Our travel sign

Finally I get to share our sign with you! We seriously started this project over a year ago! It is a labor of love for sure. Buy wood... cut wood... paint boards... google mileage from Sandy... paint letters, making sure the arrow points the right direction... then figure how on earth to put the thing together. Not to mention making it stand up straight and stay put. Phew. 

But then we stood back and surveyed all our hard work and it was so worth it!

These are some of our favorite places. We obviously couldn't list every city we've visited together, so we picked the most memorable. We stuck our new masterpiece on the edge of our yard and I snapped some photos. 

My parents gave us this idea. They made one a few years ago and we loved it so much. Had to make our own. Ours is more neutral colored than theirs, which blends better in our smallish yard. 

Traveling has taken a backseat to raising children; one of the sacrifices made so I can stay home and raise them myself. Worth it. But I love sitting on our deck and looking at all these great memories. Some made with the kids, many before we had them. We look forward to adding to our sign, as life permits... not a lot of space for more boards, however. Guess a longer 4x4 post would have been wise. ;)

Sewing desk

I cautiously dream of the day Beckham is old enough to sleep in a big boy bed. I'm hesitant because I remember this transition with Ty; it was frustrating at times. Also because he is my baby. And once he's a "big boy", I'm not sure that I'll be having more babies. So I cling to this time a little bit. 

But here is my plan:

When he can sleep well in a big boy bed, we will move him into Ty's room and they can share the bunk bed. Which I think they will love. At least for a while.  Then, I get to turn his room into my craft room!! I'll pull my big, antique scrapbooking/craft desk out of it's squishy corner of the playroom and move it in there. I need some big bookshelves, with bins and baskets and organized, gorgeous things. Maybe a big table for cutting fabric or gift wrapping. Then I can add my new sewing desk! 

Hubby bought it for me last weekend after my beloved kitty died. Got her as a kitten when I was 18. She lived to be 13 years old. I know. Not gonna dwell on it. It's already been a rough week. But it took me a while to feel like blogging again. And poor hubby felt my sadness and I know he wanted to take it away... so he did what he knew would cheer me up. He bought something for me. Something that had to do with sewing. And organization. Two of my favorite things. He really is a genius. 

Pretty! 

Excuse the annoying flash circle. Of course I waited until dark to photograph it. 

So it has this pull down front that becomes the desk, but folds up so I can hide my sewing machine and accoutrements when not it use. Looks so much cleaner than having my machine sitting out on our computer desk all the time. Still not completely ideal in the office, but it's very functional for the next year or two until I can create my own space.

Isn't it great?! It's designed to be a computer desk, but works well for my purposes. I've been working on organizing all my supplies as well... luckily our office has a walk-in closet so I have shelves and baskets in there for all my fabric. But my big problem has been my button collection. It's grown immensely thanks to my wonderful grandmas who each gave me their collections! And since I've been making so many coffee cozies with a button on each, I've been needing a good system for sorting them. 

So check back soon to see my potential solution. I'm pretty-ing it up as we speak. :)

The big Wonka day

Today we celebrated Ty's birthday with 12 of his friends. At our house. It was chaos!

But so fun! And the Willy Wonka theme was a blast to plan around. We had more ideas than we had time or resources. You could really run wild with this party theme. We kept it fairly simple, since it was for a group of 4 and 5 year olds, many of whom hadn't seen the movie. 

It all started with the candy bar invitations, complete with golden tickets.

I am realizing as I post this that I'm missing tons of photos. We just got busy with the party and forgot to get pics of so many elements.  But this is the Wonka Wash (hsaw aknow, for those who know the movie... we just thought that might be confusing). The guests walked through as they entered the party.

And the contract signed by the kids in the movie as they entered the chocolate factory. Mike customized ours with each guest's name. He used the wording from the movie, but needed to fill more space.... so at the very bottom in the tiny, unreadable print is the Declaration of Independence, along with some lyrics from 'Baby got Back', by Sir Mixalot. A little throwback to our jr high years, apparently. 

Here's one angle of the dessert table. A cake pop (of course) "river", with my attempt at a fondant cake in the background.

I used my new Cricut Cake to cut the 'W' and all the little circles on the cake. The top is supposed to be Willy Wonka's hat. Hmph. Good thing I signed up for my first cake decorating class next month! Super excited about that.

I really did have a ton of fun decorating this cake. Fondant is tricky! But super fun! I can't wait to play more. 

I'm sad that I don't have pics of the rest of the dessert table. We borrowed a chocolate fountain from a friend and I made bouquets of treats to dip. Doughnut holes, strawberries, marshmallows, then plates of mini oreos and nutter butters (mmmm), bananas and pretzels. It was yummy and super festive! Very wonka.

Yep. Here's my dorky painting of an oompa loompa. And oh, that blasted song! I can't even think the words 'oompa loompa' without it getting stuck in my head.

oompa, loompa, doopity do...

I've got another 

puzzle for you....

Aaarrghh!

Please excuse the chocolate all over my son's face. It was a wonka party after all.

I managed to snap photos of most of the kids as oompas, which I plan to print and send along with the thank-you notes. They were hysterical.

I can't believe that's all the photos!

We played the ole "pop a ballon to get the prize inside" game... but used gold balloons in the shape of a 'W'. Also did a 'golden egg hunt', but each egg was labeled with each child's name to be sure everyone got one.

And this idea I loved... I read it somewhere... 

I got 12 boxes of Everlasting Gobstoppers and wrote each guest's name on one, then placed them all in a bowl near the gift table. At gift time, Ty pulled a box from the bowl, read the name, and traded the gobstoppers for the gift from that particular child. This cut down a bit on the frantic "open mine next!!", which gets confusing and frustrating for the birthday kid.

We also made candy necklaces with fruit loops and plastic cords... but again, no photos. :(

Oh, and my husband printed coloring pages with scenes from the movie and we set up a coloring station in Ty's playroom for something to do as guests arrived.

It really ended up being a fun day! Ty had a ball and loved all the wonka stuff... and especially having all his friends to his house to play. Something about that just thrills kids. And wears out parents. :)

Check back in the next day or two... I've finally taken some pics of Ty's room makeover that we did for his birthday surprise and I'll be posting!

Happy birthday Ty!

Today my first baby turns 5.

I've had a grand ole time searching through photos and reminiscing a bit... This post is way more fun for me than it is for you. But it's my blog. And it's my baby's birthday. So... on with the reminiscing. :)

May 12, 2005. I'll never forget that day. The coveted second line appeared and our lives changed forever. 

August 25, 2005. It's a boy! I knew it! This was also the day we closed on our very first house. Big day. 

January 15, 2006, 4:41am. 9lbs, 11oz. Chubby from the start!

I have never been so tired in all my life. Until the weeks and months to come....

I love this age. About 6mos here... Ty was such a sunny, happy baby!

And chubby! Love the rolls!

"Sand in my toes, walkin' with my Papa"... life is good.

What a goofy mom he has.

Good thing dad is mostly normal.

Look out ladies. 

My little dragon, almost 2 yrs old.

Watching the Portland Beavers play a little baseball

Ty's first Disneyland trip, just after his 4th birthday.

And here he is, best big brother ever, my sweet birthday boy. 

Love him. 

Such a kind, thoughtful, sensitive, creative, bright little guy. What a joy he is. 

Happy birthday Ty.

Balance

I love how the new year feels like such a fresh start.

I have big plans for this year. Well, big to me. Keep in mind having a most-of-the-time semi-organized playroom would very big. As would an always neat car. But I like the relative simplicity of my life. I chose it. Planned it that way. Gives me room to fill it with the things I really love.
So that's what I hope to accomplish this year- Lots of stuff I enjoy, less that I don't.

Sorta wish that meant I was hiring a housekeeper, but nope. No such luck. But I know there are a lot of things I can do around this house to make the cleaning easier. A few areas that could stand better organization. And the biggest thing I plan to work on is organizing my time.

I need to find better balance.

The couple weeks before Christmas got so crazy with sewing projects and shopping to finish, and the overwhelming and surprising coffee cozy sales really threw a wrench in my plans. I felt scrambled and unable to prioritize- and my house suffered! I realized I need to organize my time a bit better.

I know when I'm old I'll look back fondly on these sweet years home with my babies... the time together, raising them and just having fun with them. I want them to have those memories too. I don't want them to say, "Mom was great, but she was always too busy to play. Always sewing, always cleaning, always in the middle of some project...". But I think that's how it's been!

So how do I find the right balance between the things I want to do and the things I have to do? The kid time and the grown-up time? The house cleaning and the having fun?
I've struggled with this off and on since I left my beloved job outside the home and took on the most fulfilling yet frustrating job I've ever had. I kept telling myself it's just because I'm new to this SAHM thing, I'll get it figured out. But it's been almost 18 months since I left work and I'm still trying to figure it out!

I like my house clean. I don't like clutter. I like to cook meals for my family. I don't like fast food. I love always being in the middle of a project. Crafting and sewing. Blogging. Visiting with friends. I love to play with my kiddos, but always feel guilty when playing if there are chores to be done. And there are always chores to be done! Right mamas? Yet when I'm doing chores I feel as though I should be doing something fun with the kids!

I absolutely love staying home. Best thing I've ever done, best decision we've ever made. I'm eternally grateful to my hubby for supporting this dream of mine. So I want to do it well!

Tell me your secrets! How do you balance your time? Do I need a detailed, daily schedule? I like structured days, but need some flexibility! All you seasoned, experienced mamas, please share your tips.
Thanks. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

My family's Thanksgiving tradition is to watch 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' every year, sometime before Thanksgiving day. Without the children, of course. Mostly due to the one particular scene at the rental car counter. If you haven't seen this movie, it's dated but hilarious! We have so many inside jokes and quotes from that movie. 

I just wanted to share a few specific things that I'm feeling very thankful for this year. Cliche`, yes... but this is my blog so I can be cheesy if I want. :)

Every day (even long days with cranky kids) I feel so blessed to get to stay home and raise my children myself. I love the time with them, I love cooking for my family every day, I love spending time at Ty's school, and having the time to do the things I always wanted to do (like crafts! and this silly blog!).

I am so incredibly thankful for my amazing husband, who works so hard for us. Even though things have been frustrating for him at work because of the economy, he still puts his all into it. He finds ways to be creative and keep it fun. He supported my dream of being a stay-at-home mom, and sacrifices constantly so we can make it happen. 

I am overwhelmingly thankful for my healthy, happy, beautiful boys. What a blessing from God. They keep me humble, make me crazy, and inspire me to be a better person. They make every day an adventure, they make me laugh, they keep me young. 

I am thankful that my entire family lives within about a 30 mile radius. Two sets of grandparents, parents, tons of aunts, uncles, cousins, and cousins' kids (second cousins? I never can figure that out...), in-laws, nephews and niece! I can't imagine being separated from my family by distance, and feel so blessed that we can see each other anytime.

I am thankful for my health, my God, my home, my friends... but also for small things like hobbies I enjoy, great food, a little snow, Christmas music, and funny movies. 

Happy thanksgiving to you and yours!

What I wish I learned in school

Hubby and I were discussing this the other day. I expressed my fear of Ty one day bringing home math that I can't remember how to do... I say 'one day', however I imagine this is likely in the near future. Perhaps 2nd grade. Math was not my thing.
Then it occurred to me that I don't remember how to do it because I don't use it. How many of us really use algebra on a day to day basis? Or even long division? I have a nice, handy calculator on my iPhone that takes care of those daily math challenges, such as halving recipes, or calculating sale prices.
This got me thinking about the stuff I do use on a day to day basis. The stuff I wish I had learned years ago instead of having to figure out on my own. So here is my somewhat complete list of classes I wish I had in high school.

1. Basic yard care- I never learned how to mow a lawn. I'm mostly thankful for this. But I also didn't know you had to deadhead rhododendrons every year. If I'd known this, I may not have talked Mike into buying our first house. The one with at least 4 giant rhodies in the yard. To this day I hate those things.

2. Laundry 101- Yes, it's true... I'm ashamed to admit I never did a load of laundry until my parents went out of town for 2 weeks late in high school and I ran out of clothes. I think Mike had to come over and teach me. I'm sure this is just because my mom, like me, is a control freak. My boys will probably never learn either.

3. Interior painting- Ok, I am awesome at this. Not ashamed to brag a little. I can cut in without tape like nobody's business. However, some people are not awesome at it and we should all learn so maybe there would be fewer stark-white walls in the world.

4.  Garage sale organization and execution- I love garage sales. I love shopping them, and I love having them. It's like playing store. I price everything with neat tags using a tagging gun. I use lots of tables with tablecloths and organized merchandising. No piles of junk on the lawn. Stuff is cleaned first. I hang all nice clothes for easier browsing. I have an organized bookkeeping system and always balance our cash box after the sale. But I've been to sales that are just a mess. The control freak in me wants to take over and reorganize peoples' sales for my own shopping pleasure.

5. Um, grammar? Perhaps some of us could use a little more of this subject? And maybe some more work on spelling? Preventative is not a word. There, their and they're are all different for a reason. Marshmallow is not spelled marshmellow. And it's 'supposed to', not 'suppose to'. Ok, end rant.

6. Parenting! Good grief, I could use some help on this. I imagine most high school students will end up as parents. Hopefully later, but sometimes sooner. A nice, printed manual would be great. And a trouble-shooting guide I could hang in my pantry.

7. Basic car care- My husband is not a car guy. He likes cars, sure. But he doesn't work on them. Nor do I. Nor do I really want to. However, it would be nice to go into Jiffy Lube and not get completely taken advantage of because the sales guy tells me I need 6 different filters plus this service and that service. All of a sudden I've spent $200 on an oil change and I have no idea why. I'm very thankful for a new friend who's husband is a car guy. He has saved me countless times. We all need someone like him, or perhaps just some basic car knowledge so we don't get ripped off.

These classes would have been much more useful than all that silly math. And chemistry. And I get (and support) the concept of physical education, but did we really have to play basketball so much? And why does everyone assume that if you're tall, you must be able to play well?

Wow. Anyone still there? What classes do you wish you had?

Ten random facts...

about me!

I read a very entertaining post like this over at make happy and thought it looked like fun! So here ya go, my top ten quirks.

1. I can't stand soda. Of any kind. I've choked down maybe 5 sips in my entire life. Also on this subject, I can't go anywhere without a big bottle of cold water-- I drink almost 2 gallons a day. I never knew this was weird until just recently.
2. I also used to believe that most people knew how to spell and use basic grammar-- until I joined facebook. :)
3. Cleaning out the fridge is my very least favorite chore. The rest I really don't mind. If it wasn't for my husband I would most likely have science experiments running rampant in the back of my fridge.
4. I've used the dishwasher in my house maybe 5 times since we moved in. 2 years ago. I so prefer to hand wash.
5. When eating a meal, I finish each food before moving on to the next. I also thought this was normal until just recently. Anyone else do this?
6. My birthday is 9/11.
7. I am currently hating almost every single thing about my living room and trying desperately to come up with a new plan. A new cheap plan.
8. My absolute favorite people to hang out with are my husband and my parents. Not always in that order. :) This makes me feel very blessed!
9. On our honeymoon, the airline lost our luggage and we didn't get it back for 2 days. On the way home, they lost it again.
10. I tend to get very passionate about things I believe in-- this is one of my least favorite things about myself, and also one of my favorite.


Tell me your quirks!!

Birthday bee

A few weeks ago, I shared a little preview in Beckham's birthday post about my pretty little bee necklace.

Well, today is my 31st birthday and the perfect occasion to share this cool story.

On September 11, 1979, as my poor mother endured the Worst Labor and Delivery of All Time (or so I'm told), my grandmother was on a trip in California, brokenhearted to miss the birth of her first grandchild. While there, she purchased a special gift to save for my 16th birthday.

~fast forward 16 years~

On September 11, 1995, I was given a beautiful gold bee pendant covered in 16 tiny diamonds, and my grandmother shared the story of missing my birth and buying this special bee. I was thrilled that it was as old as I was, and especially to have my very own real diamonds!

~today~

This necklace is one of my favorite things! I LOVE that it's actually vintage! But I don't love that that makes me "vintage"....

I'm wearing it today as I celebrate with my family. But like all my birthdays post 9-11, there is an undercurrent of sadness as we remember that day. I remember it like it was yesterday. Today I am praying for the victims and their families, for hope and safety and peace.