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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

GoodWill find

I read all these posts about people finding the most wonderful things at garage sales, goodwill and such. I have never had that luck. I've gotten my boys some school clothes at goodwill and a few nick knacks that I think I will refurbish and end up sitting on them for a long time.
Well recently I've lost some weight and nothing fits. I don't want to buy a whole new wardrobe just to throw those out in a few months. (I'm hoping to lose a bit more weight). So I thought I would go to goodwill and find a pair of shorts or two to tide me over for this summer. Well I hated everything I saw. Not sure if it's still the idea of wearing someone else's old stuff or not but I didn't find one thing I liked. So I continued to shop with my eyes looking for a treasure...I spotted a bread machine. I have wanted one for a long time, and just knew I could save a great deal of money if I could find one cheap enough. My kids eat enough bread to feed a small country, that and cereal! So back to the bread machine...
I got super excited and plugged this sucker in. It got hot right away but it smelled bad.  I bought it anyway....for $8!!! This machine is brand new, must retail for at least $70. I tried it out and made honey whole wheat bread on Monday while it was raining. The house smelled wonderful and the bread came out...
PERFECT!  I, yes I finally found that great deal at Goodwill! My list of homemade things got a little longer ;)

Anyone else have a bread machine? If so, what do you  love to make? Send some good recipes my way please!!!

xoxo
-N

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Kids in the Bed

I was over at my girlfriends blog today catching up on her life. Hi Brie Girl! And her recent post was about co-sleeping. In no way do we call our situation co-sleeping but let me tell you I can come up with a few names for what I get each night:
Midnight crawler
middle of the night wake up call
bed stealer
you get the point. My lil' guy....um now 6 years old, still sleeps with us at least 2 nights a week. I KNOW right, I rarely get the chance to know what it feels like to not have a child sleeping, kicking, pushing, punching me in the middle of the night. Before you get all, "What, you need to end that" "Are you crazy" let me explain.
Lil' D has been waking up in the middle of the night and walking all the way around my room to tap my shoulder and say "mommy" in his sweet baby voice. "Can I sweep wif you"? How in the world do you say, "NO, go back to bed" to that? I did it once and he cried, so I cried and then I was up all night feeling guilty for saying no to my little man wanting to be with me. It's so easy to just say, sure and go back to my perfect slumber.  He is learning now though to just ask right at bedtime. "Mommy, can I just sweep wif you now"? That one is always a NO. I swear I'll end it this summer or this fall, OK by the end of 2011 I will no longer let him sleep with me. Now that I have that out there you can all hold me accountable.

Brie also posted this link, see below. I thought this was so funny! No matter what is happening in our house my hubby sleeps through everything!

http://www.amberdusick.com/woodmouse_loves_crafts/2011/06/what-it-is-like-to-not-sleep-at-night-illustrated-with-crappy-pictures.html

Are you co-sleeping or have a toddler in your bed? If you nipped that in the butt, how did you do it and how did your kids handle it? I could use some suggestions at this point I think. Oh, and don't judge me......My kid is just to darn cute!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Carnival Birthday Party

When it comes to birthday parties, it sure has gotten expensive! This year I decided to do D's party at home. He chose a Carnival theme, and it just so happens last summer my girlfriend did one at a park. So I got to borrow a few games and then searched high and low for some supplies. I decided to make stuff at home as well.
Games:
3 in a row and bowling. Bowling in picked up at Wal-Mart for $5!
We also had a fishing game, which broke with the first try. We did have this outside full of water and the kids decided to get wet too.
We also had our wonderful neighbors bring over ladder golf to entertain the kids. It was a huge hit.
As for party favors and food we got a little creative.
 Favors: Ice cream cone dipped in chocolate, then dipped into sprinkles. I then added a swirly straw, tootsie pops and sugar straw.
 I made some homemade carnival signs labeling the food. I set up my kitchen table with peanuts which were the marshmallows ones, Cheetos, BBQ chips, Cotton Candy from the dollar store and a popcorn machine. We also had hot dogs with holders.
 I made a subway art in Carnival and big top fonts for the front gift table. Just the other day I was at Hobby Lobby and saw a ton of Carnival themed items in there party isle. I wish I would of looked there! But I guess I saved money not buying everything I saw.



Cake time! All 13 kids had a great time! I kept my patience but told both my kids that at home birthday parties would never happen again! Now I understand why places like Monkey business and jumpstreet charge so much. It's a lot of work and a ton of screaming.

Anyone else do in home birthday parties? What theme did you do? Will you do it again?

xoxo
-N

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Love at last Sight

Love at Last Sight by Kerry and Chris Shook is another one of their 30 day challenge books. I did the challenge One Month to Live last year. I got a few things out of it and enjoyed the read. So when I was asked to pick my next blogging book, I thought reading Love at Last sight would be a good read as well. I do have to say this book started off very disappointing. They go on and on about social media and how it affects communication with your spouse. I don't find this is my case at all and to read several chapters on it was annoying. My husband even asked me to skip over it! I also didn't agree with them saying if you do every challenge in 30 days you will have amazing relationships. Life just doesn't work that way.
I was planning on reading each chapter in the 30 days and doing all the challenges each night.  Well so happens life gets in the way and I find myself reading through it just to finish and plan on going back later to do the challenges that only will suit my life at the moment. The beginning challenges were easy with little thinking involved. Now it takes me an entire day to answer one question.  I didn't start to really want to read or take the challenges until Chapter 17. The Shook's start to talk about things that happen in our everyday lives. Fights, fall-outs, forgiveness, loving and forgetting. I do find that one of the Chapters was full of The 5 love languages material yet they gave no credit to that author. The majority of the information in this book was not new to me, yet I'm glad I read this book. I did like it, don't get me wrong. It's just not a 30 day challenge I would recommend. It's just a good read.

I was given this book from waterbrookmultnomah.com for free in exchange for my blog post.

Friday, June 10, 2011

When We Were Friends. Book Review


A chance meeting between former best friends Lainey Carson and Sydney Beaumont, who haven't seen each other since they left high school in Newport News, Va., 18 years earlier, leads to lies and deceptions aplenty in this less than satisfying psychological melodrama from Arnold (Pieces of My Sister's Life). Sydney, the proprietor of an occult shop, Six of Swords, where artist Lainey has interviewed to paint a mural, manages to persuade her childless old friend to hide her 12-month-old, Molly, to keep the baby safe from her abusive husband, whom Sydney plans to divorce. When Sydney and her hubby later announce on national TV that their baby has been kidnapped, Lainey must go on the run with Molly, to whom she grows increasingly attached. Unlikable main characters will make it tough for readers to root for this twisted tale's supposed heroes, Lainey and Alex, the solemn stranger who appears out of nowhere to try to save her from her fears.

When We Were Friends by Elizabeth Arnold was a fantastic book! I have never read any of Elizabeth Arnold's books before and I am pleasantly surprised. This is one of those books you open and the main plot of the book happens on the first page, then you just can't put it down cause you are dying to know what is going to happen! The twist didn't come until the end and it was so good! Some of the ideas in the book were a little far fetched and the pain Lainey holds onto for 18 years after high school is a little crazy! Overall good book!
I recommend this book for all ages and does make a great book club book. The book has discussion questions in the back for you.

Anyone else read this book? What did you think?
Are you in a book club? What were your favorite book club books?

Happy reading!

xoxo
-N

Teacher Appriciation

This is so late but as they say "better late then never". Back a few months ago I made apple cupcakes for the teachers at the boys' school. They were fun to make just took a long time. Making cupcakes at 8pm on a Monday night I won't do again!


I think they turned out pretty good! I made a simple Betty Crocker yellow cake mix. I then took vanilla frosting and dyed it red. Spread the icing around the cupcake and dip into red sprinkles.
I used a tootsie roll cut in half as the stick. Pretzels could work as well. I then dyed green icing and a leaf shaped tip to pipe them onto some of the cupcakes. I then made some of the cupcakes look like a bite was taken out of the side and used black gel icing as seeds.

xoxo
-N

Thursday, June 2, 2011

June Goals

June..June already! I hope this month slows down for me just a bit. I'm getting a little behind on projects and such. I did do my coupons/grocery shopping today then I realized I need to set some goals for the month.
So here is what I have on the brain this evening.

Personal:
Run my 1st 10K race if one is close enough (if not I'm running another 5K on July 4th)
Start back up Rock Climbing

To make in the Kitchen:
Homemade lasagna noodles
Graham Crackers
Mozzarella Sticks
Granola bars (or something with oats)

Crafts:
Make a 'C' wall art
Re purpose an outdoor umbrella candle holder

Kids:
Memory verses from Bible
Homework at least 4 days a week (I'm going to make a curriculum)
Sports

Reading:
Book club book
Love at Last sight
The purpose driven life
Real Mom's Real Jesus (June and July book for bible study)

So can you see why I don't always have time to blog?!? Since we are only in the first week of summer vacation I'm still trying to get a schedule going. I look forward to blogging about my now very ancient projects I've done and what I plan on doing.
Have a great weekend and come back soon!

xoxo
-N