some bandwagons are fun to jump on

The Elf on the Shelf for example. This is one worthwhile bandwagon. So fun. I won't go into the details of how it works, you can find that a million different places online, but we got our own elf rather than the "official elf" and here's what he was up to tonight...

Sick Pillow

Ty came home sick from school today. We're leaving for Texas on Friday. As soon as he started throwing up, I started panicking, and disinfecting. I want him to be comfortable, but I looked at his pillow and thought "What if someone else grabs that pillow later to use before I get a chance to wash it?" I needed to identify it as "the sick pillow" and leave no doubt that it's germy. I drew a picture on it and wrote "get well soon" on the side. Turned out cute and made Ty feel like he got a special present, while protecting the rest of the family.  All it took was an old pillowcase, a google image for inspiration, some sharpies, and about 2 minutes. I'm sure if you did it when your child wasn't actually sick, you could spend more time on it to make it fancier.

it's nice to have talented friends

My friend Chrissi took the best pictures of me and my girls while we were out together one day.  I regret not having her take a family picture before she moved, but at least we got these! She's such a talented photographer.

Check out her other work at http://www.chrissirichards.com/

My Hallway Signs

I copied this fabulous idea from Destiny at http://www.aplaceforusblog.com/ .  I get so many comments on them from people who come into my house. I think they're adorable. And I LOVE everything on that blog! Not to mention, she loves everything I love! Her mom, Marshall's, TJMaxx, Ross. We're like "Sisters from another mister". Okay... I don't think that's a real saying, but you get the idea.  I had to turn my wrought iron hanger things on their side and mount them to the ceiling because they wouldn't fit above my doors the other way. That was my mom's genius solution while I was standing there totally disappointed. :) I also handpainted the signs as I don't have a silhouette machine.

you need to get away with your spouse at least once a year.

We went to San Luis Obispo and Cambria for our anniversary. What a great time we had. Wish we'd taken more pictures, but here are a few.

A gorgeous little garden right on Main Street in Cambria.

Would love to have this sign. Too expensive.

There were hundreds of elephant seals on the beach.

He didn't really have anything to give him. What a tease.

Not a great picture, but this is our view from our room in Cambria.

We walked this trail along the cliffs in a nature preserve. So much fun.

kids love to bake!

So, it's a cold, drizzly spring break and my kids needed a break from video games, and I needed a break from the noise. I found this blog... http://brandyscrafts.blogspot.com/2011/03/rainbow-cookies.html, and decided to try it! The kids LOVED it!

Not only were they pretty, but they were delicious! Great recipe link on the blog I got the idea from!

when you see a chandelier you love that costs $4000, make one yourself!

My mom helped me duplicate a chandelier I saw online that I LOVED.  Well, we didn't totally duplicate it, but we used it as our inspiration.  Here is a link to the original... http://www.deannawish.com/ccbran_briarw.htm . I'm not sure how much it cost, but I've seen similar cost up to $4000, and I thought "I could totally do that!" So, my old brass chandelier got spray painted white, I cut some branches off the tree in my front yard, wired them on with the help of my mom and her designer eye, spray painted the whole thing and voila!  I think I love the result and it cost me less than $20 (spray paint isn't cheap and I used 5 cans). 

... I love to throw a good "themed" party.

Preston's 10th birthday party was today.  He has the nicest friends and they had a great time.  We started out handing out Birthday Bucks for the kids to buy food at the concession stand.  We had nachos, hot dogs, popcorn, candy, and soda. All the best movie theater foods!

They walked the red carpet to get to our front door.

After stocking up on junk food, they settled in to watch a movie. Quietest birthday party ever!  They were totally engrossed in the movie!

For the cake, I ordered a "transformers" cake from Sam's club, took off the mask they used for decoration, and added a popcorn bag with marshmallow "popcorn".  Turned out pretty cute.