I was just thinking.......

Fortune Cookie Tutorial

2012-02-12T22:27:00.000-08:00

I made these candy filled fortune cookies for my son's class for Valentine's Day. I got the idea here but wanted to use patterned fabric instead of felt. This is how I did it.

For this Project you will need: 1 6"X6" piece of fabric for the outside, 1 6"X6" piece of fabric for the inside, a piece of Heat N Bond, a 5" piece of wire and a 6" diameter bowl for tracing.

After tracing your bowl onto the Heat N Bond, iron it on the wrong side of your lining fabric and cut out.

Peel the backing paper off, and center the wire in the middle of the circle.

Iron your outside fabric to the lining circle, and cut it even with the lining.

Fold the circle as shown.

Fill with candies and a message, and fold to look like a fortune cookie.

Replacement Head

2012-01-01T10:39:00.000-08:00

I have the hardest time getting a picture where all of the boys are smiling and not goofing off. (Ellis. When I say "the boys" I mean Ellis.) I got one good shot of Ellis being semi normal, but the proportions were wrong for printing an 8X10. I would have to cut the boys legs off and I wasn't really feeling the amputation vibe.

This picture worked better for cropping to 8X10, but Ellis was being a Dorkasaurus Rex and was looking down, so I didn't want to print them off and give them as gifts.

Sooooo, I cut his head off and replaced it with the first one. Thank you Photoshop Elements for saving the day!

Now that I look at the pictures next to each other, I think I made his head too big. Oh well.

My brother's quilt

2011-12-27T08:12:00.000-08:00

The one Christmas gift that I got a head start on was my brother's quilt. I decided in October that I would make him one, and then informed my sisters that I had chosen him for our annual gift drawing. I used this pattern and made the twin size version, which uses 10X10 inch squares instead of charm squares.

I used a walking foot on my sewing machine to do straight line quilting. I was still working on the binding the day before I gave it to him. Yay for procrastination!

Scalloped Flannel Blanket Tutorial

2011-12-25T08:56:00.000-08:00

For this blanket you will need:
2 yards of flannel (1 yard for each side of the blanket)
1 yard of batting
Matching thread
a bowl or cup to trace around
1 yard piece of butcher or wrapping paper
Fabric marker (one that will wash out in the laundry)

Step 1-

Make a pattern by cutting your butcher paper into a 34x34 inch square. Use your bowl or cup to make an even scalloped pattern around your square. The size of the bowl depends on your own taste. Mine was 6 inches in diameter. (I have seen similar tutorials where they just trace around the bowl directly on the fabric, but I like making a pattern first so that I know that all of the scallops are even.)

Step 2-

Sandwich your fabric and batting as in the picture above. The fabric should be right sides together and the batting should be on the wrong side of one of the pieces of flannel. Place the sandwich batting sided down.

Step 3-

Place your scalloped pattern on top of the fabric, pin, and trace with the fabric marker.

Step 4-

Remove the pattern, smooth out any wrinkles and pin all three layers together.

Step 5-

Sew along the marker line. Make sure to leave a gap to turn your blanket right side out.

Step 6-

Trim around the scallops. Clip the inside corners.

Step 7-

Turn right side out. Be careful not to rip your stitches near the opening.

Step 8-

Iron the edges of the blanket flat. Pin the opening closed.

Step 9-

Top stitch all the way around the blanket.

Step 10-

Hand stitch the edge of the opening.

Back to School Treats

2011-08-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

I made these little cookie jars for my kids' teachers on the first day of school. (PJ says its called sucking up, I just think its being nice.)

First bake some sugar cookies in the shape of apples. Any recipe will work, I used one with lots of butter. The cookie cutter is from Wilton, which I bought years ago from Walmart

Next, make up some royal icing. I use this recipe here, which uses meringue powder. Make a thicker royal icing and outline the apple in red.

Add a little water to the red icing and flood the cookie.

Using icing a little thicker than flood consistency, make your stems in brown, and leaves in green.

To make the these tags, download the printable at the bottom of this post, and print out. I sized the tags to fit a Stampin Up! 1 3/8" round punch and then I used the scalloped punch to mat it in red.

Back to School Printable

Birthday Tags

2011-08-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

I figured out how to share PDFs here on the blog.

I made these tags a long time ago for some cards I made on this post.

They can be used for gift tags by printing out on card stock, trim to size, punch a hole in the top, use a little ribbon and attach to a gift bag.

Birthday Flower Tags

In order to print, click the download button (the cloud with the down arrow) and then print.

Week 1, Day 2

2011-08-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

Couch to 5K stats: 2.19 miles, Average running pace: 10 min. mile, Average walking pace: 17 min. mile. New additions to my playlist: Headstrong- Trapt, Barracuda- Heart, Kashmir- Led Zeppelin and Enter Sandman- Metallica. I know, right? Weirdest combo in the universe, but I didn't quit so it must work for me. I also have been watching Food Network as I run on the treadmill. So to sum it up, the keys to successfully running for me are: Watching people eat while listening to many decades worth of music.

I'm cooking up some back to school treats which I will post about next week. So fun!

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies, and Cake

2011-08-22T09:56:00.001-07:00

I was in a sugar cookie making frenzy this summer. I kept finding these really cute cookie decorating blogs and tutorials on the internet and I had to try some out for myself. The key to making cute cookies is Royal Icing. You can't get the nice smooth finish if you use butter based frostings.

Angry Bird Cookies! I made these early and froze them for his party.

I found this adorable onesie cookie cutter for 65 cents and had to use it right away.

Lemon flavored sugar cookies.

Angry Bird Pig Cake for Ellis' 7th Birthday.

I RAN

2011-08-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

I have decided that I want to be a cool runner. I have started the from couch to 5K program and downloaded this app for my iPhone. I have never been able to run for more than 2 minutes in my life. I just figured I was physically unable to run. I feared that I would die. The last time I tried running I had what I thought was a stroke (turns out it was a complex migraine, which had nothing to do with the running).

On Sunday I did day 1 of the program and I am still alive. I went 2 miles on the treadmill without stopping, even though I had to pee every time I ran. The app is super cool and tells you when to walk and when to run. I downloaded a few songs to motivate me. I really like Maroon 5's new song Moves Like Jagger. What songs pump you up for a run?

Wish me luck. Peace out.

Dinner Conversation

2011-03-30T19:29:00.001-07:00

PJ asked the boys who learned the most important thing today. Drew learned about parallelograms and Will learned about quadrilaterals. Ellis learned the following: "I learned that you shouldn't eat dinner in the bathroom." Drew also mentioned that he learned about pi today. Ellis made sure everyone knew "you need to put pie in the fridge." We decided that Ellis had learned the most important things today.

Weigh-In Update

2011-02-15T19:40:00.000-08:00

Mom-6.6%
Alyssa-3.9%
Me-3.15%

Valentine Cookies

2011-02-12T09:46:00.001-08:00

Weigh-In Results

2011-01-18T19:27:00.000-08:00

After two weeks of Weight Watchers Mom is in the lead.

1st Place Mom: -2.2%
2nd Place Alyssa: -1.9%
3rd Place Me: -1.3%

And since every post is better with a picture..........

Toilet Trouble

2011-01-16T17:27:00.000-08:00

After many hours of trying to unclog the toilet, PJ finally succeeded in pulling out 3 Clorox wipes that our youngest child had flushed. After cleaning up the dirty towels from the floor, Drew told Ellis that he wasn't allowed to use the bathroom anymore. I said "Yep Bud, you'll have to poop outside." Instead of getting upset, he just shrugged his shoulders and said "Hmpf." I laughed and told him I was just kidding and he said, "Good, cause I didn't want to get arrested."

1st Week of 2011

2011-01-07T11:06:00.000-08:00

Operation Get Not Fat

2010-12-30T17:35:00.000-08:00

My sister has posted on Facebook about "Operation Sexy," which is her plan to lose weight. I'm not really interested in becoming "sexy" so much as becoming "Not Fat." We have decided with Mom to start a weight loss challenge on the 1st of January and continue through April 1st. The goal for me is 20 pounds. I figure if I blog about it, I may be more likely to continue and succeed. I may just end up feeling guilty and ashamed. I'll keep you posted.

Tamale book

2010-12-25T11:29:00.001-08:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Rinoe Anderson

2010-10-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

This lovely creature was awarded to young Ellis at the Orange E Carnival last evening. His first choice for a name was Joe, Joe Anderson. It was later decided that he would be called Rinoe.

He brought it home and decided that he looked hungry. We of course had no fish food, so instead Rinoe was given cookie crumbs. Unfortunately gold fish are not fond of cookies and Ellis watched sadly as Rinoe spit the cookie out after sampling it.

Our boys have a long history of killing Orange E Carnival goldfish. The first one was petted to death by a 2 year old Will. He pushed a chair up to the counter in the wee hours of the morning and decided it wanted to be held. Gold fish don't like to be held, or squeezed we have come to find out.

Lets see how long this one lasts..............

The Sideline Stance

2010-09-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

...........also known as "Perpetual Full-Bladder Stance."

Last Week

2010-09-19T07:11:00.001-07:00

Etsy Stuff

2010-09-02T18:02:00.001-07:00

I'm a Popstar!!!

2010-08-23T12:17:00.001-07:00

I sent this picture of the chili pepper cake pops I made to Bakerella and she put me on her blog!

Check me out on Bakerella's website.

http://www.bakerella.com/pop-star-andi-in-washington/

A little story about a cornfield

2010-07-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

While visiting at the first annual "Anderson Family Reunion," I took this cute little picture of some kids in a cornfield. After looking around a bit I noticed that one of MY kids was missing. "Hey where is Ellis?" Nobody knew. "We were playing Hide and Seek in the cornfield a little while ago, but we quit."

After collecting a small search party and walking through the corn for a good 45 minutes, we finally found him crying and scared right in the middle of the circle of corn. He was immediately declared the winner of Hide and Seek.

Quilts

2010-07-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

Pawn Stars

2010-06-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

Just got back from Vegas where we went to the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop from the tv show Pawn Stars.

Cougar Quilt

2010-06-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

Silhouettes

2010-06-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

Willy's Birthday

2010-05-24T07:38:00.000-07:00

Will wanted a Super Mario Brothers birthday. He also wanted a mushroom cake with fondant.

Happy 9th Birthday Will!

Week 13,14 & 15

2010-05-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

I have gotten waaaaaay far behind on my weekly pages.

Mom's Day Purse and a Crazy Alien

2010-05-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

This was my first attempt at using a purse frame for a Mother's Day gift for my momma. This purse also debuted my new sew-in labels. So exciting!

The boys have begun shooting a movie. Apparently there is a blind alien involved......I'll keep you posted.

The Unexpected

2010-04-04T08:34:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny brought Ellis superhero tattoos this morning. He apparently intends to cover his entire body in characters such as "Dare dubble" and "The Fing." He told me he had to count to 10 before he could peal the backing off. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, oh,(apparently he counted quicker than intended) 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, firty, 45, 46, 47, 48, AND 10." He then lifted up the paper backing and said "That was not what I was expecting." I asked him what he expected and he replied. "I thought he would have both of his arms."

Week 12

2010-03-21T11:25:00.001-07:00

This is a pretty Jilly-ful weekly page. I still love my children.

Week 10 & 11

2010-03-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

Backpack! Backpack! ..............Continued

2010-03-06T18:45:00.001-08:00

I finished my backpack today...........

Week 9

2010-02-28T15:30:00.001-08:00

Quote of the Day

2010-02-22T18:34:00.000-08:00

"I'm not a normal sized man. I'm a teeny man." - Ellis Anderson

Week 8

2010-02-21T18:41:00.001-08:00

Week 7

2010-02-14T10:21:00.001-08:00

Week 5&6

2010-02-13T21:22:00.001-08:00

Week 5:

Week 6:

2010 Album

2010-02-13T19:58:00.000-08:00

These are the first 4 pages of my album for the year. It took me awhile to decide how I wanted to go about doing this. I wanted to try the picture of the day thing again this year, but it wasn't happening. I am lucky to have at least one picture a week, so my layout this year is flexible.

Week One:

Week 2:
Week 3:
Week 4:
I hope to get caught up this weekend, and then I can post one every week. (In theory at least.) Tell me what you think!!!

Backpack Backpack!

2010-02-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

I have started my quest to create my very first pattern. So far so good. I chose this cute ladybug fabric for my little girly backpack. (Oh me oh my, who could I possibly give a girly little backpack to? Hint: It rhymes with Silly.)

I decided how big I wanted to make it and measured out pattern pieces from paper, and cut them out.

I decided this little girly backpack should be lined in red. I sandwiched the zipper between the ladybug fabric and the red lining. and sewed.
Then, I added some red piping on the ends of the zipper. This is the top and sides of the backpack. Can you picture it?
This is the reverse side.
I have just started pinning the piping onto the front of the backpack. This is probably as far as I will get tonight.
I'm trying to figure out how to hide my lining seams since I have already started sewing the lining in. I may not be able to. Just one of the many design flaws I am bound to come across during this process. Wish me luck!

February Card Exchange

2010-02-06T22:48:00.000-08:00

I finished my cards today for my little card club exchange. I used these cute little tree stamps from Stampin' Up! that I have had in my stamp drawer for months.

I decided to put some white card stock on the inside so that it would be easier to write on.
I am working on creating a pattern for a little kid backpack. I have all my pattern pieces cut out, I'm just not sure that they will fit together until I actually try to sew it. I'll post pictures of my progress........unless it is too big of a disaster. Then we will have to forget I mentioned anything about it. Toot-a-loo!

UPDATE: Water heater

2010-01-19T19:08:00.001-08:00

PJ fixed it!!!!!! I can take a shower, and then a bath in the same evening!!!!!!!!

Projects from last week.........

2010-01-19T18:49:00.000-08:00

I made this tote bag for MYSELF. I am keeping it. No you can't have it. I have been saving this fabric for 2 years and I finally got the courage to cut into it, so I am keeping it.

This cute little clutch/wristlet I made for my dear, dear sister for her 30th birthday. Happy Birthday Alyssa! (More on that below, heh, heh.)

This is Alyssa dancing with some random strange man at the piano bar. She pointed to him from across the room and commanded him to dance with her. He was happy to oblige as you can see.

She later went on to tie for first place in a "bootie shaking" contest. You go girl!

I think its the dip tube

2010-01-04T18:51:00.001-08:00

We have been trying for the last 2 weeks to diagnose our water heater problems. First it was the thermostat, then he thought it was the dip tube (?) then the element. Still lukewarm water and a 2 minute shower for one lucky family member. PJ dreams of a half hour shower in which he exits the bathroom resembling a lobster. Oh if only dreams came true........

Some Craftiness

2010-01-04T18:34:00.000-08:00

The latest card club selection...........

My favorite little handbag. (Notice it matches my apron. I try not to wear them together:)

They tease me..........

2009-12-31T10:16:00.000-08:00

Ellis, "Mom, I hate the gray and white and brown and a horse on it shirt. I hate the tags on it, because they tease me."

Notice none of the colors he listed was "orange."

Little Monsters

2009-12-21T09:54:00.001-08:00

These crazy little monsters were posing for me at Thanksgiving (I know its been a while since I've posted.) They were crawling along the floor, making growling sounds.

I asked them to act like sweet little boys for a picture and this is what they did..................

Do'n a Little Sew'n

2009-11-16T18:05:00.001-08:00

What to do on a Wednesday off? Sew a little pink tote bag!

I know, I am a cruel woman who makes my son model a frilly apron for a picture. At least I cut his head off so you wouldn't know it was him. (Except for the fact that I told you!) I made this one from a tutorial from Modest Maven's website.

Fun with Photoshop

2009-11-08T11:26:00.000-08:00

Sneak Peak

2009-11-07T17:14:00.000-08:00

Just a peak at my 2009 Christmas cards...........

My Boys

2009-10-27T18:00:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin' Paintin'

2009-10-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

We had a wild and wacky morning at the FCCLA (Family Career and Community Leaders of America) annual pumpkin painting extravaganza.

My children were found perched on the rocks, right behind the sign that says "Do not climb on rocks," doing some sort of yoga meditation exercise. This is when I know it is time for the boys to go home.

Going Digital

2009-10-12T19:04:00.000-07:00

This is my first digital scrapbook page for my 365 album. I haven't been doing very well at taking pictures everyday. I think I'll be able to cheat a little easier if I do it this way. Tell me what you think!

New Camera

2009-10-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

I got a new camera!!! I just love the little click, click, click it makes as I take pictures. I feel so professional just carrying it around. I can take a picture as soon as I see it, I don't have to wait 10 seconds and miss it. Its a whole new world I tell ya.

Ellis posing at soccer practice.

Drew making a tackle. (He's low to the ground in the white.)

Drew's Campaign Poster

2009-09-13T09:20:00.000-07:00

Drew is running for 5th grade Boy's Rep. He decided to do a Napoleon Dynamite inspired poster. Notice the frog on his head as well as the random leprechaun to the left. He plans to do some sort of magic trick during his speech. What more can I say? Wish him luck!

Fair Performers

2009-08-20T23:41:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize how entertaining my youngsters were to other people until this evening at the Grant Count Fair. We decided to take in a show or two, and one of the acts was called "Brothers with Different Mothers." They asked for a volunteer between the ages of 4 and 8 years old. My youngest son proceeded to jump up and down with a red balloon tied to his wrist. Needless to say he was chosen, and they had to remove the balloon and a corn-dog stick from his tight grasp before he could help them out.

(I know the picture is blurry. I never claimed to be a photographer.) "What's your name," they asked, "Is that Ellis or Elvis?" "Oh, like the island." The Brothers proceeded to put a metal spiked helmet on his head, and two lollipop sticks in his hands. He then had to stand still while they spun three balls on his body. No small feat for a squirrely 5 year-old boy.

He did everything they asked and at the end his prize was a Ricky Martin trading card. He is very fond of that card. If you ask him if you can see it he says "Just look, don't touch." The Brothers then asked for another young volunteer, and chose Will because his t-shirt says "Save a tree, don't do homework." Willy did a quiz show with questions such as "What is your favorite number?" and "Who is the cutest on this stage?"

Willy left the stage with a signed poster. But if you ask Ellis, he got a waaaaay better prize.

Cute as a button cards!

2009-08-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

I have been making these little 3X3 cards from a Mat Stack of 5X7 papers, they are so quick and so cute I just had to share! They even have little envelopes and a matching card holder to keep them in.

Creepy Cards

2009-08-10T18:18:00.000-07:00

These are the two cards I received for my anniversary this year.

The first is from PJ. I'm not sure how to take this. I don't

believe this has ever happened in our relationship.

The second is from my mother. It says "Two people, when they have been married awhile, begin to look alike, which scientists believe may have something to do with sharing towels." Does she think PJ and I look like this? Do we look alike? I chuckle every time I read it. Creepy.

Bread

2009-08-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

I have been making quick breads for the last few days. It started with zucchini, because I had a whole bunch in my refrigerator, then I decided I hadn't made pumpkin bread in a while. Then, I found some shredded coconut in my pantry, so of course I had to make coconut bread. (Which by the way is my favorite.) But I can't just make bread and wrap it up in foil, now can I? It's all in the presentation..........

Happy Birthday Ellis! (His favorite is pumpkin.)

My little fisherman

2009-08-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

My little Willy at 2 years old with his little tiny trout. Don't you just want to squeeze his chubby little cheeks?!

................and this is Willy yesterday at 8 years old with a big giant salmon. He's my little fisherman.

Thank You

2009-08-03T11:40:00.001-07:00

Ellis helped me make these little thank you cards for his birthday party. We made little cupcakes to look like the real cupcakes from his party. (see post below)

B.O.B. cupcakes.....

2009-08-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

I could not bring myself to bake a cake on a 100 degree day, so I made cupcakes for Ellis' birthday instead. The inspiration is below. BOB from Monsters vs. Aliens. I can't believe my baby is already 5.

I will hug her, and squeeze her and call her.........

2009-08-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

Molly!

My new baby girl......

2009-07-31T18:03:00.000-07:00

Her name changes on an hourly basis. Jenny, Jada, Ronnie................ We need help. Any suggestions? Please leave suggestions in the comments. There might be a prize in it if we choose your suggestion........

Food Mode

2009-07-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

My mom got a new camera last week and we were playing around with it. We were surprised to find that it had a "food mode" for taking pictures of food. My dad and PJ were confused as to why you would want to take a picture of food, and what difference a "food mode" would make. I had to explain that Pioneer Woman takes pictures of food all the time for her blog, and she even has a tutorial on taking pictures of food. So we did an experiment, and took a picture of my mom's cake in regular mode and in food mode. The results were amazing. The "food mode" picture looked way more appetizing and less washed out. Now, I was jealous, I wanted a "food mode" on my camera! We decided that the only difference was the way that the camera flashed. So I improvised and put my finger on part of my flash. FOOD MODE!!! The results are below. (Sorry Becky, I know you are not food.)

Doesn't she just look Delicious!

Love is a Battlefield

2009-07-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

As most of you have read on Facebook, PJ took me to a Pat Benatar concert. Before we went to the concert we went out to dinner at Red Lobster. For some reason that I can't fully explain now, I ordered the shrimp jumbalaya. PJ ordered the a crab alfredo which was good, but not great. My dinner was horrible, so I took all of the shrimp out and put it in PJ's pasta and we shared it. (By the way, PJ for the first time in his life, ordered the 1/2 order of pasta instead of the full order.) The waitress came back and noticed that I had not eaten much of my meal. She asked "How was it?" I said, "Not very good." She said "Oh, I know. Nobody likes that." This information would have been wonderful back when I ordered my meal. She goes on to say, "hopefully its not on the menu much longer, they always put these weird new things on that don't taste very good, and then they get rid of them." We left Red Lobster hungry and giggling.

My Ginormous Handbag

2009-07-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

I fell in love with this fabric when PJ and I stopped at Craft Warehouse before the big Pat Benatar concert. I had to have it, and I was determined to use it and not just add it to my "I had to have it" fabric pile. I made this cute bag which turned out to be huge, and when I have a huge bag, somehow I end up filling it up, and when it is filled up, I can never find my wallet. Anyway, I still love it, but I think I might have to make a smaller bag, so it doesn't take me a half hour to pay for my groceries.

Love is a Battlefield.

Walmarch Butterflies

2009-07-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

One of Will's favorite hobbies is the catching of various insects and other critters. The other day we were at my mom's house where he has the good fortune of using a very large net (I believe it is meant for fishing). As I gazed out the window I could see the net moving to and fro in the air. He came in the house very excited shouting " I saw a Walmarch butterfly!!" I said, "A what?" He again said, "A Walmarch butterfly!!" "Oh, you mean a Monarch butterfly!" Without a second thought he ran back outside. "I'm gonna catch one of those Walmarch butterflies!"

Birthday Wishes....

2009-07-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

Today I asked Ellis what he wanted for his birthday. He proceeded to recite a long list of things that I'm not sure actually exist. The following is just a snippet of his wishes....

1. A sand dollar that a crab comes out of

2. A toy Hulk that is eating somebody

3. Jaws toy with a red button that you push and it sings and blood spurts out and there is a guy coming out of its mouth

4. A remote control spider with a guy getting eaten

5. A game with a star fish that attacks an octopus

6. Cool clothes that have fire on them and a dragon and cats being eaten by the dragon on them (our cat just walked by at that point)

7. A DVD that I could learn to hunt for everything when I grow up

8. A toy buff guy getting eaten by me

9. Remote control alien

10. A toy human that doesn't get attacked by Godzilla

Cards!!

2009-07-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

These are my latest cards for my card club. I spent all day working on them. I just really like little cupcake prints. I think I need to find some cupcake fabric and make a really frilly 50's style apron.......

Swimmin' Lessons

2009-07-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

Today was Ellis' last day of swimming lessons. He went from being terrified of putting his head underwater to jumping off of the diving board in 4 short days. He was very excited to show his dad his report card and said "I'm in level 2 now!" The only thing he needed to work on is the following: Safe Entry/Exit- Sit, Listen, Wait. I could have told her that..... :)

Willy's Tooth

2009-06-28T15:49:00.001-07:00

Will lost his tooth the other day, and the tooth fairy is very forgetful and has not gotten to his pillow yet. While waiting for the tooth fairy to arrive, his tooth went missing. He looked all over for it and came yelling up the stairs "Ellis put my tooth under his pillow!!" I guess he thought he would have better luck.

Slip 'n'Slide

2009-06-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

PJ is running a Wrestling Camp this week and decided to mix it up with some slip 'n slide fun. These are just a few of the 70 pictures I took yesterday.

California

2009-06-21T22:30:00.001-07:00

Universal Studios- Terminator 2 motorcycle
On the ride over.
Waiting in line for the Toy Story ride.
Goofy!!!

Drew's photos

2009-06-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

Well, we got back from Disneyland today. Drew turned 11 on our first day there, and all he wanted in the world was a camera. Luckily he has kind grandparents that gave him one. When we got home we looked through his shots, and you can tell from the picture below that by the end of 10 days of togetherness, the cousins were getting a little tired of each other. More pics to come!!!

Will.........after the party

2009-06-04T17:26:00.001-07:00

Will was exhausted after his party. He took 3 friends to see the new Disney/Pixar movie Up. Then they came home and roasted chocolate marshmallows, and ran around the yard. Two of the boys stayed over night and by the time they went home Will fell down dead on the coach. (Becky, don't worry, I still have a whole bag of chocolate marshmallows................)

Baseball Cake Pops

2009-06-04T17:16:00.000-07:00

I made these beauties for Will's birthday party at school. Yes, that was like 3 weeks ago, but I have been having some technical difficulties. Luckily PJ bought me A NEW COMPUTER!!!!! I have joined the iMac gang and I am liking it very much thank you.

Dos de Mayo

2009-05-03T08:41:00.000-07:00

I am addicted to making cake pops. I need to join a 12 step program. I had a little Cinco de Mayo get together last night, ( I know that would make it a Dos de Mayo party, but whatever,) and I made these cute little chili pepper pops, with pretzel stems. What else could I make into a cake pop? Maybe I will make a replica of PJ's head for his birthday...............

Allergies

2009-05-03T08:25:00.000-07:00

Notice Ellis' puffy left cheek in the picture below. Notice also the sequins taped to his chin. When asked "What's on your face?" His reply, "Oh, those are my extra eyes."

Back to the puffy cheek. On Tuesday he had a filling and was numb on the left side of his face. Well, sometime while he was still numb, he bit the inside of his cheek and it became infected. On Thursday I took him to the walk-in clinic. The doctor asked me if he had any allergies to medications and I said no. "But, I am allergic to monsters aaaand spiders," replied Ellis. He then proceeded to describe the spider trap he had created earlier at daycare. "I used a truck and put some food in it, but the spider didn't come out yet." Doctor-"What kind of food did you put in it?" Ellis-"A boxelder bug. Then Gabe tried to put the truck away. He didn't know it was a trap."

Cake Pops!!!!

2009-04-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

I saw these cute little cake pops on Bakerella's blog and just had to make them for Easter. I used red velvet cake in the middle, which I have never used before. And it is indeed red. My hands were stained after forming the little eggs. I can't wait to make chili pepper pops for Cinco De Mayo!!!!

A little story about a cake......

2009-04-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

PJ decided to "surprise" me by helping the boys make me a birthday cake. I say "surprise" very loosely. The boys thought it was a surprise. He took them to the store to get the cake mix and acted very secretive when he got home. He and the boys told me they were making dinner rolls, and they didn't want my help. I was banished to the basement, where I stayed until I smelled the familiar scent of smoke.

Ellis came running down the stairs "Dad needs your help!" When I got to the kitchen, smoke was billowing out of the oven, and the front door was wide open. "What did you do?!" I exclaimed. Apparently PJ was trying to be fancy and bought a yellow cake mix as well as a chocolate cake mix. He was going to make a 4 layer cake with alternating layers. I was not aware of this, and thought he was only using 1 cake mix. When he asked if it would fit in 2 cake pans, I said it would. It in fact did not. The cake overflowed as it rose and covered the bottom of the oven where it burned and filled the house with smoke.

PJ decided to try again, but this time the boys couldn't help because "they screwed everything up last time." While he went to the store to buy more cake mix, I stayed home and cleaned up his mess. (Happy Birthday to me.)

Two hours, two cake mixes, and two cans of frosting later, we have a ginormous 8-layer cake, that was made by PJ with some guidence from his Home Ec. teacher wife. And yes, it was delicious.

Waiting for Jilly Bean

2009-03-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

On Monday I received a phone call from PJ that Becky was being "seduced." You see, my phone was not working and so my mother called PJ to tell me that my niece would soon be born. I drove to Spokane with Mom after work and we picked up Alyssa and went to the hospital.

March 16th 2009

*8:00 pm- Arrived at hospital. We parked next to Becky's car and notice the sunroof was open and it was snowing. (Yes it was snowing in March. Crazy.)

8:15 pm- Find Becky's room. Visit. Josh gets some coffee. Coffee stinks. Becky gets irritated.

9:00 pm- Make Becky laugh too hard. Blood pressure increases. Get kicked out by nurse.

9:45 pm- I go check on Becky. Josh goes to get more stinky coffee. Give Becky a minute by minute run down of how big her contractions are. Becky threatens to puke. Josh comes back.

10:30 pm- Start eating snacks from the vending machine in the waiting room. Drink some stinky coffee. Alyssa tries the "Munchies" from the vending machine. I also try the "Munchies" without knowing Alyssa tried the "Munchies". Discover that we both try the "Munchies." Chuckle. Think that's funny.

10:45 pm- Mom gets Salt and Vinegar Potato chips. Alyssa says "I almost got those." Chuckle. Think that's funny.

11:00 pm- Alyssa gets Salt and Vinegar Potato chips.

11:15 pm- I start wandering.

11:30 pm- I get a granola bar. Think it is stale. Eat it anyway.

11:45 pm- Josh comes out. Gives Mom a hug. Needs a snack. "The Munchies are good." Doesn't take my advice. Gets a granola bar. Bad idea.

12:00 am- Mom and I get tired of waiting room. Wander down the hall. Wait outside Becky's room. Nurses don't like that. Josh tells us it is almost time to push. We can go in and talk to Becky and then we need to go away.

March 17, 2009
12:15 am- Mom gets some cookies.

12:35 am- I wander around the hall.

12:45 am- Mom offers to give Alyssa $100 bucks to take the St. Patty's hat off the receptionists counter and dance down the hall. Offer refused.

1:00 am- I wander around the hall.

1:15 am- I wander around the hall. Act like I am going to grab the St. Patty's hat. Look back and smile at Alyssa and Mom who are watching me.

1:30 am- Mom and I are bugging Alyssa. Alyssa is irritated.

1:45 am- I wander around the hall. Listen briefly at Becky's door. Report back that she is still pushing.

2:00 am- I wander around the hall.

2:30 am- I wander around the hall.

2:50 am- I over hear the nurse say "Baby girl born at 2:45 am, Simmons." Run and report.

3:00 am- I wander around the hall. Hear baby cry, not sure whose.

3:15 am- I wander around the hall. Dr. takes pity on me and asks "Have you seen the baby yet?" Goes in the wrong room to see if I can come in. Is corrected. I see JILLIAN!!!!!!!

3:35 am- I smuggly go tell Mom that I saw her. Send her in. Alyssa refuses. Doesn't want to get in trouble.

3:40 am- I try to talk her into going in. She still refuses. Go tell Mom. Mom goes and gets her. Visit.

4:00 am- Leave hospital.

*NOTE: Times are approximate. It may not have happened exactly like this, but this is how I choose to remember it.

Chuck E. Cheese (or "My Child May Drive Me to Drink")

2009-03-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

Well, we just got back from an exhausting freestyle wrestling tournament. No medals were taken home, but Ellis had an excuse to wear his singlet all day long. (When asked if he was going to wrestle he replied "Yes, I am right now.") We only lost him twice at the tournament and once at Chuck E. Cheese. Somehow the little rascal made it all the way into the games without being stamped (children are stamped with a number that matches their parent's for security purposes.) He was found a short time later watching a little girl ride in a toy jeep as he was "shooting animals" with his pretend rifle.

After being seated and letting the kids play, we all looked around again, wondering where Ellis was, and then I looked up at the big screen where my child was standing on a chair with his butt sticking out spanking himself, for the whole restaurant to see. (Of course I hurried to get my camera, but I missed the action.)

I have opened up comments to the public so feel free to leave a comment. As soon as I get ten I will post a Guitar Hero video per Tyler's request.

Outie!

Hello? Anyone There?

2009-03-05T19:12:00.000-08:00

I'm just curious, as to who exactly is reading this blog. If you would be kind enough to leave a comment, I will be sure to post some embarrassing pictures of PJ from high school, or something cool like that. This will only happen if I get at least 10 responses. The challenge is on!

Diaper Bag

2009-03-01T18:35:00.000-08:00

This is the diaper bag that I made for Becky. It took me a total of 10 hours to complete, so if anyone wants me to make them one it will cost you $2 million dollars. My time is worth that.

Barf and Pine Cones

2009-02-19T16:04:00.000-08:00

When I picked Ellis up today, he showed me the bag full of "barf and pine cones" he had collected while playing outside. I wasn't quite sure what he meant by "barf" until he pulled out a piece of "bark" from the bag. "Oh, bark!" I said. He wanted to take them all home and put them in jars. I asked him where he wanted to keep the jars. He said "On my bed." With some discussion, we decided to put one pine cone and one piece of "barf" in a jar, and keep them on his bookcase. While scavenging in the refrigerator I came across a jar with a pine cone in it, and a jar with a piece of "barf" in it. I guess he found better place to store his treasures.

Valentines!

2009-02-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

Here are Ellis and Will's Valentines. Will is a rock star and his says "Have a Rockin' Valentine's Day!" Ellis is on a Wanted poster and his says "I want you to be my Valentine!" No, I couldn't just go to Walmart and buy a box of valentines like a normal human. Shut up.

Picture of the Day

2009-01-25T11:28:00.000-08:00

My plan is to take one picture for every day this year and put them all in a 365 album. I got a late start so it is more like 351 album, but I forgive myself for that. This is today's picture, just me and the boys.

I "Heart" Craft Warehouse

2009-01-19T10:29:00.000-08:00

I went to Craft Warehouse yesterday and I just fell in love with this home decor stuff.

Fun Photos!!

2009-01-19T10:21:00.001-08:00

Shower Invite

2009-01-18T22:43:00.001-08:00

Becky, this is here for your approval. What do you think?

Pumpkin Bread!!!

2009-01-16T21:06:00.000-08:00

Well, I know it is now past pumpkin recipe season, but as promised my wonderful pumpkin bread recipe. Hey, I didn't say it was health food.....................

Super Awesome Pumpkin Bread

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 - 3.5 ounce pkgs. vanilla instant pudding mix
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
5 eggs
1-15 ounce can pumpkin puree

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray 6 mini loaf pans with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl stir together the vanilla, oil, eggs, and pumpkin. Pour the egg/pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients and mix. Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a rack.

4. Drizzle with icing and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

What!? No Weapons?!

2009-01-15T16:31:00.000-08:00

Me: "Honey what's wrong?" Ellis: "Will won't let me have any weapons in our game." Me: "You can have pretend weapons, you can have as many as you want Sweetie." As he quickly wipes the tears from his eyes "Okay, I want a missile and a pistol and a black gun and one more pistol, and thats it for my guns. Oh wait, and I want 2 bee bee guns."

Ellis' Christmas Letter

2009-01-14T10:59:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share the Christmas letter that Ellis wrote for PJ and I. Every time I read this letter it makes me smile.

Dear Mommy and Daddy,

If I could take you anywhere in the world, I would take you to the movie theater and the pet store.

If I could do anything in the world for you, I would first give a foot rub and then pick-up my toys.

If I could give you anything in the world, I would give you a clock with an apple on it like Chalky's, a fish, a cat, and a Christmas card.

Love you!
Ellis

Guitar Hero

2008-12-27T14:45:00.000-08:00

Well, we broke down and got the boys Guitar Hero for Christmas. I think PJ is enjoying it way more than the children. We played a little on Christmas Day at my aunt and uncles house, and yes, video was taken. As soon as I figure out how to upload from my new video camera I will post some wonderful clips of us rocking out. We hooked up the microphone and I squealed out my version of Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker." Head banging was indeed included. Stay tuned......

Quinsinerra

2008-12-14T11:35:00.000-08:00

As a preemptive strike against any moodiness that may occur while running the hospitality room for his wrestling tournament, PJ got me this lovely poinsetta, which he refers to as a quinsinerra. As in "So did you like the quinsinerra I got you?"

On Friday afternoon he sent one of his wrestlers in my classroom with the flowers to my utter disbelief and amazement. PJ is not one to buy frivolous things like flowers and jewelry. I interrogated the poor boy as to who really sent them. Were they from my mom? Did someone give them to PJ and then he took the opportunity to give me flowers that he didn't have to buy? What was the deal? Apparently, I have just worn him down. I love you PJ!

Odors

2008-12-11T21:26:00.000-08:00

I just finished posting my last disgusting story when I noticed another odor. I started my little sniffer going again and then figured it out. Me thinking: "Oh, its just my feet."

I am a loser who lives in filth................

2008-12-11T21:08:00.000-08:00

Okay, for the last few days I have walked into the front door of my home and have been overcome with an offensive odor. At first I thought, whoah, the boys need to take a bath tonight, or maybe they need new shoes. The odor was hard to pin point. It was coming from the general direction of the kitchen, so I investigated further. Yesterday I decided it must be the garbage can, so I sent Drew to take out the trash, and I cleaned the garbage can with "Simple Green" because I am all about saving the environment. By the way, you don't even want to know what I found in the bottom, lets just say it had fur. Well, you would think that cleaning something furry out of the bottom of the garbage can would take care of any odor problem you were having, right? No such luck.

I just got home from my card party, (more about that later,) when I discovered that the odor was back! I used my keen sense of smell to sniff the entire kitchen, it always brought me back to the garbage can, which I sniffed thouroughly (can you picture this, my nose twitching like Bewitched.) It wasn't the garbage, but something very near the garbage. And then it hit me. It was the stove.

Now let me explain something. I stayed home from work on Tuesday with Will because he had a headache. (Yeah, it sounds fishy to me too.) So I thought I would be a good little housewife and make dinner, which involved boiling a chicken and taking all of the meat off of the bones. Well a few times during the cooking process, the water boiled over. I would just wipe it up, and turn it down a little and go about my business making Pioneer Woman's dinner rolls (we all know how that turned out.) Fast forward to today when my little sniffer, found under the stove top a puddle, about a 1/2 inch deep of rancid chicken broth that had been sitting for 3 days!!!! Yuck-o!
I again got out my "Simple Green" because I care about the environment and cleaned up that disgusting mess.

Moral of the story: Clean up after yourself like a good little girl, so you don't find disgusting smelly messes three days later.

And now for some magic.....................

2008-12-09T16:24:00.000-08:00