroup. *sigh* I'm tired just thinking about it!

But, today is another day! It's a work day for me. I have 4 evals. to do today, and while I don't love doing 4 in one day, it does make the day go by quickly and I feel super productive. The coolest thing about work days??? MAKE-UP! REAL clothes! NICE HAIR!! I actually look like a human on Wednesdays. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love and adore the time I spend with my kids. My schedule is perfect and I love that I get dress up at least one day a week, go out and see the world, and come home to my sweeties. Plus, it's super cool when Lydia says, "Mom, you look so pretty!"

The one bummer about work days is going in and seeing people who tend to have their priorities totally messed up. I don't want to sound like I'm judging the people I see, but rather, I see it as a flawed system that contributes to their funky life choices. Such as, families will come in wearing hip clothes/shoes, toting cell phones and Nintendo DS's, but then the kids complain about not having much to eat or the parents claim they 'don't have the money' for the kids to participate in much-needed summer programs or extracurricular activities. And it breaks my heart to hear the kids say that their favorite foods are cookies, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and candy. I mean, I totally get the love for cookies and all things sweet (chicken nuggets, not so much), but how about some fruits? Maybe a few veggies? I really don't want to get all political on this blog, but seriously - if the government can demand us to get healthcare, why can't they demand people receiving government assistance to buy healthier food?? And, to NOT buy cigarettes!!! Ugh. I could go on and on, but I won't. Stay positive, Krissy, stay POSITIVE!!! This is your day of beauty!!

On that note, I must go beautify myself.

toddler talk

2010-04-19T22:19:00.004-04:00

My daughter, Lydia, loves to talk. I mean, she LOVES. TO. TALK. Her lips are almost always moving while she's awake. In the morning, she sings in her crib. She chatters about what she wants to do each day, what she sees, what she likes to play with, what she's reading. She is just a little chatterbox! I have to say, though, even though it seems like she talks nonstop, it's soooooo much better than the screaming she did right before she started saying words. Steve and I were going BONKERS because she'd holler so loudly for things, and of course, we don't speak 'Holler.' So we're fine with the words. Well, mostly fine.

Anyways, Lydia and I had some pretty fun conversations today. She's 3, so I never know what she's going to say, or where she comes up with some of this stuff! I thought I'd share just a few of the fun ones from today. :)

Lydia: MOM - come quick! I peeped and I need you to tap me!

Me: Hon, I'm rocking Max - I'll be in soon.

Lydia: But mom, I need you to tap me! I went PEEPS! QUICK!

Me: Lydia, I'll be there in a sec! Go ahead and pull up your pants without me tapping you.

Lydia: But MOM...I have DRIPS! I need tapped!

Lydia: Mom, my nose was running while I was in my book nook, so I wiped it off.

Me: What did you wipe it on?

Lydia: Over there. I wiped it over there.

Me: Over WHERE, hon?

Lydia: On the curtains, mom.

Lydia: Mom, LOOK! My socks!!

Me: Yeah, your socks. (clearly seeing she had a pair of socks in her hand, but still had socks on her feet) Where did you find them?

Lydia: They were in this cupboard! (in the kitchen)

Me: Hon, why were your socks in the cupboard??

Lydia: Because they were dirty, mom!

In case you were wondering, I'm NEVER bored! I smile and laugh alot....and I love it. :)

another brilliant idea

2010-04-19T09:26:00.001-04:00

I did say BRILLIANT! So, I've got a TON of pictures of the kids. Actually, a 'ton' may be an understatement. I have a bazillion photos of them. Since I make no time to scrapbook anymore, I've decided that each year, I'm going to compile the "Best of the Best" of our photos. Then, I'll have these photos printed in a photo book. Heck, maybe I'll even get adventurous and get two printed for each year, so each of the kids can have one when they grow up. We'll see. Anywho, here are a few of my favorites so far from this year.

WOOT WOOT!!

2010-04-19T09:19:00.001-04:00

Who's got two thumbs and is darn proud of herself this morning??? THIS GIRL! I actually got up when I set my alarm and worked. out. GASP! Yup, I did it. I rocked out 45 minutes of Turbo Jam this morning. And, I feel super! Let's hope this day continues in the same manner. It's a Monday, so I'm not going to get overly excited, but I'll stay optimistic for now.

Not too much on the agenda for today. The kids and I will be running out at some point...the bank, the meat market, then home for playing/laundry/naps (and maybe even a little fabric cutting for the next sewing project). I don't have too much writing to do for work this week, so I've got a little extra time to sew........or wade through the clothes-bomb that went off in our bedroom. But seriously, the sewing sounds much more fun.

my non-weekend

2010-04-18T21:43:00.001-04:00

This weekend doesn't go on the charts as being one of the most fun, most memorable, most exciting weekends ever, that's for sure. I've got 3 sickos here - two kids and a hubby. Needless to say, I've had my fill of snot, tissues, watery eyes, coughing, whining, and Gatorade for a loooooong time. I got in some nice snuggle time with the kids, so that's a positive.

I also snuck in a little sewing! I finished up a new top for Lydia. It's a pattern by Pink Fig and it's the 'Olivia' top. I ended up not doing the shirring on the bottom because I think it looks super cute the way it is now. And - BONUS - it FITS!!! I'm super paranoid about making things for Lydia and then them not fitting her...particularly making sure stuff is going to go over her head. She loves it, I love it, it's a win-win in my book.

Yes. I'm crafty.

2010-04-17T13:26:00.001-04:00

As I'm venturing into this blogging world, I'm finding myself wondering what on earth I'll write about. I'll warn you all now, there will be no rhyme or reason...no clear direction here. The way I see it, this blog is a virtual dumping ground for any and all things "Krissy." Those crazy thoughts about projects I'd like to tackle - they'll be here. The rantings about weird neighbors or bizarre trips to WalMart - I'll be sure to include those. Let's just say, anything's possible in these here parts.

Anyways, I was thinking last night about all of the different crafty things I've tried over the years. My most recent adventure as been sewing! I feel like a baby learning to walk as I broaden my sewing skills, but it's fun and I feel so....sew...Martha Stewart-ish. (minus the jail time, of course) So over the years, here are some of the things I've tried out:

Decoupage

Latchhook rugs (those count, right??)

Friendship bracelets

Decorating clothes

Crocheting

Painting furniture

Painting pottery

Photography

Scrapbooking

Knitting

Low-water Immersion dyeing

And now, Sewing.

Um, can you say - CREATIVE OUTLET?!?! Yeah, I definitely need one. I'll go months without doing anything creative, then I get into something and I obsess. I freak out until I get it just right...until I figure it out. I can remember spending HOURS in those paint-your-own pottery places making things. I had a bucket when I was young that was full of embroidery floss for those friendship bracelets...I had every color you could imagine. When I learned to knit a few years ago, I constantly found myself tangled up in the yarn! And let's face it, when I got into dyeing, barely anything in this house that was white stayed that way. I also really enjoy decorating, cooking, and I'm slowly learning about gardening, which can all be fun and creative too.

So, don't be surprised if you read that I'm tossing out the sewing machine to make room for more crafty goodness! In fact, I'll probably have to make room for that new laptop that I'll be getting at some point in the near future...you know, so I can learn and obsess over Photoshop. I sat with Steve's laptop last night and played for HOURS. I made the banner for this page and had a heckuva fun time doing it. Digital scrapbooking, here I come!!

But first - this kitchen needs some attention.

gettin' started...

2010-04-16T14:11:00.001-04:00

I'm finally going to give this blog world a go. It's been a long time coming (at least in my mind it's been a long time), but I'm here. I'm ready!

A quick run-down of today...Lydia's sick. She's got a cold/fever/mucous...let's just say, germs are everywhere. We snuck a walk in this a.m., and at the FURTHEST point from home on the walk, she says, "Mom, I have to go potty!" Um, ok. I looked around and actually thought about picking a random house, knocking on the door, and asking whomever answered the door if we could sneak in for a quick "peep." Well, I rethought that crazy idea and decided to tell her to hold it. I high-tailed it home, while she asked every 3 seconds, "Is that our house? Is THAT our house? How about THAT ONE, MOM?!?!"

I was hoping that while the kids napped, I'd be able to sneak in some crafting time, but I've been obsessing over this blog instead. I have an half-done shirt that I'm hoping to finish up tonight, although there are no guarantees this shirt will even FIT Lydia. It's looking a touch small. I may have to tweak things a bit. Being a beginning sew-er (can't type that without the hyphen - I'm not into waste management as a hobby), I'm learning 'sew' much (HAHAHAHA), but I'm still trying to figure out how to fix mistakes, undo, redo...all while trying not to break the machine itself. It's all girly, of course, with big pink/yellow/turquoise flowers and brown/pink polka dot sleeves. Maybe I'll practice putting up some pics later.

I can't wait to get this blog a bit more set up. I've been reading a bit lately online and have found some great sewing blogs and other creative sites I want to make sure I reference.

Ok, Max is up...I think I need more caffeine.