Scrap 3

Menu Plan Monday's

2011-01-10T22:01:00.004-05:00

It's time of the week again (and I haven't blogged in while) so here goes:

MONDAY: spaghetti w/ meatballs
TUESDAY: soft tacos, refried beans and yellow rice
WEDNESDAY: grilled cheese and soup
THURSDAY: salad with homemade red wine vinegrette
FRIDAY: Chicken Caesar Salad and bread

I'm not doing the weekend on my menu plan b/c I'm not sure what is going on this weekend besides catching up on sleep, soccer game, chores, laundry and lounging around. Soooo....the menu is open!

Have a great week!

A new year!!!

2011-01-01T08:04:00.003-05:00

2011 DT call

2010-12-05T12:32:00.000-05:00

2011 DT Call
Calling all scrappers from all over the world. If you like to create and inspire then this call is for you! THE MOSY SCRAPPER is looking for 2 NEW designers to lead the message board in inspiration!

TMS is going on it's 3rd year and is ready for some new fun and creativity this coming year! Be a part of the team and board. If you haven't joined yet, please come on down to the message board! Upon submissions please have at least 10 posts to be considered in the DT call. We LOVE participation and chattiness!

Design Team members will be responsible for:
* Designing 2-3 layouts AND 1-2 card(s) or altered project(s) (more is always nice! :) )
* At least 1 finished projects by the 30th of the previous month (so we can show off your stuff on the boards/fb/blog), the rest by the 20th of the kit month
* A review each month on the sponsored kit
* Occasional challenges and crop challenges/participation.
* Promote TMS around the internet (where allowed)

Board participation:
* Contribute praise to our members in the Gallery
* Respond regularly to topics on discussion board.
* Sign up for challenges to be posted weekly/daily/monthly on the message board

We are an exciting and are looking for strong and COMMITTED Design Team members to actively participate on our message boards and help us promote!

To enter please submit:

2 creations:
* 1 layout (any size)
* 1 card (any size or sentiment)

Please make sure that these items are NEW and NEVER BEFORE SEEN and submit them to: mosyscrapper@hotmail.com (subject line: 2011 DT CALL) by December 20th, 2010. Past TMS designers are welcome to try out. DT reign will be for 4 months.

Handmade IN A HURRY!

2010-12-03T08:16:00.002-05:00

DECEMBER 6th, 2010

Grab your last minute Xmas gifts at great prices! Doohickies & Such will be participating. There is a sale ALREADY at D&S so what more savings are you in for? CRAZINESS!!!

Make sure to mark your calendars and SHOP, SHOP, SHOP!

Cyber Monday

2010-11-29T23:05:00.003-05:00

Well...with 1 hour to spare, I must say something about my sale in my shop: Doohickies & Such

Everything in the store is 50% OFF!

HURRY!

A quick synopsis

2010-11-29T23:03:00.003-05:00

Well, the craziness is over (finally)!

It took a week to move some boxes and the big items into our new house. Then some packing for a cruise and getting things into the car without the girls knowing. Then a 4 day cruise but away from home for 6.5 days.

And now it's today and it's already over!

I will have pictures up from our cruise. We had a good time, the girls were surprised and I'm happy to say that they were excited and it was worth the secret of not telling them until it was time to go. But reality is here, and I must unpack!

EARLY BIRD SPECIALS

2010-11-12T15:21:00.002-05:00

SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!!! Get your Xmas gifts early and at a great price!

Shop this event today and tomorrow: THE HANDMADE EXPO click Shop Now! and enter password handmadeholidays! http://fb.me/JvyWWg8b

My shop is in this! Right now Doohickies & Such is having a 30% OFF sale on ALL jewelry. I wonder what MORE you can get if you do the above???!!! :)

Friday Fill-ins

2010-11-12T08:38:00.002-05:00

It's that time again...

1. When pigs fly I will also see pink elephants.

2. MORE priming to do, seriously?!

3. Call me Tazmanian Devil this week LOL.

4. What? Sleep in...yeah right, if you know what I mean.

5. The most entertaining person in my life is at the moment would be Colton because he is saying and doing the funniest things to entertain himself while I work on our house, poor guy is bored, but he's funny!

6. First Colton, then Morgan, then Sydney calling my name, who's next...the dog?

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to getting some rest, tomorrow my plans include an early soccer game then working on the house and MORE packing and Sunday, I want to be ALL moved into our new home!

I see Red!

2010-11-09T14:25:00.005-05:00

Well, yesterday I didn't get to packing as much as I had hoped. I had other things in mind...procrastination! LOL

Went to pick up some things at the grocery store and had a craving for red velvet cake. The bakery didn't have any, so I did the next best thing. I bought some Duncan Hines. :)

Made me some cupcakes and a mini cake (of course with some cream cheese icing and a little bit of chocolate shavings on top!) YUM!

Menu Monday's

2010-11-08T08:29:00.002-05:00

Time to make the menu again for the week. I need to find some recipes that calls for the oven. I am definately going to take advantage of having one since my days are numbered in this rental WITH an oven (and stove for that matter. LOL)

Monday - Cheesy Taco Bake
Tuesday - Chicken Stuffing Devan recipe calls for turkey but I want chicken! LOL
Wednesday - leftover meatballs with brown gravy from Friday with noodles and string beans
Thursday - Chicken and Rice Casserole
Friday - leftovers

Saturday is the big move (I think) so I'll keep it simple...grilled cheese or something to that effect. I will be a baking fool when I can this week. I've got strawberry and blueberry muffins I want to make. The leftovers will go in the freezer for those quick easy breakfasts. I'll also make some brownies and I have a box of Cookie Bars in the pantry that I want to make. At least I won't be splurging in the coming weeks on desserts. It'll be JELL-O for me! haha

What happened this week

2010-11-06T20:39:00.003-04:00

I totally forgot to post pictures from last weekend's festivities.

HALLOWEEN!

Morgan and Sydney were both butterfly fairies and Colton was a knight in shining armor! The girls loved spraying their hair with some glitter dye. Morgan was sporting blue and Sydney was in pink. Colton had way to much fun in his costume...playing the part too well!

Colton called it in early though. He got really tired during the treating so he handed me his bucket and had daddy carry him the rest of the time. They all scored some yummy candy (hahaha).

The rest of the week I've been working at our new house. I've been priming all the walls and ceiling. They finally got started on the construction to our addition on Thursday too! What was our sunroom in the back is no longer there. The windows and walls AND ceiling are gone! And it got cold Thursday too! GEEZ was it cold in the house! Neal took a day off Friday and I helped him put up some dry wall and got to play with the drill. :) We had to put back up the old drapes that I had taken down for priming. Don't want inspectors to look inside the house and see that we are doing some work on the inside too. Don't want to get our contractor in trouble. Kind of silly though if you ask me! The contractors are doing the work on the OUTSIDE. WE are doing the work on the inside. BUT, don't want to ruin any one's plans, so we are abiding by the rules...I guess.

The house is still a wreck and we have to move in next weekend. Well...we have till the 20th but next weekend is the ONLY free weekend we have before our trip in 16 days.

SHHH! Girls don't know and I can't wait till they find out!

Today was Morgan's first soccer game and she was in the goal for the first half. I was a little skeptical on her being in the goal. I'm a mom...scared she'll get kicked in the face. PLUS, I like to see her in the action and not getting scored on!

So I had Neal stop at a sports store after Thursday's practice, which got rained on so it got cancelled once we got there, and had him buy her some gloves and a mouthguard.

She did well I must say. Needs some work, but she's only had 2 practices. In the 2nd half though...she came out running and doing some fancy footwork and was able to get the ball away from some of the defendors. She was playing tricks on them! LOL LOVED IT! I'm not sure where she's practiced those moves, but I want to see more!

They lost but it wasn't bad considering they haven't ALL practiced altogether yet in the 2 practices we've had. Can't wait till next weekend! Maybe then I'll remember to have my camera. I just feel so out of this week. The house is a wreck b/c I haven't had a chance to pay attention to it, I've been at the other house (and I'm sure the kids can't wait till we finally stay at ONE home...I know I will...mess or no mess).

Trying to play catch up on the computer tonite and get cracking on the laundry.

The Tale of the Halloween Fairy

2010-10-30T20:18:00.003-04:00

I just got a glimpse of happiness/excitement from Sydney just now. We are sitting watching a movie with the kids, "The Wild Stallion", and she just leaned back while munching on some popcorn and said, "I can't wait till the 31st! It's Halloween!"

It's so neat to see them get excited. We've been go-go-go with school activities, things for the new house, just every day stuff and I totally forgot about the HALLOWEEN FAIRY!!!

EEK!

See, for the past 2 years I've told them about the 'Halloween Fairy' and O.M.G., they are waiting to see what she brings them this year! What happens on Halloween night is this...

...the kids go trick or treating and then come home to do the usual...look at their goodies, get googly-eyed over their treasures and drool. Then they pick out 10 of their fave pieces that they'd want to eat and the rest goes back into their buckets. WHY? Well...because when the kids are asleep, the 'Halloween Fairy' comes into our home and takes the candy to give to those kids less fortunate (a.k.a. Mommy and Daddy! LOL) She then leaves them a surprise in their buckets in the morning.

It works like a charm!

The first year the girls got some tights that they love wearing with their skirts. AND a note! ;) Last year before we left to go trick or treating she left them a little note on the kitchen table that said they could keep 20 pieces this year instead of 10. Talk about some giddy kids! I can't remember what they got last year. But this year...it totally slipped my mind and they mentioned something to me today! Can you imagine the look on my face when they brought her up?!!!

HOLY SMOKES! QUICK...think of something Momma!

And I didn't get a chance to go to the store today, by myself, to pick up a little something. So...what am I going to do?

I think I may surprise them with extra candy left in their buckets and some money. Who doesn't like money right?!

I hope that they aren't disappointed, but we'll see!

Hit SEND...

2010-10-29T14:25:00.000-04:00

I did it! I hit the inevitable "SEND" button and sent an email reply back to a future employer. NOW...it's the waiting game and either a YES or a NO. Hmmmm....

Judy ROCKS

2010-10-27T10:42:00.001-04:00

Well, yesterday was a good day. Besides being dead tired from working on some things at the new house and trying to entertain my 2 year old in the process, we got some good news.

Our landlord, Judy, is letting us stay in the rental house a little longer instead of being out by this weekend.

HIP HIP HURRAY!

We are forfeiting our security deposit (which is one months rent) to stay in the rental a little longer. We plan to be out before we go on our cruise in November. Still need to do some major things in the home before moving in. I was at peace with the idea of just dealing with the chaos and mess but hey, I'm not going to complain.

Two to three more weeks of being able to use a stove, dishwasher, oven...all those things that I had posted in my last blog. I'm happy! I don't feel so rushed anymore. Still going to be a whirlwind, but that's okay...I have time to stretch my legs here and there. ;)

As I said....Judy ROCKS!

Bittersweet upcoming week

2010-10-24T01:01:00.000-04:00

Man...what a tiring week!

Monday - weights and zumba
Tuesday - zumba
Wednesday - zumba
Thursday - run and pilates
Friday - zumba that kicked my butt, good zumba!
Saturday - worked on the house (renovations)

Of course w/in the week there was laundry, cleaning and such...not to mention moving a couple of bookshelves to the new house.

I'm just thinking of how fast this last week at our rental is going to fly by. And the new house isn't even really ready yet to be a little bit liveable. It's gonna just have to be. Ke Cira, Cira! LOL

I'm going to milk every moment I have in this rental when it comes to...

* loading the dishwasher b/c the new home doesn't have one
* having an oven/stove b/c the new home doesn't have one (we removed it b/c we are going to eventually redo the kitchen but move it at the same time).

I will miss those 3 things.

I'm going to miss the luxury of walking the dog out to the front lawn so she can do her business b/c at the new house there is NO grass (previous owners put pebbles on the entire property...YUCK!).

I'm going to miss not having 2 bathrooms in the house (b/c the new home only has 1 working bathroom and the 2nd one is being renovated).

WHY?!! LOL...gotta think of the big picture though...it's gonna look really nice and it'll be ours! AND...it's on the water!

Just gonna take some time, peace and elbow grease! ;)

Sweetfield's Farm

2010-10-18T14:41:00.004-04:00

This weekend I had the opportunity to take the kiddos to a corn maze and farm. It wasn't too-too far to get there. The kids didn't know what to expect. I couldn't wait to see all the sunflowers and corn and to see what this farm did with it's maze this year.

Sweetfields Farm is where we went to in a little town called Masarkytown.

When we arrived we could see all the sunflowers from the parking area. I had to get a picture of them before they got overheated and sad that they had to leave. As Colton got out of the car of course, he was a little wet in the hind end! UGH! And the only thing I had in the diaper bag was some striped shorts. LOVELY! See the shirt he's wearing...the stripes on the shorts went the other way and they were thinner stripes! But at least the colors of the shorts were still white with brown and red stripes. Haha {gotta make sure that the extra clothes I bring have the WHOLE set or at least matching bottoms!}

I love Colton's smirk!! LOL

Here is my Morgan. I actually like this shot that I took {patting self on back}.

And this is the beginning of the maze. This year they made a cow out of the corn/sunflower field. You get a sheet with 6 multiple choice questions and you have to find station #1 first, answer the question and your answer will either tell you to go 'left, straight, or right' as to where to go in the maze. You can get lost but can easily find your way back out.

There were so many great opportunities while in the maze to get photo ops. I had to stop at this one location because there weren't any other groups in front or behind us. We ended up breezing by them as we answered the stations. Colton didn't want to take a picture though :(

When we were done with the maze there was a mini maze for the kids out of hay stacks. They had fun running around in this one.

Or course there were pumpkins! It was near a fun little tree house for the kiddos to play in. I had to get them on this hay stack w/ pumpkins around but they really didn't want to sit for ANOTHER photo with mom...they wanted to run and play like all the other kids running! As you can see...Colt was sad that he had to sit still! {see those awful shorts...I swear I didn't dress him out of the house in this outfit! LOL}

Before they went to the tree house they had to find the perfect pumpkin (Sydney's idea). She found this one.

And Colt had to out do her (nooo...no competition in this family!)

And then off they went running to the tree house. They bypassed the cute piggies that were squealing under the tree house. So I took the photo so they could see what they missed! Aren't they cute?!

The tree house was awesome though...every kids dream! The perfect board swing on one side of it too! So 'Little House on the Prairie'!

There were some other fun things for the kids to do too...hayride, decorated hay stacks, a water thing-a-ma-jig! LOL The kids got to pump water onto a half-pipe that had some rubber duckies on them and they had to race them to the other side. They loved just playing in the water!

Colt is here trying to concentrate!

Caught Morgan looking!

See...they had some ropes all over the place and the kids just made their own game out of it! LOL

Hey, whatever makes them busy and happy!

Then it was time to leave. At the entrance there was this big haystack made into a spider. Really cool!

Can't wait to go again next year. I wonder what the field will be made into? I know that Neal will be with us next year. This year he was stuck working on our house. We will have to make sure to go earlier in the day and to also stop at a farm about a block away so the kids can see what farm life is really like. Maybe get an egg or two and feel a cow's tongue!

I love the fall!

Friday Fill-Ins

2010-10-15T15:25:00.002-04:00

1. Wow, it's almost time to move!

2. One word for today's weather.... beautiful.

3. My favorite way to start a day is to sleep in till 730am!

4. Finally home and he walked in the door holding a pumpkin.

5. I look out my window and see the beautiful weather, the water and then our lovely neighbor with junk in his backyard!

6. How are we getting the house done in time is what I've been thinking about lately.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching Furry Vengence with the kids, tomorrow my plans include cleaning, cooking and taking kids to a corn maze and Sunday, I want to start packing!

18 more days!

2010-10-13T21:56:00.002-04:00

Yes...18 more days till...

*Halloween
*Moving Day...ugh!

I can't get myself motivated to start packing and I know it's gotta be done. GOOD GRIEF...again! One reason why I haven't is because the new home is just around the corner...maybe a mile away (sounds silly doesn't it) and it's not move-in ready YET! Only 2 full weekends left to get some things done before the final weekend of October (which is devoted to just moving). I keep telling myself it'll be fine and it'll get done. IT BETTER!

And then there is Halloween. The girls haven't figured out what they want to be for Halloween. Going to take them to get their costumes on Friday (that's what it's going to say in the advent calendar). Colton has his costume already...he's gonna be a knight. I saw his outfit at the Dollar Store. Can you believe that? I saw that they had a bunch of themed hats and whatnots there and started to load the cart up thinking it would be great to put these in his 'box' that I want to get him for Christmas (no more playing dress up in his sister's dresses LOL). Then he spoted the knight outfit and wanted it. I then asked if he wanted to be a knight and he said yes. So...we'll see if he actually wears a costume or not on the big night.

The advent calendar has been going very well. The kids have been excited each day to see what they are in for. So far some of the things that we/they have done are:

make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
Halloween pencils
Grow their own Halloween toy (a small gel character sitting in water and watch it grow w/in 3 days)
Halloween socks
Halloween shirt
Pop Rocks in pumpkin orange
Make a Halloween necklace
make chocolate covered peanut butter cookies w/ Halloween sprinkles
Halloween pacifier (candy ring)
put spider silhouettes up in foyer
Halloween hair ties (of course Colton skipped this one)
Halloween candy necklace
Watch a Halloween movie

There are more to come and there may be some tweeking due to the weekends spent fixing the house. Can't wait to do some crafts with the girls next week. Towards the end of the month I have left room to just give candy because it'll make it easy for me because of the move. SIGH

Menu Plan Monday's

2010-10-11T21:39:00.001-04:00

What's for dinner this week?

Monday: Sloppy Joes
Tuesday: Chicken Tortilla Casserole
Wednesday: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup w/ Grilled Cheese
Thursday: Black beans & rice with kielbasa, salad
Friday: Chicken Nachoes for adults (late dinner) and Chicken quesadillas for the kiddos
Saturday and Sunday are up in the are due to the home renovations...I'm thinking something easy and quick!

Halloween wreath

2010-10-08T15:03:00.002-04:00

What is this?

Oh...it's the little Halloween wreath I made for our front door using up some old Halloween papers, chipboard, glitter, staples, a styrofoam circle and spiders. If you want the directions, you have to go on over to THE MOSY SCRAPPER! :)

Here is a close-up of the wreath.

And here is our door.

Happy Halloween!

Friday Fill-Ins

2010-10-08T12:37:00.000-04:00

1. My favorite month is October because the weather changes a little and it's the beginning of the big rush of holidays.

2. I LOVE a fresh breeze.

3. I love to sniff my fall scented candles.

4. Pancakes with blueberry syrup, bacon and scrambled eggs is what I like to have as a treat for breakfast.

5. The hobby I enjoy most is EEK...I don't have just one!

6. 78 days till Christmas, oh my!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching a movie with the kiddos, tomorrow my plans include hearing about what is to be done to the new house this weekend and Sunday, I want to be productive in packing!

Menu Plan Monday's

2010-10-04T23:26:00.003-04:00

It's Monday...it's that time again!

What is on the menu for the week?

Monday: Soft Tacos
Tuesday: Crispy Ranch Chicken Bites, Au Gratin Potatoes, Green Beans
Wednesday: Pork Chops w/ stuffing and cinnamon apple bake, steamed broccoli, rolls
Thursday: Cheesy Taco Bake (I'm in a Mexican mood this week)
Friday: Manwich!, tater tots, sliced pickles and carrots w/ Ranch dip

What's on your menu this week?

Advent Day 1...creepy crawlies

2010-10-01T22:46:00.002-04:00

This week I've been working on Halloween things and there was one find that I scored on. Meet Mr. Skullhead!

Colton actually found it at Michael's. And the best part...it was 40% OFF! I had to put it in the little niche in the wall of our foyer. Just love the silver spider on his hat! I also made a framed art piece using some old scrapbook papers and an owl punch. Then I went to a Halloween store and got a black rat (my mom would LOVE that...NOT) and a goblin which I put eye balls in! Bwhahahaha

But since today is the first day of October, the kids had to find out what they were to find in the 1st pocket of the advent calendar.

Can you guess what it was?

It was to put up some silhouette spiders (thank you Martha Stewart)! Love these guys...thank goodness they aren't real! Here is a picture of our entryway:

And of course the kids had some fun with the spiders. LOL

What will tomorrow's pocket say?

30 Days till Halloween!!!

2010-10-01T14:09:00.004-04:00

It's that time of year again!! I LOVE Halloween. And my girls know what it means to for it be October 1st.

Time to get the Advent Calendar out! Well, last year I had a different one and I had to throw it away because it was falling apart. It was a small bale of hay and it was all decorated, but it got messy during the move. So...I found this calendar online that inspired me. She had a brilliant idea and I had to make one just like it. Little did I know that the stickers that I bought from Michael's looked a little like some of the one's she used. OOPS! heehee

Luckily I had some felt laying around in my scrap closet and all I needed was a big piece of fleece fabric and those stickers. VIOLA! After 3 days of making this during Colton's naptime I got it all done. And the pockets are even stuffed with fun Halloween ideas!

Here is a close up of the calendar. You can see some of the goodies in the pockets!
This Franken-girl is my fave sticker. It's from K & Co.

What I did was number a few of the pockets. If you look back at the first picture you will see only 4 numbers on the entire calendar. The 31st (for Halloween), 4th, 14th, and 23rd. The 3 other dates are the days of my kids birthdays (not in October though). Morgan figured that one out without me saying anything. LOL

There are more pockets than there are days, by one, but it would have looked off if I left off one of the pockets. Plus it gave me a good excuse to decorate with the cute stickers I found by Martha Stewart and K&Co.

I would love to see your advent calendar if you do one for Halloween. We love to do this for October AND December. Gets the kids all excited for the holidays. And THEY ARE approaching soooo fast!

BECOMing our home

2010-09-21T22:13:00.006-04:00

Now that we have closed on our house and demolition will soon take place once permitting goes thru with our contractor, I've started thinking of how things are going to look in my head once it is all done. Of course there probably will be some differences of what it'll REALLY look like versus the visions in my head.

I've started looking thru magazines and searching the internet for decor ideas. I have boxes of our decor from our last home all piled in the garage now, but don't think that I'll be able to use all of them. ONE, because I won't have plant shelves in this house and TWO, not sure if the style of decor I had will match the style of this home. I will have to wait and see. But for now, I can still do some research!

I stumbled upon this site called BECOME. It has all the same categories any store chain has (like Walmart or Target) but better! All you have to do is type in what you are looking for (or click on the categories) and you are given numerous selections of what you are searching for...and you can comparison shop the name brand retailers! I love bargains! It beats cutting coupons LOL.

One thing that I would love to eventually get for the new home is a nicer dining table and chairs. Especially since the 'now' sunroom is going to be the 'new' dining room. I also would love to get a nice cushioned piece of furniture to sit on to put my shoes on in our new closet. We plan to make the 'now' two bedrooms the master suite area and make the 2nd room our walk-in closet! WOW! I can just see it now...organized shelving with a cute round coffee table I actually found on this site. Yes, I said coffee table. It's actually made of leather and serves as an ottoman.

The kids rooms will be on the other side of the house, which we will have to map out, frame and then drywall. That's going to be a BIG tasks. The rooms will be a pretty good size (especially Colton's since he won't have to share like his sisters do). I would love to have some sort of sleeper chair in both their rooms for them to be able to read or do homework on. A nice place for them to retreat to.

We need a small area for a desk out in their hallway. It's not a small hallway nor a big one. There is a perfect spot for tall bookshelves and a small desk for them to do their homework on or whatever they can think of. The kids will eventually get a computer. Just need better chair leg caps on the computer chair we already have since Neal and I use our laptops on the couch. heehee Then they will be set!

But all this dreaming is just a dream right now. I wish I could blink and the renovation/construction and move would have already taken place. So all I can do is wait and look up items and add it to my wish list! Who knows...I may find something I WASN'T looking for! ;)

Menu Plan Monday's

2010-09-20T21:57:00.002-04:00

It's Monday...what's on the menu?

MONDAY: Ground pork w/ Zuccini and tomato sauce over brown rice

TUESDAY: Philly Steak and Cheese Sandwiches w/ sauteed mushrooms, green peppers and onions

WEDNESDAY: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup, pickles

THURSDAY: Leftovers (pulled pork or beef enchiladas and yellow rice from the weekend)

FRIDAY: Pork Chops in cream of mushroom gravy, rice and corn

SATURDAY: Hot Dogs, homemade potato chips, baked beans

SUNDAY: BBQ and Medium chicken wings, cole slaw, celery and carrots...it's football Sunday! Hopefully we will see some action on the tv as well as working on the house!

Demo in our near future

2010-09-18T22:06:00.004-04:00

It's been 18 days since my last post...SHAME ON ME!

I let life get in the way! LOL

Well, we finally have closed on the house we're looking forward to demolishing and remodeling! Friday (yesterday) was the day. Now it's time to put our hard hats on (and thinking caps) and get crackin'!

Today we went out looking at cabinetry and flooring. Getting prices and finding out what we (hubby and I) agree on and finding out our styles. Long day today, and the kids were with us...they did very good considering all this is just so boring to an 8, 6 and 2.5 year old. We then went to the home because Colton found out how to say 'new home' today and he wouldn't stop! It was cute, but after a while in the car with him saying it over, and over, and over again it was like....STOP! ALRIGHT ALREADY!

We went to the new home and tried to map out what we were going to tackle first and how we were going to rearrange things in the home. We've been mapping it out now for 3 months. Just now it seems different. Do we live in it while the addition gets put on or do we stay at the rental till it's done? Choices, choices, choices. It will all work out in the end.

Afterwards we came home and got ready for the girls Zumbatomic Demo. My Zumba instructor needed some kid volunteers to help her do a demo of her new class she's going to be teaching. The demo took place at a Martial Arts grand opening and they did awesome. They were all decked out in their zumba colors (BRIGHT) and had a blast. Here are some pix:

One thing that I've learned from Zumba is...ditch the workout, join the party! And if you haven't tried it yet...you should!

Menu Monday's

2010-08-30T14:09:00.002-04:00

It's that time again...time to make a menu plan for the week. It's definately a good week...one to look forward too b/c the weekend (a 3 day one) is near!!!

Here is the menu for this week:

Monday:
Breakfast - cereal
Kids lunches - PB & J, pretzels, applesauce/mandarin oranges, Cakesters (I caved), drink
Dinner - Chicken and sun-dried tomato bow tie pasta, garlic bread, salad

Tuesday:
Breakfast - blueberry muffins
Kids lunches - salami/ham sandwiches, cucumer/green bell peppers/carrots and ranch, chips, drink, Hershey Kiss
Dinner - Grilled hot dogs, saurkraut, baked beans, fries

Wednesday:
Breakfast - waffles and fruit cup
Lunch - sliced cheese, crackers, deviled eggs, fruit, drink
Dinner - chili and cornbread

Thursday:
Breakfast - oatmeal
Lunch - turkey sandwiches, cheese balls, drink, cookies, fruit
Dinner - beef stroganoff, green beans

Friday:
Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - PB & J, string cheese, drink, fruit, pretzels, Hershey Kiss
Dinner - sloppy joes, chips, pickles

Saturday, Sunday - parents are coming but I think one of the days we are having some Filipino egg rolls (lumpia) and fried rice. It's Labor Day weekend so we'll have to see what goes on. I'm ready...are you?

Friday Fill-Ins

2010-08-27T22:23:00.002-04:00

It's that time again...it's FRIDAY!

1. You do your thing; I do mine and sometimes I end up falling asleep on the couch!

2. This weekend is what's been on my mind on and off all day.

3. Remember when things were simpler and you had no responsibilites and just played all day long?

4. Zumba, the internet and making jewelry are three of my favorite obsessions :-) (at the moment)

5. During the last year my kids have grown up lightening fast before my very own eyes. :(

6. Colton's goofy facial expressions puts a smile on my face.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to tomorrow with our out of town guests The Bryson's, tomorrow my plans include boating with the Bryson's/date night w/ hubby and 3 other couples and Sunday, I want to hung-over-FREE!

Surprise...look what's at the front door!

2010-08-23T13:11:00.002-04:00

So...when you come home from running an errand with your son, do you expect to almost step on this by your door mat at the front door?

WTF?

I know I live on a canal, but the canal is in the backyard. And if this is a baby, where's Momma?

I thought it was pretty cool. It was a little fiesty when I spoke to it and Colt trying to grab it. EEEK! I ran inside, got my camera, took pictures of it and also got one on my phone before realizing that I should keep him!

Yes, I said 'keep him'. heehee

I want to make sure the girls get a good gander at this little fella before we release him tonite in our canal. But seriously...how did he get here? Are there more?

And I just noticed that Mr. Snail had to get in this photo shot too or else he was slowly trying to get away! haha

Have you had your daily does of Lycopene today?

2010-08-22T22:26:00.003-04:00

So I was craving some homemade spaghetti of Neal's yesterday. Sent him to the store with a list as well w/ what he had on his list. He makes spagehetti homemade, but still uses cans of tomato sauce, whole tomatoes and tomato paste. Well, he decided to be all Julia Child and try and do it 'homemade' with REAL tomatoes! And this is what he came home with:

...minus about 7 or 8 tomatoes!

HOLY CRAP!

Now what am I gonna do with all these tomatoes? Yes, I know...eat them. But there are only 7 days this week for dinner and I already sent him to the store to get some ingredients for Sunday's dinner (shrimp and rice scampi). OY VEY!

If you have any ideas I'd be glad to hear them. We already used about 2 today when we had some out of town friends come over for a quick hello on their way back home. Had french bread slices, fresh mozzarella and sliced tomatoes. YUM! But still...the fridge has the same amount of tomatoes just about!

Looking forward to hearing your suggestions!

I guess for now we will cut back on the ketchup and just know that we are getting our daily dose of Lycopene! LOL

I'm Featured on ALTERNATIVE HOUSEWIFE!

2010-08-21T09:40:00.003-04:00

If you want a chance at some FREE earrings I made from my Etsy shop, then go on over to ALTERNATIVE HOUSEWIFE! This is a really cute blog. The blog owner, Janine, was nice enough to do a review/giveaway for my Etsy store, Doohickies & Such. If you are lucky, read the article and you will see a discount for my store too!

Kid's lunches

2010-08-19T13:31:00.002-04:00

I love going to Sam's Club because I can get some items at a great price and it's all in bulk (i.e. diapers). Well, I made the mistake of bringing the girls with me last week. We were there to get just a few items and of course this caught there eye.

I didn't want to argue and I figured why not. LOL We'll be cheese ball eating for a while! LOL

Thought I'd post one of the lunches that I made the girls this week for school. I really like those BENTO BOXES but I just can't get over the cost. I know...it's an investment and they don't have to use ziploc baggies, which is good if you are going green, but still. I think I'll stick to my Ziploc containers. As you can see, I can get a good amount for their little tummies. They love their lunches so far this week. And it's not boring. I'm actually having fun planning them and trying to mix what they get every day. Still working on my little note cards for their lunches too. I want to include one note for each lunchbox every day. I've got some note card making to do this weekend!

First day of school

2010-08-16T23:54:00.003-04:00

First day of school today. I was ahead of the game. Made their lunches the night before. My friend sent me a site about lunchbox packing and the 'green' way of doing it. (Bento boxes) Those are cool, but I had already purchased these cute lunchboxes the girls really liked and some Ziploc tupperware containers w/ separate compartments in them, so I was going to stick with that. I asked the girls what they wanted for their first day of school. Morgan said a turkey sandwich and Sydney asked for a salad. So I did that. I also make them their traditional Kissing Hand cookies from the book "The Kissing Hand". I have been doing this for 4 years now. They love this tradition. So glad that they can expect that every year! Wonder when they won't like me to do that anymore?

I even made a little note card for them the other day. I want to make more. Pretty simple. Just got a 4x3 piece of cardstock as the base. Cut a smaller piece of coordinating patterned paper to go atop the cardstock. Then cut an even smaller piece of white cardstock to go over the 2nd sheet (I had stamped an image many times on the white cardstock with colored ink, then a message stamp in the corner). Then it was a note card to be put in their box. I want to make enough to go each day of school. Even if it's a simple word stamp like "I love you" or "You make me smile". Simple cards are good. But I have to get my scrap supplies and just go to town one day.

Woke up early this morning because I think I was just as excited as the girls were. They are getting so big now. So proud of them for what they do in school and how they are just so smart. Thankful! Just hoping that the day they don't want to be seen with mom, or the preteen attitudes to ignoring their mom never occur.

I made them a big breakfast. Chocolate Chip pancakes and sausage links. The usually can eat like 2 or 3 pancakes, but today they could barely eat ONE! They were just ready to get into their new outfit. Do you remember when you got new clothes for school and you couldn't wait to wear them? Were you the kid that picked out what you were going to wear the first day or week of school? I was. And so were they! :)

Before we left I had to take pictures of the girls. Here they are at the front door.

And then I got close ups of each. So amazed how they are in 1st and 3rd grades now.

Pretty soon Colton will be following in their footsteps. Colton was ready to ship them off today. LOL I thought it would bother him that they weren't hanging around the house today since being with them all summer long. NOPE. Didn't phase him. He was a good helper today. I managed to run some errands, do some laundry, vaccuum, mop, do dishes, declutter some area of the home and do bills. He did take a nap too. He was tired from waking up early like me. But he was sooo happy to see his girls when we picked them up.

Hope the rest of the week goes smoothly. I didn't make their lunches yet, will wait to do it tomorrow. The first day was easy...to good to be true. So, I'm ready to wake up fast and the last minute to make a quick lunch for them, make a breakfast and sound like a drill sergant getting the girls out the door!

Menu Monday's

2010-08-16T15:24:00.002-04:00

It's that time again. This time though, I have to figure out school lunches!

Monday
B: chocolate chip pancakes, sausage links
L: Morgan - turkey sandwich, chips, yogurt, clementines, kissing hand cookie, drink
Sydney - salad w/ ranch dressing, chips, yogurt, clementines, kissing hand cookie, drink
D: soft tacos, refried beans, yellow rice

Tuesday
B: cereal
L: tuna sandwiches, pretzels, applesauce, mini brownies, drink
D: roast, potatoes, steamed green beans

Wednesday
B: bagels and fruit
L: PB & J, chips, strawberries, string cheese, drink
D: Chicken Cacciatore and rice

Thursday
B: waffles
L: block cheese, crackers, mandarin cups, zinger, drink
D: Leftovers

Friday
B: cereal
L: Morgan - chicken sandwich, chips w/ dip, plum, cookies, drink
Sydney - Pizza from school
D: Easy night (adults Pizza, kids - popcorn chicken, broccoli and mac n cheese)

Saturday
B: biscuits and gravy
L: ???
D: pulled pork sandwiches, macaroni salad, baked beans

Now...hopefully we can stick to this b/c my pantry is stocked!

Last day of summer

2010-08-15T08:54:00.002-04:00

Last night was a good night spent with some friends. Neal made some mini burgers (sliders) and homemade french fries. Those were yummy! I did some of my famous tequila shots and we all played the game TABOO. I am now officially the 'TABOO QUEEN'. haha

Today I woke up at a good hour considering the time I went to bed and the amount I consumed from last night. Not feeling like making breakfast this morning though (mostly because the pork sausage didn't thaw like I had hoped...no biscuits and gravy for us). Not sure what we will be doing (all depends on how much that tequilla shot affected Neal last night. And if you know Neal...he DOES NOT drink tequilla. Had a fight with her one night back in his early twenties! LOL It was BAD! But he drank it last night b/c he lost a bet and I found such humor in it! heehee

Sydney is still sleeping as well. I guess she stayed up late past her bedtime dressing Tallulah, the poor dog. The dog is wearing something different every time I see her it seems this weekend. I found out that if I put on a small tshirt on this dog she ends up being calm and really not wanting to move around. I think I found the cure for her hyperactivity! LOL Guess I have to go shopping for 18month shirts! haha This morning Tallulah was in my bed (along w/ all the kiddos!) and she was wearing a different shirt AND a necklace that belongs to Sydney. What a goofball!

So now, I sit here watching a DVR'd show with Morgan, Tallulah and Colton. It's 9am and I'm hungry. I want something greasy (can you tell I had been drinking?) LOL Luckily no consequence from the night before. Outside is looking so inviting. The sun is shining, some clouds out there and it's low tide right now. I want to go out in the water today since it's the last day of summer for the girls. Excited for them and sad at the same time. I have to remember to make my traditional cookies I make every year since Morgan started school (Kissing Hand Cookies) and have batteries in the camera for tomorrow!

Today is going to go by fast I think. Lots that I wanted to do with my kiddos but didn't get to. :( I'll have to save it for our fall weekends when it's less hot and maybe a breeze or two that goes by.

Gonna enjoy the day. Hope you do too!

Perseids

2010-08-14T09:57:00.002-04:00

I am so tired this morning. It's my fault. I stayed up till 2am playing on the computer and catching up on all my shows I had DVR'd. Then I wanted to go outside and see the Perseid Meteor Shower. Missed a better time to view it Thursday/Friday evening, so last night had to do. I woke up the girls like I had promised and layed a blanket out on the grass in the backyard. Got a huge pillow so we could lay our heads on it and some more blankets. We stayed out there for an hour. We only saw 2 meteors but that was worth it. It was a good hour (even if it were wee in the night) having some quiet time w/ my girls. We kept getting distracted though b/c of the sounds coming from our canal. Morgan swears she saw some fins, but I think she was seeing reflections. There would have been more noise if it were a dolphin (or shark like she thinks! LOL). Just fish.

I can't wait for another meteor shower (one that is nice to Earth please). I want to spend some more quality time with my girls again like that!

Friday Fill-Ins

2010-08-13T17:07:00.002-04:00

1. Music has been on my mind today; I keep saying that I want to find that channel on the tv so we can hear music but I keep getting distracted!

2. My kids smiling faces is what I like first thing in the morning.

3. The first thing I said this morning was: well at 520am was, 'what are you girls doing up this early and out here w/ the tv on? But then I went back to bed.

4. Irish Nachos; it's what's for dinner tonight.

5. It's all been a lazy day today....beach, showers, Sam's Club, PIZZA, tv/computer and laughing w/ the kiddos and now this.

6. Going to the fridge is what I feel like doing right now.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to those Irish Nachos, tomorrow my plans include hopefully going on the boat w/ the fam and then having some friends over in the evening and Sunday, I want to sleep in a little and vege before the girls go back to school Monday. It's been a quick but fun summer!

Menu Monday's

2010-08-09T15:25:00.004-04:00

I haven't done this in a while (at least on my blog) and I thought I'd add it to the blog today. I like to make 'tentative' meal schedules so here goes...here is our menu for the week (the last week before school :( sniffle-sniffle)

Monday: breakfast - cereal; lunch - hot dogs, chips and dip, strawberries; dinner - Monteray Chicken, wild rice and salad

Tuesday: going to Grandma's house but drop off daddy at work first (real early)

Wednesday: breakfast - blueberry muffins; lunch - PB&J sandwiches, fruit cup, pretzels; dinner - Cobb salad

Thursday: breakfast - oatmeal and fruit; lunch - turkey subs, red grapes, mandarin oranges, wheat thins; dinner - baked chicken breasts, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, cranberry sauce and rolls

Friday: breakfast - cereal; lunch - cheese quesadillas, sliced apples, yogurt; dinner - Irish nachoes

Saturday: breakfast - pancakes (chocolate chip ones for the kiddos!), scrambled eggs, bacon; lunch - probably on the boat..snacks; dinner - brats, saurkraut, baked beans

Sunday: still undecided b/c not sure if hubby is having his work bbq picnic or not.

So here is our tentative menu for the week. I hope that we stick with it!

The Death of Summertime

2010-08-05T15:11:00.005-04:00

I can't believe it's August already. The summer is coming to a close and school is about to start. So much is going to happen this month. We close on our house the 11th (hopefully), summer ends and school begins the 16th, I had a working interview yesterday (it went well), and I possible will be going back to work on the 16th as well. I will find out tomorrow all the details. Supposedly my 'working interview' was good and that they are going to create a spot for me...the thing is...for how much, when and how long?? I will hopefully get all the details tomorrow b/c I need to figure out childcare for Colton and the girls. I have an idea...just want a definate answer.

Before work, I got ready and sat there waiting for my friend to come over to watch the kiddos. I was nervous and anxious to see what I still remembered as a pediatric dental assistant. Is it like riding a bike? Well, I only had one pair of scrubs left and I got those on and then I wished I had clogs and remembered that I had this one pair (not the one's I used to use for work, but they worked fine) and got those on. Went to grab some socks and found this really cool pair I forgot I had. Had to wear them!

When I got home from work, the kids were outside playing with my friend Denise who came over to watch them for 4 hours. Colton had the biggest smile on his face. He was just frozen sitting on his Big Wheel. Sydney was sitting with him and all she said when I got out of the truck was, "how was it? how was it?" They seemed pretty happy for me. Morgan asked, "did you get the job?" haha Well, yes and no. I guess I got an unofficial 'yes' by the office manager yesterday but I haven't been formally asked nor have I given them an answer. All I know is that all our lives are going to change soon.

When we finally got all settled back into the house and my friend left all I could do was stare at the kids. Of course I grabbed my camera and took some photos when they weren't looking!
Then Colton spotted me.
I started to doubt going back to work and doubting myself and wondering if I should have yelled less at them when they were in trouble, or maybe stopped one extra time to see what was up when asked to 'look', I don't know...just realized that this was going to be our last summer together where we are ALL home the entire time. I know that they are getting older and that they will have friends over or vice versa and their extra-curricular activites to go to...but it hit me...I will have a 9-5 job (well, really 8-530). Yes, during the school year they are going to be busy...but what about Sprink Break, Winter Break or even Summer? That really stinks. The program the girls will be in is year round and it's at the school...so that's nice. But really...the SAHM things I have done will cease.

That's sad.

Then I started to think...Morgan will be in middle school in 2 years. Do they even have before/after school care for those kids? I have to look into it for sure! I really need to look into going back to school to get a teachers certificate in less than a year and hopefully land a teaching job so I CAN have that teacher's schedule. Then I'll have the breaks off and summers off to really enjoy my family. Yes, the pay will be less than what my salary will be now, but it's worth it!

I really appreciate those working mom's out there (and father's too). I guess only time will tell how well things go around here w/ me going to work. The girls are excited and can't wait. I don't know why...maybe b/c they get to hang with their friends after school hours. I just hope that attitudes and behaviors don't change b/c of it. There will be some change I'm sure b/c of age (and the fact that they are female!) LOL

So, for the next 11 days I'm going to really relish my time spent with them. I have so much that I still want to do this summer with them and so little time. There are always the weekends, right?

Today we went to the Tarpon Springs Aquarium. That is such a small aquarium, but it was just enough to see and things for the kids to do. We saw a diver go in the big tank and feed the fish and nurse sharks. Then we got to pet the stingrays (they took the barbs out thankfully). The girls remembered their trip last summer to Grand Cayman where we got to swim with the stingrays...they are so cool!

Look at the shark in this picture...small, but still a shark!

Then next door they had an indoor playground and the kids went to town. That was nice just sitting back watching them play.

Then because they were good I HAD to treat them to some ice cream. YUM! Forget about lunch right?! LOL

Now we are snuggled on the couch watching Wizards of Waverly Place waiting for Colton to wake up from his nap. Not sure what we are going to do but it's gonna be something. Gotta go get my spiral notebook that I jotted all the notes down for our 'Summer to-do list' and see what we can do.

Sale Ends Soon!

2010-07-29T00:05:00.002-04:00

Christmas in July sale ends this Saturday, July 31st at midnight. Start your Xmas shopping now. Get these jewelry pieces at 25% OFF! HURRY...there are some really GREAT steals!

Bad Blogger, Bad Blogger!

2010-07-27T07:13:00.002-04:00

I've been a VEWY VEWY BAAAAD BLOGGER!

What happened to me posting daily this summer? Yeah right...that was wishful thinking!

A lot has happened since I've last blogged....let's see...

*My oldest has turned 8! A Whopping EIGHT! AAAACCCKKK!! (I will have to post pix of this at a later post...this is just a quick 'cliff-notes' version).
*Parents came to visit for a couple of days.
*Got a resume together and have faxed them into prospective Pediatric Dental Offices
*Got an interview lined up...did/doing. Supposed to have had one yesterday but it got cancelled due to an employee not showing up and the interviewer not being to interview me...so I go Wednesday
*We are moving along with this house around the corner from our rental...closing is mid-August...LET THE CONSTRUCTION BEGIN!
*Got a special order to make on some jewelry pieces.

So, that's the quick version. I have some pictures on my camera that I need to download and then get them up here.

Till then....

Wednesday Feature - Pineapple Bliss Necklace & Earrings

2010-07-21T00:37:00.003-04:00

Here is a pretty necklace made up of Citrine Chunks, Chinese clear crystals, silver spacer beads and silver loops. This necklace idea came to my mind when I was craving some pineapples! I thought that citrine beads would look really nice with silver. So then the necklace started to take place and viola!

Here are the matching earrings to go with it:

These will be in the shop soon! Stay tuned!

Painting

2010-07-14T11:43:00.001-04:00

Let me paint the scene for you...I'm getting ready to go outside after I put Colt down for a nap to spray the yard to kill the bugs outside and the girls come to me to see if they can paint. I said 'okay, go ahead'. So I got paper out for them, paint and a bowl of water. I layed out a table cover and they went to town. They said they were going to paint something for me. Okay I thought. They're good about not making a mess when it comes to paint, maybe b/c I've been anal their entire life when it comes to paint, playdoh and glue! Anyways...I'm outside...it's hot...I can't see them thru the windows b/c all I can see is darkness b/c of how bright it is. Anyways...I come on in and I call for them to see what they are doing. Morgan says, "mommy, we have something to show you. You probably are going to get mad and not like it." Okay...what could it be?

Okay...now picture yourself sitting on the couch and out from around the corner jump two girls looking like this...

All I did was shout "OH MY GOSH!" and couldn't stop laughing!! It was funny b/c they were jumping up and down dancing and saying something that I couldn't understand! I laughed so hard I was crying! I had a good laugh. Then I asked why they did this and Morgan said, "because we wanted to look like the Avatars". LOL I knew they shouldn't have watched that movie with us!

And surprising enough...there wasn't much of a mess at all! So, no more painting for them for a while! LOL I did get a picture painted for me but this one is a keeper!

Christmas in July Sale!

2010-07-11T09:08:00.001-04:00

CHRISTMAS IN JULY SALE!
All jewelry is 25% OFF!
Stock up now for the holidays

http://www.doohickiesnsuch.etsy.com/

Here are some previews:

Etsy
Buy Handmade
Doohickiesnsuch

Another week off

2010-07-11T08:37:00.003-04:00

I took this week off too! Neal is on vacation and well...there went my normal scheduled program! We didn't go anywhere for his vacation...just stayed up late each night watching movies, sleeping in just a little and that's pretty much about it. It was nice having him home but I'm ready for him to go to work. I'm ready to get my normal schedule back! haha The kids played all week at the house and they didn't complain. They did ask every day what they were going to be doing. It seems they yearned for a schedule and they noticed that I didn't write anything down on the schedule calendar. But I must do that sometime today.

We did go some where Wednesday. Neal had a doctors appointment in the town where we used to live so we hung out while he saw the doctor. Then we went to his parents house. The kids and I took a dip in the pool which was nice. The kids had fun. Then we headed home. The rest of the week Neal had appointments with this contractor and that contractor and just looking at the houses that are for sale in our neighborhood. There is one FEMA rule that is bugging us about the house that we put a contract on. We want to renovate it but the new laws/regulations FEMA has out makes it hard for ANY homeowner with waterfront property to do so. We're working it out and seeing what we can do to eventually make this 'our home'. I'll have more info when I get more info...so this too I shall stay tuned.

Colton has been sporting a fever the past day and a half. He has no runny nose, goopy eyes, hurt ears, sore throat...just having stomach pains here and there (don't want to relive one of our outings this week in the truck...needlesstosay, it was cut short by the spitting grape juice monster...YUCK!). I thought maybe he's teething again because he has been drooling a little. But not sure if he throat really hurts or not...ya know? So I may take him in tomorrow to see the doc's. Keeping my fingers crossed though he kicks whatever this is by then.

Tomorrow Morgan has Writing Camp at school for the next 2 weeks. Only 3 hours each day and Friday's off. Gotta start going to bed a little earlier and setting my alarm clock again. heehee It'll be a nice 3 hours though for her and it also gives me some alone time with the other 2. I can't wait to hear all about 'writing camp'. She loves to read and write stories.

Well, today I want to do something on the water, whether it be boating or beach. But Colton isn't up to it. So, I guess the next best water activity I'll be doing today is loading the washing machine. There's plenty to do...grrr!

A Week Off

2010-07-05T10:30:00.001-04:00

Well, I took a week off it seems from blogging. So much going on and just not really in the mood to blog. Let's start off from last weekend...

can you believe that I don't really remember what happened? Is this a case of C.R.S (can't remember s@#t)? LOL I'm not sure!

OH YEAH...now it's coming back to me (better start taking some gingko biloba to boost that 'old' memory of mine!)

Saturday (the last one in June) I had to take our truck in because I noticed that there was hot air coming out AGAIN. We just got it done a month ago and spent a pretty penny. We just had them put in more fre-on to get us thru the weekend and then we'd have to bring it in Monday (scheduled) to get a broken part. Grrr! Then that evening it was date night. That was fun spent with some good friends and the kids had fun with the babysitter that night.

Sunday we met with a contractor to get info on getting some additions to a house that we are looking into purchasing. Just wanted to see our options and know what our money will get us and how far.

Monday the kids had a dentist appointment. Very pleased with the dentist we saw. In fact, I remember him when he was a student in dental school when I worked at the dental school many years ago. I didn't want them knowing that I knew about pediatric dentistry going into the appointment. Kinda like I was mystery shopping. LOL The kids did great, no cavities and even Colton was a big boy and had them polish his teeth with the polisher. I WAS FLOORED! The boy hates when I have to brush his teeth and it's a battle at night to do them. We have to do the usual...assume the position on the floor, him laying on his back with his arms resting under my legs with him laying between my legs so that I can hold him down and see what's in his mouth. It sounds traumatizing but it's really not. You gotta do what you gotta do. There is some yelling going on but that helps me get into his mouth and brush! Then when he is done he always gets up and says "me" and wants to brush. So he does and then I get a kiss. See...he acts like he's hurt but he's not...what a Drama King!

Anywho...no cavities and the dentist ending up finding out that he was a student in my clinic back in the day and we reminisced. So long ago, but it doesn't seem like it. I miss that time. Oh...and I purchased 'Mavala Stop' for Sydney to help with her thumbsucking. She just applies this to her thumbs to help remind her to stop sucking her thumb and also will help with nail growth. Well, she did say that she wanted her nails to grow long and she was very excited to start this venture and stop sucking her thumb. We are going on a week and she hasn't sucked her thumb since that day she went to the dentist. She tried 6 or so times that day after applying it and she said it tastes horrible. Even after you washing her hands many times the taste was still there and the taste IS nasty (I tried a little...YUCK!) She has to do this for 30 days and then she's thumbsuck-free!

Then after the dentist I took the kids to a fun park. One they haven't been to. They had fun and then it was back to normal scheduling.

We ended up taking the truck back in Monday to get a piece fixed for the compressor fan and also get a hose fixed. They kept it over night...in fact, I got it back Tuesday evening. So Tuesday we spent indoors. Did lots of laundry (but guess what...there is more to do now!)

Wednesday Neal took a personal day to meet with five more contractors so that I wouldn't have to deal with the kids AND the contractors. THANK YOU! It's not that it can't be done, it just would not be productive b/c then I wouldn't be able to concentrate on what they were saying. So we did our normal stuff around the house, cleaning...cleaning...cleaning. BORING!

Thursday the kids and I headed out to Orlando to visit with Mema and Pappap. We spent some time in the pool too. That was fun. The kids loved it. Sydney got to open her birthday present early and she was VERY excited. She got some sundresses, a gift certificate to one of her favorite stores and her MOST FAVE gift...a Dora Comforter. This little girl of mine just loves Dora the Explorer...still! I won't complain though...makes her still a little girl...and I don't want her to grow up any time soon. Here are some pictures I got from our visit.

I love when Morgan reads for Sydney. But Sydney is now reading and it won't belong before she will be reading for her brother.
And here is Sydney with her Pappap.

We didn't stay that long at my parents. We left the next day but the kids got to swim one more time.

Saturday I went the grocery store and that was all. It was a rainy day. We did get to see some fireworks from our window in the back of the house looking at the canal. Some people decided to do fireworks and it was a nice site to see.

Sunday was Independence Day AND Sydney's 6th birthday. Didn't feel like ID4. Didn't feel like Sydney's birthday either. Just wasn't into celebrating this year. We usually go see fireworks with some family and the kids play in the park. Not this year. 80% chance of rain and no sun in site. YUCK! We had some friends come over to have dinner with us. Still didn't feel like ID4. Sydney opened her present in the morning that we got her...a DSi, a game to go with it and a little purse to hold it all in. She loved it. Her and her sister were playing most of the day with it. It's so neat what they can do with the thing. Take pictures and distort them, record things and have the voices distorted too. They can even chat back in forth to each other on it. The features on it are cool. And then of course they can have games. I'm more of the mom that wants them to have educational games and not just games to play.

Anyways...I made Sydney's birthday dessert that she requested...'Dora' Brownies. I just made some regular brownies and bought some of those icing decore shaped Dora the Explorer's to top the brownies with. The brownies were yum. Had to add a candle to it too!

The birthday girl!

Mr. Steve and Mr. Johnnie with the girls
And now today is Monday. Another rainy day. BOOO! Neal is on vacation but we aren't going anywhere. What are the plans for today? I need to go make my weekly calendar for them! OOPS!

Weekend in review

2010-06-27T09:42:00.003-04:00

I haven't posted in a couple of days. Recooping from the long week last week and just enjoying my fam.

Friday I took my nieces back home and made some lumpia w/ my niece's mom (I guess that would be niece too! LOL) They were yum!

Yesterday I took Morgan out with me to find something "Dora"ish for Sydney's birthday dessert she requested...brownies. WHATEVER! All she wants is brownies. I still don't know what we are doing next Sunday for her birthday. It's 4th of July. We said that we weren't going to host bday parties until they are about 10 (the girls) and 5 for Colton. They get expensive! When you add up all the expenses: the place to host it, the food and drinks, the cake, the presents, the goody bags...it's up there! We do have special meals thruout the day. If they want to eat out, then we will. They get their choice. I still haven't received Sydney's menu for the day and I'm anxious to find out what it'll be.

Anyways...on our way to Michael's yesterday we stopped first at the place where we got our Excursion's A/C fixed. WHY? Because it was blowing hot air AGAIN! Grrrrr

They couldn't get us in right then. We were asked to come back in 2 hours. So, we went out and during our ventures we got a call from Neal. He was cutting his little outting with the other two a little early b/c Sydney got sick in the car! HA HA HA HA and then EWWW!

They went back home to clean up and change and then meet us out at the A/C place again for them to do a thorough check while we decided to go grab some lunch. Came back and found out that a part needs to be ordered for the compressor fan (I think that's what he told Neal) and I will have a call next week to get it fixed. UGH! I am not shelling anymore $$ into that beast and I won't pay the place either since it was just fixed a month ago! Yes, it's under warrenty but still! And they know it too!

Anywho, yesterday was also date night. Before we left Neal got a call from a realtor we have been looking at houses with in our neighborhood and there is this one house that we like that we had placed a bid on 2 weeks ago. We had gone back and forth on counteroffers and last week they said that they couldn't go any lower. So we left it. Neal finally just said, fine, we'll do "xxxx" offer instead and we got written agreement as of yesterday. So...in 45 days or less we may be new home owners (barring inspection). We are going to meet w/ a construction company later today to go over what we would like to do to the house and they will come out to the site some time this week to access and let us know what the financial end would be. We hope to get an addition put on the house before we move in. Structural is more important right now than cosmetic. Cosmetic will come with time. It would be nice to have it all done before we move in but because of how much the seller was willing to go doesn't give us that much room like we had anticipated. Darn the seller! hahaha

Anyways, date night was fun. We went with another couple and ate at a local seafood resturant along the river. I had my fill of shrimp and it was YUMMY! Then we went to our marina to see what was going on in the clubhouse. Not very busy there this time. We left there and decided to go to another resturant/bar to have a few drinks and sit by the river. It was HOT! There were fireworks going on in the park nearby and we forgot all about it. DUH! That would have been a good opportunity to take the kids. Oh well...there's next week. We left there b/c of the poor service...I think we saw our waitress 3 times in the 1.5 hours we were there and I had only 1 drink. Needless to say, when we tip we usually tip good...not last night!

We then went to another place downtown and we had a better time people watching and having a night cap. Bailey's and milk tasted like an iced coffee to me last night. I had to have two! hahaha YUM!

Got home and our babysitter was sleeping and all 3 kiddos were sleeping in the same room. It was precious! Thought I'd get some sleep today but got woken up by 3 hungry and happy monsters. That's okay...they weren't screaming or crying.

Gonna do some laundry before we head out a little later and then hopefully tonite we can watch a movie. Gotta make plans for the kids this week. Dentist Monday and hopefully we can still go visit Mema and PapPap at the end of the week. Just depends on the truck's A/C.

Week with FIVE - Day 4

2010-06-25T07:29:00.004-04:00

Day FOUR! We took it a little easier today. Here are the forts that I mentioned in my previous post. This is one that the little girls made because the older girls segregated them...Colt had to approve the fort though! LOL

Here are the older girls and their fort in my living room. They took over the ottoman and made a wrap around fort. But first they had to watch some cartoon.

Later in the morning we headed to the beach that was nearby. Here is a pretty view of the beach. That green area in the middle left...that's my neighborhood. When we arrived it was high tide so there really wasn't any sand to play with right up against the water. The girls were finding hermit crabs and trying to catch the little minnows.

Colton liked the water but he'd rather play with some beach toys right next to our picnic table. I was surprised that he didn't play in the playground that's nearby. That's okay, it gave me a chance to take some photos and stay close to all the kids.

And I had to get one of the girls. I took several of them on this seawall just b/c you never know if all are going to be smiling or eyes open or even if the picture was going to be blurry. Well, just noticed that Mallory has got a peace sin up. What a stinker! This is a great pix of them all...and they are looking!

It was a fun week. But Mama is tired! LOL

Week with FIVE - Day 3

2010-06-24T08:40:00.003-04:00

Where did we go on day 3?

Well...I filled up the cooler once again. I put loads of drinks, PB&J sandwiches, grapes, oranges and chips in the cooler and we headed to the Rec Center that has 4 pools! I invited our babysitter to see if she wanted to hang out with us since she was home alone and she had mentioned that she'd love to go with us one day if we went...so I took the opportunity.

When we got to the rec center someone that works at the front desk came out and stopped us from unloading b/c the power was out. She told us that the pool was closed for now since there was a power outage and the pool pumps weren't working.

OH NO!

Lindsey, our babysitter, suggested we just go home and eat lunch and then call to see if power was back on. I thought that was perfect so we all loaded back up, sad kiddos in the back, and went home. We ate lunch and looked thru my scrapbooks. The kids loved this because they got to see themselves as babies. It brought back many memories of simplicity and less emotional/catty girls! HOLY MOLY girls can be soooo catty! One minute they are bickering and then another they are each other's best friend...it's funny!

Anywho...we were only home for another 30 minutes after we ate lunch and I called up at the pool. Power was back on! WOOHOO!

So once again we had happy kiddos in the car and I couldn't wait to get into the pool. It was so hot! All the kids had fun. They tried the big water slide that was at the pool, some dared the diving board and they all had to check out the kiddie pool. Colton wasn't scared of the water at all! He wanted to do the water slide but couldn't and he just didn't understand. He didn't have a problem getting dunked in the water. He wanted more! Crazy boy! I was afraid at first thinking he would be scared of the water and getting it on his face (especially under water) but he kept doing it to himself!! Too bad we don't have a pool b/c he would be learning to swim this year! I'll just have to work with him we go out to the sandbars when we use the boat. Just gotta remember to bring him his goggles.

After the pool we dropped Lindsey off back at her house and then we went home. I had bought some bead kit that the girls could work on. Colton was OUT! So the girls made some bracelets, anklets and necklaces. It was good timing too b/c when they were done Colton woke up! It was time for dinner so in went the pizzas and down they went their bellies! THEY WERE HUNGRY! LOL

Showers were next and I made some chocolate chip cookies! After showers it was MOVIE TIME! My one niece fell asleep during the movie. It was about bed time anyways, so I got their area ready in the bedroom and once the movie was over I brought her in there with the rest of them. The were out by 915! That just tells me that they had a good day and ate well!

Today...we are going to the beach. Right now they are coloring some pictures here at the dining table. Colt is on my lap. They made some forts this morning, gotta get those pictures uploaded and will have to post later. Glad I got those pictures earlier because just a minute ago I was wondering where Colton was because he wasn't making any noise. UH OH!

I called out for him and he made a noise. He was in the living room. Went looking for him and he was standing on what WAS one of the forts and his diaper off! YIKES! I just yelled out...'Fort days are over. Sprinkler system is on!' LOL They got a kick out of it! Gotta love boys! Now I've got to do some laundry!

Week with FIVE - Day 2

2010-06-23T07:24:00.005-04:00

Here is a picture I took from Day 1. The girls were decorating those sun visors. I forgot to upload the pictures I took onto my computer...but it's here now. The girls had fun with this. Colton got his done too but getting him to wear it is another story!

And here is the start of Day 2. I had this wild idea to not take them to just ONE park...but FIVE! I called it....HOP A PARK. The girls had no clue what that meant. All they knew was the word HOP A PARK on my daily list that is up next to their chore chart and they got a goodie bag that was a mystery to them too! haha So I got a cooler filled with LOTS of drinks, a bag of cut up oranges, a bag of cut up watermelon and some other snacks and got that loaded into the truck along with their goodie bags and my camera.

I had them all get into the truck, buckled in and got in myself. Took this picture of them first.

Then I finally told them what we were doing. They were excited! I was crazy! hahaha Then I gave them their goodie bags and told them what were the contents. Here's what I had in them: sunblock, their sunvisors, a ziplock bag of wipes, 3 Silly Bands, a pack of gum, and 6 tickets for them to turn into me at each park (I'll discuss that in a bit). They LOVED the silly bands and talked about how many they have and what they had. I wish I thought of that craze! Then I told them to put some sunscreen on. You can see in the photo that my 2 nieces are fair skin with red hair. You know what that means...burn central! NOT ON MY WATCH!

Okay, now those tickets. I had bought some fun little prizes for the kids and I thought that after each park I'd draw a ticket out of my pocket and one lucky girl would get a prize (Colt didn't have to play this game...he had no clue what was going on anyways). Just some fun stuff like notepads, tatoos, lip gloss...stuff like that a little girl just wants to have because she does. They were also warned that someone might win ALL the prizes or a couple...that's just the luck of the draw. But I had a surprise at the end...cause what was that 6th ticket for if we were only going to go to 5 parks??

So here is the first park. Very pretty, clean. OH...my friend April gave me the idea of having the kids pick up any garbage at the park and explain to them the importance of keeping their play area clean. Well...I brought the garbage bags and well...to my surprise the first park...pristine! It was such a beautiful day out to do this. It wasn't as hot as it was going to be, still humid, but bearable. And this park was next to the Gulf! We stayed here for about 30 minutes.

There was a hill next to the playground and I thought it would be neat to get Colton running down the hill...or was that a disaster waiting to happen? He had a blast running up and down the hill.

Here is the pretty view from atop that hill...see told you...it's the GULF!

When we were done at this park the kiddos had their first snack and some drinks. I had brought squirt bottle with me that sat in the cooler and I just started spraying each child and at first they were surprised but then they wanted MORE! lol I think this helped them cool down a bit. Then it was back to putting on more sunscreen and off to the next park, which was about 5 minutes around the corner. Here's a picture I snagged.

I didn't bring my camera to the third park. Wish I did b/c the encountered their very first merry go round. They knew about them but had not been on one. WHAT? I remember these things as being much bigger than the one at the 3rd park, but nonetheless, the experienced it and had a blast. This was their favorite park! I wonder why though...all they did was get dizzy on that thing!

I was scared at first b/c it could be dangerous especially for the little guy, but he loved laying down in the center of it while the girls spun it and hopped on. FIGURES! There were a few mishaps...like getting dragged by the merry go round or trying to stop it and end up eating dirt...but they laughed it off and wanted more! Morgan did go down a slide earlier on at this park and came jumping off screaming. Don't you know silly you need to inspect the slides first in case there are any puddles of water at the end?! HAHAHA Her butt was soaked! Ewww! They all thought it was funny. I just told her to make sure her hiney was in the sunlight b/c it would dry up quick...it did!

On to the 4th park. This was a neat park. It had hiking trails, bike trails, some wildnerness (like turtles) and some cabins. We just played in the playground. This didn't last long. They were all starting to get tired and the heat was getting to them a little. They sure drank a lot! So they asked to go to the 5th park. And we did.

Here is a picture of the sweaty rats before unloading to go the final park.

I loved the 5th park b/c it looks like a fort/maze. They loved it too...but still was talking about that darn merry go round! We didn't stay that long here b/c it was already after 1 (we left at 930am) and lunch time was gone and over with. They had filled up on drinks and snacks but was ready to head home and so was I. So I told them I had a final surprise and they were ALL winners.

So we all went to BK. I asked at the drive thru if they still had their ICEEs. They said yes but the flavors were out. WHAT?! NO! That was my final surprise. So I had to disappoint the girls by telling them what it WAS going to be and that we COULDN'T get it. :( I was bummed. I actually had a taste for that since we started the Hop a Park! :( I told them that I had popsicles at the house and that we'd all get cleaned up, eat lunch and have that when outside playing in the sprinklers. They were fine with it. I think they were just hungry and hot and wanted to cleaned off too!

So here are the photos of fed, clean and cool kids enjoying the sprinklers and popsicles. That's a Hello Kitty tatoo on Sydney's face. She won that after one of the parks.

Mallory saying she was cold from the sprinklers so she decided to sit out in the sun. heehee

Oh...I had a fun little way of trying to get the girls to tell me the real flavor of jelly they liked. I'm making some PB & J for lunch on Day 3 at the pool and needed to know which flavor they REALLY liked and made it a little fun. I took the 5 jellies out of my fridge and placed them on this butterfly plate. I had them one at a time see me and do a taste test. To try and see what flavors they liked and also if they could name that flavor. The did pretty good. Not one of them guess all the flavors correctly, but I did find out what flavor to make for lunch tomorrow! ;)

Then after this I popped some popcorn and they watched a movie. I love these next photos. It shows how they buddy up and play.

Sooo into the movie right here.

And Sydney caught me and had to pose. LOL

Breakfast was for dinner. I made so many chocolate chip pancakes. These kids ate up some breakfast! Bacon and scrambled eggs along with the pancakes made for happy, stuffed and tired kiddos. They didn't go down as easily as I thought they would, but at least I didn't have to split them up like I did last night. They were out by 945 and then woke up at 7am! GRRR!

Today is Day 3 and I have water planned for their future.

Week with FIVE - Day 1

2010-06-22T06:37:00.002-04:00

Yesterday started my first day out of five days with FIVE kids! I'm watching my 2 nieces this week and I have a lot of fun things planned. I put away the computer (well...not TOTALLY), stopped listing items in my Etsy stores, not on my message board as much and only recording my ONE soap opera. LOL

Yesterday we went to my Mother-in-law's house to meet them there and swim in her pool. My MIL is out of town but she gave me the keys knowing that the pool is a great way for the kids to have something to do and entertain them (and me) and also tire them out! I so miss our pool we had in our other house. :( But, I also have to think...no weekly cleaning and scrubbing!

So the kids did that for a few hours and then we headed back home. We did a fun and easy craft with foam sun visors and fun foamy stickers. They decorated their visors not knowing what they were for b/c I had set them aside for Tuesday's events! heehee

Dinner was a hit: Popcorn chicken, Mac n Cheese and green beans.

Shower times...I thought would be a mess b/c FOUR girls...but it wasn't thankfully. I just wrote on an index card a number, numbered them 1 to 4 and then had each girl pull a card from my hand. That meant what number in line they were to take a shower. I got no complaints and no mess!

The chore chart I have for MY girls ended up being a chore chart for ALL the girls. I just teamed them up, 'buddy system', and they did their chores...no complaints.

The only 'bad' thing that went on yesterday was between my oldest and her attitude/sassiness/bossiness...need I say more. It got her into trouble yesterday a few times and it's driving me nuts! I hope she nixes that in the bud b/c she's gonna have a hard road ahead of herself around her peers at school and ME!

Other than that...I rate yesterday an 8 out of 10. Today...well...let's see if I lost my mind by doing a Park Hop of 5 local parks this morning. I woke up at 6 when hubby left for work and I decided to take advantage of the quiet. All the kids are still asleep. WHAT WAS I THINKING?! But once I'm up, I'm up. Can't get me back into bed and sleep...never could. I'll just deal with the tired tonite. I've got so many plans for today and things to get done.

So...until tomorrow.

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T15:20:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to wish all those daddy's out there a HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! I know that I have a wonderful father who is always there for me, who taught me well and I love and respect him very much! I also have a wonderful hubby who is a good father to the kiddos and is appreciated for all his hard work!

HAPPY DADDY'S DAY!

Spaghetti O's w/ Meatballs Recall

2010-06-18T08:15:00.002-04:00

Holy Moly! The one time I get Spaghetti O's w/ Meatballs I can't serve them! I usually get the plain kind but my nieces are coming to stay with us next week and I know that they LOVE the meatballs. Morgan told me to get her some too. WHAT? Okay then. And the one time I buy them...there is a recall for them. And I have 2 cans that are on that list!

FIGURES!

Here is the recall info: Spaghetti O's w/ Meatballs

Never-ending laundry

2010-06-17T21:12:00.002-04:00

Today has been a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG day! I've done laundry and STILL not done...hate it! Why is it that when I put a load of laundry in the washer at the same time as I do the dryer it never fails that the dryer is still running after the washing machine stops? That's why it takes forever to get any laundry done here! Grrr!

Well...we didn't go to the beach today. We stayed indoors and the kids played. I did laundry and they colored and played dressup and such. After Colt woke up from his nap I was going to go the gym but decided since tomorrow we are going to be busy I couldn't fit going to the store to get Morgan's friend's birthday gift...so we went today. Glad I got that one done.

So now we are watching Toy Story and it's already 9:15pm. WAY past the kiddos bedtime...but hey, it's summer! :)

Help our Gulf Coast!

2010-06-17T09:28:00.000-04:00

In JUNE when you purchase anything in my shop a $1 for each item will be donated to the NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY!! Help support NAS as they help the birds and other wildlife that are affected by the oil spill in the Gulf Coast's already-fragile ecosystem!*** http://www.audubon.org/

See...I forgot

2010-06-17T07:42:00.003-04:00

I forgot to post something yesterday. Oh boy, this posting every day during the summer is going to be tough!

We didn't do anything really...nothing to busy. Well...the main thing we did yesterday was

GROCERY SHOP!

I haven't shopped with the 3 kiddos in a while and there is a reason for it. All those with kids knows what it's like. I decided to do something a while back to make grocery shopping a better experience with the 3 kids. I didn't want my 2 daughters fighting over who was gonna sit in the racecar cart with their brother or hearing someone complain of walking thru the grocery store while the other one sits. Sooo...

Colton is the little one, he sits in the racecar cart BY HIMSELF and the 2 girls need to put their BIG GIRL PANTIES ON and DEAL! LOL

I had bought some small flashcards last year and haven't used them yet. So what I did one day was gather all the grocery ads and coupon ads that I could find that were from old newspapers sitting in the garage. I gave them to my 2 oldest and told them to cut out the grocery items you know that mommy gets or what they see in the pantry and fridge. They were pretty creative and at times they told me that I could get certain things, as if I was getting permission to buy them! Then once I looked over them I gave them each a stack of flashcards and a glue stick and they glued them. I took the glued flashcards and laminated them, cut them out and then wrote on the backs of them what they were (more for my 5 year old since she is reading now). Then we take these cards to the grocery store, they each get a stack (girls only) and as I call out the items I need to get they go thru their stack (everyone is to get a different stack each time) they hand them to me. At the end of the trip they are to count the number of cards they have and the one with the least amount of cards wins!

What do they win?

A no-fuss, no-whine, happy grocery experience with mom! LOL

They did ask me that, "what do we win?" I simple told them that they don't 'win' a treat, they 'win' a FREE PASS to not getting in trouble when they got home. I'm so mean! heehee I did buy a pack of gum and gave them each a piece. I don't buy much gum and it's pretty scarce in our house. Well, if you see a post I did a month ago or so about Colton getting into the Easter buckets you'll now know why!

But that was the main thing we did yesterday. I did the bills, the girls did crafts (i.e. make Father's Day cards and painted) while Colton napped. Then we went to the gym. The kids love it there and I love it on Wednesday's...ZUMBA! It's definately challenging but I don't mind sweating when I'm having fun and learning dance moves. I may look like an idiot doing it but it's a room full of them! heehee

I was going to take Colton to the doctors today but I'm not sure if I should waste the trip and money. He woke up Monday with a rash on his face. It looked like little pimples and now they are on his back and his belly. Not that bad, just spread out. I tried racking my brain as to what it could be. Is it his diet? Did I change detergents? Contact dermatitis? Could it be a heat rash? I've been monitoring it and last night it dawned on me...I DID use a different soap on him Sunday evening so that would explain it! He's been eating the same foods as before so it's not his diet. I haven't changed detergents so that not it either. So I went back to his normal boring AVEENO body wash last night and this morning the bumps have gone down, they are still there, just not raised as much. I also lathered him with CETAPHIL lotion.

So, I will try it again today and see what happens. I feel a little better about it now. I'll save that appointment spot for some mom that REALLY needs it!

So what are we doing today?

MOUNDS of laundry and I don't know....you'll have to wait for that post! ;)

A day at the pool

2010-06-15T22:29:00.002-04:00

Today was a long day but a good one. We went to my mother-in-law's house and the kids played in the pool. Colton wasn't sure about the pool thing. I went in regardless! LOL After getting dried and back into his swim trunks he felt very comfortable and didn't have a problem getting in and out of the pool and relaxing on the first two steps. He LOVED it!

I-SO-MISS-OUR-POOL!!!

And of course...did I bring my camera...NOPE!

DUH! I wish I did because I had plenty of opportunity for photos. There was one time when Colton sat on the pool deck between Morgan and Sydney, who were in the pool leaning on the pool wall, and the 3 had their backs to me. That's okay...it will forever be a picture in my mind. :)

Well...tomorrow's agenda isn't very exciting. Groceries, bills, chores, gym. WOOHOO!

Till tomorrow!

Day 1, week 1

2010-06-14T22:39:00.002-04:00

Today is the first full week of summer break. I have my calendar that I made for the girls to see what activites we are doing, meals we are eating and places we are going to in the week. I made this 2 weeks ago, laminated it so I can just use my dry-erase markers and now it's hanging on the wall under their chore chart. They like this!

Today we went out to get my hubby part of his Father's Day gift, then went to a park, grocery store to get milk and then back home for lunch. Colton went down for a nap and then the girls just colored and did paper crafts while I made dinner...chicken cacciatore. Once Colt woke up from his nap we went to the gym. LOVED my workout. Definately needed! So glad that I already made dinner before we left b/c we didn't get home from the gym until 7:10pm! I was there for almost 1.5 hours. Dinner was yummy and the kids are asleep now...so day 1 of this week was an accomplishment...kids happy and tired!

Tomorrow we are going to my mother-in-laws house. My sister-in-laws will be there and my nieces. The pool is going to be full of kids. I'm going to take a dip b/c it's been so hot out! What was I thinking taking the kids to the park today! haha

Hopefully I remember to bring my camera and take photos. Till tomorrow.

Quick trip

2010-06-13T22:39:00.002-04:00

Today we did nothing AGAIN! Actually, Back to the Future series was on! I wanted to watch these with the kids eventually and what a great day to do so. Morgan LOVED them! Sydney didn't last much...not a big movie watcher. She gets so distracted with other things in her head! LOL Colton loved it only when the car was in the picture or he saw motorcycles and trains! Such a boy!

Around 4 we decided that the boat needed to go back to the marina so we all got changed quick for the 94 degree weather...ugh...and took the boat back. I made sure to bring my camera and took a quick shot of everyone.

and we brought the pug too!

Managed to get us centered first try too!

And that was Sunday!

WHOOPS! Forgot to blog!

2010-06-13T08:56:00.006-04:00

Well...I guess this summer blog thing is like New Year's resolutions b/c I didn't post anything yesterday. Already breaking what I was supposed to do! hahaha

Actually I was going to post something last night but hubby got me off the computer so we could watch a movie. What movie?

It wasn't as scary as I anticipated. I guess b/c I know when a scary moment was going to come about. A bit gruesome at times but it was okay. I love Sir Anthony Hopkins and I guess the lead actor Benicio Del Toro isn't too bad either. Then we thought we could watch another movie after it's already 1230am. We started watching The Book of Eli but we just couldn't stay awake. NOT because of the movie, but because it was LATE! So, that will most likely be tonite.

Anywho...yesterday was filled with loads of laundry again. Not much going on. Just a layed back day. Nothing wrong with that. NOPE...not done with laundry b/c I took breaks in between to watch

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL!!! The US may have gotten a 'cheesy' goal, but it was a goal! LOL I still hear the sound of bees. Have you watched any footage of World Cup? The arena sounds like a swarm of bees during the game! LOL

Well...the kids managed to go out in the back and play in the sprinklers. Colton didn't take a nap so he enjoyed some fun out in them too. He wasn't sure what to do with all that water flayling all over the place though. Morgan had to show him to just RUN! Got some good pix of them all playing.

Here is Colt trying to figure out what these hoses are:

And big sis trying to help him:

And here's Colton being a BOY! The girls wanted to play 'train' and what does Colton do? He takes a peak at Sydney's behind! LOL Well...I didn't get the snapshot of what happens after this shot, but it basically is Sydney landing on her bottom laughing and Morgan and Colton just cracking up!

At one point during all the fun, a certain someone got in trouble. Time out!

And here's another picture of Colton playing.

And this was our Saturday. Hopefully I can take pictures of something today and remember to blog about it later!

About Friday

2010-06-11T22:38:00.003-04:00

Well, I told myself that I was going to blog every single day over the summer break. Just so I can document everything that we did (the kids and I).

Well...no pictures today. I should have said I would take a photo a day. Then you could see all the laundry that I did, need to do and fold! UGH! I swear laundry multiplies faster than bunnies do!

Today was CLEANING day. No fun! The girls practically took all day cleaning their room b/c they decided to become snails when cleaning! UGH! So aggravating. I on the other hand, swept, vacuumed, steam mopped, did the kitchen, both bathrooms, changed the sheets, did 6 loads of laundry, fed the kiddos breakfast/lunch/dinner, managed to read my emails, watch a movie with the kids and monitor their cleaning. Thank goodness the day is over!

Oh...the movie that we watched...

I didn't realize that Robin Williams, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Terrance Howard were in the movie. It was a good movie. A little over Sydney's head, but she can't sit for more than 5 minutes w/o fidgitting or having 'ants in her pants' unless it's Barney! LOL Morgan liked it. I can't wait till she gets older...I have a movie partner! LOL

Well, that's it for Friday. Just trying to stay awake so I can let Neal in when he arrives home after a 3 day trip to IL for work. Is it 2am yet?

Friday Fill-Ins

2010-06-11T17:04:00.002-04:00

It's Friday and that means....

1. The sun beating on my face while I lounge on a beach chair sipping on some Malibu and pineapple feels great...oh...not in my future this weekend.
2. The solution is not always easy to obtain, but worth every obstacle.
3. It will be a while before I fall asleep today because Neal will get home late from his trip to Illinois.
4. How about dinner? Any suggestions because I don't feel like cooking!
5. Getting an hour long massage is something I highly recommend!
6. Imagine money growing from trees...now wouldn't that be awesome!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching the movie AUGUST RUSH with the girls, tomorrow my plans include spending some quiet time with my family (and probably finishing up some laundry) and Sunday, I want to enjoy the outdoors...and I don't mean yardwork either!

And summer begins!

2010-06-10T15:36:00.002-04:00

It's the summer!

Mmm...doesn't that look good?! I swear we haven't had this much watermelon EVER! I think it's because we are just loving being by the water. We do miss the convenience of having a pool though. Sydney was very sad this weekend that we don't have a pool anymore. Me too! So I bought a fun sprinker thingamabob from Walmart and set it out for the girls this afternoon. Where's Colt? NAPPING! heehee

I got some good photos of the 2 girls having fun. They had popsicles and watermelon outside along with getting splashed with water!

Not bad for the first day of summer...got up early as expected (thanks to my little man alarm clock). We had biscuits and gravy and then off to the gym (to burn off that gravy!) Kids always have fun in the "Kidz Club" at Shapes...so thankful they like it there and Miss Judy! Then we went to the library to get them library cards, pick up the books I requested (so love that feature) and check out some more. They LOVE this library so much better b/c there is more of a selection. Morgan was going book-crazy! She can read that one! She read a book in the car yesterday when we dropped Neal off at the airport. And this was a chapter book too. It was like 90 pages. CRAZY! If it were me I would either 1.) throw up in the car from reading or 2.) had fallen asleep after page 3! LOL I'm thankful that she loves to read. Both of them do! In fact, that's what they are doing right now...reading and playing school! hahaha (Colt is still napping)

Oh...here is a layout I did last night for my scrap site. Digging into the pictures from 2002. I like to scrap chronologically and I'm finally moving up in the years now of our marriage. LOL I have to put many pictures away in albums too. Maybe I'll work on that this weekend if we don't have any plans.

This is of Morgan and Neal the first day back home from the hospital. I just remember the calm in the air...it was so quiet. No nurses to come in and check me...no door opening and closing every time you turn around...no nurse or desk help coming over the intercom outside the hospital room...no alarm going off b/c someone took the baby outside their normal area...no noise...PEACEFUL! And then I remember thinking...'oh crap! what now!?'

LOL

Cliffnotes thru Wednesday

2010-06-09T23:09:00.002-04:00

It's Wednesday...let's see...

*got truck back
*summer has officially begun for the girls
*and I changed my playlist for the summertime!

I've got the case of the Monday's

2010-06-07T13:33:00.002-04:00

So today, I thought, was going to be a good day. I guess in retrospect it is b/c it's not over.

I was getting the kids ready for school this morning. Got out snacks to pack into the diaper bag b/c I was going to make some stops after I dropped the girls off at school. WAIT...where's my diaper bag? Looked in the normal spot, not there. Looked on the kitchen counter...not there. Hmmm?? Okay, everyone stop what you are doing...let's find this. Wallet and phone in the bag...um, where is my diaper bag???

Can't find it. UGH! Let's go look in the truck....

nope not there. ???

Let's give my cell phone a ring and maybe we'll find it that way.

RING RING RING

no sound? hmm...where is my phone?!!!

So I called Neal thinking it just might be in his car b/c we did go out yesterday afternoon looking at houses. But I didn't think it was in there. I could have sworn I left the bag at home! Well...confirmed...my bag was in the back seat! PHEW!

So the kids get ready for school and I figured we'd stop by the store before taking them to school. He didn't specifically say which store he was at, he just said local. Local could be 5 minutes away or 10 minutes away...not sure the store and I forgot to ask! DUH! So, I went to the closest one. NOPE...not there.

Well, I did notice that when we loaded up in the truck my back right tire was getting low so it was time to add some air to it. Figured I'd stop at the gas station too on the way to take the girls to school. So we did THAT after seeing Neal wasn't at store #1.

Well, gas station air machine was BROKEN! UGH!

Okay...take the kids to school.

Then I go a different way to Neal's #2 store. Pass a 7-eleven and realize that they had a air/vac machine. I did one of those last minute head turns and noticing the machine and a quick 'do I or don't I turn around' question in my head. Well...I decided to turn around. Did a 'u-ey' in the middle of the road (b/c I could) and when I put the car in reverse the most God Aweful sound came out of the car. It was a cross between nails going down a chalkboard and swim fins slapping the water top! WHAT THE HELL?

So I put it in drive and the sound was still there but more clacking! My truck possessed. So I park it and turn it off. Luckily I wasn't in traffic just down a street and blocking any traffic that were to come my way. OH WAIT... I see a school bus and the driver is probably saying some things he shouldn't w/ kiddos on the bus....but that didn't stop him! haha Okay bozo...do you want me to just 'beam' the truck up. Yes, I have a tiny pony tail, but that doesn't give me the title of Genie! GO AROUND ME! hahaha

So I try starting the car again...sounds good. Put it in reverse and what do you know....that sound again! UGH! So I reach for my phone to call Neal...WAIT...DON'T HAVE ONE!

I get out of the car and some nice gentleman in a clean black truck says, do you need me to help push the truck out of the way? You aren't going anywhere. See that under the truck...it's your drive shaft! OY VEY!

Then another man comes walking over from across the busy street by now and says do you need a phone? I'll go get my granddaughter, that's our house over there. He comes back with her and her phone and I call Neal. No answer. So I just said I'd walk over to that 7-eleven that's about 100 yards away and call. But first...let's push the truck.

My truck is big, but it's REALLY big b/c it's lifted! But we moved it and I put flashers on and that old man stayed with the truck and directed traffic till Neal got there. He didn't feel comfortable leaving me and Colton standing there alone until Neal got there. He was a sweetheart.

Anywho...get the stroller (thank goodness I put that back in the truck earlier Sunday) and walked over to the gas station. Started to call Neal and realized that our cell phone #'s have a different area code and it would require me more change. All I had was 75 cents. So after I dialed I hung up in realization and did the change come back out?

NOPE! I kept hitting the release button and NADA.

THIS FREAKIN' FIGURES! OF COURSE THIS WOULD HAPPEN...WHY NOT?

Bwahahaha so funny thinking about it now!

So I walk back over and the old man asked if Neal was coming and I told him what happened. He ran back across the street to get his granddaughter's cell phone. I finally got a hold of Neal. So, Neal to the rescue.

Long story short...AAA was called, tow truck came and took the truck and we are waiting to hear word on the damaging news! haha We need some new tires next! HA-HA-HA I think we'll be getting rid of this nickel and dime truck before it gets us!

On a better note...we did take a look at 10 houses this weekend (with 3 kids in tote...not recommended for future house seekers). We narrowed it down to a house. It's a small house. I won't say much but it'll be a shock to our family/friends. We see potential in the house. It's an 'open canvas' if you may...it needs TONS of updates and additions, but it has a yard, in our neighborhood (right around the corner really), on a canal and a LOT less than the short sale contract we started almost 3 months ago! We'll see what happens. We did put an offer on it and all they can say is no or counter-offer. It could go on and on, and then again it might not. The worst is that they can say no thanks. With today the way it is going, I could use some good news!

I'm actually drained from just the short time of bad luck that came my way this morning! But, as I told the older gentleman...it could be worse...it could have been pouring on us while we were standing there. Things are always worse than what is going on at that moment where you stand. You may be in a bad situation, but it could be worse.

'New Moon' earrings and choker

2010-06-03T14:56:00.002-04:00

Are you a 'Twilight' or 'New Moon' fan? Are you excited to see the next movie to this vampire/werewolf trilogy?

Well, feast your fangs on these items in my Etsy shop!

NEW MOON CHOKER

NEW MOON EARRINGS

Be the one and only wearing these to the premier of 'Eclipse' coming out at the end of June!

Recent snapshots

2010-06-02T15:11:00.002-04:00

I wanted to share some recent photos I took of our pug Tallulah.

She's so sweet when she's sleeping! LOL

Here is a picture I got of my family out in the water off of Honeymoon Island. I just kept clicking. It was pretty wavy because of the boats going by. AND it's hard to get them all to look at the same time without blinking or not smiling. This was the best that I got!

Summer is approaching. Kids get out of school in ONE week and I'm trying to organize all the crafts/art supplies, get a schedule together and jotting down ideas for things to do and eat! Can't wait. 10 weeks of summer here we come!

1st scrappy creation in a while!

2010-06-01T14:54:00.005-04:00

Memorial Weekend went by to fast! We didn't do much this weekend but still...now today feels like a Monday! :(

Today is the first of June and over at my scrapbook message board I am part of the design team and creating some layouts/cards with this month's sponsored kit by Little Black Dress!

Come by THE MOSY SCRAPPER to see the challenges being posted by the other 2 designers (Janet and Sandy) and also their creations!

Here is my first creation for the month of June. Here are close ups first:

And here is the layout:

It's a picture of my oldest when she was born. I remember taking this shot at our house just days after she was born. I was trying to get a picture of her for her baby announcement. I'm not Anne Geddes LOL! I was still new at taking pictures and playing with our digital camera at the time. Times have changed that's for sure!

I'm just glad to be scrapping again. Can't wait to make more using the LBD kit!

Tired Friday

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

It's Friday and Memorial Weekend has started!

I'm sitting on the couch, ready to fall asleep watching a movie with the hubby. Actually the movie is watching us! LOL Our dog seems to think that we want to play fetch with her squeaky toy duck that she keeps bringing to me after I throw it, but doesn't want to let it go! What a stinker!

Well, today I scrapped a page. I haven't done that in a LOOOONG time! It felt good and besides, I 'have' to now b/c there was an extra kit that was donated to us. I'm having fun with it though and my creative juices are flowing. Can't wait to post this one up after the 1st!

Well, gonna get back to catching up on my emails and switching over my jewelry in my Etsy shop into a different Etsy shop. I decided to seperate the my two hobbies...one shop will be scrapbooking and the other will be jewelry. It's gonna be a long process but worth it (I think). I'll post when it's officially up and running!

Good night.

The Friday Fill-In

2010-05-28T08:14:00.003-04:00

It's that time of the week again...it's FRIDAY!!! Woohoo!

1. Watermelon -- the best food to take on a picnic.
2. Summer is a creeping...quick, looking for sanity hat!
3. Pink, yellow, silver, black and brown flip flops are what I have. Need to get more!
4. To love someone is easy, to be loved is a gift.
5. It's been a while since I have been on a long hike.
6. When I crave food, it's usually something that is VERY bad for me! hahaha
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching a movie with the hubby, tomorrow my plans include laundry and cleaning house while Neal is at work and Sunday, I want to just go out and do something (preferably beachy)!

Have a safe and fun Memorial Day Weekend!

Friday fill-ins can be found here.

Travel the world in a week

2010-05-26T08:02:00.002-04:00

Sunday my parents came over and we had a good time on the boat out on one of the sandbars near the house. It was a beautiful day out! I can't wait to go out again this weekend.

Monday Morgan had something going on in her class. It was "Mexico" day. Every day this week her class is 'visiting' a country and learning about the culture and even trying the food. They get to dress up if they want and can. Her sister had a senorita costume from Halloween so we thought it would be a great outfit to wear for this occasion in class. My mom did her bun. Here is how she went to school...

And this was my attempt to just get a picture of the 2 girls and stinker Colton had to jump right in. What a cutie! Love this shot of the 3 of them!

Yesterday was Australia Day, today is France, Thursday is Holland, and Friday is Albania. Not sure how she is gonna dress for the rest of the week. We had a great outfit for France but her teacher said that they couldn't bring props so there went Mo's outfit...no french poodle in a handbag or a beret. :(

Ah...Silence thru the night!

2010-05-22T23:01:00.006-04:00

WHAT? Did I actually sleep the entire night without getting woken up by a goober-eyed, runny nosed, yelling MAMA across the house 2 year old that answers to the name of Colton?!

WOOHOO!

Well, he did wake up goober-eyed and runny nosed and he did yell MAMA really load from his room but I went to bed around 11:30pm and woke up at 6am this morning without any interuptions last night! BUT...on another note...I will NOT sit in the ER today for hours w/ him just to be told that he has conjunctivities and possibly an ear infection (I'm leaning more towards the pink eye). EW! That will be my chore for the day w/ him not touching his eyes. I know NOT to tell him NOT to touch his eyes though b/c what happens when you tell a kid NOT to do something...yep...they go and do it! :/

My parents are coming sometime this morning and we are gonna take them on a little cruise out on the boat. I'm still gonna do it with Colton. Maybe the salt water will help the eyes a little (I'll just keep telling myself that). No fever and he's watching Tigger and Pooh right now so the eyes aren't bothering him (yeah...we actually aren't watching Nemo!) heehee

Anywho...

Yesterday was the first day I was able to eat actual meals and not feel sick since Wednesday. Woohoo! Yesterday was also a day we did NOTHING! I saw that happily too because we've been busy every weekend doing something and today we had nothing...ahhh! heehee

I made 2 pieces of jewelry, cleaned the kitchen, went to the store w/ the family and vegged when I could. Here are my latest pieces I have added in my Etsy store:

Blue Ice Adjustable Cluster Ring - $15.00

Australian Jasper Adjustable Cluster Ring - $15.00

You can see them and other jewelry pieces just by clicking on the rings title. Have a good Sunday!

Friday Fill-Ins

2010-05-21T10:57:00.005-04:00

Well today is Friday, woo-hoo for the weekend! Here are my Friday Fill-ins:

1. Colton never fails to make me smile.
2. I'm looking forward to getting rid of whatever this 'bug' is that I have for the past 2 days!
3. Dory and Marlin (Finding Nemo) trying to escape from Bruce is what I'm listening to right now.
4. Potato salad must have no BIG pieces of onion in it!
5. Immodium-AD was the best thing I ate today. LOL sorry, TMI!
6. Today was hopeful, but it seems the bug still is lingering.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to eating, tomorrow my plans include laundry and Sunday, I want to take my parents out on the boat when they arrive!

Friday Fill-ins can be found here.

Collaging it!

2010-05-19T21:56:00.007-04:00

I haven't posted in a while. So much going on and enjoying May! It's HOT and it's boating weather! Woohoo!

We've been busy with Morgan's swimming practices and just the usual day-to-day things (chores). I have a jewelry show coming up next week so I'm scrambling to get all my things together and find some down time to lay out all the 'to-do' creations so I can have it all during next Thursday. It's slowly coming along, but I can't create with an active 2 year old wanting to grab everything and help me. PLUS my 10 month pug wants in on the action. Anything she can get her mouth on...it becomes hers...can't let that happen!

I just played around with some photos of mine and made a collage of the latest item I just posted in my Etsy shop.

Lumier Mix Memory Wire Bracelet - $10.00

Now that I know how to make these collages I will have to make more with the pieces I will be listing!

Well, I'm pooped. Today has been a long day and I need a shower!

Today is Friday!

2010-05-07T13:55:00.002-04:00

1. Salsa and salty nachoes!
2. A hot dog for me!? and you've even got mustard.
3. By the time I get home tonite I'll be ready for a cold shower.
4. The amount I save at the register is what I look forward to most when grocery shopping.
5. And I was dreaming that I'd get the house totally clean today! LOL
6. Being a mom...is there anything else better?!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching Avatar, tomorrow my plans include the Cotee River Seafood fest and dinner w/ friends for a bday dinner and Sunday, I want to go out on the boat!

Friday Fill-ins can be found HERE.

Beach snap-shots

2010-05-01T15:22:00.003-04:00

Today Neal had to work so I decided to take the kids to a local beach. I got ready this morning by putting a bag together and getting a cooler all set. I already knew we wouldn't be there long, figured we could go for an hour or two and then come home for lunch. The kids were so excited! The best part about this beach, it's about 5-10 minutes away and it also has a playground!

I wanted to get pictures of the kids but knew I had to do it before they got all sandy and wet so I started snapping. I forgot that I had my camera set to sepia at first. But here are the shots I got and I got to play with the coloring too!

I love this one because they are all in the picture and I got a pretty shot of the Gulf!

Colton wasn't in the photo taking mood so he left for the next few and went straight for the playground! LOL Here is a cute snapshot of my girls....I {heart} them!

And I was able to get one of Morgan in color. She's getting so big :(

Here is where Colton was...he loved the playground. Not so much the beach though. He sat down in the sand and water and wasn't going to have it today. It was all playground. I can't wait till the day I go to the beach and bring a chair to sit and watch them ALL play...in one spot!

Here he is on one of the slides. I just love this picture b/c he's asking for me! heehee

And here is a picture of Sydney and Colton on the twisty slide. Colt loves sliding with his sister.

And after about an hour Colton was ready to come home. There was a little nature trail that Sydney 'had' to go on so she dragged us all...and it was nice. It was all made of wood decking and it led us to the other side of the key overlooking the Gulf. Lots of boats out today...wish we were able to go out. Very hot and humid...perfect boating weather. Anywho...we came home and took our showers and ate lunch. A very laid back day. Waiting for Neal to get home. Can't wait till tonite...we are going out to dinner with some friends. I hear SANGRIA calling me! LOL

Jinxed or Coincidence?

2010-04-30T07:14:00.002-04:00

I'm skipping this week's Friday Fill-ins. I looked at it and thought...nah, not today. Not feeling it.

What I am feeling is that I am going to keep my mouth shut from now on about things b/c it seems that when I do I end up jinxing myself (or us) and then some things that I get excited about just don't happen.

So...zipping my mouth until it's time to say anything to anyone. Maybe then things will work out! Gotta laugh about it though...I saw a pattern before my last 'reveal' and said that I was going to end up jinxing myself. Well, whether or not it's true or just coincidence, I'm keeping my trap shut!! LOL

Anywho...today is going to be a normal day. Woke up at 545am (thanks Colton) and saw Neal off to work. Layed on the couch a little and tried to keep little man from making so much noise (HA) and then put FINDING NEMO in for like the 100th time this month! Grrrr! Thought I should take a nap later today but then realized that I have a list of things to do today and I know me...I'll get a 2nd AND 3rd wind. Gotta do bills later, go to the gym and take Morgan to swim practice. I can't wait till 6 when swim is over and we head home for dinner and a movie. We are going to watch...

IGOR

Will let you know how the movie turns out.

Well, that's going to be my day and remember...keep your thoughts to yourself until they are ready to be told!

JEWELRY SALE for Mother's Day!

2010-04-29T10:24:00.002-04:00

Mothers Day Special!

DOOHICKIES & SUCH

ALL JEWELRY is 20% OFF! Mention "TWITTER" in notes to seller for a Paypal refund!

Mother's Day is May 9th...get your orders in by May 4th so you're not late!!

Peridot and Blue Pearl Drop Necklace

2010-04-28T15:20:00.002-04:00

Here is a necklace that I had in my mind for quite some time. I just didn't have the time to do it, but I'm glad that I was able to work on this today!

It is called: Peridot & Blue Pearl Drop Necklace It is made with Fresh Water Pearls in peridot, blue and white. The pearl drop charm has sterling silver wrapped around it. The necklace is also adorned with Chinese clear crystal rondells and decorative spacer beads. I used a brushed silver toggle clasp to hold the necklace together.

This necklace is not listed yet on Etsy, I'm gonna try it at the hair salon first with the rest of my products.

Lapis Scroll Necklace

2010-04-27T22:47:00.003-04:00

Here is the latest necklace I made using Lapis Lazuli beads and silver scrolls. A very simple piece that is also a decorative piece to wear with anything!

You can find it here: Lapis Scroll Necklace

Happy Monday!

2010-04-26T08:21:00.002-04:00

What do you do when there is a power outage?

Well, dinner was just about done (meatloaf) when the power went out. Luckily it was done so we all ate dinner by the fire...a little candle in the center of our dining table! LOL

The rain was soooo bad that it was coming from all directions...I even think rain came from the ground up! So windy, very scary and dead palm tree leaves flying all over the place. I was like a kid wanting to see it all...going up to the window and watching! Lightening was everywhere too. From the couch I saw a very bright blue light outside in the distant. I got up and looked out our back slider and then the light happened again. It was a transformer. WOW! That was so cool and scary at the same time. Such a pretty blue I've never seen before. Then it struck me (no not the lightening...a thought). That's a ton of freakin' volts!!! OUCH! Then I realized...it's gonna be a long night with no power!

We couldn't open any windows b/c the rain would get in...so it started to get warm inside and the kids were getting stir crazy. Good thing they already had their baths b/c it was getting close to bed time. No night lights though...no music quietly playing in their rooms...not a good picture! Poor Colton was scared from the thunder and the lightening so I just walked with him in my arms till he feel asleep. The girls made a fort in the bedroom when they were supposed to be going to bed. LOL

I ended up laying down in my bed while Neal played on his Blackberry (darn him! LOL). I ended up falling asleep and getting woke up at 9:38pm w/ Neal said "power is on". I'm like, "okay, going to bed." So I did...set my clock/alarm and went to bed. Thought I was going to get rid of this sickness but instead I was up almost every 2 hours w/ my head POUNDING! Gotta love migraines! BOOOOO!!!

So this morning, Colt wakes me up at 6am, too early for the dog even! She didn't want to go outside, partially b/c she's so prissy and doesn't like to walk on wet ground! Anywho...now Colt and I are watching FINDING NEMO for like the 20th time and it just amazes me how much he remembers certain parts to the film and today he found something new and funny about it...the jelly fish and "Mr. Squishy". LOL You have to see the film to know what I mean!

Well, today is the beginning to a new week (and it's also my MOM'S BIRTHDAY!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM). Going to get back on the regular scheduled program and hack this cold all together this week...that's my goal!

Happy Monday!

Bad Day/Good Day...Good house?

2010-04-25T08:52:00.003-04:00

Well yesterday was a waste! I didn't get to sleep in, frankly, didn't really get much sleep at all (gotta love 2 year olds!) I felt like crap ALL DAY LONG! My stomach felt queasy all day, my back was hurting (didn't know if was my kidneys or if I slept wrong on the couch w/ Colton all night long) and my head hurt off and on. I didn't have much of an appetite all day. Kept drinking hot tea to soothe my throat. Neal took the kids with him to return something at the mall and well, I thought they'd be gone for 'maybe' an hour. Four hours later they came in the door, red faced, sweaty and smelling like the sun. He took them to a park where they ate lunch and had fun. I was thankful for that b/c I was able to catch up on some of my DVR'd shows and just rest. I still felt like crap! I just felt horrible that it was all wasted yesterday! We ended up watching movies all day long once they got home. I guess Nick Cage was the special on TBS, good movies, especially for the kids to watch (i.e. National Treasure 1 & 2). Neal ended up at 'the house' later on yesterday too to see what all they've completed with the inspections and such...he found some things that are just questionable and well...not sounding hopeful anymore. :( BOOOO

This morning he is meeting w/ an ex-contractor friend at the house (he's there now) and well...I'm just waiting to hear the bad news. I really hope that there isn't more. I really like this house and can see us and the kids growing old there. Just the potential that this house has. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

I'm feeling a little better today. Still don't have much of a voice, but it's coming back slowly. Still have coughing attacks here and there, but I did rest last night thankfully. Actually ate breakfast without feeling queasy. I'm hopeful for today. I better...it's the beginning of the week. I've got plenty of chores ahead of me, swim practices to go to, go to the gym to make up for skipping out last week and some crafts coming up.

OH....April 26th (not only is my Mom's bday) is the start of our NATIONAL SCRAPBOOK WEEK over at The Mosy Scrapper. It will end on NSD Day which is May 1st. There will be challenges listed for you to do along with RAKS for each of them!!! Woohoo! So go check it out!

Friday Fill-Ins

2010-04-23T11:50:00.004-04:00

1. Where are my french toast sticks?
2. If wishes were horses then I need to go visit my friend Joy's horse farm 10 minutes away!
3. I'd like to see a drawn out picture of what the inside renovations to this house we want will look like.
4. When I was a teen, I thought 24 was old.
5. One of my mother's favorite sayings was "See, I told you so".
6. I'd have a hard time doing without my cell phone.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to pizza, tomorrow my plans include sleeping in (fingers crossed) and Sunday, I want to hear what Neal's construction friend says about this house!

Friday Fill-ins can be found here.

Where are you voice?

2010-04-21T20:06:00.003-04:00

"Cat got your tongue?"

"What's that? I can't hear you?"

"Why are you whispering?"

YEP....I got all those today. I woke up this morning and my voice left me!!! I thought that it was going to be a good thing, but of course my voice NEEDED to be hear b/c I had to yell quite a bit today!

What happened to my good little boy from birth...the one that slept thru the night from the get go? The one that just layed there and went to bed on his own when he was told? The one that ate EVERYTHING you put in front of him? The one that listened when you said something? The one that just loved to cuddle and smile? Oh yeah, that's right! He turned 2! Grrrr

And of course I had to whisper all day today and constantly getting tickles in my throat, sneezing more than usual and then having to repeat myself OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER....you get the picture!

I've had 6 cups of hot green tea w/ honey and lemon today. Drank two 2-liters of water, went to the gym and did a light workout and sat in the sauna for a while....that was sooo relaxing and I definately encourage those that have a way to a sauna to go when you are sick. It opens up your airways and just makes you sweat and feel good without having to exert yourself!! I'm going back tomorrow! hahaha Oh...I did 3 loads of laundry, 2 rounds of dishes, changed the sheets throughout the house and towels too, cleaned Colt's messy room and took Morgan to swim practice. I'm so glad that the evening is here and my 7th cup of hot green tea is sitting beside me waiting to be drunk!

I wonder if my voice will be on vacation tomorrow. If so, I wanna go with! LOL

Friday Fill-Ins

2010-04-16T18:51:00.004-04:00

1. I'd like for money to fall from the sky!
2. One of my most favorite romantic memories is the night Neal proposed to me in the kitchen of his apartment on one knee and my hands deep into stuffing manicotti noodles, YUM.
3. Last night, I had Chicken and Rice Casserole for dinner.
4. Sorry for the spotty blog posts...need to be more consistent.
5. Can we EAT now?
6. One of my worst temptations is spending money on kids clothes; cute clothes are hard to resist!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to movie night with the kids (Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel), tomorrow my plans include boating and a crab boil hopefully and Sunday, I want to work on our 'to-do' list!

Friday Fill-ins can be found here

Should have played the lotto yesterday!

2010-04-16T08:15:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a good day. Started out good, went grocery shopping, was productive at home, sold an item in my Etsy store, went to the gym with the kids. Came home had a nice dinner. Hubby came home and got some good news three times over!

It has nothing to do with his job, just the housing market. OY VEY! I can't say much b/c I feel like I'll jinx us either way...just keep your fingers crossed for me! I know that one of our options will work, just not sure which one to take. For now, not going to dwell on it. Things happen for a reason I say (or at least that's what my dad always says...and I think he's on to something there).

So today, it's nothing but positive thoughts. Gotta make a run to the bread store, the post office, check up on my jewelry at the hair salon and run to the famous Wally World. I've got to get a swim cap and goggles for my little swimmer Morgan.

On the way to the gym yesterday I decided to make an appearance at the city pool and see this couch that NEVER returned my call TWICE and see what that was all about. I did confront him and he was honest about why he didn't call. But he is going to give her a try next week despite her age. If she can hang with the rest of the swimmers then well discuss cost and meets. I'm nervous for her. She's excited and ready to show them what's she's got. I just hope that she doesn't get discouraged if she doesn't make the team. It's (or I should say couch) is very demanding. But it's really for the older kids and high school age. But if my little girl can hang, then that's awesome. I'm still proud of her anyway!

So, practice next week 3 times for an hour each. Normally the kids practice M-Sat for 2 hours each day. YES, I said 6 days at 2 hours each...that's a total of 12 hours of practice. BUT b/c of Morgan's age he said 3 days for an hour each. PHEW! They will also do running and weights for part of their training. She can't wait. I think I'll just be tired watching her do that and getting a tan in the process! LOL

So glad that the weekend is here too! I hope that we get to take the boat out this weekend. So ready and looking forward to it!

Friday Fill-Ins

2010-04-09T23:13:00.002-04:00

I found this site thru a friend (April). I really like it b/c it gets my mind thinking and also helps me be thankful for things.

1. In 1992, I was a sophomore in high school and could finally drive.
2. It's always nice to see the laughter and smiles that come from my children when they are at play.
3. Do what you can, with what you can possible do at your best, where you end up feeling proud of yourself and feeling accomplished.
4. Debt-free is where I'd like to be.
5. The trees and flowers are telling me that my poor Sydney is going to be in for some Claritin VERY soon.
6. This battle with weight and staying in shape is that CONSTANT problem that just keeps going on.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sleeping in and not being woken up by my 2 year old son, tomorrow my plans include a quick trip to the grocery store for a housewarming snack and Sunday, I want to enjoy the sun and go boating with my family...tan here we come!

I am posting HERE.

Easter pictures

2010-04-09T13:42:00.003-04:00

I totally forgot to post pictures from Easter. This past weekend went by so fast it was almost a blur and we had so much going on. Saturday there was an 80th surprise party for my father-in-law and then my parents came over. They stay the night because they were going to take my girls to Tennessee with them for a little getaway during their spring break. But Sunday was Easter so they got to spend time with them for that.

Here are some pictures of Easter and the kids. This picture is at our front door. Pappap was on the other side of the door and when I had the kids stand their they were leaning on the door when Pappap tried to open it. You can see that Colton still doesn't have very good balance! LOL He thought it was fun though!

Here's a better picture of them all smiling (but not all looking at the camera...I'll take it anyway I can get).

Here are the girls in the backyard trying to see what is left of the eggs. We let Colt go first thinking that it would be fair. Well...

...he didn't have any problems finding any of the eggs. In fact, every time he found one he would 'gasp' and was so excited! He found the most eggs! heehee

After the egg hunt we decided to take a little boat ride since it was beautiful day. We didn't go that far, but we putted along in the canals of our neighborhood and out a little on the gulf. The houses that line the Gulf were just so beautiful and BIG!

Here is Morgan and Tallulah. This was her first boat ride and she loved it too. I love the look of her in her life vest!

Here is what you see when you head out of our neighborhood into the Gulf. The water was so peaceful and the weather was perfect! We even saw 2 dolphins on our way back to our house!

Here is little Sydney.

I had to get a picture of everyone on the boat. There's my dad in the background. Mom is there too, but she's off to the side with Colton.

Tallulah loved looking out at the houses. And if there was a dog in a yard, even better. I love this picture of her!

So that was our Easter.

The girls left with my parents the next morning and headed out to Tennessee. They went to Rock City and Ruby Falls. They had a good time. It was short but sweet. The kids did alright for their first trip with Mema and Pappap. I think they want to go again!

They came back home on Thursday. Colton and I had a good time just the two of us. He didn't even miss them at all! LOL

Here is a picture I got of him yesterday. I was folding laundry and everything got quiet. All that have kids know that when it's quiet...it's no good! Well...I caught him red handed! He had grabbed his drum set stool and got on that to grab his Easter bucket to get well...you can see for yourself...

it was too funny NOT to get a picture. There was already one piece of gum that was gone and then another piece that was half gone. Lovely tummy will feel that in a day or two! And then of course, the chocolate bunny wrapper. He got lucky!

Well, that was this week in a wrap. On to the next fun thing...the weekend!

I've been featured!

2010-04-07T07:40:00.003-04:00

Shout out goes to Yeah, I'm Groovy for featuring my shop on her blog...THANKS! Just click here to see. :)

You can also check out her store on Etsy HERE. She has lots of vintage and handmade goodies. So, go check her out!

Jewelry Party

2010-03-28T08:21:00.002-04:00

Well, I had my jewelry party last night, my first ever and I hope not the last. Only 2 ladies showed up. :(

Don't you hate when someone DOESN'T R.S.V.P. just b/c they either are too afraid to confront you with their answer of a 'no' or when someone says yes to you but then later says, ''let me see what 'so-and-so' is doing and I'll let you know''? COME ON...I know the answer is NO because of that statement...why lie or make up something? Just tell the truth. What can one say when you tell the truth, right? Needlesstosay, true colors showed.

The two ladies and I had a nice quiet time (well, almost quiet due to my son crying for me non-stop...ugh) just talking and playing around with some things they brought in for me to fix and playing with some beads that I had. It's too bad that no one else came because I DID have a nice spread set out. In fact, it's still up this morning...gotta put it away!

Anywho...that was last night and now today begins a new week of preparing for a surprise bday for my father-in-law and Easter....I've gotta brave Walmart this week for this holiday. OH BOY!

Welcome babies!

2010-03-27T07:50:00.003-04:00

Man...I think this was the week to give birth! LOL

So happy to welcome 2 baby boys into this world...my niece had her 2nd child on Thursday (Ryan...7lbs 14oz 19") and my friend April had her 3rd child on Friday (Benjamin 6lbs 6oz)!!! So happy for the both of you! Can't wait to get pictures :)

Who's next?

NOT ME! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

New DT Members of my scrap site

2010-03-26T14:28:00.002-04:00

It has been a week since my scrapbook site's 2nd Anniversary Crop took place. It was a fun crop and we gained some new members. We had a lot of inspiration on the board and plenty of scrapping going on! We had a winner too! CONGRATS Axa!

This week I wrapped up a Design Team call. We haven't said who won yet, but I can say it hear because I'm about to announce it on the message board!

Congrats to....
Janetd and Mannzlady!

Julie and I can't wait to work with them! I think that we have a great team! So, stay tuned to see what these talented ladies will be working on for the month of May!

It's Crop Time!

2010-03-20T07:13:00.003-04:00

The Mosy Scrapper 2nd Anniversary Crop is about to start. If you a scrapper and want to challenge yourself and maybe win some prizes head on over to www.themosyscrapper.com for a weekend full of fun!

See you there!

St. Patty's Day

2010-03-18T14:21:00.003-04:00

Our St. Patty's Day started a day early. I had planned a cupcake snack for the kids and a shamrock scavenger hunt. Forgot to take pix of the hunt b/c I was having fun w/ the kids looking all over the house for some foam shamrocks I picked up at Michael's. Behind each shamrock I had written a # on the back and it corresponded with a # written on a brown lunch bag. I had 5 lunch bags that were full of different prizes for the kids (i.e. $1 bills, $.25, tatoos, chocolate and mints). They had fun looking for the clovers and then realized that they got prizes at the end. Bwhahaha

Then we dove into these yummy rainbow cupcakes that I saw from KraftFoods. YUM! A little tedious, but worth it. Here they are...

And the inside...

Morgan loving every bite of it

Sydney was too into her cupcake to look at the camera

And well, Colton...he LOVED the icing!
I love his "cheese" smile! LOL

Later that night...on top of the planning for the Leprechaun's, Morgan lost her 4th tooth. Now she's toothless on the top! After the Tooth Fairy visited our house I had to make like a leprechaun! LOL

Made their 'green' lunches:

shamrock shaped PB&J sandwiches

Green juice box

Pringles (sour cream and onion)

Green grapes

Green packaged gummies

Key Lime Pie yogurt (that hurt to give away...my FAVE!)

Green napkin with a note

1 gold coin (this was for a game later on St. P's Day)

I didn't have a shamrock cookie cutter (like I had thought) so it was interesting cutting the bread. Next year I get a cookie cutter!

OH...forgot, I had purchased some green items for the girls' teachers. I made a little St. Patty's Day gift basket for them. Man...that was hard trying to find green items, but I did and that's that.

In each green basket I added a green sharpie, a green box full of paper clips, Wintermint Certs, green gum, green hand gel and one of the rainbow cupcakes.

Now the next thing I did to 'make like a leprechaun' was to make a mess in the house to show that the leprechaun's had visited. I started in the kids bathroom. NOTE TO SELF: pass on the green silly string next year! I put green food coloring in the toilet bowl so that after a few flushes the kids kept getting green water! LOL All I know is that it worked b/c I heard Sydney early in the morning of St. Patty's Day say, "they did it again! UGH!" hahaha

I also sprayed silly string all over their mirror in the bathroom.

In the dining room I misplaced chairs, turned some over on their sides, on the table, moved their jackets around and back packs and then laid out some goodies for them. Here is the dining room:

I also added a box of Lucky Charms for the kids so they got breakfast from the leprechauns. I skipped green eggs and ham this year (saved it for the next day...with chocolate chip pancakes!)

For dinner we had corned beef and cabbage. For dessert we had Lime Green Jell-O!

OH...back to the gold coins. The kids have this chore chart that they have to abide by each day. They have a colored square on each chore and as they do their chore they transfer that square onto a posterboard. The fill each level till they are done with all their chores for the day. The first level gets them PLAYTIME. The 2nd level gets them TV TIME (which by the time they get to this level it's almost bedtime. And the final level, which is hard to attain ALL the squares, is for DSi time. ;) The gold coins gave them spots on the 2nd level towards TV time. It worked and they were very good leprechaun's in the making!

Well, that was our St. Patty's Day.

Onto the next holiday...Easter. It's also Sydney's stuffed animals 'bday' as she says. haha Gotta figure out what we are doing that day besides hunting for eggs (did you hear that Dad? You've got some eggs to hide! ;) heehee)

What a beautiful weekend!

2010-03-15T21:58:00.003-04:00

This weekend we had such beautiful weather. I wish it would stay like this. Windows open, sunshine and no clouds....just beautiful.

Saturday evening we had some friends over for a seafood boil. Oh my goodness...it may have been spicy hot (b/c Neal didn't know how much of the seasoning to really put in...it came all in a bag), but it sure was delish! Here is a pix of the spread...

Sunday we slept in a tiny bit (well, only I did...everyone else slept!) Got some chores done in the house and in the afternoon we worked on the fence that has been waiting to be worked on. We didn't get it all done, but it's a start. And it actually looks nice.

Here is a picture of it. I can't wait for boating time...only to enjoy it for a short time though.

And here is a picture of Colton and Tallulah I took this morning. It was so peaceful this morning when I woke up. The water was inviting, the sky was blue and the weather again was perfect!

Snack ideas...FREE GIVEAWAY!

2010-03-12T08:06:00.004-05:00

Isn't she cute?! She can be a little terror, but for the most part she's a great addition to our family. Still isn't trained to our liking, but you know...I'm accepting it. She sits when she is told (mostly when she's gonna get a treat), a great watch dog (loves to chase the cars) and well...snores! hahaha

She's already 8 months old. :(

Okay...on with the rest of this post. Because St. Patty's Day is coming up I thought I'd do something fun for the kids snacks the other day. I thought first, what to give them for a snack when they get home? They are always hungry and dinner really isn't too far from snack time, so I started looking in the my fruit bowl and got out an orange. Then I thought, I'll give them some cheese with it, and that is where it all started....let's make them a 'color' snack. Well..it was ORANGE for this day.

So I headed to the pantry to see what I had that was ORANGE. WOW...there are a lot to choose from! hahaha So this is their snack they had on Wednesday:

sliced oranges

sliced cheddar cheese

cheese puffs

and their gummy vitamins (which I picked out the orange ones)

Well, now the next picture is a picture of a 5-strand choker that I had to make for a special order. See, the other day, AGAIN, I decided to step outside my comfort zone and go into a local hair salon and ask if they would be willing to let me showcase my jewelry and in return get a commission from the sales. The lady asked to see my pieces and said SURE! So, we settled on a commission and then she brought out this tall 5 shelf case for me to put my jewelry on display...right at the reception desk!

WOOHOO!

I just needed to make a sign and then add my pieces. That was the tough decision trying to figure out what I wanted to display. I can't display ALL of them at once. So, I picked out what to display. Then later on in the same day I get a call from the owner and she had a client that liked a bracelet I had but wanted a matching choker to go with it!

WOOHOO!!

Oh...forgot to mention that that same morning I woke up to a sale on Etsy (a navel ring) and then when I was putting my display up one of the hair stylist purchased another navel ring from me! :)

So, that is where I got the choker. I had made it for this lady and brought it into her on Thursday!! That was happy sales for the 2 days.

On Thursday, I did something similar for the kids and their snack. Can you guess what color I chose?

Yep, yellow. Bananas, sliced apples with caramel dip, string cheese and yellow M&M's. Not as many choices for yellow as orange though.

So, what to serve them today??? Let me here your ideas (trying to save GREEN for St. Patty's Day though).

Respond with your post of what to color choice and a list of snack ideas for the kids. I will give a random person that comments something from my jewelry collection!
If you tweet about it, post it also...this will get you an extra chance in the drawing for a RAK (random act of kindness).
If you fan my facebook page for my Etsy shop (Doohickies & Such), post that too! Just mention your name you use on Facebook so that I can track it!

See...there are 3 ways to get a chance at winning something! :) Just have entries in by Saturday at noon, ET!

Have a great day and weekend!

I remember...

2010-03-08T21:45:00.004-05:00

Well...I've added these pieces to my Etsy shop and they reminded me of the time when I was in high school and I wanted one. I don't know what I was thinking. I could have pulled it off then, well...as long as I go the okay to. They reminded me of the time my Dad and I tried tricking my Mom that I got one. LOL It was sooo funny and I was sooo thankful that it was a joke because she freaked out, grabbed it and thankfully it wasn't real because if it was I would have been bleeding! You'll just have to see what I'm talking about...

Yep, those are navel rings. I can only imagine the pain if I really had one and my Mom pulling it away from my belly like she did....OUCH!

But you can get these stainless steel 316L, 14 gauge CZ barbells in my Etsy shop. http://www.themosyscrapper03.etsy.com or you can click on the images above. I'm going to be adding more to the shop but just haven't taken pictures just yet. Come check out what else I have in store!

Design Team Call at The Mosy Scrapper

2010-03-05T13:51:00.000-05:00

THE MOSY SCRAPPER is looking for TWO very unique, crafty and spunky new designers to join the TMS team for a three month reign. If you think you've got what it takes to be a 'Mosy Girl' then I challenge you to try out!

TMS is a fun challenge board to be involved in. Many scrappers to be inspired by and just become friends with. We have a diversity of scrappers from all over just waiting to learn from you!

Please submit the following to mosyscrapper@hotmail.com no later than midnight, ET, March 24th, 2010:

1.) One new, never before seen OR published layout (any size or topic).
2.) Your favorite creation to date (can be a card, layout, or altered item)
3.) A short bio about yourself
4.) A list of DT's currently on
5.) A link to your blog AND gallery

Must register at TMS and have at least 10 posts to the message board in order to be considered. We'd love to get to know all our applicants. Call is open to everyone. Past TMS designers are eligible but must have at least 6 months between reign and this call submission. Please join our 2nd anniversary crop on March 20th-21st for inspiration too!

Design Team reign will be for 3 months (May, June, July). Duties for the TWO new designers will be as follows:
* Post on the TMS message board on a regular basis
* Will be assigned specific challenge topics to help inspire other scrappers
* Do one product review of the TMS sponsor for the blog
* Do one "how-to", "tutorial" or "make and take" for the blog once a month
* Create at least 4 things from each month's sponsored donation
* Promote TMS when and wherever possible (i.e. blogs, signature lines, etc)

We hope that you take on this challenge. Good luck scrappers!

I Scrapped!

2010-03-03T12:17:00.002-05:00

Oh my word. I scrapped last night and it felt so good! I hadn't scrapped since last summer and it was long over due! And where I scrapped was another thing (I scrapped in the kids bathroom while Colton was enjoying his bubble bath and playing with his boats) LOL I got it done quick because

1.) Colt wanted to splash and
2.) My daughter was going to put two and two together when she saw the bottle of white glitter that resembled the tooth fairy's pixie dust! SHHHH!

I had a sketch that was on my site that my friend Julie had picked out and I was also 'challenged' to use Basic Grey papers, which are not my first choice of papers to scrap with, but I did the challenge and I just combined the two.

Here are some close ups of my creation:

Looking at this layout I see how young our girls are and my nieces. This may have been only 3 years but they are like babies here. The picture was taken at our house for an Easter egg hunt. I miss this day and how sweet and innocent the girls were (they still are just more sassy).

Here is the layout I did using Basic Grey Sublime papers

Now I need to start scrapping more for my crop coming in about under 2 weeks. Lots of giveaways and prizes to be got and I have to scrap some challenges as examples.

***Scrap 3***

Menu Plan Monday's

A new year!!!

2011 DT call

Handmade IN A HURRY!

Cyber Monday

A quick synopsis

EARLY BIRD SPECIALS

Friday Fill-ins

I see Red!

Menu Monday's

What happened this week

The Tale of the Halloween Fairy

Hit SEND...

Judy ROCKS

Bittersweet upcoming week

Sweetfield's Farm

Friday Fill-Ins

18 more days!

Menu Plan Monday's

Halloween wreath

Friday Fill-Ins

Menu Plan Monday's

Advent Day 1...creepy crawlies

30 Days till Halloween!!!

BECOMing our home

Menu Plan Monday's

Demo in our near future

Menu Monday's

Friday Fill-Ins

Surprise...look what's at the front door!

Have you had your daily does of Lycopene today?

I'm Featured on ALTERNATIVE HOUSEWIFE!

Kid's lunches

First day of school

Menu Monday's

Last day of summer

Perseids

Friday Fill-Ins

Menu Monday's

The Death of Summertime

Sale Ends Soon!

Bad Blogger, Bad Blogger!

Wednesday Feature - Pineapple Bliss Necklace & Earrings

Painting

Christmas in July Sale!

Another week off

A Week Off

Weekend in review

Week with FIVE - Day 4

Week with FIVE - Day 3

Week with FIVE - Day 2

Week with FIVE - Day 1

Happy Father's Day!

Spaghetti O's w/ Meatballs Recall

Never-ending laundry

Help our Gulf Coast!

See...I forgot

A day at the pool

Day 1, week 1

Quick trip

WHOOPS! Forgot to blog!

About Friday

Friday Fill-Ins

And summer begins!

Cliffnotes thru Wednesday

I've got the case of the Monday's

'New Moon' earrings and choker

Recent snapshots

1st scrappy creation in a while!

Tired Friday

The Friday Fill-In

Travel the world in a week

Ah...Silence thru the night!

Friday Fill-Ins

Collaging it!

Today is Friday!

Beach snap-shots

Jinxed or Coincidence?

JEWELRY SALE for Mother's Day!

Scrap 3