Ahhh Mom!

In This Chair...

2013-04-19T12:40:00.001-04:00

A couple nights ago, as I was rocking my baby before bed (yes,we still rock every night) I heard a snap and then I felt the back of my chair fall to the floor.

Yes that is a picture of what used to be my rocking chair. It slowly fell apart until finally it is now beyond repair.

I used to tell Hubby that I would never get rid of this chair, that I would rock in it as an old woman and daydream about about being young and rocking babies.

It will be hard to throw this stained, broken chair away.

In this chair I have rocked three newborn babies. I have fed them and soothed them, all in this chair.

In this chair I have watched tiny feet and hands grow big, little mouths that cried turn into mouths that talk, all in this chair.

I have rocked infants, toddlers, preschoolers and even a big kindergartner. In this chair I have rocked all hours of the day and all hours of the night.

A new mother with no idea how to care for a baby, learned .... in this chair.

This chair was rocked in when there was not yet a baby to hold in my arms. With a swollen belly and the dreams of the future to come, I would rock in this chair.

I am sad it's broken and I'm not sure if I will replace it with another rocking chair or not. I'm such a sentimental fool but I love this chair.

Perfect Warm Weather Snack: Frozen Grapes

2013-04-15T08:19:00.001-04:00

Oh my, spring has finally sprung and it is glorious! We have been spending our days soaking up the sun and enjoying nature.

We have also been sweating and looking forward to cooling off with a refreshing snack. So last week when grapes were on sale I did some major stocking up so we could enjoy one of our favorite fruits.

We love our grapes and ever since last summer when we discovered how amazing they are drozen , we just can't get enough.

All I do is rinse, dry and place into an air tight container with a napkin. That's it! They are uh-mazing!! I snacked on these for like 3 days straight!

Its sad because they are already all gone!

The Three Bag Challenge

2013-04-03T21:37:00.000-04:00

Last week I was feeling in the mood for some Spring Cleaning. I have been noticing for awhile the mass amount of books we have that seem to be taking over. So I went through and picked out the ones that don't ever get read and the ones that were torn and abused.

It felt gooood to clean up the book clutter.

Then a couple days ago I once again became completely overwhelmed by the tiny toy clutter. You know the tiny toys? The ones you step on in the middle of the night, the ones you get in happy meals or in birthday goody bags. Yeah those annoying little toys that seem to make their way onto the floor at all times.

So I challenged myself to fill up one bag per kids room of toys/clothes, basically anything that didn't get played with or that was outgrown. It was such a great feeling to get a little more organized and have less clutter. I used the small shopping bags since I had already done a clean-out the week before but you could even use a garbage bag. I'm already thinking of applying this to my bedroom, the bathrooms, living rooms and kitchen. It's quick and it makes you feel accomplished. Try it!!

Easter Weekend

2013-04-01T20:29:00.001-04:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!!

We had such a perfect weekend, starting off with the kids Aunt Rhe Rhe visiting us on Friday. Hubby stayed home to make us all dinner while the rest of us headed off to Aubreys soccer practice.

This girl is getting so good!!

On Saturday we headed out to the lake and had the best time. We fished and hiked some of the trails, the day was gorgeous!

The Park Rangers were also having a scavenger hunt. Let me tell you... it was the scavenger hunt from H E double hockey sticks. The objective was to to find certain trees that were on the list and write down the code word that was labeled on a wooden marker next to the tree.

Do you know how hard it is to find a wooden marker in a forest of wood?!?! Hard people, hard!!

Saturday evening we had our first bonfire of the year with our cousins and neighbors.

Yea, that would be my hubbys work of art. It was so nice to be outside in the evening and not be freezing, I am so thankful spring is here.

We celebrated our Easter Sunday with Grandparents. They had overflowing Easter baskets for the kids and there was even a break in the drizzle so the kids could take a tractor ride.

Aubrey is on spring break all week and I am so happy to have my girl here with us during the day.

This was this morning with my loves. It has been the perfect day.

I replaced all the kids winter clothes with their spring and summer clothes and it was warm enough for them to wear shorts and dresses.

Tonight I am watching my beloved Dancing with the Stars and letting the kids stay up late and play with the neighborhood kids!

Happy Birthday!

2013-03-10T23:26:00.000-04:00

Today is my best friends birthday. He's also my Hubby. He makes pretty babies like this:

And this:

I wrote a Happy Birthday song just for him:

Happy Birthday to you,

We live in a zoo.

You helped create it,

I don't hate it,

Happy Birthday to you.

Happy Birthday to you,

I want more babies with you,

Babies, More Babies,

Can I have more babies with you?

Happy Birthday to you,

You're older than me,

Ha Ha Ha - ppy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you,

I love our Zoo.

I love it, I love it,

I love you.

Isn't he pretty yall?? I think he's prettier than me!

Happy Birthday Hubby! I love you more and more every day and these past 8 years have been the best of my life. I will love every day, of growing old with you!!

Thankful For a Little Boy

2013-03-04T22:17:00.000-05:00

I'm so thankful for my little boy.

Yes, he's weird and sticky and hyper.

But he's mine and I love him and if I never had a little boy I may never have known what a worm ball looks like.

I love you little boy.

Easy Easter Craft: Stained Glass Easter Egg

2013-02-28T13:02:00.000-05:00

Here's an easy Easter Craft if you're looking for one. I prepped all the materials ahead of time and it was easy for the kids to complete on their own while I did some cleaning.

All you need:

Construction Paper
Contact Paper
Tissue Paper
Scissors

Prep all your materials

Cut a large egg shape out of your child's chosen construction paper color.
After you have cut out the egg shape, fold in half and cut out the middle. This leaves an egg outline.
Cut up tiny squares of tissue paper, use a variety of spring colors.
Cut two sheets of contact paper large enough for your egg to fit inside.

Directions:

Peel and lay down your first sheet of contact paper in front of your child. Then lay down your egg outline.
Let the kids fill in the egg using the tissue paper, for an older child they could do a pattern.
After they have completely filled in the egg, lay the next sheet of peeled contact paper down on top to create a laminated effect.
Admire your child's craftiness and hang in your window!

The kids enjoyed this craft!

Living Room Update and Some TMI!

2013-02-25T13:00:00.000-05:00

Well HELLLLERRR there! I'm back after a little hiatus.

A couple of weeks ago I came to a really important conclusion.

I'm overweight. Yes, I'm fat. My muffin top and busted can of biscuits completely overflowed so much that I finally had to be honest with myself that my weight was overtaking ME.

The really important factor in this whole conclusion was that I had gotten to the point where I was so uncomfortable in my own skin. I was unhappy with myself and just so self conscious about my body. I finally just got real with myself ... I hit my breaking point. This is a good thing, a great thing. It means I'm ready. Beyond ready to loose the weight.

After 3 kids and my weight fluctuating so often it's finally time for me to take care of myself. Since I won't be pregnant ever again (WAAAHHH) I really would like to get back to my pre pregnancy size.

I was so tired of having boxes full of clothes that I could not wear. Of having only 1 or 2 pants that actually fit and so so tired of wearing stretchy pants all the time. It was so hard to get ready to go someplace and then walk to the closet and realize that I literally had nothing to wear because none of my clothes fit me.

So I woke up one morning and I did it. I started my weight loss journey and I could not be happier. The first few days were ROUGH. I was seriously suffering from food withdraw but now I'm good. It took those few days for my body to adjust to not stuffing my face all the time but I'm starting to feel great. I feel those fat cells shrinking and my skin is looking better and I'm feeling better with more energy.

So just so we're clear, I'm still overweight. But I'm a happy fatty because I'm doing something about it. I'm not sure if I have lost anything or not but I do know that I can wear a pair a pants that didn't fit a few weeks ago so that's got to count for something. I don't have a scale so I wont be weighing in, the plan to go by how my clothes fit and a how I feel.

So I will keep you updated and hopefully be sharing some tips and letting you know how it's going.

In other news, we have finally did some updating in our barren living room. So after the painting, furniture and wainscoting this is how the living room looked for awhile:

Withing the last few weeks we have installed a TV on the wall (thanks to an awesome relative) and I have hung some pictures as well.

Now, I don't actually know those people in the frames but I'm sure they are wonderful.

This area needs some help. We are currently looking for a cute long table/bench that has some storage for under the TV so we can hide all these ugly wires.

So the next few things for the living room:

Get rid of those people in the frames and replace them with people we actually know.

Find a bench/table for under the TV.

Replace ceiling fan.

Replace and cover the pillows with some colorful pretty fabric.

Possibly a rug.

Still deciding on wether or not to hang drapes.

Paint some missed spots and the trim.

New lampshade.

That's not too much to ask is it?

What Is A Poop Bar??

2013-02-10T21:26:00.002-05:00

Sooo, let me set the scene for you:

Out to dinner with family.

Brandon will not stop talking.

I'm okay with this, since he's cute and little and funny.

BUT, then he starts talkin' about my Poop Bars.

And in this house, WE DON'T SPEAK OF THE POOP BARS!!!!!!!!!!

I am cutting him some slack since he is only 3 can't seem to feel the heat of my eyes blaring into him.

So since my secret is out, I might as well tell the whole world what a Poop Bar is.

Yes, I lurve me some Fiber One Bars. And when you have a 3 year old who constantly wants to eat them, the best way to keep them away is to let them know

THEY MAKE YOU POOP!!!

So, Brandon. Please stop shouting randomly, at stores/restaurants/in the car, that you want a POOP BAR!!

Plllllleeeeeeaaaaaaaaassssseeeee!!!

It's embarrsin'!

Crockpot Slow Cooker Recipie: Chickadilla Soup

2013-02-05T14:42:00.002-05:00

Oh. My. Goodness.

I tore this recipe out of a magazine a couple of months ago. It's called Chickadilla Soup and the recipe is from Kashi.

It's super healthy and the taste is amazing. I made it yesterday in the crock pot.

Ingredients:

1lb Chicken Breast
30oz diced tomatoes
10oz mild enchilada sauce
4oz chopped mild green chilies
1 quart chicken broth
2 15oz cans of black or pinto beans
10 oz frozen corn
1/2 medium onion
1tsp cilantro
1tsp cumin, chili powder and salt
1/2tsp black pepper

I didn't have any corn so I did not include that. I used pinto beans and 1 whole onion.

Directions:

Place all ingredients into a 6 qt. slow cooker. Mix. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
After a few hours, once chicken is thoroughly cooked, remove from pot, shred and return to pot for remaining cooking time.

Notes:

After a couple hours I shredded the chicken. Then I turned my cooker on high. After about 6 hours total we had dinner. It was good but I wasn't sure if it was a keeper or not. During a commercial break of The Bachelor around 8 something I went upstairs and realized I had left the crock pot on high and forgot to turn it off. I turned it off and then decided to have another bowl.

IT WAS AMAZING!!! Just those few extra hours made all the difference. The chicken melted in my mouth and all the different flavors had fuzed into awesomeness. It was slightly spicy with just the right kick. I didn't even add anything extra to it besides salt.

I ended up having another bowl.

I also ate it for breakfast and would have had it for lunch but it was all gone. SADNESS!

I will definetly be making this again but I will make sure to make it earlier so it can cook longer, I think that made all the difference.

Sunday Night Musings

2013-02-03T23:33:00.000-05:00

Happy Super Bowl Sunday everyone!

We have spent our day happily sitting at home resting and relaxing. We have had a busy weekend.

We finally upgraded our family car to a van so it no longer looks like a clown car when five people step out of one mid sized car. I'm super proud of my Hubby and myself for waiting to upgrade. It was so tempting to buy one when Emma was born but we knew the right thing to do was wait until we bought our house first. So for a year and a half we have had 3 car seats mushed together in the back seat of our car. It was a pain and we honestly did get some funny looks and lots of remarks that we needed a van. But we didn't care, we knew our patience would pay off and now it has!

Hubby had researched and researched for months and we are very happy with our purchase! We took it on tour over the weekend and visited some family. It's very nice to have room for extra kids when we need it!

We spent this morning talking about our plans for our home this spring. I love plans, don't you?

There are so many things we can't wait to do when the weather warms up but until then it's fun to talk about!

Aubrey, Brandon and I made some chocolate chip cookies.

My handsome boy.

I put on a pot of homemade potpourri. It's super easy and smells so good. All you need is some cinnamon and I also use ground nutmeg. Mix with peelings from oranges and a couple of cups of water. Then bring to a boil and let simmer for however long you would like. I can usually use the same pot the next day as well, just keep adding water when it gets low. Smells great and very fragrant!

Last week was soo windy!! Brandon has been asking for so long to fly his kite so we flew it for two days until it broke.

I had to take a picture of these huge tree's because they were srrsly creepin' me out. They were swaying so much in the crazy wind.

I also wanted to share this little rambling of mine that I found. It's from a few weeks ago and I never got around to finishing it or publishing it so here it is anyway.

.................................................................

As I'm sitting here at my desk, typing and thinking away the snow beautifully coating the ground outside my window the feeling of thankfulness is pouring from me.

It is a beautiful feeling. Aubrey and I have spent our lunchtime tromping around outside through the woods. Looking for little animal prints throughout the tree's. We walked to the little creek which has frozen over and we climbed through our jungle gym of fallen trees.

And as I watched Aubrey head down this little country gravel road talking excitedly with her friend as they headed to her house to get her snowsuit I could not help but feeling like a dream had come true.

It was a dream for so many years to have a place to call our true home. I prayed for a place with tree's and nature and somewhere safe for the kids to play.

God answered my prayers! It makes my heart rejoice so much to have a yard for running. Tree's for climbing, friends who come through the woods to say hello. And even though we're expecting more snow, I can't help but think of summer and it's beauty. Of the blackberry vines over in the corner of the yard that I can't wait to ripen. Of fingertips dyed black and juicy smiles.

...................................................................

I know it's quite cheesy but I love it because it's true.

A Sliver of Spring

2013-01-30T14:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a gift from above! The weather had been so extremely horrible and cold and nasty here in Virginia. I keep my thermostat very low so when the heat in my house stays on for days, you know it's got to be freezing outside!

Thankfully yesterday made up for it! We saw just a sliver of Spring to come. It was up around 73 degrees and we soaked up every bit of it. Aubrey was off from school so we decided to head to one of our favorite parks for a of couple hours.

It was just perfect and really helped with those winter time indoor blues. We swung, we played we ran and jumped and rolled down hills. I had been longing for Spring and green grass and trees with green leaves. And was thinking how this will be our first spring and full summer in our home. I can't wait to see the flowers and beauty encircle us.

I love how the park works with the landscape and nature.

And on a completely different topic, as I was uploading these pics I couldn't help but think how fast my babies are growing. They are getting so big before my eyes have a chance to blink.

An Owl Hand Print Craft

2013-01-22T09:18:00.001-05:00

I just love Saturday mornings! Even more so, now that Aubrey is in school. Weekend mornings are cherished around here. We have a routine we've gotten into which usually starts with a few cartoons and then we head upstairs for breakfast and some free time.

Aubrey is usually at the table with her coloring books and crayons, Emma has gotten into the groove as well and likes to color with her big sis. Brandon will usually be running around with swords fighting bad guys or sometimes he likes to sit at the table and play with his Yego's (Lego's).

This past Saturday morning we got out our crafting supplies and got to work. I have seen a couple Owl crafts floating around on Pinterest and I think Owl's are the cutest so we decided to go in that direction.

As you can see we make quite a mess!

We did hand prints as the feathers.

So cute!!! I actually had an ulterior motive for making these with the kids. I really wanted them to hang in Emma's room (can you guess the theme I'm going for). The kids liked them so much that they wanted to keep them to play with so I went ahead and laminated them so they wouldn't tare when being tossed around.

Later in the day they did get tired of them so they agreed to let me have them for little sister's room. Yay!

Emma did make one but not until later in the day.

Striped Walls and I'm Still Alive

2013-01-14T17:53:00.000-05:00

I'm finally pulling my head out of the upstairs bedroom that now belongs to Emma. Taking a room from dark purple to bright yellow is no joke!!

But, I am finally done and I'm in LURVE with it! It turned out exactly the way I had pictured it in my head, I love when that happens!

It has been a little over a week since I started and I'm so happy to say that it is 90% done. 100% done with the painting, all of Emma's things have been moved upstairs and put away. The only thing I need to do is hang a few things on the walls. I'm usually slow as molassas at doing things but I really needed the room downstairs for an office so that kind of lit the fire under my butt!

The third bedroom upstairs has been used as a playroom/toy storage since we moved here in August. We didn't do anything to it besides stuff kid things in it. This is what it looked like before:

Ugh yeah, it aint pretty that's for sure!

I thought about leaving the purple and hubby liked it but I just couldn't do it. It was too dark for my little sunny girl she needed something brighter! I also had 2 cans of paint that were originally intended for the kitchen that I wanted to use. We decided to go with a different color for the kitchen so it worked out.

I headed to Lowes and purchased Valspar High Hiding Primer to use over the purple. And since I knew I wanted stripes I bought another shade of yellow to go with what I had.

The primer was great. I did 2 coats on the walls where I knew I was using the lighter shade of yellow and only one on the walls I was using the darker color. Even with the primer I had to do about 2-3 coats of the yellow.

Here is a preview of what the room looks like:

Quite lovely if I do say so myself but even better now that it's completely done. Tomorrow I'll be back with the complete room reveal as long as I can get some sun to take a decent photo!

What I Don't Want to Forget

2013-01-02T09:02:00.000-05:00

I know I say it over and over again. Time is flying by.

I just keep thinking to myself how I need to make sure I'm living each and every day. Really being present and absorbing it all.

And I think as long as I do these things, that I will not let myself be sad when I'm older and in my rocking chair thinking back to these younger days with young babies and kindergartners. I will not be sad because I know that I lived it and experienced it and was there, really there, to enjoy every bit of it.

So, with that said. Here are a few things I don't want to forget.

Christmas Eve night. How we coaxed the kids into peaceful slumber by telling them Santa couldn't come until he knew they were sleeping. How we made sure to leave the tree on so Santa could see it but how I ended up turning it off before bed because I didn't want to catch the house on fire. And then how I couldn't sleep because I was so excited and how I got up around 5 to turn the tree back on so the kids would never know it had been off.

How Aubrey woke me up telling me there were presents under the tree and Santa had come. They were all so excited but they couldn't open until Daddy was awake.

The kids with their letters to Santa.

Leaving them for Jolly the elf to take to the North Pole that night.

How my sweet boy would gather all his blankets and camp out on the couch in front of the tree telling us how much he liked it and how it was pretty. Then we'd all end up on the couch talking about what they wanted for Christmas.

How trying to get a good Christmas picture is very hard with 3 little ones. Especially a 3 year old boy.

Sucking on his bottom lip.

Making extremely weird faces.

Itchy head.

Thinks he's a donkey.

We finally got a few good ones we could use.

And especially how we shared a wonderful Christmas Eve with both sets of Grandparents and how it makes me realize how blessed our family is and how grateful I am that our kids have Grandparents that love them.

I could not have asked for a more wonderful Christmas.

Around the House

2012-12-20T12:07:00.000-05:00

My goodness, time is flying! Christmas is only a few days away and it seems like we just finished up with Thanksgiving!

Today is Aubrey's last day of school until after the New Year and I had to remind her of this a few times this morning in order to get her out of bed. She was however soooo excited to take her Christmas present for her teacher to school. I am so mad at myself that I forgot to get a picture of her this morning.

I will often find Emma sitting in her chair in her room looking at a book. It's the cutest thing.

I just love this book stage. I remember Aubrey and Brandon at around this same age, they would love just sitting and looking at a book or bringing it to someone to read to them. They each had their own favorite which I still have and plan to put into their baby box.

This is Emma's. It's called 'Carl's Afternoon in the Park' and it's seriously the most adorable little picture book. It's all about a dog who takes care of a baby and a puppy and all the cute little things they do together.

During some of these warmer days, we love getting outside.

Brandon's favorite game right now is playing 'swords' with plastic bats. He really wants to be a Ninja Turtle.

The trampoline gets used almost every single day. I think it's the best investment (besides our house) that we have made all year.

After the town Christmas Parade we walked to the church to see the sweet nativity.

Operation Toy Cleanout is in full swing. I have probably been able to remove around 6-7 garbage bags full of old toys/clothes and random other items in preparation for the Christmas toy wave. It feels so good to get rid of things that have just been sitting.

Aubrey does school, even when she is not at school.

These won't last long!!

We made these last night. So easy and sooo good!!!

Aubrey is very excited to be the assistant gift wrapper this year. Last night she helped me wrap a present for Daddy from Mommy. I expressed the importance of keeping this gift a secret and making sure Daddy did not find out what it was. Of course as soon as Daddy came home the first thing she made sure to tell him was that she knew what his present is.

Hubby is a master gift finder-outer, he's extremely good at guessing what is he is getting or what is in a wrapped box.

So once again, Aubrey and I had the keeping it a secret talk. After the kids were asleep Hubby made sure to tell me that I made a mistake telling her and he was going to find out.

Aubrey, I'm counting on you!!! Don't spill!!

Hubby's last day is tomorrow and then he is off until after Christmas. I can't wait to have my entire family home. The Christmas excitement is settling in!!

Living Room Reveal: Do It Yourself Wainscoting

2012-12-13T14:15:00.000-05:00

It's finally done!!!!!!

Well, almost. I know I've been going on and on about this living room project we have been up to but we are finally done for the most part.

When we first moved in this is what the living room looked like:

Basically the same as the day it had been built. Well, we came in guns blazin' and decided to paint a shade of blue that we had picked out at Lowe's It was brighter than we expected and took quite a bit of getting used to. We started to really like it and now I think it was the perfect pick.

Here is what it looked like for a couple of months.

I'm so happy we picked it. I think it's beautiful!!

So, on to the project. Before buying the house I had been dreaming of all the awesome things I wanted to do and was so excited to decorate. I knew I wanted to do wainscoting, I loooove wainscoting. I think it gives a lot of character and it's just really beautiful.

I did a lot of research until I was ready to take the challenge and just do it. A couple of months(yes I said months, not the fastest project I've ever done!) ago we bought our materials and got to work.

Although wainscoting looks amazing and awfully difficult, it's actually pretty easy and anyone can do it! The first thing I did was hang the chair rail.

I bought one of these cool things:

In my opinion it's okay for smaller projects but with all the upgrading we are planning to do we will definitely be upgrading to a compound miter saw after Christmas.

The hardest part of hanging the chair rail was the inside corner cuts. It was really difficult to do with this little hand saw but we made it work.

Don't worry, no baby toes were harmed during the making of this project!

My helpers:

Not only did I do my living room wall but I also did this wall that you see when you walk up the stairs.

My fridge sits on the other side.

So once I had all the chair rails hung, it was on to the boxes. The boxes were super easy, although the cuts did get a little tedious. Here's what everything looked like before I primed and painted.

AND the final product!!!!!

I LOVE it!!! I love how warm and inviting it makes the room and really adds so much character.

I still need to do about 1 more coat of paint and do some touch up but I'm calling this project complete!

:: Happy dance::

The only bad thing that happened is I tipped over my can of primer onto my carpet. YIKES! We are going to clean the carpet after the last coat of paint, so hopefully this comes out. Please please!!

So now that this is finally done, I'm very excited to move on to finishing the rest of the living room. Hubby and I have decided to take one room at at time. As much as I'd love to go and paint my kitchen, the living room needs to be finished first! Next up curtains, new ceiling fan, hang the T.V. and family pictures, maybe a rug, pillows for the couch... the list goes on and on :)

How to Make a Half Decent Christmas Wreath in 5 Minutes or Less

2012-12-02T12:51:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday everyone!

One day last week when Aubrey was at school and Emma was napping, I had the sudden need to make a wreath for the front door.

I didn't want to spend any money or leave the house, so I scraped up some supplies to see what I could put together.

I started with an old beat up pool noodle. Taping the ends together I formed something that kinda looks like a circle. Good enough anyway!

I had two spools of left over ribbon. The problem was, they were not the same and there was not enough on one spool to completely cover the noodle.

Solution? Use both! Yeah, that's just how we roll over here!!

Have you been to the Dollar Tree lately? They have so much awesome Christmas stuff! I bought this cute bow, which came in a pack of two. I think it's adorable!

So I taped it on my wreath and VOILA!

Is it perfect?? HECK NO! But, I still like it and it didn't really cost me anything and I didn't even have to leave my house to make it.

Not too bad on the front door.

It actually looks pretty good from the road, I'm happy with it.

I also made this smaller one to go over my kitchen window. All I used was a small wreath from, of course the dollar tree. And these adorable glittered reindeer, also from the dollar tree.

We are in the Christmas spirit over here at the Testa house, I hope you are too! This evening we are off to enjoy the town Christmas Parade. Have a great day!

Vacuuming E Card

2012-11-28T15:30:00.000-05:00

I was just vacuuming and felt the extreme need to make this e Card:

Please tell me I'm not the only one!!!

Daily Life

2012-11-28T12:59:00.001-05:00

We are better! I'm so thankful for a healthy family!

Thanksgiving was amazing. We were able to spend time with both sides of our family and we enjoyed every moment of it.

I remembered to snap a few pictures at my Moms house but completely forgot the camera at the In Laws. We really had such a great day, I'm so thankful for both sides of our family!

Brandon is all over the place! He has hit his head at least 3 times in the last week. You can see the front bump in this picture and he also launched himself from his bed and knocked the back of his head on one of the boards. He freaks me out!! No matter how many times we go over with him that he should not be jumping, no matter how many tears that flow, he just does not stop!

I might just get him a helmet for Christmas.

We are STILL working to complete our living room project. I was sick and then hubby was sick so it took the gusto right out of us. Tomorrow we are taking a trip to Lowes to get some supplies and hoping to have this project wrapped up in the next 3 days.

I can't wait to post pictures!!

We have put out most of our Christmas decor. This is our first year doing Elf on the Shelf and we already loooove it! It's so much fun and the kids get excited about finding the Elf every morning.

This is Jolly.

I recently read these books. Very good mysteries if you can get past some of the weird parts.

This is Emma's room. It is the messiest room in the entire house. Emma does not like for it to be clean, every time it gets cleaned she is ready right behind me to take it all apart.

Aubrey loves to read to Emma in the evenings, it's so sweet.

Off to do some cleaning!

We Are Sick Yall!!

2012-11-19T19:16:00.000-05:00

Oh My Goodness!!

We've been sick yall! Aubrey missed school on Thursday and Friday because she had a fever and cold. Somewhere around Friday night things got real.

Emma woke up in the middle of the night. I walked into her room and was appalled by what I inhaled.

It was bad, I'm talkin' dirty diaper bad.

After a changing and some fresh air she was fast asleep. I hopped back in bed but something just wasn't right. I could feel my insides churning.

At that point I heard crying from upstairs "Mommy, Mooooooommmmmyyyyy!!! I fro'd up!!!"

Brandon was at the top of the steps crying and barfing. I was able to clean him up and get him back in bed. Then I started the clean up process but let me tell you:

It's counterproductive to clean throw up when you need to throw up.

Heh....

Anyway, I was finally back in bed when the process reaped it itself about 2 more times. At around 4 AM both Aubrey and Brandon were on the downstairs couch watching a movie and I was trying to sleep.

That day was bad. Reeaal bad.

Uhh, do you remember my post from last years stomach bug?? Thankfully it did not even compare to that day.

So that's pretty much how Saturday went. Sunday, we thought we were feeling better so we had a play date in the park.

Then today came.

Woke Aubrey up for school and she kept telling me she wasn't feeling well. I truly thought it was only because she was tired and didn't want to get up. Well.. I was wrong!

Received a call from the school at 10:30 saying Aubrey had thrown up in class. So no school for her the rest of the week.

I hope we all start feeling better before Thanksgiving, I'd hate to have to quarantine ourselves but I don't want to spread our sickness either.

But darn, if we're still sick that means I actually have to cook on Thanksgiving. Something I've manage to avoid for .... ever. We've got Tuesday and Wednesday to get our act together!!

An Interesting Day

2012-11-15T19:36:00.000-05:00

It's been an interesting day. I woke Aubrey up this morning for school and she claimed sickness. The thermometer told me she was telling the truth, so she stayed home today.

Emma actually slept in this morning! I was so busy singing 'Hallelujah' that I missed seeing her vomit all over her new outfit. Which was followed by 2 more outfits and the kitchen floor.

This was her all morning...

Thankfully she went down for her nap and woke up feeling much better.

I was so torn. I didn't want to make the day too much fun and make Aubrey want to stay home everyday. At the same time we were kinda bored so we went ahead and did some activities.

Gak/Goop/Slime. One of our all time favorites.

Here's a tip: If you have a messy toddler, like me. Give them a big bowl, it helps to keep the slime contained and their area clean.

We made some Thanksgiving cards and a couple of other crafts. About halfway through this the kids started arguing and fighting with each other so much that I was about to scream. Aubrey was super irritated because her fever was going back up and Brandon was playing the part of the annoying little brother. It's his favorite role, he's considering writing an instructional booklet.

Aubrey ended up taking a long nap and woke up with a high fever. School tomorrow?? Not sure yet.

I made some yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Hubby and I also are on the verge of completion of our living room project. I am SOOO EXCITED about it and can't wait to share it!!!

Diaper Wedgie

2012-11-09T21:03:00.001-05:00

I just heart diaper wedgies.

They are sooo stinkin' cute!!!!!!!

I let Emma walk around like this all morning yesterday. I just couldn't pick it out, it was way to adorable!

I don't know what I'm going to do when I don't have any babies wearing diapers and having wedgies.

Maybe I can talk Hubby into humoring me... or not.

E-Card Wednesday!!

2012-11-07T11:12:00.000-05:00

It's time for a new segment here on Ahhh Mom!

E-Card Wednesday, where I make light of myself and my life.

Here is my first creation, sad but painfully true!!

House Tour

2012-10-29T22:55:00.001-04:00

Okay Sandy, enough!!!! Pllllease no more wind and rain. I'm ready for my sunny cool days back.

So far today we've resorted to making Pretzels, Peanut Butter Pie. And then stuffing faces with said food.

Aubrey had no school today and it's been cancelled for tomorrow as well. She has gone as far as actually wanting to do dishes.

This is after we cleaned out my closet and she claimed some of my old shirts - as you can see above.

We've been quite bored. But I just want to say that bored is a GREAT thing during a hurricane. I'm so thankful to be bored. Thankful that we're not having to sop up a flooded basement or any other horrible things that come along with hurricane weather. I have been sending prayers out and I pray you are safe and warm and cozy in your home this evening as the winds whip and rain pours.

The kids are sleeping in the basement tonight. We are pretty fearful of some trees around our house that we have not cut down yet. So for tonight my babies get to sleep with me!

Looking out the back door.

So, I would like to share my home tonight! If you follow my blog, you know we moved recently and I have yet to give a house tour.

These are assorted pictures, some from when we first came to look at the house and some from when we first moved in.

This is a view of the living room, right before we were about to paint.

Where the living room and the kitchen meet.

Eat in kitchen.

Kitchen.

Hallway closet.

Hallway bathroom.

This is the mast bedroom closet and bathroom. For some reason I don't have any pictures of the actual room itself.

Purple bedroom.

Blue bedroom.

Downstairs living area.

Downstairs bathroom.

Downstairs hallway closet.

Downstairs bedroom.

There is another bedroom/office but I don't have any pictures of that.

This is the utility room.

Utility sink.

Downstairs closet.

Downstairs living area.

Under the stairs closet.

Looking out the front door.

Downstairs hallway view.

We have slooowly been doing some projects around the house. I'm very happy with going slowly. I have realized that my ideas change the longer we live here and the more it becomes 'ours'.

The past few weeks we've been working on a big DIY project in the living room and I cannot wait to show you! Stay tuned!!