sorry for the delay

Its been hectic around here.  My oldest was sick most of last week, meaning alot more laundry!  Now my baby has RSV, which is somewhat terrifying, watching him struggle to breathe clearly.  We are going back in a little while for a recheck.  Definitely thankful for my husband's job, which means free medical care. 

In other news, my pies are done, with one more in the oven, my honey is on the way home from work, Nana will be here tonight, and our friends will be here tomorrow morning.  All blessings, much appreciated, and people we are dying to see.  Lots to be thankful for!  Off to straighten up, since I'm reduced to typing with one hand while I nurse the little man.

Check out these amazing ideas! GYCO and ASPTL!

Head on over to see lots of amazing crafts!

 I linked up the seasonal board, and autumn blessings frame to both of these pages.

well, it begins...

My kiddo is sick.  He said he had a headache at quiet time today, so Jon gave him some Tylenol.  This evening, he came upstairs, and I took one look at him and went for the thermometer.  I remember my mom saying once that she could always tell when I had a fever by looking at my eyes.  And whaddaya know, she's right!  Not quite 102.  He went downstairs to watch cartoons while I made dinner, and promptly fell asleep.  Definitely a sign of a sick kiddo.  At least for him. 
And about ten minutes ago, I heard him whining in the bathroom.  He said he had to throw up, but nothing happened.  He attempted to go to the bathroom, and proceeded to ask me if I thought he would have any bones.  Seriously, he is freaking me out right now.  He hit his head earlier on the coffee table (no bump or bruise evident, and he hasn't really complained- this was after he said he had a headache anyhow), but now I'm a little worried. 
Anyhow, all of a sudden he was getting sick.  He said that he felt a little better, but not all the way better.  So here's hoping that its just a bug. 

weekend musings

We've been puttering around alot this weekend.  One chalkboard is almost finished.. I made a scrapbook page, for whenever I actually get some pictures developed.  I also cleaned up the craft room, and managed to finish a couple of other projects.  The kids have been having a blast with their friends this week- and I had alot of fun getting some pictures of them playing.  Cait has been loving her dance class- but this will be the last month that she gets to go.  We will be pretty busy in December, then going on leave for most of January.  Then its back for only the month of February, and getting ready to move.  I am determined to have a good time this holiday season, because it will be the last one we have stateside for awhile. 

late Veteran's day post

Veteran's day didn't used to hold much meaning to me.  Honestly.  My dad retired from the Army before I was even born, and I didn't grow up truly thinking about what it means to be a veteran.

I have had the most humbling experience recently.

Hubby and I were in Hobby Lobby picking up a couple of random scrapbook papers I needed.  He had seen a cool looking page in an older lady's hands, and pointed it out to me.  I asked her if she could show me where she found it, and she did.  Then she looked at me and said, "While I'm talking, let me say thank you."  And she shook my hand, and then his.  ACU uniforms are so normal to me, that I don't even really notice when my husband is wearing his uniform.  But he was wearing it that day, and it is the first time that I have even had my hand shaken, and been told "Thank you for all that you do, and everything you sacrifice." 

Definitely made me stop and think, though. Alot of people ask us how we do it.  Its honestly not anything that we stop and think about.  We just do it.  That could be the Army wife slogan! :P 

Tile coasters, an art caddy and more name letters.

I had to let my stamped coasters dry overnight.  I decoupaged some Christmasy paper onto another set of coasters, and will mod podge them in the morning.  Then I will cover both sets with spray varnish (assuming its not too windy outside again).  And then I will have two gifts!  Yay!  Now to figure out who gets what.  I guess I should make a list one of these days... I also found a great recipe for mocha sugar body scrub.  Plan to try that soon, once I can get my hands on some cocoa and olive oil. 

I am currently waiting for HL to have some of the wooden letters I need to complete a couple of projects.  As it stands, I need an S and an O.  One for a friend's daughter, and the other for my christmas JOY hanging. 

One more kid friendly DIY project- lazy susan art caddy.  I will come back with the link where I found it, once I can find it again.  I think it was part of Just a Girl's I can Make That party.  Anyhow, I'm excited to get started on all of these ideas.. I should probably put up a to do list on my sidebar, so I can cross it off when I get it done!  :P

What's your favorite Christmas tradition? 

new look!

I love the new look my blog has!  It didn't take me too long to do it, unless you count the several times I stopped to nurse or to help the kiddos out.  The Cutest blog on the block is where I found the free banner and background, then I photoshopped the pictures into the banner.  Worked out pretty well!  Let me know what you think!

what a day... :)

Well, I am feeling ok.  I thought it would be much worse.  I had a root canal and a wisdom tooth extraction.  And I am a self-declared wussy when it comes to having a dental procedure.  I had anti-anxiety meds last night and again this morning, and laughing gas while I was there.  Plus all the numbing shots.  So all in all, a funky morning.  Luckily I am not feeling a whole lot of pain.   So off I go to make some more name letters for another friend's daughter.  :)  I am anxiously awaiting payday, so that I can go buy chalkboard paint and some wood- the kiddos are getting their own chalkboards for Christmas this year, courtesy of Shanty 2 Chic.

I did it!

The family rules canvas is finished!  While I am not entirely happy with the way it turned out (I ended up having to hand write alot of it, and I really don't like some of my writing!), I love the fact that it is done, and I am searching for the perfect place to put it. 

Since this is a really crappy picture (sorry for the glare, was in a hurry)- my rules are below:

Have a positive attitude.  Never give up.

Be strong in the Lord- take your time and pray.

Hands are for hugging, not hitting.

Always use your manners- yes, please and no, thank you.

Choose to be a blessing- take joy in serving others.

Never leave angry.

Be kind, ask first, no whining, clean up after yourself.

Keep your promises.

Thank God for your blessings- pray for our family.

Let all that you do be done in love.

Act responsibly, be respectful, choose wisely.

Always tell the truth.

Encourage your siblings... share in their joy.

Have fun and be silly!

Love the Lord your God.

I also am mostly finished with a couple of other projects.  I made name letters for my friend's daughter (thick foam board cut into letter shapes and scrapbook paper mod podged on.  Painted the sides of the letters brown, and just have to get to Hobby Lobby to get some coordinating ribbon to hang them with). 

And all that is left on my mother-in-law's Christmas gift is the sides need to be painted, and a picture needs to be put in.  I am also thinking of a small embellishment for the side..). 

I painted one letter of my FALL banner last night, and am hoping the baby sleeps long enough for me to go get 2 more finished.  After that, we will eat lunch, and then walk to our friend's house for a double birthday party. 

Anyone have any cool ideas for homemade Christmas gifts?  I would love to share your ideas!

Finally home.

Home, sweet, home.  I say that especially today, because we have been locked out of our house for the last 7 hours, due to the horrific incident on Fort Hood this afternoon.  I had gone to the doctor and the dentist this morning, and had left post to go pick up my kids.  As I got to my friend's house, apparently they locked down the post.  We are not allowed to pass any information due to OpSec, but if you turned your TV on at all today, I'm sure you know what happened. 

So, we spent the afternoon at a friends, and then another hour and a half waiting outside the gate to get in so we could go home.  Jon made it home before we did, seeing as how he was already on base at work.  We are all fine, just tired.  Thank you to all my wonderful friends and family that called, texted or emailed to check on us.  And thank you to those who passed the word on to others for us. 

Tomorrow, post will be closed.  It will be a day of silence for those who lost their lives.  Hug your family tight tonight, and thank God that you have them safe in your arms.  This could so easily have happened to anyone.  Say an extra prayer for the lives that have been shattered, and all of the families involved. 

Edie from Life In Grace is hosting 12 Days of Handmade Christmas- head on over for some ideas.  I think I'm going to try the dish mat- if I have some coordinating fabric and a towel!  :) 

What are your ideas for Christmas gifts this year?  What is your favorite tradition for Christmas?

how to decoupage a fake pumpkin

I did this a couple of weeks ago, but am just now getting around to showing it.  :) 

All I did was take a 12x12 sheet of autumn colored paper, tear pieces off, and mod podge'd them to the mini pumpkin from Walmart.  I put a coat of mod podge over the top to seal it.  It turned out pretty nicely.  I went a little crazy and mod podged a flat wooden jack o lantern, too. :P 

Supplies-
sheet of autumn paper
mod podge
mini pumpkin
paintbrush

I'm linking to Today's Creative Blog for Get Your Craft On Tuesdays!

Now, on to Thanksgiving!

Well, another Halloween has come and gone.  This one was better than the last two have been. Last year, we were just getting settled into our new house at Fort Hood.  And the year before that, we were in Hawaii, and it didn't feel much like Halloween- we were still getting used to the year-round temperature.  Plus, Daddy was gone. 

This year we trick-or-treated with a couple of friends from church, while Daddy stayed home to pass out candy.  Caitlynn was a ballerina bunny, and Jacob was a Transformer. I'm posting a couple of the shots I took on Halloween. 

Yesterday, we moved parts of the house around again.  Those of you who know me, know that I do this on a semi-regular basis.  I get tired of looking at the same old, same old.  Anyhow, this was prompted by the fact that the baby has almost grown out of his bassinette.  We moved the playpen upstairs and the bassinette down.  Which meant I had to move some of the bedroom furniture around, too.  :) 

We also moved the air hockey table into the other part of the living room, and moved the shelves in front of it so that it is somewhat blocked from the rest of the room.  I bet that sounds clear as mud, huh?  :)  It basically helps the puck stay on the table.  Now the dining room feels much bigger, and is not so cluttered up.  We had a bad tendency to pile things on the air hockey table when unloading the dining room table, and now have eliminated that.  In the afternoon, we walked around the block and went to a friend's house- got to stay and chat and play for several hours.  Came home, had dinner, kids took baths and went to bed.  I got some more crafty stuff done, and Jon got some of his hobby stuff done.

 All in all, it was a very good day.  Relaxing, just as it should be.  I'm looking forward to making some Thanksgiving items for around the house (I'm looking for ideas today), so look for some pictures in the next few days. 

Today was crazy busy, but sooo fun!

We started with Caitlynn's dance class this morning.  Her teacher had a family emergency, and they had to cancel class, so she actually got to go to gymnastics instead.  She had a blast!

We came home for a couple of hours, and I got some work done on my family rules canvas (all the paper applied)..  then we got the kids dressed up for the fall festival at our church.  We made popcorn balls, and did the cakewalk (Jon made mini pineapple upside down cakes and Halloween funfetti cupcakes for it, but we still ended up bringing home a different cake).  The kids did face painting, and learned about apple peeling, coring, slicing, and juicing.  That fresh apple juice was AMAZING! 

After the festival, we came home, ate dinner and went trick or treating with some friends.  We actually had to call Jon to come and get us, because we walked too far before I noticed, and were quite aways away.  Of course, I took my keys for some reason, and he couldn't get his car out from in front of mine.  So, when the ever-present MP's drove down the road we were on, I flagged them down and asked them to deliver the keys to Jon.  :P  They seemed a bit taken aback, but they did it.  And we made it home with no issues other than two sugared up kids asking for more candy. :)

The house was decorated pretty nicely- Jon said that most of the little kids wouldn't come up to the porch, they sent older siblings up instead.  Kudos to him!

Head on over to...

Today's Creative Blog has a Fabulous Friday Giveaway going on, and the winner gets $50 towards some awesome holiday cards or other items at http://www.jumpingjackdesigns.com/. 

I love the prompt cards- maybe I should order those.. J might actually get some writing done, and I know that Nana, Grandma and Great Grandma will love them!  :)

we played hooky today.. :)

I have been so inspired by the creative blogs that I have been finding all over the place.  It seems that I can't check one blog without finding a link to several others that I want to check out.  And of course, each of them has tons of great ideas for things I want to try out.  I'm thankful that they are making me want to get out and do something! 
This is my take on Ashley's Apothecary Jars  (found here- http://shanty2chic.blogspot.com/2009/10/ashleys-fall-apothecary.html)- I used the same candlesticks, instead of having different heights, and I decided on Oil Rubbed Bronze as my color.  Turned out really nice- definitely loving the gorilla glue.  Its my entry for the 'I made it with Gorilla Glue' party.  I'll have the button soon (when I can figure out how to use it correctly)! 

I'll have to take pictures of the way it looks now, I've added some pumpkins that we painted, and one that I decoupaged.  At least, I think that's what I did to it.  I mod podge'd a whole bunch of pieces of paper all over it.  Is that decoupage or just papier mache'ing?  :D

Anyhow, there were acorns in one jar (til they got moldy when I forgot to air dry them-d'oh!), and there are some pretty but fake fall leaves in the other. 

And I am in LOVE with Lindsey Cheney's family rules canvas.  So much so that that is the first thing that popped into my head when I woke up, that I had to go buy a canvas!  :P

http://lindseycheney.blogspot.com/2009/03/guest-blogger-nicole-my-family.html

Off to go make my to do list for tomorrow, and then to write down all of the projects I have swirling around in my head. Cause if not, they will be forgotten and won't come back until I have absolutely no money or willpower to be creative.  Go figure.

An awesome giveaway chance!

I love reading the blogs that I follow.  I get so many creative ideas that I never would have thought of on my own.  In this case, I've signed up for the quilting give-away, and you should too!  There are some beautiful fabrics being given out.  I can't decide which one I would want!  Go to the link below to enter for your chance to win! :D

http://cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/2009/10/sharing-my-good-fortune-with-you.html

Baby quilt and sling progress

Well, one of the projects that I am trying my hand at is making a crib quilt for the peanut.  I picked up the already pieced top and bottom in a jungle print from Hobby Lobby, and am hand sewing the pieces together.  My wonderful hubby was able to do a line to show me (since he's done tons more hand sewing than I have, however sad that might seem...lol), and I repositioned the quilting hoop so that I'm ready to start fresh on a new area tomorrow. 

I got extremely frustrated in trying to complete the baby sling that one of my friends gave me instructions for.  I did the first half at her house, and wrote the instructions down as she showed me how.  And I still screwed it up somehow!  :P  I can laugh at it now, but I was really ticked off earlier.  I finally got it most of the way done, I just have to sew the edges over.  Pictures of both will have to wait til tomorrow, cause right now the camera is out of reach, and I'm pooped.  I'd love to see anything crafty you have going on, Shelby!  (I figured I'd just use your name, since you're the only one reading this)!  :D

well, today was interesting...

Just to anyone that owns pets and lives on a military base:  it really IS cheaper to take them to the vet on base.  I spent almost twice as much to get our dog 'legal' for post, because I screwed up and forgot her appointment this afternoon.  Which, in my defense, was for a totally legit reason.  I had the Mirena inserted today, and their description of a little cramping was WAY off.  I hit the bed as soon as I got home, and didn't get up until about 2 hours later when the kids' movie was over.  Thank God we do school in the morning. 

And on a side note- one of the vet techs told me that the only reason the vet clinic exists on base is to check over the meat that is brought on post, and that they are not allowed to actually make money.  Hence why its so much cheaper.

I didn't have the heart to ask her if she was being funny ( you know, some sort of Halloween creepy story stuff), or if she was serious.  :D

Reconnected with a friend that PCS'd back in February- her girls are adorable, and getting sooo big!   I'm getting itchy feet- I really want to travel somewhere.  I have a feeling our first place will be to CO, to visit some of our friends that just got stationed there.  BTW, she is my first follower!! Yay!  (Sorry, just had to say something, cause I knew you'd get to read it!)  :)

Now off to fold and put away the load of laundry and get our netflix movies ready to mail back tomorrow... Good night!

its getting cold out there!

I love this time of year.  Not so much the rain we've been having, but the temperature.  I love bringing out our hoodies and jeans, or being able to wear a tshirt and jeans and be perfectly comfortable. 

I'm so proud of my kiddo- he's doing a great job with homeschooling.  I'm kind of proud of myself, too, because for once I haven't procrastinated and put things off (with the exception of the crazy busy week we had during the marriage retreat, etc).  I have realized that I can't let him get away with much because I don't want it to be a bad habit for later.  And I've learned how to be more creative in praising his efforts.  Although he has pushed my buttons about doing things correctly!  :P

Anyhow, not much done today in the way of creativity.  I did manage to hand sew one line on peanut's blanket, but he woke up after that and then I had to go buy ketchup for the chili I made for dinner.

If I ever have anyone that reads this, I would ask what your favorite part is of this season... I'd love to know of any traditions you might have, too.

My fall to do list

Ok, so this is more of a wish to-do list than a to-do list, because I don't have the time to get it done quickly...  Why can't we have magic wands?  'poof' and its done?

Oh well.  I have to remind myself that doing something completely and correctly is more satisfying than having to go back and do it a second time. 

1.  Clean out the hall closet- donate what we don't need, and sell the extra toys that are in there. 
2.  Clean out our closet- I swear its growing!  and not with clothing...
3.  Move my scrapbooking supplies in their own area, and get rid of what I don't use.
4.  Help the kids sell their unwanted/unused toys. 
5.  Decorate the house carefully, instead of just saying, here let's put this on the wall so its not bare!
6.  Hand sew Peanut's quilt, and start J and C's quilts. 
7.  Start making Christmas gifts for close family and friends. 
8.  Make my Christmas wreath for the door. I found it here- http://doehlerdays.blogspot.com/2009/10/halloween-wreath.html
9.  Make some simple decorations for our walls upstairs, especially J's room. 
10.  Clear out the 0/3 month clothes and bring out the 3/6 months.  :_ 
11.  Learn how to make curtains and pillows/pillowcases. 
12.  Make the holiday squared quilt I found at http://bittybitsandpieces.blogspot.com/2008/10/halloween-squared-quilt-pattern.html  I <3 her blog!  Lots of creative stuff to be found there. 
13.  cut up some christmas paper to collage a cardboard tree with the kids.

That's all I can think of for now..

yay for first posts!

Today, we went to the pumpkin patch. 

It was hosted by a church, and the pumpkins were already picked.  We looked around, the kids each chose a bounce house to jump in, Caitlynn did the snack walk (and shared her snack with her brother).  Caitlynn decided to try the bear walk, and she won!

  They got a snow cone, and we got funnel cakes, laughed while watching another family try to get their 5 month old to look at the camera, and then laughed while they tried to get our kids to look when it was our turn!  :)

On the way home, we decided to stop at Goodwill to browse around for miscellaneous craft items, and scored a rainforest jumperoo for the baby.  Came home, and we all vegged out with a movie and dinner. 

Next project up will be the repainting of the bench that someone was throwing away last week. :)