August Break Catch Up!

Sorry...INSANE amount of enjoying summer going on over here, slacking on my photos....but here are some to get me back on track! Enjoy!

Lazy Blogger Returns

I'm here, I swear. Unemployment and summer fun with my girls have kept me away. Okay,that's only partially true. If you must know, it boils down to my laziness! Horrible! I am having a ton of fun with my girls this summer but, frankly, there is no reason for me not blog at night when the monkeys are in bed. So, in an attempt to kick my blogging butt back into gear, and after some inspiration from my friend Diana I have decided to participate in the August Break! Of course, I am already a day behind, so look for two shots today and I PROMISE to do better!

Also, in addition to getting my blogging butt back in gear, another August goal is to start doing/making/cooking all of the fantastic things I have been pinning over on Pinterest! Have you discovered Pinterest yet?!?!?!?!? Get yourself over there toot sweet if you haven't!

HIghs & Lows

5 things I'm lovin' today!
1. The curls in my little's ponytail! So darn sweet!
2. Pedicures tonight with my best friend!
3. Yummy strawberry jam on my bagel! Check out this recipe on my friend Jamie's blog! (We have 18 jars in our freezer!!!)
4. Tacos for dinner! YUM!
5. We leave for vacation Friday morning!!!!!

5 things I am not lovin' so much today!
1. My big girl is running a fever. (Thankful it is just a fever and it is before vacation. Little one had it the other day...)
2. The cleaning & laundry I need to do before we leave for previously mentioned vacation.
3. The lack of sales at our yardsale Sunday...Oh well!
4. I so wish vacation was longer...like the whole month of July...someday...
5. The fact that strawberry season is so short and I onyy got to pick once this season...(And that the darn birds & mass amounts of chipmunks in our yard ate the majority of our crop...Will be fenced and covered better next year!

Happy summer everyone! Enjoy every second of it! We intend to! (Some of our summer fun pics coming soon!

Bunny Preparedness!

Happy Earth Day, Happy Friday, Happy Almost Weekend! The sun is shining my friends! Get out there and enjoy it!

Back to Work...

I am heading back to work this morning, after a winter lay-off. I work on a farm, more specifically in a greenhouse so we shut down for the winter. We closed right after Christmas and I was lucky enough to have a nice long break at home with my girls, but...Back I go! I am incredibly lucky (I keep telling myself!) that my job is so flexible and I really set my own hours and I really do love what I do...(Can you tell I'm giving myself a pep talk here!HA!)

It can't be all bad when this is what you have to deal with all day right?!?!?

'Fancy' Sunday Dinner

I made a ham for the fam today since there won't be any leftovers come next Sunday. I opted to actually put the ham on a serving platter and all the sides in their own serving bowls (as opposed to putting servings on everyone's plate). This made the girls night! They thought we were so fancy! 'Mom! We only do this when we have fancy dinners when company comes over..." And thus began a new Sunday night dinner tradition!

April Vacation Fun!

It's April vacation in our area and we kicked things off with a bang last night!

Both of my girlies got their ears pierced! My big girl has been wanting to do this for a while now, but nerves kept getting the best of her so...But last week she decided she was ready. We headed to our local mall as soon as the hubby got home from work! My big girl was still nervous and asked her sister to go first. My little monkey was so darn excited to be doing something so special with her big sister...Little did she know what she was in for! Luckily these days they do both ears at once so...It definitely shocked her and she cried, but lollipops always help! Then, it was the big girls turn! She held her stuffed animal so tight and her eyes were closed...1...2...3...Ouch! Ouch was all she said! And there were a few tears but I think that was more of a stress release for her more then anything. She said it was not as bad as she thought it was going to be...My girls a worrier!

Two fancy girls with jewels in their ears headed to their favorite place to eat and to make their own ice cream sundaes! (Ice cream always makes newly pierced ears feel better!)

And so do carousel rides!

Happy April Vacation Everyone!

Soothing to my soul!

HAPPY SATURDAY!

Happy Weekending!

I am happy to say the weekend came early to our house! It was an 'in-service' day for our town teachers so the monkeys were home! I love extra days with the kiddos, esp. since I am heading back to work next week. I had a quick meeting to go to this morning and the girls got some playground time while I had my meeting. (The benefits of having a meeting in a garden!)(How many times can I use the word meeting in one line?!) Then it was off for a quick stop at the farm I work. Some of our little friends were there so the kids got to hang out and harvest some radishes! How cool is that?! Then it was home for lunch and an afternoon of playing outside! Lots of sidewalk chalk and scooter riding! I LOVE SPRING!

I also had the pleasure of an elusive Friday night date with the hubby! He is usually out with his friends on Friday nights...but tonight we joined his friends for dinner and a movie! Reminded me of our dating days! HA! I have plans for dinner for one of my best friend's 30th birthday tomorrow night and hopefully seeing another friend play at a local bar! PERFECT Saturday night! Do you have any fun weekend plans?!

Due to some glorious weather headed our way, we have big yard work plans for the weekend! Raking out beds and possibly rototilling the veggie garden?! I'm hoping to plant potatoes and asparagus this year! I also want to put in a few raised beds to grow cut flowers for bouquets! Are you planting anything new in your garden?!

Happy Weekending my friends! Live it up!

Cookie a week?!

I'm up for a challenge...My waist, maybe not but...I have one friend who is in search of the best chocolate chip cookie (check out her journey here!) and another who already does an amazing Christmas cookie challenge, and is now doing cupcakes!

I have been on a baking kick as of late anyway, let's see if I can keep our cookie jar filled through the rest of spring!

Luckily, I already have weeks 1 & 2 under my belt.


Week 1: Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookies
1 1/4c. butter or margarine, softened
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all purpose flour
3/4c. cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 2/3c. peanut butter chips

Heat oven to 350. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl. until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; gradually blend into butter mixture. Stir in peanut butter chips. Drop by rounded spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8-10 minutes. {Do not over-bake. Cookies will be soft. They will puff up while baking and flatten as they cool.} Cool slightly. Remove from baking sheet to wire rack to cool completely. Makes approx. 3 dozen cookies.

Week 2: The (in my case, not so) infamous Neiman Marcus Cookies

Have you heard this urban legend? About the price someone paid for the store's famous cookie recipe? I was intrigued, so made them this past Sunday. They were pretty good and the hubby really seems to like them so I'm sure I'll make them again! (It actually looks like the recipe I used was not the Neiman Marcus recipe so I may have to do a do-over, but this is the one I found on cooks.com)
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1-3/4 c. flour
1-1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder, slightly crushed
8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract. Combine the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes, or 10 to 12 minutes for a crispier cookie.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Just can't get enough!

LOVE this duo and this song! ENJOY! Happy Monday!

Adventures in Parenting

My oldest is having a friend over after school today. I just finished picking up her room, making her bed, and vacuuming...How will this play out this afternoon?!
'Thank you so much for cleaning my room mom and letting my friend come over. You are the world's greatest mom!'
'WHY DID YOU GO IN MY ROOM?!?!?!?WHY ARE YOU TOUCHING MY STUFF?!?!?!?!??!AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH'

Oh the excitement of living with a six year old!

Let is not forget her darling four year old sister, who seems upon turning four has also become bi-polar! This girl can throw fits these days like Chris Brown in a GMA dressing room!  The past 4 days have been horrible and I can't wait to talk to the pediatrician when we go in next week. I'm know it's because she is four and wants what she wants, when she wants it but...And def. seems to be triggered most when she is over tired...It's all a bit much and I'm just not sure how to deal with it. There seems to be no calming her down...

Oh well...I have one daughter with a clean bedroom, an un-showered me, a carpet of Polly Pockets, and an appointment in 45 minutes! Happy Thursday!

My Poor Neglected Blog...

Ahhhh! I am horrible at this! I don't know why?! I'm usually just sitting in front of the tv at night...NO EXCUSES!

Spring seems to be in the air around here! Most of the snow is GONE in our yard and daffodils are sprouting! My favorite sure sign that spring is on it's way is when they tap the maple trees near my parents house! Always makes me smile and know that winter is on it's way out!

Our chickens are very happy the snow is gone! They were only able to go out in about a third of their run because the rest was covered in snow and they wanted no part of it! They are happy the snow is gone and we can let them out to run round our yard to dig for bugs! I am going to work on getting a great picture of our ladies for a new spring header picture...no more snowy tractor, as pretty as it may be!

The kiddos are equally as happy the snow is gone! We spent the majority of our Sunday outside, riding bikes and scooters! So good to get some fresh air and be able to run off some extra energy! And I was able to have windows cracked open all weekend too! SO NICE!

We did a lot of work on our hallway this past weekend...Took down the last of the wallpaper, washed down the walls and painted. We are now in the process of putting up beadboard paneling along the bottom half of the wall and I look forward to displaying a lot of the kiddos art work on the walls!

I think that's about it for now. I PROMISE I will get better at keeping the blog updated! I have a couple of sewing projects to add to posts so...Happy Wednesday friends!

Februaury Vacation

Am I one of the only mom's who LOVES school vacation? I LOVE having the girls home with me, spending time with them, being lazy, watching them play together, hanging out with friends, catching up with friends I hadn't realized how much I missed...

We've been so lucky this winter too because my husband has a lot of vacation time and has been able to take off both Christmas and February breaks off so we have all been home! I hope it works out with April vacation too!

We haven't done a whole lot this vacation...A LOT of sleeping in! (Monday morning is going to be ROUGH!) We kicked off the week with an awesome luau with our friends over at PrepAhead&DineIn! Such a fun party for the kids and adults! MAKE the pulled pork! It was to die for! All of the food was so good and I can't wait to make it at home! And I can't wait to go to Scrumptions to buy some of those coconut macaroons...I ate WAY TOO MANY!

We started working on tearing down some wall paper in our hallway...UGH! And that's all I'm going to say about that! HA!

We ventured to the roller rink yesterday and it was a successful trip for all! I love that my big girl has embraced something new and is loving it. She is definitely my timid girl and is usually nervous to try new things. I'm not sure why, if she is just growing out of her timidness, or what, but she was very enthusiastic about rollerblading, so we are running with it!

We had a wonderful playdate this morning with mom's and kids from our first year of preschool. Our oldest kiddos started together and know two of our youngest are in school together. Seven kids for almost 3 hours and they all got along! IT WAS FANTASTIC! So great to sit and catch up over coffee. It took awhile I feel, but I have surrounded myself with some fantastic moms and kids and I feel so truly blessed! We may certainly not be able to sit and chat like that as much as we'd like to but...

Tomorrow we are headed out for a little lunch and a trip to our local natural history museum and planetarium which I have never been to but am looking forward to checking out with the fam tomorrow!

I think a relaxing weekend is on our horizon...I hope anyway! More wallpaper removal but other then that...Happy Thursday! I hope I'm not the only crazy mom out there who loves having her kids at home! (It sure does help that my girls have been getting along really well all winter!) 

Calling All 80's Movie Fans!

How fun is this video from the new movie Take Me Home Tonight?! Find some of your favorite characters!

Early Morning Ramblings

Good morning! I was up a little early this morning, sending my husband off to work with a gain bag of Girl Scout cookies for the guys he works with. I had plans to go back to sleep after he left, but that didn't really pan out, so here I am. Enjoying the silence while the littles still sleep!

It's February vacation around here so the kiddos are home for the week. I went into the week with only one playdate planned but we now seem to have something going on everyday. How does that happen? I go between wanting to have lots of fun with our friends to wanting to stay curled up at home, just the four of us.

Where did the winter go? I have to go back to work soon. My job shuts down in the winter so I get a nice, seasonal break but my time is almost up. UGH! I love being home and I love the routine we have settled into. It's going to be hard to give it up. Why am I not independently wealthy?! HA!

So my break is almost up and I don't think I accomplished one darn thing on my winter To Do List...We started working on taking down the wallpaper in the hallway after living with the lovely pink flowers for a year now. Oh my! I forgot my loathing of wallpaper removal. My grandma was very heavy into the wallpaper and we took down wallpaper or a boarder in EVERY...SINGLE...ROOM! The last on the house list is the hallway and the bathroom. The bathroom needs a lot of work so it just keeps getting pushed back until we have a big chunk of money for it. The hallway just needs the wallpaper taken down and a skim coat and paint job. The wallpaper is proving to be a larger foe then anticipated! That damn stuff just doesn't want to come down!

I bought myself and elliptical machine yesterday! Very excited and can't wait to start using it. Sadly it won't be here until Monday. I was very bummed when it wasn't in stock. Don't they know I am all about instant gratification?! HA! I'll let you know how I like it!

I've neglected my camera this winter too. It was not my intention. I really wanted to take the time and play around with it but...I didn't. Part of my problem is I only have the zoom lens for it so that does not always bode well for taking pictures indoors of my kiddos. I have been using my phone a lot lately to take pics and while they do come out okay, they don't compare to what I could be taking with my camera. I think I'll go lens shopping today!

Alright. I the littles are up and asking for breakfast. Happy Tuesday! Enjoy your week!

My Friday Favorites!

Here I am, back after another week of neglectful blogging! Who missed me?! How do I not seem to find time to blog and feel like I am way too busy but also feel like I have nothing going on, sll at the same time?! Oh well! I'm here now!

My grandparents anniversary party was pretty great! My mom surprised them with a vow renewal ceremony that was amazing to see. Another reminder of how much I love them and how blessed I am to still have them both alive and such a big part of my life and more importantly the lives of my children. They both ADORE each other and I adore watching their interactions.

Let's see...What else has gone on this week?! We are on our second day of 50+ degree weather and we are reveling in it! I took my youngest on a little zoo date yesterday! It was wonderful to be outside for a few hours and to see some animals out and about in the snow that we may not normally see in the warmer months.

We have February vacation coming up with lots of fun and lots of relaxing planned! Our friends are having a luau tomorrow night so that should be a fun kick off to vacation! We also have a couple of playdates planned and a trip to our local natural history museum. I also have high hopes to strip the pink flowery wall paper in our hallway and get that painted, FINALLY, after being in the house for over a year now...The hallway and bathroom are the last couple of things we need to do. The playroom could use an overhaul, but is totally fine for the purpose it serves. Maybe one day when the girls are older...

Did you guys watch the Grammy's?! I feel like I haven't watched it in a few years but tuned in this year and was pleasantly surprised that it was heavy on the performances and lighter on the awards and speeches. HA! Here is my most favorite performance of the night. My current favorite band Mumford & Sons and the wonderful Avett Brothers! If you haven't checked out these bands yet, YOU MUST!



Alrighty friends! Here's to a fabulous, healthy school vacation! I will do my best to update more this week! Have a good one! Make it count!

My Friday Favorites!

Oh poor, neglected blog! I don't know where the week went! I guess we've been fairly busy, enjoying life! Big plans for the weekend! First, let me start by wishing my grandparents a very happy 50th anniversary! I adore my grandparents. The homestead wouldn't have been the homestead without them! I will do a whole post about it someday, but we live in the house my great-grandparents built, the house my grandparents raised their family in... I LOVE it! But...today is their 50th wedding anniversary!

We have family in from out of town so last night we had a wonderful turkey dinner! Tonight we have a roller skating event for the big girl's school! Again, for another post, but I can't say enough about her school! Tomorrow we have our nephew's 7th birthday (HOW THE HE!! are these kids turning 7?!?!?) at Monster Golf and Sunday is the big anniversary party! For the better part of the week I have been working on a dvd slide show to show and the party! It's been so fun to see all these old pictures, find ones I have never seen, and to hear the stories behind them! They've lived quite the life!

Okay, so on to some of this weeks favorites!

The Pioneer Woman's Book! Are you guys fan's of PW?! If you're not, you should be! Go right now and check her out at The Pioneer Woman! Anyway, in a fit of writer's block, she took to her blog and started writing the story of her 'courtship' with Marlboro Man! The story was a huge hit on the blog and she has now released the book, which includes stories from their first year of marriage. I can't put the darn thing down! I want to curl up on the couch for the rest of the day and finish it! It's great, she's just so darn sweet and funny, and she better make it over this way for a book signing! Her cookbook is also fantastic if you don't already own it!

Roller skating in the basement! My little ladies had never roller skated/bladed before but the big girl really wanted to go to the school's roller skating event. My girl is a little nervous nelly and not always so enthusiastic about trying new things so...I was a little nervous she was going to get to the event and not want to do it or hate it and I would have spent this money for our family to go...So...I bought my girls some roller blades and we headed down to the basement to practice! Luckily/thankfully my big girl took right to it. I'm sure we don't have perfect form...Okay, I know we don't have perfect form, but my girl is up in those skates and loving every minute! Hopefully tonight will be a ton of fun! They also do a basket raffle and the baskets are AMAZING! I hope we win one!!!



Old School Sesame Street Videos! My little picked out a Sesame Street video at the library the other day and it had so many great old songs that I watched when I was little! LOVE IT! I love the kids enthusiasm in this one, and who doesn't love James Taylor!

Alright kids, go forth and celebrate your butts off this weekend! I know we will! Life is good!

My Friday Favorites!

It's Friday again?! Where did the week go?! I hear a rumor there is snow on the way tomorrow but it also may be rain...I may or may not be avoiding watching the weather these days! We got an email from the superintendent of our town schools about a few things that have happened around here over the past week, and he mentioned a storm coming in for Thursday that they are watching...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I can't take it anymore!

We got another cord of wood delivered today so we will be out there tomorrow stacking it. (And when I say me, I really mean my husband! HA! I would just be in his way!) My oldest has also requested we go out to breakfast tomorrow to a local diner. Who can say no when she came home with such a wonderful report card today! She did great across the board and is reading above grade level and preforming well in math! I couldn't be prouder so we will be celebrating with giant chocolate chip pancakes in the morning!

And of course Super Bowl Sunday! Our beloved Pats are sadly not in the game. (don't get me started on their game against the Jets...Grrrrr...) But I have big plans to eat my way through the day anyway! Isn't that what the super bowl is all about? Food and commercials! I'll post the recipes on what we are planning on eating this weekend!

Now for a few things I loved this week...

You've seen this right?! 


Nutella Crescent Rolls! HEAVENLY as my big girl described her first bite! 1 pkg. crescent rolls, unrolled and separated, spoonful of nutella, roll up and bake as directed, sprinkle with powdered sugar and ENJOY! I have a friend who also made them this week and she spread the nutella on the crescent and then rolled it. I am going to try that this week and see which way we like better. They were definitely a perfect snow day treat!

American Idol! Are you watching this season? I was a little skeptical about J-Lo and Steven Tyler, but...I LOVE THEM! Okay, maybe not love, but I like them a lot. They have brought a much needed new energy to the show and as creepy as Steven Tyler can sometimes get with his comments and looks at the girls, he's pretty hilarious. I love when he randomly belts into song! I am looking forward to seeing the other changes they have in store for the season.

OH! And our little Valentine project dried better then I was expecting it to so I definitely recommend you try it our with your kiddos if the urge to stick your fingers in glue strikes you! The are very cute hanging up in our picture window!

And finally, a Friday favorite shout out to my friend Jake! He was my hero today showing up to salt and sand our ridiculously treacherous driveway! When I finally was able to free my car the other day I went to 4 local stores and they were all sold out of ice melt and sand and Jake was nice enough to come by and help us out! YOU ROCK JAKE!

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you have a fabulous weekend! Enjoy the things that make you happy!

My SAD is kicking in...

How much do I love Liz's post over on Mom-101 today?! Haven't we all felt that way one time or another...or everyday! HA! Winter is getting to me...I need some sun, a tan, drinks down by the water...I sure do hope that groundhog is right this year!

Crappy Day = Crafty Day

Well, early dismissal yesterday and ANOTHER 'snow' day today...Oh how I wish it was snow! We have a nasty, slushy, icy, wet MESS out there today! I went out while the girls were having their lunch to shovel our walkways. I guess I should have gone out earlier because I now have about an inch of ice I can't get up. Our driveway is going to be SCARY when it freezes. It's an unpaved driveway so despite the snow plow, there is usually a little snow left on it. Well that snow is now covered in ice, slush, and water, and the ends of the driveway are full of all the plowed crap from the road...I may never make it out of here in my mini van! Hoping the plow guy makes an appearance!

So, we finally took advantage of our day at home to work on that Valentine craft I had mentioned earlier. I had high hopes for all of these cute yarn hearts hanging all over our house and the girls giving them away to grandparents and teachers...HA! We each made one and that was the end of it!

                                 I did a demo for the girls and then they got to work...

The girls hard at work dipping the yarn in the 'glue'

                                   


 The little has no issues with diving right in and getting the 'glue' all over her hands! My big girl, not so much!

Note the excess 'glue' all over the little's hand!

Their finished products! They are drying now, we'll see how they turn out?!?!

Here are the instructions if you are feeling daring and crafty!

Corn Starch Glue - Mix 1/4c. corn starch with 1/2c. water. Stir until smooth. Heat over medium heat until it is thick and translucent. Allow to cool to the touch.

Cut yarn into foot long pieces. We used red, pink, and white. Place heart shaped cookie cutter on a piece or wax or parchment paper. Push a piece of yarn into the glue. Pull out and run it between your thumb and pointer finger to wipe off excess glue. Lay the yarn inside the cookie cutter. Repeat with other pieces until the cookie cutter is filled with a thin layer. With a clean hand, press the yarn flat. Gently lift off the cookie cutter.
Allow to air dry for at least a day. You can speed up the drying by placing the hearts and parchment paper in the oven set to warm for an hour or two. (We are letting it air dry...)

Like I said, we had gotten the idea form the February issue of Family Fun, but I couldn't find it anywhere on the site. If you guys attempt it, be sure to let me know how you make out!

It's all about aromatics...and laundry!

And cozy pants...and Peapod deliveries...and more snow...and healthy kids...and eggs...

Oh! Sorry...I got carried away!

Well, much like the rest of the mid-west and north east...it's snowing again. And today, I like the snow, and would prefer twenty more inches to the icy mess we have headed our way. My little is finally back to 100% and I couldn't be happier! Being stuck in the house for 6 days with a feverish kiddo was getting to me. So she is better and we are headed out shortly to pick up my big girl at school. Due to the snow...EARLY DISMISSAL! Which means no make up day! I have big plans for crafts and wii this afternoon!

So, back to today's title...It's all about aromatics at our house today! I have a nice big pot of italian wedding soup simmering on the stove and bread going in the bread machine shortly! There are not many better smells in this world then onions, garlic, carrots, and celery sauteing!  I got the recipe from my friend over at  http://www.prepaheadanddinein.com  She is the mom of three awesome little girls and gives great tips of how to get a good meal on the table when you have kiddos who may not want to cooperate the 'witching hour' as I call it! I am also making her Cream of Tomato soup this week!

And...laundry...Good lord! It's never ending! I don't mind washing and drying...it's the folding and putting away that gets to me! HA! You can usually find 3 laundry baskets of clean clothes sitting around my house, wishing and hoping I would fold them! (Not to mention the laundry baskets of dirty clothes in each of the bedrooms and one communal one that usually sits at the entrance to our kitchen) NEVER ENDING VICIOUS CYCLE!

And cozy pants...Since I haven't left my house in 6 days, my yoga pants and fleece pants and warm up pants have seen a lot of wear!It's one of the perks of winter weather! Hey - always look on the bright side of life!
I'm sure my husband is loving my wardrobe choices these days! HA! But hey, you spend 6 days with a feverish kid wanting nothing more then to lay on top of you...jeans or khakis just aren't gonna cut it!

Do you have PeaPod or another grocery service where you live? Do you use it? If not, WHY NOT?!?!? I really have only used it a couple of times, mostly when my little was a baby, but I set up my delivery for today because we needed food and I just wasn't sure how the babe was going to be feeling so...I chose the 7:30-11am delivert time cause we were going to be home and it saved me a buck! WAHOOOOO! So, promptly at 7:30 my cutie pie delivery boy brought mt groceries right in! I felt so darn accomplished when my groceries were put away by 8am! (That means I don't have to do anything for the rest of the day right?!) I think I will def. be ordering my groceries more often!

And finally...eggs! We have chickens! Twelve lovely little ladies who we all adore! I am sure one day I will do a whole big post with pictures all about them! They are awesome, sweet, little egg making machines! HA! We are getting 11 eggs a day these days so 1 lady is holding out on us! People have said they slow down production in the winter but our chicks just started laying when the weather was getting colder so I am not sure if that has something to do with it or what. We have a couple of regular egg customers now (my mom and a friend) and then I give some to friends or family. In the spring we'll build a little egg and veggie stand to have out front!  Lord knows we can't eat that many eggs! You'll be happy to know I have perfected the art of scrambled eggs(I like mine with parm. or a really good sharp cheddar) and the egg sandwich!Needless to say, our ladies are not loving this snow...Half of their run is covered in snow.

Alright, time to bundle up to go get the girlie!I hope you are warm, cozy, and safe wherever you are on this first day of February!

New projects!

Just signed myself up for Paint The Moon's Let's Do 52 Project! http://paintthemoon.net/blog/2011/01/lets-do-52-paint-the-moon-photo-a-week-project-photoshop-actions/

I have taken 2 photography classes now to try to learn to use my camera to the best of it's abilities...One with the amazing Amy Ro of http://www.amyrophotography.com/ . If you have never seen her work, check it out. Her class was really good for me, very hands on, and she explained things in ways we could easily understand and apply IRL when we're out shooting.

I also took a class with my friend Kath Connerton. You can check out her work here : http://www.connertonphotography.com
Kath also did a fantastic job in explaining things to us in ways we could understand and was very helpful in giving us tips to improve our shots when we went out shooting around town.

So with these 2 classes under my belt, you would think I would be better then I am! HA! I will say I think I can generally compose a good shot and have taken some great shots of my girls but I am def. not where I want to be so...

One of my goals for this winter was to work on my photography and until now, I have been a big giant slacker! I am hoping this project will get my creative juices flowing again and I will learn some new things along the way! Can't wait to get started! I'll definitely share my weekly pics with you!

My Friday Favorites!

Here are a few things I can't get enough of from the past week...

First of all, I LOVE this song, and this duo only makes it all the more sweeter! Their youtube video got them an appearance on Ellen where the dad couldn't have been nicer and the little girl was just too adorable waving and wanting to run out and hug the crowd!



Second, I can't get enough of my babe in the pic we took after her fever broke. She is still no where near 100% sadly but the fever is gone so thank goodness for small miracles!



A big favorite of ours from the past week were these AMAZING Salted Caramel Cupcakes! They were passed on to me from my friend Erin over at http://citymouseinacountryhouse.blogspot.com/ She originally got the recipe from here:
http://www.joyshope.com/2010/06/salted-caramel-cupcakes.html I made a batch and the girls and I promptly became cupcake fairies and delivered some to family and friends! They are AMAZING, but I did not need to eat 27 cupcakes and that is exactly what I would have done if they all stayed in my house! The cupcakes were a big hit all around!

I bought a pair of Danskin fleece pants at Kohl's the other day with my Kohl's Cash! Oh! Fleece pants! Why did I wait so long to buy you?! I'm sure my husband just loves them, but frankly, I don't care! HA! Do you have a pair? If not...GO, NOW! Stop reading and go buy yourself a pair!

And just for a little bit of fun and a whole lot of sexy, here is one of my perennial favorites! The oh so sexy Charlie Hunnam, aka Jax Teller on Sons of Anarchy! If you are not watching Sons of Anarchy on FX...YOU MUST! I am counting down to the start of Season 4!



And finally, my last favorite for this Friday, Girl Scout Cookies! I am the troop leader for my oldest daughter's 1st grade troop. We just finished up our cookie sales for the year and she sold a total of 210 boxes! And when I say she, I mean me! HA! She did do a great job asking our family members and made a few phone calls to family members we don't see regularly, but the majority of our sales came from my fabulous, generous FaceBook friends! Thank you again to everyone who bought cookies! The girls are all so appreciative!

Happy Friday everyone! What are some of your favorites from your past week?! Make sure you take the time to enjoy the things that make you happy!

Sick Days & Snow Days

During her fever induced stupor.

Well, my stocking up on craft supplies for the weekend didn't go as planned. My poor baby was a little out of sorts Tuesday afternoon, complained her ear hurt when she went to bed that night, and by early Wednesday morning, she was a full blown MESS! Poor thing! When she gets an ear infection, it hits her like a ton of bricks. Her older sister is also on antibiotics for an ear infection but the only symptom she had was ear pain. My poor little monkey spent the majority of Wednesday completely oblivious to what was going on around her. I'm sure if I asked, she wouldn't have any recollection of our trip to the doctor. Her fever FINALLY broke early last night. She is still super snuggly and definitely not her usual bubbly self but...a great improvement from where we were this time yesterday.

The fever FINALLY broke!

In other ever so exciting news, it's yet another snow day here at the homestead. Good lord we've gotten a lot of snow this winter! I am hoping the babe will be up for a little snow fun this afternoon because the oldest is chomping at the bit to get outside. It's that gorgeous looking snow that is a PITA to shovel cause it's so heavy...Thank goodness for the plowman and my hubby who is out there right now shoveling the walks and cleaning off the cars. He has to head in to work shortly but we would definitely rather have him home and cozy with us.

The sun is shining, my little is slowly getting better, (she just crawled up in my lap and says hi!) and we are warm and cozy in our jammies! Life is good!

Snow, snow, and...oh, MORE SNOW!

Apparently we moved to northern New England, and no one told us! We got an awesome storm right after Christmas which was great because the kids played outside almost everyday for the rest of their school vacation...But I feel like it hasn't stopped snowing since! (I know, a slight exaggeration, but we just aren't used to this much snow!) It's snowing right now, which somehow appeared on the 7 day forecast last night as a dusting but we have over an inch and it's still coming down pretty steady. We have a storm coming in Wednesday night that is one of those we always seem to get...It could be nothing, or it could be THE BIG ONE!



Either way, we are trying to make the best of it all! I am NOT a winter person but this winter has been pretty great! Christmas vacation was filled with lots of fabulous family time at home. My husband was able to take the week off, the girls got along great all week, and I was so sad when it was time to get back to the reality of school and work. We have had lots of sledding play dates and since we don't have a hill in our yard, the girls had a great time making make-shift sledding hills out of our monstrous piles of snow from the snow plow! It was HILARIOUS to watch the kids go flying across the driveway on their discs!



I am hoping to get out to the store today to stock up on some craft supplies for the weekend. I am assuming Thursday will be a snow day and they already have this Friday off for an in-service day for the teachers so...Another long weekend on the horizon...We are going to attempt some cute yarn hearts I saw in Family Fun this month. I can't seem to find them on the web site but here is a link to some other adorable Valentine crafts they have posted! http://familyfun.go.com/valentines-day/valentines-day-gifts-gallery-83824



What's the weather where you are? Are you enjoying your winter?! Are you starting your prep for Valentine's Day? How do you celebrate with your family?

Here Goes Nothing...or something!

I am finally taking the plunge into the blogosphere! I follow quite a few blogs and have quite a few friends these days with their own blogs. A few things I am hoping to do with the blog...Improve my writing and photography skills, write about my life, (hubby, kiddos, pets, house, gardens, crafts, cooking...) and I suppose whatever else may come up along the way! Wish me luck and come along for the ride!