Sorry blogger friends for being away so long-
but alas, my computer is fixed!!!
Now seeing as how it is almost 11:00 pm my time, I am quite tired. I just wanted to let everyone know that I will slowly be getting my blog back into the blogosphere this week, along with sewing Olivia's bday dress, getting her party ready, cleaning the house, fixing the holes in the yard (thank you big black dog), weeding the garden, baking bday cake, oh my god! I am not even halfway through my to do list of stuff to do this week.
On the bright side of things, my Mom and brother will be here this coming Friday for the bday party, and then we are going to see the movie "Eat, Pray, Love"!!!!!!!!!!
We are also leaving Big Sky Country for the great state of Wyoming in September to be closer to our families!!! YEA!!
But, I am pretty sure stressing about moving, Olivia's 1st bday party, money, new jobs, new place to live, getting my $2,000 car problem fixed before moving, uggh! Yea, I am pretty sure I am getting an ulcer- not really, but I do feel sick from stressing so much!
I am just going to take it one day at a time, and have a blast planning my princess's 1st bday party. I can't wait to show everyone pictures!
Follow me on my journey of smiles, giggles, dirty diapers, messes and my desire to be a crafty DIY.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Hoo are you??? I will tell you Hoo I am!

1. Have you ever broke a bone or anything on your body?
I only shattered my ankle, no big deal really. I was bouldering on a climbing wall where I worked and my hands slipped causing me to fall 12ft landing straight on both of my ankles. Extreme sprain to the left one (which actually hurts worse than a broken one) and broken tibia and fibula on my right one. I had 2 plates and 8 pins put in.
I only shattered my ankle, no big deal really. I was bouldering on a climbing wall where I worked and my hands slipped causing me to fall 12ft landing straight on both of my ankles. Extreme sprain to the left one (which actually hurts worse than a broken one) and broken tibia and fibula on my right one. I had 2 plates and 8 pins put in.
2. What is your favorite drink?
Gin and Tonic, and I also enjoy a good wheat beer
3. When is your birthday! You don't have to tell the year you were born!
June 17, 1987- I just turned 23
4. Do you have an allergies?
morphine, and I think mosquito's. I swell up every time and look like a damn oompa loompa with baseball size welts (very attractive)
hmm, this is soo hard but I am going to have to go with 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' with Audrey Hepburn and I also love 'Sabrina' with Audrey Hepburn as well.
Friday, July 16, 2010
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!!
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.
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.
Labels:
blogging,
contest,
mom,
Not Mom of the Year Award,
teething
Monday, July 12, 2010
DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!! Announcing winner for blog award

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.
Thank You again so much Susie B. Homemaker!!!
If you want to read the post where I formally thanked her, please look here.
Now, after a crazy weeked full of walking for Relay For Life (woo hoo, we kicked cancer's ass just so you know and took 4th place with a total of $5,000) and then sleeping the rest of the weekend because I was about to fall over in my tracks from sleep deprivation, I am finally announcing the winner's of the 'A Blog With Substance' award!!!!! (sorry, I suffer from exclamation point overload syndrome- EPOS)
Now, these are in no paticular order, so here it goes.
DRUMROLL PLEASE...........................................................................................................................................................
Joann makes me laugh every single post! (Better than any date I have ever been on)
Her blog rock's and her little girls are seriously the cutest thing you ever laid eyes on
I have the greatest desire ever to be half as good of a seamstress as she is, she also lives in my dream house, and throws my dream birthday parties!
This girl truly does inspire me, if you don't have a creative bone in your body, you will still feel the urge to go and make whatever awesome tutorial she is walking you through.
OMG.... Idea overload is all I can say- but that a good thing right, because we always need a million projects lying around!
Giveaways, tutorials, and a summer of skirts- what more can a crafty girl want!
This woman is a genius for many reasons, one being that she created a Blogshare Community which have to go check out to find out what it is and the other being that she actually convinced her hubby to help her do it!
The Handmade Dress
This wonderful lady is a master seamstress who I only aspire to be like someday in my sewing endeavors.
Cute blog, tutorials, and ideas
She is crafty, thrifty, and chalk full of helpful ideas and directions!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Gotta Run
I know that I said I would post the winners of the 'A Blog With Substance' award last night but I think I am going to have to put it off until tomorrow.
We are in the midst of a giant Relay For Life fundraiser today and the walk all night tonight so I just don't have the time right now. I am so sorry to put it off but I really need to finish all of my Relay For Life stuff right now.
Thanks for being understanding.
We are in the midst of a giant Relay For Life fundraiser today and the walk all night tonight so I just don't have the time right now. I am so sorry to put it off but I really need to finish all of my Relay For Life stuff right now.
Thanks for being understanding.
Friday, July 9, 2010
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



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



Thursday, July 8, 2010
Date night with the Hubba Wubba
Last night-
I went on a date with this man-

and this man-

and this man

I know, it's okay if you are jealous of me. I would be too.
All joking aside though, we had a great date night thanks to one of our best friends who so graciously offered for our daughter to stay the night there. (Her daughter is 8 and is best friends with my almost 1 yr old.)
When the movie was over, we walked down main street drinking good beer (no open container law, how cool is that!) and listening to good music.
Then we came home and cooked pad thai, drank a bottle wine, and cuddled next to the firepit-
and we won't talk about what happened afterwards because this is a family friendly blog- duh!!
When I get our camera working, I will post pics of the finished dress I sewed for Olivia- let's just say that it is a practice dress. A new one will be made in light of all the learning that occurred through my mistakes.
I am also in the process of making this-

except mine is a baby pale pink with fabric backing and chicken wire! Can't wait to get my camera working to show you.
Have a great day, I am off to go swimming!!
I went on a date with this man-

and this man-

and this man

I know, it's okay if you are jealous of me. I would be too.
All joking aside though, we had a great date night thanks to one of our best friends who so graciously offered for our daughter to stay the night there. (Her daughter is 8 and is best friends with my almost 1 yr old.)
When the movie was over, we walked down main street drinking good beer (no open container law, how cool is that!) and listening to good music.
Then we came home and cooked pad thai, drank a bottle wine, and cuddled next to the firepit-
and we won't talk about what happened afterwards because this is a family friendly blog- duh!!
When I get our camera working, I will post pics of the finished dress I sewed for Olivia- let's just say that it is a practice dress. A new one will be made in light of all the learning that occurred through my mistakes.
I am also in the process of making this-

except mine is a baby pale pink with fabric backing and chicken wire! Can't wait to get my camera working to show you.
Have a great day, I am off to go swimming!!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Having a mental breakdown!!!
HELP!!!! So I am in the midst of finishing my little girl's birthday dress and I am about to royally mess this up. I am at a crucial stage of joining the bottom to the top and I am quite positive that I have no clue what I am doing from this point on.
So, I am thinking about going to the one sewing shop in town and begging them for help even though I have already asked about pointers and they said "We don't sew clothes, we make quilts."
I am left with no other choice, I am a desperate woman who really wants to learn and be good at this. I have to keep reminding myself that my first attempt is not going to be perfect, but that leaves me with a question-
How long does it take to finally get things perfect? I don't know if I can handle the imperfectness if it's going to take me years to get things down. Ya know what i mean?
The icing on the cake- it is currently July 6, 2010 and raining cats and dogs. It has been like this all spring and all summer except the one week I was gone. Oh don't you worry, it was 90 degrees when I was gone, and now it currently feels like 50 degrees out- and no I am not just estimating that, weather.com told me that.
Oh well- maybe I will just start sewing my apron, it looks easier than this dress I am working on.
I am linking up with Tuesday Tag Along at Twee Poppets

I am hoping to meet some fabulous bloggers over there, especially one that sew- then maybe I can finish this dang dress.
So, I am thinking about going to the one sewing shop in town and begging them for help even though I have already asked about pointers and they said "We don't sew clothes, we make quilts."
I am left with no other choice, I am a desperate woman who really wants to learn and be good at this. I have to keep reminding myself that my first attempt is not going to be perfect, but that leaves me with a question-
How long does it take to finally get things perfect? I don't know if I can handle the imperfectness if it's going to take me years to get things down. Ya know what i mean?
The icing on the cake- it is currently July 6, 2010 and raining cats and dogs. It has been like this all spring and all summer except the one week I was gone. Oh don't you worry, it was 90 degrees when I was gone, and now it currently feels like 50 degrees out- and no I am not just estimating that, weather.com told me that.
Oh well- maybe I will just start sewing my apron, it looks easier than this dress I am working on.
I am linking up with Tuesday Tag Along at Twee Poppets

I am hoping to meet some fabulous bloggers over there, especially one that sew- then maybe I can finish this dang dress.
Monday, July 5, 2010
ADDICTED TO SEWING!
Okay, so my mom gave me her sewing machine last week and I am in love!!! I am currently attempting (I use that word loosely) to make Olivia a dress from a pattern but somehow messed up with my amount of material for the bottom portion so now I am winging it with some fat quarters that were $0.99 at JoAnns the other day. I hope it turns out!
I also got a bunch of patterns that were typically $16 for (brace yourself) $0.99! One of them makes an adorable apron which I bought super cute material for (on sale of course) and laptop carrier pattern, stuffed animal pattern, window treatment pattern, and yoga pants pattern! I am going to be a sewing fool.
The bottom of my Jo Ann's receipt says that I spent $23 and saved $73!!!!!! Now if any of you would like to step up and be my mentor so I don't royally screw this up and lose lots of money in the process- that would be fantastic! (I am sort of kidding about that last part.)
Anyhow.... I will post pics when I charge my camera and get around to it sometime tomorrow.
I also got a bunch of patterns that were typically $16 for (brace yourself) $0.99! One of them makes an adorable apron which I bought super cute material for (on sale of course) and laptop carrier pattern, stuffed animal pattern, window treatment pattern, and yoga pants pattern! I am going to be a sewing fool.
The bottom of my Jo Ann's receipt says that I spent $23 and saved $73!!!!!! Now if any of you would like to step up and be my mentor so I don't royally screw this up and lose lots of money in the process- that would be fantastic! (I am sort of kidding about that last part.)
Anyhow.... I will post pics when I charge my camera and get around to it sometime tomorrow.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
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!!!!
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!!!!
Labels:
4th of July,
birthday,
blogging,
garden,
moving,
new project,
sewing,
vegetables
Friday, June 11, 2010
In a Funk
I have been in a funk the last few days- it might be due to the fact that it is the middle of June and only 50 degrees out or it might be due to the fact that I am so sick of stressing about the future and about our horrible bout of luck with cars or lack of. We have been informed that my hubba wubba did not get the job back home (which we are not all that bummed about) but now it leaves us with the house hunting and house buying process here. (kind of scared but excited to have something of our own)
My Subaru is still broke, and still needs an engine (which we do not have all the money for) and the hubba wubba's vehicle is on the fritz- and unfortunately the car buying process is far more stressful to me than buying a house. Mainly because the banks have no problem giving us a mortgage but god freaking forbid if we need $10,000 for a vehicle. Then they want a co signer and everything. They say we don't have enough established credit, but they also never give us the oppurtunity to obtain some so I don't know what in the hell they think we should do. (especially in the middle of Montana)
On the bright side of things, I am babysitting 3 pre-teens today and we are making cupcakes and frosting thanks to the wonderful recipes at A Cuppy Cake Life. I absolutely love all the delicous ideas shown there. The funny part is that the kids do not know that I replace the oil with applesauce to make them healthier. The hubba wubba and I will be making rhubarb cupcakes soon from the fresh rhubarb in our backyard. (yea!!!)
How do you get out of your funks? I would love to hear from everyone, I am hoping these cupcakes will help with mine!!!
I am linking up with New Friend Friday at DillyDally and Flitter
My Subaru is still broke, and still needs an engine (which we do not have all the money for) and the hubba wubba's vehicle is on the fritz- and unfortunately the car buying process is far more stressful to me than buying a house. Mainly because the banks have no problem giving us a mortgage but god freaking forbid if we need $10,000 for a vehicle. Then they want a co signer and everything. They say we don't have enough established credit, but they also never give us the oppurtunity to obtain some so I don't know what in the hell they think we should do. (especially in the middle of Montana)
On the bright side of things, I am babysitting 3 pre-teens today and we are making cupcakes and frosting thanks to the wonderful recipes at A Cuppy Cake Life. I absolutely love all the delicous ideas shown there. The funny part is that the kids do not know that I replace the oil with applesauce to make them healthier. The hubba wubba and I will be making rhubarb cupcakes soon from the fresh rhubarb in our backyard. (yea!!!)
How do you get out of your funks? I would love to hear from everyone, I am hoping these cupcakes will help with mine!!!
I am linking up with New Friend Friday at DillyDally and Flitter
Monday, June 7, 2010
Baby on the move!
Yep, my little 10 month old Olivia is on the move- she is walking!!! I seriously can not keep up with her. She is cruising all over the place, making one mess after another. This is definitely a fun, but tiring age! I am trying all sorts of new activities with her, trying to expose her to new things- but she just doesn't seem to be interested unless it goes in her mouth, which I must say is not the best place for sidewalk chalk. Needless to say, I think I was jumping the gun a little bit on that one.
I am stuck in limbo and I hate it, the hubba wubba applied for a job back home that would move him up in the company and give him a pay raise. I am hesitant to admit that I am now sure if that's what I want to do. I would love to be near my family, but I feel like it has taken me until just now (1 1/2 yrs since we moved to our current town) to finally have a social life, friends, obligations, etc., etc. I am not so sure I want to start all over again, I am not friends with the same people I used to be friends with back home, so if we moved back, I would be starting from square 1 all over again. I also love where we live now, it is so cheap to live here, it's beautiful here with mountains and rivers everywhere, there is virtually no crime and an incredible school dept here.


Theses are pictures I took of the town where I live- It is so breath taking-ly gorgeous here!
I really just want to know what I need to plan for, I hate the "not knowing", and the hubba wubba still has not heard anything on the job since he applied- the job has been closed for application for over a week now! I am losing my mind stressing over this.
On a side note, I scored at the garage sales this week-
getting cool used new stuff = priceless!
Well that's all for now because I really need to get cleaning because I have cousins coming into town tomorrow, I will be back later though to post a recipe for my delicious whole wheat banana pancakes with strawberry topping! I just made them this morning and the hubba wubba even like them which says a lot because he hates it when I want pancakes for breakfast!
I am stuck in limbo and I hate it, the hubba wubba applied for a job back home that would move him up in the company and give him a pay raise. I am hesitant to admit that I am now sure if that's what I want to do. I would love to be near my family, but I feel like it has taken me until just now (1 1/2 yrs since we moved to our current town) to finally have a social life, friends, obligations, etc., etc. I am not so sure I want to start all over again, I am not friends with the same people I used to be friends with back home, so if we moved back, I would be starting from square 1 all over again. I also love where we live now, it is so cheap to live here, it's beautiful here with mountains and rivers everywhere, there is virtually no crime and an incredible school dept here.


Theses are pictures I took of the town where I live- It is so breath taking-ly gorgeous here!I really just want to know what I need to plan for, I hate the "not knowing", and the hubba wubba still has not heard anything on the job since he applied- the job has been closed for application for over a week now! I am losing my mind stressing over this.
On a side note, I scored at the garage sales this week-
- 2 pairs of Gap jeans for $4
- huge play dough set with play dough toys $5
- alphabet and number magnets $1
- interactive play mat $1
- steam carpet cleaner $20
- 2 pairs of Jeans for Olivia .50 cents
- awesome cat scratcher $2
- 2 summer outfits for Olivia $2
- set of thank you cards $1
getting cool used new stuff = priceless!
Well that's all for now because I really need to get cleaning because I have cousins coming into town tomorrow, I will be back later though to post a recipe for my delicious whole wheat banana pancakes with strawberry topping! I just made them this morning and the hubba wubba even like them which says a lot because he hates it when I want pancakes for breakfast!
Friday, June 4, 2010
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
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
Pics of latest finished project
I found an old magazine rack/table at a garage sale with several layer of nasty mustard yellow paint on it and decided I needed a bedside table. The hubba wubba has always had one but I never got around to getting one, so I jumped at the opportunity to be a crafty DIY and made myself a table. After a lot of chipping, sanding and painting- I was finished!
some sort of paper was glued on over the yellow paint, so I chipped that off....
Then I chipped the yellow paint off and revealed the wood which had some sort of design in it, but it was uneven so I sanded it down....
and painted it with a beautiful raspberry color which I liked because it's truly the only girl element in our bedroom (but I plan on slowly sneaking it in here and there)
some sort of paper was glued on over the yellow paint, so I chipped that off....
Then I chipped the yellow paint off and revealed the wood which had some sort of design in it, but it was uneven so I sanded it down....
and painted it with a beautiful raspberry color which I liked because it's truly the only girl element in our bedroom (but I plan on slowly sneaking it in here and there)

Yep, It's Friday again!!! Unfortunately, the hubba wubba will be gone fishing for the weekend. That seems to be a common occurrence these days, but I have a fun BBQ to go to and plan on making an earring holder out of a picture frame. Fridays also mean New Friend Friday over at The Girl Creative which excites me because I always love meeting new bloggers and coming up with new craft and DIY ideas.
I am super excited at some killer deals that I got at a garage sale this morning! Two pairs of Gap jeans for $4 and a nifty cat scratcher for $2 and of course I can't seem to stop buying my darling Olivia clothes!!! She has more clothes than me and the hubba wubba combined, I swear that is no lie!
I will post more later, seeing as how my child is screaming and won't take her nap but check back because I am going to be posting about fun activites for babies and young toddlers in the summer!!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Baby Cuddles, Baby Tantrums, and Dirty Diapers
Well hello- It has been almost a week since I have posted anything so I am sorry for being absent. It has just been super busy around here, I am on a Relay for Life team and we are cracking down to finish raising enough money to meet our goal, and thankfully we are almost there!
Olivia has changed so much in the last few weeks, she is attempting to walk, talk, and basically get into everything that she is not supposed too. She has also recently been the biggest cuddlebug ever which just melts my heart that she would much rather cuddle with me than play with giant mess of toys laying on the floor. I know every Mom can relate to that feeling- the one that lets you know that you are their special person, the one who will make everything better, the one that will love them no matter what, the one that they can go to for anything. It is an amazing feeling and while I cry everytime I have to pack away the clothes that don't fit her anymore, I also look forward to having an amazing relationship with my daughter as she grows older.
On the other hand, she is learning to protest which is sooooo frustrating, but I must admit it's also a tad cute when she stomps her feet or throws her food. It takes everything in me to not laugh at her because I don't want to encourage her bad behavior but it is absolutely hilarious that this tiny little 10 month old can have such a giant attitude chock full of sassy-ness.
Weight Watchers is going great, 2 weeks into it and almost 6 lbs down- and that was even after being bad during Memorial Day weekend. My new firepit was just begging me to make not one, but three smores!
Now onto the dirty diapers, I really want to switch over to cloth diapers and I know I sound like a broken record because I think I have asked this same thing before but I don't even know where to start. There are so many different options, prices, sizes, etc. and I would love to hear from someone who started using cloth diapers when their children were around 1 yr old. My research into the matter has led me to believe that there is a huge difference in buying cloth for a newborn as compared to an almost toddler. So, please comment if you have any information on CD.
Olivia has changed so much in the last few weeks, she is attempting to walk, talk, and basically get into everything that she is not supposed too. She has also recently been the biggest cuddlebug ever which just melts my heart that she would much rather cuddle with me than play with giant mess of toys laying on the floor. I know every Mom can relate to that feeling- the one that lets you know that you are their special person, the one who will make everything better, the one that will love them no matter what, the one that they can go to for anything. It is an amazing feeling and while I cry everytime I have to pack away the clothes that don't fit her anymore, I also look forward to having an amazing relationship with my daughter as she grows older.
On the other hand, she is learning to protest which is sooooo frustrating, but I must admit it's also a tad cute when she stomps her feet or throws her food. It takes everything in me to not laugh at her because I don't want to encourage her bad behavior but it is absolutely hilarious that this tiny little 10 month old can have such a giant attitude chock full of sassy-ness.
Weight Watchers is going great, 2 weeks into it and almost 6 lbs down- and that was even after being bad during Memorial Day weekend. My new firepit was just begging me to make not one, but three smores!
Now onto the dirty diapers, I really want to switch over to cloth diapers and I know I sound like a broken record because I think I have asked this same thing before but I don't even know where to start. There are so many different options, prices, sizes, etc. and I would love to hear from someone who started using cloth diapers when their children were around 1 yr old. My research into the matter has led me to believe that there is a huge difference in buying cloth for a newborn as compared to an almost toddler. So, please comment if you have any information on CD.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Woo Hoo!!! I am on my way to being SKINNY!!
Not that being skinny is what matters because just being healthy is enough for me, but I have always had a very large, muscular frame. I was never the tiny girl who could wear anything. I have boobs and I have a butt and I have hips, but I would love to be smaller. One week ago, I started weight watchers. I weighed in on Tuesday and I am down almost 4lbs in one week. I am so excited about this! I have learned a lot in the last week about myself and my eating habits. For one, I never realized just how big my portions were, I now measure and stop myself after 1 serving and evaluate how I feel after that. Second of all, I never noticed how I ate out of pure boredom. As a stay at home mommy to an almost 10 month old, I realized just how often I would snack on whatever she was eating and when I was bored, I would immediately go to the kitchen to solve my boredom issue. I have been getting outside a lot more and taking ms. Olivia to the park and going for walks, which really keeps me from getting bored and being stuck inside.
If you are interested in weight watchers, click here.
disclaimer: The opinions in this blog about weight watchers are solely my own and I have not been asked or paid to say anything about the company.
If you are interested in weight watchers, click here.
disclaimer: The opinions in this blog about weight watchers are solely my own and I have not been asked or paid to say anything about the company.
Monday, May 24, 2010
I like change
I have always seen change as a good thing, which you would be able to tell if you saw how often I rotated my toenail and hair colors. Well, not so much anymore since I am busy chasing around a mischievous 9 month old but back in the day, my hair was pretty freaking awesome. I am thinking of going super blonde this time but I am undecided, but that is not the reason I am on the subject of change. (sorry I got sidetracked)
The hubba wubba is applying for a better position within the company he works for and it would be located right where we came from, the place we grew up and call home, the place that houses our daughter's 3 sets of grandparents, the place that we met and fell in love, the place we love to camp, hunt, and fish- so on and so forth, I think you get the point. It would be a pay raise, and I could go back to the college that I love so much and finally finish my degree. So, I am seriously hoping he gets this job so I can finally have some family and babysitters (aka- the grandparents). I like change, and I think this would be a good change so keep your fingers crossed!!!!
Olivia is also changing so much, she almost (gasp!!) 10 months old and is starting to stand on her own and trying to walk. Lately she points at everything she wants and tries to say "kitty cat", "cheese", and mama and dada. I can't believe she is almost 1 yr old, time flies when they are so young. There are a few instances that typically occur in life that remind me that no matter how many times someone tells you, you will never understand until you are there. This is one of those instances, my parent's always used to tell me how it seemed like just yesterday that they were bringing me home from the hospital- I used to blow them off like "whatever, I am ___yrs old, I am almost an adult."
Now, I know what they mean. I look back and it feels like yesterday that I was just making mud pies, or it was just yesterday that I got a car, or it was just yesterday that I graduated highschool even though I'm pretty sure it was light yrs ago. I am doing my best to document every moment of it I can and to never forget her childhood, and yes I will tell her on every single birthday that it feels like just yesterday I held her in my arms and hugged, kissed, and smelled every crevice of her little newborn body. She will understand someday when it's her turn, but until then she will just tell me "whatever".
Tomorrow is weigh in time at weight watchers and I am a little nervous although I think I have been doing good. I must give a big shout out to the hubba wubba for his cooperation with my newly adapted eating and drinking habits, he has been so supportive and has been cooking so healthy (yes, he cook and I don't). Dear Hubba wubba, you must be warned that I will be mad if you lose more weight than I do in the process- so keep on snacking at work and stop pretending like you are trying to eat healthy like me- you have been warned!!!
I will update tomorrow if my efforts on Weight Watchers have been rewarded.
The hubba wubba is applying for a better position within the company he works for and it would be located right where we came from, the place we grew up and call home, the place that houses our daughter's 3 sets of grandparents, the place that we met and fell in love, the place we love to camp, hunt, and fish- so on and so forth, I think you get the point. It would be a pay raise, and I could go back to the college that I love so much and finally finish my degree. So, I am seriously hoping he gets this job so I can finally have some family and babysitters (aka- the grandparents). I like change, and I think this would be a good change so keep your fingers crossed!!!!
Olivia is also changing so much, she almost (gasp!!) 10 months old and is starting to stand on her own and trying to walk. Lately she points at everything she wants and tries to say "kitty cat", "cheese", and mama and dada. I can't believe she is almost 1 yr old, time flies when they are so young. There are a few instances that typically occur in life that remind me that no matter how many times someone tells you, you will never understand until you are there. This is one of those instances, my parent's always used to tell me how it seemed like just yesterday that they were bringing me home from the hospital- I used to blow them off like "whatever, I am ___yrs old, I am almost an adult."
Now, I know what they mean. I look back and it feels like yesterday that I was just making mud pies, or it was just yesterday that I got a car, or it was just yesterday that I graduated highschool even though I'm pretty sure it was light yrs ago. I am doing my best to document every moment of it I can and to never forget her childhood, and yes I will tell her on every single birthday that it feels like just yesterday I held her in my arms and hugged, kissed, and smelled every crevice of her little newborn body. She will understand someday when it's her turn, but until then she will just tell me "whatever".
Tomorrow is weigh in time at weight watchers and I am a little nervous although I think I have been doing good. I must give a big shout out to the hubba wubba for his cooperation with my newly adapted eating and drinking habits, he has been so supportive and has been cooking so healthy (yes, he cook and I don't). Dear Hubba wubba, you must be warned that I will be mad if you lose more weight than I do in the process- so keep on snacking at work and stop pretending like you are trying to eat healthy like me- you have been warned!!!
I will update tomorrow if my efforts on Weight Watchers have been rewarded.
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