Strange People

I live with some strange people.

This is what Ethan looked like for bed tonight. He has started to wear Aaron's work stocking cap to bed every night. Tonight he wanted his pajama top left mostly unbuttoned, Aaron asked him if he wanted to be a "player" ....

it's hard to be mad at him for coming down the stairs for the bazillionth time asking me to fix Buzz's wing, when he looks like this He's very odd.

Here's another odd duck. She went upstairs and carried down a stool all by herself. She walks past me as if this was an every day occurrence. I go to see what she was doing. She was helping herself to another piece of pizza on the kitchen counter.

Notice the no pants

but that's not true when you pull up her shirt you see she took off her pull-up and put on some of Addison's underwear.

She walks around like that .... looks so comfortable, doesn't it? (She's also wearing 2 pairs of socks.)

And here's where it comes from --- their dad. We are in the process of cleaning the basement (#18 on the list). Aaron didn't work today so he worked in the basement some. After the kids went to bed, I went down to help. It's hard to watch him go through his stuff ... oh the things he owns. And in his defense he is getting rid of more than I thought he would but seriously what is with collecting beer bottles and matchbooks and coasters and Nascar cars and posters ....

oh if you could see the posters he has. He did throw some away but he's 37 not 17! I asked him why he was keeping them and the answer is sometime he is going to hang them up. I wanted to know where because most homes aren't going to have that much wall space ..... ever! He thinks he will hang them in a garage .... hmmmmm, won't that be pretty? After I went through a huge container of video tapes that he said he wasn't getting rid of any of them at all ..... and then he okayed to get rid of about half of them, many of them were movies taped on blank tapes ... luckily he decided all those could go, as well as, the entire Lethal Weapon series. Now if I could just get him to get rid of the Nascar tire we have in our basement. Yes, that's right we have a real racing tire bet most of you can't say that ... very strange.

Me in the Shower

I know everyone is dying to see what I look like in the shower. Anyone that lives in this house loves to come watch me take a shower. I never get to take one alone ... there's always someone visiting with me at the shower curtain ... some people like to see what I'm doing .... some people come just to make small talk ... some people come to ask for a snack {hello????? I'm in the shower!} Apparently, I've been viewed so much that now I'm the subject of artwork.

So here's me in the shower:


as drawn by Addison, now you all have seen what I look like in the shower so maybe I can now get at least one all alone .... or sell admission tickets?

My Favorite Quote

Last Friday I watched the final episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. I'm not a faithful watcher although I think he's really funny and I'm totally on team CoCo. I loved the musical performance by Will Ferrell with Conan. I remember discovering Conan when the kids were babies and had to be fed every 3 hours. On nights Aaron had to work the next day I didn't have him help so I had to feed all three of them by myself ... on good nights it took 45 minutes ... on bad nights it took 90 minutes ... the time went by faster when Conan was on. Sometimes I saw him twice because his show was replayed at 3am. I thought he was hilarious ... of course it was 3am and I was very sleep deprived but now that I have caught up on my sleep I still think he is funny. The best part of the show had to be his serious good bye and this quote. I think it is very true and a good motto for all of us.

Time Out

I put myself in time out tonight. I took Reesey shopping today to buy paper to make the kids' valentines and to go buy an ironing board. Did you know that if you iron on a quadruple folded bath towel on your hardwood floor, the finish will wear off? Well, if you did you should have told me. I hate those giant ironing boards they're so big and I sew in my bedroom so there's not enough space for one, I found a brand new table top one at the Salvation Army for $2. New ones were $30-$40. I have been loving going to thrift stores and have found some really good stuff.

I had to go in time out because I hauled all 4 kids to the vet after school. The lovely Snoopy started peeing in other locations besides her litter box so we went to have her checked out hoping it was something medically that can be easily fixed .... we had to wait about 15 minutes in the smallest room ever .... then they moved us to another big room where we waited another 10 minutes. It didn't look like anything was wrong but put her on an antibiotic anyway. The kids were too busy and too loud and fighting and opening the door every 2 seconds and fighting ..... then on the way home they were so loud .... even with the radio turned up .... they are too loud. Sometimes I just need quiet. I'm appreciating that my hubby is letting me lock myself in our room for a few hours .... I don't know what I will do ... possibly nothing ... how I would love to scrapbook but my desk is covered. I love my kids and am thankful for each and everyone of their outgoing and energized {and loud} spirit but mommies need breaks.

Here's another good deal I found today at the thrift store,

Yes, it's a cowprint skirt and no, I don't plan on wearing it. It will be cut up and you'll see the fabric again in our Halloween costumes ... yes, I know what our costumes will be ... you have to start early if you have 6 costumes to make and want to get everything without spending a small fortune.

Maybe I'll just sit and stare at my ironing board and cowprint skirt ....

1 down, 39 to go

Number 19 on my list is "open an Etsy Store". If you don't know what Etsy is, you'll be sorry I ever directed you there, if you love handmade or vintage items like I do. There are so many great things on there, I could browse all day. So I did it. Actually I opened my store last week but kept wanting to make more "stuff" to add to it but there's only so much time in the day. I've even sold a few things .... okay, they were to my friends Candi and Penny but they saw my stuff and were interested enough to purchase an item or two.

I have BIG plans like making more coloring wallets, list takers, and buntings and I would love to make some bags and quilts and camera straps and about a million other things I've thought of. There's only so much time in the day to sew though. I figure if my stuff doesn't sell then I have lots of gifts for birthdays and holidays.


Go check out my little store, Sew Happy. And if you're local I'd be more than happy to deliver anything to you to save you shipping fees (email me before you pay so we can work it out), if there's something you can't live without.

40 Things

I'm not much of an MTV channel watcher however I am totally anticipating this show (starts tomorrow), The Buried Life and here's why .... I’m almost 40 … well I have a little more than a year to go (February 24). It’s a milestone and I’m really looking forward to the next year and since it’s such a special occasion I thought I do something special to celebrate. Actually instead of one special thing, I want to do 40 things before I turn 40. My own sort of list like the MTV show, I think their lists are quite a bit different from mine but I hope to get some inspiration from these young guys. Here's my 40 things:

1. Run a 5K race
2. Fly kites
3. Take the kids to see the ocean
4. Go on an overnight get-away with Aaron (no kids)
5. Go roller skating
6. Go ice skating
7. Lose weight (10-15 lbs)
8. Make myself a skirt
9. Give blood
10. Learn to knit or crochet
11. Institute a family game night
12. Do a gratitude project
13. Eat healthier
14. Get in some sister time
15. Do some random acts of kindness
16. Do monthly date nights with Aaron
17. Go on a family vacation
18. Organize our basement
19. Open an Etsy store
20. No Spend Month
21. Go to the Dentist
22. Finish my picture of the day album for 2009
23. Read a whole book
24. Watch the Madmen series
25. Learn to make the Pioneer Woman’s cinnamon rolls
26. Organize my recipes
27. Go through the kids’ school art
28. Make a couples/wedding album
29. Lunch/dinner with girlfriends
30. Ride bikes with the kids
31. Do $1 week food drive
32. Have at least one Fancy-Shmancy Family Dinner
33. Begin regular Family art time
34. Make a family rules canvas
35. Take a few naps
36. Make a scrapbook about me
37. Embellish my printers tray
38. Become debt free (except house and 1 car payment)

Some things may seem not so "special" but it’s things I want to get done. Some of these are get it done in a few hours kind of thing and some are on-going things to work on once a month or once a week or throughout the entire year. I’m starting more than 13 months before my birthday because of my procrastination issue. I’ve already gotten started on some of my 40 things …. I plan on keeping track of my progress on my blog each month.

I have a problem with my list ... there’s only 38 things. I need 2 more. I’ve been working on this list for a few months. Some things got cut or consolidated. I need help. Please leave a comment to help me come up with 2 more things to do before I’m 40 …. I’ll take any and all ideas into consideration so please help me out!

Rare Moment

The kids rediscovered their Leapster games this weekend. This is something we seldom see: all three of them sitting on the couch {without anyone jumping} quietly doing the same thing.

Throw Back

Let's get physical?

The little Snow Family

The kids have been dying to go outside and finally we've hit the freezing mark. I noticed that the snow was melty enough to make good snowmen. Addison reminds me everyday "Mommmmmm, we haven't made a snowman yet this year ......" so after school we bundled up to build a snowman.

Here it is with 3 kids.

Add a fourth kid, making faces.

The pushing begins.
Then the boys think it's time for a snowball fight.

It's funny as long as they are the ones throwing the snowball.


They are not phased by the "I have a camera" warning.

Where's waldo?

The whole snow family before they started melting -- the big one is decapitated today ...

Packing it In

I don't know if it's the super cold weather or a growth spurt but Ethan's been eating non-stop. He ate 2 whole grilled cheese sandwiches the other day. Previously when I made grilled cheese he'd turn his nose up at it and eat none. At one point during the meal, he dipped his sandwich in ketchup and said "Come to Papa". Aaron and I laughed so hard, I really don't know what that was all about.

Tonight he ate 3 helpings of spaghetti. I think he ate 4 pieces of cinnamon toast during breakfast last week, what will I do when he's a teenager. Maybe he's gained weight ... maybe he'll get past the 28 pound mark he's been at forever. I know he's gotten taller, some of his pants look like he's waiting for the spring floods already.

At least he uses silverware when eating spaghetti now!

He's really matured a lot over Christmas break. I even noticed it as it was happening. Usually being with the kids everyday I don't seen as much growth as others do who aren't with him as much but this time I noticed so many things. He seemed to play better with the other kids. When we went shopping, he listened better. He's not running away in stores just for kicks. The potty training thing had been coming along. I decided over Christmas break, we would completely stop using pull-ups and since then he's only had 3 wet nights. He is even using the for pooping (TMI). This is HUGE! His temper tantrums have majorly decreased at home and school. He was excited to go back to school and we've only had one day where he didn't want to go. He's gotten all his stars every day since we've returned.

He does refer to himself in the third person which is odd. "Where is my Ethan's Buzz?" "Ethan wants a cereal bar." He now thinks of things to play like potato heads or catch or spin (spin around and around forever). He has 2 jokes. One is when we help him change his underwear he always says "Ethan wants to go swimming." He thinks this is hilarious ... maybe it is if you haven't heard it a thousand times. His other joke is to wait until it's dark out and he looks out the window everyday and says "Ethan wants to go outside". At first I thought he was totally serious but it's an everyday joke. He's like his dad and PaPa telling the same one liners a million times .... must be in the blood. At least Ethan finds himself funny. One of the funniest things I hear him say is when he is playing with Reese and he has to stop to go to the bathroom. He'll say "Ethan be right back, don 't touch" he repeats this about 20 times to her. Then as he walks away he says "Ya got it? Got it?" another million times. He also still like to threaten people with the "Do you want a spankin'?" when someone's not doing what he wants.

One thing that has never changed is the couch jumping. No matter what we can't get him to stop. Even with the excercise trampoline out, he just uses it to launch him to and from the couch.

At least he's having a good time ....

and so is his little sister ... 2 peas in a pod!

Our Photo Booth

I saw this on somebody's blog today and went to the site. Even though it is in French and I have 2 years of high school French and 2 semesters of it in college, I really have no clue what was going on. Free and fun! It doesn't take much to entertain me ...

Appreciate in 2010

I always pick a word for the year to focus on, and this year was no different. My word this year is to "appreciate". The big, the little, and everything in between. I think that many things are taken for granted each and every day by a lot of us. I want to be more aware of all the things I have to be thankful for. I have a great family. I have really great friends. I am fairly healthy. We are able to work on owning our own home and buy food and do a few things. I have a husband who is very supportive of me in whatever I want to do. I have a creative spirit. I like where I am in life. All of these things are small things that easily get lost in the day to day stress of life. I know other people aren't as lucky, it was just a little more than 10 years ago I really couldn't say most of these things about myself. I want to notice it more, be more aware of the little things and APPRECIATE it.
Looking at today just a few things to appreciate:
*the kids were more than happy to eat jelly sandwiches for lunch and excited to eat on the floor for a "picnic"
*Reese took a nap and I got to scrapbook with Addison
*Aaron is willing to stop at the grocery store on the way home for milk, eggs, and my diet mountain dew
*My FIL calling and saying we'd go sledding or maybe go see the eagles this weekend so we could get out of the house.

I have other big plans for the year too. That will be revealed later, I have a lot of typing to do and a lot of things to look forward to this year. I'm very excited ... hope your plans for 2010 is shaping up too.

Lego's and Glasses

The kids are having a blast playing with the big kid Lego's. They especially like the windows and doors and wheels to build cars. The little man is a favorite. Addison decided he needed a huge hat. So cute.
And speaking of cute, we finally got new glasses.

Addison picked these out all by herself. I was a little unsure at first but she loved them because they were rectangles. I'm so glad we got these they do look adorable on her.

Even if I can't get her to smile normally at the camera -- she still looks cute!

Snow Day

We all had a snow day. Aaron started his truck this morning and when I heard him come back in I asked what he thought he was doing. All schools cancelled and it was still snowing and the wind was supposed to pick up later on so I talked him into staying home.

After lots of shoveling and looking for my van keys (that we didn't find until 5 pm -- I thought I might have dropped them in the yard and they were buried under a snow drift) we loaded up the van and went to the grade school to try out the new sled the kids got for Christmas.

It was fun and the snow was deep!

What a workout I got hauling the sled back up the hill and running back down again to get photos. I even got in the photos.

Sledding is fun.

The kids ate their weight in snow.

We stayed out for about an hour then Ethan's gloves came off and he put his bare hands in the snow. He screamed all the way back to the van and cried in the house. He may or may not had the beginnings of frost bite. According to my husband I (and by I, I mean I dressed all 4 kids by myself in snow pants, boots, coats, gloves, and hats) did not dress the kids in the proper sledding attire.

Like I'm holding out and not using the waterproof gloves or something. We have what we have. I should have put 2 pairs of gloves on them I guess. I searched the internet about frost bite and we put his hands in some warm water and within seconds he was feeling better. So he's okay ... we'll just have to be more careful I guess.

Hope you made the most of your snow day (if you got one)!

A Homemade Christmas

I counted that I made 26 gifts this year. Most of them sewing and a few scrapbook. Surprisingly I got them all done. I only had to scratch one idea and it was something really small and at 1am on December 31 a few hours before the last celebration I didn't think it was time to start a new project.
I made 2 calendars for grandparents using a Picasa collage and some grandparent quotes:


I made 6 photo books for grandparents, aunts & uncles using the same Picasa collages:


One mini book for my Sister-in-law, Ashley, of the trip we made in the fall of our trip to the Pumpkin patch:


I sewed 5 of these list takers for teachers, Ashley, and my sisters:

8 crayon wallets for my nieces and nephews which turned out to be the hit of our party. I think Jackson used his whole notebook in one day.


3 scrapbook pages for my in-laws for their scrapbook I gave them last year. Here's one, somehow I didn't take photos of all 3 (couldn't be that I was tired, huh?).

1 quilt for my grab bag gift.

I made this in 6 days. Rag quilts aren't hard but I kept running out of fabric because I'm not a good judge of that, evidently. I didn't know which sister would get it but I just used my favorite color combo right now and hoped they would enjoy it too. Keely ended up with it.

I made it with the idea that it would be a mommy only quilt to use while watching TV or in bed. I know how it is around here, sometimes the kids take my blankets. I really love how this turned out .... I really wanted to keep it ... guess I'll have to make myself one.

I know my gifts aren't perfect and didn't cost a lot but I hope all the recipients know that they were made with love (plus a lot of sleep was sacrificed to get them completed). Next year's motto: start earlier and get more sleep!