When life gives you lemons

Lemons are hard core.

I like this article about all the ways you can use a lemon to clean, freshen up, make better, eat away, an otherwise difficult thing.

One of my favorite uses:
Keep insects out of the kitchenYou don’t need insecticides or ant traps to ant-proof your kitchen. Just give it the lemon treatment. First squirt some lemon juice on door thresholds and windowsills. Then squeeze lemon juice into any holes or cracks where the ants are getting in. Finally, scatter small slices of lemon peel around the outdoor entrance. The ants will get the message that they aren’t welcome. Lemons are also effective against roaches and fleas: Simply mix the juice of 4 lemons (along with the rinds) with 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water and wash your floors with it; then watch the fleas and roaches flee. They hate the smell.


Awsome.

A strong Woman

Yesterday We got the news that Jones is heading overseas on deployment with the National Guard. He will leave in a few weeks and be gone for approximately 8 months, which is short for typical deployments. We are   excited and as prepared and we could ever be to get this kind of news and still it hits ya like a ton of bricks.

I know that I can be a strong Woman. I am capable. I have faith. I have support. I can do this...

And then one look at C and Tober and I fall apart.

I love Jones. No one no matter how supportive and awesome they are when He is gone ever takes his place.

I am going to miss him. 

But I can do this, and will. I will be stronger when we are through it. 

2011 certainly has been an eventful year so far, a lot of surprises and changes, should make for... interesting posts.

World Market Explorer

C's birthday party is tomorrow, and we are gathering and getting ready. I received a $10 reward for being a World Market Explorer, if you aren't already you should be, they give great rewards and all you have to do is give your phone number at check out. I spent mine on soap for me and these for Bugs party..

They are silicone cupcake molds and we got them in regular and Star shaped molds. It was a nice little, completely free treat!!

Cravings!

{image of Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland OR}

Jones came home with a couple donuts for the kiddos and after one bite I went out and got a dozen more!! yikes. Prego craving or what!

sore fingers

{ work in progress}

Last night Jones let me run to Goodwill by myself. without the kids. it was awesome. I found a nasty old Grandma rocker for $20, and then went to Joann's where the home decor fabrics are 50% off and spent another $30. I got home and started the long process of taking apart the old and trying to put together the new. I am almost done and what happens, my machine stops working of course. I guess it is time for a break. Good news is I am feeling pretty good and optimistic, hoping the machine starts working of course, but if not I will deal. My fingers are sore from all the pinning anyways...

Less than a week until school starts, if I go!

MOnday

Whoops. I didn't make it to church yesterday because I slept in til 9:40, when I came down stairs Jones was making breakfast and said "I can stop what I am doing and hurry to get us ready.." But I like the sound of breakfast and wasn't really awake yet, so we stayed home. Too bad I was going to hand out invitations to C's birthday party at church. Now what do I do? find some way to get the invites out? postpone the party? I am bad at this being a Mom to a kid thing, babies I get, kids I am working on. If nobody comes who is going to put together the cute puppets we have been working on? Time to step it up and figure it out I guess.

Today I must go to the grocery store, drudge argg drudgery. And might stop by Goodwill just cause.

I am dreaming about rocking chairs lately. This one is my favorite and my mind can't stop trying to come up with a way to get it without spending $800 {sales price!} 

Empire Nursery Rocker from nurseryworks

I hope Everyone's week starts out well, may we all finally be rid of our colds, doubts, fears, and anything and everything that has been holding us back this year!

Up in the Air

{image from my seesters friends at college}

This weekend has been a long one, well truthfully this whole week has. Within the last five days, there is a possibility that I may or may not go to school, I may or may not buy a house, and I may or may not be sending my husband off on a deployment. 

The fact that nothing was for certain made me lose it a little on Friday. 

Jones may be deployed with in the next few weeks with his old unit down in CA, but only if his commander up here releases him, and so far we haven't heard anything, and all we can do is wait. I can honestly say I am ok with either outcomes for all of the maybes in my life, but the not knowing just hurts. 

As I stood in the shower Saturday morning I felt somewhat annoyed, I thought to my Heavenly Father, I asked for this not to be dragged out, and I don't ask for that much, but this I deliberately asked for, and yet here I stand trying not to go crazy, and start hyperventilating in my shower. 

Then we left the house cause sitting around would have completely done me in, and went on a long walk with Colt and Pip taking our kids to the Fire Station {which was awesome} and continued to hang out until I was brain dead and could just come home and crash. Now here I am Sunday morning, still no answers.

Inspections and appraisals are being scheduled.

School starts next week.

and eventually We will get a yes for the commander or time will run out and it will just be a no because they took so long to respond. 

For today I am just going to pray for the strength to function in the mean time and enjoy my family as much as possible.

Thrifty party Decorations

My C is turning 4 next week, just barely old enough to request a party {but still young  enough that He is happy with my silly version of one} I knew I wanted to do something interactive for his party so we are going to be making puppets. I am in the process of making all the pieces so the kids can put together their own at the party.


I wanted to make C a happy birthday banner but I didn't want to spend any money on it. I went through

my felt scraps and managed to have just enough in a variety of colors to cut out  a bunch of adorable triangles, add some yarn and you get this...

{I tied the yarn to the door knob while gluing which made it go much faster!}

A little bit of felt scraps can go a long way, and had I had to buy this felt each sheet is 29cents at Joanns and because I used 7 colors it would have cost me about $2, but free is nice too :)

Preview: Black and white

More nesting and getting things done, that is what I have been up to this week. 

First things first I cleaned out kitchen cabinets and replaced heavy highly breakable plates with these lightweight child proof pretties from Target.

I kept some of my favorite real dinnerware and glass cups but these will be our everyday dishes from now til my babies aren't babies anymore. 

It was so fun to let C do the dishes and not have to worry.

I have also been busily recovering a lovely floor cradle that Pip is letting me use.

This was what it use to look like...

And this is what it is starting to look like. My saving grace, Fabric paint! it is baby safe and the only way I could figure out how to cover the blue around the mesh without having to buy all new materials and start completely from scratch. Now I really want to paint my pack n play. We'll see. Curious about fabric paint? Check this out.

I promise that Better pictures will come, not only of this but also the crib bumper and art that has been made in the attempt to finally after 1 1/2 years finish putting together the baby room I invisioned!

Yarn Mobile Tutorial

Yarn Mobile

Super soft, easy on the eyes, great for little tiny babies who see, and great if you are a nesting mother like myself!

I started with black and cream big fluffy yarn and a set of random sized Styrofoam balls.

 I wrapped each ball randomly until satisfied with coverage. Next I tied the end in a knot securing it with a tiny dab of hot glue.

 I made an even amount of black and white balls and then one mixed just for fun.

 And a couple of Pom Poms using Dana's tutorial

I took an embroidery circle, and if I had been more clever I would have used the inner circle to avoid the clasp, but I wasn't so I just simply wrapped the yarn around that too.

 Then I simply chose a desired length for each ball and continued to glue them to the covered circled alternating black and cream strings.

I used 2 strings about 1 1/2 feet long, again simply hot glued to the circle to hang from the ceiling, all the while munching on a matching treat.

Pretty simple but it pleases me. :)

I had originally planned on using a branch to hang the balls of yarn from but it is far too rainy and blah outside to find the perfect branch, maybe in the spring I will replace the embroidery circle with a branch. We'll see.

{Sorry about the terrible pictures, poor lighting.}

Getting better

We are slowly recovering from a long weekend of being sick, since then I have made a train table for bug, a crib bumper and started to work on a yarn mobile. Of course pictures aren't available because I am still putting our life back together but I can't wait to share them all. Now that we are better it is back to cleaning out all the closets for me. So much to go through...


Also Just want to say, Welcome back hAha! after a little break She has returned to us and I am so excited to have them back! 

Sick Babes

We are a bunch of sickos this weekend, which is just delightful. Tober has never really been sick like this before and it was kind of funny to see how she handled it. The first time I saw her throw up she was happily walking around the house when she suddenly spewed. Afterwards She put her hand to her mouth and looked at me like what the heck, and then shook her head as She kept playing. As it progressed it took a lot out of her and at one point she spent at least an hour laying on my bare belly {she insisted on lifting up my shirt to be skin on skin, and I insisted on keeping a towel in hand} The poor thing has handled it all pretty well. I am now prepared for the possibility of  a long and messy night. I definitely feel like a mom right now.

I also just wanted to shout out major props to my seesta-in-law Pip for being a killer athlete and attempting insanities like triathlons and half marathons only months after birth. You are my hero, way to go.


Also, with the thought of owning a home suddenly comes this crazy desire to own every cool tool in the world. My mind is going nuts with all the things I would love to do and a nail gun/ jig saw/ you name it tool just makes the possibilities seem endless.

A few things I have been fascinated by.
Wall stripes.

Stenciling.

Built in/ stuck toys
{I get tired of the toys that belong downstairs/upstairs getting all jumbled and love the idea of a little play table downstairs that all the toys are fixed to. If you want to just dump things for the joy of dumping go upstairs!}

This is kind of too traditional/doctor's office style for me, but you get the idea. I love the thought of fixing an old phone and maybe and etch a sketch to it.

Fixing the tv to the wall and creating an frame for it.

I imagine something like this, upholstered, vintage 60's knobs and a little nook for the Wii/dvd player.

Yarn mobiles for my Babies.

and So many more ideas crowding my sick brain. Foggy brain + buying a home = crazy thoughts :)

Our house...Maybe

S-bug the magnificent performing an inspection on a home We are in the process of maybe buying.*

The new year brought this family a big surprise, something I didn't see coming, the possibility of buying a home. It has been quite the experience, mostly filled with excitement but there is also the unavoidable stress that comes with making decisions this big.

I love the little house.

It is awesome.

I want it.

All I need to figure out now is if it is the right thing for us right now, and then be willing to make a move like this...

In case you are wondering this does mean I will be completing finals, moving and having a baby within a month of each other. Yeah, cause thats how I roll, apparently.

I am nervous,

but mostly excited.

Worked to the bone

Golly. I woke up this morning to an email from my seester in law asking if I wanted to join her in a lazy day, Yes! I thought, and then I remembered that we were out of milk and I had atleast 2 other errands to run. Plus I am in the middle of cleaning out all of our closets, so much for lazy. I am so tired, but I do love all the progress I have made.

That is all I can put out for now. I need to pick up my house, make dinner, shower, go to Bradley class, and then a movie date afterwards. Good thing I am in my middle trimester cause none of this would have been happening 2 months ago.

Stay tuned cause tommorow {if I am up for it} I have some big, hopefully good news!

Now if I can only make my body move from off this couch.....

T is for T pants

My adorable nephew tpants was the inspiration behind this pillow. I threw it together yesterday, instead of doing laundry. My house is staring me in the face saying please pay attention to me and instead I am finding distractions through redesigning a little boys room.

My new intrigue

I found these felt wall tire at Apartment Therapy today. Now I want them, too bad I can't figure out how to buy them. This might just become a DIY project. :)

It was 1980 something

It was almost like we never left...The 80's that is. I know I said 80's attire was a must but I have to say I was surprised and truly proud of the turn out.

What 80's party could be complete without a pacman cake! {thanks mama R}

Just a taste

Happy New Year!!

I am a little busy, and tired this morning but I want to post just a sampling of the awesomeness that was Jones' 1980's party.

MOre later, much more.