ShabbyGrace

Projects...

Gosh, has it really been 3 weeks since I posted?? This month has flown by. Was busy getting ready for Cody's birthday party and guests and now we are in the midst of A LOT of projects around the house. I mentioned to Heather this room, a basement where they painted the ceiling, pipes and all to avoid the lowered ceiling. So I had to search through my massive decorating magazine collection and find the photo for her. (You know how I hated that job- NOT- LOL I had so much fun relooking through some old mags and now have more inspiration to keep going on our projects!) Is this not a YUMMY laundry room. If you have a basement laundry room this is a wonderful idea. I could definitely be happy washing 8 loads a week in that laundry room!

And here is our current project- BEFORE and DURING. Our house was built in 1962 and mostly was infested with pink and aqua everywhere but this bath was peach- BLECCHH! In this BEFORE photo we had already replaced the peach throne and and wall sconces. I tried decorating around the peach for awhile but I never liked it! SO now I am at this stage. We gutted it and replaced everything, including the window. The tile is NOT this tan, it is only slightly darker than the white, but more creamy. The large built-in cupboard (which is a cavern- AWESOME!) is currently being painted like the rest of the trim, will replace pulls with bin pulls, need to re-paint ceiling and walls, hang mirror and hooks and find a small table to go where the metal one is now. We don't really need the storage but DH wants something to set his stuff on when he shaves in the morning. So there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel. And this bath is my new favorite room, SO bright and sunny and warm!

Now, I better get back to painting!

Yummy Goodies...

Check out these new goodies from Shabby Miss Jenn... Love the gorgeous colors in this kit and all the fun stuff. This kit is huge! My first layout is from the boys' fall nature hike at school. I got to chaperone and it was SO fun to see these little guys soaking up the outdoors, taking notes and drawing pictures in their journals and having fun. 2nd layout is of Jack and my niece Savannah at ages 1 and 6. Love the Quick Page I used for this layout- this was SO quick and easy... and looks wonderful!! And the 3rd layout is one I did awhile ago but hadn't shared yet. Savannah enjoying her yummy cupcakes.

One more thing to share, the invitation for Cody's birthday party. It will be at a gymnastics gym, lots of activity. His only request besides "something cool" was red, white and blue. I used lots of goodies here for this one that my soon-to-be-9-year-old just loves! Used stuff from Shabby Miss Jenn, Heather Ann, Gina Cabrera, Katie Pertiet, Tia Bennett and Michelle Underwood.

 

Gosh is it Friday already?? This week flew by. Busy around here lately. Planning a party, making valentine's and working on some house projects are all in the plans for this weekend. Hope everyone has a WONDERFUL and relaxing weekend.

International Day

was a HUGE success. They had a great time and so did the adults. Besides the booths they did for Cuba and Puerto Rico, there was Columbia, Jamaica, Argentina, Peru, Costa Rica... and.. my mind is blank.... that's all I can remember at the moment. 16 kids in their school so 16 different countries. Very cool. Some great food to sample. Every year they donate all the dimes they make at their booths to a different charity. This year they chose the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota and will contribute to their Fuel Assistance Fund. They raised $212.27 and one of the grandparents who came pledged to match the donation, making the total $425. Isn't that AWESOME!! The kids were so excited to empty all their dimes into the donation jar and see how much it all added up to. Here are a couple quick photos of the boys at their booths and the things we made to sell.

And this Friday is the 100th day of school so they can count out 100 of one thing and take to school that day. They are still trying to decide what they want to take. I suggested matchbox cars, but Cody doesn't think we have 100 so we have to count them up. I could swear it's at least 200 when they are all over the floor in their rooms. LOL

Working on our corporate taxes (actually I just have to get the stuff together for the accountant to work on them- Thank Goodness for that!) as fast as I can this morning so I can work on a new scrapbook page today with a fabulous new kit. Will share when I can.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Sweet Valentine's Idea...

This is SO fun. Get your valentine's ready now and then send them to Loveland, CO and have them hand-stamped and cancelled from the "Sweetheart City". This is the largest Valentine Re-mailing Program and is 61 years old. You can read about it here and here. This is the Loveland card for this year. Boys and I are working on our valentine's this weekend. Lots of construction paper, glitter and glue!! Fun stuff.

And check out this CUTENESS... the new faces of Baby Gap... saw "Sarah" on our local news this morning. Is she not the cutest?

We have been busy preparing for a big event at the boys' school that they do every year. This is Cody's 4th year and Jack's first~ love that the kindergarteners do this too~ International Day. Each year is a different continent and each child picks a country to research. They take the kids to the library to check out their books for their reports and help them work on their reports at school. The parents get the help with the FUN part- and you know I just LOOOVE doing this... we help our child make a "booth" with a display about their country and then we make a craft or food item together that they will sell at their booth. On the big day they all set up their booths and they read their reports out loud to the class and then they have a little bazaar. Each child brings 40 dimes to buy the goods with and at the end of the day they donate their dimes to a chosen charity. Family and friends visit in the afternoon. This is one of my FAVORITE things they do at school... I know I say that about everything, but they really do some great stuff. (I just looove the boys school but I better not get started on that... it is midnight and I am drinking coffee... AHHH). Anyway, tomorrow is International Day! DH and I helped them set up their booths tonight when we picked them up and they are SOOO EXCITED for a fun day tomorrow.

Cody is doing Cuba and Jack is doing Puerto Rico. Both boys decorated their display boards by cutting and pasting photos of their country that I found on the internet, got them each a map of their country, they each are taking their CD players with music from their country. For Cuba, Cody is taking some dominos, we did a small flyer about the pre-1959 classic American cars that are abundant in Cuba, and he is selling bubblegum cigars. We decorated a cigar box with an old Cuban cigar label. For Puerto Rico, Jack has some seashell necklaces, a stuffed coqui (frog) and a little book of coloring pages and recipes. We made little bags of sand and seashells for him to sell. Of course, I had to make a cute little bag topper for them. LOL 

OMG, I 've been rambling... can you tell I am excited too!! Can't wait to go visit all the booths and take lots of photos tomorrow! My sister and her kids and my parents are all going as well so the boys will be happy to have a lot of guests!!

Practically Perfect in Every Way...

"Wanted: a nanny for two adorable children."
If you want this choice position, have a cheery disposition. Rosy cheeks, no warts...
-play games all sorts. You must be kind, you must be witty; very sweet and fairly pretty...
Take us on outings, give us treats. Sing songs, bring sweets.
Never be cross or cruel, never feed us castor oil, or gruel. Love us as a son and daughter, and never smell of barley water...
If you won't scold and dominate us, we will never give you cause to hate us. We won't hide your spectacles so you can't see, put toads in your bed, or pepper in your tea.
Hurry, Nanny! Many thanks! Sincerely...
Jane and Michael Banks.

I have always loved Mary Poppins but haven't seen it for quite some time. I watched it with my niece while at work yesterday ~just one of the perks of a famly business~ LOL. Anyway, I fell in love with the movie all over again. Julie Andrews is WONDERFUL! It takes on a whole different meaning to me as a mother than it did as a child. Just a great film to see. What else can I say... SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPEALIDOCIOUS!

I've been tagged 3 times, 2 different ones so this post is a long time coming and LOOONG. It seems to me that most everyone has done these already so I am not tagging anyone but if you haven't been tagged, go for it!

First tagged by Jenn.

A - Available or taken: Taken for eternity.

B - Best friend: My mom and my sister are my very best friends!

C - Cake or pie: Fruit pie, NO cake.

D - Drink of choice: Dr. Pepper and Starbucks coffee.

E - Essential item you use everyday: My mom’s lip balm (she makes them, not her own tube!)

F - Favorite color: White (I know... Boring)

G - Gummy bears or worms: Gummy bears

H - Hometown: I feel like I have 2. Peoria, IL and Kirksville, MO

I - Indulgence: cheesecake

J - January or February: February: Valentine’s and Cody’s birthday

K - Kids and names: Cody and Jack (Jackson)

L - Life in incomplete without: God and my family

M - Marriage date: June 29, 1996

N - Number of siblings: 1 sister

O - Oranges or apples: Apples

P - Phobias or fears: Lack of personal space

Q - Fave quote: "Believe in the beauty of your dreams"

R - Reason to smile: I get to work with my Mom and Dad 3 days a week.

S - Season: Fall

T - Tag 3 people: I think this one's been covered by everyone!

U - Unknown fact about me: I’ve been to 43 states, lived in 7.

V - Vegetable you don't like: Okra must be the only one.

W - Worst habit: Biting my nails.

X - X-rays: One...About a year and a half after Jack was born I had horrible pain in the a*#. Went for an X-ray and discovered I had a broken tail bone. Must have happened during labor.

Y - Your fave food: Cheesecake? If that doesn’t count, then my Mom’s home-cooking.

Z - Zodiac sign: Libra- through and through.

Also tagged by Colleen and Tracey to list 6 weird things about me.. Gosh, everything I do is completely normal…  LOL

1. I sort food. And it is hereditary. My mom and my sister sort too. The funny thing is we didn’t even realize we all sorted until about 13 years ago when my soon-to-be DH so “graciously” pointed it out to us. And even funnier is that after this realization and a discussion to follow we realized we all have the same “rules”. Favorite things to sort: chips, French fries, M&M’s and Skittles.

2. I’m always cold. Even in the summer I get chilly a lot. I often wear my coat in the house.

3. I drop ice EVERY time I get some out of the freezer, without fail!

4. I cannot burp. I can count on one hand the number of times I have burped in my entire life.

5. I cannot make a right hand turn without a stop light. I will go around the whole block to avoid the left-hand-turn-without-a-light.

6. I won't cook anything greasy/oily. My ground beef has to be very lean and I won't cook bacon at all, although I love it.

Happy Thursday!

MLK Day March...

Fort Collins has a very large MLK Day March and Celebration. My kids' school does a lot of community activities and this is a big day for them. They do have school today so they can participate in the March and attend the festivities. Unfortunately due to the bitter cold temperatures we have been having here the March has been cancelled but they will be attending the indoor festivities. All the kids make posters based on the theme of the year's festivities and carry these in the March. Here is a page I did for last year's yearbook. (The FUN orange and lemon slices to cover the close up faces are from Shabby Miss Jenn) I have a couple of kids' MLK biographies that we will read tonight. Anybody else have anything planned?

And today while the boys are at school, I am enjoying the warm inside and working on some knitting for them. Definitely a stay inside kind of day. It was below zero when we woke up- YIKES. Can't wait for the 28 degrees on Wednesday!! It will be like a tropical heat wave!

Crazy Kids...

run in my family! LOL Just had to share a couple funnies with you.

So last night I am giving the boys a bath when out of the blue:

   Cody (in his best baby voice): Mommy I don't want the polar ice caps to melt and flood the whole world.

   Jack: Me neither, Mommy. But maybe it could just flood everything but the United States.

   Mommy: Well, that’s not very nice to say- that wouldn’t be a good thing.

   J: Well, just the Nazi’s then.

   M: HUH?

   C: Yeah, there are still Nazi’s you know. I heard that there was a Nazi blimp over Africa a couple years ago or something.

   M: Really. Hmm. Well. (Exits room to tell Daddy and write this down for the record books.)

OMG WHERE do they come up with this stuff? They funny thing is the way they were carrying on this conversation like they each knew exactly what the other was talking about. Too funny.

So since I have to have a photo of some sort when I post and I am not about to post a tub photo, you get this photo taken at our New Year's Eve Celebration with my family. My boys and my sister's kids. Aren't they just darling! LOL No really they are all sweet kids but when the 4 of them are together, WATCH OUT! They all talk SHOUT at once, run thorough the house, it's complete chaos!! My parents have all 4 for sleepovers and the next morning Mom always says "I'm not having all 4 of them again it's just too crazy. I think I wll start having them in 2's." And 2 weeks later she is hosting the 4 of them again! TOO FUNNY. Only a Grandma huh!

Anyway, we had a blast on New Year's. Every year the 10 of us get together at my parents' house. We bring all of our games over and play lots of games, munch on a selection of yummy hors d'ouevre's and just have a fun time. My Dad sets the clock ahead 3 hours and at "midnight" we let down the balloons from the ceiling and the kids make TONS of noise with the noisemakers my mom got them. SOO loud and fun. This year my mom wanted a photo of the Grands for her late holiday cards and this one just craked me up! This is SO typical of the little munchkins!!

This year we were recovering from our 2nd snowstorm and the 3 guys (the 3 own 2 landscape companies that do snow removal) were just plain exhausted. DH and my sister's hubby fell asleep before the kids. LOL And my Dad went to bed with the kids. So Mom and Jen and I stayed up and played a game for about 3 hours. SO fun. And great to spend some time with my Mom and Sis.

OK, off to enjoy my day at home!

In With The New...

OMG I feel like I have been beat up from the past 3 weeks here in Colorado. I am not even wanting to watch the news anymore lately. First, we are having the strangest weather. I have not seen this much snow in the 11 years we have lived here. We had 24+ inches Dec 20-22, another 14” on Dec 27-28 and another 12” on Jan 5-6. Just crazy! The snow usually melts right away here and we don’t have much on the ground during the winter but it was SO much snow and it is still everywhere, even though it is melting and the huge piles are getting smaller. The boys returned to school yesterday after having 3 snow days right before the Christmas holiday and then 2 weeks off. We counted that in 21 days, they had 2 days of school. They thought that was pretty cool! Me too, until the last day or so when I was really feeling being OVERSTIMULATED~ LOL It is amazing how much energy they have ALL DAY LONG. Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is good for them to be active boys! Then there was the shooting of one of the Denver Broncos players on New Years. This young man was only 24 years old. SO SAD. A horrible way to start the New Year. Then an avalanche this past Saturday- thankfully no one was seriously injured. One person had a couple broken ribs but was treated and released from hospital. Can you imagine 1) being buried in your car in an avalanche or 2) having your car pushed off the edge of the road from the avalanche? Then Sunday and Monday there were horrific hurricane force winds- we had 70 mile an hour winds in Boulder area! Cars were stranded and roads were shut down because all that snow we have had was blowing everywhere causing white outs and literally stopping cars in their tracks! Oh yeah and don’t forget to add Christmas Eve, Christmas morning and New Year’s preparations and celebrations into the mix! I am literally exhausted from the thought of everything! I LOVE the holidays but you know deep down the activities are a bit stressing, then add the crazy weather, then freaky news events and I think Amy has the right idea because this sounds wonderful right about now!!

So I am looking ahead to the New Year and all that it has to offer. Good stuff in 2007! Like these photos of Jack enjoying the little hill Daddy made for the boys in the back yard. After the first storm he shoveled all the snow from our patio into a little hill for the boys to sled down. This past weekend he added the newest snow to the hill and made a second little hill so it is almost like a roller coaster. The boys just LOVED it. Again tonight they were out there until after dark whooping and hollering as they rode their sleds down the hill over and over and OVER. So cool to hear!

Other Good Things:

My new screen saver from Shabby Miss Jenn. Get your own "Goodie" here. I also added Heather's calendar.

This new website: Lifts With A Twist. Susan has done a great job with her new format and I am SO excited to see all the new inspiration for scrapping. And look at the AMAZING cheerful freebie for participating!! Love it- exactly what is needed to bring some sunshine in January!

Okay, Hoping to post some things I am owrking on later this week...Hope everyone has a great week.

PS We are supposed to get ANOTHER snow this Friday/Saturday. Gotta get some craft supplies tomorrow so the boys and I can do some projects if we are stuck at home! FUN!

SugarPlums

Hope everyone had a blessed Christmas! The boys and I are getting ready to head to my mom and dad's for a couple days. They are out of school for 2 weeks and we may get another large snow tomorrow into friday. We decided we wanted to hole up with Oma this time around. Wish I could do some scrapping while there but all my newest kits are not on CD yet so that is my incentive to be more diligent in the future about backing stuff up. Anyway, wanted to share these SugarPlum Treats the boys and I made for their school friends. SO easy and fun for the boys. The directions were in the December issue of Family Fun (also on their website- link above).

And a couple photos of my happy guys on Christmas morning~ LOVE those grins and they just loved the matching sweatshirts from Grandma, just like Daddy!! We had a long Christmas Eve afternoon/evening at my parents house with my sister's family and my Grandma. Way too many presents but we just do this every year and can't seem to stop ourselves~ it truly is fun to give to my family! Love it. Then they were up at 6:30 am, not too bad compared to last year's 5:30! Made them bring their stockings in the kitchen so we could make some coffee and put breakfast in the oven first. They were SO thrilled to get some things on their lists from Santa. And a couple things Mommy wasn't too thrilled about, that crazy Santa usually checks with me first but this year they had short lists so it was hard. Thank goodness he didn't get that puppy on their lists. LOL Then my parents and Granny came up for the afternoon and we just hung out, played with the new toys and games, started a puzzle. Lots of fun just relaxing and enjoying family. The perfect Christmas!

Winter Wonderland....

all around us! Well we have had a blizzard here~ got dumped on yesterday and last night as I am sure you have heard about in the news. We had 20 inches of snow here and other places along the front range had more. It snowed all day yesterday and all night last night. I kept the boys home from school yesterday in case it was the storm they predicted and Thank Goodness I did. We made a quick morning run to Target to get a few last minute things and by the time we headed home at 9:45 it was snowing and blowing. And snowed up until at least 1:00 am when I went to bed. The boys are in HEAVEN!! They played outside most of the day yesterday even though it was blowing snow all day. They were in or out 6 or 7 times. You can imagine the wet floors and the number or dryer loads I did. LOL But SO much fun for them- they absolutely love it and it has been over 3 years since we had a big snowstorm like this. And it is absolutely gorgeous with everything covered, and I do mean everything. In fact one of the boys left a shovel out yesterday so it is lost under the snow somewhere. LOL Took a few pics without having to get out in it too much. The top 3 pics were yesterday, snow almost to bottom of chair seats. The bottom 2 photos are from this morning- chairs nearly covered. We have over 3 feet in some spots from drifting. The snow out the back door is above kitchen floor level across the whole yard looks very strange. The boys were so excited yesterday and then when we got another foot over night they just woke up SO excited. They ate breakfast as fast as they could and have been out ever since. Hoping my DH or Dad will come plow our drive later.

So, since we are cooped up, yesterday we made Chris a pumpkin pie that he has been itching for, made some "SugarPlums" for the boys to take to school on Friday for their Christmas party (if they have school), did some crafts, played Trouble, but mostly they played outside. Today we plan on wrapping some gifts, although I think mostly it will be me doing it. Since it has stopped snowing now it is actually nice and bright outside today.

Oh another fun thing we do every year is my Mom and Dad take the 4 grandkids to the Dollar Store and have them pick out gifts for everyone. They really love this and it is SO fun (and sometimes funny!) to see what they choose for each person, some have been quite hilarious too, like last year when Cody got my Granny a CatWoman puzzle. So this year we were running out of time to do it and my boys have school through this Friday, their 2 weeks off after Christmas, so my sister and I decided to each take our own kids. I took the boys on Friday and gave them each $10 to buy for everyone on the list, including each other and my sister's dog. LOL They did SO good picking things for everyone and had such a fun time.  They were SO proud of their choices. Then we came home and wrapped it all up. I always take them to get something for Chris but this is a really fun, inexpensive way to teach them about all the giving~ lets them get a little something for everyone.