Family Vacation Here We Come!

The last time we took a family vacation we landed in Branson, MO. It was fun. We were a family of 3 then.

Now, we are a family of 4 with one under one. Choosing a place that offered something for everyone (that could walk and talk) was easy. Deciding on a destination that would work us given the age of our boys was completely different.

We decided to drive instead of fly because we were afraid we'd be "that family". You know the one: baby crying, parents drinking, sibling crying because baby was crying... You get the idea. So, we decided we'd rent a mini-van. This would give us easy access to the back in case big brother had a hard time with little brother. This would also give us a DVD player. We already have a DVD player, but, it's not part of the car. This allows for more lap room for the big kid. Mini-van also accommodates the loads, and loads, and loads of stuff the smallest person in the family needs in order for this to be a happy family vacation. We'll see if we use it all.

Packing tonight and then we're off. I'm not telling where we're going. I thought I'd post pictures and let you give it your best try. Who knows, if you're someone close and don't already know of our plans, you might find a small treat upon our return. I can't say anymore as it will ruin the fun.

Tonight it's all about packing, packing, packing. We're hoping to leave early enough so the little kid can get two naps in during the drive. Cross your fingers and wish us luck!

House Number

While my friend, Megan, was over today, we broke in my new Cricut machine. I wanted my house number to pop when looking at the front of our home in case we were to get crazy and order delivery (something that happens 1x per year maximum).

I got some vinyl and a friend that knew what she was doing and here's what we did:

Carefully line up the vinyl on the cutting mat.

Peel off vinyl and place on special paper that helps when sticking it to the door.

Wipe area with rubbing alcohol and rag.
DON'T use tissue like I did, it leaves fuzzies.

Rub the letters on the special sticky paper to ensure it sticks.

Carefully align the letters before rubbing them onto
the door to ensure they are in the correct spot.

Peel and wiggle at an angle so it comes off easier.

Wait for it!

So pretty!

Repeat steps for the abbreviation

Step back and admire.

Step WAAAAY back and admire some more!

Updated Fraps!

My friend Megan came over to help with my new Cricut (whoot!) and we made fraps. Yes, we get a bit sidetracked, but, it's all ok. I wasn't pleased with the runniness of the frauppicinos that I made the other day so we decided to tinker. Turns out, if you ALMOST double the amount of ice, it's practically perfect. (I doubled and it was a bit too much)

Frappuchino Anyone?

Found a recipe that would enable me to make a Starbucks Frappucino without spending eleventy billion dollars a shot. I never liked making my own because the ingredients seemed to separate before I was able to finish it (and I can slam a coffee drink if need be). Turns out, there is a secret ingredient, xanthum gum!


It's the magical ingredient that keeps things from separating. I've linked to the brand I was able to find. I've read you could use pectin too. Hubs (the scientist) says pectin forms a tighter bond making things thicker. Pectin is cheaper, but, I didn't remember that ingredient while at the grocery store yesterday. You only need a pinch so the price can be justified (I spent $13 and change on my bag, wowzers!)


I added coffee flavoring as I'm a fan of that. You could keep it regular if you'd like. I used hot coffee. I found my mixture to be a bit runny. Wondering if I used cooled coffee if it would be thicker. I'll be trying that later.

***For my friend Mary***
I didn't add whipped topping to mine as I'm not a huge fan of it. It adds a 'coating' feeling to your mouth when you have it at the end of the drink (it it lasts that long). Thinking the whipped topping in a can might have less fat content and would not have the same effect.

Give it a go OR come over and we'll make some together!!!

These flowers will never die.

Got bored one day and made some flowers for the living room. I've got to be careful as these are addictive to make.

Flower Power!

Made a 2nd flower. This time, smaller as I had less felt. I like it. For the record, I switched over to my low temp. glue gun. Fewer burns, but, I have to move faster as it cools (almost too) quickly.

Craft room inspiration

I will be attempting this now that I have a rocking peg board wall!

Flowery Day

Spent a bit of time this morning making a couple of flowers (and burning my fingers on hot glue).

Can you find it?

Here it is! I made it out of felt.

This one I made from satin.
(Can you see the glob of hot glue on my fingernail. Yipes!)

It's a pin!

New quilt project

I was feeling crafty and in need of a 'girlie' quilt. After a quick trip to the local quilt shop I began. This is a picture of 'step one' that I accomplished today. Loving it!

Pictures to prove we moved.

At the request of my younger sister and several friends, I finally made the time to take some pictures of the house. I'm not going to post all at once, rather, I'll be breaking them up into floors.

Today, the main floor. (Insert squees of excitement here)

Front Door
(free reflection of me in my jammies included)

Entryway
(living room on right, kitchen straight, stairs left)

Living room
(sorry about the lack of flash, this is the best I could get)

Standing at the far side of the living room
(See the front door by the clock?)

Standing in the living room taking a picture of the dining room
(pass through from kitchen)

Standing in the doorway from the kitchen to the dining room
(living room on right, window on left)

This was taken leaning over the pass through.
Wanted to show a pic from that corner.
Not sure it turned out very well.

Kitchen. Pic taken from doorway to dining room.
(cute hubby fixing morning coffee)

Kitchen
(taken from doorway by front hallway)

First floor bathroom
(one of the main reasons for moving)

Family room
(hubby calls it the man cave)

Man cave fireplace

Mr. Ed door in man cave

Another School Year has Ended...on a Sad Note!

I have another year of teaching under my belt. My oldest will be advancing to 4th grade. My husband has finished another year teaching high school. What a sigh of relief!

Sadly, not all has ended well. The district office had a fire last last night/early this morning. It was said the building didn't have an extinguisher system in place. With all of the paper that was there, the fire spread quickly and the building and it's contents were deemed a total loss.

I have no words to describe feelings regarding what happened. We are very lucky it didn't happen during the day. We are very blessed that there were only two injuries as a result of attending to the fire and not deaths. We are thankful that the fire didn't spread to other buildings on the block. We are so happy that it was only things and not people. We are praying for the district and those affected as a result of what has happened.

On the Cusp of Greatness

Aside from being busy moving (pictures to come), we've had a lot of other important things going on. The little guy has been busy trying to figure out some of life's more challenging moments.....crawling.

Soccer stuff

I didn't forget how to blog! Whoot!!

Things are picking up at our house. Soccer season is officially underway. The big kid has TONS of stuff to wear to games. The little guy, not so much. I decided to whip up a bit of cuteness for him. I'm hoping it doesn't distract everyone from watching the match. He is terribly adorable in it.

Happy Valentine's Day

For the favorite men in my house! Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day Babies

The big kid is now in 3rd grade and will have his Valentine's Day party at school tomorrow. He decided to take 'dips' to school for his classmates, hence, no photos. I didn't make them.

The little guy is celebrating his first Valentine's Day. He will be taking bibs to the other kiddies in his daycare room. I just finished whipping these babies up. Took only an hour to make these from start to finish. I LOVE how they turned out.

Flower Power

This is what I made today. Does this mean I have a problem? (sorry that it's blurry, I had to use my camera phone)

Tangled Yoke Cardigan, FINISHED!

Do you remember when I started this projects? It was an eternity ago. I started that project before becoming pregnant with the little guy. (He is now 5 months old.) On his 5th month b-day, I finished said project.

It was well worth the wait! So warm and snuggly. So soft and.....soft. I love every detail. I didn't make one mistake with this sweater (not counting the ones I frogged and re-did). It was the first project I spent big money on. It was worth every single penny! I highly recommend it...(cough, cough, mom, cough). Error free pattern and directions are easy to follow.

If you're super interested in the specifics, I posted about it on ravelry.

Enough babbling, enjoy the pictures. (giggling with excitement)