Lazy Days...and Bubbles

I have SO enjoyed the past few days since Christmas...and am SO happy that these are the days we have just before sending off 2009. We have slept in late (to a whopping 8:30AM), spent quality time with family members, crafted, created and eaten! I have even taken the time to start a book I wanted to read...It has been NICE.... I even got asked to sit down and play baby-dolls. That might have been the greatest moment of 2009 for me...

Comfort foods have added to our bliss this week...I made the BEST Mac-N-Cheese last night and we devoured it....it was delicious - and simple...My husband made a delicious Roasted chicken tonight and that was devoured too....No pictures because we all ate it so fast we didn't have anything to take a picture of! These are not unusual meals for us, but for some reason they just tasted so much better with the relaxed energy of our house.


I stood and watched in awe and contentment as my youngest jumped up and down for what seemed like an eternity over bubbles....lots and lots of bubbles. Each and every one that came out of the little machine made her more excited than the last. I just stood there cooking dinner, smiling from ear to ear. It was one of those moments when the little voice inside tells you to slow down and pay attention. .....it also told me to grab my camera so I could remember it when my memory fails me.....







Tomorrow we close out 2009...I can't believe we are wrapping up another year!?!

One step further..

...than usual! I have already professed my love for Halloween and showed you some of my prep for the upcoming Witch Dinner party...but last night, last night I went one step further!

I died my hair Midnight Black to go with my party theme! I had been thinking about dying it darker as I normally do in the Fall. Black Cherry was the suggestion of my stylist, they didn't have Black Cherry, but what they did have was....Midnight Black, with a tint of blue undertone.

I went for it! Out with the Red and in with the Midnight Black. I know you might think I am crazy...but it is only hair and quite frankly...I realllllly enjoy my Witch Dinner Party! It is a new look for me - for sure - I kind of dig it! I have had many a discussion today over my hair...so funny how attached people are to their own look and yours... lol.

Tonight I was reading one of my favorite blogs and she was talking about her hair and I busted out laughing. Hair was a popular topic today!

Beautiful Stretch

We are having the most beautiful stretch of weather this past week. On top of the beautiful weather, we have had the most beautiful full moon all week! Yes, I said all week....it has gone on for days...It has been UNBELIEVABLE!! So bright and beautiful!

This is by far one of my favorite times of year...you are going to hear me say this every day for the next 3 months. If not every day, at least every other day!!!

We have enjoyed evening walks, outdoor movies and even an outdoor nap yesterday!! There was just enough chill in the evening air to put on a light sweatshirt!

I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!!

I feel the need to harvest. Too bad we are all our vegetables this summer and didn't save any for canning. There is always the farmers market on Thursday evening, I can score some harvesting veggies there. Replenish my depleted pantry.

Crazy...busy...and lots of dirt

I missed my little blog...life has been a little crazy, a little busy but overall just good ole LIFE!! The weather finally broke and we had a great weekend, that was awesome. I love being able to get out and "do stuff"! We had our first night of outdoor movies. So fun, we love them...big huge sky full of stars, warm cozy fire and of course hearing our kids crack-up at whatever we are watching!


My arch Nemesis of life when Spring springs....DIRT! I love that things grow from the dirt that will then feed us all year long...but I REALLY hate dirt being in my car, my house and my washing machine! ughhhh.... and with all the rain we have had lately we have lots of MUD which is just clumpy dirt. Being a compulsive sweeper, the dirt keeps me busy!

Saturday was an all day Baseball Bonanza, 4 baseball games, 3 of our kids playing, and only 2 parents to make this happen?? We ended up only having 2 kids able to play, so we made the best of it....I was able to make it to Bree's first game...they ROCKed! They ended up losing, which was not so great but they played really well. She pitched all but two innings and it was in those two innings that the four runs were scored that flipped the score book.

This girl can play some ball. She amazes me, so strong and beautiful at the same time! Her daddy taught her well and I am pretty sure that his genetics make her all that more athletic! The last inning she pitched, she had 3 up and 3 down. I acted very excited when she told me, and then when I figured out what she was talking about...I was very excited for her! And then she came home all dusty and dirty....lol.

She competed today in a Pitch, Hit and Run and is moving on to the Sectionals. I didn't see any other girls there and nobody would answer me about whether there were other girls competing...which usually means, NO. I have this weird thing about her competing with all the boys, because nobody likes to be beat by a Girl....and because I don't want her to be THAT girl that plays the boys sports...you know what I mean???? But in her defense she played boys baseball long before she was forced to play girls softball.

OK, bragging done...for now! Just kidding...

I missed the next game which was Jacobs game, I had to go to work...we were pretty busy at the shop - I HATE missing their games!

And today I was out and playing in the dirt myself! I got to plant 3/4 of my garden and moved some plants around in the backyard. I switch my plants around like I switch my wardrobes around....this frustrates my husband to no end! But I LOVE it.... The robins were following me around like I was their new BFF....I kept bringing all the big fat worms to the surface...sorry worms!

We played in the "poopy dirt" as Lily called it. She helped, hopefully they grow...hopefully there are still seeds in there...

See my handy little grid there....that is so my husband doesn't get all crazy with the tomatoes again this year!

Off my Access

...I am totally like a fish out of water without my laptop!!! The power cord on my laptop died last week and I have been completely in the dark without it! We still have our "big" computer upstairs but I feel out of touch on it...all my "favorites" are stored on my laptop...how can I be expected to surf the web for hours when I should be sleeping without all my favorite blogs to read and sites to shop??? That laptop has important shop information I need and more than I thought I did..and most important...new patterns for knitting...my new found hobby.... I am going through withdraws here!!!

Right now I am using my darling daughters laptop but the keyboard is the size of a note card so it is impossible to type on without wiping everything out at least 3 times....I have already done it twice, so wish me luck on the rest of this post!

Oh by the way...do like the new "skinny" blog??? Megan is awesome over at Knuckleheaders, I highly recommend you use her. As soon as I can get more than one tab open at a time I will put a little button over there on the side.

Have a great night...I am going to pout all the way to bed about my power cord.....

Routine Failure....

I have become a routine failure!! I am not routinely a failure, but for the better part of 2008 I had started to fail in my routine of Healthy Eating, Routine Exercise and Routine sleep!! In my own defense, I am pretty sure that opening our own coffee shop and boutique has something to do with it...but NO EXCUSES!!

For 2009 I vowed to change this failure of routine!! Thus far it hadn't happened! I was feeling way to dumpy about the whole situation so Saturday I made the switch!

Shewwww....so glad that is over!!! I feel better already!

No more Failure of Routine here!

I also vowed to create more Routinely....that part is happening, Yeah me!!

Snow Day!

Today was our first "real" snowfall of the year. They are saying it is "record snowfall"... it was only 2 inches!! We already had the day off of school for Teachers in service so it took some of the excitement out of the morning.

The bay and the sky were so gray it was hard to tell the difference between the two. These photos are taken by my 8 year old, he really loves to get his hands on the camera. Actually, all the photos taken today were taken by my kids, we love to have "Candid" camera days.

Those White Lumps in the water are Swans. He wanted to capture the two with black necks mixed in with all the plain white ones.

It was of course a day at the shop for the Kids and I, but they did find time to make the Littlest Snowman....It was really cute!

We stayed cozy with White Mocha's and some leftover Chocolate Cupcakes! YUMMY!!

And, I practice my knitting....as you can tell I was in deep - deep concentration!!

Some of my favorites moments today. My favorite chair, My favorite little people and one of my favorite little spots....our cozy little coffee shop!

Stressss Buster!!

With the hours slipping by before Jolly Ole' St. Nick makes his arrival my daily agenda is MAXXED out! Tonight's agenda includes more Crafting, Baking, more wrapping. Hopefully it doesn't include any more trips to the ER, The Princess has had the stomach flu for over 5 days now. We have made two trips to the ER, one to the Dr. and done a LOT of laundry! It has been awful...it has also put a slight damper in my nighttime crafting time! My poor little Princess!! She is so cute!!

This video should relieve you of any stress...it made us laugh so hard that we were all crying!! Please enjoy!!!

Edit....my video didn't show up....how sad because it is so hysterical you'll cry!!! I am going to try again!

You have no fortune.....

A little bedtime story for you....

Remember my mentioning of a broken foot and other cast members (lol...that sounds funny) in my family? And by cast members, I mean cast wearing members! Well here is the funny - somewhat unbelievable story. The kind that makes you say.....SERIOUSLY????? I actually Challenge your bad luck!!

In late August, on a dreary mid-week day, a Customer came in and asked if I would be interested in making Turkish coffee with him/for him? I agreed....it seemed like fun. Plus, I love to learn and try new things. He offered to read my fortune after we had finished our coffee....another part of the Turkish coffee experience. Again, I agreed...seemed pretty exciting to me!

He started with his, he showed me his "fortune" in the coffee grounds....it is a little like reading the clouds....I saw it. It was pretty exciting, I was ready to see what mine had to say.

Then he flipped my cup over, looked at it, looked at it a little more....showed me the lines of coffee grinds and explained that they are roads traveled and to be traveled....and then he very matter-o-factly said..."You have no fortune!".

I laughed a little and told him he didn't know just how true that was! Little did I know what I was in for...

Fast forward a few hours....

An UNBELIEVABLE storm came out of nowhere...literally hail so big that it blanketed the ground...Lightning, wind, and RAIN!! It was CRAZY with all cap's.

We were of course still at the shop and everyone (the entire family) was there, when a huge bolt of lightning struck in the distance. My hubby jokingly said "that just hit our house!...hahahaa". Within 5 minutes his cell phone was ringing. It was our neighbor telling us that the big tree out by our garden just got struck by lightning and had split like a banana. Some cursing followed and a tidbit of panic.....Storm passed and everything was back to normal...or maybe not.

OK, that was Tuesday/Wed......Sunday, same week, The Brawn comes to me, again at the shop, and says "my wrist really hurts..." I take one look at it and realize that it is broken. Yep, it was that obvious. We won't get into the husbands theory that "it didn't look that bad". I leave work, take him up to the Dr.'s....the first Dr. says it is fine...second Dr. confirms the broken wrist.

Remember this is Sunday....

week goes by and there is a birthday party on Saturday...the kids attend and guess what happens? In the words of The Brain...."...well, I fell about 5o times and at some point, this happened...." at which point he shows his swollen deformed wrist off. Yep...you guessed it....broken! Broken wrist, same hand as his brother....same EXACT break!!!

I jokingly say to the Dr....."just cast us all and get it over with. But, not my hands..we own a coffee shop..hahaha" Secretly I am fearing they think I'm abusing my children!

Ok, that was Saturday....

Thursday, get everyone home from school...Princess is sleeping while I am carrying her in from the car. Does anyone hold the door for mom?? NO! Mom holds the door for everyone else and then when I turn to go in and let go of the door...well, I failed to get in before the storm door slammed shut on my Achilles!! This resulted in my foot getting caught between the bottom of the door and the kick plate of the house, causing me to fall forward. I never for one moment thought I broke my foot, but I did know that something was seriously wrong with it. My toes retracted back like the witches feet in The Wizard of Oz!

I went straight to the Dr.'s. The staff at this point looked at me when I walked in like they were having dejavue! And guess what??? I BROKE MY FOOT!!!

So at this point I am sure you are thinking that this just can't get any worse? Never wonder that....Never....

A week later....The Brawn falls down the stairs and guess what....sprains his foot so badly that he needs to be in a cast for 6 weeks!! Yes....6 weeks!!!

I am not going to lie - I started looking for the vehicles to be parked outside my house with the words Social Services on them.

There were many kooky situations in those few weeks....true nutty-ness! We were going to take a group picture of us all, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I am still trying to forget it. I felt like there was a little hex over us. I am hoping that it has worn off by now, know what I mean!

The moral of the story....well....hopefully you will have had a giggle at my expense, but if/when someone tells you that "you have a long road to travel and you have no future"....run...run for the hills!! No, don't do that...you could trip and break something!! Just quietly walk away.....And as for my "fortune"...whatever little fortune I might have had before this incident has since been spent on co-pays and orthopedic bills.

...The same gentleman came in over the weekend and asked if I wanted to make Turkish coffee with him again...Uhhhh....NO!!!

I am still trying to rebuild my fortune!

With Love....

I write like I talk....fast!

I just re-read a few of my recent posts and realized that I write just like I talk....FAST!!! I sound like I am on speed!! Which I am not....just a little Espresso.....or maybe a LOT of espresso! Heehee! I was getting worn out just reading them! I promise to slooooow dooooowwwwn a bit!!!

I always get in trouble when I read at Church because they say nobody can keep up with me! I think I get it!

Check in tomorrow for some Fabulous Finds under $5!!!

Good Night!!

Getting out of Town

Not really....but it sounded like a "nice idea". And really, it isn't quite as good as it might sound! Yesterday I took my oldest up to the mall - which seemed like it was a million miles away - did a little girl time and a little shopping. Then we went over to the craft store where I picked up my new BIG project!! It is one that I am REALLY EXCITED about!!! Yippee.... so so excited!! I am making a doll house for the Princess!! I have SO much extra time on my hands....not, but I really need to work on some crafty goodness for my own sanity. Ok, so my point was...we also slipped over to the Cow ice cream place (Maggie Moo's) - which we all LOVE!! Then tonight when I was standing at the register trying to buy some doggy chow I realized that I didn't have my credit card! YIKES!!! I quickly traced it back to the last place I used it, ice cream, so in the car we went back up to the "big town" to pick it up. Got it, and a little more ice cream just for our troubles, and on our way home my daughter said to me, "Mom - it feels like forever since we were out of Deale!" And you know what? She was right! We have become so centered around the shop that we rarely ever go anywhere. Except to the orthopedic....but that is definitely a different story!!

We need to try and "get out of town" a little more! We live in a pretty small area, it isn't like there is so much going on that we "never need to leave", quite the contrary, but I have also been really trying to "stay/shop/live local", I guess it is working!

All for now, I will post some pictures of my newest project. I am so excited about I hope I don't get carried away and forget to take pictures of my progress!!!

New meaning to an old saying

So, "Creating Life" and "Creating in this crazy place called Life" has taken on a new meaning for me in my new circle of what "everyday" life is!!! No more are my daily options about being able to "make stuff" and create new fun things. Now my days are about creating our life in my crazy days of life!! (AND NO, it doesn't mean that I am going to be adding any NEW LIVES to our family!!)

With that being said, today not much of anything useful created. lol! I swear this entire day just FLEW by!! I got up - got the one beauty off to school, got the two gents out of the house and then the princess and I went about a few little errands before going to the shop. Even got to attend story time. The Princess looked around at the other kids like "what are you doing here??"

The shop was BUSY today!! And the Princess was on a roll - she was a terror in a crown! Man, I don't know what to do with her!! She refuses to go to "Playschool" AKA - daycare or pre-school. None of my kids have ever gone to daycare before and I hate to start now, but she won't use the potty so NO pre-school! She is however a good warning bell for when a customer is at the window or about to come in the shop. She is so stinkin' cute, she says in her softest little voice - NOT, as LOUD as she can..."MOM...CUT-A-MER". That translates to "mom, customer".

Before I knew it it was time to get back to the house and collect my little people. Make dinner - get some off to practice and then get them to bed. I don't know how in the heck working moms do this everyday! But, now that I am doing it seven days a week I am sure that I will get the hang of it superfast!

The Superman is getting nightly feeds through an NG tube so that is always a pressure to get it set up early enough....if not it starts the whole day off on the wrong foot. He is such a trooper. Speaking of foot, I think that tomorrow when I get my cast off we are going to need to have his cast looked at because he feels like their is a blister in there. Ouch...

OK, that is all the daily nonsense for today....However, I will leave you with this little tidbit...I am thinking about becoming a vegetarian and changing religions. What do you think?? My mother thinks I am CRAZY!! Whatever!

PS: I was happy to read that Stephanie of NieNie made it through her surgeries today. What an unbelievable event this family is going through!

No shop pictures for you today, just this little Princess....

For the love of a Stranger...

Yesterday I was trying to rest my foot (broken foot - week 2 with a cast....I tell you about the rest of my cast wearing family members tomorrow) after my fun filled day at the coffee shop and I started surfing through some of my favorite blog ladies when I stumbled upon this story....you can read back through her sisters blog to get more information. I was unbelievably touched by this story - I read and read all about them. I can't get over how tragic and beautiful this is all at the same time. I am adding the donation button to my blog.
Go through and read about them, I know times are tight but if you can even donate a single dollar, please do it. We have medical bills because of my Superman, but they are nothing compared to the medical bills that this family is going to have! I pray that whatever the outcome is for this family that they have peace. I do believe that this families amazing Faith in God will carry them through. I can't even imagine the recovery process that they are going to have to go through. I burnt myself a few weeks ago on the espresso machine - scalding hot water and skin, bad combo - and the pain was horrible, and that was only my arm! I can not even imagine over 80% of my body! Modern medicine and her spiritual strength will need to come together here. Well, I am going to go cuddle with my children for a few minutes.....In other news....I actually went "into" my craft room today, shuffled a few things around and was very excited at the "thought" of being able to do a project. Completing a project might be a different story.....lol. I think I will start with something simple...like a bow or a bracelet!

Hey there stranger!

Oh...My....Goodness!!! It is now the 12th of September and I just realized that my last post was in April...exactly 2 days before we opened the doors to our very own Coffee Shop & "store"....it has been a complete roller coaster and seems like years since May 1st! Let me give you a brief re-cap!!
1. I haven't done one complete "craft" project since April!!
2. My daughter has 6 unfinished "spring" outfits....good thing that Fall is just beginning, guess I have a jump start on next spring!!
3. 3 - yes 3 members of my family have broken bones! All one week apart we have broken two left wrists, and one left foot. Thank you very much, I will be seeking damages from the moo-cows!
4. Our shop is super cute and growing every single day! We started off with the notion of having an antique consignment and vintage boutique "store" and have since decided to have a retail gift/home decor & accessories store. It is so much more fun!! We have several lines that are made right here in the U.S.A - Love that!!

5. The list goes on and on!! But, I am going to make sure that I keep up with my blog and my crafts. I hate that some days I am so tired my poor little brain can't be creative!!

I have once again discovered that the only form of sanity in a family with kids/school/jobs, etc is ORGANIZATION and PLANNING!! There is going to be time spent this weekend planning dinners & lunches for the next two weeks. The farmers market only has a few more weeks left so I need to stock up on all our fresh homegrown produce. The squash is starting to become more plentiful, apples are ready to be made into applesauce, and the potatoes are HUGE this year!! Because working 80+ hours a week is just not enough to keep me busy, I have it set in my mind to make applesauce and sweet potatoes to be canned and saved for Thanksgiving and other dinners this fall/winter.

OK, off to try and get some sleep - that darn coffee doesn't make itself!!

I have been tagged....

I literally jumped out of my seat when I clicked the Heather link on Jen's blog....boy do I love her!! I enjoy stalking/reading her blog on a regular basis!! I have never been tagged before - so this is my first time...I hope that I get it right! Oh, yeah...and I hope that somebody actually reads it, lol!!! 6 quirky/non important things...pretty much my whole life falls into this category, but I will try to shave it down some!

1. My mom and I just bought a coffee/antique shop....neither one of us know the first thing about using the BIG espresso machine!! And, really I would not be one of those moms who has lots of free time on their hands..lol..4 kids, 11, 10, 7, & 2!

2. I fell out of the car when I was about six, my mom kept driving...for about a block....felt like a mile! I tease her to this day about it!!

3.I am never caught up on laundry!

4. I secretly long to be "June Cleaver" from Leave it to Beaver and make lunches, bake cookies and have dinner for my hubby and children - WITHOUT - all the modern day stresses!! Let's not forget vacuum in heels!!

5. I loved waiting tables! It was fun, even when you have jerky customers!

6. I am pretty sure that I have adult ADD....I can produce the unfinished projects to prove it!

ONE MORE FOR GOOD MEASURE....
I sweep obsessively when I get nervous or stressed or their is dirt on the floor....no wonder I never complete any projects!


So....the rules:
1: link to the person that tagged you. 2. Post the rules on your blog. 3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself. 4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. 5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

Here are the victims of my tag....they don't all know it yet, but we are friends....lol!! OK...I can only do four...I don't have that many cyber-friends!
Betz, Jennifer, Jaime, Crop Girl

Let me go warn them....lol! Thanks Jen, I really enjoyed being tagged!!!

What to do....the Potty Training Blues!

What do you do when your two year old has decided that she will no longer wear the diapers that have the little blue dog on them???? Or the magenta dog, or the green dog....It took me a few diaper changes to figure out what the problem was, but once I did I kept thinking I must be wrong - or at least crazy!!! Not only does she have NO interest in going "Potty" on the potty, but she refuses to wear the diapers that don't have the little purple kitty on them! I figure that with 34 diapers in each pack, 4 different characters to rotate through the odds are not in my favor! Yesterday, I changed her diaper and explained that we were going to sit on the potty and wear our big girl panties....she proceeded to have a major diva fit...stomp over the the diapers...whip through the stack until she found the kitty... lay down, and stomp her little foot at me! Not only does she stomp her foot, drop her shoulders and exclaim..."Gaaa" (which I am sure means God - thanks to the older siblings) but she stomps away and throws her arms up!

Seriously...when did come to live with us??

I started trying the "Potty" thing kind of early since the little darling is allergic to most, let me rephrase that, all commercial diapers, and now she doesn't want anything to do with it!! I bought the organic diapers for a while, then I was forced to purchase the "Luvs" one day because Whole Foods was out of her size again..they worked, and now...no kitty...no diaper!! YET, she doesn't want to use the potty!!! What am I going to do?? I thought that maybe I could go back to the organic diapers because they obviously don't have characters on them, and we can just stick "kitty" stickers on them!! Gotta be creative and a little crafty!! Then when she decides to move on from the kitties, we can choose a new sticker! LOL!!

OK...not your typical "crafty" project, but I will let you know if it works! I am off to find some potty training advice on the Internet! It seemed easier the first three times!!!

Ohhh, Ohhh, wait till you see my new finds!! I will take some pictures for you tomorrow!! AWESOME buttons, some great costume jewelry that I plan on turning into rings...and then more treasures from my grandmothers stash!! So exciting just thinking about it, my potty training blues have almost passed!!

Can you say Pack Rat?

Today I spent the better part of the day moving/emptying my mothers storage unit that she rented after we cleared out my grandmothers house...the other half of the day was spent putting things BACK in trash bags that my curious little trash picker daughter pulled out of the bags! She is a mess...it is truly an inherited trait! I go through and throw away and "someone" in the house will pull it out and act like it jumped out of the trash all by itself!! Crazy how this seems to happen! Anyway....moving all that stuff was a little like an adventure....stressful, fun and a little overwhelming! There were some great finds in there! Buttons, vintage notions, beautiful fabric, some fun retro/vintage fabric, UNBELIEVABLE/FABULOUS vintage patterns!!! She was a VERY talented seamstress!! Great silver pieces that I plan on using in my office and studio!! Old jewelry - looking to make more fun rings, tons and let me say again TONS of mason jars! They will come in handy for the big ol' garden we have started. Plus, the greatest selection of cookbooks....my grandmother wasn't a great cook, but my grandfather sure did buy her a lot of cookbooks! He was such a hopeful man!! LOL! I had almost forgotten about all the great "stuff" my grandmother had. I am going to work my way through a bag buttons I found and start sorting through the fabric to see what I am going to keep and what I am going to purge!

Look for pictures soon...gotta run!!

All the little PEEP's...

are tucked in and waiting for the morning egg hunt! Who doesn't love a big scavenger hunt first thing in the morning to get your day started off with a kick!! However....there might be a mist of disappointment in the air, cause Mama forgot to get "filler" candy! OOOOPS!!!! With the Sugar-ban in full effect, I forgot about filling the eggs! So with minimal coins lying around and a small bag of sugar free chocolate eggs and a few left over gold coins from the Lucky Leprechaun...we made do :)

My last post was a little "deep" compared to my normal posts, it must have been the full moon that made me so inclined to share.....

Today the house was FILLED with activities; egg dying, garden building, Babka bread making and furniture moving, and more cupcake experimenting!! It was busy and tons of fun!! + add one extra to the mix and we had a house full of "crazy" going on!! Here is a quick run-down of how "it" all worked out for us today!!

• Garden building....need more dirt, the girl shovels more than the boys...
• Furniture moving....went really well, and I am almost GIDDY about working in my new space!!
• Babka Bread...not so good, that was the husbands mission to bring his Ukrainian heritage to the table.....it was not a success! I am going to try and sneak a picture in when he isn't looking!
• Egg dying....was hysterical...we have never had so many smashed dyed eggs!! Miss L had a unique style, I will be posting on this soon - Quote of the evening; "MOMMMMMMM - there is an egg in the toilet!!!!"
• Cupcakes....success! Sugar-less to boot!!

And I signed up for this very cool "swap"...I love this concept, and I totally love the inspiration for the project from one of my favorites... Amy Karol!!

OK, that is it for tonight! Have a beautiful EASTER!!! ~ Heather

Good Friday!

This is my Happy Apple....I cut this apple for a cranky baby and there was a smile waiting for me inside!! At the time, I thought it was cute, but I didn't realize how it would coordinate with this post!!
Alright....I might ramble a little, but it is what is on my mind!! Today is Good Friday, and I think that we can all safely say that Good Friday was not such a great day for Jesus. He was betrayed, tried unfairly, and killed.....not a good day in anyone's book! After stalking/reading some of my favorite blogs tonight I found the notion of "Good Friday" very thought provoking. I also realized that Easter is in two days and while Easter is actually one of my favorite "holidays", I have hardly participated in any Easter traditions. While I pray, actually beg God everyday to keep my kids safe & healthy, to keep my husband safe at work and to make my little superman "better". I didn't actually give anything up for Lent, I usually give up Shopping, and I am sure that we have eaten meat on multiple Fridays during Lent! I know that God still loves me, but I do feel a little bad about it!

And I find myself totally bothered by the commercialism of the holiday now! We saw a commercial from one of our major retail chains where they talk about the favorite/best part of Easter being CANDY!! What??? Have we lost total sight of what Easter is??? After seeing it one time with my kids, I looked at them and promptly said..."you do realize that Easter isn't about Candy, right???"...they responded correctly and said "Yes!"....

Sometimes - most times we need to be reminded of all the good things we have going for us in life. Life has a tendency to take over and cloud our "visions" and cause us to miss what what is good and going well in life! And even though Jesus died on this so called "good" Friday, his death actually did bring us all Good. Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.” So, for me Good Friday brought me an opportunity to reflect on the good in my life that is sometimes shoved under all the "stuff".


For me, today I had a little "clearer" vision of what is "good". You know nothing spectacular happened to me today, it was an average day...in fact I made a trip to the Doctor's with one of the little darlings because of an ear infection, but it still was a "GOOD" day. . It was one of those days where things just flowed really well. No, I didn't get my house scrubbed sparkling clean, I am sure that there is a dirty toilet somewhere, but I did get "stuff" done. I even got to talk to one of my favorite/best girlfriends of all time - for hours tonight, and I mean hours! It was great!! We realized that we hadn't actually "talked" in almost a year! We have had a few emails here and there, but not really talked!! Crazy!!! But, you know what....it added to the "GOOD" in my day! She is one of my FAVORITES, and has always been a very good thing in my life, you know the kind of girlfriend that you don't have to talk to every day but when you do, it is like you talked yesterday! We were laughing about how bad our memories are now that we are getting old, and I was telling her about having to go to the little local grocery three times today!! Now, normally that would irritate the daylights out of me, but today it just went with the flow.


As Martha would say.... a very good thing....the only way to have made today better was to have actually had some "Martha" moments and crafted some goodness!!

On another GOOD note!! I was working more on the craft studio-redo...yes, I am redoing it AGAIN! Remember we are calling it a Studio now because it sounds prettier than room! But, I am so excited about getting in there and actually working, creating! Always brings a big smile to my face - and relieves my brain of stress!!! It is almost done!! I am waiting for the cable guy to come tomorrow and move the cable lines....note to self, really look at where "lines" are before deciding to move computers! LOL!!



I will post pictures when it is done!

You thought I ran away didn't you???

....You thought I ran away??....I am sorry...as much as I would like to someday it just too crazy around here for that to happen!!

I have lots of catching up to do! I have been "making" all sorts of crafty creations recently, Nice change from the past month! Have you ever crafted out of desperation??? Any good crafter has! So here is my "desperation" craft AKA my brothers Birthday Gift! LOL. It was his 21st birthday (yes, there is a BIG age difference between us) and I am sure he would have loved some cold hard CASH, but so would I....so he is going to have to get a job, OOPS, I mean be happy with my craftiness!! This is not an original idea, I actually give him a picture of my kids for every holiday :) He loves his Nieces and Nephews so I am sure that he enjoys and appreciates it.

My craft desperation, I mean my lovely thoughtful gift, took about 30 minutes - yes I knew his birthday was coming...I was just procrastinating!! And I already had supplies on hand as any good hoarder, again I mean good crafter, does. I grabbed a few photos from my files, printed them in the 3x5 size, got a few pieces of paper, and a scrapbook size (12x12) frame that I actually had on hand. You could also do it with an 8x11. I didn't even have time to clear off my work desk, so I sat down on the ground and had a little "circle time" with my materials.

TA-DA!!!

I thought it turned out really cute!! Not a masterpiece, but for a 30 Minute project, not too shabby!

Then....on another crafty little adventure we decorated these cute little "Piggies" for our church. Our church is participating in the Heifer Project so the kiddies each decorated their very own piggie that we are planning on "fattening" up and then donating the money at the end of the Sunday School year. After the piggies are emptied, they are going to auction them to other church members, or if you can't bear to part with your piggie - take pictures of them to make into note cards also available for auction. I plan to get involved in the picture taking, can't you imagine how fun it would be to take the piggies "on location" and put them in a fun setting that matches their personality!! Fun, and charitable!! Love it!! I think they came out pretty cute! There are only 3 of them here, the other little piggie has gone missing! He is actually hiding from the big Big Bad Wolf...otherwise known as Miss Lil' who is in love with the Piggies! Oink, Oink...she loves to talk to them and oink at them. It is too cute! Anyway, I am rambling...

And on more for today's post...we made these yummy cupcakes last night...which you will be shocked to know are not only VERY YUMMY, but they contain a spinach/blueberry puree and are basically SUGAR FREE!! Which I PROMISE you - you can't even taste!! One of my guy's can't have sugar & carbs in the "simple" form so I am always looking for yummy treats that are sugar free or darn close. You can find the recipe for these little yummies here. My daughter made the cute little cupcake toppers and picked out the icing color.

There you have it...all the cards on the table! I am on a mission to finish the cutest little apron set for the me and the kids. I will show em' off as soon as they are done!