The Killer B's

Playing Catch Up!

2012-01-07T07:52:00.007-06:00

I have so many things that I need to catch up on. I'm sure I am not the only one, but I can almost bet you my list is longer. My sewing room is finally coming together. I have my washer/dryer moved to the new area with cabinets above. I have cabinets set in the sewing room and this weekend we will be installing the upper open shelving over the cabinets that my dad and uncle made. I am sure it won't take me long to fill it full of fabric once it is up and ready to go! I have to paint them first, though. My pantry is finished (well, almost). All but the flooring and molding. That is coming up soon! I have totally slacked on taking pictures as we went. My plan all along was to take before and after photos but I would get started and then I would remember after it was too late.

I was super busy before Christmas with my Etsy shop. Since this was my first Christmas with my shop I had no idea what to expect, but I was happy with it. I didn't have time to make all the Christmas gifts I wanted to make, but I did get a few done. I also didn't get Christmas cards sent out, much less purchased. Ugh. I say every year I need to start earlier but I seriously think I need to start in the summer! I made fabric monogrammed note cards for all the teachers (except the 14 year old's because he is officially too cool now) and they were a hit! I decided to list some in the shop so we will see how that goes. It is a good fabric stash buster.

I also made a wreath for my SIL that she requested. She had seen one on Pinterest and showed me at Thanksgiving. Mine turned out to be fuller than our example but I was pleased with the turnout. And she wanted a cream flower on it. I had a hard time finding one that didn't clash with the filters but I finally found one. A single Magnolia bloom was perfect! I didn't add a way to hang it because I forgot to ask where she was putting it and what she wanted. I thought it would be easier to go back and add that than to redo it. I bought the ribbon the other day....now to just get it put on!

I like it so well I may have to make one for myself! I can't remember for the life of me what size wreath this is, but for some reason I am thinking it is a 16" foam wreath. It took almost an entire 200 count package of coffee filters and a whole bunch of glue sticks! It was more time consuming than I thought it would be, but it wasn't bad at all.

Now that the holidays are over I hope to do a better job keeping you all up to date on my boring life. But don't count on it....baseball season will be starting soon and Bryson says he IS playing this year! That is 3 kids, 3 different ball fields. At least with Brayden his season will be over just as the other 2 are starting so that will help us so much! Have a great weekend everyone!

Sara

Linking up to the Funky Polkadot Giraffe's Too Cute Tuesday !
And Made By You Monday!

Hello!

2011-12-14T10:29:00.005-06:00

Wow! I can't believe I haven't posted on my blog since September! Wait, yes I can. I have been sewing and sewing and sewing. My SIL has just about giving up on me ever updating the blog, and I do have a lot to share with you all. We have been visited by an Elf this year! His name is Elfis Presley and when I get a chance to update a little more I will share him and the crazy things he is doing with you all.

But today I wanted to share with you a coupon code for the Etsy shop! This is for my blog only! Now don't you all feel special? Now through 10pm tonight enter coupon code BLOGBUDDY10 and receive 10% off in the shop.

Are you a last minute shopper? I have coffee sleeves that pair perfectly with gift cards for local gift shops for teachers! Tissue holders and book marks also make great teacher gifts and stocking stuffers. I now offer my crayon rolls in 2 different sizes....16 count and 8 count. Party packs are also available for birthday parties. Pricing is at the bottom of each crayon roll listing.

Already finished with your Christmas shopping? It's not too early to start shopping for Valentine's Day and Easter. They will be here before you know it!

Happy Shopping!
Sara

Texting With Brayden

2011-09-29T16:45:00.002-05:00

It seems like lately, when I have had time to blog, I am either posting a recipe (cause I like to eat) or a conversation with me and Bryson. So today I am going to change it up a bit and give you a glimpse into the texting life of a teenager. Just in case you don't have one (a teenager, that is) because this might work as a great form of birth control for some people. I initiated this conversation. By the time it was over I was wanting to stick a fork in my eye. I am going to copy this straight from my phone.

One thing I need to tell you first (so it will make sense when you are reading our texting conversation).....when I am getting onto the boys, mainly Blaine right now, bless his little heart, and I am getting really aggravated, Brayden has this insane way of mocking me. The first few times I died laughing and now I want to punch him right in the face. He walks like the zombies in Michael Jackson's Thriller movie and talks in a loud, deep voice saying, "I.AM.SARRRRRA!!!!"

On with the story.....

Me: "Have you heard yet when you will get school pictures taken?"

Brayden: "Which ones?"

Me: "School pictures?"

Brayden: "Which ones?"

Me: "We always called them 'school pictures'. You had them taken at school for the yearbook. Not for sports.....just school pictures like the ones hanging in the hallway.

Brayden: "Okay. Fall or Christmas?"

Me: "Are you kidding me?!? Have you had any pictures taken at school that you DID NOT bring a form to ME for?"

Brayden: "Yeah. I didn't know u wanted the form. I didn't give dad any either.

Me again: "I.AM.SARA!!! That is how that last text should read ;)"

Brayden: "I could tell."

Me: "Have I ever NOT wanted your school pictures??? They are hanging down the hall, I put another in your baby albums and all our family gets one?!? What planet are you living on?"

Brayden: "Not this one."

And yes this would have been easier if we just talked instead of text, but another thing you will learn about teenagers (maybe it's just mine....a little input would be nice here) they will let their cell phones ring, but as soon as it vibrates for a text, they can't get it out of their pockets fast enough.

Sara

Labor Day Sale

2011-09-03T07:06:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone is having a great Labor Day weekend so far! I put 3 1/2 cans of primer in my new addition yesterday and will be priming the kitchen today. I don't know if I am going to be able to do as much today. I am sore!

Now through September 5Th, please enjoy 10% off in the shop by entering LABORDAY10 in the coupon code box during checkout. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Sara

Conversations With Bryson

2011-08-31T16:17:00.003-05:00

Bryson just came up to me not really crying, just whining, and said, "I have a boo boo on my earbow!"

"Do you mean elbow?"

"Yeah. My earbow."

Sniff, sniff.

Sunday Stash #2

2011-08-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

I had a customer last week ask me to make her a crayon roll out of cowgirl fabrics. She sent me links to the fabrics she liked and I ordered them. When I got them in, I washed, dried and ironed them. Then I started to cut it, and I didn't think it matched. I pulled back up the site I purchased it from because the brown spots looked black. I thought maybe I had ordered the wrong thing. I did notice that I had ordered from 2 different collections. I had ordered it correctly and it was all from the same designer, which means you can order from different collections and they will usually all go together somehow, someway. But this one didn't. So I messaged the customer to tell her I didn't think it matched and I sent her links to some others that would go with the fabrics she had already picked out. She requested a photo of them together and thought it was really cute. So I went ahead and made it and it mailed out a few days ago. I hope she likes it! But since I am so picky about things matching exactly, I went back and ordered the other fabrics that went with the one. The animal print collection is on back order, so when it comes back out in October I will purchase one to go with it so it doesn't go to waste.

This is another I was so excited to get. With boys you have cars, bugs and dinos. Pirate stuff is popular and I really liked this one. In fact, I was so excited that I didn't enlarge the photo so I could see the measuring tape next to it to see how big that print really is! I made a pencil pouch out of it and got a lot of the print on it, but I think it is a little big for a crayon roll. It had another with Jolly Rogers all over but smaller I think I will go back and order.

A few fabrics in a pin dot. They were on sale and I had a coupon so that was nice! These are great for all kinds of sewing projects and are gender neutral. Well, except the pink.

And last but not least, another one that was on sale but was still a little more because it is organic cotton, but I really liked the print so I only got 1/2 yard of each. I forgot to take a photo of it before I started cutting. I guess I was too excited! Here is what I made out of it. There would have been one more crayon roll, except I cut it 1/2 in. too short so the remaining fabric got thrown into the scrap pile. Don't worry! It won't go to waste...I will use it later! These have already been listed in my Etsy shop!

Happy Sunday!

Sara

It Ain't Food Network....But They Eat It, Tuesday!

2011-08-23T06:00:00.001-05:00

This is something that my entire family will eat. I don't get to say that very often and too bad it isn't a meal. It makes a good snack or breakfast drink. This serves 1. In other words, a big glass for me and a small one for Bryson. If I make it for all of us sometimes I double or even triple it, depending on if it is being enjoyed for a snack or a drink with a meal. The kids don't drink quite as much as me and Stephen. I think you get the idea :)

Blueberry Smoothies

1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup fat free, vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup pineapple juice (can substitute with orange juice)
1 ripe banana
handful of fresh spinach leaves

Throw all that into the blender and blend until all the spinach leaves "disappear". That will eliminate most of the whining. My kids only seem to taste the spinach if they can see it. I can't taste it at all. If you do, next time don't add so much. Pretty simple and a good way to use up almost too ripe bananas and get some more greens into your (and theirs!) diets!

Sunday Stash #1

2011-08-21T06:00:00.001-05:00

I follow a blog of a lady that makes some of the coolest quilts I have ever seen. Her blog is called Red Pepper Quilts and she is in Melbourne, Australia. Each Sunday she does a blog post called Sunday Stash and shows the fabrics she has just received in the mail. I drool over her blog! She uses fabrics I would never have thought to use and uses them in ways I would have never thought of either! Each quilt she has posted is beautiful, to say the least. So I have decided to totally copy her and do a Sunday Stash post on Sundays. Mine won't be as frequent as hers are, as I don't go through the volume of fabric she does. But I thought it would be something fun and different.

The car fabrics with the coordinating dot fabric is from a line called Monkey's Bizness, designed for Alexander Henry. This has been one of my favorite boy fabrics so far. The first time I bought it I bought the bottom two and only got a 1/2 yard of each. Big Mistake! I have had a lot of requests for crayon rolls in that fabric. I was able to make 3 out of what I had purchased and when I went back to get more, they had sold out. I was having to tell people left and right that I couldn't get it anymore....even from other Etsy shops that sell fabric! Then the fabric site I buy from the most restocked it and it was on sale! Woo hoo! So I bought a yard of each of those plus the green. I was afraid if I bought more I would jinx myself and they wouldn't sell.

The fruit fabrics are from a line called Fruit Punch. I thought they would be cute as bibs and maybe some coordinating burp clothes? I haven't cut into them yet, so we shall see. I already had some of the strawberry print and made a crayon roll with a green and pink polka dot pocket. It turned out cute and has already sold. I need to make another one!

My sewing room was sheet rocked yesterday and next week we will have the guy who is finishing it here each day working on the finishing. Then maybe by next weekend I can paint! I had to box up all my sewing supplies (again!) and now it is in the boys' room. They aren't here this weekend and boy are they going to be surprised when they get home :) It won't be for long, though.

Everyone have a great Sunday afternoon!

Sara

Conversations With Bryson

2011-08-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Saturday afternoon we stopped by Publix for a few items. Bryson wanted doughnuts. They were the stale Krispy Kreme's. Don't get me wrong, I love Krispy Kreme Doughnuts! But they looked like they had been there awhile so I told him later that night we would go into town, watch them make them and get a doughnut. He didn't quite like that idea and Stephen ended up having to take him out of the store kicking and screaming while I got into line. By this point I was acting like didn't know him as I watched them head to the car with Bryson thrown over Stephen's shoulder. I noticed people looking and I think they were trying to decide if he was being abducted.

Sunday afternoon Stephen was to lead singing at the church service at the nursing home where is Grandmother lives. I told Bryson if he could sit still and be quiet like in our regular church service he would get a treat.

"Krispy Kreme doughnuts?!?" He asked.

I told him that would be fine but he had to earn it. So we went, and of course, they weren't making any, but he didn't care. He seemed very surprised that the place smelt like doughnuts. I'm not sure exactly what he was thinking it would smell like. We went home and he started eating his doughnut he picked out. It was a little much for him so he told me he was finished but told me NOT to throw it away.

Me: "I won't. Just put it back in the box."

Bryson: "Can you say please?!?"

Me: "Bryson, can you put your doughnut back in the box and save it for later....please?

Bryson: "Now was that so hard?"

He cracks me up.

Sara

Pencil Pouches

2011-08-16T08:43:00.010-05:00

One of my goals this summer was to make some pencil pouches for my boys. Of course, they didn't know this so it was a surprise. I had all summer to make them, and I bought fabric on Friday, washed it on Saturday, and didn't get them made until Sunday. The day before school started!

They were pleasantly surprised when they saw them, as they are BIG Alabama fans. I asked them if their friends liked them and they said, "Yeah! Well, all of them except the Auburn fans!"

I also made one for a friend's daughter out of the Groovy Guitar fabric by Michael Miller with black and gray ta dot fabric on the inside. It turned out cute. I think she liked it. But I forgot to take a picture of it :(

This week I will be linking up to:

Made By You Monday
Too Cute Tuesday
Creative Blogger's Party Hop

Fabric Flowers

2011-08-12T12:00:00.004-05:00

Fabric Flowers

Here is something I worked on yesterday.

Ghosts and Pumpkins

candy corn and stripes

black cats and googly eyes

I have so many scraps of fabric that I am trying to use. Most of them I save for quilts, but I didn't really want to put Halloween fabrics in quilts with other fabrics, so I thought I would try making hair clips and maybe some pins with the fabric left over from this. All I need to do now is add hair clips/pins to the back and they will be finished! I think I like the black cat one the best. Which one is your favorite?

Linking to Too Cute Tuesday at the Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, Made By You Monday at Skip to My Lou and Homemaker on a Dime's Creative Blogger's Party Hop!

Sara

Bryson's 1st Day of PreSchool

2011-08-11T22:00:00.000-05:00

This is a long post because I squished 3 days into one post. Sorry! It is the first time I have had a chance to sit down and type this all out, but these are things I want to be able to look back and remember.

Monday was my baby's first day of pre-school! I can't believe he is big enough for school.

Friday was "meet the teacher" day. He was excited to go, but as soon as he got there, he wouldn't let go of my hand. And Bryson has NEVER liked to hold any one's hand. We walked to his room and his face immediately went into my leg when the teacher looked at him. She gave him his tote bag with his name on it. She told him she had put a surprise in there and he was trying not to look interested but peeked a little. I showed him around the room while she greeted other students. I showed him the behavior chart and how his frog needed to stay on the good lily pad. Then the birthday chart. And the "duty" chart which he heard as "doodie" chart and giggled under his breath. Boys. He pointed at the "Books of the Bible" chart and asked what it was. When I told him it was the books of the Bible like he sings in Bible class, he held back a grin. His teacher told him he could sit down and she asked him what he liked to play with.

"You tell her what I like to play with." He whispered.

"If I have to talk for you I'm gonna tell her Barbie's." I told him.

He mumbled to her that he liked cars and trains so she gave him some cars to play with. Snacks were delivered and she offered him a cookie and some lemonade. He perked up then because this little boy loves lemonade!

"Do we get cookies and lemonade everyday?" He whispered to me again.

"I don't know about cookies and lemonade, but you will get a snack everyday!" I replied.

He thought for a few seconds and said, "That's a lot of boxes of cookies."

Another little boy came in and I encouraged Bryson to see if the other boy would like to play cars with him. The other boy heard me and came and played, but of course, neither would speak to each other.

"Can I have some more lemonade?" In a whisper, of course!

"Ask your teacher if you can have some more."

"You."

She heard him and offered some more lemonade. He just nodded. After he finished his snack I asked him to put the cars away and we got ready to leave. He quietly told his teacher bye and we left. When we were walking out of the building he looked at me and said, "That was the bestest lemonade EBBER!"

I woke him up Monday morning and went to fix his breakfast. I turned around and he was standing behind me dressed and ready to put on his shoes. He didn't eat much breakfast, but it was early for him and I am sure he had a queasy tummy. I told him it wouldn't be long after he got there that he would have snack so it was okay if he couldn't eat much. I reminded him to go to the bathroom when they had bathroom breaks. I told him he didn't want to have an accident on the playground if he got too busy playing.

He giggled and said, "I won't get to busy!"

I told him, "You might. Blaine did."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Blaine peed his pants on the playground?!?"

I corrected him, "No. Blaine POOPED on the playground."

"WHAT?!?"

"YES! So if you have to go to the bathroom while you are playing be sure and tell your teacher."

We got to school and he left his blanket and tissue in his car seat, and went right to class. His teacher took our picture together and he hugged and kissed me bye. He didn't even cry!

When I went to pick him up he was excited to see me. I was ready to talk and started asking him questions. He got in his seat and saw his blanket and tissue and immediately started sucking his thumb. I needed to go by Target because we were out of trash bags and coffee. I needed him to stay awake so I kept trying to get him to talk. He was getting aggravated with me. I knew if I brought up the lemonade he would talk.

"Did you have lemonade for snack today?", I asked.

"NO!!! We had stupid apple juice!!!", He yelled.

"What did you have for lunch?"

"I don't know"

"Was it good?"

"I don't want to talk right now."

Meaning "I can't talk with my thumb in my mouth! "

The next day I called the office because I couldn't remember if I had paid the first month when I registered or if I had just paid a registration fee. The lady that answered told me she was going around introducing herself to the kids and trying to learn their names. She told Bryson that she was there when Blaine was in Preschool.

Bryson said, "Did he POOP his pants?"

Poor Blaine. Bryson is never going to forget that.

Sara

Love This!

2011-08-11T09:04:00.001-05:00

I would LOVE to do something like this! Except I never find a shirt (well, two shirts ) cheap enough to cut up. I think I will start looking now!

Sara

Today Is The Day

2011-08-08T06:54:00.002-05:00

Today is the day that my littlest one goes to pre-school. I am sad that all my kids are growing up so fast, but I am excited that he will be on a better schedule. This poor kid went from the delivery room to the baseball field. He does well since that is all he knows....go, go, go. He has gotten to the point that he only naps "accidentally" in the car and it is always later so he stays up later. Now he will have to get up earlier, nap earlier "accidentally" in the car on the way home, and hopefully go to bed earlier! And for that I am excited!

I did warn the teacher at orientation that since he has big brothers she will probably need to put me on speed dial. If there is even such a thing anymore :)

Time to wake up the boy! Praying he wakes up excited and has a great first day!

Sara

Is It Fall Yet?

2011-08-04T09:00:00.005-05:00

So most people that know me know that fall is my favorite season. Not only is fall my favorite, I do not like summer. Do. Not. Like. It. I am so happy to see fall and Halloween fabric in the fabric stores! I was just giddy when I was looking for some the other day. There were so many decisions. I decided on 5 and made a Halloween Fabric Pennant.

I think my favorite fabric of these 5 are the googly eyeballs (2ND from the right). I have some scraps left, so I think I will make some fabric flowers from it like I did here, and make them hair clips? Not sure yet. We shall see!

I am linking up to Made By You Monday and Too Cute Tuesday. Go look at all the crafting and baking fun!

Conversations With Bryson

2011-08-04T08:43:00.003-05:00

This week we have started getting the kids to bed earlier to try to get them on their school schedule. Especially Bryson, who starts pre-k Monday and is a night owl. The first couple of days went well. Then we got home last night from church a little later than I wanted to. So, of course, he needed a snack. He didn't eat supper very well because he had eaten a later lunch. I got him a granola bar and he was piddling around eating it. I reminded him he had to get to bed so when he gets up for school next week he will be nice and have lots of fun.

He looks at me and says, "Ya know, I AM pretty cute."

I had to agree that he is pretty cute. But I also told him when he is tired, grumpy and whines like a baby, he isn't as cute, so he needed to go to bed. He agreed and headed that way! He is very excited about school! I hope he is still excited after the first week of getting up early.

3 Years

2011-08-01T07:52:00.002-05:00

I just happened to look back and see when my first blog post was, and wouldn't ya know, today is my 3 year blog anniversary! So how about an anniversary sale in the Etsy shop today!

All day get 10% off your entire purchase. Enter "ANNIVERSARY" in the coupon code box when checking out. Share with your friends and family! Get a jump on Christmas!

Sara

Conversations

2011-07-28T09:30:00.000-05:00

This is the conversation I overheard this morning between Brayden and Bryson. Brayden was in the bathroom shaving and Bryson was keeping him company. You just never know when a big brother might need your help!

Brayden: "Oh man. I hate when I do that."

Bryson: "What, Brayden?"

Brayden: "I hate it when I get too much shaving cream."

Bryson: "I use A LOT more shaving cream than you Brayden. Cause I have A LOT more "hear" than you do!"

Conversations With Bryson

2011-07-25T22:45:00.004-05:00

This morning I was getting ready for work and Bryson looked at me as serious as can be and said, "Mom, do you wear the Genie Bra?"

Yes. That is what my 4 year old asked me.

Me: "What is that?"

Bryson: "It's a bra!" (duh)

Me: "Where in the world have you heard about the Genie Bra?!?"

Bryson: "TV!"

I guess he has been watching infomercials?

Sara

Christmas in July

2011-07-24T00:01:00.000-05:00

Have you realized how quickly Christmas is approaching? We are half way there, and I know a lot of people shop early so we are having a Christmas in July sale in the shop the 24Th and 25Th! Use coupon code XMASNJULY for 25% off your entire purchase! Happy Shopping!

Sara

It Ain't Food Network......But They Eat It, Tuesday!

2011-07-19T22:00:00.005-05:00

This really shouldn't be called a recipe. But I thought I would share it with you anyway. Most people that I talk to have never heard of eating this, but we grew up on this at my house!

Grilled PB&J

Peanut Butter
Jelly, Jam or Preserves of your choice
Bread
Butter

This is just like making a grilled cheese sandwich. Except leave off the cheese, because that would be nasty. Make yourself a PB&J like you normally would. Now, I hope you do know that there are ways to make a PB&J and ways NOT to make a PB&J. You should always put the peanut butter on one side and the jelly on the other. And spread it to the edges....not just in the middle. I have seen people before put the peanut butter and the jelly on the same slice of bread, and let me just tell ya now, that is just plain wrong. Or mix it together and then spread it on. OH the horror! Smack them together and put butter on the top. Put it in a skillet, butter side down, and then butter the side that is up. Grill it until it is the color you like, then flip.

If you are making this for your kid and you get it too done on one side, don't brown the second side so dark and you can serve that side up and they will never know! Works every time!

This sandwich is so ooey gooey good. It makes me feel bad for Brayden that he is allergic to peanut butter. It is almost as good as a goop sandwich. We may have to do that one next week!

Enjoy!
Sara

Lately......

2011-07-18T07:37:00.016-05:00

My last couple of weeks have been pretty busy. I have gotten a few things made.....

24 pip squeak rolls for a 4 year old's birthday party. These were the party favors. 14 girls, 5 boys, and 5 gender neutral....they hold 5 skinny pip squeak markers each.

Fabric flowers in pink and purple (not sure why they are sideways, sorry!).............for a Fancy Nancy inspired birthday cape. With 3 boys I had never heard of Fancy Nancy. The mother had to explain.

2 sets of chenille backed burp cloths in All Star 2 fabric, one of my favorite boy fabrics!

2 crayon rolls that hold 24 twistable crayons each, with sweet little orange flower buttons.....

and zippered flat bottom pouches to match, for a childhood friend's little girls.

And then there were the 4 days of VBS at church. And one tired little boy who isn't so sure about this getting up early stuff.

And to tell you how out of it he really is.....

......he is asleep with clothes on AND has dropped the tissue! What I thought was so funny was how his foot is up by his head. He was one tired little boy!

Sara

9 More Days

2011-07-17T07:40:00.002-05:00

Only 9 more days to enter to win a crayon roll of your choice from my Etsy shop! Christmas is just around the corner (you know it's true!). These make great stocking stuffers! Go here now, make a comment and tell which one you would pick if you win. It tells other ways to enter so check it out so you can enter more than once!

Sara

The Day Blaine Almost Died

2011-07-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

Blaine is my middle child who seems to get hurt more than the others. He is the dare devil child who anytime I tell him not to do something (like "play in the street because you might get run over by a car") has to try it out to make sure I was right. Or to prove me wrong, is more like it. I can honestly say that I am very surprised he has not had to have stitches or a cast. Knock on wood. But the day Blaine almost died was not because of a careless accident like you would think. He almost lost his life because he almost gave his mother a heart attack.

It's been about 6 weeks since this "little incident" happened. I have failed to tell about it here because at first I was so mad. Then I forgot. If I remember correctly, it was a Wednesday night and Stephen had taken Bryson to church. I was home with the older two because they had been running a fever and complaining of sore throats, both were coughing and Brayden's ears were hurting. Brayden ended up having a double ear infection and walking pneumonia. Blaine had a cold and needed a stronger decongestant. So I stayed home with them and it wasn't long before I threatening them that they better start acting sick or I was going to put them to work. They were fighting and picking at each other all day. So since they were feeling so well, they got to pick up there rooms and put away their clean clothes, and so on.

I was getting some things done. I had just mopped the kitchen floor and finished a few loads of clothes. I went to the kitchen to unload the dishwasher and load a few things back in. I turned on the faucet to rinse a plate and water starting going everywhere! I had a cookie sheet in the sink and at first I thought the water was reflecting off of it so I turned my head and picked up the cookie sheet at the same time. The water didn't stop so I turn to look and realize it is coming from the sprayer. I turned off the water quickly and I see it.

A rubber band.

By this time I am soaked and I am furious.

I started screaming, "Who did this?!?"

I stomped into the living room where Brayden was playing the Playstation. He doesn't say a word....just shakes his head and points to the other room where Blaine is. I stomped back to Blaine and he (the poor kid) was on the phone and I snatched it from him and hung up on whoever he was talking to. I know...complete and total over reaction, which I apologized for and explained why to him later. (He picked that one day that wasn't a good day to do something like this.) I marched him to the kitchen and began explaining to him loudly how I had just finished mopping the floor and now he was going to get to clean it all up. Then I told him I know he got it from America's Funniest Videos and how everyone in the house was banned from ever watching it again! While he was cleaning and I was preaching, Stephen and Bryson walked in from church and they just stood there.

Bryson turned to Stephen and said, "Blaine's in trouble again."

All poor little Blaine kept saying was, "It was just a joke."

But he said it with a snotty, huffy attitude accompanied by eye rolls that would make his Aunt Rachael proud, which made me even more mad! I sent everyone to bed so I could finish up everything and lower my blood pressure. No, I don't have blood pressure problems, but I felt like I was going to explode after that. I ended up staying up late searching the internet for a practical joke to pull on him.

I could put Saran Wrap over their bedroom door so they would run into it when they got up in the morning. Fire hazard.

I could duct tape them into their room. Still a fire hazard.

I could put Saran Wrap around the toilet under the seat so they won't see it. They can't hit the toilet anyway so how will that be any different than any other day?

I could wake them up in the middle of the night and make them think they were late for school. It's summer break, we have no where to be that early and I am too lazy.

I could poor cold water over the shower curtain when they are showering. They know how to pick the lock to my bathroom, too.

I found one that I thought was really good and wouldn't make a bigger mess for me to clean up. Snap 'n' Pops. Under the toilet seat. So when he sits down to do his business he will almost have a heart attack like me and then I can video when he comes running out of the bathroom. Then when he complains about being bored, I can say, "Let's watch that video of when I put Snap 'n' Pops under the toilet seat!"

Now if I can only figure out how to do it so it happens to Blaine and not one of the other boys. Or me. And if I can only figure out his "schedule". Hmmm.......

Sara

Today Is the Big Day!

2011-07-12T15:30:00.000-05:00

I mentioned back a few weeks ago here that a blog was hosting a bunch of giveaways and was including one of my crayon rolls. Well, today is the big day! If you would like to enter to win a crayon roll of your choice, go here and get in on the fun! She is also giving away items from other Etsy shops so take a look around and see what else you can win! Good Luck!

If you don't want to wait until the drawing (or you are a loser, ha ha) you can also enter a coupon code when checking out and receive 10% off your purchase. Coupon code is REVIEW611. Coupon code will be good through July 31st.

Sara

Why I'm Up So Late

2011-07-11T00:14:00.005-05:00

Two sets of burp clothes......

And a Fancy Nancy inspired cape.....
These are the fabric flowers that are waiting to be attached to the cape when the glue on them is dry. The cape fabric is the same as the covered buttons in the middle. Sparkly purple.
I'll post pictures of the finished product, hopefully tomorrow!

Sara

Slippin' And Slidin'

2011-07-09T19:51:00.015-05:00

Gran got the boys a slip 'n' slide this past week and it was a hit! With the younger two boys and the neighbors, anyway. When Brayden came out with his swim trunks on and saw all the "little" kids he decided to go back in. Here are some of the pictures I took while trying not to get wet!

Bryson
Blaine
Justin and Tommy
Bryson
Blaine
Bryson
Tommy
Blaine
Justin

I thought I was doing a good job of getting the same amount of pictures of everyone, but now that I am looking at them I see I didn't! They were going down it so fast it all became a big blur. But they sure did enjoy it!

Sara

It Ain't Food Network......But They Eat It, Tuesday!

2011-07-05T23:45:00.003-05:00

This is a recipe that a lady brought to work for a pitch-in when I worked at the bank. I thought it was so good and what is even better is it is so easy! It doesn't really have a name so I am making up one.

Not Too Spicy Shredded Roast Beef Sandwiches

Roast, pretty much any size and any cut
1 Jar of Pepperoncini peppers, sliced (as far as I know there is only one size and you find them in the pickle aisle)

Okay, here is where it gets hard. Get out your crock pot. Rinse your meat like you normally would. Put it in the crock pot. Now take the peppers and dump them in, juice and all. Turn on the crock pot on low and cook for 6-8 hours. Or on high 4-5 hours. Then take 2 forks and pull the meat apart to shred it. Serve on buns (or another favorite bread) or eat with no bread. This stuff is even better the second day. It's not too spicy but has just enough flavor. My mom ate it last night so it can't be too hot. She's a sissy.

Surprise Sale!!!

2011-07-01T22:47:00.005-05:00

Hello Friends!

Now through Midnight (Central time) July 4Th, all items in my Etsy shop are 25% off! When you get to the checkout screen, before you click how you will pay, enter into the coupon code box "FREEDOM25". All caps! This is for items already made.

Happy Shopping!

Sara

Friday Fun

2011-07-01T16:37:00.006-05:00

Today the boys went outside to make water balloons. They had been waiting for the masons to finish the brick work and not long after they had their trucks loaded up and gone, the boys were outside. As soon as they got a bucket full filled with water balloons, someone else came to work for awhile on the addition. He had a saw and was cutting metal pieces of trim so they didn't need to be out there. So I decided to look up online how to make homemade play dough! It was a hit! There were several different recipes to choose from so I went with what I knew I had ingredients to make. After I finished cooking it (don't worry, it doesn't take long!) I set it aside to cool. Then I went outside in the driveway and set up the folding table. I covered it with waxed paper and taped it down. Then I went to get plastic gloves for them to wear so the food coloring wouldn't stain their hands. Oops. We didn't have any so I made them wear sandwich baggies on their hands! I thought that was very creative but they had a lot of stupid comments to share. But they lived. Every time a car went by they would hide their hands.

After the play dough was cool enough to handle I took it outside and added the food coloring. The boys squished and squeezed but the color wasn't mixing to well. I showed them how to knead the play dough like you would knead bread. That worked the best! Brayden didn't play for very long but he helped color the dough. I think he just came out to see how we were going to get that blob of "mashed potatoes" turned into play dough. After Bryson finished adding his color he made a few things and then was done. Blaine played until he got sent to his room for his attitude. But all in all they had fun while it lasted. And now we can put them in a plastic container to play with later! I made green (of course), Blaine made red, Bryson made blue and so did Brayden. When I noticed Brayden was making the same as Bryson I had him add red to make purple. We didn't need two of the same but for some reason I couldn't get anyone else to understand that!

Here is some of the conversations that went on while we were playing:

Me: "Bryson! That Stegosaurus looks awesome! Is it laying down asleep?"

Bryson: "Ummmm.......that's not a Stegosaurus. It's a Mohawk."
-------------------------

This was when Blaine was adding color to his. We made a divot in the middle so the color wouldn't run down the sides.

Blaine: "Look! I picked a scab!"

Me: "Blaine. Your nasty."

----------------------------

Brayden: "Don't take my picture."

--------------------------------

Brayden: "Can I eat this?"

Me: "You sure can! But it won't taste good."

-----later-----

Brayden: "Mom, did I tell you I tasted the play dough?"

Me: "No."

Brayden: "Yeah. It was nasty."

-----------------------------------
I hope everyone has a fun and safe long weekend!

Sara

It Ain't Food Network, But They Eat It....Tuesday!

2011-06-28T12:11:00.006-05:00

Last week when the boys were home from their dad's house, I decided we would try to make a treat together. Notice the word try. It ended up being a "everybody get out from under my feet....I'll call you when it's done" kind of treat. But it was good! It only has 3 (maybe 4) ingredients.

Oreo Truffles

1 package oreos (I used double stuffed because that's our favorite)

1~8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened (I used regular...might try 1/3 fat next time)

2-3 cups chocolate chips (the kind you make chocolate chip cookies with)

1 tsp. Crisco (I found a few recipes on line that said to use this and some didn't....I guess it makes the chocolate chips melt smoother?)

I put a row of each of the Oreo's into Ziploc bags...one for each kid. Even Brayden got in on the action. They crunched and crunched until I stopped them because I was afraid they were going to bust the bags. Then I mixed with the mixer the cookie crumbs with the cream cheese. Once this was mixed well, I put the chocolate and Crisco into a Pyrex bowl and sat it on top of a saucepan that had a couple inches of water. I let the water simmer (not boil) and started stirring as the chocolate started to melt. This is something else I thought the little boys could help with but they started fighting over it and I was afraid they would get burned or knock it off the stove. By this point Brayden was in his room playing his guitar.

And that method of melting the chocolate is an improvised double boiler, by the way.

Now onto mistake number 3....maybe 4 now. I started rolling them into 1 inch balls. Some recipes said to freeze it before and some after this step. I was in a hurry so I started rolling and then went ahead and rushed onto the next step of dropping it and covering it with chocolate. Not sure what mistake count I am up to now, but they melted and fell apart in the chocolate, so onto plan D now, I think.

Just put the whole stupid bowl in the freezer at this point for an hour and go play games.

After the timer goes off (yes, set a timer because you will forget) turn your improvised double boiler back on to make sure the chocolate is melted well enough. Now make small balls out of the cookie and cream cheese mixture, roll in chocolate quickly, and put on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Pop them back in the freezer and play some more games for about 30 minutes and they will be done!

I'm sure that was all confusing so let's recap:
Mix Oreo's with cream cheese. Freeze. Roll into balls. Dip in melted chocolate. Freeze. Eat.

I didn't think to take photos of these since we were in a hurry. The boys had to be back at their dad's house for visitation and I had craft night with the girls. Maybe the next time I make them I will remember to take a picture.

But don't count on it.

Can You Believe It?

2011-06-24T08:00:00.007-05:00

Do you see this? Yeah. That's me. I am so excited I can't stand it! I won fabric! Woo hoo! I have been wanting to make something with vintage sheets but I was waiting until my crafting area is finished to start trying to collect some. These that I won are already cut for me so all I have to do is sew them together! Can't wait!

I have nothing to post this week that I have made :( My machine needed a little time in the shop for a tune~up. They are kinda like cars in that way. I guess I have been using it too much! I do have plans to finish a few projects in the next few days so hopefully I will have some things to post later. And tonight is craft night with my friends! I think I am going to work on my solid circle quilt that I started a year or so ago. Like Roman's quilt only made with all different solids....and bigger!

This is the month that the boys go to their dad's house. You would think I would be able to get a lot done, but last night was the first night that we ate dinner at home since the last time I cooked for them when they were home! I always have big hopes of cleaning out a closet or toy box here or there when they are gone but never seem to get things done like I want. I don't get it. I have 2 less people to take care of, a lot less laundry to wash and smaller meals to make but I seem busier. I guess that is a good thing seeing how this is a really hard month for me.

It's a long story.....

I just took two loaves of banana bread out of the oven so I better get it cut and buttered before the boys eat it out of the pans! Have a great weekend!

Sara

Fabric Pennants

2011-06-20T22:17:00.007-05:00

I keep seeing the cutest pennants everywhere. My momma taught me long ago to see something and say, "I bet I can make that!" So I decided I would try one for the 4Th of July and I love the way it turned out.

I'm not sure where I am going to use it yet, so I went ahead and made it double sided so I don't have to worry about having to cover up the back. I used a rotary cutter with a pinking edge to cut the flags. I almost didn't do that but I am glad I did. And I can use it for Memorial Day and Veterans Day, too! Now I can't wait to make one for Halloween and Christmas :)

This week I will be linking up to Made By You Monday over at Skip to My Lou, Too Cute Tuesday at the Funky Polka Dot Giraffe and Making the World Cuter. All of these have great crafts and recipes to see! Check them out!

Sara

Gift Card Holders

2011-06-13T08:27:00.008-05:00

This past week was my MIL's birthday. She is a hard person to buy for! Me and my husband were discussing what to get her and it always ends up with a "We've already done that" or "I don't think she would like that". She is a school teacher and spends much of her summer reading. Her and the ladies she works with trade books a lot so she always has a lot of reading to do for the summer. But we got to thinking that maybe there was something she might want to read that she hasn't been able to borrow. We decided to get her a gift card to Books-A-Million. I always hate giving gift cards (although I love to get them!) because I am always afraid the receiver will think that is a cop out for getting them something. But in my opinion, they are the right size and color, and you can get exactly what you want!

So to make it a little more personable, cute and not so "all I got you was a gift card", I made a gift card holder out of my scrap stash.

I was pretty happy about the way it turned out. I love the bright colors! And it is something that she can reuse! I think I may tackle some more of my scraps and have a few on hand for last minute gifts. Wanna make one? Here is where I found it! Love that blog.

Today I am linking up to Made By You Monday over at Skip to My Lou. Go take a peek at all the fun stuff people are making and get some ideas!

Also linking up on Tuesday at Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, 20 Minute Tuesday and Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story! Lots of fun stuff!

Sara

Conversations With Bryson

2011-06-10T12:46:00.003-05:00

We were getting ready today to go run errands. I asked Bryson to get dressed, brush his teeth and fix his crazy hair. He took off and got everything done without being asked again. (Maybe I should let the big brothers read this.) He came back to show me his teeth and how good he brushed.

Bryson: "See my teeth?"

Me: "They look good!"

Bryson: "I washed my hands too! Smell!"

This always scares me because I am scared of where they have been. It's a boy thing.

Me: "Mmmmm. They smell good."

I did notice they didn't quite smell like the Bath and Body Works soap in his bathroom, though. He must have noticed by the look on my face. Before I could ask he started to explain.

Bryson: "I washed them with mouth soap."

Me: "You washed your hands with toothpaste?!?"

Bryson: "No. Mouth soap."

Me: "You washed your hands with mouth wash?!? How did you get it open? Did you drink any?!? Where did you find it?!?"

Panic starts setting in. There for awhile the Poison Control Center was getting to know us a little too well.

Bryson: "No. With mouth. soap."

Me: "Do you mean the white bar soap that I wash your mouth out with when you say ugly words?"

Bryson: "Yes!"

I get it now. The Ivory soap that I leave next to the sink as a reminder to all the boys that came in a pack of 3. One for each of them.

Sara

Boys Are Gross

2011-06-09T01:07:00.004-05:00

I have said it before, and I will say it again.....

Boys are GROSS!

The other day Bryson asked his daddy to put a train track together for him. It has been a couple of months since he has played with his trains. He has been on a Hot Wheels kick for a little while. His train tracks are sorted out in plastic tubs under his bed. Stephen put one together for him and left the plastic tub out. When I went in last night to put some clean clothes away, I went to slide the tub back under his bed to get it out of the way.

Let me explain a little first. Bryson is a snot head. Big time. I even call him that sometimes. I carry tissue around all the time because he sneezes so much. He was the inspiration behind the tissue holders I started sewing.

Several weeks ago I was putting him to bed. He reached over in the corner (he keeps a box up by his pillow in the corner against the wall) and grabbed a tissue. He blew his nose and before I could take it from him, he threw it behind the bed. This bed is not just any bed. It is the top bunk that went to Brayden and Blaine's bedroom set at one time. It is heavy. It takes me and Stephen both to move it. So when he threw that down there I explained that he couldn't do that because I couldn't get it out. I explained about how germy it is and all the nasty stuff growing there. He said okay and that was the end of that. Well, apparently he blows his nose in the middle of the night and has been throwing them down there ever since.

I just about threw up in my mouth. This is what I found.

I told him to go find his grabber. He was cleaning up all of it. He was so excited to get to use the grabber.
See how happy he looks? It didn't last long before I had to crawl under there and help. And that is when I found a half eaten bag of jelly beans and an open can of smokehouse almonds.

Why am I telling gross stories like this, you may wonder? Because one day they will have a girlfriend and I think it would be wonderful to let her read how weird her boyfriend may be. Just like his bother Blaine here, or his brother Brayden, here.

You just wait. Their time is coming....

Sara

Conversations With Blaine

2011-06-06T17:37:00.002-05:00

I repeat myself a lot around here. Waaaay too much, in fact. One thing I am always telling the boys is, "Don't put your cleats on in the house!" Blaine was getting ready for practice tonight and I look over at him. He is sitting in the living room putting on his cleats.

I said, "Don't put your cleats on in the house!"

Blaine says back to me, "Why? I always put my cleats on in the house."

I begin explaining to him (again), "I know you do! And I always tell you not to!"

Blaine proceeds to explain his reasoning to me and the argument starts, "They aren't dirty."

I take the bait, "They aren't dirty."

Blaine says, "No."

I tell him, "Okay then. Lick them."

Blaine gasps and says, "Lick them?!? That is gross! Why would I lick the bottom of my shoes?!?"

I proceed to explain MY reasoning with him, "Because they aren't dirty, remember? If they are clean, lick them. From the heel aaallll the way to the toe. On the sole. Go."

I guess he decided they were a "little" dirty because he waited until he got outside to put them on.

Sara

Baby Boy Blanket

2011-06-06T08:13:00.007-05:00

Friday night Stephen chaperoned a lock in with the church kids. Bryson had fallen asleep on the way home from dinner. Right after Stephen left for the lock in, the cable/internet went out. It got really quiet, really fast! I decided to put my time to good use. I knocked out a baby blanket made out of Riley Blake's All Star 2 fabric. I have been seeing this fabric for awhile and I thought it was so cute! I love the way it turned out and I have just enough fabric to make one more!
And then my helper woke up.
Today I will be linking up to Made By You Monday over at Skip to My Lou!

Sew and Tell Friday

2011-06-03T12:20:00.007-05:00

Today is Sew & Tell Friday over at amylouwho's blog. I am also linking up to Whoop Whoop Fridays over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict! Scroll down to the bottom of the blog posts to see what others have been making this week. There is always lots of good stuff to see!

This week I made a couple more crayon rolls. I made a blue sock monkey, another red sock monkey, and I had to order more groovy guitar fabric and make another of those. I have narrowed it down to those being my favorite! This week, anyway :) There is nothing better than getting a new shipment of fabric to start creating something.

Except for chocolate.

Have a great weekend!

Sara

Costume Idea

2011-06-01T15:24:00.000-05:00

Brayden has been wearing this bandanna on his head off and on since he got it at a youth activity last Saturday. When he came home I told him he looked like Ralph Macchio.

"Who is Ralph Macchio?" he asked.

"Ralph Macchio is THE Karate Kid." I explained.

"And that would be an awesome Halloween Costume for you next Halloween!"

We will see if that sticks.

Photography by Aunt Aimee. I stole it from her blog :)

Welcome Summer.....Almost!

2011-06-01T06:53:00.002-05:00

Most of you already know that summer is definitely NOT my favorite season. I don't like the heat. I don't like the humidity. And I don't like the beach.

*gasp*

But one thing I do lOvE is this "wreath"! It's not really a traditional wreath shape which is why I think I like it even more! I could even put "I hate summer" on it and it would still be awesome! Or maybe something not so negative like "Welcome Air Conditioning". I would have to put it on the outside of the glass door but I would have to figure out how to keep it from banging the door. The front door doesn't get used that much (thank you barn swallows) so I think it would work. Or, I might just make it and hang it in my new sewing room!

Next summer.

Made By You Monday :: Patriotic Ponytail Holders

2011-05-30T22:57:00.005-05:00

This morning I ran a few errands. Blaine wanted to go with me and I told him that was fine, but I was going to two fabric stores first thing. I knew what I was going for and if they didn't have it that was it. He didn't have to worry because I wasn't going to be shopping long. Of course, I have never been able to walk into the fabric store and only get that one thing (neither one of them had it by the way) but I found this cute patriotic fabric. And it was on sale since it is Memorial Day! Woo hoo! I love not paying full price. Makes me happy! Here is what I made with it!

Too bad I have 3 boys! I am linking up to Made by you Monday over at Skip to My Lou! Go check out all the fun stuff that others have made, too!

Sara

Giveaway

2011-05-30T03:31:00.008-05:00

Hello All!

I wanted to let all of you know that this blog here is having a week of Etsy giveaways starting June 4Th! She contacted me a couple of weeks ago and is reviewing a crayon roll and will be drawing to give one away. I am also going to set up a discount through her blog for the "losers". ha ha! There are several stores listed on the post that I linked to above and some are a secret so follow her blog and keep up with her to see what is being given away! Here are a few of my favorites.....

Good luck!

Sara

Conversations with Blaine

2011-05-07T06:22:00.004-05:00

Yesterday when I picked up the boys from school, Blaine came out carrying a big piece of black paper. He looks at me sadly and tells me that someone ripped his paper. He holds it up for me to see and a small piece of the corner was gone. Then he holds it up for me to see what it is. It was a silhouette of himself.

I busted out laughing and said, "It looks like Beavis and Butthead!"

He looks at me and says, "It's your Mother's Day present."

I replied, "OH! I love it! Thank you!"

It really did look like Beavis and Butthead. It had a tall head and the nose protruded out over the chin. But Blaine does NOT!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mommas!

Sara

Alabama Tornado Relief

2011-05-04T23:32:00.004-05:00

I am in the process now of adding more bookmarks for tornado relief in my Etsy Shop right now. I know a lot of you live far away and want to help. All proceeds from the sale of my bookmarks will go to help people here in Alabama that have lost everything. They are only $3 and will buy something for someone who has nothing. A toothbrush. A tube of toothpaste. A bar of soap. $3 doesn't sound like much on it's own, but we can make it do a whole lot with your help!

Tomorrow morning I will be going to our church building to help take in items that are being donated to take to an area in Alabama where a friend from church has family. Our youth group will be working Friday night to help gather items and delivering them Saturday afternoon. Please keep this group in your prayers as they travel.

Tornado Relief in Alabama

2011-05-03T10:46:00.003-05:00

Hello all! We made it through the tornado outbreak last week. The only damage we had was a tree down in our front yard. We went without electricity for a little over 4 days, which is a drop in the bucket to what others here and across Alabama have gone through. There are so many that have no homes, vehicles, or personal belongings whatsoever! The pictures on the internet are devastating and my heart goes out to all these people.

Right now I am donating all proceeds from bookmark sales in my Etsy shop to help tornado victims. They are only $3 each. I know that isn't much but it will add up! I wish I could drop everything and go help clean up somewhere, but with a little one that isn't always easy to do. Right now donating money to help feed someone or buy diapers or formula for a little one is about all I can do. Let's all do what we can and together we can make a difference!

I have a lot more to list as these sell so keep checking back!

Please let others know and let's do everything we can to help those in need!

Sara

Mother's Day!

2011-04-25T17:29:00.004-05:00

Mother's Day is coming up soon! I just listed another "Get the Set and Save" for a total of 3. The zebra one has hot pink on the inside!

I also listed some just as zipper pouches, not in a set if you would rather have just the pouch!

Sara

Get the Set and Save

2011-04-22T09:18:00.003-05:00

I just listed a 3 piece set in the shop. I am hoping to get a few more of these made this weekend, but I have GOT to clean my nasty house. It is so bad after spending all week at the ball field and it doesn't look like it's going to get any better. These sets will make great Mother's Day gifts. With shipping they are under $20!!! And the end of school is in sight so don't forget your teachers! Let me know if anyone has something specific they are wanting and I will do my best to get it done!

Of course, you could leave me a comment here or you can go to my Etsy shop and click on "convo" and send me a message!

Everyone have a great weekend!

Sara

I'm Glad I Have 3 Boys

2011-04-19T15:23:00.001-05:00

I saw a link to this on facebook and thought I would share it. I know not everyone is on facebook (ahem). I have said a lot lately, especially to Stephen, how glad I am that I have all boys. This would be why. Now I only have to worry about who they date.

Warning...it does have a "bad word" in it that I think most of you can overlook, but other than that everything else is right on. I would love to hear your comments on this!

New Zipper Pouches

2011-04-19T09:55:00.002-05:00

Just a quick note. I am trying to get out the door to work. I just wanted to let you know that I have listed 2 new zipper pouches, mermaid and Auburn, and a mermaid tissue holder. I think they will show over on the right? I have had several requests for those fabrics, so here they are!

Sara

Conversations With Bryson

2011-04-12T22:02:00.002-05:00

"I lub you Momma. The most-er. But don't tell Brayden and Blaine!"

I think I have told here before about how Brayden and Blaine will tell me they love me, only to get Bryson to yell from the other side of the world that he loves me the most-est. So I guess since they aren't here to argue with him "the most-er" is good enough!

New Crayon Rolls

2011-04-08T15:27:00.003-05:00

I listed 4 new crayon rolls in my Etsy shop this afternoon. I have been a busy bee. Now on to watch Brayden play baseball so I can sit down and rest! Tomorrow we will start wiring the new room for electricity! Woo hoo!

Have a great weekend!

Sara

Addition

2011-04-06T08:34:00.000-05:00

I have mentioned quickly in previous posts that we are adding onto our house. What are we adding, you may ask? Well, my kids were sad when I told them it would not be an extra bedroom for one of them. Brayden and Blaine share a room now (and have since Blaine was in a crib) and the only place to add on because of the septic system is at our kitchen.

I do not want to smell boys from my kitchen table.

No offense to my boys and all.

We are extending our kitchen out a few feet and past that will be a sewing/crafting room for me! ME ME ME! Well, we are also moving our laundry room there also.

For me me me. No exclamation point at the end of that one.

But I am excited about my laundry room, if you can get excited about that! Right now my "laundry room" is behind folding doors in my kitchen. That is where I hang everything that can't be dried all the way. Including bras and jock straps. Yeah. I am excited about that hanging out of eye sight when we are eating dinner. That will be awesome.

Our existing laundry "closet" is going to become my pantry. And the existing pantry that not only holds non-perishables also holds my trash can, which I have to close the folding doors on, turn sideways, hold my mouth just right, push people out of the way if they are at the table, and slide through to throw something away, will become a desk area. Which means my trash can sits smack dab in the middle of the kitchen floor a lot. Especially if I am cooking. In fact, Stephen has teased me about that.

First of all, if it (the trash can) for some crazy reason is actually in the pantry, the family will ask where the trash can is and then give me funny looks when I tell them it's in the pantry. Secondly, Stephen has been known to walk in the kitchen and throw something in the middle of the floor, acting like he didn't notice the trash can actually has a home of it's own....in the pantry.

So back to my existing pantry that is going to become a desk area. Even though we have a kitchen table that holds 8 people, that is obviously not enough room to separate 2 kids while they do homework. And it won't be long before that will be 3 kids doing homework! The end of where the desk area will be, will end behind my new laundry room and we have decided to put a closet for clean, needing to be ironed, clothes. Right now that has hung on the door to our master bedroom closet and I iron when I can't get through. It has worked for us, but in a very annoying way.

Here are some photos of the progress:

Patio area before

Kitchen area before
Ghetto fabulous door that I helped Stephen install when I was "big pregnant" with Bryson and have yet to paint
Now, before I get any comments on how mean we are to have our 13 year old help bust up the patio, the kids were chomping at the bits to use power tools. They are boys.....enough said.

This is what was scooped out of where the room will be. What is left of it after we level the dirt around the room has been promised as a pitchers mound. All the boys are excited about that!

This is the sand that was used by the mason guys. AKA torture for a 4 year old.

This is the framing for the patio that we almost tripled. This is going to be awesome in the summers and when we have youth group activities!
The concrete "Moat" around the boys' "island".
The concrete blocks set and part of the brick that had to be laid before we leveled off the patio area.

The new patio area

After gravel was leveled out by us.....Mom, Dad, Stephen, me and Bryson. I don't know how I took all these pictures and didn't seem to get most of the "helpers" in them.
Once again....kids and power tools. This is Blaine packing down the patio dirt with a compactor thingy. He also loved using the hand held jackhammer thingy that we used to take off the brick. We saved and cleaned as much of that as we could without breaking it. Our brick isn't available anymore so we are reusing as much as possible and mixing it in with another brick that was as close as possible to what we had.

A good bit more has been done but I haven't gotten out there with the camera yet and this is turning into a pretty lengthy post so I will post some more later!

Sara

New Items on Etsy

2011-04-03T09:43:00.003-05:00

After several requests for zippered pouches, I sat down and made a few yesterday. I am in the process of listing them in my Etsy Shop now.....just blogging while the pictures are loading.

A friend of mine, who will remain anonymous, asked me if I made these. She told me her son had gotten in her purse the other day and pulled out a "feminine product" and wanted something to hide them in. So I thought that would be a great item for moms, teens, and tweens alike! And, of course, you are not limited to using them only for "feminine products". My SIL mentioned using them for her camera accessories, like extra batteries and SD cards. They would also be great to give as gifts with something small inside, like maybe....oh.....a bookmark or a set of magnets! These are also the perfect size for a mirrored compact and lip gloss/lipstick or for jewelry when traveling.

I tried putting an unsharpened pencil in one and it was just a tad too small. So I am going to order some zippers just a little bigger and make some pencil/marker pouches with some fun fabric.

I have a laundry basket full of new fabrics that I am chomping at the bit to cut into! Keep checking back often to see what I get listed! I am open to any ideas you may be willing to share! Just leave them below in the comments :)

I don't Speak Spanish

2011-04-02T14:45:00.002-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I went out the back door to talk to the construction guy adding onto our house. When I tried to get back in, I realized some little turkey had locked me out. And he wasn't going to let me in until I said "open" in Spanish.

I took German in high school. I don't know what "open" in Spanish is. Now that I think about it, I don't even know what "open" is in German.

Anyway, after me politely yelling at him to let me in and the construction man laughing, he finally felt sorry for me and told me what to say so he could open the door. I guess I need to start watching Dora the Explorer and Go Diego Go with him.

Sara

Conversations With Bryson

2011-03-29T21:48:00.002-05:00

Bryson: "Mom! I'm not doing ANYTHING...so don't come in here...k?"

Me: "Wait. What are you doing?"

Bryson: "ANYTHING!"

It turns out he stole Brayden's deodorant after he went to bed. He has this thing with taking other people things and hiding them under his bed.

He did use it before he stashed it under the bed.

Sara

I'm Happy!

2011-03-28T16:21:00.004-05:00

Boys and girls.....we have a zipper. It only took one time to make it! If you don't count the fact that my first time cutting I cut the fabric too short so I had to re-cut fabric. (I'll explain that in a minute.) The corners at the zipper look kinda wonky to me, but it will do for what I am wanting it for. Apparently all the dreaming I did about putting in a zipper counts for practice.

My first mistake (even before the mistake I made when I cut the fabric) was I picked a directional fabric. Everything turned out correctly, but I think it was pure luck. My flowers are growing up on both sides :)

Let me explain my fabric cutting mistake. I googled how to make this zipper pouch and I used 2 tutorials combined to make this. Some things in one would make sense and some things in the other, so I combined them. When I didn't understand one, I would go to the other. So they both said to cut the fabric the same as the zipper length. I bought a 7" zipper and cut my fabric 7". Easy peasy, right. NO. I finally figured out that the zipping part of the zipper is 7" and the actual zipper length was 8 1/4". I even read all the comments on both tutorials and no one thought that was a problem. So I guess it was me. And I know you are not surprised. But, I did cut the fabric then open the zipper package.....I guess I would have noticed it by just looking if I had opened the zipper first.

So anyway, I have had several people ask me for these through my Etsy site, but I think I will make a few more for practice before I start selling them. Unfortunately I only bought one zipper so I will have to shop before I can make another. If I had bought more than one it wouldn't have worked out and I would have wished I had not wasted my money on a bunch of zippers. You know how that goes!

Can You Make Me That?

2011-03-23T07:09:00.002-05:00

Lately a lot of people have been giving me ideas on some things I can make. I get a lot of, "Can you make this?" or "Can you make me that?" And my answer usually sounds something like, "Mmmm.....I don't know. It has a zipper. I don't know how to put in a zipper yet."

So yesterday I ran by Hancock Fabrics and bought myself a zipper. Then I dreamed last night that I made a zippered pouch and it turned out really good. And this is why I think I am not sleeping good lately.

I CRAFT in my sleep.

So hopefully sometime over this weekend I am going to try to put in a zipper!

Sara

The Weekend

2011-03-19T17:09:00.002-05:00

It's finally the weekend and I feel like I haven't gotten a whole lot done on my "to-do" list! Our concrete was poured on our addition yesterday so the floor keeps getting tracks across it. Bryson has been in, then out. Then back in, then back out. Then he had to put on his swim trunks after I told him it was too cold, then he came right back in crying for a towel and dry clothes because he was "fweezin!" Sometimes they have to just figure it out themselves.

I made a few items earlier and got them listed in my Etsy Shop. 2 Alabama crayon rolls and 4 sets of Chunky Button ponytail holders. Now to clean up that mess and "reboot" the laundry. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Sara

My Etsy Shop!

2011-03-16T05:42:00.002-05:00

Okay, everyone! My etsy shop is now open! I am still slowly adding items as I get them photographed, in between, work, laundry, and baseball, that is :) Feel free to pass it on to your friends and family. I should have business cards soon....but I was cheap and ordered the slowest delivery that they had. I just couldn't see forking out a bunch of money to have them here tomorrow!

Check back often, as I will be adding some new items soon!

Sara

Conversations With Bryson

2011-03-10T14:00:00.003-06:00

Bryson: "Who IS my sister?

Me: "You don't have a sister.

Bryson: "What?"

Me: "Did you want a sister?"

Bryson: "Yeah. And a gwillfriend!"

Me: "What would you do with a sister anyway?"

Bryson: "I would hug her!"

Sara

What I've Been Doing.....

2011-03-09T16:21:00.017-06:00

Some of you may know that I like to make things. Lots of different things. And I have a bad habit of starting things and not finishing things, but that isn't the point :)
But anyway.....
I have been making things here and there and I have decided to open an Etsy shop. Cause ya'll know how much I love Etsy! Getting this started is slow going for me. I am trying to get things made in advance and I am selling stuff as fast as I am making them! Which is good, I know, but it has taken me a little longer to get this thing started. Here are a few pictures of things I am making and selling. I have some ideas for some other items, too. I will keep you posted when the shop os up and running and when there are new items listed! Please remember my photography skills when you are looking at this. I am trying people! ha ha!

Tissue Holders

Tissue holders with tissues in the front one! That's how I will sell them. Unless people want to buy their own tissues....
Some more prints that I have made...

These are the same as the ones above, I just turned some over so you could see that some of the backs have different fabrics.

Zebra print tissue holder and matching bookmarks! Aren't these cute?

and for you die hard Auburn and Alabama fans......I thought I had an Alabama tissue holder, but I already sold it. Don't worry! I have more Alabama fabric! And the hounds tooth bookmarks.

Alabama Roll Tide thumb tacks. I haven't made any Auburn ones like this yet. I can't find any fabric that the print is small enough.....unless I just use solid blue and orange.

And here is what you do when your washing machine breaks and you can't wash clothes...you make a lot of bookmarks.

A close up of some bookmarks....

And the crayon rolls! These are great. And these 2 are already sold. But I have a lot of fabric to make more. I even found Dr. Suess fabric last week on his birthday :)

This is what the inside looks like. They each hold 16 crayons. Crayola, I might add. I am a total art supply snob, if I must admit. No cheap crayons for me. They are not the same!

Thanks for looking! I know it was a long post. Tell me what you think.....just be nice :)

Sara

Bryson is 4!

2011-03-02T06:38:00.020-06:00

3 months old and sucking that thumb!
6 months old in your "I'm not a girl" shirt. People would still tell us, "She's so pretty!", even with that shirt on! This photo was taken 4 days before your first haircut.
You and your brothers at Thanksgiving time.

Bryson,

Today you will turn 4 at 9:50am.

Some fun facts for you on your BIG DAY!

~You have grown up so much since your last birthday. You have outgrown all your winter clothes and I have had to go buy 4Ts to get you through until spring! When you turned 3, you were wearing a 2T!

~You are becoming more and more independent every day.

~You play well by yourself.

~You still play with your trains but you are getting more and more into Hot Wheels.

~You went to your first skate party a couple of weeks ago and you wore your little skates that strap onto your shoes. You skated and skated around that rink and wouldn't let anyone help you cause "You could do it!"

~You are a night owl, which isn't working to well for the rest of us!

~You have gone through a crying phase the last couple of months when I take you to Bible class and when I take you to Paw Paw's house everyday. It's getting better....as long as I honk the horn 5 times (seriously that exact amount) while pulling out of the driveway.

~You start preschool this next school year. I hope I don't have to honk 5 times when I pull out of the parking lot.

~You have learned some not so great words from your big brothers....you also have your own bar of soap next to the sink as a reminder that those words aren't nice to say.

~You still drag that nasty blanket around with you and 2 tissues. Has to be 2. You really like the tissue that come in the little travel packs. You call them "fancy tissue". When you carry your blanket I can see the little cartoon "smell" that follows Linus around from Snoopy.

~We have noticed in the last couple of weeks that if you hear Brayden or Blaine tell me that they love me, no matter where you are you will yell, "I LOVE YOU MORE, MOM!!!!" Whether you are in your bed, on the toilet or right next to me. So now your brothers tell me all the time that they love me just so they can hear you yell that. Then they giggle like girls. I'll take what I can get, I guess.

~You think you always have to have a snack before you go to bed. You can get up from the table at dinner time and if I tell you it is bed time, you will reply, "I'm not sleepy! I need a snack." You are getting really good at stalling bedtime....once again the night "owlness" is not working for us.

~You whine and complain when your brothers have to go to their dad's house, even if it is for one night. You miss having them to fight with when they are gone.

~You picked Casa Blanca for your birthday dinner tonight. Your a kid after my own heart! We ate there so much when I was pregnant with you that we joked about you being born Mexican. And if you didn't look Mexican when you were born!

I can't believe you are already 4 years old! I know it won't be long before I am walking you to your first day of kindergarten *sniff sniff*. You are such a sweet and snuggly little boy. You have (one of the three) sweetest giggles I have ever heard. You make lots of friends, but honestly I am afraid next year your teachers at preschool are going to call me to come pick you up and not bring you back. Hey, a kid has to learn young how to fight when they have 2 big brothers!

We love you Bryson Kade and happy, happy 4th birthday!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, Brayden and Blaine

Conversations With Bryson

2011-02-19T08:21:00.003-06:00

I know it seems like I never post here anymore (because I hardly do) and when I do post, they are conversations with Bryson. But seriously, that is about all the excitement going on around here right now. Well, except for the addition and I will tell a little bit about that soon.

One day last week when I had on my flip flops.....

Me: "Get off my toe, get off my toe, get off my toe!!!!!"

Bryson: "Oh. Sorry. I thought that was a mosquito."

WHAT?

Me: "And how many times have you stepped on a mosquito and it screams?

-----------------------

Another night last week when it was time for bed....

Bryson: "When I grow up, call me Bert, otay?"

Me: "BERT? You want to be called Bert when you grow up?

Bryson: "Yeah.

Me: "Like, how grown up do you need to be before we should start calling you this?

Bryson: "Ummm......15."

Me: "Okay. Bert it is. When you turn 15."

Conversations With Bryson

2010-12-24T09:47:00.002-06:00

Last night I watched The Grinch with Bryson while I was catching up on my ironing. I haven't been able to get him to watch it because he says it looks scary. So last Sunday when the boys came home from their dad's, Bryson said he would try to watch it with them so he wouldn't be scared. He lasted a few minutes but was too busy playing basketball. This is the conversation from last night:

Bryson: "Mom, did you know the Grinch is naked?"

Me: "Well, he has fur, so I don't think that would count as naked."

Bryson: "Why is he eating glass?!?

Me: "I guess because he's weird."

Bryson: "NO...cause he's a PUNK! Dat's what he is!!!"

Conversations With Bryson

2010-12-16T19:43:00.003-06:00

This is the conversation I had with Bryson this morning:

Bryson: Can Pop and Gran come today and take care of me? Just for a little bit?

Me: Well, they can't today. They are at school, remember?

Bryson: Awwwwe! Well, then....can JaneClaire come over and play?

Me: Not today buddy. She is at school, too.

Bryson: Awwwe man! Ever'body is at school but ME!"

Let's hope he keeps up the enthusiasm when he does get to go to school!

Sara

Thirteen

2010-12-15T06:00:00.000-06:00

I prayed for you before you ever existed. We pray for you daily as a boy, for the man you will be, and for the woman you will one day marry. I knew the first time I looked into those navy blue eyes that this day would come. I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly. We only have about 5 years left with you "under our roof". How did this happen so fast? Although it did seem like all those nights of getting up with you in the middle of the night as a baby that this day would never come. But it has!

I think of all the times as the first born child, we couldn't wait for you to start talking and walking. We were so excited when we watched you hit your first baseball (at 2 years old). We celebrated your first foods, your first Halloween and all the other things that are so exciting as parents. Now if we could only slow it down a bit!

Some fun facts about you on your thirteenth birthday:

~You are 5'7" (same as me) and weigh in at 130 lbs. (5 pounds less than when I went into labor with you *sigh*)

~You wear a size 10 1/2 shoe

~You wear a men's small in shirts and pants size 29x32

~You learned to tie your own ties this year (that is a funny story I will have to share here later)

~You will pretty much eat a large amount of anything that doesn't eat you first; although, you say corned beef with cabbage is your favorite and you love double stuffed Oreo's

~You are playing basketball on the 7Th grade team at your school but you are counting down the days until baseball tryouts

~You are kind and considerate

~You crack me up!

~You really know how to aggravate your brothers

~You don't have to be told to do your homework anymore...you just do it.

~You are in advanced classes and know better than to ask me to help with homework!

~You are always smiling and laughing

~You have a BIG heart

~You seem to make friends with and get along with anyone you meet

~You are still allergic to peanut butter

~When you were a baby and your eyes started changing to brown, you had a 1/4 of your right eye that stayed blue. Now it is gray. ~You're brothers are your biggest fans, even though they won't always admit it

And like my mom always told me, "You may be taller than me, but I can still stand on a chair and slap your face!"

We love you Brayden and are so proud of you! Always remember to put God first in your life, no matter what, and you will do amazingly well! Happy Thirteenth!

Love,

Stephen, Mom, Blaine and Bryson

Don't Throw That Ball In the House!

2010-12-03T06:53:00.003-06:00

I can't tell you how many times a day I tell my boys, "Don't throw that ball in the house!" Let's just say if I was given a penny each time that phrase came out of my mouth I would be a rich woman.

Wednesday night after we got home from church, while Brayden and Blaine were at the kitchen table finishing up their homework, that phrase was said several times by me. To Bryson. And every time I say it, he assures me he won't break anything. He doesn't understand yet that I am telling him not to because he will accidentally break something.

"I won't break stuff mom, I promise." Famous last words.

We were sitting in the living room talking when we heard the crash in the kitchen.

"I'm sorry mom, I'm sorry mom, I'm sorry mom, I'm sorry mom!" Bryson shouted.

I replied, "Stay in the living room so you don't step in glass."

"I'm sorry mom, I'm sorry mom, I'm sorry mom!" He said again.

"It's okay, Bryson. It was just a mug and I have more. But this is why I tell you all the time NOT to throw balls in the house."

"It's okay mom! You and daddy will save the day!"

Craftiness

2010-12-01T07:06:00.005-06:00

I have several blogs that I read that are full of fun craftiness. At least, to me, anyway :) Here are a couple of things that I have found already this morning that I want to make.

I really, really, really need this. When I sew, I am always laying my scissors or my seam ripper down somewhere and then having to search for all the little items. This little utility apron would help!

Then what about those gift cards we give for the holidays? I don't think I will have time to make any of these for this year seeing how my list gets bigger and bigger, but I could work ahead for next year! Here is a tutorial for handmade gift card holders that will put a big dent in my fabric stash!!!

The only thing I have time to make today is breakfast, so I better get to it!

Sara

Conversations with Bryson

2010-11-30T06:00:00.000-06:00

Bryson: "Mommy, why does PawPaw have circle hair?"

Me: "What do you mean by circle hair?"

Bryson puts his hands up to his head making a circular motion around the outside of his head and says, "Like dis. PawPaw has hair like dis."

Me: "That's just how PawPaw gets his haircut."

He was referring to the fact that PawPaw has a bald spot!

--------------------------------

We were getting ready to go somewhere the other day and I asked Bryson to go brush his hair. He comes back a few minutes later...

Bryson: "Does my hair look good Mommy?"

Me: "Well, it kinda looks like a comb over. Here let me help a little."

Bryson: "NO! I like my hair a comb ober!!!!

Conversations with Blaine

2010-11-29T20:41:00.003-06:00

Blaine came home today and told me that he asked his friend, Jalea, what advice she had for him to make good grades like her. She told him to "listen".

Blaine, "I listened good all day and everything was SOOOO easy!"

Me, "And how long have I been telling you this?"

Blaine, "Like....a day."

Me, "Like....that is proof you don't listen."

Surprise Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T06:57:00.005-06:00

Every year when I think back about previous Thanksgivings, there is one that always comes to mind. I was telling my boys about it the other day and thought I would tell it here too! But it's gonna be a long one!

I think I was in the 10Th grade, which means it was 20 years ago this Thanksgiving! It was the first year we were having Thanksgiving at home with just our immediate family. Mom, Dad, Rach and me. We weren't excited about it, to say the least. I don't remember why we had not planned on going anywhere because we always went somewhere or someone came here. Anyway, we helped mom cook, even dad helped, while watching the Macy's Day Parade. We watched that every year. We sat down to the table full of food. WAY too much food for the four of us, but that is how mom operates.

"It's better to have too much, than not enough!", she always tells us.

We ate quietly. I know I was fighting back tears and I think Rachael and mom were, too. We started talking about how this was the first time we had ever eaten Thanksgiving dinner all by ourselves. We talked about what the rest of our families were doing. We knew who all was together. It got more and more depressing as the time passed. We were done eating, so then what were we going to do the rest of the day?

Dad looked at us and said, "If we can get all this food put away, clean up the kitchen, and pack for 3 days, we will leave in 30 minutes."

Seriously?!?

I don't think we have ever moved that fast. Including my mom and dad! We did it. Food put away, kitchen cleaned up and bags packed for 3 days, and of course a little extra in case we ran into bad weather. We were in the car in a record 30 minutes! I don't know how we did it with 2 teenage girls and a mom, but that just goes to show how miserable we were eating Thanksgiving dinner by ourselves. We were on the road in 30 minutes and drove all day. I don't remember where we stopped to eat but we did make it all the way to Lansing, Michigan before we stopped for the night. It was late when we got to Lansing but we knew we had to get up early the next morning to drive a couple more hours to Watson and Wanda's house. Let me explain who that is. Pay attention now....this is going to get confusing.

My mom's older sister, Sue, married Uncle Fred. At their wedding, Mom's younger sister, Vicki, met Uncle Fred's younger brother, Donnie. They married awhile later so my mom's 2 sisters married 2 brothers. So I guess that makes some of us double cousins? Anyway, Watson and Wanda are my 2 uncles parents. So we got to see double the family! Back to the story....

Watson and Wanda had moved, I think. That is how I remember this anyway. So dad wasn't sure where we were going, we just knew that all of that family plus more family that really isn't our family but their family were all eating on Friday together. So we get up early that morning, get showered and packed back up and load up the car. We called Watson's house and my cousin Stephen answered the phone. We told him what we were up to and got directions. We told him not to tell anybody we were coming. My mom and her sisters always call each other on holidays when they aren't together so they didn't think anything about it. They didn't realize we were calling from a hotel in Lansing. So we hit the road again for another hour or two. We got there just in time. We walked up to the door and peaked into the kitchen. Wanda was taking food out of the oven. I don't think we even knocked. She looked up and saw us and we walked right in and surprised everyone! We helped with the last minute preparations. I have never seen that many pies or bowls of mashed potatoes in one place in my life! There are some big boys in that family (as in over 6 foot big) and it really was like feeding a small army.

We finished eating and cleaned up. It was the last weekend for deer hunting so of course all the men had big beards and had been out already that morning. My cousins Stephen and Shawn asked me if I wanted to go back out with them and, of course, I did! I think they were kidding and didn't expect me to want to come, but I did. I had to wear their clothes to go. Now remember I was in the 10Th grade and probably didn't weigh 100 pounds yet and these guys are all over 6 ft. So we stuffed socks in the ends of my boots and layered me up in a bunch of clothes.

There was snow on the ground but not a lot. We tromped out of the house, the three of us. We walked a little ways and Shawn split off from us, and me and Stephen headed to a blind. Stephen started mouthing off about how he couldn't believe he was taking me out hunting after I had showered that morning. He asked me if I had brushed my teeth. When I answered yes, he proceeded to tell me how we weren't gonna get anything now cause I was "too clean" and they were gonna smell us coming. Then he almost fell over when he realized I was chewing gum so I had to spit that out, too. That's when he told me they all hadn't showered for like 3 days.

Nastiness.

We walked and walked. It started snowing and it was so pretty. He was griping and telling me to hurry....it was gonna be dark before we got there. I reminded him I was wearing clown shoes and 400 layers of clothes. We got to the blind and got situated. I was instructed not to move, not to talk, and watch for deer. So I sat quietly in the cold watching for deer....nothing. I look over at Stephen and he was asleep. It didn't take long before I was really bored. Which means I wasn't looking for deer very well. Stephen woke up and there was a deer standing right in front of us. He shot it and hit it. Then griped at me for not watching and then I griped at him for falling asleep with the gun. It ran after we shot it (yes I said "we" since I was in the blind too) so we left the blind to track it down. Shawn showed up soon after that since he heard the shot. Then they decided they would try to gross me out and make me watch them gut the deer. They were disappointed when it didn't :) I don't remember how they got the deer back with us but I guess they did.

We stayed at Fred and Sue's house. I think this was when they were living in an old school house. There was a bunch of us there and I remember sleeping on a mattress in the floor with my cousin Jennifer and my sister Rachael. Julie may have been with us, too. My mom, Aunt Sue, and Aunt Vicki were on another mattress and when those 3 get together they start talking and it turns into giggling and then that turns into their own little jibberish language that we all tease them about. I remember Shawn and Tammy were on the the couch and Tammy was pregnant with Abe. And she forgot all her socks that year. I know, I remember the weirdest things. My dad and Uncles were asleep in the room, too. It was a fairly good sized room. That next morning all the guys got up before dawn and headed back out to hunt. I stayed in that time. We didn't even hear them leave. When I woke up Uncle Donnie was sitting in a chair with a bag of potato chips and holding his rifle in the other hand. The butt of the gun was on the ground and he was holding it kind of like a cane. Just a visual for ya. So anyway, Uncle Donnie starts eating from this bag of chips while all of us are sleeping all over the living room floor. He was trying to be quiet, which made it even worse. He would reach in the potato chip bag, real slow...pull his hand out real slow....then crunch....crunch......crunch. I thought I was the only one awake and noticing it. It was about to drive me crazy.

This went on for awhile and all of a sudden my mom yells, "Donnie, if you stick your hand in that bag one more time I'm gonna shoot you with your own gun!!!" We all died laughing and then got up to start breakfast. We had all been laying there awake trying not to wake up each other.

I don't remember if we left that day or Sunday. I guess we left Sunday and drove all the way back in one day since we could have made it home in one day if we left that morning. Anyway, we have lots of good memories with our extended family. Lots of Monopoly games and a lot of snowmobile rides through the woods. And a lot of giggling! I will save those for another day.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving weekend with their families and friends!

It Ain't Food Network, But They Eat It....Tuesday!

2010-11-16T18:00:00.001-06:00

I made this last weekend for our early Thanksgiving dinner with my family and mentioned it in my facebook status. I had a few requests for the recipe. I looked on here and couldn't believe that I haven't put this on here! So here it goes....

Peach Salad
Aunt Sheila's recipe

1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 big box peach jello (or 2 small...that has been the only way I can find it lately)
1 8 oz. container cream cheese
1 8 oz. container of Cool Whip
5 Tbsp. milk (which is a hair short of 1/3 cup)

Mix together in sauce pan the crushed pineapple, sugar and water. Bring to a boil and then remove from the heat. Add in jello and stir. Put it in another pan and let it partially set. The shallower the pan the faster this will happen. Just in case you didn't know that. Mix together in a separate bowl the milk and cream cheese. You don't have to get it smooth. I don't know if you are supposed to, but I don't. Then fold in the cool whip to the cream cheese mixture. Then fold in that mixture to the jello mixture. Put it in a serving bowl and refrigerate for a couple hours until set.

This is some yummy stuff. All my kids like it, except for Bryson last week went with what it looked like and said he didn't like it. I'm not sure why because it doesn't look gross. But he liked it last year and the year before that. And, of course, Brayden will eat anything that doesn't eat him first. It has sugar in it so Blaine loves it. I just think it's funny that it doesn't have peaches in it.

Enjoy!
Sara

Conversations

2010-09-27T08:00:00.003-05:00

I am always telling stories about what Bryson does on here, and sometimes Blaine. I guess it is because Brayden is older, and he does do some pretty stupid stuff, but it always isn't something to write home about. He did something this morning that reminded me of something else that happened this summer that I wanted to put on here but never got around to it. Then I forgot. It needs to be on here so I can remind him when he is older why Bryson can't stand him. Just kidding. He cries for him when he goes to his dad's, even though he bugs the stew out of him!

Back about a week before school started back, we were coming back from visiting Reed and Bridget in Cullman. We met half way and ate at Cracker Barrel when they came home to visit her family. Brayden was in the front seat, Bryson was in the middle in his car seat, and Blaine was in the back passed out asleep. Now, having a van and them being spread out like this, you would think there would be a little more peace and quiet, but of course not. Here is how the conversation went:

Brayden: "Bryson...your a girl."

Bryson: "Moommmm! Brayden called me a girl!!"

Brayden: laughing to himself..."Naw, I'm just kidding Bryson. You just LOOK like a girl."

Bryson: "Moooommmm! Brayden says I jus' look like a grill!!!" (This is how Bryson says girl.)

Me: Trying not to laugh..."Brayden stop aggravating him."

Brayden: "Sorry Bryson. I was just kidding. You don't look like a girl. You're a booty."

Bryson: "Moooommmm! Brayden called me a booty!"

Me: "Stop calling him a booty. And stop aggravating him before I wet my pants! Bryson, just tell Brayden he looks like a girl." (Cause if you're gonna fight, you gotta fight fair, right?)

Bryson: "Brayden....you look like a grill!"

Brayden: "No, you do!"

Bryson: "Mooommmm! Brayden called me a...a.......a.......uhhhh........you do!!!"

Me: Laughing so hard now I am afraid I will wreck the van, "Brayden called you a you do?"

Bryson: "Yeah!"

This went on for 30 minutes, because that is how long it took for us to get home from where I dropped off Stephen to get his truck. By the time we got home me and Brayden had laughed so hard I was hurting and poor little Blaine slept through everything!

Coupon Users Beware!!!

2010-09-07T16:32:00.003-05:00

I haven't had this happen to me that I know of, but I saw this post on another blog today and thought I would share the info with you all. Go here to read it, and there is also a video close to the bottom to watch. Very interesting...

This Week

2010-07-22T07:01:00.003-05:00

Brayden has been at camp since Sunday afternoon. Bright and early tomorrow morning I will be driving to get him and I can't wait! I know I should be used to him being gone since he goes to his dad's all the time but it sure is different when we can't call and talk to him. We sent him letters yesterday and then a friend that was at that same camp the week before laughed and told me that for the campers to get their mail, they have to get up in front of everyone and sing a song or tell a joke. I know he will either tell them he doesn't want it or tell his all time favorite joke.

"Have you seen the movie Constipated?" And when you say no, he will say,"It hasn't come out yet. It has a really thick plot."

I am curious to know what his response will be! I hope he has had a great time and can't wait to hear all his fun stories. I loved going to Bible camp when I was young. So many great friends and great memories!

The last few days I have been blogging, but I have started another blog in addition to this one. When I was in high school, my grandpa sat down with paper and pencil and wrote about his life starting from birth. I started typing it out YEARS ago but didn't get very far. When I divorced I didn't have a computer anymore and everything that I had spent hours typing out went with the computer. No, I had not saved it. I know, stupid. So I decided this time that I could blog it and I don't have to worry about it getting lost. Family can read it as I go instead of waiting until it is all typed out so I could print copies. It has some very interesting information in it. And it is one of those things that may only be interesting to me because it is my grandpa. But I can sit and read this and can hear his voice telling it! You all are welcome to read it, but like I said, may be boring to others. But if you like history, you may like it.

This leads me to some questions....there are things and places in my grandpa's story that I have had to google because I have no idea what he was talking about. So I thought I could link back to the articles that I find so others can understand too. But I guess since I haven't been blogging much lately, blogger has changed some things? When I highlight the word to add a link all this garbage pops up in the middle of my sentences. So I just gave up. Is this the new way of doing things? It looks like the stuff when you change the background settings and stuff. Does anyone know what I am talking about? Please help me! I would really like to go back and add this to my grandpas story. And seeing how I can't figure out how to add a link anymore, if you would like to read this other blog I guess you will have to go to my info and find it yourself. Sorry! Thanks for any help! I am going to try to add it here and see if it works:

My Grandpa's Story

Sara

Peppers, Peppers and More Peppers!

2010-07-20T07:21:00.002-05:00

I have so many peppers on my table right now, I don't know what to do! We are giving them away, Stephen is eating them, I am canning them, and they are still there! Last night I canned hot pepper jelly for the first time. I was so excited when I found a recipe for it. Then realized it would only take 12 jalapenos, and then I realized how many batches I will be making this summer! Maybe these will make good teacher gifts this Christmas? Then I made another batch of pickled banana peppers. Stephen comes in and says, "I need to take some of these to...." and then he names more people than I have jars. I suggested maybe selling them to his friends, seeing as how it takes me a couple of hours to do this. At least pay for the jars that I won't get back. Doesn't that sound fair? Anyway, I don't know what to do with all the cayenne peppers. I haven't found any recipes for those peppers. Does anyone know of anything I can do with them?

Tonight...on to the tomatoes!

Sara

Weekend

2010-07-19T07:43:00.003-05:00

I got a few things done this weekend, but you sure can't tell by looking at my house! I got a few boxes packed up for Purple Heart to pick up today. I made 3 quarts of pickled banana peppers. I was a little disappointed in those....the recipe said it would make 6 quarts. Now that I have tried it, I know I can double the recipe, seeing how I could have done that Saturday. I have a HUGE pile of peppers on my kitchen table. I also cleaned and sliced 4 gallons of cucumbers and started my 14 day sweet pickles. And yes, it takes 14 days. The first week I just let them set in the salt water. Then the second week I have to do something to them every day. On the 14Th day I can and water bath them. That is when all the boys stand around and beg for pickles because they know how good they are!

Hopefully this evening I will get to can some of the tomatoes. They are starting to take over! And then there is the laundry. With the big boys gone for the past week I didn't have enough laundry to do. So I have waited for them to come home and now there is definitely enough to do!

Sara

This Summer

2010-07-16T06:54:00.002-05:00

Right now half of my kitchen table is covered with vegetables from our garden. I went to the grocery store last night to get the ingredients needed to start canning. First, I am going to can banana peppers. I found a new recipe on line to try. It is Emeril's so you know it will be good! Then I need to start canning tomatoes. We have been eating them with almost every meal. Stephen has never been a tomato person but when he started eating better at the beginning of the year he decided he would start eating them. He likes them brushed with olive oil, and salt and peppered, and then grilled on the Egg. I don't care much for them that way, but just about any other way I can eat them. I like the cucumber and tomato salad that I eat at Nothing But Noodles and I found a recipe the other day that sounded pretty close. I tried it two weeks ago and it was close, but needs to be tweaked a little. It was too sweet and needs a little heat to it. Next time I make it I am going to try to make it taste like the restaurant. If I succeed I will post it here.

I think I might make salsa, too. I don't have quite enough tomatoes that are ripe enough for that yet. But it won't be long! And then it will be time for the 14 day pickles that my kids would seriously eat with their breakfast if I would let them! We have to ration those out to make it through the year! I am hoping to make an extra batch this summer but it always gets right into the start of school and I have to do something to them every day so it can be hard after school and ball practices start.

I think I have read more books this summer than any other time in my life. My MIL brought me a handful of books that she was finished with. I have always said I really don't like to read, but if I can find a book that catches me right from the beginning then I like to read. It's those books that people say that you have to get to about the 6th chapter before it gets good that make me think I hate reading. There was only one that I almost put down thinking that it was going nowhere and then all of a sudden I liked it and finished it the next day. And just in case you all are wondering what I have read, I guess I can post them here.

The first series that I read was from Beverly Lewis and it was called Annie's People. There are three books in this set. I really liked this one. These books are about the Amish and it amazes me how they live like they do with people like me just around the corner. When reading this it was hard to remember what time period it was set in. Until they mentioned a Starbucks and you know it is recent.

The second series has been my favorite of all of the Amish books. Beverly Lewis wrote these also. The series is called Abram's daughters and there were five in this series. Very good! This one was set back in and after WWII.

The third series was Seasons of Grace with three books in this one. This one was very good, too. It was set in modern times also.

I took a break from the Amish and read a Nicholas Sparks book. This is the one I had a hard time getting into. Mainly because I was reading and I kept feeling like I had read it, but when I racked my brain to try to remember what was going to happen, I couldn't remember. So that made me want to read more to find out what I couldn't remember! And what is striking me funny now after typing all those remembers, it was called "A Walk to Remember". And like all Nicholas Sparks books that I have read, the end made me cry.

And then back to the Amish! And Beverly Lewis! The next two were The Postcard and The Crossroad. These were set in modern times also. I know I keep saying they are really good, but I am afraid that if I tell anything else I will give part of the story away. I don't want to ruin it for anyone that might want to read it, so, I guess that is all I can say about them.

I have fourteen more books sitting there waiting on me. I know I won't get them finished before the summer break is over with the garden getting like it is now. So maybe I will still have some left to read over fall break! Have you read any of these? I would love to hear what you thought.

And last but not least, I am working on a quilt. I know that really surprised you. Actually, I haven't quilted for quite some time. Or it seems that way to me. And guess who this one is for?!? ME!!! I am making one with all solid colors using the circle pattern that I used for Roman and JaneClaire's quilts. But it is weird how all three of these look so different because the fabric selection is so different. I will post some pictures of the blocks soon. It is all hand applique so it travels around with me. I like the fact that I don't have to have my sewing machine out on the table all the time with this one. If I did we really wouldn't have anywhere to eat with all the garden produce on the table too!

I hope you all are having a great summer! I can't believe the kids will be back in school in less than a month. The summers get shorter and shorter.

Sara

Hmmm......

2010-06-11T11:42:00.001-05:00

I may have to try this......

I love York peppermint patties!

Enjoy your weekend!

Sara

Baseball!

2010-05-28T07:23:00.019-05:00

Well, now that I have a chance to update my blog, the baseball season is coming to an end. Blaine is finished and Brayden has only county tournament left. But Brayden hit his first over the fence home run last night to tie up the game! Woo Hoo! Riley also hit one over the fence and Colton hit one to the fence! Here are some pictures from his big moment.

Warming up
Not that one....
Here it goes!

I tried to get a shot when he came home but I couldn't get my camera out and turned on fast enough! I kept having to hide it from Bryson because he wouldn't leave it alone. Brayden had the biggest smile ever when he ran the bases!

Here is Riley's home run. He refused to smile running the bases after his home run which was pretty funny because he was fighting it hard! Smiley Riley!
The team meeting Riley at home plate!

Stanton the lefty

Colton getting ready for his home run!

There is Blaine getting in the way...

Look at those big grins!
Riley, Stanton and Brayden. Blaine wanted in that one, too, but they told him no. Can you see him?

Bryson and his buddy Stanton

This one is my favorite! I couldn't hear what they were saying but I can only imagine!
Blaine: "Can I hold it?"
Brayden: "No."

Blaine: "Can I just see it?"
Brayden: "No."

Bryson: "Cheeeeese!"

It Ain't Food Network, But They Eat It....Tuesday!

2010-03-02T06:00:00.001-06:00

I found this recipe free at Publix. Actually, Stephen found it. It is one of those things I would have never picked up because it seems weird to me, but Stephen made it Saturday night and it is pretty good. It will be even better this summer when some of it comes from our garden!

Cucumber Avocado Salsa

2 ears of corn, husked
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cucumbers, seeded and diced
1 small red onion, diced
2 tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/4 tsp. finely minced ginger root
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
Tortilla chips or Cuban bread (optional)

Preheat grill to medium-high. Brush corn with oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill corn until tender and lightly brown, about 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove and let cool. Cut kernels from cob over medium bowl.

Add cucumbers, onion, tomatoes, avocado, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno and ginger. Add lime juice, gently toss to blend flavors. Chill before serving. Serve with tortilla chips or over toasted slices of Cuban bread, if desired.

We ate 1/2 cup of the salsa with 15 baked Tostito chips for 4 WW pts. It is different and I wouldn't normally have tried something like this, but it was good enough to make again!

Enjoy!

Sara

My Wedding Ring Is Off!

2010-02-27T07:27:00.002-06:00

Yes, my wedding ring is off! Which is a good thing. My ring had gotten so tight on my finger that I couldn't even turn it, let alone get it off my finger. I lost a diamond out of it about 2 years ago and I told Stephen when I could get it off I was replacing the diamond.

I don't think I have mentioned on here that at the start of the year we started eating better. I started Weight Watchers with an anonymous friend and Stephen is doing sparkpeople.com. I had told Stephen that it would make it a whole lot easier if he did it with me so I wasn't cooking a meal for me and bad food for everyone else like I have done before. It didn't last long that time and I gave up quickly. Stephen's is similar to Weight Watchers except you count calories and WW factors your calories, fat, and fiber and it figures into points that you receive so many based on your weight, height and age. Oh yeah...and his is free. But going to meetings with my anonymous buddy helps us both. And when I reach my goal weight mine will be free too!

Stephen met his goal weight this week (gag) with a weight loss of 20 pounds and is going to reward himself with a new ipod for when he is cleaning for my parents. My reward was my diamond in my ring which I wasn't expecting to get this soon. I still have a long way to go to reach my goal weight so I need to come up with some rewards for myself. Although today I will be going shopping for jeans.

Mom says it looks like something has moved out of my pants.

I have lost 14.5 so far and like I said before, I still have a long way to go. But we are making healthy changes and trying lots of new recipes. Which means the kids are eating healthy, too, and they have really liked a lot of our new things.

I will keep you all posted on how it is going but keep in mind from here on out it will be going slowly. I have gotten past that big weight loss jump and each week I lose a little less than 2 pounds. Hopefully I will get to my half way point in the next 3 weeks.

Maybe I will reward myself with a pedicure when I reach that point....

Me and my anonymous friend have lots of fun when we go to meetings. When we are there we like to look at each other and say things like, "Hi. My name is Sara, and I am addicted to chocolate." Then we get tickled and try not to laugh during class. Hey, if I have to limit my chocolate intake we have to make it fun, right?

I have had to take Bryson with me a couple of times and I pray I won't have to again. The first class he was okay. The second he had to go pee. So I took him to the bathroom. Then I took him again. Then by the third time I took him to "trickle" I finally figured it out.

He was saying to himself, "Here it comes, here it comes, it's gonna flush by itself!"

That was it. It was an automatic flushing toilet and he was completely amused. What didn't amuse me was our meeting was in a portable building behind a local church. I had to leave the portable, go a long way inside a dark church building that I have never been in before and back to the meeting. Do that 3 times during a 30 minute meeting and I am aggravated. Remember, I am paying to be there!

So I will keep you posted on the weight loss as need be. And as I come up with healthy recipes I will post them for you on Recipe Tuesday!

Sara

It Ain't Food Network, But They Eat It....Tuesday!

2010-02-23T08:19:00.004-06:00

Last week I went to the pantry and stood looking. Brayden was doing his homework and he stopped and asked me what I was doing.

"I'm looking for something I can throw together and call it supper."

"Gggrrreaat. This should be interesting. Sounds gross."

If he only knew how many meals he has eaten that didn't use a recipe. He would probably die, wouldn't he?

When they asked me what I came up with, I told them Chicken Stew. Then this morning I got to thinking that it's not a stew because it's not thick like stew. And yes, there is a difference between soup and stew. But I don't want to call it Chicken Soup either, because that makes me think Chicken noodle and there aren't any noodles in this. So maybe ya'll can help me name it.

Here are a few I came up with:

Brayden's Scary Chicken Soup
From the Pantry Chicken Soup
Nameless Chicken Soup
What In The World? Chicken Soup

Here is what I used:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
32 oz. Swanson's Organic fat free chicken broth
4 baby carrots, diced
15 oz. can green beans
1/2 cup pearled barley, cooked using package directions
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast
salt and pepper to taste
few shakes dry parsley

Heat oil in stock pot. Add onions and garlic and saute a few minutes while stirring. Add broth, chicken, spices and vegetables and cook until carrots are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Sorry, I didn't really time this so not sure. Throw in the barley after that and cook a few minutes. And that's it. Pretty simple. And you could always do this in the crock pot, but I would add the cooked barley before serving. I haven't had good luck cooking barley in the crock pot. It gets mushy.

Enjoy!
Sara

Five Question Friday!

2010-02-19T07:29:00.002-06:00

Yes, i am stealing this from a friends blog. I thought it would be fun on the days that I have nothing else to blog about. Unless you want to hear about all the throwing up and bed sheet washing I have been doing. Yeah, I thought random questions would be more fun, too! Besides, she said I could....

1. What is better, growing old with out money or dying young and wealthy? I guess it all depends on what you call wealthy. I would have to say growing old without money. As the saying goes, money doesn't make happiness. Not that I have ever been rich to know exactly what that is like, I do know that I am happy and content with what I have, and I have had a whole lot less in the past and was just as content. But I also do feel rich, although in today's standards I am not.

2. Who takes out the garbage at your house? Whoever is around when it needs to be taken out. Usually me because I am in the kitchen more and home more than Stephen, but if you asked Stephen he would probably say he takes out the trash more. There are days that I take out 3 or 4 bags when he isn't even here, so I don't think he realizes how much trash I take out. So Stephen, I take out the trash a bunch!!!

3. Have you ever had the same dream many times? I don't seem to dream much, which I guess means that I don't remember them since scientists or sleep people say everyone dreams all the time. When I was very young, eight or younger because of the house we lived in, I had a reoccurring dream. I was in my room looking for a pair of brown socks. I heard strangers voices and every time in my dream I would go downstairs to the laundry room in the basement and there were two men that were there taking my parents hostage. Mom would always have a soothing voice telling me it was going to be okay and then I would wake up so scared I couldn't even scream. My heart would be racing and I would be sweating. I was always scared to get out of my bed if I woke up in the middle of the night and I can remember one time waking up in the morning and the sun was up but my door was closed. I laid there until my mom came and checked on me because I was afraid of what I would find when I opened the door. When I asked her why the door was closed she explained to me that she closed it so I didn't get woke up when Dad and Rachael were getting ready for school. So I would have been pretty young since I was 4 when I started kindergarten. I guess I got off the question there a little, but my point is I think I was scared like that all because of that dream that I had a lot.

4. Can you play a musical instrument? I think everyone can play a musical instrument, some just play better than others. I took piano when I was little for a couple of years. I didn't last long because when we moved here to Alabama I started taking lessons again and I didn't really like my teacher. Of course, a lot of it had to do with her reaction to me not practicing the songs she told me to or practicing it the way she wanted me to practice. I preferred to play by ear and I never did get the hang of reading notes. When I was little, not sure how young, we went to Michigan to see my Aunts and Uncles. I remember going to a barn sale somewhere. I can remember Fred and Sue being there, but I don't remember if Vicki and Donnie were there, although they lived a house apart and were always there when we visited. Fred and Sue moved further north later so this may be after that. Anyway, we went to this barn sale which was the equivalent to a garage sale. I found an accordion there and it was only $25.00. I remember going to ask my mom if we could by it, knowing she would tell me no since none of us knew how to play it. I asked her and she said yes and I was so excited! When we got back to Aunt Sue's house, she picked it up and started playing all these songs. I asked her when she learned to play one and she told me she had never touched one before. I asked her if she would show me how to play it but of course like every other sibling of my mother's, they can just sit down and play something. Aunt Sue got a pencil and wrote above the cord buttons what cords they were (by listening to it...sick) and I sat down and picked out a few songs. You know, the typical, Mary had a little lamb, twinkle, twinkle little star, and so on. Those pencil marks are still there, by the way.

5. If you owned your own store, what would you sell? Well, this can be a loaded question. I have actually thought about this many, many times. And of course, quilting always comes up. I would have to sell things other than my quilts since I don't have a machine that I can quilt on. I can't make them fast enough to stock a store. So I guess I would have to sell fabric, too, and not just any fabric. I would sell all the good fabric that none of the quilt shops around here carry. Like Anna Maria Horner, Amy Butler, Kaffe Fasset. Just to name a few :) And you know I could go on and on about fabric, but I won't.

I have no idea where these questions started, but feel free to post them on your blog and leave a comment here so we can all read about you!

Have a great weekend!
Sara

Heart Broken

2010-02-12T15:21:00.002-06:00

Monday Brayden received "the note" at school from his girlfriend. He didn't tell me right off. I had to pull out the info like pulling teeth. When he went straight to his room after school I thought he was headed to the bathroom. When he didn't come back for awhile, I went to check on him. When I got close to his room I could here his stereo. I stopped at the door when I saw his light was turned off. I peaked my head in and he was lying on his bed. I walked over to him and thought maybe he wasn't feeling good so I asked him what was wrong. When he looked at me I could see the tears in his eyes. He told me nothing was wrong. I reminded him that I am a mother and I know better. I told him that I understood if he didn't want to talk right now, and then reminded him that I was a tween girl once and if he wanted to talk to just let me know.

Of course, I got the biggest eye roll ever, but after falling asleep on his bed and having to be woke up for supper, he told me what happened. I asked him if he tried to talk to her about it and he said she won't talk to him. So I reminded him he has every class with her so just remember to be nice and things will go a lot smoother. I told him about all the girls at church that weren't "dating" anyone and all he would say was, "But I REALLY like her." They have been "dating" for almost a year. He talked about what he had gotten her for valentine's day and I told him it was okay to go ahead and give it to her. He thought about it, but by Wednesday, he said even after being super nice to her, she was calling him names and being ugly. He wasn't going to give it to her. I told him not to be ugly back, to just ignore her and be the bigger person. He said he was, but it sure was hard when someone is being hateful to you in front of everyone else. I told him all he could do is pray about it and he said that is what he would do. I talked to him about how this is a good way to learn what you like about other girls and don't like about them. That way he can pick the right one for him.

I know this is the first of many broken hearts for him but as a momma it sure is hard to watch!

Sara

Randomness

2010-02-11T19:41:00.002-06:00

Today I had to take a detour on the way to work and saw things that I wouldn't normally see. I thought I would share them with you here. The first thing I saw was a sign at a church.

It read:

"Work like you are going to live 100 more years and pray like you are going to die tomorrow."

I liked that.

Then I drove on and saw prisoners picking up trash along the sides of the road. I then noticed they were in the ditch of a Guns & Ammo store. I thought that was a little unsettling seeing how this was within walking distance of my workplace. Then I decided that if they tried to rob the place they would probably get shot down so it was all okay.

On my way home as I was passing the sign at the local tattoo parlor with the sign that reads, "Tattoos in rear", I saw a maroon Chrysler Dynasty from the late 80's or early 90's (that part is just an uneducated guess) with hydraulics. I couldn't help but laugh. Why would someone want to put hydraulics on a car like that? Who am I kidding? Why would someone want to put hydraulics on any car?

I made up a stew for supper on Tuesday because what I was going to make fell through. Fell through as in I asked Stephen if he got potatoes at the grocery store and he told me he did. What he didn't tell me was he was talking about the grocery trip the time before and I had already thrown those out because we got home and they were rotten.

So I opened up the cabinet and said to myself, "Hmmmm......wonder what I can throw together and call it dinner?"
To that Brayden responded, "Great. This is going to be so gross."

It ended up being really good. My point is I am going to have a recipe to post next week! Yay for me!

Sara

I Feel Like This Sometimes

2010-02-06T08:00:00.003-06:00

I read this blog post this morning and can totally relate to this mom. I bet some of you do, too!

We have a busy day full of basketball, cleaning, and hopefully a little sewing, if I can squeeze it in! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Sara

Sew and Tell Friday

2010-02-05T05:57:00.007-06:00

Today is Sew and Tell Friday at Amy Lou Who's. Click here and go see what everyone else had been up to!

This past Friday after I finished Bryson's snowman pajamas, I finished up something that I had already started. Already started as in I had cut the squares out a couple of weeks ago but had not had time to lay them out and get them sewn.

The tutorial came from here and is called a recycled bath mat. But I didn't need a bath mat. I wanted something pretty and colorful to put under my dish drying rack in the kitchen because I have always just used a dish towel. So I decided this would do the job. I cut 3"squares from some scraps that matched my dishes. My canisters go with my dishes and sit on the counter so I wanted them to go together. It took 72 squares in all....8 across and 9 down. Then I used an old towel to back it with. We received some new towels for Christmas so I had a few that weren't good enough to donate because the edges were all unraveling and looked bad but weren't bad enough to throw away. I didn't embroider it like in the tutorial. Mainly because I thought little feet would be silly in my kitchen and I couldn't come up with anything better so I just sewed across the middle in the ditch and once vertically in the ditch to hold it all together.

I am somewhat pleased with how it looks except for one thing. I should have used my walking foot to sew those in the ditch lines. It did pucker a little on one side, so I just turned it to where I don't have to look at it. But I know it is still there....

Have a look!

Thanks for visiting!

Sara

It Ain't Food Network, But They Eat It....Tuesday!

2010-02-02T06:00:00.001-06:00

Over the weekend I wanted to make something in the crock pot. I wanted something warm. Something soupy. I didn't really have anything planned to make for dinner that day. I know, that's hard to believe since I plan out my menus. It had to fit into my new eating plans. Meaning...healthy. Here is what I came up with.

Sara's Lentil and Rice Crock Pot Stew
Makes 12 1 cup servings (4 WW points each!)

(Blaine and I have decided to call it a stew instead of a soup since it is thick. But we are not sure if that is the difference between soup and stew....)

1 lb. bag of lentils (I used 1 3/4 cups cause that's what I had)
2 cups uncooked brown rice (not 10 minute rice either...and I will do this part different next time)
10 cups (or more) fat free broth (I used chicken broth)
1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cups match stick carrots (you guessed it...cause that's what I had!)
4 cloves of garlic, minced

I took all this and threw it into the crock pot and cooked it for about 7 hours. I used my 6 quart crock pot. It was pretty good. Bryson loved it! The big kids weren't home so I don't know about them. I started out with 8 cups of stock and added more before we ate because it seemed really thick once the rice started absorbing the liquid. After we finished eating, I separated the left overs into plastic containers, with one serving in each, and popped them into the freezer. Now when Stephen and I don't have a lunch made up, we can just grab those and let them thaw out at work!

What I will do differently next time: It turned out kinda mushy because of the rice, even though I didn't use instant. But that also gave it a thicker consistency. I think maybe I will cook it separately and stir it in before serving next time.

Will I make this again? Sure!

If you try this recipe let me know what you think. Even if you don't like it. Just be nice please :)

Sew and Tell Friday!

2010-01-29T11:05:00.006-06:00

Today is sew and tell over at amylouwho's. Click here to see what others have been doing!

Earlier this week I made my two year old pajama pants. You can read about it here. Well, after three days of him wearing them I decided I better start another pair so I could wash the first.

Yes, he liked them that much.

Last night about 8:30 I started another pair. I do more quilting than anything so I have smaller pieces of fabric. A couple of months ago I bought a kit because I wanted the pattern and the fabric came with it "free". I wasn't sure what I would do with the fabric but I knew it wouldn't go to waste. I found it last night and that is what I used for his pajama pants. It is an all over snowman print and the cuff is a light blue/green with snowballs.

His 'handmade by mom' tag so he can tell the front from the back:

And as always, he models them for me when they are finished:

He sat next to me as I was sewing at the end and every time I would stop the machine to remove pins or reposition the fabric he would say, "Day done now?" And the fabric couldn't be any more appropriate....it started snowing here a few minutes ago and he is out stomping around in it!

He did change out of the pajama pants first!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Sara

Some are good, some are real good, some are real bad!

2010-01-29T07:31:00.002-06:00

This is another email that I received this morning I thought I would share:

What do you call two Mexicans playing basketball?
Juan on Juan

Why is divorce so expensive?
Because it's worth it.

What do you call a smart blonde?
A golden retriever.

What's the difference between a girlfriend and wife?
10 years and 45 lbs

What's the difference between a new husband and a new dog?
After a year, the dog is still excited to see you

Why do men chase women they have no intention of marrying?
The same urge that makes dogs chase cars they have no intention of driving.

What did the blonde say when she found out she was pregnant?
"Are you sure it's mine?"

Why did OJ Simpson want to move to West Virginia ?
Everyone has the same DNA.

Where does an Irish family go on vacation?
A different bar.

Did you hear about the Chinese couple that had a blond baby?
They named him "Sum Ting Wong"

What would you call it when an Italian has one arm shorter than the other?
A speech impediment

What's the difference between a southern zoo and a northern zoo?
A southern zoo has a description of the animal on the front of the cage along with... "a recipe".

How do you get a sweet 80-year-old lady to say a curse word?
Get another sweet little 80-year-old lady to yell *BINGO*!

What's the difference between a northern fairytale and a southern fairytale?
A northern fairytale begins "Once upon a time " -
A southern fairytale begins "Y'all ain't gonna believe this!

Jammies

2010-01-27T07:25:00.007-06:00

Ever since Bryson has been sleeping in his big boy bed, he has refused to sleep in pajamas. The first few times I tried to put his pajamas on him he pitched a big, hairy fit. I just thought he didn't want to go to bed so, of course, I fought him, tooth and nail, trying to dress him.

I tried letting him dress himself.

I tried letting him pick out his own pajamas.

Nothing worked. I finally asked him why he had been pitching fits every night at bedtime.

He said, "I sleep in my underwear."

"You want to sleep in your underwear?!?"

"Yeah. My Thomas underwear."

I explained to him how he was going to get cold sleeping only in his underwear. He assured me he wouldn't.
I told him he wasn't getting up in the middle of the night to get in my bed when he got cold. He assured me he wouldn't.
I explained to him that if he got uncovered he would have to pull his covers up all by himself and that I wasn't getting up in the middle of the night to help. He assured me he could do it all by himself.

I agreed, reluctantly, knowing that I wasn't going to get to sleep all night, but I had to let him learn, right? Well, he slept all night. Every night except for one. That was only two nights ago. Then the night after that one, he wanted to start out in my bed because he was cold. I offered the pajamas again. He declined. I was worried that he would get all warm snuggled up to me and have to go get in his cold bed.

I asked him what would help. He answered me, "Make me wed and bawoo jammies like Baynen and Baine."

"You want me to make you pajama pants like Brayden's and Blaine's?

"Yeah. Wed and Bawoo....GO!!!!"

"You want me to get out of bed and go make you some now?"

"Yeah. Wed and Bawoo."

I told him that I had some red and blue flannel with mickey mouse on it. It was one yard, just enough for jammie pants for him. I found it a year ago when he was all into Mickey Mouse. There was only one yard left on the bolt and it was $2.00 But he would have to wait until the next day. He was excited about getting jammie pants the next day and went and got in his bed. He slept all night again and while he slept in yesterday morning I found a pattern here that would fit him. Since he is so little, I did have to alter the pattern a little before cutting it out. And then I dug through my fabric and found a solid red flannel left from my sister's years of sewing in college for her fashion merchandising degree. The pattern page had all the patterns from the book all over lapping on one page, so I got tissue paper left over from birthday/baby gifts and traced it. I got the pattern cut out before I had to get ready for work. I cut out the fabric after dropping Blaine off at ball practice in the afternoon. I finished up the hem after picking up Blaine from practice while supper was in the oven and while Blaine did his 15 minute reading assignment.

Bryson was waiting to try them on as soon as they were finished. And he was waiting in his underwear. And here they are in all their glory....

And here is how they work....

and here is how they work with the trains....

and here is how he models the red cuff at the bottom! I think he likes them!

Rach...do you recognize that red flannel?

And he is still sleeping!

Sara

Proverbs

2010-01-26T13:48:00.002-06:00

My aunt Vicki sent this to me today. I have no idea who Larry is, but I thought I would share...

Larry's Proverbs

1. A day without sunshine is like night.

2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.

3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.

6. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.

9. Support bacteria. They're the only culture most people have.

10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.

12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.

13. How many of you believe in psychokinesis? Raise my hand.

14. OK, so what's the speed of dark?

15. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?

18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

19. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?

20. Why do psychics have to ask you your name?

21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, 'What happened?'

22. Just remember -- if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.

23. Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

24. Life isn't like a box of chocolates. It's more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.

Sara

Thursday

2010-01-23T16:30:00.004-06:00

Well, this is what happened "in our neck of the woods", as Al Roker would put it on the Today Show.

This photo was sent to me by a friend and was taken about 5 miles from our house.

This one was taken on our street from someone's front porch.

Stephen was home with Bryson and watched it go over our house. I knew the weather was supposed to be bad that day but didn't know how bad it was at the time because I was across town. The sirens started going off and I called Stephen to see where the tornado was and he told me it had just touched down and was headed towards our house. He looked out and saw it in the sky. They were taking cover. He said it pretty much freaked him out. We didn't have any damage at our house but there was some damage downtown. It was only ranked an F2, which is considered small. It just hopped and skipped across town and was gone in no time. We did see a car this afternoon on the way to a birthday party that was crushed from a falling tree but didn't see anything else. I guess it has all been cleaned up already. No deaths were reported, just minor injuries. After being here through some rough tornadoes we realize how it could have turned out really bad.

Sara

After the Snow

2010-01-17T09:00:00.000-06:00

So what do you do a week after a big snow in the south?

Go for a bike ride!

And put someone to sleep :)

This is what we did Friday afternoon after Stephen got home from work. Before dinner and grocery shopping, that is. It was really nice that afternoon. It was so nice, we didn't even have to wear our jackets! But when we went for our bike ride, the sun was almost setting. It didn't feel very cold until I got far enough away from the house to not be able to get my gloves. I should have grabbed them and I probably could have used a toboggan, too!

You know what they say in the south....if you don't like the weather, stick around a few days and it will change.

Sara

Cow Tipping

2010-01-16T22:53:00.003-06:00

Bryson and I went and got our hair cut yesterday before lunch. When we left, I told him we needed to run by the grocery store to pick up a few things for lunch. It was time for the BIG grocery shopping but I didn't have my list made out yet and the plan was for all 3 of us to go that evening. So we went to Publix on the way home. Bryson promised he would be good if I let him walk instead of riding in the cart. Since I was only getting a few things I thought that would be good practice for him. He likes running away from me. I picked up my items then remembered one more thing to get. It was on the bottom shelf so I squatted down to reach it. Bryson put his hand on my right shoulder as I was squatted down, and gave me a good push.

Yes....I was cow tipped by my two year old.

Less Words Wednesday

2010-01-13T06:41:00.005-06:00

I changed my title a little bit for today because I have to explain the pictures I am sharing with you. Some of you have already seen this on Facebook, so sorry to bore you.

When it snowed last week I thought I should go out and take pictures of the boys in the snow. You never know....they may be married with their own kids the next time we get a blizzard like that again! :) I thought since I am always the one taking the pictures and I am never in any, I would take one of myself with Brayden.

Little did I know that he was armed with a snowball and just as I snapped the photo he shoved it in my mouth.

Sixth grade humor. Got love it.

Blaine and his snowman. Look closely. In front of his right knee. Do you see it? Some of you would call it a snowball, but I guess it falls into the category of "is your cup half full or half empty?" It IS a snowman.

Bryson in his redneck snowsuit.

I hope you enjoyed your snow!

Sara

It Ain't Food Network, But They Eat It...Tuesday!

2010-01-12T06:13:00.004-06:00

Okay, so maybe it is! Stephen found a recipe on Food Network over the weekend and decided that he was cooking dinner last night. When he told me what it was, I had a hard time not gagging in front of him. He was reading out the list of ingredients to me and when I heard ground turkey, to be honest with you, I stopped listening. I don't have a problem trying something new (with a small list of things that I will never put in my mouth) but I had tried making a recipe probably ten years ago with ground turkey and none of us could eat it. I even mixed it half and half with ground beef and it was still nasty. So when Stephen told me he was going to make this I tried very hard to tell him he wouldn't like it, I wouldn't like it, and the kids sure weren't going to eat it.

I went to get the big boys from Blaine's practice and gave them the speech on the way home.

"If you don't like it, it's okay to say so, but don't be rude and tell Stephen he should never cook again." And so on.

We get home and the boys were looking scared. I think I was, too! He sat it all in front of us and the boys were starving so of course, they dug in. They loved it!

Stephen looks at me and says, "You told them to tell me they liked it, didn't you?"

I explained not exactly, but I had told them not to be rude if they didn't.

So I sat down thinking to myself how I have found maybe two recipes that all five of us will eat (which are both desserts) and that I am going to be the one that won't like it. I tasted it and it was really good! It was so good, the boys have put it at the top of the favorites list! So I am posting a link for you to find it here!

And did I mention that he even did the grocery shopping for all this and cleaned up the kitchen? I told him he was HIRED!!

Enjoy!
Sara

The Killer B's

Playing Catch Up!

Hello!

Texting With Brayden

Labor Day Sale

Conversations With Bryson

Sunday Stash #2

It Ain't Food Network....But They Eat It, Tuesday!

Sunday Stash #1

Conversations With Bryson

Pencil Pouches

Fabric Flowers

Bryson's 1st Day of PreSchool

Love This!

Today Is The Day

Recommended Reading

Is It Fall Yet?

Conversations With Bryson

3 Years

Conversations

Conversations With Bryson

Christmas in July

It Ain't Food Network......But They Eat It, Tuesday!

Lately......

9 More Days

The Day Blaine Almost Died

Today Is the Big Day!

Why I'm Up So Late

Slippin' And Slidin'

It Ain't Food Network......But They Eat It, Tuesday!

Surprise Sale!!!

Friday Fun

It Ain't Food Network, But They Eat It....Tuesday!

Can You Believe It?

Fabric Pennants

Gift Card Holders

Conversations With Bryson

Boys Are Gross

Conversations With Blaine

Baby Boy Blanket

Sew and Tell Friday

Costume Idea

Welcome Summer.....Almost!

Made By You Monday :: Patriotic Ponytail Holders

Giveaway

Conversations with Blaine

Alabama Tornado Relief

Tornado Relief in Alabama

Mother's Day!

Get the Set and Save

I'm Glad I Have 3 Boys

New Zipper Pouches

Conversations With Bryson

New Crayon Rolls

Addition

New Items on Etsy

I don't Speak Spanish

Conversations With Bryson

I'm Happy!

Can You Make Me That?

The Weekend

My Etsy Shop!

Conversations With Bryson

What I've Been Doing.....

Bryson is 4!

Conversations With Bryson

Conversations With Bryson

Conversations With Bryson

Thirteen

Don't Throw That Ball In the House!

Craftiness

Conversations with Bryson

Conversations with Blaine

Surprise Thanksgiving

It Ain't Food Network, But They Eat It....Tuesday!

Conversations

Coupon Users Beware!!!

This Week

Peppers, Peppers and More Peppers!

Weekend