My Life. In Pictures. Day 2

First of all I wanted to thank everyone who joined in yesterday with our My Life. in Photos. challenge. It was so much fun to see what everyone posted with their "something new". There were so many beautiful and/ or creative shots. Everybody did a great job!

One of the things I love about this challenge is that you can be a novice photographer or an expert Photoshop editor / professional photographer. It is the variety of what we get to see in everyone's point of view for each catergory. It was very interesting that 3 of our entries had to do with toilets!

I had a litte trouble in the early hours of the post (posting it at the wrong time, Mr. Linky not working) but hopefully it will be smooth sailing tomorrow.

Please remember you can join in anytime and be sure to visit the sites on Mr. Linky to see what everyone else comes up with!

The honor of yesterday's BEST SHOT of the day goes to....#19 Jenn from Living with Bryan . I am just loving the picture she posted of the seedlings.

The challenge for day #2 is to show "something on your table".

Here is my Easter tree that I have in the center of our table. I purchased it from Hobby Lobby on clearance last year. I have two different sets of eggs that hang on it.

Don't forget to add the link to your post (not the link to your blog) to Mr. Linky below!

My Life. In Pictures. Day 1

Welcome to day one of the My Life. In Pictures. photo challenge. Everyone is welcome to join in with this fun photo challenge. To read more about it, click here.

Today the challenge was to photograph something new.

I've had an obsession with brand new crayons and crisp notebook paper since I was little. Back-to-school shopping was always so fun, and I could look at the school supplies forever. I still love to shop in the supply aisle. There is just something so fun about brand new crayons. The possibilites are endless. The tips are perfect. Not a blemish on them. What will they draw? What will they write? An old, worn down tip where you have to peel the paper back is just not the same. Those are good for coloring in large areas, sure, but you just can't get those precise lines without a perfectly perfect, brand new crayon. And don't even try to tell me that I could use the built-in sharpener that comes on the box of 64. Not even close.

If you are playing along, be sure to post the URL to your post (not your blog URL) below. I can't wait to see what everyone has found to show us! Be sure to visit the others who are participating and see what new things they have found!

Around the Blogosphere...Everything Except the Grill!

I am excited to see that Erica listed me on 5 Minute's for Mom's "Around the Blogosphere" today. How exciting is that?!? Thanks to Debbie for letting me know! If you are not a reader of 5 Minutes for Mom, you should be! They have a great site full of fun stuff!

Reminder!

Tomorrow is our first day of

My Life. In Pictures.

Photo challenge! Join Us!

Saturday Night Specials

Tonight we headed to Hy-Vee grocery store for a little Saturday night family fun. We had dinner and then got some much needed groceries. Being the witty couple that Hubby and I are, we are always looking for things that make us laugh.

Hubby spotted this little number.... who actually gets lines in their hair anymore? And this guy was like upper 40s. This was cool like over 20 years ago. dude.

If only you could have seen this from the side to see above his ears.

My friend Monica loves these cookies and since we were in the "gettin' silly at the grocery store on a Saturday night with our camera" mode, we had to take a picture for her.

We had so many groceries in our first cart that Hubby had to go get a new cart. This is what him and B came back with. Just the dinkiest little cart you ever did see. B enjoyed his silly ride in the top.

All of this made for a night of fun and a total of over $300 in groceries. Gotta love that.

Letter D and doughnut cookies

Yesterday we worked on our Letter D for our alphabet books. We used diamond shapes to glue to our D's.

For snack we used some sugar cookie dough and the kids decorated with their choice of sprinkles. We cut a circle out of the middle and made -Letter D- "doughnut cookies" and a few doughnut holes.

Okay, so after they baked they looked a little more like bagels, but the kids still thought they looked like doughnuts. And of course, they were yummy!

Candy Mold Crayons

I had seen this idea a while back on WhiMSy Love for crayons made with candy molds and thought it was pretty cool. We have made crayons in old muffin tins before but I had never seen the idea using candy molds. B also really enjoys the birthday crayons his preschool teacher made for him from the ice molds from the Let's Explore Shop. I would love to have a set of those. When I saw these candy molds at the store in the shape of trains, I knew they would be a hit.

B decided he wanted these 4 colors of train crayons. Remove all of the paper off of your crayons and break them into pieces.

Toss a few little size handfuls into each can. Set the cans in a pot of water about 1/2 way up the sides of the cans. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the pieces are completely melted. Your house with have the aroma of melting crayons that only a (former) teacher could love.

When the pieces are all melted, carefully (cans will be hot- duh!) remove the cans and pour into the mold. Let mold set on counter for a few minutes before transfering mold to freezer.

Those little fingers just couldn't wait to get them out of the freezer! If you look closely, the green one cracked! :( If this happens you can take the broken piece and toss it back in the can and re-melt to try again. Oddly enough, we did this again and it broke again! So we have 6 crayons, but no green ones in that shape! When you remove the hardened crayons from the freezer they will slip right out. Easy-peasy.

Our finished crayons, minus the green one!

Check out Nikki's tutorial for way cooler pics of the whole process and directions on how to do this!

Girl Party

*Starting the day off at Village Inn*- notice that cute boy? He is the only male allowed on Girl Party trips!*

For several years now the "girls" in my family have had girl parties. They include myself, my sister, my mom, my grandma, my great aunt, and my cousin and her daughter. We have gone to various places such as bed and breakfasts, movies, or just had a party at one of our houses. It is a great tradition for keeping our family close.

This Saturday we took a trip to Fremont, NE. My MIL had told me about several stores they had there. It was about an hour from our house so we met up and jammed ourselves into my cousin Kris' SUV and headed out.

The day was filled with fun, food, laughter, and plenty of shopping at craft and antique shops.

Here is a few of the things I picked up:

More super cute wooden decorations for my Easter tree.

These canisters on clearance for Halloween.

Cookie cutters... I have posted before about how I love to use the pampered chef mini ones for lunches for my kids for things like bologna, cheese, jello etc. I thought these were cute. The kids will like the teddy bear and I thougtht the one on top was a bunny. As we were driving home and I was looking at it, I discovered it is a reindeer. Oh, well- we will use it in winter! The wine glass cookie cutter- how cute is that. I love wine and I love cookies, enough said.

We also got a little train book at an antique shop that B loved and a wooden bunny with string that you pull and it makes it's legs and arms go up. I picked up a bag of special grass seed that you can grow in little pots for decoration. I wish I could remember what kind it was! I also picked up a few surprises for a bloggy friend Nikki. I am going to send those goodies I found for her off this week.

My Life. In Pictures.-- New Photo Challenge

Welcome to the My Life. In Pictures. Photo Challenge project. I participated in a photo challenge at Through Jenny's Lens and had such a great time, I decided to start one myself.



The purpose of this photo challenge project is to encourage you to pick up your camera and start capturing details of your life. This project should also serve as a way to look at what others are finding to shoot and will hopefully keep you inspired to look for more moments in your life you wouldn't always think to capture with your camera.

Our first My Life. In Pictures. challenge will start on March 30th and run through April 3rd.
The assignment will be:

Monday- Something new
Tuesday- Something on your table
Wednesday- The view from your front door
Thursday- Something you do each day
Friday- Something old

In case you need a little help getting motivated, here are a few ideas to get you started. Remember you can be as simple or creative as you would like.

Something new- this could be a photo of a new life- a baby, a puppy, a nest with baby robbins, a new bike, a new pair of shoes that you love, or the hint of green popping up from the ground in Spring.

Something on your table- dinner, a center piece, a pile of bills, a sewing project- show us what you got!

View from front door- This is my favorite of all the assignments. I can't wait to see the postings for this. I don't have a pretty view, but I do spend a lot of time looking out the door (window, actually) in the front of our house. We have so much traffic that goes by and people walking by that I have always wondered what other people look at. Your post can be the view of the apartment door across the hall, or a breathtaking view of an acreage. Remember the purpose of this challenge is to share details of your life!

Something you do each day- pick up toys, do the dishes, read a book,take the kids to school, wait in traffic, go for a jog, talk on the phone, write in a journal... the possibilities are endless.

Something old- we need a good counter to the something new. Is it a relative of yours with beautiful wrinkles (oh, I wish my great grandma was still here, she has the most beautiful wrinkles) or a favorite piece of antique furniture. Hey, it could even be some year old hard boiled eggs you found in with your Easter decorations? That never happened to you? Nevermind then.

The point is... be creative! You can interpret these "assignments" any way that works with you! I want you to have fun and enjoy looking at Your Life. In Pictures.

Here are a few details, but please feel free to email me with any more questions you might have!

* How does the challenge work? I will post the challenge "assignments" for the week and you pick up your camera to capture a photo that meets the assignment. Post the picture on your blog (or Flikr) . You are welcome to write a story with your photo or just include the photo if you would like. There will be a Mr. Linky for you to to fill out with your name and the URL from that assignment's post. (Mr. Linky is a link hosting program for websites. It allows blogs to host all of the links to participants in the challenge. Your job is to sign the Mr. Linky each day you participate so we can all view your post and photo. )

* Who can participate? Everyone! You can be a beginner or a professional. It will be interesting to see all the different styles of photography.

* Do I have to have a blog to participate? No. You can use your Flickr account and post a link to a picture from your account. Remember- you can get a Flickr account for free!

* Do I have to participate every day of the week? No. You can participate all 5 days or just one. It is up to you.

* Does my photo have to be edited? No, but you are welcome to edit it if you like. If you are interested in some free editing sites, check out Picasa or Picnik. They are lots of fun to play around with your photos, and did I mention FREE?

* Can I link to your blog? Yes, yes, and yes. If you are participating in My Life. In Pictures. please help us spread the word. The more people who know about this and participate, the more photos we will have to inspire us and the more fun it will be for all of us! You can place the button in your side bar or post it in your blog. Share the love!

* What next? You are encouraged to use the Mr. Linky and visit the blogs of all the participants and see Their Life- In Pictures!

"New" bike

B was needing a new bike to have out at his grandma's house. Including him, there are 4 cousins who like to play at her house. She has tricycles and bikes but with B and his other 4 yr. old cousin, they were needing a bigger 16 in. bike.

I decided to check on craigslist for one since there was no need to spend the price of a brand new bike for out there. I was lucky enough to find one pretty close for only $10 on my second day of looking. The only think we were going to need to add was training wheels since he still hasn't mastered that yet.

He went with me to pick it up and was very excited about it. He has no idea it is not a shiny, new bike. He was so excited and loves it so much. He doesn't even want to take it to grandma's because he has been riding it here every opportuity he has.

We stopped to pick up some training wheels at the store before we came home and I got a pair for $7. Of course, as excited as he was, he wanted them on right away instead of waiting for his dad to get home to do it.

So we got to work in the garage and mama got them on! Dad did a little adjusting when he got home on one of the wheels, but I was pretty proud of myself.

Ultimate Blog Party

The Ultimate Blog Party is going on now at 5 Minutes for Mom. You are all invited! If you want to mingle with some new friends, have a good time, and the chance at some great prizes- head on over!

The prizes I would most like to win are:

USC16- A $50 gift certificate to Kristen’s Custom Creations. Way cute hand stamped sterling silver keepsake jewelry- I LOVE jewelry like this- I'm so happy I ran across this shop!

INTL 41- The Vintage Pearl is offering a #35 gift certificate for their hand stamped SO SWEET jewelry- I already have a wish list for their shop!

41- A Simply Precious Photo Tile Neclace by Elemental Memories- I have always wanted something like this too! The personalized/photo jewelry is my FAVORITE!

Since I do like to win... I will tell you a few more things I would like:
(in no certain order)
58 - mixer- would work great for my cake decorating
USC40- Yankee Candle
USC 57- Blog button
USC69- Handmade Retro Apron
INTL32- Blog design
INTL 35- Blog design

Best of luck to you , and enjoy the party! Hope you have a great time!

Welcome Spring!

Make yourself a yummy treat to celebrate the first day of Spring!

Happy 40th Birthday Very Hungry Caterpillar!

We love The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. It is one of our FAVORITE books. I would say it is a must-have in any child's library. We have several around the house, a stuffed caterpillar, a poster, and a few puzzles.

Sandy has a super cute and easy craft to make. What a great way to celebrate a classic!

Letter C

My blogger friend Sandy at Just for Fun inspired these letter C circles. We used a plastic cup that the kids could hold onto easily and they dipped into 5 different colors of paint to make their circles.

I had originally wanted to do corn kernals on the letter C but that fell through when I discovered that my construction paper would not fit into my page protectors in the binders. I wanted each letter to be in the covers so items like the corn kernals would not fall off with the children looking at their alphabet book repeatedly. But I like the circles too, so everything worked out.

Stop over at Sandy's blog and check out all of the other amazing ideas she has for things to do with your kids. She is constantly giving me ideas and inspiration!

Easter tree and the sickest thing EVER

With St. Patrick's Day behind us, it is time to bring out the Spring and Easter decorations. We are all ready for some Springtime around here! I love the decorations I had for our "year round tree" so I decorated it myself tonight instead of letting the kids do it. There also wasn't a lot of little stuff for them to hang either though, like there has been on the previous ones.


Love this little bunny set I picked up from Hobby Lobby. I need a better skirt though. I don't mind this purple satin type material, I just didn't have very much of it. I forgot about looking for one when I was getting the supplies.

B picked out this little Robin's nest at The Olive Branch. He carried it around all day and has been waiting to put it on our tree. It is actually a napkin ring, but I knew it would look perfect on our tree and could stay up all spring on the tree.

The little bunny frame is from my MIL. She went to some cute stores a few weeks back in Fremont, NE. She told me there are several shops there and me and the ladies on my side of the family are heading there this weekend to check them out. I still need to copy some photos small enough to fit in here, but I love the primitive look of them. She did good!

Another sweet sign from MIL.

And a cute Easter egg frame. Perfect addition to the tree

I love the soft glow of the pink lights I am borrowing from my MOPS group Christmas decoration stash.

And now.... on for THE SICKEST THING EVER. BEWARE THESE IMAGES ARE DISTURBING!


I pulled out the plastic storage tub from our upstairs hallway closet and I removed the lid. STINK CITY. There were several stuffed bunnies on top and other small figurines etc. to set on shelves. Couldn't figure out why the stuff stunk so bad. B came up to watch me get all of the Easter stuff out and commented, "it's stink up here!". I didn't know if it was from being shut in the rubbermade tub for a year or what. I smelled all of the musical stuffed animal things. They all stunk. Couldn't figure it out. I smelled the bag of plastic window cling on things. Stunk, but didn't really think that was the cause. Again, I just figured it was because I had not been in that storage tub for so long and the stuff was just old.
Old is right.
Guess what I came across as I kept pulling stuff out.
My collection of Easter baskets.
Since I do daycare, I have several plastic cheap-o type baskets that the kids use when we do our egg hung.
Guess what was in the plastic Easter baskets?
Plastic Easter eggs.
Guess what was mixed in with the plastic eggs?
4, count 'em, 4!!! hard boiled-decorated eggs from LAST STINKIN' YEAR!

gross. I know.

You can bet I will be making sure I get them all out this year! Or maybe we just won't color eggs this year and will just use plastic for the rest of my life.



The 4 stinky culprits. The black one did have a shell, but it was cracked. Hubby threw them in the trash and I of course had to dig them out so I could blog about it and the shell had cracked off too bad.

Absolutly disgusting.


Most of the Easter stuff is spending the night outside airing the stink off. I sprayed each item with Febreze and Chlorox spray. I am hoping the stuff can be saved but as of now, I'm thinking I'm gonna have to ditch it. It's nothing to great, it's just that a few of the things are sentimental.

Leprechaun Hunting

In honor of St. Patrick's Day today, the boys made Leprechaun Binoculars to use later in our day when we went on our hike. The 2 girls choose to make ribbon wavers. Both turned out very cute!

These are, of course, made out of empty toilet paper rolls. We colored on them, put on some shamrock stickers, taped the ends together and hung them by yarn. Presto!

For these I used the hard cardboard tubes that you find in your aluminum foil rolls or cling wrap. They are firmer than paper towel rolls and work perfect for things like this. We covered them in construction paper and stickers. We glued (and then taped) streamers in 4 colors to wave around as we walked!

My little leprechauns heading out for "Leprechaun Hunting". The boys had their binoculars and the girls were waving their ribbon wavers. We also took an empty PB jar with us in case we caught any.

This looks like it might be a good spot for a leprechaun to hide!

All we ended up seeing was 2 statues of them! Maybe next year!

Our parties are not complete without some type of cake! Today we enjoyed green cupcakes with striped frosting and gold sprinkles.

Lunch consisted of shamrock bologna and cheese (thanks to my much loved Pampered Chef mini cutters) green beans, and Leprechaun yogurt. We also had Leprechaun milk and ALL of the kids told me they didn't like it. Go figure!

Spring Reading Thing 2009

Callapidder Days is having a fun reading challenge for Spring. There is still time to join in! It is no pressure and open to anyone! I love reading so I've selected several books on my list that I want to read. I don't quite think I'll get through all of them, but I'll try my best. Here they are in no particular order (except I will start with Yada Yada first since I already have it checked out from the library):

"Yada Yada Prayer Group #3" by Neta Jackson

"A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini"

"The Memory Keepers Daughter" by Kim Edwards

"Jemima J" by Jane Green

"Dewey" by Vicki Myron

"The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes" by Diane Chamberlain

"The Mermaid Chair" by Sue Monk Kidd

"The Friday Night Knitting Club" by Kate Jacobs

"The Year of Fog" by Michelle Richmond

"The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini

**********

Several of these books I have seen on blogs, in stores, or others who I know have been reading them. One of the Spring Reading Thing guidelines is that you can set other goals for yourself during this time. Here is mine:

As usual, I do not want to buy any of these books. I am a big supporter of our local library and buy lots and lots of books at garage sales. (okay, that is buying them but I don't pay over a dollar for one!) I lend out and borrow books all the time and want to continue this!

I will be posting again in June to let you know how I did on the challenge. Check out Callapidder Days on Friday to see what the other participants are reading.

Feel free to leave a comment if you have read any of these books and let me know what you thought!