Mail, Crafting, and My Bad Fortune

Mimi sent me this letter. (She pretended to be the mail person, and delivered it to me.) I think it says something about me being a good mom...:)
Here is what I have been working on...I am HOOKED on these dishrags! They are easy to make, and they clean the dishes, countertop, and table!
If you want me to make you one let me know....I will!

Also, we love to buy a box of fortune cookies every so often, and I am not lying when I say I get the WORST fortunes ever. This one is not as bad as the one that said I needed to get help, but then again I am not sure I get what the author meant:

Summer Family Favorites

1 can of drained and rinsed northern beans
1 can of artichoke hearts diced
1 cucumber peeled and diced
tomatoes diced (I usually use grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes)
1 cup or so of fresh diced spinach
2-3 tablespoons of Kraft Seven Seas Green Goddess dressing

Mix and serve in a pita pocket or on a tortilla
We prefer the wheat tortillas with some shredded cheese sprinkled on it!

My mom makes a variation of this recipe. She omits the cucumber and instead adds diced walnuts and diced chicken.

5 facts

1. I don't have one of those Feedjit readers on my site because I KNOW me, I would obsessively check it. In fact, I sometimes check a site quickly and then re-check just to see if it shows I have been there. And sometimes I check people's sites simply to find out how many times I have been there. Sad, but true. I stalk your Feedjit......

2. When I try to leave feedback on blogs, I never ever get the letter verification correct the first time! I swear they are so HARD. Sometimes I don't leave people feedback because of it.

3. I avoid blogs that have music. Nothing against the blogger or the music...

4. I haven't shopped at Walmart in over 6 months, and I hope to never step in one again. I will pay higher prices elsewhere, and that is something I can live with.

5. I like to make Cinnamon Streusel bread for friends and claim it is homemade when it is actually from a box. Sad? Yes, it is .....

Summer Fun

Making stuff

Cleaning up

Mimi's room is a mess. It almost always is, and I don't interfere. First, I am too lazy. Second, my parents had a respect for our personal space, and I would like to do the same with our kiddos.

Today she complained about tripping over things, and decided to clean. I was impressed with her initiative, and asked if she needed help. She told me "I'm not a baby" in a condescending tone.
Her efforts resulted in the mountain of babies which are noticeably well placed in front of her doorway and in front of her closet doors....(note sarcasm)

Later the kids discovered it is a nice pile to jump on, and now it is again all scattered about her room. :)

Mimi's first words....

Yep, it says "poop." Clearly we are teaching her the important words. This is kind of how I feel every Monday morning!

She also is writing:
Have a fun Monday! :)

Using what you have...

You ever get the urge to craft or create something, but you don't know where to start? I do all the time....I will sit and look at the all the pieces I see such hope for, but I have some difficulties coming up with a project.

My friend Jes over at KadyHope inspired me to take a new look at the crafty junk I have collected over the years. And I ended up making some signs. The nice thing about this craft is it combines two of my favorites: power tools (a drill) and painting!

Sign one:

Sign two:
The final look (for now anyway):
I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Hopefully it won't rain again!

Very bad art....

At a yard sale I purchased oodles of macrame yarn and twine. I had high hopes of making something. So above is an attempt to make a rustic tassel. It actually looks a little better in this picture than it does in person! So, what should I do with the macrame? I think I am going to try to crochet it into a rug. I'll let you know how that goes.

Oh, Moe is still getting in bed with us, but he is staying in his bed for much longer now thanks to my good friend Sara. She is lending us a Tyke Light and so far it keeps him in his bed longer and without fear. I don't understand his new fear of the dark or this urge to come in our room, but with my fingers crossed I hope this all passes quickly. I need my sleep!

I took the kids grocery shopping today. Remind me not to do that! They have 3 carts with kiddie cars in the front. And 2 of the 3 have horns that do not work. So, we have to test all cars out and hope that the one with 2 working horns is free! UGH! These little people are so demanding!!!

Have a good Thursday. I'm off to create more ugly art!

Inspiration & Fatigue

I am so sleep deprived these days. Our kids have always slept well. We have never co-slept. They have always slept through the night. Now we are being punished for that. The sleep fairy decided to no longer grant us kid-free evenings. Moe has been waking up at 1 am or so and coming in our bed. We have tried putting him back, but mostly he has been staying. And to make matters worse, he is now getting out of his bed during his 2 1/2 hour nap to get in our bed! SEE:
I have been painting again. I am not a good painter. But, I had to switch art projects or else my hands will become permanently disabled from crocheting! Kevin has this rock and mineral book that inspired me to paint...Take a look at the inspiration:
Here is what I came up with:

I am okay with blotchy art like this. When it comes to detail...well, let's just say I think I may be on a grade school level...
Take a look at these:
http://www.toontoonz.com/canart/canartmain.html
I have mixed feelings about these, since they can and should be recycled. But I guess they are being upcycled into art?
Sorry for my randomness...blame the fatigue!

Mother's Day, Language of Love, Heifer

It is that time of year again. Everyone asks what you want for Mother's Day or what you think you will get. I recently stumbled across this Language of Love questionnaire and found out that my language of love is words of affirmation and quality time. It wasn't a surprise to me. As I have gotten older I have moved away from the consumerism that these holidays provoke. So, for my Mother's Day I want to be told AT LEAST ONCE I am a great mother. And I want to play games and have fun with the family. I also would like to add I do not want to do laundry or empty the dishwasher (hint, hint).....

Also, if you get a chance go to Heifer and check it out. We bought a goat. It is the best purchase I have ever made.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. Have a wonderful weekend!

Hack

Mimi has become fascinated with stencils! She also gets easily frustrated when trying to outline or color them while holding the stencil steadily. I have discovered painter's tape works really well on construction paper to hold the stencil in place, and it comes off easily. Now she is able to do them with ease.

Now I need a solution to Moe's desire to climb....

OH! INDIANA exercise your right to vote !

Have a lovely day!

The kindness of others!

Recently I stumbled across a blog and a giveaway. I entered and I won. First, I never ever win anything. So, that itself was exciting for me. Second look at what I received:
The picture hardly does it justice. There are so many large nice pieces of scrapbooking paper, stickers, stamps, and an ink pad! Oh, and 3 different types of scissors! I am so excited to start crafting with all these goodies! The neatest thing about this is the person I have come to know over the past week. She is so kind hearted! Please go check out her site here. She also has an etsy store full of creative hand crafted goodies!
Thank you so much Jes! :)