wonderful life

Focusing On....

2012-01-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

Big Things

sweet things

putting on a pretty face

waiting patiently

pulling up my big girl panties

And enjoying life!

{carefree}

2012-01-04T04:29:00.000-08:00

Just a silly girl having fun kinda day! Reminds me to take it easy. :)

10 reasons to be happy tonight

2011-12-28T20:34:00.000-08:00

1. kitchen is cleaned.
2. everyone is feeling better after being sick for a month!
3. Christmas stuff is put away....except for the things I forgot about on the front porch.
4. cooler weather is finally here.
5. I finally own Despicable Me. Love that movie!
6. I learned how to put air in the kids bike tires today.....with my new air compressor I got for Christmas!
7. my car is clean.
8. I don't have to get up early tomorrow.
9. Pink Sugarplum body lotion from Bath and Bodyworks.
10. soft feet :)

2011-12-09T21:22:00.000-08:00

It's not the best picture but the stockings are finally hung! I made the boys stockings and Caitlin's came from Pottery Barn Kids, my friend gave it to me after they misspelled her daughters name on it. I made the sign using a piece of wood from my scrap pile, I painted it red and used vinyl lettering. Next on the list....Christmas Cards!

The stockings were hung!

2011-12-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

I couldn't wait to make this! Stockings next.....

The desk....

2011-11-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

Well she is (almost) done. Everyone had a head cold last week and that put us behind in so many ways. I did have enough energy to put some paint on the desk and bring it into Caitlin's room. I just need to buy trim for the top and bottom. Till then, it's getting some good use! Caitlin loves her new desk :)

I even made her a cute space to hang her art work so she won't draw on the desk! :) So far so good! :) Notice this art work has all my tools, drill, hammer and a wrench. :)

Next will be a chair to match....

art...

2011-10-30T11:27:00.000-07:00

I made this pint size desk for Caitlin. It's not finished, I need to add trim on the front and paint it. You can see that she is already putting it to good use. :)

I asked her what color she wanted it to be. I said white, she likes blue.

While making lunch today, Troy found her under it doing this......

And this......

And there is more underneath the top board.

My boys never wrote on anything but she has used my walls, the blinds, dolls! The world is her canvas! LOL! She told me I could paint around it.....I think I should paint it with chalkboard paint!

While I was building the desk, she hammered some nails in some wood pieces. She ended up making this beautiful "3 layer cake".

Decorated with playdoh :)

I hope she doesn't get too upset when we paint over her "art" work.

Woodshop....

2011-10-05T01:42:00.000-07:00

I got the power tools out again!

Here's what came out of the wood pile.

I made Caitlin a doll highchair! It's not perfect but it turned out so cute, I love it!

13

2011-10-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

He's growing into a handsome young man! We love you big guy! Happy Birthday :)

School pics...

2011-08-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

the staycation.....

2011-08-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

We stayed at the beach for a couple days....

Hung out together.....

Had some fun in the sun....

rode the waves.......

wanting to go back again.....

de-clutter, de-cisions, de-lighted

2011-08-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

It's about that time again! Homeschooling a new year! This year is 7th, 4th and kindergarten!
I've been cleaning out drawers and closets and shelves, moving furniture around. I had the kids help, we had 5 bags filled with trash! I'm happy to say that every game piece, every pencil we couldn't find through the year, every movie that was not in the right case....has found it's perfect place. :) for a while at least.

This year I decided to close my embroidery business and focus on the kids school 100%! It feels like a big weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I put everything away...spools of thread, fabric, everything! Now I have a huge space for everyone to sit and learn! How cool is that!?

Now that I'm de-cluttered and almost organized, I have been searching the internet for some hands on learning ideas. I've missed that the most. I love unit studies and lapbooking and lots of unschooling approaches to teaching. I'm excited for this year to start. So are the kids... and that's a good thing!

Aug 22, that will be our "Not" going back to school day! YAY!

online again!

2011-07-15T15:18:00.000-07:00

I am online again!

Look what you can do when your not surfing the web.

Happy Friday everyone :) it's good to be back.....

still alive!

2011-06-06T14:06:00.000-07:00

I am still alive!
we are getting through some curve balls life is throwing our way. we need that money tree in the back yard to bloom! (like my zuchinni !)
im writing this post from our wii! ha! it's like pecking with one finger on the keyboard!
i'm hoping we can get the computer fixed soon. if you have been sending me e-mail, i haven't been ignoring you, i just can't get in my inbox! sorry!
hope your summer is starting off great! im looking forward to some better days!

2011-05-06T16:25:00.001-07:00

Hello there, my name is Beth and I used to blog. :0)
My computer is broke, has been for a long time. I'm using my mom's computer to check in and say don't give up on me.....I'll be back soon!

St. Paddy's Day

2011-03-17T22:10:00.000-07:00

We had our own St. Patrick's day party at home! We did a short unit study on Ireland, made a rainbow paper chain for decorations,

the kids baked green cupcakes, and.......

I caught 3 little leprechauns!

O'Dawson

O'Dylan

and O'Caitlin.

O'Lucky day!

How did you celebrate?

check it out...

2011-03-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

I'm changing the Embroidery blog into more of a crafty blog with tutorials of sewing and crafts.
Here's the first tutorial......don't laugh o.k. :)
http://thepinkblueberry.blogspot.com/2011/03/simple-craft.html

Dylan's creations

2011-03-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

Dylan wanted to learn how to sew.

He was so excited to get started.

I pulled out some felt and....

He created this little shamrock pillow. Cute!

Happy Birthday Caitlin!

2011-03-11T22:00:00.000-08:00

Caitlin turned 5 last week! I had fun planning her Strawberry Shortcake themed party!

From hats to party favors, I made everything!

I thought I'd do a post a day to show you everything. So tomorrow will be the Party Hats! Woo Hoo!!

Photo Booth Pictures

2011-03-10T21:22:00.000-08:00

I set up a photo booth for Caitlin's party and this was what happened....

Pics of the party to come!

what I LOVE right now,,,,

2011-02-14T19:03:00.000-08:00

I LOVE...Troy's "Happy Valentine's Day" picture he drew for us to see when we got up this morning. One big heart and 3 little hearts. :)

I LOVE...Homemade Valentine's Day cards from the kids.

I LOVE.... Our coffee pot that starts brewing coffee before I get out of bed.

I LOVE.....spending the day in my p.j's.

I LOVE.... my hubby, who now works 8-5 :) YAY!

I LOVE....Oranges, fresh from the tree, juiced.

I LOVE.... Publix, buy 1 get 1 free sale with coupons to match :)

I LOVE....My new wicker patio furniture I got FREE off craigslist! A little paint, and some new fabric.......

I LOVE....My electric blanket.

I LOVE....Netflix..We just watched Nanny McPhee, very cute.

The month of December

2011-01-10T19:38:00.000-08:00

December was crazy but I did manage to take some pictures along the way.

We went bowling one day.....

The winner..

Next a picture with Santa at the mall.

After an hour of waiting in line Dylan finally gets to read off his list..

Still reading.....

finally done...

Some homemade hot chocolate...

Now it's Christmas Eve...

This was our little countdown calender for Caitlin. She glued a cotton ball for Santa's beard everyday. Only one more day!

Time to decorate some cookies...

and make some cake pops.....

And invite the family over for some Merry and Bright....

Now get in bed and cover your head cause Santa comes tonight!

(Caitlin wanted Christmas lights in her room.)

MeRrY ChRiStMaS!!

And

Happy New Year!

25 days till.....

2010-11-29T13:02:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to look like Christmas!!

We have the tree up and decorated!

The kids did a great job, Caitlin picked up each ornament saying how adorable it was before putting it on the tree.

They wanted to take some pictures with Einstein, but he did not cooperate.

We went to the library and picked up some Christmas books to read each night before bed. Tonight was, "A Possible Tree" by Josephine Haskell Aldridge. I love the old vintage books.

We have a list of cookies we want to bake, and Dawson loves the Peppermint Ice Cream we make every year so I'm hoping to still fit in my clothes by the end of our little count down to Christmas!! LOL! Happy Holiday's!!!

Happy Birthday to me.....

2010-11-20T18:50:00.000-08:00

Today was my birthday!!

My kids made me cards....

I told everyone I wanted to be 29 again for my birthday so Dawson made me this card, complete with pop-out signs.....

And Caitlin made me this card, the inside has a cake with LOTS of glitter around it.

The kids made me Chewy Chocolate Brownies and chocolate ice cream. Sorry, no picture of that. It was really good! :)

Then we went for a ride to Downtown Disney.

I fell in love with this cup.

The back says, "Mornings aren't magical."

I can't wait to have my coffee in the morning! :)

"Thanks" to my mom and In-Laws who came by with some nice gifts too!!

Fun being the Birthday Girl!

BTW.....

This is Einstein, he is our house guest for the next 2 weeks. He's been so good and the kids are having a blast with him!

Caitlin's new picture

2010-11-16T13:37:00.001-08:00

LoVe this!
My friends daughter painted it. She did a great job!

Trunk er Treat

2010-11-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

Here's our trunk for our church's annual trunk er treat. We did Charlotte's Web.

You can't even see the car!

Caitlin was Charlotte.

This was the first year that Dawson didn't want to dress up. Oh well, it had to happen sooner or later, they can't be little forever :( Dylan went as a Jedi.

They all had a great time, hay rides and friends and lots of Candy!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-26T16:15:00.000-07:00

We went to the Pumpkin Patch today.

We went so late this year that most of the pumpkins were rotting. I went to pick one up and my hand went right through it, so we didn't get to bring one home.

We all felt like this....

I guess we will get our pumpkins from Publix this year.

a simple project

2010-10-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

I had these glass jars from Caitlin's birthday party hanging around.

So the last time I went to the thrift store I bought these candlesticks for .39 each. I believe I bought the glass bowls for that too.

I glued the bowls to the tops of the candlesticks. I used that e 6000 glue.

I put in my candles.....and there you go!

I'm going to put some red rocks in them with the tea lights, should make a nice Christmas decoration. Total cost .78 each.

The Pink Blueberry

2010-10-16T19:29:00.000-07:00

visit The Pink Blueberry here......

http://thepinkblueberry.blogspot.com/

One Long Post....

2010-10-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

Dawson turned 12 last month. It was our usual Friday morning bagel day so I invited some of his friends to Einstein's for breakfast.

He opened some gifts...

Then he wanted to go to Downtown Disney.

Then he wanted an ice cream cake..

It was an all day party, he said he had a great day.

Caitlin is getting ready for Halloween.

Here she is reading the Sunday paper with her daddy's glasses on.

She's quite the artist..

Dylan has been reading to the cat.

I have been working.....here is just a couple....

Now your pretty much caught up....

Owl's

2010-09-16T20:12:00.000-07:00

Troy brought these guys home a couple weeks ago from his Aunt's house, brass owl's that belonged to his grand parents.

Not something I would have looked twice at, but for some reason couldn't just throw out.

In comes Mr. Rustoleum satin white......

Aren't they cute!
I put them in Caitlin's room.

all the sudden I like owl's :)

2010-09-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

Stop by my embroidery blog to see the newest stuff!

http://thepinkblueberry.blogspot.com/2010/09/my-model.html

school pictures...sorta

2010-09-01T19:35:00.001-07:00

We took our school pictures today....

as you can see they had a good time:)

eating noodles....

2010-08-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

fun school....

2010-08-25T20:40:00.000-07:00

The kids are enjoying school.

We used Lego's to build and measure. I had them build to a certain height and then measure with a ruler to see how close they came to it. I find it funny, being the total opposites they are, that Dylan's tower is straight up and down while Dawson just threw any shape together. (just sayin'.)

We are doing a unit study on the United States. I found this huge puzzle at a yard sale this summer for .50!

Caitlin is "reading" her book. She makes up the story from the pictures.

These are skipBo cards that I attached to the t.v.. Why would I do that for school? Because my kids get bored with workbooks and to keep their attention I create games to make it more fun. With this game, they got out the nerf guns and shot at the cards. The number they hit was how many answers to the question. So if they hit the number 2, I would have them give me 2 declarative sentences. If they hit 11, They would have to spell 11 spelling words....etc.

Having fun and learning together. good times! We don't just play, they practice penmanship and work from a language arts workbook, creative writing, bible, spelling, reading, math workbook and typing. I've looked over a few science curriculum and think "Backyard Science" might fit in well with everyone.

We go with the flow a bit around here. Like when Dawson was doing his reading on Ben Franklin today, we found out he published an almanac. Dawson didn't know what that was so we searched it out on the internet and got far more involved than expected. LOL! We found ourselves finding out about moon phases and astrological symbols and graphs......

That's home schooling!

First day of school....

2010-08-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

Up early in the morning on the first day of school. Dylan was checking to see if Sam was up.

They were so eager to start their day!

I think this had something to do with it. :)

Homemade krispy kreme donuts!

Troy couldn't believe I would start the first day on a sugar high!

Loved getting back on track!

This was everybody doing their math. We outlined toys and measured them with rulers, converted measurements and worked on decimals.....

Perfect beginnings of a great school year!

quick post...

2010-08-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

We went to the beach to finish out the summer. Five wonderful days of fun in the sun! You wouldn't know it by my pictures. I only took 4 pics and 2 turned out.

The first day....

And the last day....

They had so much fun. I really do wish I took more pictures, but with 2 boys out in the waves and trying to watch Caitlin from being washed out to sea, it's a little hard to pick up the camera!

We start school tomorrow. The official 1st day back! I have everything ready to go and homemade donuts rising in the fridge for a special breakfast.
I will be teaching a 6th grader, a 3rd grader and a pre schooler! Lord have mercy!

one big post

2010-08-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

Lets start with some food.....

These are my Black Bean Burgers. For a .99 bag of beans you can make A LOT of these.

I soak my own beans but you can use a can too.

dice up onions and peppers

1 egg

your beans

and I used oatmeal but the recipe called for breadcrumbs

garlic, salt, and pepper

Put everything in a bowl, mash it up, and put on a hot griddle

We make them up just like burgers with lettuce and tomato's.

Troy will even eat these. :)

More of Caitlin's art work.....

She cracks me up putting a flower on the top of everyone's heads. She has been watching me crochet those hats for too long. LOL They all have super long hair too.

Good girl....

This precious little girl just picked up her room all by herself. Folded the clothes and put them away, toys in toy boxes, and bed made. I was so proud of her.

Pretty girl...

Cutie.

The Sleepover

The boys had their friend spend the night.

Lego's and potato chips kept them going till about 3 am. They tried to pull an all nighter but they were lightweights. :)

I told them that the first one to fall asleep was going to find their underwear in the freezer the next morning.

Dylan was the first to fall asleep.....Bwahaha!

(no, I'm not that mean of a mother)

The last thing to blog about was the crochet hat's. Not the best turnout. Oh well, You don't know if you don't try. Now I'm going to have to use them for pot holders! LOL!

Don't be surprised if you get one for Christmas! hehe

the goal...

2010-08-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I have 1 more day to make these hats for a mother/daughter conference this week end. My goal is 20 hats. I think I can make it!

2010-08-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

Caitlin's art work....I'm pretty

sure it's me :)

go with the flow....

2010-07-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

oh the twists and turns one week can bring on. crazy.
Tomorrow is Fri. and I still haven't picked up my one hour photos from Mon.. Yep, that kind of week. I'm kinda wondering if I should just stop making schedules because they never. work. out.

what's going on...

2010-07-25T19:38:00.000-07:00

The weeks seem to just pass by so quickly. I need to get my blogging schedule back in action.

If you have been following my other blog, you would have known most of my spare time this last week was going into making these hats for a girls conference next week. I am hoping every girl is going to want a Pink Blueberry Hat! We'll see how that goes. :)

I have pulled out the 'Ol bread machine a few months ahead of schedule. I usually get the warm bread cravings in October but we have been having fun with a flaxseed bread recipe that is really good! It all started when we were reading a book for school called, "How To Make An Apple Pie And See The World". It takes you to different places to get your ingredients. I thought it would be fun to get some grain at the health food store and have my friend mill it for me. (which she did, cuz she's so cool like that;) ) There is nothing like taking home some fresh milled wheat and making some bread. The kids think I'm supermom.

My goal this week is to take some nice pictures of the kids. I haven't had a nice header for my blog in a long time. I want some updated pictures for that. I'll have to throw that in between school, swimming, haircuts, and a baby shower. :) Love my life.....

Mario Party 8

2010-07-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

My middle boy turned 8 years old today. I'm so proud of that kid! We have been working on a birthday party for a couple weeks and it all came together pretty good.

The theme was Mario Party.

Not a lot of stuff out in the stores with Mario Bros. so I had to search the internet and do some late night stressing....Ehem....brainstorming.

This was what we came up with..

I finally found red ball caps just two days before the party. I was going to embroider the M patch on the front but time was a tickin' so we used felt and a glue gun instead. I found the mustaches the night before the party at the dollar store....it was attached to a nose and glasses that I had to take apart.Then tape some elastic to hold on the mustache. (The string kept breaking and nobody wore them except for pictures)

And then sometimes not even then :)

The decor was like in the game, stars, coins, bricks and gold boxes

We played "mini games"

We ate pizza and spaghetti...Mario is Italian :)

I made cupcakes and brownies and cherry slushies.

Great day for the birthday boy!

Boys party for sure....

2010-06-25T15:43:00.000-07:00

There hasn't been any time to blog as you can see. Graduation parties, Birthday Parties, Fathers Day......
I've been working in the garden......we have a watermelon and 6 eggplants!
Promise I will work on some good pictures and better blogs. Dylan is turning 8 in a couple weeks and I'm getting everything organized. I'm sure I'll get something to blog out of that. :)

2010-06-17T17:39:00.000-07:00

I'm still here!
The last couple weeks went by pretty quick. I have been playing around with this whole ETSY thing. I get a kick out of signing in and seeing how many people have been viewing my stuff.

We celebrated Troy's 50th birthday! He took it a lot better than I took turning 40 :)

Now we go right into Father's Day....I'll have to make a better post then because this girl is tired tonight....:)

My Etsy

2010-06-06T19:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a year ( almost) that I opened an "Etsy" store. I always said, "I'm going to put my stuff on there" . Etsy, is a place online that is for handmade items that you can sell. It's kinda like Ebay, but you don't bid.
Well, the other day I spent all morning getting my pictures together and uploading to my little cyberspace store. I did it! The Pink Blueberry is finally on Etsy!
Let me tell you what motivated me to do so.....
My boys love electronics. And the newer model gameboy has been out and they wanted it pretty bad. I suggested they get their toys together and we'd have a yard sale. They pulled out 3 matchbox cars and a book. Needless to say, that wasn't going to be enough to get what they wanted. I wasn't too upset, I really didn't want to have a garage sale anyway. :)
A couple of months go by and now they have a great idea. There is a store called Gamestop that will give you money for your old games and consoles......They loaded up a bag and off we went. It didn't take the guy 2 seconds to offer them $5.00 for all of it. Tears fell that day. No Deal!
That brings us to last week. The boys said they wanted to sell their stuff on Ebay.
Here we go again.
I have had an Ebay account since 2004 and have only bought 2 home school books from it.
I said,....." you guys have to figure it out without me"
They took the pictures, uploaded them, typed out the description, put a price on it and waited for 7 days till the auction ended.
They ended up making $150.00! They were thrilled!

If they can do it, I can do it right?!

So, you will notice on the side of the page there is a widget of my Etsy store. I have other stuff I'm going to put on, but this was the ice breaker for me. I finally did it. ( Yay me)

sewing stuff :)

2010-06-01T09:20:00.001-07:00

http://thepinkblueberry.blogspot.com/2010/06/cute-little-boutique-pants-with-that.html

2010-06-01T07:08:00.000-07:00

Picking herbs from the garden the other day.

Had a great long week end with the family. :)

my garden.....

2010-05-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

This week I spent some time in the garden. I have some tomato's, eggplant, peppers and watermelon (the kids wanted to try that). I have some herbs too. Nothing says Summer like slices of tomato's with some fresh basil. I also have some lemon mint that I put in hot water for tea. I've got some space to fill, so I'm thinking some cucumbers or pole beans would be fun. I have been using containers this year so I can move them around to get the most sun. I have an abundance of paint buckets thanks to Troy's new job. :)

We are getting some nice strawberries too......

I love gardening....it's like therapy :)

Summer School

2010-05-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

While everyone else is getting out of school, we have Summer sessions.
We have always worked right through Summer and it seems to keep us on a schedule.

I want to enjoy the Summer too, so this year I was going to make a "Summer Memory Box" .
I was going to put things we can do as a family every day on pieces of paper and then put them in our box. The kids will take turns pulling out a piece of paper once a day to see what we will do to make a fun memory. I thought they could make a scrapbook out of of each day of Summer.

Sound like fun? LOL I better find a big box somewhere. :)

2010-05-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

http://thepinkblueberry.blogspot.com/

Been updated my other blog.....:)

bookcase...

2010-05-11T10:06:00.000-07:00

It's been sitting on my back porch for weeks....but today....It's finally done!

I wish I could have set it up with books but it's not connected to the wall yet. But I LOVE the way it turned out! Kinda shabby chic-ish. Again, this was from Knock Off Wood. The only thing I had to buy was some 1x2 and nails. Total price tag for me was about $3.00! I have to say the next thing I build won't come from a scrap pile of wood. I'm going for some straight boards next time! LOL

Tea Time...

2010-05-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

Sat. my friend had a fabulous Mother Daughter Tea Party for her birthday. She told me about the idea around Caitlin's birthday and she asked me if I would help with it. So the planning started. We e mailed each other ideas, searched the internet, pulled stuff out that we had and borrowed what we didn't have. It was such a success! It couldn't have been more beautiful.

This is the dress I made Caitlin to wear.

Everyone dressed up, sipped tea and ate a wonderful lunch.

The little ladies had cute circle sandwiches of PB&J with strawberries and grapes and drank out of the sweetest little teacups. Precious!

This was where all the little ladies put on their jewelry and got their picture taken.

I giggle every time I look at these....

Thank you Cara, for such a sweet moment in life I got to share with my daughter. I will never forget it. :)

wood shop

2010-04-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

I've turned into the carpenter! My jigsaw has sawdust all over it! And I have passed Jo Ann fabrics to turn into Home Depot!

We are having Wednesday's be our "wood shop" days. This week our plans are to make this sweet little bookshelf....

I've got all the pieces cut out and ready to put together tomorrow. Should be another great day in wood shop!

( I haven't packed up the sewing machine yet. ) I'm going to use it to monogram all the basket liners for when I make this......

I'm getting all my plans at "Knock off Wood". She has so many plans to choose from, my list keeps getting bigger! I haven't even spent any money on wood yet. I've been using Troys piles of scraps.
Well, drop by later and see our finished project!

wood shop

2010-04-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

We were at it again today. The kids love to make stuff with hammers and nails. This morning we went through our wood pile and found some things to put together. They measured out and marked the wood, I cut it with the nifty little jig saw I got for Christmas. They sanded down the edges and helped pound in the nails. Finished it off with some leftover paint and........Voila

This was born...

I think I'll find some buckets to put on it. Maybe some herbs too. It's on our front porch to welcome friends. :)

Here are some pictures of my little construction workers...( I always forget to take before pics )

I got the plans from The Knock Off Wood website on my sidebar. This was the simple bench that I modified to shelves. She has some awesome things to build, check it out!

a little spring break

2010-04-10T13:06:00.000-07:00

We had a taste of summer the other day.......

Orange blossoms filled the air, a sweet breeze every now and then, and swimming in the pool!

Easter

2010-04-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

Easter 2010......
Not what I wanted it to be.
I don't have one picture to show that it even happened!
It started with a terrible, throbbing, toothache. I was hurting so bad I laid in bed the whole time the kids were up and getting into their Easter baskets. Church starts at 10 and everyone was coming for lunch at 1:30. I just couldn't get to church, I felt so bad. I popped some Aleive and watched the service online. I started lunch and by 1:00 I popped another Alieve. It finally let up some and I did get to eat.
I felt so tired, and wore out by the time everybody left. I grabbed an ice pack, and laid down with it stuck to my cheek for the rest of the night.
No family picture, no table scape photo, nothing....
( By the Way.....woke up this morning pain free and fine....crazy huh?! )
Today was spent cleaning up and relaxing. I even watched a movie! I never do that. It was called, "In the Blink of an Eye". It was about the rapture. Really good movie. Might just watch it again and totally forget about all the Easter basket grass that is all over the floor. :)

Sundays comin

2010-04-02T19:00:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naajYZSbWdw

stuff....

2010-03-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

We have a new water heater! Guess why.......:) that's another blog post.

For now, I want to catch up on a few things.

Here is the finished console that the boys built. It was a quick shot to show you how it turned out. I'm going to put pictures on the wall to decorate and then show you guys the details of how we finished it.

I've been doing some sewing....

This is whats left of an old tank t shirt I had.

This is what I made Caitlin out of it.....

This was a total " Hmmmm, let's see what happens if I do this" type of project.

Caitlin likes it.

it's going to need a monogram :)

Kids DIY console..

2010-03-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

We have construction in our blood.

Today we took a trip to Home Depot with a plan of making a small console for our front foyer. The plan was simple with 2 sides a back and a top. We went looking for a 1x6 of pine and we took it to the cutting station where they gladly cut it the dimensions we needed. Then I bought each boy his own hammer and a box of nails.....there might be tool belts in the Easter baskets this year. :)

The boys proudly walked out of the store with their goods, feeling mighty manly I must say. Dylan must have been thinking the project wasn't big enough because he asked if we were coming back later for more wood to make something else.

We got home and drilled our holes and hammered our nails and then had to call on the professional.......D.A.D

He knows all the tricks.

We will paint it tomorrow and show you the finished project.

2010-03-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

check this out!
http://thepinkblueberry.blogspot.com/2010/03/lights-camera-action-look-at-how.html

The Party...

2010-03-13T18:53:00.000-08:00

We had Caitlin's party today! She enjoyed it so much.

I made a 5 layer cake! That had 5 different colors!

I made the cute little circle tags and popped them in the rice crispy treats.

We made ice cream sundaes and as promised, candy!

She got some great gifts too....

shoes, shoes , shoes.....they have to learn this early, that you can never have enough shoes! Dresses and books and movies...A big Thank You to everyone!

It was a great "girl" day full of pink and sweets.....:)

{my mom lovin on Caitlin and Madilyn}

{ Caitlin, Abigail, Amber and Rachel}

{Caitlin and Abigail}

{Madilyn}

I hope everyone had a great time coming over and celebrating with us....Thank You again!

Happy Happy.....

2010-03-11T15:42:00.000-08:00

Caitlin turned 4 yesterday and we put up some of the decorations.
I made these cute streamers and the banner with scrapbook paper and my circle cutter.
I had just enough ingredients to make her a cake and frosting (it was barely enough to cover the cake)....she loved it anyway.....

{ Pretty Decorations }

2010-03-06T11:26:00.000-08:00

I went to Goodwill today and found just the stuff I was wanting. Love it when that happens :) I got some glass jars to hold the candy from .59 to .99, 4 plates for .69 each and Caitlin found a cute little tea cup that she said she could drink her coffee from for .50. Walked out with 3 bags full of great finds for $7.00. Can't wait to show pictures of them!

But I did want to share this cute idea for her decorations...

I bought 5 bags of tissue paper .99 each.

You fold it from the short side of the paper like a fan and cut the ends off.

Carefully start pulling the layers apart.

Ta- Dah! Pretty Pom Poms

You use one bag per pom pom, so I'll have 5 pretty pom poms to hang or leave on the table for a centerpiece. I'm thinking of mixing the white and pink together for a couple of them.

She Loves them! It's gonna be a great birthday! :)

{ Party Planning }

2010-03-05T18:03:00.000-08:00

I am starting Caitlin's party planning. I have been on the web and got great ideas. She has requested "pink" and the new one "sparkly". She's my girl!

We are doing a Sweet Shoppe theme. Candy Ga-Lore! I have this vision in my mind and I think I can pull it off. Look at these pics I found for ideas...

Cute stuff! I think the Rice Crispy Treats drizzled in pink icing was a great idea. I'm thinking pink Jelly Beans and pink Lollipops too.

I've got a long list to cross off. Tomorrow a trip to the Thrift store to see what I can shanty up a bit and use for decorations. Wish me luck :)

Wordless Wednesday....a little late

2010-03-03T18:04:00.001-08:00

Home schooling with Dr. Seuss

2010-03-02T14:32:00.000-08:00

I have been informed that it is Dr. Seuss Day! Sounds like a fun home school day to me....
"If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good." — Dr. Seuss

Some of the things we will learn,

"You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So... get on your way!" — Dr. Seuss
We will find out where Dr. Seuss was born.

"The storm starts, when the drops start dropping When the drops stop dropping then the storm starts stopping." — Dr. Seuss
We will learn about the weather:

"They say I'm old-fashioned, and live in the past, but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast! " — Dr. Seuss
What has changed in our world sense Dr. Seuss was born in 1904

"So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you'll move mountains." — Dr. Seuss"
Math

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." — Dr. Seuss
Reading

Then after school they had to clean their room:
"This mess is too big and too deep and to tall. We can't clean it up! We can't clean it up at all!" — Dr. Seuss

That's our Dr. Seuss Home schooling day! :)
I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells." — Dr. Seuss

getting ready for Spring :)

2010-03-02T06:42:00.000-08:00

I asked Troy to get some more 2x4's the other day and he has cut them up for me to make some more blocks! This time, I'm making some for me! Cute Easter ones :)
Can't wait till this crazy weather is over. I've got Spring on the brain. I did start some lettuce about a month ago in the garden, but we have been talking about what we want to plant this year. I actually have about 8 more feet of gardening space than last season. Dawson has already asked for jalapenos. :)

Any Idea's

2010-03-01T13:57:00.000-08:00

I can't believe we just entered March! I still come across Christmas decorations that haven't been put away :)
March is Caitlin's birthday and she will be 4 this year!
I have to get it together and start planning something "pink" by her request. :)
Any ideas out there?

Pretty outfits

2010-02-23T14:18:00.001-08:00

I'm finally getting to sew for Caitlin! I'm not done but had to post pictures of these cute outfits. I'm happy how they turn out. I have just enough of the material to make 1 more skirt.

I have a friend at church who is a photographer and she will be taking pictures of some of my outfits and hats this week end. A real live photo shoot! She has a sweet little girl, Madilyn, who is the same age as Caitlin. They will be our models. That should be a hoot! I can't wait!

busy week

2010-02-20T14:15:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful to be home and in my P.j's catching up on the 'ol blog! I might just fall asleep typing!
The last week in a nut shell:
11 haircuts
2 highlights
1 perm
8 embroidery orders
4 wood block orders
1 wedding :)

Everything got done but my roots :) oh well, it takes a real woman to help everyone else look good for a wedding and then show up with 1 inch of regrowth. LOL! I don't think anyone noticed me when there was such a beautiful bride to keep your eyes on. I cried like a baby.....love weddings! The cutest part was the little ring bearer. After everyone left the alter he was the last one to walk off with a long wood sign that said, "And they lived happily ever after". You heard everyone at the same time give a big "Awe". It was so cute.
Next thing to focus on.....
Caitlin's birthday!

Bagels

2010-02-17T05:43:00.000-08:00

Good Morning and welcome to my kitchen! We are having some fresh homemade bagels, take your pick.....plain, cinnamon sugar or my favorite, the everything bagel.

My sweet son Dylan said they are soooo good I should sell them! Love that boy :)

Ahhhh......now if only I had a coffee pot....it would smell like Einstein's:)

Bagel Recipe:

1 1/2 C.warm water

add:

2 Tbs. yeast and let dissolve ( stir it)

add 1 Tbs. sugar and 1 Tbs salt and 1 1/2 C. flour

Stir for 2 min (the recipe said with a mixer but I was too lazy to get it out and plug it in)......

Add 1/2 C. more flour and stir another 2 min.

It starts to look like pancake batter right about now......

Add: another 2 to 2 1/2 C. more flour....your going to have to skip the spoon and use your hands now.

Kneed for 10 min. (I think that's the fun part)

Let it rise in a warm place for 40 min. ( in an oiled bowl)

Punch down the dough and let it rest for 10 more min.

O.k. If your still here reading this, It's really worth the effort...I promise:)

Divide dough in 12 sections and make a ball and poke your finger through the middle.

Set on an oiled cookie sheet and let rise again

(Now I have learned to do this whole part the night before and let them rise in the fridge...makes it easier in the morning)

Boil water with a little sugar in it, Put a couple bagels in for about 30 sec on each side. Take out with a slotted spoon and drain on a towel.

Bake at 400* on oiled cookie sheet till brown on top (15 min)

It seems like a lot of work, but typing the recipe was harder than making these :)

Try it!

Bow Holder

2010-02-16T20:34:00.000-08:00

I finally completed my little DIY project.......Caitlin's bow holder turned out pretty good. I bought the frame at the Goodwill for a dollar and painted it white. Pink Polka dot and zebra stripes are fun colors and the green ric rac went together pretty good. My little glue gun keeps it all together on the back of the frame. Now, if only Caitlin would wear her bows instead of pulling them out. :)

school

2010-02-16T04:02:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't been posting about school in a long time.

I'd like to show you our classroom.....

A beautiful morning outside today. We did our math and spelling with a little snack of pop corn in the back yard.

Yes, happy home schoolers!

Dawson is making his own series of comic books about our pet cat. It's called, The Adventures of Super Sam" and he has special powers to save the world from bad guys. Look for it soon at Borders :)

Fun Stuff

2010-02-15T15:40:00.000-08:00

Fun Stuff......
http://thepinkblueberry.blogspot.com/

Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T17:37:00.000-08:00

Valentine's day......
Not much happened around here. We had cute cards this morning, made blueberry pancakes for breakfast, naps in the afternoon and Troy grilled a steak for dinner. I never got out of my pajama's......but, that's nothing new. :)
Maybe I'll put in a chick flick later after the kids go to sleep. Banana's and ice cream are sounding pretty good! Wish we had some.
Hope you all had a great day with your loved one's.

Early Treats

2010-02-12T18:14:00.001-08:00

Some early Valentine treats....

1C sugar

1C butter

add 2 eggs

add 1tsp. vanilla

3 3/4 C flour

2 tsp. baking powder

Chill dough for about an hour, roll out, bake 350 for 10 min, cool and decorate :)

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! XOXOXO

the other side of me.....

2010-02-10T13:26:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to spice up my other blog a little bit. what do you think?
http://thepinkblueberry.blogspot.com/

busy

2010-02-07T13:53:00.000-08:00

Busy around here! School, work, life.

I've had a lot of embroidery orders the last few weeks and it came right on time! Last week while leaving church, I put the car in reverse and there it stayed. Urgh! I hate it when that happens! It's fixed now. But put a damper on the week end. ( remember it was our anniversary and we didn't know what to do......) That decision was made for us LOL!

It rained last week end so a lot of the painting projects didn't get done :(. When it was nice enough to paint, I had an order for 3 LOVE blocks to finish. I have an order for some more of these blocks that will say, LOVE, PEACE, JOY,and PATIENCE. Hope the weather cooperates!

Aren't these cute! I want some for me!

I had a last minute order for a friends baby's first birthday. How cute did this turn out?!?

oh, by the way, for my anniversary I got my electric staple gun that I asked for! Yay! you know what that means......upholstery!!! I actually asked for a paint sprayer that attached to Troy's compressor.....I think the answer went something like...."I don't think so".

I told him that a couple friends want me to cover their dining room chairs for them and they are waiting for me to get the stapler. It's so cool, I can't wait to try it out! Thanks Babe!

Simplify

2010-01-29T20:48:00.000-08:00

I forgot to add this one to yesterday's post. I finished it tonight and took some pictures. I'm sure it would look better with the morning light, but , You get the just of it.

I took

The kids bunk bed apart a while back and this board was above the desk part of the bed. It seemed the right size to make a sign. I was going to put "coffee shoppe" then I thought

Bon Appetite would be nice, then Fresh Eggs.....It came down to my motto, Simplify. Well maybe not the motto I live by.....but I think it's important :)

I put it right above the fridge, and it brings a smile to my face every time I walk into the kitchen. You can't really tell in the pictures but it's really distressed.

I painted the board white, then, sanded the edges with my palm sander, then applied a coat of miniwax. That really gives it an old fashioned look. Then I print the letters and cut them out for the stencil. This time I used spray paint. Then I took the sander over the whole thing again. Love it!

working on it....

2010-01-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to doing some projects around here. They are not complete but thought it would give me incentive to finish them if I posted what they are.

My friend gave me an old baby doll crib the other day. It's really cute, but, there was some holes in the side and the bottom needs a board and cushion. I started sanding it down and painted the wood. I am going to shabby it up a bit and put it all back together. Caitlin is so excited :)

See the big hole in the side....I've cut new boards with my new jig saw I got for Christmas. :)

This was a thrift store find for a dollar......I've got something in mind for it......

I also bought a pretty frame for a dollar, but for some reason I didn't take a picture of it before I started working on it. I sewed a patchwork backing and monogrammed it. Now I'm trying to find some cork board to stick behind it and use it in Caitlin's room. I can also use it to hold her bows.

( I just sat the frame on the material so you get an idea of what it should look like )

I like the pink polka dots with the zebra print. I'm not usually that bold, trying to think out of the box....

I have a couple other things waiting in line to get finished. I have to put them on the back burner sometimes to finish things like this....

so worth it.....I love my job:)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

Help!

2010-01-24T20:15:00.000-08:00

So I'm starting Valentines day celebrations early. I bought buy 1 get 1 free bags of Dove dark chocolates. Heaven, really!
My 13 wedding anniversary is this Sunday. What to do, what to do. I always give Troy something for us to do on our anniversary. On our 10th year, we had to write down 10 reasons why we love each other. On our 1st anniversary, I made at least 50 hearts out of construction paper and hung them from our ceiling. Each one said why I married him. Last year, we had a "dozen" theme. I told him I wanted to go to a restaurant and order # 12 on the menu. We ended up getting a foot long sub ( 12 inches in a foot...get it) real romantic huh!
I need you help for our 13th year. What should we do?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

Troys DIY

2010-01-18T17:10:00.000-08:00

I tried earlier today to get this posted but blogger wasn't working.

I have to show you guys the table that Troy built this week end.

He found the wood on the top on craigslist for free. We had the 4x4 post in our back yard so all he had to buy was a few pieces of wood to hold it all together. I love the way it turned out.

It's 39 inches tall and 6 ft. long. Perfect for oysters or hanging out with chips and salsa! We are going to leave it out on the back patio. ( it weighs a ton!)

I didn't get much of my projects done. But I did get these valentine key chains finished...

I'm putting them on my Pink Blueberry site. I think they are adorable. If you like them say "I"!

Happy Friday

2010-01-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

Well it's Friday and I really wanted to finish some things around here to post, but......
that ain't happening. I have everything ready to go, so, maybe I can get some painting done before it rains on Sat..
I'm so excited to use my jig saw! First time... woo hoo! I want a circular saw but Troy doesn't think I'm old enough yet. :)
I told him to find me a tool box at the thrift store and I'll paint it pink......and monogram it..... :)
Gonna get me a pink hammer too.

Happy Friday :)

2010-01-14T13:52:00.000-08:00

Having fun modeling her new flower hat! Perfect day outside, the way winter should be here!

Look HOO was in our back yard soaking up the sunshine.......

Cool!

wordless Wednesday

2010-01-13T00:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Tuesday

2010-01-12T04:01:00.000-08:00

It's finally warming up a bit, maybe I can get outside today and get some things done for the boys room. I have some ideas that I think will look good that involve paint and power tools! :)

Happy Tuesday everyone :)

2010-01-11T01:08:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness it's cold outside! I am not prepared for 30 degree weather! I took the kids out the other day to get real shoes. They only have flip flops and you can't wear socks with flip flops! Well.....I guess you could, but. We don't have any jackets either, so we have been layering up as many sweatshirts as we can to keep warm. I know we are light weights.
But the kids were hoping it would snow the other day. All we got was rain. They were pretty bummed out about it. They did get a kick out of seeing their breath when they blew out of their mouth.
I tried to make them feel better by roasting marshmallows outside over our grill. It worked for a little bit, till they said they couldn't feel their fingers anymore and wanted to go inside. yep, light weights!

Thrift Store Find

2010-01-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Troy picked this up at the thrift store on new years eve. It's about 4 ft. long and needs a little spray paint. Black, of course.

Here it is on my wall that desperately needed "something". I think it looks great! Best 8 dollars we ever spent!

fun blocks

2010-01-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

I saw this craft while searching the Internet. I made some for Christmas gifts but forgot to take a picture of them. So I did some for me........

They are wood blocks that I painted and distressed, then mod podged a photo on the front. Very cute idea for displaying pictures. I love the black and white one, going to do more of those!

2010-01-03T21:42:00.000-08:00

I think I'm ready to get back into the swing of things......
I was wondering who will come and take down my tree? Anyone? (crickets chirping)
We took the week end and did nothing! Stayed up late and slept in, made pancakes for breakfast with some homemade hot chocolate. Monsters vs. Aliens was watched 150 times, pop corn was popped, and there was not much more than that.
Now it's back to school and routine.....let me just say, the kids are thrilled about that....not!

If it's cold where you are, try this.....

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup boiling water
3 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
Directions
Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn't scorch. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil! Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 4 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature.

Now let's get this new year officially started! :)

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

I am wishing everyone a blessed New Year! I love a new start and can't wait to see what God has planned for all of us in 2010! I read this the other day and it made me giggle...

Don't cry because it's over....smile because it happened. (Dr. Seuss)

Some things I will smile about that happened last year......

Birthdays
Anniversaries
Beach days
Pizza/ Movie nights
Family game nights
Roasting marshmallows
gardening
girls night out.....

Power Tool Time!

2009-12-30T07:58:00.000-08:00

O.k........
I went a little overboard and decided to jump into the boys room and re-arrange a few things. I took down the bunk bed and made it into 2 twin beds, I changed shelves, moved furniture and it's a huge mess! Can't take pics yet because it looks terrible. I got POWER TOOLS for Christmas.....going to put them to good use. :)

A challenge

2009-12-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

4 places to organize in 4 days....... I'm challenging you to find 4 places in your home to organize in the next 4 days. It can be small, large, a room, a drawer, whatever needs to be done before the new year.

I thought of this because my bathroom drawers are so bad I can't open them! I wonder how many of you have a place like that? We can't start the new year off with clutter in our lives!! Are you with me?

My 4 places will be:

1. Bathroom drawers

2. Caitlin's closet

3. Laundry room

4. under kitchen sink

Now, I'm not sure if I can be brave enough to take pictures of the before, but after might make the cut. :)

How in the world!

2009-12-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

Leave it up to Dawson to get his hair stuck in my paper punch! I had to take the whole thing apart to get his hair out of it! Don't ask what he was thinking about when he did this.....Boys! My husband said when he was younger with braces he hid in the closet and put a 9 volt battery to his teeth to see what would happen.......

2009-12-26T14:24:00.000-08:00

The ONLY thing Caitlin wanted for Christmas was a "pink singing bunny". Kind of hard to find. So, two days before Christmas I found this pink stuffed toy that talked and giggled. At midnight on Christmas eve I made two bunny ears and hot glued them to the toy.

Looks like a bunny to me.......

Caitlin wasn't falling for it. She liked the toy but it definitely wasn't a bunny!

She got barbie dolls too. I'm thinking of taking the hot glue gun to them also. She is always losing the shoes off the dolls. That won't be a problem much longer.

The boys got some transformers they have been wanting. Troy said every toy that beeps and buzzes should come with an earphone jack. :)

Now lets get to me.....POWER TOOLS! Woo Hoo! So Happy:) Lowe's had a deal for a jigsaw, palm sander, drill and light all battery powered for $39.00.

I took the kids to the mall to get something for Troy. They picked out a shirt and a chair massager. I had a gift card from J.C. Penny that I had for 3 years! I know....I just don't like to shop. We used it for Troys gifts.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve.....

2009-12-24T18:48:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas Eve and two of three kids are sleeping, I have cinnamon rolls rising, and I'm going to start wrapping soon.

I vow every year to do things sooner and have everything done early, but, that never seems to happen. I had a list that just kept growing. I did manage to make the kids P.J.'s that turned out so cute!

I had a busy month with sewing and crafting and baking! I made dozens and dozens of cookies and had fun being with friends at parties. Looking forward to tomorrow and hanging out at home.

The one kid is still up, she better get her visions of sugar plums dancing in her head or it will be a very long night!

Santa

2009-12-19T15:57:00.000-08:00

We went to see Santa the other night.

I told Dylan we could go Monday, but he thought we were running out of time. It was raining and late, but when Dylan pulls out those puppy dog eyes....well....we went to the mall.

Santa was the very best! He HoHoHo'd, he sang to Dylan, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth". When Caitlin pulled out her list and gave it to him, he started reading a "to do" list. Pick up the dry cleaning, wash the dog, do the dishes.......Caitlin laughed and said, "nooooo, it says a pink bunny!" Santa HoHOHo''d again. He said he would fax their lists up to his elf's. Dylan could sleep soundly knowing his list was in good hands. :)

My scanner is off right now, but I will post the picture of them on Santas lap later. Right now I'm in the middle of cooking 5 doz. cookies for a cookie exchange tomorrow. pics of those to come too!

Merry Christmas!