Reasons why I love the blog world

My husband and I were talking about blogging the other day, because not in a million years could he imagine having a blog. So I was telling him all the reasons why blogworld is a fun place to be! I told him that blogging is great because:

• I get to keep up with the lives of good friends that I don't see or talk to every day


• I get to meet some new friends that I would probably never meet otherwise


• I've been allowed into people's homes via pictures posted on their blogs, and they are beautiful!


• I've gotten lots of decorating ideas for my own home from seeing what other people are doing


• there are tons of ideas for creative and inexpensive projects


• there are lot of fun recipes


• it's a place to share the ups and downs of motherhood with other women who GET IT! (women who understand how you feel when you hear your 2 year old say "mess!" from downstairs while you are upstairs changing clothes! Women who know how you feel when you find the "mess", an entire container of cinnamon and sugar retrieved from the kitchen counter and dumped in the middle of the kitchen floor...5 minutes before you are walking out the door!)


• it's a place full of opportunity to see God at work, as you join others in prayer for all kinds of situations


• it's a place to laugh, because some people are just hilarious!!!

My mom said she feels like blogging has taken the place of nextdoor neighbors. A lot of people are too busy to connect with neighbors the way they once did. I think she is right.

Anyhow, this is obviously not a monumental post, but maybe just a little shout out to all of you who add a little humor, beauty, creativity, or encouragement to the world with your blog! Keep 'em coming!

It's time for "Not Me Monday"!

It's "Not Me!" Monday again! You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week!

It was not a busy weekend this past weekend.

My husband did not go camping all weekend with the guys. My father-in-law did not go to the hospital on Friday. My grandmother did not go to the hospital yesterday. Wouldn't that be crazy for all that to happen at once?

My daughter did not throw the biggest 2 year old temper tantrum I have ever seen in Kohls today. She did not scream so loudly that her 5 month old brother started to cry. She did not scream for so long that a random lady came running around the corner on her cell phone to see what was happening (probably on a call to 911, just in case). That lady did not give me the evil eye. And another lady did not stop me to tell me about how she doesn't take her oldest child shopping with her because it's just too difficult. And I did not think, " NO KIDDING lady!!!! Would YOU like to babysit for me free of charge so I can go shop by myself??"

I did not sit the above mentioned 2 year old on a blanket in front of Elmo with a "picnic" lunch so I could have time to recover from the tantrum (ever tried to put a tantrum-ing child in a car seat? ).

Happy Monday!

A Big Girl Bed

Our daughter Molly turned 2 late last fall, so I've been thinking a lot about potty training and moving her out of the crib. Potty training just doesn't sound like any fun at all, but putting together a new room? Now that's more my speed! We've had a "Big Girl Bed" in the works for the past few weeks. We had a bed set up in the basement that wasn't being used, so we figured we would just use it in her room. Saves us having to buy one and, even bigger bonus, saves us having to buy a mattress set for it! I found a precious quilt and pillow shams on ebay. They are Pottery Barn Kids (which I just love!), and I got them all together for $114. There was some tough competition for them, but I swooped in as the bidding clock got down to 10 seconds and didn't leave anyone else with a chance! (And if you are bidder *6**6*, then I'm really sorry about that!) Here is the pattern:

The picture is a little dark, but you get the picture. Her walls are green (Sweet Caroline by Benjamin Moore...my favorite!), so I thought this would be so pretty! I also got a pink gingham bedskirt on clearance (score!) at the Pottery Barn Kids store for $24. I put all of the bedding on the bed in the basement and there it has sat.
My mom ("Nina" to the grandkids) comes over on Wednesdays to hang out with us and help out. She is 61, but seriously has more energy than the kids (and me, for that matter). Usually after she is over, the kids crash for super-long power naps, otherwise known as the "Nina effect". Nina is always up for a good project (rearranging furniture, rehanging pictures, painting cabinets, etc...) and what a fun project it would be, I thought, to set up Molly's bed and surprise my husband? So we turned on Elmo for the kids and proceded to take all of the bedding upstairs. Then we moved the rest, and by "the rest" I mean the frame, mattress, and boxsprings. We moved it from the basement to the first floor...

...and then from the first floor to the second floor:

I was at the top, pulling and mom was on the bottom, pushing. Did I mention my mom is 61? And that I had another baby 5 months ago? In other words, there is a little bit of a disconnect between the strength of our minds and our bodies (although, really, how strong are our minds if we decided to do this in the first place). After a LOT of sweating and a LOT of laughing, we somehow managed to get it all upstairs and set up in her bedroom. Here's a little peek:

So after all that effort, Molly was so excited to go take a nap.....in her crib.
Oh, and here is what my husband said when he saw the room for the first time...

"Did you buy a new lamp?"

Sigh.

It's "Not Me Monday"!

It's "Not Me Monday" again! In case you missed it last time, "Not Me Monday" is sponsored by MckMama at http://www.mycharmingkids.net/. You can head over to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week. So if there is anything you most decidedly did not do (wink wink) that you want to share, head over to her site for the "official" rules and pick up the button for your blog. It's a fun way to talk about the interesting things you didn't do. For instance:

• When we took the kids to the mall today, I did not freak out at all when my husband put my son's pacifier back into his mouth after it landed on the mall floor. I was all for it! Germs, shmerms!
• Speaking of the mall, I did not tell my husband that it only costs a dollar to ride the carousel and that you can use quarters. I know I just did not do that because the token machine doesn't take quarters, and it costs TWO dollars. And the line was really, really long, so I would never put him through that kind of confusion while holding a 2 year old who is obsessed with the carousel!
• My husband did not talk the token lady into letting him ride the carousel for 1 dollar (composed of 4 quarters).
• I did not drop a container of babyfood green beans on the floor at the mall and my daughter did not break a styrofoam cup full of water on the floor after she did not empty a juice box on the floor behind her chair. We are neat and clean and did not make any messes.

I hope that you all enjoy your Monday! If you need a last minute dinner recipe, check out my last blog. It's just so good!

African Chicken-Peanut Soup

It has been SO cold the past few days that I've been craving some warm and yummy soup (it all goes back to food, doesn't it?). This is one of my favorite soup recipes. Admittedly, it's the strangest ingredient list and there are several things that might make you say, "yuck", but give it a try! I am a huge wimp with spicy foods and was tempted to take out some of the ingredients (I just don't do jalapeno peppers), but leave it all in. You will love it! As a bonus, it's actually healthy (I got it from Cooking Light). Although the Fritos I usually eat with it probably negate some of the health factor, as does the extra dollop of peanut butter I throw in (healthy fats, right?). Anyhow, here it is...enjoy!!

African Chicken-Peanut Soup

1 tsp. olive oil (I added this to saute with, because cooking spray makes your pans gunky)
1 1/2 cups peeled and cubed sweet potato
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 cups cooked and chopped chicken breast
1 cup bottled salsa
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 cans fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
2 cans Healthy Choice chicken and rice soup (or Campbells Healthy Request chicken and rice soup)
1 can black beans, drained
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

Heat oil in a Dutch oven until hot. Saute sweet potato, onion, bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno for 5 minutes. Stir in chicken and next 5 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in peanut butter and heat for 2 more minutes.

1 cup= 188 calories, 5.9 grams of fat, 3.4 grams of fiber, and 19.3 carbs.

Not Me Monday (and yes, I know it's Thursday!)

Mckmama has a great blog that you can find at http://www.mycharmingkids.net/. She is the official sponsor of "Not Me! Monday". I know it's Thursday, but I just came across this and wanted to join in the fun! You can go to her site to read the "official rules". Here it goes...

• I did not let my 5 month old sleep peacefully in the car when I walked in to pick up my daughter from preschool today.
• I did not not tell the lady at Chick-Fil-A yesterday that my coupon was actually for a chicken salad sandwich and not a regular chicken sandwich because I like the regular better.
• I did not buy more Christmas decorations on sale and then hide them in the basement so my husband doesn't see them.
• I did not just vacuum the upstairs for the 3rd time since we moved in. That would be disgusting.

Do you get the idea? It's just a few, but it's a start. I'm so glad I did NOT do any of these things... : )

I'll Never Pay Retail Again!

I've stumbled across some GREAT blogs lately! One of my favorite has really inspired me to look for ways to decorate without spending much (if any!) money. She has done so many cute things with random stuff in the house or with things she got for $1 or less at garage sales. Love it! Since we moved into this house, my creative energies have been used towards things like, "How can I creatively use time to take a nap?" But now that Jack is 5 months and Molly is in preschool 1 day a week, I have a little more flexibility! Anyhow, I got a tip from my mom that Hobby Lobby has Christmas things for 90% off.......90%!!!!! As in, you pay 10% of the marked price!!! Y'all, look at the CUTE stuff I got!

Some ornaments, magnets, and signs

A metal tree....reminds me of Dr. Seuss!

LOVE this angel! It's about 2 ft. tall, wooden and a little sparkly, and for $1.29, it's a steal!!!
This is hard to see, but it's a Santa pillow and a "JOY" sign in front (I thought the pillow was ok, but for $1.49 I thought it was really cute!)
It's hard to see the red "Christmas" in the back, but it's metal and so cute and the metal presents on either side of it were 69 cents!

How cute are the snowmen? I thought the kids would get a kick out of these. The snow globe is really pretty, and it was $2.49! There is a beautiful red berry garland in the background that you can't see. It was $2.19!
The baskets are metal and much darker in person. The giant green present is a cookie jar!


These are wooden and you can paint them.

These are 2 of my favorite! I thought the angel was too cute and would be precious in Molly's room or the playroom, and the "Sweet treats" tray is obviously useable for anything! It is REALLY cute in person. I thought it would be fun for Valentine's day or birthday parties.

So all in all, the retail pricing for all of this together would be $490....which means I paid $49. The most expensive item was $3.99! I walked out feeling like I robbed the store!

I can't wait for next Christmas!!!