Being Thankful for my kids!

I saw this idea on Pinterest and decided that rather wait until Valentines Day I wanted to do this for the month of November as a way of telling my kids why I am Thankful for them (same concept of 'I love..').

The idea is simple. Write a short note that says "I am thankful..." and each morning when they wake up they can go and read their note. I am starting November 1st and will do the last one on Thanksgiving Day.

I made envelopes out of cardstock and then cut out pieces of paper using the business card template in Microsoft Word. (I know there are more creative options out there.)

My goals is to get my husband involved too and for us to share this project together.

Two more Halloween Crafts

Just wanted to share 2 more crafts that were completed for Halloween.

The first was letting the kids decorate some wood masks I picked up from Joanns.

At first I was nervous because it was 'big girl paint' (i.e. not kid friendly washable stuff) but I gave in to my fear (of having a permanently blue/green/red kitchen table) and went with the flow. They really enjoyed themselves and were creative.

I figured if they got to play with paint, mommy should too so I painted a few wooden letters. (They took a few coats to get a decent color.) The polka dots were made with a pencil eraser which was super simple and easy to clean!

I'm not sure how I will arrange them - maybe hot glue them together???  The key to the dots is 'less is more' because you can always add but you can't take away. I tend to over do it so it took some control to stop!

I hope you had a safe and Happy Halloween!!!





FOOD FIGHT!!

Recently I saw a blog post where somebody had an annual cool whip fight.  It reminded me of one of my favorite childhood memories - we had a food fight in the backyard and were covered in sticky soda, Twinkies, and dirt. It was a blast! 

Fast forward twenty plus years and I decided to have a food fight with my family. I stocked up on canisters of cool whip, grape soda, and little cake snacks. My kids thought I was crazy at first.  (My husband already knows I am - ha ha.) 

I made sure we all had the same ammunition - but I did set a few rules. (I know - I'm a party pooper.)

Rules were - 1) this is the only time we do this - we don't do it at school, restaurants, home, or other peoples houses!!!  2) Do on to others as you would want done to yourself - i.e. don't dish it if you can't take it.  3) No faces - I don't want any eye or ear injuries.  4) Have fun!!!

In retrospect I should have made a 5th rule - no food/drink down the pants. Yuck!!!

The ammunition!!! (A 2 liter and Redi Whip canister for each of us.)

The prep table after.

Great way to dye a shirt purple!!



It was fun - even though there were some tears. (Maybe our youngest wasn't quite old enough.)  I will share some advice though: we had a hose on hand for afterwards but I really should have had a towel ready so we could wipe our faces off afterwards.  The cool whip oozed down our faces and got into an eye or two which was no fun.  Also - the redi whip canisters were a major disappointment. They didn't fire far enough and seemed to 'melt' - it got super liquidy before it even exited the canister.

Alphabet Animals

A co-worker gave me this idea of Alphabet Animals. Her daughter's kindergarten teacher did it so I decided to try it out with my children too now that I have a kindergartner. I don't feel like we do enough arts & crafts at home so I wanted to give this simple project a try. I enjoyed it because it required minimal preparation and was simple to clean up.  As my kindergartner learns more letters in school, I plan on adding more animals to our alphabet.

I used construction paper to cut out the animal and then glued it to a piece of card stock for extra stability. Add markers, glue stick, stickers, etc. and you are set!

Girls Craft Day

Hip hip hooray for crafting day. Recently I got together with a few of my friends to do a few hours of crafting, have a nice meal out, and then watch the movie Bridesmaids. What a blast! 

Here are our projects:

My 2x4 pumpkins for fall

Back of my 2x4 pumpkins for Halloween

Sarah's vampire handouts for kids Halloween party (she made 50!)

Jen W getting a jump start on Christmas

Lacey's wine bottle pumpkins (finished product had twine around neck - super cute)

Katie's pumpkins

My BOO pumpkins

Turn them around and they are my fall pumpkins

My children's boo footprints

Katie's photo box (outside)

Katie's photo box (inside)

Unfortunately I am a slacker and didn't get Lori's door hanger - but it was super cute.  (I'll blame it on the whip cream vodka and orange soda.)

I must give pinterest most of the credit for my projects.

Please help me find these bird earrings

Does anybody know where I can buy these birds? They are all over etsy so I know they have to be sold somewhere - I've looked at local stores with no luck and searched on line but I am at a loss. I know I could order from etsy, but I'd like a few to give as presents so I'd rather buy the birds and then make my own. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!!  Thank you!!!

The Help

If you haven't read the book The Help by Kathryn Stockett yet - read it. If you haven't seen the movie yet - go to it.  I really enjoyed both and thought the movie did a good job following the book. 

I lost track of how many times I teared up - but they were for good reasons. (1) Being I'm a sap and (2) After having kids I find that I cry at everything - movies, parades, commercials, runs where I think about marathons, etc.

Woo Hoo - A craft project that worked!

I've been pinning a lot lately on Pinterest (oh my goodness it is addictive) and saw a super cute idea where you print a photo on to tissue paper and then mod podge it on to a canvas. Here is a link to the steps.  EPIC FAILURE!  It did print on to the tissue paper which was cool - but the mod podging sucked big time. I instantly tore the tissue paper while trying to smooth it out and then it went down hill from there. It was so bad I couldn't even stop to take a photo because I was busy peeling the tissue off so at least the canvas could be saved. I tried it again with just printing the photo on to regular paper and then mod podging it. That actually did work. My one mistake was that with the mod podge top coat I started on the green side (left) and worked to the white side (right) and the glue got a little discolored so I felt like the photo did too. Next time I will start light and work my way dark. Here is the result.

I used the gloss mod podge - perhaps matte would have been better?

I also did a letter for my niece. Talk about simple! The letter was pre-shaped (clearance for 50 cents - woo hoo). I bought a sheet of scrapbook paper (25 cents) and painted it with paint that was 1/2 off. (I love bargains!!)  I painted the back and sides of the letter first and let that dry. I figured it would be easiest to paint and then podge.  I traced the letter on to the scrapbook paper and cut it out with an exacto knife (more precise than scissors) and mod podged it on. (I actually used the back of the letter - not the front with the bevelled edges because it would be easy to put the paper on.) One layer down first and then one layer on top. I am super excited by how it turned out and hope she likes it!!  I actually have a little bit of guilt at how easy it was!  That will quickly go away though because the next letter to try is a M - which will require more than 1 sheet of paper. Yikes!

The other project I did successfully was re-purposing a book by turning it in to a pumpkin for my fall decorations. I got the idea from here. I lucked out and got the old book for free, found a twig, and so the only expense to this project was the $5 exacto knife and some ribbon.  I was thrilled to find my glue gun from when I was a child - and it still works!!! Talk about a happy dance!!!

I only did a few things differently - I didn't do the tea stain (to lazy) and I left the cover on the book - it was a paperback and I figured it would help it stand up better. I think I made a good choice!

Here it is:

I just asked my kids what it was and they said pumpkin - YES - it even passes the kid test!!

The rest of my weekend consisted of seeing the movie The Help (a MUST SEE - I highly recommend the book too!!!) and stopping by Real Deals so I share the experience of shopping there with a friend who has never been. She liked it a lot - but I was the only one who couldn't resist buying more treasures for my house.

I already had the bowl/tray/thingiemcbobber that I have never used so at least now it has a purpose. The idea all started with the globe - so I could use it as an educational tool for my kids - and progressed from there. I like the final result - although my son things the red ball is an onion. Hubby isn't too excited about it - and I know once I dust it I'll be annoyed - but for now - in the honeymoon stage - I can't take my eyes off of it and keep trying new placements for everything.

I had also picked up this little box for our remotes. The hubby actually likes this idea (bonus).  Hopefully now we can spend less time searching for lost remotes. I also bought the box in black and hope to find a purpose for it too.

Another marathon memento to put around my neck

The other day I saw a website that made necklaces for athletes.

I decided I HAD to HAVE a necklace in honor of the marathon I ran...2 years ago.

Isn't it spiffy?  You get to customize the charm piece with a map of the town you ran the race in.

My only question is.... Do I need 13 of them for each half marathon I've run?????

Check out thesilvermaple.com for more ideas.

Don't judge a book by its cover

A few weeks ago I went for a run in the morning before work (which I hadn't done for a while - even to say it hasn't been a while would be an exaggeration).  I noticed an older boat of a car parked in an odd spot (kind of the middle of nowhere). A man was standing outside of it with the trunk open and passenger door open. He was Windexing the passenger window - it was 5:45 in the morning.

The scene was definitely weird to me and my mind started to come up with random scenarios.

The one it settled on was that he was a kidnapper. I don't know why - the man was not threatening in any way - but it was the combo of the car (with the trunk open) and him windexing the freaking window at 5:45 AM.

I noticed there was a lady behind me walking her dogs. I kept running and let my mind wonder at the possibilities. "Does he use the people he kidnaps skin to make a skin outfit for himself - no wait - that's silence of the lambs".   "Does he like tall women, chubby women, redheads, etc."

{Side note - for those of you who think I am a freak - tell me what else my mind should be thinking about when I run. It has to drift off somewhere, doesn't it?}

I decided to change my route home - I was just too freaked out to go by the car again.  In my heart of hearts I new there was no harm or immediate threat to myself, but I secretly decided to watch the news that night to see if he made the crime report. 

I then wondered about the lady I saw behind me walking the dogs and wondered if he kidnapped her. (Can we say wild imagination?)

Luckily, I saw her down the road so I ran past her, and against all my better judgement - I decided to ask her if she was as creeped out by the guy windexing his windows with the trunk open.  She said no -he is there all the time. He's a runner and usually is stretching or something.

Boy did I feel like a ding bat (or rather I decided my imagination was a ding bat - I was just looking out for it - ha ha).

Fast forward to this week. I went running in the morning again (woo hoo - twice in one summer - wow).  On the return loop I ran past the street I had seen the man before and low and behold he was there running in my direction.  He make the corner before I got there. I figured, in my young age, I would eventually pass him (I estimate his age at 65+).  He was slightly ahead of me and I COULD NOT FOR THE LIFE OF ME CATCH UP WITH HIM. He is freaking fast!   I was shocked and appalled. I know I'm no speed demon - but come on - there's gotta be a 30 year age gap!  Nope - not a chance - the dude was gone!

So - the moral of the story is to never judge a book by its cover...

(or if you Windex your car windows in the wee early hours of the morning... with the trunk open... you'll run faster).

Loving my Lisa Leonard necklace

I finally ordered the pinwheel necklace from Lisa Leonard Design that I've had my eye on for a while and I love it. I'm pumped that I got to customize the saying. Instead of "play every day" I had it say "play laugh love". 

The photo doesn't do it justice.

(Sweet bonus I can even reuse the cute box and tissue paper.)

She also has a molded heart bracelet that I have my eye on, but I don't wear bracelets much so I'm thinking about it in necklace format.

Anyway - if you are ever interested check out her website: lisaleonardonline.com.

All you need is LOVE

In life...all you need is

Here is a short list about what I loved about this weekend:

A great camping trip filled with amazing weather, plentiful friends, a long float on the river, and kids exploring the great outdoors.

I love (although might regret) that now when my son sees my friends he claps and shouts "Yea! The margarita moms".

Getting immersed in a good book.

S'mores made with Andes mints - very refreshing.

Kids catching crawdads.

Bacon & beer pancakes for breakfast.

Dogs having a fun play date.

Seeing my son doing an amazing job riding his bike without training wheels.

Thinking about friends and family all across the world.

Kids faces with ice cream mustaches, sticky marshmallow lips, and/or streaks of dirt.

How a shower feels after a long weekend away.

Getting to hold a newborn baby for the first time and remembering when my kids were that little. 

Sharing a fun moment with two great friends and their baby.  Getting to see how their hearts swell with the love of their newest addition.

What did you love about your weekend????

Traditions

I started a tradition of taking the kids out for ice cream after their first & last day of school. This year I started another great tradition that I will look forward to for many years to come - Margaritas for Mommies after the first day of school. Five of us gathered to celebrate - and gave the kids an opportunity to play and talk about how fun school is. After all - it's all about the kids, right? It was great fun for everyone!!!  I contemplated Mimosas for Mommies after we drop them off, but then I figured that would just lead to a very unproductive day.

They say every day isn't great....

Every day isn't great - but there is something great in every day.  This weekend was living proof of that.  To me, weekends start on Friday afternoon, and this week my Friday afternoon was ROUGH.  Despite it being the birthday of 2 wonderful people {Michael and Eleanor} it was also the day of the memorial service for my children's principal {Mr. C} and the day I found out about some complications that happened to my friend and her child during the babies delivery.  To say the least, that part of the weekend was not great. I sobbed the entire memorial service. I honestly couldn't control myself and walked away with a wal-mart bag full of used kleenex (I'm a smart thinker and brought in my own box of tissues). My mind was then busy praying for my friend and her baby. 

To help me snap out of my funk I decided to share the great things that did happen this weekend. Things I am very grateful for:

* My youngest decided that once the baby (mentioned above) was born - he would no longer use training wheels while bike riding.  By golly he stayed true to his word and on Friday he was riding without training wheels. The most amazing part is that I didn't have to help him AT ALL ~ he just took off riding and did it! (I did find out later that he had been practicing at day care.)

* I got to go shopping while camping. A girl's dream come true!  The hubby and kids when on a scheduled hike with a group of other people and I wanted to dash up to the hospital to check on friend/baby.  After finding out that they were improving wonderfully I had time to run to a few stores and stop at a few garage sales (that just happened to be en route to the stores). I got some screaming deals at the Real Deals store (that is only open two days a week), picked up some great sale items at JoAnn Fabric, and found some stuff for camping at the garage sales.  The hike was a success for the rest of my family and my outing was a success for me!

* During the camping trip I got to spend some quality times with the kids in the great outdoors. No bill paying, tv watching, house cleaning, or laundry washing to distract us.  (We also enjoyed more reeses peanut butter cup smores - YUM.)

* One day/night I got to read the first numbered book in the Janet Evanovich series about Stephanie Plum. I'd been wanting to find a good book that was an easy entertaining read and I got that with this book. I was actually bummed that I didn't have #2 with me so I could start reading it too.

* I got to enjoy a fun four wheeler ride with Jennifer (a different one) and our kids.  We first went on a nice mommies only ride and then picked up the youngsters. With them we stopped to take pictures by a waterfall and even let the kids pick out a rock to keep as a souvenir (because you know a kid can never have to many rocks).  I haven't been on a four wheeler for probably 7 years so it was nice to go on a relaxing ride with a friend and share it with a child too.

* After coming back home (and taking necessary showers) we headed back to town and enjoyed a dinner out at our favorite burrito restaurant and then peeked in on friend/baby to discover they were both doing AWESOME!!! Baby was making huge improvements and Mommy was recovering really well.  Talk about putting a smile on my face and warmth in my heart!

Here are a few other photos from the weekend.

All the kids and teachers were invited up on stage during the memorial service to sing the school motto in memory of their principal. Then everybody got together (arms linked) and sang 'take me out to the ball game' in his memory because he loved baseball. It was a really special moment where we were all able to come together in Mr C's honor.

The ONLY way to eat a smore from here on out!! How did I not think of this sooner?

I love how I'm not the only one who can just stare at a campfire. I'm not sure why it is so mesmerizing and requires people to stare at it for hours.

Sample of above mentioned fire.

There were a few minor injuries while camping.  Two bike wrecks and a woman (me) who thought she could chop wood - while wood decided it should fly off at warp speed and hit me in my shin.

Getting ready for the first day of school

This year I've planned ahead and have big ideas for the first day of school. Although it is normal for me to take a (few) first day photos - I wanted to step it up a notch this year and make something that will make the photos more unique - and help me remember crucial information years from now.

Here is a sample of the poster I'm going to have each child hold for their morning picture.

It's just a simple PowerPoint that I plan on customizing with the teacher's name, school, date school starts, and the kids age (i.e. the crucial information that will help with memory loss years from now).  I printed it on card stock and am going to glue it to a piece of scrap booking paper (in their favorite color).  I'm definitely still going to take photos in front of the school, with the teacher, by the classroom, etc. but at least this one will be a little more unique.

I also want to take the time to do a first day of school survey (can't call it a quiz - don't want the kids to freak). It falls along the lines of information you used to fill out in their baby book when they said their first word, what their favorite food was, favorite stuffed animal, etc. I combined ideas off of a few different posts on pinterest and made my own.  My favorite part is having them write their name. I'm excited to see how their handwriting progresses over the years.

Here's my survey (that I printed on card stock so it will last longer):

2011 First Day of School Survey

Write Your Name: ___________________________________

Grade: ___________________                  Age: ____________________

Favorite Food: ______________________________________________

Favorite Drink: _____________________________________________

Favorite TV Show: ___________________________________________

Favorite Activity: ___________________________________________

Favorite Game to Play: ________________________________________

Favorite Movie: _____________________________________________

Favorite Song to Sing: ________________________________________

Favorite Candy/Snack/Dessert: _________________________________

Favorite Color: _____________________________________________

Favorite Toy: _______________________________________________

Favorite Animal: ____________________________________________

Favorite Book: ______________________________________________

Best Friend: _______________________________________________

What makes you happy? _______________________________________

What makes you sad? ________________________________________

What do you want to be when you grown up? ________________________

The last idea I have (also from pinterest) is to trace their hand onto thick paper (card stock, scrap booking, or cardboard).  Cut them out and then put them on a little ring. After doing this year after year I'll have a nice visual of how much they've grown. I'm a sucker for hand prints!



What are you planning on doing? Please share other ideas (before it is to late and they are graduating high school).

Accessorizing on the wild side

My sister-in-law {Gail} can wear all types of jewelry and make it look not only gorgeous but also natural. I really admire her sense of style and how she just knows what will look good together.  I decided to take my admiration a step further and try to spice up my jewelry collection and step out side the box of what I normally wear (wedding band and boring silver post earrings).  So today I took a step on the wild side and wore a beautiful new necklace I just purchased from Allora Handmade. I originally saw it on Lisa Leonard Online where she mentioned that several people stopped her to ask about the necklace. Flip through some of her other 'what I wore Wednesday' posts and you'll see it matched with several other outfits. My closet consists of navy, brown, and black. Nothing in moss green yet that is the color I feel in love with - and am SO glad I did!

I contemplated getting the mini version but that would be skimping on stepping outside the box. I'm so glad I didn't skimp and got the wilder (for me) full size version.  Super duper cute. I'm now coveting another color {mustard} (another color not currently found in my closet) but she is all sold out so I have to wait [patiently]. (P.S. Sign up on-line for her newsletter and get a code for 15% off your first order.)

Today I also sported a new ring that was also inspired by {Gail}.

I got it at Dillards on a recent shopping trip.
I originally wanted it on my pointer finger

but quickly realized my finger is a little plumper than I thought so I had to switch it to my ring finger.

The switch wasn't a big deal - I just thought it was more outgoing of me to wear it on the pointer finger.

His, Hers, Theirs

I'm not really artsy fartsy (well...maybe...ha ha) but today I decided to step outside the box and embrace my creative side.  Typically what happens is I have wonderful visions in my head, but then I put pen to paper and the final result looks nothing like my original vision so I tend to not utilize my artistic side. 

Today was a slight exception. Perhaps because there was no painting or drawing - only paper, scissors, and glue. Drum roll please.....here is my creation......

Heart cut outs of the town where my husband was born, I was born, and where our children were born.  Glue em to card stock paper and you're done. 
Finishing that projected motivated me to reorganized a bookshelf where I can display it. 

Before:

After:

I bought the word FAMILY from Ross for $7 and the star from Joanns for half price.  The one of a kind bird artwork is compliments of my son.   My only problem is that there is a lot going on in a little space, so I will probably reorganize some more, but it will work for today!

The hole in my heart

There is a hole in my heart today, a hole in my boy's school, and a hole in our community.  I try to keep my blog posts whimsical and uplifting - unfortunately this post will not be like that. This post in in honor of my boy's principal who passed away this weekend (I think due to complications from a heart attack).  To respect his family, who doesn't know me from Eve, I will just call him Mr. C. 

Ever since Mr. C found my son standing by the side of the road waiting for his daycare to pick him up after school (they left without him)- and sent him back inside to the warmth and safety of the secretaries office so she could call me to come and get him - Mr. C has been a saint in my book.  He is the principal that knew every kids name and was constantly seen walking the halls/perimeter of the school interacting with the students/parents/teachers.  He was a very hands on principal who held little competitions over the school intercom and kept kids active.  To put it simply - he was a great man.

I had a family tragedy of my own a few years ago so I am all to familiar to the damn grief cycle and right now I am MAD. Real MAD. Not at Mr. C - heck no - I could never be mad at him - I am mad that such a wonderful man who touched so many lives and affected the future of our children was taken away at such a young age.  He was only 53.   I'm mad at myself for never thinking about the fact that he also had a family of his own - because to me that school was his family.  I am mad that despite him living a healthy life and being a runner - that it wasn't enough.  I am mad for many other selfish reasons.  I am also sad - so very sad because I know he still had a long fulfilling life ahead of him and it was taken away from him to soon. 

I hope this blog post helps me find some peace because damn it - I don't want to put on my big girl panties and deal with the reality that this is life - that it happens every day to loved one. I know that first hand from my own tragedy and it just reminds me that I don't deal well with death.  Friends I know have lost parents, siblings, and even spouses and I haven't dealt well with those losses either. I have a hard time comforting them properly perhaps because I know first hand the pain they are feeling - and it adds and extra hole to my heart to know I can't help them - I can't take away their pain - I can't change the outcome - and that quite possibly the only way the pain softens a little is with time and the only way they will know that is with time.  There is no use telling them that 'time heals' because it takes a long - long time.  You will never fully get over the heartache, but the ache will eventually soften.

I am currently reading a book called Miler Markers by Kristin Armstrong and just yesterday I read a paragraph that seems truer today than yesterday. "When people are hurting we want to reach out, help, solve, assist, support, love and comfort.  Yet our desires are often thwarted by futility. We can't cure cancer. We can't heal a child.  For as much as we wish we could, we can't always make things okay." I think that sums up pretty well how helpless and mad I currently feel.

I hate the saying 'everything happens for a reason', because I see no reason for the loss of my loved one, my friend's brother, my friend's husband, or Mr. C.  They were all good people - and instead bad people still get to live on this earth. 

Right now I think the best thing I can do is to continue to remind my children that they need to properly honor Mr. C by doing what I can only assume he would have wanted them to do - and that is to live their life to the fullest, always try their hardest and do their best, never take life for granted, and to always be respectful, responsible, and ready to learn. 

I'll end this post in tears and by trying to remind all of us to practice some of the words in the country song "live like you were dying".  Hug your kids longer tonight, give them extra kisses, and hope that the hundreds of kids that had Mr. C as a principal are dealing with this better than I am.

The 26.2 most important reasons why women run - part 1

I just got this book from the library (yea library) and am already hooked and I am only on page 4! 

"I am not a good runner because I am me, I am a good me because I am a runner....Running is connected to my family, my parenting, my spiritual life, my fitness, my friendships, my health, my sanity, my peace. I can clear my head and solve problems when I run, or make peace with not knowing. I can find beauty, or at least redemption, no matter what."

I can only hope the next 272 pages are as good as the first 4. I will keep you posted!

(The book is called Mile Markers and it is written by Kristin Armstrong.)

Sweet Summertime

I love summer. I mean really LOVE summer. I grew up in the south where we had 9 months of summer and now I live in the northwest where we have 9 months of winter. I hate snow - therefore I hate winter. I mean HATE winter.  When summer finally arrives here - its days are always numbered.  Only a few short weeks left and then poof - it will be gone.  Gone will be the days of capris and no coat.  Gone will be sandals and sunscreen. Boo hoo. I had a panic last weekend when I saw this:

Hay bales in a field. You may ask why hay bales would make me panic.  Hay bales = fall (which is not summer). I like fall, it's enjoyable....it reminds me of pumpkin pie and chili.  But it also brings snow - evil, horrible, cold snow. Bleh...I feel sick already. 
The only good thing that came out of this photo above is that it made me want to do a photo homage to summer.


Summer,

I love your... fresh fruit,

vegetable gardens,

campfires that roast marshmallows and make smores,

flowers,

farm fun,

green grass,

Family hikes,

bike rides, camping trips, swimming, runs without layers, nights that stay light past 5 pm, and hot days that provide a fabulous excuse for ice cream.  I will miss you when fall comes - hurry back!!!