Four Eyes

Isaac got glasses yesterday and has been strutting around ever since. It is so cute/sad to hear about all the new things he is seeing for the first time. One example: "Mom, I could see the clock at school today!" Um, yes he is a BIT nearsighted.

Still Alive...

It has been a looong, exciting and exhausting summer! The house is done and the boys have been in school for several weeks now. My life this week has revolved around packing, potty training and puking. 3 "P's" I don't recommend to anyone at the same time. We are SO excited to be done and moved in- just a couple more weeks. We are trying to move things along faster but there seems to be some unwritten law about how long paper work is suppose to take and how much the process is suppose to annoy you! Everything else has gone smoothly so far so I will not complain anymore. Anyone got a garbage truck they want to bring over and load up all this stuff I want to get rid of? More details to come...

How Firm a Foundation...

Construction on our house is moving right along! Much faster than the "remodel" I wanted to do on this blog. I keep forgetting I don't have a degree in web design...sigh. It is so fun to go out each day and see what the crew has been up to on our lot. I have to admit, it all seems a bit surreal to me.

Fiddling Around...

Goldilocks is under construction....I'm ready for a change.........stay tuned!

Project Summer Fun

With only three days of school left, things are finally winding down around here. I have started to look at what I want to accomplish this summer. A few weeks ago a friend of mine gave a great presentation on how she tackles each summer. Her motto is : "The key to a great summer is planning." For her family, each day is planned out in to a regular weekly schedule. For example: Monday= cleaning day, Tuesday= craft day, Wednesday= field trip day, Thursday= weeding/projects day, Friday= swim & friends day (kids day off), Saturday= family day.Most of these days last only a half day except field trip day. I think this is a great idea!
Tonight we are going to sit down as a family and talk about all the things we would like to do and places we want to go. We are going to write them down in a special calendar so that we can have a plan of when to do them. A lot of areas offer free days at local museums, etc, during the summer. We plan on taking advantage of as many of these as possible. Chocolate on my Cranium has a cute summer boredom buster chart you can check out here. I also plan on having just some lazy days too. To me, it just wouldn't be summer without them.

Look who's 2!

I can't believe my baby is two years old today. It has gone by entirely too fast. Claire is our little peanut weighing in at 21 lbs. Her spunk makes up for her small frame though. She has brought a lot of love and gentleness into our family and continues to be the apple of her Papa's eye. Happy Birthday little girl!

Creative Tuesday

I love this idea found at The Small Object. It is a fridge magnet with coordinating notes for list making. So cute, simple and easy! I plan on making this with the boys. I'm sure they can come up with some crazy ideas!

Strawberry Jam

We are making strawberry jam today! I am looking forward to this being the last year I buy strawberries and make jam. Next summer we plan on having our own strawberry patch. Luke says that we will need a dog to guard the strawberries-ha! Good try, buddy.
photo via bbc goodfood

Check it out! (creative tuesday)

Coming this Fall, a very creative adaptation of the book, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. I'm so excited!

12 Years and Counting.........

Happy Anniversary to us!

Happy Earth Day!

We are enjoying some warm spring weather around here. (finally!) Monday we had a family activity and spent some time picking up trash in the neighborhood. Luke kept saying:" I SO love the earth!" and "We are making the earth SO happy!" :)

Read Alouds

I love a good read aloud. Lately, Luke and I have been listening to Charlotte's Web by: E.B. White. This is one of my favorites. I think it is especially good because E. B. White himself is reading it. Who better to deliver a story than the author himself? We recently checked out the audio version of Skippyjon Jones by: Judy Schachner. This is a fun book about a Siamese cat that pretends to be a chihuahua. Once again we were delighted to hear the author read her own book. Not only does she do the different character's voices, she sings the songs too. What a great find! A good rescource for read alouds and the case behind reading aloud to children is The Read Aloud Handbook by: Jim Trelease. I read this years ago and just finished it again. It is now updated and has lists of books to get you started. What are some of your favorites or good finds? Happy reading!

Easter Creativeness

Yes, I know it's a bit late for this idea. But I still love it. Bakerella made and wrapped these cupcakes in cellophane with ribbon on the top to look like individual baskets. The basket handles are made from sour punch straws. "Oh cute !" says Claire, and I agree. I'm putting this away for next year. I think that you could do this with kiddos too, which makes it a double find.

Easter Report

We had a great Easter weekend around here. The Easter Bunny came Friday night so the kids woke up surprised to find their baskets filled with treats. We went to a community Easter egg hunt and dyed eggs Saturday night. Sunday we went to church and then to Nana's house for a big family dinner. It was a pretty mellow weekend and I am glad. It was nice to relax and reflect on the resurrection of the Savior.

Happy Easter

I loved this talk by Elder Jeffery R. Holland: "None were with Him".

I {Heart} Spring Break

This week has been spring break. I has been so nice to slow down from the usual routine and have a chance to relax a little. Here are the top reasons why I am loving spring break this year:
1. No soccer or scouts at all!
2. No rushing out the door in the morning
3. Snuggling up to watch a movie and eat popcorn then make cookies all before lunchtime!
4. Enlisting helpers with my spring reorganization projects
5. Taking a break from doing kindergarten with Luke (even though he has asked to do one school thing a day)
6. Staying up a little bit later

Big Project

Wish us luck! We are building a house! All of my creative energy has been spent the last little while deciding on colors, flooring, etc. Who knew that door knobs, fascia and soffit colors could matter so much?
We are really excited and have our fingers crossed that all can go well!

Creative Challenge

Funky Craft Mama had a craft challenge this past month. So I entered this canvas. It is a lift from an art piece that Pottery Barn is selling right here. I used the scraps I had leftover from the memory game and then just punched circles and added buttons and rhinestone brads I had laying around. I would like to add some more detail by stitching with embroidery floss, but I don't have any handy. This was quick and easy!

La Poste

About a month ago, I received a surprise letter in the mail from an old friend whom I haven't seen for almost five years. We have sent Christmas cards to each other every year, but this was a "real" letter. It was so great to hear from her and know of how things have been going for her lately. It was not a long letter, but it made my day. Thinking about it, reminds me of my college and mission days when I used to write letters and receive them from friends and family. (This dates me, I know!)Now in the age of email, affordable long-distance, facebook, etc, when was the last time you send someone a "real" letter? This is my challenge for you this week: make someone's day. Write an old fashioned letter. Uplift...extend....smile....

Creative Inspiration

Funky Craft Mama has done it again! Look at this stationary box she created as a gift.... I love it!
The original idea was found on splitcoast stampers.