v.day treats.

when we were iced in, i decided we should use that time to make our valentines.

i had originally planned on making your basic sugar cookie. no shame in that, right? right.

but then, while blog stalking, i stumbled upon this.

i had mini candy canes, left over from christmas. i had the little candy sticks with the intention of making cake pops a while back. i even had almond bark from good intentions back at christmas time. perfect-o!

b. started out 'helping momma'. he was in charge of the candy sticks.

it's real simple. make a heart out of two candy canes and put a 'lollipop' stick in the middle.  lay them on a cookie sheet with wax paper.

and then - the bug ended up doing this:

and this:

so, i ended up finishing them at naptime. he was uninterested in being 'neat'... and the candy canes moved around really easy, so.... yeah.  if you're really set on your kids making the valentine - then this isn't the valentine for you. {but they turn out real cute!}

the recipe calls for 'white chocolate' but i had vanilla flavored almond bark. so that's what i used. it was 'free'.

melted it in the microwave...

i poured my melted white chocolate into a ziplock bag and cut a tiny corner off so i could 'pipe' it into the 'molds' of the candy canes. {it really isn't thick enough to pipe like icing, so it more dripped.} but it didn't make near as much of a mess as i thought it would if i tried spooning it.

by the second batch, i realized that it would look best if i smoothed out the melted almond bark before putting the sprinkles on. much better. {i was going to use some crushed peppermint - but a lot of kids don't like peppermints. mine not included, so i just used sprinkles. but i think that would be VERY cute.}

i wrapped up in little treat bags and tied with some tulle and a red construction paper heart. voila! instant valentine!

on another note. i finally finished my valentine's wreath. don't worry that valentine's day is like, tomorrow. it will stay up through the end of february. i worked too hard on it for it to only be up for a few days. it took way more time to wind the yarn onto all of those styrofoam balls but it was mindless, therefore therapeutic, so i didn't mind.

i love it. except for the top. i need a ginormous red/white polka dot bow. but with all of the snow and ice, i just haven't gotten to the store for that. it'll do. until next year, and then i'll add it. {please tell me that you have things that "will do for now" too??? nope? i'm the only one? awesome.}

happy friday. our friday is busy - preparing for a busy weekend. but it's good. hoping to get a lot done today {as i sit here at my computer procrastinating....}

muffin.

muffin singing his abc's.

yes, they aren't very clear - but you can pick out his 'favorite' letters.

no, i'm not worried about his speech. he knows his letters just fine - even though the song is somewhat iffy. i'm proud of him.

and yes - that's baby 'cha cha' in my lap making noise at the end.

it all makes my heart full.

enjoy.

this is ridiculous.

snow & rain & ice again? seriously?

i enjoyed it the first few days. welcomed it, even. but today? i'm done.

last week i felt like the LORD snowed me in. just for me. i had recently received a little 'tough love' from my hubby on that sunday night and then i was at home until SATURDAY {with two kids} getting life and my house under control. i didn't feel like i needed to go anywhere. i didn't feel guilty about saying no to anything - because there wasn't anything to say no to. it was awesome.

but now? now, i'm organized except for the dreaded toy closet, my laundry is done, my oven is clean and my duvet cover has recently been washed. there's nothing left to do around here.... so, i'm twiddling my thumbs. missing bible study {will we ever have it again?} and cursing the fact that i spent most of monday detoxing my 2 yr old from the television just to watch it again all day today!!! ugh!

to make matters even sadder, we were supposed to go to a birthday party this afternoon here.

have you ever been here before?

we hadn't until a two weeks ago. can i just say, brady has not stopped talking about it! we had a great time. momma was sore the next day from climbing up the huge slide a few times {it was.not.easy!} but it was so fun. i was super proud of the bug when we looked over and he was doing it all by himself! fraidy cat no more!

owen's party was scheduled for last wednesday. it got cancelled. and now, it's snowing and icing again? i hope {for everyone's sake} that it's not cancelled again!!!

i'm so glad that this snow day i've stocked up on creamer coffee, popcorn, hot chocolate, sweet tea and recorded THREE pixar movies from this weekend! {i just remembered those - and now they're adding a woo-hoo to my day!}

{sidenote about pixar: have ya'll seen toy story 3? my hubby hadn't seen it until last week when we ordered it on ON DEMAND for an insane $5 one night during the ice storm. i told him that it would make him teary. when it was almost over he looked at me and said, "this hasn't been sad at all!" and then andy goes to drop his toys off at the end. he all of a sudden got 'something in his eye'.... hmmm.....}

i so hope we have school tomorrow! we have valentines ready {as i'm sure so many kiddos do!}

happy homemaking today.

while they were sleeping.

i made this little scarf while the littles were sleeping on saturday. it was easy. peasy. if you're a beginning sewer, sew this! seriously, that's how the tutorial is advertised! my friend, lindsay, had made one before christmas that was darling {and she never put it on her blog - so linds - put it up!} and i searched the crafting blogs for one similar. her's was definitely cuter, but this one works.

click here for the tutorial.

a few notes.

first, i wish i had a knit or jersey knit fabric. it's cute but i feel like my normal 100% cotton fabric is too rough & tough for a nice and flowy scarf. maybe i should wash it with extra fabric softener and see what happens?

second, don't be scared of the elastic thread. i was. but there was no need. i don't know why i haven't used it before, it was that easy. {it was mixed in right next to the normal thread at my joann's, and it had a big "elastic" above it. couldn't miss it.}

third, in using the elastic, you should know that the elastic WILL show on the back. for me it's no big deal, because i'm kind of folding it over anyway to get it to lay right. {again with the rough & tough fabric}. but just be forewarned. the small amount of perfectionist in me got annoyed, but again, since it's such a small amount of perfectionist, i got over it quickly.

happy sewing!

the best corn salad. ever.

this is the easiest, yummiest and oddest recipe ever.

but give it a chance. i promise you that it'll be worth it.

i made this for the game last night.

hmmm hmm good.

finely chop all of your veggies. a red onion, a red bell pepper and a green bell pepper.



{i've made this so many ways but i like it best with a whole medium onion and two whole bell peppers. the recipe i was sent actually calls for half but this is the ratio that i like best. also. you can really use any kind of onions and peppers you have. it's just pretty with all the different colors. and that's how i like my food. pretty.}



dump your chopped veggies in a bowl. then drain two cans of corn. preferably one can of white and one can of yellow. but again, go with whatever you have. dump the drained cans of corn into the bowl with your veggies. yummmmmm.





next, put one cup of mayo {real mayo, not miracle whip} and one tablespoon taco seasoning in a small bowl and mix well. this will be your yummy dressing.



spoon it into your bowl of veggies.

next grate one cup of cheddar cheese. i have recently become a believer in freshly grated cheese. my brother has always preached to me about how much better it is but it's always been easier to get on with the prepackaged shredded cheese. but if you aren't a believer, make sure you get the thicker shredded cheese. not the finely grated kind. it just tastes better.



dump your cheese into the bowl and mix well. cover and refrigerate until cold. {isn't it pretty???}



now. for the super secret ingredient. {this is where it gets odd}. chili cheese fritos!!!!

right before you serve the salad, start by adding a handful of fritos at a time and mixing. sometimes i want the salad crunchier and sometimes i don't add them at all.  don't be scared about how weird it sounds to put chili cheese fritos in a salad. it's sooooo good. i promise!



serve yourself a spoonful {or a bowl full} and enjoy. make double what you think you need. i promise you'll eat it ALL.

fresh.

a few weeks ago, as we were tearing down the christmas decorations way faster than they had been put up, i decided that our house - especially our kitchen - needed a little 'freshening up'.

i have been on a roll with my white spray paint. painting old picture frames that i don't use anymore, book ends, lamps, etc. basically anything that i don't love as-is has gotten a coat of spray paint or has been hauled off to goodwill.

in the midst of my freshening & rearranging, i made these little 'prints'.

{i got a printer for christmas and i've used it almost everyday.}

i know that i've seen something similar on a blog i read, i just can't remember where. i actually think i got the idea from some things i saw on etsy. i just used one of my favorite scripture verses and then the fruits of the spirit.

they now hang in my kitchen which is in desperate need of a new paint job. where i see them every.day. i need to be reminded to be joyful in the lord. sadly, i do need to be reminded every day. do you? i think we can all use a reminder.... especially mommies!

so if you'd like to 'freshen' up a spot in your house, i decided to try my hand at 'file sharing' so you can download them and print them out for yourself. slap 'em in a cheap-o white frame {or a fancy one if you roll like that} and there you go. instant freshness {and a tad of conviction when you're being impatient with your kiddos. nope? just me?}

they're sized at 5 x 7.

click here for the 'rejoice' file.

click here for the fruits of the spirit file.


happy freshening!!!

super bowl commerical.

has anyone seen this commercial?



i think i've watched it 15 times already. i think it's hilarious.

but maybe it's because i have a little boy who isn't too far away from this age... and i can totally see him doing this. and being so serious.

i heart funny commericals.

p.s.

i'm thinking about 'un-privatizing' my blog. {yes, i know that's not a word...}

i put it to private in the first place soon after b. was born because i received two NASTY anonymous comments on a blog post about our 'parenting style'. i was devestated. who knew that i would care so much about something someone said - who i probably didn't even know, to say the least.

needless to stay. i'm much stronger now. much more confident in how i parent... and much less caring about what others think {or how other people parent. to each his own, in my opinion}.

so, i've reached my 'limit' of permissions. and i have other friends that i want to be able to read it. {let's be honest - they want to see pics of the kiddos}. i thought about duplicating my blog. but that's a LOT of trouble. i started to do it. but it's a whipping. so. the only other option is to go public.

has anyone else had problems with nasty comments? i know now that you can disable anonymous comments.... what do you think?

FROZEN in time.

this is getting ridiculous, folks.

we've had snow day after snow day after snow day after snow day.

it's beautiful, but i'm going crazy. i was doing great the first two & 1/2 days. but by thursday, around lunch time, i started feeling a little claustrophobic. i ALMOST got out of the house last night but when i went to look at our driveway, i decided it wasn't worth it.

so jeff went out for me. to joann's fabric. for glue sticks. and felt. and thread.

i love my husband.

needless to say, i will not be getting out yet again today.

because it looks like this:

so. i've been doing a lot of sewing. organizing. crafting. cleaning. laundry.

there will be another post on operation total home organization, but i can now safely say that the upstairs is done. now onto the hard part. {ah, save the best for last, right??} junk drawers {i have three, much more for any sane, organized person}. cleaning out my dresser drawers. oh - and the DREADED toy closet. does anyone have any suggestions for organizing toys? please oh please share. i need help. my closet needs help. and if the hubby opens it one more time to have a stick horse fall on his big toe, i think brady may have a new vocabulary word that we won't be proud of.

we are ready for the superbowl to be over. are you? i'm so ready to watch the actual today show and not news about snowmageddon, or whatever they're calling it, and the super bowl. i mean, why are we already concerned that the weather here has ruined our chances to host another super bowl? aren't we in the middle of hosting this one? maybe we should finish this one first and see if we want another one. right????

i made lil' miss this dress for sunday night. actually, it's eventually going to have a "BU" on it - in preparation for march madness - but i won't put it on until after sunday.

i also made her this little rosette flower. it didn't turn out quite like i wanted... so i am going to work on some more. but for now, this will do. {PS i wasn't meant to match her jammies! i was just trying it on her!}

big man b. is ready for sunday night too.

a few years ago i went on a business trip to sheboygan, wisconsin. we actually flew out of green bay {30 minutes away} and i brought him back this cheesehead. he has made me swear that this is a one time thing... rooting for the packers.... but we shall see. {i may or may not have said i wanted to steelers to win because i like mike tomlin - the coach - and jeff may or may not have made a 'family decision' to root for the packers...}

regardless. i'm exhausted. not physically, of course, we haven't done ANYTHING. but i'm dying for fresh air that doesn't burn my lungs because it's so cold. {yes i'm a native texan}. yes, my kids nap at the same time for an hour or so... but that's still not enough time for the noise in my head to stop! oh - and what about that constant dripping of the faucets?! lovely!

of course... i do have this little muffin to play dress up with.

i have several crafts lined up on my 'docket' for this weekend. my goal is to do a post on them. but we will see....... i haven't exactly been living up to my goals 100% of the time lately. regardless, they're fun for ME to enjoy... right?

stay warm. thank goodness for coffee!

k & t.

last week i had the privelage of taking my sister's engagement pictures.

it was the first {and probably only} time i'd taken pictures for someone other than myself.

i was SUPER excited and had a great time. PLUS i think we got a lot of adorable pictures... and now i will share a few of my favorites with you.

the ones on the train track are my VERY favorites!

congratulations katie & trent. you are a beautiful couple.

follow up.

first of all:

thank you so much to those of you who commented on my long & dreary post or sent me emails, texts, phoned, etc. you are such a blessing. i didn't even know i needed encouragement. but apparently i did. it did WONDERS for the soul. even to hear that my words were encouraging to some of you encouraged me. i had no idea that post could be ANYTHING but depressing. but i guess that's how the LORD works, huh?

secondly: 

i want to clarify {since a few people asked} that this 'wilderness' or whatever you want to call it is NOT at all like the post partum i experienced with brady. i can safely say that this isn't hormones. {or at least 90% of it isn't}. it's just a 'funk'. but not lonely and dark like the post partum was. i can't exactly describe the difference but it is different. {but - if you are experiencing post partum at all and need to talk, i have a bit of experience with it. tiny, but some. just know that it's normal!}

third: 

GOD IS FAITHFUL. after i finally said my feelings out loud, GOD has blessed me in so many ways. for starters, the very next day was sunny & beautiful. i needed fresh air. {didn't we all?} but i really needed it. i pulled up our flower beds. b. played outside.

it. was. wonderful.

then the hubbs surprised me with a weekend getaway toward the end of february. so excited. {not to mention that it knocks something off of my thirty things list. yaya!}

and then i got the nice {but firm} kick in the pants on sunday night that i needed. it was not what i wanted. but it was DEFINITELY what i needed. a little chastening goes a long way. it does not feel good when it's happening but it is definitely worth it in the end. {not that i'm at the end. i'm NOT.}

so. i've started putting one foot in front of the other to get things in order around here. and it's amazing how the LORD has multiplied my time. please know that i recognize that this is NOT my own strength pullling me through this. it's not. it can't be. it's HIS.

i'm praying that i glorify the LORD with my time.

and i already feel better. i'm a work in progess.

but, i guess we all are though, right?