moving

my sweet husband thinks it will be easier for me to do my blog with iWeb.  i suppose i'll try.  so, for now -- you can find me...

... right here.


David is helping me learn the software -- so far i'm liking it.  i'm pretty sure i'll make a few changes eventually.  and who knows, i may even end up back here. lol.

come on over for a visit.

Hope

back to school

my boys went back to school this morning -- august 6th.  who in the world starts school this early in the month and on a friday?!  we so were not ready -- i'd like a few more weeks of summer, please.


after much grumbling about how early school was starting, and how early we would be getting up again (5:30 am - and i'm not a fan of getting up when it's still dark), i hit the road with my list in hand!  i had to obtain the following:


7 boxes of crayons
5 packages of loose leaf paper
172 pencils
30 pencil top erasers
2 pink pearl erasers
15 colored folders, some pronged and some not
1 trapper keeper
1 protractor
5 pkg of markers (1 washable)
2 sets of color pencils
2 - 1 subject spiral notebooks
6 - 5 subject spiral notebooks (why are these 4.99 each?!)
32  glue sticks
4 boxes of kleenex
4 pairs scissors
3 pkgs of white construction paper
5 pkgs of colored construction paper
1 pkg of manilla drawing paper
1 pkg subject dividers
2 bottles of hand sanitizer
1 bottle of anit-bacterial soap
4 containers of clorox wipes
8 rolls of paper towels
1 container of baby wipes
4 pencil pouches
2 red pens
1 pkg of highlighters
1 pencil box
3 - white 3 ring bingers
$9.00 worth of items for the "treasure chest" ($3/ 3 boys)
$45 worth of required school planners
3 brown leather belts
4 pairs of sneakers
8 pairs of khaki shorts
1 pairs of khaki pants
1 pairs of navy pants
4 pairs of navy blue shorts
20 polos (white, grey, black and gold)
5 oxfords
4 lunch boxes (i'm mean and asked them to use last years backpacks)
6 boxes of Altoids (for 1st day teacher gifts)
the note read: i'm full of excite"mint" and ready to learn!  love, child's name
and lots of groceries for school snacks and packed lunches


not to mention workbook fees, lab fees and PTO fees and the school t-shirts.  


good times i tell ya!


now, i sort of begged by oldest to let us take him today.  i even played the martyer and offered to let his dad drive and i'd stay home.  you see, it's his first day of middle school and i was a little nervous for him. of course he wasn't really nervous for himself and quickly respond with a "um, no thanks, mom -- i'll ride the bus."  REALLY?!  break a mother's heart why don't ya.  not only that, but he gets to leave an hour later than the little boys but he got up early to have me take pictures of him with them so that there was no possible way i'd be outside pointing the camera around when the bus arrived to pick him up.  again i say, REALLY!  it's like he thought i'd drop him off in front of the school and jump out with my ball cap on shooting pictures of him like the paparatzi.  and i so would have.  i would have tried not to, but then i would have thought how sad i'd be not to have those pics and i'd jump out like a crazy person and start shooting.  bahahaha -- just thinking about it makes me laugh out loud. no wonder he rode the bus!

so just like that summer is over and school has started.  i got the new uniforms ironed and school supplies loaded into backpacks, lunches packed and new haircuts all fixed, and then my favorite boys in the whole world got on the shiny yellow school bus and rode away.

my new necklace.

i really am crazy excited about my new necklace -- not only do i love how it looks, but I MADE IT!!  i've been wanting to make some sort of necklace with a picture for a couple years.  i mean really, you'd think i would have just done it already!


i'm  always hesitant to try making new crafts though.  i hate spending money on the materials only to end up putting them in the trash, so i've just been "wanting to make it".  until now.


a couple years a go i saw a lady with a really cute necklace with a picture of her kiddos in it -- i think it was a metal frame with diamond glaze over it.  i've been looking for that necklace/frame piece since then.  i haven't found one that i love.  and then there are all these crazy cute ones out there that are soldered -- and while i would LOVE to learn to make them.  um, yikes!!  (i do own one though -- because my sweet sister in law bought me one for my birthday, and i love it)  


then i went to Arlington, TX to scrap with my girlfriends and i saw the supplies to make these. and lucky for me i was with my good pal Kelly who quickly said "i'll split the tiles with you." -- THANK YOU KELLY! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!  because of her i tried the new craft and i love the result!


so, to make a long story longer -- it was pretty easy to make and i'm ordering different sizes of glass ASAP.  the most difficult part of the entire project is the waiting.  there are seriously only a few steps and tools involved, but waiting on the glue to dry makes the whole process take longer.  however, while i was waiting, i did have time to make those cute flowers i showed you yesterday. (and there was time to do laundry and make some beds, but that's not as fun to talk about.)

the front & the back

i told you i've been busy crafting.  should i have posted pictures of the empty laundry basket, the bare hanging rack and the made beds?!  nah!

feelin' frisky ... in a crafty sort of way.

i spend a lot of time planning how i'm going to be more productive throughout my day -- and not quite as much time actually being productive.  i've been trying to do better -- and the last few weeks, i actually have.  as a result, i've had more craft!  hooray!


there are a couple projects i've wanted to get done for the past month or so -- like these pillow cases for Ally (my sister's 5 year old daughter).  they are an accent to some things we've already done in her room.

my sister is not so crafty, but one of my biggest fan when it comes to anything craft related.  she acts like she loves it all -- she may not, but she never lets on.  as a result, anytime Ally needs something girly she thinks aunt hope can make it.  that part makes me laugh.  


then there is this little ruffled booty onesie for my new niece, Reagan.  i've seen several examples of these and there are a few more i want to try, but this is my first attempt. (and a matching bow)

and these little flowers.  i've made some for myself and attached them to flip flops -- and Ally wanted some for hers -- so here they are, all ready for the drive to Oklahoma!

i had made her some fabric flowers for her flip flops but she wanted some fancier ones.  and to be honest -- any chance i get to be all girly i totally love!  

ally & reagan

emerson & jensen

i couldn't resist -- those sweet little girls are my nieces.  and with having all boys in my house (even the dog) -- i really do enjoy getting to make girly things.  now that i'm actively learning to sew...watch out!

friday follow -- i made a dress!

The Life of a Sippy Cup Mom!, Mannland5 and The Adventures of Goober Grape and Monkey Man have teamed up to cohost Follow Me, Chickadee Fridays!  Each week, simply stop by at any of these three blogs for a chance to link up and meet new and exciting bloggers out there!   




here's a fun little tidbit from last weekend.  i made a dress!  calling a real dress might be stretching it a bit -- i mean it's way way casual.  like wear around the pool or to a concert on the beach casual. (which i did -- i think Jimmy Buffet liked it.)


it was supposed to look something like this:

i'm sure there is some trick to using elastic thread that i don't know because, well because the only time i've used it is when my mother-in-law was helping me make a shirt that didn't call for it.  so, i've never actually read instructions for it.  i had a hard time getting it to gather as much as i wanted it to.

i didn't take a pic of the first result -- i wish i had, it was funny and GIANT!  and quite frankly it looked horrible.  but i had just bought a cute little dress at target and i thought maybe i could turn this mess into something similiar.

here are a couple pics -- sort of proof that i actually was sewing it.  and the side seems turned out super duper, if i do say so myself.  i had seen on some tutorial how to make them flat and i love how they ended up looking.

i should have mentioned earlier that i made a poor decision when i decided to use this t-shirty type fabric.  since i'm new at this and all.  i thought it was a little hard to work with -- hard to keep straight.  i think i cried a couple times. lol.  but i was at Hancock Fabrics and it was crazy cheap and i thought i could use it to try things on.  again, not a good decision.  

i needed it to gather around the middle to do the whole blousey thing so i turned it inside out and used some 1/4 inch elastic i had in my sewing box -- i just pulled it taught and sewed along it all the way around the dress, twice.

but here is what i ended up with.  and i like it, a lot.  i left the bottom rough -- because i like how the material rolls on it's own.  and to my surprise -- it's been washed and dried twice and now -- and it's still together.  yeah me!

is it clean yet?!

i've found this week to a little on the trying side.  my boys seem to be tired of being with each other every waking minute.  i've resorted to timing activities to try to give them a break from each other.  (note: the pics have nothing to do with anything, i just like them. we were swimming at my brother in law's house in OK -- i would love to have his pool!)

for example:
while bynum and matthias play Wii fit for 30 min, graham and sol might be playing a board game
or
while matthias and graham are building legos, sol and bynum could be playing a video game
then maybe
all 4 can go play in the sprinkler for 30 min to and hour
then 
we all eat lunch together
and
all 4 go to different rooms and read a book/rest for an hour. (this part happens every day)


you get the picture.


but my sweet angels insist on arguing about EVERY LITTLE THING.  i mean even passing each other in the hall requires a referee!  i'm pooped.  


so yesterday about an hour after lunch i was at maximum overload with the arguing -- so they cleaned their rooms. (i guess i should explain that i like the floors to be clear at night, so they have to pick up before bedtime.  that usually means toys get stuffed in totes that they don't belong in, but the floor is clear.)   i drug all the totes out from under their beds and took the lids off -- as well as the ones in their closets and they sorted.  the rule around here is "everything has a place -- if you can't find it's place mom will find a new place that is not in the middle of the floor at our house".  so, they spent the next couple hours sorting and griping about sorting, but not arguing with each other.

i (as patiently and mary poppins-like as i could) explained to them that i would love for them to play all day and not have to do chores, but i was at my wits end with the constant fighting, hitting, tattling, whining, etc.  so we talked about how we could fix it and promised we'd all have a better day tomorrow.

that tomorrow is now today.  

for the last 3 hours we've been cleaning. sigh.  today they helped me do the baseboards of the house.  that was the initial "break from fun".  i thought surely that would help them refocus and motivate them to get along.  i was wrong -- they were literally picking at each other on the way to the sink to rinse their rags!  what in the world!  so they also got to dust the furniture, doors and cabinets.

and now -- they are playing quietly, laughing, and working out little tiffs that are par for the course with 4 boys.  things are looking bright and shiny on our side of the street -- including the house!

i feel like a mean mom.  

follow me, chickadee...

i've only done the "follow me" thing a few times -- but i've found a few of my favorite blogs that way.  so i thought this would be fun!!  here's the scoop....

The Life of a Sippy Cup Mom!, Mannland5 and The Adventures of Goober Grape and Monkey Man have teamed up to cohost Follow Me, Chickadee Fridays!  Each week, simply stop by at any of these three blogs for a chance to link up and meet new and exciting bloggers out on the interwebz!  All we ask is that you follow a few simple guidelines:

• Add a main link to your blog each week (Linky will open every Thursday night at 11 p.m. EST and close at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday mornings EST)!
• Follow the first three blogs in the # 1, 2, 3 spots.
• Visit the blog above and below your listing and leave a *meaningful* comment.  Something nice and shiney to make them smile.  But make sure to tell them that you found them from Follow Me, Chickadee!
• You don't have to follow every blog that follows you...but make sure that you follow the blogs that really interest you!
• Family friendly sites ONLY.  The linky list will be monitored and anything not family friendly *will* be deleted.  We don't want to see random naughty bits or something that would make our families cringe.
• And the most important guideline?  HAVE FUN!  Make new friends, but keep the old...one is silver and the other's...ack, Girl Scouts memories shining through.  Oh, and have a Happy Friday!

i may learn to sew yet...

it's been an on-going thing for me, this learning to sew.  about 6 years ago i decided i wanted to be able to, so i asked my mother-in-law to teach me.  she patiently (very patiently) gave me a few lessons and i mastered pajama pants.  but for some reason that is all i ever made.  
i just need to say, that my mother-in-law can make ANYTHING, for real, anything.  I can say "do you think you could make me one of these?" and she can.  i'm talking sock-monkey to winter coat!  the lady is amazing and i am blessed enough for her to take time to teach me an ounce of what she knows.  i wish i would have wanted to learn when i lived 3 miles from her instead of 613 miles.


over the past year or so i've decided i want to really be able to sew, to be able to make cute little things.  why i want to make cute little thing i have no idea, because there is not a single person in my house that would appreciate that sort of thing.  however, i do have some of the most adorable nieces on the face of the earth -- enter cute little sewn things.  wink wink.


plus, what about curtains, and pillows and chair covers and and and.....i just want to sew. and thanks to my friend Jenny over at The Southern Institute for Domestic Arts and Crafts and her handy dandy tutorial for a nursing cover, i made something! a real something and no one was here to supervise.


here's proof:

i made a couple of changes. first, i forgot to buy terry cloth so i just made it reversable. also, i ended up making a loop to thread the long strap through because i was afraid that the D-rings might be rough on my sister new washing machine. all in all i think it turned out pretty good. 


i'm sure it's no secret that i'm not actually using the nursing cover -- i'm trying to show that the boning actually works like Jenny said it would.  i sure would have loved a couple of these at several different times in my life.  these cute little things are for babies Reagan Hope and Nash Victor -- my new niece and nephew.


now, i wonder if i can make a dress....

Christmas in July....

this post is actually about challenge #056 over at TWISTED SKETCHES and the twist on the sketch is RED, any way, any how.  but, i have to make a comment on something first.  i was in "the lobby of hobbies" last week and they were putting out Christmas stuff!  yes, Christmas stuff!  now i've been told it's for the crafters -- so we can start making things for craft fairs and gifts and that sort of thing.  i'm ashamed to say it made me cranky for a minute.  i thought "really?!  can we not celebrate one holiday at  time?!"  i officially apologize for thinking that.  so to you crafters -- the ones that make cute Christmasy things that i like to buy -- i'm sorry for being cranky about seeing Christmas in july.  




and here's my take on the sketch:

bold twist #054

i've been trying for a week to get this challenge done (# 054 @ twisted sketches) -- and now the new challenge is already up.   i'm posting late, anyhow.  lol.  

i really loved this sketch:


the twist for this challenge was BOLD -- i was thinking the pops of orange would be bold color, but i'm not sure it photographed that way.  here's my take...

twisted card #012

i really love the idea of a scrapbook challenge.  it makes me feel like i have a jumping off point and in my head i can justify spending a little time to do "just one quick thing" at my desk.  so, many thanks to the ladies over at TWISTED SKETCHES for doing what they do.


there is really something gratifying about using scraps to finish a card -- i have a hard time parting with paper i love and my scraps are often abundant. (that's a nice way of saying it, right?!)


this weeks twist was:  RUFFLES you can find the sketch here  ---- and here's my take on it

i couldn't find background paper i liked so i dry brushed the white cardstock with some red Heidi Swapp paint, the paper and chipboard are some pretty old Scenic Route.

yum!

ok, so:


1. school is out
2. summer is here -- and boy is it HOT!
3. we went to oklahoma, it's 10 hours and i drove it solo with the boys (more about that later)
4. i met some girlfriends in Arlington, TX to scrapbook for the weekend -- it was grand!


but...


my basil has gone crazy!  i've harvest a ton and the more you harvest, the more it grows and i love it.  anyhow, today (drum roll please) i made Mario Batali's  Basil Pesto and it's AMAZING!! i will never buy pesto again, ever.  ok,  i might be forced to in the winter, but HOLY GOODNESS, this was sooooooo yummy.

my 2 cents:  

~ i didn't have the pecorino romano and i didn't have a substitution -- it was fine

~ my boys said it was a little spicy, so i'm thinking cutting back on the garlic a bit might help that.  but even after the "spicy" comment they ate it.  i had a little push back from Solomon (our baby, he's 6) but I told him it was "Shrek Sauce" and he ate it.

~ it gives you dragon breath.....bad. but around this house anything you have that helps you pester a sibling is a plus.

Basil Pesto
active: 10 min/ total: 10min 
(for real, 10 minutes to pesto heaven)
makes: about 1 cup


3     cloves of garlic
2     cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves
3     tablespoons pine nuts
Generous pinch of Maldon or other flaky sea salt
1/2  cup plus 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4  cup fresly grated parmigiano-reggiano
3     tablespoons grated pecorino romano


with the motor running, drop the garlic into a food processor to chop it.  add the basil, pine nuts and salt and pulse until the basil and nuts are coarsely chopped, then process until finely chopped.  with the motor running, drizzle in the oil.  transfer to a small bowl and stir in the cheeses.


refrigerate extra pesto in a tightly sealed jar - top with a thin layer of olive oil. the pesto will keep for several weeks.

the last day of school.

first day of school.

last day of school!

i found this blog the other day: GottaBook.  he's got lots of children's literature/poetry info and some funny originals. i read a few to my boys -- they laughed.  i haven't spent a ton of time there yet, but so far i've enjoyed what i've seen.  i'm looking forward to seeing more.  

Hello, Summer! -- (A Last Day of School Poem)
by Gregory K.

Goodbye, classroom!
Goodbye, Teach!
You can find me at the beach...
Or in the park or at the pool
Or any place that isn’t school.

Goodbye, quizzes!
Bye, reports!
Hello days packed full of sports
And days when I’m just lazybones
While eating melty ice cream cones.

Goodbye, homework --
Lunchroom, too.
There’s so, so much I wanna do.
I know the school year flew on past…
But please, please summer -- last and last. 

this is GRAND!

ok, this is the first time i've blogged about someone's give away -- but it's really grand.  really, it is.  i've seen a lot of the vinyl cutout and these just might take the cake! 


so, you should trek on over to THE CREATIVE CRATE and look what she's giving away.  or you could even head over to Staker Sensations - etsy shop and take a look at all you'll have to choose from if you should win. (but i really want to win!! wink!) i mean look at this one!! as the mom of 4 (count 'em four) boys i think this would be great in the bathroom for my twins.  loooooove it!

another twisted sketch...

i'm loving the TWISTED SKETCH site!  i think i've almost got my scrap mojo back -- thanks girls!!

sketch #050   --- twist: Old

this took me forever to start -- i was thinking "old pictures, or old looking layout, or old in the title" and none of it seemed to be going anywhere.  so i starting thumbing through some pictures i got from my grandparents house and found these of my little brother. bahahahaahaha.

i have this on my desk still -- every time i walk by it i smile.  my brother is 5 years younger than i am. my sister and i are only 13 months apart -- we treated him like a real live doll.  we'd dress him up, fix his hair, wrap him in blankets -- you get the picture.  and it was even more fun at "Granny and Papa's" house because Papa would let us go through their closets to dress Vic up.  i vividly remember my Granny not being thrilled with us going through her jewelry.  sorry Gran!
my Granny died almost six years ago and my Papa almost  two.  i miss them terribly.  we've lived away from "home" for a while now, so i would only get to see them the couple times a year i'd go back with my boys.  it is still hard for me to wrap my head around them being gone, especially my Pa.  when it's time to load up the car and head back to Oklahoma one of the first things i think about is taking the boys out to the farm to visit and run wild.  it really seems like my grandparents should still be there.

family is such a blessing - and because of scrapbooking i get to relive these memories each time i go through my albums.  i'm thankful for that.

one more challenge...

after finally getting my scrap desk in order and getting things back out to scrap a little i decided to do the card challenge over at TWISTED SKETCHES. this would be "twisted cards #007" challenge: black & white.  for some reason cards are really difficult for me to do.  i see all these wonderful works of art created by some very talented individuals -- but for some reason my cards don't really turn out like that.  who knows, maybe these challenges will help!

i finally did a layout!

i stumbled up a blog a few weeks back called  TWISTED SKETCHES  and i was inspired. i love a scrapbook challenge because it helps me think. i get really overwhelmed with how far behind i am with pictures of my boys, but i really I LOVE TO SCRAP! i love all the papers and embellishments and i love the outlet it has provided me over the years. so when i saw this site -- i bookmarked it and told myself i'd start doing the challenge each week. like i said, it was a few weeks back.


this weekend -- i made myself sit and do a layout. i talked David into working beside my desk so we could talk and i hooked up the sprinkler for the boys so i had about an hour when i wasn't being "mom, mom, mommed".   lo and behold..... a finished layout.


the challenge this week was: COLOUR, any way, any how (twisted sketch #049). here's my take on it.

phewwww. friday.

i remember on tuesday thinking friday was so far off -- and now here it is!!  thank goodness.  the last month of school is always filled with so many things .  you remember, don't you?  the field trips, field days, testing, anticipating summer vacation, taking gifts to your teachers, etc. at our house it's sort of boy brains gone wild.

• Pow Wow days with the kindergarten
• son #4 gave himself a haircut
• Pow Wow days with 2nd graders - for this, i manned the concession stand part of the morning
• a mock trial with the 5th grade gifted class.  that's my son, the bull
• trying to make sure my beautiful plants survive this mississippi heat!!  i've not grown anything in this weather before -- it's a learning experience
• zoo trip with the kindergarten
• making cards for gifts, trying to be frugal
• and lots and lots of getting of the school bus, running inside to change into trunks and running back out to play in the water and ride bikes.

and that just the highlights -- not to mention all the laundry that goes along with 4 boys that love being outside. (well, really just 3 of them)  the smell of little boys and outside = extra laundry, lots of it.  and the rest of the cleaning, goodness.  i really am looking forward to summer.  the boys and i love it -- and i'm sure David does, too, but he spends most of it at the office working.  the boys and i spend most of it in the sun by some form of water.  awwwww summer, we welcome you.

Follow Me Friday.

this is my first go at "follow me friday". i've creeped around a bit on other blogger's pages on this day before -- visiting lots of blogs, making some really great finds. i've been wanting to link up -- so i thought i'd try it today. i hope i do it right.


here's the info - i borrowed it from one of the hostess blogs:

Welcome to the May 14 Friday Follow celebration hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades!  We invite you to join us every Friday to get more blog followers and to follow other interesting blogs.  It is all about sharing and having fun.

Here's how YOU can join the Friday Follow celebration:

• * Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops. 
• * Grab the Friday Follow button and include on your Friday Follow blog post.
• * Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.
• * Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you'd like
• * Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you're from Friday Follow
• * Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow

The list is new each week. The links do not carry over. Please link up each week for new participants to find your blogs. The list is only open to add your blog links on Fridays. It will be visible all week to visit the blogs listed.

As hostesses, we realize the time required to participate in Friday Follow.  Due to the overwhelming number of entries each week, we understand everyone, including ourselves, may not be able to follow every blog.  To keep it fun, follow what you can at your own pace.  We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your continued participation!

Mister Linky's Magical Widgets
To add your link to the list, enter your name and URL in the form below and press Enter.

Your name:
Your URL:

Please leave a comment after linking... Thank you!

Linky Widget expiration: in 10 hours.

well, i think that is it. i hope. so if by some odd chance there is someone new reading this -- hello. i'm new to the blog world, but am really loving it!! have a wonderful weekend!