la tee dah

So, things have been kinda crazy around here.

Not like BAD crazy - but just kinda crazy.

Thursday, Danger had his 18 month check up. He is exactly the same as he was 3 months ago. He's 33 inches tall, and 24 lbs! He runs around a lot more but he eats more too!

Also on Thursday, I took Danger to the zoo. I went with a mom's group. It was lots of fun, but pretty long. We'll have to go again.

So Shark and I have been doing things around the house too.

We painted the wall in the kitchen. I've been wanting to do it for a while. But this wee we finally got around to doing it.

Also, we bought a screen door last winter. Shark painted it and put it on. I freaking LOVE it! It keeps Danger and Bandit in while letting the fresh cool air in too!! It's pretty awesome!

It's been fun!

epic fail

So remember back in January when I was super excited to start a new cleaning regime....

You remember - the 15 minutes of cleaning a day...

It sounded so simple, so easy, so effortless.....

HA!

I think I did it for 3 days and then totally fell off that wagon.

If anything, my house is MORE cluttered and dirty now than when I tried to start...

Trust me, it's not pretty.

Every other day I try to at least pick up Danger's toys in the living room.

(The living room is where we spend most of our days {chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool...} so that room is the disaster area...) Sorry to anyone who comes over or peeks in my windows.....

When I first saw the 15 minutes of cleaning plan, it sounded so awesome. And I was so excited to start.

But you know, I buy things and in order to fend off the little destroyer I put them on the table. And there they sit.

It really is awful. (I'm airing out the dirty laundry for you!) When we eat dinner at the table, which isn't very often, we just keep moving everything over. Keep stacking it up. Keep shoving it over. Yeah. How terrible is that?

Ugh. Seriously. Ugh.

I keep trying to declutter and clean everything, but every time I start, I can't look narrow enough to focus on ONE single task at hand. And I get overwhelmed.

I few friends of mine have done the 40 bags in 40 days.

source

And I think I could do that one... Maybe not in 40 days consecutively, but maybe 1 bag a Saturday or something. We'll just have to see.

Here's hoping I can work on #35 - Continue de-cluttering house....

Easiest Easter Blocks

So I have been the lamest crafter ever. Ok, so I've been crocheting like a mad-woman {cuz I don't have to leave the couch...} hey, my baby has been sick! But I haven't been doing a whole lot of crafting and sewing.

But a while back I went to Target {Oh, I love that store.} And every time I go there I go specifially for the Dollar Section. Well, anyways, while checking the bins in the $1 Section, I found these SPRING blocks.

I had an idea. I'm all about multi-purpose decor, as you can tell by my seasonal word blocks. I counted it out, and there are the same number of letters in EASTER as there are in SPRING. {Yes, I stood there in the aisle and counted the blocks to make sure my idea would work.} So I decided today was the day, 2 days until Easter, and I was finally going to do my project. I measured and cut out the word EASTER in white vinyl.

Then turned the blocks for SPRING around and stuck the vinyl letters on so all I have to do is spin each block around so it says Easter!

Easiest craft ever. Maybe I'll eventually get around to making my St. Patrick's Day/Valentine's Day blocks... Did you know that St. Pat's and Valentine's Day have the same number of letters in them?!

Ta Da! So easy and cute! And those blocks only cost $2.50 in the Dollar Section! Awesome! Now If I can just remember to take them out every year!

Half a cow richer!

We got our tax return back, and we bought half a cow. Well, in processed meat. We got 300 lbs or steaks, roasts, and ground beef! My upright freezer is full!! I'm so exctied! Before we got the truck load of meat, I had to clean out our freezer.

Shark has apparently always worked for businesses that give out turkeys for Christmas bonus, which I don't mind in the least. The past few bonuses {not sure I'm spelling that right.} we've given away the turkeys, cuz I don't know how to cook a turkey, and I did NOT want to screw it up for my turkey-loving husband.

Well, last year, we got a turkey, and it was so happily just sitting in my freezer, until who knows when. Well, then we put in our order for half a cow, and I figured I needed to make room in my awesome upright freezer for those 300 lbs of cow coming my way. So I decided to try cooking a turkey. I had my paper bag and I started cooking my turkey. By the time Shark woke up that day, the turkey was done and then we were heading over to Shark's folks' house to have a nice turkey dinner. It turned out beautiful.

Anyways, I put all the other food from the freezer into 2 coolers while the freezer defrosted. Eventually, Shark went out there and hosed it down, and then dried it off. I bought some laundry baskets that fit my freezer, and thank goodness they were big enough to fit all the meat!

Yup. I measured my freezer, then went on down to Wal-Mart, and found some baskets that fit perfectly! Freaking awesome! Plus, now I didn't have to fit a turkey into one of those laundry baskets, cuz it really would NOT have fit with the cow!!

So yeah. Look at those awesome laundry baskets! I love these baskets, they have handles on all 4 sides, so they are made to be pulled and pushed on the long sides! Well, at least they are reinforced on the long sides. {And I checked them to make sure they don't get brittle when frozen, I know those clear shoebox totes get brittle and break when put in the freezer, that's why I went with laundry baskets.}

We're also in the process of growing our food storage. I just bought 25lbs of flour. Yup. I did that. And I put it in 1 of my orange buckets under my Christmas shelves. It fit, but my bucket is now shaped like an egg... I might need to open the bag and make it fit in the ROUND bucket. But I need to open the bag anyways, my 2qt canister of flour is empty. {I emptied it trying to find the perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie. I haven't found it yet, but when I do, I'll tell everyone!}

Anyways. That's what's been going on this week, us buying our cow. I really am so excited to go shopping in my own freezer. Shark grilled up some steaks and they sure are tasty!

St Pats and Fam

So I have had a St Patricks Day door decoration in my TO DO box for 3 years. Seriously. I had Shark make letters out of wire hangers, to spell LUCKY ME. Well, I finally found all the pieces got around to it.

It now hangs on my door for all to see just how dang LUCKY I am!

Also, where I hung up my decor to get pics, I found someone had a bit of RAGE to get out.

So my mom was here for a visit for Danger's Blessing. {In my church, we bless our babies around 3 months old, we give them a name, one they are known on the records of our church as (same as the one we call them by), and we bless them with things for this life. It's a very neat experience.}

She showed me that my youngest sibling is now a giant.

My almost graduated sister is a cute cheerleader.

And apparently laughs when other are feeling tortured...

And my youngest sister is awesome at making snowmen.

I was never that awesome at it, and I'm pretty awesome at making snowmen. ;)

Alright, and here are some pics of Danger with Grandma!

 Great Grandma got Danger a Peek-a-boo bear, usually he's surpised every time the bear moves, this time he was just staring that bear down!

We went for a walk today. Shark found a little pond on his way to school. We walked there, me, Danger, Shark and bandit. It was nice walk. It was lots of fun!

Love to all ♥

memory lane

So Shark and I were going thru boxes today.ok so we were really cleaning out 'The Den' for this weekend. (We're planning on having all the kids go upstairs to 'The Den' and watch Tv, after Danger's blessing.)

So we cleared out the whole Den, boxes and guns and bullets and papers were in there. We threw out lots of stuff, so when we were going thru some papers, I came across a journal from high school. Ugh. I flipped open to a page, and was flooded with memories and thoughts, and regrets. {I wasn't a nice person in high school.} So, Shark and I were talking about it, and I told him, I wanted to burn the journal. It's not something I want my kids reading, my husband reading, or even me reading again. I had pushed those memories away, and they came back so vividly and suddenly - I wasn't expecting it at all. I found myself embarrassed about who I was.

I have changed so much since high school. I am not the same person, I don't have the same priorities, same dreams, same plans. I have turned a complete 180. My life has changed so much, and I have so much to be grateful for. I have been so blessed.

I understand the trials and choices I've gone thru and made have brought me to where I am right now. I have learned from the mistakes I've made. I realized where my life was going and I changed it. I found someone to love me for who I was and am. I am so grateful for him. We were married in the Salt Lake Temple, of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We have a son, one who is THE cutest little guy ever! I never thought any of this was possible, not with who I was. I am so very blessed, and I am grateful to see it.

So, I had a short walk down memory lane, and I hated it. I am grateful for the expirences I've had, but more grateful for how things turned out. :)

At least out house is clean! Yayayayayay!

Challenge accepted

So this past week for my 52 week challenge, it was Clean out your cupboards!

I rocked it. Well, really, I started on Saturday, and kinda finished today, but I still rocked it.

Shark built me a pot rack! Which I have pretty much always wanted in this house. {I found some random shelves at IKEA, in their AS-IS section, for $2, and bought them. I decided I wanted to make a pot-rack out of them when I saw pot-racks cost like $70.}

I organized my tupperware cupboard. And got rid of bottoms without tops and all the lids that didn't have a bottom.{I even re-used some of the bottoms to organize my other cupboards!}

I have a "mix" cupboard that drink mixes, pudding mixes and taco mix goes in. I re-used some tupperware to organize it.

I have LOTS of bakeware, and muffin tins and pie tins and stuff like that. I moved the tupperware to it's cupboard and put the cookie cutters on top of my shelves in my pantry.

We got tons of formula for Christmas, so I have been shoving it in the cupboard above the stove with my Bosch. I moved my Bosch to the shelves in my pantry, and dubbed the cupboard above the sink, Baby Cupboard.

I feel like I got loads accomplished this week, and it feels really good to open my drawers and cupboards and find what I'm looking for rather than digging around.

Here's a video of the little man smiling and talking to me at 7 this morning. {He slept for 7 hours last night! Which is freaking awesome!!} Sorry the picture is kind of terrible, my camera has been dropped a few times, and again, it was 7am...

Love!

Organize my kitchen

So, this past week was Week #1 of the 52 week Challenge!

And I did it! Now, I had to clean off my counters AGAIN to get the pictures, but it wasn't too bad. {I had craft night at my house on Thursday and nothing was picked up from it...}

Kitchen Table

Counter Top Island

Counter Top - It's our bottle making station. Plus, Shark and I each have 1 cup each day and we wash it out and set it back on the counter. :)

Bakers Rack

Next week is cupboards and drawers... it should be interesting!

This old house

So we bought a house last year. I love my house, I really do. But sometimes I do not. We bought it short sale, so everything was AS IS.
That means we shouldn't have been surprised when pipes froze and burst last winter. Or when the water heater started leaking. Or when the tub upstairs stopped draining. Or when the dishwasher died. Nor should we be surprised that the hot and cold water are switched in every faucet in the house except the original upstairs bathroom. Yeah. {when I go to other houses, I have to stop and think which is hot and which is cold!}

All of the windows are single pane and very drafty. I'm hoping the windows are going to be one of the first major renovations we do, when we start doing renovations. Yeah, windows or AC of some kind. We got a used swamp cooler we can install this next spring.
Most the appliances came with the house: stove, dishwasher, fridge. And we were given a used washer and dryer when we lived in CO (thanks Chris & Jess!!) and when the dishwasher died it took us a while to get another one. One of Shark's coworkers got a new dishwasher so Shark asked for his old one. I love having a dishwasher, I don't care where we end up as long as we have a dishwasher I'll be just fine.

One thing we realized we didn't have was a microwave. The apartment we lived in right when we got married had one in it, and so did the house we rented in CO. So I went to the DI (thrift store) and got this baby.

Oh yeah. No buttons, no clock. We went old school with the turn dial. It doesn't "ding" when your food is done but it does have a light. And it really is tiny. (I put a pint size jar of jam next to it. At least I think it's a pint...) We love it.
So this little story got started because the power went out last night. The only indicator was our alarm clock. No clock on the microwave or stove to blink at me while I fixed Mancub's bottle. Only our alarm clock. I love our "simple" life.
I know how blessed we are and I am so very grateful for it. We're blessed with family who has helped us on emergencies and has provided for us. I am so very grateful for the home we live in and I'm grateful for the opportunity to make it ours. I'm excited to raise our family here.

PS: there was (still is) a raging wind storm last night. Our windows have been howling all night. Shark was driving home and semis were tipped over, branches everywhere. He passed a store that had it's windows blown out. They eventually shut down the highway to semis. It's been really windy, kinda scary windy. Everyone be safe today.

Here are my sleepy boys.
Love love love and happy December!

Baby's Room

Alright, so I technically finished the baby's room. I just have to finish the curtains (and by finish I mean start on!) and I have to finish the mobile... Yeah, I'm still working on that one, I might be almost done... We'll see.

I took pictures of the room, and kind of circled around, so I got the entire room.

I love his room. Shark tells people, The baby's room colors pretty much sums up my personality. I love his room, and am so excited for it to be HIS!!

I've got to do some little things still, like get a hamper, get bins for under the crib, curtains, do some decorations I can't make until he's born. Just some little things. I'm excited for Little Man!!

Love to all who love babies! ♥

new wreath

Alright, so I've had an itch lately.

I've been wanting to make a new wreath for my door.

Not a fancy one or anything, just a summery one.

I bought tons of pinwheels at Dollar Tree last year, hopeing to make a wreath. My first idea never turned out the way I wanted it to, so I gave up last year, putting it off until we got our own door and I could think of a better idea. I bought all the supplies for a pinwheel wreath.

This year it hit me.

I decided to wrap yarn around a floral wreath, and then stick pinwheels on that.

What you need :

1. floral wreath (Dollar Tree)
2. Yarn (I have a stash)
3. Pinwheels (Dollar Tree)
4. Hot glue (stash)

First, take your yarn and tie it around the wreath. Start wrapping yarn around the wreath.

I would twist the yarn after I looped it around the wreath. I twisted the yarn so it was a tighter wrap and there weren't any spots where the wreath was showing.

Now, if you're like me and don't know you're own strength, you might end up breaking the wreath at the seam {oops} I was thinking of hot gluing it, but hot things have never worked on the floral foam wreaths for me, so I duct taped it. I wrapped the yarn around the taped seam so nothing showed and you can't even tell I broke it!

Now, I teased my dog with the wreath while my husband cut the pinwheels.

I had him cut the pinwheels sticks short, but with some stick left still. In the end, I cut all the way up to the 90 degree elbow.

Then I put hot glue ont he elbow and stuck them on the yarn wreath.

I made sure they didn't touch, so in the event I get a breeze here, they will spin and not hit eachother.

I debated on adding a ribbon to hang it from, but decided against it, I can never get my wreaths to hang flat on the door when I put a ribbon on, so I just set it on my wreath hook.

Enjoy your wreath for the rest of the summer!

Love to all who love making things! ♥