Wake Up Wednesday

Last week's challenge was to start a conversation with a stranger....
I started up a conversation with the check-out person because a lot of times I get in a rush and barely say a word to them! I am so busy trying to keep the kids busy or make sure I have everything on my list that I neglect them.  So I asked them about their day and chatted with them for a while and it was a lot of fun!  Let's hear how it went for you!

Cassie's house - the Playroom

While I'm out of town this week, my sweet sister is taking over and showing you the rest of her awesome home makeover.  Her name is Cassie and she'll be with you this week.  She'll check the comments, so feel free to leave her a note there.

Thanks for all of your kind comments yesterday about the babies nursery. Hopefully she will love it!

Here's our play room when we bought the house......

Here's the after....

I wanted to start out with one of my favorite parts of this room which is our fort!!! There are a ton of split levels in Utah and it seems like they don't always use all the room under the stairs so that started me thinking...

Cassie's house - the nursery

While I'm out of town this week, my sweet sister is taking over and showing you the rest of her awesome home makeover.  Her name is Cassie and she'll be with you this week.  She'll check the comments, so feel free to leave her a note there.

Hey Everyone! I have 2 little boys just like Cheri and so when we heard this next baby was a girl the projects started....  Today I am going to show you the nursery.  I still have a little more to do but for the most part it's done and after all she comes in less than 2 weeks!!!

Here's the after....
I will show you the super easy things that we did to make this nursery cute and cheap! After all this is baby #3 and there wasn't a whole lot of "budget" to get it done.

Sunshine Sunday - my family

Baden when to my sisters house to play the other day.  He claimed he needed to do #2, so she patiently sat on the ground waiting for him to do his business.  She's almost 9 months pregnant and she sat there having fun with him for well over a half an hour.  Finally he did what he set out to do and normal life continued :)  She's always so good to my kids.

We do girls' night out once a week and my dad usually gets pulled into it.  After raising four girls, he fits in just fine on a girls' night.  We always go to Target and I showed my dad that they have that dip 'n dot ice cream there. We decided we both needed one and then decided it would melt if we didn't take action.  So we got some spoons from the deli area and ate it as we shopped.  Ice cream + Target + my dad?  That's definite fun.

My mother-in-law packed these awesome bags for the boys.  There's one to open for each state we drive through.  Talk about thoughtful :)  She rocks.

I'm so grateful to be surrounded by such fun, kind, thoughtful family members.

I'm also thankful to be able to go on a little trip with my boys.  Thank you SO much for all your helpful suggestions yesterday.  You guys are the best!

My sister Cassie will be taking over the blog this week, but I'll be back soon!  Thanks for reading.

Sharing Saturday

You guys were so helpful several weeks ago when I asked about family vacation ideas.  I looked into all your suggestions and we're leaving on our first little family vacation tomorrow!  We found a killer deal on a short cruise so we took it.  We just told the boys today and they were jumping up and down.

So, the challenge is that we'll be in the car for about 10 hours each way.  Honestly, I don't think my kids have ever been in the car for more than one hour.  Other than a DVD player, do any of you have ideas on things to keep them busy/happy on a road trip?  I'd love any ideas.  I'll check them all out today and then we leave tomorrow.

I've never been on a cruise before and I'm pretty sure this is how I'm going to look and feel.  Remember this part from What About Bob?  "I'm sailing!  I'm sailing!"  Ha!  I can't wait.

Thanks in advance for your help!  You guys always have the BEST ideas!

Feature Friday - Holy Paper Toilet Rolls Batman

Have you ever stopped by Made By Joel?  He has a lot of fun simple ideas and projects to do with children.  My sister-in-law mentioned she saw him make super heroes out of toilet paper rolls, so I ventured over for a visit and found THIS POST.  I thought it was pretty fun, so we saved a few rolls and got creating today.

I had my nephew over and I drew the characters on for him and Rex.  I took their requests, so we added a Green Lantern and Ironman.

Three Super Simple Baby Gifts to Make

My sister Cassie is due with a little girl in March.  She has been nesting and doing a lot of fun projects, so when I stopped by her house today and I thought it would be fun to show you what she's been up to.  All of these would make great and inexpensive baby gifts.  I don't have a full tutorial to show you for each project, but they are all easy to explain.  Here we go.

1) Easy Peasy Baby Blankets.  I'm not kidding.  These are cute and crazy easy and cheap!  This one is made from flannel, but you could use other fabrics.  (I wouldn't pick anything super thick though.)

Cut two pieces of fabric a couple inches bigger than the size you want the blanket to be.  Place WRONG sides together (meaning that you'll see the print on the outside).

Wake Up Wednesday

Last week's challenge was to watch someone's kids.  I had a couple plans to do this, but they all honestly fell through.  No worries.  I'll squeeze it in this week.  

This week's challenge is to start a conversation with a stranger.  I know that might sound weird, but I think the world is a brighter place when we reach out to each other more and leave our comfort zones.  It's kind of funny how we often close ourselves off and yet we all deeply desire that connection and communication with others.  I'm definitely guilty of that.  I have to force myself out of my shell sometimes.

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So, you could strike up a conversation by asking someone where he or she got something.  You could start one with a compliment.  You could ask someone his or her opinion about something.  I think this will be fun.

Alright.  Did anyone get to watch someone's children this week?  Hopefully you did better than I did this time :)  I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks for reading.

Waterfall Braid Crown

It's been a while since I shared a hair tutorial and I have one I've been enjoying lately.  It's a take off on the waterfall braid, which I showed you HERE.  This one is meant for longer hair and wraps all around the head like a crown.  The end is concealed underneath.  

Here's how I did it.

2 Years of Blogging

Yesterday I mentioned that it was my blog anniversary, so today I thought I'd take the day off from crafting.  I had plans to post a fun video for you like last year, but the weekend got a little too busy.  So, here are a few things I wanted to say as I think about this whole blogging thing.  

1) I have a lot to learn.  I don't EVER want to portray the idea that I am perfect or that I have everything put together.  I want you to leave  my blog feeling inspired, and NEVER inferior.

Sunshine Sunday - sightings, a visitor, and blogging

When we're in the driving in the car Baden loves to point out everything he sees.  "McDonalds! Can we go there?  I see a police man!  It's the garbage truck!  It's a white one!"  The other day he said he saw a police man and cottage cheese.  I just let it fly, though I wasn't sure what he was talking about.  Then about 15 seconds later he said, "I see the cottage cheese truck, Mom!" and this was my view.  The little guy doesn't miss a beat and he always makes me laugh.

We've had a visitor for the past few days.  She's huge and fluffy and has four legs.  She's very shy, but she loves kids.

Soapbox Saturday - my favorites

Today I wanted to share a few recent loves.  You know how sometimes you find something you like so much that you really want to tell someone about it?  Yup.  That's what I'm talking about.  I haven't been paid to write about any of these things (though one of them was given to me for free).  I just really like all of them.  Here's my recent list.

1) Memory Foam Bath Mats.  Usually these are kind of pricey, but I found good sized ones at Costco for $13.  That's the same price as the regular Ikea bath mats we had that were starting to die.  So, we upgraded to Memory Foam and I am in love with them.  I've been giddy about them all week and my husband just laughs at me.

Five Finds Friday

Today I wanted to show you five things I saw in blogland this week that I thought were SERIOUSLY awesome.  I think you'll agree.

1) Peacock Bathroom reveal at the Rooster and the Hen.  I am really hooked on this blog.  They have a lot of great, unique ideas and projects going on.  You saw their Peacock light HERE, but now the whole bathroom is done.  I love the stool they made and what they did to their cabinets - not to mention this mural.  Check it all out HERE.

Painted Doily Nesting Tables

FIRST, before we start today I wanted to say.....

1) THANK YOU to all of you who participated in last week's Wake Up Wednesday challenge.  Reading all your Valentine experiences yesterday made me so happy and excited!  You guys rock!

2) I recently COMPLETED the tutorial tab above!  Yay!  You can now find a little picture of pretty much every tutorial on the blog.  It took a long time, but it's done.  Check it out!

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So, I'm currently converting our office to my craft room.  Someone of you asked about that and recalled that I had a craft room in the basement.  True.  Here's the explanation.  We never used our dining room, so I sold out table and moved our piano there, freeing up the office for my own use.  Why bother?  Because crafting in the basement has its limitations.  It's freezing.  There are lots of spiders (especially in all my bins).  When I start a project someone who's supposed to be napping always needs my immediate attention and I climb up two flights of stairs about 50 times before accomplishing anything.  So, using the office will be awesome.  However, I have vowed to keep it clean AND I'm trying to make it look really pretty since the area is much more visible than the basement was.

Okay, now that I've explained that you'll see some fun upcoming projects in the office/craft area and the used-to-be-dining-room.  We bought an inexpensive recliner for the office.  We bought it so my husband could sit in it while I blog in the evening.  It's kind of fun.

I purchased these really old nesting tables that I saw in the classified section to go next to the chair.  This is what they looked like before.....

Wake Up Wednesday

We had the best Valentine's day ever.  Last week's challenge was to give a valentine to someone who is single or widowed.  We took some flowers to a couple of sweet widows who live nearby.  They were both thrilled to have up stop by.  One of them we know quite well.  She doesn't eat sweets, so we brought her some hearty wheat bread.  She loves healthy food.  How could you say no to this on your doorstep?

This week's challenge is a challenge we did a year ago.  Watch someone's children for free.  This one will definitely be appreciated.  Every mom needs a break sometimes....whether to rest, regain sanity, or eat a really good cookie :)

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So, did anyone give a valentine to someone who's single or widowed?  I'd love to hear about it.  Thanks for reading.

Herringbone Boy Tee

When I started this blog, I made a LOT of t-shirts for my boys.  It's been a while since I've made a boy tee, so I got out my fabric paint today to give it a shot.  I really like all the herringbone pattern I've seen popping up everywhere and the beauty of it is that it's crazy easy to do.  Chevron can be hard, but herringbone is cake.

A Fresh Home Scent with Glade® Expressions™ products and a GIVEAWAY

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Triad Retail Media for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have a few random fears.  It's true.  I'm afraid of some normal things, like heights.  However, I also have some strange ones.  I have a fear of my home smelling weird.  Funny, huh?  I think you don't know what your home smells like because it's your scent.  You're used to it.  When I get home from a trip, I like to smell my home because I'm not used to it anymore.  That's how I do my "check."  Well, thanks to Glade®, I now have a more sensible solution :)

I recently got to try out the new Glade® Expressions™ fragrance mist and the new Glade® Expressions™ oil diffuser.  Let me break it down.

The new Glade® Expressions™ oil diffuser is a good-looking air freshener.  That, in and of itself is nice.  I put it up on my shelf and the next day my sister came over and asked what that cute new decoration on my shelf was. I laughed and admitted that it was actually an air freshener.  The mango scent was nice and fresh.  It wasn't extremely overpowering, like other products I've used before.  I also liked that you don't have to plug it in and there is nothing to spill.

The new Glade® Expressions™ fragrance mist was also great.  It comes in a neat, easy to squeeze bottle.  The one I tried smelled like clean laundry, which is definitely a great scent to have in your home.  I used it upstairs in our bedrooms.

So, if you share my phobia or if you just enjoy a nice smelling home, check out the new Glade® Expressions™ products.  You'll know exactly what people are smelling when they enter your home.

Want to try out Glade® Expressions™ products yourself?  Click HERE for a $1.50 off coupon OR enter the giveaway on this post to win a $50 gift card to Wal-mart.  Just leave a comment here, telling me which scent you'd like to try.  Please include your email address so I can contact you if you win.  (You can read the contest rules for more info.)

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED

Picnik Substitute - you asked for it.

I've received a lot of emails over the past month asking about an alternative to Picnik.  (I think that's because you all know I'm addicted to it as well.)  We all know that Google is trying to push everyone to use Google+ where there's the "Creative Kit" that looks like a cheap, shortened version of Picnik.  I don't know if it'll end up being the full version when Picnik officially closes, but either way - I want a substitute rather than being toyed with.  Finding a new option is my way of sticking it to the man :)

So, I did some hunting for some good photo editing software and I'm happy to report that I now have a great substitute.  It's called Foto Flexer and I really like it.  Here's a screen shot of what it looks like.

Sunshine Sunday- health, games, boys, and time

My husband was gone a few days this week and it was kind of a long week.  I had a few challenges this week, but it's over now.  Whew!  Even during frustrating times, I definitely have tons of things to be grateful for.  I am really thankful to be healthy this week.  It's so easy to take that for granted.

I am thankful for game time with the boys.  We celebrated Valentine's day yesterday (because we needed to do something fun after a few long days without daddy).  I got the boys Busy Town, like many of you had mentioned.  I LOVE this game and so do they.  It's adorable and fun.  We spent a couple of hours playing it yesterday.  Thanks for the great tip guys!

Sharing Saturday - Reader's Questions

Yay!  It's time for a Sharing Saturday!  The last one was so fun and you guys shared so many great ideas and tips.  This time we have a couple reader questions.  So read the questions, and tell them what you know in the comment section.

1) from a reader named Laurie:

My toddler {she's 2.5} gets upset when she can't get her way. {what toddler doesn't?} The problem is not with her being upset but with how she expresses her anger. She hits, kicks, punches people {me especially} and throws all her toys on the floor {and at our TV!} There is no calming her down! {at least not anything I have tried has worked} I have tried to give her other options {I have read to let them take it out on playdoh, breathing exercises, clapping hands...etc} but she isn't feeling it. I'd love some suggestions on how to calm her down or avert her anger in non harmful ways. 

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Feature Friday - Apple Pancakes

Last weekend I saw THESE apple pancakes on Pinterest (which were pinned from HERE) and so we tried them out Saturday morning. 

We don't have an apple corer, so we sliced the apples up and then cut out the middle from each slice.

The World's Best Sugar Cookies

As I mentioned before, I rarely post recipes here......but every nice in a while there's something that I feel is really worth sharing.  If I didn't share this Sugar Cookie recipe I'd feel like I was holding out on you.  It's that good.  My grandma was an incredible cook and this recipe has been handed down in our family.  

Wake Up Wednesday

Last week's challenge was to thank a public service worker.  We decided to make and take some tasty sugar cookies to the police. 

Rex and my nephew drew pictures for them and we headed off to deliver them.  It was really fun.

This week's challenge is to deliver a valentine to someone who is widowed or single.  I remember not being the biggest fan of valentine's day when I was single.  Let's do something fun for someone who might have a hard time that day.  We live near a couple of amazing widows and I think the boys and I will try to stop by with something for them.

Did any of you thank a public service worker?  I'd love to hear about it.  Thanks for reading.

Hot Lava Rugs

Did you ever play "Hot Lava" as a child?  You run from object to object, making sure not to touch the floor.  Well, I was at the dollar store the other day and they had these little rugs.  That's where my mind went - hot lava.  However, we're taking it up a notch and adding some educational value.  

First I'll show you how to make them and then I'll tell you a billion different ways to use them.  Okay?

Just Like New - My Little Pew

Before we get started today, let's announce the winners of the Upcycled T-shirts Dress giveaway.  Our two winners are:

Drop me a note, ladies.  Congrats!

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Back when we did the short series "Just Like New" I had a project I intended to use for the series.  It took me a while to finish it though, but now it's ready.

Here's the story.  I've been searching for an old pew for quite some time.  Every time I found one in the classifieds it was either massive or extremely expensive.  I kept looking.  I found one in an antique store but they wanted $250.  One day I was searched the classifieds and I saw an upcoming estate sale.  It was really some guy hired to clean out an abandoned home, but there were two really old little pews in the basement.

I went to the sale as soon as it began the next day and snatched one for $20.  I came home and my hands were black.  This is what it looked like and I think my husband thought I was nuts.  It was so dirty and it wobbled a lot.

Here is my little pew now.

Sunshine Sunday - undies, snoozers, and decor

Well, the potty training is going fairly well.  There's something so ridiculously cute about seeing your child in undies for the first time.  I can't believe that it's possible that I won't have a child in diapers.  Wow.  That's kind of nice.

He's pretty proud to be wearing undies now.

Soapbox Saturday - Super Undies

A couple of months ago I was asked to review some Super Undies.   I knew that Baden's potty training days weren't far away, so I said yes.  They are cool, well-made potty training pants and today I'll give you the low down on them.

Super Undies are versatile, potty training pants.  They are washable and you can pick how much padding/absorption you want in them.  There are two basic kinds to choose from - the Pocket and the Pull-up.  The pocket has more of a normal diaper closure while the pull-up ones obviously pull up.  Both have nice lining and absorption and both can be stuffed with more layers.

We chose the pull-up ones.  Here's what I loved about them.

A Long, Long Week.

While I'd love to show you a fun tutorial today, it's just been one of those weeks.  Tuesday I woke up with a horrible cold.  Since I knew I was going to be home all day I got a little bold and decided we'd take a swing at potty training Baden.  Here's our last few days in numbers.

12 changes of clothing due to wet pants
2 clogged toilets (you don't want details)
567 used tissues (from me)
15 hours spent in the bathroom waiting
2 actual occurrences of pee going in the potty like it should
16 readings of "the Potty Train"

On a good note, after three days home I finally left the house last night.  Yay!  And Baden is learning to hold it so that he isn't really wetting his undies now.  When he finally went in the potty for the first time I think Rex was just as excited as me.  It was so cute.  He asked Baden if he could give him a snuggle.  They hugged and he said, "I'm SO proud of you, Baden!" 

And just because this post is kind of boring....how about some Pinterest love.  Have you ever noticed that not everything you see on Pinterest works?  Just saying :)  Have any of you tried this?  Eye shadow mixed with clear polish to make matte nail polish?  Looks fun.  (Tried to link it, but I lost the link!)

This is clever.

And Pinterest always has something to make me laugh - like this....

...or this.

It's kind of late as I'm writing this post, so I'm not sure these are all quite as funny as I think they are right now.  I need some sleep.  Thanks for dropping in.

A New Way to Use My New Print

So you might recall that I created THIS large subway art a while back.  I have a couple more similar prints now available in my shop.  However, I also wanted to show you ANOTHER way to use the print if you don't feel up for building your own wood canvas to attach it to.  I'm going to give you some sneaky little tips to make it work for you.

Wake Up Wednesday - Super Heroes of Service

Last month's Super Heroes of Service challenge was to write thank you notes.  I took a quick picture of the boys holding up a blank sheet of cardstock and then later added "Thank you" to it on Picnik.  Then I printed them out and let the boys color on the back of them.