And on to the next costume!

As soon as I saw this dress ...I knew I wanted it!!!  It is from the new Alice in Wonderland as well.  It is when Alice grows huge and is in the Queen of Hearts' court.  They use the curtains to "clothe this enormous girl."

And thus began one of my more insane projects (and between you and me, that is saying something!)

I started with what I had.  I had a LOT of muslin and I realized that I could dye it for a few bucks.  I'd never done it before, but how hard could it be???  Well it wasn't extremely hard, but it was very time consuming as I had to sit there and stir it for 30 minutes (yeah, that doesn't sound long until you do it!)  That took care of getting the right colored UNDER-skirt.  Yeah, I know, you can't even see it.  In my defense, in the original plan in my head, you were going to see it, but plans change.  Luckily by this point I'd figured out my ruffle foot and whipping that skirt together wasn't too much of a headache.  But now we've come to the point in my saga where there was a REAL problem.  The over-dress.  Now the hunt began.  The hunt for The Perfect Fabric.  I soon (after several stores and many websites) realized that it really didn't exist, especially not in my price range (super cheap).  So I settled for some white mesh fabric and fabric paint!  I tried the spray fabric paint, but it was more expensive, I went through a whole can just on the bodice, and it bled more.  So, with a lot of masking tape, a foam brush and a lot of time I created my own stripey-ness!  And of course I added the little black hearts and white dots all over too!  Before I went all crazy with the painting I cut out my pieces so I wouldn't have to paint fabric that was just getting cut off.  I used a dress I had to make a pattern for the bodice and decided to do a circle skirt that I later sliced up the middle.  Then came the ruffles.  Oh the ruffles.  Yeah, I had to paint all those too.  I was getting really sick of painting stripes by this point!  Well, long story short (ha) I got the overdress made!  Yay!  Next came the poofy tulle skirt!  Let's just say there was so much tulle in my bonus room that it was sometimes hard to find me!  And P.S. you can't use a ruffle foot on tulle.  Grrrrrr.  So gather and gather and gather some more!  I then needed the rope belt (to complete the "curtains" look).  I found some piping cord that I already had, dyed it red, braided it to make a thicker cord, decided it wasn't red enough, painted it with Puffy Paint, made big tassels out of crochet thread, attached them and... BINGO!  An amazing rope belt.  Yes I know you are thinking I am totally insane.  It's true, I was thinking the same thing.  And here's the finished product...

Help us win a Contest!

I am going to enter Aerin's pictures in a costume contest through my favorite Hair Blog.  Here is info about the contest.  And Facebook is where you vote for Aerin!!!  You will need to "Like" the Hairstyles for Girls page in order to vote.  All of the pictures to vote on will be posted on Nov 1 and you can vote Nov 2nd - 8th.  To vote for Aerin, just click that you "Like" her picture!  Thanks friends!

 Go "Like" Nathan's picture!  <=Just click that

What have I been up to lately?

(Sorry to those of you who read my family blog too... you're just stuck with this post twice)

Well, it all started a long time ago (June) in a land far away (Texas) when I first saw the new Alice in Wonderland movie.

I promptly fell in love with all of the marvelous costumes that Alice wears!  So the wheels in my head started turning... and a massive project was born!


So now there were some decisions to be made:  who was to wear what?  were we going to match?  was I really up to all of this?

Well...

And, TA-DA!!

One costume down!  And one to go!

Isn't she the most beautiful little Alice you've ever seen???  My good friend Melissa took these pictures and did a fabulous job!  We had so much fun! 

Coming Soon:  My costume!

Lame Excuses and an Awesome Giveaway!

Sorry there hasn't been a new post to read lately. I'm having a hard time typing thanks to a bad case of tendonitis in my left hand. I've been rocking this sexy look lately.

I know you're all jealous of my velcro accessories!

I sustained this injury while hiking the Himalayas. My experienced guide took a wrong step and started to go over a cliff. In a brave act of sacrifice, I grabbed my guide and held him with just my left hand for over 30 minutes until more help could arrive.

What! You don't believe me?!

Okay, fine. It happened in the middle of a puppet show at work... in my defense, the wig that the princess puppet had on had to weigh at least 9 ounces.

Enough about that. Here's something super exciting! Bree Despain is having an incredible giveaway on her blog in celebration of the release of her new book trailer.



I would love to get my hands on this prize since she's giving away a bunch of ARC books that I'm dying to read. So, if you happen to win be sure to remember who gave you the hook ups!

Summer Reading Programs & At Home Storytime

We have been completely inundated with reading programs this summer! I know it's important to get kids reading, but it almost seems like overkill now!

Reading Programs we are participating in:
Library's program for kids
Library's program for adults
Governor's program
School's program
Local News Station's program
Church's program

See what I mean? Overkill. Luckily, we can mark the same reading time for almost all those charts. It's just getting ridiculous trying to keep track of it all.

With four kids it's been fun trying to keep everyone interested in all this reading. My oldest loves to read small chapter books during quiet time. But since she's the only reader in the house, we also get a lot of books on CD or tape to keep the other kids happy. We also do at home storytime. The key to a good storytime is to never ask the kids to pick the book. Getting them all to agree on one book is no easy task my friends. Instead, I pick 3-4 books and they all sit on the floor around my chair to listen. (Well, usually the baby crawls off, but we try and that's what counts, right?!)

I like to ask questions and get the kids involved in the story somehow. If it has a lot of repetition I make them repeat it with me. If the pictures are really important to the plot I ask them questions about what they see. When we're done I ask them to tell me what happened in the book so they learn to follow a storyline.

When we're done they each get to look at one of the books I read and then I have them color a picture, act out, or do some sort of activity that goes along with the book they have. It's a lot of fun and gives us something to do for at least an hour everyday!

Wordless Wednesday

Cool Project!

So it's that time of year again.  You know the one I mean.  Yes, the END OF SCHOOL.  I don't know whether to be excited or terrified!  I've become very comfortable having my son in school and my daughter in preschool, and having a few quiet hours to myself (though often at the grocery store)!  However, there is so much to do here for FREE that I think we'll have a great time!  Back to the project...

Along with the end of school comes gifts for the teachers.  This year our budget was even tighter than in the past (yikes!) so, I was looking for ECONOMICAL (not cheap) gifts!  I found a website that makes really cute personalized teacher note pads... but $15 for one pad wasn't quite what I had in mind.  So I thought to myself "Hmmm, how hard can it be to make a notepad??"  I Googled that and the answer is "not very!"  So I did.

Materials:
Paper
Printer
Paper Cutter
Cardboard
Binder Clips
Clamps & Blocks
Silicone Caulk
Cardstock
Rubber Cement
Ribbon
Hot Glue
Pens
Magnets

Wow that list looks longer than it seemed.  Lots of this stuff I already had on hand.  I think I only bought the paper and the pens.  

You can spend a lot of money and buy the real padding compound to make your pad, or you can follow Skip To My Lou's advice as I did and just use caulk.  I already had some thanks to a leaky shower.  (I also looked to Chica and Jo and EDPS for info on the process.)  I used Microsoft Publisher (my favorite!) to design the personalized bit and printed them 3 to a page.  Next you slice and stack with the cardboard (I used the cardboard that came in my pack of paper).  Then you do the silicone thing.  I stacked all of my stacks together and siliconed them at the same time.  Once they were all dried, I just pulled them apart carefully like you would peel a sheet off the pad.  I glued a small rectangle of cardstock to the back of the pad and added the ribbon to that.  I also used some cardstock to make the pen holder.  Voila!  Hopefully we'll have three happy teachers!  I'm happy because I spent less than $10 for all of them!  Yay!

Children's Book Festival

I work at an amazing library. We have tons of free programs that are offered throughout the year. One of these was the Children's Book Festival that just took place on Saturday. There were some amazing authors there including: Jennifer and Matt Holms (Babymouse series), Shannon Hale (Princess Academy, Books of Bayern) Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn trilogy, Elantris) Emily Wing Smith (The Way He Lived), Rick Walton, and many more!

As a member of the library staff I had to come dressed up as one of my favorite children's book character. So here's what I chose. Do you see the resemblance?





















My only complaint about this event, is that since I was working, I was unable to attend any of the classes. So if you went will you please share you notes?

The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

I have one word for you.

This site is my brain away from home... or something like that. I have a terrible time keeping track of things on my own. Pretty much, if it doesn't get written down, it doesn't get remembered. I started my shelfari account two years ago and it has been a literary lifesaver.

I can easily organize all the books I've read, all the books I'm reading, and all the books I plan to read. It automatically suggests other books I might enjoy and gives me a place to connect with other bookaholics like myself. With a mere click of my mouse I have access to critics' reviews, friends' reviews, and synopses. I can have well thought out discussions and be inspired to read something I wouldn't normally try. (Play Book Tag is awesome!)

If you've never checked out this site go now. If you have and would like to be my friend leave me your screen name in a comment so I can add you!

Wordless Wednesday II

(Kid B... monkey see monkey do!)

Ooh-la-la!

So last night, my family and I were walking through Target when this atrocity caught my eye.  Whoa!!!  My husband was a few steps in front of me so I jogged up to him and asked him if he wanted to see the UGLIEST SHIRT EVER CREATED!!!!  He said yes, so I walked back to The Atrocity and held it up to myself.  Ryan was distracted by the kids for a second.  I was debating whether to make gagging noises when he looked or mime throwing up or something, but luckily I refrained.  Just as he looked at me another woman walked up to ADMIRE The Atrocity!!  She couldn't see my face and had her back was to Ryan.  Needless to say, we exchanged a few flabbergasted looks!  We decided that I just look SO GOOD that I turned that shirt into something glamorous!  OK, maybe not. 

But here's what another person thought of it... their review cracks me up!

Definitely Worth a Second Look 

I was going to skip this shirt. Saw it online and thought it looked cheap and not very pretty. Saw it in person and wasn't too impressed with it hanging on the rack. But something made me grab it and try it on and I was glad that I did! It's actually much prettier on than it looks on display or on the website! The material isn't the best (polyester), but the cut and details are what make this top worth trying on and wearing. The only thing majorly wrong with it (other than the material) is that the neckline doesn't drape as nicely as it probably should. Maybe if you play around with the tie a little, it'll lay a little bit nicer than the one I tried on off the rack. I'm also not sure it's really worth the pricetag ([price]), which made me put it back, but I'm having second thoughts and may end up either ordering it or going back to get it.

But seriously... tell me what you think of this shirt?  What does it bring to your mind?  Am I way out of the loop and this is what every chic female is wearing now? 

Missing Kayla

Because of crazy schedules, crazy work, crazy kids and life in general, I haven't been able to talk to Kayla in a few days and I am going through withdrawals.  I guess it's a really good thing that I live in this Information Age when it is possible to talk ALL of the time!  (hmm, my husband might not think the same way!)  But, not that long ago, you had to WRITE LETTERS!  And then WAIT!  Sheesh.  I'm getting antsy just thinking about that. 

In love

OK, I have to blog about this so I can add another entry to Dandy Giveaway... but I also just realized that I can't live another moment without this product!!!!!

One of today's giveaways is from a company called Blush.  They make an amazing product called the "topless undershirt" that you can wear under the shirts that are too short or over the jeans that are too low!  No more gapping!  Yay!  You can watch a demo here.  If only I had money... I think I'd buy one in every single color and pattern! 

OK, off the soap box now!

Audio Book Snob

Hello.  My name is Shauna and I am an audio book snob.  It's true.  I have favorite book-readers, and those that make me so crazy that I can't possibly listen to the book any longer!  

My most favorite reader is Barbara Rosenblat because of her amazing ability to do a different voice for every character.  She narrates the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters (among others) and does a FABULOUS job!!!  And if you've ever read the series, you'll know that's no easy task!  Each book has dozens of characters.  And the series spans many years in which many characters grow up, while others will appear in one book then be gone for 4 or 5 books then reappear!  And Ms. Rosenblat does it all flawlessly!  I have gotten on my library website and looked up her name and gotten books just because she is the narrator!  The accents, the inflections, the dialects, and personality she puts into each character's voice are amazing and make each person in the book unmistakably distinguishable from the others!  I think this is a crucial skill for narrators of books with a lot of dialog! 

Some of my other favorites are John Keating who narrates the Ranger's Apprentice series and Patricia Conolly who read The Star of Kazan.  I love listening to any audio books that take place in Germany just because I love the way the names of the people and places sound!  I am also a big fan of full-cast recordings... but used in the right way.  I am listening to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society right now, and I love that each letter-writer has his or her own specific voice that matches their personality and where they live!

Not to be mean or anything, but I really didn't care for the narrator of The Hunger Games books, or the Twilight series, and though I liked the voice of the Harry Potter narrator, the way he read Hermione's lines gave me a twitch!

OK.  That's all.  (I think... those last two paragraphs were added after I typed my sign-off!)

Meme Me

My friend Jenni Elyse is participating in a blogging meme from Froggarita's Bookcase, and I decided to join in on the fun! Pretty much, a meme is a list of questions that you answer about yourself. But here in the bloggiverse weird names are a must, so without any ado, here is my meme.

The only rule is that you can’t use the same answer twice.

1. What book is next to your bed right now?
2. What is your favorite series?
3. What is your favorite book?
4. Who is your favorite character?
5. Who do you think is the best villain?

1- Well, I'm pretty sure half the library is next to my bed because one never knows what book may strike ones fancy at night. Here's the list: Finnikin of the Rock, The Name of the Wind, The Children's Book, The Shifter, The Help, Scriptures, Mater's Shapes, Just What Mama Needs, and Duck for President.

2- My favorite series? Currently it's The Hunger Games series, but some of my all-time favorites are The Lord of the Ring Trilogy, The Westmark Trilogy (by Lloyd Alexander), and Harry Potter. (Twilight deserves an honorable mention. It will always hold a special place even though I am thoroughly sick of it now. Because of that series I have made 24 of the best friendships I have ever had with some amazing women!)

3- My favorite book? Probably Jane Eyre with close seconds going to Rebecca and To Kill a Mockingbird. Oh, and Gone With the Wind, and Keturah and Lord Death, and The Blue Sword, and The Giver, and The Truth About Forever, and The Book Thief, and Bark George, and There is a Bird on Your Head, and Falling for Rapunzel... oh for the love, just go look at my Shelfari account!

4- My favorite character award goes, hands down, to Grandma Dowdel in A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck! (Go read these books if you haven't! They're fast, easy, and guaranteed to make you laugh out loud!)

5- I think the best villain is Lady Catherine De Bourgh from Pride and Prejudice. She is just the sort of pompous old windbag that I love to hate! Oh, and even though they're technically not villains, I cannot stand Angel Clare from Tess of the D'Urbervilles, he is such a horrible hypocrite, or Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights, he is a wife beating, dog hanging, grave digging psycho! And the creepiest villain awards go to Mrs. Danvers from Rebecca and to the combined efforts of Grace Poole and Mrs. Mason-Rochester from Jane Eyre. (Does that technically count as repeating an answer? Meh, I don't really care!)

Sorry, I was probably supposed to narrow all these down to just one choice each, but as Danielle from the movie Ever After said, "I could no sooner choose a favorite star in the heavens!"

Random Fun-ness!

YES!!!  I have found a new way to waste time and money!!!  But it's sooooo cool!

Here it is... ZAZZLE!  They have a bunch of cool t-shirts and gifts and stuff that you can customize!!!  Here is my favorite...

SHOES!!!!!!  And, yes I DESIGNED THEM!!!!  (using this cute graphic that I found online... and I promise I'm not stealing the image because there is no way that I could afford these absolutely adorable shoes.  *sigh*)

But go ahead!  Have fun designing all kinds of stuff from shoes, mugs and t-shirts to invitations and postage stamps!

What would you customize?  and how?

(too bad I can't get a marketing fee or free products for this great plug for their company!!!)

Mmmm... Cookies

My friend Debbie asked on Facebook what are people's favorite kind of cookie. And I've been craving some ever since I read her post!

There are so many delicious kinds of cookie and my goal is to, someday, try them all. Well, not really, I actually have met a few kinds of cookies that I didn't like. I'm not a huge fan of really crunchy cookies, or anything with nuts, or crackers masquerading under the title of cookie.

My two favorites are my grandma's oatmeal raisin cookies and my college roommate's chocolate chip cookies. They both are moist and tender and not too sweet.

If you would like the recipes here they are:
Grandma's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Amber's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Enjoy!

Ok, switch to your "Shauna voice"...
I have recently become a huge fan of The Cadbury Egg Cookies!  Thanks to a fun book club and a great friend!  Now I will make millions of them and get super fat!!!  (if only I could get off my lazy butt long enough to cook!)

A "green" project

Don't you hate it when you splash bleach on your shirt???  Especially when its one of your favorites or brand new... as in this case.  Dang it!!!  Well, I figured since it was already ruined, I'd try my hand at fixing it.  Here's the result.  Not too shabby!  I dipped a paintbrush in bleach and went crazy.  Then for fun I added some sparkly fabric paint.  Try it on your next bleach disaster!

Good Monday Morning!

Well, our fun week of spring break #3 is over.  Now everyone is back into the swing of things.  And despite the tons of help I had from my wonderful husband, there is still plenty to be done today.  We folded about 6 baskets of laundry on Saturday (and got them all put away!!!).  But what do I have staring at me today??  Oh yes, another 6 baskets full of clean, unfolded laundry.  Don't you hate that???  Oh yes.  But I'd rather fold laundry than wash dishes or clean bathrooms.  Laundry was always my favorite chore growing up... because I could sit next to the washer and dryer while they ran and read a book and I was still "working" on my job!  Still, reading and laundry go together for me... I get books on CD and fold while I listen!  It's the best of both worlds... being productive and entertained at the same time!!!



What's your favorite chore or your nemesis chore?  And how do you motivate yourself to get them done??

Wordless Wednesday

(Energy efficient is the new sexy!)

Our First Award... I'm So Happy!

My amazing friend Debbie at Cranberry Fries awarded Shauna and I this! Debbie is such an amazing person, she's always willing to help out someone in need and she kicks my butt at Scene It!

The rules of the award are: List seven things about yourself. Link back to the person that gave you the award. Pass the award on to seven bloggers.

So... seven things about me are:

(This is Shauna in the green, I'll be adding my two cents!!)

1. My favorite chocolate combination is chocolate orange. Love it! I'm actually not a huge chocolate eater, but all self control is out the window as soon as I see one of these things.--->
Mmm!  Or Dark Chocolate Orange Sticks!!!  I wouldn't say no to anyone who wanted to send me some!!!

2. Two fabulous books that I've recently read are Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.  I get all of my good book recommendations from my sister with the wonderful taste in literature!  These are both on my to-read list...

3. I love the spring! I saw a few crocuses and jonquils yesterday and did a happy dance.
There are hyacinths in my yard!!!  (thanks to previous owners!)

4. For years and years I hated french fries and Oreo cookies (I know, how very un-American of me!) When I was dating my husband, he reintroduced me to these tasty treats. Now, to the chagrin of my arteries, I really enjoy them.  I had the same experience with peanut butter sandwiches and my hubby!

5. I am a plant killer. Maybe I just haven't figured out how to make things grow in the arid climate that I now live in. I have successfully managed to murder 10 plants in the past year. It's gotten so bad that when I start to browse down the garden aisles at the hardware store, the pansies lift up their leaves and run away screaming.  My plants don't die... they are silk!  Actually, I had one I loved a lot, but didn't think I was up to holding it on my lap for a 10 hour drive to move it with me!

6. I am making enchiladas for dinner tonight. My daughter calls them chechichatas. They are her favorite food. I like them because they are easy to make!  OK, Kayla is a stinkin' good cook!  That gene totally missed me.  Well, I suppose I can if I really try... the problem is I don't like trying!

7. I had an ugly/gawky phase that lasted from second grade all the way until my sophomore year in high school. I knew I was an uber dork, but I didn't care, I was just happy being me! I guess some things never change. :)  Gawky & dorky, yes.  Ugly, NO!!  And your craziness made up for the rest and everyone loved you!

Seven things about Shauna are:

1. She looks good in psycho tights. I'm pretty sure her favorite pair are orange.  Yep!  I'll be the crazy one in tights when I'm 80... can't wait to see that, can you!?!

2. She has made 5? lovely wedding cakes over the years. I like to cook, but I'm not much of a baker. Shauna's cakes are one of my favorite things to eat!  Thanks Kake!  I have fun with cakes... this one wasn't a wedding cake, but it was my very favorite one ever... and it was for myself! 

3. When Shauna was little she was scared of everything. The Care Bear movie freaked her out to the point that, as a 3 yr. old, I had to hold her hand to go turn on our bedroom light.  Well, I was thinking to myself, "Wow!  I sound kinda cool!"  Up until this one!!!  ...So Kayla, should I share the "river" story???  ;)

4. Her most famous solo performing moment was as the screamer in the Jaw's Theme Song that her band played in high school.

5. As a teenager, she hated lending her clothes to me because she was very neat and tidy. To this day, I still manage to get more food on my shirt than I get in my mouth. 

6. She's still bitter that one of her favorite earrings was lost at the hospital after she got in a car accident. I think that happened 15 or 16 years ago.  Not just that time... every time I have a "favorite pair" I lose one!!!  It would be better if I lost both so I didn't have the constant reminder of my loss!

7. Her most embarrassing moment was when she was laughing at a joke that some cute guy was telling and farted out loud... oh wait, that was me. Okay, it was when she slipped on a napkin and fell on her butt in front of the whole lunchroom... wait, still me. Maybe when she ran into a pole that one time... wait, me again. Hmm... or the time when she got a black eye while dancing... shoot, they're all me!!! Shauna is very graceful and a delightful sister!  Hahahaha!  Doesn't she make you laugh!  I'm so lucky that I've been entertained by her for decades!!!  And thank you Kayla. for that nice compliment!  My embarrassing stories are just that... embarrassing -- and never funny.  Maybe its just that I don't have that gift of storytelling that Kayla does!  Speaking of which, she used to make up great stories when she was little.  She almost had my aunt convinced that my family owned a goat to eat the grass and chickens that my mom had to catch and roast for dinner!  (I think she was about 4 at the time!)  She's now turned this gift into a job!  (See here)   

We tag:
Jennie Elyse
Jennifer O.
Amber

???

So, what do you say when you have nothing to say??  I generally don't run out of words... just ideas.  So my mouth keeps blabbing on and on and on, and nothing real is coming out?  You see what I mean?  Nothing!  But the words won't stop.  Pity my husband... it's the very worst at night when I am supposed to be getting into bed and sleep is supposed to be coming, but the words, they just won't stop!  It's not like I'm silent the rest of the day and haven't reached my word quota.  I talk to Kayla, I talk to Mom, I talk to myself, I talk to my kids, I talk to the neighbors!  Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah

Make it stop!!!

Emerging from the Dark Ages...

Over the past week or so, I've come to realize that my life doesn't function properly without a computer. Here's how my days have gone lately.

It's morning and I need to get the housework done. I to listen to music to keep me moving and energetic. Where's my music? On the computer. Oh look, it's time to pay bills. How do I do that? Yep, on the computer. I need to find some pictures to send to someone. Oh, those are on the computer, too! I need to send Kid A's teacher a message. Gr. Stupid broken computer. It's time to cook dinner. ARG! All my recipes are stored on the computer! By this point I'm cranky and all I want to do is relax and watch my favorite TV shows... #@$*! I watch those on the computer because I'm still helping out with homework when they air!!

I think I've become a little too dependent on the magical electric box. Hopefully, I'll have a new one before the week is out. In the meantime, I'm grateful that my little sister is letting me borrow her old one.

What's something you can't live without?

Kid stories

We all know that kids are funny.  That's why we have them, right?  Entertainment! 

Here's my latest from my 3yo daughter:

She was overheard to say, "They kiss with their tongues."
My husband and I freaked out and were about to have a long talk with her, when a neighbor came to our rescue:
"CATS!! The cats! They're watching Aristocats!"
Phew! Yes, cats do kiss with their tongues!  We laughed for the next 5 minutes straight!

What are funny things you're kids have said?  Let's all have a good giggle on this Monday afternoon!

Apologizing for Kayla... she has a broken computer and is living in the stone ages with NO INTERNET!

Our sympathies...

All by myself!

As previously stated, I love projects!  I am a big DIYer.  Here are a few things that I always have on hand to get the job done... whatever that may be.

Sewing machine
Power Drill
Masking & Duct Tape
Crochet hooks (they come in handy a lot!)
Zip ties
Craft wire
Hot Glue gun
Hammer, screwdrivers, socket wrenches
Needle-nosed pliars
String
Heat 'n Bond (iron-on adhesive)
YouTube
Cardboard
Cutco Scissors
Sharpie Markers
Blank note cards
Cheap fabric
Microsoft Publisher
...Just to name a few!!!

Here are some of the projects I've done in the last year that I'm most pleased with!
Replaced son's bike tire, crocheted TINY flowers, made an Olympic torch for son's bday, carved my own stamp, made cute headbands for my daughter and I, sewed two fabulous Halloween costumes!, made cute decorative pillows for my bed...

...and that doesn't include all the coat hooks installed, pictures hung, car headlights replaced, caulking of the bathtub, etc, etc!

Tell me about your favorite projects!  Or what do you have in the works?

Where in the World...?

Kayla and I have moved a LOT. When we were kids our dad's job moved us around and around and around. (Though always in the continental U.S., so I guess my title is off...) The year that I was in Kindergarten, I went to three different schools... in three different states! Then in third grade -- Kayla's kindergarten year -- we went to three different schools again! So, my current totals are:
7 Elementary schools
1 Middle School
2 High schools
1 College
20 Homes/apartments/dorms
8 States

Our family had to change the old saying to "Bloom where you are transplanted." Every time we moved, there was something we didn't mind leaving and something that we would miss terribly (we always missed the people of course).

So, what's something you love about your current home? and what's something you could live without?

I love all of the fun free stuff there is to do with families here in Saint Louis, but the freezing cold winter we just endured drove me crazy!!! (any of you Northern types, don't laugh... I'm from Texas, it felt REALLY cold to me!)

Edited by Kayla to add:

My Totals:
5 Elementary Schools
3 Middle Schools
1 High School
4.5 Colleges
18 Homes/apartments/dorms
7 states

Today...

I am happy because...
1. It's finally getting warm outside!  ... 73 degrees!!!  (don't expect that to last!)

2. My daughter had preschool this morning so I got to do the grocery shopping kid-less!
3. My son is doing great in school... he's gotten greens for 3 straight weeks!
4. I exercised today

5. I gave myself a pedicure (I also did my finger nails, but since being a mommy doesn't always allow for sufficient drying time, it got all crapped up and I took it off 2 hours later!)
6. I happened upon a fabric store that was going out of business and only spent $25... but you'd be amazed at how much I got for that $25!!!


Unfortunately I'm not completely happy, here's why...
1. I procrastinated and missed out on the "Give a Day.  Get a Disney Day." promotion.
2. I have to clean my house... again.  I swear I just did it last week!
3. I'm hungry.

So, why are you happy or not?  Spill it!