Happy Halloween...

from the most adorable scariest MONSTER around... RAWR!!!

 

 

be safe and enjoy your chocolate coma... I know I will,
I mean why else do you dress your kids up this cute? 

 

photo c/o Antisdel's Photography 

time-outs | temper-tantrums | and a tutorial

Sometimes, I wish mommy-hood was all about smiles and sunshine and sweet little cuddles... however, we all know that is not the case!  Especially when it comes to this little stinker pictured below.  This girl.  My mother wished this on me and now here it is, staring me in the face.  She has such a strong personality and is confidently independent.  Sometimes, time-outs seem to be more work for me than a consequence for her. 

When I found this tutorial for a calming jar, I knew it was a good one.  I pinned it away for a rainy day.  Well, the storms hit, the day PJ turned 3, and I untucked this tutorial and was hoping it would help with the temper-tantrums
and the time-outs.  

So, here it is. My rendition of a calming jar, which we are referring to in our little family as the
"I need a moment" jar.  I followed this tutorial with only a few modifications.

First off, as spelled out in said tutorial, you'll need a jar of some sort, clear glue, hot water, glitter and a very adorable little helper. 

While the recipe I followed used a mason jar and I loved the way it looked, I could only visualize it exploding into glittery glass pieces all over my new hard wood floors in a moment of 3 year old rage, so I opted for a peanut butter jar
>>> yes, plastic.   
{sidenote | do you know how hard it is to get a peanut butter jar completely clean?  ya! that was a treat} 
After spending what felt like 2 days 20 minutes, give or take, cleaning out the jar, I realized, uh-oh, this leaks!  In walks the hubbs, and could sense my frustration {we will just leave it at that, k?} and he said not to worry, that he would seal the jar!  I didn't argue.  I figured him being a plastic major had to come in handy at some point and this would have to be it.

I used about 2 tablespoons of the clear glue and 2 cups of hot water, and that nearly filled my PB jar to the brim.  Then, together we "spilled" in the glitter as my little chickie refers to it as.  No, not pour, SPILL.  I wasn't sure in which order to do these steps, so I added the glitter last.  It did take a while for the glitter to head to the bottom of the jar.  It would just sit on top of the water|glue mixture, so I stirred it with a spoon and that seemed to help.  I also spray painted the PB jar lid a silver metallic spray paint, for some added pretty.

After much spilling, and much stirring, we got most of the glitter to settle to the bottom of the jar.  There seemed to be a layer of glitter that just would not settle, so a few drops of clear glue to the top of the mixture helped with that.

I absolutely loved doing this project with Presley.  She got so excited with each color that was spilled into her jar.  And of course, she had to spill each color that she picked out "all by herself."  Which did not lead to a glittery mess all over my kitchen.  No, not at all!

The hubbs pulled through and used a clear silicone around the opening of the jar and on the inside of the lid, screwed it on really tight, wiped off the excess, and instructed us to let it dry overnight.  I think I may have been just as disappointed as Presley.  We both just wanted to shake the hey out of the jar and see what it could really do, but we didn't.  We let it dry overnight.

The next morning, we tested it out.  No leaking, check!  Lid could not be unscrewed, check! The glitter actually dispersed when shook, check! and settled just as it is supposed to! check!!  all in all, success.  Now here's to hoping that besides being a fun project, that it will have some displinary action as well.  Fingers crossed! 

so here's the nitty gritty

• find a jar and get it good and clean, spray paint the lid
• use 1 tablespoon of clear glue to 1 cup of hot water
  {a standard size peanut butter jar will use 2 tbsp to 2 cups}
• "spill" in glitter to desired amount and stir as needed
• if using plastic, coat edge of jar and inside lid with clear silicone, screw on tight, and wipe off the excess
• let dry overnight {husand's orders}
• shake and enjoy

It's a GIRL...

that's right friends.. we momentarily lost our minds and decided, hey, we just built our dream house, now let's get a new puppy to help break it in.. right?

 



 

and that's exactly what we did.  the newest member of our family, weighing in at 10 pounds, with blonde hair and brown eyes...

our goldendoodle
<<<<<Shandy>>>>>

{yes people, she is named after my favorite beer}

 



 

 



 

she made her debut at my daughter's birthday party last weekend.  who doesn't want to open a puppy in a box with a pink bow on your birthday...

 yep! that's just what she  got to do.

 



 

 



 

Presley was beyond estatic... she opened the box and layed eyes on this fluffy teddy bear, and said AHHHH, I LOVE HER!  sweeetest.thing.ever.

 

 



 

so the last week of my life has consisted of caring for a puppy.  friends, I have forgotten how much work a puppy is.  The hubbs and I have been taking turns getting up in the middle of the night to take the little one to potty outside, picking up shoes that are not chew toys, playing tug of war with our sweetheart, feeding, watering, walking.. ya!  it's almost like having a baby back in the house. 

 

but so worth it... she is so sweet and we are in love!

 

we decided on a goldendoodle because we wanted a dog that would be good with kids. 
wanted a dog that was well behaved and easily trained.
wanted a dog that would not shed. 
and wanted a dog that would get big yet still could be a house dog. 

 

we drove 4 hours because I was so impressed with the dog breeder where we got Shandy, and folks, seriously if you ever are interested in a goldendoodle, please visit amber from  elk prairie doodles.  she is the bomb.com!  for reals!

 

and if you follow me on instagram, so sorry,
you get to see the cutest puppy ever again right here!

 

 

yes that would be my daughter playing dress up with the pup!

 

 

more party pics to follow.

thanks to willow brandt photography for these photos...

 

alrighty peeps...  I need to go see what my fur.baby is chewing on
because it is probably my shoe! 

oh, ya! and if you're new here and stopping by to say hi
would you go ahead and become a follower of my bloggie
just right over there on the sidebar ------->
that'd be grand!
thanks.



 

truth is...

truth is...
I only slept 2.and.a.half.hours this morning and I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I will blame it on the weather.  When I fell asleep it was 70 degrees and now it is somewhere in the 40's with gusty winds and rain.  Which reminds me, I don't have a winter coat and need to go buy one.

truth is...
I live in a small town, and was reminded today how supportive my town is when we waved on the volleyball team on their journey to State... and that snapped me out of my bad mood.  Go Cats!

truth is...
I have about 2 dozen projects started and not 1 of them finished.  It's on my to-do list!  Seriously, I have half spray painted pumpkins in my garage and I can't even pull my car in. Thank goodness for seat warmers and toasty buns.

truth is...
I should be a good housewife and throw something in the crockpot but instead I am cozied up on the couch watching my DVR and typing away on my lap-top.  Mexican restaurant for dinner-check.

truth is...
I am an avid Young and the Restless watcher, and have been since 6th grade, and I am about to throw in the towel.  Really Nick?  Avery?  and the ranch burnt down?  what the heck is going on in Genoa City?  could you imagine living in that town? talk about drama!

truth is...
I wrote a whole post about nothing and didn't even include 1 picture.. how can I call myself a blogger? 

stay warm chickies... I really wish starbucks delivered because I am in major need of a pumpkin spice latte.  Instead, I will finish my 2nd dr pepper for the day because that's how I roll on NO sleep!  don't judge!

My heart...

Happy Birthday to my love. my everything. my world.

You are growing too fast PJ.. when I tell you to slow down,
you say, "mom, I'll always be your baby"

and it melts my heart

you are obsessed with anything disney princess

you love to color and be crafty

you are so independent and prefer to do much everything on your own

you love to twirl in your dresses and skirts

you have the most amazing brown eyes and blonde hair

you make the sweetest faces even when you are crying

you love to dance and sometimes I think you may pop a hip out

you love to sing and make up your own songs

you want to be a cheerleader so bad you can't stand it

you are so proud of your big girl room and love to show it off

you make the everyday count

I love you so much

 



 



 

a full recap of the big girl birthday party coming soon,
and I'll reveal the secret I have been keeping!

{if you follow me on instagram, you probably all ready know}

OH snap.

what's up with my lovely friends today?

I will tell you what's up with me... I am totally exhausted beyond words because my alarm went off at 5:30 and I managed to hit snooze until 6:15 {what's that? like 4 times} and then throw on clothes and brush my teeth and out the door by 6:30.. ya.. I work nights people.. I haven't set an alarm in a very long time.  and I get to do it again tomorrow.. all for a work thing.

so, besides sitting in class all day.  I am actually doing something totally rad and guest posting on this blog.  about what the heck to dress your family in for pictures!  so head over and check out Allison... she's not only an amazing mother and absolutely gorg, but also a darn talented photographer... believe me, you'll be impressed.. show some love too and say hi!

so what are you waiting for? huh?

head on over peeps! 

the weekend wrap up

 

 

 

So... I had planned on doing some really awesome craftiness this weekend and sharing it with you today, but... Well, you know how that goes!  You guessed it, I didn't get to it... So.. Instead, I will tell you a lot about nothing and I'll even throw in some random instagram pictures because, well, that's all I've got for now...

On Friday, I celebrated 5 years of being married to my sweetie... And what did we do to celebreate? We went to a high school football game, of course. Isn't that what all married couples do for their anniversary? Oh! and wait for it, it gets better, it poured rain and we snuggled up under an umbrella with an almost 3 year old.  Who had a melt down, may I add, because SHE wanted to hold the umbrella, however, when she did, no one stayed dry, including herself... Ahh.. good. times. friends.

Saturday... the rain continued.  I did a little shopping ALONE... my daughter spent some quality time with her aunt and I had the whole day to myself.  I totally forgot how quickly one can get in and out of a store without a toddler in tow.  Pure awesomeness, except the fact that it was literally raining buckets and my Toms got soaking wet and now my feet will forever stink because who wears socks with toms?  Right! 

Saturday evening..  The mister and I finally got to celebrate 5 years... at the Melting Pot.. with some wonderful company...O.M.Gee, it is my favorite place and so much fun.  If you have never been, it is a fondue restaurant with 4 courses and you cook your own food and it is ah-mazing, for reals!  It is also pretty spendy, which is why we only go on our anniversary.  It is so good that I am all ready depressed that I have to wait another year to return.

 

Sunday we celebrated the baptism of my cute little god daughter and had a family get together following... from there, I won't bore you with the details of the cleaning that took place in my home, but I will offer you some advice.  DON'T EVER put a pull-up in the washing machine and wash it. By accident or not, I promise you will open your washing machine to find clumps of crystals every where!  and a diaper the size of Rhode Island. WOW.  If this does ever happen to you, don't panic.  It's easy really to fix, NOT!

 

• take all of your clothes to your back deck and one by one shake out each article of clothing.
• said crystal clumps will then fly all over your deck, face, shirt and they are sticky.
• then take a towel and try to pick up the mounds of clumpy crystals in your washing machine. 
• I promise you, you CAN NOT get them all out. 
• So get really frustrated and just run the washing machine on rinse and spin. and cross your fingers that it works.. 

Somehow, it worked and my washer is not ruined! we opted to put the shaken out, wet clothes straight to the dryer and low and behold, no clothing pieces were hurt in the process, nor was my coveted front loading washer or dryer. 

 

I will go ahead and let out another secret, yes, this is my husband's doing and I actually said to him,
"just let me do the laundry from now on" 

 

so there you have it, he's off the hook!

 

 

and what's a blog post with out a blurry photos?  here you have it!

 

I had to include it, to prove we actually spent our anniversary together, Yep!  it's a terrible photo, love the mood lighting for dinner but not so much for pics!

 

 

 

 

It's the freakin weekend baby,
I'm about to have me some fun,
Bounce Bounce Bounce Bounce Bounce
Bounce Bounce Bounce Bounce Bounce

 

to my lover...

Happy Anniversary ...

Seriously, I feel like it was yesterday when I was trying to sneak down to the high school football field after the game to try and give you a high five and was secretly hoping for a hug
I would have never guessed that a few years
later we would be a thing in college,
or that I would walk into a house full of rose petals and a shaky guy on one knee
waiting to propose over my lunch break...

In 5 years, we have accomplished so much...

first and foremost, we made a human {and a darn cute one at that}
we built our forever house
I haven't lost my wedding ring {although there were 2 close calls}
oh, and you haven't either
{but no surprise, you are the responsible one}
we have moved 3 times {and are still married might I add}
we lived at our best friends house
{and thankfully, all of us survived}
we have sucessfully eaten our anniversary dinner
at the melting pot every year...
{ahem! when is our reservation?}
you almost cut your leg off building our fence and I drove you to the ER with no gas and my car read 0 miles most of the way there
{yes we made it there}
oh, and I almost passed out
and yet we are still in love!

Together,
so many memories

so many ups and downs

but like we vowed

we have been there for each other

you have taught me so much
and since I am not good at the mushy stuff...
here's how I really feel!

you are the creamer to my coffee.
the ping to my pong.

to peanut butter to my jelly.

the fruit to my loop.

the mac to my cheese.

I love you !

and 5 years later, in the same church we were married in, with a little addition

now let's go drink some champagne and watch our wedding video
you know how momma loves her some champagne

to 5 years!

cheers