Photos Today - 6/27/10

Several pictures from today...

McDonald's Sweet Tea on the way home from church... I tried a new church today. It is such a weird feeling to be a stranger in the crowd again. I haven't felt that for a long time. Starting over...

Bacon spinach salad and bread sticks for lunch. Yum.

Hot. 'nuff said.

Made this castle for the hall tree in Isaac's room. He chose dragons and castles for his room, and the one thing he asked for is a sign that says "Isaac's Castle." We found this little castle at Hobby Lobby, although it was all pink and purple. Nothing a little paint can't fix!

Playing in the sprinklers with the neighbor boy and two other little boys. Six kids, 6 sword-like weapons, two sprinklers, and wild imaginations. I think they were all secret super spies who were fighting bad guy aliens or something like that. It always makes me smile to overhear their play.

After getting our 1/2 bath painted yesterday, today I semi-decorated. I decided to refinish the mirror since it didn't match anything else that was in there. Gonna do white paint as the base and then go over it with crackle paint. Hope it turns out...

Check Some Off the List

Well, tonight we checked a few things off of our summer list already! We went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant that we've never tried - 2 things off the list (Go Out for Mexican, Try a New Restaurant). Afterward, we spent almost 2 hours wandering through Bass Pro Shop. At first the kids weren't so excited about the idea of going to a 'hunting store' but once we got there, it was like the adventure of a lifetime. They had a ball exploring and seeing what they could find. The whole evening was going wonderfully!.... until a crossbow fell on Isaac's head. No kidding. He was in the middle of the aisle, looking at the animal tracks on the floor, when a bow fell of the display and slid right down the left side of him. He has a big goose egg on the side of his head and scrapes on his arm. The employees who were nearby nearly apologized me to death! They kept asking me if I wanted to file any paperwork, or if there was anything they could do for us. Lucas said later I should have tried to get a new gun out of the deal. LOL. He's such a goofball. In all serious, though, Isaac is fine. Nothing he couldn't have done on his own. By the time he got home, he had totally forgotten about it and had moved on to other things. No worries.

Although Meagan was getting very tired and crabby toward the end, the general consensus is that we should go there again. They have a free family summer camp on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. We may look into that this week. Could be fun!

The List

I saw this idea on one of the blogs that totally inspires me: whatever. I thought, since we've just moved to a new place and there is lots we have not experienced about our new town, a list of our own would be a fun tool to help us stay creative and adventurous throughout the summer. So, here's our list:

We've got plenty of room at the bottom still to add new things as we get new ideas. Not sure if you can read it all, so here's what's on the list so far:

• Swim in Grandma & Grandpa's Pond
• Photo Scavenger Hunt
• Visit the Farmers' Market
• Bake a Surprise Treat for a Neighbor
• Zoo Day
• Go See a 3-D Movie
• Walk to Mr. Freeze to get Ice Cream
• Swim in Grandma and Grandpa's Pool
• Get Library Cards and Check out Reading List Books
• Go Out for Mexican Food
• Catch Fireflies in the Bug Jar
• Slip-n-Slide in the Backyard
• Paint / Refinish Dressers and Drawers
• Plant Flowers
• Popcorn & Family Movie Night at Home
• Back yard Sprinklers
• Hershey's Ice Cream
• Read 30 Hours Each this Summer
• Organize Basement Toys & Art Supplies
• Try a New Restaurant we've never tried
• Feed the Horses at the Farm
• Visit the Science Center Downtown
• Picnic Lunch
• Walk to Get Fresh Donuts
• Kids Chef Night
• Build & Launch a Model Rocket
• Play at the Park
• Ice Cream Party at Our House
• Visit an Aquarium
• Stepping Stone Art Project
• Visit a Children's Museum
• Lego Land
• Walk UT's Campus
• Eat a Meal Using Chopsticks
• Bike Ride through the Park
• Go to the Community Pool
• Play Miniature Golf
• Go Fishing
• Explore Bass Pro Shop

Some Girly Layouts to Share

I've had to steal scrapping time here and there after kids' bedtimes and between painting and projects. So even though I've been semi-productive, it doesn't seem like it because it has been so pieced together. Anyway, it completely slipped my mind to post them here once I was finished with them. Here goes. Two layouts, both girly ones. Actually, both are pictures from Meagan's birthday party last month. I promise to work on some boy layouts soon... I hope.

Journaling: You got this costume for your birthday, and you ran and played in it all day on the day of your party. I love that you felt so special on your special day. Plus, I love that I got a few precious pictures of you.

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Journaling: This is Meagan's friend who lives by Grandma and Grandpa H. They don't play together often, but when they do they have a blast. It's fun for Meg to have a girl her age to run and play with and just be girly. With 2 big brothers in the house, she doesn't get much of that. Whenever she does get 1-on-1 girl time, she just eats it up.

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Hog Wild

My little cupcake piggy oinking out on her birthday cupcakes this year. Love her and her funny faces!


Journaling: Who can resist pigging out on birthday cupcakes? really, why even try?

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I was excited today to see that this layout was featured on the Creating Keepsakes Magazine blog for gallery spotlights. Thanks CK!

About Today

Another day come and gone. I spent much of the day sorting through paperwork that had been all jumbled together pre-move. Paid some bills. Made some phone calls. Looked into getting the kids registered in their new school.

The highlight of the day was that our friends came over for dinner. Super good friends. Haven't seen them for several years. I was a little blown away at how grown up their kids have gotten... I guess time will do that, huh? We had a good time just hanging out and catching up. I love that. They are leaving this weekend to move out to the west coast. I am excited for them, but sad that they are moving so far away. Maybe some day we'll all actually end up in the same place at the same time. We can hope.

The most precious thing about today for me, though, came this evening. I was sitting here doing a layout, and Meg came downstairs. Couldn't sleep and needed some snuggles. We tried the couch, but she just couldn't settle. So we moved up to our room. I just love little baby girl cuddles. She is so sweet, always pulling my arm over her and hugging her little arms around me. Can't get enough of that. It will be gone too soon. I have to eat it up while I can. *sigh*

Dining In

Finally! We have rediscovered the kitchen! It has been a long time since I've had a fully-stocked kitchen and time to cook. But we have finally gotten settled in enough that I was able to make my first grocery trip and plan out a few meals. Tonight it was WAY too hot to cook indoors, so I planned a meal on the grill. We had chicken, Italian veggies, and cinnamon apples on the grill as well as steamed corn on the cob. YUM! The veggies are a basic staple in our summer diet. We basically chop up fresh broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, peppers, onions, zucchini, and whatever else, coat it with olive oil and Italian seasoning, and grill them in a grill basket. Delicious and simple. The apples are the total opposite of a staple. In fact, I just made them up today *LOL*. I was talking to Lucas' mom, and she said something about eating apple crisp. I thought, "Mmmm, that sounds great. Maybe I'll make some for dinner," at which point I realized that would incorporate heating up the oven, which I was trying to avoid at all cost. So, I decided to experiment. If it worked out, great! Cinnamon apples for dinner. If not, we were out five apples and a handful of spice. No big deal. Here's what I did: Pealed & diced 5 apples. Threw some sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch (although I think next time I'll use more cornstarch than I used tonight... they were a little thin) on them and mixed it all up. Then I put the apples, 2 ice cubes, and 3 pats of butter into a foil pack and threw them on the grill. I think they grilled for about 30-35 minutes... they were very tender and tasty. Worked like a charm! Will definitely be doing that again. Sounds like a great topping to some vanilla ice cream!

Boxed In

Help! We're trapped in here... under all these boxes!

Seriously, though... Moving went well. Unloading was smooth, and they were out of here by 3:45. Now we are left to all the unpacking and sorting. Finding that an extra 600 square feet and a finished basement doesn't always mean extra room... not sure yet how that translates? Oh well. We'll figure it all out. I've spent ALL afternoon / evening trying to solve the Rubik cube-like challenge of fitting everything into the kitchen cabinets. If I can just get the tupperware containers stuffed away somewhere, I will be calling it a night.

I promise, I have pictures and stuff. I'm just way too tired to mess with them right now. So I will blog out of chronological order by posting pics days later... and you will still love me. For now, back to cabinet stuffing. And then maybe a little '24' on Netflix before completely crashing. 'Night.

A Little Too Packed?

Well, the movers have come and gone for the day. Got the whole house packed in one day. Nice! So tomorrow morning they'll be back to finish the stragglers - like the bedding, the laundry supplies that we were still using as of 5:00 this evening. Once the stragglers are tucked away, they'll load the truck. As long as all goes well, they will be delivering our stuff to the new house on Wednesday. Yea!!!

So here's the thing.... they told us first thing this morning that whatever was on the beds they would not pack... so the beds are like a "safe-zone." Sure, makes sense. So, we started loading up the beds with stuff we needed to keep out for tonight and tomorrow. What I did NOT realize, however, was that somewhere in the mix of the day, our actual PILLOWS made their way off of the bed and onto the floor. We made this discovery tonight as we were clearing out the "safe-zone" and straightening out the blankets to get ready to actually lay down and crash. "Where are the pillows?" Lucas asked. As we are both fairly exhausted, it took a short moment for either of us to realize that the pillows must be safely tucked away in one of the many boxes stacked around the house.

Instantly, we both looked at the pile of stuff we had just cleared off the bed to see what might be useful for pillows. Jackpot!! In a laundry basket of kids stuff, there were some pillows and stuffed animals that had been set aside. My brat of a husband calls shot-gun, so to speak, for the only semi-normal looking pillow thing in there. "I get the monkey pillow!" Crap! That leaves me with Pikachu (a little 10x10 throw pillow) and a stuffed husky dog. Oh well, I guess we'll make it through the night. And live to laugh about it another day.

As for now, I don't care what I sleep on, as long as sleep is involved. This time tomorrow, we should be settling in for a (good) night of sleep in our new house!!

Bright and Early

Bright and early this morning, the movers were at our house for packing day. Our front porch is currently full of packing supplies - boxes, paper rolls, packing tape. Our kitchen is EMPTY (which I don't entirely mind, as it means NO cooking for me for the next few days!.... only problem is, it also means no snacks, no drinks since there are no cups in the cabinets... hmmm... maybe i could have thought through that a bit more on the front side? oh well).



Anyhow. Kitchen is empty. Basement is packed up. Living room and Meg's room are currently in progress. So far today, we've had McDonalds for breakfast and Wendy's for lunch. We may need to detox after this is all said and done. The kids have already ridden their cars/trucks/jeeps in circles around the house until the batteries wore out. Now the boys are playing DS, and Meagan is snuggled up on the couch feeling a little crabby.

Everything is in a bit of disarray, but I am resting on the fact that it is temporary! The OCD in me is struggling a bit at the moment :) Tomorrow or Wednesday will be load-the-truck day. Then we head out. Bittersweet. But I am very much looking forward to the new home, the new adventure, and the return of the sense of being settled. Just a few days.... I can see the light!

Scrap Catch-Up

Well, I am VERY behind on posting, as my husband daily reminds me. He has been waiting rather impatiently to see a few stories from the past few weeks find their way to my blog... we'll see if I can get those up soon. For now, I'm taking the easy way out, and I'm catching up on a few pages I've yet to post.

My friend Krista (aka Sahlin Studio) is guest designer at Shabby Pickle this month, and she has got some C.U.T.E. stuff in her shop there! For the first 2 layouts, I used her guestie goodies.

1. Flag Football - I LOVE a good grungy boy kit! I've had these pictures for over a year & a half, waiting for a good boy-ish kit to come along. Finally! I used GRUNGE by Sahlin Studio for this one...




Journaling: Sebastian played flag football this fall. He scored the first touchdown of the season. He had a blast, and showed off not only his speed, but also his determination and grit!

(Click here to view full credits)




2. Something New - One thing in my scrap stash that I can never have enough of is alphas!! I am an alpha junkie! I LOVE them! The right type can really make (or break) a page. There are a few designers I consider go-to's when it comes to finding a cute new alpha, and Krista is one of them. On this page, I used 2 of her new alphas - Plastic Tile Alpha and Candy Coated Alpha. I also used some cute new goodies from TLP.





Journaling: We're off on an adventure... a new chapter in our lives. We're closing the door on Michigan, and looking forward to what lies ahead. A new state, a new home, a new set of friends and neighbors to meet and get to know. Sure, it's a little challenging to face the future, not knowing what's to come. But I know we're gonna be good, and that this will be a positive change.


(Click here to view full credits)




3. Dad (Just Like You) - These pictures are a few years old... Lucas teaching the kids to shoot a bow. Very cute! For this, I used a new kit by Leora Sanford called Just Like You, full of cute dad stuff in honor of Fathers' Day.

Journaling: True, we don't have a daddy who wears suits and ties or drives a fancy car, but we are so lucky to have a daddy who takes time to teach us & invest in our lives. We love the time he spends with us. It's these times that shape us into who we are.

(Click here to view full credits)

***

Mower Madness

Have you ever regretted something? I mean, REALLY regretted it? I'm not talking about the mortal kind of regret that changes life as we know it. A step down from that. The kind of regret that makes you say, "Why did I do this?" or "This really sucks" or "I will NEVER do this again." That kind of regret.

Tonight I can say with all sincerity that I have spent the past hour and fifteen minutes in the midst of such a regret. But to tell the story properly, I have to back up a few days.

This past weekend, Lucas and I loaded up both vehicles with tools, supplies, clothes and kids (and a cat... a whole different story to be told later) and headed down to the new house for a weekend of painting and maintenance. Maintenance, which included mowing the lawn, thus requiring that we take along our one and only mower and matching gas can (the mower, I realized we were taking... the gas can, I had not thought about... more about that in a minute). We got there; Lucas mowed the lawn; all is well... in Ohio. However, we still have one lawn in Michigan that is very much in need of mowing. The only problem is that Lucas is staying in Ohio this week... the kids and I were the only ones returning to the unmowed Michigan lawn... and we were in the mini-van. As we were loading up, Lucas and I had a quick conversation about whether or not to transport the mower back to Michigan in the van with the kids and the clothes and no real place to put it or way for me to unload it solo. We decided to leave the mower in Ohio, and I would "figure something out" when I got home. Thus begins my regret.

SO. Yesterday evening, around 6:00, I went to my neighbors, explained the situation, and asked if it would be to much to ask to borrow their mower. After some discussion, she agrees. She leads me to the garage where there are 2 mowers... one looks very nice; the other, not so much. She reaches for the 'not so much' one and wheels it over to me. But, beggars can't be choosers, so I thanked her and pushed the mower down the sidewalk and back to my driveway. I wheeled it into the garage to fill it up with gas, at which point, I discovered the lack of gas can. Nice. So, I checked the gas status... I could SEE some gasoline down in there. I was hopeful that maybe I could get more done than I thought. So I began.

It took me only about one and a half passes to discover that, in cases of mowers, you apparently CAN judge a book by its cover. It really lived up to the 'not so much' assessment I had initially made. Only three of the wheels turned, so it had a very nice 'bad shopping cart' effect in which the mower would sort of just pull off to one side, making it rather difficult to mow in a straight line (a trait generally valued by mowers across the nation). Also noted was the complete LACK of self-propulsion, meaning I had to do some SERIOUS pushing. I mean, my body was at an obtuse angle to the mower at almost all times... resulting in some serious calf cramps, but who's complaining? I think, however, my most favorite feature was the grass guard thingy (you know, the cover that directs the shooting grass and shrapnel AWAY from you when functioning properly) with a pin that wouldn't stay in, which meant that it vibrated out about every 1 1/2 passes, causing the guard to fall off and grass to spray directly at my face and chest. Then I would stop the mower, put the pin back in, and start again where I had left off. Regret level seriously increasing moment by moment. (Let me just add at this point that I did finally bust out the duct tape and tape the pin into the guard to keep the stupid thing from falling off... it didn't exactly stay in place the whole way through, as it still bounced around much more than I'm sure it was originally designed to do, but at least I was no longer ducking for cover as random pine cones and other debris flew at my face... I still took a few hits to the ankles.)

Like I said, I was hoping that I would get more done than I expected. I didn't. I finished the biggest portion of the front yard and a few strips down the side when the mower ran out of gas and died. Yard status: striped. Not attractive. At all.

So I went back to my neighbor and explained that I was out of gas and was going to keep the mower until the morning, when I would go get a gas can and be able to continue. She didn't seem to mind that... honestly, I think she was just relieved that I didn't ask to borrow her gas as well. Anyhow, it seemed like a suitable plan, so I wheeled the crazy mower back to my garage and parked it for the night.

This morning, my mowing morning, it poured. I mean rain dumped all over us, with a little thunder and lightening mixed in just for fun. It rained until at least noon-ish. Even when it stopped, it was way too soggy and saturated to attempt to push-pull-drag the crazy mower through the mini jungle. So I waited. Yard status: still striped.

Finally, tonight, after church, I decided to make the most of what daylight was left and give it another shot. It was 8:50. I told the kids to get a shower and then go to bed on their own (which, by the way, doesn't really work out so well, in case you were wondering). Then I threw on my mowing shoes and headed out to finish. I noticed a slight difference in heights from yesterday to today... apparently grass grows rather quickly, which, I guess is the reason I need to mow so often anyhow. I decided, though, to ignore the slight height variation and just move on. It was late. I was tired. And it only took a second to refresh my memory on how much I really regretted NOT bringing our mower home and borrowing this crazy mower instead.

Okay, so I speed-mowed. I pushed with all my might as fast as I could. The grass guard still flapped around like a flag in the breeze, but the duct tape held on. Somewhere along the way, a spring fell off of it and just rolled around on the top of the mower. Still worked, though, so I moved on. I finished at about 10:00 ... zero daylight left. Plenty of mosquitoes, though. To be honest, I don't even know if I actually got all the grass, as I was sort of guessing at where my lines were on the last few passes... it was that dark. I guess when the light of tomorrow morning rolls around, I can take a look to see just what the damage is. For now, though, I am thankful that it's done and that the crazy mower is back in its rightful garage. Let's just say, I have sworn about two hundred times that I will NOT do that again. Next time, I don't care what it takes, I am bringing my own mower home with me. And if that can't be done, I'm hiring someone!

Up a Tree

This past weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's house, Sebastian and Meagan spent quite a bit of time up a tree. They have this great tree in their front yard that is just the perfect size and sturdiness for some serious climbing.

I used some new Tadpole Tuesday products from the Lilypad for this... all Tadpole Tuesday products are only $1.00 for today... you can check them all out here.

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Feeling Fresh

There is just something about a trip to the grocery store that feels very satisfying. It's like a clean slate, a fresh start, to plan out foods that are both healthy and yummy. It's another chance to try again to get the bad junk out and keep the good stuff in. Am I making any sense to anyone but myself? I just love picking out fresh fruits and veggies and meats and cheeses and filling up a cart with good things to eat. It's cathartic and relaxing and invigorating all at once. (Yes, this is the part where you may think of me as a bit strange, if you don't already, LOL). This morning, I let the boys sleep in a bit (after our LONG weekend of traveling), so we got a late start. We all ate breakfast together, and then I dropped them off at school, surprisingly only about 15 minutes late. From that point, we had about an hour to pass before it was time to pick Lilly (the cat) up from the boarding place, so I figured we could use the time for a quick trip to the grocery. We just got some fresh veggies (as ours had sort of gone wilty over the weekend), a few blocks of cheese, some lunch meat and some milk. It was a quick trip, but like I said, there's something just simply satisfying about it all. After lunch, I got Meagan situated with a resting movie, then I decided to put some of our food to use. I had some applesauce that I needed to use up, so I dumped it into the dehydrator, sprinkled it with cinnamon, and set some fruit roll-ups in motion. Then I decided, for who-knows-what reason, to make some salsa. This, mind you, is NOT something I've ever attempted before, and I had no recipe to work with. I figured how bad can chopped tomatoes and onions turn out? Right? I started out with just that - some chopped tomatoes and onions, and a bit of cilantro. Not quite enough flavor or substance, so I set off to the pantry to see what else I could throw in it. it was an odd, unplanned concoction, but in the end I think it turned out quite tasty! I found a canning jar in the pantry for keeping, and stuck in in the fridge. Aaaaah! The feeling of fresh foods and a new recipe accomplishment. Truly, ten years ago, I never would have believed you if you would have told me that THIS would be the thing that I enjoyed doing with my time. Here's the recipe I came up with if you want to try it (I tried to go back and write it all down right away, so hopefully it's fairly accurate?): 2 tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped 1 medium vidalia onion, coarsely chopped fresh chopped cilantro (no idea how much... maybe about 2 tbsp when all was said and done?) 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes less than 1 tbsp vinegar a few pinches of sugar (maybe about 1/2- 3/4 tsp?) garlic powder cayenne pepper black pepper 1) drain the stewed tomatoes of most of the liquid; empty the can into a blender; puree 2) add the chopped veggies and cilantro, vinegar, sugar, and seasonings to taste 3) set blender to "stir" or "grate" (low setting, low speed) until fully blended 4) adjust seasonings, etc. to taste Pretty easy I guess, although it seemed to take a lot longer and feel more complicated while I was doing it. I think I'll make another stop at the grocery now and get some chips to go with it... we'll have a taco night tonight.

A Happy Reminder

I hadn't realized how long it had been since I'd had a really good laugh. In fact, I had forgotten how much fun it is to laugh until it hurts! Saturday evening, after the party, a bunch of us were just hanging out around the house, and started up a game of Catch Phrase. I haven't laughed that hard for a LONG time, but I laughed until I thought my sides would burst.

Some of the funniest moments are those that you wouldn't understand unless you were there. Like Tyler trying to act out "Jolly Roger" and giving the clue, "the happy pirate" or Lucas misunderstanding which body part he was supposed to be describing - uvula instead of, well... we'll leave that one alone. *LOL* Or Tina's relative fighting in the Civil War! I'm laughing all over again just thinking back on it!

Thanks for the laughs everyone! I had a great time! I miss laughing, and I've decided I need to do it more often!

Fabuloud Five!!

It's official... Meagan is FIVE! I know I say this at every birthday post, but TIME FLIES! I just look at her now and can't believe how big she is getting. It's crazy! There's a part of me that misses those itty bitty baby snuggles, but I am so grateful for the funny conversations and the fun things we do together now that she is so grown up!

On her actual birthday, she went to her friend Anna's house for a few hours (so that I could go birthday present shopping, since she is always with me). Then we went and picked the boys up from school, grabbed some Hungry Howies pizza for dinner, and had a gift opening, movie watching (and lawn-mowing) evening. And of course there were birthday cupcakes with confetti cake and pink frosting and sprinkles and princess wrappers. As gifts she received 2 Barbies from Sebastian, Little Pet Shop animals from Isaac, a Barbie convertible, Birthday Barbie, and scooter from us, a purse and a dress from my grandma, and a tutu and leotard from Grandma and Grandpa W.

As if that weren't enough, we then went down to Grandma and Grandpa H.'s house for a birthday party over the weekend. So much family came, it was wonderful! And there were kids everywhere! Meagan had a ball! She is very proud of the fact that she's five... and she seems to be quite good at it!

Rain Rain

The other day, the boys headed out the door to catch the bus in the POURING rain. It was coming down hard! Usually, they just deal with getting wet, and go umbrella-less. But that day, they had to take the umbrellas, or they would have needed to change clothes by the time the bus got to them. It was a crazy mess! However, it made for a cool photo opportunity - I like the contrast of their bright colors against the gray of the road and the rain. Plus, it gave me a moment to reflect on simple blessings in my life... umbrellas in the rain, my kids...

Journaling: Rain or shine, you still gotta go to school.

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Closed!!

Monday (yes, I know, I'm 2 days behind) we closed on our new house in Ohio! It's ours to do with as we wish! We don't actually move in for another month. So we have some time to start painting the major things and getting it generally cleaned up (although it was kept pretty clean anyway). We're in forward motion... we just have one minor (hehe) detail to get taken care of, which is getting our Michigan house sold! So we just keep praying and expecting God to work it out! I'll keep you posted.

Bravo!

Today was Bravo at Twistar's! It's an event for the recreational classes to showcase what they've been working on all season... kind of like a recital of sorts. Each girl got to pick which color leotard they wanted (Meagan chose dark pink). They put the younger kids together in the early afternoon, and had three events for them - floor, beam, and trampoline. At the end they each had their name called, and they went up on the podium to get a medal.

It had the potential to be a really enjoyable day... except that my daughter decided to be on one giant mood swing. She was happy, then crying, and back to smiling and laughing... it was bizarre! Maybe there was just too much going on all at once - too many girls doing stuff all at once with a very different format than she is used to. All in all, though, she claims to have enjoyed herself. She got a medal to keep, and some roses from her daddy, which made her feel extra special! Plus, her hair looked adorable, so I guess that was a plus!

My blessings today

These are my blessings today:

• umbrellas in the pouring rain
• smiles on the boys' faces this morning before school
• conversations with my children
• blueberry muffins and scrambled eggs for breakfast
• a warm, peaceful shower
• hugs from Meagan
• a warm, dry house
• kitty cuddles
• a mom I can go to for advice
• a husband who loves his family and works hard for us
• God's love
• Salvation

Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in circumstances and feel frustrated, like nothing is going right, or like there's never going to be an end to the junk that swirls around us. I had a moment of that today - we got an email saying the family who came through the house yesterday decided to make an offer on another house. Although everything in me wanted to be mad and crabby, God instantly reminded me of the countless blessings I've experienced just this morning alone. Truly, how on earth could I be focused on one temporary problem when there are so many amazing circumstances surrounding me every day. I refuse to devalue all of the blessings by focusing on the one negative. Just not worth it! So, I will choose to keep my eyes on the great things He has already given me and done for me, and I will continue to wait for answers to the circumstances surrounding the house. It will all work out in the end... I just have to have the patience to get to the end!

Clutter-Free

We've had two nights in a row of showings (really praying and hoping that something comes of it!!), plus gymnastics, and school, and finalizing things for our upcoming closing on our new home. We have been BUSY!! Oh, how I am longing for the day that we sell the house and I can go on a 2-week cleaning strike *LOL* !! I suppose it hasn't been all bad - our house is SUPER CLEAN, which is very soothing in some weird kind of way. It's nice to look around and not see any clutter...hmmm... maybe I should skip the 2-week cleaning strike and try to keep up on the clutter-free thing. I kinda like it!

I'll let you know if we hear anything about the house... keep praying!!

The Wish List

Year after year, birthday after birthday, I get the same question over and over again... what does [fill in child's name here] want for [his/her] birthday?

Well, Meagan and I did a scope-out of the Wal-Mart toy section to get a "few" ideas for birthday gifts, since her big day is just around the corner. Let's just say, we were there for over an hour and a half! At the end of it all, she said, "Mommy, I think we're gonna have to invite a lot of people if I'm gonna get all this stuff." She's strategic, to say the least. :)

What's on the list? Here ya go:

Barbie:

• mini Rapunzel
• mermaid (purple, you can put it in the tub) - PURCHASED
• Merliah mermaid doll (with a pink dolphin) - PURCHASED
• Little learning laptop
• Dress-up mermaid tail clothes set (Meagan-size, not Barbie-size)
• Barbie pre-school teacher
• Fashionistas
• Glam Convertible
• Peek-a-boo Barbies

Little Pet Shop:

• Petriplets
• LPS Online Stuffed Animal
• 6 pets from LPS Video Game
• LPS Video game (for DS)
• 8 pet pack
• on-the-go carrying case
• LPS stuffed animals

Tinkerbell:

• Tea Kettle Cottage
• Rosetta 2-in-1 tea party
• Rosetta & friends garden party
• Rosetta & Friends garden party dolls (any of them... Tink, Rosetta, and anyone else you can find)
• Pixie treasures Lost Things Jewelry

Disney Princess:

• Pocket-size Cinderella fairytale scene
• Sparkle & Splash Ariel
• Any Royal bath dolls
• Any ballerina dolls
• Pocket princess Snow White Deluxe Set - PURCHASED
• Pocket princess Belle Deluxe Set

Pucci Pets:

• horse (medium)
• or any tiny pet

Zhu Zhu Pets:

• tunnels
• vehicles

Precious Places:

• Pony Palace
• Flower Palace
• Swan Pallace

Fisher Price Loving Family:

• horses - English horse, western horse, or western pony

Cutie Boutique:

• tutu
• gloves
• fairy wings

DVD's:

• Barbie Movies (she has Mariposa, Thumbelina, Mermaid Tale, Christmas Carrol, Diamond Castle) - Princess and the Pauper & Island Princess, Magic of Pegasus PURCHASED
• Disney Princess Enchanted Tales
• Sing-along with Barbie

SO, There you have it. If there are any "ideas" you would like to put to use, please just let me know what you plan on getting. I'll try to keep the list updated, to try to avoid duplicates. I'd say there's plenty to choose from! :) You can always leave me a comment and let me know what you're planning. Thanks!!

You Are Happy

I'm not entirely sure that watching hockey playoffs and scrapping a flowery girly page work well together... nonetheless, I gave it a shot. This page just wasn't coming together how I was thinking, but I THINK I finally got it worked around to something I can live with in print. I'll come back to it tomorrow after I haven't looked at it for a while, and see how I feel about it then. That's the perks of digital...easy to rearrange (or scrap altogether and start over), if needed.

I did this layout for the Lilypad May Scraplift Challenge.

Here's the layout I lifted:

and here's what I did: (Click here to view full credits).

Showers of Love

Just a few pictures of Meagan and Daddy on Easter morning. I LOVE these pictures! She LOVES her Daddy!!

(Click here to view full credits).

The Saga Continues...

I had set my mind on keeping the container of creepy crawlies until Lucas could see them tomorrow. I was totally set on that.

Then, as we were tucking in to read our bedtime story, Sebastian said, "Mommy, did you know that one of the baby praying mantises got out of the jar? He was crawling on the top of the lid. What if he goes behind the freezer?"

Um... excuse me? "Did either of you open the lid?" (Please say yes... please say that's the reason the little critter got out... please.) No's all around. Then all I could think of was a garage full of hundreds of praying mantises. SO not happening! So, I put story time on hold. With what determination I could muster, driven by the fear of a house full of insects (LOL), I went straight out to the garage, snatched up the jar, and took it out to the back edge of the property. I opened the lid as quickly as I could and laid the container underneath a big, low-hanging pine tree, where the little guys could have some protection. Then I ran! *snicker* Yes, I ran back to the house, envisioning this big swarm of beady-eyed bugs chasing after me. Well, not really, but sort of.

So anyway, later this evening, I was talking to Lucas on the phone, and he said, "Aw, I wanted to see them." Instantly guilt set in, as I knew I was just being a big gigantic scaredy cat earlier. So, at 10:00 at night, with an itty bitty flash light, I headed back out to the edge of the property to find the container. I had to flick a few bugs off of the rim so that I could close (and tightly snap, might I add) the lid. But there were still several in the jar (not sure as to whether any of the remaining bugs are still actually alive, but THAT is not my issue... at least Lucas can see them). After tomorrow, once he has seen them to his satisfaction, I will re-release them... for good this time I think.

By the way, are there coyotes around here? When I was out there, I heard a big long howling sound coming from the direction of a wooded area about a mile away from us. Yup... I ran back to the house for a second time. Sheesh.

Mantis Madness

This happened at my house today: Hatching (Warning, you may get the heeby jeebies and feel itchy all over!!)



About 3 weeks ago (over Spring break, however long ago that was), Grandma H. gave Sebastian a cocoon-looking thing to take home with him. She found it in her lilac bush, and put it in a container for observing bugs. For a few weeks now it has been sitting on our freezer in the garage. A few days ago, I even said to Lucas, "I think whatever is in the cocoon has died. Don't you think something would have happened by now?" He didn't want to crush Sebastian's hopes, so he told me, "Just wait. If it hasn't hatched by Christmas, we'll call it dead." (He's so funny!)


Today, Meagan and I had to make a grocery trip. We left around 10:45 this morning. I have gotten in the habit of examining the cocoon - or at least taking a peek - every time I walk by, and this morning was no different. As of 10:45, no notable activity.



We got home around 1:15 (yes, a 2 1/2 hour trip to Meijer... unfortunately, NOT uncommon). The first thing I noticed as I got out of the van was a MAJOR change in the bug jar. Instead of a still, lifeless brown blob, there was a yellow squirming mass of something. I went over to take a closer look, and quite frankly, was quite grossed out! There were easily 2 hundred little yellowish-whitish, semi-transparent squirmy things.... they looked a lot like maggots with legs and beady eyes. GROSS. (Even Meagan thought so... her exact words: "Okay, THAT is NASTY.") I looked closer - somewhat fascinated, despite being grossed out - and I noticed they looked a lot like the shape of a praying mantis... only yellow and very tiny.

I made a few phone calls to see if anyone I know new whether praying mantises come out of cocoons. Then, I took to the internet. Yep. Definitely praying mantises.

Apparently, they change rather rapidly, because at 5:30 when we got back from gymnastics, they had already taken on a green tint, and were no longer transparent at all. Not sure they have nearly enough food in there to last for long, so we'll have to decide quickly what to do with them. I can't say I'm feeling too eager about opening up the lid at the moment... I have a new-found fear of them crawling all over me... I keep feeling little tickles and creepy crawliness on my skin... yes, I'm that mental. *LOL* But it was worth it because Sebastian's response was priceless! He thought it was just the greatest thing EVER! Boys! :)

Open House

Well, today we held an open house, and I must say, it was hopeful!! At a minimum, we had a breakthrough!! It is day 23, and we have broken the silence... aka: people have come through our house!! Yay!! There were a few people that went through and showed a notable measure of interest. I am hoping... and always praying... that one of the people who came through today will feel moved to BUY IT!! :hee hee hee But I know beyond a doubt that God is good, and in the end, He will work it all out. I am hopeful.

May BYOC Layouts

Okay, I just have to say that being a part of The Lilypad's creative team has been a blast, but has most definitely cut into my sleeping time! *LOL* I just keep staying up late to scrap because I want to use all of the new stuff coming out! I'm addicted... I may need to seek help! :)

Today is the release of the May 2010 Build-Your-Own-Collab kit. I must admit, I went a little crazy! Everything was so beautiful, I couldn't resist! At any rate, it's been a nice break from all the relocation madness.

You Are Wonderful

(click here to view full credits.)

Happy It's Spring

Are these not the funniest pictures?!

Journaling: April 2010 - We were out in the yard on a warm Spring day. I was in the front yard weeding, and I just happened to look back to see you spinning and dancing in the back yard. You had a huge smile on your face, so happy to be out in the fresh Spring air.

(click here to view full credits.)

Breathtaking

(click here to view full credits.)

Netflix and Scrap Time

Since Lucas is out of state during the week, I have had some pretty quiet evenings lately. Some nights I've read, others I've watch hockey (and yelled like a crazy person at the TV, I might add). But for the past 2 nights, I've found a perfect combination... Netflix and scrapping. Laptop in hand (or on lap, or whatever), and Netflix in PS3. I've been watching chick flicks from our instant queue like no other. And I must say, I am quite enjoying myself! Yes, I would rather have Lucas home, but if I can't have that, this will do! So far this week I've watched Baby Momma (eh... not the greatest), The Proposal (LOVED it... keeping that one in the queue for a re-watch), and The Ugly Truth (a bit abrasive, but endearing, I guess?). I still have a few girly movies piled up and ready to go whenever I get another quiet evening to myself.

A Little Less Broken

We had a follow-up visit and some new x-rays for Isaac's ankle. The bone is regrowing nicely, and he will be out of his boot in three weeks!! We go back on the 18th for one more round of x-rays to be sure, but as long as everything checks out, he will be able to ditch the boot!!

The Lily Pad - {inter}National Scrapbook Day Celebration

Summer Fun

For the last few days, I've been scrapping pictures from last summer, and now I am really starting to feel the itch for warm weather and water play! I can't wait to go swimming!!

The first layout I did was of our trip to the park with my mom last summer. It's right down the road from her, and there's a great little swimming pond with a water slide and a mushroom fountain and everything. The kids had a blast! So when I saw this kit, I thought of these pictures immediately! Perfect!

Waterpark by Sahlin Studio and Jacque Larsen

Here's the layout... I just LOVE these pictures! I'm kind of funny about pictures I really really like... I won't put them on a layout until I LOVE the layout as much as I love the pictures, or else it's just not worth it. Ya know? But I was pleased with this one. It all just fit together so easily!



Journaling: Maybe you were a little slow to warm up to the idea of gallons of water dumping over your heads, but it wasn't long before you were ALL IN!

(click here to view full credits.)

And then there's my FIRST LAYOUT EVER AS A POLLY! *sigh* (Still pinching myself over this!)

So I've discovered quickly that the tough part about being on The LilyPad's creative team is that it is a literal smorgasbord of fantastic stuff to play with! My mind just gets overloaded! Truly, I'm like a kid in a candy shop who wants one of everything! *giggle* But when I saw this kit, I knew instantly what pictures I would use (more pictures that I really like, so I've been holding onto for almost a year!).

Memoir of Two Island Girls by Emily Merritt and Valorie Wibbens

These pictures of Meagan were taken last summer in Ohio. It was the weekend of Sebastian's birthday party, and it was our first swim of the season! Meagan was just sitting in the middle of some of the rafts and floaties, waiting as patiently as she could. I love the colorful background the floats provided! Plus, the little polka-dot bikini and piggy tails help the cuteness factor a bit!

Journaling: First swim of the season.
(click here to view full credits.)

I Owe You

So.... I owe you some updates! WE HAVE A HOUSE!

Last weekend we went back down to Ohio for one last round of house shopping. We went through 10 houses in 3 1/2 hours. Seriously. TEN. *lol*

Anyway, when all was said and done, we narrowed our selections down to just a few that we were really considering, we set a game plan as far as max price / monthly payment, etc, and then we made an offer. The first offer we made was significantly less than the asking price, but we figured it couldn't hurt to try. All in all, we ended up with an accepted offer that was only a little above our original offer! I was floored! So, we ended up with our first choice in house for a really good price! Waaahoooo! How awesome is God?!

So, we are in the process of getting the inspections done, getting the financing squared away, and all the boring grown-up stuff that comes along with buying a house. I can't wait until we get to the FUN stuff, like painting and decorating and moving in!!

Still no bites on our current house... still praying and expecting something good to happen there. It will all work out in the end.

Tooth Troubles

We were eating dinner tonight, and Sebastian said, "Mommy, there's something freaky about Isaac's tooth. The one that's loose is kind of cracked and the rest of it is stuck in the gum part."

Hmm??? So I checked it out. He had one VERY wiggly tooth. But only the top part wiggled. The root was still sitting down in his gums, just like Sebastian said. I called the dentist, and made an appointment for tomorrow. Seriously... does this child have to make EVERYTHING complicated? LOL! I've never heard of having to have a loose tooth extracted! Ha!

What am I Forgetting?

It's no secret that I've been trying to juggle a LOT lately! Between keeping the house clean, and looking for a new house, and winding down to a close at work, and all my normal motherly duties, I feel like I barely have time to sleep! So, needless to say, I've felt a little scattered.

Today, as I was getting ready to leave work, I had this unshakable feeling that I was forgetting something. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I felt like I was forgetting something. Unable to figure it out, I headed for home to meet the bus.

I got there a few minutes before the bus did. I had just sat down to take a deep breath while I waited on the boys to get off the bus. Just then, the phone rang. I looked at caller ID, and it was the boys' school... never really a great sign. I answered, and heard Isaac's teacher's voice on the other end.

Aaaah. It clicked. Instantly I knew what I was forgetting... I was supposed to pick the boys up! They weren't supposed to ride the bus home. Just as I was telling his teacher that I would be there in a minute, the bus stopped in front of my house... which it should NOT have done, since both of my boys were supposed to be waiting at school to be picked up. I looked out and saw Sebastian getting off the bus. Apparently, he forgot the whole pick-up thing too! So I guess it was a good think I forgot, or Sebastian would have been sitting at home all alone. Sebastian & I loaded up and headed over to the school to get Isaac, who had been waiting on me for a good twenty minutes. Uggh! I seriously need to get my head on straight!

Geography Club

Sebastian's Geography Club has finally come to an end... it was an 8-ish week long, every Monday kind of thing. I didn't have any actual pictures of it since it was an after-school activity, but I had a few homework pics to help document the memory.

Journaling: Third grade. Washington Elementary. You were invited by your teachers to join a new geography club. A group of third graders learning states, capitals, locations, topography and other aspects of each region in fun ways. You stayed after school on Monday's and you loved it!

I used a bunch of new goodies... a few by Sahlin Studio and an alpha by Kate Hadfield. You can click here to view full credits... the credits are linked to the products if you want to check them out!

Love Those Curls

Easter layout #2... I just HAD to document Meagan's curly curls!! She's just so cute! I could eat her up! I just LOVE the little black & whites of her in her curlers! (hehehe)


Journaling: To begin with, you wanted nothing to do with putting curls in your hair. Finally, with a bit of persuasion, you agreed to give it a try. Once you saw the end result, you decided you wanted to curl your hair every day.

I used a beautiful kit by Joyce Paul called Commitment...


(click here to view full credits.)

Easter Layout #1

The first of what I can only assume will be many layouts of Easter 2010 pictures. I just HAD to keep this page simple so I didn't distract from THAT DRESS! Even now, after the new dress factor has worn off, I ADORE this dress! It's like some perfect balance of classic and modern and soft and bold. Love it! And she looks OH SO CUTE in it, I might add!

For a change, there is no journaling. Just her name and 'Easter Sunday 2010.' I think the pictures just simply speak for themselves. What else is there to say?

(Click here to view full credits.)

For Sale

We have a For Sale sign in our yard! We have an open house this Sunday. Now we just need God to bring us a buyer. Keep praying!

Spring Break

Well, we ALMOST made it through Spring Break with nothing but chillin' and relaxin'. Saturday evening, though, the kids were just setting off on a walk with Grandma H. (the boys were walking and Meagan was riding the Big Wheel bike)... they were about three or four houses down the sidewalk when I heard Isaac screaming in pain. He had decided to race Meagan to see if he could outrun her on her bike, but he ran off the edge of the sidewalk... down he went. When I got to him, he was crawling around and crying, "I can't stand up, I can't walk." I grabbed him up and carried him back toward the house. We iced it for a bit, but ultimately decided to take him over to the ER to have it looked at. A few X-Rays and a few hours later, he was in a splint & on crutches.
Today we were able to get him into an orthopaedic specialist in our area. He is now out of the splint and into an air boot thingy. It's basically the same thing as a cast, but he can take it off to bathe (BONUS!!) and sleep (although I may have him sleep in it until we go back to in a few weeks... just in case he needs to get up in the middle of the night). I'm very excited though that he doesn't have to be in a big, bulky, can't get it wet cast! We go back in 2 weeks... he will be in the boot for 4 to 6 weeks.

The Search Begins

Today was our first day of house hunting. Originally, I was planning on taking the kids down with me and spending the day with them and our realtor going through houses. Then, the plan progressed a bit, as my mom was able to take a vacation day to come with us. Well, Wednesday evening on our way home from gymnastics, our van started doing really bad nearly-stalling things, so Lucas came home a day early to fix it... so then HE got to come with us too! It was great to have so many people to keep me company and to be extra eyes for all the looking we did.

We went through seven or eight houses today. Two of them we liked. We are trying to arrange to go back on Sunday to go back through those two and to look at a third that we couldn't get to today. We're praying that we'll be able to find one that we like and that falls in the price range we are looking for. I'll keep you posted!

I'm a Polly!

So, you know how I'm always saying how much I LOVE The Lilypad and the BYOC kits and all that good stuff? Well, I was invited to join their creative team!! I am just completely beside myself! It's like digital heaven! **Sigh** Still pinching myself a bit!

Spring Walk

A new layout to share using Sahlin Studio's new kit, Rejuvenate.

These pictures were taken last year (Meagan took a lot of them herself) on a spring walk we took together. I am SO ready to see the trees blooming like this again!

Journaling: Many of these pictures Meagan took on our walk one spring day. The world was full of things to discover, from little tiny creatures to bright beautiful flowers.

Click here to view full credits.

A 3-Hour Tour

This evening was Sebastian's first practice with team... from 4:30 to 7:30. He'll now be doing 3 hours on Wednesday and 3 hours on Friday until we get to the point that we're ready to move.

All in all, he did a great job, considering he's used to a 90-minute practice. I could definitely tell that he hit a 90-minute wall... his body was thinking 'practice should be over right about now,' but he still had a good 90 minutes to go. By the time the 2-hour mark rolled around, I wasn't sure he wasn't just gonna throw in the towel and fall down asleep right where he was. He looked beat. He managed to find his second wind for the last 45 minutes of practice, though. And by the time it was over, he was back to loving life and thinking gymnastics is the best thing ever.

Where did it go?

Yesterday, Isaac made an interesting discovery. Actually, Sebastian made it for him. We were driving home, when I heard Sebastian say, "Hey Isaac, your tooth is gone!" I looked in the rear-view mirror in time to see Isaac stick his finger in his mouth and feel for the tooth that has been loose for a few weeks now. He looked a bit surprised to find that no tooth was there. "Hey Mom!! I lost my tooth!! I don't even know where it went!"

I'm not really sure HOW you lose a tooth without realizing it. I can't help but wonder if it fell OUT or if he swallowed it. LOL! Oh well. See, I KNEW my short-cut would come in handy. Now I have already established precedent for giving kids $$ for teeth and skipping the whole tooth fairy thing. Just think, if I would have never done that, Isaac would have been all worked up because he didn't have a tooth to leave for the tooth fairy! Instead, I just simply said, "No worries Buddy. I'll give you a dollar when we get home." He was perfectly fine with that. :)

Memory Lane Monday

My good buddy Krista Sahlin (aka Sahlin Studio) has something new going on, and it starts today. I love the idea... take a new look at an older kit. It's SO easy to bury a kit on the hard drive somewhere and forget it's even there! I'm sure I have more unused kits stashed away than I would like to admit. Anyway, this month she is featuring her kit, So This is Love. The idea is to dig that kit out of the stash (or snag it from her shop, or just grab the freebie that goes along with it), make a layout, and get a memory documented properly. At the end of the month, she'll choose a winner and give away $10 to her store. If your interested in knowing more about it, you can find all the details here on her blog.


I had never used this kit before, and I wanted to play along. So I dug out a photo of Sebastian and Lucas from WAAAAYYY back in the day (can you believe this was taken almost 9 years ago!!). Such a sweet photo, really (although I must say, digital cameras have come a LONG way since then... the photo was tiny on its max size. Oh well, work with whacha got, right?).


Anyway, I love Krista's idea. For my own self, I'm thinking I may try to do this a bit more often... pull out those kits that have been tucked away just waiting to be put to good use. I'll be sure to pass the results along as I get them done. :)

Easter Pictures

I decided rather than creating my own slide show... which takes a TON of work... I would let Photobucket do it for me. (It took me forever to figure out how to put this little slide show into this post, so you BETTER look at it!! If you want to see them bigger, just click on the slideshow.) :)

We had a BEAUTIFUL Easter Sunday! God is good! He gave us plenty of warm sunshine to brighten an already amazing day! We got up early, got everyone ready in time for a few pictures, and then headed to church. When we got home, Lucas, Guy & I hid eggs for the kids to find while Jane kept them busy upstairs (or kept them from peaking out the windows, more like it). They had a great time!! I love love LOVE watching their minds at work and their excitement when they find what they're looking for! We had a great lunch out (yes, we did the restaurant thing for Easter dinner... so I cheated!!) Great day! I'm happy!



Just as a side note... the deal with Meagan and the curlers. Yesterday Jane and I kept trying to convince Meagan to let us curl her hair for Easter. She kept insisting that she did not want curly hair. But we bought sponge rollers anyway. After bathtime, and a wee bit of coaxing, I convinced her to let me try it... if she didn't like it, we could wet her hair down & make it straight again. So I put curlers in her hair while she colored.

This morning, when we took the curlers out, she LOVED it! At one point, she turned to Jane and said, "See, I told you my hair was gonna look pretty with curls." Later she declaired that she wants curly hair every day! I think we've created a monster!! LOL! But it was worth it 'cause she looked CUTE!

The Best Kind of Surprise

Last night I was sitting at my computer browsing the internet. It was about 10:00, the kids were in bed, the house was all locked up, and all was quiet, when all of a sudden, I heard a sound that made my heart jump. The garage door was opening!! That could only mean one thing.... Lucas was home early!!!

I wasn't expecting him until way later this evening, so I was definitely surprised to see him last night! He had come home early to be at the "Farewell" dinner for the salary staff at his plant. Yesterday was the last day of production. As of today, the plant is no longer in operation. *Insert sad face here*

Anyway, the funniest part about the surprise was that he had been home earlier (while I was away), and had left his stuff lying around... his coat on the back of the kitchen chair, his shoes by the door, water bottles in the fridge where there had been no water bottles. Somehow, I didn't notice any of these things!!! LOL! I guess it's because I haven't really been busting my backside to keep the house clean this week... taking the week off of obsessive cleaning before we list (expecting it to be next week some time). So his stuff lying around just sort of blended in with everyone else's stuff lying around (which maybe is an indication that I took too much of a break from cleaning??). No matter... I am SO happy to have him home with us today!

I think this morning he is going to go golfing with his work buddies, while the kids & I go Easter outfit hunting. I guess then, later I shall be doing a bit of straightening up around the house. :)

Have a wonderful Good Friday! What a wonderful day to pause and think of why we celebrate this season!

There's no Crying in Baseball

Oh my goodness, the other day Meagan was on a roll with the crying and whining! Truly everything she said came out in the form of a whiny whimper. Aaaaah! Finally, it came to the point where I said something really simple to her and was met with a fake cry response. So I looked at her and said, "What's wrong? Why are you crying? There's no crying. There's no crying in baseball." Apparently I caught her totally off-guard by this. She stopped mid-word, looked at me with the most confused look on her face..... at this point, she had, momentarily stopped crying, and I thought maybe she was going to regroup and return to her normal non-whiny ways... and then she started crying again and said, "Mommy, this doesn't have anything to do with baseball!!" Poor kid! (It was an early bedtime night, FYI).

Hot Cocoa

Today is new BYOC day at The LilyPad! I LOVE BYOC's!!! Seriously! I did this layout with some of the new BYOC products as well as some older BYOC products (from February I think) and a few fun alphas.

Journaling: Hot cocoa with marshmallows is the perfect treat on a cold snowy day.

Change it Up

Yet another face lift to the blog. I simply get bored easily, and was ready for something new (again). I was just recently invited to join Joyce Paul's creative team, so I thought I would use one of her kits to create a new look for the blog. Hope you like it!

If you want to check out Joyce's stuff, you can click on the blinkie at the right side of this page. Thanks Joyce for the chance to be a part of your team!

It Worked: Crock Pot Stuffed Shells

The manicotti turned out really well! Yea for experiments gone right! So we had stuffed pasta, dinner rolls (left over from the sliders we had for lunch) and steamed green beans. Yum! And the fruit roll-ups worked well too! They're gone already. So here's the recipe I used for the manicotti (partly to share with you, and partly so I don't forget). 1 lb ground venison, browned with chopped onion, garlic powder, pepper 1 1/2 jars of spaghetti sauce (15 oz jars) 1+ cup water uncooked manicotti shells 15 oz ricotta cheese, part skim 1 cup shredded mozzarella, part skim 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese 1 egg oregano, black pepper, 1 clove garlic minced 1) brown the meat & onion; add 1 jar of spaghetti sauce & 1 cup water; combine 2) in a bowl, mix the ricotta & egg; add mozz, parmesan, oregano, black pepper, & 1 clove of garlic, minced (I'm not sure about the measurements of the herbs...I just added it until it looked well balanced and smelled good???) 3) using a butter knife, stuff the uncooked pasta shells with the cheese mixture 4) in a crock pot, add sauce mix to the bottom of the crock pot to cover the bottom (about 1 cup or so) 5) lay one layer of manicotti shells in the bottom of the crock pot, close but not touching 6) cover with a layer of sauce 7) add another layer of manicotti shells and cover with remaining sauce 8) top with about 1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce to cover noodles completely; add just a bit more water to the top of the sauce; 9) cover & cook on high for about 1 hour; reduce to low and cook about 2-3 hours, until the pasta is tender.

Night at the Improv

That pretty much describes our dinner tonight. I was completely planning on making lasagna. I got all the meat and sauce ready, made the cheese mixture, and then realized I have no lasagna noodles. I do, however, have a pantry full of various pastas, so I decided to try something. I pulled out a box of manicotti shells, and decided to try crock pot stuffed manicotti. I stuffed the cheese into the center of the uncooked manicotti shells, added some extra water to the sauce, and layered it up in my crock pot. Hopefully it will work similar to crock pot lasagna. If not, we'll get a good laugh at yet another cooking flop on my part, and we'll either make the best of it or figure something else out.

Part of the deal with our relocation is that they will move the freezer for us, but it has to be emptied out before they will move it. Uggh! That is a LOT of ground beef, steak, and venison to eat in the next month. And I'm not really much of a red meat person, so finding meals that I actually enjoy eating is going to be quite a challenge. I will either have developed quite an affection for red meat by the end of this, or I will be 100% sick of it, and we'll live on chicken & fish for a week straight! We'll see.

Lunch today was cheeseburger sliders. Love that! My mom and Mike got me a slider skillet for my birthday, and I've used it a few times now. I'm starting to get a pretty good technique! :) So easy really, and the kids eat them so much better than a big giant cheeseburger. (I know it's hard to tell in this picture, but the buns are actually dinner rolls. They sort of look like full-size sandwiches in this photo.)

I also improved on a bit of a snack for later. I used peach applesauce & strawberry applesauce in the dehydrator to make homemade fruit roll-ups. Hopefully they taste okay. We'll see. This could be a really interesting eating night. :)

Food Revolution!

I'm sure that you all have heard about this... Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. I missed the first episode on TV, but was so pumped to see that the whole episode is posted online. So I sat down tonight (after a 3-hour trip to the grocery store, ironically enough), and watched it. LOVED the concept! This has been a topic that has had my interest for some time now, and has been much of the catalyst to our Dining In endeavour. I realize that we have become way to dependent on and accustomed to fast food, processed food, and the like. And with everything in me, I am DETERMINED to make a change. I desperately want to find ways to prepare fresh, healthy meals that will work into our schedule. I want to create good habits for my kids, and for us as a family. I know that it is vital, for so many reasons, not the least of which is that we are working totally contrary to God's design and will for us when we put garbage into our amazingly designed body systems.

If you missed the first episode, here's a link to it: Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.
If you're at all interested, please take the time to watch it. I just think that it's so easy to forget how much really yucky junk is actually in the processed foods and all that is such a normal part of the every-day American way. This episode was a direct reminder and a push toward fresh whole foods. Mmm hmm. I feel inspired and ready to make up a menu!

Girls' night out!

This evening I went to a friend's house, where about 30 women were all gathered together. A local salon donated their services, and gave manicures, pedicures, facials, and all kinds of other great stuff! I got a pedicure and a scalp massage. *sigh* Soooo nice! It was just absolutely so much fun to hang out and talk and get to know new people and just relax. I love little blessings like this in life.

Egg Crazy

Okay, finally I've gotten around to Sebastian's 2009 Easter Egg Hunt layout. Can't do one for the other two and not for the third! I used a cute little mini-kit by Kaye Winiecki... isn't this little Easter bunny adorable?!

(Image is linked)

I had to laugh as I was looking through our pictures of Sebastian hunting for his eggs... a lot of the pictures are just him wandering around looking confused... that would be because "The Easter Bunny" *coughDaddycough* felt the need to be a little extra tricky with Sebastian's eggs! So the poor kid had to climb trees, climb the swing set, dig through plants, and even look around the air conditioner unit on the side of the house. Poor kid... those are the breaks when you're the oldest I guess! LOL!

Journaling: The egg hunt tradition might be "fun" for some, but to you, it's serious business! The moment we turn you loose, you are off on a mission to find those eggs! You get a bit egg crazy, but it's so much fun to watch! And of course, Daddy makes sure your eggs are in some tricky hiding spots.

Progress Report

Well, so far, we've talked with the home loan financial guy & have a pre-approval in place; we have an appointment with one of the real estate agents for selling this house; and I've talked with the real estate agent who will be helping us find a house in Ohio. All within the last 24 hours. We're still at the front end of things, but we are definitely making progress.

Live

Not a lot of scrap time to speak of, but I was REALLY needing a battery recharge after the long week of cleaning. Solution: bust out a template! I used one of Fizzy's new So Simple templates. This page came together start to finish in about 45 minutes.

Journaling: "As I sit at a distance on this day, your fourth birthday, I pause to breathe it all in. Where has the time gone? Where is my tiny baby? I see before me a little girl with so much life in her. I see a precious gift, whom I love more than life. On this day you have taken my breath away with your beauty, and the fullness of all that you are. On this day, I pray that you will live life always with the energy and passion that is in you today."

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