Currently...

watching...Big Bang Theory. Love DVR.

reading...U is for Undertow. Up next book 2 in the 50 Shades triology.

wishing for...rain and cooler temps. Seriously need both!!

wearing...Royals PJ pants and a t-shirt. Came home from work and got ready for bed.

thinking about...getting crafty again. After reading a friends blog and seeing her post her cross stitch projects, I'm itching to get back at crafting.

remembering...the weekend. Wedding, First Birthday party and good times with cousins. More on the wedding later.

enjoying...the quiet that is a house minus 2 kids, that I miss like crazy.

pinning...lots of holiday ideas and photo ideas.

looking forward to...August 4th when Dart and I go to the Royals/Rangers game. He is a HUGE Rangers fan and is beyond excited to see the Rangers in person. He's hoping for a few autographs.

dreaming about...sleep! The weekend did not bring much in the way of sleep and I didn't sleep good last night either so I'm hoping for a better nights sleep tonight.

Audrey had a blast dancing with her Charles at the wedding. Lots more pictures to share soon.

A Hero's Welcome Home

only the hero will never see it. This past week Columbia lost 2 hero's. One young man died on US soil and we haven't heard what happened with him, but it doesn't change the fact that a young man is gone too soon.

The other, while I don't know him, I know his grandma and it is hitting home. Army SPC Sterling Wyatt was killed when his vehicle was struck by an IED in Afghanistan. His grandma is a loyal volunteer at my children's school. She was in my daughter's class almost daily last year. Sterling attended the same elementary school when he was that age. The teachers have been hit hard by this loss because of both Sterling and Grandma Barbara as we all know her. Doesn't matter that she isn't a grandma to any of those kids, that's what they all call her. 


The family lives in the neighborhood of the elementary school and the school wanted to make sure the family knew they were in our thoughts and prayers. On Friday as a rare rain fell 100's of volunteers placed over 1,000 small flags around the neighborhood. Sterling's parents flew to Dover, DE for the ceremony of the transfer of the body, and were supposed to return home on Saturday. When they return home they will see these flags placed throughout the route home and then when they reach their house they will see several large flags and yellow ribbons in the yard. I drove by Friday after I got off work and had tears in my eyes the entire way. Saturday I took the kids to see it and again was full of tears. Several of the area businesses donated flags and others greatly reduced the cost and there were even a few managers of stores who chipped in a few dollars when they found out what was going on. I'm pretty sure there isn't a flag to be bought in Columbia right now. I love the community we live in and how we band together when someone needs it. 

The family home full of flags.

35 before 36 update

Because of changes in my life a lot of this list is not either going to happen or really important to me anymore. I'm trying to decide if I continue with what is left or make some changes in how I go about goals. I'm thinking more monthly type goals, but I wanted to update this list at least one last time.

1. Get rid of 60lbs. I don't want to lose it because you usually want to find things you lose. I have got rid of 10 lbs. Not all in one month, but over time. Working has helped, less likely to snack(especially working in a diabetes clinic and drinking LOTS more water.)
2. Menu plan, will save time, money and help with 1. This is one area I really want to work harder on, especially since I'm working 8-5 everyday.
3. Eat breakfast everyday. I'm horrible about eating breakfast. Another one that working is helping. I eat breakfast at least 4 days a week.
4. Get all recipes on cards. I might use them more if I don't have to dig through a box. Still working on, but it's getting there.
5. Get the kids in the kitchen to help cook more. They both usually enjoy it. Haven't been cooking much, so hopefully when we are on a more routine schedule it will happen.
6. Read "Little Women". My name came from the book and yet I've never read it. Still on the list.
7. Get my first mani and pedi. Nope never had one! I'm hoping soon!
8. Start going to church again. I haven't gone consistently in several years. Haven't done.
9. Watch "The Wizard of Oz" This movie scares me to death. NOPE
10. Get to and maintain at least 65 items in my store. Put the shop on vacation and don't know that I will reopen it for a while.
11. Add digital cards to my shop. See 10
12. Hold a couple of sales in my shop. See 10
13. Find ways to cut shipping and supply costs. See 10
14. Add wedding invites, programs and guest books to my shop. See 10
15. Add American Girl clothes to my shop. See 10, but Audrey got her American Girl doll, so I will be making clothes for her.
16. Get my vision of "Colorful Minimalist" into my products and shop. Will blog more about this later. See 10
17. Learn calligraphy. Maybe not the "traditional" style, but I want to explore more with handwriting. No, but I still think it would be fun to do.
18. Learn more about graphic design. Can't afford to go back to school now so I will teach myself some. Still high on my to do list.
19. Teach Audrey to sew. I wish I would have learned when I was younger! Going to cut out a blanket for her doll this weekend I hope.
20. Make mini books for me and to sell. For me it will be happening, to sell, probably not.
21. Do more DIY items. YES YES YES, still on the list.
22. Do something creative everyday. Even just something small. I've been trying, even with work to do something, I know it is good for ME to do something creative everyday.
23. Do 12 on 12 every month. Take 12 pictures on the 12th every month. Missed July.
24. Give more handmade items. Even if I'm not the one to make them. Hoping with not trying to get stuff done for the shop I can do this more.
25. Send/give cards every month to someone just for fun. Another I'd like to try harder on.
26. Project 365. There are several sites for this, but I found a site that will email me a prompt everyday. Did good for a while and haven't done any in a long time.
27. Clean up external hard drive completely. Started good last year and then went downhill. I miss pictures! Hoping to get on this again, it makes me happy to look at pictures.
28. Blog at least 5 times a week. HAHA! Hoping to get back on blogging a little more.
29. Be less crazy about things like how the kids pick up their room and put away their clothes. This one is going great with me working, just too tired to care, but I have to say, they are both doing great with it too.
30. Be more patient. I am so not a patient person. I'm still learning.
31. Declutter. 40 bags in 40 days! You can find lots of info on the web about it. Not doing the 40 days thing, but still working on 40 bags. I got rid of 3 bags of random stuff this month and a bag of clothes Audrey had outgrown to a friend at work with little girls.
32. Stop biting my nails. I don't want them really long, but I want them to have a little nail to them. Hit a spot where I clipped them all way down, but working on growing them out again. Still not biting them though.
33. Play more games with Dart and Audrey. We have a ton of board games and a ton of Wii games. Really want to get better at this, but they've been gone and I'm tired.
34. Keep inbox and google reader cleaned out. They got out of control several times this year. I'm much better at this. Unsubscribed from a lot of blogs I really didn't read and from emails too. Didn't check my google reader at all this week and was only at 400 unread. Went through and ubsubscribed from a few more I hadn't been reading most of the time.
35. Enjoy life more!! YES!! I enjoy my job and the people I work with. Learning to really enjoy things. 

After doing this update I really think it will be my last. I really think I will be going with monthly goals instead. The things left on this list that I'm still wanting to do will show up on my monthly lists, and some I am happy where I'm at with and so they are going to be more maintaining items. 

Happy Half Birthday to Me!!

It's really going to feel like a new year with the changes going on in my life too.

Monday I start full time at work! I'm excited, but also know it's going to be a big change. Because of this change I'm putting my Etsy shop on vacation for a while. I'm hoping after school starts to open it back up. I know that it's going to be an adjustment and then once school starts again, that will require adjusting again. My plan is to get started again the middle of September in time for the holidays. My shop will at that time have mostly holiday cards and tags and things like that, I don't know that I will be doing custom orders at that time.

I will be updating my 35 before 36 on Monday. Because of the change in my schedule there are changes in my goals and I'm okay with it. Hard to believe we are half way through 2012!

In other news, MIZZOU is officially a member of the SEC! Excited to see what the new conference will bring. I imagine the weekend Alabama is in town for the football game this city is going to be INSANE!

Hope everyone is staying cool. Our temps have been CRAZY HOT! A few more days of 100+ temps and then we get a relief at 93 degrees. But then we are back up in the 100+.

401...

This is my 401st post. I meant to do a post for 400, but missed it. This one also comes with some news...I have decided to close my Etsy shop for a while. I go full time at work the first of July and just need some time to adjust to new hours. I am also really looking forward to creating for myself again. I can't remember the last time I created just for me.

I hope to keep blogging, hopefully since I won't be putting pressure on myself to keep my Etsy shop fresh and new I will feel more like blogging. I will be posting things I make and more about family. I have been struggling with this decision for a while and based on some things that have happened recently I decided I needed the break and now I feel much more at peace.

She turned 7 on Saturday and FINALLY got her McKenna doll! She was so excited she jumped for joy!

Around here....

I'm on the hunt for a new purse. I want something bigger than what I have, something that will hold lots of crap, and have a pocket for my phone so I can find it all the time.

I'm also on the hunt for a new planner. I'm so picky about my planner. I want paper, I want something with the entire month on a spread and also spots to write daily stuff. I want space to add things like stamps and random notes. I want it to lay flat when open, like a spiral! I know I'm picky.

I'm missing my kiddos, but enjoying the quiet time.

I had a breakdown today. Ugly crying, unable to breath, etc. I feel much better now. It wasn't pretty, but it was needed.

I really want a maxi skirt. A plain black one!

I'm watching Hot in Cleveland. Love Betty White. Love this show! Love Netflix for having old shows.

I'm waiting on the 2nd book in the 50 Shades series to come in at the library. I'll be honest, I'm thinking I might download it on my Kindle App soon.

I'm enjoying a Cadbury Egg that I found hidden! LOVE!!

Wordless Wednesday

Ideas needed

I have a friend from high school who in November discovered she had breast cancer. She started chemo shortly after discovering and went through HELL and back during treatment. We all prayed daily that the chemo was doing it's job and she would get the cancer free diagnosis she wanted when it came time for her scans. She was sick most of the time and achy and sore. She has 2 gorgeous daughters and is an AMAZING teacher. She was even voted Teacher of the Year in her district for the year, despite all she went through. The end of May she was done with chemo and had her scans done and went for her scans result appointment. Her prayer warriors were praying hard all day. She did not get the results she wanted and in fact they were worse. Not just "you need some more chemo to get all of it" but instead "the cancer has spread."

She went through the normal phases depressed, pissed off, and is now ready to FIGHT!! She is now looking into going to MD Anderson in Houston, TX. As we all know teachers' incomes are no where near what they should be(my mom is a teacher and is in the room next to this friend) so people are coming together to help her. The fundraising has begun and there is a car wash/bake sale/craft sale scheduled for later this month. Here's where I need ideas. My mom and I want to set up a booth of something to sell. We need something easy to mass produce that people will buy. It needs to be low cost to make too. I'm thinking some simple Christmas cards and/or tags. Others will have jewelry so that is covered, besides we are not jewelry makers. What do you think about Christmas cards/tags? I know December is still a ways away, but lets face it, it will be here before we know it and it's something that would get used. I may do some "generic" cards as well. They need to be easy to do, simple and something that people would buy. Any other ideas?

35 before 36 update!

I Statements...

I was writing this post a month ago. Forgot I had it saved.

I am learning to balance work and family and play and creative time.


I think music, pictures, and words all together can be some of the most amazing ways to say what you feel.


I wonder what's on the horizon?


I wish growing up was easier on kids today. I think back to my childhood and what I thought was so hard was nothing compared to what kids deal with now. I miss the playing outside until dark and not being worried.


I save lots of scraps of paper lately. Fun to add to Project Life and mini books.


I always am a sucker when my kids want a book. Thankfully they are big library checker outers(totally made up that word).


I can't imagine not having books to read in the house. We may not buy many, but we do visit the library weekly.


I believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy! :)


I promise to try hard everyday to be patient and try my best!


I love pictures! Mark asks often why I don't do more with videos instead of taking pictures. I love video, don't get me wrong, but for me when I look at pictures and remember it comes from my heart, while watching a video, my head remembers, but I don't feel that pull in my heart.


I scrap nothing lately, but hoping since I figured out a way to do Project Life that will fit me better I can scrap more.

I got the idea for this from Becky Higgins blog post found here.

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

For the 5th grade graduation at Dart and Audrey's school the 4th grade parents are in charge of the reception. Most years it is the same ole same ole. When our group is in charge we tend to change things up all the time. We decided something new needed to be done for this years graduation. Our fearless leader decided on a Dr. Seuss, "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" theme.

Our cake, we were a little disappointed as we had asked for hot air balloons on the sides and they didn't do that, but the price was good so I guess that happens.

Our table decorations. We had 20 live beta fishes on the tables. We had the kids put their names in a bowl and then we drew names as to who got to take a fish home. The kids loved it. We also had quotes from Dr. Seuss on the tables.

More table decorations. The fish bowl the kids put their names in along with the requisite "The Cat in the Hat" hat! It's not Dr. Seuss without "Green Eggs and Ham", "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" and "The Cat in the Hat"!

 Shepard is "A Leader in Me" school which includes the "Habit Tree" so it wasn't a graduation without our habit tree. This cake was AMAZING!! The kids and parents all LOVED it. The teachers were blown away by it.

Our fearless leaders "Thing 1 and Thing 2!" Both of them are leaving us so it was fitting that they pose for one last picture!

35 before 36 update!

Almost June and I just realized I never updated May. I have them all written down and updated that, but failed to post it!

1. Get rid of 60lbs. I don't want to lose it because you usually want to find things you lose. Drinking lots of water
2. Menu plan, will save time, money and help with 1. UGH! Not so good.
3. Eat breakfast everyday. I'm horrible about eating breakfast. A little better thanks to working.
4. Get all recipes on cards. I might use them more if I don't have to dig through a box. None unless it was a new one I didn't want to forget about.
5. Get the kids in the kitchen to help cook more. They both usually enjoy it. No
6. Read "Little Women". My name came from the book and yet I've never read it. Not yet
7. Get my first mani and pedi. Nope never had one! Not yet, need to get my nails in better shape. I've not been biting them, but they are in need of a major trim back.
8. Start going to church again. I haven't gone consistently in several years. No
9. Watch "The Wizard of Oz" This movie scares me to death. NO
10. Get to and maintain at least 65 items in my store. I've slacked on my store since starting work.
11. Add digital cards to my shop. No
12. Hold a couple of sales in my shop. Thinking of Christmas in July!
13. Find ways to cut shipping and supply costs. learning how to better price stuff which has adjusted some prices.
14. Add wedding invites, programs and guest books to my shop. No
15. Add American Girl clothes to my shop. No
16. Get my vision of "Colorful Minimalist" into my products and shop. Will blog more about this later. Not much this month.
17. Learn calligraphy. Maybe not the "traditional" style, but I want to explore more with handwriting. No.
18. Learn more about graphic design. Can't afford to go back to school now so I will teach myself some. Pinned lots of graphicy ideas this month.
19. Teach Audrey to sew. I wish I would have learned when I was younger! Plans for it this summer.
20. Make mini books for me and to sell. lots in the planning process.
21. Do more DIY items. No.
22. Do something creative everyday. Even just something small. Been hard since starting job, hoping to get back on track once I get adjusted.
23. Do 12 on 12 every month. Take 12 pictures on the 12th every month. YES!!!
24. Give more handmade items. Even if I'm not the one to make them. No gift giving occasion.
25. Send/give cards every month to someone just for fun. No
26. Project 365. There are several sites for this, but I found a site that will email me a prompt everyday. Slacked some, but caught up.
27. Clean up external hard drive completely. Started good last year and then went downhill. No, hoping to get some done soon.
28. Blog at least 5 times a week. HAHA!!
29. Be less crazy about things like how the kids pick up their room and put away their clothes. Kids are doing better and so am I.
30. Be more patient. I am so not a patient person. Learning patience daily.
31. Declutter. 40 bags in 40 days! You can find lots of info on the web about it. Zero
32. Stop biting my nails. I don't want them really long, but I want them to have a little nail to them. Haven't been biting.
33. Play more games with Dart and Audrey. We have a ton of board games and a ton of Wii games. Skip-Bo
34. Keep inbox and google reader cleaned out. They got out of control several times this year. google reader in good shape. Unsubbing from some emails.
35. Enjoy life more!! Learning to enjoy a different life that involves working a "normal" job.

Thank You!!

To all who have fought, who continue to fight, and who will fight in the future. Because of you and your family we are able to celebrate this day and spend it with our families.

Image found on Google.

Anyone out there????

I have been horrible about blogging and to be honest I haven't even thought much about it until this last week. This last week I realized I miss blogging. I am hoping we are finally getting adjusted to a new routine with me working. Speaking of working, I LOVE my job. I love the people I work with, I enjoy what I'm doing, always learning and never really know what might come up during the day that needs working on. I tell people at least I won't get bored!

We have been EXTREMELY busy with end of the school year stuff and now that the kids are done I'm hoping life will slow down some. We had Choir End of the Year breakfast, Mrs. Weaver's(the principal at the kids school) retirement reception, Mrs. Weaver's garden dedication, final assembly at which Dart got a certificate for Perfect Attendance, and 5th grade graduation. At our school the 4th grade parents put on the 5th grade graduation reception. We went with a Dr. Seuss Oh The Places You Will Go theme. It was awesome, I will do a post about that soon. Audrey also competed in her first gymnastics meet and LOVED it! She is trying more things and basically taught herself how to do a handspring. I have a good friend who used to teach gymnastics who has offered Audrey private lessons, so she will have those and gymnastics at TAG through the summer. I think we might take July off from TAG just to give her a break and they may spend time with my mom.

I have posts in the works for lots of things and really hope to blog more, but I'm not making promises. I'm hoping to get some posts done on weekends so there is something ready for the week. I do miss it though and hope that that will help in me blogging more.

Dart was one of 8 in the school to have perfect attendance. He set a goal at the beginning of the year to do everything he could to get perfect attendance. So proud of him for wanting to be at school everyday! Can't believe he will be a 5th grader next year!

I am asking all you blog readers for prayers for a few friends. First one of Dart's best friends family could use prayers. He has had a rough year and they have had some other not so good news come up and could use the extra prayers and good thoughts. The other is for a girl I went to high school with and that my mom works with. She graduated a year ahead of me in school and has 2 young daughters, in November she was diagnosed with breast cancer. They found it early and started chemo right away. She had a horrible time with chemo, lots of sickness and aches and pains. She went Thursday for her scans and Friday went for results. She and her army of friends and family were praying for CANCER FREE, instead were told the cancer has spread. She is a fighter and will do all she can to beat this evil monster, but this was not at all what she was hoping for. Any prayers for her I know she will appreciate and for her girls. She has a daughter in high school and a 4 year old.

Life

I'm not going to lie, life is kicking my butt lately. I'm still struggling to get adjusted to a new schedule and a new routine. It's not going so well. It's frustrating me. It's making me cranky. It's driving me insane!!! I'm hoping this weekend to get some what back to normal or at least figure out what our new normal is.

I love my job. It's fun, the people are amazing and I'm learning so much! The doctors are an interesting bunch! Despite the moments of insanity I really enjoy it and am glad I get to work there.

I promise to be back more. I think I'm going to have to work on posts on weekends. Or maybe I can get adjusted to a new normal and post them in the evenings.

Fun stuff

What is your favorite song to sing along to? Honey Bee by Blake Shelton(or anything by him!)
If you could have a vacation home in any location where would it be? Seattle. LOVE the city.
What is your favorite time of year? Fall
Cats or dogs? Both
Coffee, tea, or cocoa? Iced tea, becoming a coffee drinker
Where did you go on your first date? I honestly don't remember. First date with Mark was to see Mission Impossible 2.
What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Rainbow Sherbert.
Where would you like to go on your next vacation? Big City like Chicago or New York
Sunset or sunrise? Sunset, not a morning person
What are two of your favorite blogs and why? Elise Blaha Love all her posts and she is constantly inspiring me to try something new and Damn You Auto Correct the best place for a good laugh. I have several blogs in my reader, although I have drastically cut back lately.
What skill do you want to learn or perfect this year? Sewing, knitting and more with Photoshop.

Made it Monday

Still adjusting to the new life we have with me working. As for the job, I LOVE it so far. I am really excited to get into the nitty gritty of actual work now that I have that usual first week stuff done and over with.

Because last week was crazy with the usual school and gymnastics stuff we definitely went easy on dinners. One we had was made with the new Kraft Fresh Takes. We did pork chops with the Cheddar Jack and Bacon Fresh Take. It was so yummy. I forgot to take a picture of the dinner, but I do have a picture of the Fresh Take so you will know what to look for. I'm pretty sure there is a coupon on the Kraft website for them as well. It was something quick and easy to do and everyone loved them.

Something great about these also is that on the inside they have the directions for the typical chicken, pork chop, fish ideas, but also for ideas for twice baked potatoes and meatballs among other things. They are in the dairy area with the shredded cheese. I got ours at Wal-Mart for around $2.00 and 1 package did 5 good size pork chops. I believe there are 6 different "flavors" to choose from, including a more Italian and more Mexican aimed flavors.

If you try one let me know what you think.

I was not paid by Kraft for this post. All opinions are my own.

Me in A-Z

A. Age: 35
B. Bed size: Queen
C. Chore that you hate: Sweeping and moping floors. I really have no idea why I hate that chore!
D. Dogs: None. I miss our puppies we had.
E. Essential start to your day: Brushing my teeth!
F. Favorite color: Pink
G. Gold or Silver: Silver
H. Height: 5’1" on a good day
I. Instruments you play: None. I love music and took piano lessons when I was younger, but couldn't play a thing now.
J. Job title: Mom, Walking School Bus Liaison, Pink Owl owner, Admin Asst 
K. Kids: 2 and an angel. Dart, 10 Audrey 6 going on 16 and Dakota our sweet angel!
L. Live: Columbia Missouri MIZZOU!
M. Mother’s name: Gail
N. Nicknames: Mom, Meggy, Maynard, MegBabe
O. Overnight hospital stays: broken arm in 3rd grade(required 2 separate stays), and having babies.
P. Pet peeves: Close minded people, bad drivers
Q. Quote from a movie: Spoken by Kathleen Kelly in You've Got Mail, one of my favorite movies EVER! "Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life - well, valuable, but small - and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void"
R. Right or left handed: Right handed.
S. Siblings: 2 sisters and 1 brother
U. Underwear: Yes.
V. Vegetable you hate: Only really strange things and beets.
W. What makes you run late: Kids not moving in the morning.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Dental, 2 broken arms
Y. Yummy food that you make: Lots!
Z. Zoo animal: Monkeys, Penguins and Tigers. Audrey loves monkeys, Dart loves Penguins and I love the Tigers.

12 on 12 April

Top Row:Started following Betty White on Twitter(LOVE her!), catching up on Body of Proof episodes on Hulu, my report from blood work done for my new job, HAPPY mail from Stacy Julian(my prize I won on her blog).
Middle Row:Banners ready to go in the mail, taking the comforter and mattress cover to be washed, a trip to the bank, Walking School Bus in the morning.
Bottom Row:Price of gas, temperature, book I'm currently reading, to do list. The pictures on this row I've decided to do every month on the 12th. I didn't do them all in Jan or Feb I don't think, but I think now is as good a time as any. Excited to see them at the end of the year.
 

Tuesday Tops

This week is all about things I've read on the web recently(last month or so) that I've bookmarked to go back and read again!

For all my mom readers, this article is a great reminder that we are all trying our best.

15 Things You Should Give Up to Be Happy. Easier said than done on most of them, but a great place to start.

From "The Clear-Minded Creative" Spring-Clean Your Routine.

Getting + Staying in the Creative Flow. I have gone back and read this one several times already!

Working Through Creative Fear by Ali Edwards. Many of the creative articles I read are because of her.

From the Tiny Twig blog, "100 Golden No's".

Any great articles you've read recently I should know about?

Made it Monday

Haven't planned the menu for this week yet, but wanted to share this with you.

YUM!!! Easiest way to describe this dinner. I've had this pinned for a while and decided to add it to the menu this last week. It will go into the rotation. Super easy and SUPER Yummy! Found it on this blog.

Mexican Dorito Casserole
Serves 4-6

2 c. shredded cooked chicken
1 c. shredded cheese (or more if you are a cheese hound)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes (canned tomatoes with jalepenos-mild)
1/2 packet taco seasoning (or more- to taste)
Bag of doritos

1. Pre-heat oven to 350-f degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except doritos.

3. In a greased 2 qt baking dish, put a layer of crushed doritos (about 2 cups), then a layer of the chicken mixture. Repeat once more, ending with a layer of chicken mixture. Top with more shredded cheese, cover, and bake for 30-35 minutes, till bubbling hot.

Missing Him

26 years ago today my Dad passed away. I was only 9 at the time, but I still remember the day like it was yesterday.

One of my favorite pictures from my childhood. This was taken at the Grand Canyon at "my tree". Not sure how this became my tree, but every time we went we had to take a picture at this tree. Last time I was at the Grand Canyon was when we scattered my grandma's(my dad's mom) ashes.

Hope everyone has a blessed Sunday and give your loved ones an extra hug today!

Tuesday Tops

A friend posted this article on Facebook sometime last week and WOW!!! I think we all deal with some if not all of these at some time.

Last week there were 2 issues on the ballot for Columbia schools. One being a bond issue and the other a tax levy. Both passed!!! I am so happy they both passed.

I start my new job on Monday the 16th. I will still be doing all my Pink Owl stuff, but this opportunity was perfect.  I will be an administrative assistant in the Endocrinology Department at University Hospital. I'm excited, the hours are perfect and it's going to be a great thing!

Yesterday I got an email from THE STACY JULIAN informing me I won a giveaway on her blog! I'm so excited. I get a scanning package from ScanCafe.  I'm really excited. First I never win anything!! Second I have lots of pictures that are from my dad's childhood that I would love to be preserved better.

Speaking of pictures there is a great new(at least to me) site called 1000memories. You can upload pictures and then add other people so they can help you figure out the story behind the picture.

Menu Plan Monday

This appears to be a week of Pinterest Recipes. 4 of this week's are ones I've had pinned for a while and decided to try. This is my last week off so I'm spending it getting some things in order and getting organized, so having a plan is IMPORTANT!!

Monday-Crowd Pleasing Taco Salad -Following some of the comments I'm going to add black beans too.
Tuesday-Hot Dogs and Mac and Cheese- gymnastics night!
Wednesday-Parmesan Crusted Chicken  -Can always use new and easy ideas for chicken
Thursday- Ranch Pork Chops- These look yummy and easy. Going to make some potatoes my mom made over Easter weekend to go with it.
Friday-Pizza- for the family at least. I will be going out to celebrate my new job with some friends!!
Saturday-Mexican Dorito Casserole- another one that I've had pinned forever. Can't wait to try it.
Sunday-Roast- Roast has to be one of my favorite comfort foods. Going to fix it to celebrate the new job with my family!

I will let you know what we think of these recipes. I'm excited to try them!

Shopping for a 10 year old boy

Why are boys so hard to shop for???? Trying to come up with ideas for Dart for Easter has been horrible. He's not a lego kid, he doesn't play with toys anymore really(no action figures or Pokemon or any of those). He likes sports, video games and reading. Video games are so expensive so that knocks them out for Easter. He doesn't need anything for any sports right now(last year I did a baseball theme for him and he loved that, but he doesn't need anything). And as for books, usually he checks them out from the library. He has a few series he likes, but he's got all the books for those right now. So what does that leave?

I finally decided to get him a few packs of baseball and basketball cards. He does have a collection started and mentioned he'd like more. However, those are small. Audrey is getting colored bubbles, sidewalk chalk and a jump rope so I feel like I need a couple more things for Dart. I'm thinking a gift card to I-Tunes so he can download some music or apps. I need help people!! What do you get a 10 year old without breaking the bank, but also without it being junk just to get something?

Chicago Dog Salad

We have been eating this for several years now. Saw it on Rachael Ray's show 30 Minute Meals and decided to give it a shot. It's good, quick, and easy. Love meals like that. It doesn't look like it will fill you up, but it does and it's light so it makes for a great summer meal and you don't have to heat the house up with the stove for it!

Chicago Dog Salad

• 1/4 cup yellow mustard
• 2 tablespoons vinegar, eyeball it
• 1 rounded teaspoon sugar
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 of a 16-ounce sack shredded cabbage blend for slaw salads
• 1 romaine heart, shredded
• 2 vine ripe tomatoes, diced
• 3 large half sour or garlic pickles, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 8 pork or beef hot dogs, cut into 1-inch-thick slices on an angle

Directions

In the bottom of a large bowl, combine mustard, vinegar, sugar, and about 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add the onions, cabbage, romaine, tomatoes, and pickles and toss the salad. Season with salt and pepper, adjust seasonings, and reserve.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add in remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (1 turn of the pan) then arrange the sliced dogs in a single layer. Sear them a couple of minutes on each side. Remove to paper towels to drain.
Mound up the salad on plates, top with seared dogs, and serve.

-We use whatever pickles we have on hand. We also cut our hot dogs into bite size pieces and just mix them in with it all and then serve.It is even good the next day if there is anything left. The dressing doesn't make the salad soggy which is nice!

Tuesday Tops

Changing from 10 on Tuesday as half the time it takes me all day to do and the other half I'm pretty sure I'm repeating myself from things I've said other times.

Tuesday tops will be a mix of things. Maybe things I've pinned, articles I've enjoyed, random stuff. Who knows!!

This image is a top for me: 

  Not so much because Kentucky won(although them being part of the SEC is nice since that is where Mizzou will be July 1), but because kansas LOST!

Although this one won't apply to very many of you, it is still a top for me today:

  There are 2 issues on our ballot this month for schools. One will add 25,000 square feet to Dart and Audrey's school. Although Dart will not be there once it's complete, Audrey still will be. The addition would mean the elimination of 12 trailers! 39% of our students are in trailers. That is just crazy!! It will also mean 2 new elementary schools which our district NEEDS!! Most of our schools are well over capacity.

I figured out a way I can do Project Life.  I have always loved the idea, but some of it just didn't feel like a fit to me. I thought the price for the page protectors which don't come with the core kit was more than I wanted to spend. It dawned on me one day that baseball card protectors would work better for me. I also love making my own journaling cards and things like that. I'm going to start with April. Still trying to figure out how I'm going to do my pictures because I don't print at home and I'm not a fan of Wal-Mart's prints. I may just mark sections with post it notes and then print the pictures through Shutterfly or Winkflash and add them at the end of the month.

Having ideas that come out the way you picture them in your head! I have a new grad banner I'm excited to get finished and a few mini books getting to the point of being finished. Also have a couple of orders to get finished.

What's tops on your list today?

Menu Plan Monday

There could be some changes this week to our house so I'm thinking a plan is going to be a huge help!!

Monday-Spaghetti Audrey is sick so this is quick and easy to deal with.
Tuesday-
Wednesday-
Thursday-
Friday-Sunday- Out of town We will be at my mom's for Easter so who knows what we will be having!

Because Audrey is sick and has been all day I have no plan as of yet. As soon as I get one I will update this post.

It was 95 degrees here today according to my car. 95 is way too hot for April 2nd. It is supposed to cool down this week. I can't believe yesterday I was saying "I hope it cools down some for Easter." Who says that? Usually it's I hope it isn't snowing on Easter or I hope it is a little warmer so the girls can wear their dresses without winter coats.

35 before 36 update

1. Get rid of 60lbs. I don't want to lose it because you usually want to find things you lose. Lost a few pounds, mostly due to the fact that I gave up pop for lent and was drinking lots and lots of water!
2. Menu plan, will save time, money and help with 1. Didn't do as good as I'd like, but it wasn't horrible either.
3. Eat breakfast everyday. I'm horrible about eating breakfast. Still struggling with this!
4. Get all recipes on cards. I might use them more if I don't have to dig through a box. Got a few on cards. Not a great month for this one.
5. Get the kids in the kitchen to help cook more. They both usually enjoy it. We have slacked here. Audrey still helps some.
6. Read "Little Women". My name came from the book and yet I've never read it. Nope! Slow reading month, read "The Help" finally.
7. Get my first mani and pedi. Nope never had one! With spring here I'm thinking this might happen soon!
8. Start going to church again. I haven't gone consistently in several years. No.
9. Watch "The Wizard of Oz" This movie scares me to death. Audrey checked it out from the library so we just might be able to cross this one off at the end of the month.
10. Get to and maintain at least 65 items in my store. I got some work to do. Had a lot expire that was all Christmas stuff.
11. Add digital cards to my shop. Hope to get this done ASAP since graduation will be upon us soon.
12. Hold a couple of sales in my shop. Not yet, but I'm thinking for sure a Christmas in July sale!
13. Find ways to cut shipping and supply costs. Shipping costs are down and that makes me happy. Now to work on supply costs.
14. Add wedding invites, programs and guest books to my shop. No, working on save the date ideas.
15. Add American Girl clothes to my shop. Started a new shop for sewing stuff, but don't have anything in it yet.
16. Get my vision of "Colorful Minimalist" into my products and shop. Will blog more about this later. I have been doing better. Working on a "non traditional" business plan which will help more with this.
17. Learn calligraphy. Maybe not the "traditional" style, but I want to explore more with handwriting. Found an awesome pen to use so I can't wait to try more!
18. Learn more about graphic design. Can't afford to go back to school now so I will teach myself some. Been playing with what I like in regards to design.
19. Teach Audrey to sew. I wish I would have learned when I was younger! Nothing yet, but she is learning to knit.
20. Make mini books for me and to sell. Working on a spring break one. I bought one from someone I've admired for a while so I'm excited to fill it up.
21. Do more DIY items. Learned to make a scarf that I love. Excited to make more.
22. Do something creative everyday. Even just something small. Didn't do too bad this month. Had several banner orders so spent time working on those.
23. Do 12 on 12 every month. Take 12 pictures on the 12th every month. 3 for 3 and they are all blogged!!
24. Give more handmade items. Even if I'm not the one to make them. Didn't have a reason this month to give, but will when I need too.
25. Send/give cards every month to someone just for fun. BAD!!
26. Project 365. There are several sites for this, but I found a site that will email me a prompt everyday. So far so good. I can't believe it!
27. Clean up external hard drive completely. Started good last year and then went downhill. Haven't done anything with this one in a while. I need to get back on it.
28. Blog at least 5 times a week. Did better towards the end of the month. I do have ideas for the next week or so so hopefully that will help.
29. Be less crazy about things like how the kids pick up their room and put away their clothes. Spent some time decluttering clothes of theirs. Maybe that will help.
30. Be more patient. I am so not a patient person. Trying, but my patience was tested a lot this month.
31. Declutter. 40 bags in 40 days! You can find lots of info on the web about it. 4 bags in the car to go to goodwill.
32. Stop biting my nails. I don't want them really long, but I want them to have a little nail to them. I think I can consider this a success. I have never had my nails long for 3 months. They aren't long, but for me they are.
33. Play more games with Dart and Audrey. We have a ton of board games and a ton of Wii games. Played basketball with them some after we got a "new" goal.
34. Keep inbox and google reader cleaned out. They got out of control several times this year. Yahoo! I unsubscribed from a lot of blogs. It was out of control. Email has 4 all of which are important and need to stay there for now.
35. Enjoy life more!! Trying hard. Had a few bad days this month, but I wake up and start over!

March

In March we:
started walking school bus again. Love the program and love all the kids that walk with us.

moved up a level in gymnastics. Well Audrey did, not the rest of us!

 enjoyed grandparents day at school.

celebrated when our Mizzou Tigers won the Big 12 Tournament.

mourned when our Mizzou Tigers lost to Norfolk State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

learned to knit a scarf and loved every second of making one.

searched high and low for the yarn for the scarf mentioned above.

interviewed for a part time job at University Hospital.

toured the Capitol and Governors Mansion on a field trip.

learned all about plants at the 1st grade share fair.

celebrated a Mizzou Tigers baseball win!!

missed our Angel Dakota on her 8th birthday!

enjoyed Spring break!

enjoyed amazing weather most of the month.

planted some plants and veggies in a container garden.

watched classic shows like Saved by the Bell!!

started spring cleaning!

All in all I would say March was a good month!! 

March 12 on 12

It's not April and I have March 12 on 12 done. Of course it was almost April before I got February done, but that's okay!

Top Row: Waiting for Walking School Bus to start, University Hospital where I had an interview, the makings of a banner, my new water cup(LOVE it, keeps my water cold for hours and it doesn't sweat all over everything!)
Middle Row: trip to Michaels for some banner stuff, mailing a banner, gas prices $3.59(UGH!), temp(perfect temps).
Bottom Row: new stamps that came in the mail, Dart reading outside, Audrey after an impromptu photo shoot, Venus and Jupiter(had a hard time getting it without shaking since I didn't have my tripod, but was happy I had something from when they were so close and bright!)

Trying to decide what I want to do with these when the year is over. I'm thinking I may make a book on Blurb.  

Catching up on 12 on 12

So April is almost here and I am just getting around to posting my 12 on 12 from February. I will have March up tomorrow!!

Top Row:Harry Potter, Dart reading, Audrey's art table, Columbia Tribune cover recapping Mizzou beating Baylor at home.
Middle Row: Calvin and Hobbes; Dart's favorite comics as of late, working on planning our menu for the week, my water; drinking lots more of it and less pop!, screen shot of Hulu watching shows while I work.
Bottom Row: Audrey reading Arthur's Reading Race to me before bed, the Valentine Audrey made for Uncle, my table with a few projects in progress on it, my book I'm reading; love James Patterson!

Also I listed a new card set in the shop today.

Happy 8th Birthday Angel Dakota

Today my sweet angel would have turned 8. So hard to believe it's been 8 years since we were blessed with her, if only for a short while. In her time here she changed every person who's life she touched. 

 He misses her so much it breaks my heart to even think about. He said today he was hoping no one would mention it being her birthday because he knew it would make him sad. I hate that I can't make it better for him. He loved to inform everyone we ran into that she was his baby and not to mess with her. He gave her more kisses than anyone of us I believe. She was his Kota Baby Ree and that will never change. He loved her with everything he has, even when she would laugh at him when he got in trouble. 

Proof of how much he loved her....that was his FAVORITE Spiderman, the one NO ONE could touch without him getting mad. The one that when it broke HAD to be replaced no matter the cost(thanks to the internet a replacement was found for under $10.00 and in our hands within a few very long days!) It was okay for her to play with him though. 

Oh how I miss those eyelashes. We would get stopped almost every time we were out someplace so someone could comment on her eyelashes. Most people marveled at their length, a few asked why I put mascara on her. Those made me laugh,I mean really? Her eyelashes were so long that when her eyes were open they touched her eyelids. And that hair. My goodness I have never seen a little one with so much hair. It was so full and thick. And she never got that bald spot on the back of her head that so many babies do. 

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday Dear Kota 

Happy Birthday to you!

We all miss you and love you sweet angel. Thanks for being OUR angel!!

10 on Tuesday

1. The windows are open, the temps are perfect, perfect spring break weather!

2. Does anyone have a Roku player and if so what do you think of it? We are thinking about getting one mainly so we can watch stuff from Hulu on the tv. There are so many things on there the kids would like and it would be easier to watch on tv vs our computers.

3. The Apple Pecan Chicken salad at Wendy's is AMAZING!! I need to find where I can buy Pomegranate Vinaigrette dressing so I can make it at home.

4. Working on some deep cleaning and rearranging of scrapbook supplies. Every time I do this it always inspires me to create. I think it's seeing things I don't use often inspires me to try something new and different.

5. Audrey is very much her mother's daughter sometimes. She has watched High School Musical 2 I don't know how many times and most of the time she cries like crazy when Troy and Gabriella break up. I cry in the same spots in movies I have seen over and over too. Crazy how we do that.

6. Audrey is loving her new gymnastics group. Seems to be doing excellent too. I can't wait until we get to see her perform in May.

7. I'm so thankful for the inventor of allergy medicine. Because our winter never really came this year the pollen counts are INSANELY high. I've just made a habit out of making sure both Dart and I just automatically take one each morning.

8. We finally got around to watching the new Muppet movie. LOVED it!!

9.  Reading "The Help" took me a bit to get into it, but now I'm frustrated cause I don't have the spare minutes to read all the time.

10. Taking the kids to see "The Lorax" tomorrow. Can't wait!

Around here....

working on a free Shutterfly book for Dart's 4th grade field trip to the Capitol.


working on spring cleaning. making kids help too.


enjoying the fact we got lucky and should have nice weather for spring break.


hoping Audrey isn't getting sick since she slept until 11:00. she says she feels a little funny.


watching Saved by the Bell with the kids. thanks to the library having the dvd's.

enjoying cheap labor in the form of kids who are wanting to earn money for various things. have a list of things I was going to do, but just haven't got around to, so Dart and Audrey are helping and in return I am paying them!!

Crazy girl lost 2 teeth in 2 days! Love that hole in her mouth!

10 on Tuesday

1. Finally saw Bridesmaids today!!! LOVE that movie. So funny, so not kid appropriate, but so funny. Found myself laughing out loud several times.

2. Found out this afternoon our new principal has been hired. She is from in our district already so that is good! Still can't believe our principal is retiring.

3. I pretty much tore my NCAA bracket up after MU lost and then really gave up after Duke lost. Crazy how the games have gone this year. Cinderella is doing lots of dancing.

4. Made a new set of Easter cards today that I hope to share tomorrow. Also have a few new banners in the works on my table.

5. Dart has a "new" toy to play with:

He is so happy to finally have a goal. We don't really have a good spot with concrete to put it, but the ground on the side of the house is often as hard as concrete so it works good there.

6. Currently on my reading list:

Loving both of them. Can't wait to finish "The Help" so I can watch the movie.

7. Anyone joining me in the April Photo a Day challenge? Here's the list!

Stole it from another friend when she posted it!

8. On Thursday I get to go to the state capital with Dart and the rest of the 4th graders!! Can't wait. The kids always look forward to this Field Trip. We are lucky that the capital is only 30 minutes away!

9. A friend posted this on Facebook and it's too funny not to share: "Be thankful for Facebook. The way gas prices are going, this may be the only way we actually see each other." So what are gas prices where you are? Our "cheap" gas was $3.69 as of 4:00 today.

10. This girl will make bars out of anything that might resemble a bar:

This is an old porch swing that we have around our fire pit for extra room for people to sit. She is a monkey!!

Menu Plan Monday

Back with at least our menu for the week. Lots of stuff carried over from last week as last week ended up being really crazy!

Monday-Cheesy Crockpot Chicken-this has been on here forever, really hoping we actually have it this week.
Tuesday-Leftovers-between Sunday and Monday we should have some leftovers.
Wednesday-Chicago Dog Salad-This is a Rachael Ray recipe that we have been having for years!!
Thursday-Southwest Chicken Skillet-another from last week.
Friday-Fish-have some various fish things in the freezer(kids start spring break today!!)
Saturday-Avocado Smoked Turkey Wraps-came across the recipe card for this today, pairing it with pasta salad!!
Sunday-Crockpot BBQ Beef-another yummy one I came across when going through the recipe box.

Hope to be posting a little more this week, however it's another crazy week with lots going on after school and 4th grade is going to the Capitol on Thursday and I will be joining them!! Cross your fingers we have good weather. 

Blog break

Taking a break for a bit from the blog. I know my posting has been sporadic anyway, but this time I'm not even going to be adding it to my to do list. By doing that then I am frustrated when I don't get to it. Have some things to catch up on in life so I'm hoping that by not letting myself down for neglecting the blog I can get those things taken care of. Not planning on it being a long break, hopefully by Friday I'm ready to go again. I have lots to share including 2 sets of 12 on 12 and some of Audrey's craft projects!

In the meantime, I have 1 yard of this fabric, what should I make with it????

Menu Plan Monday

I actually have a plan for this week!!!

Monday-Sausage, taters and onions-a good standby that I usually have the stuff on hand for.
Tuesday-Grill-not sure what it will be, have a friend coming over who will be grilling for us!!
Wednesday-Cheesy Crockpot Chicken-Kindergarten registration is that night so I may be at school helping.
Thursday-Southwest Chicken Skillet-I think I got this out of the coupons. Will see if I can find it online.
Friday-Fish-Not sure what yet, just know it will be fish!
Saturday-Enchilada Casserole-We've had this before and everyone loved it. It's on my Pinterest board.
Sunday-Meatloaf-YUMMY!

I realize today is also the 12th and I have yet to share last months 12 on 12 pictures. Guess I will have to get on that this week.

One last thing, I could use some good vibes my direction for a possible new adventure!

Random Mumblings

BIG 12 CHAMPIONS!!!! Mizzou beat Baylor 90-75!!! What a way to go out of the Big 12! 

Loved the weather today!! Doors open, sunny outside! Would be perfect if the temp was about 5 degrees warmer.

Yesterday was Grandparent's Day at the kids school. I don't know how many grandparents we had, but there were cars as far as the eye could see. It is always so much fun to witness. The kids love sharing their work with their grandparents.

I know it's still a few months before the Olympics in London, but this article about the shoes our track athletes will be wearing has me getting very excited.

While I'm looking forward to it being light longer, I'm not real excited about losing an hour of sleep!

Finally getting around to watching the finale of Parenthood and OMG!!! Seriously we need to know NOW what Sarah says!!

Hope everyone has a good weekend!!

Love those goofballs.

10 on Tuesday

1. Audrey starts Beginner 2 in gymnastics tonight! She is a mix of excited and nervous! Proud of her!

2. PERFECT weather today in CoMo! Can we just stay like this for the next couple of months? Throw in a bit of rain at night a few times and I would be a happy girl.

3. Watched the new Footloose today!! It is as good as the original. I do wish Julianne Hough would have sang one of the songs though. And Blake's version of Footloose is AMAZING!!

4. I'm doing good on my giving up pop for Lent. I have had a few rough times, but for the most part it hasn't been too horrible. I'm liking my water.

5. I can't believe the Colts are releasing Peyton Manning. I realize there are a lot of questions surrounding him and his neck, but come on, it's not like the Colts had a good season without him.

6. Since this post always seems to take all day to right, an Audrey gymnastics update. She did awesome. Was nervous going in to class, but at their first break she was all smiles and excitement again.

7. I LOVE Betty White. Seriously the woman is freaking amazing. My latest favorite from her is something that makes me laugh every time I see it.

8. Decided to do photo a day challenge on Instagram. So far so good.

9. Getting excited for the Big 12 tourney. Mizzou's last!!!! Hoping the dumb articles about Mizzou jilting the Big 12 will stop after this. We aren't the first team to leave or the only team leaving at this time.

10. Getting the itch to do some sewing again!! I have a CUTE baby rag quilt all cut, just need to get it sewn.

35 before 36 update...a few days late

Still trying to gain some ground on my to do list and get back on schedule. 

1. Get rid of 60lbs. I don't want to lose it because you usually want to find things you lose.-Bought me some new running shoes!! Can't wait to take them for a test run.
2. Menu plan, will save time, money and help with 1.-Have slacked the last couple of weeks, maybe that is adding to my chaos! Getting back on track this week.
3. Eat breakfast everyday. I'm horrible about eating breakfast.-I've been eating something small once I get the kids dropped off. I really want to start eating before they go to school though.
4. Get all recipes on cards. I might use them more if I don't have to dig through a box.-Got some more on cards. Making good progress. Need to get back to meal planning as that was forcing me to write some down.
5. Get the kids in the kitchen to help cook more. They both usually enjoy it.-Audrey has been helping lots, not so much with Dart.
6. Read "Little Women". My name came from the book and yet I've never read it.-Not yet.
7. Get my first mani and pedi. Nope never had one!-Not yet, thinking when it gets a bit warmer.
8. Start going to church again. I haven't gone consistently in several years.-No.
9. Watch "The Wizard of Oz" This movie scares me to death. -No.
10. Get to and maintain at least 65 items in my store.-55 items right now. Working on some custom orders, as soon as I get those done, I hope to get some more stuff done.
11. Add digital cards to my shop.-Working on graduation cards.
12. Hold a couple of sales in my shop.-Not yet.
13. Find ways to cut shipping and supply costs.-Found a good way to cut some of my shipping costs. Researching some ways to cut paper costs.
14. Add wedding invites, programs and guest books to my shop.-Working on invites.
15. Add American Girl clothes to my shop.-Have some new patterns I can't wait to make.
16. Get my vision of "Colorful Minimalist" into my products and shop. Will blog more about this later.-If I can get some new products done this will be happening.
17. Learn calligraphy. Maybe not the "traditional" style, but I want to explore more with handwriting.-Not this month.
18. Learn more about graphic design. Can't afford to go back to school now so I will teach myself some.-Did some playing around in PSE, figured out some technical stuff that makes me happy.
19. Teach Audrey to sew. I wish I would have learned when I was younger!-Bought some fabric for her to make a blanket.
20. Make mini books for me and to sell.-No :(
21. Do more DIY items.-Audrey made a snowglobe, some shirts and some other stuff.
22. Do something creative everyday. Even just something small.-Have done something small everyday!
23. Do 12 on 12 every month. Take 12 pictures on the 12th every month.-Yep, just need to get them edited and blogged.
24. Give more handmade items. Even if I'm not the one to make them.-Didn't do so hot in February.
25. Send/give cards every month to someone just for fun.-Not for fun, but did make the kids some fun Valentine's.
26. Project 365. There are several sites for this, but I found a site that will email me a prompt everyday.-Another month another picture everyday!!
27. Clean up external hard drive completely. Started good last year and then went downhill.-Didn't touch it in February.
28. Blog at least 5 times a week.Haha! I'm really hoping to do better in March.
29. Be less crazy about things like how the kids pick up their room and put away their clothes.-I think I did better, but then again, Audrey has done a much better job about keeping her room picked up.
30. Be more patient. I am so not a patient person.-Still working daily, but trying.
31. Declutter. 40 bags in 40 days! You can find lots of info on the web about it.-Have 4 bags in my trunk I need to take.
32. Stop biting my nails. I don't want them really long, but I want them to have a little nail to them.-Another good month! I'm so proud that I've done so good.
33. Play more games with Dart and Audrey. We have a ton of board games and a ton of Wii games.-Taught Audrey to play Skip-Bo.
34. Keep inbox and google reader cleaned out. They got out of control several times this year.-Had some days of craziness that my reader was insane, but overall pretty good.
35. Enjoy life more!!-I believe so!!!

My poor baby girl had a fight with an ear infection recently! Not fun! And now she is running around lifting her shirt up saying "I'm like Bridgett!" As in Bridgett from 8 Simple Rules! Lord help me!

Monday

Was hoping for a better week this week, but if Monday is any indicator how this week will go I'm going back to bed and waking up next week.

Had an appt at 9, got that done and was home around 10:15ish. About 10:22 I got a phone call from school that Audrey was in the office with a 101 fever and complaining of an ear ache. Off to get her and head to the doctor. Confirmed she had an ear infection. UGH!! Hoping she will feel better for school tomorrow as she has a speaking part in the assembly and she is not happy that she might miss it. This is huge for the 1st graders as they are leading the assembly for the first time. She really wants to be able to go. At least it's just an ear infection and not something that she could share with others.

I have no menu planned yet so that post will go up later, but I did want to share Audrey's good news. Last Thursday while I was helping at school I got an email from her gymnastics coach that she is ready to move to Beginner 2. When I told her she was so excited. I pulled her aside after school and said "Audrey in March you don't get to go to Beginner 1 gymnastics anymore." At first she got a sad look on her face and then suddenly it turned into the biggest smile I have ever seen on her. She said "I get to go to Beginner 2????!!!!!" She has been practicing so hard on everything and is having so much fun. Hopefully she will feel good enough to go to gymnastics tomorrow night too.

Audrey watching craft videos on the Build a Bear app!

Last week

WHOOSH!!!! Was crazy, insanely busy and crazy. Hoping for a much calmer week. Back Monday with a menu plan(I hope), some exciting Audrey news and so much more(maybe not all on Monday, but the menu and Audrey news will be). I need a week of normalcy again. I am craving more structure and control.

I am...

very sleepy!! Didn't fall asleep until after 2am and then was awake at 4:45 because Audrey needed water and again at 6:30 when the alarm went off.

trying to drink more water and less pop, but today called for a Dr. Pepper to wake me up.

working on finishing a banner for a bride and dreaming of all the things I want to do for the upcoming wedding season. And graduation!

reading all I can about SEO and feeling very overwhelmed and excited at the same time.
 
hoping the headache I dealt with all day yesterday and most of the night is due to the bipolar weather Missouri is going through. Snow on Monday and thunderstorms possible today. Mother Nature, please decide what season it's going to be.

catching up on shows like Parenthood and Covert Affairs. Also loving the new show Jane by Design on ABC Family. I love that the underdog girl is getting the dream guy.

loving using PayPal for shipping. Why have I never used it before???? Seriously so easy and they will pick it up for me. Considering our post office is downtown and has a parking lot of about 10 spots in a town of 100,000+ not including college students this will seriously be a huge time saver and good for my mental health.

looking forward to watching the Snoopy Valentine's Day movies tonight. We haven't watched them yet and even though yesterday was Valentine's Day, there's no reason not to watch them tonight!

thinking I need to do some reorganizing of my craft area. I feel like lately I'm losing my mind when it comes to finding things. Might work on that this evening.

 A glimpse of the banner for a bride. I have glitter all over my hands!!
 

10 on Tuesday Valentine's Day edition

Gotta show a little love for Valentine's Day. Since Valentine's Day is all about love, my 10 on Tuesday is going to be about love, well the things I love.

1. I'm a huge Google lover as it is and when they do Google Doodles I love reading about why they did the doodle they did. The Google Doodle in honor of Valentine's Day is AMAZING! So cute, reminds me a bit of the movie Up!

2.The new shows Smash and Alcatraz. There is something about the "boss" guy on Alcatraz that irks me. Part of me thinks he has something to do with all the guys coming back. I could be wrong, but somehow he rubs me wrong.

3. This article. LOVE the little girl and the mom. Glad the mom although she probably wanted to tell her daughter you don't have to color this, but she knew in order to teach her daughter about respect for teachers she knew she had to make her color it.

4. Learning. I really wish I could go back to school, but right now it is not in the cards for me. So instead I'm learning on my own. Right now my focus is on graphic design and SEO(search engine optimization), mostly for things I'd like to do with Pink Owl.

5. Quotes, I have a stack of quotes that I love. I'm always searching when I check pinterest, twitter or reading articles for something that speaks to me. Words are amazing!!

6. Time alone. I know that love is supposed to be about loving others, but I also believe that if you don't love yourself it's hard to love others. For me one of the things I NEED is time alone, and not just once in a while, but almost on a daily basis. It doesn't have to be hours, sometimes just 30 minutes. That is hard for me to get, unless I get up really early, which is hard because I also love my sleep.

7. When it comes to romance I love the little things. Sure big grand things are great, but it's the little things that matter. Anyone can plan one big thing, but it takes a real person in love to come up with the little things. The little moments, the sweet notes left on random days.

8.  Hearing Audrey read to me. She hasn't always been the biggest fan of reading so hearing her be excited to read makes me happy.

9. Having more adult type talks with Dart. Not on adult issues, but his understanding of things has changed so much over the last few months. The talks we have are so much fun. Getting his view on things and listening to him talk about his hopes and dreams is so much fun. It makes those moments when he is in full on pre-teen attitude mood so much easier.

10. LIFE!! Life comes with ups and downs and days where you just want to crawl in bed and pull the covers over your head, but then there are moments that you sit back and think "I'm going to remember this for the rest of my life," and it makes those bad days so much better.