procrastination at its worst

Exactly 88 days ago, I announced the winner of my 1 year blogoversary FAVORITE THINGS giveaway! Well, just last Thursday I finally delieverd that gift to the winner, which just so happened to be my good friend Kim!

{No, that was not a typo...
I said EIGHTY-EIGHT DAYS!!}

Now, if you read Saturday's post where I shared about how I am known to procrastinate, then this shouldn't be a surprise (Well, kind of because 88 days? Really!?). I have come to the conclusion that I seriously need a deadline or "due date" for things because I tend to put some things on the back burner for awhile! Good thing Kim is such a great friend who understands how full my plate is (and how lazy I can be) and she knew that I would get it done...eventually!

Wanna know what was inside?
You'll just have to run on over to Kim's place to take a peek!
(oh, and be sure to leave her a comment
to tell her how cute her pregnant belly is! *wink*)

mod podge time!

Time to share some craftiness!! Every month Xazmin throws a party for all of us crafty junkies to show off our projects using Mod Podge. This little project is a small twist of another one I've already shared before. I've actually had it done for almost 3 months now (no joke!), but in typical Heidi-fashion, I hadn't gotten around to getting them placed in the right "home". So, after a sudden urge to rearrange the bonus room on Sunday (check back Tuesday for pictures!), I finally found a place where I wanted them to be.

I started with a simple, white square frame from IKEA...


And added some inspiring and fun paper to cover three frames.

These three words...
Imagine, Create, Inspire are words I live by. (I printed them off my computer using a different colored font for each word.)




These frames seem a little small on the wall, but for now they've found their home! (I had the hardest time trying to get a picture of all three on the wall...I guess they're just at a weird angle.)

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ANNOUNCEMENT!!
COME ON BACK TOMORROW TO SEE YOUR ASSIGNMENT FOR SEPTEMBER'S MONTHLY CRAFT CHALLENGE...AND A SURPRISE!
YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS IT!

honestly uplifiting

Today, I was awarded the HONEST SCRAP award by Sweetly Southern. What a sweet surprise!! You must head over to browse a bit because her blog is full of sweet tips and crafty tidbits. My kind of blog, for sure! Honestly, I haven't browsed enough to know for sure, but I can pretty much take a guess that we have a lot more in common than we might think. Thanks for thinking of me...you're so sweet!!

In accepting this award, I need to do the following:
1) Say thanks and give a link to the presenter of the award. CHECK
2) Share "ten honest things" about myself. See below - CHECK
3) Present this award to 7 others whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged me. - I will have to do this tomorrow since it's way too late...even for me (see #1 in list below)
4) Tell those 7 people that they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving. - Ditto from directly above


And, so here is me being honest. (Oh, and because I completely forgot that I have already done this once before, go HERE to check out 10 more honest things about me. And none of them are repeats. Honest.)

1. I stay up way too late. We're talking 12:30 AM, people (sometimes later...eek!) There's just so much to get done in a day and it's "my time" after the kids go down at 8:00 PM. I won't be able to do this when the kids start attending school next year, but for now since my WONDERFUL hubby takes care of Mikayla in the morning while he gets ready for work and Austin sleeps in a little...I can manage to catch a couple extra zzzzz's.

2. Before I send a "snail-mail" card (do those still exist!?), I type up what I'm going to say on a word document on the computer before handwriting it. I want to make sure I know what I'm going to say and this helps me not to make mistakes in the actual card because I'm copying it from what the computer screen says. I hate making mistakes in my handwriting. It's OK to call me a freak. I'm used to it.

3. My biggest pet peeve? When people don't RSVP! A simple yes or no doesn't seem too hard to me. Hey, I'll even take a maybe. Just being honest.

4. I could eat a bag of popcorn every night if I could.

5. I realized after reading through this post for editing that I somehow skipped #5 and so I'm being honest that I'm too tired to come up with one more thing to be honest about.

6. I won't go to bed unless I have done my night time routine. Seriously, once I even got out of bed because I realized that I had forgotten to take off my make up and wash my face.

7. I'm a big time procrastinator. Some of you might be surprised at this, but I often wait until the last minute to get things done. However, I do things in stages, so I guess I can't say that I wait to do everything at the last minute...just to get it 100% completed. I work best under pressure.

8. I worry too much about what people think of me. I'm also a people pleaser and do whatever I can to avoid any sort of confrontation. People tend to walk all over me because of this. I'm slowly learning to say how I feel when it matters to me. Oh, and I'm sensitive, too. I've often wondered how many people feel like they have to walk on eggshells around me.

9. I love reality TV. There. I said it. There are some reality shows I won't do, but I do watch the oldies, but goodies like Survivor, Amazing Race, Big Brother, So You Think You Can Dance. However, strangely enough, I have not gotten into watching Dancing with the Stars (sorry, mom) or American Idol.

10. I secretly want to move, but somewhere in the same town. I'm even willing to move down the block if it means a little bit bigger of a house. Time for change, maybe?

Update: So, I've come to the conclusion that this award has been passed around a lot already, especially lately, so to avoid duplicates, I'm not passing on the torch to anyone in particular, but I would love to hear 10 honest things about whoever would like to share!

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The ever-so down-to-earth Lauren at Sanity Sold Separately was also kind enough to pass along an award to me called the The Uplifting Blogger Award. Hello!? Talk about flattering. I kind of pride myself on being the "glass half full" kind of girl and trying to look on the upside of things (although, I still struggle with this a bit if I'm being completely honest), so this one means a lot to me. Thanks, Lauren, for your witty comments, cut to the chase kind of attitude, and always making me laugh when I visit "your place".


Update: I've decided that instead of passing along the Honest Scrap award to 7 blogs (as stated in the "rules" above), I'm going to give the Uplifting Blogger award to 7 blogs. Although I really do read so many blogs that are inspiring to me, the following 7 seem to always catch my attention because of the way they express their thankfulness for the blessings they've been given in words and sometimes just pictures.

Rachel @ Memories & Mayhem
Tanya @ Miller Racing Family
Kelli @ Outside My Kitchen Window
Tanielle @ The Polka Dot Daisy
Xazmin @ This is the Year
Jen @ Tatortots & Jello
Mimi @ He & Me + 3

kids in the kitchen - banana muffins

I'm joining in this week for my first Kids in the Kitchen over at A Little Fun with Me & Lu. I'm a day late, but we actually did make these on Thursday!

At Ryan's work each of his co-workers sign up to bring a breakfast goodie on Fridays. Usually it's something like store bought donuts or some store bought pastry. This week it is Ryan's turn to bring something, so of course I can't just let him bring donuts like everyone else...it has to be homemade! I've already sent random goodies with him before and his co-workers always seem to give them rave reviews (aw, shucks). There's just something about being "the wife that brings all the yummy homemade treats".

Today was the perfect opportunity to let Mikayla help out again in the kitchen. I try really hard to make something with her at least once a week. Last week it was chocolate chip cookies! Yum!

Mini Banana Muffins
(found via AllRecipes.com)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners.
   
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture, and mix until smooth.
   
4. Scoop into muffin pans.
5. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

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Some things that are easy for Mikayla to help with using a recipe like this are...

MASHING BANANAS

POURING IN DRY INGREDIENTS
STIRRING TOGETHER WET INGREDIENTS
PLACING MUFFIN TIN LINERS IN THE MINI MUFFIN CUPS
SO PROUD OF HER HARD WORK!
YUMMY IN THE TUMMY!
(Don't worry, I didn't make Ryan take the muffins
to work like this...I'll spare him that.)In addition to the muffins, he brought strawberries, grapes, and bananas along with some mini bagels and cream cheese. You have to please the masses!

HAPPY FRIDAY!
ENJOY SOME TIME COOKING IN THE KITCHEN.


Check out Sarah at I Blame My Mother for Kid Friendly Friday.

let's get crafty - monthly craft challenge is coming soon!

I know it's been awhile seen you've seen the button above, but the monthly craft challenge is coming soon to a blog near you...

here at Blue Eyed Blessings.

Yes, that's right, the busy-ness of summer is dying down (I have mixed emotions on the soon to be changing weather) and I'm ready to get this party started again! How about you?

Not sure what I'm talking about because you're new to my blog?

It's simple: Each month, I give you an embellishment, tool, or idea and you get to create something fun to share with the rest of us! You have ONE MONTH to work on the project (big or small) and then you come back to share your creation on the first Thursday of the month. About a week or so before the challenge, I search blog land/the internet to find some inspiring ideas and share them all with you just to get your blood pumping and energized to participate!

First things first: I need a favor from all of you crafty divas out there. I want to compile a list of all of the fun things that we can do as part of our monthly challenges. What are you interested in working on? Do you have a crafty tool that you've been wanting to try out? Leave me a comment to give me an idea (or ideas). I need all the brain power on this one! No idea is too ridiculous
(but I do have the right to choose which ones I want to do! *wink*)

Things we've done already (but can always do again further down the road) are scalloped circle punch, buttons, ribbon, and monograms. (Mr. Linky somehow destroyed all evidence of those who participated in the scalloped circle punch, buttons, and ribbon challenge, but I'm in the process of hunting those down to link back up. So sad!)

I will share your assignment for September's challenge on Tuesday, September 1st. You will then have one whole month to complete your project and we'll come back at the beginning of October.

So, are you ready to...

get creative,
get crafty,
and be inspired!?

**My wish is that I can continue to give away something special to a randomly chosen winner each month, but I'll need help. If you're interested in donating a gift, please e-mail me at heidilynneboos@hotmail.com for more information.**

works for me wednesday - creative gift wrapping

Another week of Works for Me Wednesday is here!

I don't like to buy gift wrapping supplies if I already have them (and, trust me I'm always stocked up...check out my gift wrapping storage here), but sometimes I don't have the right size of gift bag to hold those larger sized, oddly shaped presents.

Here are a few ways to get creative with what you already have!

Idea #1

Don't you love those packages that have the open part in the front? If you wrap them in wrapping paper all that happens is a big hole in the front with one little slip of the hand.


Find a piece of cardboard and tape it over the front of the gift...


And voila! Wrap it up easily without any holes!

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Idea #2

Wrap your gift in a basket and tuck in random bits of tissue paper to "hide" the goodies inside.

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Idea #3

Use something other than wrapping paper to wrap an oddly shaped gift. For this particular toy, I couldn't find any cardboard to cover the front (like idea #1), and I didn't have a gift bag big enough to fit.


I found this GIANT gift bag in my stash, but then realized that it was way too big for this toy. So I got a little creative with it!


And cut it into two pieces...


It was more flexible and durable to work with without the fear of poking a hole in it.

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Idea #4

Match the birthday card with the wrapping paper. Why use an envelope? Show off the card by taping it on top of the gift.

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Idea #5

Wrap it up with cellophane. This little toy wagon given to a friend's daughter was so awkward to wrap, so I decided to just wrap it with some polka dotted cellophane. It didn't fit at first, so I just cut out the bottom and slipped it through leaving the wheel and handles without cellophane around it.


Check out more Works for Me Wednesday tips and tricks at We Are That Family.

Or for more creative gift giving ideas, check out more of what I've shared here.

tackle it tuesday - the art cabinet

Today's Tuesday tackle is actually part of last week's tackle. After getting in the groove of getting some things organized last week, I moved on to the art cabinet, which desperately needed tackled (again!).

I've come to the conclusion that there are a couple of reasons why I just keep stacking things on top of the cabinet instead of putting them back inside (well, besides just being lazy).


Problem #1: There are toys in front of the cabinet, so opening it means moving the toys every time I want to get in there.


Problem #2: It's child-proof from those roaming hands, and to get into the closet means to annoyingly take off the lock.


So, that's why it always looks like this...


And sometimes it spews onto another shelf...


But not anymore! I was bound and determined to fix this situation. I'm sick of it looking so sloppy all the time! It's just not me!

So, I took everything out of the cabinet...


It was actually pretty therapeutic to just dump it all out on the floor.

But then the real work began and the mess started to take over the room as I attempted to sort things in stacks...


It just kept growing further out into the room and I was losing my steam really quickly...


But I fought through it and finished with success!!

top 2 shelves

bottom 2 shelves

Most everything was already labeled...it just needed a better system. I found a few things around the house that would help. Again, gotta love going shopping in your own house!

Ahhhh...that's better!

Problem (hopefully) fixed! No more lock and no more toys blocking the front. Already we've kept things quite organized (ha! it's only been a week). I set some rules in place and Mikayla knows she must ask if she wants to get anything out of the cupboard and rather surprisingly, Austin stays out of it with no problem as well.

muffin tin monday - pizza faces!

Hooray for Muffin Tin Mondays!

Today's theme over at Her Cup Overfloweth is faces/people. The first thing that popped into my head were pizza faces. I didn't quite have the creative juices flowing to think outside the box (I need to clear all the cobwebs out of there first). English muffin pizzas are always a hit at our house, so why not go with something I KNOW they love to eat!

spread the sauce
(look at the cute chef's assistant)

add the cheese

some sliced olives for the eyes
(see that little hand sneaking in for an olive?)

and pineapple for the nose
(Austin is just eye-ing those olives!)

finished off with a Canadian bacon smile

ready for the oven!

and ready to eat!

For the side dish the kids got muffin cups of applesauce and to stick with the theme, I added a raisin face.

I guess someone is a little excited to dig in!

If you feel like joining in the fun, check out Michelle's blog at Her Cup Overfloweth.

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In other Monday morning news...

Mikayla and I headed to the hospital this morning for an echocardiogram appointment that was scheduled after her doctor's visit last week. Last week was the second time that Dr. Tami had heard a heart murmur, so she wanted me to take Mikayla to get an ultrasound of her heart. She said most likely it was nothing to worry about, but she just wanted to be sure.

I told Mikayla we were going to a different doctor. I knew she had no idea what was in store for her. We made it to the hospital, chatting the whole way. I love spending time with her these days. She's so talkative and you can actually have a conversation! We arrived in the lobby at exactly 8:00 and waited for the technician to come get us. Around the corner walked a male technician and I instantly thought, "oh, darn it! this isn't going to be good." For some unknown reason, Mikayla has a slight aversion to males (swim instructors, dentists, etc.) She instantly jumped in my lap and started crying and saying that she didn't want to go.

For the next 20 minutes I tried to calm down this poor girl who was very upset about the whole thing. I couldn't peel her from my lap. The poor technician didn't quite have a way with children, so I had to do my best to make the situation seem less scary to her by trying to explain what was going to happen. That she got to have pictures of her heart just like mommy got to have pictures of Mikayla and Austin when they were in her tummy.

She finally agreed to lay down, but only if she could lay on top of me. As I was laying there, stroking her hair, and rubbing her arms, I couldn't help but tear up at this brave girl. I knew that there were so many scary things for her...dimmed lights, strange room, strange man, etc. But, she did such a great job and laid still to let him listen to her heart and take pictures for the next 10 minutes. Not one more peep out of her. I think she looked at the screen the whole time. I was so proud of her!!

For a special surprise, I took her to the Dollar Tree to pick out a gift for being such a brave girl. We were in and out less than 3 minutes because she knew exactly what she wanted...a princess puzzle. That girl loves puzzles! On the way out, she also wanted to get something for her brother and again my heart was filled with pride for this sweet girl.

I'm so proud of you, Mikayla Lynne!