Does Laundry Make You Smile?

Being a homemaker I'm the one in charge of doing laundry (by default). This task can be so mundane, boring and even at times, overwhelming. So I like to try to find little ways to cheer myself up while doing even the most basic of tasks. One way is to make my laundry area a little more aesthetically pleasing. I found the following idea in an InStyle Home magazine a few years back and it has always stuck with, so a few weeks ago I decided to go ahead and do it already!!

I just took a round fishbowl style vase and a yellow ceramic measuring cup (both are things that I already owned) and dumped my laundry detergent in. My vase can hold a full 40 load box of powder detergent. Putting it on the dryer reminds me not to put anything else there, so the top stays clutter free. Also, the vase and measuring cup are much more pleasing to the eye than a neon cardboard box and the plastic scoop that comes with the detergent. I encourage you to try this idea. See what creative things you have lying around the house to make into the scoop. It could be a measuring cup, or a large, beautiful seashell. Let the creative juices flow and I promise doing laundry will be a little more pleasant!!

Audrey's Growing Up....

I know I still have awhile, but the thought of Audrey not being in her crib any longer has started to creep into my mind. So I've started to ponder what kind of furniture she is going to have when she is ready for her "big girl" bed. I got an Ikea catalog in the mail awhile back and fell in love with the Mammut series of furniture. It's very whimsical and almost reminds of something out of a Dr. Seuss book! I could just imagine her having a Dr. Seuss room eventually....

The Little One Really Hates The Big One...

....but I caught a rare moment of peace!

There's Nothing Like...

...tickling your child!!!







By the way, if you can't tell, I'm both the tickler and the photographer!

Beatitudes For Homemakers

I got this off of another blog, and she got it out of an Amish cookbook.

Beatitudes For Homemakers
by Ella May Miller

Blessed is she whose daily tasks are a work of love; for her willing hands and happy heart transform duty into joyous service to all her family and God.
Blessed is she who opens the door to welcome both stranger and well-loved friends; for gracious hospitality is a test of brotherly love.
Blessed is she who mends both stockings and broken toys and broken hearts; for her understanding is a balm to her husband and children.
Blessed is she who scours and scrubs; for well she knows that cleanliness is one expression of godliness.
Blessed is she whom children love; for the love of a child is of greater value than fortune or fame.
Blessed is she who sings in her work; for music lightens the heaviest load and brightens the dullest chore.
Blessed is she who dusts away doubt and fear and sweeps all the cobwebs of confusion; for her faith will triumph over adversity.
Blessed is she who serves laughter and smiles with every meal; for her cheerfulness is an aid to mental and physical digestion.
Blessed is she who introduces Jesus Christ to her children; for Godly sons and daughters shall be her reward.
Blessed is she who preserves the sacredness of a Christian home; for hers is a divine trust that crowns her with dignity.

Pumpkin Patch

I took Audrey to a Pumpkin Patch this afternoon. I wanted to do it last year, but I never got around to it, so this year I was bound and determined to go! I was very pretty outside today, in the high 80's, with a breeze and clear, sunny skies. So we went and walked around the patch for about 30 minutes. I took a LOT of pictures of her, but unfortunately I didn't have my husband there to get her to look at the camera, so most of the pics are of the side of her face! At one point I resorted to dangling my keys next to the camera to get her to look! There was one pumpkin that she took to big time. It was a small pumpkin, I think they called them 'We Be Littles', and she carried that thing around for most of our time there! We left with 2 'We Be Littles', and one 'Spooky' pumpkin. Here are some of the pictures:

This was my favorite picture!


Audrey with her lil' pumpkin...


The little one in her hand was her favorite!


Checking out some pumpkins...



There are just SO many to check out...

YUMMY!

I made these Eagle Brand Magic Cookie Bars yesterday and boy are they GREAT!!! Everything comes in the box, all you need is 5 tablespoons of butter. It has a graham cracker crust, and is topped with sweetened condensed milk, coconut, walnuts, chocolate chips and butterscotch chips!!
Try it if you ever get the chance!!

My Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday, I'm now the ripe old age of 24! At first my birthday started off terribly, my mom called (her and my dad were supposed to come up to take me to breakfast) and told me that they wouldn't be coming because my grandma had a mild heart attack the night before and was in the hospital. But after talking to my grandma on the phone and realizing that she was okay, I was able to enjoy the rest of my day.

Bryan took the day off of work to spend it with me, he also lined up a friend of ours to watch Audrey during the day, and his mom to watch her during the evening. After we dropped her off, the rest of the day was spent shopping, eating and napping! What a GREAT way to spend the day!

We ate out three times yesterday (well,4 if you include the ice cream stop!) and I don't think that I've eaten that much in the past 3 weeks! The place we went for dinner was my favorite restaurant, Pappasito's, where I pigged out on chicken fajitas, YUM!

Some of the things that I got from Bryan for my birthday were:
~a book called 'Deceptively Delicious'
~'The Iliad' by Homer
~the movie 'Knocked Up'
~the new Foo Fighters cd

And on Friday he's going to take me shopping again at Old Navy because by the time we got there last night I was WAY to full to try things on!

So, even though my birthday started off bad it ended up being absolutely WONDERFUL! Thank you SOOOO much Bryan! You are the best and most thoughtful husband EVER!!

Friday Favorites - October 5th Edition

I know that this edition of Friday Favorites is late, but better late than never, right?!
My favorite thing this time is a wooden jewelry that my mom gave me on my wedding day. It has a picture of her and I from when I was 2 months old. When opened it plays 'You Are My Sunshine' which is the song that she would sing to me when I was a baby.

Halloween Cookies

So anyone who knows me knows that as the years go by I love Halloween increasingly more!!
So on October 1st to celebrate my favorite month I made a batch of Halloween Cookies. They were just regular sugar cookies from a mix that I rolled out and cut out with my new Halloween cookie cutters (which I got from Target, they were $1.00 for 10 cutters).
The shapes were:
~2 different tombstone shapes
~2 different ghost shapes
~a pumpkin
~a haunted house
~a spiderweb
~a bat
~a scary cat
~and a crescent moon



I put Halloween frosting (orange tinted vanilla) with Halloween sprinkles on the cookies.
I can't wait to make these again!

Fall At Our House...

As I've said in a previous post, I LOVE FALL!!! Everything about it is absolutely divine! When the weather starts to change it gets me even more in the Spirit of Fall (here in Central Texas the early Fall temperatures are still soaring). I love the scents that come along with the Autumn season. All of the pumpkin and spice scents just make me melt! I also love all of the rich colors and the fact that nature is so celebrated in all of the pumpkins and gourds and apples and leaves that come along with the seasons decor. It truly is wonderful! So far my personal collection is still extremely small, but in the years to come I plan to make my autumnal decor grow!

First, and foremost I think that scent draws you in, so I got a Harvest Spice scent air freshener.



These are Pumpkin Pie scented candles hanging on 2 wall sconces in my living room, they smell absolutely delicious!



This is a Pumpkin Swirl scented candle that is in the main bathroom.



This is my Dining Room table, with yet another Pumpkin Swirl candle. The candle holder is actually a coaster from Pier 1, the table runner is a new find, also from Pier 1, and the candle stick holders are a ruby red color, I bought them at a garage sale and believe that they are from Avon.



These 3 little felt pumpkins sit atop my television. I bought these last year at the local grocery store for $1.00 each.



This little white ceramic pumpkin is on my coffee table and I found it for $2.50 at Target. I plan on getting some fall candy to put in it.



And this is what greets you at my front door. My mom made this and gave it to me on Sunday as a pre-birthday present.

And although I don't have much "actual" Fall decor, most of my house is done in rich colors such as browns and oranges and mustards and reds and olives and rich Robin's Egg blues. So my house coordinates well into the Fall season!

Happy Fall to you!!!

Back to FLYing.....

This summer I had barely any work, so Audrey and I were home most of the time. There would even be a period of 2 or 3 days where we didn't go ANYWHERE. During that time I really started to FLY. Check out FLYlady to see what I'm talking about. I was doing so well keeping up with the housework, I was making dinner almost every single night, I was getting into a really great routine and was getting excited about starting to "school" Audrey. Well, fast forward 2-3 months and it's all gone by the wayside. I keep up decently with the house work, I cook a couple of times a week and I have absolutely NO routine anymore. I also am a month behind on starting "school". Why is this? Life happened. All of the sudden I'm got SWAMPED at work, a few of my co-workers and I have joked that we should set up cots at the church because we practically live there. There have been many days over the past month and a half where I've had to work twice in a day. I go in for awhile in the morning, come home, feed Audrey, put her down for a nap and then feed her again once she wakes up and then we're out the door for the rest of the evening. Once we get home from the evening shift I feed her and then put her down for the night.

BUT, now, starting on Monday, my life will hopefully be less chaotic. I've dropped 2 of the evening shifts at work (they are both on days where I already have something going on in the morning). And my schedule will be much more set for the rest of the month, and into November. My goal is that starting this weekend I will get back into the swing of things. Namely, FLYing. The FLYlady program really has proved to be a lifesaver for me. I'm so much more calm when I have a routine. I've lately found myself to be getting angry very easily, and I really don't like that. I'm ready to get back to my normal, happy life. I'm ready to actually start schooling Audrey, I'm ready to have enough energy to start swimming again. Folks, after tomorrow (my last double shift day) I will be back to FLYing and my daughter, my husband, and myself will be SO much happier for it. I hope to grab a few spare moments tonight or tomorrow to come up with my routines for the days when I'm home and the days when I work. Wish me luck!

Another Great Article....

Here's a great article on the over-medication of our kids.

Interesting Article....

Here is an interesting article on the use of plastic grocery bags. Made me think, at the very least I'm going to start taking my plastic bags back to the store to recycle them, but I'd like to eventually start buying reusable canvas bags for my grocery transporting needs.

Delayed....

Okay, so my "Make Something New Monday" post is going to be delayed a bit. Maybe by as much as a few days. Even though I've been home all day today, it's been pretty busy around here. So, I haven't had a chance to go to the store and I haven't been able to take the time to make something. I might try my hand at the Butter Bread tonight. I made that last week and really want to try again. The new thing that I want to make this week is Strawberry Shortcake or maybe some homemade cut out cookies (that way I can use my Halloween cookie cutters!!). We'll see. I have to work most of the day tomorrow, so I'll probably make something on Wednesday.

Right now I'm going to go clean my bedroom really quick and then get started on dinner.

On the menu tonight:
Chicken Fried Steak
Mashed Potatoes
Country Gravy
Peas
Rice Krispy Treats (if I have enough time)

PEACE!

The First Day of October....

WOW!!! Is it really October 1st already?!?! I honestly cannot believe how fast this year has gone by. Pretty soon it'll be Turkey Day, then Christmas, and then we'll be ringing in the year 2008. Where is time going?!

October is my favorite month. The top reason being the fact that my birthday is this month, but October also holds my wedding anniversary, and one of my favorite holidays, HALLOWEEN!! Yay!

I'm looking forward to the weather being cooler and, I'm probably one of the few, but I'm looking forward to daylight savings also. I actually like it when it gets darker earlier!

I think this month is going to be pretty awesome!!