Two Spud Mamas

We're back and flea markets

2010-06-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

*Hey ladies! Sorry we had to go on a little hiatus but life got a little crazy, but in a good way. We are hoping now with school being out, and summer coming that we can get back to sharing some of our ideas with you again, and maybe you can share some with us too. :)

Every year over Memorial day weekend there is a flea market in the next state over. Lot's of fun. Lot's of vendors. Lot's of people, and...KETTLE KORN! We always start off with a tour of the flea market. Get a feel for what is out there. I've had in my mind for awhile that I wanted a old metal washtub. The kids had a fundraiser at school and I had bought some strawberries. Wouldn't they look so cute planted in one? Almost off the bat I saw the washtubs. I gave them a looky and then wandered to the next vender. A little while later we wandered by again and I decided now was the time to give them a real good look. They had a lot of square ones between $6 -$20. Then I spied this beauty. $18 dollars. I tried for $10 but she'd only take $15. Of course sometimes if theres love you just have to go for it. I planted the strawberries today. They do look pretty cute don't they? I love how it's different and round.

I had also spied this little wooden step ladder on the way in and I knew it would look perfect somewhere in my house. After we were all done and heading out we passed by it again. I glanced over but I didn't see it and figured someone else must have snapped up that treasure. Wait a minute...did I just see....YES! It was still there. I got this little cutie for $5 bucks. For now it's on top of my kitchen cupboards.

Now that we are back in the groove again, we hope to have some more activity on our blog. If you ever have any fun ideas, or want to share, don't be shy, leave us a comment. We'd love to have you be a guest poster.

Getting back into the groove...

2010-03-12T12:55:00.000-08:00

I have had this picture just laying around and I love it and I adore it but I've never known quite what to do with it. I wanted to frame it but I also wanted to scrapbook it too. So...this is the end result! I got the frame at Michael's probably a year ago and used my 50% off coupon so it was only a couple of dollars! I have 2 other frames that are the same and I'm going to scrapbook them with some pictures as well. We bought new bedding the other day and our room is now black and white. I love it! I'm going to finish the other 2 frames and put them up behind our bed.

At first I wasn't sure how I wanted to scrapbook this so I just spend some time going through all of my paper. I found a bunch that had a little bit of a rustic feel to it and loved it! I love scrapbooking and putting them in frames. Its also a great gift to give someone!! Its pretty inexpensive but the time and thought you put into makes it a perfect gift!

House Rules

2010-03-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

I just have to say how much I am loving my new little toy. I've been thinking up all sorts of fun little projects. I've kept my promise to not decorate the entire house in vinyl sayings but this is one project that I just had to do. I've seen it floating around on several different blogs and just love the idea. I thought of putting it directly on the wall but we have a bit of texture and it just didn't seem to look right so I looked around the house hoping for an idea. AH HA! My stash of old windows came to mind. PERFECT!

I tweaked it a bit and added a few of my own and this is what I came up with. I know that it is not on perfectly straight but it looks way more wavy on here than it does in person. Must be the window or something. I don't know why but I just love these rules because it's not just the usual be nice, brush your teeth, obey your parents kind of rules, it's real life rules. It's what our family is. We are loud. We do make mistakes. We do hugs and we are family.

Happy Monday!

Babysitting...

2010-03-05T08:34:00.001-08:00

For the past year I've done babysitting off and on. For the most part I really enjoy it...but there are those days when I'm glad its the end of the day and Ella's in bed for the night. Staying home makes me appreciate the time I get to spend with my daughter and babysitting makes me think and plan for the future. At the moment I am watching 3 kids, Ella not included. I have to plan my errands around the kids, plan nap times, meal times, etc.

For the most part the kids bring their own food. Snack times can be particularly rough because everyone wants what the other one has. But then again we all know some adults that are like that too :)

Kids say the darndest things....isn't that so true? I find out some of the funniest things about the kids' parents. I love watching their little personalities and even some of their attitudes...mine own included on the attitude!

Hubby teases me saying our next car will be a minivan and I don't want one yet...although it really would come in handy on the days I have all 4 kids. But we won't mention that.

I'm not sure how many kids we'll have but with babysitting it gives me insight of how life will be with more kids. Crazy, hectic, wonderful and maybe a little hair pulling.

Does anyone else do babysitting or have a bunch of kids to juggle? How do your days go??

The Best intentions

2010-03-01T10:36:00.000-08:00

...have a way of not working out sometimes. I really did have the best intentions of making my family room more family like, and usable again. The plan was and what I announced to my blog friends was that I would have my family room all cleaned up and looking spiffy. Here it is MARCH 1st, and I have not come through for you. I did make an attempt to clean it. I picked up dirty socks (someone who shall remain nameless threw SEVERAL pairs behind the couch!) I found new homes for roller blades and Polly pockets and folded blankets. I threw all the snow catting things in a huge pile and said "here take it! If you don't, I'm selling it on eBay."

Still though remains the messy scrapbook corner and the dreaded rarely used color copier machine. I plead forgiveness. Pretty please?

I do have a somewhat good excuse. Kinda. Hubby and I have been working on the mud room this past few weeks. Can I tell you how excited I am to have a mud room? No more pleading, crying, stomping my feet when the kids bring in their muddy shoes, and back packs get piled by the front door. Now they'll have a real place for all their things!

So of course while I was helping the hubby hang sheet rock, I was dreaming of HOW I would make this new mud room look fabulous.

(pics courtesy of BGH)

Aren't these some great mud room ideas? I've seen so many fun ideas it's hard to pick just one. My hubby just rolls his eyes and his selective hearing sets in. Forget the mud and taping part and all those million of other little things, lets get on to the decorating part!

Mmmm I can smell that all the way down the road...

2010-02-26T08:16:00.000-08:00

Cooking...its one of those things that we do just about every night. I tend to get in a rut and do the same sort of things every week so my husbands new goal for me...I mean my new goal is to do a new recipe once a week. I really am planning on sticking with it but for today I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes that I make regularly and one that I grew up with at home. Lasagna and an easy recipe too!

1/2 lb ground beef
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 pkg lasagna noodles
15 oz ricotta cheese
12 oz mozzarella cheese

Brown beef and drain. Add sauce, water and the salt and bring to a boil.

Layer
hot sauce
uncooked noodles
ricotta cheese
mozzarella cheese
Repeat and end with sauce.

Cover with foil and bake at 375 for one hour. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, sprinkle on the parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Makes great for left over lunches as well and my hubby is always glad for something easy and yummy he can heat up quick while at work!

Growing up my mom always made with cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese so if you'd like to try something different and go with cottage cheese just substitute for 1 cup of cottage cheese. :)

So what are some of your favorite recipes??

Hope everyone has a great weekend and check back Monday for something new from Val!

I got a new toy!

2010-02-22T08:04:00.000-08:00

I know I'm probably 5 year too late but I finally got on the bandwagon and picked up one of those fancy die cutting machines. I'm hoping that it will get me back into scrap booking again which has fallen to the wayside this past year. I also love the idea that I can cut vinyl with it. I have seen so many cute projects with the vinyl being used. I did have to promise hubby on a stack of scriptures that I promise not to decorate the entire house with vinyl sayings and crafts. I promised him only half. :) After much research I came up with this one. The Silhouette SD.

The great thing about it is, no cartridges to buy. I can hook it up to my computer and print anything to it! Love that idea!

I also have been chompin at the bit for the garage sale season to start. Since it is still February I've had to do with the thrift stores. I found this huge round plate at a thrift store the other day in a very ugly shade of yellow gold. (sorry no before pictures. I really do need to get better at that!)

I got my trusty spray paint out in an glossy ivory color and gave it several coats. It came with it's own easel but it seemed flimsy so I shopped the house until I found another one.

Then I got to play with my new toy and came up with this.

I love it! . I have been having a hard time trying to fill the space above them since Christmas is over, and this is perfect for above my cabinets!

I gotta go play with my new toy now but check back on Friday for another great post from Alycia!

The Olympics

2010-02-19T08:51:00.000-08:00

I am a huge fan of the Olympics! I love when its that time again and we get to enjoy them! Its something that we enjoy doing as a family too and its always a good conversation topic with others. I'm always so intrigued by these athletes and the talents that they have. Its amazing to me how the snowboarders can catch so much air and land it, the downhill skiers can ski so fast and how the skaters can can be that coordinated while on skates! With that said I may envy their talent but not all of the pressure they have on themselves to perform well. Not to mention this only comes around every 4 years!

One of my favorite events to watch is the Men's Speed Skating. I may have a little crush on Apollo Anton Ohno...just don't tell my hubby that. :)

I want to know. Have you been watching the Olympics? What are your favorite events to watch??

What's for Dinner?

2010-02-16T07:58:00.000-08:00

One of my New Years Resolutions was to try a new recipe once a week. It's actually been a lot of fun and has shown my family that that there is more than just meat and potatoes. Some of them have been disasters, but some have actually become family favorites. Last night I tried a recipe from Sandra Lee's semi-homemade cookbook, which honestly, is how I cook a lot of the time. I'd love to prepare some of those yummy but complicated meals but I just don't have the patience or time to do it most days, so this works for me.

Last night I made Italian Baked Pork Chops. They actually turned out pretty good if I do say so myself and most of my family gave them the thumbs up as well. (Tyler's Pork Chop remained naked and free of any weird toppings) Here is the recipe. It's pretty easy to make and doesn't take long to cook either. Sorry, I didn't take any pics. Next time I adventure into the kitchen I will try and remember. Enjoy!

Italian Baked Pork Chops -Sandra Lee cookbook

1 TBSP Dijon Mustard
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
4 pork center loin chops
salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded parmesean cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with kitchen parchment. (I only had foil) set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, oil,and italian seasoning. Season pork chops with salt and pepper, then brush both sides of the chops with mustard mixture. Press parmesean cheese into both sides of chops.

3. Place chops on prepared baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until just cooked through.

The family actually liked these so it went into the thumbs up pile. Yay! We have a winner.

Put that on the list

2010-02-12T07:20:00.000-08:00

A few years back while on a girls trip in Seattle I bought these books. At that time I wasn't a huge reader and if the first page hadn't gripped me then I would usually put it back on the book shelf. I know what your thinking...uh hello....at least give it a chapter or two! I love to read but always had a hard time knowing what books to either buy or check out at the library. Also I never really gave the books a chance. I would read a few pages, space out and then think of something else I'd rather be doing. Fast forward a few years and I am now a huge reading addict! I also love reading in the bathtub until I'm a prune and my husband is wondering if I've drowned! Sophie Kinsella books are hilarious. Depending on the book it may take a few chapters for you to really get into it but then you'll be hooked! At the moment I'm reading The Undomestic Goddess. I am always on the search for a good book nowadays and I want to know what your reading! And NO magazines don't count! :)

A few of my other favorites I've read or reread lately (yes I enjoy rereading but depends on the book).

Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
Can You Keep A Secret by Sophie Kinsella
Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
The Twilight Saga (reread all of the books for the 4th time...yes I realize I am obsessed!)

I have my list of books I've read and also want to read but at the moment it grew legs and has escaped from me!

So what's on your list?

Do over

2010-02-08T08:04:00.000-08:00

Hello my bloggy friends. Due to the lovely and kind flu that has visited my family this past week, I confess that I have nothing prepared for you today. Don't worry I have a do over post from my family blog that I'd liked to share with you. Just don't mind the dates because it's from post I did last year! So enjoy and I promise to have something fun for next week. Alycia has friday's post so don't forget to check out what she has on her mind. :)

I know, I know! You just can't believe it can you? I finally finished Tyler's blanket. It only took 6 weeks, but I did get it done before his bday last week. I figured by the time I finish it he'll be on to some other favorite but luckily he still likes Star Wars. I don't know why but for some reason I've been all crafty lately. For my moms bday I sanded and repainted and then sanded again to look shabby, an old window. I'm bummed though because I forgot to take a picture of that before I gave it to her. Here's a pic of Tyler's blanket.
Then I've been wanting to do this for a long time in Mackenzie's room and I've had this material forever so this weekend while hubby was gone I finally recovered her stool in this polka dot material. Her room is pink and brown. I also have a pillow that I"m going to recover in the same material.

Also in my to try book (I'm a nerd, I know. I actually have notebooks that I keep ideas in, like crafty ideas, and one for recipes to try, and of course since we are remoldeling our kitchen soon, one for that too) anyway in my craft book I saw an idea where they took a magnetic board and covered it in a cute fabric and then used as a message board in their kitchen. TOO CUTE! So anyway while I was at Wally world I picked up a three dollar 8x10 dry/erase board and tried it out with the left over material. See how cute it turned out if I do say so myself. lol I added some ribbon to the back and a little bow to the front and added some buttons to the magnets and now Kenzie has a cute little message board in her room for under 5 bucks.

So there ya go! My little projects for the month. March is coming up soon, what are YOU going to be working on?

TOYS GALORE?

2010-02-05T01:58:00.001-08:00

I watch 2 little girls everyday on top of my two and let me tell you... my living room is a disaster! It wouldn't be so bad but we live in a 1200 sq ft home and the walls were starting to close in on us.

Does your toy situation need to improve? Ask yourself the following questions. Do you dislike the amount of toys that your children have?
Have you stepped on GI JOE'S or Barbie dolls?
Spend A lot of time coaxing your kids to pick up toys?
Have you ever wanted to take all of the toys and Goodwill them?
Do your kids have so many books that they haven't read all of them?
Do you want to change "the toy situation" but have no idea where to start?
Well.... If you answered yes to any of these then please read on.......
I FINALLY found a system that WORKS....( for me at least). I have tried the toy rotation before and I don't have the time to sort through toys. Here is what you do: Go out and buy 3 to 6 totes (Wal-Mart, target, Kmart etc.) I bought 3 of them for $15.00. Also a must is wipes containers or small shoe containers( I bought mine at Costco) I also used 3. I took an hour one evening and separated all of the kids toys. I separated all of the hot wheels and train sets and divided them between the 3 shoe boxes. I took 5-10 books in each tote, as well as… baseballs, games, activities for my 1 year old and activities for my 2 year old.
I keep 2 totes in my master bedroom and switch them out everyday. The other tote stays in my living room. I don't keep toys in my kids bedroom because I need to help them with sharing.

This system helps in sooo many ways now.

I don't have as much toys to pick up each night with the kids and they love this part too!
Toys that the kids don't play with stay in the tote so it's easy for me to evaluate what I can send to Goodwill. (if something goes untouched for a couple weeks, I know they don't need it)
When I first started to do this I was surprised at how much they play with their toys now. The less toys you keep in your totes the better. More options are overwhelming for them.
If you have WAY too many toys to fit in 5 or 6 totes this system still makes it easier to rotate some out and evaluate what your child hasn't asked to play with.
your kids will only play with the toys in each tote every couple of days so they love to see the toys they have been missing. (you don’t realize what ya got till it’s gone.. right?)

EXTRA TIPS:

keep the toys that aren't in totes in a locked cabinet or put away so your child can come and ask you for them. (this also helps toddlers to learn to communicate) you can tailor this system for older kids too. Keep a draw pile of toys on a certain shelf and ask them to put toys that they have used on a different shelf.... this way you can see what toys are left behind and not used.
remember to put a game in each tote so your more likely to play a game as a family.
you don't have to do it all at once
remember that toys are just "things" and less is more
have your children help you donate things when it is time to start weeding through the toys.

BEFORE: TOYS TOYS TOYS

AFTER: SOOOO MUCH BETTER!

below: this is all I have in that corner now

Hula hoopin' myself slim

2010-02-01T07:56:00.000-08:00

A few years ago my mom was working out at Curves. While working out there she was introduced to a 3 pound or so hula hoop! She bought me one and I loved it! I used it but when I got pregnant it made its way to the storage shed. I am happy to report that it is out of storage and being used once again! I love this thing. You can order them here and its a great little work out for your waist. 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night and there you have it! I suggest cutting it by half the first week or so and building up to the 10 minutes. Yes 10 minutes doesn't seem like much but it does give your waist a work out and you will be a little sore in that area (believe me) :) This morning I measured myself and I'm just going to put it out there...33 inches is my starting weight and periodically I'll be sharing what it is when my waist is going down. No I don't believe I'm fat, I think I am average but I would like to firm up a bit!! Who wouldn't, right? Has anyone ever heard of this before???

Fabric obsession

2010-01-29T07:54:00.000-08:00

I know that what I really have probably doesn't compare to many people's idea of lot's of fabric but for me, who doesn't sew very often it's enough. For someone who doesn't sew, I LOVE fabric. I love the colors, the styles, the feel. I have been slowly delving into being a domestic diva of sewing and have tried a few, small and simple projects. The problem is, I keep buying more fabric! This is just some of the fabric that I had tucked away. Some I have actually used and some I've just admired.

Aren't these fabrics cute? Mackenzie picked these ones out for a rag quilt. Um...I'm still working on that one! Grandma did make a cute pillowcase out of this same material for her though.

I just found these ones this past weekend. Aren't they super cute? I just loved the two prints together and the colors totally match. I loved it so much I bought two yards of each! Too bad I don't have any plans for it yet. I think it would make a cute apron.

This one is my absolute favorite of the bunch though. Isn't it just too freaking to die for? I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, this one! I bought two yards of this one too. I think I might just frame it.

I just remembered I had a whole other stack of material in the other room I didn't get a chance to grab a picture of and that's not counting the material my mil shared with me.

Well call my loony I guess. I just LOVE fabric.

Pill Overload

2010-01-27T13:13:00.000-08:00

So this morning I was going through our cupboards and I decided it was time to organize our little pill box. Looks like this should belong to an elderly couple who take a million pills each but its not, its ours. Honestly most of them are either expired or ones that we don't even take. Most of the time we can't even find what we are looking for let alone if we even have something as simple as some Tylenol! This project took about 20 minutes and its a great feeling to have it all organized! Not only will we now find what we are looking for but its all in the same place and won't give us headache searching. :)

So what does your pill box look like?

And by the way I couldn't help taking a photo of Ella. It was early this morning and she was still all cute in her pajamas!

Apron in an hour

2010-01-22T10:04:00.000-08:00

While I was stalking the blogs one day I found the cutest idea for making an apron. http://jonag.typepad.com/stop_staring_and_start_se/2008/12/your-christmas-gift-from-mean-apron-in-an-hour.html I thought that it would be pretty easy and non complicated to make, so today when some unexpected time came up, I decided to go for it. I had already picked out some material from the fabric store a few weeks ago. I wanted something sort of vintagy. I've been on a vintage kick lately. Anyway I thought that these would be really cute to make with the YW too and maybe we'd make them for Mother's Day or something. However, if we were going to make them, I figured I'd have to be able to make one first. If I can do it, anyone can make one! lol Ok it did take me more than an hour ( I cut wrong the first time-oops) and I actually dug out Brent's old iron from his mission (15 years ago!) and even ironed the dang thing like it said ( I avoid ironing at all costs!). I think it turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Guess what everyone is getting for Christmas this year?

The Food Situation

2010-01-20T09:08:00.000-08:00

My daughter is in that stage where she has to feed herself. Sometimes I trick her and I'll sneak something in but then she'll pull it out, show me and then put it back in herself! I also love that she can now have regular food all the time, I hated the baby food in the end! Peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, cheese and crackers...the possibilities are endless, or so I thought. I am constantly trying to rack my brain for new things to give her so she doesn't get sick of the same ol' thing! So I've been searching the internet for idea's to help out and its almost overwhelming! A lot of these I've tried only once but I think I need to keep switching it up!
Crackers, turkey and cheese
Grilled Cheese
Fruits and veggies
Mini corn dogs
Eggs
Leftovers are great too! Are your kids messy eaters during eating time because mine is! So what do you guys feed your kids?

Shopping your house

2010-01-18T10:24:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned before that a great way to save a little money is to shop your own house (or your moms! ) for something that you have stuck away in a dark attic or basement and don't know what to do with, and re purpose it into something usable again. Meet my frame. (sorry about the blurry pic and the tape you can still see at the top).

This frame came to me by way of a Christmas present from my in laws several years ago. Love it! It's black (my favorite color!) so it goes well with my decor. At first it had pictures of the kids in it and then I changed them out to some really cute scrapbooking paper at Christmas time one year. Then it became part of the attic for some reason ( I think we were remodeling again.) and it never made it back out.

We inherited this nice TV armour from my parents awhile back and have been wondering how to decorate the top of it. Hubby wanted to put his speakers up there. For shame! Speakers on top when there is an opportunity to decorate? I think not! So then I started to shop the house. I found a few odds and ends to put up there but something was still off. I saw the picture frame but I wasn't sure I wanted to just put pictures in there. Then comes the aha moment. FABRIC! Fabric would look fabulous and it comes it so many different designs and colors that the possibility's are endless. I found a piece of left over fabric from some long ago project in chocolate brown and cream. I took off the back of the frame and wrapped my fabric tight around it and then slipped it back into the slots of the frame. I didn't even hot glue it or anything (which would totally work too if you didn't have a fitted frame) and then I just taped down the little tufts of fabric to the back so it would lay flat. It took longer to put the frame up then it did to put the fabric on. This could work for some many things, the ideas are endless!

So that is my little 15 minute project that anyone can do to spice up an area that needs spicing.

Simplify

2010-01-15T07:24:00.000-08:00

I have been in the 'Spring Cleaning' type of mood lately or maybe is it that my husband keeps mentioning that our spare bedroom still needs to get put back together...Hmmm I'll go with the first one! We are transforming our third bedroom into a guest bedroom but there's so many little things that are standing in my way before I can do that. All the random items in your house you just don't know what to do with. So I'm taking my SIL Natalie's advice and if it doesn't have a place then I'm getting rid of it! That is my new philosophy and I think its just a great one and you know what? Its been working! In the past anytime I have cleaned I always have this little guilt angel on my shoulder. It says things like, oh you'll fix that up one day, you'll lose the weight to fit back into that outfit, oh that's new, I can't get rid of that. Too bad so sad for that darn angel because I'm not going to listen to it anymore! My new thinking is that I haven't done that project because I just don't want to and I shouldn't have to feel guilty about not fitting into an outfit that I used to wear pre-baby, my body has changed and I should be fine with that! So Idaho Youth Ranch and Goodwill...here I come bearing gifts that maybe someone will actually use! I'm also an extremely sentimental person and that is never good because I have a hard time getting rid of things. If you could just see my Grandma's house, well that would give anyone enough motivation to NOT be a pack rat! I am trying to simplify my house. I have too many hair products, too much make up and just too many random things that I need to get rid of. So here's to simplifying my house and getting rid of those items that I just don't need and who knows maybe someone else is looking for that exact thing that you just don't use anymore!

So...what about you??

Let's talk laundry

2010-01-12T08:26:00.000-08:00

With a family of five I expect there to be laundry, and there is. Lot's of it! Never ending it seems. Just when I think I'm all caught up, a child cleans it's room and brings in the mountain of laundry they have had stashed in the corner, under the bed, behind a bookshelf and dumps it on the floor. Great. Lucky me.

Each child has a basket that their clean clothes go into and that they take to their rooms. The idea is that hopefully they put their clothes away into their drawers. Most of the time they just paw through them all week long but hey, I'm just happy they got them to their rooms most days. Honestly, they are pretty good about putting away the clean clothes.

One thing though that I really hate about doing laundry is matching socks. I do not like it. No I don't. When I'm folding clothes and there is a match close by then I'll match the socks together but most of the time, I just gather them up and put them in the sock basket. Yes, I confess I really do have a basket just for socks. If you need a sock? Look in the sock basket!

I do wish that I had a more organized laundry room though. There are several things that I don't dry in the dryer so they get hung over everything. Chairs, tables, the exercise bike ( I knew it was good for something!). I wished I had a spot in the laundry room just for this. Ahhh another project!

So how do you do keep up on your laundry and keep everything organized?

Kickin' into gear

2010-01-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else feel like a cow after the holidays? That may be a little extreme but that's how I've been feeling the past week or so and I can't seem to put down that darn chocolate chip cookie! What's the deal with that? I love the holidays especially the food that comes around with that special time of year but man oh man once January comes I'm glad that December is over. Usually my eating habits change by the first part of the year, I'm motivated and ready to get on with the new year but it seems to be that I'm still stuck in December. I have a treadmill and I always feel great after wards but the bedroom that is in is a whole other blog. Its worse than Val's last post about her family room! Sorry but for now I'm not sharing any of those photos! So here is my goal and I know that everyone else is probably way better at working out than I am and having better eating habits but my goal is to make a path and get that treadmill rolling and with me on it! I'm going to start with walking Monday through Friday for 20 minutes and up it from there. I think that is realistic and a good way to start! I'll never give up chocolate, its my vice but I am going to start limiting myself along with cutting out as much soda as I can! So who's with me? I'll also need some buddies out there to help keep me as motivated as possible! Any takers?

So...what are your healthy habits?? Please share!!

Project of the month

2010-01-08T10:06:00.000-08:00

This past summer we added onto our house and remodeled our kitchen. It really turned out great, if I do say so myself. The living room and kitchen look great, the bathrooms have a fresh coat of paint, the kids room are for the most part clean (ok, ok, we're not sure what's growing in the corner of Tyler's room but we're working on it!) and then we have our family room.

I can't believe I am showing you these pictures! What the heck happened to this room you say? I'm not really sure. One day before Christmas all was well and cozy in this room. Cuddle up on the couch with a book and some cocoa. Break out a board game to play. Now it looks like winter and a few other things threw up in it! There are hats and gloves and helmets and snow mobile clothing. Everywhere. A clothes basket and a cupboard from the laundry room. I didn't even show you the corner where we have a color copier and some free lamps I got this summer. (yes, I really am going to do something with them!). It's become the dumping ground for "I don't really know what to do with this, I'll just put it in the family room." ACK!

So this is my plan. I'm really hoping I can stick with this, as I know that we still have to finish the mud room and put up trim (and that's a whole other post!) and keep up with the rest of the house too. I want to turn this back into the cozy place it once was and maybe even turn those lamps into working ones too. Then at the end of the month I'll come back and show you guys what it really does look like when it's clean and actually has a purpose again. I'm also going to try and re purpose what I already have so I won't have to spend any money on this project.

Ok everyone, get out there and start your own project of the month!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-06T07:49:00.000-08:00

Out with old and in with the new. That's what I've been feeling lately. I always feel a little let down I think after I have all my pretty Christmas things put away and not to be seen till next year. The house seems so naked without them but it also helps me get in the mood to declutter the place and shovel out some of those corners that you kind of pretend aren't really piling up as you walk by and trip on the shoes, books, and those lamps that you got for free this summer and still haven't done anything with. I want to rearrange furniture and freshen up the place. With the Christmas season done and a family vacation to Disneyland, the budget is pretty much kaput. Time to put the thinking cap on and get those creative juices flowing again. I guess it's also time to finish some of those projects that I put off and never got around to. I guess you could call that my New Years resolution. To finish what I start!

Speaking of resolutions, I had an idea to work on a Christmas craft or project once a month to beat the craziness that usually happens at Christmas time because I've procrastinated till the last minute and then I'm running around trying to finish it all. So hopefully I can find some fun gift ideas and hopefully that can help get my projects done in a more timely manner. I'm still working on that blanket from last summer!

As with a new look to the house, I hope that we can have a fresh start on our blog and ring in the new year with lot's of great tips and fun ideas along with our readers sharing their ideas as well. Happy New Year!

The Envelope System

2010-01-04T11:20:00.000-08:00

Envelopes are a wonder for many things in my eyes! I love the internet but I still love sending letters and notes the old fashion way! So personal. BUT one of my favorite uses for envelopes are using them to save money! I'm in the process of setting my envelope system up for this coming year. I'll label them and start stashing money in them a few times a month. A few that I'll be doing this year are for birthdays, vacations and Christmas! Those are what I'll be starting with but I have a few idea's for a couple others. Put them somewhere you won't see and won't be tempted to sneak back from! Its a great way to save for those bigger expenses and not have to worry about money when they arrive!

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year! Can't believe we are already in 2010! Where has the time gone??? We are back in blogging action and hope you are too! We also LOVE having guest posters so let us know if you are interested! We'd love to hear your idea's too!!

EASY Embroidering

2009-12-18T22:08:00.000-08:00

I have wanted to embroider my own stockings for YEARS. I wish I would have known how easy it was because I would have done this a long time ago. I took our stockings and LIGHTLY wrote our names in pen. The pen is really hard to get out so make sure it looks good. They do have fabric pens for light or dark fabric that wash away with water but I couldn't find any that worked on the velvet I was using. I then used this easy chain stitch and traced over our names. I think they turned out well... not too bad for my first time embroidering. Click on the link at the bottom of this post for a video that shows you how. The key is to make sure you are keeping your thread to the side and coming up through the middle of your chain. These stockings look cute hung above our fireplace and it makes it feel much more like Christmas. We even decided to use this as our backdrop for our Christmas cards. I love being able to make something and then show it off. Here is the video!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSiutCEc9VU

10 Favorite things about Christmas

2009-12-16T08:18:00.000-08:00

10. Christmas lights all twinkly and bright

9. Hot cocoa and marshmellows

8. Finding the perfect gift for someone you love

7. Watching the movie Christmas Vacation over and over and over

6. The kids version of Frosty the snowman in the front yard

5. Warming your toes by the crackling fire

4. Fresh baked sugar cookies

3. Christmas jammies

2. Playing games with the family and laughin till tears come out

1. Christmas Vacation!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone has a fantastic Holiday season!

Dipped Chocolates Recipe

2009-12-14T07:53:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorites to make around the holiday's!

2 1/2 lb. powdered sugar
2 cubes margarine
1 can sweetened condensed milk
dash of salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Soften butter and add milk. Add sugar, salt, vanilla and stir. Divide and add flavorings. (I always use the orange extract and then put orange food coloring it as well) Refrigerate for a while. Use the directions on the back of the almond bark for melting. Form fondant into balls and dip into chocolate. Place the chocolates on tin foil to dry. Takes about a minute and then you can eat them!!! Once they are finished we usually keep them in the fridge, that's the way I like them and with a big glass of milk :)

Christmas collections

2009-12-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

I was thinking the other day about how collections come about and what and why people start them. I have a friend who collects Santa clauses. Big, small, silly. Some would say I have a Christmas collection. I do have a lot of Christmas things. I can't help it. I LOVE Christmas! The lights, the colors, the music. Since I have been a little girl I have loved to look at Christmas villages. A little town stuck in a snowy winter wonderland. See the kids sledding down a snowy hill. Peek inside a little cabin and see the little family sitting down at the table.

When I was first married I mentioned how I loved these little villages so and there became my start of a collection of Christmas houses. Everyone started to add to my little town until is grew and grew and now it's out grown my house! The picture below is NOT my own, but isn't it pretty? I could look at these little towns for hours and imagine what the people are thinking and doing. I love to look at them when it is dark and the lights are on. I think I have outgrown my village collection or I should say it has outgrown me. My next collection I want to start is the Willow Tree nativity. Of course it has to do with Christmas! :)

So what kind of collections do you all collect if any?

Christmas Fudge

2009-12-09T11:00:00.000-08:00

This project was so fun and super easy! I love this time of year especially with all of the crafts and creative projects that are out there! A few of my girl friends are getting these this year! You take a big chocolate bar, some scrapbooking paper and type out this little poem and there ya go!

Ella was helping me by playing with the ribbons Now...anyone want to help me clean up???The possibilities are endless with this project! I might go ahead and add some ribbon but you can do whatever you want! Super easy, creative and an inexpensive project everyone can love!

Here's the poem:

Dashing from the malls
With groceries yet to buy.
Lessons, work and housecleaning
Life’s so crazy! Why?

Bells on our telephone ring
The machine will take the call.
We have no time for family or friends,
It drives us up the wall.

How are you? How’s your life?
We really want to know.
Hope you’re ready for Christmas,
Now maybe it will snow.

A day or two ago,
We thought we’d make a treat,
For all our special friends-
A Christmas gift to eat.

Our intentions were top notch,
But our schedules would not budge,
Hence, here’s this year’s edition
Of homemade
Christmas Fudge…

Christmas cards

2009-12-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

***The winner of the Ella Bella Bows is.....TAYLOR! Thanks for commenting Taylor. Alycia will send those out to you lickety split!****

It's that time of year again where it's time to send out those Christmas cards and share with those what's been going on in our lives. It's nice to see how the kids have grown, and what fun things have been happening through out the year. I try and send them out in the early weeks of December because if I wait too long then I'll get too bogged down with other things and they never get done.

In my quest to have some cute cards I try and convince my kiddos to participate and pose for a nice Christmas picture that we can share with friends and family. Easier said then done! Lot's of begging and threats (no dinner for a month! Your grounded for life!) to bribing, (candy for dinner, all you can eat!). Finally this year I came up with something that didn't require them to all be looking at the camera. Hubby and his family are huge hunting fanatics I like to say and I thought it would be fun to do something that had to do with hunting. This is what I came up with and the kids actually had fun acting it out.
*Disclaimer: Of course we would never hunt santa with actual bullets or anything. Just marshmellows and candy cane ropes. *

So how do you do your Christmas cards? Family photo? Home made? Cute box from a store?

Another give away!

2009-12-04T12:06:00.000-08:00

Did someone say give away? That's right! Ella Bella Bowtique has given us a headbow and also a cute clip to give to one lucky winner! Making beautiful bows and clips while she was pregnant, Amanda started receiving requests from family and friends and eventually started Ella Bella Bowtique so many more could enjoy. These headbows and clips are handmade, safe and comfortable for you to put on your little girl or even newborn! Please check out her website here to view all of the headbows and clips that are available. (Perfect for Christmas pictures... :)

Let us know what you think! Leave us comments and we will announce a winnter on Monday!

Traditions

2009-12-02T05:20:00.000-08:00

It's the season for some traditions don't you think? I grew up with a few traditions like always going to my grandparents, and holding our annual Christmas party downstairs. Always a bowl of spicy chex mix on the bar and punch made out of Squirt and juice.

Now that I'm married we've made a few traditions of our own. Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE Christmas. So of course the Christmas tree has to go up right after Thanksgiving. As soon as I can get away with it.

Another tradition is new jammies for the whole family that we open on Christmas eve. The whole idea was to have nice, warm, comfy jammies and of course to look cute for those Christmas morning pictures. No more half dressed shots! Another favorite of mine that I hide waaaay back in the freezer so no one can see, is a carton of Dyrers special addition Peppermint ice cream. This is sooo stinkin good! And half the fat of regular so that means we can have an extra large bowl of it right?

Another great tradition is Cottage Cheese cookies. Your probably thinking what the heck? Cottage cheese? That's not Christmasy. I'm not really sure why they became our favorite Christmas treat but they are so good you just can't eat one. People are always surprised by how good they are and really, you can't taste the cottage cheese. Promise!

This recipe came from my mil. A few years ago she made all of our families a cookbook with some of her best recipes for Christmas.

Cottage Cheese Cookies

3 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

4 tsp. vanilla

5 1/2 cups flour

1 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/3 cup shortening

2 tsp baking POWDER

2 cups cottage cheese

1/2 cup walnuts (optional. We've never made them with the nuts but I bet they

wouldn't' be too bad.)

Mix all ingredients in a big bowl (when it means big bowl, get a HUGE bowl. This makes a lot!) by hand or heavy duty mixer. Chill over night. (I'll be honest. We're lucky if these make it into the fridge for an hour. Still good!)

Roll into balls. Roll into powdered sugar. Press down a bit (not too flat)

Bake at 325 for 10 minutes on greased pan. (or non stick)

This recipe does make quite a bit but you'll be glad you made it all. You can share some with your friends! Now that I've shared some of my Christmas traditions, why don't you share some of yours? And don't forget to check back on Friday for an awesome give away we are having!

A Christmas Cookie Swap

2009-11-30T08:04:00.000-08:00

Mmmm sounds good already! Every year I am always trying to think of something new to do for my friends. Something I want to make fun yet personal, thoughtful yet festive. Well...what about a cookie swap? You throw a party at your house and everyone brings a plate of a dozen cookies. At the end of the night you go home with a plate of cookies that are different from the ones you brought. Christmas these days can get really spendy so what a fun way to do something that won't break the bank and that everyone can enjoy! Besides...who doesn't like cookies?

Above are some pictures I found of some Holiday cookies. You can make them as festive as you want! Another great idea for your kids to join in and help!

This month we'll be having great Christmas idea's and some give aways as well! Check back often, leave us comments and maybe you will win some great stuff!

Clapping my hands in excitement!

2009-11-20T10:36:00.001-08:00

Ok. Everyone who knows me knows that I love Christmas. LOVE IT! Love to shop for it. Love to bake for it. Love to hang out with the family. Love to decorate for it! In anticipation for that great day of decorating, who everyone knows IS really as soon as the turkey is off the table, I may even let the family finish eating it. I've been working on a few little things to decorate the house with this holiday season and I thought that I would share a few with you to get you in the holiday mood too!
This is soo easy! I already had the candles and the ribbon was 50% off at Michaels so it wasn't much at all. Look how cute the candles are now with just a little ribbon to jazz them up with. This is going to be a present for my daughters teacher. Mrs. Baillie if your looking, keep your eyes closed for this part!

This one is supposed to be finished but hubby's promise of the wood scrap I need to put the "days til Christmas" on is still missing. I'll bug him again today to get on that! I'd just do it myself but if you've seen his mans land, it's just not pretty.

THESE! Soooo stinking simple I'm kicking myself for not doing these before now. Someone said you could pick up the glass stones at the Dollar Store but I couldn't find any clear enough at mine so I got mine at Joanns. They were around 3 dollar for like 25 stones. I got a pack of 50 magnets at Walmart for 3 dollars too and of course had the scrapbook paper. Not bad if I do say so myself. Look how pretty they are. They will make someone fridge very elegant!

I picked up this sled at a flea market back in May, with the thought of turning it into, of course, a Christmas decoration . I'm not sure I like the bow though. I may change that. I just shopped around in my Christmas stuff till I found some things that worked.

Dollar asle at Walmart! Had the Christmas ribbon. I'm going to fill it up with some goodies for friends. It's so easy your kids can make this.

These books are where I've been finding some really great recipes. YUM!

So aren't you all excited for Christmas now? We'll be taking next week off for Thanksgiving but we'll be back on the 30th and we'll be having lot's of fun ideas and tips for the Christmas season!

Gobble Gobble

2009-11-18T06:44:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving we'll be going to my parent's house for dinner. My mom makes an excellent dinner and we always top it off with her homemade pies! Mmmm...I love dessert! This year I want to help contribute but in a different sort of way. I found this idea on Familyfun.com and I love it! Not only is this a cute idea to help celebrate Thanksgiving but its also super easy! Not to mention its something you can do with the kids and I'm sure they would love to help you make something like this! This is what I'll be contributing this year!

So what are some delicious things you bring to dinner?

Believe

2009-11-17T06:19:00.000-08:00

I guess you probably noticed that there was no post yesterday. Oops! It was me. I'm sorry. I really have no excuse other than, well...I don't have one! I've just been busy with finishing up our remodel, basketball, scouts, YW and all the other fun things that come with having a family. I also took on this craft project with my mil that we are doing at church, that has kept me sanding and sanding, and sanding till I felt like my arms were going to fall off.

I've confessed before that I am a blog stalker. I admit it. I am! I can't help it though. There are so many great ideas and talented ladies out there. That is how I found my latest project. I found this while surfing Tip Junkie If you've never looked at her site you should! Lot's of awesome tips and ideas.

Isn't this a terrific project? And it would make a great gift for someone too. You can find the originally idea here. I love the idea of using the candle for the letter L. It gives the project that little extra something special don't you think? I used the word Welcome for my daughters teacher's Christmas gift and put the word home on the candle. Like I said, the ideas can be unlimited. It's also fairly simple. We just cut a 2x4 into the size blocks we wanted. We cut 7 1/2 6 1/2 and 5 1/2 sized blocks but, you can make them any size that you want. We'll paint them (any color I think would look great too but, we picked black. It goes with everything!) and add the letters and your done. No more than an hour for sure!

Don't forget to check back wednesday for Alycia's terrific post and on friday we have another guest poster who is going to share some awesome tips on how to get the most out of your money this holiday season.

We also have some really fun give aways starting after Thanksgiving so be ready!

Traveling with Children (otherwise known as insanity)

2009-11-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

Traveling with kids is always a challenge. Big or small, kids bore easily and finding ways to keep them occupied is no easy feat. When you lock them up in a car or airplane where they can’t move around freely the challenge becomes even greater. But I’m here to hand out some (hopefully) helpful tips.

I’ve been traveling with my kids, now 3 and 7, from one side of the US to the other and from Europe to the US for the past 7 years. I’ve done quite a few of both the domestic and international trips solo as well. The reason I’m still alive to tell the tale is preparation and whole lot of goodies. My best tip is packing for any possibility. I like to use JuJuBe Be Quicks to keep all my items organized. That way I can see exactly what I need based upon the color or design of the pouch.

Along with a spare shirt and diapers (if needed) be sure to pack lots of snacks that will survive the trip. Things like crackers, cereal, dried fruit and the occasional gummy bear are wonderful for keeping kids busy. In this case I think you can’t have enough snacks. There have been many times where our plane has been delayed and I’ve been saved by having food my kids like at my fingertips. I keep to non-messy snacks and generally pack them in small containers versus baggies so they don’t get crushed. I also prefer to travel with water instead of juice to avoid stains. I dedicate one JJB Pouch to food.

For activities I like to always include crayons or colored pencils, a small spiral notebook (pocket sized are good or school composition books), coloring books and some stickers. Just be sure to supervise kids with these items or your car may end up with a new interior! There are several great workbooks with activities related to travel. Rand McNally makes one my 7 year old has really liked in the past. It’s filled with dot-to-dots, color by number and hidden picture puzzles. You can find items like this at your local bookstore or online. I keep all the coloring items in another pouch so it’s easy to grab from the bag when I need it.

One thing I’ve learned when traveling by plane is insisting on being allowed to board first if you have small children. This varies by airline, some only grant this to those with children under five years old but internationally most airlines will request families with children to board first, a wonderful stress saver. The stroller will have to be folded and left behind and lugging a baby, a carseat and a bag is a slow process. How many of you have had to install a carseat on a plane? It’s no easy feat. Ask for bulkhead seating which will allow you more room to move around and give the kids a place to play after take-off if allowed by the airline (most are fairly flexible). Be sure to confirm your bulkhead seat reservation and remind the agent when you check in. Know however that on occasion even though you requested the seat won’t always get them. If you need help during the flight, warming a bottle for instance, just ask.

I like to pack any additional items in another pouch (and don’t forget to include a parent pouch – music player, headache medicine and other items you might need). Items such as bandaids, tissues, wet wipes and a plastic baggie or two for either motion sickness or a wet shirt come in handy. I also carry a travel size bottle of hand sanitizer (remember limits of liquids if traveling by plane. You can go to the TSA website for specifics – TSA Liquid Rules) My son carries his own backpack which has the things he likes to do; handheld game, spare batteries, headphones, toy cars and a few books.

My experience traveling with kids definitely favors travel by plane but these same items can be packed for a car. The kids can play games such as spotting different state license plates or colors of cars. No matter what you pack and prepare for inevitably there will be some small thing you didn’t bring. I’ve learned to just take it in stride and move on!

I’m a mom of 2 children living life in the wilds of Philadelphia. I write for a literary magazine and surf the internet in my spare time. I blog at Blogging Mama.

Keeping Kids Entertained

2009-11-11T02:00:00.000-08:00

How does your Thanksgiving dinner go? Do you have a separate dinner table where all the kiddos sit or do you all sit together? How about this year doing something different. Put the kids all at one table but instead of a table cloth down, try using some butcher paper so the kids can color on it and it'll keep them entertained! I found this awesome idea from this website: http://www.parents.com/holiday/thanksgiving/crafts/simple-thanksgiving-day-crafts/?page=2
They have a little more for the kids to do but you can make it as simple or as complicated as you would like. I think its important for us adults to have a nice Thanksgiving meal and enjoy the company of our family and friends and its a fun way for the kids to be creative and be entertained while we do so.

Thanksgiving place cards

2009-11-09T12:11:00.000-08:00

So I'm sure I mentioned that I was hosting Thanksgiving this year. I have so, so, so much to be thankful for. My family is all healthy and happy. I still have my grandma around. I think it's just awesome that my kids can visit with their great grandparents. Hubby has a grandpa and a grandma still alive. They tell the best stories and my kids are always asking questions.
Anyway, like I said, I'm hosting Thanksgiving at my house. It's really just my parents coming over so nothing too stressful, but I want things to look fun and festive. Now my big holiday to go all out for is Christmas and I don't have too many fallish things to use and I wanted the table to look really pretty. Yes! Another thing to be thankful for is that we can actually use our table again! It's been tucked away in the corner of our family room for almost a year while we remodeled our house. It was more of a pain to use so most of the time it was eating on the TV trays. I was looking about the house wondering what I could use to spice things up and then I spied these babies. They had these at Walmart for 1 cent. Yes. You read that right. ONE penny! Can you believe it? I couldn't. I had to ask someone and they assured me I didn't need glasses. I already had a few already but I bought a few more. About 5.

Now, I'm no Martha Stewart but I thought this idea would work and it was pretty easy too, once I decided on what colors to use. I know I've seen this many times in a ton of variations and this is how I did mine.

First, grab your scrapbook stash. Here is just a small, small, small bit of mine. :) I am a messy person when I am doing some project as you can tell.
I started with some card stock. I felt that it would hold up the best. I added a name and then some background paper and a little bow, some ribbon and a button.

Then I took my knife and slit into the stem of the little pumpkin. Be careful and don't slip...um, just in case.... I'm just saying. Then you place your little card into the slit and look! You have a cute little place card to put in front of your place setting.

So there you have it. A quick, easy, and cute way to dress up your table for Thanksgiving. Don't forget to check back soon. We are going to have some great tips coming up on how to travel with kids and some great ways to save during the holidays.

What I'm Thankful For...

2009-11-06T00:00:00.000-08:00

I know I've already said it but I'm gonna say it again, I love this time of year! Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I can't wait! I love Thanksgiving! I babysit a little girl that's almost 2 and I've been searching for some Thanksgiving projects that we could do. In my search I came across something pretty cool. We all know what Thanksgiving is about and what we are thankful for but do we ever put it down on paper? If your like me then the answer is NO! (I try to journal but I'm not very regular with it). Last year I was pregnant and we had the opportunity to spend it with our family and I had so much to be thankful for. This year I feel I have so much more to be thankful for! So this year I'm going to start a new Seely family tradition! We are going to write down what we are thankful for and then every year from now on we are going to do the same! For a few years it'll only be my hubby (yes I'm going to make him, hehe) and I but before we know our daughter will be writing down things too!

This is what we'll be writing on this year, who knows in the years to come but check it out! Maybe you could start it too or another new tradition during the Holidays!!

http://a.dolimg.com/familyfun/assets/cms/large-files/pdfs/printables/1106b_thankfulleaves.pdf

Thanksgiving, and a project

2009-11-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

If anyone knows me I am a big list maker. I like to know what is going on and be prepared, lest I forget something. lol Although I have also been known to jot down a few things on my list and then leave it in the car! Anyway, this year I'm in charge of Thanksgiving. For some weird reason I actually volunteered to have my parents over this Thanksgiving. Yes. I'm 35 (I mean 29 again) and I've never had to host a Thanksgiving. Luckily it's just my parents and us, so I won't have to make food for thousands, but.... it's my mom and dad! I want it to be edible you know. Perhaps even enjoyable. So in my quest for making this holiday a little special I started to make a list. Turkey, taters, gravy, rolls, you know, the usual Thanksgiving fare.

I wanted to see what spices I had and opened my spice cupboard. I was hit by the bag of marshmellows. I can't believe I'm showing you this but here goes.

This, is my spice cupboard. Notice all the things that aren't real spice like? There are some real interesting things that you can't see as well. I found a brownie scented candle, reciept for a telephone that we don't even have anymore, those wheels from the skate shoes, nail polish and a local phone book. My kitchen is almost done and after having all this new clean space, this cupboard looks real bad. And what if my mom looked in there? EEK!

This is my goal for the week. To clean out the spice cupboard. I can't believe how horrible it has gotten. So I encourage you all to go out and clean that one spot that has gotten out of control and see how much better you will feel.

Dont forget to eep checking back for some great tips, recipes and ideas for the upcoming holiday. Only 22 more days!

Where has the time gone?

2009-11-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

Its already the 1st of November? Is anyone else is disbelief that we are nearing the end of the year already?? Once Halloween is over it seems like I just can't catch a breath until after the New Year. In 3 weeks we have Thanksgiving and then shortly after that we have Christmas. Sounds easy but November and December are such busy months! We usually travel back home to be with our families for both of these holidays which means a lot of driving, packing and stress to make sure we have everything in order before we go out of town. The question is...how can we slow down and enjoy this time of year? We need to remember the reasons why we celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving and enjoy the time we spend with our families. This season my plan is to take care of all those little things that need to get done early and try to slow down and have some fun the next couple of months! Christmas is my favorite holiday and this year its my daughter's first Christmas as well. I'm excited and plan on enjoying every minute of it! So what are your plans???

I couldn't resist putting this photo up. Cutest little pumpkin!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2009-10-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

First off I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Taylor. I was introduced to Alycia by her sister in law Sarah. I was a little nervous to post on this blog because it's a pretty cool blog and I didn't want to taint it or anything!

So... what to write about? I could have chose ANYTHING from the weather to.......my lack of creative inspiration. It just so happened that I was asked to post the week of my son's Birthday. So I thought, "HEY I should write about my boys birthday party." Since my life is lived vicariously through my kids. Here goes nothing!

THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR BIRTHDAY PARTY!

Carter is my youngest son and it was his 1st birthday this year! I sent out invites to friends and family about a week before. I was able to find apple cutouts and fuzzy balls for the caterpillar at the Dollar Store for my invites. I first stamped, WHO: WHAT: WHERE: & WHEN on the cutout. I filled out the invitation with clever little sayings that matched my son's name and went along with the book theme. like: PLACE: I wrote CARTERS COCOON. I then glued the fuzz balls at the bottom and made little eyes out of beads to make it look more like a caterpillar then I drew a hole in the apple with a permanent marker. You could also use a hole punch to make it look more like the book. Now that the invitations were sent I had to prepare for the party.

Let me begin by telling you that I am new to throwing party's and it isn't a piece of cake! (ha ha no pun intended) I started making the cake at 8 in the morning. I didn't finish until 4:30 that evening. I just wanted my kitchen back and a break by then. However, I had fun making the cake and will be baking yet again next month for my oldest son's birthday. The body of the Caterpillar was made out of 24 cupcakes frosted with green frosting and the head was from a round 9 inch pan frosted in red. I also used the rest of the green frosting for the middle of the round cake and for finishing touches to the face and legs. Carter got his own red strawberry cupcake. I placed his book on display by the cake with the invitation. I had this whole idea planned to help the kids at the party make caterpillar party hats, I was way too exhausted and out of time by the end of the day. If I would have made hats they would have been out of long strips of construction paper measured for their head and glue circle cut-outs of the caterpillar's body then they could draw a face and use pipe cleaner for the antennae. Maybe next time......

Had to add this picture at the end. If this was the only pic I showed you, you would have thought it was a clown party!

Sorry this is such a long post. Now lets here from you! What are some exciting birthday parties or themes that you have done in the past or would like to do in the future?

Chores

2009-10-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

Those of you with kids can relate to this I'm sure. Getting them to do their chores has been a chore in itself. They do the chores for a little while and then....they fall off the wagon. Or I fall off the wagon remembering to remind the younger ones about their chores or hubby just does it himself. That's a whole other post! lol Anyway I was trying to think of a way to spice up the chore thing a little bit and thought it would be fun if I tried this. I thought I would write out all the chores that I want the kids to do. They are 11, 9 and soon to be 8 and I think they should be to handle all of these. You know chores like, dusting, bathrooms ( I may break this up a little so they are not having to clean the whole thing), garbage, dishes, you know the normal chore list. Ok my thought is to have all the chores written out on a card and put on the fridge. No certain order just all over. Then my thought would be the kids can pick say 3 chores, whatever they want, first come first serve, to do. They dont' have to do them all at once but I'm thinking of it more like a game, get the good ones first! Once they've done their 3 chores then they put the cards in a little pocket I'll make and then they are done. We've done the sticker thing and rotating chores but maybe this will make it a little more fun, cause who wants to do boring ole chores anyway? We'll also do an allowance to go with the chores because I think it's important for them to learn about money and how to save and good ways to spend. Nothing outrageous but enough for them. So how do you manage chores in your house?

How do you do Halloween?

2009-10-26T08:01:00.000-07:00

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! The costumes, the cookies, the candy, the scary films on tv! I love all of it! This year will be my daughter's first Halloween and I'm super excited to dress her up! I think we'll just take her down a few streets in our neighborhood for some good ol' trick or treating. Nothing too big since she's only 9 months. (I'll be sure to thank her for the candy when she's older). I know Val blogged about costumes and making sure that the kiddos are warm while out trick or treating but maybe this year you won't be going outside. I've noticed in the past few years that there aren't as many kids going trick or treating. People having parties, churches or other organizations having trunk or treating or holding parties, people going out to dinner or maybe you'll just be staying in. Staying cozy in your own home while handing out candy. Anyway you do it, we want to know! How do you do HALLOWEEN?

The great costume find

2009-10-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

It's almost Halloween, do you have your costume yet? I must admit I don't really like Halloween for this very reason! Getting the kids to figure out what they want to be and then trying to find a costume is totally stressful to me! My rule is that their costume has to come from home. I will buy something to complete the outfit but I won't spend 40 dollars on a plastic costume that no one will see anyway because it will be covered up by a winter coat and hat and gloves because living in N. Idaho pretty much means it will most likely be 30 degrees, if not colder on Halloween night. It's even snowed on us before. I love it when people think outside the box and get really creative with their costumes. Not that there is anything wrong with say the cheerleader, which my daughter wants to be again this year (hey no need to buy a new costume, works for me!) or being the scream man, which totally creeps me out but there seem to be a lot out there. Check out these cute and creative costumes that I found on familyfun.com. They are sooo cute! I love them. Family fun always has such great ideas.

I think the gnome little guy is my favorite. He's so cute.
So I think on Halloween I'll cuddle up with a cup of hot cider and watch The Great pumkin Charlie Brown (my fav!) and have a snickers or two and see what comes up my driveway this year.

*I thought it would be fun to have a little costume contest so send us some pictures of your kids and their costumes that you wouldnt' mind sharing on the blog, and we'll send a little something to the winner! Can't wait to see what you all come up with! Just send pics to ladeevalerie@aol.com

Websites to remember!

2009-10-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

Last night I was flipping through my Woman's Day magazine and I came across an awesome article! Its about a bunch of different websites that everyone needs to know about! So I'm going to share a few.

www.shoplocal.com You can find weekly ads for lots of different stores in your area. You can find what's on sale and who has the best deals of the week.
www.mommysavers.com I think this one is pretty self explanatory. There is so many awesome things on this site.
www.bargainist.com Tons of amazing bargains and you don't have to join, register or pay to be a member of this website.
www.findhow.com This site tells you how to do just about anything! Sweet!
www.bighugelabs.com You can create photo calendars, jigsaw puzzles, mosaics, trading cards and tons more-all from your digital photos.
www.dafont.com Over 9,000 fonts all for free!
www.fixitclub.com This site shows you how to fix all sorts of household repairs.
www.discoveramerica.com Its linked to tourism in all 50 states and lists more than 4,000 experiences, attractions and events!
www.mousesavers.com This site is not associated with Disney but its a huge collection of tips, tricks and secrets for how to get discounts on every aspect of a trip to Disney World, Disneyland...all things Disney!

I just need to bookmark all of these sites! I was super excited to find them and was even more excited to share them all with you! Do you have any sites that you love??

Kitchen remodels bring out the best in everyone

2009-10-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever remodeled anything in your house? It seems to disrupt life in all directions, no matter how small. We have added onto our house several times and none of those have caused as much disruption as our kitchen remodel. I realize that it is a much bigger scale than the others and there is more involved but the craziness that has gone on is...well...CRAZY! All of our things from the cupboards were moved to the kitchen table which is now sitting in my family room. Let me tell you how fun it is to go looking through boxes and stacks for stuff.

Two weeks ago we finally got our cabinets in and I started putting things away and I'm still looking for that cheese grater that I was looking for last month! Last night hubby finally just went and bought another one so you know that the old one will be turning up any minute. I do have to say we have been pretty lucky being able to use our stove and have had only a day or two without having water and our sink. I have been spoiled though by having a dishwasher and having to do dishes by hand is just no fun at all. There maaay have been a few times that I ignored the dishes in the sink and instead grabbed me a diet pepsi and some chocolate and buried myself in a book.

So now we are down to waiting on counters and flooring and I can't say enough how happy I will be to finally have this remodel done. There have been some very crabby people around here lately, me included and I'm ready to have my house back! And to decorate. :) So do you have any fun remodeling stories to share?

Thanks for stopping by the blog today and don't forget to leave us some comments. We love hearing from you and keep checking back, we are getting ready for another give away soon!

Once a day keeps your mind more sane

2009-10-16T05:57:00.000-07:00

Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning...does that sound familiar? Its the story of my life! Try and keep the house in order and it only takes a moment before its all messy again. But what about the clutter, or the dust bunnies or maybe the big stack of junk mail that you need to sort through? Are you a surface cleaner or a get down and get dirty cleaner. My parents are coming to visit in a few weeks and so I've made a new goal (yes another goal) to take one day at a time and really deep clean my house. I always feel so much better when I've really cleaned and I can relax and feel more comfortable when we have company over. Its super simple and super easy. The goal is to do at least one project a day, cleaning something that you wouldn't normally clean. That sounds easy enough, right? The hard part is sticking to it! Today my project will be to go through the basket on my counter that somehow ends up collecting so many unwanted items. At the end of the day if I've completed at least one or two projects, then I'm that much closer to a very clean house! So...how do you clean??

Oh and the winner of the scarf is.....

TAYLOR!!!!!

Taylor...come on down. Woo hoo! Just let me know which scarf you would like and your mailing address and one will be on their way to you! Thanks for following us and commenting regularly!!

No time to read

2009-10-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got in the mail the November issue of Country Living. Have you read it? It's really great, and they have a lot of good ideas that aren't over the top or cost you and arm and leg. I love to read magazines and this is one of my favorites! I actually did a little dance when it arrived I was so excited. Don't worry I was in the house. Wouldn't want the neighbors to think I was weird or anything! Another favorite of mine is Real Simple. Lot's of great ideas and simple meals that don't look like feathers and unpronounceable things and that your kids might actually eat! I sat down with my magazine yesterday all excited to read, had my hot cocoa and my warming bag (rice bag) who my daughter affectionately named Bubba, and was all set. No kids in the house, nice and quiet! Two pages in and someone called. It took awhile but I finally got off the phone and settled in again. Then hubby came home to paint the living room ceiling. I could have done it, but I was ignoring it and hoping that it would get painted by itself. See? It worked! ;) Sigh. After that the day went down hill. A dentist appt. for the oldest kid, then pick up the others from school, then a haircut, then football practice, then enrichment night and by the time I got home, time for bed. I saw it calling me this morning saying "Read me. Read me" Sorry magazine, I have another busy day today. Maybe we can meet up for a date in the bathroom later in a nice tub of hot water. Just you, me, and the chocolate I have secretly stashed under the bathroom sink.

So what magazine's do you read?

P.S. Don't forget about your giveaway and leave us a comment. Those scarves sure could come in handy if you live in the cold states!

Our First Give Away...

2009-10-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to do our first give away! A lucky winner will be able to pick one of these scarfs! Leave us some comments and we'll let you know who the winner is on Friday!

Going to the Pediatrician

2009-10-09T09:38:00.001-07:00

Today I'm going to talk about something different. I want to talk about children getting sick. Yesterday I took my daughter's temperature and it was 99.7 so I was watching her careful because she was burning up, yet she was still very happy. This morning was a little bit of a different story, her temperature was 102.0. I took her into see her Pediatrician and asked the Dr if she was running a fever because she has now cut her fourth tooth. Also I asked that about her ears because she has been tugging on them. He said that it wasn't because of her tooth and that he believed her to have a virus. So the first thing they did was check her for Swine Flu. As I was impatiently waiting for the results a few different questions popped into my mind. When she cuts a tooth she tugs on her ears or sometimes she will have a fever. So why is it that the Dr's say that they have a virus and it has no connection with them teething? Do they know something that maybe we don't? In the end the Swine Flu test was negative and he says she has a virus and we are to watch her closely. She is only 9 months old and you can pretty much only give them Motrin or Tylenol. What do you think? Does your child or children do the same? Do you rush them to the Dr when they are feeling ill?

Curtain in an hour

2009-10-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

*Guess What? We are having a giveaway! Tell all your friends and make sure you check back next week and find out all about it!*

Girls I tell you this is GENIUS! Pure genius. Who would have thought that you could use drop cloths that one uses to catch paint spills, could be used as curtains? I love thinking outside the box. Well actually, I like it when others think outside the box for me like here . When I saw this idea I just knew I had to try it. The best part for me though is, there is no sewing involved! I can admit I am too impatient. If I can find a short cut I'll probably try it. It doesn't always work out but, this time it turned out perfect.

First I started off with a canvas drop cloth. You can find these at Lowes, home depot even Walmart, although when I looked I did not see any, but the cashier assured me they had them. I'll have to check more on that one. Anyway, I picked mine up at Lowes for $10 dollars and some change. Not bad if you ask me. I washed mine and then let it air dry like the link above did. It was a bit rough and wrinkly, but I kind of like it that way but I suppose you could iron it too for a smoother look. Three sides are already hemmed so you only need to hem one side. To do this, I just used some fabric glue. This stuff is awesome. I picked up some of this stuff to put on all my scouters patches. It stickes really good. Ok back to the curtain. Then I folded over the top about 4 inches and glued it down to make a pocket for the curtain rod. I let it dry for about 30 minutes ( I told you I was impatient!) and hung the curtain. I love it! Sorry my pictures are so dark.

It's a little rustic and I might steam out some of the wrinkles towards the bottom but I like the bit of roughness to it and I thought I might add some ribbon or material to dress it up a little bit. So that's it. A no sew, drop cloth curtain. Made in under an hour. :)

Where did Mommy go??

2009-10-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

Right now I am on the last book of the Harry Potter series. Have always loved the movies but didn't know about the books until one day I just decided to go for it and I LOVE THEM! Well unfortunately for my family I've been a little MIA since reading them. I get so into them and I just disappear into a nice hot bath and then reappear an hour later. Usually its when my daughter is either taking a nap or is down for the night. That still leaves my husband and our dog Teddy and not to mention chores around the house. I hate to admit it but until I am done with this book I don't think things will be much better. So that leaves me asking you this, how are you when you get into a good book? Do you shut yourself out of the world or are you able to juggle it with everything else? I think the next book or series I get into I may have to be better about that. What book are you reading at the moment??

Whats for dinner?

2009-10-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm in the dinner slumps girls. What should I make tonight has been going through my mind a lot lately. I've been making my two week menu like usual so I should know what's on the menu for the night. Then I look at it and I'm like eh, doesn't sound good. I think between a kitchen remodel, football for the oldest, drs appointments, and working I've fallen into a slump. Since it has been colder I've been really wanting to make some comfort foods especially with the crockpot but with no electricity in the kitchen that makes it kind of hard. I could plug it in, in the bedroom but...not real fond of smelling like chicken in the place where I sleep. So I'm asking you to post you favorite recipes in the comment section and then I'll pick one and I'll try it out and review it on our blog in a few weeks. So come on girls! Share those recipes. I can't wait to see what you guys have been cooking!

Chipboard Albums...

2009-09-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

I had never seen these until Valerie (she has the best idea's) had told me about them! So I went to Michael's because I looking for a new idea and got a chipboard album in the shape of a fish. I did this one for my nephew Ryder and I think it turned out great if I do say so myself! Especially for my first one. Since my sister in law Tara lives in Utah, she sent some adorable pictures of Ryder to our Walmart for me to pick up. I have a ton of scrapbook paper, ribbon, buttons, etc and so the only part I had to buy was the chipboard which was a dollar and Tara ended up paying for the pictures she sent so it was an inexpensive gift but ends up being priceless in the end! You can do it anyway you would like, there are different shapes and sizes and there's no right or wrong way to make it. It took me about 7 hours to do this and I actually loved every minute of it! Not too many days until Christmas so get started now and give a gift that nobody will expect but may just be their favorite one they receive!! What do you think?

I forgot to mention that when you buy them they look like cardboard. What I did was scrapbook both front and back with paper that I had but you can buy paper that's already cut to whatever shape you picked. I didn't like the ones they had so I did my own but you can do whatever you want!!!

Less than 3 months till Christmas people!

2009-09-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for a simple, easy, cute Christmas gift? Well have I got an idea for you! Turning tumbled tiles into coasters. They are so cute, you could use them just the way they are. You can find them at any hardware store. You know the usual, Lowe's, Home Depot. You can't beat the price either. I picked up mine for .38 per tile. Every time I go there now, I pick up 4 or 5. Now I have all these little tile towers all over. I'd take a picture but then you'd also have to see all the other stuff packed (stuffed, thrown, piled) all over from our kitchen remodel. Trust me, it's not pretty.

So here's what you'll need for this project. Yes, once again I've forgotten to take pictures of the actual process but I think that you gal's can figure it out. It really is easy. I chose to use stamps on mine.

4 or 5 tiles of your choice.
Stayz on ink (this really does work best. You can get it at most craft stores)
Stamps
Polycrylic protective finish
Felt pads for the bottoms

*So first you wipe any dust off the tiles. Then start stamping! If you make a mistake just use a little wet paper towel and wipe away. I think you have a few seconds at least to do this. NOT that I would know anything about having to re do any of mine. (only about 10 times!)

*And of course since it's about Christmas gifts I made mine with some Christmas stamps but I think any kind would look really nice. I made some nice florishy (lol I love to make up new words) ones for my mom and mil.

*After I finished stamping and the ink was dry, I'm impatient and didn't wait too long, put a few coats of sealer on. I think I waited maybe 20-30 min in between coats. I told you I was impatient! After everything is all dry then add the felt pieces to the bottom to protect.

Then to finish off the gift don't forget to wrap it in some pretty Christmas ribbon and add a cute little tag. I love ribbon! Hi, I'm Valerie and I have a ribbon obsession. :)

Okay dokey! That's it. This one is so easy that you can chill out with your favorite movie on and create these cute little gifts for friends and neighbors. They are going to love these!

"Receiving" BIBS

2009-09-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

From time to time we thought it would be great fun

to have a guest poster. Our first one is the very lovely, and

fellow Idaho spud....Tiffany! She's mom to, two cute little girls. She's

got a lot of great, creative ideas, and we can't wait to hear all about them.

Are you tired of those teeny tiny bibs that you buy in the stores,

that catch almost NONE of the food that falls from your child's mouth!

Then I have the perfect solution for you!

I introduce the "receiving" bib!

These bibs are wonderful because they are made from used (or new) receiving blankets! Each bib is sown double-sided either with the same pattern or something different to give your kids a choice! There's no right or wrong way to making them, and the best part of it is that one size fits ALL! My 2 year old is really good at taking the bottom end of the bib and wiping her mouth off when she's done eating! I have also caught her wiping up her spilled messes with the bottom end! I can usually get a few days out of each bib before washing them. If you don't have a bunch of receiving blankets lying around then a good place to pick them up at is on K-Mart or Wal-Mart's clearance racks. I just bought about 15 more at a yard sale this summer for under $2.00!!! If you choose to you could also buy this kind of fabric by the yard at a fabric store.

A dear friend of mine made me these bibs and I have been making them ever since! If you don't have any young children, then keep this idea in mind for the next baby shower you attend!

If anyone needs the directions to make these handy bibs can leave their email address in the comment section and I will send you them.

Quick and easy dinner!

2009-09-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm so silly and I should have taken pictures while making this but maybe next time! My mom used to make it while we were growing up and its one of my favorites to make! I love easy and yummy recipes!

Boneless Chicken Breasts

6-8 boneless chicken breasts

1 pint of plain yogurt

2 rolls of crushed Ritz crackers

1 1/2 sticks of melted margarine

salt & pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Salt and pepper chicken breasts. Coat chicken with plain yogurt. Roll chicken in crushed ritz crackers. Pour half of melted margarine in bottom of the pan or a glass dish (that's what I use). Place chicken into the dish. Drizzle remaining margarine over top of chicken. Bake for 25 minutes then turn over and bake for an additional 25 minutes.

Usually I'll do a salad, some type of veggie, and mashed potatoes and gravy! Its so easy and my hubby takes the left overs to work the next day for his lunch and it heats up great and is just as yummy!!!

Monday Makeover!

2009-09-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

Hey it's monday again and that means it's time for a makeover! This summer when I was working at hubby's office it was kind of slow so I was blog stalking- I mean, looking at blogs and I came across this really cool idea. However for the life of me I cannot remember where I saw this idea at so if you've seen it, let me know and I'll give it the linky love it deserves.

Ok now for the idea! Some of you may have seen this on my life blog may be thinking, DEJA VU, but your not going crazy! I really did show you this one, but I wanted to share it on the Spud blog as well. Ok, I know your thinking, just get on with it already. Ok. Ok. The idea I saw was to take an old cast off cupboard door and turn it into a serving tray. BRILLIANT! I love this idea so much!

First you find your door. I went to the Habitat for Humanity store. TONS of things to turn into treasures there. For this project I found some square doors. LOVE EM! After you've found the door of your dreams, you sand it down. You don't have to get tennis elbow or anything, just a light sand so that the paint will stick. Next is painting it. I almost think this is the hardest part! Not the actual painting, but what COLOR to paint it! I think I painted this three different times before I finally settled on a color. Don't kill me. I didn't actually take pictures of the painting part. I promise to be better at picture taking in future projects! Ok, are you ready for the end result?

TA-DA!

After I painted it, I gave it a little sanding on the edges to give is a little roughed up look. I also stamped on some flowers. I tried free drawing them on but yeah, that was a disaster! lol. After your done painting, seal it with a clear protective finish. I used a Polycrylic finish. Seal it a few times to make sure that everything gets a good coat. Make sure you let it dry over night. Ok, I confess, I was too impatient so I only waited a few hours and then I added the handles. I picked these up at Lowes but you could pick these up anywhere or use your imagination! I think there are many things that could work here.

This next one I used scrapbook paper and the sealed it with the clear sealer but after awhile it turned the paper a bit yellow so I need to look into that, and see what else you could use. Maybe modge podge first, several coats and then the sealer. Anyway I still like how it turned out so I made it more into a frame.

So there it is, my Monday Makeover project. This would make a great Christmas gift too! come on people- There's only 95 day's till Christmas! ;) Hope every one has a great day and if you have any fun project ideas let us know! We'd love to show case them. :)

Time for a Girls Night!

2009-09-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

One of my good friends is moving within the next few months :( so I told her that we would have a girls night!!!! Lately I've been thinking, should it really take someone moving for us to all get together!?! That's nonsense! A few days ago I was looking through a magazine and one of the articles was Girls Night! They had all of this fancy food and it just sounded like a lot more work than it really should be! Most everyone knows I'm a list maker and I love planning BUT if it gets all complicated then its probably not something I'm going to look forward too! So I say (and you can do it anyway you want) but I say keep it simple! Pick a night that everyone can get together and just do it! I think its good for us ladies to get together without any distractions and have a night to enjoy ourselves! Don't worry about babysitting, I'm sure your hubby will do it, because we do it all day long and deserve a night off!

How do you shop for Groceries?

2009-09-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today I went grocery shopping. It is so nice that the kids are back in school so there is no one hanging on the cart, or begging for the coolest cereal EVER! As I was almost at the end of my shopping trip a older couple were commenting on how much groceries I had in my cart. I admit it was pretty full, and it was getting tough to manuver it down the aisle. It got me thinking on how people shop for groceries. I go every two weeks. I make a menu and then make my grocery list off of that. Have I ever mentioned how I love to make lists? I do! Love em! I also do coupons. At first this seemed like such a big hassle but the more I got into them the more I saw how I could really save on some of the very things I was buying every time I shopped. There a ton of resources on the web that you can download coupons from as well like Coupon bug. Or you can have a sil who has extra coupons and shares a lot with you! Thanks again Carrie! ;) So how do you shop? Do you go every week? Two weeks? Or do you go once a day? Tell us your shopping habits and great ways to save a few!

Time for a few Terrific Tips

2009-09-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

I can always use a good tip and here are some that I've found. Thought I would pass them along and maybe some would be useful to you as well!

Instead of using a regular tv stand, opt for something different like an old chest or maybe a modern bench!

Save the rolls from your used paper towels and put them in your boots! Its a great way to keep your boots upright and looking nice!

Since its pretty much Fall, create a new and unique centerpiece by combining some red apples and pine cones in a nice big bowl!

Once you've read your magazines, swap with a friend who has a different one!

Write a love note to your hubby or a positive note to your kids by using washable markers on the bathroom mirror. (I have also used lipstick)

Drop off a treat to your hubby at work or your kids at school! It makes them feel good knowing that you are thinking of them!

Put up a family calender so everyone knows what's going on!

Well I hope that you have enjoyed some tips! Let's hear some of YOUR favorites!

Quick dinner tip

2009-09-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

I was reading over at my friends Kitchen blog In My Kitchen about some quick dinner ideas. I so need these, this time of year. My son has football practice every night from 5-7. Too early to eat before, but by the time I get him home it's almost 7:30 and the rest of my family have been killed off by starvation. What to do? Serve them Top Ramen? While this would probably work with my 9 year old, there is not much nutritional value. One thing that I have found that helps us out is making extra of a meal that I happen to be cooking one night and then putting it in the freezer. Let's say your making tacos. Make an extra few servings of the meat all seasoned and ready and put in the feezer for that night when you need something really quick. Missty from In my Kitchen also mentions Lasagna. OH YUM! Love it. Make an extra batch. Initially it's a little more work, but, on that one night when you and the family are tuckered out, you can pop this into the oven (even hubby can do this!-I put a little notecard with the oven time and how long to cook) and it's one less thing you need to think about. Throw together a salad and some french bread, and you have a meal. :-)

Happy Cooking!

Getting Active!

2009-09-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

Running shoes...check! Work out clothes...check! Treadmill in the spare bedroom...check! Motivation...uh....Everything is there for me to work out but the motivation! What's the deal? Back in high school I loved to run and work out but ever since then I hate it! Yes time has changed...6 years, marriage, a kid! But that's no excuse I'm pretty much just lazy AND I do love me some chocolate! I love to go out for walks and I should get out more often, but it never fails, something always comes in the way and I don't get out. So in light of being lazy, I'm making new goals for myself! I am going to become a more active person and I'm going to get back in shape! I'm going to switch it up and maybe to TaeBoe one day and a walk another. Nothing too extreme and maybe I'll get back in the swing of things and like it again! So now I want to know, am I the only one with this problem or are there others like me!?!

Monday Makeover!

2009-09-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but lately I have been totally into going to garage sales and flea markets. I LOVE to find old stuff. I also like to find stuff that is ugly, or not my style and change it into something else. Take this small bench for instance. A few weeks ago I missed out on some garage sales but what better place to find a deal than to go shopping in moms basement! Look what I found.

Now really. Not my taste with the ivy painted on and it looked like it might have seen a better day or two, but I knew this baby had potential! You should have seen my hubby's face when I came back upstairs with all sorts of goodies. My dad on the other hand, was real happy that my mom was getting rid of some stuff.

I did a little sanding and used some black paint I had and viola! A new bench for my bathroom.

I really do have more plans for this bench, but I didn't make it over to the fabric store this week so this is all I had to go on, but I still love it and it goes great in the bathroom. And best of all the cost was, moms basement + paint I already had = FREE! Um..just ignore that blue checked linoleum you see on the floor. Sigh, maybe one day everything will actually match in there. lol My goal for this bench is to pick up some foam maybe and cover it in fabric to make it a little softer or maybe I'll just get some pillows. Who knows! The ideas are endless. Hope this little makeover gave you some ideas for your own house. You never know what you might have discarded away into the dark corner of a closet. Pull it out and see what you can do to give it a little more life!

HELLO!

2009-09-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hey girls! (and if there does happen to be a male reader out there, welcome too!) Even though it's saturday and we probably won't post much on the weekends I still wanted to say hi and welcome to the blog.

HI! Hi! Hi!

I am really excited to be starting this blog with Alycia and look forward to reading all your comments. This is going to be so. much. fun!

Don't forget to turn in on monday for what else? Make over monday! See what I can come up with by shopping in my moms basement. :)

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

How do you Date Night?

2009-09-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

Do you do date night? Once a week, month...year? If you do it once a week then you will have something to look forward to once the week comes to an end! Are you always doing the same thing? Dinner and a movie? Take out? Well try switching it up and see what you think. Go online and find a listing of events that are going on in your area and take advantage of them. Depending on where you live I'm positive you'll be able to find some fun things that you and your honey will enjoy. Now I'm not saying you have to go out of your comfort zone and do something wacky and wild. Maybe instead of just going out for dinner you can get all dressed up. Maybe that will be just enough of a change and something you haven't done in a long time! Pinching your pennies in this economy? It actually might be a good thing and help us to be creative with our dates! Drop the kids off at friends house and come back and have the house to yourself. Who doesn't like McDonalds and a good movie (in whatever you want to wear) in your own home with just you and your hubby without having to be interupted. Get your honey involved in the date planning too. You never know what he could come up with that would be fun. Remember those first feelings you had for the person you are now with? What did you do for fun then? Go rollerskating? Night swimming? Or maybe just a walk? Whatever it was, bring it back and have some fun! Its still so nice out at night so take advantage of the weather before it gets cold! So what are some fun dates that you have been on?

Here's to a new beginning!

2009-09-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome and thank you for checking out our new blog! Valerie and I are always talking on the phone about new idea's that we have or that we have seen and want to try! We are big list makers too and so now we are going to get those lists out and start doing them and we want you to join in with us! We will have set topics that we will blog about on Monday, Wednesday and Friday but you may see things on Tuesdays and Thursdays as well! We are asking people to join in and follow us and make comments and let us know what YOU think! And if you do then we will be doing drawings and giving fun stuff away!! Alright lets party!!!

Two Spud Mamas

We're back and flea markets

Getting back into the groove...

House Rules

Babysitting...

The Best intentions

Mmmm I can smell that all the way down the road...

I got a new toy!

The Olympics

What's for Dinner?

Put that on the list

Do over

TOYS GALORE?

Hula hoopin' myself slim

Fabric obsession

Pill Overload

Apron in an hour

The Food Situation

Shopping your house

Simplify

Let's talk laundry

Kickin' into gear

Project of the month

Happy New Year!

The Envelope System

**EASY** Embroidering

10 Favorite things about Christmas

Dipped Chocolates Recipe

Christmas collections

Christmas Fudge

Christmas cards

Another give away!

Traditions

A Christmas Cookie Swap

Clapping my hands in excitement!

Gobble Gobble

Believe

Traveling with Children (otherwise known as insanity)

Keeping Kids Entertained

Thanksgiving place cards

What I'm Thankful For...

Thanksgiving, and a project

Where has the time gone?

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Chores

How do you do Halloween?

The great costume find

Websites to remember!

Kitchen remodels bring out the best in everyone

Once a day keeps your mind more sane

No time to read

Our First Give Away...

Going to the Pediatrician

Curtain in an hour

Where did Mommy go??

Whats for dinner?

Chipboard Albums...

Less than 3 months till Christmas people!

"Receiving" BIBS

Quick and easy dinner!

Monday Makeover!

Time for a Girls Night!

How do you shop for Groceries?

Time for a few Terrific Tips

Quick dinner tip

Getting Active!

Monday Makeover!

HELLO!

How do you Date Night?

Here's to a new beginning!

EASY Embroidering