These are the GOOD times

Somehow, Miss E and Miss G cannot resist the urge to "improve" our home with their artistic talents. There are few surfaces in my home that have not been "decorated" by their hands at some point. I get so sick of telling them "we only color on paper" as I try and get them to erase their drawings, and often even with my help we can't get it all off. They've colored walls, furniture, beds, blankets and even carpet. The other night, just as I was closing my eyes for the family prayer, I paused on these pen marks on my dresser. They were made weeks ago with an ink pen, and carved into the surface and I don't think they're coming off. I first felt a twinge of anger and frustration seeing them again, but when the prayer started, I had the thought that someday, seeing those marks would make me happy. If something were to ever happen to my Miss G, or just years in the future when she was more grown up, I would look at those pen marks and smile. I thought about that again during conference today when someone (sorry, I can't remember who) spoke about enjoying right now in our lives. There was some quote about how if we fill our days with dreams of the future, we leave behind lots of empty yesterdays. (something like that, I will find it when they are typed online and post the link- it was good!) Anyways, I know it is true. I hear it all the time from parents whose children are grown, they actually MISS this stage I'm in! And even now, when I look at those pen marks on my dresser I do smile. These are the good times, and I appreciate the reminders that I need to be doing more to make them good.
And thanks to Kyle & Ashley who let us visit them this weekend, and Kyle who suggested I go get the camera today and take the picture of Sam and the kids- it's a good one.

Why I use coupons

So I can show off my $82 savings on my blog.

Time to get a new picture on here

I've been told Charlie looks like a girl in this picture, but I think it's cute. The cashier at the grocery store asked me if he was a girl yesterday and he was wearing a totally blue and white boy outfit. Nothing new to talk about... he looks like a boy for sure in this one:

They're baaaaaaaack....

I don't know what it is but I love these dolls! I don't usually care about the toys in my kids Happy Meals (in fact I usually can't wait to throw them away) And I'm not even a fan of the Wizard of Oz necessarily, but when they have these dolls, I find a sudden urgent need to go to McDonalds, frequently!

We totally need the blue monkey and the green man.

Denim and a movie

Quick- head into your closest American Eagle Outfitters and try on a pair of jeans and you'll get a free movie ticket! Valid every day of the week, even on special engagements. If you buy a pair of jeans, you'll get 2 free movie tickets. I saw the sign up in the store this morning and ran in. Now if I can get Sam to go try on a pair we'll have a free date! They even had some jeans on the clearance rack for $20 if you need them. The tickets are good through 9/21 and they are only having them in store "while supplies last."

CPS #81

Made a card with the CPS blog sketch this week. The quote was downloaded from the Designer Digitals freebie gallery, and I tried out the Glitz Roller Doodles for the squiggles around the striped paper- fun!
I have a new obsession, the "Glossy Accents" clear puffy paint stuff and I tried to put it over the word "mother" and it didn't go well, it might be because it's so late, but I couldn't keep it in the lines for some reason. Oh well, I still like the card, and I love the glossy stuff for other things.

Sneaky

My camera keeps disappearing, and then when I find it there are mysterious pictures... I found some evidence:
And this time there was some video footage of her accomplice:
I was wondering why my camera lens was all cloudy...

The greatest thing since sliced bread

I just signed up for Carbonite and am really excited about it. You download it and it automatically backs up your computer online so you never have to think about it- until the worst happens, and then you don't have to worry because everything is safe with them. Sign up or find out more by clicking HERE.You may recall that earlier this year I lost everything on my laptop when the hard drive suddenly crashed, for no reason. Luckily I regularly uploaded photos to Shutterfly, so I only really lost a few of those, (but my original digital files are gone, I can only get those printed from Shutterfly now) You'd think I would have constantly been backing up but I only did it once before now- it's a pain! I love that I don't have to think about this and all my pictures, music, Tax and financial info and digital scrapbook stuff is totally safe now! And it's only $50 a year. That's a bargain.

Fashion

I saw this cute picture, on THIS cute blog, and found THIS fun flickr group for Simplicity pattern 3835, and it got me thinking about dusting off my high school graduation present, my sewing machine. Maybe it's just because I probably can't possibly sew with a broken wrist, but those shirts look really cute, and easy enough for me even, maybe.

I've never seen a storm like this before

Not here in real life anyways. We had hours of this non-stop thunder and lighting all around us. It got loud and windy and rainy but it was really exciting to watch! The video doesn't do it justice of course but you'll get the general idea.

Fancy

So I went and broke my wrist this weekend. Luckily when I went to the Dr. today they gave me the option of a pink, glittery cast- yeah! I told them I had 3 girls who would think it's really cool. (not to mention it makes me happy too)I had to take a picture of me holding Charlie before I got the cast- they gave me this nasty splint at Urgent Care and I couldn't do anything with my hand. Miss G suggested the Baby Bjorn to hold Charlie and I was very grateful- it has helped a lot.

Here's the scene of the "accident." Sam is the irrigation pro for our little circle but he was at a church Daddy Daughter activity Saturday and needed me to pull that triangle thing out of the ditch- it was standing up blocking the water, and the ditch was full. I have done it before and it wasn't a big deal, but this time I stood with my feet on either side of the ditch walls and my hands on the handles of the metal thing and pulled up, but there was a lot of water on the other side, and the weight of the water pushing it somehow made me lose my balance or something and I fell backwards, into the ditch, and must have tried to stop myself with my hand. It happened fast and all I could think of was I had to get up as the nasty, disgusting water washed up over me and pushed me down the ditch. My arm hurt like crazy and I was pretty sure I had broken my wrist immediately- I couldn't get out for a mintue because my left arm was useless, and I couldn't get up on my feet. One of my flip flops washed away and the second worse part of the ordeal was walking through an irrigation soaked horse pasture- with pokies- without my shoes! My wrist hurt so bad and it was so disgusting to be covered in irrigation water! I came in and took the best shower I could with one hand, called my mom to come help me get dressed and take care of Charlie while I went to urgent care. Anyways, the Dr. said I could be good in as little as 4 weeks so that's good news! I can't believe how much I use my left hand for. I'm very thankful I didn't hit my head and drown, or get sliced up by that big metal thing, or break my right wrist, but it is hard to schlep my 18lb baby around with only one arm. (yes, 4 months old and he weighs 18lbs, 4oz!!!) Oh and I can't do my hair- that stinks too. And I look lovely with my elbows all scraped up and a huge bump/bruise on my leg from that metal thing I think.

My Turn

I've been hesitant to post about this because I don't know the Nielsons personally but my life has been touched by reading NieNie's blog so I feel the need to say something on mine. If you haven't already heard, Stephanie and her husband were critically injured in a private plane crash last weekend and are in the burn unit fighting for their lives. They are parents to 4 beautiful children and they need our help. To be inspired and get to know her, read her blog HERE. Hers was one of the first blogs I ever read and she is one of the mothers who have truly inspired me to work harder to change some of my attitudes towards motherhood and homemaking. Through her short sweet blog entries I realized that in her blog she exemplified the type of mother I wanted to be, and that the direction towards becoming that kind of mother, was to change my attitude. (I need that reminder on a regular basis) One day I spent a couple hours reading the archives back to the very beginning- one of the stories I best remember is of one of her girls camp experiences, when she was a teenager with very short boy hair. It is hearbreaking and funny- I knew I liked her by the time I read it. Click HERE for the whole story. She's a bit of a celebrity in my blog world- it seems like everyone I know reads her blog, and a lot of people I know in real life actually know her in real life and I believe them when they say she is really the person we know from her blog. I've only met her once, I ran into her at a Target and probably freaked her out a little when I introduced myself as a "fan!" Anyways, it's weird how I can feel like I know and love someone who I really only know through this miracle of the internet, but if you are reading this you probably know how I feel! They need lots of prayers and if you can donate any money they will certainly need that as well. Nie doesn't have a counter on her blog but I would be willing to bet there are hundreds, if not a thousand or more people who read her somewhat regularly, and what a difference it would make if all of us could donate even $5! I put the button with a PayPal link on the right hand side of my blog if you feel so inclined.

Last Week...

She loves to pose as much as her big sister! She was so excited to finally go to school! Her only disappointments were that she doesn't get to ride the bus, and she doesn't get to stay all day! We were pretty rushed on her first day and I didn't notice the purple socks she'd selected until she got home and unfortunately they didn't get in any pictures. On the 3rd day we got there a few minutes early and she wanted to go play and I realized how little she is when I saw her walk out onto that big playground with all those big kids... sniff, sniff...

When you're 3...

It's hard to hold up 3 fingers- it's also hard to remember that you're 3 and not 5. But she can count to 20 perfectly. She wanted a "princess cake" and I got this idea from Family Fun Magazine. It took a lot of time to make because I had to cut out each of those crown pieces in sugar cookie dough with a template, and while I was trying to make it, surrounded by my messy kitchen (messy house actually) I was questioning whether it was a good use of my time, but in the end it turned out pretty cute, and she LOVED it. When I asked her what her favorite part of her birthday was she answered "Ummm, the cake, and the cake, and the cupcakes, oh, and swimming."

Birthday card

I finished this card last night for my MIL's birthday and was too late for the sketch challenge I started it for but oh well- I was a little rushed so I didn't have time to obsess about it but it turned out fine I think. I actually dreamed another way to do it last night so I may try another one later. We are celebrating Miss E's 3rd birthday today so my house is a wreck getting things ready yesterday and today! Hopefully I'll have a couple pictures posted later.

Scrap a doll house

This was in my Creating Keepsakes e-newsletter and I think it's so cute! What a great idea, I don't know that I have patience for a project like that, but maybe one of you do? I love it, though I might not want my kids to touch it by the time I was done! Click HERE to go to the website for instructions.

It's that time of year

I've been dreaming of the day all summer long! Miss B started school this week, and her sisters are following shortly! I think she's been looking forward to it almost as much as I have- it's been a loooong summer. Here are the results from the first day of school photo shoot:

I used Glitz Designs Hot Mama papers from the season 2 CD, and the vintage frames from Katie Pertiet at Designer Digitals, and some other random elements I had. FUN- although I might be questioning my decision to stay up so late tomorrow...

How could he not be my favorite right now?

And I love all of my kids equally really, but he is the absolute definition of "bundle of joy" right now. A total ball of happiness- he fusses when he's hungry, wet or tired, and that's about it. He looks at me like I'm the most wonderful thing in the entire world, and every time I pick him up you'd think I just saved his life by the way he smiles and snuggles. He sleeps all night, lets his sisters shove toys in his face (to an extent) and doesn't ever talk back to me! I had to document the little "rubberband wrists" and then I couldn't leave out the chubby feet and tummy too!
If you like these digital scrapbook pages, you can download them free from the Live Out Loud Scraps blog HERE. I feel like it's cheating a little bit to use pre-made pages, but these were so cute! Thanks to "dodo" whoever that is for making them to share.

Tried another sketch challenge

This time I tried the Card Positioning Systems blog sketch- they have one every week and the designers make some examples, and then you can play along and post yours. Here are mine:
I used the Bazzil Bling cardstock on the wedding one and then a transparency printed with the Glitz Digital Scrapbook CD for the overlay. And then the Glitz Designs cardstock stickers for the birthday cake and flower elements. It was fun!

More to fill your online time

I like to look at pictures, and this is really cool- Flickrvision- it uses Google Maps to show you pictures posted to Flickr live around the world. Click HERE to experience it.
And if that doesn't get you feeling all warm and fuzzy and connected to the globe, THIS VIDEO will-
if you aren't one of the 8 million+ people who have seen it already! You can watch it in high quality on YouTube HERE, just click on "watch in high quality" under the movie.

Overdue layout

He totally hated the pool, but he looked so cute!

Charlie is so lucky- not only does he have 3 sisters, but we have 2 new little girl cousins Sadie and Abigail, and in the next few months he'll have 2 more girl cousins, Riley and Evelyn! Doesn't my little baby look HUGE next to those new ones?

Cards

I made a couple cards worth sharing- I even tried a "sketch challenge" for the first time. This one is from LilyBean's Paperie which has some of the most beautiful handmade cards ever.Mine is totally not in the same league as hers but it was fun to make, and I have set the goal of making at least 1 card per week just to force some creativity. (and hopefully get better at it and use up all my crap!) I made a couple of these birthday cards using the cute bird chipboard stickers from Glitz. And finally I made a ton of these candy bar pockets for my sister's shower months ago but there were extras and I like how they turned out. (I know I already showed candy bar pockets before, but these are totally different!)

Cheap Date

We went out last night and had to be a little creative- we had a gift certificate for dinner and then drove around until we found ourselves at the library. We checked out the "For Sale" section and I learned that you can buy magazines there for $.35, and you can also donate your old magazines when you are finished. I found this fantastic book for only $1:

Published in 1966 and most of the crafts are totally horrendous, but it was just too classic to pass up. I knew I would regret not buying it. I know this picture is blurry and hard to read but the title is Aprons with a Foreign Flair- and the comments beside each apron are so funny- (left to right) "Ideal to wear for smorgasbord party" "Greek or not, she'll love wearing it!" "Oriental look not bought in a shop" and finally "Wear it as an apron or an overskirt" Wow- seriously? BHG doesn't kid around. These Bazzar Best Sellers are Bizzar-although there's something I really like about the chicken spice rack... Ok, again hard to see, but that wall on the left has TASSLES hanging on it! That is just classic. I love my new (old) book.

That great find got me energized for vintage stuff, and we stopped off at a thrift store before heading home (didn't want to get home before the kids bedtime!) And I found 2 more cool things. Can't you just see a little old lady in this "house dress" (isn't what they call them?) I am determined to make it into a couple of pillows. And I found 2 of these pretty sheer tablecloths-

I just have to have a tea party now to use them, or maybe I will cut them up for aprons... (to be honest, they will probably sit somewhere for years before I do anything with them, but for $3 I couldn't pass them up.) So our free date ended up costing about $10, but that's still not bad right?

Cool Art

This is really neat- artist Daniel Edlen paints musicians on their records. Click on the picture to go to his website:What a great gift for your favorite music lover- Lindsey, if you and Kipp need to buy for your crazy-KISS-fan-brother for Christmas this year, you need not waste another minute shopping:

Time to go green?

I got an e-mail the other day that illuminated the evils of the plastic grocery bag and I thought I might look into getting some re-useable grocery bags. And if I'm going to jump on the oh so trendy "go green" wagon, I need some pretty shopping bags! The HP website has these butterfly/nature images you can download and print onto iron on transfers for your cloth shopping bags. (click picture to go to website.) I don't know the best source for canvas shopping bags, but Amazon has a ton of choices, I liked THIS ONE.

Birthday Fun

Miss B had her 7th birthday- the countdown to the teenage years is on! I didn't even buy her any toys this year.

And I've been bit by the digital scrapbooking bug- or maybe I'm just not used to 32oz Dr Pepper's before bed anymore... regardless, I am forcing myself to go to bed now.

Happy TEN Years

We celebrated our 10 year anniversary this week and I finally made a digital scrapbook layout- it's been MONTHS but it was fun and I suddenly feel motivated again. Yes those are the lyrics to a cheesy country song, I know, but we were cheesy then... I can't believe how young we were.

Cowboy crib mobile

All of my babies have LOVED their crib mobiles, but I couldn't find one for Charlie that was cowboyish that I liked, so I made one. And it was fun. I found this (not too cute) mobile at the JC Penny outlet for $3 and took off all the stuff, then added these horses from Oriental Trading Company and a bandana we had laying around.
He is very happy to lay in his crib now. (for a little while anyways)

I obviously have 3 big sisters

(and drool a lot)

Time to update my wallpaper

I am loving my new desktop wallpaper/calendar:

If you want one you can download it from Shabby Miss Jenn HERE and add your own picture. Here's another cute one for July from Shabby Princess: click HERE to download it:

Cutie

I've been trying to start doing something creative but haven't actually finished anything yet but I really wanted to post something new on here! Quite cute if you ask me.