February 18, 2012

Drawer Sticker Labels

Two of my boys share a dresser and the youngest was having a hard time remembering where his clothes were stored.  I saw THIS at crafterhours and knew that was the answer to my problem.  I used her clothes template, tweaked a little bit and cut the shapes out on yellow vinyl.

One wears boxer briefs...

The other prefers tighty-whities...with Thomas the train on them.

Shorts, pants

Pajamas

The dresser is in a strangely lit area, so sorry for the bad photos.  I wasn't going to move the entire dresser, filled with clothes just for a couple of pictures.  Sorry, I love you....but not that much.

The good news is my no longer confused four-year old can find his clothes easily and quickly now. Hooray!  I love fast, easy, and functional projects.

February 16, 2012

Book Review: Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

Midnight in AustenlandMidnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Oh, how I wanted to LOVE this book!  The sequel to Hale's original and hilarious Austenland.  Although good to read in order, the stories are not so intertwined that you wouldn't know what was going on in this one.

Love the setting and plot line, but found the characters a bit hard to connect with, didn't feel super excited about any of them.  The mystery was fun, but a bit drawn out for me.  Liked the resolution and really enjoyed the heroine's gumption with her ex in the end.  I will still read Hale and recommend her to everyone willing to listen, just not my favorite of her works.



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February 15, 2012

Exercise is the key....I hate that.

I'm finally getting around to posting about my newest adventure.....running.  Well, let's be honest.  It's more of a shuffle/jog/waddle thing right now.  My friend and I are going to run a 5k this year.  I haven't run a mile since my high school sophomore PE class.  I HATE running, in fact I despise most exercise in general.  Due to me getting old and my crazy, stressed out, sleep deprived schedule (my son with autism doesn't sleep through the night very well), I have started to put on a little pudge in the middle section...and in my thighs....and my upper arms.  Love it.

I eat pretty healthy (always room for improvement though) and I could say no to desserts little more often, but the big hole in my overall health is lack of exercise.  I've joined gyms before, but it doesn't really fit my style or budget right now.  I had been toying with the idea of running and my friend gave me the confidence boost to give it a try.  I started... and not sure if this is for me.  I am 5' 2'' with short stubby legs, not exactly a body built for long distance running.  Frustration.

Then, I read this article, and felt sore motivation to give it a try again.  I started doing the Couch to 5k program, I'm on week 3 and doing well!  I am actually able to do what the program says...so far!  The biggest factor: good music on my iPod to distract me from the distasteful task.  I'm feeling better during the day (after my legs stop feeling like jelly) and I crash at night, so sleepy I can hardly hold my eyes open while brushing my teeth.  Not so great for my late night reading sessions (can't blame my lack of sleep all on my son, I admit), but that's ok.  I'll just have to take a little more time to read each book.  That's what renewals from the library are for, right?

So, I'm writing this all down so I can look this over when I hit my "wall".  Everyone hits one eventually and I want to keep going.  I am running, I've lost 2 pounds, and I need to keep going so I don't make a fool of myself during my upcoming 5k.  AND I've got some really cute clothes in my closet that I would like to wear again....please.

Thanks for indulging me by reading my ramblings.  I'll try to write down updates as they come.  
Short term goal:  run for 30 minutes straight.  Tired just thinking about it.  
Long term goal:  lose 15-20 pounds.  Maybe I'll get brave and post actual weight numbers later...I'm feeling kind of chicken right now, so just know that 15-20 pounds less would be where I was in college, before marriage and kids.  Is that even possible to look/weigh what I did in college after having 3 kids and an actual LIFE (aka stress-ius maximus)?  I've kept 5 pounds of baby weight with each of my pregnancies...and an extra 5 pounds lately, just for fun.  SO fun!

Ok, I'm going to put on my running shoes now.  Wish me luck.

February 14, 2012

Book Review: The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez

The CircuitThe Circuit by Francisco Jiménez

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A collection of short stories from the point of view of a child, growing up in a migrant working family, traveling from one California town to the next throughout the growing season.

A great little book, too short actually for me.  I wanted more stories and to hear what happened to each of the family members as they grew up.  Enlightening and fascinating, a whole other world and way to grow up.  Loved the characters and the closeness of their family.



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February 8, 2012

Valentine Printables for 2012





"You're just WRITE for me" valentine made by me, inspired by Disney Family Fun




(my chocolate heart is a little too big for the "O")

"Eyes On You" made by me, inspired by AR Mommy


back

girl version


And, because I'm awesome, I forgot to take a picture of my version of this one.  It was too cute not to include though.


I made all of these for a RS activity night, hope everyone enjoys them and makes some cute Valentines this year.  If you have any questions or problems with any of the links, please leave a comment and I'll help you out.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

The Forgotten GardenThe Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved and hated this book at the same time.  I loved it because it was interesting, the plot, mystery, and story really kept me riveted.  The writing was excellent.  Each chapter would start at a different point in time, anywhere from the early 1900s all the way to early 2000s.  Despite the major time changes between chapters, following various family members over a period of 200 years, I had no trouble keeping up and followed right along.  Not easy to write a book that way.  I loved the fairy tales written by the "Authoress" as well.  I hated all of the characters except Cassandra though.  They were all rather nasty pieces of work...or had so many nasty things happen to them that they became jaded over time.  If you like the Downton Abbey series on PBS, this is the book for you.  There is no "heroine" really, except for Cassandra, and there is drama in spades...in every time period along the way.  A great book club pick, lots to discuss.



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Kit Kat Cake

My husband and oldest son contributed to a father/son Cub Scout Cake Competition.

It was a big hit.
Inspiration from HERE.  We just left off the ribbon and only used blue and "gold" M&M's.
Great job, boys!
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