A little cowboy in the makin'

My daughter came home with this outfit for pictures and I about died. Between those eyes and a cute wardrobe, he's going to break alot of hearts.

Moms, hide your daughters-right now.

Blogroll

Blogroll

We interrupt our regularly scheduled program...

The other day while my four year old and I were looking for preschool games online, we were interupted by an ad with Obama's photo along with two other men's faces.

Emily quickly pointed to his face and said, "That's Obama."

My jaw dropped because I had never spoke to her about the election and how we have a new President or even what the heck a President was.

After blinking a couple of times, I asked her if she knew who he was and she smiled and said, "He's our President of the United States."

Who says that TV doesn't teach our children anything?

Friday Favorites

I'm pleading temporary insanity and now I'm better today. Probably because it's Friday and I need a Friday Favorite!

This find is a fun one and it would brighten anyone's day.

(it's from Etsy too.)

This store makes cupcakes in a jar-What an awesome idea!

The story on how this began is very interesting, so I just took the owner's description from their site so you can read it for yourself.

(quoted from her site)

"****Who I Am And How It All Started***I am a proud mama of two beautiful boys, and an adorable baby girl, and wife to a wonderful husband (I made him a Fat Daddy LOL!). I have been baking since I've been walking and after years of hearing "you should sell this stuff, its delicious!!" I have finally decided to share my love for baking with others. Deciding on selling my infamous CUPCAKES was a no brainier, they are by far the most amazing things I have ever pulled out of the oven....moist, rich, sweet, delectable, mouthwatering big cups of goodness. I am a true cupcake aficionado. I love everything about cupcakes. I love baking them; I love decorating and packaging them. I love eating them and smelling them. I love giving them as gifts to other people, and I even love things that look like cupcakes.......but how on earth can I ship such a delicate babycake???? Well it finally hit me one day.....CUPCAKES IN A JAR! So after months of trial and error I have finally perfected a unique and functional way of sharing these classic treats...THE ORIGINAL CUPCAKES IN A JAR™"

Yummy! That's the word that comes to my mind.

Want to see some photos? Of course you do!

They have a 6 and 12 month cupcake of the month that would make great gifts and with Valentine's Day coming, I think these would warm anyone's heart. I know mine would get all warm and cozy.

Don't worry about safety either, because they are a fully LICENSED bakery in Illinois.

So, go visit and buy some for someone or for yourself- I would hide them though, because you might have to plead temporary insanity if a family member tries to take one.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5235881

Wrong side of the bed

I'm not sure how it started. Maybe it was because I slept wrong and have a bad kink in my neck. Maybe it was because I woke up with a headache. Or maybe because I looked outside the kitchen window, hoping that all the snow melted and it was miraculously eighty degrees out.

I don't know how it started, but I woke up angry.

Angry about what, you ask?

I'll tell you.

1. I'm angry that no matter how much I try, we still seem in too much debt.
2. I'm angry that no matter how much I try, I can't seem to let my oldest daughter be a grownup and not have to call her all the time.
3. I'm angry that no matter how much I try, I can't seem to just sit down and finish writing my novel.
4. I'm angry that no matter how much I try, I'm not sure if I have true readers of this blog and they only visit because I comment on theirs.
5. I'm angry that no matter how much I try, I still get jealous of other popular bloggers.
6. I'm angry that no matter how much I try, I still manage to yell at one of my kids at least once a day.
7. I'm angry that no matter how much I try, I can't get all my crap organized.
8. I'm angry that no matter how much I try, I don't feel like a great writer.
9. I'm angry that no matter how much I try, I still manage to feel sorry for myself.

What did I do about this "angry"?

Well, after slapping myself in the face, I decided to look at the bright side of everything. Though, it was pretty damn hard to see that little #$%^ beam of light coming out my rear, I rewrote my angry list into a brighter outlook.

1.After we get our tax refund, we'll be almost out of debt.
2.Every time I call my daughter, she is safe and sound.
3.I'm going to start going to the library to write again.
4.I write for myself, so even if only one person loves my blog, that's ok.
5.I don't look good in green, so jealously just isn't going to work for me.
6.Yelling is good for cleaning out the lungs.
7.It's fun finding something that you lost a month ago, so who needs to be organized?
8.My friend, Michelle thinks I'm an awesome writer and I think she is too.
9.If you don't feel sorry for yourself, who will?

Words with a Blogger Wednesday

Wednesday already?

That means it's Words with a Blogger Wednesday!

This week's blogger is...

Hi! I’m Angela Sackett.

My blog is www.dancingwithmyfather.blogspot.com.

When did you start blogging?
About a year ago – I’d been wanting to write more, and it was a way to have “external motivation,” as a friend calls it, to get writing!

Tell us about what kind of blog you have and what made you decide to run a blog like this?

I actually have three – a family blog, a devotional blog ( which I don’t keep up with as much!) and more recently, a blog for my photography. For my family blog, I wanted to “see life as God sees it…” I wanna be a fun mom, I wanna dance more, and I wanna live more in the moment. I’m hoping that as I chronicle that, other women, especially, will be encouraged in their journey! I blog about food, kids, homeschooling, devotional stuff… hopefully some of it is funny, and some of it is challenging and deep! I’m kind of a mish-mosh of different moods, and I think my blog reflects that.

Do you make money from your blog?
Not yet – I want to some day!

How frequently do you post?
Currently a couple of times a week. I’d like to be posting about every other day.

Do you have a favorite blogger(s) that you just can't live without reading?
For absolutely sure, Snippets From Suburbia. I also love Pioneer Woman, and Turquoise Gates is a blog I would beg every woman I know to read!

Have your readers influenced you in any way?
YES!!! Comments in response to what I write challenge me to re-think what I so passionately pour out. I’m encouraged to look at things differently, and I am encouraged to keep going!

Has blogging changed your life in any way?
Abso-schmootly! Blogging has made me more aware of everyday moments, because I’m thinking about how I’ll chronicle them. I think it also challenges me to see “deeper” into everyday events, in hopes that what I see will resonate with someone.

What do you do when you get writer's block?
Sleep! (But not much.) I love to read, too… I’m a fiction (I like Christian fiction, historical fiction, and I read a ton of devotional and photography books!) junkie, and I am a blog junkie. It’s often when I’m reading other bloggers that I’m inspired to write about a topic from my own perspective.

Any other advice you might have for newbie bloggers?
Write, write, and write! Read what others write. I think the “blog revolution” (is that a real phrase?) is such a phenomenon largely because it connects us to others we might never meet. When we read about others’ experiences, whether they’re familiar to us or shockingly different, it challenges us to “go deeper” into our own life experience. A good friend challenged me once, “When life gets really hard, imagine it like a music video, with awesome music playing as the scenes go by.” Blogging helps me do that – when I read what I’ve written, I reflect, and my focus is on the sweetness of it all!

Would you like to be my next victim-er, I mean interview? Comment on this post and I will stalk you and peek in your windows to watch your family eat dinner just like the Australian guy that follows that gecko character -Or, I'll just send you an email with a list of interview questions for you to answer.

Just eight of the thousands of boring things about me

OMGOSH! I've been tagged by two great people, Kristie from over at My Crazy Life and from Farrah at Wife and Mom of 3 . They happened to be the same kind of tag. So, here they are today at the same time. Can I do that?

I am suppose to tell 8 random things about myself:

1. My perfect time of the day is the wee early hours of the morning when everyone else is still asleep.

2. I love to decorate to the point of insanity.

3. My favorite color is black-No, I'm not evil.

4. I am left handed-where did you think I got my creativity?

5. I'm a blogaholic- yes, I have a problem.

6. My hair isn't naturally red-unless you stop me in the street and ask me. Then, I will lie.

7. I flew all the way to Germany to meet a boy and we spent a weekend in Paris and kissed at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

8. My most favorite place in the world is Disney World- I would live in Cinderella's Castle if they'd let me.


I may have told you these secrets about me before. I can't remember and am too lazy to go back to check-sorry!

Ok, I'm tagging now:

http://thecreativejunkie.com/
http://www.havocandmayhem.com/
http://simplypersnickety.blogspot.com/
http://www.barbhogan.typepad.com/
http://www.retroheather.com/
http://dana-justtalk.blogspot.com/
http://fearlessmom.blogspot.com/
http://eighthelpinghands.blogspot.com/


Now here are the RULES for this tag:

1. Each blogger starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged and to read your blog.
5. For the recipients, leave a comment for the person who tagged you, so they can go and read your answers.

Now Im off to let all taggies know!

Slipping through the cracks

If you are a regular reader then you know that I don't write too much about my middle child. Jordon is my quiet kid therefore, not too many crazy things to talk about like not wanting to smell like soap, making me a grandma or wild stuff like that.

Last week has been another story. You may of heard me brag about how smart he is and how we don't worry about him because he takes care of himself. So, I kind of rely on that so I can handle all the quickly-turning-gray-hair-pulling-episodes that my two girls cause me on a daily basis.

Is this bad? Yes and I learned this when my son told me he didn't want to go to school on Thursday. That part didn't shock me for even though he does well in school, he'd rather stay home and beat the sixth level boss on Mega Man. I rolled my eyes, waiting for his explanation as to why he couldn't go to school so he could stay home and play video games.

"Don't you want to know why?" he asked and clicked his tongue.
"Sure. Why not?" I answered and looked at him through the rear view mirror.
"Because everyone who doesn't have an "incomplete" for their grades gets to go to a pizza party."
"Soooooo, you don't like pizza?" was all I could think of to say.
He just glared at me in the mirror and it finally clicked in my head. You really don't need to know the EXACT words I said next to him. Heh, heh. Just know I was very upset with him. I learned, between me scolding him and him yelling back, that he just really didn't have a reason why he was missing assignments and the teachers must have lost them because he knew that he did them. Maybe that happened and maybe it didn't. All I knew was that while being a busy parent, wife and entrepreneur, I let my middle child slip through the cracks. So, I blame myself to think that a thirteen year old could run their life and no matter how smart this child was and how he could probably balance my checkbook better than me, he couldn't do it by himself.

When we got home, we sat down and made a deal. I told him that if he went to each of his teachers and had them write down the missing assignments and then get them all done-and oh yeah, he can't play video games until all is caught up- then, I would buy him a game. Yep. I'm bribing him. I know, he shouldn't be rewarded for doing something that he should have done to begin with. BUT, I needed to do this since I've been leaving the responsibility of growing up to this poor child. It really motivated him to do it too and if this works and reminds me to not forget about him then I think it's ok. I'm now going to stick a post-it on my monitor stating, 'Don't forget-you have THREE children.'

Friday Favorites

It's Friday Favorites!

I know I've been steering away from my original plan of featuring Etsy shops and I regret to say that today will be no different-sorry!

I couldn't resist telling you about this neat site:

Magic Mural Factory

http://www.magic-mural-factory.com/

Fiona, the owner, has the best job in the world!

She designs children's murals that you can put up yourself and they are so beautiful. I was looking for a design to put up in our playroom and stumbled across her site and I love it!
Fiona is a professional mural artist and with the support of her family, she created a way for people to have a mural in their home at the fraction of the cost of hiring a muralist.

Your child (and you) will fall into fantasy land as you stare at these gorgeous designs she creates.There are lots of boy and girl themed murals to choose from like princess themed and jungle themed and they can be used for lots of purposes.

Here are some examples:

So, if you are looking for an idea for a room in your home, try one of these on for size!

I'M SO EXCITED!!!

I repeat, I'M SO EXCITED!!!
It has been killing me not to tell anyone, but I wanted to wait until it was my turn to be revealed from Hallmark.
Thanks to my daughter's perfect evil expression, I won a Hallmark Mother's Day card contest!!!! Well, I'm a finalist but I still get cash, a donation to a charity and the most important part- MY CARD WILL BE SOLD IN STORES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY!!
I'm doing the Tom Cruise couch dance! Oh yeah, oh yeah!
Ok, I'm done. lol.
It has been a dream for me to have a card through Hallmark and even though I'm just one out of sixteen finalist, I'll take it!
You can view it here:
http://www.hallmarkcontests.com/parenthood/reveal.cfm
and it should go up in their blog here:
http://www.yourhallmarkcardcompetition.blogspot.com/
Go see! (My card is under "Teresa Moody- 364 days of this")
Ok, now on to voting for the grand prize. Some mini contest begins Feb 23rd but the important contest for the grand prize winner begins on April 6th- THAT'S when they go on sale in the stores and you can vote by buying my card or voting online-or both. Soooooooooo, please vote for me?! I know, thats a long ways away and well, you are a busy person and you might forget...Don't worry, man. I am going to include a side bar REMINDING YOU EVERY DAY. Am I being scary? It's ok. I don't know where you live. So, please buy my card or make your kids give you my card for Mother's Day and I will love you forever. Am I still scaring you? Don't worry. They lock me up after 9pm every night.
Doing another cartwheel and hoping I don't land on the dog...

Words with a Blogger Wednesday

It's Words with a Blogger Wednesday!

This week's blogger runs an awesome and helpful blog:

Jodi Friedman

from

MCP Actions

Please introduce yourself:

My name is Jodi Friedman and I am the creator of MCP Actions - Photoshop Resources for Photographers. My website is at http://www.mcpactions.com/. And my blog is located at: http://www.mcpactions.com/blog

When did you start blogging?
I have been blogging for years inconsistently. Last February (so a year ago), I decided to commit to blogging. I designed a new blog (with the help of a coder) and started blogging 4-7 days a week ever since then.

Tell us about what kind of blog you have and what made you decide to run a blog like this?
My blog is focused on helping photographers. I educate photographers on everything from products that can help their business, to photoshop tutorials, to photography tips. I also have great contests and give aways to add to the fun.

Do you make money from your blog?
Not directly. I do not sell advertising at this time. I have had people suggest I do. This could be something for the future as I grow. I have a couple of affiliate ads but since most of my readers subscribe via readers and email, they never see these anyway. Indirectly, I do make money from the blog. I offer products for photoshop called "actions." Many readers have purchased these from my website. It goes both ways though - some buy then find my blog, while others find my blog and eventually end up on my website.

How frequently do you post?
Most weeks I post 5-6 times.

Do you have a favorite blogger(s) that you just can't live without reading?
I read a very popular blog called The Pioneer Woman, which I just became a photography contributor for a month ago. YAY! I also visit blogs of many photographers, probably too many to name here, and also of other Photoshop and Photography resources. I use google reader to keep track of blogs - and when I have a few spare minutes will check to see what I am missing.

Have your readers influenced you in any way?
I am not sure if they influence me per say, but the fact that I get so many comments and true support for what I do certainly keeps me motivated.

Has blogging changed your life in any way?
Well the obvious one is that it keeps me busier. But it really has been fulfilling. I like that I have a way to reach an audience and communicate with people. I can share things about my life as well as really help others.

What do you do when you get writer's block?
I keep a list of random topics to blog on. I use this list when I cannot think of what to post. I usually do not get writers block, but sometimes "topic block" so this helps a lot.

Any other advice you might have for newbie bloggers?
Once you commit, blog and blog often. The more you blog, the more you will build readers who come to see what you have to say. Decide who your target audience is and find a way to make your posts fit that theme. I also recommend getting involved in social networking. Get on Facebook, start a Facebook group even. Get on Twitter. If you are a photographer, consider Flickr too. All of these things are great networking and also make your blogging and relationships more personal. One last piece of advice, ask your fans to link to you. It can be a text link or a banner. This helps with SEO and also just gets the word out.

Thanks, Jodi!

Would you like to be my next victim-er, I mean interview? Comment on this post and I will stalk you and peek in your windows to watch your family eat dinner just like the Australian guy that follows that gecko character on Geico-Or, I'll just send you an email with a list of interview questions for you to answer.

And the winner is...

I waited until way late at night to see if I would get anymore entries to my contest and then accidently fell asleep! So, this morning I drew a name out of a hat (ok, maybe they were just sitting on my desk) and chose a winner- Semi-Slacker Mom!!
Make sure you contact me so I can start on your artwork. Thanks everyone for the kind words about my art!
Also another win happened last night. We spent our night having to wear our matching jerseys, eating hot wings and watching the deciding game to see if my husband's team (Steelers) are going to the Super Bowl and they are! Now, there won't be any living with him until the Super Bowl. He's going to be all "Steelers Rule!" this and "Steelers Rule!" that. Now, if they win the Super Bowl? Argh.....Do you have a spare room at your house?

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites

At the request of a reader and friend, I am going to showcase my art business this Friday!

Ok, what do I do?

Other then being a photographer, I do pet art too!

(Well, I do a bit of people art too if you ask real nicely.)

Here is my website:

http://www.tmoodydesigns.com/

I don't have an Etsy shop yet but I will be opening one soon, so look for it!

Here are some past commissions I've done:



My baby, Mia!

I've been doing pet art for about two years now and it's a strong passion of mine. I mainly do my artwork on the computer and my paintbrushes are my Wacom Tablet/Pen and mouse.

I offer commissioned art pieces on print or gallery wrapped canvas. I also have an "Adoptable" Dog Art Collection of many breeds with a portion of profits going to charities.

My artwork has been featured in articles and people from around the world own a custom artwork of their pet done by little ole me!

So, for you readers letting me be vain for this Friday Favorite, I'm going to hold a contest and you can win an art piece by me!

An 8x10 one panel to be exact.

You can either have a piece done of your pet or child if you'd rather or if you like one from the Adoptable Dog Art Collection, I can use one of the panels of the three and make an 8x10 from it.

How do you enter?

Just leave a comment telling me you love my work (wink, wink) and a way to get a hold of you and I will randomly choose a winner Sunday night.

Now, as I always say, go visit this great find!

Smelly Cat

By the looks of this sweet looking girl, you would never expect that she would be capable of developing the craziest phobias that seem to turn our lives upside down.

If you knew my daughter, you'd be well aware of her very picky attitude towards things that you and I wouldn't give a second thought to. I of course blame her father because neither of my other two children have ever been like this and since he did not father them, I think I've got a case here.

Lately, her bug up her butt is over soap. She does not want to use it because she doesn't like her hands (or even her whole body for that fact) smelling like soap. Mind you, we have not changed soaps recently and she has been fine with smelling like soap since she was born. THIS JUST HAPPENED OUT OF THE BLUE!

Is this just our soap, you ask? No. This has also been a problem when we go to the store and she has to use the public restrooms. We end up just having to use water-yes I know what you are thinking, all you other women washing your hands next to us.

She has become so sensitive to soap smell that one time after I grabbed her chubby little cheeks and gave her a kiss she asked, "Mom, do you have soap on your hands?" "Um, yeah." I replied. She gave me a look like I had just cut off all the heads of her barbies. Then, she smelled her own hands as if the smell could magically be transferred to them.

We've tried to expain to her how nice it is to smell clean and not like a butt and how her friends might like her smelling like a flower over the cat's litter box. She just sticks her non-soap-smelling hand in our faces and says, NO MOM. Or she drops to the ground kicking and screaming until we stop talking about it. I've thought about mentioning to her that I might have to call the dentist because if you don't wash your hands, he won't be happy with you. Though, I might have to save that threat for some bigger crisis like when she wants to start dating.

I'm not sure what to do except maybe take her to the store and let her smell every kind of the thousands of soaps available and let her choose which aroma she can handle being on her body. Won't this be a fun task? I'll be all like, Em, what do you think about this smell? Then, she'll drop on the ground dead and everyone around us will say, "How dare that woman make her child smell a bar of soap!"

Motherhood is NEVER dull.

Words with a Blogger Wednesday

How about another post about bloggers?

It's Words with a Blogger Wednesday!

This week's blogger is:

Elizabeth

from over at

A Nut in a Nutshell

Please introduce yourself:
My name is Elizabeth (aka blueviolet) from A Nut in a Nutshell
http://a-nut-in-a-nutshell.blogspot.com/

When did you start blogging and what made you decide to blog?
I began reading blogs in the fall and was revisiting the same ones so often that friendships began to form and blog authors convinced me to start my own. I started my own blog in October 2008.

What is your blogging style?
I would say it's playful.

Do you make money from your blog?
Not yet but there's always tomorrow.

What do you do to network/promote your blog to bring in readers?
I still love reading other people's blogs so I spend a lot of time doing that and getting to know people that way. I also have joined some of the social groups designed to bring mom bloggers together like Twitter Moms.

How frequently do you post?
I post every day and sometimes more than once.

Do you have a favorite blogger(s) that you just can't live without reading?
I have a handful of them but not one in particular.

What do you recommend to blog about?
If it's important to you, share it! If you have helpful knowledge in a particular area, there's always someone out there who is interested. I think it's great when bloggers can specialize into a niche.

Have your readers influenced you in any way?
They keep me posting. They're nice enough to comment and come back again and again so I try to give them something new to read. My readers become my friends.

Has blogging changed your life in any way?
It's created a nice outlet for writing and it's added some fun friendships to my life.

What do you do when you get writer's block?
I try to stay off the computer and enjoy more of life. Life's experiences are what provides my material so I need to be out there!

Any other advice you might have for newbie bloggers?
Bloggers are friendly and are more than happy to share advice and tips. Don't be afraid to reach out and ask questions.

Do you blog?

I'm looking for other bloggers to bug, so if you would like to be interviewed, please leave a comment!

(Do you make money from your blog? Yes? Please contact me for a special interview and a feature in an article!)

My Internet obsessions

I have MANY blogs that I read but I have two absolute favorites that are my cup of coffee in the morning and I just can not live without reading-trust me, I've tried. These two wonderful blogs are The Pioneer Woman and Dooce. I love, love, love these blogs and would love to feature them on my Words with a Blogger post on Wednesdays but they are much too famous to be bothered with little ole me.

Which one do I like most? If you had asked me a couple of months ago, I would of shouted, DOOCE , OF COURSE! But, after really exploring Ree's (The Pioneer Woman) blog more, I've leaned towards her site more. I even find myself not visiting over at Mrs. Dooce's site as much these days. Don't get me wrong-I can't resist the urge to see the new photos she posts which is my favorite part of her site. Her writing skills are an inspiration-she really is a good writer and I learn alot from reading her posts but the content sometimes gets a bit boring lately and she doesn't post as often as I would like her to. But, I will be buying her book
when it comes out in March and you should too!

Now, on to Ree over at The Pioneer Woman. She is AWESOME! She has inspired me to offer a blog(site) like hers which I will be working on here shortly. She is like the wonder woman of blogging. She does a cooking section, homeschooling section, photography section, daily life section, home and garden section AND even an online romance story of her life. How she keeps up with all this is beyond me but I'm glad she does!

So, now you know what I do when I have free time (or even if I don't)- I'm busy reading these blogs and dreaming of being just as famous...

Monday moaning

I need a Monday meme to save me because I spent the weekend redoing our downstairs and I'm exhausted. Are we done? Heck no. But, close. You see, our basement/rec room must host a theater room and a playroom. Luckily, it's divided into two sections and lately we've had the "theater" part in the bigger side. We decided that the bigger side should now be the playroom side with all the expensive tv equipment tucked safely on the smaller side. There was also the task of clearing out the rest of my daughter's things which we will have to bribe my brother who has a big vehicle to haul it to her place. I have included some work in progress photos and I will post some more when we are totally done.

The new playroom side work-in-progress. Yes, we have lots of toys.

The new "theater room" work-in-progress. I've given permission for it to look manly with Steelers decor on it's way.

Yeah, I could have showed you the before photos but that would have meant that I was one of those people who think ahead-duh. I've been looking on the Internet for ideas and have some cool plans for both rooms including turning a wall into a chalk board-how cool will that be?

So, where was I going with this post? Oh yeah. For my meme I will do a "10 things you always wanted to know about me but were afraid to ask"-or, how about "10 things about me that you could care less but I'm going to tell you anyway."

10 things about me:

1. I secretly lust over Shia LaBeouf -though it's not really much of a secret.

2. I love licorice more than chocolate-but not by much.

3. I used to have a brunette Farrah Fawcett hair style in high school-wait, I still do!

4. I run four businesses.

5. I paid $20 for my husband-actually, we met through Yahoo online personals and it cost me $20 to join so I could send him an email-had to. His pic was so cute!

6. I am an artist- painting and graphic design.

7. I hate grocery shopping.

8. I LOVE to decorate-my tastes exceed what we can afford unfortunately.

9. I would love to be famous in some way.

10. My exercising consists of running up and down the stairs to check my email.

Ok you can wake up now, I'm done.

I tag all of you to do the same on your blogs.

Emily was right. I am evil, aren't I?

Ta-daa!

Do you remember our remodeling project downstairs?

This was the right side that WAS the theater room side but we switched it to the left side and planned on making the larger side a playroom.

A big mess, right?

After taking out the rest of my oldest's stuff, throwing out alot of junk, putting up a "wall" where we used to have curtains covering a storage area and making a chalkboard wall, we made a presentable playroom.

The after look.

This will come in handy on Super Bowl Sunday when the kids can hang out over here and the guys can watch the game without having to throw chicken wing bones at them for playing in front of the big screen tv.

Friday Favorite

Friday Favorites!

My latest Etsy find is

Zaja Natural

They make handmade soaps and cleansers and they are simply fab!

I love the smell of soap and I also love pretty soap and these bars are just beautiful.

You could use these soaps and even make your bathroom look like a celebrity-that's how awesome they are!

Check out these pics:

They even make sea mud.

Wouldn't you just want to smear this all over your face?

So, take the time to pamper yourself and visit this awesome shop and get you some!

Indoor plumbing

A couple of weeks ago, Mia was happy to be able to see the ground again when the snow almost went away since she absolutely hates to step in that cold and wet stuff. When it's time to go "outside"and she sees the white stuff, she puts the brakes on and we end up scooting her out the door. She doesn't understand why she has to go outside to go because she can just wait until we go to bed and then go on my new rug.

Stripes

Jessica received a gift certificate to get her hair done from Santa this Christmas and she used it today to get her hair cut and added red and blonde highlights. I think I just might have to get some stripes put in my hair too so we can look like sisters.

The Exorcist

Sometimes don't you wish that you could jump into your child's head and see what they are thinking or why they do what they do? I wish I could have done that the other night to understand why my four year old decided to act the way she did. Then, maybe I would not of wanted to hang her by her toes from our front tree and drip water on her forehead until she promised to never act that way again.

I had potential clients over for an interview and the last couple of times I've had people over, Emily was very nice and cute and they just wanted to eat her up, she was so entertaining. So, when big sister offered to take her over to her house while they were here, I declined with a smile.

Well. I wished that I had taken her up on her offer because SHE WAS HORRIBLE. I would've sworn that my child was possessed by the devil and was waiting for her head to spin. She would not listen to me and kept pulling on me and was even saying mean things to them. I was secretly wishing that the couch would swallow me up and when I got out they would be gone and we could both pretend that we had never met and all would be good. I even thought about not claiming her as my own creation and that I was just watching my neighbor's child and that she was due back to the zoo by midnight.

It was probably the longest hour of my life and I was hoping they didn't catch my YOU BETTER KNOW THAT YOU ARE ONLY GETTING COAL FOR NEXT CHRISTMAS look. When we were done (thank God), I thanked them (for putting up with the demon child) and watched them try to get out of my house quicker then a live turkey at Thanksgiving time. After hearing tires squealing out of the driveway, I slowly turned around to my precious little angel and without even yelling, I asked her why she behaved so badly? Maybe it was the look on my face or maybe NOT yelling freaked her out but all she did was start crying and saying that I hated her. Okay. Now I KNOW that she was taken over by some crazy alien and I was going to the mother ship to get my baby back.

The rest of the night, I just remained calm with her which to my surprise worked for me. She kept asking me if I was mad at her and I said pretty much and this was just devastating to her. I think she prefered that I yelled at her and send her to her room so she could work on her drama queen acting abilities for her future career as an actress.

When it was time to go to bed, she went without a fight and I thought, hmmm. I think she actually feels bad for being a brat. Then, in the middle of the night I felt a tug on my arm and a little voice whispering in my ear saying, "Mommy, do you love me now?" Argggh. (heart breaking) How do they manage to make US feel bad when they were bad?

Words with a blogger Wednesday

It's W-W-W-Wednesday and that means it's

WORDS WITH A BLOGGER WEDNESDAY!

This week's blogger is

Jenni from

Jiggety Jigg

Take it away, Jenni!

Tell us about yourself and your blog.
My name is Jenni and my blog is Jiggety Jigg. I am a thirty-five year old mother of two boys named Douglas and Jack. I have been married to my awesome husband for 12 years. I am a third grade teacher professionally, but I would give it up in a heartbeat to blog full time on my couch.

When did you start blogging and what made you decide to blog?
I started blogging a couple years ago informally on MySpace and then started Jiggety Jigg this past summer. I honestly don't know what made me start blogging. I got a "bug in my butt" about it one day and just started.

Do you make money from your blog?
I don't make money right now...just friends!

What do you do to network/promote your blog to bring in readers?
I have been trying to be active in the blogging community. I have been doing entrecard and joining some different social networks like Mom Bloggers Club.

How do you balance blogging and family?
It is hard to do it all. I pretty much do my bloggy stuff at night after the kids are in bed and I am just relaxing. I sneak in some time in the afternoons when I can, too!

How frequently do you post?
I post on a daily schedule right now!

What do you recommend to blog about?
I recommend writing about what is real to you. And funny is always good...even if it is a dorky kind of funny.

Have your readers influenced you in any way?
Absolutely. I always keep them in mind while I am writing! And also I have been influenced greatly by reading their blogs!

What is your blogging style?
Do I have a style? Is giant goofball a style?

What do you do when you get writer's block?
I go blog surfing and look for some inspiration!

Thanks, Jenni!

Would you like to be interviewed?

Beg, plead or send chocolate and I just might feature you!

Seriously, comment on this post that you would like to be featured

(though chocolate really would help).

Dance class and school sickness

It seems like Christmas vacation flew by and now everyone is back to school and work. Emily was the only one that woke up excited today because dance class starts up again.

I just happen to walk past her room when she shot up from under the covers so fast, I was surprised she didn't hit the ceiling. "Is it dance class day?" she asked, grinning from ear to ear. "No, I'm sorry, Hon." I lied. "You have to wait until next week." Her head dropped so hard that I was waiting for it to roll off and land at my feet. "I'm just kidding," I said and smiled. She quickly looked up at me with a scrunched nose and just said, "You are evil, Mom." I agreed with her.

Next task was to drag big brother out of bed and I already knew what to expect-the "I don't feel good and can't go to school," moan from under the covers. I had to remind him that in the whole time off, he was not sick once and maybe, just maybe, it might be in his head. It ended up going more smoothly than I expected and I got him off to school. (telling him that if he stayed home he wouldn't get to play with any of the new video games for a week might of helped a bit)

Now, I have to find a way to make the day go by faster so that after the hundredth time that Emily asks me if it's time to go to dance class, I can finally say, YES!

Happy Birthday, Jordon!

Dear Jordon,

Today you turn 13.

It seems like just yesterday, you were a little toddler waddling around with your shag hair cut that you still give me a hard time about.

You are a good kid and you even though you'd rather stay in your room all day and play video games, you occasionally grace us with your presence so we know that you still are alive.

You are a good brother too and I know you love your sisters even though you torture your little sister and make your older sister want to kill you 23 of the 24 hours in a day.

You are now officially a teenager and I hope that doesn't give you any ideas to start giving me more gray hairs than your older sister did and now that you are a teen, don't even start thinking about getting a car when you turn sixteen-we definitely learned that lesson and you can thank your sis for that one.

I will never worry about you being able to take care of yourself when you grow up and we all know you'll have plenty of money in the bank because you figured out about the whole saving for what you want thing-something your mom still needs to figure out.

You are super smart and every year we are reminded of this when you come home with A's on your report card and invitations to be in the gifted classes because you get almost perfect skills tests (We know, you got your smarts from your grandma).

I couldn't of asked for a better son and I hope you still are a good son to me when I get old and your sisters are contemplating putting me in an old folks home.

So, enjoy this milestone and don't get too big for your britches because I can still put you over my knee-just remember that.

Happy Birthday!

Your mama.

Friday Favorites

It's Friday Favorites!!

I stumbled across a very neat site at Etsy and found out that the owner is an awesome person.

This week's find is:

Macaroni and Glue

Owned by Kelly Drill

Tell us a bit about yourself!

My name is Kelly and I'm a full-time mom and stationery designer. I'm also a part-time nanny for my 12-month-old niece. Both my husband and I are former actors, political junkies, technophiles, and all-around creative/nerdy types. Both originally mid-westerners, we found each other on the west coast and lived on a boat in Seattle for several years before relocating to the Dallas suburbs in 2006.

Our 3-year-old daughter is the most beautiful and hilarious person I've ever met.I created Macaroni and Glue in 2007 as a means to establish some much-needed balance between my inner artist and outer homemaker. With my history in the performing arts, I was feeling a bit lost after two years of being at home and started looking in all directions for ways to express myself creatively.

I totally embraced my inner Martha Stewart - learned to cook, tried all sorts of crafting techniques, made homemade toys for my daughter, etc.Paper crafts and stationery ultimately became a passion.

I opened shop on Etsy in February 2008 and my work is now available internationally to boutiques and specialty shops. I'm inspired by all things vintage and girly.

My current obsession is turn-of-the-century illustrations and greeting cards from the 30s - 50s. I love to find beautiful vintage imagery, and then take it completely out of context to create something fun and modern. My daughter is also a huge source of inspiration - she teaches me how to look at the world in unique and quirky ways, which helps to keep the creative juices flowing.

As a designer, I use vintage and vintage-inspired art to create uniquely nostalgic stationery. My cards and invitations are crafted from textured and specialty card stocks, printed in small batches, and lovingly cut and scored by hand in my small Texas studio. Macaroni and Glue offers unique and special invitations, handcrafted greeting cards, and vintage-inspired blank note sets. In addition to the Macaroni and Glue stationery line, I also offer custom design services for individual and corporate clients who desire a one-of-a-kind stationery look.

My complete line is available in my Etsy shop(http://macaroniandglue.etsy.com/). I also have selected pieces available at The Pear Project (http://thepearproject.com/).

Kelly Drill

Macaroni and Glue simple.stylish.stationery 206.250.6522

Shop online at http://macaroniandglue.etsy.com/

See my portfolio at http://www.trunkt.org/macaroniandglue

Read more at http://macaroniandglue.com/

Thanks, Kelly!

Have a great day