Boogers, Bibs, Books and Bubbles

carson + ellie

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 22:02:00 +0000

Twenty-four days before Miss Ellie joined our family my sister had her third boy.
I wuv Carson to pieces! He has the cutest round head.

Carson was a 7-pounder at birth and since Ellie was 1 ounce shy of a 9-pounder they weighed almost exactly the same the day my sis brought him to the hospital to meet Ellie.
Fun times!
*
*
*
*
*
And in other news......

She is growing up way too fast

this is late

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:18:00 +0000

So, we had a baby.
If you know me in real life this is not news to you.
However, to the blog world it is a different story.

Let me introduce you to my Ellie:

{Her very first photo}

Born on May 31, 2011
8 lbs 15oz
8:23 pm

I love, love, love my chunky little monkey.
The last 2 months have been tiring, exciting and full of baby snuggles.
Mommy, Daddy and Addie are enjoying her like crazy!

help bring Sergey home

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 13:41:00 +0000

Have you heard about little Sergey?
I don't see how you could have missed it.
If you haven't, go here to read all about it.
Look for the little box on the right sidebar to donate.
For every $10 that you donate you get to add a comment to the post.
The prizes are beyond amazing and an added bonus for doing something good.
You could even win an iPad 2!!!
Today is the last day...winners will be chosen tomorrow.
So get over there and donate!!!

we're having another little princess

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 14:20:00 +0000

I am way behind on posting this on the blog but then again I don't really post all that much anyway.

We had our 20 week ultrasound on January 17th. Daddy and Addie joined me for the big day. The ultrasound tech was telling us all the different parts as she was viewing them and as soon as she said, "And this is between her legs..." I immediately said, "It's a girl, isn't it?" I could tell right away. Daddy and I glanced at each other with big smiles and then proceeded to tell Addie that she was going to have a little sister. She was just as excited!

From the time we found out we were pregnant we really didn't have a major preference on what we hoped for. We knew it would be neat to have a boy just because it would be something different but then we also knew how much we loved our first little princess (or "Squirt" as she is so lovingly called by her Daddy).

As mentioned in the "name" post we had only really discussed boy names. A couple weeks before the ultrasound we started talking more intently about girl names. One night we were all watching the movie "Up" (which we adore) and as soon as Carl met Ellie I said to John, "Ellie is a really cute name, isn't it?" He agreed and asked me to find out it's meaning.

Ellie means "shining light, or most beautiful woman". I loved it! Our hope is that all of our children are "shining lights" that reflect our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We chose Grace as her middle name because I had liked it as a first name but my husband wasn't a fan of it. It also has a great meaning, "God's favor". Besides having a great meaning the word "grace" is very important to us and our faith. Where would we be without God's grace?

Her formal name will be "Ella Grace" but so far we have been calling her "Ellie" more often. We all talk to her on a regular basis so I am sure she will come out thinking she is Ellie. Haha! But don't worry, if we have a boy in the future we will not be naming him Carl.

what's in a name?

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 13:38:00 +0000

Source

John and I have been talking about baby names a lot. For some reason, though, we have mostly only discussed boy names. If we have a boy, he wants his son to have a strong, "country" name. Ideally we would like the meaning to be...well...meaningful. However, we are mostly just thinking of names right now and then we will look up the meanings of the ones that we like the most. I have done my own research online but I really want to hear from friends, family and other bloggers.

So what do you say?

Please leave a comment giving us ideas for "country" boy names AND any girl names that you really like. I have two girl names picked out that I like a lot but I am not set in stone on them.

P.S. The photo above is actually a print that you can buy on Etsy for your child's room. They make them in all different color combos. I love it! Click on "source" to go to the shop or simply search "child of God print" on Etsy (there is more than one seller making them).

~Anna~

we are pregnant

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 00:03:00 +0000

Photo Source

After a year and a half of "trying" we are so excited to announce that our second child is on it's way. I kept a digital journal with Addison and would like to try and do the same for this little one. Perhaps the ol' blog will get more use now. We shall see.

I am 10 weeks and one day pregnant today (and feeling it...blah).

Addie was so nice to me when I was pregnant with her. I literally only had two days of morning sickness and that was it. This one has my stomach unsettled all the time.

I am nauseous every morning and have to eat something right away. Drinking water on an empty stomach makes me vomit. Letting myself get so hungry my stomach growls makes me vomit (or at least dry heave). Eating too much makes me vomit (but I am figuring out the stopping point...I just can't eat as much as I used to). And this part seems so weird to me but I constantly have a yucky taste in my mouth. I can't describe it but chewing gum or sucking on a piece of hard candy makes it so much better.

I had an ultra-sound on October 29th (8 1/2 weeks) and we got to see the little tiny peanut in there. It was so neat to see his/her heartbeat already beating strongly.

Addison seems to understand exactly what is happening and she is very excited. She is "preparing" to be a big sister. She was sleeping between us a lot and when she wasn't she had to have one of us sleep with her until she fell asleep. But now she is falling asleep on her own, in her own bed! I am so, so proud of her and never would have dreamed that it would have been such an easy transition. She has also started cleaning on her own. She will pick up her toys that have been dispersed through the house and also clean up her entire room. I made a little chart for her and when she earns seven stickers she gets to pick out a small toy. She earns one sticker for sleeping through the night in her bed and for cleaning up her room and/or messes. She loves that chart!

Mommy and Daddy miss her sleeping in our bed from time to time so we have nights that we call "special nights" when we let her sleep between us. Daddy and Addison are major snuggle bugs! Addison molds right into him. It is the sweetest thing!

~Anna~

addie's 3rd birthday party {with friends}

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:42:00 +0000

My hope is that this blog can become more of a means for documenting events in our family as well as for sharing projects and ideas.

Back in April I had a little birthday party for Addie with her friends (the children that I babysit during the week) on her actual birthday. Then the following Saturday we had a birthday party with family.

I loved making it an extra special day for her with her friends. We played games, had a special lunch, ate mini cupcakes and ice cream and played games. Here are some of the photos from that day:

I love colorful ribbon!

Instead of goodie bags I sent the kids home with a big bottle of bubbles.
I used the ribbon to pretty them all up.

A fun little lunch!

Some of the decorations that I (quickly) made.

Happy girl!
She had been wanting this game for a long time and one of her friends got it for her.
They immediately wanted to play it.
So we did.

Her gifts

Fun mini cupcakes

My pretty birthday girl!

Silly girls playing dress-up.
A Princess, Little Red Riding Hood and Dorothy

It was such a fun day!

~Anna~

flowers & mason jars

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:48:00 +0000

One of my favorite things to do is put fresh flowers in old, blue mason jars.
I have a collection of these jars.
There is just something so refreshing to me about that perfect aqua color.
I also love that they are old and have their own personal history.

And yellow flowers...don't even get me started!
These just scream "HAPPY" and "SUMMER" to me!

~ Anna ~

three

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:31:00 +0000

Today you are three.

I can't believe that you have been in our lives for three whole years now.
Three years ago today our lives changed in a way that we never imagined.
Now we can't imagine life without you.
Life just wouldn't be the same.
We love you so much.

1 week

1 month

1 year

2 years

1 week ago

Happy birthday Addison!!!

a fun way to display Christmas cards

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:21:00 +0000

This year I decided to do something a little more "fun" than just
taping my Christmas cards to a door frame, wall, window, etc.

For the string I used jute twine, but you could
always use ribbon or some other type of rope/string.

I bought some mini clothespins at Hobby Lobby
{under $2 for about 20}
The first half I painted with red craft paint but
it took forever to let it dry and it was a messier process
than I cared for. The next half I gave a quick spray with
Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Colonial Red {in satin}
and it was dry within 10 minutes {bought at Menards}.

Then I sprayed the clothespins
with Elmer's Spray Adhesive
{can be found at Wal-Mart or your local craft store}.

Then I sprinkled on some white glitter, tapped the excess off and
sprayed with Patricia Nimocks Matte Clear Acrylic Sealer
{can also be found at Wal-Mart or a craft store}.

And voila, I had some cute, sparkly clothespins
to hang my Christmas cards with.

{Note: All of those sprays require that
you be in a well ventilated area.
I did mine in my garage and opened the garage
door a bit to allow some air flow.}

It seems like it is a long process but it really isn't.
In between, when they are drying you can get other
things done {like wrapping gifts or baking}.

I have also seen this done with an old window or a big mirror where
you hang the string across the front and then hang your cards up.
This year I didn't have a window or a big
mirror...so maybe next year at the new house.

This would also be neat to do in other fun
colors to use to hang your kids' artwork.

To recap what you'll need:
1.String, ribbon, jute twine
2. Mini clothespins
3. Spray paint or craft paint
4. Spray Adhesive
5. Glitter
6. Spray Acrylic Sealer

Have fun!

how to get your toddler to give up the pacifier

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:01:00 +0000

I don't think that parents ever intend for their child to still take a pacifier after they are 2-years-old. It just happens. We always said that when Addie turned 1 that would be it...we would throw the pacifiers out.

That never happened.

We did however limit pacifiers to only nap time and bedtime shortly after her first birthday. It was hard for her at first but eventually that became the norm. We would occasionally fold when we traveled in the car for an extended period of time.

As her second birthday approached we knew that we really needed to nix the pacis all together.

I knew that most of this would be on me since I stay home with her.

I passively tried to "help" her quit on a few occasions. But my heart wasn't in it and I began to realize something.

It was me. ME! I was the one who didn't want to see that pacifier go. With that pacifier went my baby. I would no longer have the ability to bring her instant comfort. There would be no more cute cuddly "binkie and blankie" time.

A few months passed her 2nd birthday my husband started questioning how it was going.
It was time.

But how do I do it?

I asked a lot of mothers and grandmothers what they did. One person suggested cutting the tips of the pacifiers and praised how well it had worked for others that she knew. The idea behind cutting them is that Mommy and Daddy aren't saying "No, you can't have it anymore." To the child it is just as if they broke. I told my husband about this method and he said, "Let's do it."

Several days passed and I still hadn't cut them. Again, I was putting it off.

Then one night when we were both tucking her in she asked for her "binkie". As I went to get it he said, "Cut it first."

My heart sank. What? Now? This sudden?

I submitted.

As I cut into that soft silicone something in me felt deeply saddened and heart broken. As I handed it over to her and watched her put it in her mouth and then pull it out to look at it I fought back the tears. In one second I was sad and in the other I was thinking to myself, "This is ridiculous, why are you getting emotional about a pacifier?"

Then I remembered that we had another somewhere else and for that moment my heart ache was gone.

A few nights later she wasn't feeling well and I was up and down all night with her. I got to the point that I was beyond exhausted so I retreated to find that other pacifier. You have no idea how much I cherished that last cuddly "binkie and blankie" time with her in the the wee hours of that morning.

rainbow mixing bowls

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Wouldn't you say these are some of the
"happiest" bowls you have ever seen?

Something about them just makes
cooking that much better.

They are also lots of fun to take pictures of ;)

In case you are wondering, they are melamine.
You know that really hard plastic
that doesn't shatter when you drop it.

I love that stuff!

I found these at Sam's back in September.
I didn't get them the first time I saw them but then
I just couldn't get them out of my head.
I had to have them!

If you go to Flickr and search "rainbow bowls"
you will find other photos that people have taken of
their bowls and other similar dishes.

I wish they still had them.
These would make for a fun Christmas gift.

my crazy nephew

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000

My nephew Grant came over to play with Addie. We were all having a great time singing songs and just playing around. Next thing I know he gets up on our chair and dives head first onto the floor. I thought for sure he was going to start screaming.

Nope.

He went back for more.

I threw some blankets and pillows down on the floor for cushion.

He kept jumping.

I ran to find my camera (hence why I sound out of breath) and this is what I got...

He is such a hoot and I swear he knows no fear.

{p.s. The "yellow" pillow looks gross but it is not. It is one of those memory foam pillows and for some reason it (and our memory foam pad) turned yellow after a few months. I have heard of others having the same issue.}

christmas cookies at nana's

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:11:00 +0000

Our annual tradition of making cookies at Nana's house is always so much fun.
This year we invited a lot of other kids to come join in the fun.
It was a crazy, fun, messy, happy day!

Here are some pictures from that day!

.lots of sprinkles.

Addie rollin' some dough for the first time

lots of kiddos making cookies = big mess

one of my little sisters, Amber

.busy hands.

.we made itty bitty cookies too.

Addie and Mommy makin' cookies

This is Nana (my mom) with our first {poofy} batch to come out.

That lady down there is my Aunt Cammi...
she helped make it lots of fun for the kids.

Amber I think you have a "little bit" of flour on your face, shirt, apron...

.chillin' cookies, just waitin' to be iced.

.silly goose.

.concentrating on that cookie.

icing, icing, baby...
{why yes...yes I am a dork}

one of Amber's yummy cookies

Even the new little guy came over
I kept tryin' to get him to help me but he just kept sleeping.
Geez, it's like he is a newborn or somethin'

.some of the cookies that Addie and I decorated.

.look at all of those pretty cookies.

Aunt Cammi spent a lot of time on that one.
.too cute to eat.

.my Christmas tree.

We had a lot of fun!
The adults agreed that we needed more space.
Maybe next year we should rent a kitchen...ha!

he is brand new

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:54:00 +0000

I got to watch this little guy make his entrance early Sunday morning {11/22/09}.
His name is Isaiah Paul.
I have went over to snuggle him everyday since he got home.
Just love him to pieces.
My sister did an amazing job.
Poor girl endured 31 hours of labor.

Now I want one.

charity water: first gift

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:53:00 +0000

Today is the day where bloggers everywhere are joining together in a
campaign to buy water for Christmas.

Every single day 4500 mothers bury their children due to contaminated water.

Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of all sickness and
disease, and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.

Can you imagine drinking this every single day of your life?
Can you imagine giving it your babies, your children...taking a bath in it?

Just $10 will provide one person in Africa with clean water
for 10 years......10 YEARS PEOPLE!!!

Your money...MY money...can change a person's life forever...even save their life!

Let's do this together. It's only $10. One day.
Let water be the first gift you give this holiday season.

$10 is...
2 coffees at Starbucks
one CD on itunes
a pizza
one movie ticket

$10 can literally change someone's life.

Click here to be directed to the secure donation site of the highly recognized, non-profit charity: water.
Click on the yellow donate button.
All donations are tax deductible.
100% of the profit goes directly to clean water solutions in West Africa.

{Feel free to copy this and post it on your blog.}

Paula Deen's Cinnamon Toast Pecans

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:15:00 +0000

I have got to make this recipe! I love pecans, my mother loves pecans, my grandmother, my daughter, my sisters...we all love NUTS. I even married one. Ha!

These are from the ever so lovely Paula Deen and my dear Grandmother is the one who told me about them. She is making them today. I hope to get my supplies tonight.

Cinnamon Toast Pecans

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cup (about 1 pound) pecan halves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Stir together first 5 ingredients. Add pecans, tossing to coat. Spread coated nuts in a single layer on a large jellyroll pan. Bake for one hour stirring every 15 minutes. Let cool; store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Servings: 4 cups
Cook Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy

Photo Credit: bethzialcita

You Gotta Try This - Yankee Candle Flavored Lip Balm

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:30:00 +0000

I went in to a Yankee Candle store down in Kansas City last month just to smell their fall candles. Nothing gets me in the mood more for fall than their Autumn Leaves scent. I like a lot of others too but that one just smells so darn good! Anyway, as I was checking out I noticed three large glass jars with what looked like miniature jar candles. One of the glass jars was completely empty and the other two were well on their way. The clerk explained to me that their store was a "test store" and that Yankee wasn't yet selling these everywhere. She said that they were flying out the door. I snatched one up for $2.99. They must have done well at all of the test stores because you can now buy them online. Just click here. I only had two choices: Buttercream and Vanilla Lime. I chose Buttercream because the other had a funky smell. I would love to try the Sweet Strawberry or Vanilla Cupcake. In case you are wondering it doesn't leave a bad taste in your mouth. In fact, there isn't really a taste at all even though they claim that you can "indulge your taste for great Yankee fragrance ... literally". Besides having a great smell it is just so darn cute in it's littler jar-shaped container.

Hope you are having a wonderful Tuesday. God bless you!
Hugs, Anna

Blog Neglect AND New Header

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:33:00 +0000

I know I have been ridiculous about posting in the past few months. It just seems like every time I sit down to type a post I get bombarded with a million other things that need my attention. Hmm...let's see what has happened since I last posted.

In July and August almost every weekend was spent with some friends at their lake property in Big Lake, Missouri. Talk about relaxing! They own a large cabinet smoker so our husbands made us awesome food pretty much every weekend. Yum! Addie loved the lake {and the three kiddos and huge dog that she got to play with}.

At the end of August we went to a friend's wedding in Lincoln, Nebraska and on our way home we decided to stay the night in Omaha and take Addie to the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo the next day. She hadn't been yet and we were so excited for her to see all of the animals. She loved it!

We were so excited at the end of August to find out that we were pregnant; but within a couple of days I had a miscarriage. I had to go to the doctor and have some blood work done. Everything was fine and they just said it was a really early miscarriage. I was really upset for about a week or two but I realize that everything happens according to God's perfect plan for our lives. If He wants us to have more children it will happen.

September saw trips to the park to play and feed the ducks as well as a garage sale. I don't think I ever want to have another one of those as long as I live. You put so much work into them and don't always end up with a good turn out.

Now we are into October and loving it! We have made trips to the orchard, park and local shops with lots and lots of pumpkins and mums. I just love all of the color! Addie and I are spending lots of time together since Daddy is busy with harvest. We miss him a lot!

We just found out that we will be moving at the end of November or beginning of December. I am not too thrilled about moving this time of the year but I can completely overlook that because we are getting to move to a house. I am so excited about the extra space {I get to finally have a craft room} and getting to paint. We have rented apartments and duplexes since we got married and we have never been able to have color on our walls. You can imagine my excitement.

Do you like my new header?
I was getting to the point that I thought I was going to have to just pay someone to make me a header {that is what I did with my other blog} but I came across this post at Clover Lane and it was so easy. I definitely recommend it! I can't wait to make one for the other blog.

Well that is it for me right now. I don't have the time or the energy to find pics for all of the above events. Perhaps future posts???
Tell me if you make a header using that tutorial.

Hugs, Anna

exciting

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:14:00 +0000

Stop by my other blog Rusty Cottage to see my exciting news today!
Also, I have added some new items to my Rusty Cottage Etsy shop.
You can link up from there or by scrolling down to my shop link on here.

prayer pail

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:41:00 +0000

I just saw this idea over at Joy's Hope and I love it.
I definitely want to do this with Addison.
She already has such a love for prayer.
She won't go to sleep for a nap or at nighttime unless she has went
through about twenty names of friends and family thanking the Lord for them.
This will make prayer even more fun and meaningful for her.
I can't wait to make it!

german chocolate chip oatmeal & pecan cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:05:00 +0000

Whew! That is a mouthful of cookie title up there, eh?
You have to make these!
Hands down, best cookies I have ever made.
Best part besides their yumminess???...super easy to make!

What you need:

1 box cake mix: chocolate or german chocolate (both equally yummy)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup oatmeal (you can do less if you want)
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)
1 cup pecans (optional...you can do less or more...or do a different nut)

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine all ingredients, blending well.
If the mixture is too stiff you can add a little bit of water.
Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until set.
Cool and enjoy!

diy...a new take on the memo / picture board

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:11:00 +0000

It is DIY day at A Soft Place to Land and I am linkin' up!

I bought a big, cheap frame in the clearance section at Hobby Lobby.

I primed it.

Then I spray painted it with Rust-Oleum Painter's
Touch Colonial Red (sorry no picture for this step)

Then I turned it over
Added a saw tooth hook thingy
Several ribbons and seam binding in various lengths w/ ring clips tied to the ends
Then I used my trusty staple gun to stable the ribbon to the back.

And voila!!!
A cute memo / picture board for my craft area!

Another thought I had after I did this is that I could add some cork board or fabric covered foam board to the back to allow more space for my stuff. Might have to do that some time. I made this a couple months ago...my clips are full now!

i love buttons

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:07:00 +0000

I found most of these old buttons at an estate sale last summer and the rest have been picked up at antique stores and flea markets. I still have a ton of them left: some I am keeping, some I am selling in one of my Etsy shops, some I have used in projects and some of them I am using in a decorative jar.

The day I sorted them...fun stuff!

I don't know what it is about buttons but I just love them. They are so cute, can be so colorful and can be used in so many ways.

win this totally awesome stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Marie) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:50:00 +0000

You could win all of that awesome stuff in the picture if you simply went to the Fantabulously Frugal blog and entered. There are no strings attached at all and you don't even have to have a blog. But, I really don't WANT you to go because then that decreases MY chances. So...I'm just sayin'. :o)