priorities?

How is it that I have done NOTHING, but it still feels like I've done EVERYTHING!?

I really want to do some blogging so badly but I've been working on this thing called "priorities". Whatever that is. My pile of towels to fold, and a dishwasher needing to be emptied supposedly trumps my "want to dos" today. Simply put. That sucks.

I promise I'll be back soon...

fun find friday - good food kids love!

I'm not the only one with picky eaters, am I? I'm on a quest these days to try and stop being a "short order cook" for my two sweet babes.

For today's Fun Find Friday, I wanted to share this fun little recipe book published by Taste of Home. It is a small book filled with 76 lunches, dinners, and snacks. Each of the recipes actually tear out into recipe cards. I bought this around the end of summer at Michaels in the magazine section. I think I even used my 40% off coupon, so I only spent $3.00. I recently found it lying around and haven't used any of the recipes from it, but I look forward to trying some in hopes that my kids will gobble it up! After thumbing through it (again), I remembered why I bought it in the first place. I found some great ideas, like smiley face pancakes, PBJ on a stick, and pizza quesadillas. Most of the recipes seem easy to make and something I could whip up at lunch time. One of the best things about this book, is that the recipes aren't just for kids...most of these would be perfect for the whole family (mom and dad included).


After I try a few recipes, maybe I'll come back to let you know what I think!

Does anyone have some great cookbook or recipe sites for good food that kids will love? Do share!!

keeping busy...and loving it!

This week I don't feel like I've been my usual "blogging self". This means little blog posting, reading other blogs, commenting on other blogs, and anything else that is related to blogging.

I'm trying to get my priorities straight because there is a lot to do these days it seems! (And even more that I want to do.)

And so, in my effort to get things crossed off that ever growing list, this is what I have been up to (in addition, of course, to spending the day with my two sweet blue eyed babes)...

Making a fun birthday card for my dad with the kids as my muse...


Creating sets of simple special occasion gift tags for the upcoming Newberg MOPS Craft Fair & Bazaar I am coordinating. I will also be showcasing many of my samples of photo cards.

**Update: I decided not to sell the gift tags and just focus on my photo cards. Now I have lots of back up tags for whenever I need them! Or for a little gift for someone.


And I also managed to design a couple of special occasion cards.

The greatest thing about all of this creating and keeping busy is that I don't find any of it a burden. I love it too much for it to ever be a chore!

i'm thinking it's time...

...to get this little man a haircut.

wordless wednesday - a fairy and her monkey

There is no need to explain why I absolutely LOVE this picture from Halloween night!

happy birthday papa!

My dad's 60th birthday is today!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!

picture taken March 25, 2008

Can't wait to see you soon for the holidays!

Your grandbabies miss you...


**Happy Birthday also to my friends Linsey & Sarah!!

tackling the closet

Updated to add: This post is part of The Masked Mommy's Closet Pow Wow! Head on over for more inspirational closet makeovers.







You know how sometimes little projects turn into BIG projects without intending (or even hoping) for that to happen? That is what came of my Tackle it Tuesday project. I was hoping to do a quick clean up/organizing session of the master bedroom closet since it has become our "catch all" for quite awhile now, but once I got started, my nit-picky and perfectionist ways suddenly overwhelmed me and before I knew it I had spent the whole morning going through things with a fine toothed comb (may I add: while my sweet, angelic children made a mess of the rest of the bedroom). Why, you ask would I put so much time into an area where the only ones who will see it are me, my husband, and my kids? In a nutshell. That's just me. Orderly. When I want to be. And today, I wanted to be.

Brace yourself...I'm a big fan of before and after pics! It's something about seeing my hard work pay off.

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Here is the little project my daughter was working on while I was organizing the closet. She took all of her daddy's work shirts and laid them out on the floor. I think she was trying to sort through them for me to see which ones need to go!

These are the little goodies I found during my organizing session.

Christmas hidden away in the closet

you would think I would notice I had this many frames hanging out in the nooks and crannies in the closet...I'll have to add this to my project list: find these frames a home!

Thanks for stopping by to see the chaos I have mastered (or should I say created?)

For more Tuesday tacklers, visit 5 Minutes for Mom's Tackle it Tuesday.

muffin tin monday - the orange edition

In honor of Fall & Halloween, last week my muffin tin consisted of all things orange!

I have to admit it was a whole lot of fun!

carrot sticks, peaches, cheese sticks, macaroni & cheese, and a little treat of graham crackers with orange frosting and orange sprinkles with a glass of milk (I almost dyed it orange)

For more of Muffin Tin Monday, visit Her Cup Overfloweth.

well, it's about time!

This week has the potential of being a very stressful and busy week, so I MADE (yes, made) myself plan out my menu for this week. Not only will be it save me some sanity of knowing what I have planned for dinner, but we're working really hard at saving money by not eating take out! Now, why haven't I done this before, you might ask? My answer would be...I don't know. It sounds simple and it seems like it would make life a whole lot less stressful. The real reason is probably because I don't make it a priority. I know I should, but I don't. I really want to, so I'm starting this week! And, to make myself accountable to it, I am participating in my first ever Menu Plan Monday over at The Organizing Junkie (oh, and it doesn't hurt that there is a giveaway this week). She has inspired so many to get into action and plan out the week's meals. Many have even planned a whole day's meals for the whole week. One day...that WILL be me!

You have to start somewhere, right? And, that means the main dish. Next week, I'll try to plan out the side dishes, too. You can't expect too much the first time around!

I love me some AllRecipes, so I actually have links so you can try it, too!

Monday - Baked Ziti (my sister-in-law had originally hooked us on this by delivering this meal when my son was first born)

Tuesday - Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings (new recipe I haven't tried yet, but looks yummy!)

Wednesday - Impossibly Easy Ham & Swiss Pie (I first had this at a baby shower brunch...no one said we couldn't have it for dinner, too!)

Thursday - Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue (this is so good on a hoagie roll)

Friday - Papa Murphy's pizza for the hubby & kids (I'm off for a night of scrapbooking!)

Saturday - Celebrating my friend's birthday-out to dinner


That really wasn't so bad... I'll be sure to do this again next week!

For more menu ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday.

a simple Halloween

Our Halloween was pretty much like any other day, with maybe a few extra surprises here and there. If you really want to see how a day of Halloween fun is supposed to look like, check it out here. Simply amazing and I'm just a wee bit jealous that I didn't do some of these fun things...maybe next year.

On Halloween morning, the "pumpkin fairy" dropped by for a visit and left each of the kids a little bucket of goodies on the front porch. Mikayla enjoyed opening the door to find some special treats and begged me all day to have her pumpkin Pez. (I eventually gave in when it was time to do her hair...distractions are always needed!)


We had a pretty normal day, made some caramel popcorn for a party we were headed to in the evening, daddy came home for lunch, the kids took great naps, and I even cleaned the house! Not a bad way to spend a holiday, I guess.

Later in the evening, we dressed up the kiddos in all their cuteness and headed to a little get together at a friend's house. We snapped a couple of pictures before the party just in case we wouldn't have time to get some good shots later and I'm so glad we did. I didn't come away with as many "good" pictures as I had hoped from the evening. Oh well, the kids got to dress up the week before, so I have some pictures from that outing, too.

our sweet Tinkerbell

our little monkey
and by the looks of it the serious side of Tinkerbell...

...and the playful side...
...and the motherly side.

After the party we headed on over to meet all four of my grandparents at their retirement home and to also meet up with my brother and his family, and my sister-in-law's family. We filled the whole lobby with 3 fairies, 1 monkey, a doggy, a farmer, a ninja and one sweet new little ladybug. And, guess what? No picture! Who am I? I usually eat this up and take pictures of all the kids together and my kids with their grandparents. Maybe it had to do with my two little ones running (or crawling) all over the place and Mikayla bouncing off the walls after only having 2 tootsie rolls (I swear!) I did remember the video camera and actually used it, so I guess that counts, right?

the "newly walking" monkey

cousin Hunter, the doggy
here's the disheveled-looking Tinkerbell after a long evening

The Boos Family on Halloween Night
look how beat red our faces are...
a whole lot of running and a whole lot of chasing was involved

A little after 7:00 we headed home and from the back seat we heard "I want to go trick or treating". Ryan and I looked at each other and realized that Mikayla is now aware of this tradition, which makes complete sense with us talking it up so much. We were in such a hurry to get home and the kids ready for bed, that we had failed to add this very important tradition to our evening! Once we pulled into the garage, we put the kids' costumes back on (for the third time and with much protest from the monkey), and decided to hit a few houses on our block. So, those cute little bags I decorated for trick or treating? Yeah those. They didn't get used to their full potential this year. There's always next year...



Once back home after gathering her two, yes two, pieces of candy (and that's OK with me), she got to pass out candy to the few trick or treaters we got at our door.

I think, for some reason, I was a little off my game this year. Next year, instead of running around from here to there, I think we'll stick to doing some trick or treating in our neighborhood and call it a night.

For more Halloween fun, visit 5 Minutes for Mom, The Lazy Organizer for Talk About Tuesday, and Tip Junkie for Talk to Me Tuesday.

time to round it up! the crafty edition...

It's the end of the month and guess what that means?? Time to round up the spaces that we have been working hard on organizing and share what we have accomplished over at The Organizing Junkie. For the month of October we were encouraged and inspired to organize our craft/sewing space. Now, I don't sew, but I certainly love me some craftiness! So, you bet I was on board to make my space just a little more user friendly and a little more cute!

This roundup couldn't have come at a better time since we just recently redecorated our bonus room where my "crafty corner" is located (I share my space with my children's play space).

I can't wait to show you what I have done...

The true BEFORE...in all its ugliness (mess included)
**This picture was taken before we repainted the walls and before I got my new desk. We had used this desk as our computer desk for awhile and I thought I might like it for my craft space because there was so much vertical space to put things. It ended up being way too cramped of a work space, but it worked for a year or so.


Here is the second BEFORE picture with my new desk from IKEA! I love my new desk! The minute I saw it at IKEA, I had to have it! It's so cute and clean-looking and well, cute (isn't that the most important?) We haven't yet repainted in this picture, but at this point I couldn't wait to get my desk put together (I mean, for my husband to put the desk together)



Now, here's the official AFTER... with the new paint and the added extra touches!


To give you a little more of an idea of my creative work space, I thought I would share some "up close" pictures of the little organizational touches that I have added.

Up close of the top part of the desk
(I plan on making a scrapbook type page showcasing my two little ones for the large square frame on the wall above the desk..coming later, but hopefully not much later!)

This cute little white shelf has made its rounds in our house and I think it has finally found its home.
(It gives me just a little bit of extra storage that I need since my new desk doesn't have as much as the last one. I found these cute little tin buckets at Target in the Dollar Spot. I plan on Modge Podging (is that a word?) paper over them to cuten them up)

I love this little space right above my work space.
(I found the magnetic strip that holds embellishments at The Container Store and the green strip above, which is also magnetic, and has a pocket to hold things I found at Tuesday Morning on clearance. I think it was only $4.50. I love that the green matches the colors we repainted the room with.)
Here are a couple of little extra storage goodies I have on top of my desk. They are small enough to still give me a good work space.
(If you look closely, you will see a plastic mat on top of the desk that I purchased to save the top of my desk. I highly recommend these to prolong the life of your space!)
This black wheeled storage cart has been around for quite some time and I love how much it holds. It tucks away quite nicely since it doesn't quite have the cuteness factor, but it is definitely functional! (And, yes, my friends, the labels have been there from the beginning!)

Since my new desk was smaller and it didn't have as much space to organize extra things, we had a storage cabinet already in the room behind the french doors that I decided to reorganize and put even more of my crafting stuff. I got rid of all of the non-crafty stuff and found other homes for it. This cupboard has been my lifesaver with extra storage!

While I'm at it, I thought I would share the kids' craft supplies space on the other side behind the french doors. This cabinet is exactly the same as the other one (it has to match, of course!) What I love about these two units is that they have doors, hiding the mess (unlike the bookshelves I was previously using) and you can child-proof them on the outside, so the little ones don't destroy it on a regular basis.

I hope you enjoyed taking a little tour of my creative space! I don't feel like it's completely finished to what I want it to look like, but I figure I'll always be tweaking it to make room for more and to satisfy my need to reorganize.

If you're in the mood for more reorganization, check out my other Org Junkie Monthly Round Ups here and here.

And if you'd like to see some more creative space inspirations, check out The Organizing Junkie's monthly round up.

Next month is laundry rooms! Wanna join me?

Thanks for stopping by and letting me know what you think!

fun find friday - more fall decor??

So, I thought I was done with my fall decor this year, but when I came across these cute little fabric pumpkins at JoAnn Fabrics I couldn't resist. They were 60% off!! The two little ones were $1.19 each and the larger one was $1.99. They are a cute addition to the simple decor I try to create in our home during the Fall season.

For more of my FUN FIND FRIDAYS, check them out here.

straight from Pixie Hollow

Ryan and I did something that we usually never do...

...we bought a new release Disney movie. Usually we rent them for $.99 or borrow them from friends. We actually don't watch that many movies. Honestly. I did buy Madagascar when it was on sale for $10 during the summer (which I think is such a cute movie and can't wait until Madagascar 2 comes to the theaters!) Hello, rambling, now back to the new movie...



For Halloween this year we had planned on Mikayla being Tinkerbell. For Mikayla's 2nd birthday, she was given Tinkerbell wings, a crown, a wand, and an outfit from her Uncle Eric & Aunt Kristen. Unfortunately, Mikayla is a little above average for a 2-year old, so she quickly grew out of the outfit. Thankfully, my friend Sarah's daughter had been Tinkerbell in one of her dance recitals when she was around Mikayla's age, so she had a costume for us to borrow! I couldn't believe how well the outfit all came together and for free! So, what do we do to celebrate? Spend the money we saved on the costume to buy the movie. On sale, of course.

Mikayla got to watch the movie today and I tried to make it into a special deal. She bought into it because you should have seen her checking out the DVD case and how excited she was. At different points throughout the movie, she would say, "thank you, mommy, for the special movie". Do I have a sweet girl or what? After watching the movie, I think she is even more excited to be Tinkerbell at Halloween...or am I the one who is more excited?

Being very curious about this "special" movie

She has to have her special blankie and dolly to watch her special movie

Tomorrow night should be fun. I plan on trying to make Mikayla look a bit more like Tinkerbell than the last time I had the kids dress up in their costumes. (We'll see if we can get her to forego the rubber boots.) Her hair is long enough for a cute little bun on the top of her head and I can't wait to add just a little bit more to make her have extra rosy cheeks. Ah, to have a girl to dress up!

Our sweet Tinkerbell down on the farm

Oh, and in case you're wondering, our "little monkey" Austin is going to be... a little monkey. It wouldn't make sense any other way! I'm serious.