I see Potential...

Not that I have the time/energy/stamina to attack this project right now...but I will soon. ☻

I saw this desk at a Thrift Shop and have had my eye on it for weeks. I did not buy it right away- thought it was too much money- and it was reduced. So after several weeks, my husband took a look at it and thought it was worth the $30, and brought me home a project. It is solid wood through and through. We need a desk, (we have a particle board one from K-mart about 10 years old- and it needs replacing.) I am not about to spend any money on furniture right now- but I do enjoy a very thrifty find- and I have remade several pieces of furniture over the years that were free or very cheap...(and you would never know)... I'll share some later.

Anyhoo... I have in my mind what I want this desk to look like after I am finished. However, my husband is a little tired of everything becoming the same color in our house- black or red. But I have free black paint (thank you Glidden), and thought I would go with something in that area...he isn't happy about my color choices... So I am wondering... What color would you paint this little beauty? What kind of hardware? I was just going to maybe reuse the old hardware or some that we already had- you know- this is a thrifty/almost free project...gotta stay in the budget...tough times here people..☻

PLEASE share your ideas and thoughts w/ me :) Of course I'll show the potential/after photos when I get there!

"Sponge Ball...Square Arms"

Sharing a few ideas that aren't exactly new...just something really fun to do!

Family Fun Magazine, July 2009 issue has some super fun and easy ways to do some common crafts! So we made a few.
First up- a Sponge Ball!

I picked up a few packages of sponges and a ball of twine ($1) at Target...

Cut the sponges into 5 strips each and then layer 3 by 5 pile.

Using a long piece of twine, tie it really tight in the middle, double knotting it, make it tight.

TA-DA! Fun sponge toy for the pool, bath, or water games..or hey- just for playing in the house! My boys loved their new toys.

Car Cozie- my original idea :)

r I came up with this a while ago (and if you want to make one I'll post a tutorial soon-just refer to my sharing policy-- no selling please- I will find you ☻ ☻ be honest please... - personal use only thanks:))....being that I am constantly stepping on cars, digging them out of my purse and diaper bag, finding them in the cracks of the couch and car seats, anywhere and everywhere... etc. etc. Anyone know what that is like? We have some serious "car addicts" in this house. One of them can't do anything these days with out car in hand. Yes, a "car addict". So I came up with a "car cozie". (think crayon cozy but for cars...if you have seen those out there)

It rolls up (like the top photo) and then you unroll it and there you go-cars all tucked away, and a road for them to drive on...

Each car has its own little "parking space". Now when we go places, we don't have to count how many cars go in the store/church/house/trip/office/waiting room- and how many come out/home. We just make sure each car is nesting in its own little cozie parking space. ☻

And while we are out and about, the boys have a little mini road to drive those cars on....

Let me just say that this was a hit at our house and we haven't even taken it to the store/church/ house/trip/office/waiting room yet. And I only made one...so I must make some more. Anyone interested in a little tutorial/how to?? If so... I'll post one soon! This was just too much fun to make and so easy!

Zoo Pal Animal Masks

I'm sure you have seen these Zoo Pal paper plates by Hefty at your local Target and perhaps you have even bought some, cut out the eyes and made masks for your kiddies...but it you haven't...it is well worth the $2 of paper plates to have some fun masks to play with! (I think they may even make several different packages with different animals- this one had 10 different animals, 2 of each...that is about 10 cents a mask- if you use them all.)

We taped on a popsicle stick for a handle. I used scissors at first to cut out the eyes, but then I got smart and used a razor blade- which looks much better. ☻ $2 for hours of entertainment....to me that is a great deal! And if you are wondering, I have been assigned the role of "dolphin" and when daddy gets home from work, he is already going to be the "turtle" according to our 4-year-old. ☻☻☻

Root beer Cookies

I can't believe it. I had time to do a Sweets on Sunday post today- complete- with baking, cleaning, and even posted! Well... just know I'll be up all night feeding baby. ☻ These cookies are so tasty- if you like root beer- really yummy. No frosting needed, but it just makes them more yummy.... mmmmmm....we'll be making these again! Enjoy!

Root beer Cookies:

1 cup butter or margarine (do not use light varieties)

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. root beer extract or concentrate

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

Cream the margarine and sugars together. Add eggs one at a time. Add dry ingredients a little at a time. Dough is sticky to touch. Chill for at least one hour. While chilling, make frosting if desired. These cookies do not need frosting, but if you like frosting, here is a good recipe for root beer frosting.

When ready, spoon onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes, less time for higher altitude, more time for lower altitude.

Root Beer Frosting:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 TBSP half-n-half

4 TBSP butter or margarine, softened (do not use light varieties)

2 tsp. root beer extract or concentrate

Cream the margarine, half-n-half, and sugar. Add sugar a little at a time. Add root beer extract and cream together. Spread on cookies, cake whatever. Store in refrigerator.

You know you have a good husband when...

You know you have a good husband when he makes you strawberry frozen yogurt on his day off which tastes divine... and he does it just because you wanted it... (photo via simple recipes)

And you know you have a really good husband when he then he stops at Super Wally's on his way home from a 14 hour shift at work, to get a bunch of stuff you requested to support your crafting habit- (even though you already went over the monthly budget because you went to Target one too many times... o.k. you only went once but that was enough to do it...and even though you don't have time from crafting these days but you wanted that stuff in the house just in case... and because eventually he will have a day off and you will find a moment to make something-)

And you really have a great husband when he comes home to this mess, after HE cleaned it spotless the night before, he so doesn't even complain about it.... he cleans it up for you.....

AND you know you must have the most amazing husband in the world when he even tackles this mess and then holds the screaming baby while putting the other kids to bed and trying not to fall asleep in the process- just so you can take a long hot shower because all you did all day was feed kids and change diapers... Yes, you know you have a good husband- good is an understatement. I am very lucky. I think I'll go tell him that...☻☻☻

baby sweetness...

I did not take this photo (I helped but it was taken by someone else

Isn't he sweet?

HE is the reason I am sick and congested...

HE is the reason I never sleep...

HE is the reason the sink is full of dishes and laundry is left undone...

HE is the reason my life is on hold...

HE is the reason I nurse..... and sit for hours in a chair watching t.v....

HE is the reason my body is looking pretty shabby and rather large...

HE is the reason I don't leave the house...

HE is the reason there are toys covering the floor ( we have 3 - HE's)....

HE is the reason there are no moments of peace and quiet...

HE is the reason we find moments of JoY...

HE is the reason I understand love and sacrifice more than before...

HE is the reason we have done this 3 times now...AND.... no matter how hard it is, no matter what we have to give up, no matter how much it changes our lives.....

In the end, it only makes our lives better, it is all worth it!☻

I love my children :) even though they take everything out of me :)

How does that lady with 18 kids do it?

Washcloth Drawstring Bags

I have been into making all kinds of bags lately. ☻ I made this one before the baby, and it is the easiest ever. All I did was sew 2 washcloths together- ( that I got on clearance at Target). Then I made a casing and threaded some ribbon through, and done! This one is for our chalk. When using it with our chalkboard, it doubles as an eraser. I thought we could make some more for our bathtime ABC's etc. The washcloth bag is great- it really has two uses, and can easily be washed-and they are very durable. ☻

Infant Car Seat Tent Cover

The Thrify Chick, who recently passed away, posted this great tutorial on a simple car seat cover
for your infant car seat. I used it to make one for my car seat. I made a few little changes:

I added a pocket on the corner for a pacifier, your keys when shopping, etc. The pocket was 7 by 7 inches before sewing. I also used sew on velcro for closing the pocket and for the straps that attached to the car seat. I also positioned the straps a bit differently, but I think I might move them. Even in the summer, I always take a light blanket with me when going out with the baby. I really like this idea- because this can be used for so many things- and it is attached to the car seat- so there is your lightweight blanket- build into your car seat. ☻

Frozen Strawberry Yogurt Pie

Did you know the third Sunday in July is National Ice Cream Day? In honor of it, we should also eat lots and lots of ice cream all month long, don't you think? This is one of our favorite summer desserts/treats. My son said after eating this the other day, "I could eat this for 100 years...." This is light and refreshing- just the way I like it :) ☻ Here is another fun ice cream dessert and stay tuned- I have another super fun and easy one coming up soon ☻



Strawberry Ice Cream Pie- First make a good graham cracker crust. You can use a store bought one but we like a homemade one, and it is very easy. The end result tastes much better too- than the pre-made kind.

Homemade Graham Cracker Crust: you need: 10 whole graham crackers- one package from a box or about 1 and a 1/2 cups crushed. We use the food processor to crush the crackers up. Make sure it measures about 1 and 1/2 cups.

THEN ADD: 6 TBSP melted margarine, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1/2-1 tsp cinnamon. I just mix this all in my pie pan, and then press the mixture into the pan. I don't bake it for this recipe, but if you use this for a non-frozen pie, you can bake it at 375 for about 7 minutes.

NEXT COMBINE: one 8 oz. container strawberry yogurt, one small box vanilla pudding, and one 8 oz. container cool whip. Mix well and then add: 1 cup chopped up very small or pureed stawberries.

POUR into the pan over the crust and let it chill out in the freezer for at least an hour or two before serving and enjoy!

How the Nursery would look IF...

If I only had one child.... This would be the best I could do with limited funds, and 100 square feet room... But because I have other children, the room doesn't quite look like this, as I have 2 kids sleeping in it for the time being- but I'll take the kids over the cute room anyday

The story behind the nursery: I never had a nursery- like cute- all matchy matchy- with my other kids. I never wanted to spend any money on bedding, etc. I just kept dreaming about a nursery with this STARS theme- for like the past 4 years. So I finally sort-of-just-did-it.

Most of the stuff I have had forever. The walls are white- since we aren't staying in this house for very long, we are not investing in painting the walls at this point- so I used a few vinyl stars- so the wall wasn't so boring. The All -Star shoes hanging up are from a yard sale for a dollar, and my first born wore them all the time. The photos are of the kids and one of me and one of my grandma as a baby. The lamp is like from 10 years ago from Target. The chair was about $3 at a thirft store, and we spray painted it yellow. The blue blanket on the chair is super soft- from JoAnn's ( I just need to bind it.) The curtains are from forever ago- fabric for $1 a yard at Wal-mart- and I just made them. My favorite part is the shelf above the window that doubles as a curtain rod. My husband made several of these for us, a long time ago- I want them on all my windows. The stuff on the shelf- well- it is just stuff ....not too exciting... ☻

The bedding was all off of Ebay- different Pottery Barn Kids pieces from like forever ago. I don't do the matching sheet thing- since I change the sheet almost everyday- I have a bunch of different ones and they don't so match. The vinyl lettering was just some that I had-so I found a way to make it work ☻

The blue dresser is my favorite and kind of the reason I kept the room blues, whites, and yellows. This dresser belonged to my great-grandmother, and my great-aunt gave it to us when my grandma passed away. It was this blue color, and we did not change it at all. The drawer pulls were as above, and I just changed them to the stars below.

I wanted star knobs to match the star-thing -theme- and there were very pricey online, so we made our own. We bought wooden stars at a craft store, and found some drawer pulls at Target to glue them to. After spray-painting them white, we used some epoxy glue to attach them to the pulls we found and just put them on. This way, when we want to use the dresser later on, we can change the knobs- and maybe paint it too. I love pieces that are meaningful- and I love my little blue dresser that belonged to my great-grandmother. ☻☻☻...

☻Of course there is a changing table and a rocker in this room too- not pictured.--it isn't anything exciting in the least ☻

And I'll have you know. after I took these photos, I moved the toddler bed back into the room, the humidifier, put the black out fabric back on the window and lowered the blinds, etc. and returned the nursery to its current state of - chaos....oh well..... until the others are older, I'll just dream about my cute, clean, organized nursery.

Keeping Kids Occupied while Shopping

Now that we have three kids under four, shopping will really be a...chore (ha ha- didn't meant that to rhyme) .... My kids really love carrying the plastic shopping baskets at stores. The baskets are about as big as they are, so it isn't really easy for them to carry. Yesterday, at JoAnn's we found these cute little baskets for a dollar. They were pink- and no boy of mine will be carrying a pink shopping basket! So my husband spray painted them-aren't they cute? And how much fun they have had going to the grocery store with daddy, and using these baskets! I think they will be a regular addition to our grocery shopping trips. (because not every store has mini shopping carts for the kids to push- which is one reason we so love Trader Joe's...) They both did very well with them- until the very end of the trip-when the almost 2- year old had had it- but what do you expect- it was nap time :)

you just never know...

Today I threw up 5 times. I had no sleep last night, and it has affected the entire day in every way. And then I read about The Thrifty Chic passing away. This really hit me hard, because she had a new baby boy about the same age as mine. She was a mother, wife, and shared a lot of the same interests as me. She was my same religon and from my home state. I have never met Stacey. Just yesterday, I was admiring her car seat cover tutorial -which I plan to make. She will be missed by many, including me-even though I only knew her via blogging.

My heart goes out to her family and loved ones. Tonight there is a family missing their mother; there is a newborn baby boy crying for his mommy; and there is a husband who unexpectedly lost his wife. This family will be surrounded by memories of their mother, because she shared what she loved with her family- she created for them.

So because of this, I will hold and feed my crying newborn all night without complaining; and I will enjoy my other children's messes and screams; and I will not complain when my husband gives his best effort to help out around the house. I will count my blessings and be grateful for being alive surrounded by my children and husband-grateful to be their mother and wife.

Linky Love- Design/Home Decor

So basically, while I have been nursing and caring for my newborn, I have also been watching lots of HGTV and dreaming about having a really cute house with some character....yes, just dreaming....as we live in a lovely track home- you know- the kind that all look exactly the same. So I will keep watching my HGTV and dreaming of that lovely little house.....

Anyhoo---I can't wait for Design Star on HGTV. I have followed it every season since the beginning- just one of the many summer shows I look forward to watching. Season Four of Design Star starts next Sunday. You can read and learn more on the Design Star Blog.

So... in honor of one of my favorite shows starting (hee hee) I thought I would share some Design Blog Linky Love! There is so much goodness out there- if you aren't careful- you will feel like your house is yuck and ugly...at least that is what happens to me... so just pace yourself....as I was saying... I love all the talent and creativity out there- so I just ooohhh and aaahhhh and say- "someday....someday...."

Here is some Eye Candy for you the enjoy too!

A Soft Place to Land that Kimba...always something great to share!

Thrifty Decor Chick Seriously, could Sarah be any more fun to read and inspiring? love it all!

Nesting Place The Nester reminds us that "it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful..."

Living with Lindsay another spot for inspiration

Hooked on Houses If you aren't hooked on houses, you will be after you look here ;)

Banana Bavarian Ice Cream

My DH (have I mentioned I have the best husband?) made this delicious ice cream for me for the 4th of July. It is a recipe my parents made several times growing up, and it is really refreshing and delicious on a hot summer's day. We love to break out that ice cream maker-(great wedding gift we use once or twice a year-we love it-it is so worth storing the thing...) and make some yummy homemade ice cream love :)
note: Now that we finished this stuff off, and the other cartons from the store, I am going on an ice cream diet- as in- no more ice cream for me..... Seriously folks, I eat ice cream like 5 times a day- - and I am never gonna lose any baby weight if I don't stop this nonsense! But I have a few more ice cream related posts to make and do first.... maybe I'll just start telling myself 'i don't like ice cream'....yeah right....who am I kidding.... I love the stuff and that is never gonna change ☻and anyway, the cartons are much smaller now....if that helps...it doesn't - I just finish the carton sooner and need a new one...
Banana Bavarian Ice Cream
4 cups sugar
4 cups milk
4 cups cream (part evaporated milk, if desired)
2 cups orange juice (4 oranges)
1 cup lemon juice (4 lemons)
4 bananas, mashed
1 can (15 ½ oz.) crushed pineapple, undrained

Combine chilled ingredients in 6-quart ice cream freezer, filling no more than ¾ full. Freeze according to manufacturer’s directions, using 8 parts ice to 1 part salt. Pack and ripen.
NOTE: For 4-quart freezer/ice cream maker use following ingredients and proceed as above. Makes 14 servings. We made this size below- and it makes like a ton- like a gallon- a lot- and our changes are written to the side. We like it much better this way.
3 cups sugar
3 cups milk (WE did 2 cups of fat free milk, and one cup half and half)
3 cups heavy cream (WE did one cup half and half and 2 cups cream)
1 ½ cups orange juice (3 oranges) (JUICE your oranges first, Valencia oranges are really good)

¾ cup fresh lemon juice (JUICE your lemons first also, before making the rest of the ice cream)

3 bananas mashed

1 can (8 1/2 oz.) crushed pineapple, undrained

NOTE: For other variations omit banana and pineapple; add 3 cups mashed strawberries, raspberries, apricot puree or fresh peaches.

Pirate Party Ideas for Pre-Schoolers

I don't know what I was thinking, throwing a birthday party for my four year old when I have a 2 week old baby at home....oh wait.... I know exactly what I was thinking.....: It was something like this: "My big behind has been glued to my bed and chair nursing for how many days now?? We all know this is going to go on for several months....and ...I don't want to spend all my days sitting in a chair nursing....although I do enjoy it..... I want to enjoy my other children too.... I love them too....and...I want something fun to do too- with all that spare time I have when my butt isn't glued to this chair or my bed.....for 12 hours a day.... so why not throw a memorable birthday party for our little guy when the baby is only 2 weeks old-- that isn't too crazy is it?" OK so that is what I was thinking, and it was a really fun party to do, but now I'm thinking, next time I'll recruit some parent helpers, OR wait a few more weeks to have a birthday party:) Nevertheless, the house was a mess, (embarassing) BUT the boys had so much fun! My son is still talking about it, hours later-after it is over!
Here is what we did:

THE CAKE: a Treasure Chest- found this idea on Family Fun.com. Although I did
not do it the same exact way- I used some of the suggestions given in the comments- and added some of my own ideas....but I am NO cake maker, so I was pleased with the end result :) (and I had to do a practice cake- see below) Here are some more treasure chest cakes.

THE PIRATE SHIP: THANKS to my dear, sweet husband, we had a pirate ship for the party :) This was so fun and he did such a great job with it! We had a big box from a glider we got-for nursing- and we saw a photo of a cardboard pirate ship online, well we decided to make one too! Here it is getting attacked by sharks :)

Yo Ho Yo Ho a Pirate's Life for Me! I had to have this saying up somewhere so I made a banner w/ paper crafting stuff and twine: )

Little Pirates on the ship!

My practice cake- Ha ha ha... I'm not a cake maker, but I tried ;)

Pin the eye-patch on the Pirate- using a piece of cardboard from the garage, and looking at some pirate clip art I found on-line, we made this fun pirate for a little game :)

THIS WAS A HIT!! Stories at birthday parties are the best! Talk about calming down a crowd...and we had this story on tape which makes it even more fun to listen to! Much better than a movie- although quite shorter in length ;) Loved this part of the party :)

We found some pirate coloring pages online so we gave each child some new colored pencils and some coloring pages (they just took these home :))

Thank you Oriental Trading- I ordered a few little things- pirate hats, mini- treasure chests for our treasure hunt- that were hidden in a larger treasure chest basket we use for storage. We made the map and since they were all 3 or 4, and can't read, we just had them go room to room looking for clues- you know- a pretend treasure hunt- that they loved! They all had telescopes (cardboard tubes) too, but the treasure maps were a real favorite item :) The mini treasure chests w/ c-a-n-d-y- and some small things, were taken home- doubled as favors :) Upon arrival, they each got a hat and a few "ta-toos", and a candy necklace- since pirates wear jewerly...:)

So now I am going to go take a nap before I have to nurse the baby again :) But it was a fun memory- birthdays only come once a year so we need to celebrate, right?
The reward for me was last night when my four year old said, "I had a really great birthday today, didn't I? And now I am four years old."

Guessing Game Winners!

Baby is a few weeks old now.... so HERE are the Guessing Game Results! Leave a comment with your email (I won't publish it- I'll just email you) and I will contact you to get you a little prize!!

Winners are as Follows:

Weight @ 9 lbs. & 13 oz. : Niki C. and Jingle

Length @ 19 1/2 inches: McKenzie and Kristen C.

Time @ 2:48 p.m: The Barrow Bunch (guessed 2:32 pm), Jennifer (guessed 2:45 p.m.)

Name suggestion/idea(although we already had one chosen sort of): Suzana and Adrian

OK now it is up to you to send my your info- if I don't have it- and I'll email you and get you a PRIZE!! :) Thanks for playing and sharing in our JOY!