Wednesday, June 30, 2010

A New Dress Fixes Everything

Day 4
Well, nothing went as planned today. My misfortune actually started last night when time got away from me and I was unable to make that tomato sauce. Also never got around to buying the supplies I needed to make our patriotic fans for Sunday. Drat! At the swim meet, even with our Poolside Bentos, the Princess filled up on so much sugar that she was up until 11:30! Ugh! Next came The Storm. Because Hubby is out of town, the Weimaraner decided to take refuge on me. Not beside me. On me. It's not easy to sleep with a 70 pound dog on you.

 Trouble Maker 1.0

So today began as usual around 5:30, thanks to Yorkie puppy.

Trouble Maker 2.0
Got the kids up just before 8:00. Argued with Not-too-big-to-say-he-loves-me about why he had to go to swim practice. Got the Princess to Cheer Camp. Picked Not-too-big-to-say-he-loves-me up from the pool. Collapsed on the couch. An hour later, it was off to find a present for my brother's 28th birthday. I'd decided on a Beach theme. First stop, WonderWorks, a local toy store. I had decided to get him one of these:

Cool, huh?

As I was paying for this beach day wonder, I discovered I'd left my debit card at the theatre yesterday. Well, *@%$!

Second stop, Ross, where I found a beach tent/canopy. Now, I just needed a beach towel to wrap it all up! No beach towels. But wait...what's that? The dress rack! Ooooh, I do love a dress. Maybe I'll just take peek. Not-too-big-to-say-he-loves-me picked out one for me. A long sundress. I've wanted one for a long time. And, at just $12, what a find! 

Time was running out, I had to get back to the high school to pick up the Princess and her friend from camp. Got 'em. Dropped the friend off and forgot to leave the application for our Daisy Troop. Figures! No time to turn back. I had to high-tail it to the theatre to retrieve the debit card. Easy enough. Once home, I tried on THE dress. Best part of my day. Not-too-big-to-say-he-loves-me said, "Oh, mom, you look so pretty in that dress!" He really knows how to melt a girl's heart.

 Oh, and the beach towel? I had to get that at Target, where I also found a very cute bracelet trio that matches THE dress perfectly. What a great day!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Day 3

The theme  for today is I will survive...I hope!

Today, at the Princess' Cheerleading Camp, was Crazy Hair Day. After consulting my favorite hair blog, and coming up with nothing I felt I could do, the Princess settled on 100 pigtails all over her head. Totally her idea. Well, I got about 9 done across the front of her head, from ear to ear and gave up. There was no way I had time to do 100! I then took the rest of her hair and put it in one big high pony tail in the back of her head. Definitely crazy. Too crazy for the Princess. She had  me take the pony out and put the 9 piggies in the pony. So, instead of crazy, she was cute. Oh well!

Organizational Mission of the Day: Bless someone else with our out-grown toys. My aim is to get this stuff out of my garage. It's been there since May, when I unpacked it all from my classroom after my school closed. Hubby's been as patient as he possibly can be, which isn't very. It took one quick call to a teacher friend of mine and I unloaded 3 large plastic toys: a kitchen; a refrigerator; and, a laundry center. She also took the dress-up clothes that no longer fit my kids. Since I've just seen Toy Story 3, I can say I'm  very glad I did not bless her with any Barbies, Potato Heads, Slinky Dogs, Woodys, or Buzz Lightyears.

Two thumbs up!

Have you seen Toy Story 3? I ordered  my tickets from Fandango. Glad I did! The show sold out and we probably couldn't have gotten in otherwise. We watched the movie at Cinnebarre. It's just like it sounds. Typically an adult theatre, they serve a full menu and have a bar of mixed drinks, wine, and beer. They also serve sodas, water, and popcorn. The kids loved it! Obviously, they opened to a crowd of under 21 today so this was a special treat for Not-too-big-to-say-he-loves-me and the Princess.

What am I doing in the kitchen  today? Well, glad you asked. We have a swim meet tonight so no sit-down dinner. It will Bentos. Poolside. But, I am going to cook up some tomato sauce and freeze it. Everything is chopped and ready to cook.
 Loving all my fresh tomatoes from Ambrose Farms CSA!

Big plans tomorrow as we get ready for a fun-filled weekend of Fireworks, BBQ, and Fun!
See you then!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Day 2

Feeling invigorated by all I accomplished yesterday, I'm committed to seeing that the ball doesn't stop rolling. After waking quite early to take Crosby (yorkie puppy) out to potty, I enjoyed a slice of Banana Blueberry Bread and a cup of coffee while I evaluated  came up with my plan.


 Ahhh...nothing like a cup of coffee!

But first things first. I had to check out the creation Marisa came up with yesterday on New Dress A Day. I am in awe of Marisa. She has vowed to spend no more than $1 ($1!) on a piece of clothing from a thrift store each day for a year and magically turn it into something fabulous. I say magically but truly she is talented. I wish I could sew. I wish I knew how to thread the machine I have in my craft closet. Until then, I check Marisa's blog every morning. I'm obsessed!

After that, I read my email from Fly Lady. If you don't know Fly Lady, approach with caution! I receive a thousand (slight exaggeration) emails from her each day. Most I delete. I read the Flight Plan for the day and the Riley Challenge. The Flight Plan gives me a Morning Routine to start my day off along with a 15 minute chore that keeps my house from being over-the-top crazy, and alleviates the need for a NO VISITORS sign to be posted on my front door. The Riley Challenge is the same idea, but for the kids. Now, I have to confess, I'm a bit too laid back for Fly Lady. Remember, I said I read the emails. I didn't say I always follow them. Problem is, some times laid back can be confused with lazy. You can't be lazy when you're trying to keep the ball rolling! This morning, I spent 15 minutes in my living room, taking everything out that didn't belong. When I was done, I did the same thing in the playroom, which is really my kids' living room.

Now it's time to make that plan! This basically means I visit my tried and true list of blogs looking for anything that strikes my fancy. It should mean I grab that list of unfinished home projects Hubby and I have going and make dent on that. Maybe today, I will do both.

I went crazy in my husband's drawers! That's right. I finally gave in. I'd heard one too many times, "Have you seen my favorite t-shirt?" "Didn't I used to have another bathing suit?" Seriously? I had no idea how bad it was until I put away his laundry. There was absolutely no rhyme or reason to the four drawers he'd been given. They all contained the same stuff: t-shirts; shorts; running clothes; sweaters (it's almost July in Charleston, SC for crying out loud!); and, tons of clothes that no more fit him than the man on the moon. Oh how I wish I'd had my camera! His drawers now contain: Drawer 1 - running clothes; Drawer 2 - t-shirts; Drawer 3 - shorts; and, Drawer 4 - bathing suits. The sweaters have been packed away until needed. All the clothes that don't fit are stacked neatly for him to go through when he returns. I don't dare take them to Good Will for fear he has some crazy attachment to some or all of them. And, with my luck, someone like Marisa would buy them and turn them into something fabulous before he had the chance to buy them back. Regardless, I'm now breathing easy that everything is tucked away nicely, neatly, and sensibly.


Dinner tonight has already started cooking. Tonight, I'm fixing Mexican Pizza! Like last night's Vegetable Fried Rice, it's from All Home Cooking.  All Year Long.

Doesn't it look yummy?

I started my beans in the crock pot, like Michelle suggested. They should be ready around 6:00. Again, with Man-cub out of town, this should be a hit. That's right, he's not fond of beans. Bananas or beans. Not-too-big-to-say-he-loves-me and The Princess are loving our meals this week!

See you tomorrow!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

8 days a week

Today at 5:30 AM, my husband and oldest son (Man-cub) left for California. A trip from east to west coast was Man-cub's Christmas present. Hubby makes this trip every year for business. Charleston, SC to Monterrey, CA. This year, since Man-cub is with him, they will venture into San Fransisco and then to Yosemite for some camping. I know they will have a great time and make memories to last a lifetime. Unfortunately for me, they took our camera. So no photos of my stuff on the blog this week!
So, what to do with myself for the next 8 days...hummm...

DAY 1
(Cue Music)
Well, I woke up this mornin, and you were on my mind:

Pom Pom Flowers!
Kristin at Domsetifluff has a great tutorial on these. The Princess and I made 6 of them in various sizes. We plan to send some to our adopted soldier in a care package. I think they'll brighten her day!

I also tackled my coupon drawer. (Groan) You know that drawer that is jammed packed with coupons. It barely opens (if at all) so it's understandable if you forgot it was there. There were so many booklets of coupons in there. Most expired. I'm pretty sure I threw away enough money to fund Man-cub's first year in college. Considering that's only in 3 years, I'm really kicking myself. Money Saving Mom would shutter. So I need a system. Anyone have a good one? Please tell me about how you organize your coupons so that you actually use them.

After that, the Princess got to work making food for our weekly bentos. We hard boiled some eggs and made them star and heart shaped. We used these awesome egg molds that I got from I Love Obento!


I also cut some marbled cheddar cheese into cute flower shapes. I've put it all away in the fridge to pull out this week as I need them.

Later, I will make this yummy looking bread posted by Shannon at What's for lunch at our house. Yummmm...just take a look at it:

Blueberry Banana Bread!
With Man-cub out of town, this will be a hit. For some strange reason, he doesn't like bananas. Who's ever heard of such a thing?

Once all that is done, I believe it what's left of Day 1 will be filled with R and R. At least until it's time to start some dinner. I plan to make this Vegetable Fried Rice posted by Michelle at All home Cooking. All Year Long.:


See you tomorrow!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

My First Official Bentos!

Reading all the many blogs I do, I've found the perfect solution to lunch at my house. Bentos! I'm able to serve portion-controlled, healthy lunches to my family and bring my creativity into play. Perfect! So I've found tons of websites and blogs on the subject, ordered some supplies, and gotten to work. Yesterday, I put everything I'd learned to the test.

I started with this Breakfast Bento...
Yes, that is chocolate cake! All the cool moms are serving it! It's actually a slice of Amy's organic chocolate cake. Think of it as a rectangular muffin. There's also kiwi and strawberry flowers. And, finally, granola with yogurt.

So, lunchtime rolls around and what does my Princess ask for? A Bento, of course! Supplies come back out and this is what I whipped up quickly before I scooted to the polls to vote. Did you vote yesterday?
The Four Little Bears
The Bear Sandwiches are turkey and spinach.
There are carrots with ranch dip, pistachios, and strawberries.

These were my first attempts at Bentos. I think they turned out ok. The Princess sure ate them up! I'll be posting them over at What's for Lunch at our House as part of her What's For Lunch Wednesday. Check out all the entries!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Time to Renew

It has been so long since I last blogged here. I've spent a lot of time reading blogs. There are a lot of them out there. Some really good ones. Ideas are everywhere. Crafts nearly make themselves in this blogosphere. There are enough Weekly Menus posted to feed the world. And, yet, here I am, adding my own crafts, menus and ideas to the mix.

After watching Food, Inc. on PBS, I have totally changed how I feed my family. No more regular food for us. I was shocked at what I'd been giving them to eat! Now, I go out of my way to buy local, organic food. We also eat a heart-healthy diet. Those are not the same. Just because something is organic or purchased at Whole Foods or Earth Fare, does not mean it is healthy. So I read a lot of labels. They are very tiny. So tiny, in fact, I had to visit the eye doctor. I now wear contacts.
Now that I can see, I've begun to seriously green things up. I gave my husband a compost bin for his birthday. (You're welcome sweetie!) We use it and use it and use it. And, I recycle everything I can. If it can't be recycled, I try to re-purpose it. This drives my husband crazy but I like the challenge. Not of driving him crazy but the challenge of figuring out a new use for something I'd otherwise send to the dump.

So, wondering where I keep all this stuff? Well, I'm an organization addict. I love to organize everything:
my kitchen drawers;

my daughter's hair accessories;

my pantry (prior to viewing Food, Inc.);
EVERYTHING!
So all of these (hopefully) soon-to-be re-purposed items have a home. Probably in a re-purposed container.

Finally, the last thing I hope I have improved on is my promptness in posting. For that, stay tuned...