We headed to IKEA today to pick up containers for a craft I am doing with my MOPS ladies. While we were there, I was on a hunt for a couple of things to help spruce up my little "creative corner" of the newly painted and on-its-way-to-being-redecorated-bonus room. I didn't come away with much, but I did find these cute planting pots that I turned into pen and scissor holders. These match perfectly with the white decor that I am going for in the room. These little goodies were only $1.99 each and the only bummer part is that I didn't bring home more!
I'm still holding the rest of my corner underwraps until I am completely ready for the big unveil. I'm also keeping busy planning my son's 1st birthday party and I have monkeys on the brain! Can't wait to share all of these fun things, too!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
today's fun find!
shortest trip to the beach...ever!
**I've been wanting to post these pictures for the last couple of days, but for some reason I was having troubles uploading them through blogger. But after much determination, here they are!!
In my attempt to continue to give you the bits and pieces of our trip to Bella Beach earlier this past week, here are some more fun pictures of the shortest visit to the actual beach...ever! I think it lasted literally a total of 20 minutes...if that? Mikayla had been talking about going to the beach for so long, that after our lunch at Mo's, we headed right down to the public beach access with sand buckets, shovels, and blankets in hand. Unfortunately, the weather was crummy, the tide was coming in, and the wind was blowing pretty hard, causing all of us (OK, really the parents) to want to call it quits. Our poor kiddos (that's for you, Jason) were troopers because they just wanted to keep playing. As the water threatened to wash over the blankets, and soak us all, we promised them another trip to the beach after naps. Thankfully there was little complaining and we all made it back to the car without much more sand than what we had started with.
but, of course, he wouldn't touch the sand
Mikayla loves playing in the sand...
we'll have to get her a sandbox for next summer
All of the kiddos doing their own thing
Daddy and son-so cute!
Friday, September 19, 2008
our mini-vacation
Yea! Finally a vacation, even if it was a mini one! This past summer seemed to be filled with lots of fun and activities, but mostly we decided to stay close to home (especially with gas prices being so high). In mid-summer, my friend Kara and I decided we would take a few days to getaway from our day to day lives and meet up with each other (and our families, of course) at the beach in September. We wanted to avoid the summer rush of beach go-ers, as well as enjoy a nice break before the fall/winter weather started rolling in.
So, this past week on Monday through Wednesday, we went to Bella Beach, just south of Lincoln City, with the Moore family. What a blast we had together. So much laughing, relaxing, and watching the kids play together. The cute little house we stayed in was a 2 story, 2 bedroom little beach bungalow that made everything so nice and cozy for two families of 4. It did seem a little small at times, but we enjoyed it anyway.
Because I have so many pictures I want to share of our 3 day trip, I thought I would share them in little bits and pieces. Enjoy!
lunch at Mo's
A much loved tradition for many while at the beach is to visit Mo's Restaurant. So, we had to keep up with that tradition and had lunch out on Tuesday...atlthough only one of us got their famous clam chowder! It's a very casual and family-friendly restaurant, so it was perfect for our two families.
Chloe & Mikayla - they are only 3 months apart
Austin & Allyson - they are only 2 months apart
Good friends...just like their mommies
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
as the story goes...
Pack for vacation....a week's worth of stuff for only 3 days.
Leave a clean house. There's something about coming home to clean.
Had a great time on our 2 day trip to the beach with the Moore's. Lots of pictures and fun times to be shared later.
Home again with no major fits. Thank you, Nemo.
Unpacked the car. Dumped everything in the living room. Too tired to sort.
Kids let loose from the car like they had been caged animals, adding to the mess already made from unpacking the car (see below picture).
One word (or two?) Naptime!
Car in serious need of a deep cleaning inside and out. Left the mess in the house (pretending like it's not there) to tackle the mess outside. Minivan shines like new!
Distracted by the horrendous cluttering of the garage. Left Ryan to tackle. Sorry, Babe.
Austin naps 40 minutes (typical). Mikayla naps 3+ hours!! Probably catching up on sleep from her 6:00 AM "rise and shine" mornings at the beach. Not the highlight of the trip.
Ryan and Mikayla wash both cars.
Heidi is distracted by the computer, checking e-mail and looking through all the fun pictures of our mini-vacation as Austin plays at her feet...literally.
Off to make...er, get...dinner.
Then to turn this house back to NEW before the kids head to bed.
Wishful thinking?
Anyone empathize?
Saturday, September 13, 2008
a few of her favorite things...
Those who know me, know I love to throw a party...especially one with a theme. As I begin to plan for my son's 1st birthday party, it got me thinking about the celebration of my daughter's 2nd birthday...that's how my brain works-reliving the fun times! And, since I didn't have a blog at the time, I thought I would share it now.
For Mikayla's 2nd birthday we decided to have two separate smaller parties. One for family and one for her toddler friends. One reason we chose to do this was because we wanted my parents (who live in Alaska for most of the year) to help Mikayla celebrate turning 2, so we had the family party a month early. I am so glad we did because I had so much fun planning for both occasions!
Party #1 Theme - Flowers & Favorites
I thought it would be a good idea for our family to get to know Mikayla just a little bit better by learning all about her favorite things since they don't get to see her every day...and why not throw in some cute flowers to help make the decorating a little bit easier...and sweeter!
The guests were welcomed with a table full of yummy goodies that were very much enjoyed by our sweet girl.
I had so much fun making this centerpiece and reliving the memories of the past year and all of the discovery Mikayla enjoyed in finding her favorite things to eat!
For parties, I've decided that since I'm not a great cake designer (or even a "good" one for that matter), I would stick with cupcakes, which I love to decorate. Although if you notice, I did try my hand at a {simple} flower cake for this party!
As a special thank you for coming to her party, each family took home some flowers tied with a ribbon and attached with a note saying "Thank you for helping us celebrate Mikayla's birthday (a little early) and for being such an important part of her first 2 years."
Overall, the party was pretty low-key and I didn't plan a whole lot other than some fun times watching the cousins playing together, eating some good food, and enjoying watching the birthday girl open her presents. I did, however, create a crossword puzzle of all of Mikayla's favorites that the guests could fill out at any time during the party. Many of them were stumped, but it was fun to reveal the answers to them!
Now, onto planning my little monkey's 1st birthday! I look forward to sharing...
cooking up some pizza
On Friday night, Mikayla and I had the pleasure of having a little mommy/daughter time and headed on over to celebrate Ava's birthday, one of Mikayla's little friends who was turning 3. My good friend, Kareena, Ava's mommy, kicked her creativity in high gear and the party was a hit! Since Ava loves to cook, be it pretend or real, the kids got to make their own little pizzas, which was such a fabulous idea! They had so much fun being "chefs" for the evening and created some delicious masterpieces. Many of them couldn't wait for the pizzas to get into the oven, so they started snacking right off the preparation table...aw, learning the real benefit of food prep at a young age.
Friday, September 12, 2008
just a little mommy talk
One thing I can say about being a stay at home mom is that, surprisingly, I always find something to fill my time during the day. Most of the time I stay busy with "kid duties". You can probably imagine what those might entail and most of you reading this may already experience these day to day responsibilities. My two little blessings always seem to "need" something from me...breakfast, diaper change, a snuggle, visit to the potty, face wiped, hands wiped, other places wiped, bottle, drink of milk, snack, help with something, fix an owie, water cup, lunch, is it really only lunch? I haven't even gotten started on the household duties. However, I wouldn't trade this job for any other job. This is what I do and who I am. Some days it's overwhelming, frustrating, and emotional. Other days I am overjoyed, happy, and excited to see what my kids are learning.
As I continue to "find my place" outside of being a mom, I have really enjoyed using the gifts and talents God has given me. I've been inspired to enjoy the little things in life with my children and not wish time away, but I've also enjoyed having little bits of time where I can do the things that I enjoy. It's exactly what I need to be refreshed. I have my husband to thank for being so supportive of me and giving me those times away, whether it be a quick shopping trip, a night to scrapbook, or just some extra Saturday morning sleeping in time. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful, understanding, and loving husband...not to mention two beautiful children who are "my world". How did this get so sappy, I do not know, but man, I am one lucky wife and mom!
The other night I was joking with my husband at dinner as he walked into a clean house with take out Teriyaki in his hands. Sometimes, Babe, you get one or the other...not both.
Clean house, take out.
Dirty house, dinner on the table.
Simple as that.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
gift tags made simple
It seems to be birthday season around here these past few weeks! We have a lot of little friends celebrating birthdays...a newborn, a first birthday, two 2-year old birthdays, and a 3-year old birthday still to come, not to mention my nephew who will be turning 8 years old next week! I guess this is what happens when you have little ones who have little friends, but I love it!! And to be able to use a little bit of my creativity, while still staying a little sane in keeping up with gift giving, I recently got hooked on making personalized gift tags using the first letter of the birthday girl or boy's name. I've had so much fun color coordinating and I am using up some of my leftover colored scraps in the process. I simply print the appropriate letter in color using a fun font off the computer and then coordinate colors to create the gift tag to match the gift wrap I'm using. It adds a personalized touch and a little pizazz to the gift without going overboard and using up a lot of extra time.
In this season of busy-ness, this is what works for me!
For other Works-for-Me Wednesday household hints and tips visit Rocks in my Dryer.
**UPDATE: This idea was featured at Tip Junkie.
letting go
First off, I can't believe it's been a week since I've blogged! I guess that's life these days!
It's September and that means one thing - school is back in session! Being a teacher before I stayed home with my kids, I know exactly what this time of year is all about. I usually only miss teaching for a few days once school starts and there is excitement in the air, but then I get over it pretty quickly when all of the planning, grading, managing, and paperwork nightmares come back to haunt me.
Over the past few weeks I've been reading a lot about moms sending their little ones off to school...and of course with that are adorable pictures of their little ones all dressed up in their "first day" outfit...some even with coordinating ribbons in the hair and shoes that match perfectly with the outfit. The stories that really touch me are the moms who are sending their little kiddos off to preschool or Kindergarten for the first time. This makes me excited to send Mikayla off to preschool...almost like I wish it was happening this year. Not because I want to get her out of the house, but because I can't wait to go school supply shopping with her, plan a backpack date, pick out a "first day" outfit and all the other fun things that go along with the first days of school. I know that time will go by fast and before I know it, this experience will come soon enough...probably too quickly! I know it will be exciting and emotional all at the same time. It almost makes me teary-eyed just thinking about it. But, in all honesty, I don't want that time to come too soon because I know that these moments I have with my kids being the age they are (so innocent and pure) will not be like this for long and I know I will wish for these days back when they are older. So, for now, I will share in the excitement and the joy of all the mommies and daddies who get to experience the "back to school feeling" this year, but I will hold tight to my babies for a couple more years and look forward to what is to come in the future without wishing the present away.
We did, however, make a big step towards letting "Miss Independent" be a little more independent. Mikayla started Advanced Parent/Tot swim lessons...without me in the water!! Boy was I a ball of nerves as I sat on the sidelines (as close as I could get mind you) and watched my baby do her own thing in the water. I have been so used to being in the water with her for the last 2 years that it was freaking me out a little that she was all on her own (well, not ALL on her own, but you get the idea). Mikayla did wonderfully and listened quite well to the teacher's instructions. I have to admit I kept flinching every time she would lean into the water or turn around on the steps. Seriously, get a grip, Mommy. She's in a pool full of swim instructors...not to mention I'm only feet away and not afraid to jump in fully clothed. I think she'll do great and will learn a lot this fall. She's definitely getting to the age where she is able to attain information given to her. I'm sure we'll have some great conversations on the way home from swim lessons.
I was able to capture some pictures of our little fish as I anxiously waited by the edge of the pool.
OK, seriously, how cute is she? WAY over there...
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
take a sneak peek
For this week's Talk About Tuesday - Home Tour edition over at the Lazy Organizer, I am so excited to be able to give a sneak peek into the redecorating process of our play room.
We took the Labor Day weekend very literally around our house and worked on painting our play room. Almost exactly a month ago, I shared about the dilemma in choosing a paint color for our bonus room (pretty much the dilemma was that I couldn't choose one)! Thanks to a new found motivation and some much needed help from a friend who has an eye for interior home design, the colors were chosen, two coats per wall painted (x2 colors), trim added, and everything moved back into its place in only 5 days. I guess it had taken me 6 months to get it figured out, so I once I did, I was ready to roll (and thankfully my husband was also on board)!
Here's a little sneak peak into the dramatic (and I seriously mean that) change! We still have blank walls, but I have a lot of ideas ready to take action. The largest hurdle is done. And for that, I am thankful.
AFTER
notice the new entertainment unit - I love IKEA!
BEFORE
AFTER
I have my eye on something from Target for that big open wall space
Go visit The Lazy Organizer for more home tour editions of Talk About Tuesday. Get inspired!
