Redecorranging...

As Edie over at Life in Grace would say, I have been doing lots of "redecorranging". I haven't bought anything new, just rearranged and redecorated a little with what I had. I love the changes and thought I would share some of my progress. Here is the only before shot I have. It wasn't bad, but we have only been in this house about 7 mos., so I kind of threw stuff on the walls when we first moved in order to get on to bigger projects.

This is my formal living/dining area. I moved around some pictures:

I'm sure you remember I made new window mistreatments a couple weeks ago. Well I also made a couple new striped pillows out of some fabric I had:

I have had this we moved in, and have not changed it. I love it. (I'm talking about the huge frame and pictures, not the toddler in jammies, but I love the toddler too!)

Here is the armoire in the corner that holds my tv. Is the top too busy? I think I like it, but the jury is still out.

I hung some more plates that I have had for a while, and put some old yard sale frames around them like pictures:

Don't look too close. You will see all of the holes that I have not patched or painted over. I want to make sure I like this and am not gonna change it some more, hence making new holes, before I repaint.

I have been crafting a lot lately, so my dining room has been A MESS! We usually eat dinner there every night as a family, but we have been having "picnics" in the family room instead. Lon never complains, but he was so glad to come home and see the mess gone yesterday.I made this new table runner...

Okay, so what is the verdict? Like the frames around the plates or hate it? I'm still trying to decide. I tend to think things have to be VERY UNIFORM. I'm a bit OCD and boring that way. Having the one big frame on the right will probably drive me crazy, but we will see how I feel after I live with it.

And the WINNER IS...

Just as promised, I got everything together for my drawing this morning. A Carolina ball cap, nothing else works quite as well. A boy in jammies holding dinosaur flash cards, and strips of paper with everyone's name on them. Oh yeah, you also need a camera that is acting up so you can take fuzzy pictures.

And the winner is Bryce's Momma! Congrats girl! She is one of my newest blog friends, but she could be a sister from another mister we are so much alike! I will send you a message to get all your info. and find out what you want. Thanks again to all who entered. I have made a fabulous bunch of friends from this blog and I love you each and every one!

Too FUNNY!

Sorry for another silly post, but this one is too funny not to share! My parents always fuss (my Dad especially) about how they can NEVER get any good customer service at the restaurants when they visit us. I am talking fast food restaurants, not the nicer ones. ANYWAY, my girlfriend Toni just called ranting and raving about her Subway experience, and this comedy clip came to mind. Watch it if you have a minute, but be prepared to LAUGH OUT LOUD!

Mani-Pedi...

So I am longing for a mani-pedi. It has been too long, but I have been so busy! This is a comedy clip my brother shared with me and I almost wet my pants laughing at her. Watch it if you have a couple minutes.

Thanks Hat Chick!

As I'm sure you remember I took part in the Craft It Forward game that Tricia @ Craft Addict did. It was oh so fun, and I got another craft in the mail yesterday. The Hat Chick made me the most adorable craft apron ever! Now I'm sure that it could be used in the kitchen too, but it is PERFECT for my crafting needs with the little pockets and all. Seeing as how my camera battery just died, I will spare you a modeling shot. Here it is yesterday when I got it:
Look at that chocolate striped ribbon! Don't you just LOVE it?

I am gonna show you a picture of The Hat Chick wearing hers. She is so darn pretty, it looks great on her! Mine is a different print, but the same style and I could not be more pleased.
Thanks again Hat Chick! I had so much fun and I really appreciate the sweet card. So glad we have become bloggy friends!

Weight Watchers Wednesday, Week 6

Good morning! It is WWW week 6 for me. I lost .8 lb. this week, for a running total of 15.8 lbs. I got a little lax on my food journal and have been able to tell it on the scale. I also had a very stressful couple of days, and sort of went back to my old ways. I say "sort of" because I ate a little junk, but I did not go all the way (i.e. 3 Arby's turnovers in one day) like I used to do. I caught myself and felt the slip and was able to get back on track. Having Lon on WW too has been a huge help. He is a great source of accountability and a good sounding board. Also, knowing all you ladies are in this with me keeps me plugging along.

I do want to give one of my dear friends Toni a "WAY TO GO GIRL!" because she started Weight Watchers the week after me and has already lost 13 lbs. She was not very big to begin with, but she wanted to get her mojo back after having 2 little ones. She is right on track. She tells me you never want to "lose the hot factor". She keeps me accountable day to day as well, and she is a great taster for my recipes.

Here is a bad attempt at taking a picture of myself to show my progress. Lon wasn't home and this was yesterday. I think these pics are gonna help monitor my progress. On the exercise front, I started a new regimine with Lon last night and we will see how it goes. It is a Wii program called "My Fitness Coach" and it is much harder than my Wii Fit has been. I like the Wii Fit a little better because it is more fun, but the other is more difficult. We are gonna work out 4 times a week @ 30 min. per session to start.

This week's recipe is for my sweet tooth. I am a pumpkin fanatic. Especially during winter months. Pumpkin pie, pumkin coffee, pumpkin cheesecake, you catch my drift. This is called Pumpkin Fluff and it is my salvation when I get a pumpkin craving.



Pumpkin Fluff

1.5 points/serving


1 can canned pumpkin, large can -- not pie filling
1 pkg pudding mix, Jell-O SF FF instant, butterscotch
1 pkg pudding mix, Jell-O SF FF instant, vanilla
3 c skim milk
pumpkin pie spice -- to taste

Mix milk and pudding with hand mixer. Add pumpkin and spice. Chill. I top with 1 tablespoon of fat free whip cream. Yields approximately six 1-cup servings. 1/2 cup milk per serving which means you can not only count this as a serving of veggies (due to the pumpkin), but you can also count it as 1/2 serving of milk as well.

Crafts and Snacks...

Nothing like having craft time and snack time together. It makes for double the mess and double the fun! I bought the boys these foam sunglasses at Micheal's forever ago, and we decorated the 2 pairs here when we were at Nonnie and Pop's house in the fall. (Excuse the jammies and dirty faces. It's just how we roll around here.)

We had 2 more pairs and when the boys wanted to make something yesterday, I got them out. Well needless to say, after they played with them, ate some cheese puffs and a popsicle, and I snapped a few pictures, they were ready to do something else. I put the glasses back up and cleaned up the foam stickers for another day.


Is it just me, or does Connor have an uncanny resemblance to Elton John in this picture?

100th Post Giveaway!

Somehow 100 posts have come and gone. I can't believe I have had enough stories and ideas to write over 100 posts, but it has been such an enjoyable journey. A few things I have learned along the way...

• My computer savvy grandmother loves this blog even more than I do. (Grandma I'm talking about you! Everyone tells me you LOVE my blog, and we LOVE you from 9 hours away!)


• I have found that blogging can be a great outlet and a great way to share family stories. It is a digital journal of sorts.


• It is also a constant stream of creative and inspiring ideas.


• What a wonderful network for a mom of 2 little rough and rowdy boys.


• A place to find others going through the same day to day issues that I am. Makes me realize I am never alone in the quest to be the best version of myself.


• Most of all, it has been a place to meet all of the BFF's that I would have in real life if they would all just relocate to SC, hint hint!

While I realize this blog is always a hodge podge of family stories, crafting, and decorating, I really appreciate all the people that read it and share in this journey with me. You all have become an endless source of joy for me and sounding boards for so many things. SO... without further adieu...

I am gonna give away ONE of the following of your choosing:

A Sock Monkey, pillow, apron, or tassel. Everyone's colors are different so I will make it personalized for you according to the specs you give me. You have until Friday @ 9am to leave me a comment and then my random number generator ( the boys will pull a winner from a hat) will pick a winner. I may also include a bonus goody or two, but those will just have to be a surprise. Good luck and I look forward to seeing who wins!

Week 7

This is my entry for this week's category, which is Black and White. This is Walker, or Walker's reflection to be more accurate. He is staring at a fish at the Charleston Aquarium. You can actually see the fish at the bottom of the picture.

Now go check out all the great black and white entries. Here is the link:

Papa Walker Had a Farm, E-I-E-I-O...

And on that farm he had a horse, E-I-E-I-O! And a bunch of sheep, and some cows, and a goat. Well that is how it goes around here anyway. This week there was a new addition to the Walker Farm family. Nana and Jerry bought a new horse. Peppi is his name and he is wonderful! We have been planning on starting Walker in horse riding lessons in the spring, but now with Peppi in the picture I think Nana is just gonna teach him.

I can not begin to tell you how much Walkie enjoyed this horse on Friday. He was so excited to get to the farm to meet him and Peppi did not disappoint. He was wonderful. He is a quarterhorse and has been well trained. Nana says he still needs to gain some weight, but with Walker around giving him treats I think that will happen pretty fast. Here are a few of the highlights.

Here is Walker riding bareback because he could not wait until Jerry got home to help Nana saddle Peppi up.

Here is Nana teaching Walker that you have to hold your hand flat to feed the horse so you don't lose your fingers. This is all news to me too. I was not raised around animals, but Lon was.

Here are the boys on one of the hay bales. They had a great time playing on the hay.

Here is Walker getting off "by himself", or so he said. Nana says it is very important to learn how to do it from the beginning, but I think once he realized how high he was he welcomed Jerry's help.

Here is Walker learning how to lead Peppi with a rope.
And for those of you who wonder where Connor was all this time, well here are a couple pics of him and his mischievous self.

That is Mama, his Great Grandma, trying to get him off the fence while I am video taping Walker on the horse.
So this is Connor doing EXACTLY what I said NOT to do...

And this is the "I told you I could fit through there" face that I get so often.

Best of the Week...

A few weeks ago, I started doing gratitude posts on Sundays. Well that lasted all of about a couple weeks because I seem to have forgotten it. But, my friend Krista does this "Best of the Week" recap every Sunday on her blog. I am gonna join in on this and make it my gratitude/weekly highlight post on Sundays now, so here we go...

• Having a mini-meltdown over being way too busy, which led to a long talk with Lon only to realize how blessed I am that he is my husband. Oh how I love that man.
• Hitting 100 posts
• Losing .5 lb on Weight Watcher's
• Nana and Jerry getting a new horse and watching Walker get to ride it
• Spending time on the family farm and watching the boys excitement from the simple things like slide down hay bales.
• Chasing Walker and Connor around the yard after a ball
• Working puzzles with Connor and being in AWE of how quickly he can learn something new
• Catching up all of my laundry, and that is NO small feat.
• Spending a playdate with the Pinckney's and laughing hysterically as Walker and Nicholas wrestle.
• Being gone for the evening and returning home to find 2 happy boys because Dad helped them build a "campfire" in the backyard.
• Long golf cart rides around the neighborhood with blankets and hot cocoa because it was really too cold to do that.

100th Post Alert...

I'm on my way out the door for a busy day, but wanted to do a quick post and tell you that somehow 100 posts got here before I knew it. Since I missed my 100th Post Giveaway on my 100th post, I'm gonna do my giveaway post on Monday. I'm working on something super cute for the lucky winner, so be sure to check on Monday and see what it is gonna be. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Another Mistreatment...

I just did another mistreatment, and I LOVE IT! I did what I would consider a "first class" Nester Mistreatment. I hope I'm making her proud! I'll show you the results, and then I'll tell you what I did.

I started with a box full of wonderful fabric remnants. My mother in law manages a furntiture store, so when they no longer carry the certain fabrics she has lots of fabulous samples to discard. These are my lastest bins. I have no idea what other stores do with them, but call and ask! I use this fabric for all kinds of fun crafting, but that is another post. Anyway, you have to cut these little labels off the corners. It can be a little tricky, but with a little patience you can get it off without hurting the wonderful FREE fabric.
Then you just put some of the fabrics you like on your sofa, you know all professional like...
And you get yourself a really skinny and cheap curtain rod from Wal-Mart. I already had this one, but it was super cheap, like $3 or something. Then you put these samples on the rod because they already have dowels and holes from hanging in the furniture store. In no time flat you can have a fabulous window treatment and be a member of the Mistreatment Club!
What do you think?

Privacy? What's that?

This is what happens when you try to use the restroom at my house. You get the 2 Super Smellers at your door trying to have a conversation with you about what you are doing, how long it will take, and my favorite, what is that smell?

One lesson I have learned as a Mom is that a lot of layers are shed along the way. Almost all modesty is lost during all those pregnancy exams and checkups, and if you have any left it goes out the window during the delivery.

Privacy is gone as soon as you get home with the baby. As a parent, well mother atleast, you can't even go to the bathroom alone when you have a small one at home with you. Showers are also another challenge while Dad is at work.

Is it just my 2 boys, or does everyone experience this if they try to go to the bathroom with the door closed?

Cute Meal Planners

Finally! A cute meal planner that you won't be ashamed to hang on your fridge! I know, ideally it would go in a binder, in a cabinet, but in my world if it is not visible it is forgotten. I stumbled on these via the Tip Junkie, and they were designed by an incredible graphic designer that works for scrapbooking companies. Any who, they are awesome and EXACTLY what I have been looking for. I am using this one for my family meals and grocery list.

I am using this one for my own personal Weight Watchers tracker and daily meal planner I am using this one instead of the actual WW one.
I just wanted to share this with everyone because I really love them and The Project Girl has an incredible blog you should go see. She is one talented lady!

Lucky ME!!!

I received my gift from the Craft It Forward post that I took part in, and lucky me is all I can say. Patti at Peanut Butter and Honey made me the most adorable apron, and I LOVE IT!! It is even reversible. Now I know Patti in real life, and I had no idea she could sew! Look how cute these things are!
She also sent me this sweet note with a really cute history on "Grandma's Apron" and some white chocolate cocoa for my Keurig . I am drinking the cocoa now, and let me just say that it is slap your momma good!


I really can't say enough good things about this apron or how cute it is. I am so excited to try it out when I am cooking dinner tonight! Thanks Patti, you're the best!!

Weight Watcher's Wednesday, Week 5

It is Week 5 Of WWW and I lost .5 lbs., for a total of 15 lbs to date. It has been a slow and steady rate of losing, but I am gonna take my own advice this week and be happy that I had a loss. I think I spent my flex points 3 times on Valentines Day, or atleast it felt that way, so any loss was good this week.

I also started exercising on Friday, and have not established a true routine yet, but I have been doing the Wii Fit everyday. Mostly the balance games because they are the most fun. I have been doing some yoga, and I got the Leslie Sanstone (thanks Mandi C and Christy)tapes, all they had were VHS, so I still have to find the VCR in an unpacked box in the garage before I can use them.

This week's recipe is for Crispy Chicken. I found it online here.

Crispy Chicken
By Cheryl
4.5 Points per Serving

4 4oz Skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 C. Fat Free Ranch Dressing
1/2 C. Corn flakes-Crushed
Spices of choice (parsly, garlic powder, onion powder, etc)
Salt (optional)
Pam
Preheat oven to 350º. Mix spices, salt, and corn flakes in a bowl and set aside. Dip Chicken in Fat Free Ranch Dressing. Roll chicken in corn flake mixture. Spray pan with Pam. Put chicken on pan. Cook until chicken is done, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Makes:
4 hearty portions

Lon is not a fan because he does not like Ranch dressing, BUT these are great to eat on/with a salad so I make it and put it in the fridge to have through the week. Give it a try and you will LOVE it!

How did all my WWW buddies do this week?

Boys and Bows...

Today has been an exciting day for us. The road we live on is getting paved again, so we have been enjoying the loud noise of a contruction crew right outside all.day.long. I never knew it would feel like an earthquake when they scrape the old road off. I also had no idea the numerous steps involved in applying asphalt. The boys have been standing at the front door enamored with the whole process. Connor just got up from his nap, and is aggravated that he missed some of the action. (No the binkies are still not gone. They have been cut and are getting smaller, but he still loves them!)
Here is one of the boys favorite steps. A truck dumping water on the road. Who knew they did this? Maybe I'm the only one out of the loop.

So while the boys were doing that. I was doing this...

Making hair clips for the little girls that I don't have, and making my little boy try them on to see if they work properly.
If they will stay in Con's fine hair, then they will work for any little girl. (Yes my husband will probably kill me when he see this post.)
I am gonna put them with some appliqued onesies I am doing for some friend's baby gifts. Everyone else seems to be having girls! What do you think of the clippies? Do I need to add some more flair? I am thinking of doing more with flowers and bows.