HAPPY NEW YEARS!

Here I sit on New Year’s Eve writing this at 9:30pm.  I could be at a party with friends, but since my hubby is out of town, I opted to just stay in this year.  I think we did the same thing last year too.  That’s what happens the older you get.  My daughter who just turned 16 is here with me…but not by choice.  She really wanted to go out and do something tonight but it just seemed like there wasn’t much going on.  I’m nut too keen on her just finding the fun either.  I’m that mean mom that won’t just let my kids joyride around town with no real purpose.  There’s just too much down time in which things can happen.

Tomorrow starts a new year!!  I am sooo glad for that!  I am more than ready to put 2010 behind me!  We had a lot of things happen over the past year, some good, some bad.

As you know, with the new year brings changes or dare I say….resolutions!

I don’t usually make resolutions.  To me they are just things to keep you busy and miserable the first two weeks of January and then you are back to your old routine.  I am going to attempt to make some changes to my life this year though.  I am REALLY hoping that they last more than the week or two that statistics show, but it’s going to take some hard work on my part.  Here are my “ambitions” in no particular order.

1.  Get our finances in order!  I don’t know about you but moving a little over a year ago and tackling a bigger mortgage really whacked us harder than I thought.  It could be that we never really “tightened” things up like we said we would and now we’re paying for it.  Add to that the wedding that we paid for in December.  It was beautiful, but I’m glad it’s over!  Yeah…we’re also that family that needs to pay down debt BIG TIME!  The good thing is that with my hubby’s yearly bonus we can hopefully knock that out the window really soon!  Freeing up that money and being able to SAVE it will be sooooo nice.  My hubby and I both like to spend money but this year we are going to re-implement Dave Ramsey’s plan and “SAVE”.  Along with this would obviously be creating a budget and STICKING TO IT!  I need an accountability partner though.  Anyone up for that?!?!

2.  Focus on our marriage!  My dear hubby and I have taken the back seat to everything lately and it’s really starting to show in our marriage.  We are still each other’s best friends, BUT we nag and pick on each other ALL OF THE TIME!  I’m home all day with kids and need a break and he works all the time and needs a break.  We both need a break with each other.  It is my goal to take at least one day a month to focus on just us!  I’m thinking it’s going to move mountains and make a big difference.  Think about it…I think we went on two dates this year {my memory is bad, but I seriously think that’s all it was}.  This year my goal is to have 12 DATES!!  I don’t know if I can fathom the thought of that!  I’m sure going to enjoy every minute of it though!

3.  Spend quality family time together.  This kind of goes hand in hand with my marriage.  It’s the same thing…we get so busy trying to run a house that we forget to spend quality time with each other.  I am not here to entertain my kids, but I can promise that we are going to do more than just sit at home all of the time.  I think we take boredom to a new level sometimes.  Don’t get me wrong…I don’t want to run all of the time and always have to have something for my kids to do.  My goal is for once a month {just like with my hubby} that we will have an intentional family day!  I’m open to suggestions that will fit into our “saving” frame of mind financially.

4.  Cutting sugar out of our diet!  This is going to be a REALLY HARD one for me {and James}.  I am addicted to sugar.  NO SERIOUSLY….I have loved sugar since I can remember and it’s in everything that I put in my mouth it seems.  It’s not hard for me to finish a case of pop in a few days.  And coffee…yeah we have a loving relationship.  Do I need to mention all of the junk food….probably not.  Me saying, “I have a sweet tooth” is an understatement.  There should seriously be a support group for people like me.  I’m going to go into some major withdrawals I think.  I have to do it though!  For my health and the health of my family!  I could go on and on about why we ALL need to give up sugar but I’ll let you Google that on your own.  You’ll be reading for days.

5.  Refocus with God.  I stopped going to church a few years ago when our Pastor moved and just haven’t been back.  I am glad to say that two weeks ago I visited a new church and am anxious to get into it.  I don’t feel that I can do any of the above if I don’t focus on putting God first.  He will give our family the strength to take care of our finances, go on those dates when we just want to stay home and “veg”, and conquer my cravings for anything sugar and ultimately bad for my body.  All of those things I can only accomplish through him.  I will make it a priority to lean on him and go to him for all of my strength.  This will be a process but it is one that I am greatly looking forward to!

There you have it.  My list of resolutions, goals, ambitions, whatever you want to call it.  What’s on your list?

Until next time, I hope that you are staying safe and *warm* tonight!

The GRANDEST Giveaway EVER!!

I am seriously excited about this giveaway...BUT....I would be even more excited about this

IF I WON!!!!

If you don't know already,

I LOVE VINYL!!! 

You know that stuff all over the crafting world that people put on walls, cars, decorations, you name it!

LITTLE MISS MOMMA is hosting the GRANDEST giveaway by Silhouette, that I have seen in a long time!

Do you know that those little vinyl cutting machines cost a lot of MONEY?!?!
$299 to be exact.

I don’t know about you, but that is not in my budget and if my husband has any say…

IT NEVER WILL BE!

This is where LITTLE MISS MOMMA comes in!

I would love to win one of these babies for free!

I’M GOING FOR IT!!!

I’ll even promise to make you some vinyl if I get one!

If you want your own chance to win one {just don’t be mad if I win it} go HERE.  If YOU don’t win, you can purchase one at $175 off.  Little Miss Momma shows you how to do that too.

Go check it out!!

{I REALLY hope that I win – I’m just saying}

 

Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of my friends!

Starting tomorrow, I'm going to be UBER busy!  Suffice it to say, I won't be around to do any posts.

Our home is looking a lot like Christmas right now.

Even if it doesn't feel like it.

Is it just me, or has the season snuck up on everyone else, as it did me.

Among the Christmas pretties, this is what the rest of my house looks like.

JUST KEEPING IT REAL!

Sink full of dishes, even though I've already done then about four times today!

I can blame it on Christmas baking but my sink isn't usually one of those that you find empty.

There are usually dirty dishes of some sort in it.

Yeah, this is from cookie making.

And the computer was for recipes, blog hopping, you know all that stuff.

That glue gun - crafting.

Christmas cards on the counter - THAT NEVER GOT MAILED. 

Amidst me doing other things, the kids get to destroy my house.  This is a small 2x2 foot section of my living room.  I'm not crazy enough to show you the rest of it.  Let's just say, the kids like to bring ALL of their legos, army men, guns, books, hot wheels, pillows, you name it, to the living room.

We usually do a power sweep through before dad walks in the door from work, but it doesn't last long.

Like the kitchen sink, there are ALWAYS toys on my living room floor. 

And the kids' room.  Here is Parker's!  He likes to pull all of his toys out and not put them back.

The good thing is that if I help him, he does like to help clean up.

I'm lazy and tired tonight though so his room stayed looking like this until tomorrow.

At which time, we'll be swamped with Christmas, gifts, guests, yada, yada, yada.

It won't get cleaned I am sure until....Sunday.  If I feel like it.

I'm just being real!

Oh yeah....here are two crafts that I worked on today too!

LOVE my SUBWAY ART from Makia Creations!

This holds a 4x6 photo with the aide of a miniature clothes pin.

CUTE!!

{there might just be a  tutorial in the near future for this project}

There you have it!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I pray that you all enjoy the season and don't forget the reason!

Coming Clean and A Social Network Christmas

Have I become a fraud!?  I think not.  I'm coming clean!!

This sums me up perfectly...for anyone out there that was wondering...

I am just a REGULAR girl.

A WIFE who loves her HUSBAND, but doesn’t always show it.

A MOM who adores her BABIES, but runs out of patience.

A FRIEND who cherishes her GIRLS, but forgets to return calls.

A PERSON so energized by being CREATIVE, but not without dry spells.

I am a HOMEMAKER who would rather rearrange furniture than dust it, repaint a bathroom than clean it, eat out than sit down and plan meals.

AND - let us all not MISS what Christmas is about!  I think it's amazing that with all of the hype about getting Christ out of America, he still finds his way, even with today's social media! 

Two Firsts!

Salt Dough Ornaments are a first in our family.  I am 34 years old and have never made them...that I can remember.  The recipe that I found online was very simple.  You really should try it.  This kids had a blast decorating them! 1/2 cup salt 1/2 cup water 1 cup flour I doubled the recipe just so that I made sure I had enough ornaments for the kids to decorate.  I didn't count, but I think it was the perfect amount.  Mix the above together and then knead together for about 7-10 minutes on a floured counter.  Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters.  I have some old fashioned cookie cutters that we used that worked perfectly.  Bake at 200 degrees for 4-6 hours or overnight.  You are just trying to get all the moisture out of them. We are going to be giving some these away so I let the kids draw on them with marker.  If you have polyurethane you can coat them in that to make sure that they last for years to come.  I didn't.  I'm not sure how long mine will last.  I'll have to get back with you on that one next year.

Make your own free scrapbook

My second first is, sharing our photos through a virtual scrapbook.  I'm not sure how this is going to work and, most importantly, if my readers are going to like it.  I LOVE taking pics of things that my kids do and can easily take a kabillion in one sitting.  Of course I want to show them all to you but posting them on a blog post can take forever and you know, just might not be very appealing to the eye.  So I opted to make a virtual scrapbook.  Hopefully you will click the link and check out the pics.  If you don't like it this way, please tell me and I'll go back to the old way of posting pics.  If you do like it, tell me that too.

I also like the fact that I am not only sharing my scrapbook pages with you, but when I create them, I can print them out and insert them into our "actual" scrapbook.  Maybe doing it this way will help me get caught up on my scrapbooking.  If I am only scrabooking a couple of things at a time to show you, it may not make the task seem so insurmountable.

What Is Going On?!

The last few months have been a blur.

I promise I'll get back to blogging.

I have a lot of things that I "think" about blogging, but just don't have the energy to do it.

It should be a season of happiness and family togetherness and joy.

Yet for my hubby and I, it's the season of Bah Humbug.

There's no other way to put it.

I could  bore you with details, but it wouldn't matter.

I'd still be fighting to just make it through another day,

And I'd probably scare you away and you'd never visit my blog again.

So, until we get out of our "funk",

please accept my measly attempts at blogging.

I can't even motivate myself to get my house in order.

I WANT to sleep all day.

{even though I can't with kids}

I have a mile long list of things that need to be done,

but it sits and waits.

No energy, no motivation, and no desire.

I'm crabby with my kids.

I'm crabby with my hubby.

I'm ready to move to the next phase in my life,

and get out of this slump.

:(

On a positive note...

{and my attempt to think more positively},

I believe this is a "valley" that our family is in,

We will be on our mountain soon!

{although, I'll take a hill if that's all we can get right now.}

Crafting At It's Finest...

My first Craft Group was a BLAST!

The crafts from MAKIA CREATIONS are amazing!

The quality of them was well worth the money invested.

If you missed it, no fear!

I am going to host one every month!

Sanding away...

 

Applying some vinyl...{I love that stuff!}

 

It's MOD PODGE time!

 

Here is my finished project; the Christmas Countdown!  All of the sides of blocks have different numbers and different paper.  It just so happened that we put the "1's" on similar papers.  I maybe should have thought that out a little more {maybe it's just my OCD coming out}.  There were papers with red print and I would have preferred that there was some red showing at all times {it is my favorite color after all}.

 

Here is a Snowman that holds pictures!  There is a scarf {ribbon} that goes around his neck.  I took the pic too soon - the scarf totally "dresses" him though.  He is CUTE!

 

This is our magnet board that isn't quite finished yet.  This guest did two projects and so we threw this one together at the last minute.  There is some vinyl that goes along the bottom and then you can purchase magnets to holds pics or whatever you want on it.  I was thoroughly pleased with the quality on this one, ESPECIALLY, the wrought iron handle.  It is VERY sturdy!

 

There you have it!!  Crafting at it's finest {okay, maybe not}.  But it was a blast and I hope that if you missed it you can join us next month {January 22}.

If you're out of town and want to participate, you can.  Let me know and I'll give you all the details!

Happy "Sweet 16" Birthday!

Today is my lovely daughter turns "16"!

16 years ago today, I held her tiny preemie body in my arms!

She stole my heart from the moment I held her and will always have a tight hold on it!

She is my "baby girl" and nothing will ever change that!

She is such an amazing young woman.

I am proud of the who she is and who she is becoming.

I see in her traits that I have yet to improve upon myself.

She has been a joy since the day I brought her home.

I am so thankful for all that she does for us.

I owe her the world for her giving nature and ability to not "complain."

I KNOW that I have been blessed with her 

and

I can't wait to see her grow even more into an AMAZING LADY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Simple, Cute and CHEAP Christmas Gifts

I {HEART} cheap gifts for friends at this time of the year.  I don't think I'm alone when I say holiday budgets can easily get out of control trying to buy for this person and that person along with all your immediate family and extended family.

The list can seem to be never-ending at times.  I think we all need to simplify when it comes to the holidays.  BUT, I also know that I like giving gifts to those that are near and dear to my heart.  I just hate the whole "she got me a gift, so I need to have one for her."  I hate having a surprise guest or event come up and you aren't prepared with a small token of the season.

Well, fear not...Kierste @ Brown Paper Packages came up the neatest list ever for all those impromptu gifts that you might need.  They require nothing fancy and do not cost a lot of money AT ALL.

1.M&M's: Have a Merry & Most Wonderful Christmas!

2.Soup or soup mix: Wishing you a "Souper" Holiday Season!

3.Frozen or ready-to-bake pizza: Warm up to a wonderful holiday season, "topped" with Christmas cheer! OR...Hope your holiday has a lot of "pizza-az"!

4.Apples & Hershey's hugs: A teacher can't live by apples alone...she needs hugs too!

5.Popcorn balls: Here's hoping you have a "ball" this year!

6.Loaf of bread: For being there when you were "kneaded", for "rising" to the occasion, large or small. For never "loafing" on the job, for helping others to "heel". No matter how you "slice" it, you do a terrific job. Merry Christmas!

7.Jolly Ranchers: Have a Holly "Jolly" Christmas!

8.Root beer: We're "rooting" for you to have a wonderful holiday season!

9.Chex mix: Remember, Santa "Chex" his list twice! Happy Holidays!

10.Nuts: We're "nuts" about you! Merry Christmas!

11.Measuring cup (filled with candy): Wishing you joy beyond measure!

12.Cinnamon & Sugar (or cookie sprinkles), in a cute jar: May your Christmas be sprinkled with laughter and love--Merry Christmas!

13.Salsa: Adding a little "spice" to your holidays!

14.Seasoning Mix: "Seasoned" with love--Merry Christmas!

15.Sprite: May your Christmas be Merry & Sprite!

16.Soda Pop: I'd "soda" like to wish you a Merry Christmas!

17.Mints: Friends like you are worth a mint!

18.Grater & Cheese: To a "grate" neighbor--Happy Holidays!

19.Bear-shaped Honey: Have a "beary" sweet Christmas!

20.Christmas-shaped Pasta (or any pasta & sauce): Have a "pasta-tively" happy holiday!

21.Jam: Hoping you have a holiday "jam-packed" with fun!

22.Cookie Dough: Here's a little extra "dough" for Christmas! or Everyone needs a little extra "dough" for Christmas!

23.Divinity: May your holiday be divine!

24.Toffee or Brittle: Any way you "break it", we're think you're the greatest!

25.Apple anything (pie, muffins, bread, cobbler, or apples): You're the "apple' of our eye! Merry Christmas!

26.Banana bread: We love you a whole bunch!

27.Cupcakes: You take the cake! Merry Christmas!

28.Carrot cake: We "carrot" a lot about you!

29.Oranges: "Orange" you glad we're friends? I am!

30.Sparkling Cider: Wishing you a sparkling holiday season!

31.Set of thank you notes: We're so thankful for you!

Thanks, Kierste for posting this and allowing me to share with all of my readers! 

WOW WOW Everybody!!

Wow Wow Wubbzy came to town today!

A big thanks goes to my dear mother for calling and telling me about this, otherwise we would have missed it!

To say that Parker LOVES Wow Wow Wubbzy is an understatement!

I can't tell you how many times a day he asks for "wow wow, wow wow, wow wow, wow wow!"

On and on and on and on....

I'm thinking I might be a little crazy just thinking about buying him the "The Big Wubbzy Movie" for Christmas

He was so stinkin' cute as soon as he saw him {but of course he's always cute, right}.

He kept waving and saying "HI!" in such a quiet voice.

He couldn't contain himself in the cart while waiting for his turn to see him and take a pic!

This was the first moment that he saw Wow Wow!

WOW!

Him waving...

WOW {yelling}!!

Showing sissy the Wow Wow picture that he got while waiting in line.

Oh, oh, oh...THERE HE IS!!!

At last!!

Notice the side that he is on.  He gave Wow Wow Wubbzy a high five but then...

We had to switch sides so that Parker was as far away from him as possible.

He was okay with touching Wow Wow, BUT if Wow Wow touched him...

He was NOT having it!

Even still - HE LOVED IT!!

I Need Your Help

HELP

I'm looking for someone to help me with my blog header.

It isn't big enough and I can't seem to get it right now matter what I do.

Any blog geniuses out there that might be able to give me some advice.

I'm willing to do the work myself; just need a little direction

Email me bethkck@yahoo.com if you have any advice or suggestions for me.

Thanks!

Too Cute!

I'm going to brag a little...

I HAVE THE MOST ADORABLE BOY EVER!!!

SOME of My Christmas Decorations!

I have had this wreath FOREVER!!

Actaully it's only about 6 years old. 

It's just not my style and so I FINALLY decided to take it apart and use the base for another wreath.

One that fit my style a little more.

TA-DA!!

Much more my style!

Since my wreath turned out so cute, I wanted to create something decorative for my kitchen.

I threw together some extra ornaments and ribbon and came up with this.

It is above the sink in front of my window.

I like the extra touch of Christmas that it brings to the room!

I actaulyl saw someone else do this on their blog and I can't remember for the life of my who it was.

If it's you, please leave me a comment - I want to give credit where credit is due.

I was definitely not the one that came up with this.

I {heart} all the glitter!

That green ribbon is AWESOME!

How are your holdiay decorations coming along?

What We've Been Doing

I never seem to get around to posting about all of the things that we do as a family and so I thought I would just share some pics.

Parker didn't want to have anything to do with Santa.  The closest he would get was on my lap and that wasn't saying much.  We got this pic and he was done.  James, of course, told Santa that he wanted an Army Town set for Christmas.  If the jacket isn't an indication, the boy is obsessed with anything army! 

Every year at the high school they have a "Madrigal Feast" in which the choir students recreate an early century renaissance dinner with skits.  It is a big production and something that she looks forward to every year.  In the past she has been in the Concert Choir and their job is to serve food to the guests.  This year, she made "Chieftan Singers" so she was able to be in the Royal Court and be served by the Concert Choir.  ALL of the students did a wonderful job!

Here are me and my two boys building legos.  Other than "Army" this is James' other obsession.  He has lots of legos -- they are ALL OVER my house.  

Here is the house I built for James.

Here is "part" of his masterpiece.  His creations are never ending....they just keep growing and growing and growing. 

Okay -- what parent doesn't let their kids lick the blenders thingy's.

{Santa, I REALLY want a KitchenAid stand mixer - maybe next year}

Do you see a theme here?  My boys love legos!

{secretly so do I}

 He is always wearing a hat around the house!  It's pretty cute, huh :)

Happy Monday!