More crafty goodness...

So, the crafty bug hasn't left me just yet..... I have made a few more fun projects.....

I made some coasters (& i think i will make some more for teacher presents and/or Christmas gifts)..... They are made out of tiles using a permanent ink pad for non-porous surfaces. Then i heat set the ink so they wouldn't run when a glass is placed on the coaster.

I added felt tabs to the backside corners so that they won't scratch each other or the tables.
I also tried out a new product that i had been eyeing for awhile. I made magnets out of 2 inch tiles. I used alcohol inks & a blending solution to make the background color. Then stamped the image with the same non-porous ink pad. Heat set these also, but i am not sure it was necessary...Then i had the idea to try a coat of diamond glaze to the top for a shine & it turned out pretty well...
It dried so shiny & I love the glass look it gave them. The possibilities for this project are endless!! I am pretty excited, can you tell?

We also had a birthday party to go to for a 5 year old boy in the Jackson & Eli's bible class.... so i decided to decorate another paint can & fill it with goodies. I put smarties, some push up pencils, little notepad, & a nerf ball inside.
I couldn't help myself... i HAD to use stickles.... on the cupcake liner & the "flame"...
And i added his name to the top (put stickles dots on the letters too) & then added a little ribbon love to the handle.
After that project, i did this little project... I made little goodie bags that i am going to hand out to the little kids in the bible class i am teaching this quarter. Next Sunday is the last Sunday of the quarter so this gave me an excuse to make something!! So i made another project with the labels that i have been stamping.... homemade goodie bags with covered Hershey's nuggets!

FUN TIMES!!

Poor Kitty...

Tuesday morning Jackson let Lola in to feed her. She was fine, i promise. But when i came in after work, she came to me limping. She was hopping actually... she didn't want to put any weight on her hind leg. She didn't really want me to look at it or touch it either, & kept jerking away & meowing. From the first glimpses i was able to get at her foot, i thought she was having another allergic reaction to a bee sting or something (this happened earlier last month) & figured that the swelling would go away in 48 hours like it did before.

Nope... try again. By Wednesday evening, she was laying around, & i had to carry her up & down the stairs. She was pitiful, so i called the vet first thing Thursday morning & they fit her in. Thankfully, she was eating & drinking as normal, so they weren't too concerned. But they had to shave her paw, & "drain" it because she had punctured it on something. What? I have no idea! But she was sent home with 3 days of pain meds (2 times a day in liquid form).... and 10 days of antibiotics (2 times a day in pill form). And she is on "house arrest" for at least 5 days because "feet are tricky" & are hard to get well. So thankfully she has done this alot for the first 3 days thanks to the pain meds.....She would just lay around, looking miserable for the next couple of days.

Her foot looks great here.... It was cleaned up & drained... & this was a couple days later. Those antibiotics worked fast!

But now that she is done with those pain meds & the antibiotics are working, she feels better & is VERY ready to go back outside. She is frisky & chasing things, chewing on things, meowing incessantly (at the door), & stalking. One thing i don't like about cats (& i like most everything about cats) is the stalking. I don't like that anticipation of being pounced at! There is a reason that she is an indoor/outdoor cat... she NEEDS to get her energy out - outdoors! But in the meantime, she is having a blast...

What a week!

Hopefully this week won't be as eventful as last week. In one week we had a pool date planned, 2 work days for me (kids to Mema), speech which we had to cancel because i forgot i had to switch a work day to accomodate the kindergarten assessement. We also had preschool orientation for Eli! It was going to be busy for sure.... but i had no idea JUST how crazy it would because....

I literally locked my keys in my Jeep twice in one week. We have no spare key & no AAA. And the fact that i did it once, much less twice, tells you that i was stressed & fretting around & was just being forgetful! (Technically once was Jackson's fault, but we won't go there.) We were locked out after trying to get into 3 different pools that were closed for maintenance in our final attempt to hit the pool this summer (poor Emma was soooo sad), but after Randy finally rescued us all, we ended up hitting Pullen Park & making the best of the rest of that afternoon. But then..... i did it again - only 3 days later while i was parked at the elementary school..... That time, i actually cried. I had had enough for one week & was just coming out of the school after hearing all about sending my kid to Kindergarten. Thankfully, my sister rescued me this time.

In fact, she not only rescued me, but she stopped by my house on the way to the rescue to get the cat so that i wouldn't miss the appointment that i had scheduled for her since she had come in limping the day before. She picked me up, Lola in tow, & took us all to the vet, waited in the waiting area with the kids while i had Lola's foot checked out. (I have decided that it is impossible to EVER get out of the vet's office for cheaper than $100 bucks!!) Then she took us home. Isn't she the best sister ever??? Nevermind that Jackson had to ride with no car seat, just the seat belt. And Eli rode in Emma's no-back booster. What else were we supossed to do? Randy got the Jeep unlocked after work... He left his truck in the school parking lot & drove the Jeep home. But then he had to do this......

Apparently after having to "jimmy" the door twice.... the locks didn't like us so much. He had to take the entire door apart to fix it. So, it was just icing on the cake, really! All in all, it just wasn't a great week.

At least the preschool orientation went well for Eli. He is totally geared up & ready to "paint at my kool (translation: school)." I guess if i am going for the glass half full approach here, then technically the K assessement went well also. Jackson teared up a bit when he had to leave me to go with the other kids & a teacher, but when he came back he immediately said, "I got to play with LEGO's!" It was pretty dreadful to hear about all the rules & technicalities of public school while we waited, which just furthers my whole dread about Jackson losing his child qualities. He is going to have to start growing up & beginning this week. I hate that- but i know he is ready for this, but is a mom ever ready??

Cute Curtains!

Today officially marks the 2 month mark of living in our new house. And by looking at the house, you wouldn't know it. The dining room still has home decor scattered all over the table with totes & a few boxes on the floor. The master bedroom is still un-decorated, as well as the boys rooms. However, most everything is unpacked aside from about 5 boxes total (for the whole house!). Those boxes require a project of some sort in order to utilize what is in the boxes.

But anyway- i say all that, to say that tonight we FINALLY hung the curtains in the kids bedrooms. I am so excited because they turned out so cute! My mom & i (who am i kidding?), i mean, MY MOM, took the curtain from their old room which was a navy panel along with a plain red twin sheet & we made the valances from those two things to coordinate with the colors of their bedding. They both have the same bedding because they were sharing a room with bunk beds that now are un-bunked & in separate rooms. So their rooms look basically the same, but i did want to make them "their own", so i decided to have my sister monogram the curtains so that it would give them a special feeling to their own spaces. (I got this idea from a friend who has her girls' valances monogrammed, so thanks, Mere!) One room has a red top & blue bottom & the other is vice versa. Rebecca got them back to me tonight, so after church we put them up! THe kids were in their jammies, waiting for bedtime, watching us hang a rod & curtain! It was kinda funny, but Randy appeased me & went with it (he knew i was excited!)

Check them out.......... and did i mention that the boys love them!!

Next up.... i need to paint the coordinating pictures that Randy sketched out for me on canvases that also match the print on the bedding. Projects, Projects, will they ever end??

Gettin' Crafty!

I have been in such a crafty mood in the last week. I just can't help myself! And i have made some cute things too.....

My favorite is this "paint can." It is so adorable, that i think i will make some for Christmas presents too!

I started with a basic clear/metal can that i got at Archiver's for $3.99. Then i added some paper around it, scalloping the edges first. Then i stamped a cute little image that reads, "The road to a friend's house is never long." Then i matted it to an orange piece that i embossed with my Cuttlebug beforehand. Then i added an eyelet to each end to attach the green ribbon to. And lastly, i added the really cute double flower to the side of the image with a yellow brad.

For the top, i used my Cricut to cut the circle to the correct dimensions, adhered it to the top, then added another cute coordinating flower with a polkadot brad in the middle. Then for the finishing touch, i added some coordinating ribbon to the handle.

THEN.... i went to the office supply store, got some labels, and stamped them. And then added them to the Hershey's Nuggets i bought.....

Then i filled the container with them. Isn't this sooooo cute??? I love it! Oh, and i added a Target giftcard in the midst of the chocolate for an added surprise for the recipient of this beauty.

Did i mention that i made a coordinating card to go with it?

This started a cardmaking frenzy that kept me up until 2am one night. But i needed to make some cards for upcoming occasions in the next 2 weeks, so it was fitting!

I have 4 baby gifts to get together as well as one little boy's birthday.... so... i made all these!
That little bird is saying, "Tweet Baby" & the other card here is just a basic monogram card with tractors for the birthday boy (who loves anything transportation!)And these two are for two other girls i know, both having baby girls! One i work with, & the other i used to work with but am still close with!The last one was my favorite- it reads :"Everything's better with two." And it is for Randy's cousin's wife who is having TWINS! Yikes! So Aunt Debbie, don't spoil the surprise if you read this post before the shower...... That card is hitting the mail this week with her gift.....
I went to the office supply store today to buy envelopes to get a head start on Christmas cards, but decided to hold out for a sale. I hope this card making bug sticks around!

Batman & er.....Robin? No Batman & Batman!

I am going to let these photos speak for themselves.... but i will go ahead & say, Thanks to Ann for the hand-me-downs. As you can see.... ALL the boys are enjoying them!!
Even Daddy plays along.....

Mellowing out.....

Have i ever mentioned how much i love my kitty? She is one sweet & funny cat! After we moved in, we kept her inside for a couple of weeks but we couldn't take her misery much longer, so we put her out. And she is a new woman, let me tell you! She has been hanging outside, chasing birds, stalking anything she can see budge. She even sat on the deck & intently watched a deer graze across the back of the yard. She just loves the outdoors.

BUT there's a catch. A few days after she was outside, i was loving all over her (in the dark) in the bed, when i felt some tiny little bumps on her ears. So i got up, cut the light on, & discovered about 4o teeny tiny ticks on her 2 ears alone. I love her, but she immediately got put outside! I called the vet in the morning & apparently they are called "seed ticks" & i had a choice.... put some topical on her ears & wait for them to die/fall off OR take her in for a bath & they could do it all for me. Let me tell you, that was one trip to the vet that was WELL WORTH the $160! She is now on flea/tick guard & we have had no more problems, thankfully! The technician that delivered her to me when i came to pick her up told me that i had the "best kitty in the world!" She said that she was the sweetest little thing & that even though she didn't care for the bath, she took it & didn't give them a moments trouble. (That's my girl! She is so sweet, even when she isn't having a great time!)

Onto other things though.... a few days later, she discovered a new kitty in the house....
SO FUNNY! It actually took her a minute to realize that her reflection in the dishwasher door wasn't a threat!She seems to be a whole lot more content at this house then our old house. I am not sure why that is, but she isn't nearly as skittish as she was there. I wonder if she could still smell our old cat there (even though it had been years) & this house is a fresh start for her. Either way, she is becoming more comfortable with new people & even hops into Jackson's lap & sometimes Randy's - but only if there is NO ONE else to get attention from!
She LOVES attention from me though! Sometimes i tell her she thinks she is a dog. If i am upstairs & i leave to go down, she follows. If i am down & leave to go up, she follows. She lays at my feet when i am working at the computer......usually in the "recycle basket" i keep next to me...

Or she sits on the actual desk.....

Lays on the desk, next to the computer....

She even lays on the keyboard pull out tray that is unused (except from a calendar), when i am typing. She rests her head on my arm, while i type! One way or another, she is going to be with me. And i LOVE it!

New House, New Problems....

So, you think moving into a new house would mean that you are "scott- free" for awhile in your fair share of homeowners problems, right?

Wrong. Try Again.

We are finding all kinds of things to deal with lately!

First off, we have ants. Not really a big deal... except these ants are ants on a MISSION! Apparently, the cat food bag had a teeny, tiny hole in it & that was all it took.....
Because, these ants decided they wanted a new place to live themselves, so they built it.....
RIGHT IN MY LOWER CABINET! Can you believe that? They took tiny cat food crumbs from the bag & were building an ant hill inside my cabinet! Eeeeeekkkkkkk! I am shivering just thinking about it! Gratefully, Randy & i had bought some pesticide for our yard & we threw some granules in there & around the cat food bowl & in about 5 minutes, they were all dead. Clean up was a breeze after that! So i went the next day & bought an airtight container for the cat food!

Another issue we quickly discovered after moving in was that this house was in serious need of gutters! We couldn't hear the TV when it was raining for all the water plopping down in puddles outside. It was bizarre! Apparently the roof line has such a steep incline to it, that the force of the water was making incredible holes in our yard....THe above pitch made this spot all splattered in the front & even with guards around the crawl space, there was water splattering all in there!
However, this pitch line above the garage was by far the worst.....
It made this huge puddle in the mulch (this picture does NOT do the damage from the rain justice. This was DAYS later.) When it was actually raining, i think the puddle would have been up to one of the boys' knees! No kidding!
So, we sent an email out to our church family and got a great contact to get gutters put up for an unbelieveably great rate. We are so excited & when it rained for the first time after they went up... i didn't even know it! It was blissfully quiet!

You know what else we have?
WASPS! Yikes! And on the FRONT porch! I guess the pretty little porch will have to be just that.... pretty & unused! No, i am sure we will use it.... because i am calling the pest control place THIS WEEK! I can't take much more of the ants, WASPS, and ticks.... oh i didn't mention the ticks???? That's for another post...... (poor Lola!)

What it is like living with a man.

So, one night, i was getting food out of the fridge to do a "leftover- modge podge-clean out" for dinner. I brought out this container of "Broccoli, chicken, & rice" that my mom made when she kept the boys a few days earlier. When i left it, there was about half left.....

But when i came back to it & pulled it out of the fridge that night..... this is what it looked like when i uncovered it.

My response, you ask? Out loud, i said, "SER-IOUS-LY?" And from the living room, i heard, "What?" I repeated.... "seriously??" as i took it over to him to show him.

His response, you ask? "Oh....." (insert thinking here....) "I guess i forgot the spoon was in there."

I have to laugh.... out loud. Even now, over a month later when i am getting around to blogging about this. It is just a typical day around here. And i am totally doomed.... i live with THREE males!

The "seriously" wasn't necessarily about the spoon..... although, it was a contributing factor.... but what about the fact that the container is empty aside from 3 small pieces of chicken. Who was going to eat that? The cat??

My practical, logistical side (the only side i really have, i know), wants to ask all men..... "Isn't it easier to actually trash it than to re-cover, leave the spoon, & put back in the fridge? It was even a disposable container... no need to rinse......."

baby Ethan

Well, a few weeks ago, Aunt Marie finally had her baby! Welcome to the world, Ethan Jeremiah! He is one adorable baby & we are thrilled to have a baby we can love on again (& according to Randy, promptly give back when we get tired.)

But nonetheless, there is just something about seeing your man holding a newborn so confidently.....
He takes the baby from me when i get my hands on him! He won't admit it, but he loves babies too!

Randy could be a professional Daddy if there was such thing. He is a pro at this. I think he'd make a better mommy than me! He is so patient, and kind with kids even before he had his own. It is one of the things that totally attracted me to him in the first place. It's like my ovaries were asking, "Is this the man whose babies i was meant to bear? Umm, that'd be the guy!"

But i've digressed, i see......