This Is My Story

Update

2010-11-17T11:38:00.006-06:00

Wow, it has been way too long since my last post. I guess Facebook has taken priority with quick updates. I miss my blog and always think I will start to plan ahead posts but with the crazyness of my life, it never happens. So where do i begin...

Since the beginning of school we have had our ups and downs. Since I am the VP for our local homeschool support group, that has taken an enormous amount of my time out of my day. I have planned lots of events, but am lacking alot of help from people in the group which is dissappointing. We have had an overload of activities which have been great, yet time consuming to say the least. Here are a few:

Chrissy's reading has seriously improved and she is now reading chapter books. Her new favorite series is Judy Moody. I was worried since she was struggling with it a little last year, but this year she has really blossomed! Her comprehension is much better with silent reading which I was a little surprised by. She really enjoys reading her Bible. She saved her money and bought herself a new pink one. I am very proud of her!

On to vacation: Before we left to go on our first family vacation, Oscar got something into his eye and his cornea had an allergic reaction to it. That resulted in lots of Dr. visits, a leave of absence from work, lots of expensive meds, no sun exposure, no going outside and 3 1/2 weeks of recovery with no going to work. Glad that is over with. However, in the middle of all that the Dr. okayed his vacation (not a good idea in the end since his eye got worse) and we went to San Antonio for a few days. We had a good time looking around the city, going to the awesome zoo, visiting The Alamo and going through Natural Bridge Caverns. Here is Chrissy at the zoo.

Ok, below is a picture of Chrissy's Rodeo Art for this year. She didn't move on the show but I am so proud of her for trying her best! I told her I'd post it on Facebook and apparently that makes me the best mom ever. Interesting how many other things don't win the award of best mom ever!

Drawing and A New School Year

2010-08-19T18:34:00.004-05:00

A couple of days ago we were headed out to the store and before we left my brother, Kort pulled into the driveway. So I left the car running for Chrissy and hopped out to talk for a few minutes. Well it ended up being like 45 minutes, but we were talking about books we each have been reading. As we were chatting, Kort kept rubbing the sweat off his head. I mean hey, it was 100 degrees outside and the humidity was ridiculous! Then we look back at Chrissy in the car and she holds this picture up to the window. HILARIOUS! It's Kort sweating! See the beads of sweat on his head? LOL! Ok, so now that I've shared only one of her MANY drawings lately that are too funny, on to other things.

Next week begins a new school year of homeschool. Super excited for it to begin. I can't believe she is going into the 2nd grade. My baby is growing up.

We are doing things a little different this year and some of the same as well. We are adding a more structured curriculum. This is the different curriculums we will use for this year:

Bible: Leading Little Ones to God and AWANA
Spelling/Poetry: ABeka 2
Language Arts: ABeka 2
Math: ABeka 2
Phonics: ABeka 2
Handwriting(cursive): ABeka 1 (beginning cursive)
History: The Story of the World Vol. 1 (Ancient Times)
Science: Classic Science by Scott McQuerry

We are still going to use our workboxes this year as I found it extremely helpful in keeping Chrissy on task and moving along on her own. She will have the full 12 boxes this year. She also has a bigger desk, a few new binders for her different subjects, a chore chart and lots of new school supplies. I'm really excited about the upcoming field trips with our local homeschool group as well. We have several scheduled for each month. I think I would say I have been anxiously awaiting the school year all summer. I'm also looking forward to cooler days when we can do school outside or even in her playhouse. I think one week I might even turn the whole thing into our school house. I'll take our posters, word charts and dry erase board out there.

I am also going to start a little bit of a new routine. Due to the heat we haven't been taking our daily bike ride like we should but I'm ready to start back in on those as well as a bible study for myself called Nine Fruits of the Spirit. It is a 9 book series that I will work through each morning in my quiet time with God. I'm really looking forward to doing more studying in the Word and more jounraling as well. I am already an early riser but I think now I am going to try to even wake up an hour earlier so that I can have my quiet time and time to prepare myself for the day. I also think it will help us go to bed a little earlier than we have been this summer. I know Oscar sure could use the extra sleep as he has only been getting between 4 to 5 hours nightly. Not good! So here's to a new routine for the entire family.

Homeschool

2010-07-16T23:26:00.003-05:00

A wise blogger, Misty Krasawski, said "You may have already learned it, but if not, let me make it clear:as you homeschool your kids, GOD IS HOMESCHOOLING YOU! God has a plan for you in homeschooling. He does not want to make you cry. He does not want your eyes to glaze over when someone calls "Mommy" for the zillionth time. He does not want you to feel like you are the only one bearing this burden, because He has a plan."

Here she also has some very interesting printables to help with planning. I am going to be using some of them and working some more on planning the school year. I have almost all of the books I need and now I'm waiting on the back-to-school sales to start.

The Big Reveal!

2010-05-26T21:45:00.004-05:00

Today was Chrissy's 7th birthday. Where does the time go? We have been working on her gift for months now and today was the big reveal. We stayed up extra late to add the final touches.

Love the wooden swings we made for the outside. They are wide enough to last a long time.

The day bed with book shelves behind it. What do you think of this awesome chandelier. Yes, it is a working chandelier in a playhouse. It has a dimmer and everything. LOL

This is the adirondack chair me and Oscar made to put on the porch. Perfect kid size! I got the plan from Knock Off Wood. She has some amazing and super cute plans for all sorts of stuff. And the best part, ITS FREE!

This was a mailbox I made a while back. The lady in the paint dept gave me a spray paint to seal it and waterproof it. So taking her word for it, I went home and shook it up and sprayed it right on top. Ya, it wasn't a clear coat but a black laquer. Ruined the whole thing. I had to strip it and repaint. It's not as cute as it was but it works.

We made this bed out of some 1X2's and a crib mattress. I made the quilt from scrap fabric and the tiny pillows out of Chrissy's old T-shirts.

I bought these old maple syrup jugs at a resale shop thinking they would be a cute decoration. I hot glued them to the board so that they wouldn't be knocked off and cause a potential hazard for the kids.

This was an amazing project I got to work on with my husband. It was a time we will never forget sharing together. Even through frustrations we had a great time building it for Chrissy and hope it will give her many wonderful childhood memories!

The ..uh...tool shed...

2010-05-13T10:32:00.003-05:00

This is Oscar's new "Tool Shed". We have been working on it for months now just to get it ready for Chrissy's birthday...I mean for Oscar's tools. I am still working on the inside but right now it has a bed and a table and chairs and some wall art. We still have to hang the chandelier I bought and spray painted and make the stove and sink area. It is so stinkin cute. I would have fell over if I got this as a kid! We have actually kept her out of it and she still thinks it is a tool shed. I'm so glad! It is going to be a big surprise.

Chrissy said" Dad why does your tool shed have pink flowers?" Oscar says,"The flowers are for Mommy."

That was a close one. But with the flowers and landscaping and yellow paint, I thought she would have caught on by now. We put a lock on the door and pillowcases over the window so she couldn't take a peak just incase she got curious.

Official VP

2010-04-20T07:29:00.002-05:00

Last night I was so nervous about the vote for board positions of our homeschool group! I really had to pray that God would let it happen if it was right for me and my family or lead me where I was suppose to go if it wasn't where I was supposed to be. Well, I guess he felt I should be there because I got this amazing calm come over me before the meeting and I really wasn't very nervous anymore.

They took nominations and voted and I am one of the new VP's. I am so super excited about upcoming events and plans for this next year. I do realize I am going to need lots of help and I have recruited my SIL, Beka as being my right hand woman! She is always awesome about helping me. Especially right now we have this big event planned and she has done an amazing job helping to coordinate it with me. We are a great team!

In other news, I am really busy today since it's Oscars birthday! The big 27!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE! WE LOVE YOU! Got a lot to do. He wants me to cook chicken and dumplings, candied yams, cabbage greens, corn bread and you know I have to make him a Chocolate cake for the chocoholic!

A few highlights...

2010-04-06T09:14:00.004-05:00

This is a picture of Chrissy with her new inline skates. She begged for these for Christmas so I ordered them. Several days went by without them shipping so I called TRU. They said that the website had oversold the skates and they wouldn't get them in stock till mid January. I was so frustrated because they had already charged me. They agreed to take the shipping off which was $10 by itself. I agreed and said I would wait for them. Then 2 days later my order was cancelled entirely. So I called again, and this time I was pretty irritated because they said all I could do was wait until they got them back in and then reorder. So needless to say one of the things that was on the top of Chrissy's list was now at the bottom because i couldn't find skates in her size anywhere this late in the game. Well, when I got an email at the beginning of January saying they were in stock, I jumped on the phone to call them. The customer rep this time was soooo nice! She even gave me half off with an additional 10% off and free 2 day shipping. I really got a steal on this one! When they arrived Chrissy was so happy! We immediately went to the road to skate.

Side note: No, I don't let her play in the street alone, we go with her and our neighborhood is very quite with traffic!! We have taught her to get way off the street when they hear or see a car coming, which is rare.
This was taken at my grandma's in the Hill Country. We had a very nice Spring Break there visiting with family. We have been 2 years in a row and plan to make it a tradition and go back every year for Spring Break! Oh, did I mention I actually fell in the river that same day. We were supposed to be jumping across the rocks, trying not to get our feet wet in the cold water. Well I made it across but on the way back I lost my balance and fell in. I broke 2 toenails really badly! Super painful to say the least, but at the same time I couldn't help but laugh. It was ridiculous and funny at the same time.

We took a field trip to the Health and Science Museum after studying the human body at our co-op. It was really interesting and the kids had a great time. This picture was of Chrissy riding a bike on the outside of the glass box and it shows you what your skeleton looks like riding a bike at the same time. Really cool!!

We have had an amazing time being a part of this co-op this year! We have covered some really great topics and the kids have became good friends. Chrissy looks forward to going to co-op every Friday.

This is Chrissy's car we made for the AWANA Drive In. I thought it was pretty elaborate with the rims, VW symbol on the front and back, and even a rag top on the back, flower in a tube and cup and popcorn holder inside. Ya, well I was seriously mistaken!!! There was a kid that had a transforming car with lights and everything and the kid that won first place had a Navy Jet. It was seriously elaborate!!

Ok, I am going to try to be better about posting to my blog more. I have been lacking in communication since Twitter came about. I twitter almost daily and forget to type on my blog. I'll do better, promise!

Snow- 2 years in a row!

2009-12-06T22:22:00.003-06:00

Yes, it snowed here in the south for the second year in a row. I couldn't believe it! We went out and played for a couple of hours and then came in for some hot cocoa. This was the most snow I've ever seen in my life. I know, I know, anyone more north than us would be laughing right now. Seriously though, it was amazing and so beautiful!

Then we went out ice skating. I was a little worried about the ice on the roads when leaving but there was only one spot that was icy and other than that the roads had been sanded very well. Anyway, the ice skating was nice. I didn't try it but Chrissy did and she was amazing! I was so proud of her. She only fell a couple times but she skated around mostly without holding on to anything.

Well, here is one of my projects for Christmas. I found the pattern here. I hope my niece will like it and hope it will help her learn her name and help with her buttoning skills.

I decided this year to do more homemade gifts. I have a few more to make. I made the cutest monkey with a pattern here. I changed it up a tad with a bow instead of a beret and added a pink pearl necklace. All I have left is to paint on the mouth. Then my daughter crawls behind my bed and emerges with it saying "Wow, it's so beautiful." AHHH!!!! I was so frustrated with her! I was so excited about putting it under the tree but now she has seen it. Oh well, still gonna give it to her for Christmas.

I am also making a bug collection case for my nephew. I hope he will like it! I am going to put together some bug collecting things and add it to the case.

More to come soon...

Black Friday is here!

2009-11-27T02:06:00.003-06:00

Thanksgiving was wonderful. I totally love my family! I love seeing them and laughing with them! I love hearing my brothers play guitar. It used to make me really sad to hear them play old songs that my dad used to sing and sometimes it still does but today it was more calming than ever! Forgot how much I love to hear them sing together. Cooking took longer than I expected and I even had prepared days in advance. And uhhh my rolls didn't really rise but Beka's were delicious so it was fine!

So I was going to sleep since I had a severe lack of sleep last night from baking and smoking a turkey. Well, what can I say accept my friend called and told me about some Toys R Us deals and I stayed up to try to get some of them online. I wanted to get a couple Littlest Pet shop Vip plush dolls but they were out of stock 2 minutes after it went live. Go figure. But I did get some skates!! YAY! I thought those would be the easiest thing to find but actually they were proving to be quite difficult. Now me and my SIL are off to Walmart for some other deals. We do this yearly and even if I could get it online, I'd still rather us go out in the cold and stand in a crazy ridiculous line for a few hours. Just cuz it is tradition now.

I have a few pics to share but they are going to have to wait till later. I keep forgetting to load them so I can post a new blog post. Sorry for the long period away! We have been doing really well with homeschooling and I'm really glad we made that choice. We have made lots of new friends in the process, one which I will be seeing shortly in the crazy long lines at Walmart. HAHA We even started a co-op with a group of other families that are just starting out homeschooling. We have lots of activities during the week so its really nice to be off this week for the holidays. Back to the grind next week though.

OK, off to get dressed, go shopping and get one huge coffee!! Did I mention it is actually cold here. Ya, like in the 30's. That's chilly for us. I actually have to wear a jacket finally. LOL

Pumpkin Patch '09

2009-10-23T09:43:00.005-05:00

We went to visit family last weekend and on the way we saw a sign for a pumpkin patch. We haven't ever gotten to visit a real pumpkin patch with pumpkins still on the vine so we decided that on our way home we would stop and visit since we are studying pumpkins this week.

It was such a beautiful day and the farm was awesome!! It cost $5 a person to get in. You begin by going through a corn maze which is called the Rivers of Louisiana. Each path is labeled by a river name. When you exit out the back of the maze you are in a big pumpkin patch where you can pick any pumpkin of your liking (included in admission). There are big ones, little ones, short ones, fat ones, tall ones and ones with deep ridges and regular smooth one. Chrissy kept choosing different ones and then she would see another she liked better.

She ended up picking one she could barely even carry.LOL I is a pretty one though!

I picked a different one too! I couldn't resist the deep ridged ones. They are so unique and you never see those in the store.

After you pick your pumpkin you get on a hayride that takes you to the front of the farm to a washing station. The lady told us that you have to clean them really well and get all the dirt off or it will rot quickly.

After you have washed your pumpkin you can either take it to your car or take it back on the hayride over to the play area where they have a building you can go in to paint it or put Mr. Potato head pieces on it to make a face.

The play area was really neat. It had 2 sandboxes filled with dry feed corn. There were lots of kids diving around in that. Chrissy didn't want to get out. Then there was 3 wooden seat swings hanging from a tree, climbing trees, an old time water pump with shoots to wash plastic ducks down to your partner and then they wash them back to you and there was even a train ride too.

After you do all the playing you want, you can also go over to the pond where there are ducks to feed and huge catfish. When I say huge I mean ridiculously huge! I have never seen any catfish that enormous before in my life.

This place was so worth $5! I mean seriously, pumpkins at the store are at least $3.99. We got a fun family experience, lots of memories and a huge pumpkin of our choice. Chrissy did not want to leave.

The owners were extremely nice people! They talked to us when we first arrived and while washing our pumpkins. They invited us back during the holidays to cut a fresh Christmas tree. They said they have had people from San Antonio all the way to Chicago stop in for their trees. Since our tree farm closed last year after 20 years of service, we are looking for a new tree farm. Since it is really far I will have to think about it but they are going to have sleigh rides!! Might be worth the trip!

Fun Finds- Fun Times

2009-09-27T16:30:00.003-05:00

We have been so busy lately trying to keep up with all that is going on. So many activities, so little time. I'm trying to limit the things we do because I can definitely see how it can get way out of hand. We have done so many things lately that I'm really excited about, like skating, bowling and park days. We have also had a good time at home.

This is Chrissy and Kameron in a tent like clubhouse we made in the yard. They had so much fun out there! We are so going to do that again!

This is Chrissy bowling on park day (we got rained out). It's really awesome because our homeschool group gets a discounted rate of $1 per game and it includes shoes. We had a blast. She keeps asking when we will be going again.

This is Chrissy at the a new park. It is really an awesome park. We are planning to make it a regular!

Ok, this is something neat I found when I was searching around for more ideas with Bento boxes, courtesy of Family Fun. I thought it was such an adorable idea and so pretty! Chrissy would go wild for these!

This is something else I am definitely going to be doing for her bento boxes. It is PBJ sushi. She begged for so long to have sushi and one day I decided I would get this kit and try it. Ya, so we decided sushi is a definite NO for our family. But wouldn't these be so cute as an alternative? Picture courtesy of Gourmet Mom on the go.

We are in planning mode for the Kids Halloween Party. I totally love planning for this with my SIL, Beka. It is one of the most awesome things we have done over the past years. The kids love it and so do we! Invitation will probably go out next week sometime.

Also, planning a mom get together in a couple weeks. Hope everyone can join us! I think it will be so awesome to just talk and share ideas with everyone. I have a couple of ideas I'd like to share and get everyone's opinion on. Hope it is a good turn out and we can decide on a place and time for regular meetings.

Upcoming Books

2009-09-04T15:51:00.004-05:00

These are a few of the books we will be reading in the next few weeks. We are really loving homeschool so far. Of course, it gets so stressful at times and I have to take a few minutes to remind myself why I'm doing this.

In joining a homeschool group recently, I have met some really nice women that have alot of the same views as us and are also new to homeschooling. It's really nice to meet more people that are like-minded and have children about the same age.

For a while I felt like I wasn't connected to the outside world. I was so preoccupied with things here that I didn't really get out. Now that we have decided to homeschool and have found a support group, it has not only opened up alot of things for Chrissy, it has opened up a whole new world for me. And to tell you the absolute truth, even though it scary and stressful sometimes, it is so amazing and I'm so grateful!

Rundown of Our Homeschool System

2009-08-20T17:14:00.012-05:00

I want to share some things about my homeschooling venture thus far. These are the things I've been incorporating into our schedule and using for our homeschool venture. It's been alot of work so far to get it ready to use this year but I think it was well worth the time and effort! I hope that some of this will help someone else out there trying to get started!

Workboxes: I had a 6 section box from my dad’s old drawing desk. Since it was super deep I had my brother cut it in half a while back so that it would make 12 slots. These became the perfect workbox holder for us! I turned it on its side to look like magazine holders would. Then I got priority boxes (11 7/8 X 13 5/8 X 3 3/8) from the post office and cut them in half width wise to make boxes that slide into the slots. I used some cute paper and glued it to the front of each box. Although we only use 10 slots and the additional slots I took the divider out and made it a section where I can put things that are too big to fit in the other slots. Thats the picture of them above. I think I may do a little tweaking but they have been wonderful so far!

Planner: I use several different pages, some I created on my own and others from TheMasterPlanner.com. It is a downloadable database full of lesson plan sheets, report card templates, organizers for field trips, support groups, books read. It has numerous forms that would take me forever to make myself. I got it on sale for half price. Great deal!

Behavior Chart: Ok this purely came about because my daughter told me one day that she didn’t want to homeschool and when I asked her why she said, “I can’t earn great day tickets at homeschool.” So then I decided to make up a chart that she could put a clothes pin on and if she was misbehaving she must move it down. For each color there is an amount of play money (mini replicas of real money so she could learn to work with money) that she can earn each day. After moving her clip twice she will start to lose money and TV time. At the end of each week she has the option to cash in her money for various things (i.e.: something out of the treat bucket, prize bucket, ice cream at sonic, extra computer time) or she can continue to save the money for higher priced items (i.e.: picnic and park day, pizza and movie night, pick your own dinner). This so far has been great! She hates to move her clip! No saving yet. She wants the quick things.

Literature based curriculum: My friend shared with me this amazing and free site to do Literature based learning. HomeschoolShare.com. They are adding more to it all the time and have recently added a workbox section, new lesson plans for several books including Polar Express which we will be doing around Christmas. They are divided into sections by appropriate age. It includes bible study in some, math, language arts, social studies, science and art in the lesson plans for each book. There is also a program called five in a row. There are 4 books in the set. We have the first book and will be doing those plus many of the ones from HomeschoolShare.

Math Curriculum: We are using the Saxon Math 1 right now. It started off really slow with basically a review and a slow one at that but I think we are about to be in new territory. Can’t wait!

Center Activities: I used several sites to build my file folders for centers. Here are a few:
TeacherFileBox.com- It does charge a fee/ month, I think $12.99 but your first month is only 99 cents
FileFolderFun.com- they have several good games and add more all the time
HomeschoolShare.com- they have a new workboxable section in what’s new
I have also found several good laminated placemat style activities including the marker at the Target dollar spot
There are a few good educational placemats for $1 at Walmart also such as The world, The Us with state capitals, presidents and the solar system.

Audio Books: I check out a few audio books every week to add into our day. Chrissy loves them and there is a good selection at our library. More cassette tapes than CD’s but they still have quite a few books on CD.

Handwriting: My Mom (Mrs. Ferrel) made my daughter, niece and nephew a laminated book with pages of traceable letters and sentences for each letter along with the space to free write the letters, numbers and sentences for practice. It is awesome because we use it every morning to practice her handwriting. It really has improved!

Bible Study: I really like the stories that CBHministries.org tells everyday. They call it Keys for Kids. You can listen to them on the window media player. The man gives a verse from the bible, the kids sing a short song, then the man tells a short story that incorporates the bible verse and makes the kids think. We do other bible activities as well but I think this quick version is a nice addition. We are also joining the AWANA group in our area. I'm going to volunteer and I think it will be a great experience.

Flashcards: You can get so many good flashcards at dollar tree, target dollar spot or 99 Cent store. Also there is a site called HomegrownHearts.com where you can find numerous free printable flashcards including ones to learn states, continents and planets.

Websites that help:
• EnchantedLearning.com- ridiculous amount of printable info, activities and worksheets
• HomeGrownHearts.com- several printable worksheets and flashcards
• HomeschoolShare.com
• zaner-bloser.com- spelling worksheets

Seriously, there is so much I could write out but this is an overview of some important things I wanted to cover. If you have anything you'd like to share, like curriculum, activities or just anything leave a comment cuz I'd love to hear your ideas!

Workbox Brainstorming

2009-08-11T19:27:00.007-05:00

I wanted to list some of the ideas I have for filling workboxes. I've searched around the internet and tried to come up with a list of things we could use in our daily routine for 1st grade. These are just additions to the things we do daily (bible study, unit study book, math, subject of the day and handwriting). These additions are things she could look forward to doing in her boxes and some are things I would like her to do during the day.

Walking By the Way has an awesome list compiled! I got lots of ideas from her!

If you have any more ideas please leave me a comment! I'd love to add to our list so I can add more creative things in our day!

Board copy work

Journaling - with a new topic each day

Activity Mat with dry erase marker (found some really neat ones in the target dollar spot)

Puzzles - I have an old wooden United Stated puzzle and one of the world

flash cards- math and phonics and sight words (many good printable ones HERE)

crafts

pen pal letters

Audio books

alphabetizing cards

word family activity (so awesome and free)

computer time (PBS Kids, Starfall, scholastic)

library books

Tag Reader

Peggy Kayes Games (I checked some books out from the library)

AWANA Book

Grasshopper game with sidewalk chalk

File Folder Fun
Take it to Your Seat Activities (and so much more for only $0.99 for 1st month)

Silly Sentences

Recipe Activities

Leapster Game (give time limit card)

Think Weekly Challenge

Educational board game

Writing around the room

Coloring or Scissor practice pages (more advanced depending on how good she gets)

Making Postcards

Art Activities

Scienece Experiements

Nature Journal- Outdoor Hour Challenge

Stitching Cards- How to make them
Sight Word Flashcards

Cat's Cradle book- Klutz String games

A couple more that I'd love to get are:

Mad Libs Jr.

Reading Rods- Simple Sentences Kit

Draw Write Now

Work Boxes

2009-08-11T18:41:00.001-05:00

So a couple of weeks ago my SIL gave me some info on this new system for homeschooling called workboxes. The system was created by Sue Patricks. So far I am totally loving workboxes! Although I have changed a few things for our days. It has made a huge difference in our day! Chrissy isn't crying at the thought of math anymore. She actually enjoys going through her boxes. She even wakes up some Saturday mornings asking if she can do school! LOL What public school kid that you know actually asks to go to school on the weekends?

Basically, you have 12 boxes and you fill each box with an activity or lesson. Your day is broken down into smalled portions. I put her bible study on one, handwriting in the next, her book for the unit study in one, language arts in one, math lesson and worksheet in one, audio book, center activity, file folder games and so on.

I found a reason why to use workboxes list at Walking by The Way and totally agree!

1. Independence- Your child learn to work independently. Not everything is done alone, but it helps your child work toward self-directed learning.

2. Motivation- Your child will be excited about the fun things she sees waiting for her.

3. Creativity- You can clearly see what your child is learning daily and if you need to add some spice and variety to your day.

4. Resourcefulness- You will finally have time for those thing syou bought at a convention that just sits on a shelf becauce you don't have time to use them.

5. Accountability- Twelve empty boxes in my face reminds me that I need to do my job as a teacher and get ready for school the next day. Twelve full boxes remind your child that she needs to do her job and work hard throughout the day.

6. Accomplishment- Your child will take pride in a job well done when she finishes her last boxes of the day. You will also feel accomplished in your homeschooling.

7. Easy Transition- How many times have you lost your student trying to transition form one activity to the next? Workboxes put an end to the transition craziness. You flow from one thing to the next because everything you need is right there in the box.

8. Time Saving- This goes hand in hand with some of the other things but you will be able to save time. Get more done in less time. Who can argue with that?

Chrissy's Garden Party

2009-06-16T18:07:00.010-05:00

I made a Welcome sign to greet all the guests as they entered the yard. I used two old frames I had saved and tied them together with ribbon. I draped flower garland, lace ribbon and butterflies over the edge. Then I hand stamped"Welcome to Our Garden" on poster board and taped it to the frame.

This is our tablescape. I shopped at resale shops for months finding odds and ends for this. I used birds, tins, flower garlands, baskets, robins eggs in birds nests, a tiny watering can, candy filled carrots and butterfly/ flower wands. I covered the table with an old pink flowered curtain I found at a resale shop. I cut the loops off and hemmed it up.I also found the most adorable mouse that had a farm dress on and a basket in her hand, that I used on the food table. I also served the drinks from large glass containers that I wrapped with ribbon and labeled with fruit punch and pink lemonade. We even had a tiny table for two of our littlest guests. I covered it with the same fabric as the other table and put a small basket of flowers in the center.

I made the tissue balls from a tutorial on Martha. They were super easy and adorable! I then put up an old awning we had and strung twine from the center to the edge so that I could drape tulle across it.

I also found an adorable bird house tutorial that I used to make place cards. They held bird seed for each child to take home.

We served turkey and cheese sammies, PBJ's, cheese, crackers, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, pineapple, watermelon and goldfish for the kids. I also set up a separate area for the parents with hot dogs, chips and dip.

My daughters main request for the party was that we have a used book exchange. So with that in mind I gather several gently used books from resale shops. Then I made book bags for each child. I found some adorable pillowcases at the dollar store and cut them into 4 pieces. (in half on both sides) Them I stitched them together and added embellishments and a shoulder strap. I tied one to each child's chair.

We also painted pots that I found in the Target dollar spot. It was a kit that came with the pot and paints for a buck. Can't beat that! I also gave each kid a goody bag filled with flower magnets, candy, garden pencils, bracelets, flower rings, motorcycles and stretchy animals for the boys.

We set up a volleyball net, with plenty of balls, a Jai Lite set, badminton set, ring toss and the swing set.

On the back of my Welcome sign I decided to paint "Thank You For Coming" as a nice gesture as guest were leaving.

This party was so much fun to put together. I think it turned out to be a success. My daughter had alot of fun and I think the other kids did as well. I was a beautiful day and although I was super tired after it was so worth it!

Finally I have pictures!!!

2009-06-16T17:53:00.006-05:00

I have been wanting to share pictures of our garden for a while but my computer wouldn't load any pictures. I finally figured out a solution so here are a few. We have squash, zucchini, plenty of cherry tomatoes and slicers, plenty of green onions, beans, cilantro, basil and our okra has grown too. The strawberries got eaten right before we went out to pick them. And those dreadful squirrels are eating all our tomatoes!!! They carry them off. We even saw one in a tree with a big baseball sized slicer in its mouth. When it saw us it balanced it on the limb and hid from us. That dang tomato is still sitting on the limb!

This is our garden. Well part of it anyway. We made raised beds this year but i think next year we won't. The fire ants have been terrible!

This is a picture of our pathway leading up to our BBQ area. The plants are catnip! They were tiny when I planted them. I had brought them home from my grandmas house during spring break.

Here's is a picture of our cherry tomatoes. They are in clumps. We've had quite a few.

Here are some big slicers. They are huge and still not red yet. We have had a few turn red but not many. Don't they look yummy!

I managed to get a picture of a strawberry a few days before it was ripe and eaten by something. Hopefully we will have more and be able to protect them better!

This is a picture of one of my calla lillies in bloom. Aren't they gorgeous?!?! I planted these last summer after a trip to my grandmas house. She sent 6 or 7 and now I have well over 50 probably. Now I'm going to have to dig some up and give them away!

This is my trellis I made from an old box spring. I cute the wood out and painted it. I grew morning glories up it. They are stunning in the morning! I can't wait for it to fill in.

Inspiring me today:

2009-06-08T17:56:00.007-05:00

This adorable free printable pictures about at Feed your Soul: Jill Brown Louie

A flower petal project : Ali Edwards

Vintage Product labels you can personalize and print

Printable bird houses I used for Chrissy's party as place cards

Adorable Printable tags : Inspirecompany.com

Today I hope to make a list of random things I want to photograph. Random parts of my life that tell my story. I also want to make a little book to keep all the cute little things Chrissy says written down. I would love to make a mini album out of them.

I also want to work on my homeschool summer calender. I want to write down all the things that are available to do in the summer as well as the subjects I plan on working on. One of my good friends told me about HomeSchoolShare.com. It is the best site ever for free unit studies!! I'm totally using these this summer. They are amazing and in depth for a 1st grader for sure!

Also, on the way to visit family this weekend, we passed by Lakeshore Learning. I told my husband that on the way home I'd like to stop by.OMG! Can you say AWESOME!?!?! There was a ridiculous amount of things for schooling. I mean I can't even put into words how happy it made me to see so many things I could use. Now if I can just find the money to get some of it we will be in great shape. I did pick up a couple of posters though at an awesome price.

Ok, off to water our garden. Oh, did I mention that we have had lots of cherry tomatoes and zucchini and squash and even an okra is sprouting. Ha. Its wonderful! Oh and right in the middle pf the garden sprouted up the strangest thing. A HUGE sunflower. Love it. It was so random but oh so beautiful.

Till next time....

Last Day of Kindergarten

2009-06-04T08:15:00.002-05:00

I can't believe this day has finally come! It's my baby's last day of Kindergarten. Where did the years go? It seems just yesterday we were holding her in our arms looking at her tiny hands and toes. I miss those days. But with equal joy , my days are now filled with backpacks, homework, food preferences, books galore, dress up, barbie, girly stationary and sponge bob square pants. LOL

I miss the baby stage but life is extra sweet now too! I love waking up in the morning and seeing her beautiful smile and laugh. I love giving her a piggie back ride to the kitchen table every morning (which BTW is getting harder to do). I love playing babies and finding her cutsie clothes. I love her ideas and her energy. I love her girly ways. I love having a little girl! I love this stage. Soon though, I will be missing it too!!

Sp for tomorrow I wanted to do something special for the first day of summer break. Since in a couple of weeks we will be starting our homeschooling, I want to make our summer extra sweet. So you don't think I'm the most terrible mom in the world for cutting summer short, we will be starting homeschooling but also getting the full summer experience as well. I want to do bubbles, sidewalk chalk, ho scotch, lemonade, picnics, catch fire flies, jump rope, paint, go to the beach, go to the pool, go to splashtown, go to the museums, to the zoo. We have alot to plan. But I want tomorrow to be extra special. I'm just not sure how to do it yet! Got any ideas??

Adorable Summer

2009-05-28T11:33:00.004-05:00

I found all these adorable summer picnic ideas at Country Living. Love Love Love the ice cream cone idea. You just take the cone and dip it in White or dark chocolate then roll it around in chopped nuts, mini marshmellows, butterscotch or chocolate chips. Scoop some different flavor ice creams in clear containers and serve as an ice cream bar.

These I also thought were equally adorable! You could serve any type of salad (corn salad, potato salad, pasta salad) in individual personal sized containers. Love these jars!
Ok, I totally fell in love with this idea. Probably because I have an old lunch box that was my aunts back in the day and have struggled with good uses for it. I just couldn't ever bring myself to get rid of it. I used to use it to store Chrissy's crayons but now it has a whole new purpose. Its going to be a snack box. You make little paper dividers or use little paper bags. Perfect for a picnic or day playing in the yard. Super cute!

Ok, im back going back to work. Been up all morning working on stuff for Chrissy's party. Im super excited. Im working on bird houses, handmade books bags, tissue pom poms for hanging decor over the table, tags for the drink containers, tags for the book bags, wrapping the books for the book exchange and more. Wow, I better get going again.

Favorite Bread Recipe

2009-05-28T10:20:00.005-05:00

This is such a super yummy bread recipe! Kneading is the key! Knead it for 10 minutes at the very least. If you don't the bread will be dense but when you knead it right it is fluffy and soft. Sooo good! I use it for sandwiches and french toast and toast and jelly. Its just that delicious. But hey Im a bread fanatic.

Honey Wheat Bread Recipe:
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus a little honey
1/3 cup vegetable oil
5 cups all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS:
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add honey, and stir well. Mix in whole wheat flour, salt, and vegetable oil. Work all-purpose flour in gradually. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for at least 10 to 15 minutes. When dough is smooth and elastic, place it in a well oiled bowl. Turn it several times in the bowl to coat the surface of the dough, and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
Punch down the dough. Shape into two loaves, and place into two well greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise until dough is 1 to 1 1/2 inches above pans.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes.

Fun from my Childhood

2009-05-23T19:30:00.005-05:00

My new book Living Artfully has really got me thinking about ways to improve not only my creativity but my daughters as well. The last chapter I read helped me to reminisce on the things we used to do as children in the summer. Things I loved and cherished each year. These were the things that brought us joy and filled our days. Nowadays, its TV and video games for kids. What happened to plain old fashioned outdoor fun? What happened to occupying yourself with creative fun? Here are a few fun things we used to do. Things I hope to share with Chrissy this summer. Hoping to make as fond of memories for her as I had.

I Love lemonade stands. Even though now you can't make one here without serious requirements by the health dept. I think we can swing one for the family! I always thought it would be the most awesome thing to make one. Considering there isn't heavy traffic on our street (like maybe less than 10 cars a day) it wasn't our 1st choice activity. None the less I always wanted to try.

Sidewalk chalk: We used to play with this stuff for hours on end!! The whole road in front of our driveway would be full of pictures, doodles and words! Best stuff ever!

CREDIT: Vachon, John, photographer. "Farm Boys Eating Ice Cream Cones." July 1941. America from the Great Depression to World War II: Black-and-White Photographs from the FSA-OWI, 1935-1945, American Memory collections, Library of Congress.

What happened to eating ice cream at HOME?? When you get those cheapo cake cones and scoop some ice cream and sit outside on the tailgate of a truck or on the porch and let this stuff drip down your hands in the hot summer sun.

Jacks: Well we usually played these at my Nanny's house during Spring Break or Summer Vacation. She had them in an old canvas bag. Come to think of it, they are still in that old canvas bag at her house.

Hopscotch was a game I also spent hours playing with my friend down the street. I loved this game.

I remember the first time I ever caught fireflies. It was also at my Nanny's house, one summer night. She gave me and my older brother jars and told us to go catch some lightening bugs. We hopped and jumped around that yard trying to catch them. Then we would sit and watch them, let them go and try to catch more. It seemed to amaze us that a bug could light up.

So plan some wholesome activities for your kids this summer to make fond memories that they will hold onto for a lifetime. I know I'm going to try my best.

Living Artfully

2009-05-19T18:27:00.003-05:00

Today I was out and about looking for inspiration for Chrissys Bento Box and there in a random place on the self I saw this book. For some reason I knew I had to read it! It is really pretty good so far. It makes you see your world in a whole different light! It makes you realize how creative you are on a daily basis without realizing it. That even in a slump you are creative without knowing. I always knew I loved art. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew it would play a role in my life. I never realized how extensive that part would be. It's amazingly wonderful!

A few creative things I've been working on:

Paper bird houses -stuffed with birdseed to use for place cards at Chrissy's B-day party
A Welcome Sign for the party made from 2 tall rectangle frames (its too cute)
Kids book bags -made from pillowcases
Bento lunches for Chrissy
A Custom Planner-hand sketched/stamped
Landscaping(an ongoing project and new family hobby)

Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by all the projects but its so much fun and makes me feel full of life! I will share some pictures soon.

In the next few days we will be putting together an awning and making twine rungs across the top to drape tulle across. Im so excited about the whole project! I hope her Garden party turns out the way I envisioned it! I've been planning for a couple months now.

Im so loving the cooler weather we've been experiencing for the past few days. It's beautiful! It's even more beautiful walking through the garden in the early morning and seeing the big green tomatoes and picking green beans and cutting green onions. Its wonderful! I love fresh veggies. I'm still so amazed at what you can grow for such a tiny seed.

Ok, till next time...

Bento Lunchboxes

2009-05-12T18:10:00.005-05:00

All year last year and this year I searched for cute ways to make Chrissy's lunch so it was different and unique and fun. Im telling you I REALLY searched and then today I found these here, here, here and here. These are so awesome!! FUN! If you go to Wendy's blog, Wendolonia, you will find more than 175 photographed Bento lunches she made for her son for preschool! Isn't that awesome?!?! The top 2 lunches I pictured are for her son. What an awesome mom!!

Ahhh, Im in love! LOL These are my kids dream lunches, trust me! She loves anything cutsie I do for her lunch. She comes home talking about it. Its so stinkin' cute.

Totally trying this!

2009-04-23T09:50:00.005-05:00

Oscar is such a sugar fein! He always wants dessert. Sometimes even before dinner. I'm not much of a sweets kind of person for some reason. But I try to satisfy his sweet tooth once in a while. Mostly I don't eat things that are sweet because they makes my tummy sick. Hence the fact that I don't like chocolate. My favorite sweets of all time though are light pastries like strudels or bagels. Yummm! That must be the German in me coming out. My Oma LOVED stuff like that.

These look so yummy but I bet they will be rich! I hope that the cupcake will be light and more bread tasting so I can have one without the frosting. But mmm, don't they look good?

Butter Pecan Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting

2 cups cake flour, stirred before measuring
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup light brown sugar, packed, muscovado if possible
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup (6 ounces) milk
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

***Brown Sugar Frosting***
1/2 cup (4 ounces) butter
1/4 cup half-and-half or milk
1 cup light brown sugar, packed, muscovado if possible
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Preparation:Heat oven to 350°. Line 18 to 21 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat 6 tablespoons butter and 1 cup brown sugar until light. Beat in the egg and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract until well blended. Add about half of the flour mixture and about half of the milk, slowly beating until blended. Blend in the remaining flour mixture and milk, then fold in pecans.

Fill paper liners 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake for 24 to 28 minutes, until the cupcakes bounce back when lightly touched with a finger. Cool in pan on a rack; remove from the pan, then frost with brown sugar frosting or dust with sifted confectioners' sugar.
Frosting:In a saucepan over medium-low heat, slowly bring 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup half-and-half or milk, and 1 cup light brown sugar to a boil, stirring frequently. When the mixture begins to boil, remove from heat and set aside to cool to lukewarm. Sift 2 cups of confectioners' sugar into the lukewarm brown sugar mixture and beat until smooth and creamy. Add a little more confectioners' sugar if needed, or beat in a little hot water if the frosting becomes too stiff. Frost the cooled cupcakes.

On the home front, we have decided to try homeschooling Chrissy this summer. I'm going to set a schedule for us and make a lesson plan and see what happens. If it works out then we won't send her back to public school next year. At first I was so adamant about her going to public school. Now, I see too many areas our schools are lacking in. I don't like it and after reading ridiculous amounts of books on it, I now know that I can do something about it. Homeschool! I'm truly excited about it. There are so many things out there that she can learn about that she isn't getting the chance to learn at public school. I also love the idea that she can learn so much in a shorter amount of time. Then she can have more free time to explore other things.

Chrissy's kinda a sleep girl. I can empathize with that one, truly! When she finally gets home from school, alot of the time she sleeps for hours. Sometimes even through the night. That leaves her virtually no time for anything but school. I hate that! She needs time to be a kid and explore the outside and play, learn to ride a bike. Which btw, she just learned this weekend to ride without training wheels. Yah!

So, wish us luck! I really hope it lives up to all my hopes and expectations! I have prayed on it so much and I truly feel like God is leading us toward this. Till next time...

Spring Break '09

2009-03-25T08:43:00.004-05:00

Chrissy playing in the river. Look how shallow it is. They are in a severe drought!

Me and Chrissy taking a ride in Granddads Mule. Man that thing is rough & tough! So funny cuz we were bouncing everywhere and Chrissy actually fell asleep. I couldn't believe it!

On the way home, we stopped and took a picture in the bluebonnets.
There were better patches but no where to pull over. It was still beautiful!
Beautiful flowers and a beautiful girl!

Here's me driving home. Refreshed and renewed and with a new hair do. I kinda like curly!

We had an amazing time in the Texas Hill country! I decided that instead of spending a week at home we would go spend it with my Nanny. I thought time with just us girls would be so nice and it was! It was wonderful weather! We spent the days talking and cooking and digging up plants and taking walks. We had a bonfire and weenie roast down by the pond. We waded in the river across to an island and picked up rock after rock. We found ones shaped like tear drops and hearts. We even had a few new experience too, that had me laughing so hard. We made memories I wouldn't trade for anything in the world! It was our first girls only trip anywhere. Hopefully there are many more to come!

But even with all the fun we had, I was sure glad to get home to my man! Love you babe!

Homeschool or Public School??

2009-03-15T19:05:00.002-05:00

This has been the question for me for awhile. I sent Chrissy to public school because I felt like that's just what you are supposed to do. I went to public school, my husband went to public school, my parents went to public school. Of course, I felt the only place for Chrissy to go was...Public School!

It started off okay at first, I guess. I had my reason for being frustrated but eventually would let them slide. This year it has been severely down hill. She comes home with stacks of worksheets and no other work, she can't tell you what she's learned and I know why. I began volunteering at the school so that I could see for myself what the school atmosphere was like. I was not impressed to say the least. I felt like they spent most of their time doing worksheets, sitting waiting for the teacher to use their smart boards or discipline a student or going to the restroom. Not really what I want my 5 year old spending 8 hours doing. She should be learning not sitting being bored or given worksheets to just occupy her time.

While volunteering, I was copying worksheets for the teacher and a few times I was told to copy the same worksheet I had already copied for her on another day. Chrissy has several of the same worksheets done more than once. I don't feel that in necessary or helpful. Also, she hasn't done any projects this year. I don't know of any science they have worked on. I'm just utterly disappointed with the system!

I have been spending lots of time lately researching home school. A good friend of mine home schools her children and its going great for her. I also have known kids that home schooled in the past that did excellent. Although there is a stigma that comes with homeschooling, I feel that in the more recent years there has been giant leaps in the homeschooling community. People have come out of the woodwork and started support groups and coops for homeschooling. It has become so much more advanced and their is so much more information and so many more resources for you to use.

I have been very concerned about Chrissy's social skills being developed in the home school environment. I have read a few books and many articles written about it. From what i can understand there are many people that have this same fear. But from the studies and statistics done on home school children versus public school children, home schooled children seems to actually develop better and with a higher self-esteem and self concept. They say that they do better because their parents have a direct hand in their discipline and learning throughout the day. They also have more time to develop family values and morals.

To tell you the truth, after reading so much into it, It makes me wonder what I was thinking putting her in public school when I had the ability to home school her. Don't get me wrong, I do realize that Homeschooling is not for everyone. There are several different schooling methods. It just depends on your family and the teaching methods that are best for your child. I'm not bashing public school but I just don't know if its the best choice for our family.

If you home school, are you happy with your choice? Has it been a struggle? What curriculum or teaching method are you using? Are you involved in a support group or co-op? Let me hear from you!!

White Chocolate Orange Dream Cookie

2009-03-15T18:39:00.004-05:00

So if you know me, you know I'm not a big fan of sweets. One huge thing about me is that I HATE chocolate. At Christmas time I went to a cookie exchange and tried these amazing cookies. They taste exactly like a dreamsicle. So for my brothers wedding last Friday I decided to make them for the cookie table. (post pics of that soon too). While reading the recipe to gather ingredients I was surprised to learn they had white chocolate chips in them. While I only use half a bag instead of a whole one, there is still chocoalte in them and I still LOVE THEM! They are soooo good. Try em! Oh and you can put them on a cookie sheet in dollops and freeze them for later use too.

Sherelle's White Chocolate Orange Dream Cookies

-1 c. butter
-2/3 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
-1/2 c. white sugar
-1 large egg
-1 Tbs. grated orange rind
-juice from 1/2 orange
-1 tsp. orange extract
-2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
-3/4 tsp. salt
-1 pkg. white chocolate chips

Beat butter and sugars on medium speed until creamy. Add egg, orange rind, juice and extract. Mix well. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in white chocolate chips. Roll or scoop into balls and bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes. ENJOY!

I want to begin freezing them so I can just pop some on a cookie sheet when Chrissy or Oscar would like a cookie. That way I don't have to make a whole batch everytime. We can use them more sparingly and I think they will last a little longer too. Like Sherelle said it makes you feel like the best mom ever! So please post a comment with your favorite cookie recipe! Can't wait to try some of them!

My heart broke seeing you go!!

2009-02-01T15:47:00.002-06:00

Friday night one of my friends came over to visit for the last time before moving across the country. It was so nice talking because we haven't had much of a chance with it being so busy with the holidays and her packing and everything. We had pizza and chatted and the kids played...and then that dreaded moment came where they had to say goodbye.

We've known about the move for a little while now and even when they sold their house it didn't quite seem real. When our kids were hugging and she turned to say goodbye, I felt my heart sink into my gut. She cried and I tried to hold back but it felt so final, like I was never seeing her again or something. I know she is a plane trip away or one very loooong car ride but it just seems so far. It broke my heart!

So we watch her leave and came in feeling pretty down. Me and my SIL decided to make her a Supermom Travel Tote for her long trip. It included games for the kids to play (IE:license plate game, scavenger hunt), hungry hungry hippos, crayons, sketch pads, pencils, sharpeners with a shavings bag, stencils, markers and other fun stuff. I mean driving across the country with 3 little ones in the back is a huge deal and we couldn't see sending them off without a proper bag of sanity for mom. LOL

Anyways, she came over the next morning as they were leaving and I gave her the bag. It felt good to see her one last time but still heartbreaking once again. So I came in and talked to my hubby because I was feeling pretty low and he told me we should plan a trip there. I couldn't believe I was hearing him right. He usually would say "We don't need to worry about that right now" but he didn't. He said "we should go visit her. I'm sorry your sad but she will always be your friend."

Ha, he is soooo right! She will always and forever be my friend!! A plane trip away doesn't seem so far anymore. Never the less, I'm gonna miss her so much!

To my Friend: I will always be here for you! I'm only a phone call or a plane trip away! I'm so glad we met here! You are one of the nicest, sweetest, kind hearted people I have ever met. You will always and forever be my friend! You so better call me and keep in touch! I hope ya know that I Love you!

I so want one of these!!

2009-01-27T19:32:00.003-06:00

I've been wanting a bike for about a year and half. We went and looked at them awhile back but I didn't see one that I really liked. Well...I saw one I liked pretty well but, OF COURSE, it wasn't in stock and had no hopes that it might be in any time soon. So I came home with no bike. Over the past several months, it just hasn't been feasable to get one anyway so no worries. Then today I saw this!! This adorable and amazingly beautiful bike. hmmm.. LOVE!

Maybe one day before summer I can find one I like with a reasonable price tag and I can spruce it up with cute accessories as time goes on. If not there is always next Christmas. ; )

Inauguration Day!

2009-01-20T20:39:00.003-06:00

As I read headlines and blogs this evening I realized that, today was an especially amazing day, not just for black Americans though, but for the world. People from around the world cheered at the inauguration speech from President Barack Obama.

Its amazing because he represents so many first that most of us never thought we would see. He was the first black presidential nominee, the first black president. That is huge! To think that not so many years ago this country was segregated and now we the most powerful leader in the world is black. Its amazing! He brought millions of people that had never voted before out of the woodwork to vote. Although most of those people were African American it was still an astounding number of people that have now been changed forever. They were part of something greater than who the are, greater than where they lived. This country could never be the same.
He has so many controversial views yet he made it. He had many obstacles to overcome, yet he made it. He is the President of The United States of America.

This morning as I turned on the television I realized that today is a new day. A day to set aside any difference in opinion and to stand behind our president. There are too many people out there with hatred in their hearts. They are held to the old ways of our land. This is a new day, a new time. And No one could have said it better than when President Obama said this:

"We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."

I feel blessed to be a part of this great nation. It is an awesome thing to be alive right now in this time of firsts. To see the day when our nation elected the first black American for president. I know we are having hard times in this country but I believe that if we as a nation change our ways we can pull our country back together and as President Obama said, "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America." I'm not saying it will be an easy road or that he will be the answer to all our prayers, just that he is making changes if only for these firsts. Our country needs time to rebuild and 4 years may not be enough time to make these changes. I just pray that with every passing day, God will show our president the way to make this country strong and prosperous once again.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-14T14:45:00.003-06:00

Hope everyone is starting off great this year! We are sure trying! I've been trying to organize a little better and try to make do what what I have. Switch around the furniture and you have a fresh look for a little while. I've been researching stuff for the garden. I'm totally excited about this!!! Considering its been freezing cold the last couple of nights, I doubt we will be planting anything anytime soon. Still its fun to get it all prepared. We have a compost and I'm even planning on trying to grow a couple of fruit trees and some bouquet flowers. I totally want to be able to cut fresh flowers for the house this summer. Oh and I don't know how this will turn out but some lavender.

Im also planning something else totally fun and refreshing! More details on that later.

OK, so I just wanted to stop in and say hello and tell you this adorable little thing Chrissy said the other night. We were driving in the new car home from our families house and everything was quiet until Chrissy pipes up to say:

Mom, Daddy is just jealous of our new car.

Me: Jealous?

Chrissy: Ya, Cuz ours takes less gas and its new and his is old.

It was so hilarious that she thinks her daddy is jealous of "OUR" new car. Likes its not his or something! Its hers and mine. LOL The things they think of!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

2008-12-31T17:54:00.003-06:00

It was a beautiful day today. I woke up this morning and was invited over to my SIL to have breakfast. We ate and then discussed our plans for a garden. Then we decided to set up my nephew, Kameron's ping pong table. I'm telling you, this kid could not have wanted a ping pong table more. He told everyone that Santa was bringing it to him. He was so disappointed that Santa didn't but then I brought over my gift and he opened it and I told him " Aunt Lorie's always got your back!"

So OK we set up the table and tried to teach the kids to play. Then we sat back and watch them play and swing and just enjoyed the cool breeze in the air. Man, if everyday could be that relaxed, that would be the perfect life.

I have a couple more things I'd like to add to my list this year for New Year's resolutions. I want to grow an AWESOME garden. I want to have all kinds of wonderful vegetables and enough that I could can some of them and freeze some. I want to have herbs. I want to set a schedule where I go out every other morning and work in the garden as soon as I get Chrissy off to school. I want to work the garden and give it love and attention in hopes that I can learn the ways of the generations before us and to show Chrissy that it is important to learn those ways too. I also hope that it will produce a good amount of fresh veggies for us to eat to help us live a healthier lifestyle.

I also want to read scripture every morning and have prayer. It would even be better if I could have like a woman's scripture reading and prayer once a week or something. even if that only included me and my SIL, I would love to start reading and learning and work on a closer relationship with God through more prayer and more reading of scripture. I think it is so important for my life and not only mine but for my daughter and for my marriage. And I think having another woman to encourage me and vise-versa through scripture and prayer would an awesome and empowering thing.

Well, its New Years Eve and we have no plans this evening since hubby has to get up at 3am for work. Just sittin around in the house with sniffle noses. I'm fixing to run myself a warm bubble bath and soak for awhile. Follow that up with a cup of hot cocoa or tea and snuggle up with my hubby.

Hope whatever you are doing tonight, this last night of 2008, will be happy and safe. See you in the New Year.

Not what i expected...

2008-12-30T09:05:00.002-06:00

But on to the New Year! Christmas was a bit of a let down. I planned and stressed and made things and cooked and baked and family came. Lets just say that 4 grown woman with strong opinions in a very small house with kids could NEVER work! I so wanted it to. I tried to please everyone but I think I realized that I just couldn't. All the planning in the world couldn't have prepared me for this Christmas. It was not the Christmas I envisioned for myself or my family. Never again! Never the less I'm on to the New Year.

2009 is coming in just a few short days and I want to make the best of it. So I'm working on figuring out a few of the things I really would like to accomplish in 2009. I would say losing weight is one of them but I'm going to forgo that resolution and make a more healthier and positive one.

Here are a few:

I want to scrapbook weekly. I want to set up time that can't be planned over or taken away or forgotten about so that I can really scrapbook and do what I love.
I want to drink more water and eat more fruit. I want to make it a habit. I love fruit, I just have to follow through with it and grab some when I need a snack.
I want to keep a journal. Not necessarily everyday but about important event that happen in the world. I want to write it addressed to Chrissy. I want her to know what my feelings were about politics, and disasters, and the economy and life.
I want to FOLLOW THROUGH with Project 365 this year. No excuses. No set backs and if there are setbacks then I want to get back on the ball and keep going.
I want to set up a cleaning schedule. I know it will be a rough start but I think if I just start then it will fall into place. I may have to re-evaluate occasionally but I can do it. I'm going to do it!
OK are you seeing a pattern here? I have already planned to do most of these things before but my main problem is follow through. I need that extra push of energy to go ahead and do it and when I fall off I need that extra ump to get back on and go again.

I hope you Christmas was lovely and filled with all the wonderful things this season brings!

That Christmasy Feeling...

2008-12-16T10:27:00.008-06:00

Our Elf on the wreath this morning

Our Stockings this year. All 11 of them hang under a picture. Whew They barely fit!
These are the treats I made for Chrissys class. I fell in love with the candy skewers! I found the tutorial here. They werent that easy though. Pretty sticky and messy but worth it to see how cute they turned out!

This is the apple pie filling I canned this year. Great recipe! I tried the filling after Oscar begged me for days on end. It was really tasty! I'm going to share them with family.

These are a few gifts under my tree. I decided this year I would try to wrap all my gifts in brown shipping paper and tie them with special bows. Ok...so a few days into this we went to the dollar store and my hubby ask if i needed bows. Of course, I was sticking to the plan and said no. He grabbed a bag for himself to wrap some gifts. So needless to say late one night while wrapping I grabbed that bag and started slapping them on. Wow, I'll never try the pretty bow thing again with a big family. Lesson Learned!

So there's a look around my house right now. Its really feeling like Christmas! I LOVE IT! Well off to get some stuff done. Tomorrow is a cookie exchange at my SIL house. Can't wait to see what everyone brings! Chrissy school party is Thurday and our Annual Girls bake-a-thon on Friday. Busy Busy! Did I mention I love Christmas?!?! LOL It makes me so very happy, stressed, but SO happy!!

Our Elf

2008-12-14T08:33:00.003-06:00

Here are a few places we have found our elf, Edwin the past couple of weeks. It has been so fun and Chrissy just loves finding him in the mornings.

Reading the book we had read the night before
Eating Chrissy's cereal

Eating all the Halloween candy! (YES, its all gone now.)

Making a sleigh and a reindeer our of Chrissy's little puppy. LOl it was too funny!

More ideas to come. He brought wooden spoons to make homemade soup today. I'm making a recipe from one of my good friends. Taco soup. MMMM yummy!

This must be my season!

2008-12-14T08:18:00.004-06:00

Look what happened in Houston, TX! SNOW! Yah, so it NEVER snows here. LIKE NEVER! Like maybe 3 times in 25 years. I was talking to my SIL two days before (it was about 75 degrees outside) about how I wished it would snow sometime around Christmas. It doesn't even have to be on Christmas I said and just enough to make a snowman or a snow angel or even just a snowball. That would be so awesome but its so not going to happen.

So then 2 nights later they call and say COME OUTSIDE ITS SNOWING! SO I whip some clothes on to go out and look around. Its snowing lightly but still enough to build up on the cars. We scraped snowballs tpgether and had a snowball fight. Then I ran to the front yard and laid on the trampoline to make a snow angel. I'll post pictures of that later. I have never made a snowman or had a snowball fight or made a snow angel.

The next morning the snow had stuck so I took my sick child (I know, I know) and bundle her up with 2 pairs of pants, 2 shirts and a hoodie, 2 socks and shoes, gloves and a hat and went out to see the snow. I hadn't ever seen it stick in my 25 years so I thought that could quite possibly be the case for her to and I just couldnt let her miss it. And boy we didnt miss it. We made small snowmen and had a snowball fight again. We just played in it until our finger and toes were frozen too. Then we went inside and my brother and SIL made breakfast and hot cocoa. It was such an awesome day. A real dream come true. God must have been listening to me!

My SIL said Wow this must just be your season. She's right it totally is!

The Spirit of Giving

2008-11-29T15:24:00.007-06:00

OK, so I posted here about some books I wanted for our family for Christmas this season. A couple of them I've been wanting since last year. I wanted to plan activities for my family to enjoy simple pleasures this year. Since we have been on such a tight budget though, it wasn't looking like I would be able to get any of the books. I was pretty bummed but I figured I try to check a couple out at the local library.

Today, I was spending the day chatting with my mom while the guys and some very gracious family members were outside cutting up trees left behind by Hurricane Ike. Before we ran to the store to get some bread for lunch, I realized I had missed a text from one of my friends. She asked if I'd be home in an hour and a half. So when we arrived back from the store she was in our driveway. To tell you the truth, I thought she was coming to tell us she had sold her house and was moving sooner than planned. I wasn't looking forward to that at all.

So I got out of the car and she handed me a gift tied with a beautiful Christmas bow and said, "Merry Christmas." It was the books on my wish list! I couldn't believe it! I didn't expect it at all. It was this moment of "Wow, I am so blessed!" I'm telling you I couldn't ask for better friends or better family! She didn't know how much it would mean to me but it was a true blessing.

It really makes me realize that there are people out there that aren't selfish. People that aren't always in it for themselves. There are people that are loving and caring and helpful and giving. I have had the best people come into my life to show me just how true this is. It made me stop and think about all the stress I have been feeling about bills, budget and gifts. It isn't worth it at all. Christmas is about giving what you can and blessing other peoples lives. Its about being thoughtful and giving meaningful gifts and about love and sharing. The people that can't see that aren't enjoying the true meaning of Christmas. They've lost the Christmas spirit somewhere along the way.

I don't want that to be me. I have felt it slipping away in the past but not this year. I want this Christmas to be about our Savior, about love, and giving from my heart, about laughter, family and happiness. I want to wake up the day after Christmas and still feel good about the time we've shared. I want to wake up and feel like I have just made the most amazing memories for me and for others. That's my goal this year for Christmas.

So this is to you (you know who you are)Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You just made my Christmas! You are truly a blessing!

Its beginning to look alot like Christmas...

2008-11-25T22:22:00.006-06:00

Lately, I have been in such a Christmas mood. Even though I have been majorly stressed, I have been totally excited about Christmas this year. I'm planning lots of special things for the family. Let me remind you that they aren't expensive outings or gifts, yet family fun evenings and activities to help draw us closer as a family so that we may celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. I think we get so wrapped up in the rush of the season that we forget that Christmas is about the birth of our Savior. Its about love and giving and charity and enjoying happy times with family.

You know what I want most of all for Christmas this year? I want to enjoy moments together with my family. I don't mean just being together in the same room either. I mean I want to laugh, joke around, play and cuddle and just ENJOY time with my family. I want to bake cookies, pies, candies and dinners, Drink hot tea and hot cocoa, play games, watch movies, make crafts and even just chat by a fire. I want to take pictures of it all so that in the years to come I can remember that this Christmas,Christmas 2008, I put all the stress and craziness aside and just enjoyed my life.

On another note, here are a few books on my wish list this season for my family. Hoping soon we can order them before Christmas. I am really looking forward to reading with Chrissy on some cool winter nights.

God Gave Us Christmas

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Santa's Favorite Story

A Creature Was Stirring

The Polar Express

Well off to bed I go. Tomorrow I plan on starting my cooking for Thanksgiving, visit with my brother and if i have time try to fit in a few crafts. I have some cute projects I've been working on so I need to finish those up and then I'll share.

2008 Advent Calender

2008-11-19T09:14:00.004-06:00

This is what my advent calender activities will be. Not in order but I'm going to print it and cut them out. Each day will have an activity. I'll try to put the more labor intensive ones on off days (weekends or during Christmas break). I can't wait until December 1st!! I went ahead and hung the advent calender now. I just couldn't wait any longer! LOL Here's the list:

Bake cookies and give them to a neighbor.
Cut out paper snowflakes.
Make a popcorn string.
Make orange pomander balls.
Donate money to the Salvation Army bell ringer.
Read a Christmas story.
Watch Jack Frost.
Call five people you love and tell them why you love them.
Make homemade soup.
Have late night milk and cookies.
Roast marshmallows over the fire.
Make breakfast for dinner and eat in your PJ’s.
Learn a Christmas poem.
Make salt dough ornaments.
Make homemade hot chocolate.
GAME NIGHT!!
Take a drive to see the Christmas lights.
Cook dinner together.
Make cut out cookies.
Write a letter to Santa.
MOVIE NIGHT!!
Bake brownies and have family prayer.
Read the M&M poem.
Under the tree is a box with the number 24 on it, Open it! (It will be a Christmas eve emergency kit which will include reindeer food, hot cocoa mix for everyone, Santa's magic key, Black buttons for Santa, and the true story of Christmas to read to everyone.)
#25 will say, "It's Christmas! Enjoy time with family and celebrate the birth of our savior JESUS CHRIST!

First Annual Christmas Elf

2008-11-18T09:49:00.002-06:00

This year we are going to have an elf visit our family for the month of December. If found the idea at OrganizedChristmas.com. What do you think of the elf I made? Came up with the pattern on my own.

What would happen if one of Santa's elves came to your house to visit?
He'd arrive sometime before the holidays began. Sent by Santa to check on good little girls and boys, he'd roam the house at night, popping up in the most unlikely places come morning.
Sometimes, elf mischief would take place--and he'd be caught red-handed! Finally, on Christmas Eve, he'd report to Santa and hitch a ride back to the North Pole ... until next year.

He is going to come in a box with a passport, letter from Santa and a hot cocoa kit and movie for the family. Throughout his stay I have planned many things for him to do. Also, I think I'm going to have him leave PJ's for the family on Christmas Eve. Considering my mom bought Chrissy 3 pair last weekend, I don't know if that one is going to hold up though. I mean how many pairs of jammies does a kid need. Well... my kid likes to have different ones every night. She already wore all 3 since Saturday.

I also made an advent calender filled with activities and a few treats. I think it turned out cute! Now I just need to print and stuff and hang it the day after Thanksgiving. That's the day we go shopping, get our tree and start decorating the house. It is one of my favorite days of the year! I mean who could resist shopping for good deals, cutting your own real Christmas tree and then coming home to holiday music and decorating with your family? Best times EVER!

I have been thinking alot about how to stretch our dollar this year. Considering we bought a new car last week. Oh did I not mention that already? LOL Yep our 1st ever new car!! It is a red Hyundai Elantra. It is awesome!! The thing gets the best gas mileage I have ever seen and the warranty is the best part! Did I mention it is awesome?!? Can you tell I'm excited? It is one of the best things we ever did! Makes the budget tight with the car payment but the gas bill just dropped by like $200 a month. No, seriously! I'm so happy and so proud of it!

Ok, back to gift giving. We are trying to stretch to get gifts for a large amount of people this year. I think its 19 people not including me and Oscar since we are so done! Oscars family is coming into town for the holidays and that means more mouths to feed and more presents to buy. But that's ok because it also means more family time and more holiday memories. I want to make plans to have moments with the kids but also with the women in the kitchen too. Maybe we could even have a craft night or something. That would be fun. I need to find something we could all make together. Got any ideas?

I made a batch of homemade apple pear jelly and jars of apple pie filling. It smelled so good and wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I also want to make a few crayon rolls for my nieces like the ones i sold last year. I'm going to include lots of homemade treats in their stockings like snowmans soup, a nail ornament, Christmas M&M's and chocolate covered pretzel rods for the adults. I'm also thinking of giving each child a package of Reindeer food the night before Christmas to spread on the lawn. Hoping we can have a night of roasting marshmallows, making homemade hot chocolate and watching Christmas shows. I think that would be alot of fun!

I'm planning on having moments like that before they arrive too. So we can share the holidays as a family just me, Oscar and Chrissy. I want us to have traditions that can be passed on to my grandchildren in the distant future. I want to plan activities that are fun and include lots of laughs and talking and just plain ole family time. If you have any ideas on fun activities during the holidays, please share them! I'd love to hear!!

More holiday pictures soon to come!

How do you measure a year in the life?

2008-11-05T08:11:00.003-06:00

Ali Edwards has been doing this thing where you scrap and record a week in the life and it totally reminded me of this song. I LOOOOOVE the theme song to RENT! Not so much the movie but that song makes me really think about life every time I hear it! I mean seriously, the lyrics to this song are amazing! Ok watch the clip from the theme song, the lyrics are posted below. Makes the movie seem pretty awesome but I didn't really care for it after months of anticipation. Still, this song makes me want to enjoy every moment of my life and make it memorable and fun and happy. It makes me want to document it! Makes me want to scrapbook it.

So in 2009 I want to document randomness that is my everyday life. You know, things I do everyday. Things that make me who I am. So I plan on writing it down. If I can't take a picture of it everyday, I'm going to journal it. At least write about my days and take random photos throughout the year that sum up a year in the life. At the end I want to have a book of a year in my life, a journal and be able to have a random list of repetitive things I do.

Ok, Ok now go read the lyrics and think about how you measure a year in your life!

HERE'S THE LYRICS:

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Moments so dear
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure - Measure A Year?
In Daylights - In Sunsets
In Midnights - In Cups Of Coffee
In Inches - In Miles
In Laughter - In Strife

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure A Year In The Life?
How About Love?How About Love?
How About Love?Measure In Love
Seasons of Love.Seasons of Love.

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Journeys To Plan
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure The Life Of A Woman Or A Man

In Truth That She Learned
Or In Times That He Cried
In Bridges He Burned
Or The Way That She Died

It's Time Now - To Sing Out
Though The Story Never Ends
Let's Celebrate Remember A Year In The Life Of Friends

Remember the Love ,Remember the Love, Remember the Love
Measure In Love
Oh you got to you got to remember the love,

You know that love is a gift from up above
Share love, give love, spread love
Measure, measure your life in love.

Halloween Party Success And Personal Questioning

2008-10-28T13:03:00.003-05:00

This year was our second annual Kids Halloween Party. It was super fun to put together. A little stressful at times but all in all, great! I loved making the little treats with my SIL and planning the games and decorations. But the best part of the whole process was seeing the kids faces light up for every activity we announced! It made ever stressful second worth it a hundred times over!

I hope next year will be as much fun! Can't wait to plan it all over again! Next year, I'm so going to try to find a cotton candy machine to rent. We searched for one this year but the prices were way out of our budget.

In other news, I have been volunteering at the school. I really have enjoyed that but its a real eye opener at the same time. It lets you see the real world our kids are involved in each day. Quite different than what a visiting parent would expect.

It really has made me consider home school in the coming years. I'm super glad Chrissy is having this time to learn social skills and develop those skills around other kids. The problem mainly comes with how those same kids are being raised and the things they do affecting Chrissy's personality in a negative way. It also is the fact that the new curriculum that began this year has excluded too many important details in the development of our children. Phonics being one main one. I also found out that the story of Thanksgiving and the pilgrims has been eliminated. I find that to be such an important part of our culture and how we came to be here in America.

For many years, I have felt that our school system have been going downhill with the entire studies being based around a standardized test. Now more than ever I find myself questioning whether or not public school is the way to go or if homeschooling our children will give them the best advantage. I have always thought that home schooled children lacked so much in social skills. Many of my friends had trouble adjusting to life as a teenager after being home schooled at a young age. Therefore, I never thought it to be a positive thing. Now I question the opposite. Is public school even healthy for our children anymore? They are around negative, nasty, vulgar and to be very honest, evil things day in and day out. Kids are getting exposed to adult situations at a very young age; words and conversation I would never want a 10 year old much less a 5 year old to hear.

OK don't bash me for being honest because these are my personal opinions, but our public schools are lacking in a severe way! This makes me worry about the safety of my child not only physically but emotionally and spiritually as well.

Things I learned from IKE

2008-10-07T15:34:00.002-05:00

Things I learned: (Love your list Shelly!)

Air dried wavy hair is acceptable in the dark
BBQ is yummy but not so much after the 4Th day
Propane box ovens DO work-made yeast bread, garlic bread and cookies
Mosquitoes are from Hell
Ice is from heaven : )
Families need to have more conversations without the TV on
I don't want to hear how quickly you got your electricity back
Sometimes when it rains it POURS
Cooking for 10 is hard work
Full gas cans can save your sanity
PRAYER WORKS!
Communities can work together for the better
People shouldn't rely on the government if they can do it themselves
When the media tells you to leave, DO IT!
Generators are a blessing in disguise
You can't train yourself not to flip on light switches when entering a room
Apparently bridges are a good place to pick up cell phone service, hence the cars with hazard lights flashing lining both sides of the bridge on the way to our house.
10 people can pile around a tiny TV-someone use your finger to calm the static.
Not knowing is scary
Seeing is stressful
Cleaning up is a relief
Kids CAN occupy themselves outside without TV
Going to a store with A/C felt awesome
Baking soda is the #1 item sold after a hurricane
McDonalds actually can taste good-Maybe cuz I didn't have to cook it
Apparently socks and underwear were also on the top sold item list!

Be back this week to share some other things!

Don't Take it For Granted!

2008-09-22T09:43:00.006-05:00

This is our yard. Cleaned up a little. I couldn't really get a picture to fully describe the disaster of our yard. But thank you GOD for not letting one of those 10 trees fall on our house!

We made it! We ended up having to ride out the storm here in Houston. Believe me it was NOT fun! It was pretty scary with the winds howling and watching the news developing in Galveston. I have to say I felt sorry for the people there that made the mistake to stay. At first I thought how stupid they were but then I felt sympathy because we all make mistakes! I pray for all those people searching for family that stayed.

We lost power before the storm actually made landfall. A tree limb fell and blew the transformer near the house. But Bekas dad quickly hooked up the generator to give us power. He's so awesome! As the storm rolled in I just could not sleep. I was too worried about how the winds would blow and keeping the kids safe. My mind was going 90mph. Wow about the speed of the winds. I had my nephew to watch too because that night my niece had a scary episode where she passed out and we couldn't wake her up. We had to call 911 and take her by ambulance to the hospital. It was so terrifying! I wanted to stay with her and my brother and SIL at the hospital but I had to leave the hospital that evening before lock down to get back to the kids at the house. By the time I walked out of the hospital, the winds were getting pretty strong. I had to lean into it to get to where the car was parked.

Here she is at the hospital a few days after the storm when I finally got to go visit her.

It was pretty scary sitting there thinking of the children sleeping on the floor during the hurricane. The winds were whipping and limbs were falling. All I could think of was if a tornado spawns, I'll jump over on top of them and try to pull some piece of furniture over us for safety. LOL When the rain got severe we lost the generator too. It was too wet and there wasn't any way to keep the whipping rain off of it. So one hot night it was.

The next day when the sun came up the rain was still coming in. The damage was massive! All across our city there were uprooted trees and power lines on the roads and everyone was without power. Ok, when I say everyone, I mean millions of people! This was the storm! The one people should have left for! We stuck it out in the house for 8 days without power. Thanks you Lord for generators.

Things to remember :

ice is the best thing ever if you haven't had a cold drink in days

gasoline lines had a 3+ hour wait for days, don't complain about 5 minutes

a car of your own to get around in is crucial

clean water is not to be taken for granted

There is no place like the quiteness of your own home

a bed, even if it is lumpy is always better than the floor

family is precious and forgiving and uplifting

good neighbors were always there to help us- ours and grandmas

the kindness of strangers in times of crisis is amazing

Shorts are a necessity in Texas

Keep a gallon of mosquito spray on hand

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-11T14:48:00.002-05:00

Ever time there is a storm brewing in the Gulf ther comes the time when we have to think, "Is this the one we need to leave for?Is this the storm that will destroy our home?" We've watched and stewed over what to do. We've wonder and worried. It has gotten closer and closer until now its forcasted right on us.

As we gather our stuff and secure our outdoor stuff, I can't help but be afraid of the days to come, of the damage mother nature could cause in a short amount of time. Its scary to think that all your work and love and sweat and tears you've put into this home could be blown away in an instant. In that same breath, I know I can get my family to safety. Thats the most important things I could ever save.

In a few hours we will decide to go into central texas or to stay with family and ride out this storm. Both make me nervous. Neither are wrong yet neither are for sure right.

We will just have to see in a few days what comes of this. Until then...

Home is where the heart is!

2008-09-05T11:37:00.003-05:00

Today as I put some banana bread into the oven and I reflected on my life and memories from the past, I realized something extra special to me. The best days of my life have been here at home , at this very address, being a home body and cooking , entertaining and cleaning and just plain loving life. The days when I have felt like the best me I could possibly be, when I have felt warm and wonderful and special and loved, have been right here at home.

Sometimes I question myself and who I really am, but today I am feeling wonderful about that. I am a stay at home mom who gets to pack my little girl a good lunch and see her off to school. I get to craft and bake and cook and garden. I can tend to flowers and plan parties and read and clean and better our life as a family. I can take time to enjoy the sunshine and the breeze. I can laugh with my family and play games, read books, fly a kite. It feels awesome. I always knew I wanted to be a mom and a housewife, but I never knew how special that could really be. This place, this home, its exactly where I want to be. Home is where my heart is!

I think it is passing

2008-08-28T10:29:00.003-05:00

Since Monday afternoon I have been sick. Really sick! At first I thought it was some sort of stomach virus but now I think it is food poisoning. Today I feel a little better, I can actually sit up for a while. Standing still makes my stomach uneasy but after I ate a few saltines I'm feeling a little stronger. It has not been a fun first week of school I can tell you. Between getting Chrissy dressed by myself in the morning to filling out paper work that must be returned the next day and being sick as a dog, I feel like my body has been through the ringer.

Hoping today is the tail end of it! Never again will I eat the soup at Zio's. NEVER!

On a brighter note: Chrissy loves her new teacher. She loves doing the wiggle dance on the ABC carpet every morning. I'm excited for her to be back in school. I know she loves being around kids and going to PE, music, art, library and all the other fun stuff they get to do. School is a good thing!

Ok feeling kinda crummy so I'm going to lay down. Hope everyone else is well! Hey keep an eye on Gustav!

We are back!

2008-08-21T10:19:00.003-05:00

I stepped out of the car yesterday afternoon and yep, back to humidity! It was sticky and yucky and rainy.

In the country it was cool and super dry. The breeze blew and it was wonderful! It was like fall already. I thought it would be blazing hot but it wasn't. Very enjoyable! I love the country atmosphere, the old time gadgets and ways.

Things I love in the Country:

Cool breezes
The quietness of it all
Digging flowers to take home
Sharing Memories
Driving through the fields
Home cooking (every meal)
The smell of fresh air
Relaxing
Porch swings
Decades old cheese box
Family heirlooms
Neighborly Love
Afternoon showers you can see coming from afar
Crisp white linens
Thick beautiful grass under pecan trees
Old pick-ups

I spent most of the time just enjoying my time there. My grandma gave me an old time wooden cheese box that was my great grandfathers. She showed me how to restore it. Its really a neat piece and something I will forever cherish!

She also sent lots of plants home with me to use in my landscaping project. Love it! I got some Cannes, a crape myrtle tree, a mimosa tree, monkey grass, catnip and pepper patine. Can't wait to plant all these. I got the Cannes planted yesterday afternoon when we arrived home and some of the monkey grass. I'm trying to find the perfect place for the crape myrtle and the mimosa tree. The pepper patine is hard because I don't want the kids to touch it. They are pretty cool though. My grandma told me how to make salsa and hot sauce from them.

Well here are a few pics I did take on our trip.

Chrissy with their new cat, Mischief.
Down the road to my grandmas house
Granddad and Chrissy on the 4-wheeler going to

check the water on the back part of the 100 acres.

Chrissy in the new swing watching the few cars pass by.

Me and Chrissy enjoying the outdoor breeze.

Hope you all had as much of a wonderful weekend and week as we did. Chrissy goes to meet her teacher this evening so I'm going to make her a little something to take up there. I'll try to get pictures to share later.

Country Living

2008-08-18T14:13:00.003-05:00

Hello from the country! We are here having a blast and chatting up a storm. Me and my grandma have been swapping ideas for my kitchen and gift ideas and gosh, just about everything. Love getting to spend time with her. She is one of the most amazing people you will ever meet.

I have been spending the better part of my day eating fresh fruit jelly with homemade bread, reading magazines, watching the rain fall across the field, sharing stories and memories, laughing, hugging, and just plain loving life. I love being here. Days are lazy and filled with homemade goodness and antiques galore, memories of the past and a friendliness from everyone around. People here are rare and few and far between where we live anymore. Country life and country people. I never want to forget this life!

On our way home on Wednesday, I want to stop by some resale shops I saw along the way. We have been discussing things that are found easily here but not so easily in our neck of the woods. hope I find a few steal to bring home from my trip.

Oh, did I mention that my grandma made this yummy homemade angel food cake especially for me. Uh, it is just delightful! For lunch she sliced some fresh peaches I brought over it. Oh they were so wonderful.

I can't believe I am on the Internet out here! ha They have wireless. Wow, technology is improving in the most amazing ways. Well, I'm off to take a few pics and enjoy some more conversation.

Miss you sweetie!

Vacation for me and Chrissy

2008-08-16T08:38:00.002-05:00

Well most of my day today I'll be cleaning, washing clothes and packing for our trip to my grandmas house. Can't wait to see her! Its been way too long! I'm clearing my memory card in hopes of some pictures of family, relationships and the area. Last time I took pictures of Kort and his girlfriend but not so much this time. I realized last time that I ONLY got good ones of them. I'm going to try to focus on my grandma and granddad and other family and things from the past. Can't wait to share when I get back.

Oscar won't get to go with us cuz he has to work. I will really miss him while I'm gone. I so wish he could come but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go. It will be like a breath of fresh air for me (and I do mean literally too). I love going there. I feel safe and family gives you the best feeling in the world, till you have to leave.lol

I think while I'm their I might take a jog to my dads grave. I haven't been there in years and I'd like to go. It's always been really hard for me to visit there. I always felt like I needed to yell at him for dying. I was angry and hurt, like it was his fault or something. I always knew that wasn't true but I was really hurt and sad. I think age has alot to do with it too. I was young! I was confused! I'm older now, not that it hurts any less, but I have a different way of dealing with it now. Its not going to change so I had to learn to work through it not over it.

Things on my list for today:

Clear Memory Card (don't forget charger)
Load and charge Ipod (reload C25K)
Pack phone charger
Wash clothes
Make & Freeze sausage biscuits for Oscar
get snacks for the drive
tend to compost
order a gift
clean house
make bread

Now it begins! Be back soon!

Weekend Splash and Vintage Fun

2008-08-12T09:31:00.004-05:00

This weekend we went to Splashtown again and took Malcolm for his first ever visit to a water park. He had a blast! So much so, him and Oscar went again the next day. I tried to ride as many rides as I could with him so he would have a chance to do most of them. They found a trick on one ride was to let a little air out of your tube and lift up on it as you go down. It makes you go faster and once you hit the botton you keep skimming the water. They zoomed all the way out into the river and hit the other side. The lifeguard was giving them tips on how to do it even better. haha

Took a few pictures while we were there but my camera went dead and I was worried someone might steal it anyway. So here are a few of the ones I did get.

When I was looking through my pictures trying to delete them I found this vintage looking pictures these I had forgotten I took. Took these at my grandmas house in Central Texas. Love the old time look of them. And that tractor and the truck still run. We used to take that old yellow truck and chase rabbits in the field. LOL country, I know, but let me tell you, me and my brother had the best times ever doing that. We used to laugh our heads off bouncin around! Good times Good Times! (Chrissy's new saying)

Ok, so totally off topic, I bought Chrissy's school supplies, well most of them. I even got my brother in laws too. It cost my under $10 bucks for both. Ridiculous, right? I mean cuz they charge you $35 to buy them at the school. I even got some extras! I got packs of pencils, erasers, poster board, and pens for $.09. Yes, 9 cents! Kinda cool if ya ask me! Anyways...

Well off to get the house straightened up and fix some breakfast and get the sleepy heads up. Good grief they are sleeping late! I need to go run but it is so hot and something is wrong with my leg. I don't know what I did to it but the side of my knee hurts so bad, I can hardly move it at times. I'm trying to walk it around and hoping it will feel better by tonite.

The Wind, The Rain, and Sheer Thankfulness

2008-08-05T10:12:00.002-05:00

Well early this morning Tropical Storm Edourd made landfall near Beaumont, Tx. All morning I have been up watching updates on the progress of the storm and praying it wouldn't bring too much wind or rain our way.

Well, for the most part so far it has only brought minimal winds but with some pretty heavy rains at times. As I sit here and type, it is thundering and I hear the sheets of rain pounding against my window. They say we will get rain pretty much all day till sunset and some could be extra heavy. Other than the rain, I think we will not see damage from the wind. It just hasn't been strong enough. They say it could gust up to 60mph but I havent seen anything like that here so far.

We were blessed this time around not to have a hard direct hit of a hurricane. Storms like these always scare me because there is no way to know for sure what could happen or where they could turn. So today I am thankful for the thunderstorm being light and thankful that nothing major has happened. Hoping for the continuance of an uneventful day. Praying for hubby to make it home safe after work and that my brothers are both safe today too!

Loving Life...

2008-07-25T10:12:00.003-05:00

Waking up this morning I felt this amazing urge to get up enjoy this beautiful day! Planning on:

bake some fresh bread
some blueberry muffins
cleaning the house
wash and dry some clothes
finishing build my water fountain (which btw is so freakin cool if I could just have 1 dry day to seal the thing)
Check out a Organized Christmas to start planning it early so we can enjoy it more when it comes
Going to the library this afternoon
Picking up a blackberry bush for Project Landscape
Maybe I can even fit in a little scrapbooking with some oh so cool scrapbook supplies I found at Target dollar spot!

Ok off to make my bread and muffins. Till next time...

Hot & Balmy, But Beautiful...

2008-07-21T09:08:00.004-05:00

Summer Day! We spent the weekend painting and mowing and talking about how to better landscape the yard. Lately, we have really started improving our yard. Its really large and it's kinda mind boggling on where to actually start. We planted bushes and put out solar lights (yay for energy conservation), we made a pathway from the backdoor to our outdoor sitting area. I even repotted my herbs.

I've been really interested lately on how we can use our land better for sustainable living. Love the idea of planting things side by side that work together to grow.

The garden has really become quite beautiful with tons of fresh tomatoes, some cucumbers, yummy green beans and we even planted cantaloupe (but only flowers so far). Me and my brother picked some green beans for dinner the other night. They were wonderful! Can't wait to chop up a cucumber for a salad this week.

Happy Belated Birthday Adam!! Sorry you had to work! We love you!

Here's a peak of our days...

Hubby is officially a lawnmower addict! Are there meetings for that?

Chrissy eating her GIANT lollipop. And NO, I did not let her eat that whole thing!

Go outside and enjoy the summer!

Until next time...

Mojo is back...

2008-07-10T19:23:00.004-05:00

Here are a few layouts I've been working on. I did one each day for the past 4 days. WooHoo, I don't remember the last time I did that! They were so fun and freeing. I hope I can do some more tomorrow.

Chrissy an her friends.

Me and Chrissy laughing. I wrote a little message to her about taking time out to laugh and enjoy life. I hope she will always remember how important that is!

Just a little layout about my 3 younger brothers. I've been really missing them lately. Don't know why. Maybe its the summertime.

This one is about Chrissy's love for any pink flavored snow cone.

Well, lately I have felt a little lost in the wind. Kinda like I'm not sure where my place is and what I should be doing. I mean of course I know I'm a mom to a beautiful little girl and wife to an amazing man but sometimes I question if that is enough. Is that all I am? Should that be enough? Am I looking for things out of reach?

I don't want to down-play how amazing it is to be a mom and wife. I know that there are woman out there that are dying to be just that. Believe me it is something I wouldn't give up for the world. They are the two most amazingly wonderful things in my life. Sometimes I just wonder where and who I am. Like I kinda lost myself in the shuffle. I want to be part of us (my family) and be my authentic self too. But after all these years, I don't really know what that is anymore. Or is it exactly what I am now?

Ah, the life long question of "Who am I ?" Isn't this suppose to be a stage you go through as a teenager? Or is it something you battle with your whole life until the end? I just want to be something special other than a mom and a wife, something that I am, independently from that. I even battle with myself because I wonder if that is being selfish. I wonder if I sound like my mom. I wonder if what I am now is what I am supposed to be and what I am supposed to be content with. Like I'm not supposed to hope for more but be happy with who I am in them.

Questions, Questions. Does anyone feel what I'm saying?
Ok enough of the psycho babble.

Off to cook some of that sweet and sour chicken and some fried rice.YUM YUM!

Try this out!

2008-07-06T12:20:00.006-05:00

I Love Love Love Sweet and Sour Chicken but man it is expensive and you have to drive too far to get it. With gas prices being so high I decided to try to find a recipe to make my own. I found one and tried it and it was good but needed a little tweaking. So I found some other recipes and change them up a bit to come up with my own. Here is the tweaked version. Its the best I've tried and my sister, brother and mom and dad love it too. Also I included a recipe for Fried Rice. So try theseout, I know your family will love it too! Let me know what yall think.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Take chicken breasts. I cut up 2 boneless, skinless breasts and trust me when I say this. It will feed 3-4 people. It makes a lot once you cut it up.Cut them into chunks and set aside.

In a bowl, make the batter for the chicken.
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 tsp salt

Whisk together to remove all lumps. Dump in your chicken chunks.In a wok (or deep fryer), heat your oil to 375. Make sure it's hot otherwise the batter will soak up too much oil. Place chunks into the hot oil, being careful not to splash yourself. Don't put too many in otherwise they'll all stick together, and it will also cool your oil down too much. Turn the pieces over to cook the other side.Remove the cooked chicken from the oil and put on paper towels. Once all the chicken is fried up, put in a dish and hold in a 300* oven for 10-15 minutes.

Sweet and Sour Sauce
During this time, make the sauce.

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
5 Tbsp rice vinegar
4 Tbsp ketchup
4 Tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cup cold water
2 1/2 tbsp cherry juice and 2 cherries

Put the saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Stir CONSTANTLY so it doesn't lump up. Once it gets really thick, remove from the heat. You can add a little red food coloring and sliced onion, green bell pepper, and pineapple chunks if you want.Pour over or spoon sauce over the fried chicken

Fried Rice
These are all eyeballed measurements. Sometimes I have more or less of each but i think this is about right.

1/2 cup peas
about a handful of shredded carrots
half can bean sprouts (found by the Asian food, cheaper than fresh)
2 bags boil in a bag rice, cooked and set aside
about 1/4 cup soy sauce

First cook carrots over medium high heat until they are a little softer in a skillet. Don't over cook until they are mushy. Then add rice then sprouts, peas and soy sauce. cook over heat until it looks ready. You'll know when from the look of it. Just not too long cuz you'll dry out the rice.

Our House On 4th of July

2008-07-06T11:33:00.003-05:00

Here is a little peak into our lives on the 4th. Sorry I forgot to take a picture of the food. We had brisket, chicken, hot dogs, burgers and corn on the grill. We had banana pudding and strawberry shortcake with fresh squeezed lemonade. It was so tasty!

Here is our picnic table all dressed up for the fourth.

Here are a few cans I decorated to hold our silverware and corn picks.

Chrissy and Kam after running all over the yard. Notice the bluish red mark on Kam's head where he supermaned into a chair in his room the other day. It looks better than it did. It was a huge egg knot. Poor kid.

Fireworks! And no its not burning her hand. Its a sparkler!

Reflecting on Our Freedom:
As Amercians we take for granted all the freedoms we have here in our country because they are an everyday part of our lives. We just expect to always have them and never realize that they could be taken from us. We can choose where to live, what to do, where to work, who to love, how to worship. We have the freedom to be who we want and say what we want. While I know there are problems in our country, ones we struggle with everyday, we still have been blessed with freedoms that other countries can only dream of. Being a woman and having so much freedom is also something for me to be thankful for. So many other countries don't have respect for their woman and demand that woman follow behind a man. Here we have the ability to run businesses and vote and marry who we choose. We can wear what we want and worship how we want. These things we take for granted every day.

Love this

2008-07-03T09:39:00.002-05:00

Every year I live I am more convinced that the waste of life lies in the love we have not given, the powers we have not used, the selfish prudence that will risk nothing, and which shirking pain, misses happiness as well. No one ever yet was the poorer in the long run for having once in a lifetime 'let out all the length of all the reins'.

By:Mary Cholmondeley

More later today.

Today is my beautiful niece's birthday.

She's turning 1!

Happy Birthday sweet girl!

I love you!

What's for Dinner?

2008-06-19T10:57:00.002-05:00

Found this recipe on Tales from the Fridge. My hubby has been asking me to make it so I'm going to have it ready when he gets off work. I love getting new recipes! Well now I do. When I was a kid, I was really picky but as an adult I have learn to love trying new and unusual foods. I know, I know... this one isn't too unusual but its new and sounds oh so yummy!

Crock-pot Lemon Garlic Chicken

2 lbs Chicken breast boneless and skinless
11/2 teaspoon oregano leaves crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup water
4 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
2 teaspoons chopped parsley

Wash chicken and dry on a paper towel. Combine oregano, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle on the chicken and pat it in.Fry the chicken breasts until browned in the butter.

Transfer chicken to the crock pot.

Add the water, lemon juice, bouillon, garlic and parsley to the pan. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring mixture to a boil and pour over the chicken.

Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2-3 hours or on low for 5-6 hours. Baste chicken. Cover and cook another 15-30 minutes.Serve with Rice Pilaf. This just falls apart when it’s done.

Hopefully I'll be back later today with some pics of some recent creativeness. Really hoping to create more and add some to my etsy shop. If I could just stop procrastinating my creations i could actually get some done.

I was just telling hubby last night that I feel like its a never ending cycle of things that need to get done. Fix breakfast, Wash clothes, fold clothes, wash dishes, make beds, fix lunch, fix dinner, clean off table, get chrissy ready for bed, and other things too like pay the bill, call xm, get the mail ready, don't forget the birthday gift, make a grocery list.And list goes on and on FOREVER! So by the time I actually sit down to create something, my mind has been in such a whirlwind trying not to forget all the things that need to get done that I can't even remember what I wanted to make or even picture what was once in my head to create. Ahhh Frustration!

Anyway, off to start dinner in the crockpot and maybe save a little time out of my day for me. haha Funny, right?

A Reason Project 365...

2008-06-15T18:26:00.005-05:00

...is going back on my list of things to do. I always knew it was an amazing project but when you look at this site you too will know...

Jamie Livingston's Photo-of-the-Day site

Jamie Livingston (1956-1997) took a Polaroid every day for 18 years, including the day he died in 1997.

He was an artist who's project seems to have captured the hearts of tens of thousands of people on the Internet.

The photographer Jamie Livingston did indeed take a photo every day for eighteen years, until the day he died, using a Polaroid SX-70 camera. He called the project “Photo of the Day” and presumably planned to collect them at some point — had he lived. He died on October 25, 1997 — his 41st birthday, from a battle with cancer.

After Livingston’s death, his friends Hugh Crawford and Betsy Reid put together a public exhibit and website of his 6,697 Polaroids, dated in sequence. The physical exhibit opened in 2007 at the Bertelsmann Campus Center at Bard College (where Livingston started the series, as a student, way back when). The exhibit included rephotographs of every Polaroid and took up a 7 x 120 foot space.

His photo gallery is amazing! Just looking at every photo and seeing the changes throughout his life gives me this encouraging feeling that his project was amazing and huge and life changing. It is a visual of 18 years of his life, one day at a time. To be able to show this to someone after he died just amazes me. Its like his life is continuing by showing his project because he believed in it enough to do it every single day for 18 years.

I love this! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! People never cease to amaze me with their talent and creativeness and strength.

Summer

2008-06-12T16:02:00.002-05:00

Here's a few things about summer time...

Good Things About Summer:

Playing outside
Water Balloon Fights
No School (Which could also fall under a bad thing too lol)
Fresh Cut Grass
Picnics
Ice Cream, Slushes, Sno Cones
Summer Crafts
Tire Swings
Sweet Fruits
Sleeping Late
Mini Vacations
Sun Dresses
Flip Flops
Sun Tea -I broke my fav tea pitcher today :(
FireFlies

Bad Things About Summer:

Mosquitos
Spiders
Humidity
100 degrees days
Heat Rash
High Electricity Bills
$4/gallon gas (this summer)

A Piece of My World

2008-06-10T21:14:00.005-05:00

A couple of happy pics of our life lately and one scary story I hope we never have to live again!

We went to the blueberry farm and picked 8LB. of berries. Yum! Yum!

On the way home we stopped at a tire shop and ask for a old tire. The were generous enough to offer any one we wanted. Of course my hubby picked the largest one he could find in decent shape. The kids heads don't even peak over the top so Chrissy decided to ride on top. She played on that thing for hours! Love it! Pure clean fun for only $5 (the rope).

And this is a picture of my hubby, Oscar, in our SUV...

...the one someone car-jacked him for this morning around 7am.

OMG! And NO I'M NOT KIDDING!!

I was so terrified for him. He called me with this scared voice breathing hard and told me that he had just been robbed at gun point. They told him not to move or they would shoot him but one of the robbers got in front of the gun so Oscar ran as fast as he could and jumped a ditch and a fence into a nearby apartment complex.

Thank God they didn't hurt him. Thank God they didn't kill him!!!

Its a little humorous (not too much so cuz its still new and scary and emotional but) to think about how stupid these assholes must have been. When the cops came the truck was still in the parking lot running with the doors wide open. They couldn't even get the damn thing out of neutral. IDIOTS! But I am thankful for that too. We must have had a guardian angel looking out for us today. My husband came home safe and our truck came home too. Only thing missing was a radio and $18. All that drama for a radio and 18 dollars, people are crazy these days. They will steal and kill for nearly anything. What has this world come to? But just thinking about what could've happen, I'm counting my blessings and giving him an extra squeeze tonite!!!

Be careful out there and never let your guard down too far! You never know what could happen,where it could happen and who it could happen to!

Till next time...

Great Ways to Beat the Summer Boredom Blues

2008-06-02T09:59:00.007-05:00

I was searching for some ideas for this summer to keep Chrissy busy and spend fun quality time together. So I came up with a list. Here are a few things in Houston you can do with your kids this summer. I'll add to them as I find more.

Barnes & Noble Story Time: times may vary by location. Search for the store near you

Houston Children's Museum: $5 general admission except on Family night (Thursday) its FREE

Houston Gulf Coast Railroad Museum: Admission is $5 for adults and $2.50 for kids under 12. Open on weekends only, seasonal

Moorehead Blueberry Fields: Pick Your Own blueberries. No entrance fee. Pay per pound you pick. $1.50 per pound.Phone: 281-572-1265 Hours: 7am-9pm 7 Days a week

Bluebonnet Berries Field: Pick Your Own Blueberries, Blackberries and raspberries. Phone: 936-594-6473 Mon.-Sat. 7am-7pm

Blackberries of Houston: Pick Your Own Blackberries. Open: call first, 281-373-5357, normal picking hours are 7:30am to noon, seven days a week, includes Sat. and Sun.

AMC Theatres Summer Movie Camp: $1 Movies for charity every Wednesday at 10am all summer long. Check for participating theatres.

Summer Kids Programs: Lots of local community centers offer kids program once a week during the summer. Harris county community centers will be offering an exhibit on Tuesdays. Registration is open. Exhibits such as Mad Science, Space Center Houston, And The Houston Museum of Natural Science. $2 donation suggested per event. Prizes, refreshments and crafts are included.

Library Story Time: Harris County libraries hold story time every week. Check the site for local library and times.

Start a Lemonade Stand: Sunkist is sending out FREE lemonade stands to kids ages 7-12 to raise money for the charity of their choice. Just sign up at the site to request your stand.

City of Conroe Waterpark: June 9 – Aug 20: Mon - Fri. 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Sat & Sun 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Here is a list of other ideas of things to do at home:

Draw with sidewalk chalk
Have a water balloon fight
Play on the slip & slide ($14 a Wal-mart)
Have a camp fire: make hot dogs and smores
Play Dress-up
Paint
Make Paper Maiche Masks
Make cereal necklaces
Have a camp-out in the living room
Play Old school games such a hop scotch, marbles, jacks, pick up sticks
Have a teddy bear picnic or tea party
Make an acorn house
Make refrigerator magnets
Have a home spa day with your daughter(s)
Set up a doll spa or car wash for the boys
Run in the sprinkler
Jump Rope and teach them double dutch
Play baseball in the yard (find a pk of bases at Dollar tree)
Go on a Penny Walk
Ride bikes
Have a bean bag toss
Have a watergun fight
Start a weekly movie night
Start an at home summer camp
Make snow cones
Make homemade ice cream
Make sun iced tea
Bake cookies together
Play board games
Catch butterflies
Cloud watch
Set up a tent in the house or use sheets to make a fort
Mold something out of clay or play-doh
Make mini stilts from veggie cans and wire for handles
Take a wagon ride

Family In Town!!

2008-05-30T18:44:00.002-05:00

Well, this week has been a whirl-wind of craziness. I have been running around trying to get everything done for Chrissy's party which is tomorrow and also cleaning and organizing like crazy for my husband's family coming in from Louisiana.

I have been feeling much better this week! Claritan is a miracle drug, I swear! Taking it daily to control the allergy problem for a little while longer.

Candy Land is the theme for her 5th birthday. It was such a great idea at first and then I realized all the work it would take. Well...I realized in mid-swing how much work it would take. I think its going to turn out really cute but I'll lat you know after tomorrow.

So far I have made giant candy, a gingerbread tree, cute a bazillion squares to make a life-sized Candy Land game, painted peppermints, assembled 20 goody bags, baked cupcakes, cut out giant M&M's and shopped like crazy to find all the parts. Whew, I'm worn out and I haven't even looked at the 15-20 some odd kids attending the party tomorrow.Wish me luck on that one!

My in-laws are here and its always nice to see them. Its hard though sometimes too because that means extra cooking, cleaning, and washing. On top of party galore it is super hard and draining! Never the less, I love having them here. Chrissy loves to see her cousin and I just love having company/adults to talk with.

Well I'm going to get back to party bananza. I have cupcakes to ice, gingerbread beanbags to make, and a couple of other final touches. Wanna here a secret?......I think I'm more excited to see the final result than Chrissy is.LOL

Till next time.......

Tea Party

2008-05-21T17:46:00.002-05:00

On Friday, Chrissy's class held a tea party to honor all the moms for Mother's Day. So I stood outside her classroom and knocked on the door. Chrissy opened it and said, "Welcome to our tea party. May I show you to your seat?" Then she took my hand and showed me to a table covered in green paper with flowers in the center, a place card that read Chrissy's mom, cups of tea, a handmade bell and this sweet card.

Oh, it brought tears to my eyes. It was so sweet and planned out so well. Each child showed there mom to their seat and then sat beside them. We had cookies and banana bread that I had made for everyone. Mrs. Jackson was so overwhelmed that all the moms had come, that she couldn't even read the story she had planned to read.

Then each child stood and read the last page of a hat book they had made. Chrissy read,"My mom is special because she tucks me in bed at night." It was so overwhelming for my 4yr old to be reading. The things that she thinks are special about me, I never would have known.

It got me to thinking about the things we do together. It makes me want to show her more things, spend more time just being together with her. I have to admit its a little scary seeing her grow up so fast. Sometimes it makes me feel like she needs me a little less. Hearing her read why she thinks I'm special made me feel good. It made me feel like I'm doing something right.

She is the light of my life! Seeing all the work she put into getting ready and the sweet things she gave me, made me feel like the most special mom in the world. The joys of mothehood are amazing and emotional and overwhelming. They are the best part of my life!

Long Night

2008-05-16T12:16:00.002-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, I went to take my SIL around town before she went back to Louisiana today. Before I knew it I couldn't breathe. Around 4:30 we got home and I used my nebulizer. It didn't work. So I waited a few hours and used more. Nothing! I could not breathe.

So finally Oscar took me to the emergency room. They put my on an oxygen machine and it got better. Then we were put back into the waiting area to wait for hours and hours.

Finally around 2:30 they called me back. They took chest x-rays and everything. Finally, I got an answer. The same answer I got from my doctor except she gave me better meds. I got a steroid and a better inhaler. She also told me I needed to take Claritan or Zyrtec once every day until my allergies subside. She told me that going in and out of air conditioning can make your asthma flair up. I so did not know that.

Come to think of it, I don't know anything about asthma. I've never been around it or knew someone that had it. Now not only do I have it but my daughter has it and its the same for her. Her allergies make it worse. I don't know what triggers it, how to prevent it, or what to do to calm it down. Its actually kinda scary for me.

Sitting in that car on the way to the hospital I couldn't calm it down. At one point I couldn't breathe at all. I had hyperventalated. Once I got there they helped me control it. My legs got all tingly and my head was a bit woozie too.

So around 4am we arrived home and got some sleep. 8am came way too fast. I had to get up and get Chrissy ready for school and finish cookies that I promised her teacher I'd mae for their Tea with Mommy. Not to mention my SIL and nephew were still here visiting. Whew Im so tired.Hopefully by the end of the day I will have my prescriptions and be feeling much better. After the tea I am going to crash on the couch for the weekend. No lie!

Till next time...

Thanks Mom

2008-05-14T20:48:00.005-05:00

This is for you Mom, Mrs.Quanda. Those of you who don't know her, she is my mom (not by blood but by love).

Thank you for harpin' on me to go to the Dr. I know I threw up a fight about it. But if it weren't for you calling last night and buggin me to go, I never would have known I had asthma. When I woke up this morning I just could not breathe at all. So I decided it was time.

3 Weeks was just too long to have this cough and weight on my chest. So Beka took me to the clinic and low and behold, my allergies were so bad it was flarring up my asthma. Asthma?? I didn't even know I had asthma. No one ever told me that I might have it. After $40 for a visit, $20 for a shot and a $4 inhaler on the Walmart prescription list, I can breathe again.

Ahhh! I can finally breathe! I got home and cooked dinner and felt fine. Wow, the struggles of trying to breathe. It feels like this huge weight off my chest!

So Thank You, Thank You, Thank You MOM! You're the best!

I LOVE YOU!

Sick Once Again

2008-05-13T11:45:00.003-05:00

To start off, I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. I certainly did. I went to spend some time with my sisters and mom. We spent the day with ur families just talking and playing some games. It was really nice. Oscar and Chrissy bought me a couple of things i had really been wanting and needing. For a while i had been admiring my brothers parallel Bible. It has both the NIV and the KJV. My hubby finally got me one. Then my ceramic flat iron had been dropped so many times that it shorts in and out, so he got me one of those too. My hair just won't straighten without one. It was really nice to see that he's been paying attention to the things I want and need. Ah, I love that man!! Its always great to get things you need.

My mom (I was pretty much adopted into this amazing family) got me some stuff I wanted too. She got me this awesome stamp set from SU that I've been admiring from my SIL collection. She also got me flip flops and a beautiful necklace. She's so sweet and loving and caring and well...the best mom any girl could ask for.

Yep, I'm sick again. Well sick since like the past 3 weeks now. I have this cough that just won't go away. I've tried everything. Yes, I do mean everything to get rid of it, from meds, inhaler, humidifier to more old time remedies like vicks on the bottom of your feet and concoction that are sure to make your toes curl. I just can't seem to kick it. So I guess this means its time to go to the doctor.

Other than that I have been reading this book by Stacy Julian. Its an awesome book and concept so I definately encourage you to go buy it, NOW! It will change the way you scrapbook forever. It will help you scrap the memories you want to scrap and not feel obligated to scrap in chronilogical order. Trust me when I say this book is so worth the $20. If you haven't read her other book, The Big Picture...Scrapbooking Your life and a whole lot more. It is another awesome book that will get you motivated to change the way you look at your hobby.

I bought some new photo binders, a couple of new albums and I'm really working on the sorting and organizing she talks about. It really a great feeling to be getting it accomplished. I love it! I totally love her end result but the process of getting there is awesome too. Love this lady she's so inspiring! Go read her blog I know you'll love her too.

My SIL is coming to visit today. I havne't seen her in a while. It will be a nice long visit this time too. We've been cleaning and organizing for her arrival so I better get to it.

Till next time...

Teacher Appreciation Week

2008-05-06T17:53:00.003-05:00

This year is my first year to do Teacher Appreciation. Chrissy's school does it for the whole week. So even though I've been pretty sick I've been trying to come up with cute ideas to let her teacher know we appreciate her.

I know alot of people feel like gift cards are the way to go but personally I just feel like they are impersonal and not really my style. I want the teacher to know I really took the time to think out the gift. And that I really put time, effort and heart into it. I do realize alot of moms don't have the time to make things and tahts understandable. As long as I can and I'm home I'm going to try.

So here are a few ideas I found...

Found this on at Dawn's Blog. Aren't they the cutest?!?! I'm totally doing this one for tomorrow.

Summer Tote: Summer is almost here and what better to give your teacher than the gift of a summer tote filled with all kinds of goodies. Buy some cute flip flops, sun visor, sunscreen, beach ball and a gift card for a pedicure to show off those summer feet. Put it all in a cute beach tote and she will be surprised.

Cater lunch: At the beginning of the week, send an invitation to the teacher that says, “You are invited to lunch on Friday with (your child’s name) in the cafeteria." Then pick up a nice meal from a local restaurant. Most teachers do not even have time for lunch or are stuck with cafeteria food, so plan something nice for her for one day. Don’t forget some dessert to top off an exciting meal.

Books for the classroom: Many times teachers have to pay for all their own resources used within the classroom. Why not donate books to the class library? This is also a great way to show appreciation.

BreakFast Basket: Bake some breakfast muffins, scones and bear claws. Add spread or jam and single serving packets of coffee or a bottle of juice. Also put in a linen napkin and utensils. Perfect start to the day!

Flowers or Flowering Plant: Tie with a bow and a tag that reads: Thanks you for helping (child's name) bloom this year.

Cookies to Go: Bake a batch of cookies and package them in an oversized chinese take-out box with a ribbon, seal and tag telling how much you appreciate the teacher.

There is a long list of simple cute things here.

Till Next time...

Little Bits of Fun

2008-05-05T17:11:00.008-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful NSD!! Mine was good except I had gotten this awful, terrible uncontrollable hacking cough. I'm totally not making it sound worse than it is. It really sucks!! My whole body aches to cough now. Other than that I scrapped with my SIL for a little while and then came home and scrapped some more from the comfort of my couch. Didn't get too much done cuz I had to take a nap from feeling so crummy. Here are a few of my pages I did get done and a little card I made a while back:

And here are some other goodies I made recently:

Here are my Eco Friendly shopping bags I painted. So excited about these, Seriously! If anyone is interested in these e-mail me. I think I'm going to post some in my etsy shop soon. I totally hate the ones that have the stores logo all over them! I didn't want to buy some for every store I shop at. That's just ridiculous and a huge waste of money and effort. These are so fun to make and versatile so I can use them at all my shopping spots. Love, Love, Love making these.

These are a few of my Cupcake Pin Cushion I'm also going to add to my etsy shop. FunFun!

So excited

2008-04-25T18:22:00.007-05:00

Aren't these like the most adorable things you've ever seen?!?! Im totally gonna make some tonite while I watch August Rush and Juno. If you want a tutorial on how to make these check out this sweet ladies blog Kim Archer. She tells you step by step how to make them.

So my and my SIL, Beka, are so excited about this little venture we are starting. I can't say much yet but its super exciting and something I've been wanting to do for years! Me and her together make a great partnership! So Super Excited!! More details on why later.

So have you seen Stacy Julian's post about going green. I'm really feeling this lately. I love that there are several scrapbooking companies using recycled paper. And I Love, Love, Love these from target!

And these on Cafe Press

Or these from EcoBags.com

Single use, disposable water bottles create millions of tons of unnecessary waste each year. According to the Container Recycling Institute, 86% of plastic water bottles used in the U.S. become garbage or litter. And buried plastic water bottles can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.

Anways, I think it is so important to think about our earth. People, including myself, get so caught up in making their lives easier thast they forget about those effects on our earth. So do our earth and in turn yourself a favor, GO GREEN!

Till next time....

Sneak Peak

2008-04-11T12:20:00.002-05:00

Here is my paint all lines up for my viewing pleasure. Really love having them out and readily accessable. I made an exta shelf just so I can add to the collection.

Here's a little sneak peak at my new laundry room. It has been really fun to work on and really tough at times too. Been working on it since last weekend and we are finally just about done.

We had extra help and it was awesome! He put in the sink, my plumbing, my light and switch.He did such an awesome job. We couldn't have done it without him. Thanks dad! ; )

I always dreamed of having a laundry sink. After reading Martha Stewarts book, I knew I had to have one. Ever since I've been thinking of how we could incorporate one into our house. Especially since its so small. But check it out in all its glory.

Isn't my little doggie treat container the cutest? And I actually have space to line up my extra paper towels, a space to fold clothes and keep our laundry.

If you can't tell how excited I am let me remind you. This is the most awesome thing I've accomlished in so long. Love it!!

Ok, off to cook dinner for my brother and his girlfriend and then off to my SIL Stampin up group. This is our first night. So stoked about that too! Till next time...

Revolution Money Exchange

2008-04-02T08:22:00.007-05:00

So I read about this and couldn't decide if it was legit, so I researched it more and finally decided I should definitely join. It's kinda like PayPal but without all the unnecessary charges they give you. It's free to send money and to receive it. Its really a great deal. It's FREE to sign up and as a bonus for signing up you get a free $25. You can transfer the money right to your checking account. But the $25 promotion is only lasting until April 15th.

Also, if you have any worries about your personal information,Revolution Money Exchange uses a (SSL) Secure Socket Layer which means all your information is encrypted—using a state-of-the-art encryption algorithm—before it leaves your computer, ensuring no one else can read it. They issue your account through First Bank & Trust, Brookings, SD, which is a member of FDIC. So I hope this puts it into perspective for ya, You should definitely JOIN! You'll be glad you did. You can check it out, just click on the button at the top of this post.

Happy Easter...a little late

2008-03-25T20:27:00.004-05:00

Hope everyone had a super Happy Easter and got to enjoy some time with family and friends. I know I certainly did. We spent a couple days in Louisiana seeing Oscars family. A little late on the decision to leave but it was still good to see everyone. It was really nice weather and we even got to go out to the club one night while his mom watched Chrissy for us. Ahhhh couple time...

We had a nice dinner on Sunday and an Easter egg hunt for the little ones. I made these adorable little carrots filled with candy too. I found the template here. They were super easy to make.

These are my new containers for my stamps (rubber and foam). I really liked the idea to label them and it also gives a more put together look to the shelf the are on. I found this idea in my SIL's Stampin' Up idea book. I really love their stuff. I have a whole page list of all the stamp sets I want. Go Figure!!
Last night we went to the Houston Rockets game with my brother and SIL. We didn't have the greatest seats meaning they were pretty high up but you could still see the game just fine. It was really nice to get out. I always say that only because I forget how nice it is to go somewhere without kids.You know just the adults, couple time. The Rockets won the game 108-100 against the Sacramento Kings.
Here is my new desk that I salvaged. Sorry for the not so good picture but it was poor lighting. It used to be my dads woodworking bench and then my brothers. He was cleaning out his shop and was fixing to get rid of it so I brought it home, sanded it, painted it, added a shelf and a pull out drawer. I really like it because it takes up way less space. It is also the perfect height for stand-up scrapping. Just my style!! I put all my alphabet sorted chipboard, glue and sorted eyelet/brads by color in the pull out drawer. It fit perfect and stays in place because of the small lip on the front. I also added the shelf on the bottom to store my paper and albums. I put the old deep drawers I saved from my old desk under that shelf to store magazines and 12x12 chipboard.

Hmmm...Happy Spring Break

2008-03-18T12:08:00.006-05:00

Well its spring break and you know what that means...kids everywhere. But that's OK cuz we are home with a sick little one. The past few days she hasn't been feeling very well. She's had a high fever and a terrible cough. Dr. appt. scheduled for this afternoon. Hopefully she can get feeling better and we can go to the beach before her break is over.

Yesterday, I did something I haven't really done in years. Fly a kite. We tried last year but couldn't get a good wind, but yesterday was super windy and I kept it up there for a long time. Just when it started to dive I had to run and the wind caught it just before it hit the fence. It was so enjoyable. I felt like a kid again.

While I played with the kite, the kids (Chrissy and Kameron) played on their new scooters we got them. It was such a good deal we couldn't pass it up. They love them and that makes it all the more worth it. Then Chrissy started feeling bad again so she went in and slept for a few hours. Hoping this Dr. will give her some meds this afternoon and get her back to normal.

OK, today I am going to try to finish up my room. I have been working on several new things for my space and hopefully I can finish today or at least by tomorrow afternoon. Have to go to the store and pick up a few things to get it finished then mission organization will begin.I'm really excited and hoping this will give me a new lease on my creativity and space.Till next time...

Some of My Latest

2008-03-11T21:26:00.003-05:00

These are my latest pages. The first is the layout I did for last weeks recipe swap. The 2nd is a layout for my This Is Me Journal about my favorite color (or should I say colors). The 3rd is a layout about my granddad and his granddaughter and great granddaughter. I've really been loving the creative breakthrough. Its like a breath of fresh air.

Today me and my SIL went to Ikea for a little shopping trip. It was fun. Wish I had more money to spend but I probably would have had to make two trips.hehe But I did pick up some huge clear jars that I have been wanting more of since I found them a couple of months ago. Im totally gonna fill them with my stamps and line them up on my shelf.

Super excited for tomorrow. We are making an appetizer recipe layout to swap and the actual dish so we can all taste them. How exciting right! I Love trying new things, especially bite sized.

Also, we went to Chrissy's open house tonite and got to see some of her work. It so strange to see how she has grown and matured in the past few months. What happened to my baby girl? But really, its awesome. I'm so proud of her. She has been working hard and learning so much. She has become quite the little book lover.

Well I gotta go work on my layouts. Till next time...

Totally Bummed

2008-03-08T16:06:00.002-06:00

Ok so my computer wouldn't get online today after everything I tried. So I decided to uninstall and reload the software and didn't think it would delete EVERY favorite I've ever saved. OMG! I'm totally bummed. I had all my favorite blogs, ideas, websites and so much more saved. What a big dummy I am for reinstalling without saving the links. So Im going through trying to remember some of what I had saved. Wish me luck with that!

Other than that I am going to try to scrap more today. Been really loving the creativity lately. I felt so inspired to create. Also, Im going to join a group doing Stampin Up. Really excited about that. They have some really cute ideas and really awesome stamps. Of course they aren't all my style but alot of them are really versatile.

Thursday, I started back working on my album of 4X6's. I really love them because I can save pictures that I probably wouldn't have scrapped otherwise. It lets me display them instead of them being kept in a box. I use the 2-up pages. It looks really nice I must say. I originally got the idea from Stacy Julians book. Now my SIL is doing a 4X6 album too. I'll take some pics of a few pages later.

We also did our cookie recipe swap. The cookies were delicious and the pages are too cute. One of the ladies didn't get to make it but Im really looking forward to her joining our little sessions. Its always enjoyable to have more ladies chat and scrap. Im mean really, who doesn't love to scrap, chat and snack at the same time?

Ok, back to remembering links.uhhhh....

My Newest Toy

2008-03-04T09:16:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, Oscar ran out to get some hay for our doggie because of the cold front coming through. He came in and told me he looked everywhere and couldn't find any. I was pretty bummed that our pup would be cold for the night.

I thought it was pretty strange but he wanted me to come in the living room in the middle of the afternoon and watch TV. He told me to scoot over so I yank the pillow from the side of me and thats when I found it, a brand new pink iPod Nano. OMG!! He said I love you and I want you to know I do appreciate you and everything you do.OMG! Who are you and what have you done with my husband?? Couldn't decide whether I should be ecstatic or tell him to take this sucker back because it was way too much money.OK,OK...so I was ecstatic. I've been wanting one forever but I just didn't think we should splurge on something like that.

I am totally 100% loving it! It is cute and light and I even have pink marshmallow ear phones to match. Which btw, if you haven't tried them you definitely should. You'll never want to use any other style headphones again. They are the best.

I was super excited about getting an iPod but even more excited that he said he appreciates me and loves me. Do you realize how hard it is to get this man to voice his feelings? You'd swear he'd rather have his teeth pulled. So this was so huge for him.

I love this man with all my heart. Through all our trials and tribulations, I'm so happy to be spending my life with him. Sometimes I just have to sit back and think about how God gave me this amazing gift when he brought Oscar into my life. I couldn't ask for a better fit. Sure, we have our disagreements but what marriage doesn't. I think alot of our probs are more surrounding the fact that he is a man and I am a woman and we are just different. We think different. And in all actuality that's okay. Its meant to be that way. All that aside, he is and forever will be the love of my life.

Beautiful Day

2008-03-01T14:41:00.004-06:00

It is a beautiful day outside. Me and Chrissy spent the morning chasing butterflies around the yard and then decided to paint. First we painted tiny clay pots, then moved on to painting scraps of wood. It was so much fun to spend special time with my little girl. It reminds me so much of all the little things I've missed along the way and how fast the time is rushing by. I wish I could spend all my days catching butterflies with my baby girl. Wouldn't that be the life.

This is my painting. This is how our sky really looks right about now. getting ready to get food prepared for a family BBQ this evening. Really love cooking out on days like these. Hope everyone else is doing well.

Been scrapping too lately. Getting back into the groove. Once I finished one the rest came alot easier. Me, My SIL, and a friend of ours are going to try to get back into the weekly routine. It so fun to chat with them and scrap. I really enjoy myself. Especially if I dont hav eto feel guilty about cleaning up.

Gotta go get the meat ready. Hubby is hounding me. Until next time...Here's my new layouts.

Lots of jumping around

2008-02-24T09:02:00.002-06:00

Monday evening I received a note home from Chrissy's teacher saying they were starting a unit on plants and seeds and flowers. A few weeks before I had seen some cute little clay pots at the dollar store(4 in a pk) but couldn't think of what I could use them for. So when I read that note I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

Check these out!! I'm really proud of them. They look like a little bundled plant. They are actually bundled dirt and flower seeds are in each pack. I made 17 of these things, one for each child in the class. Her teacher was ecstatic when I brought them on Friday. She even hugged me. It was so sweet and funny too.

I so enjoy making little things for her class. Ok...I enjoy making little things for anyone. It was a lot of fun to make and turned out really simple but still super cute.

These are the shelves for Chrissy's room. I couldn't stand the disorganization any longer. There was this and that everywhere. I found the little pink boxes at the dollar tree and loved them so much I put them in my studio too. I showed my SIL and she got them for her scraproom too. They are the perfect size for 4X6's. They had an assortment of cute colors to pick from.

Enough about that stuff. Have you read Donna's blog lately?? She has been doing awesome on NutriSystem. I'm so excited for her and was thinking...maybe I should start it too. I would really love to lose some weight. She's already lost 21 pounds. Wow, need say more! My main concerns would be the cost of the food and whether or not my willpower is strong enough.

I know, I know I'm jumping all over the place on this post. Sorry if it is confusing. But I just had to tell y'all that I'm going to get a new dryer today. WooHoo. I'm sick of washing at the washateria. Our dryer went out a few weeks ago and we haven't found one yet. So today is the day we are going to make the decision. We can't hold out any longer. Wish me luck on the search. Till next time...

Organization and Reuniting

2008-02-20T17:52:00.003-06:00

For weeks now it seems my studio has been in shambles to say the least. Like a tornado drop through the ceiling and then skipped the rest of the house. So this morning I woke up and decided today was the day to get it back in order. I want to scrap. No,I need to scrap. I've been so preoccupied by projects for Chrissy's class and other stuff that I haven't had a chance. I wasn't feeling very creative,like I was going through a drought or something. But I feel a creative rain storm blowing in.

On another note, I got to see my brother that I haven't seen in forever. Seriously its been months, like almost a year. He came and spent the weekend with us. It was awesome to see him and talk about everything. We had so much catching up to do. My other brothers were totally surprised to see him too. One hadn't seen him in like 3 years. Totally the best family reunion ever with the exception of one brother being stubborn and he didn't come(high school senior, you know how that is). Other than that it was a blast. We all got together and roasted hot dogs and smores and played dominoes all night. Can't wait to see him again. Love you Maurice. Hope everything is good in your world!

I want to send a special Happy Birthday out to my brother, Matthew. Hope you had the best day ever! I love you! I miss you! Sorry I couldn't share today with you but just the same I hope it was awesome!

I've been tagged

2008-02-07T08:30:00.001-06:00

I've been tagged by Sarah C. :

You must post the rules before you give your answers.

You must list one fact about yourself for each letter of your middle name.

Each fact must begin with that letter.

If you don't have a middle name, just use your maiden name.

After you've been tagged, you need to up-date your blog with your middle name and answers.

At the end of your post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and need to read your blog for details)

Ok Well My middle name is NICOLE so here it goes:

N: Never give up on my art. I've struggled so much with that over the years but Ive always known that it was a God given gift and Im not going to let that go to waste no matter what anyone else thinks.

I: Inspire- I love to inspire other people with my creations, my art, my photography. That in itself brings me so much joy.

C: Colorful- Thats how my husband describes my favorite color. He says I don't really have one, I have a bunch. Im just colorful. What can I say color just makes me happy.

O: Optimistic- I'm optimistic about life. I fully believe that if I could get this life out of what it once was then anyones life could change for the better. Take your lemons and make Lemonade.

L: Love to cook.Really! I enjoy cooking especially for parties or get togethers.

E: Everything in its place. I love a well organized house. Now, if I could just learn how to keep it that way we'd be in business.

OK so I'm no good with rules so I'll tag 2 instead of 5, so

Beka and Rachel.

Made these for my daughters teacher, bus driver, principal and some others. Haven't finished filling them yet with M&Ms but aren't they cute!?!? I can't find the clear vinyl for my other project but im still looking. Hopefully I can go tomorrow afternoon and see if another store has it.

If you haven't been to SplitCoastStampers.com, GO NOW! There are so many inspiring projects here. These are what I'm trying to make out of the clear vinyl. My friend sent me the link when I couldn't explain to my SIL what they looked like. Now I have a gallery full of inspiration to work from.Love it!!

What are you making for V-DAY? Until next time...

Sick, Sick and more Sick

2008-02-04T19:07:00.000-06:00

Well last week I ended up catching a stomach virus from the little one. She was so sick and I couldn't help comforting her. So of course, a couple days later I caught it. Oh, I was so sick! It took me days to get back on my feet. Now everyone has got this cold and flu thing going around like crazy.My brother and both kids are sick with it. And yep wouldn't you know it...I caught that too. Yep started coughing last night and this afternoon I really am feeling pretty yuckie! Been trying to drink lots of fluids and eat fruit so that hopefully it will pass. Seems like so many people are getting sick with this ridiculous weather around here. 40's one day and 80 the next.

Well Im really looking forward to Chrissy's Valentines Day party. Im making those hershey roses. And these cute little sour cream container things. They are adorable I'll share when Im finished with one. Ok, so Im going to get some much needed mucinex. Uhhhhhh...

Till later..

Whewww what a weekend

2008-01-28T10:15:00.001-06:00

Well the past 2 weeks have been super busy. Last weekend me and my SIL went to the Creating Keepsakes Scrapbook Convention. It was a little lacking but still amazing to actually have them here in town. Got some really cool stuff including a 15 pk of 12X12 chipboard for 3 bucks. WOW! Then this week we started organizing the house only to find out that my in laws were coming in on Thursday for a surprise visit. All 8 of them in our tiny little house. It was a squeeze but worked out very well and we were so happy to see them. I didn't realize how hard it is to fix a well rounded meal for 11 people. Definitely takes some planning. Here are a few pics of organization and boy does it feel good.

I even built this one for my bathroom with help from my SIL. I couldn't have done it alone! Hubby was at work and I didn't want to wait any longer. These boards are really heavy so I'm really glad she was home. Needs some paint but it worked for the weekend.

This is in my studio. Still working more on that but really loving it.

This is how I organized my necklaces and bracelets. I got the idea from *Elsie*.

Took these when we went to the convention. It was a rainy dreary day and super cold too.

Found this quote and I just love it! Gonna make a painting with it.

So now to work on a few projects I've been waiting to start. I'm still looking for some cute ideas for a valentines day craft for Chrissy's Pre-K class. Something really fun and cute. I have the perfect little favors too. Can't wait to work on those and post a picture. Hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday! Till next time...

Just droppin in..

2008-01-25T19:44:00.000-06:00

to say wow what a start to a weekend. Oscar's family came down from Louisiana for a very unexpected visit but nonetheless it has been really nice. Busy... but nice. Haven't had even a second to breath but this afternoon his sisters went out to visit some old friends and the kids went to visit other family, so here I am. Got alot of work to do around here but I've been really working around the house to get it clean and organized. Forgot I even had some of this stuff. I'll share pics hopefully tomorrow but don't hold me to it. I promise to have more next week in the way of pictures. Got some great buckets that I'm loving. Gosh I think I have like 20 something around the house. Hey...I know what your thinking but the actually work out really nice. So to everyone out there, hope you are having a wonderfully warm and cozy Friday. Till next time...

2008-01-15T09:45:00.000-06:00

Do you prefer that you be right or happy?
~Norman Cousins~

I have really thought alot lately about hurt feelings ,anger, happiness, forgiveness and family and love and friendship. I've come to the conclusion that you don't always have to sacrifice what you believe is right in order to be able to forgive and move on. Ha..what a revelation, huh?

I never knew...

2008-01-12T19:47:00.001-06:00

...that this city could be so inspiring. I never realized how many talented artist there were here. I guess I just don't get out enough, but I did today and OMG it was so amazing. I feel like a giddy child just bursting at the seams. We went to some resale shops and then we went to 19th street where there are lots of artist shops and cafes. Oh I've fallen in love with my city. It has beautiful places and things and most definately people. I love art. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE ART!! I picked up a few steals while i was out. I couldn't believe their price. I'll take some pics when I fix them the way I want. Here are a couple of pics I took today:

Beautiful Stained Glass Laterns

This shows my huge love for all Iced Tea. This is a yummy treat I had today with my enormous sandwhich at this little cafe on 19th street. Can't remember the name but I'll find out and share. It was soooo good!

A vintage Kodak duffle bag. Just had to take a picture of this one. Funky! Sorry for the blurry picture. It was taken on the sly. But not for any deceitful purposes, Promise!

And ahhh, the perfect end to my day. I was driving home with my heart so full with all the beautiful art I had seen and then I saw this coming out of this black cloud. I just had to pull over to get this shot.

There was so much I didn't get to look at, so much left unseen. I can't wait to go back and seek out all the neat nooks and crannies of this town. There were so many adorable cafes, I just want to try them all.

Sometimes I feel so conflicted about who I am. I feel like part of me lies in country life and the other part of my heart lies in the city. I feel like I'm old-school with a modern twist. I love being in the country but something about city life and all there is to explore, makes my heart pound. I feel so alive there. I feel like a part of me thats missing is filled when I'm there.

Until next time the city awaits...

I know I promised...

2008-01-11T17:46:00.000-06:00

photos of my creativity but it isnt finished so here are a couple of my Project 365 pictures. I'll post my picture of my mini album for it later. Im really loving the idea that I will have a whole years worth of photos in one album. Well..hopefully one album. Until then here are a couple photos...

2008-01-11T08:40:00.000-06:00

Something I have to remember:

Losing a friend can be really tough. Even though you might feel sad, realize that it's not the end of the world. You will get over it and you will make new friends. It is difficult, and at times impossible to restore a friendship, and most of the time, it will never be the same.

On to something lighter: I Got some new paint and paint brushes yesterday. Im totally excited! Feeling quite creative today so I'll be back later to share...

Believe In Your Art

2008-01-09T15:43:00.000-06:00

Project 365 Day #9

This is a painting I made for my studio. Just want to remind myself not to compare myself to others, not to compare my art. If you do, you will always either think you are better or fall short every time! Neither one being a good thing. I just want to be me. Do what I do because it makes me happy. I want to believe in me. I believe my art is perfect the way I create it. It is me at my best...and worst too. It is an awesome reflection of who I am and who I aspire to be. I love being creative, whether I'm scrapbooking, sewing, painting, doodling, altering or whatever (believe me I could go on). Thinking about making some more paintings in the near future. Maybe to sell on etsy.

Day # 8 Below:

On another note I am Totally gonna start a mini-album like this for my pics for Project 365. LOVE IT!! I had been trying to think of an idea for one but this truly inspires me. Thanks Karla!

General One Tree Hill Season 5 Promo #2

2008-01-09T08:55:00.001-06:00

This show was awesome! Can't wait till next week! Oh how I love this show. I thought last season that they would end the show because it would be hard to continue after high school but they did such an awesome job picking up after the fact.Love Love Love this show!

Catch up

2008-01-08T13:54:00.000-06:00

Day # 5 of Project 365

Day #6 of Project 365

Day #7 of Project 365

I'm really loving taking pictures everyday. Even thought about taking some photography classes at the community college. I'm feeling totally inspired to re-organize my scrap room. I would love to re-build another island. I have some awesome ideas. Not to say I'm not totally proud of the one I have. Just think its time for an upgrade. I wish I could cut boards myself. I would totally have it built one day before Oscar came home. LOL-yea right!Nice thought though isn't it!?!

Well off to make quesadillas for lunch and then back to scrappin...I hope...

The Time Is Now!

2008-01-04T10:23:00.000-06:00

Too many people today fail because of one simple factor. And what is that you may ask? Procrastination! Too many times I've found myself in that category. I know things that I want to do, things that need to be done but I think on them so long I miss the perfect moment I could have succeeded. I even write lists of things I want to accomplish and then can't decide what should be done first.So this year, no today, Now is the time. The time for me to jump out of the little box of my mind and into clear view for the world to see. I'm striving to be something more than this. I don't have to be rich or famous. I just want to be better than I am now. A better me. Now is that time in my life where I don't want to be held back. I don't want to make excuses. I just want to be happy. I want to live happy. I want to be full of joy and creativity and inspiration, so full I'm bursting at the seams.

As for my day #3 picture for Project 365, I took a picture of this amazing clock tower that I have been meaning to take a picture of for months but always put it off. So yesterday I told my husband to swing by there and stop so I could jump out and take a picture of it. Some kids were riding by on their bikes starring at me and said "why would she want a picture of that?" I just looked at them and smiled , then jumped back in the car. I took it for me,just me, as a symbol of not procrastinating anymore.I want to do the things I want to do because that same day or chance may never come again.

Today I'm going to create. I have things on my mind to make and I'm going to do it.

Do something good for someone today and then do something good for yourself .

Baby it's cold outside!

2008-01-03T12:32:00.000-06:00

It is really quite cold here. Well...maybe not compared to the north but for Texas its cold. Last night it was like 26 here. Pretty darn cold if you ask me. All day yesterday we snuggled together me, oscar and chrissy, shared hot chocolate, napped, watched lots of movies and hung around in the living room.

In light of the cold weather here is Day#2 of Project 365...

So I spent much of today searching around the blogosphere for inspiration. I found tons of creative and amazing artists. Check out some of these sites :

Cupcake Scrap Shop

Pound Of Glue

Life is Art - Check out her Art Slam!! Its an awesome concept!

Pictures & Words

So to add to my list of things to do in 2008

1. The Best of me Challenge

2. Studio Organization like this, this and this.

3. Follow some of these 33 Rules to Boost your productivity

Tomorrow I'll share my picture for day #3. Totally loving the project and how it makes you look at your life. Here's to inspiration and creativity...

Happy Happy New Year

2008-01-01T18:14:00.000-06:00

Today's the day, a day for a brand new start...for anyone...for everyone. A day that can change your whole life. A new year to say I want to be different. I'm going to be different. I'm sick of everyone just talking about it...It's time to be about it. Stop saying it and just LIVE IT!

Hence my 1st picture for Project 365...

I want a new outlook, a new perspective on my life, on my attitude, my creativity, my relationships with people and with God. Today is my brand new start. A day to say I'm going to be different and I'm showing it! What did you start today?

Wishing everyone a home and heart full of love, peace, comfort, and joy. Wishing everyone the Happiest New Year in 2008!

What is your New Year's Resolutions?

2007-12-31T18:32:00.000-06:00

Today everyone is asking the same question. What is your New Year's Resolution? What are the things you want to change, habits you want to begin or break, things you hope to do? I always start the year with things I want to do. Of course everyone does. But so many times these don't last past the middle of January. This year will be different for me ...I hope. I plan to make a conscious effort everyday to stay on track with my resolutions.

So I guess you probably wondering what they are, huh?

1. Start Project 365 - a picture a day for a year

2. Add to My Etsy Shop at least once every week.

3. Help my brother plan fund raisers for the youth ministry here.
(He has big dreams and big plans for the youth of today.)

4. Save money and reduce debt.

5. Start planning for upcoming projects ahead of time. ex: Birthdays, a baby shower, school parties for Easter and Valentines day.

6. Scrapbook 2 pages a week.

7. Plan weekly meals in advance and grocery shop accordingly.

8. Have family night (games, snacks, books & absolutely No T.V.)

9. Plan to do more outdoor activities such as this, and this, and this.

10. Continue to organize our home to better fit our lifestyle.

11. Blog everyday or at least 4 times a week.

12. Bake more with Chrissy's help. Start a special day we make something new or a family recipe together.

13. Drink more water and eat more healthy.

14. Increase my prayer time. Concentrate on all my blessings.

15. Read more books like this, this and this.

Here is my list as of today. I'd love to hear yours!

Hope you have a Happy New Year!!

Stocking Stuffer Luvin'

2007-12-11T13:12:00.000-06:00

I love the idea of stocking stuffers! Love everything about them. Love shoping for the perfect things to fit inside each one. Its even better than shopping for the gifts. LOL So here are a few ideas I love... No peaking AdamOr these cuties. Sugar plums (candy covered marshmellows with sprinkles, or sugars, or nuts) they are homemade as well. Look here to get the recipe to make them. Super simple and super cute. I know what you were thinking but its actually pretty cool. Its a tea infuser for single serving teas. A little steep (haha) on the price at $20 but its still really adorable and I would love to have it. Find it here.

A retractable carpenter's pencil holder. Never lose your pencil while working . Oh so perfect for my brother! No more asking for a pencil. Im going to put a note on it that says "You better not ask me for another pencil!"

These are hot chocolate cones. Adorable aren't they? Hot cocoa with all the trimmings (mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and a cherry-red gumdrop). Im totally going to make some of these up if I can just find the cone shaped cello bags. They are going to be adorable for my DD pre-k class. And making them will be 100% cheaper than buying them at Target for a whopping $4 each.

I got this little gem for my nephew. Its so right up his alley. Its a cement truck filled with candy gravel. It rolls and the candy comes out the shoot. Find it here. But I got mine at Arne's warehouse. They sold them seperately instead of a six pack. A pot clip for your utensil. No need for a spoon rest just clip it to your pot until your ready to stir again. Love Love Love this. From The Container Store it cost $6.99.

Another oh so cute stocking stuffer. A change purse from LittleMissMatched.com. Chrissy would love to have one of these but at $7 a pop, I don't think she'll find one of these in her stocking this year. Well, unless I can figure out how to make one similar. LOL I think I can, I think I can.

The Original Slinky. I loved these as a kid. I think we got one every few years because we bent them and twisted them up until they were no longer kid friendly. But none-the-less we love them and spent hours seeing what we could make them do. Yes, you will find one of these in my daughters stocking this year and maybe my nephew's too. What are these things you ask? Don't you remember Hand Boilers. They are looped and twisted glass sculptures containing a liquid that will "boil" as heat is transferred from your bare hand. Simply hold the large bulb end in the palm of your hand and within minutes, your body heat will cause the liquid to rise. Really awesome for kids. They will be amazed at how it works, trust me I remember when me and my brother were.

So there is my list of things I found that are truly stocking stuffer worthy. There are tons more maybe I'll share some tomorrow. Hope you're having a wonderful holiday season so far. Can't wait till Christmas!

Advent Calender

2007-12-01T11:08:00.001-06:00

Found this on Ali's Blog. I'm so loving this idea!! I've been scouring the house trying to find 24 little boxes to alter. And they have to be done today. Lots of work to be done. But aren't they just adorable! Advent calenders have always caught my eye. They are so inspiring and help you to remember the spirit all through the month not just on Christmas day. They help put you in the right frame of mind.

Loving this one too! Found it here.

They are really adorable and I love the idea of putting experiences inside instead of gifts. A little card with experiences such as make some hot cocoa, send 5 greeting cards to people you've lost touch with, go caroling, make a batch of cookies and take it to a neighbor. I am so making one of these. Might not be ready till the 3rd or 4th but we'll have it for next year too.

I'm totally getting inspried to create. Now if I can just find all the supplies I need and get to it, we will have lots of really cute things for the season.

Did I mention I just love Christmas. Love it, Love it, Love it!

Holiday Love

2007-11-29T09:44:00.000-06:00

Check this out. Its a crayon roll.I found these at MadeByCara on Etsy.com. Im so going to make one of these for Chrissy and Kam for Christmas. Its too adorable. They can just roll it up and take it with them or pack it away at home. Easy cleanup, a mom's best friend.

We are on a really tight budget this year, so Im going to try to find lots of cute crafty things to make. Sometimes I feel like family is unappreciative of homemade things. Mainly because most of them dont think about the time, thought and love that gets put into things. All the same, Im going to try to make some nice things. Practical nad cute at the same time.

I so love Christmas time and that warm fuzzy feeling you get when your a kid. Im trying to put that back into our lives with a simple Christmas. Christmas carols, baking, decorating, giving, playing board games, watching holiday movies, hot chocolate, and just being a family. It seems too many times now days we get so wrapped up in all the hustle and bustle that we forget what the Christmas spirit is all about. Family, Love and most importantly, Our Savior Jesus Christ. The simple things are forgotten.

Made these cute little holiday planners for me, Beka and her mom. I was trying to focus on staying organized and in turn having more time to spend with family, stress free. They turned out so cute! I'll share pics soon.

Looking for more ideas for homemade Christmas stuff, but trying to not go for the usual baked goods kinda thing. Although, I still am going to give that sorta thing to Chrissy's bus driver, the neighbors and her teacher. But closer family will share that anyway and I want something really unique and fun, but not weird and something they can acually use.

Until next time...