Going Jane

Sweet & Simple Treats from the Hogwarts Express

2013-01-24T12:46:00.000-05:00

With Miss A's birthday party fast approaching and a Harry Potter theme selected, I knew I had to get crackin' on coming up with some magical treats for her friends to enjoy! So I'm going to share with you some of our treats. This week, I'm going to show you the simplest magical treats on the menu—treats the kidders at the party attested are worthy of the Hogwarts Express.

First, we needed Bertie Bott's Every Flavor beans. What could be more HP than that, right?

We started with a couple of bags of Jelly Belly jelly beans, some Ziploc snack sized bags, and some oval-shaped Avery labels.

I created to labels with the Avery online print center at avery.com/print. Here's a closer look at them:

I was super pleased with how easy the online Avery system were to create and use. Here are the individual bags we used in the party favor bags for the kids:

And then we used the extra beans and label to set out at the party:

The kids loved them and were convinced the beans had some pretty wild flavors.

Next up: Jellied Slugs

We used some large Avery shipping labels, more of the Ziploc snack bags, and some sour gummy worms:

We set some extras out at the party as well:

You have no idea how many times I had to refill this bowl at the party! Sadly it wasn't until I'd already printed the labels that I realized the labels should have said KNOCK TURN ALLEY. Duh.

My favorite simple treat from the Hogwarts Express? Chocolate of course!

Dementors have been known to attack on the Hogwarts Express, so it never hurts to be prepared!

I started with Ghiradelli chocolate squares (on clearance from Target!) and some circle Avery labels. I printed these labels using the Avery online tool as well, and was very pleased with the final result.

They looked amazing and the kids thought I bought them real Harry Potter candy.

And last, but certainly not least, we needed something to wash the goodies down with, and what could be better than Butter Beer?

These worked great because the IBC bottles don't even come with labels that I had to peel off. I used the same shipping labels that I used for the Jellied Slugs.

These were a huge hit!

I love that all of these treats were just simple re-labels - something any busy mom can handle - and that the online Avery label making tool was pretty easy to use and yielded some great looking results!

Transformation Tuesday: Dry Erase Wall Stripes

2013-01-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

If you were frightened by the color of Miss A's new room, rest assured this week I'll show you one of the ways we tamed it down and created a fun feature for her to enjoy.

So here's a look at the "before" with the solid bright pink walls:

I actually got the brainstorm of using the dry-erase board/whiteboard/marker board (whatever you want to call it) on a blog somewhere (I couldn't find the original post) where they used it when they put up board and batten walls because it was relatively cheap and painted. I thought, "Why paint it? My kids would LOVE it!"

Of the four walls in Miss A's room, we're utilizing three different treatments. Crazy sounding, I know. You should have seen the looks the Hubby gave me. But after explaining it to him, we agreed we think it will work out well. You'll have to stay tuned for the final results.

Anyhoo, we put up two stripes of marker board in the corner of the room where Miss A's bed and desk will go. The stripes are 3-feet wide I think and come in big sheets (similar to wall board) from the hardware store. The websites call them "marker board." We ran them from floor to ceiling. I see her doodling on them in bed, writing reminders at her desk and drawing crazy cartoons and pictures. Just having a blast! I mean, didn't your mom tell YOU not to draw on the walls? Now she can!

Already the artwork has begun—even before all the pieces were up!

This is "The Best Comic Ever." The basic storyline is that dad suffers from "fartitocis" and sets the house on fire. Don't ask.

We are quite tickled with the results, and think she will be, too.

Some lessons we learned:

Make sure you communicate what you want EXACTLY to your Hubby (aka personal hardware store shopper). Otherwise he may come home with dry erase paint instead, which may result in tempers flaring and a wasted evening of sulking and pouting. I won't say by who.
It takes way more liquid nails than you would think to adhere the marker board to the wall.
We did what we thought was logical and started from the floor and went up on the first stripe. We were smarter by the second stripe and started from the top and went down. The logic? It makes way more sense to have your seam at knee height than to have it at chest height. I mean, where do you think you'll do more writing?

Stay tuned for more updates on the transformation of Miss A's bedroom!

Transformation Tuesday: Ombre Dresser

2013-01-15T06:46:00.000-05:00

As things started to fall in place for Miss A's room, I started to have doubts about her dresser and decided to give it an upgrade.

I didn't even know there was a special name for this when I painted it. Only after it was done, while I was scanning Pinterest trying to decide if I should add something to the drawers or not did I discover that I'd created an Ombre Dresser. Huh. (See a dozen of the girly dressers I love from Pinterest HERE.)

Here's the before picture. Just a plain old cheap dresser as old as Miss A (almost 10 years). The manufacturer (Rhino Rooms) was nice enough to donate an entire bedroom set to both Miss A and the Hubby and I after our house fire when she was 6 weeks old. Their manufacturing facility was located within our county, but closed in 2009. It's definitely served its purpose and was much appreciated, but the paint had started to chip off in several places and Miss A may have gone sticker crazy on it a time or two in the last 10 years...

I almost forgot to take a pic before I started painting. When we picked the paint for Miss A's room, we also got 3 smaller cans for accents in the room off the same color card plus some white. I used each of those accent colors from light to dark on the dresser drawers. I started painting within 15 minutes of deciding I was going to since I had the paint already on-hand and open. I just peeled stickers off, washed off the drawer fronts, removed the knobs and went to work.

Since I had just cleaned out the too-small clothes and eliminated all the toys and junk that had somehow found their way into the drawers the night before, I really didn't want to take them all out and do it over again—so I just pulled the 2 drawers I was working on at a time out a little bit and was careful with the paint. Pretty lazy, huh? But it worked just fine and I'm happy with the results. What do you think?

Eventually I might add something else to it, but right now I'm liking the simple cleanliness of the dresser and the colors add to her room.

I solemnly swear I am up to no good...

2013-01-14T06:42:00.000-05:00

Finally! Miss A has fallen as much in love with the Harry Potter books as her father and I! Well..almost! But I was a bit surprised when she requested a Harry Potter theme for her upcoming 10th bithday. So, off to Pinterest Mama goes..

First up: the invitations.

There were many very cute invitations online, but I settled on a scroll type invitation inspired by this one from Toad's Treasures...

Source: ashbyfamilyblog.blogspot.com via Jane on Pinterest

Here's my version:

I used Lumos Latino, Magic School and Parry Hotter fonts (be aware that the X, W, and V are scrambled in the Lumos Latino font - but it was a free download, so I'm not complaining), a scan of Minerva McGonagall's signature and the Hogwarts crest. I printed the invitations on parchment paper (Miss A was thrilled with the parchment: "Just like they use at Hogwarts!" she exclaimed!).

Then rolled them and sealed them with oval Avery 22814 seals. I prepped the labels online through the Avery Design and Print Center. This was my first time using it, and it went pretty smoothly. Here's what my labels looked like:

Finally, I finished them off my tying them with jute. Miss A loved them and I was pretty pleased with the result. Plus, it got the seal of approval from Miss Jent's family. What do you think?

Pinterested? Heaven on a Bun

2013-01-10T18:35:00.000-05:00

I'm working hard at trying and creating—not just pinning fabulous looking foods and craft ideas. And here's my latest effort:

I think I could eat these until I was sick—they are THAT good. It all started with this pin: a copycat recipe for Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Butter.

Source: thehenbasket.com via Jane on Pinterest

Now I didn't take pictures, 'cuz I figure just about anyone can stick a stick of butter, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in their mixer. Then take some of these:

Slather their tops with some of this:

Pop them in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees and you get this:

Go wild. Slather them with even more of this when they come out of the oven and onto your plate:

Trust me—you'll thank me.

When the kids are away...

2013-01-09T06:26:00.000-05:00

The mom will play....

Yes, Miss A is getting a big-girl room upgrade—but she's still NINE and I want her to enjoy and cherish that time playing and dreaming. I've had this dollhouse bookcase since she was a baby. I think I originally picked it up at Big Lots for $35 or something, but we've never used it as a dollhouse. It's been used to hold books, bins and containers of toys, Breyer horses and more, but never as a dollhouse—until now.

I LOVED my Barbies when I was little! I may have been a little obsessed. A good chunk of Miss A's Barbie stash may come from me. That may be a vintage Barbie Dream Kitchen from the '80s. There may be an '80s Dream House around the corner and a coordinating '80s Barbie Motorhome (over 3-feet long!) nearby. Barbie may also have an old but reliable Barbie pickup truck and horse trailer in the garage (aka - the closet) waiting to haul all those pretty horses to horse shows and rodeos.

I texted this picture to my oldest childhood friend and her response was not that I was a nut, but that it brought back so many memories for her, too! We spent a lot of hours creating memories with my Barbie dolls! I want Miss A to have those same memories, and so far it's working. Putting all the dolls out and accessible in Miss A's new room where they don't have to be put away and look like they are ready for play at a moment's notice has spawned a huge spike in doll play, from both Miss A and both the boys, too. Mr. T (age 5) may occasionally sneak in when he thinks do one is looking and pretend the dolls are evil robots that must be battled by his Avengers figurines.

I know the dolls won't hold her interest forever, but I'm glad we incorporated this into her new room to cherish those childhood moments as long as we can.

Transformation Tuesday: Miss A's Room

2013-01-08T06:13:00.000-05:00

We are hot and heavy in the midst of renovating Miss A's bedroom. As a soon-to-be-10 year old, it was time for her room to get a little more grown-up feel to it—just not too grown up. And to be honest, her room was primarily a conglomeration of hodge-podged-ness.

Her nursery was all decked out and decorated—and then when she was 6 weeks old our house burned and we moved in with my parents—then into our home here. And then after Mr. T (now 5) joined the family, Miss A was dethroned from princess status and moved into the smaller of the 2 kids' bedrooms in our house.

To say she is ecstatic about the renovations is an understatement. So, we're going to share some of that progress with you each week. First up: The Color

Now that you've seen the new color, here's the old: a very unexciting patterned wallboard.

When I sent the hubby to pick up her new paint, the man at Home Depot's paint center said it would definitely keep her up for any all-night study sessions. But don't be afraid—I have plans to tame it down! Stay tuned to see that plan progress!

I thought she did a great job picking a color—she's definitely a pink kind of girl, and I think the bolder color is more mature and suits her personality. What do you think?

12 Dressers for a Girl to Love...

2013-01-04T21:17:00.001-05:00

Renovations are underway for Miss A's bedroom, and I decided today her dresser needed an upgrade. Here are are a dozen I found on Pinterest to love...do you have a favorite?

Love the color & the pretty details!

Source: flickr.com via Jane on Pinterest

Such cute patterns—but probably too much effort for me!
Source: jjsparkles.blogspot.com via Jane on Pinterest

Reminds me of my mom's vanity growing up—only more feminine

Source: rosenberryrooms.com via Jane on Pinterest

Love the simple colors

Source: google.com via Jane on Pinterest

What beautiful details for a girl's room!

Source: rosenberryrooms.com via Jane on Pinterest

The bird is adorable!

Source: showandtell-sausha.b

These patterns are just too cute!

Source: Uploaded by user via Jane on Pinterest

I could fall in love with chalkboard paint!

Source: refreshinglychic.com via Jane on Pinterest

Just beautiful with the bird and the distressing

Source: fashion-journal-bysuzannemarie.blogspot.com via Jane on Pinterest

Does it get any more girly than this?

Source: via Jane on Pinterest

Now THIS looks cute AND durable!!
Source: overstock.com via Jane on Pinterest

Almost the same colors Miss A chose!

Source: mama-says-sew.blogspot.com via Jane on Pinterest

Fabulous & Fun Feed Sack Bag Tutorial

2013-01-02T17:57:00.000-05:00

Who can't use another bag, right? From the farm yard to the kids' rag-tag assortment of belongings, it seems I can never have enough bags to hold everything I need held. So this year, over the holidays, I upcycled these cute feed sack bags to help corral presents for our families as we travelled hither and yon.

I made one of these bags for each family in our family, filled them with that family's gifts, and passed them our as we gathered around the various Christmas trees we visited over the Christmas season. My niece laid claim to her family's bag (made from a pig feed bag), declaring that she loved it and was keeping it forever. They were fun and simple to make, and could be made out of any kind of sturdy bag—from livestock feed to kitty litter to dog and cat food—whatever trips your trigger!

Here's a quick how-to:

1. Grab yourself a feed sack. Or kitty litter bag. Or whatever kind of bag you decide to use. I used Purina Show Chow bags leftover from Miss A's market lamb and market hog 4-H projects. Sadly, Purina did not provide me with the feed, the bag or any other compensation—though they are certainly welcome to!

2. Trim the top off the bag. I just cut the double layer all at once.

3. Then do the same to the bottom of your sack. Make it whatever size or height you want—no need to be picky. I just used the Purina checks on the side as a guide to keep me cutting straight across.

What you'll end up with is something like this:

4. Turn your bag inside out:

5. Turn under the top edge of your bag 3/4 - 1 inch or so - whatever works for you. Be as picky as you want. I just eye-balled it. If you want to measure and "pin" it, I suggest just using paperclips to hold it in place.

6. Then sew it down with a nice heavy-duty zig-zag stitch.

7. Now onto the bottom. Just show it shut with another row of zig-zag stitching. No need to even back stitch the ends since we will be sewing over them again in the next step.

8. Here's the only somewhat confusing part. Pinch the bottom edges together into a triangle. This is what's going to let your bag sit flat and make the bottom corners of the bag.

9. Now, run your zig-zag stitching across the triangle to form those bottom edges. Be sure to back stitch on these. Repeat on both sides.

10. Now it's time to turn your bag right side out. It should look something like this:

And when you look inside, it should resemble this:

11. The last step it to add your handles. I did denim handles and ribbon handles. Both worked great. The denim handles were ties from an old couch cover we wore out, and the ribbons I used were leftover from these bad boys:

Source: mydcdsite.com via Jane on Pinterest

Be creative! Or use it as an excuse to eat chocolate. Whatever makes you happy. Just make sure you get those handles stitched on their GOOD so they can carry the weight of whatever you put in the bag. I went back and forth over mine 6 or 8 times.

Ta da! You're all done!

Enjoy! I'd love to hear from you if you decide to try this to know what all you use to make your feed sack bags

All Aboard the Rice Krispie train!

2012-12-21T13:17:00.000-05:00

Aren't they adorable?

My little engineers whipped up this holiday train in no time and thought I was a rockstar...all because I love Sam's Club. That's where I found this:

Source: samsclub.com via Jane on Pinterest

It called my name. That and Mr. T started jumping up and down in the cart screaming that we HAD to get it. So simple, even I can handle it!

The box comes with 3 reusable train molds—and engine, freight car and caboose. It also comes with the perfect pre-measured amounts of rice crispies and marshmallows for mixing up a batch of rice crispie treats. It also comes with the decorator icing in red, blue, green and while along with the sprinkles. All you add is the butter and fun. How fun is that? Guaranteed to make you a rockstar mom in your kidders' eyes too.

Disclaimer: No compensation was received from Sam's Club or Kellogg's for this post —not that I'd complain if they did. I'm an addict on my own, and the thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely mine. Mine, I tell you!

12 Ways to Use Deco Mesh in your Christmas Decor

2012-12-20T09:52:00.000-05:00

One of the things I LOVE about deco wire mesh is that it can be used for sooooo many things!

Here are a dozen ways you can use it in your Christmas decor, starting with some ways it's being used around our house this year:

1. As a simple tree garland. Just wrap it around your tree like normal garland, only use pipe cleaners to tuck it in, fluff and hold it onto real trees. Artificial trees are even simpler: justtwist single branches around the mesh to hold it in place.

Here's our Barbie-themed tree with simple gold deco mesh garland from Sam's Club.

2. Multiple swirled tree garlands. We used 4 pieces of deco mesh in red and a pretty red and white stripe to add some color to our Disney/Star Wars tree.

We used the 4 sections to group like ornaments together: Star Wars, Disney Princesses, Mickey & his classic friends; and our other Disney ornaments.

3. Deco Christmas trees! Repurpose something you already have into a deco mesh Christmas tree! Here is my tiered planter turned into a deco mesh Christmas tree for my deck:

Adorable 5 year old helper not included

4. Outdoor wreaths. Deco mesh is great for outdoor decorations like my Ohio State wreath...

I hadn't planned on making this and OSU wreath, but the red and white was calling for a Buckeye bow...

5. Indoor wreaths. Once our OSU wreath was in place, I had to make a Purdue Boilermaker-colored wreath to put a stop to the grief I was getting. These are such a fun, sparkly way to add color and shimmer!

This wreath is adding holiday cheer to my guest bath...

6. Tomato-cage trees. Love these! They are what inspired me to turn my planter into a tree!

Source: Uploaded by user via Jane on Pinterest

7. Garland for your door! Wouldn't this be great to come home to?

Source: blog.southerncharmwreaths.com via Jane on Pinterest

8. Gift wrap! Who would have thunk?

Source: blog.mardigrasoutlet.com via Jane on Pinterest

9. Bows of course! And isn't this one cute?

Source: etsy.com via Jane on Pinterest

10. Shaped door decor/wreaths. There are so many cute ideas, but I just love this candy cane....

Source: blog.mardigrasoutlet.com via Jane on Pinterest

11. Door swags - love it!

Source: Uploaded by user via Melissa on Pinterest

12. Stairway garlands and swags: this makes me wish I had a a staircase like this just to decorate it.

Source: yellowpelow.com via Andrea on Pinterest

And one last bonus wreath to end things with, just because I think it's super cute:

Source: etsy.com via Katie on Pinterest

Pinterested? Simple Mesh Ribbon Wreaths

2012-12-19T06:47:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I mentioned my mesh wire ribbon addiction. Here's more proof:

My oldest childhood friend came to visit over the holidays, and I blame her for the addiction. She blames Pinterest:

Source: etsy.com via Shea on Pinterest

My friend and her mama showed me how. But you can check out one of the many online tutorials like this one:

Source: clumsycrafter.com via Brandi on Pinterest

It's really so simple, that after I made my Ohio State wreath with them, I even produced a Boilermaker-colored wreath to keep on the good list of all of my Indiana family & friends:

(Snowflakes courtesy of the free White Christmas app on my iPhone.)

Pinterested? How I turned my planter into a Christmas tree

2012-12-17T20:49:00.001-05:00

I'm working on trying to complete some of the many fabulous projects and ideas I've pinned on Pinterest, and I'm excited to share some of those results with you!

Here's out mesh ribbon Christmas tree! One of my bestest friends introduced me to the joy of wire mesh ribbon this holiday season and I'm in love! First, she talked me into using it as garland on my Barbie tree. Then my Disney/Star Wars tree looked naked. Then she and her mama helped me make a wreath. Then I made one on my own. I may even share some of those pics, too!

And then I saw some mesh ribbon Christmas trees made from tomato cages similar to the one below at Pat Catans.

Source: Uploaded by user via Jane on Pinterest

I thought they were cute, but since I didn't have any tomato cages and wasn't quite motivated enough to buy one, I filed it in the memory bank. Until this weekend when I was looking at my planter that needed to be put away (finally!).

Source: goingjane.blogspot.com via Jane on Pinterest

I thought to myself, "Hmmmm...it's no tomato cage, but maybe..."

So simple—and I just used my leftover mesh ribbon. And I love the ribbon from Sam's Club—it's so much softer and nicer to work with than what I bought in other craft stores.

So, what do you think?

Tough Enough to Show Pink

2012-07-31T20:36:00.000-04:00

This summer we had a great time going "PINK" for one our rodeo's Tough Enough to Wear Pink nights. And since my girly-girl is getting ready for her 1st trip to the county fair as an exhibitor, we've been getting all of her girly-goodness ready to go.

Two of the animals she's taking to the county fair this year are a market lamb and a breeding ewe—twins, actually, out of one of her 5-year old brother's ewes. This will be obvious to all fair exhibitors who ponder why a 9-year old girly-girl would name her lambs Sir Topham Hatt and Lady Hatt (from Thomas the Tank Engine).

So we have an older sheep stand that was slated to make a trip to the fair...

But it was icky and in need of a makeover (it's upside down above in case you're wondering).

So Miss A & I decided it needed a little girliness—something a little fun for her first lamb showing outing next week. So we made a trip to Wal-Mart—and we came home with watermelon pink spray paint. Miss A even recruited some manual labor for the project.

This is mainly for proof of his complicity to the task.

And then we started painting.

We hung pieces to the fence to get good coverage all around...

Miss A even helped with the painting after some instruction from Dad...

We tried sprinkling a little glitter, but it didn't stick as well as we had hoped...

So another trip to Wal-Mart ensued—and this time we stumbled across glitter spray paint. Score!

We added our bling.

I think it's ready to head to the fair next week. I'm sure the lambs are excited to have such stylish gear. But I don't think they're nearly as excited as Dad. He's really looking forward to carting it across the fairgrounds and working his magic on it as the lambs get ready to show Monday. :)

Super Simple Train Cake

2012-04-17T06:54:00.000-04:00

I think I'm getting lazier as I age. I started out my parenthood journey with great intentions of making fabulous homemade birthday cakes...and then one sweet girl turned into 3 crazy munchkins and all semblance of anything nearing fabulous went out the window. I consider it fabulous these days when we all make it through the day alive.

Imagine my dilemma when Mr. T (by baby) announced the day before his 5th birthday that he NEEDED a Gordon cake (like from Thomas the Tank engine). Gordon? Are you kidding me?

We've done Thomas cakes....

Percy cakes....

More Thomas cakes....

And even train cupcakes that I can't seem to find pictures of —but they were cute little cugar cookies cut into engines, freight cars and cabooses on top of cupcakes. And yummy.

But Gordon? Ack. Plus, I was half crazed at the time and running even more behind schedule than usual.

So I started with a trip to K-Mart to pick up a talking Gordon train since none of the bazillion Gordon trains my boys own would be found and only Gordon would do. When I got home, I put the freight cars Mr T picked out and the train tracks in the dishwasher and commenced to baking 3 round cake layers - 2 chocolate and a yellow cake layer in the middle. I stacked them together, then I iced the sides blue for the island of Sodor and the top green for the island's green countryside.

I frosted a couple of sugar cones to turn them into trees and set them on the island. Then I added the train tracks. They stuck over the edge a bit.

Mr T added the freight cars and Gordon. He was thrilled.

Gordon needs to go on a diet. His freight cars are heavy—but it all held together.

My lesson: this boy doesn't care how lazy and sloppy my cake skills are. He just loves cake. And ice cream sandwiches. And Gordon. And did I mention cake?

My very own Easter basket...

2012-04-12T05:16:00.000-04:00

I honestly can't remember the last time I had my own Easter basket.

So I was super excited when Hershey sent me my very own little basket of chocolate joy.

It had plenty of my old favorite and some new goodies to try, too. Like the Drops—this chocolate fiend has never seen or tried them before. But I'm planning something special for them.

I confess I used most of it to stuff the Easter eggs for my kidders. But I DID keep SOME for myself—like the Drops for a recipe I have in mind and the Kisses for those stressful moments at the office. But Kit Kat's are Miss A's faves and I've already told you my addiction with all things peanut butter, chocolate and Reese.

And when all the candy was gone, I still had a cute little yellow basket for the singing Easter bunny that's been living in my kitchen windowsill.

Egg-cellent Easter Memories

2012-04-06T19:59:00.002-04:00

When Hershey asked me about my favorite Easter memories and tradition, I knew the eggs were it. Now if it were us to me, these would be ALL the Easter eggs we'd ever need:

Source: thewhimsicalprincess.blogspot.com via April Mike on Pinterest

And no, that's not just because it was Hershey doin' the askin'. It's downright embarrassing how many 6-packs of these babies I've gone through so far—not to mention the stockpile I've got safely hidden from the kidders in my kitchen.

What I REALLY love is coloring Easter eggs with my brood...

Some years we're more excited than others.

Some years lightsabers are a necessity.

Some years we get a little crazy.

Some years we stick with more traditional colors.

Some years the colors are a little wilder.

But it always requires the utmost in concentration.

And the end result is always beautiful in it's own unique way.

I love looking back at their cute little chubby cheeks.

We save the actual hunting of the eggs for after church.

We head to sunrise church services followed by breakfast with our Christian family.

Then Daddy sneaks back home to play Easter bunny and hide the eggs while the rest of us are in Sunday School.

When we return home, the hunt is on!

The buckets fill quickly and have to be emptied over and over again.

Then I can sit back and enjoy the pictures, relive the memories, and live in denial that they might ever be too big to enjoy an Easter morning egg hunt with their family.

Carhartt Couture

2012-03-26T02:40:00.000-04:00

Last week the weather here seemed more like summer than spring, but things cooled down to more normal springtime temperatures yesterday, which made my hubby especially happy since it game him a chance to give his new Carhartt Shoreline jacket a workout.

Now to be honest, this wasn't even close to the first time he'd given his new jacket a workout, but it was about the first time he did that

We were both home at the same time.
It wasn't raining.
It wasn't 80+ degrees or something else crazy for March and too hot for a jacket.
It wasn't dark. And finally, that I
Remembered to take pictures of him wearing it working around the farm.

When Carhartt offered to let the hubby test drive one of their new jackets, he knew immediately what he was looking for: a manly version of the jacket they sent me last fall:

Like my women's counterpart jacket, the Shoreline is a waterproof breathable jacket made of durable nylon with a special water-repellent finish.

Source: carhartt.com via Jane on Pinterest

Its breathable membrane allows body heat to leave the garment even as it keeps rain and moisture out. The interior body lining is a 100% polyester mesh, with the sleeves and hood lined in nylon. The contoured three-piece hood features an adjustable draw cord and is removable. The hem is finished with an elastic drawcord to keep out wind and cold.

But what does that all mean in the real world? It means the inner elasticized cuffs are perfect to keep those horse hairs that are shedding like crazy in the spring warmth from making their way up your sleeves into an itchy mess when you're helping your daughter brush her new horse.

It's warm enough for cool spring breezes, but not hot enough to make you sweaty.

The drawcord on the waist keeps your jacket in place and prevents it from riding up your back—even when you're lifting and carrying things—like barrels through the muddy arena so your daughter can take her new horse for a spin.

The inner and outer pockets a deep and roomy, which gives your cell phone a safe and secure home. Because even when you're spending time with your kids at home, it's still springtime. That means with farmers itching to get into the fields, they're probably going to have lots of questions and concerns 24/7 about getting their precision equipment all set up and ready to roll. And of course, ESPN might have some updates, too.

And of course, since it's waterproof, you're all set for those spring showers that seem to come out of nowhere.

If you'd like to win your own Carhartt jacket, be sure to visit the Real Farmwives of America, where Carhartt will be giving away a new jacket from their men's line to some lucky reader (or her special guy).

While Carhartt did provide this jacket for my hubby to review, the opinions expressed are my own. And my hubby's.

A smile's worth...

2012-03-23T06:13:00.000-04:00

The thing that goes the farthest

Towards making life worth while,

Which costs the least and counts the most,

Is just a pleasant smile.

The smile that bubbles from a heart

That loves its fellow men,

Will drive away the clouds of gloom

And coax the sun again,

It is full of worth, and goodness too,

With many kindness blent;

It is worth a million dollars

And it doesn't cost a cent.

There is no room for sadness

When we see a cheery smile,

It always has the same good looks,

It's never out of style.

It nerves us on to try again

When failure makes us blue,

The dimples of encouragement

Are good for me and you.

It pays a higher interest

For it is sincerely lent;

It is worth a million dollars

And doesn't cost a cent.

A smile comes very easy,

You can wrinkle up with cheer

A hundred times before you

Can squeeze out a soggy tear.

It ripples out moreover

To the heart-strings that will tug,

And always leaves an echo

That is very like a hug;

So smile away, folks understand

What by a smile is meant;

It is worth a million dollars

And doesn't cost a cent.

—Anonymous

My Personal March Madness

2012-03-16T06:16:00.000-04:00

OK - you caught me. These pics weren't actually taken in March...but since everyone is all about big March Madness run, I couldn't help but share some pictures from Sissy's basketball debut this winter (#28). She's by no means a basketball super star, but she's always a star to me!

And, to make basketball even better, the big Lady Knights of our high school team are all set to rock it in the final four at state today. Go Knights!

Blissdom Report: How I cut my caffeine intake in half

2012-03-09T03:18:00.000-05:00

I'm a sucker for Coke...specifically Coke Zero.

Source: google.com via Whitni on Pinterest

I love the popping bubbles and the fizzling deliciousness as it skates across my tongue. Of course, the caffeine doesn't hurt this momma of 3 either. But let's face it, no matter how much I love it, Coke Zero is not exactly the most nutritious thing on the menu. Convenient and delicious? Yes! Nutritious? Not so much...

While at Blissdom, my bff and I sat down to rest our tootsies and try some of the V8 Fusion, smoothie and energy samples in the trade show. And wow - let me say I was surprised! I REALLY enjoyed all of the samples V8 so generously provided! Especially considering each can was a full serving of vegetables AND a full serving of FRUIT - neither of which is as high as it should be on my personal food consumption scale.

Source: google.com via Mellissa on Pinterest

I especially liked the pomegranate-blueberry flavor! When I got home, my 9 year old tried some, too, and she was hooked as well. So when I did my monthly pantry re-stock at Sam's Club last week, V8 Fusion definitely made the list.

But if you're like me, BUYING something healthy doesn't exactly mean the same thing as EATING or DRINKING something nutritious. But I had a solution...
Sometime last year I stocked of on these Fridge Binz wonders on a trip to the Container Store...

Source: containerstore.com via Jane on Pinterest

I LOVE them. Now I don't have QUITE as many as in this picture (but I do have a lot) and I love how they help me group and contain things in my fridge. I use one of the narrow ones (like the little bottled waters are in above) to keep a cold stash of Coke Zero ready and waiting for me in my fridge. Every time a pull on from the fridge, I stick a new on in from the pantry to chill (and yes, I'm particular about their ORDER...I always pull mine from the back where the fridge is coldest and load the new one into the front).

So when I decided to slash my Coke ero habit in half, I just alternated my Coke Zeros with my V8 Fusions—and I always make myself drink whatever is in the very back. I don't always want to drink my V8—sometimes I REALLY want that Coke Zero—but I do it anyway. And so far it's working. I know the V8 is not low calorie, but in addition to cutting my caffeine addiction, I also have a serious need to up the fruits & veggies making their way into my diet. And each of those little cans gets me one fruit and one veggie closer to where I need to be.

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Blissdom Report: Rascal Flatts

2012-03-07T06:15:00.000-05:00

Last week I shared with you some pics from the Joe Jonas concert at Blissdom. Sissy was in love.

But these guys...

Yes, these guys are definitely more my speed...

That's right...Rascal Flatts, baby!

Bathtub Mama had the front of the stage staked out...

Gal in the Middle cut loose during Life is a Highway...

The Real Farmwives were rockin' out...

THIS was our kind of music!

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What's for dinner?

2012-03-05T05:48:00.000-05:00

If your family is anything like mine, everyone always wants to know what's for dinner. And since we're all busy running here, there and everywhere, there's not always time to talk about it. And while I may know what I'm planning to cook for dinner, if the hubby happens to make it home first, he can be able to at least start dinner if he knows what's in the plan. Plus, I personally find his questions of, "So...what are YOU planning on fixing for dinner?" annoying.

So I found something on Pinterest (of course!) that I thought would work:

Source: fey-next2heaven.blogspot.com via Jane on Pinterest

They used theirs as weekly planner, but I chose to make one as a menu planner.

The only item I needed to buy for this project was the frame.

I started with the same $10 frame from Wal Mart used in the original project on Pinterest...

And I found these day of the week calendar stickers in my scrapbook stash..

Along with some coordinating scrapbook papers and stickers...

This was so simple...just place the scrapbook papers in the picture slots! Here's the finished product on the inside of my pantry door. :)

I used a Sharpie to add the permanent events of our routine: like Movie Night, tumbling class, Game Night, and Family Fun Day. Then, I used a Dry-Erase marker to add our dinner menu, whether one of the kids is packing for the day, and any special events...like practices, outings, celebrations and more. So far, I am loving it!

Company is knocking

2012-03-04T06:02:00.000-05:00

I walked outside and heard something knocking. At first, I thought I was imagining things, but then I took a look around. I looked and looked until I spotted the company knocking just for me. Do you see him?

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

—Matthew 7:7, NIV

Raingutter Regatta

2012-03-02T06:46:00.000-05:00

I was a Girl Scout and obviously not a Boy Scout, so cookie sales are way more my thing that Pinewood Derbies and Raingutter Regattas. But Bubby joined Cub Scouts this fall, so those things and more have joined our lives.

Bubby really enjoyed making his boat with Dad and working with all the tools in the basement.

In his first round, there was an odd number of Tiger cubs, so he raced one of the adult leaders.

Now the videos I had seen online showed the boys blowing their boats down the track without straws, so that's how I had him practice.

Well, apparently our pack uses straw power...so when they handed him the straw, he was clueless what he was supposed to do with it. But he won round 1 anyway!

So, he made it through to the semifinal round where he lost by just a little teeny bit.

So is anyone out there a Cub Scout mom? Any tips to share to make our racing even better next year?