It is wedding season.

Last week we got to celebrate the wedding of our neighbor and friend to the love of her life. I felt so honored to be included in their celebration. It was a beautiful beginning to a hopefully wonderful life.  Last night we got to celebrate the wedding of an old neighbor of mine who I also used to tutor. It is hard to believe that the smart little girl I used to help with schoolwork is old enough to get married. It is crazy how fast time flies by. It made me feel old. LOL Their wedding was also beautiful. They also had  Korean Tea Ceremony which was awesome seeing. It was something I had never experienced before and was very grateful to be able to do so. At the end of the ceremony the groom had to pick up his bride and run around the room with her. ♥

This Wednesday will be my 10 year Anniversary! You want to talk about time flying? It feels like just yesterday we were checking out reception venues and I was picking out my dress.  I still haven't figured out exactly what makes a marriage last. I guess it would be understanding, communication (which I sometimes am not so good at), and honesty. That can be said for any relationship whether a marriage or friendship. I am blessed to have married my best friend. He is truly a great person. He works his ass off at two different jobs and puts up with my crazy self just so I can stay home with our children. I am grateful that he realizes the importance to me to be here for them. I love him more than I did the day we said our vows, though some days I wouldn't mind giving him a kick. LOL All kidding aside, I wish the new couples a lifetime of happiness.

More marriages might survive if the partners realized that sometimes the better comes after the worse.  ~Doug Larson

Something I have come to realize about our house.

I don't mind that it is so small. Sure there are times that it drives me batty and when I wished that we had more room or even a yard, but the kids don't seem to mind. Honestly, most nights I find the three older ones in the same room and sometimes same bed sleeping. I remember my Mom used to say the "Love grows best in little houses" and I couldn't agree more. Back in 1994 a country singer named Doug Stone had a hit called Little Houses and no truer song was wrote about this subject. Link to the Lyrics ~Click here to see the full lyrics for the song.

Here is the chorus
But you know, love grows best in little houses, 
With fewer walls to separate,
Where you eat and sleep so close together.
You can't help but communicate, 
Oh, and if we had more room between us, think of all we'd miss.
Love grows best, in houses just like this.




Sure, some days I feel like The Little Old Woman who lived in a Shoe, but I wouldn't trade it, that is not today. LOL

31 Days to Clean - Having a Martha House the Mary Way

This is an ebook I recently got and I really like it. It is not your average cleaning your house book, I was even able to download a calendar of things to do every day.  Not only is it about having a cleaner house, but looking into the reasons of why we want/need a cleaner home. First day is to sit and write the reasons why you want your home clean. Pretty straightforward, but it really does make one think. Sure, 98% of the world likes to live in a clean home. I know I do, but I also focused on why. When my house is a wreck, I feel like a wreck also. It brings my mood down and makes for one crabby mom. I don't invite people over or let the kids have friends over because I don't ever feel like it is clean enough for guests. I need to learn to just let go and be happy with the way it is . After all as Phyllis Diller once so eloquently put it, "Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing." That is such a true statement. (In case you don't know who that is, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllis_Diller)
Kids also learn a lot more by watching you than hearing you. So if they see a mom who does the bare minimum, they too will do the bare minimum. I see their point, how can I nag at my kids to keep their room clean when mine is a disaster too? So I got my list and my supplies I needed. 


Day 2 is to Clean out and scrub down the refrigerator and freezer. Try using 2 tablespoons of baking soda per 1 quart hot water to wash interiors. It took a while since I was battling yet another migraine, but I was able to complete it. I even took before and after pictures. 


Day 2 took a few hours and 2 garbage bags full of expired & stale foods. Unfortunately, the rest of the house got a little messy while I was other wise occupied, but I swear to you that when it started to feel overwhelming I opened those doors and smiled. It is amazing how something like a clean fridge can make you feel better. 


So I encourgae you to get the Ebook if you are looking for a cleaner home and a cleaner mind/spirit. :) Here is the link to purchase your own copy. http://31daystoclean.com/

Outside Before

After
Yes, we have a big jar of suckers. Like I said, not above bribery. LOL

Freezer Before. It had turned into a shove stuff in & quickly close it freezer. 

After! I even used plastic boxes to organize it.

Fridge Before, you never know what is lurking in the crisper......

After! Yes, that is a ton of chocloate milk containers. They were donated to us by my hubby's school. :)

Ta-da!!!!

My latest creations.

Last weekend we celebrated the upcoming birth of a new family member. I will have a new niece by the end of July. Yay! So of course, I had to get busy with my sewing machine. Oh, did I mentioned I had to have it fixed/spruced up and it cost me $78! Ouch, but a lot cheaper than a new machine of the same type would have cost me.  I made burp rage, which I sure wish I new how to make when my kids were babies. I loved the way they came out. I also made a pink and brown quilt. It is a good thing I am so excited about a new niece or I may have just kept it myself. LOL It turned out much bigger than a regular baby quilt. As a matter of fact, It completely covered Lauren's toddler bed. 

Stack of burp rags.   I made 6. 

The blanket! 

I added a cute stitch around the edge of the quilt. 

I bought a diaper bag and then proceeded to fill it up with fun baby accessories. 

The kids even each picked out a special gift. 

I wanted to let you know where I got the instructions for the burp rags. How to make those cute burp rags. :)

Oops

Haha the iPod touch apparently does not play well with blogger. I was only able to do my title. So my decision was to go off my anti depressants. I talked it over with my therapist about my reasons and she agreed that it would be a good time to try. So as of today I have been medicine free for 3 days. I did it very gradually. I have been good with the exception of being a raging bitch on and off to my kids and husband. I'm hoping that goes away and not the new me. I am at the moment being having an anxiety attack for a couple of hours now, but I refuse to let it get to me. I have medicine I can take to help with them, but they make me sleepy and unfortunately at this time I can't go to sleep. Oh well, that would be why I am wasting my time on the internet. I have made a couple new projects and will be starting on one tonight. I can not post pictures yet since it is a gift that won't be given until Sunday, then I will show the 3 people everyone who reads the stories about my boring life. LOL

I made a decision...

Silence is not so golden.

It is amazing how quickly the constant screams  hum of children can become something you look forward to. This past week was a little rough, being Mother's Day and all. I had a couple of bouts with insomnia so there was a lot of silence. I was watching tv or on the computer or reading wile I was trying to convince my body it was time to sleep. I learned that I do not particularly enjoy complete silence. There was a time in my life where I loved it, now not so much. You see for me, the silence is a time for me to think about things. Life, Mom, the kids, and not only am I thinking, I start to belittle myself. *sigh* We are our own worse enemy. It is amazing how much we can crucify ourselves, but can try to bring others up.  am slowly trying to turn my thoughts around, but after so many years of doing it, it isn't going to be an instant solution. I just wish I saw myself the way others claim to see me as. Yes I said claim because even I doubt I am as good as they say..

I am waiting for Noah and his Ark

Seriously, it seems like it has rained for weeks. I know I should appreciate it, since many places get no rain or rain all year round. I am thankful for it, but enough already.  Oh well, April showers bring May flowers as they say.

I can't wait until I can start planting my little container garden. I made a planter with silk flowers for my Mom. I always gave her flowers for Mother's Day, whether it was a new bush for her front yard, or just a bouquet. It just felt wrong not giving her anything. So thanks to the dollar store I was able to make a nice (in my opinion) planter for her. Now we will see if it gets stolen like the others have.  I have been in quite the crafty mood lately. I made a quilt for my niece;s 16th birthday in January and when her sister saw it she asked for one of her own for her birthday which was this month. I am happy with the way they came out. They are no where near perfect and are just plain old rag quilts, but I know they liked them. I enjoy making things for people whether it is painting them something, baking, or just a quilt. I just hope they like it as well.

I made the blanket for a shower

Cake for my niece

Rag Quilt

Up close

2nd quilt

Up close

Snow couple I painted a few years back.

Top of Mom's planter

Peek a Boo!

Here I am! *waving while jumping up and down* It has been a while, actually much longer than I thought. It is amazing how fast time can fly! Let's see... Lauren is 2!  I was happy, yet sad at the same time. After all, I will never have a baby 1 ever again. :( However, I have a new niece/nephew coming this summer that I can spoil. The best part? Baby will go home at night and keep Mom and Dad up while I slumber peacefully at home. Wait, who am I kidding? I haven't slept a full night yet. Hmm, better not let them know that. That is just one secret that established parents like to keep from new parents. Life has been slowly chugging along.

It's House Party time!

I am very excited to be picked to host another House Party party.  We will get to try out the awesome Green Works products by Clorox. I am pretty excited. The kids are starting to do more actually cleaning and am hesitant to let them use some of our cleaners. I am looking forward to find a new green and healthier solution to cleaning in our house. The kids probably aren't too excited about the idea though. LOL I am invited friends and asked them to bring an appetizer to share. I will provide the drinks and desserts.  If you are interested in applying to host a free House Party, please go to http://houseparty.com/ and join. It is that simple. You just find the parties you are interested in, fill out the application and wait to see it you get chosen. This is my second party. The first one was Folgers coffee and Land O Lakes half and half. We had a blast and I'm sure this one will be a ton of fun too!