Penultimate Page and Dark Faerie tales and The Dark Divine

Penultimate Page is a blog by a 16 year old girl about YA ficition and cupcakes!  Does it get better than that?  Yummy!  Currently she is holding a contest for The Dark Divine which as you know by now was written by a former roommate of mine, Bree Despain.  I would love to read this book before it comes out!  It would just be too cool!  So go become a follower of Penultimate Page and comment I referred you on the contest page.  Penultimate Page is doing the NaNoWriMo challenge.  The goal is to write a novel (approximately 50,000 words) in 30 days.   I am impressed and tempted to try it next year. 

Dark Faerie Tales has an awesome interview with Bree and also a giveaway of an ARC.   Dark Faerie Tales has great interviews with other YA authors as well and a great review of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick.  Check it out!   

switch to cloth?

My little Asher Basher has eczema.  It seems to flare up with various foods he eats and maybe because of his diapers.  I switched him to some huggies pure and naturals for a month and his eczema started clearing up.  He went back to the normal huggies and his eczema started acting up again.  I  did my best to not change other things (I lotioned him the same, didn't change his diet).  We have switched back to the pure and naturals again to test the theory some more.   My guess it is a fragrance or something that is causing the eczema to act up.  Or maybe I did change more things than I realized... we'll see.  The Pure and Naturals cost twice as much as our other diapers so I am thinking maybe we will switch to cloth?  It sounds like a huge expensive pain but cloth diapering has come a long way in the last 30 years so it is easier than it used to be.  It will definitely be motivation to potty train! And may even help with potty training.  And it's good for the environment.  And in the long run it is cheaper so if I get the hang of it I can do it with the next baby.

So now the trick is... what system do I get/try?  I like the idea of the gdiapers or the Grobaby diaper systems that are hybrid.  They offer both flushable inserts and cloth inserts.  I've read that the gdiapers have a harder learning curve and are leakier until you get the hang of it.  The grobaby version seems newer and more popular but I think they are pricier too.  I've also read that the flushable inserts are more gross to deal with than the cloth but the cloth aren't absorbent enough for night time.  I've read where people use the gdiaper cover with bumgenius microfiber inserts and a layer of fleece over that (microfiber is too absorbent and will suck needed moisture off of the skin too but the fleece protects from that).  I'd like something not too bulky since he is a toddler and moving around a ton.  Any recommendations? So many decisions!

So the very day I thought about switching  to cloth Little Birdie Secrets offered a Cloth diaper giveaway!  A gift certificate to Great Lakes Diaper Company.  Woohoo!  This would be a great opportunity for me to get some Grobaby or Fuzzibuns to try!  Go check out the options at Great Lakes Diaper company- as I said- Cloth diapers have come a long way.

The Top Half of the Costume!

I finished it on time!  :)  It really is not a hard costume to make.  I was a little worried about Asher wearing it but he had no problems with it!  He didn't really wear the hood up but I wasn't really expecting that anyway. 

Like the sweatpants I started with a hoodie I got from a second hand store for 3 bucks:

I drew scallops on the felt using the same cup for a template.  Cut them out and glued them on.

 

 

After about this point I couldn't glue it along the whole hoodie anymore.  I did short separate pieces in just the front on either side of the zipper and on the back. Then I cut out individual colored scales like I did for the back and glued those randomly- or where I need to hid imperfections.  I also cut out eyes and eyelids and glued those on the hood.  Oh and I lined the front of the hood with white triangles for teeth. 

The finished hood... and now for the final project on the little boy who wouldn't stay still and liked to stomp in his costume.

 

 

Stomp Stomp Stomp!!!

I really think felt and hot glue guns are really cool inventions. :)  Hope you had a happy Halloween!

Dragon Costume continued

Let's start with the Wings:

I started with your basic dollar store fairy wings(You could also bend a metal hanger to the shape you want).   Definitely too girly for my boy dragon but they have a nice wire frame to work with.  I noticed that  the red fabric that was covering the wings looked a lot like nylons so I checked the Dollar store for nylons without gold glitter flowers on them.  I found these silver ones.

So I cut off all of the red and recovered my fairy wigs in Silver shimmer.

Basically I just tied them on- nice and easy.  And yet... they still look too much like fairy wings.  So I looked up some dragon wings on-line and I realized that I should get rid of the bottom wings and make the top wings more jagged.  

There's a sneak peek at the pants. :)  So you see I have bent the wire to be more angular and gotten rid of the bottom wings.  Since this is a costume for an 18 month old the size of the wings should be perfect.  Next I  used embroidery floss to accentuate the sharpness of the angles and keep the nylons from being too loosy goosy.

Hopefully if you click on the photos you can see it better...  I pinned the wings on the back of the costume.  

Dragon Costume... Pants

Begin with sweat pants.  I found these for 3.50 at Target.

I used a 16 oz red plastic cup to trace around and make the scallops for my dragon scales.  Don't worry about them being exactly the same size since you want some variety. Then I hot glue gunned the scallops on- wrapping them around the leg as I went.

After I had wrapped the scalloped felt around all of the pants I added in contrasting scales in neon green, blue, and purple.  I just cut out random scale like shapes and glued them in as randomly as possible- I put same colors next to each other on purpose so it would look more random.  Ironic isn't it?

 

fun, right?  Next for the tail!    I forgot to take pictures of this process but here's a basic description.

I cut out three triangles.  I angled it so the part of the triangle that was at the top of the pants is longer so the tail angles downward.  I machine sewed the triangles together.  I put beans in the bottom to weigh it down but I don't think it needed it.  I stuffed the rest with polyfil and handsewed it on to the pants.

The back view of the pants and here's my little guy wearing them!  I'm so excited!  Now I just need to do the top!  Stay tuned!

Two more months!

And then Bree's book comes out.  I am drooling in anticipation.  You can read the first chapter of The Dark Divine here.   And you really must check out her current contest for a name for The Dark Divine sequel.  She is giving away wonderful new signed YA books in exchange for comments, suggestions, and publicity.  She is also looking for street team members!  So read her first chapter, comment on her blog and join her street team 'cause her book is going to be AWESOME just like she is. (And yes, I know her personally so I can say that truthfully)
I should scan in some photos of us from college for you to see. LOL. :) 

Asher's Dragon costume!

I found a cool knight costume for Kaden at Costco. It was 20 bucks but it was so cool and came with so many parts I decided to get it anyway. I am hoping that it will be a dress up costume that the boys wear for play. Kaden loves the idea of it and wore it when we first brought it home... now though he refuses to wear it and I am wondering if I will be lucky enough to get him in it for Halloween. I think he will get the 20 bucks of use out of the sword and hopefully Asher will be more willing to wear the costume when he is big enough. And who knows, there is enough length in the knight costume that Kaden can have the opportunity to wear it for the next two years. :)

Isn't it awesome?!  I hope he starts to wear it... Anyway.  I decided to make a costume for Asher.  He is going to be a dragon to go with Kaden's Knight.  I am just in the beginning stages of this project so I thought I would document the journey.  This is my first time trying to make an elaborate costume.
So first here is my inspiration for the dragon.

I saw this amazing costume on Little Birdie Secrets and thought that the felt feathers would make great Dragon scales!
Etsy Owl Costume by Lollapanoplies
Isn't that and amazing costume!

 I searched Etsy for dragon tails and wings.  I found lots of tails and this dino hoodie.
 Dragon Tail and Wings by Contrive
Monster zip Hoodie by LittleAngelsJewelry

Yesterday I went in search of supplies to help me create this costume.

I found a hoodie at a second hand shop for 3 bucks.
I will use hand me down sweats we already have on hand.
I found fairy wings at the dollar store with a good metal frame that I will recover to make Dragon wings.
I found silver nylons to recover the fairy wings and the dollar store too. 
Felt (eco felt- so it's made from recycled bottles) 1 yard in green and 6 9x12 sheets in neon green, blue, and purple (for accents)
I already have fiber fill to fill the tail and I think I will fill the end of the tail with beans to weight it down (this I will have to experiment with and tweak)

So after all the time and effort and supplies I buy it will be at least 20 bucks but it is oh so fun to be crafty and try to figure all of this out.  I am hopeful that it will be a pretty cool costume too!  :)  Pictures to come as I start putting stuff together! 

Kaden is obsessed with Super Mario

Smash brothers to be exact.  He carries the game around with him everywhere (even sleeps with it at night).  He "reads" the booklet that came with the game over and over.  This mostly consists of him repeating the names of the characters over and over or him asking the names of the characters.  He is now pretend friends with all of the video game guys.  They ride in his carseat with him and help him fight bad guys and save people everywhere.  They are even willing to get Mommy for putting him in time out(I'm not so happy about this one).  He has quite the imagination now and it is fun to hear him tell the story of the Super Smash Brother's game.   The other day he begged me to play the game with him.  I told him he had to wait for Dada because I don't know how to play(sad I know).  He told me, "It's easy.  You just walk and fight bad guys."  I replied,  "I don't know which buttons to push."  He replied, "You press A."  LOL   Crazy kid just might know how to play!  Every time we go anywhere Kaden asks me if there are Super Mario Smash Brothers Video Game Guys where we are going.  It doesn't matter where we are going- the library, a friends' house, the park, Target....I always tell him no.  He always replies, "I think they do, Mama."  Sweet boy.  So after hearing this everyday all day long I decided he needed some Super Smash Brother's Video Game Guys to play with.  So I drew Mario and Princess Peach (yeah, I know they are amazing!)

Then Kaden drew some of his own.  Up until now his drawings have mostly been scribbles.  Once or twice he has drawn something that looked like what it was but generally scribbles and the occasional misshapen circle.  Now he can make people!!!  :)  I am so excited for him to enter this stage of drawing and so is he.  He made himself Wario and Pit, complete with wings. Diddy Kong, Wacario, and Princess Zelda on the bottom left. Donkey Kong on the bottom right.  I'm so impressed with my new little artist!

Choice Humanitarian

About nine and a half years ago I began one of the hardest and best journeys of my life.  I served an eighteen month long mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Houston, TX.  I spent the first 9 weeks of that journey learning Spanish and studying the most basic beliefs (and really the most important i.e. the Atonement) at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT.  Then I was sent to Houston where I met my Training Companion and my Mission President.  It was a wonderful time of study and prayer and focus and a difficult time of study and prayer and focus.  It was a roller coaster of rejection and acceptance.  I am forever grateful for my time serving as a missionary.  My testimony of the Love our Heavenly Father and Savior have for us increased exponentially.  My Mission President was Dr James B. Mayfield.  He is a truly remarkable man. He inspired us as missionaries to set goals, to achieve goals, to work hard, to study hard,  and be faithful.  Long before he was my Mission President, he helped to start a non profit group focused on ending poverty by providing people with tools/skills and resources and leadership. That group is Choice Humanitarian.  They have chosen to honor him for his dedication with a Fundraising Gala in November.  He has asked all of his missionaries to attend.  I'm not sure if that will work for my family at this time (we just found out today and haven't had time to discuss it yet) but I will be working to donate to his organization.  From what I have read on their website I believe that Choice Humanitarian is educating and empowering people and I want to be a part of that.  Please check out their website and see if it is a charity that you would also like to support.  If you will be in Salt Lake City on November 14th consider buying a ticket to the Gala. For more info go to  Choice Humanitarian.   and the Gala/donating site.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs After Party

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs party! Look for my husband's name(Matt Wheeler) in the credits under lighters and Compositers. :) I totally recommend seeing the movie in 3D- it's amazing! Here's what we did:

Decor
I kept it pretty simple. I got blue plastic table cloths and white plates so they kind of looked like a sky with clouds.

Matt got some stuffed animals from the premiere- a rat bird and a Steve. And we had two toys from a trip to Burger King.

We gave my Dad a framed Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs poster for his Media Room for his b-day so we used that too.
Menu
Main dish
Italian meatballs (with spaghetti (or shapes pasta for the kids) or dinner rolls and mozzarella for mini subs) LOVE blog chef for recipes- always simple and yummy
Sweet and Sour Meatballs (with rice) LOVE My Kitchen Cafe- also always simple and yummy. I made LOTS of extra sauce for these
Swedish meatballs (from Ikea with their special gravy :) )

sides
Salad
French fries
Fruit (current favorites- nectarines, grapes, apples...)
Ruffles chips with french onion dip
Plus rice and pasta and rolls as mentioned above

Dessert
Brownies (Matt's fave for his b-day)
And Jello done in a jello mold like the hotel in the movie (forgot to get this out of the fridge)
assorted candies including Gummi Bears- (when you see the movie you'll see why)

Activities:
I totally wussed out on these! I am so disappointed in myself since really this is what a party should be about (for the kids anyway). We did a few things but not food oriented like I had originally planned.

Finger painting

playing with toys downstairs (we made a slide out of our old Quadro set- some day when I have a house I want one of these! Even though it is now 25 years old everything came apart and went together really easily.)

This photo was taken earlier in the day but you get the point- kids love it!
Coloring Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs coloring pages (Matt got a book from the premiere)
played a few games outside (classics like Chase the Uncle and duck duck goose (which turned into Chase the Aunt since they didn't get that only one person was supposed to chase when she said goose. :) )

 

Family photos to spell out We Love You Grandma!

We used the activities to send a care package to Matt's Grandma Wheeler. We sent her photos of family groups holding the signs We Love You Grandma! and I cut up a section of the fingerpainting to make a large card- everyone wrote a short message on the back of it. We also sent her some Cloudy Coloring pages and some crayons.

I had wanted to have the kids paint with apples, oranges, and potatoes. But I was a slacker about it. I also wanted to do a pin the meatball on the city game but I never made the game. See total slacker! Well it did take me awhile to put the slide together- even though it was easy it was a long process.

 Party favors for the kids
Punch Balloons- these are the coolest things ever! Last a lot longer than balloons- you can blow them up several times and kids LOVE them!
Water bombs from the dollar spot at Target
Felt Apples that I hand-sewed (I was too ambitious and didn't quite finish these but they are still cute) pattern from Umecrafts on Etsy

Smocks for painting (I made these from pillowcases- you can see them on the kids in the fingerpainting photos)
A toy dinosaur from the dollar spot at Target for the baby cousin


It was great fun!  Everyone there was family so everyone was happy to just hang out or to help out.  Now I know for the next party- don't procrastinate!  HaHa I guess I already knew that.  I found and had lots of great ideas that I didn't get to do because I waited too long.  This year for Kaden's birthday I think we are going to give him a real party so I am starting to gather ideas now(His b-day is in Feb). :)  Maybe then I will get all my ideas done! 

Check out Read Bree and a few photos

Bree is giving away autographed books(including some Shannon Hale- I just read ummm... 5 of her books- totally awesome!) plus she has links to other sites who are giving away her book! Go to Read Bree now! Asher wants to read all the books!




So we've been out of town and out of it for awhile now. Here are some photos of my cute boys having fun in WA. It's gorgeous up here and having family close by is amazing and we wish we could stay but that doesn't seem to be where we are supposed to be right now. We'll be back in CA very soon.
Oh and I did a Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs party for Matt's birthday. We went and saw it in 3D- including his name in the credits under Lighting and Compositing(Matthew Thomas Wheeler). Then we had the party which was great fun! Matt went to the premiere in CA and brought back a few cool goodies. I'll post pics soon.

once again awesomeness!

Bree has an amazing giveaway on her blog Read Bree. You really must go and CHECK it out! To go along with her book she now has nail polish! Nail Polish to go along with her book! That is so awesome. You can read the first chapter of her book on her site too. You simply must go and see and sign up! Only 4 months left until it comes out!

Menu plan Monday

Monday- bbq at the park- I will bring this Chinese Chicken Salad
Tuesday- Bourbon Chicken
Wednesday- probably mac n cheese with the boys - if I get fancy I'll make this delish version
I just got called to work with the young women in my church and we have our first activity on Wed.
Thurs- Raclette skillet (chicken marinated in italian dressing and cooked with green peppers and monterey jack cheese- served over rice)
Fri- steak in the crockpot- probably the basic cream of mushroom or onion soup variety- though maybe I will switch this with Wed....
Sat- eat out
Sun- Baked Ziti- as long as it is not too hot

Featuring the Letter I

So this week we will feature the letter I in our activities. I words that I came up with to highlight this letter were : Imagine, Ice, Ice cream, Ironman, Imitate, and I like...

Here are the activities that we will do to go along with each of these words:

Ice Cream: Make homemade ice cream with this recipe. Make this I from this post.

Imagine: Tell stories with Kaden. Every night he tells his Dad a story that usually goes something like this: "Once upon a time there was a boy named Kaden. He liked to play with his Dada. They went to Target to look at Toys. They saw a dinosaur, some cars, and helicopters, and Ninja Turtles." So we will expand on this. I'll introduce some new half sentences to him and have him fill in the blanks.

Ironman: So this reminded me of an ironman marathon that my BIL was in a few years ago. I think I will make an obstacle course for Kaden to go through. Maybe I will have Matt hose off the plastic pool so I can use that as part of it too. :)

Imitate: So we might try some Simon Says- though I am not sure if he will get it. We will do some pretend you are this or that animal. That he gets and enjoys. We have some animal cards so I will use those to pick the animal at random.

I like: I will interview Kaden about things he likes and scrapbook the list for posterity. :)

Ice: This activity or this one or both...

I will take suggestions... any other I words you can think of? Any activities to teach the phonics of the letter I? He recognizes the letter fine and connects some words with it but he doesn't know sounds yet.

Bree's got more Awesomeness on her site

My former roomate is publishing her first book in 8 months!!!! wow! To celebrate she is hosting giveaways on the 22nd of every month until then. woohoo! The first one started today(I guess technically yesterday). Go check it out and sign up to follow her blog. Then leave a comment saying that I sent you so I get more entries in her contest. Her current give away is for YA fiction and I think I went to London with one of the Authors of one of the books she is giving away. It’s a small BYU world. And I was an English major (not that you can tell based on this blog).

Also, you should read Bree’s blog ‘cause her kids are hilarious(or her writing about her kids is hilarious… I think it’s a combo of both). If she has half the imagination that her kids do- well let’s just say her book is going to be Fantabulous! Read Bree!

Boys rule!

Fabulous Fun Finds is having All Boy giveaways next week!!! Woohoo! Fabulous Fun finds is so much fun. Every day I go there to see what new giveaways they have or if I am a winner. There are no strings attached. You won't get tons of e-mails (unless you choose to sign up for every newsletter of all of the products- but then it's your choice whether it is worth an extra entry for you or not). The products that are highlighted are all drool worthy. Frequently the vendors give coupon codes for their wares as well so if you aren't lucky enough to win you can still get a discount. Check it out!

Goal Check in

Budget- We go up and down with this one but I am doing better at not shopping for random stuff. I am doing better at cooking from the pantry and using up ingredients. Our biggest weakness is eating out but we are meeting our savings goals(mainly because of all the OT Matt is working). WOOHOO!

Kaden is potty trained so I will change this goal to sleep training Asher. The kid still wakes up every two to four hours. It's driving me batty and makes me grumpy. I am not getting enough sleep and then I use it as an excuse to stay home and watch tv or be on the computer all day. NOT GOOD! This weekend- hopefully he is done with his cold- will be tough love weekend. He can cry cry cry or Matt will pat him on the back but no more mommy milk and snuggles in the middle of the night.

Spiritual- I need to plan my lessons earlier in the week. I have started reading the daily sunday school lesson scriptures again. I rarely stop praying during the day-I always need something(patience and calm!) or I am thankful the boys are asleep, or playing nicely, or asleep. :) I do need to make time for some more thoughtful prayers(ones where I sit and listen too) though instead of all the in the moment ones.

No TV and getting out more with the boys- We tend to get out of the house 4-6 days aweek. So that's pretty good. The Mom's club I joined is wonderful! We love our first five classes! Kaden is doing really well participating in circle time. He still has his freak out moments but they are lessening(at least when it comes to preschool time). Now I need to do more with the boys at home. I think I will plan 4 activities for the boys each day (each activity lasting about 15 minutes each) So between that and us getting out to the park or class we should be doing good. So starting next week I will plan activities and post links here. Check in on me and make sure I follow through!

Cleaning house- man I suck at this one. I have made progress but I still need lots of work. Since Matt is working 6 days a week right now I have hired my cousin's 11 year old daughter as my mother's helper once a week. She comes for two hours and plays with the boys (no tv :) ) while I clean house. Sadly so far I have had to use this time to get my kitchen under control and laundry and so far I have not been able to do further deep cleaning like I had hoped. Today I have made the goal that I will have the dishes and basics done before she gets here so that I can clean out my fridge and mop my floor. I accidentally dumped a bunch of kool aid in my fridge last night so, yeah, it's time for the sticky nasty deep cleaning. And Asher had a blast splashing his juice on the floor on Sunday so it's mop time too. Hiring a mother's helper was the best decision I have made in a long time. She's great with the imaginative play with my boys. I love hearing it as I rush around trying to get everything done. :)

Searching for Summer recipes

My husband isn't a huge fan of Veggies or Fruit or sandwiches or salads.... So what's good in the summertime? Most people grill but we just have a little tabletop camping grill. I guess I should learn how to use that- it just makes me nervous with my little boys running around. Send me your suggestions for things that don't use the oven and are simple and easy. Here are my ideas that I know my hubby will eat and I can add all the veggies I want to my portion and not his...

Chinese Chicken Salad(with or without potstickers)
Nachos
Tacos
Tostadas
Cafe Rio knock off salad (though I need to learn how to do this in smaller quantities because some always goes to waste)
Sloppy Joes
mac and cheese
bourbon chicken
sweet and sour (hubby will eat carrots and pineapple with this)
Italian chicken

OK that's all I can think of for right now... give me ideas!

Menu Plan Monday

I better do it or I know we will eat pizza or tacos every day this week. I am getting over a cold and it is crazy hot outside (o.k. so it is normal hot outside- I still don't have to like it) and it's Monday so I have no motivation to do anything! :) I here by make Monday my official down/planning/pick up the weekend disaster slowly day. I give myself permission to be anti-social and stay in my PJs all day. But I do have to spend some of the day planning the rest of the week and cleaning up as payment. So anyway- here's my planning part...

Dinner this week in no particular order:

Curry Chicken Casserole- I keep seeing this one posted on various people's sites with and without the curry- it is a classic. I may have to skip it this week because it is HOT and this requires the oven. But I am craving it....so we'll see... This is the most recent version of it I've seen - it is different than the way I make it but it has basically the same ingredients.

Sweet and sour chicken- I just remembered this one requires the oven too :( Time to figure out my summer menu plan... - I'll probably make the Bourbon Chicken from that same site nstead if I manage to get some apple Juice...

Sloppy Joes and fries

Chinese Chicken Salad using this dressing- phew! this is a good summer one.

Skillet Macaroni and Cheese- this is a new recipe to try for us but it looks yummy and is one the boys will eat too.

Beef Stroganoff- basically hamburger, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, Montreal Steak seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and a packet of Taco bell hot sauce mixed together and serve over rice.

So there's seven...

Jpanese fabric giveaway

I love Crafty Crow for all of their wonderful Kid's Craft Tutorials. Today there is another reason to stop by- Japanese fabric Giveway! Yummy! I love all the funky little characters. So cool and cute! Check it out at Crafty Crow.

Bree has a new website!

Photo by Chauntelle Janzer of OpieFoto
Go check out her cool new Author website including links to Amazon to preorder her book! Go find out more about her book. Currently she has a Treasure hunt giveaway going on. Today is the last day so hurry over there. She also has awesome tips for aspiring authors. Congrats Bree!

Hi! Miss me?

I am thinking about what to make for my giveaway winners. Even though there are 6 comments on the post there are actually only 4 takers on the challenge so if you want in on it scroll down and comment. :) There's room for one more but you have to be willing to do it too. Steph, Lisa, Chela, and Melissa will receive something from me sometime in the next year. :) Actually I hope to do them this month. I have ideas for Lisa and Melissa that I just need to follow through on. Steph and Chela give me some hints - colors you love and crafty things you drool over. I will decide from there and hopefully you will like it. And Lisa, I would love to do an exchange with you.

I made this doll a couple of weekends ago when I should have been cleaning house instead. :) We had a birthday party for one of the girls in our playgroup. Then I got my dates mixed up and we missed the party. So what should I do with her? My boys aren't really into stuffed animals or dolls except to chew on their limbs (Asher). Her legs are not quite centered- oops. But otherwise she is pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Does she need a nose?

And I just found out about this awesome giveaway site from one of my old roomates. Enter for the giveaways or if you sell your craftiness giveaways like this one is a great way to promote your shop. Check it out at Fabulous Fun Finds.

Meet the Wonderful, Talented, and Beautiful Bree Despain

Back in the day, I attended BYU. I lived in the same area (ward) for most of my time there. It was a blast. I love the memories I have of my time there and I love the people I met. I currently love Facebook for reconnecting me with many of those friends. It's so cool to see pictures of their kids and hear what they are doing now.
Bree was one of my roomates. We enjoyed many a Quantum Leap rerun while she taught me to appreciate pasta from a box and real fresh grated Mozzarella. I also enjoyed hearing her tell me about a Young Adult fiction book she was writing.
Fast forward about 10 years and we reconnect on Facebook just in time for me to hear her most AWESOME news! She sold her first book and an option for a second yet unwritten book! Here's her BIO and a synopsis of her book The Dark Divine . It's not the same book she told me about when we were students but it sounds incredible! She is extremely creative and talented and I can't wait to read it. I'm going to suggest it for my book club. :) Her book will come out about this time next year (which is fast in the publishing world).
While we wait for her wonderful book we can read her blog. Her current post is an amazing giveaway especially if you are a YA fiction lover like I am. Go check it out at Confessions of a Mere Mortal . Enter her giveaway and be sure to let her know that you found her through me so that I can get more entries. :)
Woohoo! Congrats Bree! I am so excited for you! You deserve a following. :)

Lime Ricki and 30 days Giveaway

Lime Ricki is an awesome swimsuit shop with cute MODEST swimsuits. It is nearly impossible to find that combo Cute and Modest. After having two kids I definitely need both to convince myself to appear in a swimsuit in public. And the heat here in So Cal sees us at the beach or the pool as much as possible in the summer. I need to win the giveaway at 30 days! Go check out the giveaway and the swimsuits! They are awesome! Make sure you say I referred you because then I get more entries!!!!

My friend is published on All Recipes!

HeeHee. My good friend Jess and her husband posted this recipe for Graham Crusted Pork Chops on All Recipes. I haven't tried it yet, I need to get some Graham Crackers. It is going on the menu plan very soon. If you try it before me be sure to post your review at All Recipes too. It needs some reviews so more people will try it. :) I trust Jess and the ingredients look good. Go try it!!!

Giveaway from ME and a twist

The first five people...
to leave a comment on this blog will receive something made by me.
However there are some limitations:

1. I make no guarantee that you will like what I make :)
2. What I create will be just for you
3. It will be done within a year (might take a while)
4. You have no clue what it is going to be
5. I reserve the right to do something really fun

Here the catch: if you choose to do this, you must post this on your blog and be ready to make something for five people too. This will be fun! When you receive the fabulous item I make you, you must post a picture of it on your blog.

I signed up on Sarah's blog. So I get something too!

Kaden is 3!

I know you are waiting with baited breath to discover if I managed to potty train him! :) LOL! The answer would be yes and no.
Some days are perfect, some nights too, and some are not. Yesterday, his third birthday was perfect- no accidents. Last night, one accident. Today, 4 accidents (one during naptime). So..... I thought he was trained. I still think he is trained. He's just lazy some days or distracted. Right?

Happy Valentine's day!

Got the idea from Odd Girl Out? Used photos that my Mom and I took on trips to the LA and Seattle zoos. K is obsessed with animals so I thought this was perfect for him. Hope you have a Happy V-day! We are going out!!!!! Without the kids!!!! :)

posted my super bowl menu

find it here.

Giveaway!

I love giveaways! I was recently a winner for the first time ever! I won a FQ pack from Sewmamasew that I can't wait to receive! They are doing FQ giveaways every week over there so check them out. Even better they are posting a whole month of Tutorials of what to do with your FQs. I think I may need to make myself a purse and a wallet and maybe some slippers... so maybe I'll have to buy some more FQS to supplement the 6 they are sending me. :) I am VERY excited! Check out SewMamaSew and see what they are making.

But that's not all folks! I am trying my luck in another giveaway at Domestic Anarchy . Her family could use some positive thoughts and prayers too. She's got some really cool felt cell kits that would be great for a summer project with the kids or for homeschoolers. Check her out and leave a comment to win a mini jelly roll of Red, Pink, and White fabric. Tell her I sent you and she'll enter my name twice! So many fun projects to do!

Update on Goals

Scrapbook page made with Karla Marano's February 365 kit available at KKD or Divine Digital- both are in my sidebar.

Goals...
Budget- we are still spending too much on food but we are meeting our savings goals as of January.
Menu planning- I have done it I just forgot to post.
Not watching TV and doing other activities- We are still watching too much TV but we are watching less. We are doing lots of activities! Park, Kids club at the mall, Chuck E Cheese, Farmer's Market, letter craft projects, dancing/jumping on an extra crib mattress, playing with cars and animal figurines, flashcards....
Cleaning house- Still need tons of work here. I am doing better at getting the front room tidier each night. Not perfect but better. I give myself this week of focusing on just that and then I will add the bathroom next week. I think there will always be some toys out in the front room - at least until Asher starts going to bed earlier. But at least I am vacuuming regularly and cleaning out extra toys regularly. That counts as clean right? I do have some more photos. I tend to do better at the beginning of the week and terrible on the weekends. I always think I will do better on the weekends since Matt is home to help... yeah... not so much...

Upshot... We are making progress.

Any Quilters reading my blog ever?

Or if you aren't a quilter you can donate fabric or money to this cause. American Hero Quilts gives quilts to wounded American soldiers at Fort Lewis' Madigan Hospital. According to their site an average of 10 wounded soldiers arrive there each week. American Hero Quilts has the goal to welcome each of them with a "hug" in the form of a patriotic quilt. Check out their website and how you can help to honor the soldiers who are protecting our freedom.

American Hero Quilts

And if you live in Washington:

Feed the Hungry

Go to Ohana Mama and find out how you can help feed the hungry by simply taking a photo and commenting. Also check out Quaker Oats Facebook page- enter a upc code from one of their products on the page and help feed the hungry that way. (They also have a valid code on the page you can enter if you don't have any of their products.)