Last Day of Spring Break

Today is Mitch's last day of Spring break but it's pretty much your typical Monday around here...a staying home day. The kids laze around and watch a movie, I do a few loads of laundry, vacuum, that sort of thing. Mitch said he said wanted to stay home and watch lots and lots of movies when I asked him what he wanted to do on his last day of Spring break. I compromised with just one, Snow Buddies. Have you seen it? It is so cute and I don't even mind watching it. Megan loves it too so they were both content.

This afternoon I also cleaned out 2 cabinets in the kitchen and cleared off some junk from the top of the fridge. I felt inspired after reading the blog link I posted a few days back. I just like to clean and if anyone gives a cleaning challenge I am up for it. The top of the fridge was gross! Good thing I m short and never look up there! Sorry to all the tall people who come to my house! : ) lol I'll try a few more tomorrow.
e

About Today

Many of you have emailed me today and asked me how I have gotten to a place where I can just relax and enjoy my Sunday. Believe me, it has taken work to let the housework go and just be. It comes from the concept of the Sabbath Sunday and I have found many resources in 2 of the following books
Breathe Creating Space for God in a Hectic Life by Keri Wyatt Kent
Living Simply by Joanne Heim

Both books are great and can be found on www.amazon.com but I highly recommend Joanne's website/blog www.thesimplewife.typepad.com . She has been a great inspiration to me. I hope this helps. Enjoy: )
e

A Day to Enjoy

It's been a nice day. We went to church, had donuts, took a long walk, I have a done a few chores(but on Sunday I don't do many) and now I am trying to decide if I should bead, read or watch a movie. Months ago we started slowing down our Sunday pace and really trying to enjoy Sunday's. taking time for the family and putting aside work. At first it was hard but now, months later, it has become easier. And when we don't have our family day because something gets in the way it's very disappointing. I doubt there is a good movie on so I am thinking I will start the new book my sister gave me for my birthday Eye Contact by Cammie McGovern. I have been wanting to read it for a while now but just haven't had the chance.
Enjoy your day.
e

A crazy day

It's been a wild day and the wind is taking it's toll on my hair! lol All kidding aside, I needed a break and my parents showed up just in time today to save me from a small breakdown. Frank is working today and for some reason when he works on Sat. the kids know how stressed it makes me and they tend to behave like little crazy people. Luckily, grandma and grandpa showed up at just the right time after lunch for a bike ride to the park and all was wonderful and mommy didn't have to loose it and cry into her spaghetti(I'm not really sure I would have but it sounds dramatic). To get all of the rest of my frustration out I have been cleaning my house and opening some windows to get some nice fresh air. A friend sent me the link to this blog where the woman is obsessed with cleaning and organizing everything...check it out if you have a moment http://www.momadvice.com/blog/2008/03/spring-cleaning-organizing-bookshelves.htm I organized one cabinet in my kitchen today: )



Last night was also stamp camp and I sold a few bracelets. Thanks to those of you who came and it was fun to hang out with Megan and Jill: ) Here are pics of my bracelets all laid out and a pic of the very cute penny spinners we made. If you want more info on stamp camp the next one is April 18th and you can get more info in my sister's site at http://www.tracidorth.stampinup.net/



Enjoy your weekend!

e

A close up of the blue

Penny Spinners

Mitch's New Bike!

We went to Target last night and bought Mitch a new bike. He has been riding a trike or a little bike for a long time and was desperately needing a new 2 wheeler. So here are pics of his new Spiderman bike that we got for him last night. It was a pretty cool day for a bike ride but he was so proud of himself and the fact that he helped dad put it together last night that we couldn't turn him down for a quick ride(run) to the park: )

Aren't I cool??

Cheese!

After our bikeride we had special hot chocolate and a quiet family day complete with a fav movie...Mary Poppins...This has been a great Spring break week and I will miss the little guy and our relaxing routine next week when he goes back to preschool.

e

Don't Forget....

Tomorrow night is Stamp Camp/Jewelry night at my sisters. For more info on my sister's stamp camps go to her website at http://www.tracidorth.stampinup.net/ I will have all of my new bracelets for you to look at and you don't have to stamp to look at them. Stop by any time between 7 and 9 and see what I have been up to in the past month. As promised, here are pics from yesterday with the new brown beads I bought. I hope to see some of you tomorrow and if you can't make it but you like some of the jewelry I have posted in the last week or so email me to arrange a time to look at them or to buy a special piece of your own. Bracelets are $6 and S/H is $2.

Brown bracelets from yesterday's trip to JoAnne's

What a funny kid!

Mitch is always cracking me up with his funny stories, jokes, one-liners and sayings and his new one last night has kept me laughing to myself most of the day. We were outside playing and he and I were doing a little boxing on the patio and I told him to "put his duke's up". He giggled and said, "no mom, I have to put my duke and my duchesses up." I was laughing so hard I almost had to run inside to the bathroom. Once we were inside Frank informed me I am no longer allowed to teach our son how to box! What a cute kid!
e

A pretty little set

I made this bracelet for myself and decided it needed earrings to go with it. What do you think? Aren't they

cute? I'm not sure I am ready to venture into the whole ensemble jewelry making biz but it sure is fun to wear and make. I have 3 other sets but these are my favs so far. The beads are even prettier IRL.

I was back at JoAnne's again today. All of their glass beads are 30% off. I picked up a few black and brown beads to fill in what I have used and had coupons(of course) and hardly spent $8. Megan is napping and the house is pretty well picked up so I think it is time to see what I can do with those new beads.

e

Paranoid

MOPS was great today, as usual, but our speaker was a little on the heavy side. The topic I mean. We had a police officer from the Ft. Collins PD come and speak to us on keeping our kids safe from sexual predators and he has even written a book on the subject called The Swimsuit Lesson. You can check out his book at www.theswimsuitlesson.com I bought the book but now I am paranoid and freaked out about reading it to M and M and about the weirdos that live in our neighborhood. He went on and on about sex offenders and knowing where they are and being cautious about your kids, where they play, who they play with, that 3 in 10 girls will be sexually assaulted by the time she is 18...enough to make my head spin and want to keep Megan in her crib until she is 30!! He told us not to leave paranoid, hug our kids and be aware. So here is a list of some resources that our table came up with and I hope you find it helpful. I did. Enjoy your day...I am and trying to and hugging M and M a few more times.
e

Not in My Neighborhood
http://cjb.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/35/3/356

Megan's Law
http://www.registeredoffenderslist.org

The Swimsuit Lesson
www.theswimsuitlesson.com

Brown and Green

Ta Da! This is what I did with just some of the green and brown beeds I bought last week. Aren't they so pretty?! I am wearing a brown one today even though I have red on! : ) Oh wait, that is my sister's that she wants me to make bigger! Sorry T, I forgot: )

I didn't bead all weekend, instead I played nurse to a very sick hubby. I sure hope he goes back to work tomorrow because I am not a very good nurse. Easter was nice and quiet and for some reason my living room floor looks like the Easter Bunny threw up, but I just don't have the energy to tackle that right now. Maybe all those plastic eggs will jump back into the basket and put themselves away...RIGHT!! lol

Happy Easter Monday!
e

Easter Day

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!



Today has been an interesting day. I truly love Easter but it's not my most favorite holiday in my holidays of all holidays and today has been extremely hard to pull through and coax my anxiety to a more normal level. Why? Frank has the flu. And a mommy without the daddy's help on any Sunday morning is asking for disaster but after Easter morning and 2 small kiddos who have searched and found over 90 plastic eggs filled with candy and eaten more then they should have I needed help. I digress that it was not me who filled all of those eggs but I should have known better than to let them eat so much candy on a morning when I was going to have to take them to church BY.MY.SELF. Thank goodness for my BFF and my parents who also go to church with us. All in all we survived, BFF had tons and tons of snacks, coloring books, and even carried both girls up for communion. She is a blessing! Now I need a moment to collect myself before I begin in on tonight's dinner and the mess I made of the house trying to get 3 people pretty for church this morning. WOW!!
Happy Easter everyone!
e

New Easter-y Bracelets

I made these bracelets last night and my mom thought they look like Easter eggs when I showed them to her this morning. They didn't photograph on the black as well as the white background but at least I am getting better at posting pics: ) I have a large variety of colors and sizes now and am looking forward to next Friday when I am showing them to the public for the first time at Traci's stamp camp. : )
I am off to clean up the house before egg dying(at mom and dad's) and Easter dinner tomorrow.
e
PS We are getting Mitch a new bike. Does anyone know of a good one/brand? Is Walmart or Target better? What about a helmet? He out grew his last year and it was a hand-me-down.

Good Friday

or is it Black Friday? Either way I wore black today in honor of what our Savior did for us today.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. --Matthew 16:24

On an another Easter note...here is the lamb recipe I am making Sunday night. I know I mentioned it to a few of you and it is really good. Enjoy and blessings my friends.
e


http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=604760

I feel pretty...

...oh so pretty! I just got home from a morning at the salon with one of my favorite people ever who also happens to be my hairstylist and I feel oh, so much better now! For weeks I have been feeling shabby and sloppy but today Michelle primmed and snipped and plucked and I feel pretty again! I feel so nice and so much better that I think I should do something nice for myself...like eat lunch sitting down!! lol (If you are or ever have been a SAHM you know what a rarity this can be with 2 small children) and now that it is naptime I am off to find something heathy and yummy!

e

A few more

Here are 3 more bracelets that I made
over the weekend. I went back to
JoAnn's today loaded with coupons and stocked up on more beads and different colors...browns, greens and reds for those of you who are interested. I am loving making these and can't wait to show them to you all IRL. : ) Michelle yours is in the mail tomorrow, my friend!!

e

My bracelets

Here is a pic and just a sampling of the bracelets I have been making for a few weeks now and am starting to sell. I am selling them for $6.00 and I have a variety of colors. I will be showing all of them at my sister's stamp camp next Friday night if you want to come take a look. Email me for more info and directions.

My favorite things

Today I thought I would share some of my other favorite blogs that I visit on a pretty regular basis. So hear goes...
Lisa at Proverbs 31 Ministries(I go there at least once a week)http://lysaterkeurst.blogspot.com/
Joanne Heim at the Simple Wife(she spoke at our MOPS and I love her blog)
http://www.thesimplewife.typepad.com/
Krista's World(My friend Krista...she makes me laugh)
http://kristas-world.blogspot.com/
And my newest find....Bakerella
http://bakerella.blogspot.com/

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. They bring me a lot of entertainment during the day as well as inspiration. Enjoy the Springy sun today!!
e

So much fun!!

I had so much fun last night with the 14 women who came over to Stamp. We laughed , stamped, and laughed some more! What a great time. My sister made some killer sales and I got lots of free stamps and paper. I hope everyone is having a great day and enjoys the sunshine. We went to an egg hunt this morning and my anxiety freak-out meter is at an all time high with all those people and kids but it was still lots of fun.
e

Stampin Night

I am having a Stampin Up party at my house tonight and I know that many of you who read my blog will be over tonight so...SEE YOU SOON!!

e

I heart MOPS

Today was a MOPS(Mother's of Preschoolers) day. I love MOPS days. I get to take Megan to Moppets, which she loves, I see my MOPS friends, we eat great food and there is always a wonderful speaker. Today's speaker was the Pastor's wife and she talked about "Bribery, Blackmail and Prayer" and it was really helpful. Another exciting part of the morning was that I decided to serve on Leadership in the fall. I'm not sure where I'll be placed(probably in the craft area) but I'll let that fall in His hands. I can't control everything....even though I try: ) It should be fun and exciting and I get to be part of the Denver Summit next month! FUN!!

Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11: 24
e

Are you tired?

Because I am. Yesterday I was bragging to Frank that the time change hadn't affected me and I was doing fine and he was being so silly to whine about loosing an hour of sleep. Well, that was yesterday and today I have run after 2 small children, vacuumed, been to Costco and am now eating my words. I think it's time to find something good on the DVR and take a break while the kids are resting today. Phew! And welcome Spring!!

Excuses, excuses...

My house is a mess. Not really, but to me it is. I am such a Martha. If I had more free time I would clean. When I am mad, I clean. My hobby...is cleaning. For the last few days though things have been left undone and Megan is teething. The laundry isn't folded and dog hair is piling up in the cracks. Oh, well. Like my girlfriend says, "the kids are happy and fed" and there is always tomorrow. The kids and I have been playing and having fun and in 10 or 20 years I hope that is what matters and not the state of the kitchen floor or the bathroom sink. Now, will I remember that tomorrow??

I love the COLOR Purple

In my past life as an artist I really and truly did/and do love the color purple. The thing is, not on my toe, and not mixed with a weird shade of green. While multi-tasking and carrying a load of laundry today I kicked the wall and I am pretty sure I broke my toe because by noon it was a lovely shade of dark purple, swollen and green too! Great! Because the only thing you can do for a broken little toe is tape it to the next toe(believe me this isn't the first time this has happened). Ah well what's a busy mom to do! Just one more war wound! : )

A Day in the Kitchen

Or as I now call it...exhausted!! I spent part of the day in the kitchen doing some freezer cooking, or bulk cooking, or whatever you want to call it, and it is a wonderful idea and I love doing it but it makes so many dishes and I am so exhausted. When I have the chance I love to cook for my family and I have learned the art of bulk cooking from a MOPS mom and it has become pretty handy. Today I made White Chili and Banana bread. Both were delicious and came out perfectly even when I, the math challenged, did fractions to triple the recipes: ) Now it's time to put my feet up, watch a movie and listen to the dishwasher finish my job.
Happy cooking and eating!
e