something wilde

The PIN IT Button

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-06:00

I know that in terms of reality TV, news headlines, music, movies, etc. I am WAY behind the times. I mean I just found out who the Kardashians are! And my brother had to tell me! Eek! (it was maybe 2 months ago!!)

But...I know the Internet. Not the news sites obviously, but the crafty ones. I've known about Pinterest for a long time. I didn't request an invite for a while, but now that I have, I really enjoy looking at all of the fun things and scrolling and scrolling and scrolling!

Some friends of mine have talked about how they pin things and I suddenly realized...they don't have the PIN IT button! It's so easy to pin things from websites and stores that you like using the Pin It Button. So...let's get that fixed right away.

1. Head on over to Pinterest.com and log in. At the top of the screen you'll see an "About" drop down menu. Click on that and you'll see the directions for the Pin It Button!

2. Don't worry if you don't use Chrome. The proper directions pop up for whatever browser you're using...talk about cool!!

3. Once the Pin It Button is installed, you can use it to pin things from blogs, shops, websites, etc. If you are on a blog, be sure to click the title of the post that you want to pin. This gives you a direct url to that post. It sure makes it easier for yourself and others to find what you've pinned! Otherwise it may just pin it to the general url of the blog. Not so helpful if it was a tutorial from 1 year ago or something!

So. Make sure there is a direct url and then click your Pin It Button.

4. A row of images will appear. Choose the one that you would like to pin. Click Pin This

5. Now you're familiar with these next steps...put it in the right category, add a description and click the Pin It Button and you're done!

If you'd like an invite, let me know and I'll get you one. If you'd like to follow me, click on the Pinterest button on the sidebar. Happy Scrolling and Pinning!

Clark, Jason and the Police

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-06:00

Clark has become really interested in music lately. He asks me to turn the volume up on songs he likes. He tells me that I like all bad songs. He says his dad likes all the cool music. (whatever...his dad listens to the Carpenters, just sayin') Anyway, Jason and Clark were in the car when De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da by The Police came on. Clark was instantly hooked. He kept asking if we could go get the CD from the library and we listen to it over and over again.

Sidenote: I told him I would put the CD on his itouch, and he said, "That's silly. How are you going to get the big CD on the itouch?" Hehe! Reminds me of Zoolander..."How can we be expected to teach children to learn how to read... if they can't even fit inside the building?"

Anyway, Clark wanted to make a dance video with his new favorite song. So here is 4:09 of Clark semi-dancing, semi-singing, semi-forgetting that he was supposed to be singing and dancing. You'll also see Kent making himself dizzy. At about 3:00 Kent holds aloft his mighty sword (stick) and says, "Power" which he does whenever he has something that even remotely resembles a sword (i.e. long and straightish). Makes his He-Man fan of a dad happy!

Pay no attention to my messy house and the Christmas decor still up...this video was from a few weeks ago!

And just because sometimes you have to pay the piper $120...

WIP Wednesday 1/25

2012-01-25T07:43:00.000-06:00

OK. I promise that I will not only blog about works in progress. But I still have to do this one. I do have another post I want to write, but it has a video and that just means it will take me forever to get it up here.

We've been very busy this week though! No time for blog posting!!

Completed Projects

none...

Projects in Progress

Wee Woodland Flying Geese Quilt - made four more blocks and repieced (is that a word?) the two that I already made. I've been very good friends with my seam ripper lately, but I'm hoping that relationship is going to take a step back. I really like the way it is turning out. Can't wait to throw it across my sofa when it's all finished.

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along (FW) - Still collecting fabric. Made the first block (for the third time) and also completed blocks 2 and 4. I think I might just skip 3 (Basket). I just don't like the basket block. And I guess I can do that....not make it. No one is forcing me, right? I can't wait to get more blocks done so I can really start to see the color wheel effect take shape.

Queen's King Quilt - no progress
Hand Towel Apron - no progress
2012 Christmas Planner - no progress
Basement Sewing Table - no progress

New Projects

Baby Quilts x2 (fabric arrived on Monday, woo hoo!!)

Stats

Completed: 0

New: 2

Total In Progress: 8

On the stairfront...More progress! The base is complete and we just purchased the rest of the moulding to form the top. I'm really excited about how they are turning out. We're going to turn Jason into a woodworker yet! I can't wait until I can put some stain on these puppies!

I've stained and varnished the rest of the quarter round, so we'll have completed baseboards soon! Woo hoo! And the second closet door is going to the finishing table today.

I did take a new picture of the stairs, but I didn't bother to clean up first! Don't they look wonderful serving their purpose...holding jackets?! The little angle things on the iron bars are not going to stay like that. There will be one at the bottom and one at the top. We won't screw them in until the stairs have all been stained and such. Jason will be making a cap for the top of the railing to get the right proportions. He's done such a great job on these!!

Linking up here...

WIP Wednesday 1/18

2012-01-18T08:21:00.000-06:00

Another Work in Progress Wednesday...I'm loving these!

Completed Projects

Quilter's Dozen Bee Blocks

Projects in Progress

Wee Woodland Flying Geese Quilt - made my first two blocks! The rest will be more colorful...I'm excited to see it come together.

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along (FW) - Still collecting fabric. I made my first block. Twice. And will be ripping the seams out to make it a third time today.

Queen's King Quilt - no progress
Hand Towel Apron - no progress
2012 Christmas Planner - no progress
Basement Sewing Table - no progress

Stats

Completed: 1

New: 0 (but the projects are just swimming in my head...eek!)

Total In Progress: 6

In home reno news...The stairs are coming along. I've also put the stain on the rest of the floor trim and quarter round. AND...I've stained one of the two closet doors that will be covering up that eyesore of a front closet! Hip, hip, hooray! I'll leave my stairs picture here since I don't have a new picture. I'll take a new one for next week, promise!

Linking up here...

A Cold Day in January

2012-01-12T17:19:00.000-06:00

I can't believe yesterday we were playing outside without coats, and today, this...

Kent woke up crabby for his nap, so he didn't want to go outside right away. Then dad and Clark started with the snowballs and he decided it looked like too much fun!

Clark loved playing in the snow. I had to force him to stop and smile for me for a picture.

Sledding down our really teeny tiny hill on the side of the house!

Clark's awesome at snowball fights...dad is down for the count! You should have heard Clark laughing!! So hilarious!

Hey...where did everybody go?

The end of the world. Or at least the end of playing in the snow...

What fun!

A Cold Day in July

2012-01-11T18:00:00.000-06:00

...is a lot like a warm day in January!

We've been loving this 50 degree weather we're having! I know it will all end too soon, but we're trying to take advantage of it while we can.

Yesterday (after a brief battle with the Big Blue van) we were able to go to the zoo with Auntie Stephanie, Zachery and Clara. We had a great time and the animals were quite active.

Clockwise from top: Camels dressed for winter, Okapi (also known as the Wing Ding Dilly by Auntie Stephanie), Pelicans from the gulf, and Macaws gossiping I'm sure!

Remains from Zoo Lights!

Token photo to show that Kent was there too!!

We've also spent lots of time riding scooters and big wheels.

Snow coming in just a few days...

WIP Wednesday

2012-01-11T13:08:00.000-06:00

Another Work in Progress Wednesday...

Completed Projects

Fish Purse...completed last week, but now here's a picture!

Projects in Progress

Wee Woodland Flying Geese Quilt - finished cutting all 320 rectangles and 640 squares!

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along (FW) - colors chosen, blocks organized, collecting fabrics (still need more, but that's the fun part!)

Queen's King Quilt - no progress
Hand Towel Apron - no progress
2012 Christmas Planner - no progress
Basement Sewing Table - no progress

Stats

Completed: 0

New: 0

Total In Progress: 6

In other news...our stairs look phenomenal! I love to see the transformation of home reno projects. Sometimes it stinks having to live with the mess, but the stairs have been really satisfying. We still have more to do of course...in progress...that's what this post is all about! Thank you Jason!!

Linking up here...

Little Fish, Little Fish Swimming in the Water

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

Here's the completed Fishy purse for little Brynn. Isn't it so cute?! I just love it. It was my first go at fabric covered buttons...super easy. I found the pattern here at Make It Love It. She makes such amazing things and the minute I saw this little fish, I knew I had to make one. I didn't add the big shoulder strap since it's four a two year old. I think the little handles are enough.

Merry Christmas Brynn!!

And another reason to use my "made by mary" tags!

Pure Magic

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

So back in high school I started to believe in magic. You see, I had this little plastic card that I would stick into a wall, punch some numbers and money would come out! Amazing!

Fast forward to a little earlier this year. I started taking pictures of checks and they were automatically deposited into my bank account! Again...Amazing!

Well, for Christmas, I think I received the coolest bit of magic yet - The Eye-Fi card! It wirelessly transfers photos from your camera to your computer! SOOOOO cool! Oh my goodness I can't get over the magic of it all!

Chicago Wolves Hockey

2012-01-09T09:48:00.001-06:00

We enjoyed a good old Chicago Wolves hockey game this past Saturday. Jason absolutely loves going to the games. I can tolerate one a year. They really aren't that bad, but I can't imagine going over and over again...more on that later. We played the Lake Erie Monsters and won 3-1. I know you're excited!

Skates shooting fireworks out of his hands. The game opening is really cool at the Wolves games. Fireworks, lasers, music and more. Clark hates it and hides in someone's armpit while it is going on. Kent didn't really like it either.

Puck Drop

Kelli's travel agency is now advertising with the Wolves, so here's her ad in the Breakaway magazine! Cool, huh? Go ahead and call Ultimate Travel JSK, Inc. for all of your travel needs. As part of their advertising, they get season tickets to the games. So now we can go to games lots more, yay!

Family Game Night

Evolution of a Hockey Hug. I was trying to get better pictures, but Clark was sitting on my lap and wiggling so much!

Kent loved every single thing about the game. He loved the pom pom that we got (as part of the Girl Scout night), the food, the drinks, the screaming, the music, hanging with Grandpa, everything!

Grandpa's Journal

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

We decided to tackle a HUGE project for Jason's family this Christmas. We started the project back in August and worked on it each Sunday through December. We finished with about a week to spare!!

Jason's grandpa wrote his life story down in four handwritten journals. We decided that it would be nice if each family member had a copy of the book. So we decided to type the journals. Each Sunday afternoon, Jason would take care of the kids while I typed my little fingers raw (slight exaggeration!).

Isn't it lovely?

We put photos many of the photos that we have of grandpa and his things in the book as well. It really took the book to the next level! I'm glad we had so many photos to work with.

I can't talk about grandpa without putting in a note about his Skull Collection... "One more thing that I should touch on, without which my journal would not be complete...I have a skull collection." He listed his entire collection. He also included all of the birds that he has seen in his lifetime. Very interesting!

The last few pages of each journal has lined pages for the owner to write their own personal memories of grandpa.

The journal maxed out at 221 pages. Wow! We also included a DVD at the back of each book with the scans of handwritten pages and the PDF of the typed file. We had them bound at Staples. Once we started working with an associate who was a little more committed, we didn't have any troubles!

Grandpa really gave his family such a gift with his wonderful record. I'm glad that we were able to take his gift and have it bound for the entire family to enjoy.

WIP Wednesday

2012-01-04T19:16:00.000-06:00

I've seen this Work in Progress linky party on a few of the quilting sites I'm subscribed to, and I decided it was time to track it down. I really like the idea of listing projects. Well, let's be honest. I love to list anything. I'm going to include more than just quilting...well...because I can.

Completed Projects

Purse - I can't post a pic yet since I'm giving it as a gift tomorrow.

New Projects

Wee Woodland Flying Geese Quilt

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along (FW)

In Progress Projects

Queen's King Quilt
Hand Towel Apron
2012 Christmas Planner
Basement Sewing Table

Stats

Completed: 1

New: 2

Total In Progress: 7

In other news...Jason is making great progress on our baseboards and stairs! I'm so excited to see it moving along! I kind of gave him a deadline since we will be having people over and I'm so tired of the house looking so unfinished.

Linking up here...

Quilt Crazy Christmas!

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-06:00

Over the summer, I formed a little virtual quilting bee with some friends. My quilt was the first to go out in September. I had decided to make an I Spy quilt for the kids. I used a 9 patch pattern and plenty of fabric!!

I have lots of favorite fabrics. I ordered a matryoshka print from Japan, a friend brought back the BYU fabric from Utah, lots of them came from ebay, many trips to Hobby Lobby and JoAnn, and of course superheroes from all over!

I decided to get crafty with the longarm quilter and stitch our name into the quilt.

And the boys happily "spying" the candy corn and so much more!!

I loved the idea so much that I decided to make four more! Two for my family for Christmas gifts and two for my cousin to give to his friends for gifts.

First quilt...the front...kind of a variation on the stacked coins...

Back...

Second quilt...the front...a four patch that resulted in a fun diagonal...

Back...

Third quilt...the front...also a four patch but in a checkerboard design...

Fourth quilt...front...also a four patch in the same diagonal pattern as quilt two above...

Both of these were backed with this twin sheet set that I found on clearance...super cute...and affordable...

So much thread and so many hours at the sewing machine!! But all so worth it!!

And There Went December!

2012-01-03T15:38:00.001-06:00

Our you ready for a whirlwind of pictures of December?! We had a great month even if it was busy, busy, busy! More on that later!!

Sam, our elf, rang in December with a stack of lovingly wrapped books - one for each day until Christmas. The boys loved opening a story each day and reading about Christmas. We also received our advent candle from Karina and watched it burn down each day in anticipation of the holiday. Jason's work party was again held at Luigi's where arcade games and laser tag are kings. At our ward party, Kent got right to work opening the decorations, Bishop (aka Boompa) read the Christmas story, and Clark played some "reindeer games." St. Nick delivered stockings, Kent started nursery, and we found many new uses for the Cars suitcase. We baked a lot of cookies, spent a lot of time on the longarm quilter, and put together a lot of Christmas cookbooks. Of course, we enjoyed the live nativity put on by our ward and the other wards that are in the building. I was so excited to sing in the choir this year and we were amazing, if I do say so myself! The boys visited Santa - each with very different reactions. Clark decided at the last minute to ask for a Ghostrider toy (think Halloween) which sent the elves in a flurry searching the Internet for a suitable, and reasonably priced one. We put up the Christmas tree...the boys loved it...I hated it. But for a moment...just a moment...the boys were still and basked in the glow that is the Christmas tree. Garland was fun, ornaments were yummy, and the tree topper was loads of party fun! We had our first snow where Kent learned the art of eating snow. Classic monkey see, monkey do, monkey not too sure about that cold stuff.

I had to include this lovely collage of Christmas card picture outtakes! This was a pretty average session...175 pictures or so and lots of reasons to smile!! There were a few Christmas card worthy shots this time which was nice, but I still had to Photoshop the smile on Kent's face for the final picture! Check it out here. It still looks a little crooked to me, but it was the best I could do.

Jason vowed next year to make Clark Griswold proud with the lights on our house. I'm hoping it was all a joke, but we did enjoy other people's Christmas spirit! I finally remembered to use my "made by mary" tags when I made our Christmas PJ pants this year. I just love them. The boys and I made our Christmas goody deliveries which was a lot of fun. Dad was home to play Hot Wheels while I finished up a few projects in a flurry! Clark treated us to dinner with his winning coloring contest entry at Papa's Pizza! Congrats Clark! His interpretation of Turkey Hulk and Papa Smurf won us a free pizza. More cookies to bake...this time kolaczki. And presents to open...boy oh boy...were there presents! Kent lost interest pretty quickly with the gifts. He thought they were better chairs than they were to open. Clark was sick most of Christmas Eve...just feeling yucky with a headache. After the Tylenol kicked in, he was ready to go again. The boys got lots of fun toys and enjoyed playing with them in the days following Christmas.

Now it's a new year and I don't have any idea what I'd like to work on this year. So...no new resolutions for me yet. Maybe not this year. I think this would be the first year in history where I didn't have a list of resolutions!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T14:37:00.004-06:00

Piles of Smiles...or not

2011-11-17T08:28:00.001-06:00

Another year where Kent is not entirely sure about playing in the leaves. Clark, on the other hand, did me proud with his leaps and bounds into the leaves!

First we rake the leaves. We couldn't find our leaf rake, so this one had to make do. Clark was all about posing with his "weapon."

Then we put Kent in the leaves. Maybe we should have eased him in, but it's such a cute little sad face! I actually thought he was going to like the leaves, but nope. So I asked Clark to jump in our pile. He did and Kent watched with rapt enthusiasm. You can see him trying to mimic the jumping techniques in the background.

Clark took a few more awesome leaps!

Then it was Kent's turn to try.

Then we threw some leaves around. Kent didn't get too mad at Clark throwing them at him all the time. He is a patient little brother. Most of the time.

I tried in vain to get a shot of the two of them smiling at the camera. Or even just looking. Instead they inspect leaves and that's okay too.

Christmas Spirit

2011-11-15T18:39:00.001-06:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. And before you judge me about putting Christmas stuff up too early, think of how silly it is to have Halloween stuff up through Thanksgiving...just saying.

Love this picture of Kent...if that's not Christmas spirit, I don't know what is!

And just in case you were wondering...the Christmas huddle is back! Clark rearranged my nativity the correct way. See below. I can see his point. I'm sure everyone was huddled around the baby instead of standing around looking at the invisible fourth wall so everyone gets a lovely photo.

11 Reasons to Smile on 11.11.11

2011-11-11T19:39:00.001-06:00

I love that it's 11.11.11! That's my kind of day. So...here are my 11 reasons to smile today.

1. $1 Large Diet Coke at McDonald's (This one makes me happy lots of days!)
2. Going to the zoo with my boys and some friends - see pics below
3. Kids sleeping on the car ride home
4. Snapfish redoing my order for 875 prints without any hassle
5. Watching Kent play with Godzilla
6. Cooking enough chicken for 2 meals
7. Having some time to get on the old bloggity blog
8. Kent wearing my favorite PJs
9. Listening to Clark explain video games to Jason ("I know how to play this game...you walk around and find the bad guys and fight them.")
10. Reese's Peanut Butter Bars
11. Late night TV with Jason

Here are some pics from the zoo today...

At the play zoo, they have a place to color your face. Clark loves this. Here he's drawn himself some tiger stripes. Do you remember that Comcast commercial, "Roger, you tiger now." That's all I can think of...

Seriously...the kids were the cutest little zookeepers. They swept the floor, counted the animals, prepared food for the animals and did some laundry. I'm getting some zookeeper shirts so they help out more at home too.

Love this look Kent is giving...he's watching poor Philip have a small tantrum because he wants the broom (see bottom left pic of the collage).

(Top to bottom) A photo so we knew what to tell the zoo workers when we lost one of the kids. Not a bad idea considering these kids! Clark pets a yellow rat snake. Kent tries to convince me that the egg is really a ball and that we should play catch. We got to see the wolves up REALLY close. Ran into a new bird, the guinea fowl. Love that Kent is smaller than the brooms. Philip and his favorite broom. Kent, the lemur, watching the actual lemurs. Clark the penguin. And finally the kangaroo pouch!

Just a preview of the fun I will have trying to get a decent Christmas card picture!?!

What did you do for 11.11.11?

All Hallow's Eve 2011

2011-11-02T16:52:00.002-05:00

Meet Ghostrider. Clark has wanted to be Ghostrider since last Halloween. That gave me enough time to brainstorm how on earth I was going to make it work! I used a Simplicity pattern for the jacket. I altered it a bit, but I think it worked out perfectly!

Some more Ghostrider...

And the little minion being a minion...he cracks me up!

If he wasn't a toddler, we probably could have done a little more with this, but it was hard enough keeping those glasses on as it was! He was so cute though! I had to make the sweatshirt. It is so hard to find plain clothes for these little guys!

The best shot you can get when you're dealing with Ghostrider and a minion...

Other Halloween fun...the gang ready for trick or treating, the boys trunk or treating at my dad's trunk, and Isaiah, Destiny and Alvina at Josh's party. I wish I had more pics of Josh's party. It was a great time, but too dark for decent pics.

Until next year...mwahahahahaha...

Meet Jack x 4

2011-10-29T14:51:00.000-05:00

Annual Pumpkin Carving!

Clark loved every minute of the pumpkin carving and at the end said, "Today was the best." He drew 4 faces on his pumpkin and was a little disappointed when Jason told him he had to only pick one to carve.

Kent loved it too...he would not be quiet until we gave him the carving tool. I know that's when I'm supposed to say, "too bad, carving tools aren't for 1 year olds" but we gave it to him anyway! He carved his little piece of pumpkin for a good 15 minutes. Now I know how to get some peace and quiet around here...

The boo crew...2011

Our First Primary Program

2011-10-18T08:46:00.000-05:00

Clark was in his first Primary Program at church on Sunday. He did such a great job on his part and even had it memorized. "Following Heavenly Father's plan will bring me happiness."

On the way to church we went over his part again and how he needed to speak clearly. And he said, "Mom, everybody wants to hear what I say." Yep...no stage fright here. He said his part, and we gave him a thumbs up from the back to let him know he did a great job. He puts his arms in the air like "I won!" Love this kid.

But before you think what a perfect gentleman he is...

...he spent the rest of the program picking his nose and squirming in his chair.

Popsicle Stick Puzzles

2011-10-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

Another Super Saturday craft?! Yep!!

This one is super easy, but has lots of possibilities! I found this great tutorial for Popsicle Stick Puzzles at Impress Your Kids. I'm not going to post a tutorial since she did such a great job creating one. You can check hers out! I decided to use Mod Podge instead of white glue but otherwise followed the tutorial.

Cost: $0.50
Time: 20 minutes

I've heard lots of fun ideas for these puzzles. One friends wants to use them as Christmas cards for some of her friends. Or you could use them for a fun invite...maybe to a puzzle inspired birthday party! Another friend is going to use a picture of her family from a recent family reunion and send them to her relatives. I've also considered using different church pictures and creating some of these puzzles for the Sunday church bag for the boys. Lots of fun ideas!

Three Easy Ornaments

2011-10-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

I just love all of the ideas I see with these clear glass ornaments. They have so much potential! Here are the three versions we are crafting for Super Saturday this year. The holly sprig idea came from Better Homes and Gardens found here. The monogram ornament is a very crude knock off of a Pottery Barn ornament found here. But what we lack in style we made up for in $12.75...fair trade?

Cost: $1.25 per ornament.
Time: 10 minutes

Want to make some of your own?

Supplies:
Clear Glass Ornaments
Filler (this can be anything that you can make small enough to fit through that top hole!!)
Tacky Glue
Ribbon

1. Fill ornament...

For the holly filled ornament, I simply cut the holly sprig from a holiday pick and curled it up to fit it in the hole. I took a glue dot and stuck the holly to the inside of the top of the ornament. It will be covered by the hook thing, so you won't see the glue dot.

For the photo ornaments, I created an ornament template in Photoshop and then added my art. I printed on vellum so the lights will shine through them when they are on the Christmas tree. Cut out the ornament on the inside of the border.

Use a homemade funnel to fill with a few pinches of snow. (Don't you love the mess in the background?!)

Curl the pic and slide it in. Be sure to keep the tab at the top and the snow on either side of the vellum.

2. Reassemble the ornament. Line the top with a bit of Tacky Glue.

3. Glue ribbon around the ornament overlapping the end by just a bit. Use another little drop of glue to hold it together.

4. Tie a ribbon on to use as the ornament hanger.

Another project completed!!

There are so many things you can do with these clear ornaments...time capsules, family vacations, fill with sand from the beach, all sorts of fun ideas!

Etched Glass Picture Frames

2011-10-13T16:11:00.001-05:00

I saw this idea on The Tidy Nest a while back and knew it would make a great Super Saturday project. It's inexpensive and can be personalized!! We are having everyone bring their own frames, so we are only charging $2.00 for the stencil and etching materials. Sweet deal!

Time: 20-25 minutes

See?

Supplies:
Picture Frame
Vinyl Stencil
Tweezers
Masking Tape
Etching Cream
Brush
Paper Towels
Ruler
Pen or Pencil
Glass Cleaner

1. Cut (or buy) a stencil. I cut mine using my Silhouette. I love that thing. I only wish that the paper would stay on the vinyl instead of coming off onto my mat...sigh.

2. Peel out the letters of the vinyl stencil using tweezers. Be sure to leave the counter (defined as: The partially or fully enclosed space within a character) in your stencil.

3. Draw guidelines on your stencil and your frame so that your etching is straight. Trim your stencil if needed.

4. Remove the paper from the back of the stencil. Adhere the stencil to the frame using a vinyl rubbing tool or a credit card or....

5. Remove the transfer tape from the stencil and protect the other glass on the frame with masking tape.

6. Apply etching cream to the glass and let sit for 10 minutes.

7. Remove excess etching cream and put it back into the bottle...it's reusable!! Clean the glass with glass cleaner and reassemble frame.

All done! Some day we'll get a family photo and I'll put a photo of all of us...until then, we just have the Wilde boys.

Let Pumpkin Season Begin!

2011-09-28T08:38:00.000-05:00

These are sooooo good. Seriously. Just make them.

An Apple A Day

2011-09-26T18:51:00.000-05:00

He's crazy for them. He will walk around for an hour just chomping on one. He eats the WHOLE thing - core and all. If I didn't take the stem off, I think he'd eat that too. And he does this all with only six teeth. I just have to make sure he doesn't poison himself with the apple seeds...how many is too many?

Don't you love the one on the right...it almost makes me think of what his senior portraits will look like, maybe we'll trade the apple for a book or something!

A little glimpse into his humor... As I was taking these pictures, he would hit the window with his apple. I would make a sound like he shouldn't be doing that, and he would laugh and laugh. Then he'd go right ahead and hit the window again. This kid is going to give me a run for each and every gray hair I think. If there's any left to change after Clark...

Flashback Friday

2011-09-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Another zoo trip from earlier in the summer! We had such a fun time hanging with the Wilde Side!

I {heart} My Nikon D5100

2011-09-21T21:30:00.003-05:00

...and other highlights from the last month!

Trying out the new camera with some cute subjects!

Josh's football game - fun!

The boys

At the Shedd - Thanks Kris!!

Spending time at Cantigny

Fun with mirrors at MSI

The Great Godzilla Gala

2011-09-06T04:00:00.000-05:00

When Clark told me that he wanted a Godzilla and Gorilla (King Kong) party, I was a little scared. I secretly hoped that he would change his mind before I had to pull this off. But he didn't, and I had a great time putting things together for it. Here's Clark's Great Godzilla Gala!!

Jason decided that he wanted to make the cake this year. We tried to do frozen buttercream transfers, but we didn't use buttercream...oops. I think it would have turned out better if we had. The frosting we used was too soft and didn't set right. Anyway, I think the cake looked fabulous!!! Way to go Jason! I had fun designing a little logo for the party...the Godzilla holding the number 4. We used it on the favor bags, Clark's birthday shirt, and the cupcake decorations (not pictured).

One of my favorite things that we did was create a little scene for pictures where the kids could be Godzilla and wreak havoc on Chicago. Here you can kind of see the set up of the scene. I used a full 3'x4' picture for the background. Then Jason cut out the front buildings with a jigsaw and we mounted that 2' in front of the full picture. The kids (and some adventurous adults) would put themselves in the middle and act like Godzilla. Such fun!!

Godzilla vs. King Kong

Here's the full cast of characters!

Jason taught the kids how to make marshmallow gun and then we had them shoot them at a Godzilla target. That lasted for about 5 minutes and then they just shot the marshmallows at each other. Then Uncle Dave got in on the fun and really got them going. Poor kids.

One of Clark's requirements for the party was a pinata. We were originally going to make a pinata, but instead we opted for a store bought one. Made our lives much easier! And this is a good enough representation of Godzilla. Let's say he's in his party clothes. It was fun that Clark took the winning swing!

Clark was one REALLY happy kid to be four years old!

And I'm pretty sure he had a great time at his Great Godzilla Gala!!
Linking to:

Someone Special Turned 4!

2011-09-04T13:36:00.001-05:00

Last month a very special boy turned 4 years old!! Four years of laughing, loving and learning! Love you Clark!

And he loved his new Godzilla.

We set out at the beginning of the day to go to the Sears Tower. As we got closer to the city, the rain came down harder and harder. We didn't really have a plan B, but we took the long road and went to LegoLand Discovery Center in Schaumburg instead. We LOVED it! They had a miniature Chicago with working cranes. The boys loved those.

We also loved the Jungle and the characters. I can't believe they build these all out of legos. Incredible.

Clark's favorite thing by far was the car building and racing. Clark built his first car and set it up on the track. His car came in second, so he modified it (as seen in the middle picture below) so that he was sure to win by a nose!! What a funny kid. But he won! After each race he would add a few bricks or take a few off. The races were a lot of fun.

When we left LegoLand, the skies were clear and bright so we headed out to the city. It was cool to be able to show Clark all of our favorite places from 103 stories up. He loved seeing the planetarium and the aquarium. The coolest thing was the Ledge. I wasn't sure how Clark was going to like it, but he walked right out on it without any trouble. Kent wasn't buying that it was going to hold his weight. He wouldn't walk out on to the Ledge, so I picked him up and put him on it. He froze in the same position that I set him down. It made me a little dizzy to look down, so I don't blame him at all.

Happy Birthday Clark!!

Beaded Bookmark or Kindle Jewelry

2011-08-16T15:44:00.002-05:00

I'm helping with our church's Super Saturday this year (ok, every year and I LOVE it!) and we have some fun projects. I figured I would write up tutorials for some of them while I am making samples...and maybe the past ones, we'll see! Maybe they will help you with some handmade Christmas gifts or something.

These beaded bookmarks are so cool. I used to make book thongs quite often, but these go above and beyond the book thong. I also like it because it can just be a little bit of bling for my Kindle as well. If you have a stash of beads and tools, the project is very inexpensive. I just bought beads in bulk for our Super Saturday, and we will be charging $3.50 ish per bookmark.

Let's get started...

Materials List
1 or 1.5 mm elastic cord (18")
6mm split rings (2)
End Cap Crimp Rings (1)
3" Eye Pins (2)
2" Head Pins (2)
Beads of your choice

Tool List
Scissors
Wire Cutters
Pliers
Needle Nose Pliers
Round Nose Pliers
Split Ring Pliers

Time: 30-45 minutes

1. Cut your elastic to the desired length. I used 18 inches.

2. Thread one split ring onto the elastic.

3. Thread a bead through both pieces of elastic. Looks a bit like a lariat at this point. The detail show you how it looks when it is finished.

4. Align the ends of your elastic so that they are even.

5. Using your pliers, squeeze closed each side of the end cap over the elastic. Try to get most of the elastic under the metal. Squeeze it tightly!!

6. You are going to attach your split ring to the loop on the end of the end cap using split ring pliers.

7. Place the nub of the split ring pliers in between the split ring at one of the edges. Thread the end cap through just like you would add a key to your keychain.

8. Create two bead configurations on your eye pins. Eye pins have a loop on one end.

9. You are going to need an assortment of tools here to finish the edge off on your bead sticks.

10. Grasp the end of the eye pin with your round nose pliers. I usually grab it just a little above the beads. You need a tiny bit of room to make a spiral. Then take your regular pliers and wrap the end of the eye pin around the round nose pliers.

11. Using the regular pliers, continue wrapping the eye pin around itself creating a spiral look at the top.

12. Using your wire cutters, trim the end of the eye pin. If you aren't able to get the wire cutters close enough, you can squeeze the end tight with your pliers after you trim.

13. Attach your two bead sticks to your bookmark by threading them through the split rings on either end. Refer to Step 7!

14. Now you are going to create two little beads to dangle at the end of your bookmark. You'll use head pins this time because they do not have a loop at the end. They look like really long stick pins for sewing. Thread the bead on the stick. Then use the above technique for creating a loop (Steps 9-12).

15. Attach these beads to the bookmark by looping them through the eye of the eye pin. I usually open the eye of the eye pin sideways (see photo). I think this keeps the strength of the loop a little better than opening it out straight. Hopefully that makes sense. Close the eye using your pliers.

16. Admire your work!

17. Thread your book through the elastic loop. You can tighten the elastic by pushing up on the "lariat" bead if your book is smaller than 9".

What a stylish way to save your page! Or you can just use it as Kindle/ereader jewelry if you'd like! Wouldn't these make great gifts for teachers, friends, neighbors, your book club (ssshhhh...don't read this if you are in my book club)? The list is endless. You can also personalize with charms to dangle instead of beads. There are so many cute things in the bead aisle these days.

Linking up to: Take A Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee Crafts, KoJo Designs Friday Fun Finds, and Tidy Mom's I'm Loving It

Vacation by the Numbers

2011-08-13T09:48:00.002-05:00

686 Miles

550 Pictures

246 Unread Emails

65 Max Speed of the WaveRunners

47 Months - Age You Have to be to be able to Drive a Car

26 Poopy Diapers

18 Fish Caught by Clark

15 Fireworks

12 Jars of Homemade Jam

10 Go Kart Rides

9 Ghost Stories

6 Horses and Ponies

5 Maximum Number of People on the Paddle Boat

4 Bikes & 1 Trailer

3 Trips to Tropy Park & Beach

2 Outdoor Movie Nights

1 Happy Family....Priceless

How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?

2011-07-31T21:14:00.000-05:00

Picky eater #2. Seriously too funny. This kid does not like steak...or broccoli...but bread is A-OK.

June Highlights in July!

2011-07-31T08:00:00.003-05:00

There are so many things that I have neglected to blog about this summer, so I'm going to highlight a few things from June in a crazy long post. Consider yourself warned!

Our Hammock Swing
I am seriously in love with our hammock swing. It is complete bliss to sit out there with a good read and gently sway back and forth. That, of course, has only happened for about 5 minutes, but wouldn't it just be lovely? Until then...

Falling Asleep on the Sofa while Watching a Movie

Sprinklers and Sandboxes

We spent a lot more time outside earlier in the summer. We loved hanging out on the deck, running through the sprinkler, playing in the sandbox, blowing bubbles, reading books, having fun.

Book Picnics
We love sitting out in the backyard reading our books. We occasionally have trouble deciding who gets to pick the books, so we just read one for everybody. The more the merrier. This summer we've also started reading chapter books to Clark. Most recently we've finished The BFG by Roald Dahl. Not sure if that was the best choice with all the child eating, bone crunching and horrible grammar.

Movie Nights
I love hanging out with Clark and watching a new movie. We've checked out several from the library this year and enjoyed having movie nights sprawled out on the sofa.

Mini Golf
This was probably one of the best days of the summer. Jason and I took the kids mini golfing and we had a blast. Clark scored an average of 63 strokes per hole. He was given an extra 15 strokes for falling asleep in the clover at one point. Kent preferred to retrieve the balls instead of playing a traditional game.

The Rains Came Down

But hopefully the floods won't come up again. We cleaned the basement several times early this summer from floods. Jason and Clark (with the help of his trusty sand shovel) finally dug out the window well and replaced it. Now...the rain will stay outside!

More Rain

"If all of the raindrops were lemondrops and gumdrops, oh what a rain it would be. I would go outside with my mouth open wide, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah..." I love that song.

Castle Grayskull

I can't believe I didn't post a picture of this earlier! Kelli made this cake for Jason. It was Funfetti cake with brownie towers. Yum. The crayon candles have a certain charm, don't you think?

Great America
It really isn't summer without a trip to Great America. If that were my rule, I haven't had a summer in approximately 7 years. Hmmm. Clark and Jason have been twice this year...luckies! But I was able to go once and that was simply thrilling. What a rush to ride roller coasters!

Full Family Reunion Pic
We had such a great time at Jason's extended family reunion. The weather was beautiful. The food was great. The company - top notch!

Delivering Treat Bags

We made treats and delivered them to our local relatives. A long, but rewarding day in the car!

Scavenger Hunt with the Cousins
Cameron and Ainslee stayed overnight and we decided to do a scavenger hunt as we walked down to the lake near our house. They started out really excited with their Field Guides and buckets in hand. Then as the 3 miles wore on, their enthusiasm wore out. A promise of lunch and living room picnic cheered them up considerably.

Ah...the summer in a nutshell. Well, at least some of the summer in a nutshell. There's still all of August yet to be enjoyed! I'm considering July a wash...

Gotta Love the Shedd

2011-07-30T09:57:00.000-05:00

Earlier in the summer we went to the Shedd Aquarium on a free day. Call us crazy. There were only 17 million people there. That's a rough estimate but I think I'm close. I think it is worth the price of admission so you don't have to deal with all those people...especially since Clark got lost which was a scary fiasco that I don't care to write about. It was only for a few minutes, but yikes!

So, on to other news...I tried out a few different settings on my camera to take pics of the creatures. Some worked better than others as you can see. I loved the chameleon and the Blue Iguana. So awesome. The jellies are just so relaxing to watch. They are the neatest things.

So this was Kent's first time at the aquarium. Clark and I were very excited to see how he liked it. Here Clark is checking in.... I rolled Kent up to the first tank and he just stared. When I went to roll him to the next tank, he started crying because he didn't want to leave the other one. By the third tank he figured there were many more to see and stopped the water works.

Clark showing Kent the cool turtle. It took me forever to get Kent to stank up against this tank. I think he was afraid to fall in the water. He only stood for a few seconds and then right back down.

Here's Kent watching the puffer fish swim back and forth. So cute!

Clark playing in the tide pools. I love the whole bottom level of the aquarium. It's one of my favorite parts of our visits there.

Clark's favorite part is dressing up like a penguin and climbing on the rocks and sliding down the ice slides. I mean, why wouldn't you love that? These penguin costumes are great too. They would be so easy to make, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

What's your favorite animal at the aquarium?

We've Arrived at the Moustache Party

2011-07-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

So I know we're a little late to the moustache craze, but we're here nonetheless. Actually, maybe I was a bit early. Back in my good old BYU days, I was a member of the moustache club. Insert your evil jokes here about a woman's facial hair. We had t-shirts and everything. It was the honor code friendly facial hair. Oh gross. A moustache is an awful thing.

We recently went to Red Robin where Clark wanted to get a prize out of the machines. He's just discovered these little treasures. The one he picked today was...you guess it...a moustache.

I just hope the craze doesn't last too long...

The Power of the Costco Sample

2011-07-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Also known as: Put-It-On-A-Toothpick-And-They'll-Eat-Anything

A friend clued me in to this awesome tip. Let me just say that it is pure genius. Ditch the fork and spoon and grab a handful of toothpicks. You won't regret it. Next time I'm trying it with broccoli!

I'm 14 Months Old Today

2011-07-27T08:00:00.003-05:00

and I still can't walk. But I will climb just about anything.

This is me at the McDonald's Play Place. I climbed up the twisty slide all by myself twice. Then mom wouldn't let me try anymore. I also enjoy climbing stairs (when mom doesn't have that pesky gate up), desks, chairs, decks, ladders, you name it. Why walk when it's more fun to climb? Besides mom will carry me everywhere else. :)

Teach a Man to Feed Himself

2011-07-26T08:00:00.003-05:00

You would think that all I ever think about is food. I swear most of my posts are about food or eating. Well, it's kind of true. Someone is always hungry around here, or wanting a snack, or needing a drink, or won't eat or has a dirty diaper because of everything he ate. Sorry. That crossed the line, didn't it?

Well, it's always a big day around here when you get to wield the spoon. It turns yogurt into yog-ART. Kent has now graduated from being spoon fed to making it by the sweat of his brow. I took a little longer this time. I think I remember how messy this stage was with Clark. So, if you don't hear from me, I'm probably mopping the floor. Again.

I just love how he gave up the spoon in favor of more effective methods. He's a thinker, this one.

Cutlass, on the other hand, absolutely loves having messy little kids around.

Food Face Plates

2011-07-25T08:00:00.003-05:00

How fun are these?

I followed this tutorial to make these plates for a friend. Dinner time will never be the same again. I want to make a set for our family as well. Maybe I should make 3 or 4 sets. Then I don't have to do dishes as often! The marker is a porcelain paint marker that hardens when you heat it up and is completely food safe. So you draw on the plate, wait 24 hours for it to dry and then bake at 300 for 35 minutes. The directions are all on the packaging! I used the same marker that Kalleen used in her tutorial linked above, Pebeo Porcelaine Markers (found at Michaels).

These plates were made for Michele as one of my Facebook crafts. At the beginning of the year I saw someone's status that said something like "if you comment, I will make you something homemade this year as long as you put this in your status and make something for the first five people who comment." So...this is for Michele...Happy Facebook! Hopefully I'll be finishing up my other 4 Facebook crafts very soon! This also lets me cross 1/5 of one of the items on my 2011 Craft Bucket List.

I've used this technique for a couple of different plates as well. This one is for our recently released Relief Society President as a thank you for her years of serving us.

And this one I made for my mom last Christmas. She signs all of her cards to the kids with these little faces so they know who it is from. I think it turned out so cute! She of course wants to know why her face is wider than Boompa's. Aye.

Willowbrook Wildlife Refuge

2011-07-24T13:00:00.000-05:00

One of the things on our 60 days of Summer Fun list was to visit the Willowbrook Wildlife Refuge. I had never been before, so I was kind of excited to check it out. It was a quick little outing which was perfect since it has been so hot here lately.

It was nice to be able to show the boys how WWR rehabilitates animals. Each animal on exhibit is there because they aren't able to live in the wild anymore. They have signs posted about how each animal came to the center and why they aren't able to survive the wild. Clark was very interested in what happened to each animal. Kent was just trying to keep the mosquitoes away.

Red Tailed Hawk

Bald Eagle

Two Wilde Animals

We had a great time?!

Yes, yes we did.

Mom, what's for lunch?

2011-07-23T12:00:00.001-05:00

Answer: Play Dough!!

Yep, you read that right! Play with your food and eat it too. I stumbled on this awesome idea from Our Best Bites. Best cooking site ever. Seriously. One of my favorite dishes is the Cashew Sweet and Sour Pork. Clark loved eating snow peas... 'nuf said, right?! I'm anxious to get their cookbook...maybe for my birthday. They have great ideas for cooking with kids and cooking for kids. Love it.

Back to lunch...

I whipped up a batch of this play dough and let the kids have at it. I've cut the recipe in half here for just the two little boys.

Peanut Butter Play Dough
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup honey

Mix. I used my Kitchen Aid, but I suppose if you are less crabby about messy floors you could have the kids mix it up. It was pretty sticky. Maybe more powdered sugar next time? I mean...how could you go wrong with more powdered sugar?

The verdict: Kent preferred to eat it (and the table?)...

...and Clark preferred to play with it. He's made a birthday cake here for me. How sweet.

Best Idea Ever...

2011-07-22T21:38:00.000-05:00

...and they did it all by themselves!

Don't you love the wonderful world of duct tape? Here's the latest little craft that my mom learned from her Activity Day gals...duct tape flower pens.

Here's a link to a video tutorial if you are interested. I want to bend my petals to look more rose-like next time. Seriously...duct tape is awesome. Wallets, folders, laptop cases, masks, rings, purses...wow. Who knew?

I Don't Want to be Considered Un-American...

2011-07-21T17:46:00.002-05:00

So I'd better put some 4th of July pics up...otherwise you might think we only celebrate Canadian holidays.

I had three requirements for a decent 4th pic...is that too much to ask? The answer is obvious in the photos below...
1. Look at the camera
2. Give a little smile
3. Hold the flag

I gave up completely on trying to get a decent one of the two of them together. Here's the first and only attempt...

And don't you just love the honesty of little children...it was hot. and humid. and pretty yucky.

But we did have this awesome set up. We brought out teepee (or teetee or peepee, according to Clark) and my dad brought his dining fly. It actually wasn't that bad once you were out of the direct sun. And we got a primo spot for the fireworks.

All American Family...

Kent loved the fireworks. Well, I'm not sure if he loved them, but he certainly didn't mind them and he kept pointing to them as if we weren't paying attention. The fireworks show seemed slower than in past years, but it did still start with the airplane. We love that part. We met up with some friends from church which was a lot of fun. Great times with great people!

Happy Fourth of July!! (it almost ended up being Happy Fourth of August!)

7 Year Itch

2011-07-08T15:35:00.000-05:00

7 Years and Still Smiling...Happy Anniversary to US!

O Canada!

2011-07-03T13:59:00.000-05:00

About two weeks ago I told Jason that I wanted to celebrate Canada Day with the boys. Jason jumped on the idea and RAN with it. We weren't really sure how to celebrate Canada Day. None of us have actually been in Canada to celebrate before, and for whatever reason, Jason's family never celebrated it here. So we decided to make up our own Canada Day celebration....

The day I suggested celebrating Canada Day, Jason hopped on the internet and ordered a lovely Maple Leaf for our front yard. He put it out front and it waved proudly for all of July 1st.

We grilled up some burgers and bratburgers. Have you ever had those? It's weird to have a brat taste in a burger shape. We had some red and white jello, red and white fake M&Ms (let's call those Smarties, eh?), and some red cherry slices. I printed out some Canadian word games here. We found out that North America and Mother In A Car have the same letters, hmmmm. Last year when we were in Canada, we had homemade Blizzards almost every night. Then for Christmas, each family was given an Arctic Twister as a gift. So we had homemade Blizzards for dessert.

Everyone was decked out in their red and white...

The best part was another last minute idea by Jason. He decided on Tuesday to buy a projector so that we could watch backyard movies. We bought a 4x8 screen (piece of white laminated pressboard) and mounted it to our picnic table. Of course we pulled out all of our Canada chairs and enjoyed Canadian Bacon, the movie. Now I don't recommend this movie in general, but I REALLY don't recommend it for a Canada Day celebration. In our defense, we were looking for a movie set in Canada. There aren't many, and Jason was not going to watch Anne of Green Gables. We tried to get Cool Runnings but couldn't get a copy in time. Or maybe you have a different suggestion??

Happy Canada Day!

Random Sampler

2011-06-27T13:02:00.000-05:00

A friend just posted a Random Sampler on her blog and I liked it so much that I decided to do the same over here. It's like 4 posts in 1!!

Happy Knucklehead's Day

OK. I know I'm a week and a day late for wishing fathers everywhere a Happy Knucklehead's Day, but it is sincere nonetheless. I would normally wish all those fathers a Happy Father's Day, but as we sat in church and Jason starts moving the sacrament tray around so that Clark can't take a piece of bread I thought to myself Knucklehead's Day seemed more appropriate.

I am so grateful for Jason and what a great father he is to these two boys. They absolutely adore him and I do too. I'm also grateful to all of the other fathers in my life...dad, dad #2 Cam, and Jason's grandpas. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Your Should Have Seen the Other Guy...

Maybe it goes along with Knucklehead's Day or maybe it doesn't. Last Saturday I left Jason at home with the boys and went shopping with my mom. We weren't gone long, but when I came back, Kent was very upset and kept scratching at his forehead. I pulled him out of the sandbox and put some bug spray on him so that we could go back outside. I knew he had a few mosquito bites, but I never would have imagined this...

When he woke up on Monday and his eye was worse than Sunday I decided to call the doctor. They gave me a safe Benadryl dose and his eye started clearing up. By Tuesday he was almost normal. Poor guy.

Family Reunion

Yesterday we had a little family reunion with some of Jason's extended family. It was a great time. I don't have the full family picture, but I have some snapshots of the boys. Neither of them liked the water. I think it was too cold for Kent and Clark didn't like that he couldn't touch the bottom.

Clark swimming his way to the camera.

Kent relaxing on the grass.

My Son the Red Hulk

Just in case you were wondering...it only takes 2 minutes for a complete transformation. Shame on me for having to use the bathroom.

Extras, Extras!

2011-06-20T10:04:00.000-05:00

We will know in about a month whether or not we were chosen as extras for the new Superman movie, Man of Steel, (to be released Dec. 2012) being filmed here in Chicago!! Cool. They did seem to like that our kids were Clark and Kent, but I'm not sure if the people taking pics and applications really had any say. Here's hoping!

Adventures in Pantry Cleaning

2011-06-16T14:52:00.000-05:00

It's like Mary Poppins always says, "In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You must find the fun and (snap) the job's a game." A few weeks ago (actually back in February) I thought to myself, let's play a game of tidy up the pantry. And I did.

We'll start with a before, during, after shot. I don't mind spoiling surprises. It's not a spectacular transformation by any means, but I'll tell you that this was the most fun I have ever had cleaning up the pantry.

I don't clean out the pantry very often. And when I say "not very often" I really mean...just when a moving truck is involved! This EXPIRED 6 short months after we moved in. I'm not even really sure what Bakin' Miracle is or why I ever bought it in the first place. Maybe Jason bought it, hehe!

That was my first "game." I had so much finding my oldest item that I decided to play a few more games. Jason only rolled his eyes (at least) 15 times as I staged our food and photographed it. Not bad.

I'm a big fan of the top ten lists, so here goes...

Top Ten Worst Things Found in My Pantry

1. Cub Scout Popcorn - I'm sure I'm going to incur the wrath of just about everyone I know for this, but I don't care. We've had this popcorn FOREVER. We don't eat popcorn very often, but we feel like we have to buy it to support the Cub Scouts. And I suppose we do. One day our boys will be selling that annoying Cub Scout Popcorn.

2. At least 6 cans of Nacho Cheese - So we may have had a family party once where we ran out of food. So now when we buy for parties...let's just say we don't usually run out anymore. What am I going to do with 6 cans of Nacho Cheese?

3. Gerber Biter Biscuits - They should really be called Gerber Gooey Messy Gross in a Biscuit (not quite the same ring...)

4. Regular Lasagna Noodles - I have since come to know the wonder of no-cook lasagna noodles. Yay.

5. Sugar Free Calorie Free Strawberry Preserves - Too good to be true I think. I never even opened it. I was a little afraid of how it would actually taste and what would happen if I took a bite. Almost like a poisoned apple or something. It went in the trash right after it's 15 seconds of pantry picture fame.

6. Chunk Chicken in a Can - Yuck. I cannot handle the smell of this stuff. I sent this off to the food pantry as it was still within its shelf life.

7. Tuna - Just because it's tuna. Blech.

8. Honey Nut Cheerios Cereal Bars - I'm a big fan of cold cereal. So when I saw cereal bars that were like my favorite bowl on the go, I was very excited. Until I tasted it. Another Yuck.

9. Dole Pineapple Cans - Seriously, Dole? Can't you make your cans so they can stack on top of one another properly? drives. me. crazy.

10. Heinz Ketchup - This is our ketchup of choice. It only made the list because if I had cleaned out the pantry BEFORE I went to the grocery store, I wouldn't have stocked up on more.

And now...

Top Ten Best Things Found in My Pantry

1. Girl Scout Cookies - Those girls have got it right. They don't sell stinky popcorn, they sell cookies. When you see a Girl Scout coming with her order form, you run to her. When you see the Cub Scout, you run away. Just sayin'.

2. Cold Cereal - I've already admitted my love of cold cereal. I'd eat it for every meal if I could.

3. Bisquick - I love this stuff for two reasons - dumplings and pancakes. The Bisquick Melt In Your Mouth Pancakes are sooooo good. And dumplings in Chicken Noodle Soup - nothing can beat that.

4. Gerber Puffs - They might stick to everything under the sun, but give a kid some puffs and you can finally get something done for once!

5. Cookie Monster Treat Jar - No explanation necessary!

6. Bishop's Storehouse Hot Cocoa - If it is one thing that Mormons know it is hot chocolate! The best stuff on earth.

7. Emerald Pecan Pie Pecans - These will rock your sweet potato casserole. Without them, they're just yams. Click here for my recipe.

8. Kraft Cheese and Macaroni - It's the cheesiest. And best when made with real butter and whole milk. Yum-O!

9. Kikkoman Stir Fry Sauce - We tried a lot of different stir fry sauces before we settled on this one. This is my favorite and makes Stir Fry a SUPER easy and quick meal. Click here for our recipe (and 6 others).

10. Solo Raspberry Pie & Pastry Filling - Without this, there wouldn't be any ice cream kolachky. Forgive my American-ized spelling! Click here for my recipe.

And there you have it...more than you've ever wanted to know about what's in my pantry.

So...what's in your pantry?

Dear Diary,

2011-06-12T15:12:00.000-05:00

Isn't this cool? I can now sign my blog posts with a little love. Awwwww. Thanks Shabby Blogs.

The Big One: a first birthday party

2011-05-30T15:05:00.001-05:00

We decided on The Big One as the theme for Kent's first birthday party. Some things came together easily and others were kind of a stretch, but we had a lot of fun and that's all that really matters! Here's a quick storyboard...

Starting with the food...

We tried to do anything with a one or anything big...so we found this cookie cutter at Copper Gifts. It fits the bill on both counts...the cookie cutter is 5" tall! Whoa, that's a lot of sugar cookie. And it was the number one I was looking for. So many of the number 1s don't have the line at the bottom. Chocolate covered pretzels...they are also shaped like a number 1? Stretch? Maybe. We have the BIG cake mess, haha! We bought foot long hot dogs for dinner. They really were a foot long. We used two buns per hot dog since I couldn't find foot long buns. Chocolate cupcakes that are BIG on chocolate...another stretch.

On to some details...

We set up a little sign in table at the front door with this book, Happy Birthday. I want to start a tradition of everyone signing a book for the birthday boy. I also had a picture of Kent as a newborn and now. What a difference a year makes. I bought a huge #1 balloon that I think is taller than Kent. I wanted bigger regular balloons too, but Party City didn't have any. We bought the regular. We also used another big punch balloon to hang up in the center of the room with streamers. Those are the size I was really looking for. Oh well. I bought a big #1 candle, big 48" beach balls (for fun & for favors), and big carnival suckers for favors. I used my Silhouette to print and cut new labels for the suckers. That was fun. I think I would have added a white border if I were to do it again. Finally I made a quick little T-shirt also with my Silhouette. I love that thing.

I loved the invites for the party. I based my design on this invitation, took some pics with some easy props (the balloon is one of those big punch balloons and the 1 is cardboard cut and painted). My mom came up with the perfect wording for the invite! I loved it!

Here are a few more pics from the BIG day!!

Kent with Great Grandma...

Opening some BIG gifts...

Our BIG guy about to dig into some cake...

Just getting started...

Diving in full force...

Loving every minute of it...

Just too cute...

Dad gets to give him a BIG bath...

They cut the BIG cake before I could take a picture of it! The cake is from Weber's Bakery in Chicago. BIG YUMMMM! You only get one for your first birthday or a wedding shower, so you'd better remember it!! Or at least hope that someone has a first birthday or wedding shower after you!

Cutlass the Clean Up Crew...

The BIG crash...How does one fall asleep like this?! Unbelievable. Eventually Clark fell off the sofa and had to be carried upstairs.

A very BIG Happy Birthday to you Kent!!!

Linking to:

Happy 365 Days Kent!

2011-05-30T09:08:00.000-05:00

We had such a great day for Kent's first birthday last week. We started the day with some of dad's homemade pancakes in special shapes just for the occasion! He's getting pretty creative with his pancake styling!

Kent enjoying his new ride in a forward facing car seat. I know they say to keep them rear facing until they are two, but that is just crazy talk. Kent loves facing forward. He looks so tiny in the carseat though.

Jason took the day off and we went to the zoo. He never gets to go to the zoo with the kids and it was such a beautiful day! Our little wolves...

Clark - eye to eye with a polar bear! The Great Bear Wilderness is one of the best things in the zoo these days. You can get up close and personal with all the bears. The Grizzly met Clark too, but I couldn't get a picture. Hudson, the polar bear, kept pacing in front of the window and snarling at the kids. It was perfect!

Family picture...not great, but the best we can do these days. I asked Jason to face Kent forward...he got to do the splits...nice.

Playing in the bamboo at Tropic World. Kent just loves the zoo. Maybe it's just being outside. He was awake the entire time taking it all in and the happiest on dad's shoulders. I loved going to the zoo with a helper. It's much easier to juggle the bags, the stroller, the camera and the two kids when you have someone helping!

We didn't do a traditional cake for Kent's birthday...that will be at the party, but we did go out to Cheddar's and have dinner and their Cookie Monster sundae. Just a little treat to celebrate the day.

At the end of the day, we finally opened gifts! Clark did such a great job helping Kent. He tried to show him how to open the gifts. In the end we needed Clark's help to open them all because Kent just wasn't interested. He just wanted the opened toys to play with. He wasn't even that interested in the paper...weird.

Kent, we are so happy that you are part of our family. We love you so much and you bring so much joy to our lives. We love your quick smile, your wrinkled nose, and how you are incredibly ticklish. We love when you say up, uh-oh, and all done. You find joy in the little things and are so patient to put up with your big brother who loves you very much...too much sometimes! Everyone always says what a good baby you are, you are so laid back and like just going with the flow. Thank you for that. We love watching you learn and grow and climb the slide and stairs. We are so excited to spend another year of learning and growing and loving with you! Happy Birthday big boy!

AFV - Wilde Style

2011-05-26T13:59:00.002-05:00

I finally figured out how to upload all 13GB of video that have been sitting on my camera. I found this little gem. It's from our trip to Canada last summer. Jason's on the wakeboard. The video's not long, but you have to watch all the way to the end...true AFV style - Go Jason!!

The Backyardigans

2011-05-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm mildly embarrassed to say that our backyard has looked like this for the last 2 years at least. The kids have actually loved it. It's like an excavation pit right in your own backyard. Well, this year we decided to finally get rid of the hole that was once a swimming pool. And I decided that I wanted it done before Kent's first birthday party!

We also thought it would be a good time to plant a tree. You know...since we didn't have to dig a hole...We bought this lovely white oak after the guy told us that it would withstand drought or flood. That's our kind of tree. You never know just what form our neglect will take...This way, in 30 years our grandkids will have a tree with a swing. Do you think we'll be here that long?

A very late night trip to the Depot to pick up some tools for our big work weekend.

20 yards of dirt in the first truck. 20 yards of dirt in the second truck. That's a lot of dirt. And a little boy's dream!!

After our first round of dirt it's looking pretty good. We still have a few low spots and need more dirt. Hence the second 20 yards.

Our second work day was a huge collaborative effort with the help of 2 tractors and lots of extra hands. Here Gigi and Josh take a ride rolling out the dirt.

Isaiah had a blast on the tractor. Once when he got off he said, "When I drive that, I feel like the man." Heaven for an 11 year old boy. He worked so hard the entire day!

Here are a few more helpers with the sod. Sod = instant gratification. Really, It's like heaven in a roll. Unless maybe that's Cinnabon. Yeah...probably Cinnabon.

And we all stand around and admire the work we've done. Isn't the tree so cute? The ridges from the sod should grow together and be one with the rest of the grass soon enough. It's hard when you're piecing together a yard.

But we're not through yet! Jason, with the help of Clark and Kent, built me two planter boxes to fill the weird holes in the deck and bring a little more design to what was pretty bland. We sort of used these plans, but I think he mostly just looked at the picture and built it. It turns out the planter is a perfect playpen for a wee one. And it could also have been used as a vault. Don't worry, no animal or person was harmed or buried in my planter. Although I have heard that it is excellent fertilizer. I kid, I kid.

Here's the finished vault, I mean planter. So pretty, yes? We were upcycling some of our extra deck boards too...that's why they are different colors.

And the little corner one...

Here they are from the yard. They make such a difference to the yard and deck. I LOVE them. I can't wait for my flowers to grow. I'll post some better after shots when the yard is all cleaned up for the party.

A HUGE thank you to all of our friends and family that helped move dirt and sod to help us finish the yard! We really appreciate it! You're the best! And if you ever need help moving dirt, Jason would love to come and help!

Out with Haynay

2011-05-24T08:00:00.002-05:00

Earlier this month, we went to Chicago to visit a digi-friend of mine. Turns out she's real and not just digi! Anyway, we decided to make a little trip out of it for the boys as well. Here we are at one of my favorite places in Chicago...Cloud Gate...aka the Bean!

Kent's first time at the Bean...he LOVED it although he wasn't sure of that little boy that looked an awful lot like him.

Although Clark has been to the Bean before, he was a little apprehensive until he saw some school age boys playing around. Then it was all poses for Clark!!

Here we are - I'm with Heather of Haynay Designs. It was so fun to meet someone in real life that I had previously only known in forums. Heather was super sweet and we had a fun day visiting some landmarks, getting some great popcorn and having some awesome pizza! Thanks Heather for putting up with me and my two little ones on your vacation!!

We love Crown Fountain too. I was sort of prepared this time with a change of clothes for both of the boys. I knew they would want to get wet once they saw the fountain. Clark thought the water was great, but he was staying away from those big brick walls with faces.

Kent - the water baby

Awwww, brothers.

Even though Clark wasn't going to check out the faces spitting out water, he was certainly willing to drink and spit out the water in the fountain...I'm sure it's potable, right? I mean it has only had feet and diapers and whatever else is on the bottom of people's shoes. That's totally ingestible. Of course...I made him do it a few times so I could get a proper picture. And then he had to do it again so the little Asian girls could get a proper picture. Mother of the Year Award goes to ME!!

His Little Wrinkled Nose

2011-05-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

I can't get enough of this little wrinkled nose!!

Easter 2011

2011-05-23T12:00:00.001-05:00

A few days before Easter, I decided that maybe this year would be a good year for us to start dyeing Easter eggs. I think Clark was ready, but I wasn't. I mean...who knew...I have a Master's degree and had to look up how to boil eggs, seriously?! Yes. Once we had that figured out, the rest was easy. Messy, but easy.

Kent joining in the non-dyeing fun.

Maybe the splatter Easter eggs were a bad choice...I don't know.

Grandma and Grandpa picked up these cool glasses for Clark along with some mail order praying mantis eggs. Clark absolutely LOVES these glasses. We call him SuperMantis! Note to self: do not bring these glasses to church again.

Opening Easter eggs was the best part of the day. Really...the rest of the stuff was pushed aside if there was a little egg with a treasure inside.

Kent got a basket too, but he didn't care one whit about it. Clark ended up taking all his toys out of his basket too.

We do two Easter egg hunts too. One with Grandma and Grandpa and family...

And one with Gigi and Boompa and family...
The bucket heads waiting for us to hide the eggs.

Kent says, "Look mom...I found two. That was easy!"

Don't you love this lamb-y cake? It's tradition for us to have one every year with my family. Apparently they aren't popular all over the country. Have you ever seen one? or eaten one?

The Easter holiday ended with a bang...or a bruise, maybe. Clark got his first black eye. He fell down on the stairs at Dave and Kelli's house.

A few band-aids and he's all better. Band-aids are amazing. Honestly.

That night he stayed overnight by Dave and Kelli's. He had such a fun time. He didn't want to come home at all. Josh, on the other hand, was definitely ready to be rid of him by the next day!!

Our Dirty Laundry

2011-05-23T08:00:00.002-05:00

So I've been experimenting with homemade laundry detergent. I'm not exactly sure why...cost, effectiveness, just because. It could be any of those reasons really. The cost is about 6 cents per load. Not bad. I haven't really done a price comparison though. Any of you have any idea? It's supposed to be better for eczema than store bought detergents. I'm not sure if it is, but I guess it couldn't hurt to try. One thing I do know is that it makes my clothes so incredibly SOFT. That's enough for me!

I use the recipe found here, but there are many variations on this theme.
Here are the ingredients...
2 bars Fels-Naptha
1 cup Borax
1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (this is different than baking soda...just to be clear!)

My mom and I think we have our system down to a science. We grate the Fels-Naptha with a cheese grater and then she pulverizes it in her VitaMetaVegaMin Mixer. OK, it might just be called a VitaMix or is a VegaMite, anyway... we sort of felt like Lucy grating up laundry soap. Then you just add in a cup of each of the other ingredients and you're good to go. 1 Tbsp for a regular load, 2 Tbsp for heavily soiled loads. I have a high efficiency machine and it works really well.

Any other homemade detergent fans out there? What's your recipe?

Snappy Goes Home

2011-05-23T05:00:00.000-05:00

Snappy was Clark's pet snapping turtle. Now I know what you're thinking...a snapping turtle, that's a perfect pet for a toddler. You might be right. Or you might not be. That's a topic for a different post. Jason's cousin brought him over last year for us to have for a little while. For some reason Jason thinks we should always have strange pets in our home. We took care of Snappy for about six months. We had our ups and downs, but the time had come for Snappy to go home. Jason and Clark went out one afternoon and set him free. We'll miss you Snappy, but we know you'll be happy in your new home too.

Don't Rush Me, I'm Canoeing

2011-05-23T03:00:00.002-05:00

Look at this good looking group of boys. They had such a great time last month when we decided to go on an impromptu canoe trip and picnic. They had a ton of fun going on "adventures" and throwing as many rocks as they could imagine.

I felt really old when Josh was "sharpening his stick" with a rock and told me, "This is how they did it in the 80s." Really? Maybe he meant 1880s? I mean now they have an app for sharpening your stick, right?

Jason totally in his element in a canoe. I don't think he is happier than when he is paddling. And I know I'm much happier when I don't have to paddle. I mean I have photos to take...who could expect me to paddle too? Clark LOVED being in the canoe. He hung over the side playing with the water the whole time. I see many long weeks of the boys on canoe trips and me all alone at home. Poor me, hehe! Oh what could I do with that free time?

Somehow Jake also got stuck paddling on his own! He didn't seem to mind at all though. The older boys had a lot of fun, but it was Zachery that was cracking me up! He just sat in front of his dad giggling the whole time. Such a cutie!

The Shore Crew...mostly because she'll hate it....oops!

If You Give a Boy a Boat...Part 2

2011-05-22T22:00:00.002-05:00

You may remember this post from back in September. We had given a boy a boat and he had cleaned out a lovely spot in the garage for it.

He worked on the boat, but didn't quite get it to start.

So he thought about it really hard all winter.

And decided that we really need more garage and not this boat.

But now that he has a big empty garage, he thinks he needs two wave runners to fill it...

To be continued...of course...

3 Year Old Style

2011-05-22T15:54:00.000-05:00

Clark cracks me up. He gets dressed all by himself now, so I can never be sure what to expect. For a while he would only wear matching things (blue with blue, green with green), but now you can see he's given up on those old rules and decided to embrace his inner fashionist-o.

One of my favorite things that he does now is mismatch his shoes. He loves this Transformer shoe, but we only have one (why haven't I thrown it away yet?). So he decided that the pollywog would match perfectly. I don't care what he wears or what shoes he has on his feet. I'm just glad I didn't have to put them on. Jason, on the other hand, definitely does NOT like it. He thinks when he goes out people are just looking at Jason like what a silly dad to put non-matching shoes on his kid. And that makes me laugh too!

The New Library

2011-05-22T15:37:00.001-05:00

The library of my childhood is no more. Gone are the dark brown bricks. Gone is that rickety old elevator. Gone is that old library smell. But now we have a beautiful new library with great design, beautiful colors and puppets!

Oh these kids and their love of books just makes me smile!

Ok...2 months is enough!!

2011-05-22T15:27:00.000-05:00

So I'm going to be team teaching a class on blogging next month for Relief Society, so I thought I should probably update the old blog! So here's to a random sampling of the last 2 months in the next 15 posts or so, haha!

Jason the Cake Doctor

2011-03-18T08:00:00.001-05:00

I'm not going to lie here. I think cake mixes are FAR better than the cakes that you buy in stores. I really do. So when I see recipes doctoring up a cake mix...I know I am going to like it! We, okay, Jason made this one on Sunday for no reason other than to have a cake.

We didn't have a French Vanilla Cake, so we used the Butter Recipe cake mix on hand and used good old Funfetti frosting too. I have yet to meet a frosting that I like better than a jar.

Yummy Doctored Up Cake based on the recipe found here: French Vanilla Cake by TidyMom

1 cake mix

3 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter (not margarine)

1 cup water

Mix ingredients together 1 minute on low and 1 minute on high. Bake at 350 until toothpick comes out clean. 35-38 minutes for a 9x13 pan.

Does this mean my taste buds are processed? Am I the only one who thinks this way?

Welcome to the World Clara!

2011-03-16T22:07:00.000-05:00

Little Clara was born this morning at 1:31am to proud parents Stephanie and Jake! She's a cutie, isn't she? She's the first daugher/niece/granddaughter to be born on Jason's side of the family, but she won't be lonely for long. She has a cousin due later this spring.Here's Clara and her mama...

I decided Clara needed a little offering today. So...I dug through my fabric stash and actually came up with some pink fabric that was buried deep down in the depths of the bin! Imagine that. How fun it was to sew with pink! So I made these little shoes for her. The dress is from Target. The cutest $6.00 I've ever spent. Seriously I kept it out for weeks just looking at those lovely colors and flowers.

The book is my new favorite book to give for new parents. The girl version is My Name is Not Isabella and the boy version (just released recently) is My Name is Not Alexander. They are the cutest little stories. Maybe one day I'll do a complete review, but for today...just know that I love these books.

Welcome to the world little Clara!

Godzilla Hoodie!

2011-03-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

I've been in a crafting mood for the boys lately. Maybe it's been the month of Celebrate the Boy over at MADE. The projects are so fun and Clark really does love anything that I create just for him. He asks me over and over, "Did you make this?"

Here's another project from a few weeks ago...just forgot to post! I have even had someone ask me where I bought the hoodie since she wanted one for her son. Yes!

Clark calls this his Godzilla hoodie. I don't know what other 3 year old is obsessed with Godzilla, but this one is!

Pay no attention to the toys/clothes that are on the floor...

Tutorial can be found here. I made a few changes in the design, but the basic instructions are the same.

The Coolest Pants EVER!

2011-03-08T16:41:00.001-06:00

The only way I can get Jason to clean out his closet is to create something with the old t-shirts. Seriously...he has more clothes than I do. When I saw this tutorial over at kojodesigns, I knew that I had the proper ammunition to declutter his side of the closet!!

It was a lot of fun and I love the result. I highly recommend going through your old t-shirts to see what you were up to all those years ago...what food you ate, who you hung out with, what music you listened to, where you went, and on, and on, and on...

Now Clark and Kent have new superhero (plus some) pants!

Here's a look at the pants: front...

And the back...

I did end up hemming the bottoms of the pants. I just thought it looked better. I love the exposed seams and they are so comfy. I have plans and t-shirts to make a pair for Jason and myself as well! I can't wait!

Linking up here:

Paczki Tuesday

2011-03-08T08:40:00.000-06:00

Yesterday on my way to the grocery store:

Clark: Mom, don't forget the donuts

Me: Tomorrow is Paczki Tuesday, so I'm getting some of those.

Clark: What are poonshkeys?

Me: It's like a donut with jelly or pudding in the middle.

Clark: Oh. I LIKE THOSE.

(thinks for a second)

Clark: Do they have chocolate on them?

Yes, he is his mother's son!

Almost...

And we're finished.

Happy Paczki Tuesday!

We Scream for SNOW Cream!

2011-02-01T20:35:00.001-06:00

So if you are in the midwest (or most of the country, I think), you may want to give this a try while you are snowed in!

I saw this recipe on Annalea Hart the other day on how to make Snow Ice Cream. Who ever heard of such a thing? This is going to be my new "Snow Day" tradition!

Here's a little sneak peek of the conversation that I had with Clark earlier:

Me: Clark, we are going to make snow ice cream. How does that sound?
Clark: Hmmm. That sounds good.
Me: Where do you think we could find some snow?
Clark: Um, maybe outside.
Me: Do you see any snow out there? (we are supposed to be getting 2 feet)
Clark: I see a little bit out there.
Me: Just a little bit? Do you think it is enough for ice cream?
Clark: Yep. Let me get my boots on.

A little bit of snow? Sheesh...

Send your little helper out into the snow so you don't have to get cold!

Mix up the following:

~1/2 gallon of snow

~1/2 cup sugar

~1/2 tsp. vanilla

~1 1/4 cups milk

Mix until creamy.

Enjoy!

Next time we might try cream instead of milk. It seemed a bit watery. And we'll definitely freeze it before we enjoy. I think we were just too excited to try it out this time! Any other suggestions?

Finished product:

Clark loved his. He said it was the best snow cream he's ever had.

I decided to let Kent in on the fun and give him some plain snow. He thought it was cruel and unusual punishment until it melted. Then he wanted more!

I'd love to know if you make this or if you have any suggestions for more successful snow cream. I MUST perfect the recipe if this is to be our tradition!

Keep warm!

Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam

2011-01-30T13:00:00.001-06:00

Clark is a Sunbeam now, can you believe it? It's so wonderful. He was definitely ready to be out of nursery (and I think the nursery leaders were ready to let him go!). He just loves the idea that he's getting older and growing up. What a big boy! Doesn't he look handsome?

To celebrate his HUGE accomplishment of becoming a Sunbeam, I surprised him with this cute Mr. Snakey tie. Let me just say that he LOVES it! And yes...Jason has asked for a matching one.

Pattern for Mr. Snakey Tie can be found here.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread and Water Parks

2011-01-27T14:54:00.001-06:00

I am branching out and taking risks with my MAD bread making skills! We had planned an overnighter at an indoor water park hotel and I thought this Cinnamon Swirl Bread would be perfect for a late night or early morning snack.

I WAS RIGHT!!!

It's absolutely delicious!

I used this recipe from The Idea Room, but I had to tweak it a little since I didn't have rapid rise yeast.

Here are my revisions (based on some super advice from a bread guru)...

I decreased the milk to 1 1/4 cups.
Then I dissolved 3 tsp. of active dry yeast in 1/4 cup warm water

She said that you want to use the same amount of liquid, but you'd need water to dissolve the yeast. Very smart.

(P.S. I didn't heat the milk on the stove top either. I just warmed it in the micro at 45 second intervals until I thought it felt right)

You may have to adjust the rise times a little, but I didn't really. It came out beautifully except that it sort of looks like the elephant man version of cinnamon swirl bread. It was ginormous! Next time I'd like to try to use longer pan from IKEA that The Idea Room mentions.

Here's a little snapshot of the Water Park Weekend too...

A little bit of sunshine on the COLDEST day of the year so far!

Linked up here:

Muffin Tin Dinner #1

2011-01-20T17:50:00.001-06:00

Have you ever heard of Muffin Tin Meals? I am not quite sure where I heard the idea, but I loved it as soon as I did. Then I stumbled upon Muffin Tin Mom.

I set out months ago in search of 6 cup muffin tins (regular size not the jumbo ones). They are really hard to find. I finally found these at a flea market on the Spoon River Drive. So after months of thinking about a muffin tin dinner, I decided to finally give it a go. Presenting our first Muffin Tin Dinner!!

grapes, goldfish, yogurt drink, cheese, strawberries, and PB&J

I'm pretty sure that I need to figure out portions for the little guy. That sure was a lot of food for him to eat. Of course he didn't have to clear the tin...just eat for crying out loud. I started with a theme of colors, but then I gave up because I didn't have enough stuff on hand for that. I still think it turned out cute.

And let's be honest...there was no yogurt drink on mine. Just a very healthy caramel colored Diet Coke. Yum. And I had a full sammy and not just a half.

Do you think this would fly as a dinner option for Jason? We'll see. He's at school right now, so he's picking up some fast food.

Isn't that cheese gorgeous? Just kidding.

Anyway...the really important part is that Mr. PICKY himself gives it two thumbs up! That's his super smiley face.

What did you have for dinner tonight?

Grocery List Tear Off Pad

2011-01-19T19:19:00.000-06:00

OK...we all know my addiction to lists, right? Well, when I saw this post on Infarrantly Creative I knew that I needed one. She even has a free download for the template so you can completely customize this without too much effort!

Previously I was using a spreadsheet for my grocery list (thanks Beth!) - I may have a slight addiction to spreadsheets too. But I would procrastinate printing the spreadsheet and then it was two pages long, so I would be fumbling through my pages...blah, blah, blah...

So I decided to make this handy grocery list tear off pad and we'll see if it makes things a bit easier.

When I brought my materials to craft group this morning, some of them snickered (you know who you are Michele). And I brought the wrong drill bit which made things difficult. (more snickering) But I kept on going and I'm very happy I did. I have a lovely tear off pad for my grocery list now. (snicker, snicker) I just need to add magnets to the back and hang on the fridge.

And I've decided that I deserve something special on my list...

What else should I buy?

Toy Bin Labels

2011-01-15T14:45:00.001-06:00

Shoot - this isn't on my bucket list. But it's DONE! Woo hoo!

A new year means new attempts at organization, right? We have serious issues in our play room. I figured that labels on our bins would help Clark and others know where the toys should be put away. It was actually pretty easy...so why did it take me so long?

I did a little photo session of the toys this morning while the kids were playing with Gigi. Then I printed them on labels (I used Avery 8163) and affixed them to our bins. Done. Avery 8163 are 2"x4" - nice and big!

I actually had to print the labels in 2 steps. I printed the pictures first and then ran it back through with the words. I HATE working in MS Word. Can labels be done in Photoshop? I'm even embracing the fact that the words overlap the pictures on a few occasions.

Don't they look great? I love bins all lined up in a row. These are similar to these bins from IKEA. We did buy them at IKEA, but I couldn't find the blue ones to link. They are $1.99 each or something wonderful like that! Hoo and ray!

Here's a sneak peak of the whole playroom. I just LOVE it. It's so PLAYful!

So tell me...do labeled bins in playrooms actually work?

2011 Craft Bucket List

2011-01-14T17:03:00.001-06:00

Ok...so things may or may not have gotten hairy around November. Oops!

That's okay though. I'm getting back into a nice routine and feeling more productive than ever. I've even finished some projects. Lots of handmade gifts and baking experiments. I'll leave most of those for later, but for today I am going to post my 2011 Craft Bucket List. I've never made one of these, but the minute I saw it on KoJo Designs' blog I knew that I had to. Lists...they are what I do best. We'll see if we can actually cross some of these things off this year too! Here's hoping!

What projects are on your list?

Candy Corn Jell-O

2010-10-29T18:33:00.002-05:00

EDIT: Candy corn is actually yellow then orange then white...who knew? I've eaten so much of this and I still get it wrong?

I was really bummed this year when I found out that Kent doesn't like candy corn. Every time I would eat ~~a bag~~ some, he would be really fussy the next day, the poor kid. So I've decided to be a grown up and not eat candy corn for the sake of my nursing baby. I am trying really hard not to hold it against him. :) And I am stashing away a bag of Brach's candy corn - the only candy corn - for some time in May when Kent is weaned. Hip, hip, hooray!

So for now...this will have to do. My dear friend Michele made these, and I couldn't resist trying it out myself. I need to get my candy corn fix somehow!

Candy Corn Jell-O

1 pkg. Orange Jell-O
1 pkg. Yellow Jell-O (I used Island Pineapple - yum, but you could use Lemon or something else too)
2 cups boiling water
2 cups cold water
Cool Whip or whipped cream

Prepare orange Jell-O according to package directions. Pour into clear glasses. Allow to set for a while. I put mine in the fridge for 2 hours or something, but I think I was being really cautious.

Prepare yellow Jell-O according to package directions. Pour over the orange Jell-o and allow to set for 4 hours.

Before serving, top with Cool Whip or whipped cream. Enjoy!

**Next time I would definitely use smaller glasses. My glasses were really big and that's a lot of Jell-O! It was so good though!

These Old Bones

2010-10-26T10:00:00.003-05:00

Guess what?! I'm over at Keeping it Simple today. Isn't that the coolest? I'm beyond excited.

Go check out how to spook up your Sunday dinner with These Old Bones (aka: breadsticks). They are really easy and so tasty! Here's the link straight to my post.

See you over at Keeping It Simple!

Baby Shower Gifts

2010-10-18T17:00:00.001-05:00

You know those times when you think...if I knew then what I know now...or I wish I had one of those when...

That's what this baby shower was for me. I ended up making a few of the things that I wish I had when Clark and Kent were little (I guess I still have time with Kent!).

I used various tutorials from around blogland. Burp cloths from My Longest Year, Diaper clutch and cloth teething rings from Make It and Love It, and shoes from Stardust Shoes. These are all FREE patterns and tutorials and I am so grateful for people sharing their talent and time!!

A close up of the little teeny shoes! I just love these...except I want to pick that little thread off of them. Is it driving you crazy too?

If I was really smart I would have made a set for me along with the gift, but it turns out I'm only a little bit smart! I made Kent a set of the rings and they just might be his favorite toy! There are so many places for him to grab hold of them, and I love that I can just toss it in the wash without any worries.

What are you favorite baby shower gifts to give (or get!)?

FAIL

2010-10-18T13:50:00.000-05:00

A while ago, my dear friend Melissa posted a FAIL in her kitchen using the recipe for Avanti's Sweet French Bread posted here. I'm sharing this here to assure her that indeed I am NOT good at everything (but thanks for thinking it anyway, Mull!). Notice the failed cake didn't keep me from eating ~~the whole thing~~ a piece!

I have about a 56% success rate with baking in a bundt. Simply NOT acceptable.

How on earth do you get it out without the top coming off?

Tired of the SAME OLD PANCAKE?

2010-10-14T10:00:00.012-05:00

...try some Pan Toast!

Jason was at a campout this weekend with the scouts. Turns out the guys sit around the campfire and talk about some really manly stuff - cooking! OK, so it can be manly...and if Jason comes home and makes breakfast afterwards - I'm all for it.

So...what is pan toast, you ask? Well. It's a piece of bread dipped in pancake batter and then cooked up like a pancake. And it's really good!

Here's our favorite recipe for Pancakes and it works really well for Pan Toast too! They really do melt in your mouth.

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Pancakes

by: Bisquick

2 cups Bisquick mix

1 cup milk

2 eggs

Classic version: add 1 Tbsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 Tbsp lemon juice

Supreme version: add 2 Tbsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp vanilla

Stir ingredients until blended. Pour on hot, greased griddle. Cook until edges are dry. Turn. Cook until golden. Makes about 14 pancakes.

(Did you really need the instructions? They were on the box, so I decided to write them)

We like to mix it up and switch from Classic to Supreme. Both are equally melty in your mouth!

Had you ever heard of pan toast before this? Why have you kept it a secret? :)

I'll be linking here:

Feature Yourself Friday at Fingerprints on the Fridge

I'm Loving it Fridays at Tidy Mom

Friday Fun Finds at kojo designs

A Mummy from His Mummy

2010-10-13T21:56:00.001-05:00

Hello there! Did you miss me? Our computer died last week, and it is still in the hospital, so I'm on our ANCIENT laptop which is super slow. But at least I can still get online, right?!

On our Spoon River trip this year, I decided to make some amigurumi for the boys while I was in the car. I love amigurumi (japanese for crochet doll) because they are so quick and easy. Lion Brand Yarn Company has some really cute FREE patterns for Halloween ornaments. I just left off the little tag and gave them to Josh and Clark for little toys. Here is the pattern for the mummy that I made below. I think you may have to register to get the complete pattern, but that's no big deal. I also made a skull for Josh, but I forgot to take a picture...oops!

I have more plans for amigurumi in the future...they are teeny and oh so cute!!!

I'm linking here:
Strut Your Stuff at Somewhat Simple
Creative Share at Trendy Treehouse
Blue Cricket Design
Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts

Shameless Post!!

2010-10-06T14:26:00.000-05:00

So I've entered this contest called Crafting with the Stars. I just noticed that there was a little hint on their post that a project that is viewed many times may have a better chance at winning...so....

will you hop on over here and click on my bag with a bow?!

You can see all of my competition too! There are some really cute projects out there!

Thank you, thank you!!

Pumpkins

2010-10-06T14:10:00.000-05:00

This weekend was our annual shopping trip on the Spoon River Drive. I went with a small list of things to buy, and came home with a few things actually crossed off (and a few things that weren't on the list too)! I am now the proud owner of an apothecary jar and a glass cloche. LOVE it! My jar is full of skulls and moss at the moment, and I have big plans for the cloche, of course! More on those later...

But for now...check out these two monsters! Can you believe all that drool on Kent's shirt?! Aye!

Happy October!!

I'm sharing my photo on Trendy Treehouse's Shutter Love Tuesday.

A Bag with a Bow!

2010-10-01T11:47:00.000-05:00

I saw this awesome bag on Etsy a while back. For my birthday I decided to treat myself to the fabric to try and make one. Now...I can't give a tutorial on how to make it (not quite sure I remember either!)...it is based on someone's livelihood after all, but what I can say is that the $42 that it costs on Etsy is a KILLER DEAL! And there are so many lovely colors. I made mine a little smaller, and it probably isn't as finished as the one in Kinies' Shop, but I love it just the same.

And I made some perfect pockets...pockets for my wallet, sunglasses, pens, misc, and a Kindle. The middle is a catch all for my nursing cover, diapers and wipes. And my camera...it should be on top there. Then there is the coolest pocket in the front too. I'm not quite sure what I'll put there.

Don't you just heart the flowers? I do. I don't often use flowers for decorating and such, so this is so nice.

I'm linking to these parties:

and I'm entering this contest...

hehe...that's a big button!

If You Give a Boy a Boat...

2010-09-24T10:26:00.000-05:00

If you give a boy a boat, he's probably going to want to park it in the driveway so he can see it everyday when he pulls up.

And if he parks it in the driveway, his angry neighbors are going to call the village on him.

And if his neighbors call the village, the village is only going to give him one week to get it properly stored.

And if the village is only going to give him one week, he should probably clean the garage.

And if he needs to clean the garage, he should probably build a shed to put all of his stuff in.

And if he builds a shed, then chances are that he is going to need to buy some shelves for all of his stuff.

And if he puts in those shelves, he will fill his shelves with stuff from the garage.

And if he has cleaned out his garage, he is probably going to want to put his boat in it.

The End.

Maddie's Doll

2010-09-22T08:12:00.002-05:00

A little girl at church, Maddie, invited Clark to her birthday party this weekend. This is the little girl who has everything, so I wanted to give her something that she wouldn't have...enter the Black Apple Doll. I know I'm a little late to the Black Apple Doll party, but she's still so cute. I had a very hard time parting with her. She was very simple to make and is just darling!!! I think I love her.

So, how old do you think is too old to have a doll sitting on your bed?

Linking to this party:

Adventures in Breadmaking

2010-09-16T12:26:00.001-05:00

Making bread terrifies me.

I think it's the yeast. It's so weird.

But what's the worst that could happen, right? We just waste some flour...that's it.

OR...I could quite possibly be the BEST BREADMAKER EVER!!!

Avanti's Sweet French Bread
1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. oil
1 Tbsp. salt
3 cups water
3 eggs
1 2/4 cups sugar
10 cups flour

Soften yeast in water. Add remaining ingredients. Mix and let rise until double, about 1 hour. Punch down. Shape into loaves and let rise again. Bake 20 mintues at 350 degrees. Makes 3 large loaves.

YUM-O! Next time I'll try to fancy it up a bit, but for my first time I was pretty nervous doing just this.

Earlier this month, I taught a lesson at church about being a lifelong learner and the importance of education even though most of us have long ago left the classroom. Well, I admitted my fear of breadmaking and my desire to master the skill. On Wednesday of that same week, a lady from church called me and asked if I wanted a private breadmaking lesson...ummm....of course!!! She came over and we made this awesome French bread. All three loaves were gone within days. It was so good. And now I am a little bit more confident in my breadmaking abilities!

Linking to: Creative Chick Parade: Day 4

Easy Pumpkin Pillow

2010-09-14T14:07:00.001-05:00

I made these a few years ago on a whim. I think I was in a corduroy phase and was looking to use some scraps! I freehanded the pumpkin and stem, cut them out with shears, and "appliqued" them on the very simple pillow cover. Add a button and a bit of torn fabric and ta da! A cute little pumpkin pillow! They have withstood the wrath of the three year old too, so that's saying something...

I'm linking to these parties:

The Creative Chick Parade: Day 2

and

Dirty Pics and a PRINTABLE

2010-09-13T14:06:00.002-05:00

I've been working on some projects for the laundry room. I think we've just decided that it won't have doors on it one day after all. Doing it this way we maximize space. Maybe we'll figure something out, but for now I actually like having it open.

I decided that I wanted to have DIRTY pictures of the boys. Like I wanted them to play in dirt...sheesh. So one day last week after it rained, I took them out to the backyard in our dirt pit. Yep...it's still a big dirt/sand pit. I also decided that I wanted to use my old apple ladder that has been sitting around waiting for me for at least 3 years. Finally! So...here are some of the materials...

I painted the MDF first and then Mod Podged (LOVE this verb) the photos on.

TIP: Apply Mod Podge to the MDF first. Then place photo. Allow to dry before putting a coat of Mod Podge on top - NO WRINKLES OR BUBBLES! Maybe you knew that. I am still learning.

Here's my final...sort of. I didn't buy enough eyes to hang the boards, so now I have to make ANOTHER trip to the Depot. I just hate it when that happens.

I'm still debating on hanging them with jute. What do you think? It might be a little too rustic for me. We'll see when I actually hang it.

I almost forgot!! I made this little definition for the laundry room too. I thought it fit perfectly. I think Jason was offended. Hmmmmm...

Download an 8.5 x 11 pdf printable for you right here! The actual image is only 7x8... If you don't like using 4shared, email me and I can email it to you.

Linking to these parties

Weekend Links 9/11

2010-09-11T14:19:00.000-05:00

9/11 Memorial Blog: Do you remember where you were? I will never forget it...
Personalized Subway Art T-Shirt: The Mother Huddle
The Great Menu Exchange: According to Kelly
Amazon Mom Sign Up: Amazon Prime membership for 3 months free!!
Elskan Baby: Etsy shop with ADORABLE hats!!

Tree Stump Pumpkin

2010-09-10T08:38:00.001-05:00

Many, many years ago my mom bought a tree stump pumpkin that we all loved and secretly coveted. After all those years of wanting, we finally made some tree stump pumpkins out of a fallen tree from a spring storm.

My dad cut several stumps with the chainsaw and he sanded the fronts so they were a little smoother. Then I freehanded this pumpkin with some craft paint. I used my mom's pumpkin as a guide. It looked a little too bright, so we took some watered down black paint and rubbed it over the pumpkin. He looked much better after that! Super easy and super cute!

He's one of my favorite Halloween decorations!!

Linking to these parties...

Hello Halloween!!

2010-09-10T08:15:00.000-05:00

So on Monday, my mom came over and watched the little ones while I painted the cabinets for the laundry room and decorated my house for Halloween! Yep...I skipped right over the bringing fall into the home slowly and just jumped right into Halloween. It's the only other time I decorate the house aside from Christmas. I just LOVE Halloween!

Martha has these new vinyl bats...they look awesome on my mirrors!! Of course if I had a Silhouette or something I could probably cut my own. I always love decorating the top of my curio. It's such a great canvas. And I love my new little monster parade, a gift from Jason's mom.

Happy Halloween!

Weekend Links

2010-09-04T06:00:00.001-05:00

Some fun things for your weekend browsing...

Our Castle On the Hill: At Second Street - amazing play structure for her kids
We Bloggers: Centsational Girl
Quick and Easy Way to Hang Pictures: Adventures in Creating
Just {Batty} for these Trick of Treat Sacks: Craft-O-Maniac - I'm definitely making these!
Be Out There- Fall Outdoor Activity Guide: National Wildlife Federation

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Fun Fact Friday

2010-09-03T14:51:00.001-05:00

Koalas hardly ever drink water. They get almost all their liquids from the juice of eucalyptus leaves, their favorite food.

-from my babycenter email

Really? That's amazing!

A Queen's Quilt for a King

2010-09-03T10:50:00.002-05:00

Isn't she lovely? I was wondering just the other day if it was possible to mix green with a light blue-ish. My room was originally going to be green/white/brown, but it just seemed too simple. I wanted that blue. And now I will have it.

Anyone have any great king size quilt patterns? I'm looking at squares and rectangles here! No fancy piecing...no time for that!

One day I'll have a king size bed to put it on...

Linking to:

Decorating with Maps

2010-09-01T15:10:00.003-05:00

I LOVE maps.

On our recent road trip, I packed the map book. Jason said, "What do we need that for? We have GPS." Well, I can't tell you how many times I looked at the map book. They are just filled with cool facts, and they give me the BIG picture when we are crossing five states, 1 province and one country border.

Anyway...I decided a while back that I wanted to decorate with an antique map of Russia. I bought one on ebay for around $16, I think. I made sure that it was written in Russian and that I could see the island where I lived while studying for a summer. Now the map is pretty big, so custom framing was out of the question. It would have been way too costly. So I decided to cut the map into 3 sections and frame each one individually using IKEA Ribba frames. I LOVE the way it turned out!

Any other ideas for how to decorate with maps?

Linking to these parties: