Let me just eat my words

Remember a few post back how I said that snow in Alabama doesn't happen.  If it does, it doesn't stick or it is all melted by oh so noon.



:::nom nom nom:::

This was what we woke up to Christmas morning.  And a full 24 hours later, it is still snowing.  It's supposed to move out tonight.  We got a rare white Christmas.


How was your Christmas??

I'll have another Christmas post soon.

Squee!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so freakin excited about this!!  Remember my Christmas wish list?????  Well, I got an early Christmas surprise!!  Eric Smith and the people at Quirk Books asked me if I would be interested in getting a copy of the Creepy Cute Crochet book that I had asked for on my wish list!  Of course!!!

 

SQUEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


So I eagerly awaited the arrival of this book only to be surprised one more time by Eric!!!  He not only sent me Creepy Cute Crochet but one of their newest publications called Witch Craft which is nothing but, you guessed it, HALLOWEEN CRAFTS!!!

DOUBLE SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited for this opportunity!

I've flipped through the pages, picked out which ones I'm going to make and showcase and I'm warming up my hook.


My mom, who adores Halloween, is excited for me to do some of the crafts in the Witch Craft book.


So stay tuned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas miracle please

I just got done reading the story of one of my former sorority sisters little girl, Ella.  Over the course of the past 6-8 months she has wound up with a new home at Children's Hospital in Birmingham.  Please click here and read Ella, Kellie and Dustin's story and say a little pray, send some mojo or whatever you do.  She's only 9 months old and she has already fought a long fight and still has a long way to go.

Tomorrow, Winter begins

So I'm sitting here enjoying my computer, quiet time since the wee ones are napping and the hubs had to work over and I look out my window and the sun is starting to set.  It's beautiful.  It is no longer the orange-ish sky that fades to black.  It's more shades of purple that fade to blue.  The true sign of winter.  Knowing that it wouldn't last long, I hopped up at got my camera and freshly charged battery and being lazy, took a picture through my window.  But it couldn't have been any more perfect.

Just within the mere moments that I've typed this, the purple is gone and blue is here.  Meaning darkness is near and another day is almost gone.

O' Tannenbaum

I figured that since I posted all of these cute DIY ornaments that I couldn't let you guys not see some of what I have on my tree.  A lot of the ornaments that I have came from when I was little.  So we're talking ornaments from the 80's and early 90's.  Each time I hang them on the tree, I can remember hanging them  on the family tree growing up and how daddy, whose and engineer mind you, would meticulously line lights on each side of the drive and created and way to stick them in PVC pipe to do aide in the process.  He would also take black insulation tubing and cut a slit in it and stick the lights to frame the windows.

One tradition that started growing up and has now moved onto my own family is the collection of Mount Vernon and White House ornaments.  My aunt lives in Alexandria.  To be exact, she actually lives about 20 minutes from Mount Vernon and the same from DC.  So each year she gets my sister and myself the ornaments that they put out.  I always eagerly wait for the package of ornaments.  Maybe I'll post more about those ornaments at another time...who knows.

But for right now, here are some of the ornaments that you can find on my tree.

First off...my tree!!

This ornament is one of the few that have survived.  Yes, I have a few real, glass ornaments on my tree.  This is one of the ones from my childhood.

This Santa ornament was from Gatlinburg and is dated 1987.

This glittery, red pine cone is another from my childhood.

One of my many White House Ornaments.  Each ornament has a specific President and story to go along with it.

My pickle!  Yes, I <3 pickles SO MUCH!  I could live off of them.  So an ornament seemed fitting.

One of my Mount Vernon ornaments, dated 2007.  As with the White House ornaments, each Mount Vernon ornament has a specific reason why it is designed the way it is.

Did you know that Santa is a Bama fan?  I didn't either until I married one.  I went to the University of Tennessee and really do need some orange on my tree. 

This is another Mount Vernon one and one of my most favorite ones.  This one is date from 2009.

I'm lucky to have my green and red glittery balls on the tree.  I bought them at Wal-Mart this year for like a buck for 5 and Aslynn immediately took them over.  I think I have most of the green ones on the tree but only 2 of the red.  Silly girl.

So those are a few of the many ornaments that I have on my tree.  They all have special meanings to me and I hope that I'm able to share them all with my children one day.

Friday Funnies

found here

Swagbucks

Oh how I heart thee!  That banner right up there is one step closer to winning free goodies!  I was skeptical after doing so many other "money and goody" schemes but I signed up and couldn't be happier!  All you have to do is search.  That's right.  Search the internet.  In between Facebooking, blogging, tweeting...its simple.  They have tons of things that you can redeem "Swagbucks"-what you earn by searching and doing other things, for.  My favorite is the $5 Amazon gift card.  Its 450 swagbucks and I got my first one on the first night that I started swagging.  Yes!

You also get other random codes for extra bucks and 50 SB for your birthday!  Yes!  You also get them from referrals.

You should really try it out!  I haven't been a member for very long and I've gotten plenty of gift cards that have been saved into my Amazon account!

Go ahead...click it! You know you want to!!!  You will become hooked!

Because my kids are napping and I'm not doing laundry

I'm going to show you all of the handmade ornaments that I want to make but probably won't this year due to too much other crap going on in my life :)

First up is this freaking adorable cupcake ornament...I <3 cupcakes and so does Aslynn..its a favorite word of hers.  Trust me.  This little bad boy was made by Bake it Pretty and swoon!!

Okay, so I probably will end up at least making these because I have other food hanging on my tree.  

Okay, so I had no intention of the next one being another food BUT again I'm a stickler and bacon calls to me.  Yes.  BACON.  This adorable little bacon ornie was made by Serena...he'll end up on the tree next year!  Fo' sho'!

I'll admit this ornament made over at Cheeky magpie was one of the first that I looked at and bookmarked.  Just as bacon calls to me, so do things that sparkle.  Ask the Hubs.  He'll say I suffer from OSS, Oooo Shiny Syndrome.  It's simple yet elegant and not over the top.

Becoming a mom has sparked a new love of felt in my life and thus why these bad boys are on the list!  BHG produced these cute little felt trees among many others that you should check out!

And for the crocheter in me....this tree ornament over at Craft Passion.  Mostly you see knitted ornaments so finding crocheted ornaments is awesome!  My lack of knitting skills is for another post...trust me. But isn't it cute??

I'm going to go thaw out just a little.  For some reason sitting next to the window is C.O.L.D.  Maybe it has something to do with the below freezing temps and sleet...nah.

Crazy weather and such

Okay, first of all, I live in Alabama. Off the top of my head, I can recall the last "snow storm" we had. 1994. 16 years ago. Snow isn't a big thing around here. I always joke that I'm going to get snow on my birthday. December 2nd. The last time that it snowed ON my birthday I was in middle school, so cira 2001. Nine years ago. Don't get me wrong, we have flurries and sometimes they stick. Keyword. Sometimes. Winter 2009-2010 brought more flurries than normal and most of those resulted in actually sticking and creating some white fluff.

So quick review...

Snow in good ol' Bama not so much a common thing.

So that leads me to this past December. Ever since the 12th, it has either snowed and stuck, flurried all day long or sleeted. Temps haven't risen above freezing and well, it's just plain cold for us "southerners".

Currently schools let out at 11 and most of the city has closed down due to the threat of freezing rain. Any time that that four letter word snow is mentioned, EVERYONE and their mothers flock to the grocery store to buy milk, bread and eggs. Seriously. French toast anyone??

So, I'm pretty sure that either Justin Bieber or this wonky weather means the end of the world is near. Besides, I have a friend who lives in Colorado and one day they had weather with temps in the 60s and we're getting snow with temps below freezing...yeah.


I'll leave you with this...a picture of the hubs frozen flat bottom boat. I don't think he'll be fishing any time soon....

Wordless Wednesday

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus - Must See!

My Christmas Wishlist

A Cricut

I've gone back and forth about wanting one.  And now, I know that I forever want one!  My friend Jamie has shown me all of the cute cards she makes with hers and I have seen so many more cute things come from Cricut pieces.

Cupcake tins

I even want the muffin top tin! Oh! And the mini tin!

Creepy Cute Crochet: Zombies, Ninjas, Robots, and More! by Christen Haden

Too cute!!!!!  The crocheter in me dies at the cuteness of these!

and

A shopping trip to Hobby Lobby!!

Friday Funnies

A comic by Mike Bannon

Wordless Wednesday

Fa la la la la lala la la

So this afternoon,  I thought I would finally take a stab at wrapping what gifts we had for the children.  There I sat, in the middle of my living room floor, presents scattered to and fro, a pile of paper and the ever disappearing scissors and tape.  I meticulously folded every corner, taped them up and made them looked fabulous.  I was proud of my endeavor once I was done.  I carefully placed them under the tree and looked at DH and said " how long before you think the kids will notice".

Famous last words.

Ha

Ha

I have a 3.5 year old and a 2.5 year old.  They noticed.  Aslynn noticed first but obeyed when she was told to put it back.  Then DH and I had to do the dishes.

That was the perfect time for them to launch their attack.

DH goes to check on them and I'm still scrubbing away(one day gosh darn it, I will have a dishwasher!) when all of a sudden I hear cries of punishment coming from their room.  I dash with the grace of a hippo over the baby gate to discover that they had celebrated Christmas a little early.  And they were in serious trouble.

The only thing I said to them was that they had hurt mommy's feelings and that was enough to make Aslynn start crying again.

So needless to say the presents are put up until Christmas eve.  I can't even reach them if that says anything.  Oh the joys of having married an ogre.

I'll wrap them again another time.

Friday Funnies

I couln't resist posting this once I found it on another blog that I read.  Hehe...

Random thoughts

We went to the mall last week to purchase our family ornament since we hadn't gotten one since Aslynn was born.  I was dreading this trip to the mall.  I know what you are thinking too, dreading a trip to the mall??  But yes, I was.  Because of one person. She's the one person from this summer.  I have reasons to thank her because she kept Brad alive for me but other than that I don't like her.  The trip to the mall was miserable only because I know that if I had seen her, I wouldn't be angry, I would be sad.  Sad because all of the thoughts from this summer and things I know would come rushing back.  I would get this empty feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I've tried as hard as I can to put all of it behind me.  I don't blame him, I just blame him for how everything went about.  I still believe that things happen for a reason and in the end I'm the one who ended up with him again.  And that gives me some comfort but I'm female.  I can't help it

10 Habits for Happy Moms

I saw this on a friend's blog and just had to repost!  <3






1. Find time for yourself
Happy moms know they deserve a little time to themselves. When you know you're going to have a little room to breathe later on in the day, it's easier to take on everything that's in front of you. Our formula? Take 2 hours out for yourself every 3 days. 

2. Don't make a happy baby, happier!
We all do it...you see your baby's head at what you're sure is an unnatural angle snoozing in their car seat. You just know they'll be happier if their head was straight. So you move them. And they wake up. Then they scream. Or, you see them playing happily in the sand. You just know they'll be happier if they played on the slide. So you interrupt them and move them to the slide. And they're angry. And they let you know they're REALLY angry. Here's the thing, they were happy. It can be hard to do, but if your kid's not complaining, leave them be! Happy baby = Happy Mommy.

3. Embrace the mess
So your house doesn’t look like something out of a magazine. That just means it’s cozy! Your children have hands coated in dirt from the playground and faces coated in spaghetti from dinner. It’s not gross—it’s an adorable photo op! Life is about how you look at things. Next time that pile of laundry that’s been sitting on the chair for three days starts to get you down, just remember… it’s probably feng shui.

4. Make time for your friends
Your family can survive without you while you make time to see friends. You are a woman with your own identity and its imperative that you and that identity go out for some margaritas once in awhile!
5. Stop blowing yourself off
While you may be the one taking care of everyone, it doesn't mean you can't also get what you want. Help your family realize your needs are as important as theirs and when mom is happy, everyone is happy, but when mom is not....

6. Get in the zone
Take 10 minutes to do absolutely nothing but rest. Take a break from your day, close your eyes, breath in slowly and deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Repeat several times. Think about a place you love that is relaxing, spend 10 minutes there in your mind.

7. Remember your dreams and goals
Everyday we are encouraging our children to reach their full potential. But sometimes in the midst of being a parent we forget about our own dreams and goals. The best thing you can do to encourage a child is to lead by example –happy moms hold on to their dreams and goals and don’t let go.

8. Be lighthearted
Don't be the uptight mom. Be silly and dance with your kids to their music or tv show tunes. Be romantic and pull your partner into a waltz. Dance in slippery socks in your kitchen while making dinner.

9. Bend the Rules
One of the best parts of making the rules is occasionally breaking them. Maybe it’s taking your child out of school for half a day on their birthday, or waking them up in the middle of the night to see a sky of shooting stars. Happy moms know how to turn the mundane into fun.

10. Mind your own business
Concentrate on creating your life the way you want it. Take care of you and your family. Don’t get overly concerned with what other people are doing or saying. Don’t get caught up with gossip or name calling. Stop seeking the validation of others and be confident in yourself.

Home made Kool-Aid play-doh

As a means of being a more instructive, creative parent I have spent countless hours looking at blogs upon blogs of crafts suitable for toddlers.  And I have come across quite a few good ones that I plan on sharing over time.  One that I just absolutely love is Pink and Green Mama.  She has tons of ideas that I am just aching to try.  She also puts together lesson plans centered around a certain theme that you can purchase that contain ideas and crafts, some of which she doesn't post on her blog.  I really want to see if I can convince the hubs to let me buy this one, Rainbow Fun.  And the price is a really reasonable price!  At $8.00 I really don't see why he wouldn't let me since it is for the kids.


But anyways!  


Recently the kids have shown and interest in play-doh.  We didn't have much, just the few little Easter eggs that were filled with some.  I had bookmarked her Kool-Aid play-doh recipe a while back and figured today would be the best day to make some to have.  I just wasn't feeling going outside in the slightly frigid temps that we are having right now here in the south.


I'm going to post my pictures and what all you need but you can check out her post about it here.




So as far as the cast of characters used to make you need:

1 Cup of Flour

1/2 Cup of Salt

3 teaspoons. of Oil 

1 Small Package of Kool Aid

1 Cup of Boiling Water

Mix the dry ingredients

Then add the oil and the boiling water

Stir well then knead on a piece of waxed paper.  She wasn't playing when she said it would be hot for a few minutes so be careful at this part.

I didn't have enough flour to make the third color so I only made the blue and the red.

I just stored mine in a ziploc bag in the fridge.  After their nap I'll get out the cookie cutters and let them go to town and let you know how it went!

Wordless Wednesday

Ten on Tuesday

1. I've been on a crocheting kick again lately.  This time though, it has been pointed towards pot holders.  I made two for my sister and quite a few more for here at the house.  I have on incomplete on that I just can't bring myself to finish even though I oh am already like 95% done with it.  I'm just not thrilled with how the last round is working out.
2. The kids and I have been spending our free time during the day alternating between a movie, reading, the playground or doing crafts.  I've become addicted to quite a few blogs dedicated only to crafts for toddlers, that soon I will be adding to my sidebar if you are interested.  
3. As a sort of " I need to collect myself moment" I spent a long weekend up there and went to the UT/UAB football game in September.  Knoxville to me will always be home.  I miss that place dearly and I try constantly to convince my Alabama cheering husband that we should move up there.  He highly objects most of the time.
4. While in Knoxville, I was introduce to the HBO series True Blood based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels.  I had a few of the books lent to me prior to to read but never started.  Then, I go up there, watch season 1 only to come home and within 2 weeks finish the other two seasons.  So needless to say, I am up to date when the time comes for the next season to start.
5. I <3 the winter!  I hate what it does to my skin, but I love the clothes!  I have an unhealthy sweater obsession and scarf obsession and I love, love, love to wear them! And now, I've been working on crocheting some hats and toboggans for our little family.
6. I am totally digging this tutorial on Candy Corn Earrings made out of paint chips!!  
7. Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes are out!!! Eeek!!! Those are a total weakness of mine and I can't help it.  There is a difference between those and the everyday cakes that they have out year round.  I thought I was going to be let down this year because all I saw were the chocolate ones and that is just blasphemy.  But I found them!!
8. My latest indulgence has been the purchase of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory on Blu-ray.  Not Charlie, but Willy!  The original!  Yes! On blu-ray!  I was soo geeked when I saw it at Movie stop!  I am a huge Roald Dahl fan so this was just fantastic!
9. Scheduling posts may just save my blogging life!  I sometimes tend to forget as the time gets closer to actually needing to post but this may keep things fresh!
10. In the 4 weeks since I've moved back home, I have yet to cook one of my "typical" meals.  Yes, that means that every time that I have cooked, I have made something different that I have never made before!  I love it!  I always run the idea through my husbeast before making the plan but he's pretty much game to try anything once and he will be the first to let you know if he doesn't like it.

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween!!

We decided as a family that out of Saturday and Sunday, we would trick or treat on Saturday, seeing as how both days had festivities planned.  We went around to the churches and participated in their Trunk or Treat.  Brayden went as Buzz Lightyear.  We searched hopelessly for an Iron Man costume because that was what he just dreamed about being.  But we fell short after searching for his size.  He then picked out Buzz.  He was rather pleased and didn't want to take it off last night.  Aslynn was a fairy.  Although, if you ask her father the fisherman, she looked like a jig.  She picked out her wings and I made the tutu to match.  At first she wanted nothing to do with that tutu.  Then, by the night's end, she didn't want to take it out.  The neighborhoods have gone down-hill over the past few years.  I could remember many Halloweens growing up where there would be kids from dusk until well past dark ringing my father's doorbell.  I couldn't even begin to tell you how much candy we would go through in that night.  Now it seems like its just a sporadic house here and there.  Oh how I wish Brayden and Aslynn could experience a Halloween like I used to.

We have yet to actually carve our pumpkins and the kids paint theirs, but I think that that will happen tonight after nap time.  At least the kids painting theirs.  

I can't wait until my mother actually moves back down here.  She just absolutely loves Halloween.  It's her favorite holiday and I can't wait for her to share it with the kids.  Until then, its pictures upon pictures to share with her of the children living their lives.


How do you guys celebrate Halloween???

A fresh start

I left my old blog because I no long felt comfortable posting there because of this fresh new start to my life.  If you know me and even read my old blog you will know what I am talking about.

For a brief recap I'll explain.  I left my husband this summer.  I packed up our two children and moved in with my sister and brother in law.  I still talked to my husband through out this entire ordeal and couldn't stand it any longer.  I had to have my family back together.  I still loved him with all of my being and this being apart forever and divorce wasn't what I really wanted.  So slowly after he made certain necessary changes on his end, we started working back on our relationship.  Me and the kids moved back into our home on October 8.  And our lives have been the happiest that they have been in a mighty long time.


This blog is my new outlet on how things are going.  Like I said, I no longer felt like I should post on my other blog because it was a fresh new start.  That doesn't mean that everything I post is going to be happiness and harmony because I'm sure we are bound to get into one of our moods together.  And that is alright.