It's gotta go!

I don't know what it is lately, but I'm in MAJOR purge mode. I've been going through closets and drawers like crazy. It kind of feels like nesting- I just need to get things in order, and NOW! We just have so much stuff. So much stuff we don't need. I don't need three crock pots, but I have them. The one with the missing handle on the lid must go! The kids don't need an entire basement full of toys that they don't touch, either. And a five year, boy/girl separation doesn't help either. Kate doesn't really play with toys except on rare occasions, but Preston still does. All of the little girl toys have been packed/given away, and all that's left is stuff that Preston plays with and he refuses to part with any of it! Right now, everything has been taken up to the attic to my designated garage sale area, but that has since spilled over into the "stuff we want to keep" areas. And speaking of the "stuff we want to keep," even it's getting pared down. Do you realize we have BOXES (note the plural) of old outdated New England Journals of Medicine up there that Christopher won't part with? All of my personal possessions fit nicely into about 5 boxes. His taken up an entire side of the attic. No kidding. We all know who the pack rat in the family is, now.

I just want to start spring with less. Less to worry about, less to store, less to mess with on a daily basis. So come on down in May when we have the garage sale to end all garage sales. Should be a fun time! Yeah, and I'm pretty sure the neighbors across the street think I must be moving out because at least once a day, I carry a big box or garbage sack of stuff out to the garage. Or maybe they know me too well and think to themselves, "Must be garage sale time again."

Thursday night randoms

Lots of random stuff is floating through my mind, so here's a brain dump!

The other night, Preston asked, "Mom, can we have Chinese food tonight? I want to have an omelet." Insert crickets chirping... "You mean an egg roll?" "Yeah, I want an egg roll!"

Preston also asked for chicken noodle soup for lunch the other day, and ate it! He's branching out, folks!

IGA has smoked meats now and every time I go there, I think to myself, "Someone's burning something," but it's just the smoker. You'd think I'd catch on.

I'm glad our schools still recite the Pledge of Allegience and sing the Star Spangled Banner. Even better, they play it over the outdoor loudspeaker as well so you can hear it across the street at IGA. A great way to start the day!

It looks like my sweet nephew, Glen might be getting his tonsils/adenoids out, too. Clearly, it's a Henry trait along with those blasted ears. I think we all need to storm our ENT and ask for a family discount!

My grandpa has been dealing with some type of flare-up with his joints lately. Last week they told him he had RA but the rheumatologist he saw Monday said it was polymyalgia reumatica. He's on prednisone and is feeling better. We're having lunch tomorrow and I can't wait!

Is it bad that I don't enjoy volunteering at the computer lab at Preston's school this year? Last year I did it once a week, this year once a month since other moms stepped up to help. I think it's the teacher. We're having our disagreements.

I started a diet this week. I NEED to get rid of this belly and thighs. So far, I'm just hungry and craving chocolate cake and chocolate pie like mad. I don't think this will work very well...

Since it's still too cold to run outside, I've started doing laundry squats and they are literally kicking my butt! I am SO sore. No pain, no gain, right?

I am itching to buy some chevron fabric. My etsy favorites page is filled with every color. I want them all, but don't know what to make with them yet. Yet...

I want to rip apart Kate's headboard and cover it with fabric and nailhead trim. I doubt Christopher would go for that, though.

Getting creative

I'm always looking for things to make. In fact, I can not sit and watch tv unless I'm doing something with my hands (quilting, embroidery, cross stitch etc.). So I got the itch to make something and tried my hand at these braided fabric headbands for my Etsy shop. They are SO easy and fun to make, and a great way to use up scraps! I don't have them up in my shop yet, but I promise they'll be there soon. I also made a blue/green one. Kate was a good sport and modeled them for me. I can't believe how red her hair looks in this picture!
The kids were home Monday for Presidents day and I knew I'd need something to do to entertain them since it was pretty chilly. Enter Pinterest and some fun ideas! We made mind jars. The kids had a great time with these and made a glittery mess.
We also made yarn octopi. Kate originally wanted to make these and then Preston jumped on board too. And the best thing about both projects was that I had everything on hand already so it didn't cost anything!
Now I'm making another quilt from Grandma Bess' pieces that she cut out. I spent all day yesterday cutting out pieces to fill in the squares and now I'm not much in a sewing mood. Maybe it's that I'm not in a pinning mood- I can sew all day, it's the pinning I hate.
I also have some more things I'm making for my shop as soon as I can locate some fusible interfacing- nowhere around here carries it. Boo!

Product of the Week- Greek yogurt

It's that time again! I'm linking up with Tiffanie for the Product of the Week. This week's product is Oikos Greek yogurt!

Thanks to pinterest, I came across some yummy Greek recipes that of course, required Greek yogurt. I'm not really a yogurt eater unless it's cherry flavored, but I thought I'd take a quick taste, and it has the same taste and texture of sour cream! I LOVE, LOVE sour cream, but dieting doesn't lend itself to much sour cream. The beauty with Greek yogurt is that it is fat free and only 80 calories for the entire cup! Just 2 tablespoons of sour cream has 80 calories! So I decided this might make a good substitute. I tried it this week with fajitas, because I just can't have them without sour cream, and it was fantastic! I got the cool creaminess without the calories or fat!

My next trick is trying it with Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix (I can't control myself with that stuff). I could eat the entire container with little damage to my diet, and certainly up to veggie intake! Now, if they'd just make a cherry flavor, I might actually eat this on its own!

** I whipped some up a bit ago and you can't tell the difference! I'm excited for some veggies for lunch!

Thanks for stopping by!

Product of the week- calendar

I'm linking up with Tiffani again for the Product of the Week! This week I'm showing off my Real Simple Flexible Planning Calendar.
This calendar has been a life saver. I love my Erin Condren Life Planner, but this one is front and center the planning site in the house. It's right on the refrigerator, close to the phone and where I open mail and unpack backpacks, so things always get listed on here first. I love that it comes with different colored stickers that fit perfectly in each day. We each have our own color, plus one that I use for family events. And when things change, I can simply take off the sticker instead of having to cross something off, leaving behind a nice looking calendar!

Now, I have this nifty board that mine hangs on. I've had it for about 4 years and I'm sure you can find it somewhere on the internet, or maybe they make a different board for it now since they still make the calendars. The board has a place for a pen, post-it notes and a VERY handy accordion file that sticks on magnetically to keep receipts, etc. The tack board keeps all of our stickers handy (I don't like having to flip through to the back to get stickers each time), appointment cards and the multitude of ear prescriptions that we have on hand.

And to tell you how much I love this thing... Real Simple stopped making the calendars for a shirt time. I couldn't find them ANYWHERE! I was panicking- I was NOT going to stop using this calendar. I went through and re-used the pages that had the same corresponding days/dates, took off the stickers and changed the month at the top. This took me through almost a year until I found some on vacation last summer and stocked up! Now they sell them at Target if we run out again!

Thanks for stopping by!

Valentines Day 2012

We woke up to a white valentines day this year! We only got 2 of the 4 inches, but at this late in the game, I'm just glad to see any snow! This is our view from our back door.
See the cardinal and blue jay in the tree below? It looked so neat to see all the birds out looking for their breakfast!
I had gotten all excited about a possible snow day and even got the kids' snow clothes out of the attic for the first time this year and then they had school. And to top it off, by the time they got out of school, it had all melted so they STILL haven't gotten to play in the snow this year! A far cry from last year's 11 snow days and them being so sick of snow they stopped wanting to play in it!

I was in charge of Preston's class valentines party this year. This is a whole new concept for me. The teacher puts the class parties in the hands of the parents. One parent is in charge of each party and has to call all the other parents that signed up and designate what to bring/do. Waaaaaay out of my comfort zone. But I think we had a good party. The kids seemed to have fun.
We made flubber and they each got to take some home. That was a big hit! Then we played valentine bingo. The cards were labeled 1-24 instead of the regular numbering. One boy asked if they could play blackout, so I said sure, not realizing that they'd all get blackout at the exact same time until I got halfway through. Ooops!
Preston really liked his valentines this year! He got a giant Hershey Kiss from Avery! Her mom was in charge of treat bags and she'd already ordered peanut butter hearts for the boys when Avery informed her that Preston was allergic, so she called to see what all he couldn't have and said she'd make Preston his own bag. How sweet! I LOVE when the kids and parents are so attentive and thoughtful when it comes to his allergies. And Preston was THRILLED to have a giant chocolate kiss!

The rest of our day was pretty low-key. We didn't do anything special besides all be together!

Let's go to the hop

Christopher's Aunt Karen is turning 50, so Kendra threw her a surprise sock hop themed birthday party yesterday. We always get together for valentines day anyway, so that was the excuse for getting together. After we did our valentines lunch, the guests started arriving. It was really fun! The kids got into dressing up and really enjoyed playing with Sarah and Gracie- and for once, no fights! I don't even think anyone came and tattled! Kate liked her skirt that I made so much that she didn't want to take it off when we got home!

Saturday was a fun day as well. Mom took us out to lunch and bowling in Effingham and it was nice to get out and do something, even if it was bitterly cold. Bowling was fun- I lost, as usual! I also lost a nail when I lost the ball on the backswing and it ripped it off. OWWW! After bowling, we came home and gave the cats a bath. Yep, we're those people... Really, though, we'd given them their flea treatments and it always leaves their necks greasy and it makes Nonni shed like crazy.
Zipper, though (yellow cat) needs a bath because she's too old to be able to clean herself well near her rear. She HATES her bath.
Nonnie tolerates his baths and we just have to make sure he doesn't jump out- he usually just sits there patiently.

Today we're waiting on 4 inches of snow. All of a sudden, winter decides to come mid-February. It's supposed to get bad around the time the kids get out of school today and snow all night. That most likely means a snow day tomorrow- the day I have to host the valentine's party for Preston's class. It wouldn't be the first time a party had to be rescheduled. Remember Preston having to stay home on his birthday because of a fever and ear infection in September?

Braces

Kate had her work-up for her braces this morning. It went pretty well. She didn't puke when they did impressions like I always did, so that was a good thing! They took quite a few x-rays and her poor mouth is a mess. Taking after her mama! One was a full-head x-ray, which was pretty neat- you could see where her brain was, sinuses, etc. Cool! Her dentist laid a template over that x-ray of normal teeth placement. Her molars and such are all right where they need to be, but her front teeth are so far out of place. Looking at them, they don't look like buck teeth, but shown against the template, they are really bad! I guess that should be expected since she sucked her finger until she was 10. Yep, you read that right! Originally, he didn't want to pull any teeth, but after reviewing everything, he needs to take out two on top and bottom. Nice...

And all I can say is, thank goodness for good dental insurance! What they didn't cover was still a lot, but we paid it in full to shave off $200. But with the extractions coming up, that adds another chunk that we weren't prepared for...

So Kate goes in on March 27 to have the braces cemented on the top and the two top teeth taken out. He already plans to "gas her up" to pull the teeth, so that will make banding her molars a piece of cake being numbed up! That was by far the worst part of braces for me. They did take a "before" picture today and I'm excited to see the after picture in about 2 years!

Product of the Week- Half

Guess what time it is! It's time to let you all know about my product of the week through Tiffanie's link-up.
I didn't really know if I'd link up this week since I really couldn't think of a good product. And technically, this isn't a product, but a book, but it's a life changer (at least I pray it is).

via

My mom lent me her copy of The Power of Half and... wow. In a nutshell, it's about this family, moved by their teenage daughter to sell their house to one half it's size and donate the money from the sale of the house to charity. This book is more than just a story about their choice to downsize, but a testimony to service and charity.

It has given me a greater desire to serve and give. It's something that has long been a very important aspect of my life. It's a value I want to instill in my children as well as a guidepost for their lives. I guarantee that this will open your eye and heart as well. From personal experience, service is something you will never regret!

Thanks for stopping by!

Boys

Life with a boy is interesting. You really never know what to expect. You also learn to realize that they don't slow down. They are always running, jumping, rolling, you name it. With all of this activity, they get hurt. And when they can't get the bandaid to stay on their skinned knee, they will use an entire roll of medical tape to keep it on.
Tractors are a part of your everyday decor. You also get good at naming the correct pieces of farm equipment and how they are used- especially when his grandpa is a farmer and has the actual equipment that he gets to ride on.
You might also find a toy shark filled with a mysterious blue liquid that he swears is not toothpaste spit...
Legos are also everywhere. You will step on them, and they will hurt. But nothing pleases him more than accomplishing all 1,200+ pieces of the Millenium Falcon.
Your washer and dryer might be covered with farm and excavation magnets that have never been played with once in the past 3 years. They merely serve as decoration for the laundry room.
It's hard to think that 8 years ago I found out I was having a boy and was scared out of my mind wondering what I'd do with a boy. Now I couldn't imagine life without one!

Putting things in reverse

We had a long weekend since there was no school last Friday. Kate stayed at a friend's house Thursday night so Preston and I woke up to an empty house Friday morning. It was nice! We spent a little time tidying up Granny and Pa's house before they return from Florida next week and then pretty much spent the rest of the day lounging and playing some Wii. We didn't do anything Saturday because it was a cold, rainy day. We should've found something productive to do, and I did think of going to the library... after it was closed... We did prep for a fun party for this coming weekend, and I'll share some pics then. I'm getting excited!

Sunday we went to mom's for dinner. No super bowl for us- in fact, we watched the puppy bowl on Animal Planet! I HATE football and the fact that people get so worked up over a silly game, so I'm pretty anti-super bowl. We had a fun time anyway!

Preston's been sick- again... I swear, it's always something. This time it's another respiratory bug. He had a slight temp Friday night and I was sure he'd wake up sick and we'd have to make a trip to the dr. (thankfully they now have Sat. hours). But he has stayed fine although the cough is increasing and getting more "wet" sounding. He does have some congestion in his lungs but seems to be able to clear it when he coughs. We can't do anything until runs a temp. since he's allergic to so many antibiotics- his dr. reserves them for absolute emergencies since he's grown resistent to some for his ears. Let me tell you, it's always an adventure!

The rest of the week will be spent getting ready for the big valentine's party for Preston's class. I still have to contact one parent whose line was busy the entire night. Got to make enough Flubber for 21 kids, finish up the BINGO game, reserve some cupcakes, get some prizes for the BINGO game... Phew! That, and I have Kate begging me to nail down a date for her birthday sleepover when we have something major planned EVERY weekend in April. She may just have to wait until May for her party! Easter falling in April always throws us off.

A steal!

I've been wanting to update our main bathroom for quite a while. We gutted it 4 years ago, so they extent of it had to be minor. I found this shower curtain at Wal-Mart for $9 and didn't hesitate to put it in the cart. I LOVE it! Even Christopher really liked it and his color pallet consists of Earth colors, which I HATE. It has made such a huge difference in that little room! It went perfectly with the towels we already had, so there's no need to change them, too. I do want to paint the walls grey, which I think will really make the curtain pop- plus we already have half a gallon that will more than cover it all. But I'm not sure if grey will go with tan stone tile.

Product of the Week- pizza

It's Thursday again and time to link up with Tiffanie and her product of the week! This week's product fits perfectly with the Super Bowl this weekend. It's Di Giorno's pizza dipping strips!

I saw these last week when I bought groceries and the garlic dipping sauce sold me hook line and sinker! I LOVE Papa John's pizza (mainly for the garlic butter) but there aren't any around here. I fixed this for lunch yesterday since Christopher was home and I won't admit how much of this I ate. It was FABULOUS! So fab in fact that my salad ended up in the trash because I ate so much of this. That one up there is still in my freezer, and if I wasn't at least attempting to watch what I eat, I'd fix it for myself for lunch today! Oh, and it was only $3.98 after my coupon!


So there you go! Thanks for stopping by!

February

Wow! I can't even begin to describe how nice it has been the past 3 days. Gloriously warm for the end of January/beginning of February! It's been 60 degrees and sunny! This winter has by far been the mildest winter I've remembered. On the news today, they showed the average total of snowfall for January at 10 inches. We got 1.8. It's been warmer than average as well. I'll take it! Usually we've been below zero temps by now, and it hasn't even reached the single digits! Now that I've typed that, though, it will get nasty.

So what did we do on this fabulous day? Yard work! And yes, it was nice. I think it was just nice to be able to spend time outdoors and do something productive. We cleared out the 1,000+ gumballs inside our front fence, and Christopher picked up fallen branches from our many thunderstorms of last month.

Even my daffodils are enjoying the nice weather and have poked their little leaves up already! As long as they wait to bloom until after the last frost, we're alright. But it's refreshing to see signs of spring- and now I can officially say that spring is NEXT MONTH!!!!