Going To The Post Office

Heading to the post office today to send out some stuff I sold this week on ebay & a few things from my etsy shop. I love looking at these things all packaged up & ready to go, because it means more money for bills this month. Just wondering how I'm going to get it all into the post office. I think I'll be making a few trips.



Another cool thing....I won a giveaway from Ali Edwards. Seriously crazy odds. She had over 1,300 comments in about half a days time & gave away 9 prizes. Looks like I may be needing to get back into the scrapbooking groove. I guess things are going my way!

Have a great weekend!

Blog Addiction

Janae asked me to share which blogs I read, but I read a ton. So I'm going to break it up a little bit here. These are some good sites for ideas for kids crafts & activities.

* Kiddley. They're no longer posting on this site, but it's still a great resource to look through the archives. Lots of holiday stuff over there in the December posts from last year.

* Scrumdilly-do. This one tends to have a lot of crafts involving paper & paint or crayons.

* Wondertime Magazine. Their create & play section has lots of fun printable games & cutting pages for kids to practice with those scissors.

* Kids Craft Weekly. You can sign up for this free newsletter that offers craft ideas based around a theme. I'm planning on doing one of the crafts from the latest newsletter sometime soon.

* DIY Kids. This one may be a little more geared for older children, but still some awesome ideas.

And I forgot to mention that we signed up for Target's book club a while back & they sent us a really cool backpack. For free! Jamie does a good job of covering it here.

Think About It

Have you seen these new commercials for Hyundai. You know, the ones that don't even show the cars. Well, I love them. I'm not sure what their target demographic is, but they sure get me. They're beautiful.



Am I going to run out & buy a Hyundai? Probably not. I still have hang ups with that brand. No offense to anybody. But these ads are making me change my mind a little. Such is the power of good design. Interesting.

Check out the rest of the ads here: thinkaboutit.com

Poor Puppy

Maddy was bit by the neighbor's dog last week while Dylan was taking her out. Maddy was on a leash. The other, bigger dog wasn't. We didn't really notice any wounds at all until a few days ago. Scheduled an appointment with the vet. The wound had gotten infected & appeared to be pretty deep. They sedated her to be able to clean it out & get a better look. Luckily when they got a better look at it, they didn't feel that she needed stitches. It's pretty gross though. The wrapping that the vet put on her kept peeling back & so Dylan put this bandage on her.

I had to go talk to the neighbors....for the very first time....and let them know that I'd be bringing them the bill. Very nice people. I felt bad that this is what had to happen to get us to meet each other.

Poor Maddy. I feel so bad for her. So I haven't been telling her to get off the girls' blanket like I normally would.

My Magazines

I love magazines. Never been much of a book reader. "Read a book" shows up on my new year's resolution list just about every year. Maybe it's that I'm such a visual person or maybe it's that I never have enough time to really sit down with a book. Anyway....here are all the magazines that I subscribe to right now:



Yes. You're looking at that right. A total of 8 magazines come to my mailbox each month. The cool thing is that I only pay for one of these subscriptions. That's for Creating Keepsakes, which I'm not going to renew because I haven't scrapbooked in like, forever. Real Simple is a birthday gift from my mother-in-law. Love it! The rest are free with points from my credit card.

There are more that I would subscribe to, if I had any extra money at all, but really, do I need any more? Other than Martha Stewart Living that is?

So how about you? Anybody else a magazine nut & what cool magazines am I missing out on?


Oh, by the way. Thanks for all the love on my last post. I really wasn't fishing for it. I was just posting to say, "Aren't I such a crazy freak for loving my own website so much!?"

*I Love*

I love my blog. Is that vain? Oh well, it's true. I admit that I look at my very own blog a few times each day. I love every bit of information & every photo that I post on my website. I love what I've set up here. It's mine. It's one of my babies. I especially love to take a look back though the archives at photos of my little Sadie, or my pregnant belly, or a dinner I made. I love being able to reread my words & re-live exactly how I was feeling at the time.



I also love so very much the connection that I have with all my blog buddies. I love being a part of your lives through the computer screen & I love that you are a part of my life as well in this crazy internet world.

Check out some of my readers & buddies:

*Cherine bought the adorable vintage apron pictured above from my etsy shop. When I saw that she had purchased it, I was so excited I did a mental back flip (cause I could never do that in real life, could you imagine the results). Cherine is so cute as is the apron & I knew they would make a wonderful pair. Plus I thought her dark coloring would look divine with a sweet blue patchwork apron. I think I was right.

*I just stumbled upon Ollie through my stat counter. I was flattered to read that I had inspired her to sew & to look for old fabric to repurpose. Check out the amazing projects she's recently completed. What a great seamstress.

*I've also been thinking a lot about Janae lately. Janae has just gone through a brand new baby & a move across the country, just like I did a few months ago. I love her openness about feeling overwhelmed. We all feel this way. Recently I was telling a friend about how I feel like I'm constantly neglecting something in my life. I focus on my kids or my crafts & my chores are neglected. I focus on my chores & my kids are neglected. I focus on staying on top of everything for everybody & I'm neglected. It makes me think of the starfish story:

Once a man was walking along a beach. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Off in the distance he could see a person going back and forth between the surf's edge and the beach. Back and forth this person went. As the man approached he could see that there were hundreds of starfish stranded on the sand as the result of the natural action of the tide.

The man was stuck by the the apparent futility of the task. There were far too many starfish. Many of them were sure to perish. As he approached the person continued the task of picking up starfish one by one and throwing them into the surf.

As he came up to the person he said, "You must be crazy. There are thousands of miles of beach covered with starfish. You can't possibly make a difference." The person looked at the man. He then stooped down and pick up one more starfish and threw it back into the ocean. He turned back to the man and said, "It sure made a difference to that one!"

I often feel like I will never do everything I need to. I'll never get all these starfish back in the ocean. But every little bit that I do does make a difference. I try to focus on what I have done that is good & fulfilling to me & my family. I try not to get down on myself for what I haven't done. And get this, the honest to goodness, down right dirty truth is.....there is a piece of paper that is currently STUCK to my dining room table. A watercolor painting that Sadie made. It's been there a few days & she's eaten cereal & spilled milk on it a few times.....anyway....it's plastered there. I have been focusing on writing a talk for church (yeah, that's my excuse) & I haven't even tried to get it off yet. There, you have it. Really, I wasn't going to share this on my blog, but I needed to. That one's for you Janae!

Oh, one more thing! The starfish story is exactly how I feel about living a green life as well. Every little thing I do to care for the environment makes a difference. :)

Great Tip Award

So Laurie over at Create Your Own Experience has awarded me with the Great Tip Award. Isn't that so cool! Thanks Laurie. As per the rules of the award, I am to pass the Great Tip Award on to three other people. And the award goes to....



1. Ashley for her super cute redo of a tote bag printed w/ a school logo on it.

2. Molly for her compiled list of tips on saving money on grocery shopping. What an incredible resource!

3. Heather at Apples On A Stick for her cute cookie cutter potato stamps. What a fun arts & crafts activity for any little kid.


Now it's your turn to award 3 people for the 'Great Tip Award'. The participation rules are simple:

1. If you get tagged, write a post with links to 3 blogs that also have great tips.
2. Link this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Great Tip Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.
4. Optional: Submit the tip(s) to be featured on TipJunkie.com.

Please remember to tag blogs with real merits. The goal is to spotlight inspiring ideas that make life easier, fun, and/or more beautiful

Yummy, Yummy Rice Cereal

I finally introduced Claire to the spoon. I have been a bad, bad, lazy mom & have just been putting the rice cereal into her night time bottle. I gave her a real feeding with the spoon yesterday morning. She gave me the look of "Just what is this that you are putting in my mouth & what exactly am I supposed to do with it?". But she is catching on. I'm not sure why she's leaning over in the high chair like that. Must have been tired.

I have been having some major tooth pain & have some dentist visits ahead of me. Not good to eat an old man's chocolate bar right when this trauma is happening in my mouth, but you know.....I'm an addict. Anyway, I'll try to stay up on the blog, but if I go missing for a little bit, you all know why.

Also, you guys make me laugh & I love you & your comments.

These Words Have Nothing To Do With This Photo

Last Sunday at church this old man gave me a candy bar that had been in the breast pocket of his suit jacket. A chocolate bar. It was completely melted from the heat of his body. It has since hardened back up & I'm now eating it today.

Gathering

Sadie's favorite new activity when we go to the park. Gathering acorns.

*I Love*

I love getting the very first smile of the morning. Is there anything sweeter? I also love how babies look when they first wake up.

Today is my Mom's birthday. I love her & I love these things about her: her beautiful skin & hair, her long eyelashes which she has passed along to all of her children & grandchildren, her sense of humor, the sound of her laugh & the sound of her voice. I love that she & my Dad are still together & in love & celebrating 35 years of marriage today. I love my mom's cooking & how she plays with her grandchildren. I love her hugs & I love that she knows everything....at least she always has answers to my questions. I love her for having 8 children & being an incredible mom! Happy Birthday Momma!

I also love reading all of your *I Love* posts. Thanks for joining in.

Got Christmas on the Brain

I've been having ideas swirling in my head of gifts to make the girls for Christmas this year. I really enjoyed making some handmade gifts last year for Sadie. The plan for this year:

Sock Monkeys. I'm going to make one for each of the girls. Dylan is requesting that he get one too. Perhaps I'll just make 4 total & there will be one for each of us under the tree. Directions for making the sock monkeys can be found here.

Felt cookies. The idea for these came about with Sadie's new kitchen. I plan on putting magnets on the back so they can stick right to the metal cookie sheet that came with her kitchen. Here's one example.

Doorway Puppet Theater. From Bend The Rules Sewing. How cool is this! I know Sadie will love it & Claire will too when she's old enough.

Other than this stuff, I plan on purchasing 2 small toys for each of the girls. I already have an idea of what those will be. I now feel prepared for when the shopping season rolls around. I'm going to stand firm & not be swayed by all the ads to buy stuff I never planned on. Time to get to work on the homemade gifts!

What's Cookin'?

So Fall has officially arrived in Cleveland (finally). I do love the change of seasons & summer to fall just happens to be my favorite. I'm so happy to not be sweating all the time, so the cool air when I wake up in the morning while I'm still snuggled up in bed is so very welcoming. I have dreams of making apple crisp & burning pumpkin spice candles. Already thinking about a warm cup of hot chocolate & Christmas crafting. But....a little more immediate is.....what to cook for dinner now that I can use the oven.

We had Chicken & Rice w/ Bell Pepper last night. It takes some time in the oven. I know that I've already passed this recipe on to quite a few of my blog readers, but there are some of you out there that this one will be new to. I have never met anybody that didn't like this recipe. Seriously. It's a keeper, for sure. It's one that my mom made quite often while we were kids. She still makes it for family dinner & I know all my sisters are now making it for their families.

Chicken & Rice w/ Bell Pepper

1 cube butter or margarine, melted in pan
chicken pieces

1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 tsp. paprika
1 cup rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
3 cups chicken broth

Melt butter in a 9x13 pan. Mix next 5 ingredients (flour, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, paprika) in a ziploc bag & shake chicken in bag. In pan w/ melted butter, bake chicken only at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Mix rice with remaining ingredients. Remove chicken from pan. Pour rice mixture into the dish & place chicken back on top of the rice. Cover with foil & bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.

Try it. You'll love it....and your husband will ask you to make it again & again.

Now that I've shared with you....please share with me. Let me know what you like to cook for dinner in the colder months. Share your recipes on your blog & send me a link or just leave the recipe in my comments. Thanks!

And just because...take a look at Claire looking nice & chubby. She'll be 5 months old in about a week & we're just now moving up to 3-6 month clothes.

We Are Going To Ryan Adams!!!!!!!!!

So, my sweet Dylan bought us tickets to go see Ryan Adams next month. He's going to be in Lakewood. We could seriously walk to the show it's so dang close. Now, it's nothing new to all
of you that I freakin' love Ryan Adams, and I have wanted to see him play live for like 7 years now. We have just never been in a place that his tour came through......but now......yippee!!!!



Dylan refers to Ryan as "my boyfriend". It's true, I do have a slight crush on him. I mean, come on....watch the Gap commercial & just tell me he's not cute. Dylan is wondering what he's doing taking me to this show....cause you know, I could just go running off with Ryan Adams. I assured Dyl that Ryan is not at all interested in my body type......so it's cool.



I am beyond excited to go to the show, to be able to hear & feel the live music, but I'm also a little worried that he might say something that offends me. There's a good possibility for that. What am I talking about....I'll still love him. How can you not love a voice like that? Now......what should a housewife, homely, mother of two wear to the show? You know, just in case Ryan spots me & wants to run off with me....I gotta look good. :)

Can you tell from all these links that I want you to love him as much as I do? It's so good to have something to look forward to!

Just Updated the Shop

I just updated the shop. My camera battery died before I got finished photographing everything. There's actually a few more things to add. Maybe later tonight or tomorrow. Check it out!

Sewing

I've been doing some sewing! Look for a shop update sometime this week. Feels good to be able to find the time & energy to focus on trying out new things.

Most Awesome Paper Dolls Ever

Sadie was getting a little stir crazy being home & sick, so we made these paper dolls with her. You can download your own from Kiddley.


Here's the whole family. Mom, Dad, Sadie & Claire:

That moustache on the dad is all Sadie's doing. She found the scrap on the table & decided it looked like facial hair.


I also love the baby's belly button.

I am totally in love with these dolls. This was seriously a fun craft to get in on with Sadie. So adorable!

Oficially 3 Years Old

So, the real day finally came & Sadie was sick with croup. We ended up taking a trip to the doctor's office on her 3rd birthday. Good thing we had her party the week earlier when she was healthy & happy.



So Happy Birthday to the most creative & imaginative soul that I know. To the dancing, singing girly girl of our house. Smart, artistic, funny, wild haired Sadie. The coolest kid around. I love you!

I asked her what kind of cake she wanted that day & she said "chocolate". This recipe had been on my mind. It's delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.


Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake

1 pkg. devil's food cake mix
1 large pkg. chocolate instant pudding
1-1/4 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Combine first 5 ingredients in large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into a greased bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. (a wooden pick inserted in center may not come out clean.) Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan & let cool completely.

The Girl's Got a New Kitchen

Hard at work in hew new play kitchen, her birthday gift from Dylan & I. Tomorrow is her actual birthday. Three years old. Pretty hard to believe.

Sweet Baby of Mine

I've got a teething baby on my hands. She wants a lot of love & hugs from her momma. It's sweet but also very tiring.

So Close

I love that we live so close the the lake. It's pretty.

Visiting Kirtland

We were able to go Kirtland, OH last Sunday after church. Kirtland is where members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered shortly after the Church was founded. We took the tour of the temple & then went over to Historic Kirtland. I cannot even explain the spirit that I felt, especially in the Newel K. Whitney Store, where we were able to stand in rooms that the prophet Joseph Smith had been in & where he received revelation for the church. It was amazing & wonderful & so very peaceful there. We will definitely have to go back & spend some more time there. It's only a half hour drive away!

Avocado Corn Salsa

1 avocado, peeled, seeded & finely diced
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 medium tomatoes, seeded & finely diced
2 - 3 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 - 1 tsp. minced jalapeno pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

In a medium bowl, gently combine all ingredients. Cover & refrigerate until ready to serve.

This was really yummy & fresh tasting. We ate it with tortilla chips. I had to snap a picture real quick before it was all gone. If I made it again I would probably add some red onion or scallions for a little added kick, but still very tasty.

Party Recap

Decorations looked great.


Goody bags....adorable.


The cake was decorated with Necco wafer candies, giving it a nice polka dot look. Unfortunately, I made the frosting too thin & it was just sliding off the cake. Looked a little like a flying saucer from the side. Oh well.


A little party craft. Good ol' paint brush & glue. They decorated their own crowns.


A quick wardrobe change for Sadie & it was time for singing & cake.


And yes, this is Sadie changing into her new Cinderella dress right in front of all her party guests.


We had a great time.