Tea Parties & Baseball Games

Imagine the Impossibilities, My Version

2012-02-03T17:27:00.005-06:00

In January, I joined the "Imagine the Impossibilities" challenge. I posted goals, not realizing we were supposed to accomplish them before January 31!

However, I am proud to say that 3 of my house goals were accomplished!

My first minor goal was to get the shelf put up in Daniel's room. Jeff had been reluctant to hang it , but finally gave in. It looks great and was actually in my bedroom as a teenager!

Second, we had our master bed and bath repainted, PLUS got new bedding. It looks great! Now every room in the house has been repainted since we moved in...it's time to start over...with the kids' bathroom...

My last project I started planning over Christmas. I've seen all of the locker systems on blogs, Pinterest and catalogs. I decided we could really use one for all of our shoes, jackets, sports bags, hats...you get the picture. I measured my area and had the construction class at school build them. After some carpenter's putty and finishing paint, it looks wonderful! It was hard to get a good picture of the unit, my hallway/laundry area is very narrow. The unit has two towers and a bench with more cubbies.

My most ambitious goal hasn't been tackled yet. I've still got to get a carpenter over to build a wall and finish the attic...

Go Visit This Blog...

2012-01-26T20:46:00.005-06:00

My Old Kentucky Home

Yes, that is ME KariAnne is talking about!!! She just made my day!!!

KariAnne is my hand-waving, fellow country club member, Book Club member, Girl Scout momma, expert decorator and crafter friend!

My daughter is always making up songs. She made up one recently about a purple pineapple, it has become her signature song, just ask her friends. I made a canvas using KariAnne's technique for her room.

Progress!

2012-01-25T08:36:00.003-06:00

I'm so excited...my dream of lockers in my laundry/back hallway is finally coming true...

The bench and lockers are installed, now to paint, install coat hooks and organize! Sorry for the "low light" pictures.

Will share pictures as more progress happens!

American Girl Craft Party

2012-01-22T15:42:00.013-06:00

Olivia and most of her friends have an American Girl doll. They love to dress them up and take them places. So, Olivia wanted to have her 9th birthday (oh my) be an American Girl party...we decided to throw in crafts for the dolls as well.

We did some "research" at two of our favorite stores....Michael's and Hobby Lobby. We came up with four crafts for the girls to make for their dolls...clay food, felt headbands, little bags and little treasure chests. Molly & Emily are modeling their new gifts for you.

We found the supplies for the clay food at Hobby Lobby. Olivia taught them each how to make a doughnut and a peanut butter cookie. We popped them in the oven to set while we went onto the next craft.

Felt headbands. We found a kit at Michael's in the American Girl section to make felt pins. Instead of making pins,we used the felt supplies with ponytail holders to create headbands for the dolls by layering the felt pieces. I do not have any pictures of this activity, as I was the only adult and was pretty busy gluing the creations together! As I was gluing, the girls "introduced" their dolls to each other, too cute!
Next, we stopped for lunch....peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pimento cheese sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, chips & fruit.

Then it was on to decorating our totes for the dolls. We found this kit at Hobby Lobby and used a 40% off coupon! It came with one tote which we used for a trial run. We found additional tote sets at Hobby Lobby as well. We simply cut out all of the iron on pieces and let the girls arrange them on their tote bag. I ironed them on for the girls.

Our last activity was to decorate "treasure trunks" from the $1 bin at Michael's. The girls used Sharpies and jewels to decorate their boxes. Somehow I didn't get any pictures of the trunks...I wonder...

The whole time the girls were making things for their dolls, they were whispering. As the dolls were having their own little party close by.

After all the crafting, it was finally time for cake & ice cream. A sweet neighbor is making delicious and gorgeous cakes, so we ordered a strawberry one and left the design up to her imagination. It turned out better than we dreamed! Olivia was thrilled!

Each of the dolls also got a "cake". The girls took them home to have later. I put them in clear plastic cups for safe traveling.

When Olivia and I were shopping for the party, we picked up a pack of the American Girl crafting/scrapbooking paper for 50% off at Hobby Lobby. We used this pack for lots of things....party hats, place mats, napkin rings...for the dolls. For the girls, we made place mats, place cards and napkin rings. The colors and prints were great! We've got a ton left over for more crafts.

Happy Birthday, sweet Olivia! Thanks to all of her friends for making this a wonderful birthday!

Whipperberry

What does 2012 hold?

2012-01-20T07:58:00.004-06:00

A dear friend of mind gave me the coolest idea from Pinterest.

Our goal is to fill this big ol' jar with wonderful memories from 2012! Let the memories begin!

Lilly Pulitzer Project

2012-01-14T12:51:00.007-06:00

My sister, Paige, and I adore Lilly Pulitzer clothes. The problem is we're a big too frugal to purchase them new! We scour the coolest 2nd hand shops in St. Louis (Scholarshops) each Spring and can only find the cute skirts in size 2 or 4, NOT happening!

I got the idea to get some Lilly fabric and make some cool things for my sis for Christmas. I looked over the internet, found some neat fabric, but the urge never hit me to actually follow through with placing an order. Then I got the idea to have Paige purchase a slightly used skirt, no matter what the size. She admitted she felt a little weird buying this size 2, even if it was just $12!

I loved the colors and the different options the skirt presented me with. I quickly made a list of all the different options I had....jewerly, decorated frame, mouse pad....

I finally ended up making a bracelet, using squares of the fabric and mod podge. I also made pendants with Diamond Glaze and a glass square. Last, I made a couple of pony tail holders by making covered buttons and slipping them on blank pony tail holders. I gave them to Paige for Christmas.

I only used about 1/2 the material and want to make some things for myself and Olivia. I figure if you can't buy a Lilly dress, you can dress up what you do have with a few Lilly accessories!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-11T05:27:00.003-06:00

Well, Christmas came and went without a new post from me. We had a fabulous time, celebrating Christ's birth with family! Now we are in the new year and everyone seems to have the "clean and update your house" bug!

We have a few goals at our house right now...

1. Hang a shelf in Daniel's room that has been sitting in his closet for YEARS! (Done, yesterday!)

2. The shop class is building a locker type storage system for my mudroom/back entry way. Can't wait to get it painted and put in place.

3. I got a beautiful new comforter at Dillard's New Year's Day Sale! My awesome cousin is coming this weekend to paint my master bedroom and bathroom, which is way overdue!

4. Huge goal...we have a bonus room upstairs...craft & hunting storage, extra tv, computer area, Jeff's desk, etc. I want to get someone to build a wall to separate it into two areas. We also have attic space that we need access to...hoping someone can build me a door up there and finish off some much needed storage space!

Whew...lots of goals. Little by little it will get done!

5. I need to post some of the gifts I made for Christmas!

Happy 2012!

Tote Bag to Pillow

2011-11-28T21:27:00.014-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I went to a conference for work. It isn't unusual to get a tote to carry all of the handouts and catalogs we get. I've got plenty of totes like this.

I started thinking... this tote is made out of canvas....canvas is so popular right now...I could use this canvas for something...

First, I cut the handles off to be used on a project later, then I cut the bag down the sides by the seams. I then turned it inside out and sewed again right beside those seams. I also stitched down the little flaps at the bottom of the bag. So far so good.

I cut out a design on my Cricut and used the outline as a template for my Santa. I used Martha Stewart's new paint from Plaid, found at Michael's. It is great paint!

Since I'm not the greatest seamstress, I just created an envelope style cover and stuffed it with stuffing. I folded over the top and tacked it down with pins, for it's temporary use over Christmas.

I've also gotta sneak in a picture of my little Indian from his class play last week! He did an awesome job with his lines!

Linking up with these parties:

Thankful

2011-11-20T18:50:00.004-06:00

Today I am thankful for a husband who spends quality time with his children. Even if it means he might miss the "big buck" because they are too loud in the hunting stand!

I am also thankful for kids who can find creative things to do on a rainy afternoon. Olivia talked Daniel into making their own indoor rivers/streams, complete with a steamboat to travel from one to another!

Fall Table Setting

2011-09-20T14:58:00.003-05:00

One of my most creative friends, KariAnne, created this tablescape. I only assisted with the vinyl for the plates, but wanted to share her wonderful creation. She picked out several "thanks" themed Bible verses. We then printed them flipped, so that they could be applied to the backs of the plates, for less yucky eating!

The whole table looks beautiful! This table runner has me motivated to create one for myself.

The Letter of the Week is...

2011-09-20T05:33:00.002-05:00

P for Peanuts!
(Uncle Steven, I have on my Jedi shirt!)

A Blessed Event

2011-08-28T18:20:00.000-05:00

A Quick Calendar Fix

2011-08-23T05:25:00.007-05:00

When school starts back I want to get ubber organized so I always get a fresh, new calendar. I have professed my love of MomAgenda before and ordered a new one for 2011-2012. There's something about putting new events and old celebrations in a blank calendar.

Anyway, my old portfolio cover for my calendar had seen better days. I thought about fixing her up with mod podge or vinyl, but then she was a little bulky to carry around.

Enter, my kindle and her case. A simple elastic band works to hold it closed, I could get some elastic, sew it together and attach it to the back of the calendar. THEN I remembered that Olivia has those elastic headbands that would be perfect and I wouldn't have to drag the sewing machine out! She helped me pick out one that I could use.

I just used a little E6000 glue on the back of the calendar, attaching the elastic. I let it dry awhile with a can of beans on top to hold it down. (By the way, this glue is fabulous! It even held together a broken pool toy!)

The elastic holds it all together so extra papers don't escape. And it is more compact to fit in my purse or school bag. It is perfect for me!

Porch Makeover

2011-08-07T13:20:00.006-05:00

We've lived in our house for almost 7 years, time sure does fly. We love our front porch, but it needed a little updating! Here's some before shots so you can see the shutters, swing, bench, rocking chairs and the front door (with Olivia's 2nd grade awards!)

Now the porch looks fresh and so much better! Jeff replaced the green shutters with raised panel black ones (after finding out we couldn't paint over the green ones). I painted the furniture and the light fixtures with black spray paint. The front door was bleached out and needed new life, with a little Gel Stain and 3 coats later, she looks so much better. Then we found some cute pillows at Home Depot to tie everything together!

It looks wonderful and it felt great to do it all ourselves! Now, if we could just get a little break from the heat to enjoy it more!

WFMW - more shoe options!

2011-07-06T07:23:00.006-05:00

Do you ever have one of those "ah ha" moments that make you laugh hysterically? My Works For Me Wednesday Tip did that to me!

I was shopping at a fabulous outlet mall in Orlando last week with a teaching buddy of mine - we were at a school conference. Leigh Ann wanted to go into a shoe store, I wasn't crazy about packing more shoes for the flight home.

As Leigh was looking at her shoe size she says she is going to look at the kids' shoes as well. She has a smaller foot than mine and I figured this would work for her. I went around to that size of the store with her and saw a women's to kid's shoe size conversion chart. Low and behold, I didn't even know you could convert a women's size 8 to a kid's size 6!! I ended up looking, finding a cute pair of shoes (that were even a size 5 1/2).

I know this isn't news for some of you, but the next time I buy a pair of tennis shoes I'm checking in the kid section, I hear you can save money this way!

The conversion is simple, the kid size is simply two sizes smaller than your adult size. Happy shopping!

Summer Update

2011-06-27T11:41:00.005-05:00

We finally got out of school on June 3, I know a month ago. We've been busy since then...a week at Disney, swim lessons, t-ball games yearly checkups, quilt camp and Challenger Space Center Camp....

Thought I would share some favorite shots from Disney.

Granny Lucille's Treasures

2011-05-03T07:38:00.010-05:00

We have had a very eventful past couple of weeks. First, my dear grandmother passed away at the wonderful age of 98. She was a remarkable woman, living by herself until her time came. She was also our "prayer warrior" and we know she is in Heaven with Jesus.

Last week, the family began the task of cleaning out Granny Lucille's house. I went with the goal of finding some things to make treasures for my sister and myself. I found a couple sets of screw-on earrings and knew my plan.
After visiting Michael's for my jewelry findings, I removed the earring posts off the back of each earring. Then I simply used E-6000 to attach the jewelry pieces to their new finding. Now, we each have a new broach and a new funky ring! I can't wait to see my sis and give these to her!

My mother had cleaned and pressed my Granny's old aprons about a month ago. Her goal was to present the granddaughters and great-granddaughters with an apron on Easter, even before Granny got sick. How special that we each got a piece of her history!

Mine and Olivia's are hanging in the kitchen. Olivia has already worn hers this week, baking with her Easy-Bake oven.

Our second big event is the HUGE flood going on around us. We live in the middle of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers. If you have watched the news lately, you will know that people have been evacuating their homes, businesses and churches. It is very scary! Our home is fine, but our church is one block from the river. We are currently on our 6th day out of school, with no news of when we will return. Prayers are very much needed!

Linking up to

Crafting with my sis and other things

2011-04-19T18:41:00.012-05:00

A few weekends ago my little sis, Paige, came home for a visit. I felt the need for a group craft. I had seen the moss initials on other blogs and thought they were cute.

Lucky me, I have a wood shop class across the hall from me. I found the letters I wanted and they cut me some letters out of some scrap wood. Then I searched Hobby Lobby and found the new sheet moss. We simply traced the letters and cut the moss. Anywhere we had a bare spot, we just added moss and it blended it fine. Hot glue worked great to hold it all together.

We used a staple gun to add ribbon to the back. Here is mom's version on her great red door!

Here is Paige's version...got to see it on our trip over spring break!

And here is mine...I'm dying to paint my front door!

Lil sis found this neat compote bowl at a yard sale while in town. It has great potential.

Here's the bowl after a little spray paint TLC, some hydrangeas and pears. How cute!

I've been wanting a little table or shelf for the hallway outside our master bedroom. The wood shop class came through for me again. I found a plan on Ana White's wonderful website. She has tons of furniture plans and how-tos. Here is my little shelf (Pottery Barn style) before her paint job.

And here she is with her paint job. I'm having fun deciding what to put on her and where!

Linking up to

spring break - St Louis style

2011-04-10T18:46:00.003-05:00

an altered t-shirt

2011-03-15T18:01:00.005-05:00

Before I start, I need to wish my Daniel a happy belated birthday on the blog. He had a fun Lego party with just a few friends.

Now, I've seen lots of these fabric flowers and altered tees on blogs. I figured it would be fun to try and I was right, the flowers are easy and addicting. I started with two tees from Old Navy (on sale for $4 each).

I cut strips from one edge of the seam to the other side. Then I rolled the strip.

Then I rolled the fabric strip into a flower shape.

With my excellent sewing skills (ha!), I sewed the flower so that it wouldn't come apart. Then I placed the flower on the shirt and stitched it down.

For the headband, I cut a wider strip of t-shirt and sewed on another flower.

Cute altered shirt for only $8 with lots of left over material for Olivia to make doll accessories with! I'm thinking I need a cute flower tee!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T05:31:00.003-06:00

Happy Heart Day, from our house to yours!

snow day crafting

2011-02-13T14:19:00.007-06:00

I finally got around to some crafting with during ALL of our snow days. I've had some clear stones just begging to be made into pendants for forever. I got the stones at my favorite craft store Dee's in Louisville. I had some cute paper I decided to use and then figured out I didn't have any pendants for my favorite team , UK! They were easy to make, using Diamond Glaze.

We're having an Italian Valentine Night at church tonight. I made some straw decorations with my Cricut for the kiddos. I bought the red striped straws at Hobby Lobby during the Christmas clearance. My Subway Art came from Eighteen 25.

Last, Olivia and I made some cute germ-x lotion bottles for her teachers. I had found the zebra "duck tape" vinyl at Michael's last week, before our two huge snowfalls. We picked up the germ-x at Kroger for $1 each. I made myself the purse size!

Happy Valentine's!

snow fun

2011-02-10T16:06:00.001-06:00

Pictures from round one of snow, Monday. Wednesday brought round two. We got a total of a little under a foot! Come ON spring!

Come ON Spring!

2011-02-07T05:16:00.002-06:00

Night Owl Pajama Party

2011-01-23T17:27:00.021-06:00

The 8th birthday party was a success! With all of the snow and sickness going around, Olivia had six wonderful little girls show up for the party. Daniel was safely out of the house at Nanny's, to spare him from all of the "girlyness"!

We searched and searched until we found an idea for the party. A Night Owl Pajama Party. I'm not quite ready for a "slumber party", so the girls were here from 7 - 9, which worked out great.

The girls were invited to come in their pajamas. We set up the table like a bed, which we saw over at Hostess with the Mostess.

They started out the night dancing for a little "Kidz Bop" music, then played some Minute 2 Win It games. The biggest hit was probably playing pick up a bean with a straw and carry it across the room to your bowl OR eating the oreos after playing "chocolate unicorn".

It was a good thing we had a snow day on Friday, cause the owl cake pops took me all day. Bakerella certainly makes it look easier than I did! If you haven't ever heard of cake pops, you must check out this site. Basically you take a cake and crumble it up, add a can of frosting and mix it all up. Then you make balls of cake and pop them in the freezer for awhile. The difficult part for me was getting the pop to stay on the sucker stick while I dipped it in the chocolate. Luckily, I got enough owls made for the girls to enjoy at the party. They were very yummy!

The decorations were obviously lots of owls. We made our owls for the invitations and decorations on the cricut with the "hoot n holler" cartridge.

I found some cute owl Valentine felt stickers at Michael's. I turned those into barrettes for the girls. We used those as decorations on a tree limb until the girls choose one to take home.

The other gift for the girls was a sleep mask. Olivia and I luckily found enough "Dream" masks in the dollar bins at Michael's as well! These were a hit and most of the girls wore these out of the door when they went home. (It was my intention to wear them out so they would be ready for bed when they got home!)

Olivia claims to not be a big fan of cake, so we picked out 4 varieties of ice cream for the girls to enjoy. Of course, no ice cream is complete without sprinkles!

We rounded out the evening with a little nail painting and then all of the girls piled on Olivia's bed for a snippet of a movie.

Aren't they all cute with their sleep masks on their heads?

It was a fun party! I certainly learned that it is very difficult to be both the party hostess and photographer. Hope you enjoyed!

and more owls...

2011-01-15T20:03:00.005-06:00

We're getting closer to Olivia's 8th Birthday Party. She's invited some of the girls in her 2nd grade class and Brownies.

Ready for some more sneak peaks?

I See Owls...

2011-01-09T17:49:00.001-06:00

Olivia's birthday is 2 short weeks away. We spent some time this weekend preparing. Here's a sneak peek...

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T18:39:00.004-06:00

Happy 2011 to Everyone! We are ready to start the new year off great! Started the first weekend with a fun family night with Jeff's family and church today. Back to the grindstone tomorrow...

I was able to create some new hair accessories for Olivia over the weekend. She modeled them for us.

Daniel felt left out and had to have his picture taken too..

Three Christmas Peformances

2010-12-21T08:33:00.003-06:00

Whew, we've been involved in three performances this Christmas season. Olivia was a cat in her school play. (She's over on the left side.)

Next, Olivia danced with her dance class in a little Christmas number for the parents. She is quite the poser! I can't hardly believe she has been taking dance for 5 years!

Last, both kids were involved in our children's church Christmas play. Olivia was one of the main characters with lots of lines and a solo, she did great! Daniel was a camel and had four lines, he did a wonderful job!

What a great way to celebrate the Christmas season!

2010 Christmas Cards

2010-11-26T15:06:00.003-06:00

I love planning, taking, getting and sending my photo Christmas cards each year. I think my cards are some of the first many of my friends get. It is neat to share a little Christmas spirit with our family and friends.

One of the great options for anyone to use is Shutterfly. They have TONS of great options to choose from. Here is one I did on their easy to use website in a previous year:

We got lots of compliments on this card.

I've also made a couple of little photo albums of our summer activities.

This year I've had a hard time getting my thoughts around the Christmas picture. I had one from our trip to Florida, but Daniel has changed sooo much. I come up with ideas and the rest of the family votes me down. They'll have to get with it soon enough, as I need to get moving.

Check out some of the Christmas card ideas here.

I've also done calendars for grandparents. You can see them here.

Oh, and believe it or not, I'm also thinking of birthdays during the holiday season, as Olivia's is in January and Daniel is March. Check out invitations here.

So, my goal this weekend is to get the house decorated for Christmas, take a great photo and order my cards from Shutterfly!

**Shutterfly is supplying me with 50 free Christmas photo cards for helping them with this promotion.

We're Thankful For...

2010-11-25T08:35:00.004-06:00

A - America, apples, Aiden, Amanda
B - Bob, balloons, bears, Ben
C - cats, Chloe, couches, church
D - dad, doctors, Daniel, dogs, Doug, Dianna
E - Erica, eyes, ears
F - fast food, family, friends
G - God, Greta, Granny Lucille
H - hospitals, Halloween, holidays
I - ice cream
J - Jesus, Jeff, Janet's, Jena, Jerry
K - Kendal, Kenny
L - Lisa, love, Levi
M - Maw, Memaw, mom, M&Ms, money, Melissa
N - Nanny, nuts, Niki
O - Olivia, octopus, Oreo
P - Pepaw, Paige, prayer
Q - Mrs. Q, quail
R - Ramage family, running, Ryan
S - Steven, Sydney, socks, school
T - teachers, tea cups, teddy bears
U - umbrellas, unicorns
V - violins, Vanessa
W - water, Wacker Inc.
X - xrays
Y - you
Z - zebras

2010-11-21T15:49:00.003-06:00

Uncommon Stroke Symptoms

2010-11-09T15:45:00.003-06:00

Last week my husband experienced symptoms of what seemed to be vertigo or inner ear infection. He had dizziness, headache and nausea. We treated him for this for four days.

By Friday he hadn't gotten any better, so we went on to the doctor. We ended up one state over in a hospital and Jeff had had a stroke at the back of the head. They put in a drainage port to drain excess luquid off of his brain, which was causing all of the symptoms. We expect a full recovery.

We want to start making sure that people realize that strokes don't always happen the normal way. You don't always get symptoms on one side of the body. He still had full function of both hands.

Also, we want everyone to know that God is Good! and Miracles happen every day!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T19:56:00.005-05:00

October Happenings

2010-10-21T17:55:00.003-05:00

I love October. So much fun stuff to do. A couple of weeks ago we went to the Hunter's Moon Festival. Olivia and her Girl Scout troop got to lead the kids costume parade. Daniel (aka Mario) got 3rd place in the 4- 6 age group!

Last weekend we had a church hayride. Beautiful day!

I've gotten a couple of orders for cake carriers this week. I made one owl themed and one hummingbird themed. They are fun to make!

My First Craft Booth

2010-10-02T17:47:00.007-05:00

Today at our local Octoberfest celebration, I had the pleasure of having a booth with 2 fun, crafty women. We had lots of different vinyl gifts and flower arrangements.

The weather started out beautiful, then turned really windy. We packed it in a little earlier than we thought we would.

We had a good day and saw lots of friends. The kids got to play some games, eat a hot dog, Daniel rode on the church float, and Olivia watched the parade to gather candy!

I've got some of these items left. Let me know if you see something you like!

WFMW: teaching kids to sew

2010-09-08T05:26:00.003-05:00

I'm starting this off by saying I am not a seamstress! I got my first sewing machine a few years ago and am lucky to sew a straight line. Now my dear friend, Holly, who I took home ec with in high school, makes beautiful clothes for her daughter. We had some good times in that class....

Anyway, Olivia found this book on sale at my school for $4! (I teach at a high school and a book company sets up a display every couple of months for the teachers.)

The book has wonderful pictures and instructions for little girls and moms to follow.

Olivia and I picked out some felt this past weekend and she made herself some cupcakes! She was so proud.

Now she's ready to tackle more sewing challenges - this definitely works for me! Pop over to WFMW at We're THAT Family.

**Made by Me by Jane Bull - DK Publishing

A Birthday Gift and Baby Chloe

2010-09-06T21:04:00.004-05:00

Cousin Brookelyn had a fun luau themed birthday party last weekend. We made her a "cookin' with Brookelyn" bowl with vinyl, then stuffed it with measuring cups & spoons, cake and cookie mixes, fun sprinkles and pink icing. I hope she makes a big mess cookin' with her mom!

Here's a glimpse into Chloe Belle's bedroom. Aunt Niki has decorated it so cute! Check out Ben's old dresser - it used to be brown, but with a little paint and fabric it looks fabulous. Niki put the material on with spray adhesive.

And, last but not least a peek at Baby Chloe! She's beautiful!

I'm linking up to Made by you Monday! Pop over and have a look.

Photography Practice

2010-08-16T05:42:00.002-05:00

Still learning with my Digital Rebel....while the kids enjoyed some Popsicles. Trying to get "light in their eyes".

Back to School and a Flashback

2010-08-12T05:16:00.001-05:00

2008

2009

2010

A Baby Shower

2010-07-27T08:19:00.005-05:00

Last weekend we had a shower for Niki and Ben in anticipation of baby Chloe Isabella making her appearance in August.

Sister Paige, mom and I had fun crafting a few things for the day. It turned out really cute and fun. Paige made the "cupcake tower" out of onesies, washcloths and socks. I made the "real" cupcake stand out of boxes and ribbon. The silver platter holds one of the games we played. Each is a miniature diaper filled with mints. One held "baby poop", or mustard. Wouldn't you know it, the mommy to be won that one! Mom and one of her friends redid the adorable rocking chair.

We can't wait to meet you Chloe Belle!

Vacation Highlights

2010-07-16T18:46:00.005-05:00

We had a fun, relaxing time in Tarpon Springs. The time with Memaw and Pepaw was great! We went to Caladisi Island, Sunset Beach, the sponge docks, Weeki Wachi Springs to see the mermaids, the shark aquarium to pet sting rays, and ate WAY too much.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T21:09:00.004-05:00

We celebrated the 4th a little early this year as Jeff had to work all weekend.

We invited a few friends over to help celebrate. We enjoyed good food, fun in the yard and sparklers when it got dark!

Check out the plates for the kids...I got red and blue Frisbees, washed them, and put parchment paper on them. Once the kids were done eating, they were good to play with! They played (or tried to play) Frisbee golf in the yard!

Jeff made homemade ice cream, a "to do" on my summer list! We served it with fresh picked blueberries and blackberries and store bought strawberries. How sweet it would be if they were all three in season at the same time.

God Bless America!

How June kept us busy!

2010-07-02T09:17:00.005-05:00

Bible School - I got to do crafts with Denise!

Swimming lessons at the club - both kids did wonderful.

Blackberry pickin' with dad

Painting Pottery - we spent an hour and a half and had a blast! Daniel couldn't wait to go back and get his train!

Memaw & Pepaw - STOP! Don't look below or you will spoil your surprise for next week!

We painted a fishy platter to take to Florida. I painted a polka-dot plate and the "experts" at the shop added "Celebrate" for me!

And Summer has just begun...

2010-06-13T08:23:00.005-05:00

Whew, been meaning to post pictures of all of our end of school year activities, but we've been busy since school got out.

Olivia was a beautiful ballerina and tap-dancer at her dance recital.

She got several awards at her end of school awards day. She was most proud of the high attendance award - after all the days she missed as a kindergartner!

She "bridged" from being a Daisy Girl Scout to a Brownie.

We got to visit Paige & Steven, go to a Red/Cards game and to Six Flags! If only we had seen the Reds play a day later, when they won!

This past week, Olivia, Daniel & I were at Girl Scout Camp for 3 days. They had loads of fun doing experiments, crafts and games. I think the favorite was swimming at the park pool!

Friend Friday

2010-05-28T08:12:00.002-05:00

A cute picture of Daniel and his buddy. They were waiting for their sisters in dance class. Nothing like little boys and some dirt!

One box of gumballs, so many ideas!

2010-05-25T09:08:00.005-05:00

I love the bright colors of gumballs. Put together in a cute container with some ribbon and you've got a great gift!

My ideas came from my favorite craft/gift shop in Louisville (pic below) and from a blog - which I tried to find but couldn't locate, sorry. I'm thinking the large canister was close to $20, yikes I knew I could do something similar!

It all started with a huge box of gumballs from Sam's - for less than $18!

For Teacher Appreciation Day, we put them in washed Ragu Jars and some mason jars. I spray painted the Ragu jar lids and they looked great. The sticker said "thank you for "chewsing" to share your talents at SLES, Olivia had a "ball" this year!"

The kids helped me separate the colors for one of our apothecary jars.

We also separated some colors for my FBLA officer installation. Each color represents an office. My fellow business teacher and I thought we would jazz up the ceremony with candy instead of candles! The kids loved them.

The last idea is in a peanut butter jar. We go through lots of pb here and I've been saving these up. I simply made the logos in MS Publisher.

Hope you enjoyed these ideas. We've still got quite a bit of gumballs left, so we'll be making more gifts this summer!
We've been very busy with end of school, dance recital and Ryan's graduation. Will post more soon!

I'm linking this up to A Soft Place to Land, Tip Junkie, and Today's Creative Blog. Go to these sites to see some fabulous ideas!

She's Growing UP on Me!

2010-05-02T07:43:00.001-05:00

Olivia has had some big seven year old events going on lately. She lost one of her front teeth and the other one is barely hanging on!

In the past, we've talked about getting her ears pierced. She definitely wasn't interested, because of the pain. Just a couple of weeks ago she announced that she was ready to get them pierced. We just had to find the right time.

One of her friends, E, had wanted her ears pierced too. So E's mother and I schemed to surprise them after dance class Friday night. We announced we were going to the mall to eat and get them pierced! Screams of delight could be heard for blocks!
Olivia was a trooper and had no problem. I was proud of her. After we ate dinner, the girls were treated at various stores around the mall. I'm definitely seeing shopping in her future!

Upcoming events for Olivia include testing at school, Girl Scout awards (becoming a Brownie), the end of her first grade year, and her 4th Dance Recital.

DIY Day

2010-04-13T05:36:00.003-05:00

Olivia has been wanting a desk in her room. I've been on the lookout for one. My mom and her bargain shopping friend, Doris, found a great one at a local flea market (at a great price). All it needed was a little TLC.

The desk is in really good shape. I just needed to sand it and give the chair a good coat of primer before painting. I happened to have the pink fabric in my stash.

As you can see, she has already started using her desk, for many things and loves filling up the drawers!

Enjoy DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land.

Spring Break in St Louis

2010-04-11T20:57:00.003-05:00

We were lucky enough to travel to St Louis for a couple of days during our beautiful spring break! Nanny went with me and the kids to visit Paige & Steven, while Jeff was on nights.

First, we went to the Botanical Gardens. The tulips and spring flowers were absolutely gorgeous.

Then it was on to the Butterfly House where we saw tons of butterflies. Olivia had me take lots of pictures as she is studying butterflies in science. This cool sculpture was out in front of the entrance.

The next day we went to the zoo, along with half of St Louis! It was a warm, sunny Saturday and everyone seemed to want to be outside! We enjoyed elephants, bears, penguins, sea lions, and much more. We'll be back soon to check out the other half of the zoo!

Easter Fun

2010-04-06T07:40:00.002-05:00

The kids got some fun stuff from the Easter bunny, including "The Squeakuel" which has already been watched about 10 times!

Jeff and I got them chocolate eggs with their names on the side. Jeff took little toys to a local candy store and they made these. They put the toys and more candy inside the eggs. Needless to say, these were a big hit!

All dressed up and ready for Easter church service.

Trying for the Perfect Photo

2010-04-02T05:30:00.004-05:00

A beautiful yard and two mischievous kids...

Spring Projects

2010-03-31T20:54:00.004-05:00

I haven't had time to post anything lately, but I'm excited to say that the yearbook was finished two days ago. A huge monkey is off my back - for another year!

I've been doing some vinyl projects and scrabble tile necklaces. The first vinyl project was for a wedding gift. I found the dish at TJMaxx.

Last week I decided to make some Easter buckets for the kids. I got some $2 buckets at Dollar General and added some vinyl. They were big enough to hold all the eggs they found at the church egg hunt. The kids can also use them all year.

Last, my dear friend RaAnn asked me to make some scrabble tile necklaces, six as a matter of fact. They turned out great the first time and RaAnn said everyone liked them.
Be back with Easter photos soon...

A New Four Year Old in the House

2010-03-08T05:24:00.005-06:00

Happy Birthday, Daniel! It is so hard to believe that four years ago Jeff and I left the house about this time (5:30 a.m.) to go "get" our new baby boy. We dropped Olivia off at the babysitters before heading to the hospital. I knew Daniel was a bigger baby than Olivia, but NO idea he would weigh 9 pounds! What a sweet little boy we have.

We celebrated Daniel's birthday with a party at a local pizzeria, the kind with games. Lots of good friends came to help him celebrate. He had a great time and got some cool gifts.
I had fun making some table decorations for the room. I used my Cricut (celebrations and a child's life cartridges) to cut out some shapes. Then stuck them to some sucker sticks and added them to decorated cans. I used flower styrofoam stuff in the cans and some shredded paper Olivia found in the Easter box this week. I also made cups for the kids to keep their tokens in while they played. These really helped everyone keep up with their own tokens and gave them a new cup to use at home. The cake was from Dairy Queen - one of our favorites! We stopped by and ordered it one afternoon. Daniel told the girl he wanted a golf cake and they did a great job.

Thank you, Daniel, for the sweetness and roughness (all at once) you bring to our home!

What We've Been Up To

2010-03-01T20:43:00.003-06:00

Well, no posts lately...I've been sick with the flu. Being down for three days puts a mom, wife, teacher, friend behind in so many ways.

We're trying to think warm weather around here. The kids have played lots of Wii lately and love to play Monopoly Junior from Aunt Paige.

Here's how to make 2 kids happy at the same time. Olivia was playing hair salon while Daniel and I played Monopoly.

Oh my....

AND I was featured over at Everyday Celebrating for Olivia's cupcake party! WooHoo

Valentine's Recap

2010-02-15T17:37:00.000-06:00

This will go down as one of the best Valentine's EVER!

Jeff got in a fun mood and started leaving me notes and gifts on Thursday. I came home to this note in one of my pot holders...

"It's evil me as you will see
Let's play a VDay game, so
before it's done I'll have some fun.

The 1st clue as it would be
is to look above where you pee."

A second note was in the cabinet above the toilet with a little box.

"I know you think I'm all bad,
all poots and farts. But I
wanted you to know I love
you, here is the key to my heart.

But beware of upcoming clues
because sometimes Valentine's gifts
come in twos."

In the little box was this beautiful charm.

Friday night - the kids and I had been to a Valentine's party and Jeff was at work. I found this note in one of my clothes drawers.

"When you deal with evil
always take the lesser.
You might want to look for your next gift,
on the dresser.

To narrow it down here's a clue

People often keep a lawyer on retainer
your next gift is hiding with
others like it in a clear type container."

After a little help from Olivia and Jeff (I was VERY tired) I found this solitaire and band. Remember, I had lost my wedding ring at the lake Summer '08.

I proudly wore this ring all day Saturday, thinking "wow how did he afford this" and "is it a little too big?"

Sunday morning... we sent the kids on their own scavenger hunt, which they loved. After all of the hoopla, Jeff comes in the room and gets on one knee. He hands me another ring and says "the first one is a fake - from Avon! Here is your real ring."

I love this one even more, got a big laugh and have a fun, fake diamond to wear!

Jeff's gift is going to be snake boots for turkey season, when he finds them. I made us these shirts to wear for fun. I got the idea from "Promise Keepers."
I'll also show Olivia's Valentine box for school. We got the idea for this kitty cat from Family Fun magazine.

We also made the heart shaped crayons for her class and some Valentine Cricut pictures for her teacher and classroom aides.

Daniel took shovels with treats in the scoops for his friends at babysitter Janet's. Janet got some cute "Happiness" notepads from Michael's.

We had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Hope you did too.

Valentine's Projects - the good and the ugly

2010-02-09T11:28:00.000-06:00

I've been trying projects for Valentine's Day as I have time (snow days) and the inspiration hits.

Olivia and I had the bright idea to make the heart shaped suckers for her class using small candy canes. I made sure we had enough canes, the sticks and the baggies. We followed the directions on The Idea Room, but ours didn't work out. I had to pop them off the sheet...and they crumbled.

So we tried another idea from The Idea Room - some yummy chocolate peppermint popcorn. This project turned out yummy! I plan to make some more for gifts. We had to sample the first batch!

Applique has always intrigued and puzzled me. It looks so easy when other people do it and explain it on their blog. So, when I found this $3 long sleeve tee I decided to make Olivia a Vday tee shirt. I've got some more practicing to do. At least I already had the heat'n bond and material AND she's only 7 and not picky yet!

We did find another successful project for her classmates. We made crayon hearts that we learned about on so many craft blogs. We think her class will enjoy them.

This week, as a stress relieves, I made a cute 2x4 project I found on How She Does. It was fun to mod podge and vinyl and it was from scrap 2x4s. The flipside is for St Patty's Day.

And today, another snow day, Olivia had asked me to mend a hole in a too little "hand me down" shirt. I suggested we make a cute pillow instead.

I then made dresses for her American Girl dolls with the sleeves.

Thanks for visiting - and take comfort in everyone has a few goofs now and then!

Cupcake Birthday Party

2010-01-29T09:59:00.000-06:00

We had Olivia's 7th Birthday Party last weekend. We picked a cupcake theme and went with a pink and lime green color scheme.
I had so much fun filling my apothecary jars! The big one had the goody bags - filled with fancy soaps, lotions, and lip gloss. One is filled with birthday candles from past parties. Another is filled with lollipop shaped soaps. The smaller ones were filled with m&ms and marshmallows.
Olivia and I made this table runner. I had bought a pack of cupcake and candy theme transfers. She helped me place them and I ironed them on. We edged the runner with cute ribbon.The candy we used came at a bargain price. I had the kids separate the Christmas colored m&ms - the light green colors were perfect for the party. The pink ones are from a bag of Valentine m&ms and the marshmallows are stars from a bag of marked down Christmas mix.The girls each got to decorate 4 cupcakes - 2 sprinkles and 2 chocolate. They picked the one they wanted to eat at the party and we sent the others home on green plates (after Christmas sale!).They made some pretty cute cupcakes.We did serve some fruit along with the cupcakes and some yummy punch! Olivia had a fun time at home with just a few special friends. I had fun planning the parties!

Happy Birthday, Olivia!

2010-01-22T18:50:00.000-06:00

I can't believe my baby girl is 7 today! Olivia, you have brought us such joy and laughter since coming into our lives.We love this drawing Olivia did this week at school - it is a drawing of her opening her gift from Pepaw. I love my dress!

Happy Birthday, Olivia!

more pictures later - the party is Sunday

Salvation Army Makeovers

2010-01-16T10:15:00.000-06:00

I decided to take a look at the goods at these places and see what I could make-over, after seeing all of the fabulous make-overs in blogland.

I found a shelf in need of paint, a frame in need of chalkboard paint and red candle holders in need of some TLC.

It is amazing what some paint will do to make and old item new. I think I spent about $10 for these items at Salvation Army and already had the paint!

I use this chalkboard in the kitchen for menus and notes. I should have put something inspirational on it for you.The shelf took several coats of paint. Jeff finally convinced me to put a brush to it. Olivia helped stock it - it is hanging over my bath tub.It is amazing how these candle holders turned out with some black paint. I thought Santa looked cute sitting on one.There are currently tree cutters in our yard cutting down 10+ trees. I'll post "before" and "afters" of our yard soon!

Olivia's new "do"

2010-01-12T05:31:00.000-06:00

Over Christmas I mentioned to Olivia her hair would be cute shorter. She wanted nothing of it. Until we got to the shop with the boys for their haircuts Friday night (in the middle of a snow storm).We call this her "Sally Brown" hairdo. It is so cute and she loves it!

Lesson learned: sometimes we all have to do things in our own time.

Happy Snow Day and Pepaw's Birthday!

2010-01-08T12:52:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to Pepaw and Elvis!
We're on our second snow day - staying warm, playing in the snow, playing Wii!

WFMW - birthday favors at after Christmas sales

2009-12-30T08:41:00.000-06:00

In the middle of a Wal-Mart aisle yesterday Olivia and I changed her birthday party theme from "ladybugs" to "cupcakes"!

Having a birthday exactly 4 weeks after Christmas can be challenging. However, now Olivia and I have a plan for a great party. We stumbled upon some great cupcake themed party favors in the 50% off aisle. These definitely Work for Us!
I also found some stuff to fill the gigantic apothecary jar my sis got me! It will be so fun to change it out throughout the seasons. Thanks, Paige! So keep your options open when visiting those after Christmas sales! You might find some things to use at other times of the year.

Does anybody else have trouble with font sizes in blogger?

Christmas 2009

2009-12-29T19:03:00.000-06:00

We had an absolutely wonderful Christmas! We all got what we wished for, plus more!

Christmas Crafts

2009-12-18T05:30:00.000-06:00

Whew, today is our last day before Christmas break. The kids are excited about their parties at school/babysitter. Olivia has all the gifts for her teacher, aides and bus drivers. Daniel has gifts for the babysitter and his friends.

I'll give three more mid-terms today. A downside of being a high school teacher, instead of elementary, is the lack of Christmas gifts. High schoolers just don't get into bringing gifts for their teachers! Oh well!

I wanted to share the crafts I did this year before they head out the door.These are some candles I got at Michael's big Thanksgiving sale - about $1.70 each and they smell great! I added vinyl initials and some cute ribbon. These are going to teacher aides, teachers and church children's choir leaders.
Mom and I had the idea for these since the ice storm in January! I made decoupaged mini-clipboards for several of her friends and mine as well. I found some matching magnets and notepads at Michael's and rolled up the scrapbook paper to fit inside the pen.
I love ribbon keyfobs, I'm on my second right now. The ones on the right I made with D-rings and webbing I could find around here. My friend, RaAnn, hooked me up with wider webbing and cool hardware for the larger ones. My teacher friend, Rita, helped the kids monogram them at school. These are going to mom, Paige and bingo gifts at the family get togethers. Remember the letter punches I bought at Harbor Freight back in the summer? Here is my end result. I made these for several mommy friends, and myself. Punching those letters (while outside in the garage this summer) really helped work off some stress!

I enjoyed putting my time and love into these gifts. I hope they are enjoyed by family and friends.

PB Inspired Photo Ornament

2009-12-15T05:43:00.001-06:00

Who doesn't love all things Pottery Barn? I love to look through their catalogs and get inspired. I searched my local Dollar Tree for a miniature photo frame to turn into a PB photo frame and came home with this. It needed a little red paint.
I got out some scrapbook paper and printed "2009" in Algerian Font. Cut to size with my trusty Creative Memories trimmer and used an exacto knife to cut out the photo hole. I asked my wonderful husband to insert an eye hook in the top and I found a great ribbon to hand it with.
Voila! What do you think?
I have to leave you with a photo of Olivia (dead center) at her school's Christmas program. We are so blessed to live in a country where our kids can sing about Christmas!

I'm linking this to DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land and Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog!

2009-12-04T05:22:00.000-06:00

Jeff surprised us last night with a trip to Patti's 1880s to see Santa AND to have a wonderful meal. It is a tradition for us to go see Santa there, but we've never tackled eating with the kids. So, the kids got their very first grown up meal out!They did pretty good!

Then we got to go visit with "the big guy" himself. Daniel didn't want to visit with him at first, then warmed up okay. This truly is Santa as he knew what the kids wanted, knew they had kitties and dogs, and even their teacher and babysitter's names!
Olivia practiced more of her photography skills - pretty good! We enjoyed looking at all of the fabulous lights and decorations. Thanks, Jeff!

Thanksgiving thru Olivia's Eyes (and a cricut project)

2009-11-28T10:35:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal at Jeff's sister's house. Olivia took a turn with my camera and got some interesting (but good) photos!
We didn't make it anywhere else that afternoon, Daniel's fever went back up. Turns out he has an infection in one ear. We just rested around the house instead.

I got a new Cricut cartridge at Michael's sale Thursday night - while everyone else was resting. It is called "A Child's Year" and I can see lots of gift possibilities. Paige, here are some ideas - there is a design for just about anything you can think of. Let me know if you want some!

Giving Thanks

2009-11-18T05:41:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving seems to get lost between Halloween and Christmas. I'm trying to focus some attention on this important holiday before the BIG one hits.

A friend of mine gave me this canvas tree for Christmas last year. It is for our family tree, but I haven't found the time to fill out the leaves yet. So, one night the kids and I made thankful leaves and hung it in the kitchen. I remind them of the things we are thankful for by reading the leaves to them (or Olivia does).
Yesterday morning the kids looked so cute I had to take a picture!

Happy Fall!

A Bracelet Makeover

2009-11-03T17:45:00.000-06:00

Mod Podge is a little addicting...

Last night I was making some clipboards for Christmas gifts. I thought about altering an old bangle bracelet. I dug through my old jewelry and found this faux gold bracelet.
I simply cut little scraps of toile scrapbook paper and layered them on the bracelet one at a time. The pieces were about a half inch wide by 1 1/2 inches long. I used a couple of coats of Mod Podge on the top.Then let it sit on a jar to dry.Now, it's ready to wear!

Halloween 2008 vs Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T20:39:00.001-06:00

There is no comparison with this year's Halloween and last year.

The kids were sick the entire month of October 2008! We didn't get to do any of the fun October activities. This picture was taken well into November so that I could remember how cute their costumes were, that they never got to Trick Or Treat in!

This year went so much better. We made both of their costumes and they looked so cute! Even though we've been a little sick, my little Jellyfish and little Lego Dude got to do all of the activities.

They loved every minute of it! Olivia cried herself to sleep last night. She wants to be a jellyfish again next year and is afraid she will forget!

Whew...we've been busy...

2009-10-30T06:07:00.001-05:00

A beautiful fall day before the fun starts...

A busy church weekend, women's conference, children's party and

a hayride at a beautiful farm!

Daniel's pumpkin

Olivia's "Fancy Nancy" pumpkin for the book character contest.

Jeff hard at work designing the pumpkin.

The kids getting the goo out.

the final product.

Our "monster" cupcakes for a chili supper at Olivia's school tonight!

A Fall Break Vacation

2009-10-22T18:06:00.000-05:00

It seems like forever since I last blogged. We've had phone/internet problems, a couple of sick kids and went on a wonderful, fun fall vacation to St Louis.

Of course we stayed with Aunt Paige & Uncle Steven - in their new house! They have done lots of work, it really looks cute. It has tons of potential and know they will continue to work on it for a long time, til it is just right.

We got to do a couple of fun things while in St Louis. Our most fun was at The City Museum in downtown S.L. We had no idea what to expect, which probably added to the fun. The museum is 3 stories, plus an outside area, of all of these crazy, recycled things to do. You just kind of find your way around as no maps are provided. When you first walk in, this is part of what you see...

These were huge fish and a whale you could walk through. If you look close, you see Paige in the first photo. The floors and everything was gorgeous - the ceilings had a white, silky material hanging from them that looked like fish scales.

We wondered around here exploring then went upstairs to find a big hamster wheel.

Daniel, Jeff and Steven decided to give it a whirl. Daniel couldn't keep up, and just kind of flopped on the wheel. Bless his heart, I was laughing so hard I cried.

Paige and Steven had a little bit better luck.

The man at the front door told us to be sure and check out the 3rd floor for the kids. Oh my! They had a blast running and sliding! Ummm, some of the adults did too - I just couldn't get photos as I was busy...

Around the corner some kids were getting circus training - no kidding! I thought the tie decorations were cool. Jeff thinks he wore some of the ties at one time.

Another area had kind of a circus/carnival theme. There were old pinball and video games, plus a photo opportunity or two.

Paige and I thought the gigantic underwear were cool!

There were lots of things to climb and do that the kids will have to grow into. I don't think we'll have a problem visiting again! The plane photo is an outside climb area - look closely and you will see tiny people!

One of our most favorite things were the slides. Kids of ALL ages were participating! The adults each took turns watching the kids so that we could climb up 7 stories of swirly stairs to slide down 7 stories of a swirly slide! We were dizzy at the end.

Thanks Paige and Steven for helping us have an awesome fall trip!

My Birthday Weekend

2009-10-04T17:35:00.000-05:00

In high school, it stunk because I was always younger than everyone in my class. I was a year behind everyone turning 16....then in college, I was a year behind everyone turning 21.

NOW, I'm a year behind everyone turning 40!!! Hello 30's - one more year. Next year, it will be the 2nd anniversary of my 39th birthday, NOT my 40th birthday!

This birthday weekend was spent with my kiddos. Jeff is working (we are meeting him for supper at Cracker Barrel).

Saturday was spent at Octoberfest, where Olivia's Girl Scout Troop got 2nd place in the Parade with this....We spent a large amount of time at our church booth. We provided FREE inflatables for the kiddos and FREE water, popcorn and cookies for everyone. It was a tremendous success!
Today was Homecoming at church - where I got to enjoy everyone else's cooking for my birthday. Yum!! Daniel and Olivia sang with the kids. Daniel gave a performance...picking his nose...and eating it...digging in his pants...with both hands...and showing everyone his belly... If only his dad had seen it...
Before church they looked adorable with our fall decorations!

A trip to Amish Country

2009-09-22T19:18:00.000-05:00

It has become a tradition this time of year for us to make a trip with Nanny...to see the Amish. It is neat to visit their quiet, simple life.

We like to dig our own big, beautiful mums - for $3!
We also like to check out the vegetables and goodies they have for sale. We ended up with a box of tomatoes ($5 for about 10 pounds), beans ($1 a pound) and a couple of pumpkins (at a huge discount). The kids joined me in the kitchen...freezing some tomatoes for winter soups and chili...and snapping beans.This trip definitely works for my family! If you have an Amish community close to you, take a visit to see what they have available. We have gotten furniture, a porch swing, baked goods and fresh spices from them in previous years.

Visit We Are That Family for more Works for Me Wednesday Tips!

2 Vinyl Projects

2009-09-14T17:26:00.000-05:00

Quite awhile ago, I won some vinyl from Kari and Kijsa. I've just now gotten around to using it and I was supposed to let them know how I used it!

First, I cut a piece of the vinyl using my Cricut into a spider. I used the outline of the image and put it onto a tee for Daniel.
I mixed up some acrylic paint with some textile medium and put Daniel to work.

He did a good job - except I wasn't thinking...black paint...white tee shirt...3-year old boy...he got a little outside the spider...
But doesn't he look cute! And now I know the process.

Second, the winner of my 100th post giveaway wanted an "M" on her glasses. I simply flipped the image on my Cricut and voila...
Notice the darling silver bowl next to the glasses. My mom goes to a local trade day and found this for me for fifty cents! She had to clean it up some, and I love it! I'm hoping she will find more.

A Beautiful Painting and My Giveaway Winner

2009-09-13T14:33:00.000-05:00

A sweet lady at our church created this painting of our church. We then had a chance to order a tile for our home. Beautiful!

My Giveaway Winner is Lisa at Moore Minutes. Congrats, Lisa! And thanks to everyone who has visiting my blog.

Happy Birthday, Jeff and My 100th Post!

2009-09-08T18:59:00.000-05:00

Jeff, thanks for being such a wonderful father, husband and friend! You're the best - Happy Birthday!

While we're celebrating...this is my 100th post! I started blogging April 2008 and it has been a blast ever since. I don't think I have a lot of blog traffic, the most comments I've ever gotten is 19 (but I'll take them).

So, to celebrate my momentous 100th post, I'm giving away 2 unbreakable, Target glasses. They are square and oh, so cute. But wait, I'll also monogram them with vinyl I won from KariAnne and Kijsa!

To win, leave me a comment. It is really quite simple...choose comments below....type a comment....you can even comment as "anonymous" if you don't have an account. I can't wait to see who is visiting! Be sure and leave some way I can contact you.

From my childhood..."romper, stomper, bomper boo, tell me, tell me, tell me who...I see Marilyn, RaAnn, Michelle, Nancy, Hillary, Teris..."

**I'll pick a winner on Saturday, September 12.

Happy Labor Day!

2009-09-07T18:42:00.000-05:00

We had a fabulous Labor Day Weekend! The kids and I went to an arts and crafts show Saturday, where we actually got some Christmas shopping started. We had rain that evening so we spent the rest of the day inside. Sunday we went to church then Aunt Paige and Uncle Steven came over with Nanny for lunch. Uncle Ben stopped by also. Everyone met the newest family member, Rex the dog, and thought he was a wonderful addition. After a little while, we were off to friend Emily's 2nd birthday party to help celebrate with her family. (thanks for including us) I didn't get a very good picture of all the kids. Kim, don't forget to forward me one of yours.

We spent Labor Day at Nanny's. Thanks Nancy for taking our family photos! And, Ben, you cooked some wonderful hamburgers. It was a pleasant day visiting with everyone. The only bummer was Jeff leaving for work a little while ago. I'm also worried as Daniel had quite a long nap this afternoon, I may be up until midnight with him.

I leave you with a picture Daniel took of me last week. We were waiting for the vet to check Oreo and Callie. I was trying to get in touch with Jeff and I didn't realize I looked so tired! But, I am impressed with Daniel's photographic skills!

Why I Love Consignment Stores, Etc.

2009-09-04T17:36:00.000-05:00

Kids grow so fast. I get excited when Olivia or Daniel can wear something for more than one season, especially if it is a favorite article of clothing.

Last night Olivia and I went to our favorite consignment store while the boys played golf. She had a blast running around helping me to pick out some clothes. I got some great things for both of them.

My favorite reason, besides saving money, for shopping there is that someone else has done all the leg work! They've gone to all of our favorite stores or home clothing parties. There is a great selection and we get some really cute clothes!!! Not only does it save me money - but time as well!

Next, I actually won something on a blog giveaway! A fellow Purple Flash and Sig Kap, Michelle, has the neatest blog, Everyday Celebrating. She sponsored a contest for SmileBooks and I won a $10 off coupon and a tee shirt. I'll be watching the mailbox closely!

I leave you with a picture of the kids waiting for the school bus. We finally got the road fixed so the bus could come down our road. Only one school year and one month later...

I've always been a part of THAT family...

2009-08-30T18:29:00.000-05:00

**This post has been edited a little to enter into "We are THAT Family" 2nd blogaversary.

If you've ever scrolled down the side bar of my blog, you've noticed a blog called "We are THAT Family". I felt an immediate connection with this blog. We always had interesting events happening when I was growing up...

On the way camping and the van over heats. Had to pull over on the side of the dam bridge for my dad to pour water in...my best friend was with me...we were kind of a "white trashy" THAT family...

My little brother swallowed a bullet! Even the ER doctor couldn't believe that one! He had to be x-rayed, the entire ER laughed and my sister helped him "dig" it out of his "you know what" days later...

Today was one of the many instances with my own kids. We recently remodeled our sanctuary at church. After the beautiful dedication service today, we had a fabulous meal in our activity building. The kids had eaten and I was enjoying my desserts (yes, I mean plural).

I had been looking around for Daniel and a friend at my table says, "I think Daniel needs your help." I look up and he is walking out of the bathroom hallway with his pants and underwear around his ankles in front of everyone! He is yelling "mommy, I need your help!"

We're trying to explain modesty! I'm just still happy he's potty trained.

Things that have been keeping us busy...

2009-08-26T22:30:00.000-05:00

It sure is hard to get back in the routine of school. We're trying to enjoy as much of the warm weather we can when we're not at school. This past weekend we took the kids putt putting and to eat at a pizza/game restaurant. Olivia hit the mother load on one game and got 500+ tickets. We also took them to Jeff's sister's pond to fish. Even though the weather was awesome, the fish weren't biting too good. Daniel did manage to catch and hold one long enough for a picture.

I've been crafting a little bit. I took an old Christmas shadow box , that we got for free from a Cousin's yard sale, and converted it to a golf yardage marker holder. Daniel got this marker from Memaw (he loves anything golf) and I figured I better frame it before he breaks something with it. A little black spray paint, some styrofoam and scrapbooking paper and voila!

Daniel's babsitter had her kitchen repainted. I decided to share my love of spray paint and update her iron clock and shelf. A little vinyl monogram and it looks lots better!

Never to early for Christmas ideas

2009-08-22T21:22:00.000-05:00

Last night Jeff and I had the opportunity to do some kid free shopping. (Nanny had the kids.) Can you believe I asked him to go to Harbour Freight and Lowe's!!! I'm doing a little Christmas present crafting/playing around. Here's a sneak peak....

I keep telling Jeff that crafting is cheaper than therapy!!

Be back soon for updates on what we've been doing.

Ceramic Range Cleaning - Works for Me

2009-08-18T18:20:00.000-05:00

My Works for Me Wednesday idea came to me while cleaning my ceramic top range.

I like to keep old toothbrushes to clean various little nooks and crannies around the house. It might sound gross, but they do come in quite handy!

The other day I had a boil over TWICE on my range. Couldn't seem to get my timing down. Anyway, later when I was trying to clean I got frustrated. All of those little grooves on my stove top were being stubborn. Then I realized a toothbrush would work! And it did!

Give it a try and visit We Are THAT Family for more great tips.

A New Member of the Family

2009-08-16T19:38:00.001-05:00

Today we got a new member of the family - Blueboy "Rex". He is a Gordon Setter. Here's the kids waiting patiently to show him his new toys. And he loved giving Daniel kisses.

We're sure he'll love hunting with Jeff & Daniel and Doc & Sam very soon.

First Grade, New Tractor and a Favorite Quote

2009-08-11T19:32:00.000-05:00

We've been busy the past few weeks, getting ready for school with all of the last minute details. Olivia started 1st grade today with Mrs. Emily and said it was "incredible". She was most excited at all of the books in her classroom that she already loves.

Daniel thinks he goes to school at Mrs. Janet's. We went ahead and got him a backpack for the Florida trip. I think it will last until kindergarten and beyond. Those L.L. Bean backpacks are the best!

Jeff finally found the tractor he was looking for - 1/2 mile down the road! This after driving all over and searching countless papers and websites. Olivia and Daniel explored the tractor with cousins Brady and Brookelyn. Jeff will use it at the family farm for bush hogging and clean up.

My favorite quote of the week comes from Daniel - "my eyebrows hurt"! I know that feeling!

Tips from a high school teacher

2009-08-05T13:22:00.000-05:00

I know not every high school student is nearly as excited to go back to school as the elementary kids (ha ha).... so I thought I would post some tips for Works for me Wednesday from the perspective of a high school teacher.

1 - check the class syllabus of each class your child has. Most teachers request certain items and will list them on the syllabus.

2 - try to help your child be organized. A simple folder goes a long way to help organize papers for a class.

3 - we do want parents to make contact with us. Feel free to email or call his/her high school teachers with any questions or concerns.

4 - my school provides a school agenda with a wealth of information inside - such as grading scales, promotion requirements, discipline codes, etc.

5 - high school is going to cost more than elementary and middle. I advise the yearbook and these alone have gone up in price, as with the quality. Also remember, homecomings, proms, senior pictures, class rings, cell phones, cars - all add up!

Thanks and have a great school year!

Back from Vacation!

2009-07-29T07:45:00.000-05:00

Well, we made it back from Florida safe and sound. Home Sweet Home!

I am so excited because today I was featured on Creative Parties and Showers for Theresa's brown and yellow baby shower! Go here to see it! There are tons of cool parties there.

Vacation - Part 4

2009-07-25T07:02:00.000-05:00

Whew, we've been having more fun! Thursday we visited the manatees at Homosassa Springs. Olivia listened intently to the entire presentation as she is concerned about the manatees.

Yesterday we visited the beach again in the morning. That afternoon we went to Lowry Park Zoo. At 5:00 all of the rides were free, so our first

stop was the camel ride. I couldn't imagine riding one of these for days on end in the desert! The kids had lots of fun and were completely worn out by the time we left!

Vacation - Part 3

2009-07-23T07:23:00.000-05:00

Trying to catch fish at Sunset Beach.

Vacation - Part 2

2009-07-21T20:30:00.000-05:00

Today we visited a small aquarium in Tarpon. The kids were able to pet small sharks, sting ray, and a turtle. Daniel even pet a python! We saw a shark feeding show and an eel feeding show.

After that we rode on a neat Greek Sponge Diving Boat. The guy wore the old style diving suit. He dove down and found a sponge. Neat!

We let the kids and Memaw and Pepaw's new dog, Bruiser, play at a playground tonight - to run off steam!

A Little Vacation Part 1

2009-07-21T09:19:00.000-05:00

The kids and I are visiting my dad in Tarpon Springs, FL. We are having a fun time and we are just a couple of days into the week.

Sunday we went to the Clearwater Aquarium where we saw rehabilitated dolphins and sea turtles. One of the dolphins, Winter, doesn't have a tail fin. She learned to swim differently but has a prosthetic fin she wears once a day in physical therapy. Visit her at seewinter.com.

Uncle Ben is at dad's for a few days. He took us Monday to Clearwater to visit with Cousins Shellie (who flew down with us), Larry, Beau, Alex and Julia. We swam at the pool, played at the beach, went on a dolphin boat, played at a playground, ate pizza, and I think I got a Christmas Card picture of the kids at the beach! We were worn out.

On the boat ride, the kids got to "drive" the boat. And feed the seagulls.

We miss you, Jeff!

A Calendar that "Works for Me"

2009-07-14T23:25:00.000-05:00

Last summer I spent about a week searching for the "ultimate" calendar for home and work. I stumbled upon many different variations of the mom/family calendar, but one really stuck out.

I bought my first MomAgenda a year ago June in St. Louis on sale for $5. The calendar ran out in December, but I wanted to see if it was worth the money.

I ended up LOVING the layout - you have room for your daily calendar PLUS spaces for up to 4 other people/projects/etc. As you can see from my photo, I use mine for Olivia, Daniel and Jeff. There is also a space at the bottom to plan meals for the week, OR just see if you are feeding your family the same thing over, and over, and over!

My wonderful brother-in-law, Steven, picked up a new calendar for me last August, so I could start the new school year off the right way! I have loved this calendar all year and have already purchased and began filling in birthdays and the school calendar in my new one.

I purchased the refill calendar for $23, which also comes with an address book/important info section separate. The nice cover thingy the company offers was a little pricey for me, so I picked up one at Wal-Mart that works great. I hot glued two ribbons in the cover - one to mark the monthly calendar and one to mark the weekly calendar.

So, if you are looking to get off on the right foot this coming up school season, check out the MomAgenda! (I do not work for this company!) Also, check out We Are THAT Family for more great tips!

Doodle Bugs Paper

2009-07-11T14:11:00.000-05:00

Some of you have liked the address stamp I use. I ordered it from Doodle Bugs Paper and she is having a contest - go here and leave a comment. Mention me and we both receive a $20 gift certificate!

God Bless America

2009-07-04T09:40:00.000-05:00

He watches over us....

2009-06-29T20:18:00.001-05:00

Not too long ago a couple of blue birds visited our back porch. I noticed they were trying to build a nest in my flower box, which isn't too smart with two kids and two cats around. I thought they wised up, but they are back for good.

There are now 3 bluish eggs in a tiny nest in our flower box. The momma blue bird watches over them the best she can.

And the daddy blue bird watches over her. It is the sweetest thing. He even brings her worms.

As I watch him, I am reminded of our Heavenly Father. He is never very far away, just like this daddy blue bird. God wants to protect us and see us grow up - just like the daddy blue bird wants his babies safe and to eventually fly away.

News"paper" for coloing (free) - WFMW

2009-06-23T17:11:00.001-05:00

A year ago a friend of mine was moving and had these huge rolls of paper she was using for packing. She said to stop by the local newspaper because they sat the rolls at the back door. They are end runs and can't be used anymore.

We've picked these up several times and are they great for the kids to color on in the kitchen floor. I stopped by today after swimming lessons and a reptile show at the local library and there happened to be one waiting for us. I think it kept the kids busy for about 15 minutes!

Kristen over at We Are THAT Family is hosting Works for Me Wednesday. Go over and check out all the great ideas. (I still can't get her logo to post!)

Also, notice over in the right margin --- I've got a Google Friend! Feel free to join and get updates on my blog. Thanks, Pam!

A Day with Thomas

2009-06-16T21:47:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we traveled about 3 1/2 hours to spend a day with Thomas the Train!

We went with two of Daniel's buddies at Babysitter Janet's - Clay and Scott - they LOVE Thomas too. We went with their mommies and Scott's sister, Olivia's best friend - Erica.

The kids had lots of fun climbing on a coal engine, getting tattoos, playing with little train tables, jumping in a blowup jumper, listening to stories, visiting Sir Topham Hat, and, of course, riding with Thomas!

Theresa's Baby Shower

2009-06-11T09:15:00.000-05:00

My dear friend, Theresa, is expecting her first baby in August. She and I went through alot together in our single days, wondering if we would ever meet Mr. Right and ever have kids!

Theresa is a teacher with me. Yesterday was our last day, even though the kids got out May 28, the teachers had to work contracted days due to the ice storm. Needless to say, we were excited to get finished and a baby shower was the perfect way to start our "summer"!

Theresa and Buzz know they are having a little girl and her name is Sophia Jane. Her room is yellow with baby animals. I decided to go with a yellow and brown shower theme from this little diaper bag tag I got from Sweet Pea Designs (I can hook you up with a dealer!) The back of the tag says "my mommy is Theresa ..."!

The yellow and brown theme continued with fellow teacher, Leigh Ann, whipping up a fabulous banana pudding complete with animal crackers instead of vanilla wafers. I made chocolate cupcakes with yellow icing, decorated with brown sprinkles as suggested on Everyday Celebrating (a fellow Sigma Kappa from UK).

Whoppers, Cracker Barrel banana candy sticks, and lemon drops in mason jars with ribbons continued the color theme. For favors, Olivia and I made animals crackers smothered in yellow icing for the kiddos. The adults got sprinkle tins and the idea came from Creative Parties and Showers. They read "thanks for sprinkling Theresa with love" and had candy sprinkles inside.

Theresa is a government and archeology teacher. I wanted to make her some personalized onsies - these sayings captured her just right! I used printable iron on transfers and designed these in Publisher.

The water bottles were decorated with little babies - made with my new Cricut! I had the flavored packs in mason jars for everyone to flavor their drinks as they wished.
Theresa and Buzz - you two are going to be great parents!

Cool Sale!

2009-06-09T06:56:00.000-05:00

A friend at church mentioned that Tuesday Morning was having a 50% off sale items sale. I stopped by while the kids visited with Nanny.

I got some great stuff for about $48 - two Fitz and Floyd plates, 2 shirts, mom a sweater, Halloween stuff, a pedestal vase, a ducky tote for a shower I'm giving, two pj pants in baggies, glass pumpkins.....

I love these kind of sales!