This and That

Lindsey's birthday party is this weekend and I think I am ready. I spent this past weekend preparing. My Mom and Step-Father will be in town on Thursday as will my Grandmother. Lindsey's party for friends is Friday night and her family party is on Saturday; our traditional Spaghetti dinner.

Halloween was fun, we had a last minute costume change, but it all turned out OK. However, let me say this, I miss the days of Lindsey wanting to dress up as Minnie Mouse, Belle, Jasmine, Little Red Riding Hood, and a Cheerleader. This year she was an Aqua Fairy, still not sure about that one. It was a very tween like costume and to be quite honest, it was not a battle I wanted to fight at 3:30P on Halloween. I let her wear some black eye shadow and lipstick too. I had a weak moment people. Truthfully, she looked kinda cool. David didn't freak out as I thought he would, he just goes with the flow; another reason I *adore* him. I thought for sure when he got home from work and saw her he would just go into shock, but he didn't, he could see how excited Lindsey was with her costume choice....and so they went trick-or-treating and scored some good candy. Mallory and I hung out at the house and greeted trick-or-treaters.

OK so here is a picture of Lindsey in her costume....READY? Are you sure?

We lost the wings, just couldn't get them to cooperate:

My *Aqua Fairy* gotta love her!!!!

Happy Halloween!

Working~scrapping~being Mom

Work is busy right now. (I know I say this a lot but it really is.) Trying to finish up a project by weeks end. I spent a better part of the weekend programming at home(work) and the other part being a Mommy and wife. I am tired today.

I am co-room mother for Lindsey's class this year and we decided to put together these scrap albums for the children to scrap in throughout the year. So at the end of the school year they will have a nice keepsake to take home. I put together the album to get them started and they will add pages throughout the year. I took pictures of the children with the teacher for the cover and for the teachers album I took a picture of the class with her. I like how they turned out and I can't wait to see how the children will create their pages.

Second Grade Monkeys:




I am also finishing up Lindsey's birthday party invites. WOW she is going to be *eight*. *sniff, sniff*.

Mallory had her first taste of cereal over the weekend too. Just *Messy Cute*!

Art Calendar

Here is the finished *art calendar* I mentioned previously. I love how they turned out!

Cute Acrylic Albums

I have been seeing a lot of scrap albums using sheets of acrylic. Amazingly enough I found several sheets in my stash of stuff from a project I worked on a couple of years ago. I am going to play around with it some. They look like fun.

On another note here are a few more pictures from the weekend that I played around with in PSP.

*Fabulous* weekend

My Mother came in town for a surprise visit (a surprise for Lindsey) I love it when she is in town. We have such a good time hanging out. Saturday we decided to do some crafting, we made some really cool stuff. I also made an attempt at creating the *art calendar* I mentioned in my previous post. It was so much fun to make. I started one for myself, my Mother and of course Lindsey wanted a wall sized one too. They all turned out really cute. Pictures to follow later.

Sunday we took the girls out around town looking for cool places to photograph them. Lots of fun. Here are a couple of shots that I took, I have lots more but want to play around with them in Paint Shop Pro.

Check this out

OK, I stumbled across TracyU and her amazing art calendar journal tonight as I was reading an art blog. An *artful* twist on a daily calendar. Check it out. I am going to make one of these. It will definitely make me *happy* if I keep my daily *to do* list written on something like this. So awesome!

Dork'y

Yes I know this is a little on the *dork'y* side but I can be that way sometimes. These new Starbucks cups in our cafe' at work make me *happy* . I love the artwork on the bottom edge.

Reflecting back..

I was looking through some old photos and found these.

My how she has grown. I miss the *haircut* too. I love when we get to go to the beach. Hopefully we will get to make a trip next summer, Mallory will be walking by then. Should be fun!!! I need some beach photos with both of my girls.

Quick Weekend

Wow, the weekend is over. I do wish they were longer, I can't seem to get everything I want to do crammed into two days any more. Saturday was spent taking Lindsey to a birthday party and later in the evening a sleepover. I tell ya her social life makes mine look sad. But in all honesty I do not mind, I had time to do *things*, fly by the seat of my pants if you will, before I had the girls. It's their time now and as long as David and I get some time to go out once in a while then I am OK with that.

I got to create some *stuff* over the weekend, in between laundry and other house stuff. For the birthday party Lindsey went to I created this tag, so much fun to make.

I will be making more of these. A quick fix when I can't sit down very long to actually scrap a whole page. I also made Lindsey's teacher a little goodie for Halloween, I didn't get around to taking a picture yet. Will do that before Lindsey takes it to her tomorrow. I also started working on a collage/painting for my office at work. I really need to brighten the gray walls up some, if I have to be there then I need it to be a happy place for me to dwell.

We also had some major milestones reached over the weekend. First and foremost, Lindsey has had this *habit* since she was a toddler, I will not say what it is/was just that it has been a source of frustration for David and I to get her to stop. Nothing major but she is after all almost eight and it is time. I am EXTREMELY *happy* to report that she has made it two days, without ********. YOU GO GIRL. Lindsey also had her first *real* sewing lesson on a *real* sewing machine. She did VERY well. (it is in her blood) A fifth generation seamstress. By the end of the day she was threading her own needle. My Mother and Grandmother will be so excited.

Here she is sewing on my old sewing machine (now hers):

Mallory is doing great, she is getting to where she can roll over one way from her back to her stomach then from her stomach to her back again. She is also talking up a storm and laughing like everything is funny. She is going to be a talker for sure. She is trying so hard to sit up too, I know that is a few months away, but man she is trying so hard. She is going to be a mover and a shaker I can already tell.

Lindsey and I also got our *BOO* stuff together. I always try to do a theme and I like for it to be something that families can do together. Like last year we did cookie baskets with sugar cookie mix, a can of icing, sprinkles, and a decorating bag, something you can do together as a family. This year I went with a *Family Dinner* theme I put a chili mix, a Cajun cornbread mix, a Halloween dish towel, some Halloween cups and napkins and a couple of sweets for the children in paint cans that I altered. I try not to put stuff in the baskets that will annoy parents, like how many coloring books and crayons does one child need or candy since they will no doubt have way more than they will ever eat Halloween night. I let Lindsey pick who she wants to *boo* . When I first started this (2003 when we moved into the neighborhood) I had read about it on the Internet and thought it would be a fun way to meet the neighbors on our street, but it has since spread into the neighborhood. It is fun to drive through and see who has been *booed*. Now Lindsey likes to venture out away from our street and pick new people to *boo*. She gets a kick out of putting the stuff out, ringing the doorbell and running to get in the car before anyone sees her. I get a good laugh watching her. Anyway here is the finished product and the poem.

The Neighborhood Phantom

(you can change the name so it reads the name of your neighborhood i.e. The Normandy Meadows Phantom)

The Phantom haunts you happily from now through Halloween,and was delivered by a friend who (hopefully) was not seen.

The spirit of the neighborhood has come to wish you well,someone, somewhere, selected you to receive this happy spell.

You must display the Phantom on your door so all can spy that you're already haunted by this happy little guy.

Then fix 3 sacks with goodies like the one given to you, ring someone's bell and leave a bag and make them happy, too!

Happy Halloween!

Fill the gift bag with Halloween goodies such as pencils, silly putty, candy, juice boxes, candles, homemade pumpkin bread, or a seasonal dish towel. Put the Phantom and the poem in the goody bag, ring someones doorbell and run!

* You may only want to do this with families that you know in your neighborhood.

What the heck?

OK. I must say that I am extremely disappointed in the results of our city election. The incumbent has won yet again, meanwhile our city will surely suffer through a few more years of his non-sense. I am a little upset to say the least. I will just leave it at that.

In other news, the girls are really keeping me busy. They are passing *the crud*, as I like to call it, back and forth to one another. I am scared to slow down to much for fear that *the crud* will catch me, as it tends to do. Mallory, the poor thing, is dealing with baby eczema so she has been wearing mittens for the last few days to keep her from scratching up her face. Lots more going on too, but will not go into all that. Anybody else want to toss something my way to see how much I can handle? All while trying to work a full time job mind you (with some major deadlines). I always manage to make it all work and this should not be any different. I am looking forward to the weekend, will most likely being doing some storyboard writing this to get caught up.

I have been working on some things and will post pictures of those soon.

Productive weekend

All in all we/I had a productive weekend. I had several monogramming orders to complete and I am happy to say that I am caught up. I also listed a couple of my buckets on etsy. I am anxious to see how that goes. I also listed a couple of things on ebay, just trying to purge some unneeded items. I have several other things to list on etsy and ebay so I will be working on that this week. I need to start planning Lindsey's birthday party too, I am hoping for something low key and at the house. Will see how that goes.

Time Management...Second Grade style

OK...the one thing that I dread most in the afternoons is getting all of Lindsey's "To Dos" completed. I feel like an army drill Sargent barking out orders and confirming if things got done or not and I knew with a new baby I might overlook something. So at the beginning of the school year I created these "Time Management" cards for Lindsey. I used scraps of card stock, clip art and stickers to create the cards and then laminated them. They hang on hooks in the kitchen near where she does her homework and as she completes a card she moves it to the "completed" hook. She has until 8:30P to complete the stack of cards. On each card I gave suggestions on times to complete the task. It seems to be working well. Now all I have to say is have you started your cards or how many cards have you completed? Much easier for the both of us.

The *cards*

Scrapbooking

Below are pictures of a Paper Bag Mini Album Lindsey and I made last year for her best friend's birthday. It turned out really cute and was really fun to make.

New recipe

I have been looking for quick and easy recipes that don't take too many ingredients and a lot of time to prepare, because the afternoon rush can be overwhelming at times (esp. on Tuesdays and Thursdays). I have this thing that I must prepare a nice meal for my family every night, it is not something I want to wimp out on, like serving cereal or pb&j or whatever you can find in the pantry, not that there is anything wrong with that, I just feel like dinner time needs to be at the table and it needs to be something I have prepared. Well all of that to say that I found this recipe on Martha Stewart's Everyday Food website while browsing for recipes to try. It was really quick and easy and super *yummy*. And it can be prepared with one hand, meaning a baby in one arm and making dinner with the other. Some how Mally's feeding time happened at the same time I was trying to get dinner ready. Anyway we all got to eat a nice meal last night.


BAKED ZITI
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 ounces ziti rigate (ridged) or other short pasta
1 cup part-skim ricotta
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
1 jar (24 to 26 ounces) best-quality tomato sauce (about 3 1/2 cups)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions; drain and reserve.
2. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and half the mozzarella; season with salt and pepper.
3. In the bottom of a shallow 2-quart casserole dish, spread half the tomato sauce. Top with ziti, then ricotta mixture and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Place casserole on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until top is browned and sauce is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.

I served it with a garden salad for David and I and Lindsey had pears.

So what's for dinner tonight? Not sure yet.

Holy Cow...

Where did September go? It has been a whirlwind month, lots going on. Lots of stuff going on with the girls. Lots of decisions being made. Some things that took us by surprise. But we are still trucking along. Hubby and I quietly celebrated our 8 year anniversary yesterday. I thank God everyday and I mean *everyday* that he sent me David. I can't imagine what my life would be like without him.

It is officially Fall, but where is the Fall weather? I am waiting.

YUMMY Saturday dinner

Chicken Cobbler has become one of our favorite dishes. It was in the January 2006 issue of Southern Living magazine or on page 41 of the 2006 annual recipe cookbook.

Chicken Cobbler

6 tablespoons melted butter, divided
4 cups cubed sourdough rolls
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 medium-size sweet onions, sliced
1 (8-ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup white wine or 1 cup of Chicken Broth
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup drained and chopped jarred roasted red bell peppers
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken

Preparation
Toss 4 tablespoons melted butter with next 3 ingredients; set aside.
Sauté onions in remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat 15 minutes or until golden brown. Add mushrooms, and sauté 5 minutes.
Stir in wine or broth and next 3 ingredients; cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until bubbly. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 9-inch square baking dish; top evenly with bread mixture.
Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

This is sooo good and even better the next day.

Altered Books and Art Journals

Been playing around with creating an altered book/art journal, so much fun. No rules just pure *playing*. I love it, esp. after working all day where rules are key. Oh and it is so inexpensive, you can use a wide variety of things you have around the house or in my case scraps of past crafting/scrapbook supplies.

Here it is so far, I still have several pages to go.



I am making this for my Mom and Step-Dad. I didn't really plan to it just went that direction. I hope to have it completed in time for their anniversary in October. Oh my gosh that is only a month away. Where does the time go?

Inspired

Lindsey has been wanting to re-decorate her and Mallory's bathroom so I have been trying to think of something that would work with the yellow walls (because we really do not want to re-paint) and it hit me today. I was inspired by Mallory's outfit

The colors are *fun*. I already have a red/white gingham shower curtain that we used at our old house that I can jazz up. So after playing with ribbon and trim colors for awhile I painted this:

I guess it's OK for a first attempt, kinda funky, Lindsey likes it so I guess that is really all that matters. I will post more pictures of the *bathroom remix* once we get started. I am really sad to see the monkeys that are in her bathroom now go. Maybe I will claim them for my bathroom.

C is for *Create*

Well I have been a little busy this weekend *creating* stuff. It has been awhile since I got to sit down and just play and make stuff. Some ideas work out and others? Well trash day is on Thursdays here. Lots of stuff racing around in my head. I hope to have some things listed in my Etsy shop soon. Every artist needs an assistant right? Well my eldest was busy doing *big girl* stuff with friends; however she did spend sometime "creating" with me yesterday morning. But my junior assistant lost interest fast....

oh well she will be in the middle of things soon enough.

Have a great week and *Create* something.

Brain dump, sort of

I made these letters for the girls, right before Mallory arrived. I am thinking about adding them to my list of things to sell. Still collecting my thoughts and ideas on how to become a work-at-home Mom.....

Yes, Mallory's walls are painted a Chocolate brown, they look like big chocolate bars. Maybe that is why I start craving chocolate while feeding her in her room at night . hmmmm. Pink and brown are the colors we picked for her room. I like it.

McLovin in the house

If you like mindless humor, go see Superbad. David and I were able to go and see this over the weekend. It started out kind of crude and I was hoping I hadn't wasted $17 on a movie and a night out that doesn't come that often; but the movie got funny real fast. I haven't laughed that hard in a while. Sometimes you just need to watch a movie that makes you laugh until you are on the verge of wetting your pants.

Well, I survived

At least I think I did. Everyone was happy when I picked them up at school and daycare yesterday so that is a good thing. I was very happy to get them home as well. Work was exactly the same as when I left. Still busy. Not sure what I expected. Anyway.

I attended parent info night at Lindsey's school last night. Lots of positive things going on this year, good changes. Lindsey got the teacher she wanted (the one I wanted her to have too). Mrs. Aldinger was her teacher in Jr-Kindergarten and started teaching Second grade last year. All three of the Second grade teachers are fabulous so we would have been happy with any of them. I just love the fact that each class only has twelve students, that is just amazing. School started last Wednesday, here are a few pictures of Lindsey on her first day of Second Grade (*sniff*sniff*)

Oh and of course she spent the Monday before school started getting her backpack ready. Not that she had a ton of supplies to pack or anything (they were already purchased and waiting for her at school) no, she has to pack her hand sanitizer (*loves* the stuff) and add her key chains. Oh the key chains, by the end of the year her bag will be loaded down with them. She collects them and thinks it is cool for them to hang and rattle around on her backpack. It is her thing. I made the mistake in Kindergarten of taking a few off, it just seemed like it was weighing her down. Well she came unglued on the way to school when she realized they were gone, so I heard all about it from David after he dropped her off. I felt like a schmuck because what I thought was going to help her only upset her, so I certainly don't want to ruin her right to express herself and if it means having a hundred key chains on her backpack to do that then so be it. So what did I do that afternoon? I stopped at the store and bought her a new key chain and apologized to her and promised to let her express herself in anyway she wants as long as it is not harmful to her. Mommy lesson # 1888 or so.

*The backpack* with a couple of new key chains.

Today is the day

Well today is the day that I return to work, the day I have been dreading since laying eyes on my sweet Mallory and knowing I would get to spend the summer with Lindsey. I spent Sunday getting ready for today, making sure I had everything ready for Mally's first day of daycare. Also making sure I could fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes, which I am sad to say is a no go. Very depressing. So David took me shopping for a couple of things, and now it is time to get serious about getting the baby weight off. It was hard the first time and will probably be even harder this time, but I am committed to doing it, for me. David is so fabulous, especially since I was spontaneously bursting into tears off and on all day yesterday. He got me through it. Today will be OK. David is taking the girls to school this morning, dropping off is hard for me so I get to pick up, but I do have to be at work by 7a so it works out. Here is Mally last night, so happy.

My new challenge (well it's not really new, but I am getting serious about it): to figure out a way to make my hobby of sewing, monogramming and all other crafts that I do work for me, so I can be a Work-at-home Mom. I really loved being at home these last few months, I was super busy with the girls but I *loved* it. I am looking into opening a shop at etsy.com to sell some of my handmade stuff. I am getting a plan together and will work on getting more stuff made. (I neglected my crafting while I was pregnant unless I needed a gift for someone, so the supply is low).

We had one last vacation to Dauphin Island with some dear friends before school started and I was to return to work. We had a great time, it was hot and humid of course but who cares, we were at the beach and it was vacation. Very relaxing. Here is Lindsey doing some fishing.

Lindsey and her *BFF* Lexi:

Well I am off to get ready for work (yuck) and kiss my babies before they wake up, there is just nothing like kissing them while they sleep.

Busy week

I am finally recovering from my trip to Ohio. Well the drive to and from. All I will say is that hubby did not get to go so it was all me, with a six week old, a 74 year old and on the trip home a seven year old. All in all it was not too bad, just really exhausting. We had a great time visiting with my family, we did a whole lotta nothing, just hung out, which is what I wanted. Here are a few photos:
Lindsey was super excited to see little sister, she has never had a sharing problem until now. She does not want to share her little sister with anyone, even grandparents. hmmmm

Chris and Ashlee
Ashlee, Lindsey and Mallory

Mom and MaMa Nita

Great trip, but glad to be back home with David.