Jed's Room

I spent the better part of Friday rounding up (haha) stuff for Jed's bedroom. The bedding I ordered came yesterday~talk about surprised! It got here fast, but then I realized it only came from Austin~DUH!

Here's what I came up with


The stars on his wall

A sign that says "back at the ranch"

his new bedding with the pillow my friend Rachella made for him.

another picture of his bedding to see the pillow sham

This picture isn't really very good but it's 2 stars with hooks on them. Right now his cowboy stuff is hanging on it~we'll see how long that lasts. I want to find some spurs and maybe make a lasso to hang there.
I have another idea for the other wall in his room. I bought some rope & I want to write his name in rope and make it curl out kinda like a lasso. I didn't feel like dealing with it this evening though.

Here's my Heather Feather in a new outfit I bought her this evening at the mall. We went to a store called Rainbow. I thought this outfit was so cute & hip, but who knows what she was thinking. I told her to wear it tomorrow to Club Libby Lu (we're going for her birthday~Can you believe she is going to be 9?) & she refused. We'll see what she ends up digging out.




and I have no idea why she is posing like that! crazy girl! Her daddy told her she needed a new haircut~but I told him we were growing it out for Locks of Love. She just has a couple more inches to go.

What about this?

I re-did the things on this wall & I think it looks better. What do you think? I took my altered M down & now I need to find somewhere else to put it. I really want to do a letter wall, so I've been thinking about that. It would look something like this



I want to buy the gold M like that C at Hobby Lobby. Matter of fact I've picked it up several times and put it back everytime b/c I can't decide if I like it. But I could put my altered M on that wall too.

so there's my ramblings for the day.

Tyson's Latest Project

because he doesn't have enough to do~haha My mom bought us this playset from Sam's 2 weeks ago (I think) it might have been 3 weeks ago. Here's what it should look like when it's finished



This is what it looks like with Tyson's progress




I finally called today and ordered the replacement boards and they said they would send them out no problem UPS. I was very impressed with their customer service. We'll see how long it takes for them to get here.

Super Saturday Projects

I spent the better part of this past Saturday finishing projects or trying some out. The temple picture I bought for a buck at the Houston Temple back in February. Tyson has been on me to get it framed so we could hang it up and I never got around to it. So here's the final product.



At the bottom of my mat I used white rub-ons and put the word "eternity" I got that idea from my friend Jenn b/c she is so creative like that.

The next picture is one that I've had for years but I wanted it to be bigger so I matted it and bought a new frame & I love how it turned out. I had planned on hanging it in my hallway and putting a picture light over it but I'm having trouble finding one.



The final thing I worked on Saturday was making hairbows for my sweet girls. I was so excited that after 9 years I finally found some easy directions for hairbows.:) So now I'm your go to girl for bow making! haha




now I just need to find some good ribbon online~the pickens are kind of slim around here

SPT (She Photographs on Tuesday)

Ok so Lelly wants us to embrace our "geekness" this week! So I would have to say my "geekness" is my new Palm Pilot




I bought it with the intentions of becoming "cool"& not having to carry around a huge daily calendar. I love that it is small and it can fit into my smallest purse, but I have no clue what all this thing can do. I know I can store phone numbers & that kind of stuff. I know that I can keep all my appointments in the calendar part. I know that I can download e-books but I have yet to do it.

When I pull it out though, I feel like a total GEEK! I don't know if this is what Lelly was looking for in a blog post, but maybe it will motivate me to learn more about my somewhat new gadget (I won't dare tell you how long I've had it).

~Another Project~

Yesterday I was busy framing pictures that needed to be hung & making hair bows for the girls. (because I found free directions on the internet:) So today I was looking for a purse that I saw yesterday and came across this project

http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/images/ftp_images/Simple/2005/nov/tote.pdf
so guess what my project will be for next weekend! haha Because of course everyone knows I need a new purse!

Sharing Time

As I was preparing my sharing time for Church tonight, I came across this quote by Thomas S. Monson

A dictionary defines a pioneer as 'one who goes before, showing others the
way to follow.' Oh, how the world needs pioneers today!"
-Thomas S. Monson

I love it. I am going to have to find someway to display this in my home!

Just thought I would share.

My friend Rachella

So I having been thinking about sending out some good mail~(www.everythingispink.blogspot.com) & then I got to thinking my friend Rachella has been bringing me good mail all week (except she personally delivers it) She's a good decorator & she's been helping me come up with ideas for the house. We are working on Jed's room right now.

this is going in the kitchen on the wall with the "M" and the name frame.

These are going in the kitchen

this is going on the kitchen counter bar thingy.

Isn't this pillow cute? She made it in an afternoon.

I've ordered this



for Jed's bed. It's starting to come together. I need to take a picture of my friend Rachella! I've enjoyed getting to know her this summer & we've had a lot of fun together!

Thanks a bunch girl! I truly appreciate it.

The POOR House

This is going to be our new house after next month~HAHAHA I finally broke down and let Tyson buy a new truck. His other truck was paid off so we will have to adjust to paying another note next month. His old Chevy was getting pretty bad and we are such wimps we didn't want to deal with fixing it. They gave us a pretty good trade in for it and he got a truck that looks like this




tyson's is green though~I'm just excited that it fits the whole family & now I don't have to share my vehicle with him. hehe

It's an 2006 and it had 34,000 miles on it. We got a great deal & maybe it will last a while.

The fellowship dinner was a flop~no one that was invited came. The missionaries, the ward mission leader & our friends the Huntsman's came. So now we have a ton of left over food. I was a little bummed but it's summertime and lots of people have a million other things to do!

Need Ideas~QUICK!!!!

so the ward misson leader called this evening and asked if we would host this weeks fellowship dinner. Of course we said yes! We have until Friday but I need some cute ideas for decorating & atomsphere~We are serving brisket & maybe hotdogs for the kids.

Let me know what you have!

Just Couldn't Do It Today...

7-7-7 wasn't a very lucky day for us. We came back to Texas from OK yesterday and it was a mess. One thing after another happened and I was never so glad to be home. We got our flights without trouble but the ticket agent in OK was a hateful, disgruntled employee. I"m thinking about writing a letter~he so doesn't need to be working for SWA! So our flights were ok! When we got to Houston it was storming and they wouldn't let the baggage people unload the planes until the lightening stopped~which I completely understand, but oh my gosh when they did unload the planes it was like 10 flights and you should have seen the luggage mess in the baggage claim area. One of my suitcases was lost and I was stressed of course it couldn't be the suitcase with the unimportant stuff it was the big one that had everything in it. UGH! I couldn't decide what to do b/c I hated to drive 3 hours home only to drive 3 hours back today to get the stupid thing.

Caroline was hollering she needed to go potty so we went to the bathroom (& the cleaning lady fussed at us and told us to find another bathroom.) So after we finished in the bathroom, I went back to file a claim on my bag and there it was on the carousel! I was so happy, but it took 2 hours to get my luggage.

So we head to the car & I was so excited b/c that meant I could head home. Get to the car and it's DEAD!!! won't unlock, anything! Thankfully the Parking Spot guy said he could jump it off so he did and it started right up. Guess it's time for a new battery.

So we are headed home now at around 9:00pm~2 hours later than planned. I got to humble and stopped at McDonald's to get the kids some supper. Jed takes one drink of his dr. pepper and starts saying he needs to use the bathroom really bad. So I stop at a gas station & we all go in and the girl says the bathroom is out of order but we could go across the street. Well, TOO LATE~he pees in his pants in the parking lot. UGH!!! He's all bent out of shape b/c he's wet his pants. Of course Caroline needs to go~so we go across the street to use the bathroom & jed's crying and carrying on b/c i didn't get him a shirt. UGH!!! Finally at midnight we get home & I could not bring myself to go to church this morning.

I hope He forgives me & maybe 7-8-07 will be a better. It's a good thing I didn't get married yesterday, it probably wouldn't have worked! LOL

HTH~Help This House!!!!

Since I have NO decorating sense whatsoever I thought I would recruit some readers for some ideas. here's the wall I'm dealing with at the moment. and yes i know it looks stupid but i need to hang this name frame somewhere b/c i love it but haven't a clue where to put it. I also need window treatments & this wall is in my dining room. I also snapped a pic of the wall beside it~I didn't know if we could do something to both walls so they that matched or coordinated.

The lady before me had a curio cabinet, but i don't think that's a good idea in my house.

here's the altered M up close I'm not crazy about the ribbons but I couldn't find any at walmart that i just loved so i thought i might could bring in the black. I also want to add that to my kitchen. If you need more pictures of the kitchen/dining room area you can look back in my blog around february/march i posted some from when we bought the house.

If you guys can help me come up with something that rocks, I'll buy a round of drinks at Sonic! (during happy hour of course;)

you might need to provide me links too!

Something Fun

Ok Kristi from Everything's Pink had this posted on her blog.

You can go here

http://www.doodlebugspaper.blogspot.com

& leave a comment. You can use Kristi's website as a referral, so put her name in the comment. Doesn't it look like fun stuff that we all need? haha

In other news, My kids went to OK yesterday. Today they were at my aunt's house & Jed the daredevil climbed to the top of the playground in the backyard and jumped. When he fell, he landed on his wrist somehow and broke it. So grammy is having to nurse a broken bone. Wanna know something funny~My sisters & I never had a broken bone other than my broken collarbone.

I sure hope my mom remembers to take pictures so I'll have something to scrapbook! haha just kidding.

New Job

so when I got back from the beach I was checking out our school website & there was a 2nd grade ESL job at Jed's school. The lady who subbed for me at the beginning of the week teaches 2nd grade there so I mentioned it. I thought about interviewing but then decided not too. This morning the lady who subbed for me called and asked me to come interview. ACK I was nervous!

I called my principal and she said to go to the interview and let her know what I decide. The interview lasted nearly an hour. They called 20 minutes later and offered me the position. So I'll be moving schools this summer and moving grades also.

I'm excited!

YAY!!!!

Beach Bums

Ok so we survived our beach vacation & we had a blast. It was so relaxing to just lay around and let the kids play. We never even left the beach!

I had to go back to summer school this morning & we took our kids to the zoo. We actually have a great time with our little group. I learned a new word today~tenedor~ so if you hear me say "tenedor por favor" what does it mean? NO GOOGLING!!!! post your answer in your comment and I might send you a little prize! (Thanks Kristi for the prize idea!)

Have a great weekend!

On vacation....

We are leaving in the morning to head to the beach for 4 days! Doesn't that sound like fun? We are all excited!!! I am sure I will have lots to post when I get back!

Have a great week!!!

Exciting Update about the bag below...

I was cruising Hobby Lobby this evening and I saw the bag I've been wanting. I was just getting ready to order it this evening online, but decided to wait b/c HL usually has a 40% off coupon So I can get it for a little cheaper!

Aren't you excited for me?

hehe

Scrapbooking

Before I went back to work I tried to get some scrapbooking done. This website that I go to, www.lifetimemoments.com sponsors a Scrapfest in the Summer (& winter too). You pay to play and then they post challenges to get you scrapping. I usually only participate in the Summer b/c it's when I have the most free time. Below are some of my LO's I've gotten done. I like them for the most part:)


¡Hasta luego!

Wrapped!!!!

A few weeks ago some of Heather's friends from dance wrapped her house. This brought back memories from when I was a kid. Good times.

hehe

I had this picture when it happened but I was having trouble getting it on my computer.

Purse Fetish...

is this not the cutest summery bag? I am on a mission to find one.

Summer school started this morning and it really wasn't bad. I've set out on a mission to try to learn Spanish~hehe So if you have any suggestions let me know.

It is so flippin' hot in these parts these days that all we want to do is lay around in the a/c. haha

Summer~this week~

This week the kids were signed up for Showstoppers Camp. They learned the songs from HS Musical and went every morning for a few hours and learned some dances to go with them. Today they had their final performance and they did a good job. I think they had a lot of fun.

We went to the library yesterday and paid our $22 in fines. I let the kids check out 2 books each. We went back today for one of their summer programs. They had this magician there

www.trixiebond.com


and she was really good. If you have the chance to see her perform, take your kids. Her whole performance was based around different books.

I was asked to teach summer school this summer. I told them I would b/c the money is too good & it should be ok. The hours aren't too bad and there's lots of stuff I want to do around the house but can't afford~now I can.

YAY!!!

Next week the kids will be going to ECO camp through our Chamber of Commerce. My friend Rachella told me about it & she is going to help me with the kids next week.
Thanks girl

Isn't this cute?

Aren't these the cutest?

http://4ringcircus.typepad.com/its_a_4_ring_circus/2007/06/cotw.html#comment-71855668

Thanks for sharing Jessica

I can't get the link to work so you'll have to cut & paste. Sorry!

~Catch 22~

Ok so I want to take the kids to the library to get some books but alas I can't b/c we owe library fines! $22 worth of Library fines. It was my fault, so I can take the blame. So on Thursday (payday) we'll be going to the library to pay our library fines & getting some new books.

So see it really is a Catch 22~I either pay the fines or no books? hum

~99 Days of Great Summer Games~

This was posted on a website I visit regularly Maybe you can find some fun things for your kids to do this summer.

http://familyfun.go.com/games/indoor-outdoor-games/specialfeature/summer-games-june/index.html?CMP=NL_Wkdr
Also, I added a new link to my sidebar for ~SandyPea~, she's a Pea friend from www.twopeasinabucket.com. I was checking out her blog and she had a very cute & creative idea on there. Check out this
http://alwayswaitingforsomething.blogspot.com/2007/05/its-hilarious.html

Isn't that window just the cutest?

Oh, Summer is officially here now~I'm all finished with meetings for the school year. YAY for summer. Now if the rain will just go away!!! HAHA

End of the Year Teacher Gifts

My friend, Jennifer Bell, made these cute name frames for a lot of people at Christmas. I decided that they would be super cute for end of the year teacher gifts and they turned out pretty cute if I must say so myself. I know Caroline's teacher liked hers and Heather's teacher send a Thank you know but I don't know about Jed's teachers.

~Memorial Day~

Well, we are headed out to a cookout with some church friends in a little while. I was trying to make some homemade strawberry ice cream but I bought one of those packs at walmart and it only makes 2 quarts instead of 4 so I don't know if that will work. I'm also going to try to make Brownie Pudding.

here's the recipe in case you want to try it. The reviews are great. We'll see.

Brownie Pudding

1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup chopped semisweet chocolate
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
11/3 cups boiling water

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Sift together the flour, 1/3 cup of the cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
Melt together butter and chocolate in a small heavy pot over low heat. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Whisk together eggs, sugar, milk and vanilla until well combined. Add chocolate mixture and flour mixture and stir until batter is just combined.
Spread the batter evenly in an ungreased 8-inch-square baking pan.
Whisk together remaining 1/3 cup cocoa powder, brown sugar and water. Pour the mixture over the batter.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Do not overbake, or cake will be slightly dry. Serve the cake hot with ice cream.

I'm thinking it can't be too bad b/c it's chocolatey~right?

I have tons of pics but i have to get them resized.

Have a great day.

Here's the other one

We are FAMILY....

I think we've officially lost it. Here are our 2 new family members.

Here Comes Summer...

YAY!!!! We are counting down the days left until summer. Just 4 more times we have to wake up for school (well the kids at least) I have 7 more times. YUCK!!!!

The kids are going to be busy the first few weeks of summer. They are going to go to Showshopper camp which is like show choir from what I understand. Then they are going to go to ECO camp & I have no clue what that is all about. Then we are going to go to the beach at the end of June. We are so excited. Somewhere in there I am going to try to get them into swim lessons. So we are already booked.

We will probably make a trip up to OK sometime probably not until July. We'll have to see.

A friend of mine taught me how to make strawberry jam last night. It was so easy and we had a good time.

I'll post pictures in a little while.

~The Reason I Relay~

My grandma passed away in December after suffering from cancer for years. I decided a month or so before she passed away that I wanted to participate in Relay for Life. I really didn't know anything about it. I had a friend that participated in it, but other than that~I had no clue. I asked around school if anyone did a team & of course you know how this story ends up~they told me I could get one together. So I did~

We had our kids at school bring "Coins for Cancer" and we raised about $1200 for our teams~We thought that was AWESOME!!!

Our theme was S.W.A.T. out Cancer! So we were the Trout SWAT team. HAHA Here's what our tent looked like



Heather stayed with me last night & we ended up staying until 1am. Heather walked several laps & she had a lot of fun going to the different tents.

We bought luminaria for my grandma, but on the way home I remembered 2 other people in my live suffered from cancer. I could have probably spent $50 in luminarias. ACS & Relay for Life are a great cause & I encourage you to get involved in your community.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I'm posting this video of Jed & his friend from school & their Mexican hat dance. Jed was so excited about this dance for weeks. He's trying teaching his sisters how to do it too. I was very proud of him.



sorry for the crappy quality of the video.

Here's another video of a song they sang in Spanish~you can't really see the kids but you can hear them pretty good.



Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!

Moved In...

Well, we are finally moved in our new house & we are almost finished unpacking~it's hard to believe it's been a month since we closed. It seems like there is always something going on so we haven't gotten much accomplished. My mom & step-dad came down for a few days this weekend so hopefully we can get the big projects finished up.

Caroline turned 4 on Thursday & she will let you know that she is 4 now! We are going to have her birthday party in a few weeks, so I've got to start getting that together. It's hard to believe she'll be starting real school in August. She has had an awesome teacher this year & she can write her name all by herself.

Jed recently graduated to an orange belt in tae kwan do. he really enjoys it. He'll be in 1st grade next year~his class is having a Cinco De Mayo celebration on May 4 & he has been showing us his dance. I think he's excited. :)

Heather has been busy with dance & getting ready for recitial. She passed her TAKS reading test & we are waiting on the Math results. We are hoping for a 70 since Math isn't her strong suit. And thank goodness they don't test for Spelling~ACK!!!

It snowed here at Easter~crazy. Here's a picture. I can't quite figure out how to get the pictures to post where i want them. UGH!!!

I'll take some picture of the house this weekend.

I think that's all for now.

Have a great week!