Realizations

Bay's 1st day of Kindergarten

2011-09-20T14:08:00.010-04:00

June helping Bay pack her her backpack. sweet sister.

do I have a blog?.....oh yeah I do

2011-08-10T14:25:00.003-04:00

We are expecting baby #3 around January 24th. So I am busy painting and making room for another human being. I have to get rid of some toys but I think everything will fit just fine with some problem solving and organizing skills. I will get a camera with our taxes if not before this baby comes. I cannot have another child and have no camera!!!!!!! Bay starts Kindergarten monday. yikes! This is a busy month for us between church, birthdays, and school. Bay is having a cake decorating party. should be fun.

Parisian Dress

2011-03-14T10:26:00.003-04:00

Here is my first piece of clothing ever made! A Parisian dress or pillowcase dress. I won a pattern off a blog and asked my friend Tara for help making it. I watched her make the first one (which I dont have a picture of). Then I went home and made the one pictured above. so cool to learn how to make things. I have a feeling Bay and June will have several of these and some lazy day skirts. I haven't made the skirts yet but that is my next project. So, all we will need this summer is flip flops and tank tops!

Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-15T22:48:00.012-05:00

This is Bay and, one of our new friends, Daisy. She kinda looks like June in this picture. Anyway, we went to Schimpff's Confectionary in Indiana to watch them make heart red hots and hope to sample a few.

As we walked, in they gave us samples of chocolates. It was rather delicious.

We browsed their museum of old candy boxes and equipment. pretty cool. Made me wish I had a super cool camera instead of my phone camera.

Super crowded in the gift shop.

Girls waiting to see how the red hots are made.

This is Jill and Warren, the owners. They are a hoot. Very entertaining. The picture above is when the candy comes out of the machine. Once they are are put through they drop the pieces on the table to break apart the hearts. pretty cool. seemed magical for the kids. June said this was her favorite part, "when they went crash". Then we got to sample the warm red hots. They were yummy too. They gave the option of lemon drops for kids in case the red hots were too spicy. We stayed and ate lunch with our friends and then watched them make red hots one more time before leaving. It smelled so good in there. It was a really neat valentine's day.

Dirty 30

2011-01-19T09:42:00.005-05:00

That's right. I turned thirty on Jan. 8th. Bummer. oh well, you can't stop time. My hubby wrote out 30 things he loves about me. cool. We had a little family party after a pancake breakfast. That seems to be the tradition around here. Then a good friend cooked dinner for us. Here are the kiddos eating.

Here are the candles. I had to blow quickly before my kids blew them out.

Rewind 2011 and start over please

2011-01-12T14:36:00.007-05:00

Okay. I figured out how to view my pictures in my posts again. Now I just need a new camera so I can have pictures. I am still uploading pics from phone to facebook, then saving then to computer from facebook. blah. big unorganized mess. I want my camera back! So, this year, June busted her head at the Louisville Science Center. This is June at Kosair's children's hospital. They had put a numbing medicine on it and we were waiting for it to work. Then they glued her wound together. She is doing good now.

A day or so later, the stomache bug hits our family. fun times. Then we all get better and now we got runny noses. I can't wait until spring. In the mean time we are finger knitting and

Drinking hot cocoa after playing in snow,

Rockstar Birthday Party

2010-11-19T15:51:00.012-05:00

So June turned 3 on October 15, 2010. My camera was broken and I had to rely on friends and my phone for pictures. so I apologize ahead of time for lack of pics and poor quality. June wanted a Flyleaf birthday. That is her favorite band. We had visited a music class called WeeRock and loved it. I found out the lady, Heidi, did birthday parties and knew that would be perfect for June. So we invited some friends with microphone invitations.
Then we met at Mama's Hip with friends dressed in Rockstar attire. Red hair even. Heidi led us in songs and we played instruments. She played June's favorite Flyleaf song to jam to with instruments. Afterwards, we ate microphone cupcakes and opened presents. Heidi gave June a harmonica for her present.We have enjoyed it thoroughly since then. Everyone including the adults had a really good time. It turned out to be a very special birthday.

Update: My friend gave me some pictures she took at the party. Yay! see below.

Transition: looking for a home and a school

2010-11-09T14:35:00.006-05:00

Our family is in a state of transition in a few areas. The first is church. We are in the process of switching to Sojourn Church. awesome place and we feel it is right for us at this time. We love our previous church. It was like a parent church for me. They helped us build a foundation and now we feel we are ready for something more. I am a better wife and mother due to the work God has done through the people at Highview. We will still do wednesday night honeybees and cubbies since Sojourn does not have this program. we were pumped about Sojourn, then we found out they have another campus that might be an option for us. So now we are not as sure as were thought we were about were to go to church. We are ready to find our "home" and stop floating around. It is so important to get plugged in quick. The second is finding an elementary school for Bay next year. We have visited 3 of the schools in our cluster so far. many more to go. I would like to visit 2-3 more. I have to put 4 choices down on the application in February. The choices are not guaranteed. They pick from the lottery system. I am struggling with a great school far away or a good school really close to home. Prayer is needed. We want to be where God wants us to be not where we think we want to be.

October stuff

2010-10-26T17:07:00.013-04:00

Last time I tried to post blogger was acting funny(and still is). when I try to post pics it only shows the text (not the image) to me. It makes it hard to move pics around and write about them. So I haven't been wanting to fool with blogging lately. Then my camera broke. soooo sad now. I am taking pictures with my phone, uploading them to facebook. here is Bay's soccer,angel cookies for Cubbies snack, and a couple of fall pictures right before my camera broke. I will do a separate post on June's birthday.

Bay's cowgirl birthday

2010-09-13T14:50:00.013-04:00

Since Bay and June's birthdays are close together I wait all year to go all out for their birthdays. Usually Bay's takes half of my creativity out of my body leaving June with a smaller more casual party. But this year I have big plans for June's Rockstar party. But that is a blog for mid october. This blog is about Bay's cowgirl party. I took a picture of June in some pink cowgirl boots. It was our only pair at the time and June was the only one who could fit them. I used that picture to make the invitations(and later as vases). I invited most of Bay's favorite people. I tried to keep it to girls her age. She had pancakes with sprinkles for breakfast. She played in her hat and lasso all day. The party was mostly outside with hay bales, cowgirl coloring station, digging for gold, and stick horse races. Her cake was a Barbie cowgirl. She even had a lasso. Tony started the races with a cap gun. Bay recieved about 5 or 6 barbies, silly bands, a lite bright,candyland, and cowgirl attire. Bay requested country music for the party too. Then we went to Tumbleweed for dinner to continue the theme. She had a great time.I think after this year we may try to have simple cheap family birthdays from now on.

Dance: Bay and June

2010-09-13T14:02:00.004-04:00

Here is Bay at her final recital. She did wonderful. She does every step and sings loud when she is suppose to. She finally "got the gold", as she would say. Good Job Bay! She is happy to have June in her class with her this year. We may have to separate them in the line though. We'll see. Hopefully we won't have to have separate classes because it will be nice to wait on them at the same time in one trip.
Here is June's Summer 5 week "mommy and me" class. She loved it and is excited to take dance a full season with Mrs. Connie this year.

Lately

2010-08-22T23:29:00.007-04:00

Haven't posted in a while. Bay has managed to get her finger caught in a mouse trap and get stung by a bee this past week. Poor girl. God is making her stronger through it all. She needs these things. We were eating at a Chinese restaurant in lexington with Tony's dad and the girls went to the other side of the room to play with some other children. next thing you know, I heard Bay crying. The other daddy said she must have touched the mouse trap in the corner. Her finger was blue, but fine. not broken. I was mad and distugsted that they even had a need for mouse traps. yuck. I guess Bay learned her lesson. Too bad we had not dicussed the dangers of those thngs but ya know mouse traps don't come up very often around here. thank God. She did fine with the bee sting. no allergies or anything. Now we just clean and organize while we wait for Grandma to come visit. Bay's cowgirl birthday party this Saturday. I have a lot of prep work to do. I hope we have the money to do it. It will be a shopping scramble the day before the party since Tony gets paid friday. The weather is suppose to be wonderful. Pictures to come.

bunk bed day 2

2010-07-30T16:51:00.001-04:00

Bay and June both took a nap on the bottom bunk together. Bay didn't like that at first. She told june to get back in her bed. That night june slept up top and bay at bottom. And that's the way it has stayed.

Bunk Bed day 1

2010-07-27T15:44:00.003-04:00

Bunk Bed day one. or night one since we put it together right before bed. Bay slept on bottom and June slept on top. I felt comfortable with June on top with the rail. Plus she is a super duper climber as I saw today at the park. There is a good climbing tree which June loves to climb. all the way to the top. I had to go and get her. Monkey!

Garden Photography

2010-07-23T15:25:00.010-04:00

Our flower and veggie gardens are blooming and fruitful. Praise God for His beauty and nourishment. Our bean pole teepee is almost full.

Inside the teepee looking up. I have some orbs at the top with fabric, string etc. inside them for the birds to use in their nest.

I am so behind on blogging. Posts to come include Bay's dance recital and June's first dance class.

Mama cow took her calves out for lunch

2010-07-09T13:25:00.008-04:00

Today is national cow appreciation day. We dressed as cows and went to Chick-fil-A for a free lunch. I kept thinking about all the people that would be staring at us and how stupid I felt. Once we got right inside the door people began wanting our pictures. I wish I would have painted the spots on instead of pinning them. The spots wanted to curl up and therefore you can't see them very well in the pictures. WayFm 105.9 was there and took our picture too. It is suppose to be on their website. We went to to counter and ordered our food while everyone smiled and cheered for us. we must have been their first cows for the day. The manager actually brought our food out to our table. The girls got a cow toy and a balloon too. Pretty Cool day. Tomorrow is Bob and Larry from Veggie Tales at the christian bookstore. Luckily we don't have to dress up for that one.

She got the gold...and we are still paying for it.

2010-07-08T22:59:00.004-04:00

Bay finished her first year of dance classes. She truly is a natural dancer with rythym and drama. She did wonderful at her recital and got her first gold trophy. I still owe her teacher the last month dues. Not sure if she will do it again next year. I definitely think she should pursue it later. I would love to try gymnastics. Not sure if i can afford it though. They even have iceskating here. Wouldn't that be awesome in the future.

Love and Hate

2010-06-18T13:51:00.009-04:00

My girls are very expressive and dramatic for that matter. On our way back from MS we stopped in Memphis, TN to visit aunts, uncle, and cousin. There, I captured some emotions on there faces.
Stuck up, uncooperative face(Bay)

angry face(Bay)
Relaxed(June)

Happy face

Really happy face

i love my daddy face

Not too sure about taking a picture in this tree faces. and the love of my life face in the middle.

I have often thought about making a feelings picture book of my kids. Maybe one day. Then they would know what they look like when they feel a certain emotion. Do you know what you look like when you are truly happy, sad, scared, worried....? I don't.

Bean Pole Teepee

2010-06-07T10:08:00.010-04:00

I decided to make my gardening dreams come true. The Artful Parent has this cool bean pole teepee and I wanted it too. Tony helped me lash/ tie the poles together and till up the ground. Then I placed it in the ground and June helped me plant and water the seeds. Bay eventually decided to join us. We now have bean sprouts. I can't wait for it to grow into a cool play area for me. Did I say me? I meant the girls!
You can see our sunflowers lined up along the fence. We also have a pretty good amount of blackberries growing this year. In the vegetable garden, we have tomatoes, cabbage, banana peppers, cilantro, basil, marjoram, and squash thanks to Amy and leftover money on a home depot card. Other plants include mint, lemon leaf(?), country onions, irisies and many flowers I have no clue what their names are unless I look at the list Patty gave me. She is cleaning out her landscaping and let us have some of her plants. I may need to go back and get a little more. I hope I will be able to take care of all this growth this summer and next year. I love it. Spring and summer is the best time of year for me. I may try and plant some pumpkins and lettuce later for fall harvest though.

Memaw, Aunt Tiff, Uncle Trae, and Ian

2010-06-07T09:55:00.010-04:00

Our family came to visit for memorial day. We played Nintendo. Yes, the real first Nintendo! mario 3.
Man, I was in the right place at the right time with my camera. This pose didn't last very long.

We decided to go to the spray park.

This is cousin Ian and Uncle Trae running throught the big sprinklers.

This is Daddy and June running through the big sprinklers.

Then we went to the waterfront and walked around a bit. I just love the artsy birds there.

Pool Fun

2010-05-26T14:19:00.008-04:00

Yesterday, we were creative with our pool. In the morning we swam an played in the sprinkler. I laid out for a bit. The girls wanted to pour water on me. I told them they could sprinkle it on me. They did something better: rubbed water on me. I thought I was at a spa. a water massage. Then after naptime we pool painted. Similar to barrel painting but on a large scale. I got this idea from the Artful Parent blog. Empty dry pool, big paper, balls of different sizes, and paint. Move pool to roll balls and paint. Then we washed all the paint out and swam again. I thought it would be fun to put some bubbles in it so I did. Then we poured that out and played in clean water again.

They ate popsicles too at some point. They are sweet sisters.

Self Esteem, Beauty, and Dancing

2010-05-25T13:44:00.008-04:00

I decided to do body tracings with the girls one day. They did really good. We drew body parts inside the body and they colored the pictures. This is a good thing to do with girls no matter what age. You can really find out what they think about themselves and their body image. But at age 2 and 3 it is just fun to see yourself and learn about body parts. Bay wanted a heart, lungs, bones, and stomach. She had a skirt on so the body tracing has a skirt too. June just colored on hers.

Bay had dance pictures and a mini recital at a nursing home. I wanted to curl Bay's hair for the pictures so I bought sponges rollers. I figured out they just about only work if you sleep in them and I don't think Bay will sleep in them. I used a curling iron instead. But we had fun playing in the rollers anyway even if they weren't curling our hair.

Then Bay did the most awesome job at the nursing home. I have had so many parents talk about how great she did. Even her teacher said she was the leader that day. She did every move correctly at the right time, and sang loudly. I only saw it on video. Tony took them. I felt I might break down being at a nursing home. I visited my grandmother at the nursing home for many years. Bay said, "there was an angry grandma there". I told her that dancing for her probably made her happy. She replied, "no mom, she was still angry".

Grandma

2010-05-14T09:55:00.005-04:00

"Do not put that mascara on today" I told myself as I was putting my makeup on. I did it anyway. I know it won't be there for long. Tears come and go in spurts. My mind has been full of memories of her today. Here is the best picture in the whole world. It was taken in Dec. '08. My grandmother, Norma, never took many pictures. Hated the camera, actually. This is four generations of wonderful, smart, creative, and STUBBORN women. It was good to see her smile at her great grandchildren. Norma Ruth Griffin. She was born during the 1927 flood, made it throught the Depression, married and raised 4 children at an early age. She suffered through a divorce and later the death of one of her daughters. Both my mom and my grandma raised me. She left this earth May 13th, 2010 at 1:30am. My mother is handling the details and rounding up the siblings. Grandma will be cremated and we will have our own personal funeral in Indianola, MS where we are suppose to bury her ashes near her mother and father's grave. I haven't been to MS in the summer in over six years probably. I imagine it will be mega hot and steamy. It will be good to reunite the family though. Unfortunately, this happens at weddings and funeral, right? Bay and June will get to meet my aunts and uncles. The last few quotes I remember from grandma are:
1)"I don't know what I would do without you". She said this to me at the first nursing home she lived at in MS. I visited her quite often then.
2)"Have a nice life" as we moved her to a TN nursing home and I moved to KY. She knew me then. She had alzheimer's. That one hit me pretty hard. I felt I was kind of leaving her all alone.
3) "who's the daddy?" she asked when a couple of years later when we brought Bay to TN to meet her. She is so funny. My cousin and I are her only grandchildren and we were children of divorce as babies(probably fetuses). so "who's the daddy?" may have been a familiar question 29 yrs ago. The funny thing is that Tony (THE daddy) was standing in the room with us.
My grandmother was a tough one. I never saw her cry. She just wasn't very emotional I guess. Other words to describe her: stubborn, blunt, smoker, dancer, mathematician, racist(born and raised in MS), unchanging(good and bad), mother, brave, selfless, giving, trustworthy, strong, and a hard worker. She worked a few jobs at the same time to take care of her children and was a single mom for a while. She didn't have any hobbies really.When she retired, she retired. She didn't do anything after that. She didn't knit or sew(but she knew how). She had a sweet tooth which caused her to bake butter cakes and iced sweet tea frequently. I liked that. She liked crumbled cornbread in milk. I guess it is a southern thing. Maybe a creation from not having much(depression?). Sometimes she would french braid or plat, she called it, my hair if I asked her to. But she wouldn't let me play with her hair. She mostly watched TV. She liked gameshows like wheel-a-fortune. I knew that she was ALWAYS there and wasn't going anywhere, that's for sure. I would sit and hold her soft hands. Do all old people have soft hands? Hers were so soft. I loved to hold her hand (And pinch her elbow skin which she would tell me that I would have it when I got old too). I loved her greatly and miss her from time to time.

Busy May

2010-05-11T20:10:00.012-04:00

May has been the busiest month by far and it isn't even over yet! First, the Derby. None of our horses won. That's okay. It is still fun to watch the race.

Then we had awards night for Honeybees and

Cubbies... Look at Bay. She posed for this one. She looks all grown up.

And Choir: The praise parade. Bay is such a poser.

Then, daddy had his gig at Southeast Christian Church in the coffee shop. Bay got on stage for a Jars of Clay song she likes. She sang and did hand motions. She just couldn't resist the stage. She loves it.

Then a few crafts. Tissue paper flowers. They sorta look real. We did these with our Callihan freinds.

I painted most of the bunk bed pieces. I have the twin set up for Bay. We still need to purchase another mattress before painting and putting the top bunk together. Thanks for the tarp mom. It was very useful!

And Bay still has to dance at a nursing home and take dance pictures and daddy has another gig on the 24th. ... and who knows what else we will do. Good thing everything else we are involved in is over for summer.

altered photos

2010-05-07T21:07:00.006-04:00

Tiffany told me about picnik.com and I touched up a few ballerina photos. check it out:
I increased the color and contrast here.Added the black faded edge here. messed with the exposure and contrast.

This is probably my favorite. I brightened the colors and it has a faded black edge. These all have names for the effects but I can't remember them. I just played around until I liked the image.

This is pretty cool. It is black and white but the flower is color.

Picnik.com is free and fun to play with for hours.

Tutu Photo Shoot

2010-05-06T10:33:00.011-04:00

I finished this tutu and needed some pictures to give to Aunt Tiffany for the Baby Cadenhead Auction. I got several good pictures. I may try to make a couple into black and white.

I like the shadow in this one.

Imagine what I could do with an expensive camera and photoshop!

Come and get it birds!

2010-04-30T15:29:00.008-04:00

As a craft major at DSU I took fiber arts classes. We made paper, baskets, loom weaving, surface design, book making, etc. One cool exercise we did was try to make a bird's nest like a real bird would. man, it was kinda hard. It definitely didn't look like the real thing. Real bird's nest are tightly woven and strong. I have read about people making a little thing filled with string, yarn, etc. for the birds to use in their nest. I noticed a little bird hovering over the ground and picking up things so I figured she was building a nest. The girls were playing and I was sewing the last Cubbie patch on Bay's vest outside. At first, I told the girls to go throw some thread near where the bird kept coming. Then I decided it was time to make one of those things(I don't kow what they are called). So, I grabbed a plastic bag/net that our oranges were in and the girls and I filled it with dried grass, thread, strips of ribbon I cut, string, yarn, fresh grass, flowers, and leaves. The last three probably won't make it in the nest but it was fun for the girls. Maybe once the green grass dries out it can be used. I hung it near the bird feeder hoping that when they came to eat they would see that there is also building supplies. Not sure if that is the best place for it. I haven't seen any birds taking anything from it yet. It looks kind of weird and disgusting hanging there. Tony said, "what is that thing?". maybe I should move it. Wouldn't that be cool if you found a nest with purple string in it that you had given to the bird? Usually, ever year there is a nest in that "burning" bush seen in the picture above. I don't think they have made it yet so hopefully they might find interest in what we have to offer. The birds will probably laugh at this thing and never take a strand.

Pegasus Parade 2010

2010-04-30T14:55:00.014-04:00

I was thinking it would be nice to go to the Pegasus Parade but knew I would have to go alone and downtwn kinda freaks me out with the one way streets and parking. Tony had to practice for his gig at Southeast Christian Church this coming monday evening. He is super excited and gets to play with his awesome music friends. ANYWAY, Amy asked us to go to the parade because she didn't want to take the kids by herself either. Yes we will go. We all fit in her awesome van. That doesn't happen very often. Gotta get one of those soon! We headed downtown. We walked to Broadway in the beautiful weather. Here is Bay and Julia as we were walking to the parade. Here we are scoping out the area to find a good spot.

Bay, Julia, and Kat are all in the choir and the theme is patriotic parade. So this was kinda like a field trip(they are pumped for their performance and parade this Sunday evening). We had snacks and a picnic dinner. I really enjoyed the marching bands.

June likes baby Elliot.

I don't know if you watch the biggest loser but Coach Mo was in the parade. That was kinda neat to see him. After a couple of hours it was time to change a diaper so we packed it up and headed back. Stopped at the library for their bathroom. Soooooooo much better than a port-a-potty. The girls (and probably baby Elliot too) enjoyed the walk back. Julia wanted her picture taken in front of this big building with steps and columns so we took a break for pictures. We finally got a group picture of them. Bay said her favorite part of the parade was the clowns. June's favorite part was the horses. And not this horse, the real ones are what she liked.

Suncatchers,Chopsticks,and Giggles

2010-04-28T13:47:00.010-04:00

Here are our crayon suncatchers. It is crayon shavings between two sheets of wax paper and then ironed to melt. We cut shapes out and then hung them in the window. Cut to any seasonal shape and use whatever colors you want. Bay was sharpening her crayons one day so we just kept the shavings. You could also use a veggie peeler. I got this idea from The Artful Parent. This picture was taken on a not-so-sunny day but they are still beautful.

Here is Bay with her chopsticks from P.F. Changs restaurant. She is really good at it and wants to use them to eat often.

And here is adorable silly Junie. We are waiting for Bay at her dance class.

Highlands

2010-04-26T09:48:00.008-04:00

Tony was off work this past Saturday and he wanted to hang out in the highlands. They have neat shops and neat people that walk the streets. We ate at Mark's Feed Store. Then we went to a couple of music stores for Daddy.

Bay said, "Mom, I like the pink one"

Bay took a picture of us. I had the zoom set too close. Didn't feel like trying again.

I thought the red stairs were cool.
We are all getting a head cold at the moment and this just wore June slap out. She fell asleep on the way home. We were trying to keep her awake. She thought it was funny but just couldn't keep her eyes open. If you look closely at the picture you can see her smiling while asleep.

April fun

2010-04-22T10:21:00.009-04:00

I guess we have been doing a lot lately because I have a bunch of pictures for this month. Here is a few of them. All of these are appropriate for Earth Day. Here is Bay and June with their earth day crowns. I recycled a cereal box and stapled the leaves on them. I got the idea from the Chasing Cheerios blog. I only had a few staples left so they aren't as full as I wanted them to be. The girls got the point and it was fun to wear them for a minute.

This is the girls playing with Emerson in the green sand.

And this is June climbing a tree at the park.

And after takning this picture of Bay in the clovers I thought it would be awesome to have a yard with just clovers. no grass. just a thought.

"God doesn't know dance"

2010-04-19T09:33:00.004-04:00

Bay has been having little melt downs frequently at dance class. She will start to dance and then something happens in her head and she won't dance anymore. She loves her teacher and loves to dance. She gets excited every monday. When she gets in her mood and won't dance she won't tell us why. It is probably her personality and her age. I have tried a few things. In the beginning, it was dance or go home. That kinda worked. The candy as a reward from the teacher doesn't work. Now we stay and watch when she won't dance because I will not raise a quitter. Last monday, I decided to have a talk alone with Bay. I told her that if she needs anything, her teacher was there to help. "Your teacher loves you. Just ask her if you need something", I said. Then I told her that she could always pray to God if she needed Him. Bay replied, "but He doesn't know dance". Oh, yes He does. He knows about everything. Bay said, "He doesn't know me". My heart broke. "Bay he knows you. He made you", I replied. It is so easy for me to know that God created her because I felt her grow inside me. I watched her grow. I know she was created by an awesome God who knows all our troubles and worries. But how many times do we think God doesn't understand our situation? But he always does. Jesus experienced every emotion we have and he conquered all temptations. We can look to Him for hope and strength. For He is in control, not us. We have to learn to rely completely on Him. I will contiue to teach Bay this. She is like me is soooooo many ways and Tony even spoke about how she is a control freak like me. She has to have everything the way she wants it or else she freaks out. So when dance class doesn't go the way she wants it, I guess she gives up. She needs lots of love and encouragement. Thank you God for using my children to teach me about you everyday.

New beginnings

2010-04-14T11:27:00.009-04:00

Thanks to a dear friend I now have new running shoes and clothing. Now to start running! I am also about to start the new pottery class today (hopefully). Not sure how many members we will have. I called to find out the last minute details: No one is officially signed up :( There are lots of interested people so maybe they will show up and then sign up. If this one doesn't work we will try again and hopefully advertise more. I truly believe this is one of Louisville's best secrets. Here is a picture of the Beechmont Community Center pottery studio. It is a nice size and pretty clean. Some tables and shelves need to be cleaned off but I can work around that. Just give me the new clay and the people and we can make something. I will figure out all the clutter and a new home for it as I go. You know artists: they keep everything! Eventually, I think I will make them sign a sheet saying they will pick up artwork by certain date or it will be trash. Too harsh?

firepit

2010-04-14T09:58:00.009-04:00

We have been enjoying our firepit in the evenings. There is something special about a fire to me. It makes me happy. We collect our sticks until we get a good amount and then we enjoy some family time before bed watching the fire. Bay and June like the little sparks that rise from the fire. We told them they were fire fairies. They love it. We roast marshmallows if we have them. Here we are roasting strawberry marshmallows.1st Lesson learned here: save the pink ones for cold snacks not hot ones. The regular ones are MUCH better toasted. 2nd lesson learned: When the marshmallow is consumed by fire and you begin to blow on it, make sure all little bare feet are a safe distance away. I think some may have landed on Junes feet. No burns. She is alright. Thanks to Tony, we have it on film to prove how much of an idiot I am. You can see the ball of fire and June in the process of stepping back. You will have to excuse June in her training panties. Now that it has warmed up she stays half naked so we have less laundry while we practice using the potty.

Easter

2010-04-05T11:10:00.009-04:00

We went to a "He Lives" Easter party Friday complete with craft, story, parachute game, picnic snack, and an egg hunt. Here is a picture of all the kids. June is on the left standing. Bay is on the right making funny faces. Then, Saturday we hunted eggs all day. Sunday, was church and a visit with Mimi and Poppy. The girls were so beautiful in their dresses.

Bay took this picture of me and June. Daddy had to go to church early to greet people.June took this picture. It was a little tricky for her but we got the shot.

Bunnies and Bird Nests

2010-04-01T13:40:00.007-04:00

The girls had been wanting to paint so I came up with an Easter craft. I always see neat handprint paintings in the church preschool classrooms so I wanted to try it too. I let the girls stamp there fists and fingers to make bunnies and easter eggs in the grass. After seeing them hung up, Bay and I discussed that we had never seen pink bunnies before and how they should be white. oh well, it is Easter. Everything is pastel. Even bunnies. Then today, I decided to make the bird nest treats. I think we will give some to our neighbors and of course save some for Daddy.

They are basically rice crispie treats with candy eggs in them. The nests are honey bunches of oats(because that's what I had) or corn flakes and toasted coconut. We put whopper eggs in them. I usually print the recipes I find so that it has a reference on it. This one I wrote down for some reason and I don't know where I got it from. If you google "no-bake easter bird nests" there are a ton of different ways to make them. *Okay*I found out that it came from the artful parent blog. Her blog is in the left column of my blog. I figured it was one of them.

Here is the recipe:

No bake Bird Nests

34 lg marshmallows

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups cornflakes

1/4 cup toasted coconut

candy eggs

In large saucepan stir marshmallows and butter on low to med. heat. Add vanilla. Stir until melted. remove from heat. Fold in cornflakes and coconut. drop by tablespoons (depending on how big you wan the nest to be) into a greased muffin cup. Oil your fingers before you press down and pinch edges. remove and place on wax/parchment paper to cool. add candy eggs.Cover and let harden. store in airtight container. makes 23-36 nest depending on size of nests. Mine made 23.

family tree

2010-04-01T10:02:00.004-04:00

This is so cute! and affordable! Maybe a mother's day present for me. hint hint. I always love artsy family stuff with children's names on it but I hate to buy them now because I don't think our family is complete yet. sometimes I like to just blog about cool stuff so I can go back and find it later when I am ready or have the money. This is a great gift for others that I know their family is complete.

Ahh...Spring:butterflies and scooters

2010-03-26T13:47:00.006-04:00

The weather has been wonderful and I decided to let the girls take their scooters to the park. I thought they would ride around the track with them but turns out just the scoot to the playground wore them out. They sure are cute when they scoot though. June was a bit slow so I let her ride on it while I pulled her to the playground. Then, a few days later I made this cute spring breakfast for them. I adapted it from a blog I read. Biscuits- cut in half and put round sides together. spread a bit of jelly on top and sprinkle colored sugar. Bake according to directions on package. When they are done, squirt whipped cream for the body and use whatever you have to make antennae and face(I used orange peel). I added sliced stawberries to the wings.

been playing with...

2010-03-19T13:51:00.010-04:00

SHADOWS: PINE CONES and SEEDS:

BEANS:
The top one is June's flower. The middle ones are mine and the flower and star on the bottom is Bay's .

All About Kids (Spring '10)

2010-03-16T14:01:00.007-04:00

This past Friday we went to All About Kids again. We haven't been in probably a year so it was due time. One of Bay's favorite friends, Kat, was there. The girls are old enough now that I can just let them go. I try to make sure I can see them from a distance. Bay is so fast and moves frequently so I didn't see as much of her as I did June. June is a bit slower so I was able to take a couple of videos of her. Here she is on the balancing beam.

New

2010-03-12T15:34:00.002-05:00

I am loving that it is Spring weather. I love seeing all the new sprouts! It gets me going which means the projects are cluttering my head trying to get out. Some projects that I can't stop thinking about are:
sanding/painting bunk beds
building beds
building a "window" end table
fixing the first window table
art shelves
repainting a few things(walls, baseboards)
daddy building fence
daddy building swing set
sewing ottoman covers
I guess we got some building to do! Feels good to get it out of my head for a minute

Comedy Show

2010-03-01T13:41:00.003-05:00

Saturday night Tony and I went to see Brian Reagan. He is a comedian with clean jokes. SOOOOOO funny! He has had a few shows on comedian central lately. We were really excited about going. We have been thinking that going out to eat is boring and we should try to do new things together. Tony's dad and Koko came over to watch the girls. Tony and I went out to eat and then rushed to the Brown theatre. We had to park on the top level of a parking garage. We ran down 4 flights of stairs and around the corner to the front door. I was wearing heels too. Then we squeezed into our seats which were in the center of the row. I hate that. having people get up to let you by. anyway the people on each side of us were the type to laugh at EVERYTHING. If you are that type that is wonderful. I guess you must enjoy life more than I do. This problem only lasted through the guy that opened for Brian Reagan. Because Brian Reagan is so funny we were laughing at everything he said. The first guy wasn't too bad but he mumbled a lot so I couldn't hear him. I forgot my camera so no pictures this time. When the show was over we walked up the many stairs to our car and then waited for all the cars below us to file out and leave. It was a good time. The girls don't like it when we go out. They don't cry when we leave but they have their moments. Bay had hers earlier that day at naptime. Crying, saying she didn't want me to go on a date. Then June cries the next night thinking we were putting them to bed and leaving her. dang kids, chill out! Mommy and daddy love each other. I tried to convince Bay that it was good for us to go out on dates because we love each other and she definitely wants a mommy and daddy who love each other. I think she got it but she told me later, " Mom, I don't want you to go out on a date ever ever again". Sorry about your luck kid. If you have never heard Brian Reagan go to youtube.com and search his name.

Super Silly Bay!

2010-02-24T13:36:00.010-05:00

That girl! She had a giggle fit monday that lasted close to two hours. She couldn't stop herself. Out of control. She was a little silly after naptime. Here is the proof: Example A is a cute super girl silly.She dressed herself from head to toe. I believe she was inspired by her cousin Ian's superhero birthday party pictures.

Example B:

Oh it gets better. Example C: This is probably my favorite.

she continues, Example D:

Then sometime after that, the giggles started. And did not stop until she fell asleep that night. She ate dinner- with the giggles. It was good to hear her laugh but it was a bit disruptive. It took over her body. It was like she was drunk. She wasn't worth much good. I got her dressed for dance- with the giggles. As you see in the picture she could no longer stand straight due to the silliness.
Look how cute the leg warmers are. Bay's best friend Jordyn gave those to her. So, I took her to dance and she giggled while putting her ballet shoes on and I nervously watched her go into her class. Mrs. Connie, I am so sorry for her behavior. Even the other moms in the waiting room noticed she was extra giggly. I guess she did okay in class. No complaints. and she got a sucker and a sticker. I thought she might have burned some energy and giggles off after dance. Nope. She giggled on the ride home and then Daddy noticed the problem when we got home. What the heck did I feed her? It reminded me of my Grandmother when she use to ask me, "Do you have fever with those spells?" maybe I acted the same way when I was little. Oh....Bay(with a sigh). Maybe I will figure her out one day( probably not). At least she made me smile and not cry that day.

Birds these days!

2010-02-23T14:48:00.003-05:00

I LOVE artsy fartsy birds. Not realistic birds or realistic pictures of birds but artsy birds. It seems everywhere I look I find a product with a bird on it. Here is the latest example from Figs and Ginger. Too bad it is expensive. I really really like it though. I might have to make some extra hair bows for that one. I found a cool bird mobile template on Martha Stewart. I want to make it but not sure where I would hang it. Probably in the girls' room. There is just something about bird silhouttes I love. If you got something cool, put a bird on it and I will buy it.

Can we talk?

2010-02-22T10:24:00.005-05:00

I was happily taking a nap on the couch with the hubby when his on-call cell phone beeped. I decided to finish my nap in the bed. I guess I eventually went to sleep but I couldn't stop thinking about phones and how much things have changed. Do you remember home phones that had all the cords? I know many people still have a home phone but most people I know just have cell phones. Cell phones with numbers already programmed in them. I remember memorizing many many phone numbers. My mom had a rolladex. Not even sure how to spell that. I still remember some of my childhood friends' phone numbers. I guess I called them alot. Now, I couldn't tell you anyones number except mine and my husbands. So I think back to my childhood... I am talking on my home phone to a friend for hours(what was there to talk about?) but I get thirsty or hungry or need to potty. 2 solutions: 1)tell them to hold and put the phone down. 2) add a 100 ft cord to your phone so you can walk around the house. I did both. We had a LONG cord. Then came the cordless phone! awesome! The bad thing about them was static sometimes. One might have to change the channel to hear better or need to charge them. Then there was all the fancy extras like mute, call waiting, and three-way calling. Used them all. Me and my friend would call a boy on three-way. So sneaky and deceitful to hide one person. Then there was prank calling. Man we had some fun with that. Hello?-Is your refrigerater running? you better catch it-click- ha haha ha. So stupid. I guess when you are 10 there isn't much to do. This was before caller ID which would come later and ruin all the fun. First came *69. That would tell you who just called. right? there was another one to block or hide your number when you called someone. Then the cordless wasn't good enough. How far would it go? I remember thinking how great it would be to take the cordless with me (like a cell phone). Then came the car phone. Which was huge and bulky. Never had that. I had a friend who did though. I went everywhere without a phone. Now it never leaves my side it seems. And now a days you never know what a phone will sound like. Back then it was "rinnnnggggg, rinnnnggggg". That's it. plan and simple.Then I thought back to my original issue that started all this crazy thinking- hubby's on-call cell. What did his company do back in the 80's? Were there pagers then? hmmm... not sure. Either they had to wait at home for a call or check their answering maching for messages. Remember those? We had lots of fun recording on that. I know my husband has a few stories about answering machines. Anyway, I just wanted to stir up some of your memories . I wonder what my kids will remember and what phone technology will look like 20 yrs from now.

Interpretive dance with Bay

2010-02-18T10:40:00.005-05:00

Bay is a hoot. She LOVES to sing and dance. She is very dramatic, passionate, and emotional. She can be a little over the top sometimes. She was dancing as usual the other night and everyone was home and sitting in the living room before bedtime. Daddy decided to dance with Bay which we do every now and then but tonight was different. Daddy decided to try copying her dance moves and keep up with her. I have no idea what she is singing. I think she was making up her own song. It was so funny! I was laughing so hard that I figured this was worth video taping. Tony video taped me dancing with her too. It was definitely exercise. She never stops moving. And if you say the word "energy" she speeds up. The video of Tony is much more silly (and shorter) so view his video here. It is called Interpretive Dance with Bay & Daddy #2. Sorry, the video was too long for blogger so click the link to youtube.com Enjoy!

Hammered Valentine

2010-02-14T13:37:00.011-05:00

Here are pics of the gifts we made.For Cubbies, we used pom poms and barrel art paper to make valentine cards. For daddy, I saw this cool piece of artwork and decide it would be a good new craft for the girls. They have never worked with wood and nails before. I let them "hammer" the nails in after I got them started. They really enjoyed it and we all made one for him. Wednesday we made valentine chocolate covered pretzel rods. They were suppose to be for June's Honeybee class but it was canceled due to snow. We will be making them again but with smaller shorter pretzel rods. I found that the girls only wanted to eat the pretzel that was covered in chocolate. So now that it is kid tested, mother approved, we can distribute the new ones to the kids wednesday(if we don't get snowed out again, which is possible). We are also in the process of making paper hearts from newspaper pulp. It is a much longer process than I thought so it might end up being a regular craft as opposed to a valentine craft.

One more step closer

2010-02-12T17:46:00.002-05:00

Today, the girls and I went to Beechmont Communtiy Center to sign a couple of papers so i can be a pottery teacher. awesome. She gave us the tour of the studio and asked me a couple of questions which made me question my pottery knowledge. Let me tell you, I have not thrown on wheel since 2004. I did some hand building in 2005. I was most concerned with mixing glazes and firing. So, when I got home I watched this awesome lady from Little e Pottery for about 4 hrs. I feel much better now. Hopefully, sometime between March and May I will start teaching a class once a week in the evening. It doesn't pay much but it allows me access to a pottery studio for free.

Canceled

2010-02-10T09:41:00.004-05:00

I know kids are happy that school is out but nothing has change here in the standrod house except all the fun things have been canceled. The girls are too young and wimpy too go sleding for extended period of time. Instead, we stay at home and I just keep injuring myself. Neck/back pain(which is much better now even though I didn't see the chiropractor), gibson scratched my eye, and I sprained my wrist shoveling the evil snow. So I don't get to make my chocolate covered pretzels for Honeybees tonight because it has been CANCELED. I might have to make them anyway just to do something different.We were suppose to play at a friends house today. Canceled due to icy roads and my laziness. Tony is able to work though which is good. Paychecks have been little lately due to all this crazy weather.
On a good note, I received an important letter yesterday. I now have a tax account number to start working as a pottery instructor. I hope they still want/need me. I still have some more paperwork to do but at least the ball is rolling.

Indoor Hopscotch

2010-02-07T17:54:00.009-05:00

After it snowed the second time this year and then melted, Bay thought spring was coming. WRONG! It snowed again. Bay was so upset to see snow again. She yelled at the snow and said she was so "frustrated". She is very ready for spring just as I am. We are stir crazy around here. We have been stuck in this house with not much to do. Luckily, today is Sunday and we were able to go to church. Not to mention the gloom outside, I have gloom inside... my body. I have the worst neck/back pain EVER! Super worthy of a trip to see my chiropractor ASAP! Not sure what I did for this to happen. I can't rotate my head much and it hurts to move and lay down and sit up, etc. Mommy hurts... bad. And since it hurts all the time I have no excuse to sit and do nothing so I made hopscotch for the girls. I saw on a blog how they made hopscotch INSIDE with paper and tape so I thought that might be a good idea. It was, but it didn't last very long. The video of them trying to do it is good though. Blogger wouldn't let me upload it. sorry. June was a little sad because she couldn't hop on one foot. She said, "mommy, I can't play that game". Poor June. She did finally learn to cut with kid scissors yesterday though. In the past, she would watch Bay do it and try and try without success. But now she can and she is very proud of herself. So, this week I need to get my skeletal system fixed and enjoy Valentine celebrations everywhere we go this week(dance, cafe moms, honeybees/cubbies).

I Love...

2010-02-06T16:57:00.004-05:00

I love him...

and him...

and even him!

I also love his blog that he updates once every 2 years!

Princess Half-Marathon

2010-01-14T13:05:00.006-05:00

I have been invited/challenged to run the Princess Half Marathon at Disney World in 2011. I know what you are thinking. i laughed too. The farthest i have ever run is 1 mile. It seems quite impossible right now. It will be VERY difficult both physically and finacially for me but it is possible... somehow. With the encouragement from KeithAnn and Tony I think I could do it. Many barriers to overcome: cold weather, laziness, children, Tony's workout schedule, my out of shape body, and......

these old shoes! If I am going to be running as much as I am suppose to, I better invest in a new pair of running shoes. And wouldn't that be awesome for me to run a half marathon at the age of 30! If I don't keep up the pace at the race, they will pick you up and transport you to the finish line without a medal. I have a feeling I might get transported.

Fire and Ice Birthday

2010-01-09T12:37:00.005-05:00

I am 29 now. This will be the last year of my twenties. I had a very pleasant birthday. Tony set his alarm for what I thought was work. It has been snowing here so it affects his job. I was half asleep and just assumed he went to work. Then I began hearing noises and knew he was doing something special for me. I heard the tape dispenser and what I thought was a drill and a metal pipe dropping. I just knew he was hanging and building something. Then I smelled something burning. Turns out he was making pancakes and dropped the metal bowl(pipe) and used the chopper for bananas(drill). He did burn them a bit but the girls and I ate them anyway. They were still good. He hung drawings they did for me on the hallway ceiling. He had asked the girls to find something to give me a few days earlier. Bay decided to pick a mitten and filled it with pom poms. June picked one of the paper ornaments I had made for christmas.

Later, Tony came home from work but left again for more birthday stuff. He made me stay in the bedroom until he was ready. He got the girls up from nap and they waited in the kitchen for me. I found balloons, ice cream cake, and my family singing "Happy Birthday". Then Tony went outside to our shed and brought back a fire pit. I have been wanting one forever. Thanks Tony for being creative and making my day special!

2-4 inches they say...

2010-01-07T13:38:00.008-05:00

We enjoyed our first snow of the year today. The girls had fun digging in the snow with shovels. June kept taking her mittens off. Then daddy came out to play and the snow fight started. They really had fun and are ready for more later. Tony went to work for a little bit. He can't afford to sit at home and play without getting paid. Tomorrow is my birthday.I hope someone will make it extra special.

too little

2010-01-06T23:29:00.004-05:00

Riding home today in the car, Bay said, "Mama, my friends at dance class said I am little". I starting talking about something else and then I realized I needed to "rewind" and investigate this important issue. I asked, "did that make you happy or sad when they said that?" Bay replied, "angry!". So I began the mom talk about how great a dancer she was and it didn't matter how little she was. God made us all different shapes and sizes and we should be happy...blah, blah, blah... Well, that didn't really work. She said she wanted to be big like the other girls. Bay is petite and skinny and I think she is the youngest in her class. She is just small. It is amazing how early in life we begin to compare ourselves to one another. I want this dance class to raise self esteem not lower it. I might talk to the teacher about it just to make sure it stays positive. The dance friends are not being mean about it. They think she is cute and little. Poor Bay, She will probably deal with this for the rest of her life. So my mission is to find things only little people are good at. Objects/toys might start getting stuck in tight small spots that only a Bay could fit in. A friend suggested the game Limbo. Mama for sure couldn't win that game!

I love visitors

2010-01-06T10:49:00.002-05:00

I wanted to note that Soulemama visited my blog a while back. I guess I commented on hers enough that she wanted to know who I was. awesome. Unfortunetly she probably didn't find anything too interesting. I need to break out her book and make something. Probably that pencil roll that Tiffany reminded me of. I would love to have her second book too. If you don't know about Soulemama please click on her link to the left of my blog screen.

Hello 2010!

2010-01-05T14:01:00.007-05:00

I have been reviewing my blog from 2009. 2009 didn't start out well but by spring and summer it was great. I think I need to blog more. I noticed it is only on the big events. I need to be documenting some of the little everyday things too.

I have hit the the terrible winter wall. I can't motivate myself to do anything. I hate it. I am cold, tired, and bored. I probably should be more proactive and do something. But I would much rather hibernate until spring. I hope this is not seasonal depression. A few things I hope to do in 2010:

listen to God more by reading His word

sell kid clothes in consignment sale

go see comedian Brian Reagan

Bunk beds for girls with cute bedding

buy a mini van

lots of spring planting- herbs & flowers

loose weight

trip to see Tristy,Scott, & Ryan

visit the beach again

buy more books and read them

buy a bookshelf to hold our books

build an end table

print pictures

pick peaches

enroll girls in gymnastics

Put Bay in choir

floss more

and finally but most importantly: make time to date my husband. And it wouldn't be a good blog without a picture. So here is our family. My hair is now red and I think I like it.

Drum Circle and mandalas

2009-12-15T13:38:00.014-05:00

Some of my art therapy friends invited us to Shine where there would be a drum circle and mandala making. I decided it would be fun for the whole family to participate. We sat in circle and grabbed a drum or instrument of our choice and began playing. Finding our own rhythm both personally and as a group was awesome. Then we made mandalas and then more drumming! Bay and June really liked it. I thought Bay would be dancing the whole time but she didn't. She actually sat and played drums with everyone else. Daddy and the girls did an awesome job on their manadalas. See pics below. If they do this monthly I think I might have to become a regular member. I would go alone though. It would be much more relaxing that way. I am glad I was able to experience something cool with my family though.

Drawings clockwise from top left: daddy, mommy, Bay, and June

Art Sparks

2009-12-15T13:32:00.013-05:00

We were invited to join some friends at Art Sparks this week. A friend helped us get in with a free pass. It is a children's area in the Speed Art Museum. The girls really had fun and want to go back soon. Afterwards we went to McDonalds. Fun day!

Christmas Craft

2009-12-15T13:25:00.005-05:00

I decided to make some paper ornaments after inspiration from blogs and a friend. Then I hung them up . They turned out really beautiful. It made me think of origami or the good ol' paper chains I made as a child. It was a little addicting. I just kept adding loops. It was easy and beautiful. Just how I like it.

Star behavior chart

2009-12-10T09:48:00.004-05:00

A month or so ago, Bay's behavior was terrible. She was very disobedient, defiant, dramatic, crying all the time, etc. It was bad enough that something needed to be done. I assumed it was the terrible threes since the twos were not bad. I did two things different. I began working on a behavior chart. I found one on the internet I liked and got started. It took me a while to make it so in the mean time we began spending more family time together. Nothing special planned, just hanging around the house. Daddy and I made ourselves available. During this time Bay went back to her old self. Thank God! I finished the chart and made one for June too. Bay loves awards and reaching goals so I knew she would like the chart. We are using them now. And it does help. Bay biggest weakness is not brushing her teeth with a happy heart when daddy tells her to. Now that she knows she will get a star on her chart, toothbrush time is cry free! Below is a picture of the chart. All the stars are velcroed to it so I can continue to use it each week. I printed the images from the internet and had to draw Bay's pull-up. Our printer is out of ink so I had to print at the library. Since the library only has black ink I just colored the images with markers.

Christmas tree collage

2009-12-10T09:39:00.004-05:00

I was really bored yesterday and after surfing the blog world, I found some inspiration. While the girls were taking a nap I cut out pieces for a christmas tree collage. It was all ready and waiting for them at the kitchen table. They both did a wonderful job. I had to help June just a little. Bay did it about 95% all by herself. They turned out really beautiful. Bay said she was making hers for daddy.

June-left, Bay-right.

nutcracker and cherries

2009-12-05T14:11:00.007-05:00

Bay had her first dance recital recently-The Nutcracker. She did an excellent job with hair, make-up, and the costume. She watched and copied her teacher but didn't smile a whole lot. Afterwards we went out for a sweet treat. She saw cherries on a cake and decided to have a bowl full of cherries and no cake. Silly girl. Can't wait for the next recital in June.

Have you made yours yet?

2009-11-27T20:08:00.003-05:00

I met with some ladies from my church to make our annual advent wreaths. I made a wreath last year so I decided to do something different this time. I google imaged advent calendar and found one to make. I didn't make it exactly like the one I found but I think it turned out just as good. It was very time consuming but I had my mind set on this one. Since this one doesn't look like a present the kiddos haven't asked about it yet. When they figure out there are goodies in the tins I am sure they will start bugging us about it. Each tin is velcroed to the canvas board. I used felt for the flowers and I used scrapbooking paper for all the paper cut-outs. We will be putting up the Christmas tree in the morning. The girls are excited to decorate it this year.

Puppy Party

2009-10-16T21:32:00.011-04:00

Happy 2nd Birthday June! June loves puppies, babies, and beaded necklaces right now. We had a quick low key puppy party for her. She had pancakes with sprinkles for breakfast. She ate puppy chow for a snack after naptime. She enjoyed her balloons and pictures of puppies I collected to hang up.We played a sniff game with scents in jars. They had to guess the smell. She had dog bone breadsticks with her dinner. I made puppy cupcakes for the party. Mimi and Poppy dropped by to give her her gift so I decided to light the candles and open the presents while then. She really had a good time. Her favorite present was her new babydoll. She slept with it that night and the first thing she said in the morning was, "I like my baby". She is so stinkin cute! Earlier that day when June recieved a birthday card in the mail she would not share with Bay. Check out the video below. Bay was determined to look at and hold the card and kept asking but June said, "NO, my card!"

I am very thankful all the birthdays are over now. I am pooped. I wonder if the the hubby and kids will make my birthday as festive as I made theirs.......hmmmm......probably not. oh well.

Muddy Pumpkins

2009-10-10T13:44:00.007-04:00

Tony was off work today so that means.......WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING FUN! Well, we went to Slowpoke Farm to pick pumpkins. Their website does not give hours of operation and they won't answer the phone so we just went. We knew it would be muddy but the family was all here and needed pumpkins soooo........we picked pumpkins. They didn't open until 12 so we left some money by their front door and a message on their phone. It was chilly and muddy but still fun. We were the only ones there so we didn't get a family picture. We came home and decorated the girls' pumpkins with Mr. Potatoe head pieces. They thought it was funny.

I need to create, NOW!

2009-10-09T20:58:00.004-04:00

The creative bug has hit!!!!!! I want to make everything. God has definetly filled my heart with the desire to create. Create anything! Top ones on my list are 1)notecards with fabric on it for christmas party presents, 2)sweet treats(especially in the shape of puppies for June's birthday- more on that next week), 3) a window table, 4)this awesome gift for a kid. soooooooo theraputic. And if it can be theraputic, I want it. I guess it is the art therapist in me (that I will one day get paid for). This band-aid blanket is not expensive but I can make it for cheaper and have fun doing it. Check it out. so cool. http://www.oopdoohug.com/brown-sugar-hug-alt-view.html Ian, you you are reading this, you might get one for christmas if Aunt Netty can make it look good. What color would you like? wouldn't it be great with a cool book in it about being sick? I know Bay would love it and would put her Raffie right in pocket. And here is a picture of my awesome husband and children because I like to post pics with my posts even when they are not relevant.

most wonderful taste ever!

2009-10-07T12:32:00.008-04:00

I collect recipes all the time. If it taste good, I want the recipe. If it looks good on paper/tv/internet, I will write it down and try it out. I think baking may be one of my passions. I LOVE food and enjoy the process of making beautiful treats. One blog I follow, WhimSy Love, had a recipe for cream cheese chocolate cupcakes. Cream cheese and chocolate. Probably two of my favorite foods. Cream cheese is awesome because you can have it for breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner. So I was eager to try this out. OH MY GOODNESS! I am not kidding people. so freakin' awesome. After I eat one I am so happy I get the giggles. Tony fell in love too. Here is a picture of him and the last one. He even stated, "Annette, since you made these I have been eating two at a time and now there is only one left.......can you make more next week?"

And don't be fooled by its appearance. I thought the same thing. The cream cheese and chocolate chips sink in as it cools. And it does not come from a box. Homemade Yumminess. If you can't find the recipe on her blog I can give it to you. Just let me know.

Butterfly

2009-10-02T14:02:00.004-04:00

I have been fascinated with our monarch butterflies. We have a butterfly bush and this year the monarchs found it. There were 3 on there at the same time the other day. So beautiful. I want to plant another bush beside it and hope for more butterflies.

Balloon Glow

2009-09-19T14:12:00.006-04:00

We went to our first Balloon Glow last night.We got there early so in the pics it isn't that dark. I don't think I have ever been that close to a hot air balloon before. I have always wanted to ride in one. One day I will. Anyway, the girls were scared of the fire that lights up the balloons. It was loud. My girls are wimpy chickens who don't like loud things. 4th of july is not the best holiday for us right now. No other children seemed to be afraid. Bay and June eventually got use to it and had a blast running around with balloons tied to their wrists. It was very dark and it kinda freaked me out when the girls ran too far away from us. Glow in the dark shirts and accessories are a must next time. Bay decided to be brave and walked pretty close to the basket of the balloon. Tony and I just sat back, enjoyed the show, and listened to our children laugh. We will go to another one for sure.

Talent Show Birthday Party

2009-08-31T13:11:00.008-04:00

This summer as the girls and I were playing outside on a porch in our backyard I said, "Bay, we could have a talent show". She loved that and we played and then I thought, hmm... we could have a talent show birthday party. From then on I started preparing for this party. On her actually birthday I made star-shaped toast with jelly and sprinkles for breakfast. Then as a tradition on birthdays I read the the book, "On the Day You Were Born" by Debra Frasier. It also gets read again at bedtime by daddy. She opened one present when daddy got home from work. Then the next day was a Saturday so we had the talent show party that day. It was so fun. Our family and friends ate pizza, salad, and fruit. Then we did the usual birthday stuff- birthday song, blow out candles, eat cake and open presents. Then the fun began with performing on the "stage". Kids danced, read poems, blew a bubble from gum, put on puppet shows. Pure silliness. I love it. It is exactly what I had hoped for. Then I helped Tony put on his puppet show that was similar to the boy who cried wolf. Thank You Jill for the awesome puppets! Especially the snail puppet. We thought the kids would never stop playing with the puppets. There will definitely be more puppet shows around the house. I just need to start collecting some quality puppets . Happy 3rd birthday Bay!

8-28-06 Bay Maryn Standrod

8-29-09 3 yrs. old

Bug Catcher necklace

2009-08-25T13:15:00.008-04:00

I follow the WhiMSy love blog. She is so stinkin' creative. She and her daughters made these necklaces with a container to put bugs in. We made ours today. so fun and simple. I wish I could think of things like that. Click on her link for the tutorial. Here is Bay and June wearing them. June of course loves necklaces so whether or not she puts a bug in it she is happy.

Emery

2009-08-15T09:31:00.009-04:00

I will blog about Tony's awesome birthday since he won't. He had been feeling sick and stayed home from work the day before. On his birthday, he slept in and then decided to go to work. I was glad since I wanted to do our usual surprise when he comes home after work. After he left I began blowing up balloons. The girls and I decorated the kitchen with them. When the girls went down for a nap, I made rice Krispie treats. Later, we anxiously waited for daddy to pull into the driveway. As he walked in the door we greeted him with a Rice Krispie "cake" and song. Then we gave him his present. Tony then got cleaned up and ready to go to the Emery concert. We thought we were super late since the event started at 6. It was held at a church. We knew it would be geared towards a younger crowd. We got there and realized how old we were. They had lots of outdoor games and stuff for the teenagers to do. It was so weird to be in that environment. We definitely felt out of place. We decided to go get something to eat and come back later when the bands would play. Emery wasn't scheduled to play until 10. So we rode around trying to find something to eat and then Tony yells, "that's Emery right there!" They were walking across the highway to go eat. We decided to let them choose were we would eat. They chose Wings To Go. We went in right behind them. I bet Tony was about to pass out. He really likes this band and they were right there in front of him. They are a Christian band that is pretty successful but not so well known that fans would follow them around and beg for autographs and pictures (except us-ha ha). At least not in small town IN. No, we didn't bug them with all that. We just sat near them and ate our dinner. Tony finally struck up a conversation with them. It was awesome. When Tony walked away, I told them it was his birthday. So then we talked about that. We decided to go back to the church and get close to the stage. And that we did. Since the crowd was small and it was in the parking lot of a church we were able to comfortably get to the stage. There were several mosh pits but we only got knocked around once. Toby, lead singer from Emery, gave Tony a happy birthday shout out and dedicated a song to him. Awesome moment again. I wished they would have played a little longer but what they played was good. We hung around afterwards to get a picture and thank them. I am so glad I was able to enjoy this with Tony. He has been to one of their shows before but I was unable to go. This was probably the best birthday he has had in a long time. If you have never heard any of their songs check out this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOtAgiH2Wfo

Naturally Named

2009-08-11T18:03:00.003-04:00

I love knowing creative people. Catherine Clare, who I have known since elementary school, has started a new little business which I think will be a hit. She photographs architecture and nature that form natural letters of the alphabet. Many people are ordering the letters of their last name but my name is too long so I think I will just get an "S" or a monogram "tSa". She is having a giveaway now until friday so click over and write a comment to enter. Below is a picture from her Natural Collection where she has decoupaged the photo onto a wood frame.

Here comes the birthdays..

2009-08-09T21:48:00.003-04:00

With vacation over now it is time to plan birthday fun! Hubby has a birthday on the 14th. We are going to an Emery concert. Then Bay's talent/puppet show birthday party is on Aug 29th. I just sent out the invitations to a few people from church who have little girls Bay has played with before. I hope I haven't gotten myself in too deep. I have never invited this many people to my house and I hope I will be able to entertain and feed them all. And if it rains I will probably have to cancel because I am pretty sure everyone would not fit inside our house. And if it doesn't rain and people do show up, I hope Tony and Bay will entertain everyone on our little "stage". Then in october, it is June's turn. I can't wait for all the balloons, cake, and singing. Life/Birth-what an awesome thing to celebrate!

Dauphin Island, AL

2009-07-27T20:35:00.004-04:00

Well, we are back but we aren't happy. Our brains are stuck in beach mode. I think I am having withdrawals or something. We had such a restful vacation at Dauphin Island, AL. We stayed at the Whale House. The girls loved it. Never a complaint about the beach. I didn't really even have to discipline much since they were occupied with fun and family. I guess that is why I was at peace- the kids were content. I didn't get as dark as I had hoped but any tan is a good tan for me. June was scared of the waves so she kept her distance. Luckily, there was an area where the ocean spilled over and provided us with a baby pool- pee included. Bay ran through the water with some little friends she made. Uncle Trae and Aunt Tiffany let the kids fly a kite. That was a first for my kids. Daddy spent most of the time fishing either off the beach or on a pier. He thoroughly enjoyed it. We took our flashlights and went searching for crabs one night with the kids. They loved it. Tony and I spent our 5th yr. wedding anniversary while we were there. We went out to eat and then headed to the beach to star gaze. The cool breeze felt so good. It was the most comfortable weather I think I have ever experienced. I almost fell asleep it was so comfortable. Someone shot fireworks off on the beach near us. That was cool since we got free entertainment on our anniversary. I thanked Tony for planning that ahead of time, ha ha! It was really good to just hang out with family. We hope to add more family next year and we probably will end up at Dauphin Island again or somewhere near it. And here is Bay and June in action:

Ballerina Bay

2009-07-15T20:39:00.008-04:00

Today, I took Bay to her first dance class. It is an intro to dance called Mommy and Me. It only lasts 30 minutes. There were probably 6 girls and their mommies there. Her teacher is Mrs. Connnie. When we arrived we saw our friends Holly and her daughter Jordan. We chatted with them for a little while and then Bay saw the studio. She started to go in and said "I am ready to dance". Unfortunately it wasn't time yet since classes were changing. When it was time she went in and began dancing all around the room as if she had been waiting forever for this moment and she was finally "home"(see video below). Her leotard and her ballet shoes are a bit too big but that didn't stop her. The ballet shoes we purchased from payless start at size 7 and she needs a 6(she will grow into them). All the little girls were so cute in their ballet attire. They all lined up and followed instructions from their teacher. The little routine they worked on was to the song "Bipity Bopity Boo". I was very proud of Bay. She listened and followed instructions well . I hope this behavior continues each week. Sometimes she can be very hard on herself if she can't do things perfect. I always tell her she does great. After all their hard work they got stickers. Bay said, "I am thirsty and hungry" She had worked up an appetite. Some of the girls began playing ring around the rosy. It was cute to watch the girls interact and dance together. When I told her the class was over she became very sad. She did not want it to be over. We took some pictures with her friend Jordan before we left. We will miss next week due to the beach vacation but I can't wait to go with her again.

Drift wood/Falls of the Ohio

2009-07-14T20:56:00.009-04:00

Grandma and Mrs. Andrea came to visit us. My mom has an interest in drift wood and I knew the perfect place to get some. Big ones too. We went to the Falls of the Ohio in Indiana. It is a rocky area where there are many fossils. We went to the beach area right before it. It was hot but cool in the shade. I brought the beach toys since there is sand to play in. This was the second time Bay has played in sand. All went well with that so our beach trip to AL should be great. There are so many trees down and drift wood everywhere. Someone had put a long board over a down tree and made a see-saw. So I see-sawed with the girls. Drift wood was collected and hauled to the truck. We then had a picnic overlooking the river and let the kids play on a playground. Naptime was coming quickly and they were very fussy and tired so we headed home.

2009-06-27T22:05:00.005-04:00

Do you ever think," need to post about that..." and then you get busy and by the time you sit down to blog about it you don't want to? Well, it happens to me. I haven't blogged in a few weeks so let me catch you up on our life. Our garden is doing great!

I am doing two Bible studies right now. awesome. It is good to be in the Word. One is a marriage study. The other is Beth Moore's Esther. I am working on my resume and will begin emailing it to places Sunday or Monday. One great place is hiring that I have always wanted to work at. I have been struggling with the idea of this new life change and how it would affect everyone in our family since I have always stayed at home. It is exciting and scary. I suppose I will have to do it sooner or later so I might as well start looking now. I am watching a 10 yr. old from 8-5:30 everday while his mom is taking some classes out of town. He is my step brother in law. I know, a bit confusing. It has been interesting to have an asian 10 yr. old boy in the house. He speaks english very well. He plays LOTS of video games and computer games. I try to get us out of the house to avoid too much of that. He has got me watching those kid shows like ICarly and Drake and Josh. And I can't seem to cook those potstickers and dumplings right.The chinese/english directions are vague and don't tell me how long to cook things. I bet he thinks this white girl is dumb and crazy.Apparently, I say, "Here we go" a lot about everything. When I find what I am looking for or when I am showing the girls something. He asked me why I say that. He is a good boy but talks way too much for me. He has not been raised in a christian home so I hope for him to see something different aboout us. Three more weeks of that. Then it is vacation in AL. wooo-hooooo. I am so ready for the beach. Bay is too. She sings the Dora song using Dauphin Island- "Where are whe going? CLAP CLAP CLAP Dauphin Island!" Over and over and over again. I just hope the ride down there goes smoothly. I think I will cry when we leave the beach.

Oh yeah, our 3yr old dog Gibson is finally neutered! The S.N.I.P. clinic was running a special called Hooters for Neuters. That's right I had to take Gibson to Hooters Restaurant. Then they took him to the clinic for surgery and I picked him up the next day at Hooters. I was even on the news. How embarrasing. He pulled his e-collar off and pulled all his staples out so we had to take him up to the clinic to repair the damage. He has to keep that dumb e-collar on 7-10 days. Oh and it better be healed in 7 days because I have so many bruises on my legs from him running into me with that thing. We did all this so he could get licensed. Turns out they charge you a late fee for every month he was late. He was suppose to be licensed at 4 mths. He is 3 yrs. Yeah. I wrote a fat check for that one. But at least he is all fixed up now. No pun intended. ha ha. nails trimmed, neutered, rabies shot, and licensed. Notice in the pic below all the dents in the collar. He runs into everything. Kinda funny but mostly painful (for me).

Strawburied

2009-06-11T13:27:00.009-04:00

That's right-strawburied. I LOVE strawberries and I never thought I would get sick of them. We went to Huber's Farm and Orchard to pick strawberries. I have more than enough now. We rode with our friends Bill and Joyce (AKA Meme and Poppy). This was the first time I have ever let the girls go without a planned nap and it maybe the last. It is a 45 minute drive there so I knew they would nap at least a little bit. They did pretty good. They cried as we left but that always happens when they have had fun. They went to bed an hour early that night. Way too much crying and fussing for me. But it was fun. The girls picked the berries and I actually had to tell them to eat them. Once June had the "Okay" she went at it. She stuffed the whole strawberry with the stem and leaves in her mouth. We then ate an early dinner and ended everything with some ice cream. Yum.

Running again!

2009-06-01T22:18:00.003-04:00

Tony and I got married July 23, 2004 so I was running the spring and summer right before that. I have never ever been athletic in any way(except in 1st grade-softball) in my life up until then. It took me two months to run a mile. pathetic, I know. So after that, married-moved-school-a bit of wonderful yoga-and then KIDS. No running. I was basically pregnant for two years. Can you imagine how eager I was to just run after had June? Just to b e able to move and chase my dog around the backyard was great. We have a beach trip coming up at the end of July(hopefully, if money allows). We say we are going. We will make it there somehow. So the pressure is on to lose about 10 pounds. Not too big of a deal but it will take work. Actually, I don't feel too bad about my body considering this is the first summer in a while that I haven't had a huge pregnant belly. I have started jogging in the early morning before Tony goes to work. I am not an early bird but that is the BEST time for me to go. I really enjoy it. Cool, no one around, no kids to worry with. A great way to start the day. This time I ran a mile the fourth time I went. awesome-for me. So now that I have done it, there is no turning back. A mile is a must. Now I just have to figure out how to stop eating so much. I love the taste of food and will continue to enjoy the flavor way too long.

Summer Garden '09

2009-05-29T09:25:00.007-04:00

So I built this raised garden bed while Tony went on a camping trip. It was a lot of hard work. I borrowed some tools and a truck(for the load of dirt). The picture below was my method of transporting the dirt. I put the baby pool under the crack of the tailgate to catch the dirt that fell. I needed all the dirt I could get. never waste a thing. It took me about 3 hrs(the girls' naptime) to get the frame secure and level in its place and fill it with dirt. I followed directions from http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/ on how to build it. I added top soil and cow manure/compost. Then when my mom visited us, we planted everything. A couple of weeks later we had good bean sprouts.

From left to right: Green beans which will hopefully grow up the twine, cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, Bell Peppers ( green & yellow), broccoli, and zucchini up front right.

Everything is doing well so far. I am not sure the broccoli will last but it is doing good now. The zuchini will take over that whole right corner. I am hoping to guide it off the edge if needed. I have a flower garden also. I have lavender, sunflowers, and poppies. I rushed planting the sunflowers and poppies in the mud. mistake. I will have to try again with the sunflowers and some other flower from seed. I will also buy some soil to help.

"I want the gold Daddy"!

2009-05-28T21:00:00.007-04:00

May has been so full of great things and I cannot make time to blog about them when they happen so this one may be random. I will save my gardening post for next time. So, to start off this month, Bay had her Honeybees award night. Grandma, Daddy, and Mom were there to see her accept her certificate on stage. My baby is growing up. The Honeybees went first and then the older children followed. There were gold trophies for the older kids. Not sure what they did to get it but I am sure it involved a lot of Bible verses or books. Anyway, after Bay got her certificate we all sat in the pew(sp?) and watched everyone else. Bay saw the gold and said repeatedly throughout the evening, "Dad, I want the gold!!!!" Too funny. Go for the gold girl! I always fear taking the girls to places where they are expected to sit and be quiet. June was in the nursery so I didn't have to worry about her. I was so proud of Bay. She was very patient, still, and quiet. She even asked to go pee. So we went to the big potty. She is such a good girl.

That night, our dear friends Joy and Jarrod and their 3 girls brought over a kitchen and a few games for the girls. They love it. They play with it everyday.

The game above is called Balancing Moon. It teaches color, shape/size, and control. Aslo, patience. Especially when you have a little sister knocking it over before the game is done. So, May 6 was a great day for the girls. Almost like Christmas.

family of crafty critters

2009-05-24T13:44:00.003-04:00

I am a crafty critter and I have many in my family who are also: those that draw, paint, and build. I am the only one who actually furthered my interest in art by getting a bachelor's degree in fine arts. I now have married into a family of crafty critters. Those that sing, act, play instruments, and make jewelry. I would one day like to develop a special thing or two and begin selling it on etsy. I think it will be sewing related if I can ever get that going. My mother-in-law, Linda, has just open her shop on etsy. She makes necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. Please check it out and link it in your blogs so we can spread the word.

Head Covering

2009-05-23T22:02:00.002-04:00

Check this article out. I never knew much about head coverings but now I do. I kinda want to investigate some stylish head coverings. I have never been much of a hat girl. I do like the small hats from the twenties I think it was. I don't dress fancy enough to wear a hat like that. And baseball hats which probably fit my "style"itch my forhead. I probably wouldn't follow through with this idea but it is kinda cool some ways. It does come from God's Word afterall. If nothing else, at least I will have more respect for those wearing headcoverings instead of an uneducated "why are you wearing that thing on your head" attitude.

My girl got mad tricks yo!

2009-05-19T21:59:00.005-04:00

Bay is so funny. I am realizing she is my pretty princess that wants to stay inside and be pampered. She tells me "it is too hot, I want to go inside mom"when it is only 70 degrees. Boy is she in for a treat this summer when we go to the beach. (She asks me every morning, "can we go to Dauphin Island now?") Daddy was trying to get her to eat the last bit of her food one night. In the past we told her that it would make her muscles big. That worked. The girl wants to be strong. This time, he told her it would make her smart. That didn't interest her. I guess she doesn't want to get smarter. So he told her she would turn into a pretty princess if she ate it. That worked. she ate it. Then she got upset because she didn't turn into a pretty princess right after she ate it. She is a bit girly for me but it reminds me of how God makes us ladies. We all want to be pretty princesses and be swept off our feet and protected forever. I am very blessed to have a husband who makes me feel this way. Bay's future husband will have his hands full. I will continue to pray for that man now as God prepares him for her and vice versa. And the reason for this post was to show a 2 min. video of Bay dancing and singing but blogger won't let me upload it. I tried to upload it for about 7 hrs and it still wasn't finished. so I gave up. Here is a picture of her princess self instead. She is wearing a clover flower crown made by the queen.

Travis Cottrell

2009-05-19T12:48:00.002-04:00

I went to a Beth Moore conference a while back and heard Travis Cottrell and his crew sing. It was awesome. After I realized how awesome he was, I also realized that he had sang at our church severals months before that. I didn't go because I didn't know who he was. I wish I had done my research. I sure missed an a great worship time. Well now BooMama has a giveaway for one of his new CDs. I definitely want one. I also want his 2008 Christmas CD. I asked for it for Christmas but didn't get it. Anyway, check out his website and listen to soome of his songs.

Today's gifts

2009-05-01T13:40:00.004-04:00

My girls give me several things everyday. Some good some bad. Today, I took notice as they gave me a couple of gifts outside. Bay brought dandelions and a "little tree". It was a twig of lavender that didn't grow. So I broke it off an threw it on the ground a few days ago. She found it today. June brought me some dirt. Sweet gifts.

About a week ago, I found some four leaf clovers and today I decided to hunt for more since we have such a large patch in our backyard now. I found maybe 5 more. I wondered when all this luck was going to show up. Well then I checked my mail and guess what I got? JURY DUTY! on June 1. How the heck am I suppose to do that with 2 children? My two choices are 1) ask my stay-at-home mom friend if she can babysit that day, or 2) Tony takes off work. They picked my name twice when I was in college but I got out of it because I was at school out of town. The thing about Jury duty here is that it is downtown where there is paid parking. yuck. The letter said there would be discount parking nearby. They pay 12.50 so I guess I will be making a few dollars off of it after gas and parking. Geez. such an inconvenience though. I wonder if stay-at-home mom counts as an excuse? doubt it.

Since Bay had picked several dandelions we decided to put them in our toes and show off our new toenail polish. I bought a mini pack in the dollar section of Target. This is the second time I have painted her toenails but the first time I have used a bit of color.

The Jetsons

2009-04-21T13:05:00.000-04:00

I don't get out much. I really am a stay-at-home mom. We run errands a few times a week but for the most part I don't know what is cool and new. Within the past week I have seen this world change which means I have to change. Most of the time I don't like change. I know it is good for us and it helps us grow mentally, spiritually, and physically(if i would do some crunches!). I went to the post office to buy a stamp with some change at the machine. Negative. You can't do that anymore. Debit or credit only. I had to go wait in line and pay for it with a real cashier who could count my change with her brain. I will admit the debit card is very useful for a mommy especially when you need to get gas or fast food. I just wanted to use my change that day. I think the post office needs a drive thru for stamps. It really stinks to get the kiddos out of the car just to get one stamp. I know, I need to buy a book of stamps. I did but guess what ?I ran out yesterday. So anyway, Then I go to the gyno today with my girls. It was a bit interesting since they are older now. They did really good though. Just stuff them with tasty treats and they are good to go. In the waiting room I noticed they had upgraded to flat screen TVs. They ran around like wild children and looked and the newborn babies. Finally, they called my name and I dragged the girls with me. So in the room my doctor begins to ask me questions to update my file on a mini laptop. She tells me they are moving to electronic files. No more paper. I love paper. I hope it never goes away completely. I feel like I am missing so much. The world is changing. Most of the time slowly but today it feels like things are changing quickly. And that is because I need to get out more. Another thing that is changing is Bay and June. Unfortunately, Bay is under mega potty training and so staying home is easier at the moment. She has used the potty every 30 minutes(on my timer) yesterday and today. She has been wearing panties. Only a diaper at naptime and bedtime. She is dry during naptime but I am just not brave enough to let her wear the panties for nap yet. She tells me sometimes when she has to go but usually she likes to wait for the timer. When the timer beeps she runs to the potty.If I ask her before the timer goes off she says, "no, wait for the timer". awesome. We have a few accidents every now and then. Just one yesterday. And so far only 1 today. June likes to sit on the little potty with all her clothes on and says, "Bay, I potty". precious. She loves her big sister. Copies everything she does. So hopefully they will both be potty trained by the end of the summer. cross your fingers. I figure Bay will be but my challenge is June. We can do it. So while I stay at home and potty train my children tell George Jetson we said hi!

Can't cook without an Apron, right?

2009-04-20T13:05:00.000-04:00

I have always wanted to wear an apron but never bought one. Bay has one that is bit big for her. I got it at target in the dollar section. When I fix that sewing machine I will attempt to make one that fits her. I have found this awesome site that has very elegant aprons that come as a gift package with recipe cards, a monogrammed apron, and an heirloom kit. I have always gravitated towards the handmade, crafty, elegant but simple, feminine things. And it seems I keep finding these exact things through this wonderful blog world. So if my husband would read my blog on a regular basis he would know exactly what gifts to get me. ha ha.

Flip doll kit

2009-04-15T22:08:00.000-04:00

Can I please have this kit? I have made a doll for the girls before and it was tiny to sew(arms and legs) but so cute and worth the hard work and time. Actually, it didn't take very long. I had to borrow someone else's machine so that made it take a long time. I would love to make these flip dolls. Even if the girls didn't play with them much, I still think they are neat. I think June would really likeone of these dolls right now. She loves babies and books. When I get good at all this sewing stuff one day I could make things like this as gifts.

Heart 'N Hand

2009-04-14T13:04:00.000-04:00

Today is Tuesday. Heart 'N Hand (quilt guild) night. I go there for the artist community, support, and inspiration. I will make a quilt one day. I will get my sewing machine fixed this month and hopefully I will be sewing this summer. I want to make the Miss Madeline dresses, aprons, and a quilt top. Problem is I have no tools. Nothing. So for Mother's day I would like Tony to go to a quilt shop like Joann's or Austin's Sewing Center and buy the basic tools and fabrics I need. I guess you could get them at Wal-mart but i am not sure what all I need. I do know I need a rotary cutter, a self-healing mat, and fabric. SouleMama is one of my role models when it comes to crafty things like this. She just made a quick quilt and I am in love with the company who sells the fabric she used. The colors are so me. It would never match anything in our house but the colors are just me. I guess eventually when I collect or make enough things that are "me" then everything will flow and match. When I paint (which is never, anymore) my colors tend to always be bright like this. I also have this thing for birds and nest and eggs. So when I saw this fabric. I gasped for air it was soooo beautiful. Click here http://store.annamariahorner.com/drrobu.html Then click to enlarge it to see the birds. I am not sure if it comes with the birds on it but if it doesn't I learned an easy screen print technique from another blog I could use to do it. I have to make this a priority or it will never happen. This is what I enjoy and unfortunately it involves money and time whereas Tony's hobby,fishing, only involves time. Which I want to do more often with him alone. Fishing season is about to explode so I probably won't see Tony much unless I start going with him. Or...... I could sew while he fishes. you know, I make the clothes, he brings home the dinner. Isn't that how it is suppose to be? ha ha. (I am so glad I figured out the link thing for these blogs. It is awesome.)

Easter

2009-04-13T11:07:00.000-04:00

We had a good Easter. Nothing really special but Bay and June had fun. I got Bay a dress up easter basket and since June is so young I just got her a new baby doll. They both loved their gifts. It was a bit chilly but we hid the eggs and let Bay find them. June could only find 2 at a time because she wouldn't put them in the basket. She just wanted to bang the 2 together she had in her hands. Here is a video of Bay and some pictures.

paint video

2009-04-10T15:40:00.000-04:00

Okay flabby belly you have got to go! When your husband is convinced it is a pregnant belly AND IT IS NOT, it has to go....immediately. I guess I will start crunching. And now to the topic I originally wanted to post about-painting. I plan big painting days based on the girls' need for a bath. They were about due for one so I decided to let them paint. Their Memaw bought them a medium size roll of white paper. I rolled two of these out, strip the girls to their shirts and diapers, and gave them a plate with paint on it. I even threw in some paint brushes just in case fingers were not good enough. Well, they loved it. They ended up enjoying it on their bodies more than the paper but that's what kids do. So I took videos and pictures. It is probably long and boring to you but it is special to me and will be even more special later on.

work out or not?

2009-04-09T08:55:00.000-04:00

Well it is spring and this is the time when I have the energy to try and work out. If I choose to jog then I have to go at like 5:30 or 6 before Tony has to leave for work. The other option is to excercise with the kids. ummm not so relaxing. I have to push them in the double stroller or wagon. And man they are getting heavy. I guess I need a jogging stroller or something. I like to go alone anyway. My favorite exercise is a yoga class but I can't afford that now. My husband works out pretty regulary. He tries to do it 3 times a week. He is a hard gainer. It seems he works out and stays pretty fit but can't seem to buils his mass and muscles. He started a blog hoping to get feedback from others. I don't think anyone has commented yet so here is the link. Check it out.
We had a painting day the other day I will post pics later.

Home Sweet Home

2009-03-31T14:51:00.000-04:00

Ahhhh... we are home. Bay hates it. She wanted to stay at the hotel. then she wanted to stay at papaw's house. She cried a lot today. I guess she thought we were on vacation and realized it was over today. There is still a lot of work to be done like: baseboards, shoe moulds, assembling a sink, crib, beds, and drawers. And then my favorite: cleaning! I really do like making order out of chaos. Today after naptime, I think we will go to bed Bath & Beyond to get a toilet paper stand/holder and some rug gripper tape. Our floors are super slippery right now. Bay has fallen once already. Tony should be getting off work early to go pick up, Moully, his dad's dog. We are dog-sitting while they are at Disney World. Oh, by the way, Easter is coming people. I can't wait. This will be our first fun Easter where the girls are old enough to hunt easter eggs. Last year I think it was horrible weather and we just never got around to it. I hope to purchase their easter basket soon and can't wait to surprise them with it.

Can we go home please!

2009-03-27T13:52:00.000-04:00

I am so ready to go home and get back to our normal routine. Our floors will probably be done Monday. If it wouldn't have rained and the men worked on weekends it would be done earlier. The team of men that have worked on our floors have been awesome. The hardwood will be beautiful and the vinyl looks great. The chaos in the kitchen does not. We basically had to move out and will move back in Monday. yuck, I know, but necessary. I bought a runner and two small rugs today at Tuesday Morning. I feel very displaced. I miss my friends. I haven't talked to anyone since we have been in the chaos. It is almost over. Tomorrow we will check out and head over to Tony's dad's apartment since they will be out of town for a week. We will watch their dog while they are gone. Another place to adapt to. The girls will have napped at 4 different places before this is over. They are handling it well though. Bay doesn't want to go home. She said she will stay at the hotel. ha ha. Gibson is with us too. He really has been a good dog. Taking him outside several times a day has turned out to be somewhat fun for the girls. It gives us something to do since we don't have many toys with us. I need to make some bows but I am just so tired and need to rest when they rest. We are not use to going and going and going like this. Maybe monday or sometime next week I will post pics of the floors.

1st Haircut

2009-03-07T21:24:00.000-05:00

Bay got her first haircut today. She was awesome! She was excited about getting her haircut. She never cried or got scared. She got a certificate and we have a small ponytail to keep. It was only $10 too. After we left, she wanted to go get her haircut again. She loves the attention and being pampered. I can't wait until the girls get old enough for us to have a spa day!

worn out

2009-03-05T13:02:00.000-05:00

Today, the girls got to play outside for a bit. Poor June must have worn herself out. About 15 minutes before naptime Bay pushed June or something. June was crying so I held her while I was online and I noticed she was really still. She had fallen asleep. My girls normally don't ever do this. She was pooped. Luckily it was just about naptime so it worked out great. Now it is time to make some Sa-Rel bows! I help a lady who owns a hairbow business. It keeps my hands in craft mode and I get paid! The website must be under construction at the moment but check it out later.

FingerTails

2009-02-27T10:47:00.000-05:00

Bay has finger tails. That's right- Finger Tails. She can't seem to say "fingerNails". I can't help but laugh when she says, "my fingertails are long. Cut my fingertails Mom!" I think I may call it Bay's Babble when she says something cute and interesting. If you have a better name for it let me know. I am not good with words.