Bug Hunting!

I was at the dollar store the other day, which is almost as good as a thrift store, and found a bug house and bug catching tools for the girls.  They're becoming more interested in bugs and less apt to blow your ear drums out when one gets near, so I thought they would have fun examining some "safe" bugs.

They were pretty proud of themselves all in all.  They wanted to find some rolly pollies but they found a june bug, a "REALLY REALLY BIG ANT!", and some centipedes.

While looking for something for the girls to do I found Project Noah on my phone, it also is available for your Mac in the app store and syncs all your information.  The girls absolutely love it.  We've done a few things so far, and more that I need to upload.  It's really a beautiful layout.

These are some of the "Missions" we are participating in.

 These are some of their recent discoveries.

It's great because they get to feel like Dora and Diego on adventures and discovering new things.  There is also an interactive world wide map that lets you see "discoveries" from all over the world.  It's a great way for them to see things they would never have a chance to otherwise.  And best of all it's FREE!

You can also order bug catchers, bug houses, nets and magnifying glasses online.

P.S. Please ignore all the windows and apps I have open.  My desktop is always in chaos and it drives my fiance insane.


Will be linking at Today's Creative Blog, among others.

What I Love...

I know it’s been months since I’ve posted anything, but it has been sooo hectic.  Wedding, injuries, jobs, holidays, and parenting, you know the usual stuff that is capable of consuming you whole when you least expect it.  However, it has been a great time being with my family while things have been tough.  And while surfing around through blogosphere I’ve come across some rather inspiring blogs about mothers.  So I thought for my first post, back since FOREVER ago, I would dedicate it to my daughters.

5 Things I  LOVE About Being a  MOM

*  That at times as much as I want them to be tiny again, in the same breath I cannot wait to see what they become when they are big.

*  That I get to watch them grow just a little each day in inches, intellect, through inspiration.

* Being able to be a little girl again with my little girls.  It’s fun to make EVERYTHING just perfectly pretty.

* The kisses, hugs, cuddles, and endless amounts of understanding and acceptance my girls have.

* The laughing, the conversations, and the just plain silliness.

5 Things I  LEARNED About Being a  MOM

1. Waking up to a kid climbing in your bed to snuggle (even with the morning breath) is way better than waking up to the sound of your alarm clock.
2. Mom’s aren’t perfect, and sometimes seeing how you should have been raised is a much better gauge on how to raise your children than how you were raised.
3. There is never enough time in the day to get everything done, but its ok to just stop and have an impromptu dance party in the living room.  It feels just as good as an empty To Do list.
4. When posing the girls for pictures, the ones where they start being goofy end up being much better than the ones in my head I intended on taking.
5. It’s okay to need time alone, and the girls really do understand.

Wedding Wednesday!

So I have this obsession with dandelions.  And it's going to carry into my wedding.  I know most people look at them as weeds but if I woke up one morning and our yard was a sea of yellow I would be the happiest girl in the world.

This whole train of thought started when I found these...

I oooh and aaah over these for quite awhile before my fiance crushed my hopes with a big fat stern "NO".  So I was back thinking about the wild flower bouquet I'd originally wanted and I wanted dandelions in it.  I've found so many beautiful dandelions today.

The girls and I even had a dandelion kind of afternoon.  They're everywhere right now!

Pretty little basket.

After a long search online I have come to the disappointing conclusion that NO ONE makes artificial dandelions.  I may just have to use mums instead.  But I want the girls to blow dandelion puffs and toss the flowers.  *happy sigh*

Yes, those are my toes.

(All personal photos are edited by Joshua Morrison Photography)

Wedding Wednesday!

Bridesmaids' Edition:

So here are some of the dresses we've been looking at...

Not the best cut nor does it come in the right sizes, but I am personally in love with this dress.  It completely embodies the feel I am going for.  I may buy it for myself :)

This one is more manageable, but David's Bridal is difficult to work with sometimes, plus it's more than I want my bridesmaids to have to spend.   However, we're getting closer!

This one Sarah found at Sears, I think this one would look great, provided it's long enough.  

    

The problem is finding a dress that will suit all three of my bridesmaids that live all across the country.

Next Week:  Accessories!

Wedding Wednesday!

I am getting married June of next year, and from now until then every Wednesday I am going to post anything and everything about our plans, ideas, pictures, you name it.  Last week I started looking around at wedding dresses.  It's going to be a summer casual wedding, most likely outside so I want a short(er) wedding dress.  When I typed "short wedding dress" into Google this was one of the first pictures I found...

*GASP!*

I'm pretty sure my jaw just about fell off my face.  The very first one was so racy I wouldn't even dream of reposting it.  

This is more along the lines of what I am looking for.

In fact, that one is pretty much perfect, but I can't find who makes it.  Two other ones I did find were these...

The one on the left is a little too causal, but I don't know how the one on the right really looks cause the model has her legs spread so far apart I can't tell if it flares out some (which is what I want) or if it's fitted.   Since the dress is going to be short, I really don't want it to be tight too.

Menu Plan Monday (April 4th)

Last week was ridiculous.  Nothing worked out, and I think we only made three meals we had planned.  I really need a normal, peaceful week this week.  This is the final week in my semester and then I get a week off.  Whoo hoo!

Monday:  Black been soup and tortillas

Tuesday:  Tuna Salad sandwiches

Wednesday:  BBQ beef sandwiches, coleslaw, baked beans

Thursday:  Chicken tacos, avocados, mexican rice

Friday:  Grilled cheese and soup

Saturday:  Chili and crackers

Sunday:  Beef Stew and rolls

I'm going to post some of the recipes later this week.  One thing I did get made was the Slow Cooker Meatballs I found on BHG.  Amazing is all I have to say.  We had them on sourdough loaves; couldn't have been more perfect.

My Meatball Army 

Strawberry Shortcake

About a week ago I bought a HUGE bag of fabric scraps and that's just what they were, sCRAPs.  Someone took the whole bag and cut it into pieces like this.

Now imagine about 15lbs of fabric just like that.  It's crazy.  I had a whole stack of CareBear fabric that was just hacked into pieces.  Who does that??

So luckily some of the pieces were big enough to work with and I was able to piece together an outfit for my three year old.

Personally I think it turned out pretty cute.  I have a stack of Tinkerbell fabric and some sparkly floral fabric in the same size pieces I'm going to try to make outfits out of.