A bunch of unfinished projects!

The main 3 are the kids rooms though.. I’m not sure why none of them are done! It seems like we slowly decide what we want to do in them and then it takes even longer to get it done.. I am hoping to finish one of their rooms soon! With all this rain and big kids willing to help I should be able to make some progress! The baby's room is also the playroom. He doesn't have anything other than a crib with a few drawers attached. We got the crib as a hand me down and it has worked so far.. just feel a little stuck about how I can arrange his room with the crib (because it is soo big it only fits on 1 wall) AND the playroom stuff (kitchen, BOOKS.. BOOKS...BOOKS and toys). There are some curtains up in his room that are way too long.. they have been up for a month or so and I haven't hemmed them! The room was our daughters when we first moved in.. but the girl has BIG furniture so we moved her to another room and decided it would be the playroom and now it's the babies room and occasionally the big kids play in there. Through all these changes there hasn't been any paint, because I can't decide!! It is plain old builder beige flat paint with a ton of hand prints, crayon marks and spots where the paint has been rubbed right off! I think I *might* be decided on a color. I am too embarrassed to even post before pics!! So I am hoping to get working on it and get it done.. The weekend is a few days away, maybe I can get all the parts I can do by myself done and get some help this weekend, well Saturday anyway. Hopefully my next post will be a FINISHED room for the little one!

Taking some inspiration from these sites
http://cobblestonefarms.blogspot.com/ cute accessories!
http://designdazzle.blogspot.com/
http://buckaroostyle.com/cowboybaby/index.htm
http://www.roomzaar.com/rate-my-space
And a few others.. If I use a specific idea I will share the website!

Rain makes me want to bake!

It has been pouring and windy the last 2 days. YUCK!  But all this rain has made me feel like baking!
I want to try a new recipe from Toddler Treats and More.
If you don't know about Toddler Treats and More yet.. Go check her out!! She has a recipe for Super Simple Cereal Bars that sounds really good and easy enough!

Find it HERE


And homemade graham crackers are sounding good too! They are not crunchy like regular graham crackers.. Like a mix between cookie and cracker!

Recipe

Oven: 350 Cook time: 10 min.

1 C. whole wheat or graham flour
1/2 C. Oat flour
1/3 C. + 1 T sugar
1/2t. Baking soda
1/3 C. Butter or margarine
1 t. honey
1 T. milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Chill un greased cookie sheet in freezer while mixing ingredients.
Sift flours, sugar, and soda in bowl. Heat butter, honey, and milk until melted together. Pour into dry ingredients. Stir until smooth. Pat into pan and bake for 10 minutes. Prick with fork as soon as you take them out of the oven. Let cool for a 1/2 hour. I cut them with a pizza cutter!

Ready to spend some time outside.. when it stops raining!

It was SO nice here the last few days... Let the baby play in his jumper outside!

Last year we were outside a lot and the kids ask to eat outside just about everyday!...We didn't have any kid friendly sit and eat area's....but we do now! I have been on the hunt for a cheap or free table on Craigslist, nothing special, plain was best since I had plans to cover it anyway. Found one on Criagslist for free! It was just plain wood but I made some cheap changes so it could go AND stay outside!

~First I spray painted the legs white (I should NOT be allowed to use spray paint!)

~Then rolled out some oil cloth upside down (LOVE OIL CLOTH!) moved the table onto it and started with the staple gun! It took a couple of days but not a lot of time. I just was working in 10 minute increments! So the top is covered and spill proof and water proof, chalk, dirt, juice all of that can be wiped (or hosed) right off!

I have a bench about the right size that is getting the same treatment, when I get more Oil cloth!
We also got the kids a little picnic table at target.. it is small but sometimes there are a lot of little's over here and we want to make sure there is a place for everyone! I will say that I don't recommend the picnic table from Target.. it was a little spendy (if you didn't have a coupon) and it's not the best quality, ours was missing some screws and a piece was scratched. I called the number on the instructions that specifically say "Do not return item to store, call customer service for replacement parts" I left a message and got a call 3 days later that they do not carry ANY parts for the picnic table. Oh well.. home depot had some screws that worked and I can deal with the scratch!  The kids got to use it a little the other day... I think they liked it!

I started our veggies inside a week or 2 ago.. they are already ready to be moved outside! Guess that means we should be getting to work on our garden area huh?! I have tried planting stuff before and I am a HORRIBLE gardener, seriously horrible! I was SO pleased the other day that something I planted actually lasted through last summer and over the Winter.. it's not brown or dead! That is a big deal for me!

We got some cute blueberry plants called "Pink Lemonade" Blueberries! They look cute, the berries are pink and light yellow! I haven't killed them in the 3 weeks we have had them! I am keeping them in containers for this year.. to make sure I can keep them alive! We have a few nice days this week and a TON to do outside! I am actually a little excited, yard work is not usually something I enjoy that much but this year feels different!

Hope everyone is having a good Spring Break week!

Cute Spring Treat.. or Alice in Wonderland goodie!

I thought I had posted these on here already.. Guess not! I pretty much LOVE Mushrooms/toadstools LOVE them.. they come in a close 3rd behind gnomes and cupcakes for things I love!  These would be a perfect present for people who love Alice in Wonderland, like students earning a librarian degree. Michelle @ BaileyDaisy sent me a link to the mold for these and as soon as I saw them I HAD to have them!  I've only made them once and it was EASY!! I use the candy melts from Wilton... I just melted some white first, used a toothpick to make some circles, stuck it in the fridge to harden up.. then did the red and coverd the area with a toothpick (I made mine with peanut butter filling) I filled the stems and put them in the fridge for just a few minutes then stuck the sucker sticks in, but you don't have to make them suckers!  I just mixed some pb, powdered sugar and milk in a bowl, moved it to a piping bag, filled the mushrooms and the covered the filling and put them all back in the fridge to harden,  to stick the stems to the caps I just used some melts also, then back to the fridge!  Oh the colors I could do (if I wasn't in a huge hurry that day.. had a FUN trip to the cloth diaper store!)  I am excited to do them again, after a trip for some more melts and maybe some different filling! Bakeitpretty.com carries the mold (I got mine on ebay). Please share if you make some too.. I would love to see all the different variations!!

Less than 2 weeks until Easter!

We are getting together with the family.. BIG family! It is always fun (I LOVE the family I married into!) It's never boring and there are lots of kids! I am no cooking pro.. but I like to do stuff for the kids. I am going to make some cupcakes for the get together. I am thinking some lemon and maybe some coconut ones! I think I will use Country Living's take on some little nest's for the lemon ones and make the coconut ones nests also.. I'll just toast some of the coconut for on top!

Photo from Country Living

Now one of my FAVORITE ever Goodwill finds was a Jell-o Bean Mold.. I found it 6 or 7 years ago.. I still see them all the time and I still think they are just adorable! I only have 1 mold that has survived the years so it takes a while to make what I like in different flavors, but worth the time! I do Orange and Raspberry (because they are my favorite) but you can do whatever flavors you want! The mold makes them just like big jelly beans.. they are too cute!! I put them in cool whip with some mini marshmallows.. they are fine by themselves, it is Jell-o after all!

Still not a fan of loading the kids up with candy.. so we put some other stuff in their baskets. This year it's those big balls with the handles and some other outdoor toys. Target has a pretty big selection and a section of them are under $5! Just about everything is for outside! To fill the little plastic eggs I am using Keebler "bug bites" grahams.. little graham crackers that are ladybug, dragonfly and a couple other bug shaped.. they are small enough to fit a few in each egg. Our kids are good about not putting stuff in their mouth so they will each get some with coins in them. I will be checking out the grocery store isle's for some non-candy small goodies! If I find anymore good stuff I'll share!

YUM... first day of Spring cookies!!

They turned out cute.. thought I would share!  Hope everyone's weekend is fun!

First Day of Spring

Do you have all your Spring cleaning projects started, finished even? I sure hoped to, but I don’t. Instead I got my wisdom teeth out, THAT is a whole other kind of spring cleaning I was NOT prepared for! So with the first day of Spring quickly approaching (tomorrow!) I am trying to recover and get it all done. I am also pretty sure I will need to reward my littles and hubby for all their help cleaning, AND taking care of me, with some sugar cookies!! Ikea had THE cutest cookie cutters, perfect for spring.. Just had to share!  I think I will make the snails and I maybe hedgehogs.. the others aren't as "Springy" to me.. and maybe some mini mushrooms!

I am slowly working on getting my Spring/Easter decorations out.. I will post some pictures soon!  If I feel up to it and can stop watching New Moon.. comes out tonight/tomorrow depending on how crazy you are.. Redplum.com has a coupon for it also!

Spring Cleaning Bathrooms

It's my least favorite of them all, and we have 3!! Most times I am thankful we have 3.. When it comes to cleaning them, not so much!

~I start with the purging again! Towels that are past their prime, way past get sent to the rag bin. Makeup that is past the expiration date or that I haven’t used gets dumped too.
~After that I start with the shower.. We have glass shower doors and they get dirty no matter how often I scrub them! So I am starting the spray on them so they can soak. I heard some people put rain-X, like for windshields on their glass shower doors and it helps.. Not sure if I will try it yet. Something has to make it easier though!
~Start the rugs in the washer
~Scrub scrub scrub around the toilet.. I use a toothbrush (that looks NOTHING like anyone’s just to be safe) they are cheap at the Dollar Store I think it’s either a 5 or 6 pack. Vinegar and water help break down the grime.
~Once I have it pretty scrubbed I do a good once over with the portable steamer.
~After I scrub the shower with the magic eraser and get it as sparkling as it’s going to get I rinse and then use drain-o or liquid plumber to help keep the drain working well.
~Polish the cabinets
~Vacuum and steam mop before the rugs go back down!
~Check your supplies.. Q-tips, band-aids all that other first aid stuff.. You all stocked up? If not try to catch them on sale.
~I also try to avoid having to buy shampoo and all that stuff every other month. I wait until it is on sale or I have a good coupon (preferably both) and stock up so it’s a once a year or every 6 month thing.
~Now is a good time to replace toothbrushes also!
~If you keep your Towels in a stack, move the ones on the bottom to the top to make sure they are getting equal use.
~The mirrors aren’t on my spring cleaning list because I do them every week.. I think it’s easier if it doesn’t get too dirty.
~It’s not really cleaning but I usually try to get some new candles.. Something that smells fresh and springy but not too strong!


The bathroom doesn’t take that long but it sure isn’t fun.. Up next for me is bedrooms.. I don’t think my routine will change much from this one last year.

Just 9 days until Spring!!  I am hoping to be all done in the next 2 weeks so we can ENJOY Spring!

St.Patrick's Day treats!

It's less than 2 weeks away! I have a couple new decorations and some food stuff I can't wait to do!

I for sure want to make rainbow cupcakes! I plan on using cool whip on top.. it's so puffy and like clouds it's perfect! I'm going to cheat and use a mix for the cupcakes, BUT I want it to be super yummy so I am skipping the water and using Irish Cream Coffee Creamer instead.. I might mix a little in the Cool Whip too! Wilton has BIG sprinkles now and some are just circles but come in a multicolor pack.. if I still have some left I think I might dig some of the yellow ones out and put a little luster dust on them (edible glittery stuff from wilton) so they look like gold coins.

For snack that day I am planning on making a Rainbow fruit plate.. Strawberries, oranges (maybe the little canned mandarin ones) pineapple, green grapes, blueberries and some dark grapes if I can find them. And some vanilla yogurt (with marshmallows on top) for clouds!

This is a cute idea.. maybe for next year! From Semi-Homemade

It's a Ice Cream "baked potato"! Now if I was doing this, no way would I buy a whole thing of frosting to make such a small thing for butter..and I wouldn't want to eat a chunk of frosting either. I would just use a few Wilton white choc candy melts and add some yellow.. in a piping bag (or sandwich bag) and draw a thick square on wax paper and stick it in the fridge to set.

I got all these little vases this year, random places but they work great together, the big and little ones both have polka dots! Big one is from Ikea for $0.79! Green one was Michaels for just over $1 on sale and the little one from Craft Warehouse for $0.99.

I saw this on a blog (cannot remember where now!) Thought it was a unique idea and not so sparkly and generic like just about all the store bought decorations. I would be afraid of the bugs you might attract, but maybe if you hot glue them it wouldn't be a big deal, or maybe even use fake potatoes if you can find them!

I am planning on having the kids decorate their little baby food jar kettle's this week. I am excited that they are both old enough to follow the sprinkles trail this year!

I am still Spring Cleaning.. a little everyday.  I will have a Spring Cleaning bathroom post soon!

More Spring Cleaning!

If I make it through the kitchen I think a good reward is a few new song downloads on itunes.. A new CD always makes cleaning a little easier!


Spring Cleaning the Living Room takes even more time than the kitchen but it sure is a little easier. A big part of Spring Cleaning for us is Purging… we collect so much stuff over the year, sometimes we end up with 2 of the same board game or movie. The closet where we keep all that stuff isn’t in the living room but it is where we use it all.. I started a couple weeks ago and went through most of it (so we could claim the donation on our taxes!) I think one extra step I might take this year is cutting down on how much SPACE the DVD’S and CD’S take up, there are a lot of option for storing them now, some are expensive and some are not. I need to find a solution that will take up less space AND not put a huge dent in the budget.. I found THESE called Disc Sox, they seem like a pretty good idea.. Hoping to find something similar with a lower price tag! I actually took some of our DVD’s we weren’t going to be watching again and got just over $40 for them! I was amazed that the TV on DVD still gets a pretty good price. I used that money to buy some disc holders.. They are plain and each hold 80!


~Once I get done purging and am ready to move on to the real cleaning I start by throwing the toss pillows and throw blankets in the washer. When they are done most of the throws get put away until fall.

~Move the rug into another area and cover it lightly with baking soda, then rub it in, if you have kids I bet they can do a good job of rubbing it in with their feet and socks on! I will vacuum it later. If that’s not how you clean your rug you can do the old fashioned beating… also probably ok for kids to help with! I like to take it out first since dust will just settle on it once I start dusting!

~Dust top to bottom, behind and under. Behind our TV gets HORRIBLE.. The TV is a dust magnet and it gets so hot with all the dust back there. I have heard some people rub dryer sheets on them to help repel the dust, we don’t use dryer sheets so I haven’t tried it. Don’t forget to dust the books too!

~Is it time to update those pictures in the frames? If you are taking them down might as well clean them too! I try to change out our pictures every couple months.. The kids notice and enjoy talking about the new pictures!

~Take the cushions off the couches and collect all that change you didn’t know you had.. And at our house it comes with 3 Barbie shoes and a dozen random ponyville pieces. Vacuum underneath and all the cracks. While I have the cushions off I spray the homemade freshener spray under the cushions.

~Clean the furniture. We have micro fiber that shows EVERYTHING, but luckily I have had good luck getting all the spots off with baby wipes, when the wipes don’t work I get the portable steamer out!

~I use the portable steamer on all the furniture anyway.. Steam sanitizes and hopefully any stinky smells go away with it! After they are dried I use the freshener spray on them as well.

~Mirrors if you have them do they deserve a good cleaning? Mine do! I do mine the same time as the windows and fireplace glass.

~I tend to move the furniture around this time of year also.. Just so something is different (for a little while at least)



I feel like I am missing some major things this time… Any ideas?!