Get It Back Box

So today, I was browsing Pinterest, and came across this.  I honestly thought it was a good way to get the kids to stop leaving their stuff around. My youngest will grow up knowing this system too.
I pretty much copied the entire thing, word for word, but put my own little differences in there too.

First, I just found an empty wipes container.

Then I used some left over clothes pins from my baby shower. I wrote simple, easy chores on the clothespins.

And simply copied the poem onto the wipes box with a sharpie. =)  Before I was even done making it, I had to pick up something that required a chore to get it back. Works well!!

Now when I find something laying around, I pick it up and put it in a box or drawer in my room. When they go to find it or grab it, they must draw a chore out of the "get it back box" and complete the chore before they can get that item back. 

This should help out a little with my 30 Day Challenge (see above tab). I will also be making the same chore sheets and punch cards on this same page. =)
Such a great idea, and once again, I wish I could lay claim to it's creation.

Happy Spring!

Just checking in!

Today, as I take my coffee break, I decided to just check in. =) We all know that my wonderful followers (and by that I mean my one follower; thanks LeeLee) are SO curious as to what's going on in my life. *insert sarcastic eye roll here*

Little League is just about over. They played last night, but lost. The city championships start this weekend, but this being my luck, no one knows what time or where they play. Today being Thursday, a practice day, I am now not sure if there is even a practice as they played their final game of the official season last night. I guess it will be another after school scramble to get ready and head down to the practice field to see if anyone else shows up...again. Oh well. =)

My daughter's potty training is going well. She has made it almost a week without a single accident. My husband says to expect them, as it is still training. However, I think we are just about fully trained! =)

School is just about over, and the summer is about to begin. Hopefully, we will be able to get some fun time in this year. However, it still has to be the weekends (for the major fun) so my husband can join in. I was thinking of days at the park, but seeing as how one is 13, that may not be the best option. Perhaps the dogs will get walked...a lot. =)

I have also decided that as much as I love my daily routine, I am rather bored with it. I clean  the same things, every day, and in the same order. It makes for a pretty clean house, but pretty boring routine. The rest of the day is spent with a 2 year old that would rather play with my tablet than with me (Damn child friendly apps), or going into the newly decorated nursery (again...thanks LeeLee) and pulling every basket out and stringing the toys everywhere, leaving me yet another mess to clean up.

I have come to the conclusion that my dogs are determined to make me fall down the stairs. Only when I am carrying a laundry basket that, combined with my growing belly, makes it very difficult to see them in front of me.

The weather is finally taking a turn for the better. It was 80 degrees yesterday, and is supposed to be near 90 today. I am thinking that after I get through my cleaning list, I may take my daughter outside to play ball. She badly wants to be like her older brother and play baseball, even though she ends up kicking it more than throwing it. =)

I made some coasters this week. We needed them in the living room. My mother in law sent some tiles my way, some of which are claimed already by two other members of the family, leaving me with only the little ones. I just cut out a square of four tiles, and put bathroom caulking in between and let it dry for a few days. So far they have turned out pretty well. I now have a set of 7. Not sure if I meant for 8 or 6, but ended up with 7. The only thing left to do is get some felt or cork (thinking autozone) for the backing on them. I may use the left over small tiles (really pretty colors) to re-top my craft table downstairs.

I also cleaned out the garage and got stuff ready for the yard sale. That seems to be getting pushed further and further out as the Little League schedule changes. I was shooting for this weekend, but the first championship game changes that. =)

But now that I have found the bottom of my coffee cup, my coffee break is now over and I need to keep cleaning or I will lose my momentum and sit on my butt all day.

Happy spring and here's a random picture of Thomas the cat prowling my Dad's driveway. (He thinks he is a tiger!)

Packwood, Washington

I can still remember the first time my family and I went to Packwood. Twice a year, for Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends, Packwood puts on a huge swap meet/yard sale. Luckily, we only live about a 1 1/2 - 2 hour drive from there. They are located near Mt. Ranier, and have a breathtaking view of the mountain. It is usually best to go during Labor Day weekend, however, this year, I could very well be in labor then, so we went for Memorial Day.

The drive up was absolutely gorgeous. As you first take the turn up White Pass, you are greeted by rock bluffs. Not everyone will find these pretty, but I do. (please pay no attention to the blur mark on my windshield)










There are many beautiful sights along the way. Mostly grassy hillsides, but not much is green this time of year. The most breathtaking sight along the way was Rimrock Lake. This lake is actually a reservoir that was created, I believe, in the 1920's. I am not sure exactly how long it is, but a google search stated that it is 2,500 + acres of water. This lake is a great family retreat for camping, weekend fun, and fishing. However, we usually go to clear lake, which is a smaller lake  just North of it.

Clear Lake

Both Rimrock and Clear Lake have great camping grounds that families of all ages and numbers can enjoy.








Clear Creek Falls is the next pretty sight, however, I was unable to take any pictures of it as the road was full of bends and blind corners and my husband's driving scares me on winding roads.

Dog Lake was just as pretty. The snow line was still on the banks of the lake.














Mount Ranier was barely visible through the clouds, but from what you could see, it was beautiful. As we are passing different places, I am acting as tour guide and telling the kids what everything is. As we passed Mt. Ranier, I told the kids that Mt. Ranier is actually a volcano. Instantly, my mind flashes to my daughter's puzzles that depict volcanoes as mountains that only spit fire and lava, she begins to freak out. All I can hear for the rest of the trip is "No want volcano. Mommy, no volcano".

Finally, after almost hitting a dead deer on the side of the road, me leaning over my husband (thank you for loving me, even though I am more trouble than I am worth) to get pictures of thing we have seen a million times, and my 2 year old screaming about a volcano, we reached Packwood.
Let the frustrations begin:

Here, you will find everything under the sun. Food and drink vendors have placed their stalls selling everything from Chinese food to elephant ears. People are everywhere and every camping site and R.V. Park is filled for 30 miles around (just estimating here).
After paying $5.00 to park for the day at a local beauty salon and getting everyone to use the outhouses (gross) we were off to browse.
On the way in, I found my dad's truck parked in the first parking lot, I called him and we agreed to meet up. However, Packwood is the one and only place my Verizon phone does not get the greatest service. I had to try 3 times before getting a signal to even call my dad.

There are many different types of people that come here, and honestly, I enjoy people watching more than the browsing of people's old junk. I got a few pictures, but about 30 minutes into it, I forgot that I had my camera (as it was safely hidden in the stroller). But the ones I did get, I love.

People....

People...


Everywhere!!







However, my favorite picture was of this little dog. We have large dogs (see my about me page) and was absolutely infatuated with this little one. The owner told me I could take his picture. (thank you kindly sir...still adorable dog!!)  He also told me that it was chilly when they got up that morning and the dog needed pants just as we do.

After about 5 hours, we ran into my dad, goofy sense of humor and all. (Love you Dad!!)
He showed up at 7am! We arrived around noon, but he was still in good spirits, despite losing a six dollar window decal.

All in all, we had a good day. The boys each got a grab bag of stones and fossils (supposedly), The oldest boy got a new pair of fox riding boots for the dirt bikes, the youngest boy got a gameboy game, 2 hotwheels cars, a playstation 2 game and they each got a snow cone. We also bought some home made terryaki jerky and pepperoni bit from one of the vendors. They were awesome! My daughter, who recently potty trained, did great! We packed the little potty chair and she used it in the privacy of our van and we had no accidents.

The day was a great family day, and we all had fun.

Some other shots from the drive:

 

By the time we got home, all three kids had fallen asleep. Several hours of walking eventually took it's toll on me too. I lied down on the floor to play blocks with my daughter, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in bed and it was morning. 

Cherry Blossom Growth Chart

Let me first say that I could only wish that I could have thought of this on my own. I have been seeing this all over pinterest.com lately and it sparked an idea. This is the one I re-pinned. Since it is in a language that I cannot read, I figured that trial and error were going to be the best way for me to figure it out.

I started with a scrap piece of plywood that has been laying around my garage (Thank you hubby for NOT cleaning it out, despite my near-constant nagging).

Then I painted it white, using the left over ceiling paint from my unborn daughter's room (which was left over from another project from-I don't know when).







I drew out the words "Watch Us Grow" on the top. I was going to make one for each kiddo, but then thought that it would go great somewhere everyone who comes over could see.  I, then, painted over the words with the left over Scotland Isle Green sample.

Then I used leftover Black Suede paint sample and painted the branches of the tree. (I used a paintbrush from the dollar store. If you have anything better, I recommend using that.)

Then I measured and marked one inch increments and painted them green. Then I marked out half inch marks and painted them black. I also took the lines over the sides of the board.

I used a blue permanent marker to write on the numbers. I wanted a color that was nowhere else on the board so it would be seen.

Now for the tricky part. I dipped a 2-liter soda bottle in the left over wall color from both girls' rooms. After letting the excess drip off, I put them on the board and let the impression from the bottom of the bottle get onto the board. (My bottle still had soda in it, I think an empty one would have worked better.)

I thought the impression was to "bottom of the bottle" looking and smudged them up with the paintbrush a little. I liked this look a lot better. It fits my imperfect lifestyle. =)

Then I added eyehooks to the top so it can hang with a wire or ribbon. =)

This was the final look.

I am quite happy with the results of this and soon after the paint dried, discovered that it would not fit into the space I wanted it in. Now I need to find somewhere else to hang it. 

Happy spring to everyone!!

The Nursery is almost complete!

I have learned an important lesson today. There is no greater way to gain patience than to wait all day for the Fed Ex guy. Nothing bad on Fed Ex, in fact I love them! They sometimes bring packages to my house, somewhat bringing Christmas around all year.
My baby shower was May 19th and my Mother In Law (whom I love!!) got the matching bedding set to go with the room that LeeLee designed. It is called Seed Sprout Demask bedding set. It's absolutely beautiful and matches the room wonderfully! She bought (from walmart.com) the 3 piece set, the window valance, and the diaper hanger. (we opted out of the bumpers, as I feel that they are not needed and unsafe)

I was a little surprised at the size of the box.
But, the people at the packaging plant have found a way to make sure it fits!

 Luckily for me, everything came in neat little zipper bags that evaded even my daughter's sticky jelly bean-ed fingers. =)
(She refused to let me have the bedding without taking her picture, then after the picture she ran off with it, otherwise I would not have put one of her on here)
The diaper hanger is on the left, bedding in the clutches of my two year old, and the valance is on the right.



After texting my Mother In Law to find out of the bed skirt went over or under the mattress (don't judge, I am domestically challenged) I removed the mattress and placed the skirt over the frame.

After the huge task of getting my toddler to stop jumping on the mattress, I put the fitted sheet on the mattress and put it back in the crib. =)

I am also now VERY aware of my need to steam clean the carpet in this room.




I put the blanket on and was quite impressed. Everything ties together and looks beautiful.

The blanket is reversible so the patterned or dotted side could be up.





The next piece that I opened was the diaper hanger. I unzipped the pouch and pulled. No assembly required. (perfect for my lack of brain power these days)
I am unsure of where to hang it, and have texted LeeLee (as she lives somewhere around 200 miles away) but have not yet gotten a response.

I have not hung the valance yet, which is the final piece. I am now in search of curtain rods, and yet the only ones I can find in this house are the type that push into the window. =(
As soon as this is up, I will post it and the nursery will be completed (well, with everything but the baby).

Another huge thank you goes out to LeeLee for designing the room and putting in her hard work (and nearly broken back from falling off the chair while painting polka dots on the ceiling) for us. We are all very grateful!
Also, a huge thank you to my Mother In Law for purchasing the set and gifting it to us. (among everything else she does for us!)  We love you so very much!

Springtime

I love spring. I love the smell of the flowers, the warm days, and the sounds of the birds chirping outside my window. This is our first spring in our new house and I am very impressed with how beautiful things are turning out to be.
However, to gain the beauty, it requires a lot of work Every weekend, my family and I have been doing massive amounts of yard work, and nothing really seems to get finished.
I did find some parts of my yard that have just about taken my breath away.

This is a pink flowering dogwood that is in my back yard. Unfortunately, it only bloomed for a few weeks. It now looks dead and dry, yet there are new greens on its branches.

I am not much of a gardener, and a lot of the flowers have now seen better days, but when they first came to be, they were beautiful.

Springtime makes me grateful every year. It is a time for life, and love and hope. It is a time for renewal and progression.

HAPPY SPRING!!!

White Sox Birthday Cake

My step son just turned 10 this past weekend. He picked a baseball themed birthday party. This is also his first year in Little League and he plays for the White Sox. This is the cake his Mom (LeeLee Owens) and I made for him. I baked, and did the first few layers of fondant, and his mom did the detail work.

I found this cake here and we made our own variation of it. Hope we did okay by Claudine's standards. =)

$50.00 And 2 Days: Day 2

Day Two:
We placed a border of tape 5" from the ceiling all the way around the room.

LeeLee painted the top border and the ceiling with the same white as the chair rail. She used the Shur Line tool.

This tool is great for wall corners as well as ceiling borders. The corners proved to be an issue due to the shape of the tool and our distance from the ceiling. Otherwise, this was the most used tool that we purchased.

After the paint dried, LeeLee used the same color/sponge combo from the chair rail (See Day 1). She applied the black polka dots to the ceiling, followed by the green, then the pink. The ceiling turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the room.

We then taped 1/2 up from the top of the tape to create a border after the polka dots dried.

Then, LeeLee painted the area between the tapes with the black suede paint sample. She used another Shur Line touch up tool, that worked out pretty well.

And once the paint dried, we peeled the two layers of tape off and had a beautiful black stripe! =)











The ceiling was done, as well as both wall borders. However, the light cover did not match. So we polka-dotted that too. =)

With the walls and ceiling done, it was time to move onto the details in the accessories.







I had a small wooden chair.We painted it white. LeeLee wanted to bring some of the upper decor to the bottom of the room.

Added polka dots:

Then LeeLee painted the front rungs New Violet and the side rungs Scotland Isle Green.

She then taped the edges around the brackets and painted the brackets green.

She added some of the same butterfly decals also used in the framed collages we made on Day 1.

The completed chair:

LeeLee hung the framed collages above the chair rail.

The she added decals with the words "Faith, Love, and Hope" below, above and below the frames.

THE FINAL TOUCH:

LeeLee added five of the same butterflies from the chair rail to random sections of the ceiling. 

With this, the room is complete. All that is left is cleanup and bedding. The baby shower is in 3 days, so hopefully, it will be arriving. =)

Here are two panoramic photos of the whole room put together for you to get the full effect of LeeLee's wonderful creation. (Please keep in mind that these are panoramic views, and the lines are actually straight, the camera just makes them look bowed)

So here is a $50.00 baby room make over. Much love and many thanks go to LeeLee Owens


(http://www.leelee-726.blogspot.com/)
 Without her none of this would have been possible. 

(At least for under $50.00 and in 19.5 hours)