Organizing Toys....

Please tell me I am not the only one who can't seem to keep the toys under control. It is always extra bad after I have worked 4 days through the weekend. Dad does a good job but by the end of the weekend he has been beat and he admits it. The boys just gang up on poor dad and the rest is history. Well in the process of tackling the post tornado storm that is my house I needed a break. With my usual coupon searching on PYP I came across Prepared LDS Family blog. She has a spreadsheet of case lot sale prices- still need to check that out- but what caught my eye was the toy control tips. 

I rather like this. You should check it out. I am trying several different things. A couple of my ideas didn't work out because of size and configuration of the shelves I found. Much of what I am doing is just like this so it was nice to see the vision actually being functional. I will post pictures of my results when I am done. Hopefully this will be later today. For now, I think it is nap time. During which time I will be taping and mudding Josh's room........

Pictures to come!

Canning Pears: project 30 of 52

We love pears! My boys love them with lunch or especially with toast in the morning. Even more than peaches, which is not a big surprise, my family was the same was growing up. The pears never stayed around for long. So when pears showed up to get with Bountiful Baskets last week I decided to get a couple of boxes. I usually get some from my aunt and uncle who get them from Caldwell, Idaho. These were from California and I have to say, although they are good they were not nearly as tasty and sweet as the Idaho pears. Now, I just need to test the Utah pears to determine a true winner. ;-)

Of course once they are bottled the boys don't know the difference and don't really care. They just love them all around.

If you have ever bottled fruit you know it can get a bit sticky. You have to make the syrup, peel and core the fruit and get it in the bottles before the fruit starts to turn brown or else let it sit in a brine. Well, not here! A couple of years ago my aunt shared her secret- mixing the syrup in the bottle.

It's a 1:4 ratio

1/4 cup sugar plus

1 cup hot water.

pour it into the bottle and stir to disolve the sugar. Then you can peel the fruit and place it directly in the bottle. When you have 7 bottles full, start the water bath, then onto the next 7 bottles. WOW! It made things go so much smoother. Plus if your house is like mine interuptions happen non-stop. Now if I get interupted it is easier to find a stopping point without much hassle.

Another added bonus is the syrup is very light. The fruit is sweet enough without a heavy syrup that the Kerr canning book calls for. Give it a try and you won't go back to making your syrup any other way.

Yeah, they look pretty don't they. I think I ended up with about 45 bottles. 

Sharing at Keeping it Simple

Boys in the mud

Only a mother of little boys can appreciate.....

Mud waterfalls, mud pies, and muddy backsides. The backyard was excavated in prep for building a retention wall but little did mom realize it became a dream zone for boys. Tyler, his best friend and Matthew all had a hayday! They had a "mud waterfall" with the hose running down the embankment making one great mud lake on the other side. 

 

 

They played for quite awhile until mom made them shut off the water. I can handle the muddy feet but prefer to conserve water. Besides the puddle was ready to breach it's banks ;-). I'd better watch out, Kaylyn might stop letting her son come over. He usually goes home muddy, wet, or with popsicle stains. The do have LOADS of fun though! After all just look at that smile! 

Who can resist?

A Couple of Projects to do....

I have oodles of 2x4 blocks from building Josh's room. This will be on my list. Check out what sisterstuff did....

They also have a great ribbon board that would be great for some lovely young ladies next door. ;-)

What a great teacher gift. School has already started but I think I will do this on Monday with my boys. They would love it. Check out the recipe at Brown Paper Packages too.

Flower arranging: project 29 of 52

One thing my home decor really needs is the softer touch of flowers and garland. Maybe thats why I love to be able to pull out my Harvest and then Christmas decor. I have lots of falls leaves and Christmas garlands but my everyday decor is still lacking in this area. So on my last trip to Michaels I set out to fill that void. They had a display that made it look easy. What was better is the supplies were right there. So I came home and created this.....

Sometimes things just come together. I love how this turned out! I may change the bow if I find something better. The fall colors go great with my rustic red decor. I placed this above my cupboards. It was simple and didn't cost too much either.

Next time I need to pick up some grapevine garland. My plan is to gather supplies then have my friend, Kaylyn, come work her magic! I am totally in love with her style and home decor. Her house feels effortlessly spotless (although she will laugh and beg to differ) and the simple decor never feels overbearing. She has a great knack for mixing various elements. In her words she would laugh and say, "I just threw it up there". She has a grapevine star mixed in with her kitchen decor that I love. If I could only find one myself. I am learning though. That's the great part of seeing the inside of someone elses home- INSPIRATION.

My sister in law is another source of great inspiration. She has a natural shabby chic without effort look that I always seem to come up short in trying to replicate. Not to mention the amazing deals on even furniture and home decor that she gets! I'm glad I have the inside edition on that one! he he he! ;-)

Showing off at:

Homemade Salsa

My coworker gave this recipe to me last year and we fell in love with it! I had a moment of panic when I couldn't find it this morning but *whew* we found it!

Homemade Salsa
5 quarts peeled and diced tomatoes (about 20-25)
5 Tbs cornstarch. Sprinkled over and mixed with cold tomatoes
2 lg bell peppers diced (1 3/4 c) or use a variety for color
3-5 cloves of chopped garlic (or 1/8 tsp dried garlic)
1/4 C. apple cider vinegar
3Tbsp salt to taste
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp crushed red pepper seasoning
5-14 Jalapeno peppers depending on how hot you like it. Use rubber gloves when chopping. I used about 5.
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp cilantro
2-3 small cans of spicy hot V-8 or about 3 cups

Combine all ingredients. Place in a large oven proof pan in the oven at 250-300 degrees. You want it to simmer for about 1 1/2 hrs. Stir occasionally. Place in hot clean jars. Pressure cook for 10 minutes at 13 pounds of pressure.

Makes about 14 pints. Beware- they will soon be gone. The recipe doesn't call for onions but I added a couple.....   

I'm sure you could use a water bath to seal the bottles too with all the acid already in the recipe you don't have to worry about high temps to kill bacteria....

I plan to get some tomatoes to make this over Labor Day weekend. I might do some fruit too. I need some more apple pie filling. Anyone have a great recipe for that? 

I have several other projects to post but haven't gotten to them yet...

T.I.M.E. is a 4 letter word ya know. 

With school back in session I am looking forward to slowing down from the crazy summer pace. So for now I am focused on finishing projects. We are starting to mud and texture Josh's room; hoping to finish it next weekend. We are going to wait on carpet until we get Keegan's room done then carpet both at the same time. Josh is so excited to get his own space again. He has been a very patient young man for which mom and dad are grateful. He is a good kid! I will post pictures when we finish. I have before and after pictures but not many in between.

Cleaning tips....

I kinda fell off track with my tips so here are the rest. 

I take one day a week to try to deep clean everything. Then the rest of the week I can surface clean sorta speak.

Using bleach cleaner in the bathroom to kill the odors.

Set up a loading and unloading zone. Robin likes to keep things in his pocket. By having a basket in the closet he can unload his keys, badge and other pocket contents. The next morning he knows exactly where things are and this helps him get ready faster in the mornings.

I also try to walk around the house with a wash cloth just washing knobs and door jams. With little fingers door knobs get sticky lots. I hate to grab a yucky knob. If I take the cloth I simple wipe at Matthew's height.

Just about any day you can find me in an apron. I love to have pockets in it too. Then as I walk around cleaning I can pick up those lego pieces deposit it into my apron pocket then unload once I get back to the boys room.

Okay- your turn. What cleaning tips do you have?

Counting Points

I didn't lose any wt this week but my arms are definantely sore from helping with Bountiful Baskets. I didn't do so well last week at counting my points which translates into not tracking what I ate well. I think I also lacked some activity points. The week I lost the most was the week I was swimming, walking and building. The local pool has current walking in the mornings and the evenings. I love walking in the evenings with Kaylyn but lately several things have interupted our walks. This week I want to try the current walking. If I go in the morning to the pool I will have some activity points in even if we don't get our walk in in the evening. I would really like to kick things up a notch; I am hoping with school starting this will happen. I have stocked the kitchen with lots of fruits and vegis. I have a plan for activity this week. Added together I am hoping to report good results on Friday.

This week, I'm moving and counting points- every point!

How are your fitness goals coming?

Bountiful Baskets Bounty

I have been forgetting to sign on to bet my basket until they are all sold but not this week! I am so glad that I did. I hit Winco for produce and now have lots more with BB. I thought the pick up was at 11:00 but that was when the truck arrived so I helped to unload things. I got a couple extra bananas too....

This is just a sample of what we got; red peppers, tomatoes, califlower, cucumbers, lettuce, bananas, grapefruit, cantelope, mangos, champagne grapes, and peaches. Yep, we will be eating lots of fruit and vegi's this week. I LOVE it! I also ordered an Italian pack. Anyone have ideas on using this? Plus 2 boxes of pears. I will be canning a bit this week too. Gonna be a good week. If you haven't checked out Bountiful Baskets you are missing out.

Dinner ideas and recipes.....

Monday- Strawberry banana omelets with Blueberry scones

Tuesday- Bean Burritos (from mykitchencafe) with mexi rice

Wednesday- Lemon Herb Chicken ring from Pampered Chef

Thursday- Garden Ranch Pizza

Friday- Sloppy Joes

Saturday- Pizza night

Here is a couple of the recipes. Let me know what you think....

Strawberry Banana Omelet

from Taste of Homes Quick Cooking 2007

3 Tbsp Butter, divided

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

2 medium firm bananas, sliced

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

6 eggs

2 Tbsp water

1/2 tsp salt

powdered sugar

In a small saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp butter, brown sugar and cinnamon over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Add bananas and vanilla; toss to coat. Remove from the heat; stir in strawberries. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, water nad salt. Heat remaining butter in a 10 in. nonstick skillet over medium heat; add egg mixture. As eggs set, lift edges, letting uncooked portion flow underneath.

When eggs are almost set, spread two-thirds of fruit mixture over one side; fold omelet over filling. Cover and cook for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Slide onto a serving plate; tops with remaining fruit mixture and dust with powdered sugar.

Lemon Herb Chicken Ring

11 WW points

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 lemon

2 pressed garlic cloves

1c shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup mayo

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

2 pkg crescent rolls

Spread crescent rolls in a circle with tips pointed out. Combine other items and scoop onto rolls. Pull points over. Sprinkle Parmesan over ring. 

Bake 28-30 minutes or until golden brown at 375 degrees.

serves 8. Calories 450; Total Fat 30; Sat. fat 8; Cholesterol 45; Carbs 24; Protein 19; Sodium 740; Fiber 0

Star Embelishments....

Project 28 of 52 (oh my, will I reach my goal???)

We have been working on Josh's bedroom every spare minute. We are oh, so close. I should be down there now but I am taking a break from construction. Although I don't mind it, it is not really my forte. I am excited to see it done. That will be a project for sure.....do you think I could count it as several projects???

I do have a few other things I am working on though. I just can't stand to sit still. As I thought of 'taking it easy' today my mind wouldn't stop thinking of 'to do' lists. UGH! Shut it off someone PLEASE! *sigh* Alas, I keep going like the energizer bunny. At least today I am planning to do projects that make me smile.....

Remember this picture.....

 Well, here is the finished product. I got the star for only $7 but they wanted $21 for a star with the tips already covered. I said, nah, I can do that. I dug through my packed boxes (still working on my craft area) until I found the box with scrapbook paper then dug until I found just the right colors. I didn't stamp the edges to give it a worn look. I kinda forgot that step but i think with the colors I chose it still turned out great. I may decide to stamp the edges later but for now I am going to place it officially above my cupboards today.

 What do you think? I love the way it turned out!

Dinner ideas for this week

I'm a little late for this but here it is. I also planned next weeks already (and shopped for both weeks) but you'll have to check on Saturday for next weeks menu.....

Monday- BBQ steak with potaotes

Tuesday- Steak Faijtas

Wednesday Chicken Cobb Salad

Thursday- Nachos (using left over beef from French Dips)

Friday- we will be visiting family in Idaho Falls.

Saturday- BBQ dinner with family.

For a treat this week I plan to make PB Pinwheels. They are great- even my scouts loved them- plus they are simple. Here's how: spread PB on a tortilla shells. Top with honey and sprinkle with granola (grape nuts works well too). Then roll up and slice in thin slices. Watch out, they will soon be devoured!

ENJOY!

Getting the kids to clean.....

This one is always tricky. Kids just wanna play. They need to play but this momma needs a clean house once in a while too. Besides, have you stepped on a lego piece lately? OUCH! THEY HURT!!

So here are the rules of our house:

Each boy has to clean their room well enough to be vacuumed each day. I don't vacuum this often but that is a way they can tell if it will pass inspection.

Then they each have another room assignment. For now it works that there are 3 main rooms and 3 boys old enough for chores. The kitchen, bathroom and living room. I let them decide how many days to have each assignment and how to rotate. They decided to rotate each day. So in addition to cleaning their rooms they have to clean one of the other rooms. Each chore has to pass moms inspection before they can play. I am stricter with the older ones. Generally they have to pick up toys, load and unload the dishwasher, wipe counter tops down and wipe the mirror down. I keep clorox wipes under the bathroom sink as well as wipes for the mirror. These tend to get pricey but for me it's worth it. They boys learn to clean and in return are more careful about the messes they make. SCORE! for mom!

The toilet is always a problem area with boys but they are also responsible for wiping that down and around the floor at the base of the toilet. I am surprised at how much more careful they are in the bathroom when they have to clean the mess up.

We have had days of no playing with friends because they decided to fight the system sorta speak. They have to get their chores done to go play. If they don't they don't play. Very seldom is this rule broken. So, if they mess around they get to hear all the other kids playing while they are still stuck inside. UGH! Since this is a daily routine it doesn't usually take too long to get things picked up, beds made and clothes put away.

The rule is that if your friends leave a mess you have to clean it up. This has helped the boys be more responsible and speak up for themselves too. They don't like having to clean up all the legos by themselves. Josh had problems with this and no one cleaning up before leaving so he made his room off limits for a while. I think they learn to appreciate what they have and to take care of things better.

I live by the motto "A place for everything and everything in it's place". I try to organize the boys rooms to make clean up as easy as possible. They have different bins for sets of toys; legos, action heros, balls, etc. Plus each one has a bookshelf in their room. Once in a while I will go in and do a mom cleaning where I just organize books and what not. For the most part this works and they are able to control their own rooms.

Of course all this said, I am not above bribery at all. When we were (read "mom was") trying to unpack I gave them 15 minute challenges. Boys love challenges, especially when the reward is food! Mom supervised the cleaning and organizing and general unpacking of the bedrooms. When the timer went off I got to decide who had helped and cleaned the most with the best attitude. Josh can get the most done but he is 10 and doesn't always like the extra work. So with that I had to add about having a good attitude. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place got 1, 2, or 3 pieces of parade candy respectively. I managed to get 1 1/2 hours work out of them; above their regular chores! WHOO HOO! Then I sent them outside to run off the sugar energy.

We have also done reward charts. They got stars throughout the week based on overall attitude, behavior, and getting their chores etc done. Each Saturday night is family pizza night. We make pizza and watch a movie. They get "concessions" based on their stars. Some weeks they have had so many they couldn't use them all. Other weeks they had only 1 star. We even had a week where they had lost all their stars for bad behavior. That wasn't a very fun movie night.

Moving to a new area I have often said, "if we get ..... done then we can go ....". The boys know that I will follow through with what I say. If it's done- we go; if not- we don't. Simple and predictable.

Sometimes even I have been disappointed to not be able to go but that is how it is and the boys learn this quick.

Mostly, I make a point to tell them how much their help means. At dinner I unload to dad the days events and what each boy did. Just another chance to be in the spotlight. Perhaps I am trying to "kill them with kindness" but I think it all combined is working. Hopefully I don't have to punish them too often for naughty behavior.

What about at your house? Share your tips with me!

House cleaning tips

Trust me I am no June Cleaver. In fact I have often felt I just plain came up short. My house is not emaculate; I am not sure that word with my name has ever been in the same sentance. Rather my house is lived in. It is full of 4 rambunctious boys that are unceasingly hungry and have energy to power a rocket ship (which they often do after building ANOTHER fort in my living room). But as I was cleaning today I thought of all the times we moms and dads have wished for a "How to..." book on parenting. I doubt this book will ever be published as it would be outdated the moment it went to the printers, but I have learned a few things in my travels and thought that I would share them. So for this week, each day I will share a tip I have found on maintaining my sanity and some semblance of clean in a house of growing children- BOYS!- in the 21st century. 

I am a working mom. I craft, blog, facebook, scrapbook, excersice, volunteer, etc etc etc. The list never ends. In short, I am just an average mom. I use to believe "Molly Mormon" really did exist. I think I may even have met her a time or two. I, however, am not. I've learned that it's ok to let my friends see my house a disaster (albeit only my close friends and family). Why in the world would I say this you ask? Well, there's a story for this.... 

A couple of years ago I stopped by my best friend's house. She had been gone through the weekend and just returned from shopping. She was inside so I grabbed a couple of grocery bags and headed in to greet her. "In" meant going through her garage entrance. For most of us, this entrance is sacred and reserved for family only. Not even grandparents are to tread here and for good reason- it's usually a disaster area. I thought nothing of it though. She, however, was APPAULED! She commented on how embarressed she was that I saw the piles of laudry, the piles of dishes on the counter and in the sink, the sacks of groceries unpacked and the general disaster area we all experience after a weekend away with 4 kids. I told her it didn't matter- she had seen my house in a disarray numerous times and I already knew she was a great mom and a good housekeeper. No Judging Here! We laughed and talked then went on our ways. 

The next week she stopped by. I was in the middle of canning and it was one of "those days"! I said, "Rebekah, you've gotta see my kitchen!!" She couldn't figure out what was going on but went in to see..... Tornado Alley! *sigh* Yep, I invited her into see, not a clean sparking kitchen, but one in the throws of canning and food prep and simply a MESS! We laughed and I realized that we both felt a little better having seen each others house in the disaster stage. For me, a little pressure was lifted. I no longer felt my house had to be PERFECT every second of the day. Or not even every DAY for that matter. I mean who are we all kidding anyway? Who has a house of happy children in whose lives they are involved that also keeps a spotless house? (ok, don't tell me! please just let me continue to build my fantasy world!)

So for today my tip is to relax. My house isn't perfect and I don't expect yours to be either. 

HELLO! WE HAVE CHILDREN TO RAISE! 

We clean up first thing in the morning and then don't worry about it too much. I try to get the boys to pick up after themselves (tips for this to follow) which helps a lot too. Needless to say, if you are to drop by my house in the evening you will most likely find, remnants of Tyler's lego star fighter ship on the floor, the train book that Matthew was fascinated with for all of 5 minutes, Keegan's DS game sitting on the couch, Josh's latest book or books stacked around the couch and dishes in the sink. It will all be cleaned up again in the morning but for now, we are working and playing together as a family. 

So come on in. Make yourself at home. This house is lived in! 

"Mothers of happy children have dirty floors"

Oh, and mom, I haven't dusted yet today either. ;-)

Toys, Toys, and more toys scrapbooking

I didn't get too much scrapbooked today but thought I would share this page. Check out the blog train here:

Here is what I came up with......

There are lots of possiblities with this kit. 

I got the wordart from Bethany. I realized I need to spend some time downloading some more wordart. I figure that's a nice project for a hot afternoon. In a couple of weeks the boys will be in school. That will leave Matthew and I home alone during the day. I may be going stir crazy by the evening- OR I may really start to get some projects done. Either way it will be an adjustment for both Matthew and I.

Crockpot meals on the menu this week

I rather enjoy browsing through my cookbooks when I plan our menu. It reminds me of the great meals we haven't had in a while and helps to keep a variety on our diet. Today, I didn't worry so much about how many points. I'll figure those out later. I also didn't worry about matching up to what is on sale. The benefit of having a food storage is I can shop from there regardless of what is on sale at the stores this week. The other smart thing we've done is buying 1/2 a beef. We usually get it from my uncle in February and it lasts us almost a year, depending on how much chicken or pork I cook too. I have LOVED this! I have a freezer of meat and don't have to worry about adding that to my grocery list. The improved flavor of the beef is an even bigger plus. Win-win I'd say.

I am feeling the urge for a change in season. I usually do this time of year which is why I love the Mountain West so much. By the end of summer I am ready for fall cooking and cooler temps. Think homemade chili and cornbread! Or potatoe soup! Perhaps it was with that thought in the back of my mind that I managed to plan several crockpot meals this week. Either way it should be a good week. I will be incredibly busy with other projects, work and school registration, it will be nice to let dinner cook throughout the day. So without further delay....This weeks menu......

Beef Stroganoff

Pinwheels

Navajo Tacos

French Dip Sandwiches

Chicken Stacks

Homemade Pizza

Sunday Chicken

If you are interested most of these recipes came from "Girlfriends on the Go" recipe book. 

I bought it several years ago and organized a meal swap in our neighborhood. It was fantastic! 5-7 ladies cooking enough meals to exchange. Meet, trade and head home with 25-35 meals to put in the freezer for those CRAZY nights that everyone is going a different direction. We did this for quite a while. Perhaps I will have to check on starting it in our new neighborhood. School nights tend to get crazy! Check out the book. The recipes are great to eat right away or cooked later after freezing.

Happy Birthday....to ME!

So birthdays are not usually my forte, especially MY birthday but this year I didn't mind telling everyone "today's my birthday". Of course I worked last night and again tonight so not much in the line of party's going on. I did make "Better than Sex" cake to take to work tonight. One of the guys I work with loves this cake.

Robin surprised me with 2 bushes for my yard. Now to some ladies this might be a ho-hum gift but Rob knows me very well. I tend to be very practical and love things that I can DO something with. I am already mentally running through options for planting these 2. I did ask for one more- you know the old rule of odds.

I think they will be beautiful. Now I just need to decide where to place them...

I love ice cream. It is probably my favorite dessert. We are not much of cake eaters at our house. In fact, the boys will more often than not, request a pie or some other dessert for their birthdays. For mine, I don't usually make anything but this year I got....

 A yummy cold stone ice cream cake. Most of the time our motto is No pink allowed, but today, ok maybe a little pink. The first princess cake to enter our house!

My dear mom-in-law sent a nice card with Andrew Jackson. So, now I get to go shopping. Let's see a new shirt or home decor? I'll let you know what I decide. My camera battery was dieing so I couldn't get a good focus.....

My favorite gift was a surprise visit from my mom and niece. I had just gotten to sleep after working all night when I heard my mom's voice. Since I had talked to her earlier I questioned how tired I really was. Yeah, I tend to have bouts of psychosis. But as I listened I had to get up to see. Sure enough sitting in my living room was my mom. She had decided to surprise me by hand delivering my gift! A 4 hour drive to bring me this.....

and this is not even the best part....

Just flip them around for Christmas! Still not the best part though- it was seeing my mom. She didn't stay for long since I needed to sleep before returning to work but it was great anyway!

So, I have to say I had a fabulous birthday! Tonight is my last night at St Marks Hospital in SLC. I was offered a job at the hospital in Tooele- pay raise and no more commuting 1 hour each way. Yep, it's been a good day!

Fitness Friday

Ok, so once again I am a bit late on this but work sometimes gets in the way.

I am proud to say I have lost again this week! Horray, I am now down 5 pounds. The best part is Robin told me my back side was getting smaller. Now, I am not sure if he was just trying to make me feel better (having woke up way too early for work) or if it is true. I responded "yeah, right". "No, really you're getting smaller". Well of course I love the man dearly now! ;-)

This past week I have been working VERY hard. We are trying to get Josh's bedroom finished in the basement before school starts. With Robin working long hours that means a lot of sheet rocking for me- with Josh's help. Add to that building food storage shelves- yep I built another one- swimming and my evening walks uphill I have really racked up the activity points! I am also rather stiff in the mornings. Overall it is apparently just what I needed to loose weight and get toned up. Who needs "The Firm" workout anyway.

By the time we get the basement done or mostly done, we will be ready to put the back yard in and then I will get to be doing yardwork again. I do love gardening, it is very therapeutic for me but don't get me wrong it is not for the weak. Especially in the heat we have been having lately. Perhaps the heat just seems worse without having grass surrounding the house- oh, I DO hope so!

So for this week I am not worried about adding to my fitness goals. I still have lots of sheet rock to put up. Then comes the taping and texturing. Painting, I can handle no problem and of course the carpet will be done professionally. Add in a bit more unpacking and sorting through books and toys, plus stocking and organizing shelving units and I think I will get plenty of activity. Of course this is in addition to my nightly walks around the neighborhood. That is becoming another source of therapy for me! It is so nice to talk with Kaylyn and visit. The walk goes by much faster and before I know it we are done. Gotta love exercise partners. Now if I can just convince her to go current walking at the pool with me.........Either way I am thankful to have a new great friend!

Swing pillows: Project 27 of 52

I finally managed to finish these pillows. So nice while swinging in the evening reading a book. Of course now my cushions are already fading with the effects of the sun. Guess my next project needs to be the canopy.....

Scrapping Sunday

I am behind on my pictures- aren't we all- but I really want to try to not fall further behind and if possible catch up. Well, digital scrapping has helped that but sometimes I just need to get some pictures done. This is where quickpages come in handy. All the work is done, I only have to insert the pictures. Last summer we had a fun family BBQ. Now, you have to realize at our family get togethers water fights almost always break out. Someone gets my brother- or is he the one that starts it all? Anyway, the water starts flying and we laugh until our bellies ache. With these pictures in mind I set out tonight to use some summer fun quickpages. They are a group collaboration that you can get from Stuff to Scrap

It great to be able to throw some pictures together for memory lane in years to come. I added wordart from Bethany

here is what I did.....

Finding new sites to visit

My house is becoming all things American. When I saw this project featured on Someday Crafts via Sassy Sites I had to check it out.....

plus she has other great ideas for decorating for men. Of course with a house of boys I am going to have to check some of these out!

Like this

the boys would love to run through this in this Utah heat! Now I just need to get the back yard in for them to be able to run on the grass!

Yesterday, while looking for shelving units I found this from Ana. Knockoffwood keeps me dreaming of projects to do. Since I have a pallet sitting in my garage I knew I would be doing this project. SIMPLE! I think I can handle this one myself.

Can ya picture it in Josh's room. Or maybe the family room (when we get it finished)? Or maybe.....

Umm, perhaps I am going to need another pallet eh? ;-)

And I am sooo making this for my laundry room/closet. Of course I need a couple dozen clips for the lost socks.....from Lemon Tree Creations

Ok- I definantely have some work to do this week. Gotta crafting itch to scratch somewhere in between house work and building a boys bedroom! Ah the joys.....