Pinterest...how I love thee:)

I know many people now that are addicted to this site...

not mine...rather...Pinterest...(good grief, I can't imagine anyone being "addicted" to MY site for heaven's sake...we're lucky if I get post up here once every 2 weeks or so...it would be a SAD addiction to say the least...but I'm getting off track...)

We celebrated the last school day of 2011 today...and with that comes school sing a longs...fun treats...goofy games and "teacher gifts"...

Seeing as I am often up WAYYY later than I should be, I tend to spend time looking for more ideas to keep me up even longer...it's a never-ending cycle...

A month or so, ago, I saw this idea and thought it would be fun...so I "Pinned" it and kept it in the forefront of my mind...so that when "today" came, I was ready to get started...

All you need is:
*a shadow box
*a piece of heavy paper (card stock, old Creative Memories scrapbook pages, etc)
*box of crayons (i got the box orf 48 just to be sure)
*glue (I used Elmer's stick glue)
*a sharp kitchen knife
*ribbon, if you want:)

Basically, I just traced the letter on my paper, lightly with pencil...Then I put glue down in about a quarter of the "O" and started laying crayons in there as I'd like to see them...I then drew, with pencil again, ON the crayon where I needed to cut off the excess.  I'd take once crayon off the glue at a time, cut off the ends, and then stick it back in place.  Just did that all the way around...

I put ribbon around the edges because the paper wouldn't fit to the edge and I wanted to cover it up. 

That's about it...it took about an hour (but that's because Peanut wanted to "HELP" me do it...and as you know, sometime the "helping" makes for a longer work time:)

But it turned out like this:

With Sweetpea's teacher, I figured with being a 4th grade teacher, she'd need something other than crayons...I thought about doing this same thing with pencils, but I'm thinking that a kitchen knife ain't gonna cut it (Pun Intended)

I've always loved Alphabet Photography, but have often been frustrated with my inability to "see letters in nature"..I try, but it just ain't happenin'...so, I tried to be creative...

After a couple cups of coffee, the idea hit me around midnight:)  I just started making letters out of school supplies...then I'd take pictures of them and spelled out Sweetpea's teacher's name...I used her little Mary Janes for the first letter just so she felt like it made it bit more personal...

I'm telling you...it's AMAZING what you can put together in photoshop:)
Here's what it looks like in the frame:

I stole lots of ideas from Pinterest for this last day of parties:)

So...all this to say...if you haven't discovered Pinterest yet...you might want to check it out...

Pippa I am NOT:(

Today, I am failing miserably...as I have recently endeavored to emmulate the fashion sense of Pippa Middleton...oh to be savvy and chic...

But, as I donned my oversized snowman earrings and snowman pin the size of the palm of my hand...gifts given from zealous students throughout the years...

Well...in the words of my 4 year old, "Mommy, you look amazing!"

So, I won't be gracing the front of People magazine, nor will I snag a whistle or jealous eyes from Kardashian lovers...

but today...my babies will think I'm the coolest ever!!!

What to do when you don't have a buffer...

Um...excuse me?  What in the world are you talking about with a post title like that?

Here's the way I see it...We are a household of girls...(minus daddy, but for this story/analogy/whatever you want to call it, he doesn't count...no offense sweetheart, but in order to count for this you have to be a child)

You see, we have drama...D.R.A.M.A. in our house...pretty much daily...oh, we've got the tears, the roller coaster of emotions, the "that's not fair" and then some more tears...

We've got the happy too...but, the tears are what get me...it's as if the world is coming to an end as we know it...because someone's hair is out of place...

Now, had we a boy in the mix...who may happen upon "drama" at certain times of growing up...there would be a point where you'd say to the young lad, "hey, mary, quit the crying!"  He'd probably look at you shocked, and then smirk and realize that he needs to get a grip...and in the midst of "sisters", he'd be the buffer...

You don't do this with girls...you don't DARE do this with my girls...it just makes things worse...

Well...as you can imagine all these hormones can have a toll on everyone...especially Daddy...

That's why we let him go grocery shopping at 8pm on weekdays every so often, while we try to get showered and in bed...

It's also why we've decided that amidst our princess dresses, dolls, polly pockets, calico critters, and all things pink and purple...we'd throw some "manly" legos into the bunch.

We bought our first lego set 2 years ago while in Chicago...it's a Christmas set (and since we have so many traditions already, why not throw another one in the pot)

Italian Stallion went out and purchased Christmas set #2 this afternoon and we got to work on it immediately...we had just finished the first set on Sunday...

It just goes to show you that you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink...

Oh, Italian Stallion had the booklet of directions out...he was all into the sorting and the calculations of how things go together...what he failed to remember, was that he was working with daughters that were birthed from his wife...miss A.D.D. and high hormone levels herself:)

So while he diligently tried to keep us on track...

We sorta went off and did our own thing...oh sure, we had to take things apart a million times before we got it right (because we just tossed those directions aside)...we had fun...especially playing with the peoples:)

 Sweetpea and I made this one strictly by looking at the box:)  ha ha Daddy:)

 We make sure that we get "hair" for the people and then designate who is who...see me...the one with the camera???

Since we don't have a "brother" to be our buffer...we hope that by introducing things other than jewelry and stuffed animals, that maybe some of that...I don't know...LESS DRAMA will rub off...

So far, we've managed to create large messes on our family room floor and frustrate Daddy with our squealing and not following the directions:) 

He may not admit it though...there are moments...and it is quite fun!

All I want for christmas...

Okay...not ALL I want for christmas...but...

I've determined that I need THIS for Christmas...and if not for Christmas, then just a "hey, just because you are you" type of gift...and here are some reasons why:

1) My memory STINKS...I can't stay on task if my life depended on it...(okay, maybe if my LIFE depended on it) but, in normal situations where I have to change over the laundry before it starts to smell...or wash the pots and pans so I can actually cook a meal...make sure I have shampoo/conditioner in the shower BEFORE I get all wet, even though I've "reminded" myself a gazillion times to get it out of the grocery bag in the bedroom!!! UGH

2) My brain thinks faster than my hand can write/type...infact, I get these GREAT ideas for blogs...oh, while I'm in the car or in the middle of making the bed...most of the time, I just sort of "zone out" (not while driving of course) and "think" about the blog I could write...and "in my mind", I am a PHENOMENAL writer...I mean, the way I weave words...it's amazing, LET ME TELL YOU!  By the time I can get myself in front of a computer, however, #1 kicks in and I can't remember anything that I just "wrote" in my head. 

And so, you all have to suffer through these lovely attempts at blogging in the hopes that I can put together coherent sentences and use big girl words instead of my daily conversations with my 4 year old which consists of, "Mommy, I have to go pee...so I'm going to go to the potty and then we can talk and then you can come help me and can I have macaroni and cheese and some pop? but I want a cookie too...could I have that and then let's color!"  (I don't know where she gets that steady stream of non-sensical words that flow from her mouth in what seems like a never-ending sentence)

And so, I thought...HEY, wouldn't it be great if I just had a little hand held thingy (great use of big girl words I KNOW) where I could just flip it on and record my thoughts.  I might actually achieve some "funny" (I'm VERY funny in my own head...whilst driving and listening to Little Munchkin sing Tangled songs over and over again) OR, perhaps my paragraphs would go together and there were be this "flow" to each post...wouldn't THAT be something? 

However, I do NOT have this device currently and once again, my brain has completely switched gears on me and I can't think of anything else to write...except that now I am remembering that there are 2 baskets of clothes in my laundry room and I'm not sure if I put away the leftovers from dinner and I KNOW FOR SURE that I didn't put the sheets on my bed and my hubby is heading there now...dang...gotta run..

CAUTION: p90x causes acid reflux...

apparantly the ab ripper and mason twist can do some major "twisting" of your insides as well...

Okay...so I suppose the accusations are a bit harsh...especially to all my die hard Beach body friends...

Believe me, it was a hard blow for me too...I've tried doing p90x 3 different times...the first time I fractured my leg, the 2nd and 3rd time left me thinking I either had throat cancer or was having a heart attack...

Turns out, it's just a form of acid reflux caused by the extreme straining and twisting of my body trying to achieve those killer abs...I think my dear Italian Stallion is going to have to get used to seein' a little muffin top from here on out...

And really, it just means that there is more of me to love...

Now granted, my doctor didn't tell me that I couldn't exercise at all...she "might" have said that cardio workouts are still just fine...however, I may or may not have just spaced out there in my absolute delight of discovering that I didn't have cancer (that and the fact that I probably have some ADD issues...but that's a whole 'nother story)

I'm not trying to make humor at a cancer diagnosis'...I'm one of those people that when something goes "awry" in my daily life, my mind just goes there...do not pass GO, do not collect $200...it goes straight to the worst case scenario.  It's a gift I have:)

So anyway, currently I AM able to swallow without feeling like I have a golfball lodged in my throat and I can eat without jerking my head & neck in a weird directions as if having a seizure, without calling attention to myself in the middle of a restaurant where my husband needs to give me the STARE as if to say, "Oh my goodness, would you stop that and just take a sip of WATER!"

I still have those "ghost pains" of where the swallowing and "wake me out of dead sleep in the middle of the night" pains WERE...back when it was hurting so badly that I assumed I had cancer (are you getting the picture here...I can tell you, I am a PEACH to live with!!!)

So, we'll see if the meds work...of course, I'll be the one eating my Christmas cookies and NOT working out, so I don't expect to be feeling anything other than overweight and "sugar-fied" for the next month anyway:)  The doctor did say that if the pain came back that I'd have to have some type of "scope" thing...I didn't want her to elaborate on that "possibility"...I already have my own imagined "nightmares"... so,I don't need "reality" hitting me upside the head as well...

Just thought I'd let you know what was up with me...we're still knee deep in all our advent traditions and getting excited to see loved ones very soon...hope your December is everything you hoped it would be!

More Traditions

We started a new tradition this year in our home…it’s quickly becoming one of my girls’ favorites…

I’ve developed more of a love/hate relationship with it…at least just this first year…

Let’s face it, Italian Stallion told me yesterday that at this rate, it’s going to take us 2 months to get through the 25 days of Advent with all the “new” traditions I keep adding…

We’ve read the Advent book from the start, along with “gifts to God” at Christmas time…we’ve read the books, watched the DVDs, all trying to focus on the true meaning of Christmas and not get caught up with everything else…

On the flip side, I know that there is evidence that Jesus was into celebrations and fun and friends. So, I also don’t want to get so “opposed” to that other “man-made” side of Christmas that it becomes a “oh boy, Mommy’s taken over the bandwagon again”

Anyway, in my quest to make sure that our hearts are in the right place and our focus is first centered where it ought to be this season, I added another “tradition” to our (apparently already full) plate of activities during Advent.

Our neighbor friends let us borrow this little Advent door thing…my idea wasn’t that we’d be somber in reading each night…but I also wasn’t planning to create “fun” activities…My purpose, I suppose, was to create ways that we could just spend a few extra moments together as a family, talking, praying, laughing…(and to also do something so that each child had a “job” on that specific Advent night…therefore we have the 1)door opener of the advent book 2) door opener of the Advent house and 3)chain ripper for the countdown...because I'm all about the let's not argue about whose turn it is please FAIR)

Each night, there is a small piece of candy for whomever's turn it is to open the “house” door. There is also a note to be read…(this is where the love/hate thing comes in) I LOVE being creative…however, trying to come up with 25 ideas to write on these notes, has proved itself to be more difficult than I imagined. We have prayed together as a family, we’ve read a Christmas book, created our own Mad Lib for Christmas, raced daddy in a Christmas wordsearch, listened to a Christmas song before bed, went around and told about our favorite ornament…

I’ve read about other ideas, but sometimes it’s just more involved than I am wanting…I am looking for QUICK, but meaningful…FUN, but poignant…

We’ve already completed 8 days. I can’t believe we’re this close to Christmas already. It’s actually done a good job on me in that I am not feeling the “stress” of the season so much…at this point, I’m more worried about what I will write for the little note behind door number 9.

Preparing...Decorating...Sending...Hurrying:)

This season always brings with it a mix of pure thankfulness, joy and anticipation...coupled with anxiety, travel, and eating:)

(I had to put the eating in there because I can't seem to keep my hands off the goodies this time of year! UGH)

Anyway, things have definitely slowed down from the whole Photography aspect, but just when that was being put on the back burner, December got here:) 

I love the traditions that my family has created...I mentioned one of them in the previous post...just the whole "choppin' down the tree" thing.  It's fun and it brings a sense of security and familiarity to the season. 

I am glad for all that we do...the focus on Advent...the stories of the ornaments...seeing the Nutcracker...the live nativity...concerts and performances...traveling to see family...church services...fellowship and parties...

It's a festive and fun time of year...but, it comes with it's share of time consuming activities and, if I care to admit it, just plain "draining" situations...

However, before I find myself going into a rendition of "woe is me"...I want to be sure that I keep my perspective right...YES: it's a fact that we're going to have to pack up the kiddos and travel more this month...YES: it's a fact that my heart is going to be heavy with all the hurt that is out there this time of year & what seemingly little I can do to help...YES: it's a fact that it takes planning and purposed determination to parent and model what this season is all about during the entire month of Advent...YES: it's a fact that I'll be up late and up early (well, at least early in MY definition of early...but I won't get into that because Italian Stallion will definitely have something to say about it seeing as he gets up before 6am daily...but I am the one currently at the keyboard, so MY words get to grace the screen...and by golly, I wake up EARLY for ME!)

However, it's also a fact that I have a choice of how I'm going to "see" Christmas this year...how Advent will "look through my eyes"...Often, I get anxious or just tired...and I'll admit, I get caught up in everything else...

But, it's the times that I choose to live in the moment that has been given and appreciate where we are right now...it's those times that I love this time of year all the more...

My girls having such a special heart for setting out the Nativity...

The together-time with their cousins and Nana when they will go to see the Nutcracker...

The ornaments that all have their story and the memories ...we sit and share about them as we hang them on the tree...

The Preparation for Advent...the performances...it all leads to one thing...

We're memorizing a verse in Ephesians this week as a family...You might be familiar with it? 
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. And Love your neighbor as yourself"...

I need to keep remembering that it's all because of LOVE and a desire for a relationship that we have Christmas in the first place...

I'm not trying to make Christmas somber and boring...I'm all about the fun and the making of memories...but, I also don't want my heart to be so heavy with worry or just anything else that sometimes creeps in...I suppose it's different for everyone. 

Lord, may I keep my eyes straight and my heart focused...may I find genuine joy in what I have been given and model that to my girlies:) 

Happy Christmas...the countdown has begun!!!