Things are starting to look up, sorta

First off I just want to share a song that always puts me in a good mood, never fails!



Anything by DMB actually, it just makes my whole day but it usually has to be live.  The energy in their live music is just insane.  I have been lucky enough to attend 2 DMB shows with backstage passes, and they are some of my best times in life thus far.
image credit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dave_Matthews_Band_-_Stand_Up.jpg
I have officially decided to get this tattooed on my hip or shoulder. I can't decide~ 

Anyways, enough of my DMB obsession....


We are getting the subaru fixed here shortly which I am so thankful for...  but unfortunately when it's fixed we have to make a trip to Minnesota for some not so happy reasons.


I have a list of projects a mile long to finish, including a quilt that I was supposed to be doing with Fat Quarterly's Quilt Along, but never did because we moved.  I swear that's a valid excuse!

I have a few skirts for Olivia that I need to finish, and a lot of Halloween and Thanksgiving related crafts to get to.

Here's a sneak peek at some of the fabulous inspirations out there....

  

I am loving this picture frame with pumpkins, the options are endless.  Imagine plastic spiders, or 3D lettering with the word BOO. I found this tutorial on eighteen25  but you can also find it at Becky Higgins blog.  Go over there, seriously.  Her photography is absolutely inspirational.




Seriously could these Turkey cupcakes get any cuter, I don't know if I could even it one they are so cute.... yea your right, I could totally eat one, or maybe all!

These can be found at Donna's blog, Chuckles, Grins, & Banged-up Shins.




Jana over at Bits of Me created this awesomely creative take on Subway Art.  I am in love with the book pages.







 












I am jumping on the fabric pumpkin bandwagon, and using this fabulous tutorial from Tatertots and Jello.
I love that Jen used unique fabric for these, they really pop!

That's all for my fall project to-do list for now.

But before I go, I would like to direct your attention to a blog that really inspired me and lifted my spirits up. It is a blog that I think all bloggers should read, no matter how big or little you are in blogland. 

So please go to Mustard Seed Creations and read her advice on blogging, it really gave me the boost I needed to back into the swing of things, and helped me realize not to be so hard on myself when I visit all the other fabulous blogs out there.

No more babies for a while

Hi ya'll!

At this moment I am reliving some moments that I am surprised to find I forgot about so quickly.  I am talking about the constant neediness and care that a newborn requires.  It was only 1 yr ago that I was in this position, how could I have forgot so quickly??  And, just for the record, it is not my newborn, I am babysitting her today and while she is cute, she cries an awful lot and needs burped after every feeding so her belly does not get upset and she requires so many diaper changes.

It's not that I have never been in this position before, it's just that I forgot about it. I am moving into the toddler years, I can just sit back and watch my child play, and talk, and discover.  My living room is no longer littered with pack n' plays or swings, or bottles, and blankets.  Life was starting to get easy, and then I offered to watch a new born.  What was I thinking???  I am sort of kidding, she is cute to cuddle and all but it definitely made me realize that I don't want another baby for a few years. I really am enjoying my one on one with my little toddler, and I don't want to sound mean, but I just don't feel like interrupting that time with another baby that constantly needs to eat, sleep, and poop.  Give it a few years and I am sure baby fever will be in full swing, but just not right now.


On a side note, please keep an eye this week for my first guest post ever!!! It will be on the ever fabulous blog Straight Stitches, written by Heather.  She has some amazing projects on there and is so down to earth.  I just love the friendships that come about in the blogging world!  I am not sure what day it will be on there this week, so keep a lookout for it on her blog.  I will give you just a little tease of what it's about-

that's just a little taste!



I also will be having a few projects coming up this week that I am super stoked about.  They are halloween/ fall themed and I can't wait to see the finished product.

I ran across this kick-ass thrift store (although it does sort of smell in there)  here and found a wreath that I am going to re-do.  Why you ask, well let me tell you why.  Here in my one horse town where I live, there is no such thing as Jo Ann's, Wal Mart, or craft stores in general.  So instead of going to the store and buying a foam wreath, I have to search out the thrift store, I am not really complaining, but I would prefer to go to Jo Ann's instead of just hoping there is something worth buying there to re-do, that's all.

I also found a way to use up all of my saved formula cans, I knew they would come in handy!!! Even better, it is a Halloween decoration, and involves spray paint!  I love myself a can of spray paint.

Have a great Labor Day everyone, and enjoy these cute pics of my "toddler".

Daddy's boots

Bath Time

Family time

Pouting

sitting in her toy box reading! 
seriously cute!!

Birthday to do list among other things on my mind

My darling Olivia (who is not so darling at the moment due to a persistant tooth trying to poke through) is going to be 1 yr old on Aug. 11th. I am trying my best to make it an awesome birthday party on limited funds so, I have gone searching in blogland and here is what I have found:



great idea! My hubby has a ton of butcher paper since he runs a meat dept!


How darling is this???



Love these invitations, so beautifully homemade and organic looking




what great decor is this!

All of these fantastic party ideas came from the wonderful, talented Cottage Mama

I am doing a sesame street theme while still keeping the party cute and girly. I am doing fabric invites that are all going to be different from very cute $0.99 fat quarters from Joann's and I am hanging a sign that is going to say

This birthday party was brought to you by the number 1 and the letter's O-L-I-V-I-A

Just like on sesame street!

I am going to order a cupcake tray with one small cake on top for the bday girl, and I am in the process of making her a birthday dress.

I also love these ideas for birthdays:



I love this, and I knew those empty formula can would come in handy.

These ones are made by Sumo over at Sumo's Sweet Stuff but it originated at Fireflies and Jellybeans.



How awesome are these bday favors, pretty cheap too with a dollar store trip and a little DIY.

For more bday awesomeness, check out The Girl Creative's link up

Now, I must say that I am feeling inspired and ready to work!!!

But alas, I have some family news that I am quite excited about and just have to share. After a recent family vacay back home, the Hubba Wubba and I have decided that we HAVE to move closer to our families. I am so homesick, and I want nothing more than to be able to raise our daughter close to her 3 sets of grandparents!

So instead of living a whopping 10 hours away from our family we will soon be uprooting our family about 2 hours away from our parents. I must say that I am quite excited about this which is making all the more homesick and ready to just pack up and go. I can't wait to be able to have weekend visits with our family, and holidays together, and no more teary good byes because we can see them whenever we have a few spare hours in the day :)

Don't get me wrong, I love where we live but family is truly the most important thing to us and what's the point of living that far away from the thing that means the most to you if you don't have too??

Wish us luck, because we are about to write a whole new chapter in our lives!!!

by the way, I am open to birthday party ideas, and links if you know of any good ones.

Thanks!!

Blissfully Painful- Not Mom of the year contest

Blissfully Painful

First off, a big thanks to The Mommyologist and Life without Pink for hosting ' Not Mom of the Year Award'. When they announced this contest, I originally had a million ideas swirling through my head, funny jokes that I could make about why I am not Mom of the year. It was all supposed to be just for fun. I was going to laugh about how my daughter is lucky if I even put a diaper on her, let alone clothes. I had plans to joke about the fact that she is almost 1 and still sleeps with me for half the night because I enjoy cuddling with her and it's unfortunately become a routine on both ends that we can't seem to break. There was going to be a funny tidbit in there about the time(s) she ate dog food or how about the fact the she has already ate fast food, ice cream, and loves watching Sesame Street. It was all supposed to be just a fun joke but then.... Olivia started getting her eye teeth in.

As I sit here cuddling next to my poor teething baby, I am starting to think that it's no longer a joke. I honestly deserve the 'Not Mom of the Year Award'. Any good Mom would not walk away from their screaming, teething child, but me, I did. I walked away because I did not know what else to do. I had exhausted all other options, and if I had not walked away from my screaming, teething child, I would have sat right down on the floor with her and cried and screamed too.

She has been so clingy the last few days that as I went to go throw some garbage away, I turned around and knocked her right in the head with my knee, sending her into even more of crying, screaming fit. I feel absolutely horrible for not watching more carefully, I feel like a big pile of steaming poop for my attitude the last few days. I mean, I should be used to it by now. Since January she has been getting teeth in one right after the other, but none have caused her to act quite like this. This is not my daughter, she must be someone else's cranky, screaming, crying, whining, clingy, picky child- because no child of mine acts like that. BWAHAHAHA!!!

I got a swift kick in the butt from Little Ms. Reality because Olivia is my child and she is acting like that. I am at the end of my rope, what kind of mom holds her breath as her heart sinks when she hears her child wake up from nap time, and whispers a little prayer to the Nap Gods for just a few more minutes of silence. That is not a very good Mom quality in my opinion and yet I fit the bill to a T. I can only hope that tomorrow will be better and that we can get through today with a little more silence, a little less pain, a few more smile and hopefully a bath (lord knows that she needs one, it has been about 3 days).

At the end of the day, I might feel like a crappy mom, but I would endure a lifetime of this all for just a smile and a cuddle from my daughter as she nuzzles into me and looks up at me with those eyes, you know, the one's that tell you that you are her world. I would not change a thing if I could (well, actually I would have not knocked her down if I could go back in time) because I love being Olivia's mommy and I cannot imagine life without her.

Awards, parties, and laundry

I hate to be so quick about everything but I have a LARGE pile of laundry that awaits me to fold and put away. For some reason it is always so easy to put in washer and dryer but I absolutely despise folding and putting away!

Anyways, I would really like to thank Susie B. Homemaker for giving me the 'A Blog With Substance' award.

I feel so blessed to be so new to blogland and have 70 something readers and now 2 awards under my belt. I was sure that my mom was the only one who actually read my blog so thank you again Susie B. Homemaker.


The Rules:
•Thank the blogger who awarded it to you.

•Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experience using five (5) words.

•Pass it on to 10 other blogs which you feel have real substance.

My Five Words----

FaMiLy--WhirlWind--InSpiRinG--MotherHood--EveryDay Life--

okay so I cheated on the last word but I couldn't think of just one word to say it with! ;)


Now, if it's okay with everyone else I will post the 10 blogs that I think have real substance later.


Fridays are always so fun with the gazillion blogging parties that take place so I will be linking up with

Grounded for being a bad blogger!!

Yep, that's right, I am grounding myself to stick to my blogging. I have been a very bad blogger and completely MIA. I am so sorry!!! Truly I am, but on the bright side of things I have A LOT to catch up on.


Alright, first things first. Let's rewind about 2 weeks ago, it was a beautiful sunny day and I was positive that summer was finally here. I was outside taking pictures of our beautiful blossoming garden and perennials. Actually, I was taking the pictures specifically to put on the blog (whoops!)
So before we get to the bad news, allow me to show you around my beautiful vegetable and flower garden.






Beautiful right????



Well, here is what it looks like the next day!!!






As you can see from the flooding, tree leaf confetti, damaged garden, and massive golf ball size hail- we had quite a storm. A tornado touched down 1 1/2 miles away from us, and the pics of the house across the street was our neighbors place who ended up having their yard flooded under 3-4 ft of water. (Thank God their pug dog was inside during the storm because they were not home when it happened)

Not only did this happen once but then on Father's Day another storm of the same magnitude came through. That is 2 storms in one week. ( The second storm is the same one that went through Billings, Mt with a major tornado)

Luckily no one was hurt but it was still pretty devastating.




In other news in our household-

Olivia is full on running and walking and talking- she will be 11 months old on the 11th of July!
This age is so much fun and I really want it to slow down!

My mother gave me my first sewing machine and I am sewing up a storm trying to make Olivia a dress for her 1st b-day party (fingers crossed and knocking on wood that I am doing it right)

We have also decided after a recent trip back home that we NEED to move closer home. Olivia is our first and only child and she is also the first grandchild on both sides of the family, we really hate being this far away and so we have decided to move to Lander, Wy before winter hits this year. It is about 2 hrs away from our family where as in Mt we are currently 9-10 hrs away. I have never really gotten that experience of being able to send Olivia with her grandparents or having my mom help me when I need advice or just want to visit with her about being a new mom. We have done everything on our own for the last 2yrs which has been challenging but it has also given us a sense of independence. Lander is just far enough away to have the best of both worlds and we are really looking forward to everything the future has to hold.


HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

I hope everyone has safe travels, safe BBQ's, and safe firework explosions!!!!

Fun summer projects for babies and young toddlers

So... a lot of these ideas are not just for summer time. They are however more suited for a 1 yr old give or take a few months, seeing as how my daughter is turning 10 mo old, I really want to open her eyes up to everything wonderful out there in this world starting now. I found the majority of these ideas at ourbabyoflove.com It is a wonderful blog full of great ideas for babies.

Sensory Play

• a bucket of water and a paintbrush (how perfect is that for a baby in the summer)
• non toxic finger paint on butcher paper
• sandplay
• musical instruments
• homemade play dough or jello
• reading books with vibrant pictures or interactive books
• filling and dumping containers full of blocks, noodles, or crackers
• singing nursery rhymes or even make up your own song about your baby

Anything that enhances and entices a baby's hearing, smelling, tasting, feeling, and seeing is going to be good and fun for them.

New Friend Friday, Tired Friday, Got alot to do Friday- take your pick

Well hello there,
I still have a lot to do today as far as gardening goes, I will never understand what kind of joy people get from pulling weeds, I hate- always have and always will!! But, I suppose if I want my yard to look nice I better get to it.

Olivia is super fussy and super clingy, don't get me wrong, I love cuddles just as much as the next mom but when you have to do dishes with one hand, well it's a little too much. I don't know if it's just a phase, or what because she is not teething. Oh well, I hope tomorrow will be better.

On the bright side of things, my most favorite show ever was on last night. Grey's Anatomy had their season finale and all I have to say is WHOA!!! I am not going to spoil anything for anyone but if you are a fan and have not watched it yet, stop whatever you are doing and go to abc.com to watch it right now. It will blow your mind away, the first hour is titled Sanctuary and the second hour is titled Death and all His Friends- that pretty much sums it up. I can't stop thinking about it, it's quite ridiculous actually how obsessed I am. I sat on the couch last night just bawling my eyes out, like I actually know these people on a first name basis. The hubba wubba was about to commit me, I am pretty sure of it.

I have been on weight watchers since Tuesday and so far so good I guess. I did get sucked into a few glasses of wine last night and had to dip into my extra points but I feel like I have been eating nothing but fish, vegetables, fruit, and rice- so I can't be doing too bad. I guess I will let you know when Tuesday comes around.


Thank God it's Friday because with that comes Friendly Friday and Trendy Treehouse Follow me Fridays. It is a great way to come across other great bloggers and hopefully gain some readers. Just click on the buttons to get there.

Twilight Thursday- Yea!! and funny text from hubba wubba

First things first- head over to The simpler life
where Jan is graciously and awesomely hosting TWILIGHT THURSDAYS (yes i used caps because I am excited). You have to go check out her cute blog and link up if you are a twilight fan!!!





Team Edward, Team Jacob, or Team Switzerland (you just can’t pick one)?
Team Edward 110% - always have been and always will be

Besides Edward, who is your favorite Cullen?
Carlisle- he is so smart, genuine, and gentle

Have you seen the movies, and if so, did you like them/think they did the books justice, etc?
eh, I like the actors for the most part and they are okay but they just don't beat the books and my imagination- I am curious as to how the last book is going to turn out in film, it is my favorite but there is just so much I don't think they are going to get

How did you find out about Twilight and what made you decide to read the books?
My sister told me about them (she is 4 yrs younger than I) but she has good taste in books!

What was your favorite part of the series?
vampire baby

What, if anything, did you dislike about the series?
Bella's stupidity

Who was the most interesting villain?
Jane

If you could choose one character to know more about, who would it be and why?
the baby (yea i know, i am a total mom)

Tell me about your most embarrassing “Twilight” moment…cause we all have one!
I don't think I really have one other than the constant teasing my husband gives me for rereading twilight ALL the time!






Now, I really thought this was funny so I just have to tell you. I went and got my toenails done the other day and was gone for a whopping 2 hours. the hubba wubba stayed home with Olivia. While I was gone, I realized that I forgot my cell phone, when I got home I had a text message from the hubba wubba that said: "I called the government and put Olivia on the no fly list- she is a little terrorist."

I about peed my pants I was laughing so hard when I read that! I can't even imagine what he would do if he had to stay home alone with her ALL DAY!

How a bad day turned good :)

So Olivia is still trying to get these 2 teeth through and they are just torturing her so she has been miss grumpy pants today and who can blame her, but it's definitely making things rough. Then she face planted it on the hard kitchen floor today and the poor thing cried so hard she could hardly breathe ( you know that cry that just breaks your heart) Thank God nothing was seriously wrong with her, but she has definitely been having a bad day.
Then my half gallon of milk spilled everywhere in the fridge, so I had to clean that out, all while my child, and the boy I babysit created a disaster area in the living room so Yea- I get to go clean that now.


But then, I get on here and found I received my first blogging award EVER!!!

Versatile Blogger Award!




The Rules for the award are:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic! (in no particular order...)

4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.





So I would really like to thank Iheartthesecrazykids at A Trio Of Boys. You have just made my day from bad to good!!



7 things about myself

1. I don't cook (at least not very often)
2. I am obsessed with the Dave Matthews Band
3. I love to swim and am always the first to jump in the lake
4. I really really want to be crafty and sew cute dresses and tutus and make hairbows and scrapbook, but I don't know where to start ( I guess I just need to do it)
5. I hope someday the hubba wubba and I can own a restaurant
6. I would have 7 kids if I had the money and resources
7. I am the WORST dancer ever

The 15 Fabulous Bloggers who will now receive this award are (in no specific order):

1. Crazy Daisy
2. Laundry Hurts My Feelings
3. Honey Pie Accessories ( I want to be as talented as her!)
4. The Cottage Home (also because I want to be as talented as her and I want her house, I mean cottage)
5. Theta Mom
   
6. Love Actually
7. The Girl Creative
8. The Mommyologist
9. As The Forest[e] Grows
10. Moo Moo Mama
11. This Mama Rocks
12. The Chronicles of a Housewife
13. Adventures in Diapering and Beyond
14. Making the World Cuter
15. Cupcake Dream

I hope everyone gets a chance to check out these really great blogs that I can't live without!!
Thanks again for the award A Trio of Boys


I can't resist adding a few pics I took the other day of my princess

A Day In The Life Of Me

First things first, I am officially addicted to blogging- I think this is coolest way to document my life as a SAHM, and Olivia's milestones. But, I am also overwhelmed because of the amount of amazing people, amazing blogs, amazing recipes and crafts that I am coming across. How do you people keep it under control, if I don't stop soon I am going to be following like 400 freaking blogs!! Okay, that was an exaggeration but there are some amazing people out there do amazing things.

Poor Olivia just can't catch a break, she has 2 more teeth coming in, bringing the total count to 7 teeth all in less than 3 months which means mommy can't catch a break either but I am a huge fan of teething tablets. She is also trying to walk, she can walk along the couch and kitchen table bench pretty well, and I am pretty sure she could win a marathon just crawling. It makes my whole day when I turn around and find her following me around the house. She is almost sleeping through the night, Thank God! It is just absolutely amazing to watch her grow into this little person (personality and all). She talks all the time, I have absolutely no clue what spp, tff, and grb mean but she still tells me about them anyways. Her range of mobility is amazing as well as her strength, she can hold a squat position for quite some time while she plays with her little friend in his jumparoo. These are some of our professional pictures we had done around Easter time (thanks again Mom)


I started my first day(okay this is like my 3rd attempt at trying to complete all 30 days) of Jillian Micheals 30 day shred today and it kicked my butt as usual but I am hopeful that I can do it because I am desperate for results (see above picture and you will know why). Unfortunately one of my downfalls in life is that I am a major foodie and I love food. It doesn't help that the hubba wubba is trained to be a professional chef (he even knows how to make sushi and can make any recipe into his own). He is an excellent cook and does the majority of the cooking with me as his sou chef. We recently had some fresh caught catfish ( he is an excellent fisherman) and we decided to try a recipe out of one of our favorite books- A Hungry Monkey by Matthew Amster-Burton. You have got to try this recipe. He says it lands in his top 10 favorite things to cook and eat which says a lot!!
Hope everyone is having a great Monday

My new project

I have decided to take on a new project- Blogging! I think this will be a great way for my friend and family to experience what is going on in my life since we unfortunately so far away from those that we love the most. I am also using this as an opportunity to take on things that I have always meant to do but never finished, such as my scrapbooking, sewing, gardening, and cooking endeavors. I hope everyone enjoys!