Saturday, January 21, 2012
The "7 Foot Snowman"
Caleb came home from work the other day at about 7:30 or so at night and yelled in to us to come outside. He said the snow was perfect for making our annual gigantic snowman. Sure enough, that snow was awesome packing snow and we were able to make 2 snowman very quickly.
Please ignore my awful suspender snowpants...even though it was snowy out, it was actually fairly warm--hence the great packing snow.
Notice Piper kissing the smaller snowman? Yup, she just had to have a pic with her kissing the snowman.
And if you can't read the sign, it says, "Please don't knock me over! I was made with love!" Last year, some rowdy kids kept driving by the house, finally stopped in front of the house, and jumped out of their car and knocked down our snowman. We are hoping that the sign will maybe discourage them from being so mean. We shall see. :)Labels: Miscellaneous
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Before pic of a funky bench thingy that I picked up at a garage sale. After pics hopefully the end of the week!
Sorry about the dark pics. I thought this thing would be such a cool piece once refinished. The bench seat opens up and there is storage underneath. I didn't like the color so I am sanding everything down. I'm not too sure on what the new color will be yet, so you will have to wait to see what I decide to do with it! I'm sure you're just as excited as I am. :)Labels: Miscellaneous
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Sweet baby nephew
I couldn't resist taking pics of this cute little guy and those big eyes. I got a new camera (temporarily) that I am having a blast using and thought he would make a fun subject to take pics of. I am lucky that I get to have him at my house 1 day a week. He is so much fun!
Labels: Miscellaneous
Thursday, June 09, 2011
My attempts at sewing...
This is an old skirt of mine that I haven't worn for the past year. I am trying to be better at getting things out of my closet that I don't wear. But I still don't want to just get rid of things. So I attempted to turn another of my old skirts into a dress for Piper. I have managed to do an all right job on two other of my skirts for her. Not too sure about this one though. And please excuse the horrible pics. My camera is on the fritz!
I need to come up with a better idea for keeping the ribbon tied so the dress will actually stay up. Any ideas are welcome! I think once I can get that fixed then it will be much cuter. Or at least I think it will be much cuter. :)Labels: Miscellaneous, Piper
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
In which I "lust" after out door play things for my children...
Can you imagine the fun to be had in this beast? Someday...someday...I can just picture them out there having tea, planting their own little flowers, and setting up their own "house".
And check out this ingenous idea!! Making bean plants to grow over top of a teepee. Can you imagine the fun to be had in there by kids? And bonus! You get to harvest the beans also. How much fun and yummy!
And my last fun idea? Although I won't be doing anything quite this HUGE, I want to make an herb garden with the kids. I am torn between doing some type of container gardening or just putting all different herbs around in my landscape around my house. I think that lavender, lemon balm, peppermint, cilantro, basil, oregano, and chives would be great ones to start with. There is so much info out there on how to harvest, dry, and freeze the herbs too. I think it would be so much fun!
Side note: Piper is wondering if we can grow Pepsi in the garden. Or maybe coffee, she says. Hmmm, I think we will have to ask Grandpa about that one. :)
Any takers on making a kids play house with me? I just don't think I will be able to persuade my husband to build one this year. He is just way too busy with work. Let me know when you would like to get started! :)
Labels: Miscellaneous
Saturday, May 07, 2011
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
My hubby is so sweet!
I don't know where he found the time, but for my birthday he got my a steam mop for all of our new wood floor. I was in South Haven over my birthday and he was working about 20 minutes or so from there. So Monday morning he packed up my present and took it with him so he could give it to me down there on my birthday! Like I said, my hubby is so sweet!
Labels: Miscellaneous
Friday, April 01, 2011
I "HEART" Scrabble Tiles!
I own 3 Scrabble games. Not sure why, but I got sick of seeing all of the individual games, not to mention some of them were missing a couple tiles. So I kept one in it's box, and emptied the rest of the tiles into a canning jar and put them on a shelf in the living room. Why, you ask? Well, just because. And it makes spelling fun for Ambry. And it encourages Piper to want to learn her letters. And just because I wanted to. :) 
And here is another use for them. Here is my view out of one side of my kitchen window. It says "smile" because sometimes I just need to be reminded. And a rock on the other side that Piper painted. On the other window sill--that I didn't take a picture of because my camera suddenly decided to die--is the word "pray" because, again, sometimes I just need to be reminded. Hope you are having a great, sunny April 1st! Labels: Home Remodel 2011, Miscellaneous
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork." Ps. 19:1
Labels: Miscellaneous
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Day 2 of our new Family schedule...yeah!
Here is our schedule as it stands right now.
6:30--I get up, get dressed, start coffee...because, well I am not yet a strong enough person to get up that early without some help. :) Clean up for 1/2 hour.
7:30--wake up kids
7:45--breakfast and devotions
8:00--kids get dressed. Clean up for 1/2 hour.
8:30-10:30--school. So far, this has been the perfect amount of time that we need to get done all of our books.
10:30--snack break
10:45--Clean up for 1/2 hour. My hope is that we will be able to have the type of house that no matter when someone drops by, it at least looks presentable. Now, now, no laughing...one can hope!
11:15-1:00--reading, internet time, free time for kids, and/or errands
1:00--lunch
2:00--I work out. Kids read.
3:00--work on projects. For me, this means painting or cleaning out closets. For kids, this is art projects, coloring, or some type of art project that they would like to do.
4:00-5:00--Clean up or run errands if we didn't have time to run them earlier. 4:00-snack time.
5:00-5:30--get dinner ready
6:00--dinner
6:30--clean up, devotions, sing songs
7:00--Family time! The girls favorite time of our schedule so far.
8:00--girls get ready for bed.
8:30--all kids in bed
Today was day 2 of our schedule and it went great! I am loving having so much done by the end of the day. Plus, the kids are doing amazing on it. They know what to expect next and what I would like them to do. Also, they are so much more willing it help out. Clean up time has worked out great since they know that we are going to do it for a half an hour and then move on to the next part of our schedule.
We are going to keep trying to stick to it without deviating from it too much. I will keep you updated. Hopefully I will be able to say that we are still committed to our schedule a week from today.
Labels: Miscellaneous
Monday, January 17, 2011
The state of my living room right now
I have since picked a color so at least my walls are not "rainbows" anymore as Piper calls them. And now our fireplace mantle, hearth, and aprons are all ripped out. All that is left is the actual fireplace insert. Yikes! It is so messy and crazy over here right now. The fireplace is hopefully going to be ready to be installed on Wednesday. Yeah! Can't wait for it all to be done! So if my posts are few and far in between, this is why. :)
Labels: Miscellaneous
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
I just had to let you know about this "little" blog over here. Although, it really isn't so little since it was featured on Yahoo!. Seriously, go and check it out...and if there is anyone who wants to teach me how to sew and do this, please speak up, because how cool is what she is doing?!?
Labels: Miscellaneous
Friday, March 12, 2010
A guessing game
Think you can guess what this is? Here are some hints:
- The girls and I think it stinks, while Caleb doesn't mind the smell
- It can be harvested
- It also can cause a very big and nasty mess if it spills
If you can guess what this is, you win my congratulations. Unless you live close by me then you can win a box of cereal. :) How is that for a giveaway? Woo-hoo! I can feel the excitement already! I have quite a few nummy choices for cereal and I know you're just dying to guess.Labels: Miscellaneous
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Nausea...
...good for the diet...
...bad for the house cleaning.
And that is all for now. Back to bed I go.
Labels: Miscellaneous
Monday, October 26, 2009
Pumpkin Puree...
Thanks to Esther, I decided to try this for myself and see how it went. I bought 3 pumpkins at a road side stand for $1.50. One can of Libby's full price costs $1.79. I ended up getting 6 cans from my 3 pumpkins. Not too bad of a deal! Although I did find out from Tracy that she buys the pumpkin puree at Aldi's for $.89 a can (or something close to there.) So not sure if I am going to do the remaining 2 pumpkins or not.
Here is what the puree looks like once it is all blended.
I don't have pictures of the seeds yet. I was slightly ill yesterday and didn't take the time to do them yet. I'm hoping it was a one day thing and not morning sickness. :)Labels: Miscellaneous
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Just a quick example of how ridiculously stubborn I can be. I suppose my very frugal nature has something to do with it too. :)
I refuse to use my dryer! And until Caleb gets home from out of town at the end of the week, his ladder and some twine are serving a good purpose as my laundry drying rack. I also managed to string some pieces up downstairs. As probably everyone from this area knows, every day for the last week or two has had a chance of rain. I don't want to hang up my clothes outside only to have to take it all down an hour later.
Yes, I know, I could use my dryer, but I have come to LOVE the feel of air dryed clothes. So very fresh smelling too. So for now I will use his ladder and see how long the clothes takes to dry out in my garage. :)
Labels: Miscellaneous
Monday, September 28, 2009
Here is our menu for this week. There were some of you who were curious about what we eat since all I really bought last week were chocolate covered pretzels and corn. :) Or very close to that at least.
Sunday was grilled turkey and cheese sandwiches. Easy, peasy for a Sunday night.
Monday will be chicken, potatoes (from Costco last week) and asparagus (frozen from earlier in the summer).
Tuesday will be chicken enchiladas. Again, I have all these ingredients and don't need to buy anything.
Wednesday will be pork loin, potatoes, and brocolli.
Thursday will be our hodge podge night. We will eat whatever leftovers there are and maybe make some grilled sandwhiches.
Friday is always up in the air. We like to go out with friends or have people over so we never know what we are going to have.
The way I can shop now is to just stock up on sale items. About every 3 weeks I buy meat unless it goes on sale before then. A couple of weeks ago, Tilapia was on sale at Meijer for $2.99 a pound so I bought 6 bags of it (sold in 1lb bags) of it. We eat about three quarters of a bag at dinner, and just save the rest. But this is why you see very strange shopping habits from me. I don't go on regular shopping trips.
Snacks around here are pretty irregular too. This week will be Fiber bars, dried cranberries, yogurt, pears, 100 cal snack bags, dry cereal (since I have TONS of that), peaches, and maybe bananas if I go shopping later this week. And if we run out of any of that there is more to be had in my storage. I will probably have to go on a fruit run, but bananas should be about all I will buy.
Hopefully I will have pics up tomorrow of the insane amount of deals that I got yesterday. Good stuff...too bad it just comes to so much out of pocket. :( Oh well. The girls and I had a lot of fun shopping and running around.
Sunday was grilled turkey and cheese sandwiches. Easy, peasy for a Sunday night.
Monday will be chicken, potatoes (from Costco last week) and asparagus (frozen from earlier in the summer).
Tuesday will be chicken enchiladas. Again, I have all these ingredients and don't need to buy anything.
Wednesday will be pork loin, potatoes, and brocolli.
Thursday will be our hodge podge night. We will eat whatever leftovers there are and maybe make some grilled sandwhiches.
Friday is always up in the air. We like to go out with friends or have people over so we never know what we are going to have.
The way I can shop now is to just stock up on sale items. About every 3 weeks I buy meat unless it goes on sale before then. A couple of weeks ago, Tilapia was on sale at Meijer for $2.99 a pound so I bought 6 bags of it (sold in 1lb bags) of it. We eat about three quarters of a bag at dinner, and just save the rest. But this is why you see very strange shopping habits from me. I don't go on regular shopping trips.
Snacks around here are pretty irregular too. This week will be Fiber bars, dried cranberries, yogurt, pears, 100 cal snack bags, dry cereal (since I have TONS of that), peaches, and maybe bananas if I go shopping later this week. And if we run out of any of that there is more to be had in my storage. I will probably have to go on a fruit run, but bananas should be about all I will buy.
Hopefully I will have pics up tomorrow of the insane amount of deals that I got yesterday. Good stuff...too bad it just comes to so much out of pocket. :( Oh well. The girls and I had a lot of fun shopping and running around.
Labels: $300.00 monthly challenge, Miscellaneous
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Just a quick update here. Lots of running around today to do--library, Meijer, mall, etc. But I wanted to put up at least one of my before and after pics. This is a corner of my kitchen that I was using to put Ambry's school books and my coupons. It was overrun with my coupons and no organization at all to put it all in order. I am happy to say that this corner now makes me happy. All put together and most importantly, Ambry's school stuff all has an organized place.
Here is the before pic:
And the after. Even the lighting is better! See? It is a happy corner. :)
Coupons are now in two boxes rather than one very overrun box. I repurposed some boxes from the post office rather than buying some pretty baskets. The top basket is one that was in the girl's room and not being used. All of Ambry's school stuff is on top. Playdough is in the basket on the left along with all the utensils they use with it. On the left is their painting supplies. Oh the happiness!
Did you tackle anything this week? If so, post pics! It is always fun to share what you did (or last fun for me) to be able to show what you did or to see what others did. Because if your husband is anything like mine, he probably won't even realize what you did. :)I will hopefully post my ending budget for this week. If it wasn't for a garage sale yesterday...oh well. I am learning more about my spending habits than ever before! More to come later!
Labels: $300.00 monthly challenge, Miscellaneous
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
My results from a fun little quiz from here:
Sharon, you are a Bohemian Casual
You are interested in creating a place where people feel relaxed. You have a variety of interests and influences and so appreciate different styles, cultures, and objects. Your home is cozy, with comfy chairs, throw pillows and places to set a drink or a book. But it also feels creative and visually intriguing, because you have an artist's eye that allows you to find objects that appeal to you in a unique and personal way—whether from your travels or from a local shop. This gives your home a feeling of being laid-back, and maybe even a bit quirky with its mix of pieces—some of which are classic, some handmade, some ethnic, and some just rich in meaning to you.
You value order. You feel happiest if your home is well organized. You understand that when your house is in order, your mind feels clearer. Rather than a lot of meaningless objects or overly-designed items, you are happier with a few well-placed things. Your home is your respite from a busy life. Try to avoid letting things into your home that you don't really love.
Putting Your Style to Work!
With your style and needs in mind, here are a few tips that will help you make your home a little happier.
1. Your Design Challenge: ORGANIZE The front hall sets the mood for your entire home. Consider how to accommodate all the room's functions as beautifully as possible. At the very least you need a console, and if you're short on storage, consider a dresser. Outfit the surface with nice trays and bowls for mail, keys and sunglasses. Keep a trash can for immediately tossing the junk mail. Closet-door or wall hooks encourage coat and bag hanging rather than dumping. If you have children, try to give each a basket in the closet for hats and gloves. It's nice to have a chair or bench for changing shoes, a mirror for last-minute lipstick checks, and a lamp or sconces for warm light.
2. Your Happy Place Choose a color or two that harmonizes with the tableware you already own, and collect things like linens, glasses, dessert plates, or platters in those hues. This is a fantastic way to liven up a plain, white table setting. And if you can, set the table the night before a dinner party, so you can really take pleasure in tending to the details.
3. Be Party-Ready All the Time! Food: Devote space in your pantry or on a shelf for go-to party essentials: crackers, dip, chips, nuts—whatever you like to serve. Keep on hand a collection of attractive bowls and cocktail napkins, and you'll be able to set a spread—instantly!Drink: The simplest and chicest thing is to have a drinks tray or table always set up. Include a mix of pretty glasses, an ice bucket, a lovely pitcher, and bottles of soda and water. When the bell rings, just add ice and limes.Mood: Nice, flattering light makes us feel good. So nix the harsh, direct light from overhead fixtures in favor of the softer glow from floor and table lamps. Also, keep some votive candles and a couple of hurricane lanterns for setting around the room.Scent: The first thing you notice about a home is how it smells. Use naturally fragrant cleaning products. If you find a scented candle or fresh potpourri you love, stock up on it. Any scent you like, whether perfume or linen spray, can be used on upholstery, bedding or just spritzed into the air.
You know your style.
What I get from this...definitely very true...I also have been feeling extremely unorganized. It is to the point where I am so frustrated with the amount of stuff (insert crap) laying around my house. I am feeling the need to purge and since I am on a restricted budget I believe it is time to go through and purge like crazy. I am talking rent a dumpster and throw things out to my hearts content. Well, maybe not quite that drastic, but you get the idea.
So here is my challenge to myself and to you. Pick an area of your house that really bothers you. I actually have quite a few and will share those with you. Take a before and after pic. Or not if it really bothers you. :) I am hoping to start on my entry way closet today so I will hopefully post pics tomorrow of the before and after.
Sharon, you are a Bohemian Casual
You are interested in creating a place where people feel relaxed. You have a variety of interests and influences and so appreciate different styles, cultures, and objects. Your home is cozy, with comfy chairs, throw pillows and places to set a drink or a book. But it also feels creative and visually intriguing, because you have an artist's eye that allows you to find objects that appeal to you in a unique and personal way—whether from your travels or from a local shop. This gives your home a feeling of being laid-back, and maybe even a bit quirky with its mix of pieces—some of which are classic, some handmade, some ethnic, and some just rich in meaning to you.
You value order. You feel happiest if your home is well organized. You understand that when your house is in order, your mind feels clearer. Rather than a lot of meaningless objects or overly-designed items, you are happier with a few well-placed things. Your home is your respite from a busy life. Try to avoid letting things into your home that you don't really love.
Putting Your Style to Work!
With your style and needs in mind, here are a few tips that will help you make your home a little happier.
1. Your Design Challenge: ORGANIZE The front hall sets the mood for your entire home. Consider how to accommodate all the room's functions as beautifully as possible. At the very least you need a console, and if you're short on storage, consider a dresser. Outfit the surface with nice trays and bowls for mail, keys and sunglasses. Keep a trash can for immediately tossing the junk mail. Closet-door or wall hooks encourage coat and bag hanging rather than dumping. If you have children, try to give each a basket in the closet for hats and gloves. It's nice to have a chair or bench for changing shoes, a mirror for last-minute lipstick checks, and a lamp or sconces for warm light.
2. Your Happy Place Choose a color or two that harmonizes with the tableware you already own, and collect things like linens, glasses, dessert plates, or platters in those hues. This is a fantastic way to liven up a plain, white table setting. And if you can, set the table the night before a dinner party, so you can really take pleasure in tending to the details.
3. Be Party-Ready All the Time! Food: Devote space in your pantry or on a shelf for go-to party essentials: crackers, dip, chips, nuts—whatever you like to serve. Keep on hand a collection of attractive bowls and cocktail napkins, and you'll be able to set a spread—instantly!Drink: The simplest and chicest thing is to have a drinks tray or table always set up. Include a mix of pretty glasses, an ice bucket, a lovely pitcher, and bottles of soda and water. When the bell rings, just add ice and limes.Mood: Nice, flattering light makes us feel good. So nix the harsh, direct light from overhead fixtures in favor of the softer glow from floor and table lamps. Also, keep some votive candles and a couple of hurricane lanterns for setting around the room.Scent: The first thing you notice about a home is how it smells. Use naturally fragrant cleaning products. If you find a scented candle or fresh potpourri you love, stock up on it. Any scent you like, whether perfume or linen spray, can be used on upholstery, bedding or just spritzed into the air.
You know your style.
What I get from this...definitely very true...I also have been feeling extremely unorganized. It is to the point where I am so frustrated with the amount of stuff (insert crap) laying around my house. I am feeling the need to purge and since I am on a restricted budget I believe it is time to go through and purge like crazy. I am talking rent a dumpster and throw things out to my hearts content. Well, maybe not quite that drastic, but you get the idea.
So here is my challenge to myself and to you. Pick an area of your house that really bothers you. I actually have quite a few and will share those with you. Take a before and after pic. Or not if it really bothers you. :) I am hoping to start on my entry way closet today so I will hopefully post pics tomorrow of the before and after.
Labels: Miscellaneous
Thursday, August 06, 2009
I saw this video on this blog and was amazed. Take the time to watch it. Then head over here and read her post about the video.
Labels: Miscellaneous
