my sometimes simple life

Gatti Town Closing

2012-01-03T13:12:00.001-06:00

Gatti-Town Closing

My baby girl is the one with the purple peace sign and she is sitting with a family friend...

Ringing the Salvation Army Bell

2011-12-06T14:43:00.003-06:00

Jacob and I volunteered to ring the Salvation ARmy Bell for an hour at Kroger today. It was so cold but it was so much fun. The church we have been attending does this one week during the Christmas season. So we may make this a family tradition!!!!

Christmas Cards 2011

2011-11-19T21:51:00.004-06:00

Trying to decide which card to use...will run it by the family tomorrow for the final decision...

One more craft

2011-10-09T23:21:00.002-05:00

didn't turn out as well as I had hoped but it wasn't bad for my first try. Didn't help that my modge podge is now tinted an army green...lol.

An artsy kind of night!!!!

2011-10-09T00:13:00.008-05:00

I have had a night full of arts and crafts!! I started off this afternoon with the kids trying some "melted crayon" art. It was FANTASTIC!!! wE extremely enjoyed it, I am SURE I enjoyed it the most!! Tonight when my husband got home from work I made a mad dash to Lowe's to pick up a little something to complete a project I have been wanting to make. While there I also found some cute glass tiles and thought hmmm.. I know what I could make with these!!!

So I have made this tonight...

Still not happy with the necklace, but this is what I have to go with around the house. When I get ready to make them for gifts I will have to do a little more research.....

And this, wasn't happy with the results, will have to try another method next time...

I also made this....
another melted crayon art project I saw online....isn't it just adorable. I am so happy that some people come up with the greatest ideas, so that I can copy them!!!

And finally. I have been wanting to make this for sometime now but had not decided on a frame. Plus I needed to buy the screen. Well today I went to the Old House Depot and found this for $5....

all I did was add cup hooks and a hanger on the back and.....

cabinet

2011-10-09T00:01:00.003-05:00

i don't know if I have blogged about this or not-and I am too lazy to go back and check. I got a cabinet from a friend several months ago, she is moving and just wanted to get rid of it, so it was FREE!!! I painted it, sanded it and here it is!!!! I am using it to store movies, games and electronics.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Catching Up

2011-10-08T19:34:00.007-05:00

I realized while going thru some photos on FB that I haven't blogged about some of the events of the summer/fall. So here is a quick summary ....

JoAnna's first ballet recital...just love that face..LOL...

JoAnna's apron she painted at the homeschool Art Co-op

a little project I made with newspapers...I have an abundance of those these days LOL...

Pumpkin Patch

Visiting Daddy at work
Touring the ambulance
playing with the radio
grilling hot dogs and marshmallows in the backyard....

Our little picnic in the family room...while watching a movie....
JoAnna's first field trip...to the pumpkin patch....
A little project I made for JoAnna's school teacher....

Jace and JoAnna painting...

crayon art: My parents Christmas gift

2011-10-08T19:12:00.002-05:00

I will have to wait a while before I can post these on FB as I don't want my mom to see this yet. I haven't finished it yet but this is the progress we have made today. I LOVE IT!! I saw this "crayon art" on pinterest and fell in love!! I was determined to try it this weekend with my kids. So I started getting supplies ready and thought...hmmm... I will make a purple and gold one for my parents. Then I thought...yeah, I will have the kids melt the crayons and then the title will be "Our Family Bleeds Purple and Gold"!!! I am so excited!!! The kids loved it, well except the 2 year old he wouldn't hold the hair dryer....LOL.

MELTED CRAYON ART!!!!

2011-10-07T13:33:00.000-05:00

I am so going to try this soon!!!! LOVE IT!!!!

First Karate Tournament

2011-10-02T13:00:00.002-05:00

Jacob had his first karate tournament this weekend! He did awesome!!! He received his first belt promotion-a white belt with an orange stripe!!! He did a fabulous job with his combos and the obstacle course. His form is excellent-and I am not saying that just because I am his mother. He takes everything he does seriously and does it to the best of his ability and that shows with each hit, block and kick.

I am VERY proud of him.

My first 5K ..... was a bust

2011-09-05T21:40:00.002-05:00

I wanted to run a 5K before my birthday...which is this month. I had high hopes. I started off strong last fall doing the Couch to 5K plan. It was going great. Then the holidays hit. Then I just got lazy. So needless to say I signed up to walk this 5K. I also signed my kids up. My mom, my sister's roommate, my kids and I were planning on walking. My sister of course was running. We get to the starting line...my 4 year old decides she needs to potty. Lovely. So I walk her to the bathroom thinking I will be able to easily catch up with the stroller (which was carrying my two other children)....WRONG! I ended up having to carry her on/off for the first mile. Then I caught up with them, but only because I took a wrong turn-the turn you were suppose to make on the second lap. Long story short I didn't even walk the full 5K. Wasn't my fault. I learned a valuable lesson. Make the kids potty right before the race starts. We made it back from the 5K walk just in time for the childrens' 1 mile fun run. Of course my 4 year old had to potty AGAIN at the beginning of the race. When I explained to her she would miss the race if we went to potty she was determined to race. We made it just over halfway when we had to take a detour to potty behind some trees. LOVELY.

Lots of lessons learned.

Women Clip Coupons For A Cause - Video - WAPT Jackson

2011-09-01T12:29:00.001-05:00

Here is a news story on our local chapter of Clipping for a Cause!!! We were so excited to get the oppurtunity to share our story!!!!

Women Clip Coupons For A Cause - Video - WAPT Jackson

Crest Kids

2011-08-21T13:12:00.001-05:00

This is the 1st-5th grade program at Ridgecrest. Jacob is in first grade this year so I am very excited that he is now old enough to attend!!!! Now if only they had something similar for the younger kids...

need to get some decorating done in my house

2011-08-20T22:26:00.002-05:00

We have been in this house 3 years and we haven't done much decorating.

I have done "baby girls" room but havent finished all the details. I have also considered painting her room, YIKES!

First things first...I really want new floors. I hate carpet. We should have pulled the carpet up before we moved in and had wood floors installed. Now it will be a nightmare to have it done. A nightmare I can probably tolerate if I dont have to stare at this stained carpet anymore!!

Here are a few ideas I have come across tonight while browsing..

First Day of School

2011-08-14T04:37:00.002-05:00

JoAnna started 4K on August 8th, Jace started 2K and Jacob started homeschooling on Aug 9th. Its our first year to homeschool so I am sending the two little ones to daycare while I keep Jacob at home in the mornings. I go into work at 12 which gives us plenty of time to get our schooling done. So far its been quick and easy because most of his lessons have been review from last year.

I want one of these......

2011-07-17T10:30:00.000-05:00

34 before 34

2011-07-11T22:07:00.001-05:00

Well I haven't crossed much off my list YET! Hopefully I will get a lot accomplished in the next 2 months......we will see.

1.run a 5k (not looking good)
2.buy a backup camera/backdrop equipment
3. make stepping stones with the kids
4.do a studio photo session/trash the dress session
5.go backpacking/kayaking
6.make a camera strap
7.take my kids camping and canoeing
8. make “MUG” gifts
9.sew something cutesy for my daughter
10.make wall art for the boy's room
11.paint a canvas for the mantel
12.photograph “alphabet” art
13. make a card table playhouse for the kids
14.lose the baby weight
15.organize my art room/closet/kids art closet
16. sew a crayon cozy
17. host a Wii party
18.scan old family photos
19.have a garage sell
20.vacation in the mountains
21.pay for someone else in line
22.find a letterbox/find 100 caches
24.plant an herb garden
25.go to a drive in movie
26.decorate my grandmother's sewing box
27.take my kids fishing
28.design my own blog banner/tags
29.knit a hooded baby cocoon for portraits
30.finish knitting my daughters scarf to match her hat i made last winter/knit my boy's hats
33.design my tatoo - will decide later if I actually get it!!
34.build my photography website /register my business name

Walgreens

2011-06-05T21:45:00.001-05:00

Walgreens: 12 bags of Chex mix, a proglide gillette razor, a box of omega smart, and a few fillers...bag of peanut M&Ms, and 7 laffy taffy!!! Two transactions totaling 76.05.... paid $3.16! Used coupons and $22.50 in RR PLUS got $15 back in RR! so basically they gave me $11.84 to buy $76.05 of products!!

SIX DAYS OLD!!!

2011-05-11T21:05:00.001-05:00

This little one took about 45 mins to get to sleep, but once she was asleep I had so much fun with her!! She was born 5 lbs 14 oz so she was VERY tiny-but so beautiful!!!!

This week's savings

2011-05-08T22:14:00.003-05:00

Well I found a lot of GREAT deals this past week!! I stocked up on razors, eye drops, body wash, TP, childrens benadryl, etc. I haven't done a final tally...but I saved lots of money this week. I am getting the hang of "filler items" and rolling my reward bucks back into my purchases by doing several transactions back to back. I racked up $40 at Walgreens in RR!!!! Most of which I spent today.

This week will be a slow week as there aren't many deals to be had and I am out of coupons for the Kroger mega sale. Oh well...maybe I should check out KuntryKlippers for some great coupons...hmmm..what else do I need to stock up on??

Here are my deals for the week...

I SAVED 77% AT KROGER!!!!!

2011-05-03T22:31:00.002-05:00

This is what I got at Kroger tonight...........

I SAVED 77% AT KROGER TONIGHT!!!!! total was 226.76 and I paid 51.13!!!!!! got a 20 oz diet mt dew-needed a little refreshment after all that deal hunting, got 4 2packs of safeguard soap FREE, 5 Brut deo FREE, 5 Capri sun, 3 Friskas Cat food, 10 Fage Organic Yog, 3 4pcks of yoplait yog, 4 single yop, 1 philly cheese cooking cream, p...ack of turkey lunch meat, 2 sm pcks of armour meatballs, styson stk stir fry meat, 4 gold fish, 44 packs of pasta ALL FREE, loaf of bread, 12 krft bbq sauce FREE PLUS .60+back each!!! Kraft bbq sauce is on sale for .49 and I had 12 .45 cent coupons for each one, which is doubled...so I made .60 profit on EACH ONE!!!

This is the portion I sent home with my mom...

...and this is what I plan to donate...

freebies at Kroger

2011-05-02T22:57:00.003-05:00

Kroger had Ivory soap on sale 10 for $10, there was a $1 off coupon in the P&G insert this week....making the body wash, FREE!!!!!!

The McCormick was on sale, 10 for $10...I had two $1 off coupons, making them...FREE!!!!

AFter purchasing my papers this week...my family also saved coupon inserts for me!!!! YAY!!!!

One Year Session....

2011-04-30T22:46:00.004-05:00

...what a ham!!! This little guy is SOOOO adorable!!! He has grown so much since I first took his photos as a newborn!!! My first newborn session.

Here is a little sneak peak...I have about 150 more photos to edit and weed out my favorites....

PUREX FOR .54!!!! INCL TAX

2011-04-29T12:47:00.002-05:00

I went to Fred's today to look for a particular home repair item. They didn't have the kind I wanted, but they had a tear pad for $2 off Purex!!!!!! So I pulled out my Kroger add and found PUrex was on sale for $1.99!!!!! Too bad that was last weeks add. So I went to Kroger just to see what they had it for this week. It was still on sale for $2.50 each!!!! So instead of getting it free I got it for .50!!! Still a great deal! So of course I told me friends about it!! The tear pad is now EMPTY!!!!! Which is good because they expire tomorrow!!! So we didn't feel bad about snagging more than one each. We snagged a total of 50 coupons AND of COURSE we shared them with friends and family, a total of six families, so that's less than 10 coupons each.

Now for the next big deal.......

Rite Aid

2011-04-28T11:27:00.002-05:00

I have never shopped at Rite Aid, even after this coupon journey began. They just didn't seem to have that many deals. That changed this week.

I have been wanting to try hair removal cream and just have not gotten around to getting it. So I found some $2 off coupons for Veet. Figured I would hang on to them and see if anyone puts them on sale-granted I just printed them this weekend. This week Rite Aid has an "in add" coupon for $3 off Veet, PLUS you get $1 in UpRewards. So with the $2 manuf coupon, $3 store coupon and $1 upreward....makes a $6.49 bottle..... .94!! so of course I took advantage!!

They also have 12pack of coke products 3/$9, and you get a $2 upreward. So I took advantage of that as well.

So I bought one Veet (because it was the last one left) and 3 packs of coke.
total 13.??, saved $7-I used $2 in uprewards from a prev purchase, and received $3 in Uprewards on my receipt!!! So its like paying $10.

Target Savings of the Day!!

2011-04-28T11:17:00.003-05:00

Today's total at Target $80.19
Paid $$$17.80!!!!

And I have to admit....I cheated. Target has their Huggies and Pampers diapers for 8.99 for the small packs of 23-25. If you buy 3 packs you get a $5 Target gift card. Well I had $3 off Huggies manufacturer coupons AND $3 off Huggies Target coupon-the Target coupon is for Huggies "Pure and Natural" diapers. So techinically they were not for the "Snug and Dry" that I purchased. So I paid $2.99 a pack, PLUS got a $5 Target gift card.

I also bought about 5 packs of Easter candy that was on sale, 2 Easter books and an Easter cookie making kit. Most of it was under $2 or .50

Then I bought two bags of Skittles-the small ones at the register. I had a $1 off manufacturer coupon and a $1 off Target coupon-made them free!!!

I also bought 6 Reeses peanut butter cups. I had a Target coupon B1G1, so they were about .35 each.

THEN...I found the Hall's cough drops on clearance for $1.03, which normally sell for $1.27-not a big clearance, HOWEVER, I had a (5).55 off manuf coupon, (1) .75 off AND a (8).50 off Target coupon. So they were .09 a pack!!!! Only because I was short on the manuf coupons.

Bridal Session

2011-03-27T21:02:00.004-06:00

I can finally post some pictures from a recent bridal session!!! I am actually working on the ceremony shots as I type (I have photoshop batch processiong!! love it!!). So I figured I might as well post some pics to my blog while I wait!!!

This was a GREAT day for bridal shots!! Wasn't too warm or too chilly!! Perfect temps and a beautiful bride just made the day FANTASTICO!!!! I love bridal sessions....young love...can't beat it!

34 before 34, revised

2011-03-09T23:10:00.002-06:00

I made a "to do" list, "34 before 34". I lost my original list and started another. AFter publishing my post I found my original list. So I have modified my list to include some of the items I had on the original list. I have a LONG way to go, but I have made some progress.

1.run a 5k (not looking good)

2.~~buy a backup camera~~/backdrop equipment

3. make stepping stones with the kids

4.do a studio photo session/trash the dress session

5.go backpacking/kayaking

6.make a camera strap

7.take my kids camping and canoeing

8. make “MUG” gifts

9.~~sew something cutesy for my daughter~~

10.make wall art for the boy's room

11.paint a canvas for the mantel

12.photograph “alphabet” art

13. make a card table playhouse for the kids

14.lose the baby weight

15.organize my art room/closet/kids art closet

16. sew a crayon cozy

17. host a Wii party

18.scan old family photos

19.~~have a garage sell~~

20.vacation in the mountains

21.pay for someone else in line

22.find a letterbox/find 100 caches

24.plant an herb garden

25.go to a drive in movie

26.decorate my grandmother's sewing box

27.take my kids fishing

28.design my own blog banner/tags

29.knit a hooded baby cocoon for portraits

30.finish knitting my daughters scarf to match her hat i made last winter/knit my boy's hats

33.design my tatoo - will decide later if I actually get it!!

34.build my photography website /~~register my business name~~

Mardi Gras-MS style

2011-03-09T22:40:00.002-06:00

the kids and I went to my parents for the weekend and went to the Mardi Gras parade in their area. The two older kids had gone the weekend prior and RACKED up on the goods. I think this was Jace's first year for the parades...I don't remember if we took him last year. The kids had a great time. They really got into the parade, they enjoyed catching the goods and dancing. Jace kept wanting to throw the beads back-he is really into throwing stuff these days!!

AWESOME Deals!!

2011-03-01T23:04:00.002-06:00

Our Kroger deals run from Wednesday thru Wednesday. So doing my shopping on Tuesday night I was able to take advantage of the normal weekly sales PLUS the sales that don't officially start until TOMORROW!!!! One disadvantage was only the express self checkout lanes were open at 10:00pm.

My total bill tonight was 137.79!!! Total paid......
65.05!!!! I had 3, $3 off coupons from my grocer trip last week. They are running a special promotion, for every 10 participating items you automatically get $3 off your purchase PLUS you get a $3 coupon off your next purchase. What I didn't know is you can only use one per purchase. So I went loaded with my 3 coupons from last week but could only use 1-but I still came out saving more than I spent!!! Plus I got 3 more!!!!

Ok so here is a quick run of what I purchased:

2 boxes of chex mix breakfast bars
2 cinnamon toast crunch cereal
14 chef boyardee-diff varieties
3 cinamon cheerios
2 yoplait yogurt
4 gogurt
1 sprite zero
5 trix creal
2 tyson frozen chicken nuggets
4 boxes of keebler crackers
6 boxes of betty crocker fruit flavored snacks (gummies)
2 boxes of little debbie oatmeal cream pies
gallon of milk (4.00!! YIKES)

AWESOME!!!!

Expecting Twins!!!!

2011-03-01T15:22:00.004-06:00

I had the opportunity to do a maternity session with a mom that is expecting TWIN boys!!!!!
She is six months pregnant and just adorable!!!!

Quick PHoto shoot!!!

2011-02-24T17:45:00.002-06:00

I took my two little ones for a QUICK photo shoot. It was sooo windy!!! We did get a few shots in before the kids just got bored. It was so rushed with me having to get to work but we did get a few good ones.

"30 for 30" SUCH A GREAT IDEA!!

2011-02-18T13:18:00.001-06:00

I don't know if I could EVER do this...but it's SOOOO cute! And such a great idea!!!! Anyway, I am going to link up for now and I am going to have to think about it this weekend. I don't wear skirts or dresses, for work I have to wear a t-shirt with our logo. So we will see how it goes....especially since I just don't like anything in my closet these days.

So check it out
Dimestore Diamond 30 for 30

FINALLY-completed the pumpkin project

2011-02-12T17:40:00.001-06:00

I have been wanting to add a monogram to our pumpkin, finally I did!!! I think I might get more next Halloween and do our entire last name!!! Super easy and it will be so cute!!

COUPON CLIPPING!!!

2011-02-08T13:31:00.003-06:00

Made my weekly trip to Kroger today!!! I had SOOOOO many coupons it was insane!!! My total before coupons and sales..... $202.03

Paid 110.06!!!!!

Biggest deals:
- JOhnson and JOhnson baby wash, was on sale for 2.50-had $1 off coupon for each, made them$ 1.50 each!!!! Sweet deal. X11
-Advil 24 count, on sale for $2.50, had coupons for $2 off each!!! X4
-Garden of Eatin chips on sale for 1.49, had $1 off coupon!! X2

Othere sales and deals:
Nestle Toll House Ready To Bake Cookies
Kozy Shack Pudding
Kraft American Singles
Whiskas Dry Cat Food
Birds Eye Steamfresh Vegetables Frozen
Kraft Easy Mac & or Velvetta Shells & Cheese
Kraft Velveeta Shells & Cheese or Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese
Kellogg’s Cereal
Pepperidge Farm Baked Naturals Crackers
General Mills Chex Mix Gardetto’s snack mix,
Orville Redenbacher Microwave Popcorn

ART ROOM

2011-02-05T22:59:00.004-06:00

Well it started off as my "scrapbooking room", then it was the "CRAFT ROOM" but I think I have settled on "MY ART ROOM". Now if I can just get it organized so I can actually get some "ART" done!!!

I think I made a BIG dent in my organization tonight. Although as you can see from the photos....its gotten a LOT worse since the last time I took pictures of my room. Things are piling up everywhere!!!! I am such a hoarder and when I find a good sale....I STOCK up!! (and then forget I bought it and it stays hidden for months!!!) So tonight I tackled the shelves above my work table, my work table, and my organizational tote-that has just been a "catch all" for everything. It had gotten so bad I had just about decided it wasn't such a good organizational tool-HA! If only I had kept it "ORGANIZED"!!!!

I can now see the top of my worktable!!! Now I can work in the ART ROOM instead of the kitchen counter!!!

Here is my tote that holds all my essentials at hand. These are items I use most frequently.

As you can see I have finally obtained some 12x12 paper organizers!! Got 2 of them on sale at Michael's when they had them on sale for 40% off, AND I had a coupon for a 4 hour sale one Sunday, 25% off my total purchase. Of course I did very well and only bought the two paper storage bins....so I got them 65% off of 29.99....you do the math!!! GREAT SAVINGS!!!

I have also organized my ribbon, although I think I need one more row. I also still have some cut ribbon in glass jars and some longer pieces shoved into a big glass vase.

I have also moved my laptop and a small printer into my ART ROOM!! Mostly because I have really gotten into the "coupon thing" and it really helps to have multiple computers so you can print multiple coupons (you can only print a coupon twice per computer). Plus this printer is black and white and ever since we installed a new versions of Windows on the desk top-I cannot for the life of me find the option to print in black and white instead of color!!! What a waste of color ink!!! (I am sure I can look it up or something-but who has time for that????)

BAM!!

2011-02-02T21:31:00.003-06:00

I am so very excited about my new ribbon storage!!! I have been struggling with ways to organize my GROWING supply of ribbon...and here it is!!!! First of all this is my second attempt at ribbon storage...
Here was my first attempt This storage didn't work well since I had such an abundance of ribbon, maybe if I had cute the dials smaller, but still its much easier to store horizontally.

I got this great idea from By Your Hands.

This is what I started with....a $3 frame from a second hand store.

I took the "wicker" out and then painted it white. Bought these ceiling hooks for $1.79, painted them white, and TADA!!!! Not only does it make a GREAT storage solution, but it's also WALL ART!!!!

I am just IN LOVE with it!! Cannot wait to get the rest of my room done!!!

Paper organized: check
Ribbon organized: check
everything else.......hmmm...

Weigh In & CVS Deal for last week!!

2011-02-02T12:59:00.002-06:00

Well I weighed in on Monday, and lost the 4 pounds I had gained the week before!! YAY me! So that puts me at just 8 lbs lost for the year...not nice but manageable. I am still on track so I am hoping for a good loss come Monday. I keep telling myself, "Only 6 more weeks!". Yes, only 6 more weeks until our spring break vacation in the mountains!!! Very excited for that!!!

As far as the CVS deals I got on Satruday....I got 5-12packs of Coke products for $1.04!!!! The deal was you buy 5 packs for $15 and get $5 CVSBucks for your next visit-which makes it $10!! Well I had $10 CVS Bucks from a deal they had a few weeks ago...so that made my total $1.04-just taxes!!! LOVELY!! I was so excited!! Too bad I didn't take advantage of both the $10CVS Bucks deals a few weeks ago...I would have $15 in CVS Bucks...oh well. Still doing great on the coupon thing!!!!

SHOPPING DAY!!!

2011-01-27T13:48:00.008-06:00

I have been so excited about the great deasl!! And even though I didn't have some of the coupons, I still got some INCREDIBLE DEALS!!!

I have made 3 trips to Target the last two days for the INCREDIBLE diaper sale!!! They have Huggies Diapers on sale for $8.99, you can print a $3 off coupon at Target.com and if you buy 3 packs they give you a $5 gift card toward your next purchase!!!! That's like getting a pack of diapers for $4.63!!!! I also got Red Barron Pizza (2pack of personal pan pizzas), they were on sale for $2.50 and I had $1 off coupons for those!!!! Makes them $1.50 each!! I had a few coupons for cereal too, they were $2.50 and I had a $1 off coupon-not the best deal-but oh well.

So total for the 3 trips: $263.35,
total spent: 167.65, plus I still have 2 $5 gift cards!!
Total Saved: $$95.70
I should not have to buy diapers/pull ups for a few months!!!

Kroger trip: $129.09
Total spent: $68.32
Total saved: $60.77 ($20.40 in coupons, $40.37 in plus card savings)

A few new items I bought, were the "Garden of Eatin" chips-the black bean tortilla chips-were fabulous!!! I also bought a bag of the "Veggie Chips", which were not on sale but they are fabulous too!!! We will see what the kids think!!!

Biggest Loser Weigh In #1 (1/9/2011)

2011-01-20T14:28:00.001-06:00

OK this is WAY late, but I had my first weigh in on January 9th.....I lost 8 pounds!!!! I was very excited!! As far as the Biggest Loser contest at work, I lost 4lbs. Not sure where that puts me in the ranking but 4 lbs in 4 days is good!!

Now as for this week...I skipped the weigh in all together!! I knew it would be bad so I will just weigh in next week!!

Biggest Loser 2011

2011-01-08T00:07:00.002-06:00

OK I have had a lot of success on ATkins in the past, so I started back up Sunday January 2nd!!! I have done great so far, have lost 5 pounds!!! I have eaten a few things that aren't allowed until phase 2, but all in all I have done well.

I found out today they are doing "Biggest Loser" at work again, so I weighed in this morning. Her scale was 2 lbs heavier than mine at home, but had already had lunch and 2 Sonic drinks.

So I will weigh in Monday at home and then again at work....stay tuned for my first week's results!!!! We have a trip planned to the mountains in March, so I had better get busy!!!

Coupon Crazy!

2011-01-04T19:49:00.002-06:00

Well I am not exactly coupon crazy-YET!!! I haven't gotten the full hang of it, nor have I gotten the full benefit, but it looks like I am making progress. It seems all the printable coupons I want are always gone and the "special" coupon books you find around the stores are never to be found here. I have learned to look through the dollar list and try to stock up on those items as much as possible.

This week I found LOTS of "manager's special" deals at one of the Krogers (there are 3 within 5 miles of my house-since Kroger took over Brookshires). I found some prepackaged Ceasar salads for $1.99, regularly $3.99, lunch meat for $1.50, regularly $4.39, bologna (which my husband and kids have become fond of lately for some reason) $1.25 regularly $3.59, nurtrigrain bars $1.50 regularly $3.59-I actually thought these qualified for a buy 4 get $4 back-but apparently not since the sale price was 2.99 and these were specially marked down to 1.50-but at 1.50 a box they were a GREAT deal!!

total 300.93
coupon savings 15.04
kroger plus savings 56.29
other savings 56.43---from marked down "manager's special"
-------------------------------
total savings 127.76

Embellished T-shirt

2010-12-31T00:00:00.008-06:00

I have been so inspired by Make It and Love It's Embellished T-shirts. I made a knotted t-shirt several months ago and have been wanting to try another one, so I did.

This one took a lot more time than the knotted t-shirt. I had two shirts I bought on clearance. I cut strips from the second shirt and then sewed a "basting stitch" and gathered the material to make a ruffle. This was my first attempt at making a ruffle-fairly easy. I then cute longer sleeves-because I HATE short, skimpy sleeves. So now the sleeves are to my elbows...just perfect for me. So here it is....still need some practice, but I think it turned out cute enough.

BEFORE

After

Mother-in-law's Christmas Gift

2010-12-25T15:43:00.004-06:00

I bought a nine pane window to make a picture frame for my mother in law-she has 9 grandkids. pERfect!! I cleaned it up and sealed it....

but I didn't like the look of it. So I brushed a little bit of brown paint on it. I think it looks much better!!! I was very excited about it and cannot wait to do one for myself!!!

IT'S BAKING DAY!!!

2010-12-19T09:43:00.002-06:00

Today my family and friends are getting together to bake Christmas sweets!! I got an early start yesterday while my 2 little ones were napping and my older one was visiting his cousins. I figured with everyone coming over I would go ahead and get my baking started, plus I wanted to bake some sweets for their teachers and it just wouldn't be nice to bake and not share with my guests....LOL.

So everyone is coming over after noon today. I have taco soup in one crock pot and I am trying white bean chicken chili in another crock pot. I have had it a couple times with my bunco group, but I have never made it myself. So we shall see how it turns out.

Starting off this morning I am making "pretzel turtles . Someone made them this week at work and they are just delish!! Very easy too. Here is the recipe I got offline, but who needs a recipe?! They are so easy!!

Ingredients

* 20 small mini pretzels
* 20 chocolate covered caramel candies
* 20 pecan halves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Arrange the pretzels in a single layer on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place one chocolate covered caramel candy on each pretzel.
3. Bake for 4 minutes. While the candy is warm, press a pecan half onto each candy covered pretzel. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Paying for the next person in line...

2010-12-15T13:25:00.003-06:00

Today after running around trying to get my phone fixed...a story for another entry...I pulled into Penn's to grab a quick bite before heading back to work. I pulled up to pay for my order and heard the cashier tell the next customer in line her total. So I got the great idea to pay for that customer!!! It's on my "34 before 34" list.

Redo: I had to redo a bulletin board

2010-12-13T09:29:00.003-06:00

I hated it the way it was and just couldn't live with it. So I redid it this weekend. It looks so much better.

Before

After

Santa treat cup...another idea I must try!!

2010-12-08T12:59:00.003-06:00

found this cute Santa treat cups at CRAFT TOWN ...and I cannot wait to try it..hopefully...soon!

"Sew Many Ways" posted this....

2010-12-07T13:39:00.002-06:00

I love it!! I actually saw it a few months ago and told one of the teachers I would do it for her class, then couldn't remember where I had seen it. After searching the internet for it I just gave up. So I am linking it here so I can find it next year!!!

SEW MANY WAYS

A halloween craft

2010-12-04T23:14:00.002-06:00

I know a certain someone that will LOVE this!!

Before and After Pillowcase Dress

2010-12-04T22:31:00.002-06:00

My baby girl had this cute, plain red pillowcase dress. So I thought I'd fix it up a bit for the holidays. I changed out the ribbon with a cute bright green ribbon, then added a little white trim to the bottom. I made a cute bow to match!!! NO SEWING!!! FUN FUN. I cannot wait for her to wear it tomorrow when she has her photo taken with Santa. If I was a sewing person I would attempt to sew ribbon in the shape of a Christmas tree on the front-but I was afraid I'd mess the entire thing up. So here it is....for now.

BEFORE

AFTER

Personalized Coloring book-idea from Ruffles and Stuff

2010-12-04T20:39:00.006-06:00

I just love her idea on a personalized coloring book!! Brilliant!! I quickly printed off one of each of my kids and I cannot wait for them to color them. So ADORABLE!!

Ruffles and Stuff

HOBBY LOBBY IN STORE COUPON

2010-12-02T13:01:00.001-06:00

In-Store Coupon : Weekly In-Store Specials : Hobby Lobby - Hobby Lobby

I was in Hobby Lobby today and the clerk said you don't even have to have the printed coupon for 40% off. All you have to do is show the coupon from your phone!!!!!

more bulletin boards from ceiling tiles

2010-11-30T21:38:00.006-06:00

Here are my finished bulletin boards-minus the ribbons.

Christmas Card 2010

2010-11-27T21:23:00.003-06:00

Here IT is!!! Christmas Cards ordered!!! I haven't sent out Christmas cards in YEARS!!! YAY ME!

20 bucks worth of groceries for $1.29 !!!!

2010-11-21T16:12:00.006-06:00

This past week I started clipping coupons after getting information from a co-worker. She went to a coupon clipping seminar by Jenni at Southern Savers. After my second week of clipping coupons I took a trip to Kroger today for just a few items.

Grocer list:
Four boxes of GM cereal
12pack of cokes.

coupons:
-free 12 pack of cokes (thanks to mycokerewards.com)
-$1 off 2 GM cereals
-.75 off one GM cereal
-.55 off cinnamon toast crunch cereal (which was doubled)
-$1 ecoupons sent to my Kroger card for November customer appreciation
-.55 ecoupon off GM cereal
-$1 off coupon which printed last time I went to Kroger

total at checkout $20.18 and I only paid $1.29!!!! YIPEE.

C25K Week 5 Day 1

2010-11-18T13:48:00.004-06:00

I have gotten a little behind so I just skipped Week 4 Day 3 and went straight for week 5. It was really tough. Three intervals of 5 minutes running followed by 3 minute of walking. The last 5 minutes of running was really tough-but I was able to make it. Day 2 will be two intervals of 8 minutes running and 5 minutes walking. Day 3 is 20 minutes running! YIKES!

I don't know when I will be able to run again, tomorrow my son has a program at his school. Maybe tomorrow night, although I don't really like running at night. So we will see...

some of the projects I've done lately...

2010-11-11T13:35:00.003-06:00

HALLOWEEN- a little late posting

2010-11-11T12:24:00.002-06:00

We went to my parent's house for Halloween! Our town was doing trick or treating on Saturday night but they were trick or treating at my parents' house on Sunday night-this proved to be a challenge. Since we had to leave Sunday night by 6 in order to get home at a decent time, the kids had to trick or treat at 5pm. this meant not many people were ready for trick or treating. Oh well. They still had fun and got plenty of candy.

Baby girl said she wanted to be a "birthday cake on the table" which turned out to be her "I'm the birthday girl" t-shirt. But I convinced her to wear her LSU chearleading outfit. We also tried getting her to wear a princess dress-but she wouldn't have it.

I wanted baby boy to be a scarecrow but never got around to getting his costume made-fail-again.

So here are a the few pictures we got from the night...

C25K Week 4 Day 1 DONE!!

2010-11-09T13:48:00.002-06:00

I completed my run today-week 4 day 1. It was tough, but not as tough as I thought it would have been. Halfway through my first five minute run I had a 4 legged friend sneak up behind me to join me in my run. It was a great distraction to have him run with me, but he sure did give me a scare. I didn't get a chance to run at all last week. I have GOT to get a routine down-it's just so hard with my schedule and my husband's schedule.

Tomorrow I weigh in for my first week back on "Atkins". I have cheated here and there a bit-had an Almond Hershey bar yesterday, and a scoop of mac and cheese with my lunch today. All in all not too bad. Looking for a big loss tomorrow!!!! Keeping my fingers crossed.

cute ideas from....

2010-11-08T14:02:00.004-06:00

Ryz Mom Plus 2

MORE Make It and Love It

2010-11-04T11:48:00.006-06:00

I just love this chick!!! She is amazingly creative and makes everything seem SO EASY! I just want to run home and pull out my sewing machine and get to work....if only I could sew...LOL! I think I could do the cozy...but as for the tote-well I am not so sure about that one.

so go check her out at Make It And Love It and check out this GREAT tutorial on how to make a snack cozy and a snack tote!!!

Week 3 Day 3 fo C25K

2010-11-01T21:00:00.004-06:00

DONE! I ran today around the soccer fields instead of running in my neighborhood. It was easier on my back but I wore my cleats for the first time in ELEVEN YEARS, and they just fell apart....lol. My feet got soaked, but at least my back isn't killing me.

Not sure when I will start week 4 as I am busy the next 2 mornings-but I will get them in somehow!!!!

I painted a canvas tonight!! I copied one that I had one at Bunco. It came out cute!! I was very suprised!! I have a friend that had asked if I would paint some for her for Christmas gifts. So I wanted to try this cross and I am VERY pleased with how it came out!!! I cannot wait to paint more!!!

Also here is one of the ceiling tiles I have painted for one of the preschool teachers. She does these every year as a gift from her to the students. I love the way it came out-except for the name. I am not very good at writing/painting words. I think it needs to be outlined-but I am afraid of making it worse.....what to do? what to do?

Week 3 Day 2

2010-10-30T19:23:00.003-05:00

It was a little easier today but it was still rough. I hope day 3 is easier...surely it gets easier...right?

Week 3 Day 1-DONE

2010-10-26T09:03:00.004-05:00

Well after two weeks off from running I started week 3 today. It was rough. 90 second run then 90 second walk, followed by a 3 minute run, then walk. Repeat. I only had to do this twice so it wasn't too bad but it was rough. I haven't done any kind of consistent running in 10 years!!! That's insane and shameful!!! I was never a fast runner but I had good stamina.

Friday we weigh in at work to see how all the biggest loser contestants have kept the weight off. I actually gained 10 pounds back but have lost it again. I would have liked to have lost at least another 10 pounds-but oh well. Another FAIL.

I am having surgery in about 3.5 weeks and I hope to lose at least 20lbs before my surgery. Not that its necessary for the surgery but it would be nice. I asked him to do a tummy tuck while he is in there..but it's not going to happen. Oh well.

Well off to work I go!

Photoshop Glitch...

2010-10-24T14:33:00.003-05:00

I was editing photos last night and look what I found when I was going back thru my photos....

I have NO idea how this happened but I certainly did not intend to cut this photo up.

Photoshop

2010-10-24T14:09:00.003-05:00

So Photoshop is suppose to make editing easier...right?? WRONG!!!! There are so many options and I cannot decide which editing techniques I like best-for my "standard" editing. I take my pictures in jpeg but I like to edit them in camera raw. I have downloaded some actions and have used those in photoshop. However, I cannot decide which I like better, editing in photoshop workspace or in camera raw........which photo do you like best???

Sneak Peaks

2010-10-23T09:46:00.007-05:00

Here are some pictures I took last weekend. The first few are of a little guy that is now six months old. I have known his daddy's family for YEARS.

For this engagement session I had wanted to shoot downtown, but they had a festival going on right in the middle of where I wanted to shoot. So we decided to try the college down the street, but they just happened to be having homecoming activities that day. So with a quick phone call we were able to shoot at this BEAUTIFUL plantation home!! It was gorgeous!!!

And finally here are some pictures of my babies. We went yesterday downtown and were able to take some shots in an area I've been wanting to try for months. Everytime I'd go they were having a festival, come to find out they had one every other weekend all summer-LOL>

There is a cute courtyard downtown that is wedged between two buildings and small trees overhang the entire courtyard. There is a sign that reads "Make a Wish" and people have tied slips of paper with their wishes onto the branches or tucked them behind the string of lights. VERY CUTE!!! My kids of course pulled a few down while I was not looking. So I explained what they were and why they were hung in the tree. I also read them to them....cute cute.

Finds of the DAY!!!

2010-10-15T21:01:00.013-05:00

A friend of mine had an old window pane hung on her wall with 6 pictures matted inside. It was BEAUTIFUL!!! So finally today on my day off I decided to go out and get me a few. I headed downtown but all I could find was the antique market-bust. So I decided to take about an hour drive down the highway because I've always seen these flea markets and wanted to stop. I had big hopes of finding my window panes-another bust. But I still found several goodies. I found several benches and an old camera-most of the stuff was 50% off-which was awesome!!! The second one was huge and even though I found several cute things, it just wasn't what I was looking.

Anyway while I was out and about I had posted a status on Facebook that I was looking for window panes. Luckily someone posted telling me EXACTLY where to find them-which was near the Antique Mall I had been at earlier in the day. So of course I made a mad dash to get there and JACKPOT!! They have so much cute old stuff!!! I wish I had found it earlier-I would have bought more window panes!!!

So here are my flea market finds...

I also found this CUTE camera!! I think it'll be a great prop for children's photos!! A Kodak Brownie Holiday Flash camera!!

Here are my finds from The Old Home Depot

WOW!!! What a day!!

2010-10-14T20:05:00.006-05:00

I started off the day with my son's kindergarten class at the Pumpkin Patch. We had a great time!! I took my new camera (which I actually haven't paid for yet) and took lots of great pictures....I think. Apparently the camera was set to take pictures in camera raw and I have never taken pictures in that format before. It takes a LONG time to upload the pictures so I haven't had a chance to even look at them yet. However, we had a great time.

Afterwards I took my son home and headed to the Canton Flea Market. Its a huge market held twice a year. If I had parked a little closer or had a buggy I probably would have bought a few more things. I ended up buying a rustic frame...there were others there that I LOVED but they were about $95 and I just can't pay that price for frames. But they had three layers and were BEAUTIFUL. The one I ended up buying was about half that price but only one layer and one color. Still cute but not gorgeous. The other thing I bought was an old window pane----which I am in LOVE with old window panes right now. This one is painted a lime green and the panes are made into dry erase boards. I think I may still use it like a picture frame and just center the photos in the middle of each rectangle and make the dry erase board appear to be a white mat. We will see how it goes!!!

Nothing like the Canton flea market to get you inspired!!!! I finally glued these birds to these candlestick holders. And finished my first ceiling tile. I am painting these for one of the K4 teachers. She gives these every year as Christmas gifts to her students. I will attempt putting their names on later. 1 down...... 15 to go...LOL. I LOVE it.

MUST DO PROJECTS!!

2010-10-13T13:14:00.004-05:00

I visited "Make it and LOve it" to find all these cute projects her readers have done. They have recreated some of her projects...and I hope to get busy this weekend making some of them!!!

Cleaning Out

2010-10-12T22:25:00.002-05:00

So tonight as I was cleaning out some old paperwork, I stumbled across my original 34before34 to do list. I only had 21 items on the list, and only 7 of them are on my published list. As I look over the list, several things are projects I want to make, such as...

1. make a cardtable playhouse
2. make a "HOPE" sign like the one at Hobby Lobby
3. make "MUG" gifts
4. make stepping stones with the kids
5. make caramel popcorn with the kids
6. sew a baby pouch
7. make a camera strap
8. sew a crayon cozy
9. make vinyl art with my cricut
10. make beaded bookmarks

the other two items on my original list are...

1. register my business name
2. host a Wii party

What to do, what to do. Should I revise my list to include some of these things I would like to get done??? Most of them are projects I want to complete, I could add them to my "projects ToDo" list. hmmmm....

A Day in the Country

2010-10-10T22:27:00.005-05:00

Here are a few pictures of my kids, nieces and nephews from our "Day in the Country".

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GOT MY CRAFT ON!!

2010-10-03T00:08:00.006-05:00

I stayed up very late tonight getting SEVERAL projects done!!! As you will quickly see I got all of these ideas from Ashley at Make It And Love It. She has some GREAT ideas and AWESOME tutorials. Even someone like me that doesn't sew was able to whip these up!!!!

First I made this sippy cup leash, that I saw at Make It and Love It. I think it turned out great and I will surely be making lots more for Christmas gifts. This will be great in the car, shopping and just about anywhere we go!!!

Then I finished this project from Make It and Love It, that i started last week for my daughter's room.

Then I took one of my old shirts and turned it into a dress for my daughter. I have been wanting to try this one for a LONG time. I have several sweaters saved that I want to try this with. I think it turned out great, especially since I have only sewed a few things in my LIFE!! This was my first time to cut and sew sleeves. I think they turned out cute..can't wait for her to try it on tomorrow!!!! I also made her a headband, you can see the tutorial here which is ALSO from Make It and Love It!!!

I still have a lot of work to do in my CRAFT ROOM to get it organized and "operational". So that I am not having to move big loads of stuff from one table to the other just to have work space. I am really ENJOYING my time in my art/craft room! Its a stress relief for me and I have REALLY missed it. So hopefully there will be more coming soon!!!!

Personalized Art

2010-10-02T20:07:00.006-05:00

I searched and searched for this blog post at LIL BLUE BOO. I knew it was on one of the blogs I visit regularly but could not remember which one. I bought some boards today with this project in mind. We will see how it goes....

*****************************
October 10th 2010
Well I tried one of these...it was a bust......

Friday!!

2010-10-01T12:27:00.002-05:00

Well I did not get my run in this morning BOOO!!!! But I will try to get it in this weekend. I had to take my baby boy to the Dr. this morning. He has yet another ear infection-although this time it's mild-and he basically has the "head crud". Yep, thats what the Dr. said-"head crud". So we have antibiotics and eye drops, hopefully he will be feeling better by first of next week.

Tomorrow morning is also our neighborhood garage sell. I have been busy all week preparing for that, and it appears I may be up ALL night finishing up since I haven't done much the last 2 days. I still have tons of clothes to hang and sort and I haven't even unpacked the boxes of junk and toys that are in the garage. I guess I could do that early Saturday morning since it's stuff I really don't think will sell. I have never done a garage sell on my own. I remember having one in junior high and then several years ago we had one at my in laws-but I was pregnant at the time so everyoen else did most of the work. I have clothes priced at $1 each...I am starting to wonder if thats a bit high. A friend said she does her's for 25 cents and another girl does hers for 50 cents. So we will see. I don't have much other than the kids clothes and I am going to let my kids bake cookies tonight and try to sell those!!! Maybe I will even make some coffee to sell, HA!!

Lately I have gotten back into geocaching. We started off strong back in 2006 and then kinda dropped off after we had our second child in 2007. We have found a few here and there since then but now that the kids are all walking I think it would be some great family time to get out and cache with the kids. I have found several the last 2 weeks before going to work. There are three that are driving me nuts though. I have been to them twice and cannot find them!! That really bugs me!!! So hopefully Sunday morning I can get my run in, get the kids up and dressed and we can head out early and try to find a few before people start getting out and about. If you've never done geocaching you should check it out. It's a big treasure hunt and it's fun, challenging and can be educational as some are hidden in areas with history.

Week 1 RESULTS ARE IN..........

2010-09-29T12:01:00.002-05:00

after one week on Atkins and limiting my diet sodas....I have lost....9 pounds!!! I am so ecstatic!!!! All the hard work, watching what I ate, staying away from the diet sodas, and I only ran once last week and lost 9 pounds!!!

Today was Day2 of Week1 of my C25K training!! It went well but it was harder today than Monday. Maybe because it was later in the day, which meant it was warmer, plus I had not eaten anything yet other than a Slim Fast low carb drink.

Week 1 Day 1 of C25K (couch to 5k)

2010-09-27T22:37:00.003-05:00

I have heard about this program before but recently found a blogger that was doing the program with great success. I haven't been running consistently since I played college soccer-over 11 years ago! I recently started running-I was walking the neighborhood and would run the dead ends-wasn't much running at all but it was a start. Anyways, I started the C25K program today and I did GREAT! No I am not the fastest runner, but I ran all the running intervals. I was so proud of myself. I mean 60 seconds of running doesn't seem that much, but for someone that hasn't exercised much in the last 11 years....I think I did wonderful.

Tomorrow will be one week since I have been on Atkins, although I did have a Newk's Q on Saturday!!! I also had TWO Diet Dr. Peppers Saturday, and have had 2 other diet drinks. However, considering I was drinking 1-3 diet sodas a DAY, 4 in 7 days isn't too bad!! So I am very interested to see what the scale says tomorrow!!!! I have weighed everyday!! YES I AM CRAZY!

So we will have to wait until tomorrow to see the results...........

Today I had the day off work!! YAY ME!! I really needed the down time to get some stuff done around the house and to just get away from work. I haven't had a vacation since maternity leave a year ago.

So today, as you have already read, I...
1. Started the C25K program,
2. Called the roofers, they came out and fixed 2 leaks
3. Went through baby girls clothes and began getting them ready for a garage sale 4. Organized the boys toys-AGAIN
5. Cleaned-a little-didn't get nearly as much done as I would have liked
6. Started a project for baby girl's room
7. Ran to Hobby Lobby and Babies R Us for a few needed items-used gift cards! YAY!
8. Laundry-still working on that too
9. Geocaching!! got two today, one was missing-I think

So all in all a very productive day. Tomorrow I am volunteering at my son's school until about 10am, then its more garage sale prep, more creating!!! (hopefully not much more cleaining)

GEOCACHING!

2010-09-26T21:53:00.002-05:00

I am back at it. We did a few runs back in January, but haven't done been caching consistently in three years!! We are WAY behind, saw one cacher had found over 4k!!! WOW! I have only found 209. sad sad.

Anyway, I went on a quick run this afternoon while hubby had the kids at the in laws. (I stayed home to clean out the garage and afterwards went for a cache run!) So I realized after I got out and about that my SWAK has not been updated since January, so I figured some of the caches I was hunting may have been archived. Sure enough when I got home and checked one of them had been archived, and one I just came up empty. I am hoping since the cooler weather is getting here we can go on cache runs as a family. One of the challenges is getting kids in and out of carseats, so I will have to search for several within walking distance-which is tough.

Anyway, it was a great day for caching. I am off the next three days and hope to get a bit of caching in each day.

Recent Projects and Finds

2010-09-23T13:02:00.007-05:00

I found this rounded square chipboard album at Michael's, I have a TON of these chipboard albums in all kinds of shapes. One day I will get around to altering them!! Anyway, so I got this cute baby boy paper and I am working on making a little brag book chipboard album for a family friend that just had a baby boy. I have already applied the paper and painted the edges, now its time for all the little details!!! Pictures to come later!

Here are some CUTE stamps I found in the dollar bin at Michael's!! I am a stamp fanatic!! I just LOVE stamps!! So I just HAD to have these!! I think they will be so cute on cards!!!

I have been racking my brain trying to come up with some cute way to store ALL the spooled ribbon I have. I have SO much ribbon its crazy!! I have been trying to make bows for my daughter so I have been stocking up when its 50% off at HOBBY LOBBY, plus I bought a TON on clearance after Christmas (are you noticing a trend? I cannot resist clearance sales!!) So anyway, here is what I have come up with so far. Once I paint the bases I will cut these rods shorter and sort the ribbon by color, but you get the general idea.

Paint class #2

2010-09-23T12:58:00.006-05:00

I am taking a painting class during my lunch break. This was our second class, we supply our own paint, brushes and canvas and provide a donation the the Christmas Village. Its been a fun class so far. This month's "theme" is crosses, so for both classes we have painted crosses. I painted the first one to match my daughters room. This one I just went with some colors, I wasn't really happy with the color combination once I got it on the canvas, but I did enjoy painting. I still have to go back and outline all the shapes once they dry, then I might add some fabric paint for deminsion-we will see. So we will see where this little jewel gets hung-my house? your house??

NO CARBS + NO DIET SODAS: DAY 3

2010-09-23T12:56:00.002-05:00

Today is day 3 on my diet. I am going strong on my Atkins and have only had one diet soda in three days!!!! I really think I was drinking too many sodas, even though they were diet drinks, they were preventing me from losing the weight I needed to lose. So I started on Tuesday. I am anticipating a BIG loss next Tuesday. Keeping my fingers crossed!!

34 before 34

2010-09-23T00:06:00.010-05:00

got this idea from ELAINE

34 things I want to accomplish before my 34th birthday.....

34 before 34

1.run a 5k
2.buy a backup camera
3.buy backdrop equipment
4.do a studio photo shoot
5.go backpacking again
6.go kayaking
7.take my kids camping
8.take my kids canoeing
9.sew something cutesy for my daughter
10.make wall art for the boy's room
11.paint a canvas for the mantel
12.photograph “alphabet” art
13.“trash the dress” photo shoot
14.lose the baby weight
15.organize my art room
16.organize my art closet
17.re-organize the kid's art closet
18.scan old family photos
19.have a garage sell
20.vacation in the mountains
21.pay for someone else in line
22.find a letterbox
23.find 100 caches
24.plant an herb garden
25.go to a drive in movie
26.decorate my grandmother's sewing box
27.take my kids fishing
28.design my own blog banner/tags
29.knit a hooded baby cocoon for portraits
30.finish knitting my daughters scarf to match her hat i made last winter
31.knit my boy's hats
32.be happy with myself
33.design my tatoo-will decide later if I actually get it!!
34.build my photography website

LEAD ME

2010-09-22T13:45:00.001-05:00

FAILED!!

2010-09-21T11:04:00.002-05:00

I went walking/running again this morning. I did fine until I got to the last stretch of running and I punked out. I just couldn't go anymore. I walked the rest of the way. Oh well, at least I got some exercise in today.

I had a GREAT dinner at bunco last night. It was FABULOSO!! Of course none of it was healthy but that's ok, today I am starting off great. Trying to stay away from the diet soft drinks-been drinking my Great Value brand of Crystal Light and stayed away from the carbs at breakfast!! I forgot my low carb wraps so I guess it's turkey dogs for lunch.

Jace's First Birthday!!

2010-09-17T09:02:00.003-05:00

I have finally gotten around to posting some pictures from my baby boy's first birthday party!!! Actually I am stealing these from my sister's facebook page, I will have to upload mine later. He had such a great time, he was so cute biting into his cake. I remember Jacob's first birthday party he didn't want anything to do with his cake. He also loved getting into his birthday presents, which was too cute!!

Do we REALLY need this much peanut butter???

2010-09-16T21:28:00.001-05:00

A few small projects

2010-09-16T21:13:00.004-05:00

Here are a few projects I was able to get done this week. I found these binder clips on clearance for ten cents a box. I have seen them used as picture holders before and thought they'd be cute. I think next I will try modge podging some patterned paper on them and see how they turn out. I think they are cute but don't really care for them standing alone.

The second is an idea I got online (I should really keep up with where I get these ideas so I can give credit where credit is due). I modge podged tissue paper onto glass jars, then cut out the faces in black cardstock and modge podged it. I am still working on a hat for the witch-but I think its well on its way to cuteness!

Walking/Running Day2

2010-09-16T12:56:00.002-05:00

I walked/ran 2 miles again today. Second times this week. I did a little more running today. I walk around the block and there are two dead end streets on the circle-they are perfectly spaced. I walk the circle and as I get to the dead ends I run to the end and back. It's still not much running but it is a start.

I MUST TRY THESE!!

2010-09-15T13:49:00.008-05:00

Make it and Love it

my baby boy turns 1!!!!

2010-09-03T00:02:00.004-05:00

Baby Ella

2010-08-27T09:12:00.002-05:00

I saw photos of this baby on Sugar Photography's blog-the photos of her mom and dad holding her for the first time brought tears to my eyes. I cannot imagine having to wait 2 days to hold my baby, having to see my baby going through surgery, not being able to hold my baby whenever I wanted.....

Here you can follow her progress....Ella's Journey and below you will see the video that is posted on the blog-so cute!!!

My first bike ride

2010-08-27T08:42:00.004-05:00

I bought myself a bike almost a month ago and FINALLY took it for a spin today, a VERY SHORT spin-wow was it rough. I totally enjoyed it but wow it was tough on my legs. Its just what I need!

Some of my favorite memories as a child are of my ENTIRE family-dad, mom with younger sister in tow, me and my brother riding bikes around the neighborhood. I remember stopping at the end of our street and getting honey suckles.

I want my kids to have those memories too. Yes my parents were a little younger than I am now and much more active, but I have always been an active person-I've just gotten lazy the last few years. So here is to getting back into shape so I can enjoy the great outdoors with my kids. And its the perfect time of year-it'll be cooking off.....well in about a month. But that gives ME time to get into a little better shape. I know there is NO way I will be able to tow any of my kids right now anyway.

So here is my beautiful (cheap) bike...

another fun project I just HAVE to try...

2010-08-25T19:26:00.004-05:00

very cute teacher gift.

This weekends project

2010-08-25T12:30:00.003-05:00

Ok this is what I want to do this weekend!!! My oldest started kindergarten this year and although Ia m 2 weeks behind I think we can fudge a little. This is super cute and super easy. With the husband off this weekend and my mother coming into town, SURELY I can get this done!!!

Headwear!

2010-08-22T21:22:00.002-05:00

I tried my hand at some headwear for baby girl. First I made this cute flower out of an old t-shirt I had left over from another project. I added it to a hair clip. Very cute for my first flower.

Then I just added a ton of buttons to one of her headbands. Easy, cute and she loved it.

So add that to my list of completed projects this weekend...now if I can be this productive every weekend I might can get my craft room organized!!

Another weekend project!!

2010-08-22T11:44:00.008-05:00

Ok I got brave and linked this post to "Today's Creative Blog"! Its a day late but oh well.

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I found these dragonfly plaques at Hudson's for 99 cents!!! Thought they would be the perfect size for the space above the towel rack in the main bathroom. So I brought them home and painted them. I think they turned out great. Excuse the wallpaper, I am hoping to get that painted soon.

Here is the "before" actually I had painted one already, but you get the idea...

AFTER: the colors are a little off in the photo. The plaques are beige, orange, turquoise and brown.

Knotted T-shirt

2010-08-21T23:05:00.003-05:00

BEFORE

I bought some shirts Old Navy t-shirts at Hudson's tonight for $3.15 and couldn't wait to get home to try a few things. Here is the first one, a knotted t-shirt. Very easy and no sewing. The pictures don't do it justice but this is where I got the idea from... Brassy Apple

AFTER

I think it has a slimming effect also!!!

PHOTOGRAPHY

2010-08-20T21:42:00.002-05:00

I LOVE these portraits!!! Especially the ones near the end, of the couple laying in the long grass!!! AMAZING!!!

WEEKEND PROJECT

2010-08-20T21:32:00.003-05:00

OK hopefully I will be able to tackle one project this weekend.....

Found these for 99 cents each at Hudsons. I want to paint them each a different color and hang them as a foursome. I am thinking I will hang them in the main bathroom. There is an empty space above the towel rack that could use some decor......