Its a competition!

Ok, this is a totally random post from what I am used to doing but I thought it was post worthy. My hubby Dan works for a great company; and today at his work they started a "weight loss competition" Kid you not. Anyone who wanted to enter put in $20 and weighed in today. The incentive for doing it is that whomever looses the most percentage body weight in 2 months gets part of the pot. 60% goes to 1st place 30% to second place and 10% to third place.

Dan is always up for a competition and really gets into it to win!
It's all competition = motivation for him. But anyways, to encourage me to succeed in my weight loss goal he's letting me get in on the action. He's certain he'll place something and when he does; if I beat him percentage-wise I get to steal his winnings. And you all know where that money will be going....yep to my crafting! So wish us both luck.

A little more motivation required

So, lately I've been taking on more projects than I have time for. This is not a good thing because I can't stand seeing a project half-way done. I feel like something is lurking behind me and the suspense is almost too much to handle. I want to see it finished! Ok ok, maybe it isn't that bad. It does give me something to do, but still, I don't like having things part-way done. I need to start one project at a time and wait til I've finish it before starting another. However, that is not the case this month so I will just have to go with it. I wanted to show you what I have been working on, or at least give you a peek, and then maybe that will motivate me more to finish what I started. So....here's my work in progress.

The Beast

I am in the process of re-upholstering this orange beast. It is a hand-me-down recliner from Dan's grandmother. It has driven me crazy from day one, and it is time to change that. I found a really great deal on some suede at Joannes Fabric, and am in the process of a (what I hope to be) grand transformation. It has turned into a little more work that I was hoping and I think that is why it is taking me longer to complete. However, now that you've seen it, maybe I will be more motivated to finish it so you all can see the completed project. What do you think?

Can I just say one thing....

I do not enjoy potty training. Ok I said it.

10!!!! Double Digits!

Wow! I never knew how excited I'd be but I love this feeling! Last night I was doing what I probably shouldn't do and stayed up WAY too late. I was doing one of those little things that makes me happy, which is blogging. Now it isn't the blogging that I shouldn't do. I love my blogs! However, the staying up part could do some damage. This girl loves to sleep! But this time around it paid off because guess what! I now have 10 followers! WOW. That made my day! I love knowing that there are other people out there who share interest in what I love, and let me know it! Thanks everyone! And thank you Tanielle! I'd love to send something your way JUST BECAUSE so if you could jet me an e-mail with your contact info I'll send something fun your way.

Its autumn time, its autumn time, the leaves are falling down...

It is Fall again. The mums are blooming and the trees are changing. I think out of all the seasons Fall is my second favorite. I love the deep colors, the smells, and the excitement that the holidays are just around the corner. One thing about this time of year that is the most fun for me is the decorating.

I love making my house festive and fun. 

Today while the kids were napping I was able to finish two of my projects. Wow! I saw this one on a blog the other day and I just had to do it.

Aren't they darling? Its A Daisy Day has a lot of cute ideas. Check out her blog here.

All they are is a 2X4 cut up into three different pieces. I painted them with some metallic bronze spray paint and then roughed up the edges. The tops are 2" pieces of a tree branch that I was going to prune anyway. The raffia looking stuff is actually unraveled rope left over from when we made the rocking horse last Christmas (See that here). And I curled some black wire (left over from my Christmas Tree Star) around a pencil. I hot glued everything on and there ya go! I am thinking I might paint the letters "B" "O" "O" on them or do some cute jack-o-lantern faces on them. What do you think?

I also stopped by Wal-Mart today and picked up some stuff to make a Fall wreath.

I LOVE how it turned out!

The grapevine wreath was around $3 and I spent $10 on the artificial flowers. I plan on using it every year so I didn't feel bad about spending a little bit.  I also used some other stuff that I had laying around in my craft room.  All I did was cut the flowers off the stems and went crazy with the hot glue gun (gotta love that thing!) The only tough part was finding my wreath door hanger. I looked through all the Christmas decor boxes in the garage and finally found it in the most logical place (my Christmas wreath storage bin)

Who woulda thunk it?

Canning Again...Didn't I just get done saying I was finished?

My task of canning, that I thought I was finally done with has suddenly returned. I was able to get some golden apples the other day. An entire apple box full for $14. And I also got another half box of peaches for $7. I finished canning 7 more quarts of peaches and froze the rest as peach cobbler. The apples still have a bit more ripening to do before I get to those to make more applesauce but it is coming along. There is something so satisfying about canning. It is a lot of work but in the end it is soooo worth it! With all the food storage that I have been able to put up this Fall, I don't think I will have to buy any veggies or fruit for a VERY long time.

The other day I was talking with one of my friends on our way home from the gym. I told her what I had been up to lately and mentioned my canning. She commented that not very many people do that anymore and that it is becoming a lost art. She also said that she would have no idea where to begin. I offered to teach her if she ever wanted to learn how. I know that I am grateful to know how to do this. The food is so much better than store bought (I think), it saves me a lot of money in the end, and gives me the peace of mind that I have food for my family if any happened and we couldn't go out to buy food. Just like crafts, it too is another thing that makes me happy.

Restocking my card stash

The other day I realized that my card stash had dwindled down to almost nothing. That is NOT ok with me. I am in need of cards all the time, and many of those are last minute. I love having the cards ready and on hand when those occasions come up. Today while the kids napped I decided it would be a good time to make some more cards. I got a total of 8 done! Wahooo! I am pretty pleased with most of them.
Making my own cards saves me a ton! Rather than spend $2-$3 for a card at the store I use up my left over scrapbooking paper and it doesn't cost me a thing. Plus they are so much cuter! It is great. I find it rather relaxing too. A little something that makes me happy. This is what I came up with.

 

  

Late Night Joys

The days are getting shorter and the smell of Fall is in the air. Soon all the leaves will change and the smell of pumpkin, cinnamon, and apple pie will fill the house. Mmmmm. I love this time of year when the holidays are right around the corner. The colors are deep and vivid and there is that all around cozy feeling.

Another thing I love has nothing to do with the changing season. And that is bedtime or instead, what happens just before bedtime. The kids wind down and we play together. The other night was just one of those nights. The kids took all the cushions off the couches and used them to build a tower to climb on. They had a grand old time. 

A New Me

Last night I went and had my hair done. I was tired of the out grown blonde with majorly exposed roots. It has been over 6 months since I've done anything to my hair. Bad, yes I know. So it was time for a change. It is a bit redder than I was expecting but I am very pleased with how it turned out. Here are some before and after pics. What do you think? It was nice to something for myself.

Before

 

After

 I feel like a new person. Funny how a little hair color can do so much.

Perfect day for a photo shoot

The other day I took the kids outside for a mini photo shoot. The weather was beautiful and it was a perfect opportunity to get some cute pictures. They grow up so fast and it is hard to believe that Kiera is already 3 years old. Not too long and Ethan will be 2!

 

 

  

 

Canning Complete!

WHEW!!! I did it! I finished up my canning tonight. I started at 10:00 this morning and finished around midnight tonight! My feet ache, my back hurts, my legs burn and my eyes are struggling to stay open. But I did it!  25+ quarts of pears, 14 quarts of peaches, 3 quarts of salsa, and 6 quarts of applesauce. I ended up only doing two of my three boxes of pears and gave away my third to a friend. I was so tired of pears and there was no way I was going to do any more. Thanks grandma and grandpa for bringing them up for us. We're set for quite awhile now. I will try to post pictures of my feat tommorow but for now nighty night.....zzzzzz.

Christmas Already!?

I just found this Christmas Blog

I know Halloween isn't even here yet but Christmas is right around the corner and I am already getting ready for it!
Here's the deal. "This Christmas Blog" is having a giveaway!
It's for $100 worth of Christmas ornaments! I KNOW, right? So here's the deal, if you go over and leave her a comment, and say you were sent by me, we both get entries into the giveaway...sweet deal huh?

So go HERE...right now!

My Baby is Three? Already?!

This past month my baby girl turned the big 3 YEARS OLD! August 17th. I can't believe it! The past three year sure flew by. I know everyone says that, but until you are there yourself you don't realize how fast it really does go.  For her birthday we first had a mini b-day celebration during our Fort Stevens camping trip and then had one when we got back home.
One of the biggest hits at the mini celebration ended up being the cheapest item. Why is that? The kids had the best time with the blowing noise makers. We even had a hard time convincing Kiera to open her gifts they were having to much fun.



Kiera got a a new pair of church shoes from Grandma Glenn. They came just in time too!  Kiera's feet grow so fast. Thanks Grandma!


One of Kiera's favorites was the cloth Doll from Mexico that she got from Aunt Michelle and Uncle Ryan. Having a new toy made for a pleasant ride home too. Thanks Ryan and Michelle!


Another gift that Kiera received were 6 pairs of play dress up shoes and a "Fancy Nancy" tutu. They were a big hit! When we got home, we broke everything out and Kiera spent hours trying on the different pairs of shoes and even tried them on Ethan. What a good little brother...

Then on Kiera's official birthday we celebrated again.  Kiss the frog was a game fit for a princess, and we continued with the princess theme as you will see with the cake.

Kiera got to wear her birthday crown while opening gifts. Isn't she such a cute little princess?! Thank you to all those who came to celebrate with us.

dun dun dun...Ta dah! Look at that cake! I had a lot of fun making this castle cake. It was my first time using fondant outside of a cake decorating class. I was very pleased at how it turned out. Kiera was very proud of it too. She had to show the cake to everyone who walked in the door.

Happy Birthday Kiera! We love you!