Just getting a little jump start...

Jaden's prayer at bedtime the other night....

"Dear God, please make sure Santa makes all the right toys.  Amen."

(A guess an early reminder doesn't hurt)!

Most AWESOME craft project EVER.

I have been wanting a growth chart for my kiddos....but not just any run-of-the-mill growth chart.  I wanted a growth chart that looks like a giant ruler.  I've priced them out and the cost can be pretty steep, so a few months ago I decided I would just make my own. 

The problem was getting it started....I was a little overwhelmed at the thought of it....until I talked to my friend Kelly (who also happens to be our chiropractor and she ROCKS) and she mentioned she had been wanting to make one too.  So together we set out to tackle a project that ended up taking us quite a bit of time, but was completely worth it.

Purchased Materials...
A piece of poplar wood (mine was 6 feet high and 1 foot wide).
Polyurethane
A roller and brush for the polyurethane
Vinyl Cutouts
Sander

We started by sanding our boards (sorry I don't have any pics of the step-by-step process - I forgot my camera)!  We rounded the corners just a bit and made sure it was all smooth.  We then added 2 coats of Polyurethane.  After it dried we affixed vinyl cutouts of the dashes and numbers for the ruler.  Kelly has a Silhouette that cuts vinyl, but if you do not have access to that I think you could do some of it on a Cricket or even by hand with a stencil  (which is what I was originally planning on doing).  I will admit that this took the most amount of time because we wanted it to be as accurate as possible.

We personalized our growth charts by adding our last names (for safety reasons I have blotted them out) and the year our families were started (the year we were married).  We then added 2 more coats of polyurethane...and now we are ready to start measuring!

Like I said, this project took much longer than I think either of us realized but the end result is sooo worth it.  We have ours in our office right now and I'm not lying when I tell you I go in there just to admire it.  It's something I think our family will treasure forever.

Another good thing that came out of this little project is we discovered that Jaden and Kelly's daughter play together like two peas in a pod!  Hmmm....I'm thinking more fun projects are in our future!

"An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail."

--Edwind Land

A healthy Way to Eat Bad-For-You-Food!!!

I made "fried" chicken this week....kinda.

Actually, I got the recipe when Matt and I first got married and it's kinda my go-to recipe when I want something bad, but need to be good.   I'm not sure the exact name, but I call it Fake Fried Chicken. 

I know....real original.

Anyway,  you could easily make this with real bone-in pieces of chicken but I tend to cut up boneless skinless chicken breasts and make strips out of them.  Then you simply dip each piece (or strip in my case) in lowfat butter milk and then roll it in a mixture of crushed corn flakes and creole seasoning! 

That's it!

There is no ratio for the cornflakes and seasoning....just eyeball what looks good to you.  Put the pieces on a cookie sheet and bake them in the oven at 375 for about 30 minutes.  Again, that's for strips...pieces of chicken would take longer. 

Many of you know I love to spice it up...so one of my favorite ways to eat these is by making buffalo wraps with them!!!

Just take a tortilla and put in two chicken strips, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.  Then drizzle a combination of ranch and Frank's Red Hot sauce on it.  YUMMY!!!!

Happy Cooking!!

"A recipe has no soul.  You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe."

--Thomas Keller

A lesson from a 4 year old...

Today Jaden and I were talking about friendships.  We were discussing how to handle situations when friends are not making good choices. 

This is a tricky conversation for a four year old....at this age everything is black and white.

Nevertheless, the conversation was in full swing and I was talking to him about how to handle different situations.  At one point I said, "Ya know buddy, sometimes when a friend is making poor choices the best thing to do is not to encourage it...just ignore it."

I thought this was pretty good advice....until I heard what came out of Jaden's mouth next.

Jaden looked at me with his wide little innocent eyes and said, "Mommy, sometimes when my friends do something wrong I talk to them about God."

I just sat there and looked at him...and my heart melted into a puddle on the floor.

I realized in that moment our roles had briefly switched....I was no longer teaching my son, but he was teaching me.

Jaden, our conversation this afternoon I will never ever forget...and I can't help but wonder what this world would be like if more people took your gentle advice.

I'm linking up here...

and here...

How does your garden grow?

This is my third or fourth year with a garden.  I have to admit, I love it....but this year I just wasn't on my "A" game.  I'm not sure why.  I started out strong.  I had my garden in at a great time and even had Matt put a fence up around in to keep out those pesky rabbits.  I put newspaper down around most of my plants and covered them with about 6 inches of grass clippings to deter weeds.  My parents do that to their garden and it works great! 

The problem fell when I didn't put the mulching down in the remaining 1/3 of the garden (which was my onions).  Jaden "helped" me plant onions this year...and many were planted wherever his little hands led him.

I loved that.

I loved looking in the garden and seeing the onions that were planted by my little guy.

However, it seemed like a lot of work to put down the mulching around a LOT of little onions that were zigzagged all  over the garden so I decided to forgo it. 

Bad idea.

When I tell you the weeds took over....they REALLY took over. 

This is where I seemed to be off my "A" game.  In the past the kids and I would be out there tinkering every few days.  This summer we were not...for whatever reason...we let it slide.

On top of that my grape tomato plant looks like I took on a life of its own and has sprawled across nearly half of my garden.  I hate to admit it, but I'm a girl that likes a neat and tidy garden...and between the weeds and the out-of-control tomato plant my garden was not the joy that it should have been this summer.

Sooooo......lesson learned.

Next year I plan to plant potatoes (we had our best crop ever this year), onions, basil, and peppers.  Those are the things we love the most, use the most, and honestly require the least amount of upkeep. 

I still love gardening, but next year I'm going to go with the K.I.S.S. method....Keep It Simple Stupid!

"Gardening requires a lot of water...most of it in the form of perspiration!"

--Lou Erickson

DIY Halloween Wreath

Fall is around the corner.....there I said it. 

It doesn't mean that I have to really dive into it though, rather I seem to be just dipping my toes into the thought of it.  I am a summer girl through and through, but there are a few things I do enjoy about the cooler months....and one of those things is that for some reason it brings out a creative side of me.  When the weather gets cooler I get this nesting instinct where I like to make goodies in the kitchen...and for my home.

Yesterday I decided to tackle my first little project of the season....a Halloween wreath.  Anyone that knows me knows that, aside from Christmas, Halloween is one of my very favorite holidays.  This year I can add a Halloween wreath to my Halloween decor! 
I started with a wire wreath form...

I then cut grosgrain ribbon in various lengths and simply tied knots around the entire form.  You honestly can't mess it up...it's super simple.  I used about 45 yards of ribbon and honestly may add a little more to it.  (Ya, that's a lot of ribbon, but just look for sales).

The whole project took me a few hours and cost about $25.  The nice thing about this wreath is that you can custom make it to match anything you wanted!  I even thought about making Eva's teacher one for Christmas in colors that match her classroom theme.  I thought it would be cute on her classroom door. 

Have fun crafting friends!

"There are no rules...just follow your heart."

--Robin Williams

Love.

Letting the kite string out a little further....

A loooong time ago I gave my mom and poem/quote/verse thingy that talked about how raising children is a bit like flying a kite.  You run and run trying to get them off the ground....they get off the ground and you cheer with them...occasionally they crash and you rush over helping them back up, assuring them that they will fly alone one day.  Every time your child reaches a milestone you let the kite string out just a little further.

Today I let the kite string out for my little girl in a big way.

Today was the first day of 1st Grade...

Eva was super excited!  Excited to be starting a new school....excited to eat her lunch at school...excited to be a 1st grader.

Seeing her so excited made me excited too....and a little less sad about watching the string to Eva's kite get a little longer. 

"When you are raising children there are memories you store directly in your tear ducts."

--Robert Brault



Last Hurrah of Summer Break

School starts tomorrow....and I decided we needed to squeeze in one more day of fun before the school year begins.  Our neighbors happened to be out and joined us for our final summer HURRAH!!!  I think the pictures speak for themselves....





"What soap is to the body....laughter is to the soul!"

--Yiddish Proverb

A REAL LIFE treasure hunt....Geocaching!!!

As many of you know, my little guy is a crazy for alllll things pirate!  On top of that, my little girl is always up for an adventure.  Soooo....when I heard about Geocaching I thought it would be the perfect summer activity to give a whirl!

Geocaching involves using your computer and a hand held GPS locator (my cell phone) to track a "cach", or hidden item.  There are cach's hidden all over the world...on every single continent!  To start this process I googled "Geocaching" and the name of our city.  From there I found a website that looked good and a phone app that worked great (for more info on the website and phone app please e-mail me).  From there we located a "cach" in our area that was under the "easy" category.

Then....we set out on our ADVENTURE!!!!

We started out driving and the kids kept track of the GPS locator.  The locator showed the roads we were on, our car, and a flashing beacon that was the cach.  Eva and Jaden had so much fun watching our car on the map as we turned down various roads!  They were also able to tell me when we were getting close (which was SUPER exciting to them).  The teacher in me loved it because it allowed me to talk about directions, road signs, etc. 

After we felt we were pretty close we set out on foot.  The app that I downloaded had a compass along with the GPS.  It also told us how many feet we were from the cach.  It was adorable to watch the kids walking together and holding the phone out in front of them following the directions.

After we got to the correct area it was pretty much a game of hide and seek!!!  We knew we were in the correct area, but the cach is hidden so we had to find it!  This cach happened to be attached to a light pole in a public area (another one we looked for was hidden in the second step in a staircase of a nearby park).  We found a tube that was connected to a box.  The tube had an official "Geocaching" sticker attached to it.

The cach was in a box that looked like it was screwed shut, but wasn't.  It had a plastic bag inside with a toy bug for the kiddies (if a cach has a "prize" inside you are suppose to replenish the prize...we added in some coins from Australia). 

It also had a notepad and pen so we could sign that we had found this cach.  After finding the hidden materials you have to hit the button on the phone app/GPS that says "FOUND IT!" because record is kept of how many people find each cach!

This activity was such a fun adventure for the kiddies and I....as well as a break from the normal summer activities!  On top of that it can be done wherever you are!!  Friends of ours traveled across the United States and Geocached the whole way!!!  I suggest you give it a whirl! 

"Life is either a great adventure....or nothing."

--Helen Keller

One of the best sounds in the world.....

A recent trip to the park was full of laughter and giggles as Eva and Jaden twirled around and around on a piece of playground equipment.  One of my favorite sounds in the world....children's laughter.

I am linking up today with...

as well as...

 

And YOU should too!!!

Have an amazing weekend everyone!

XOXO

Jamie

Prepare your tastebuds....

Anyone that knows me knows that I'm a little completely obsessed with Mexican food.  I crave it on a daily basis....aaaaaaand...I eat it on a daily basis.   Why deny myself something so good?!  Not too many days go by that I don't get my fix of tortilla chips, salsa, and black beans.

I was recently given a recipe by a friend that rocks (I'll be posting it later)...but for now I thought I would post just this sweet little part of the recipe...tomatillo salsa.  Now, before you turn your nose up and say, "aren't those green tomatoes??!"  You HAVE to give this baby a chance because it is knock-your-socks-off good and I personally think it's about time that green salsa has it's little place in the world of Mexican food...red salsa has been hogging the spotlight for too long don't ya think?! 

Tomatillo Salsa

6 tomatillos, husks removed

1/2 to 1 jalapeno, remove seeds (I like more that one!)

1/4 c. onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic

3/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Place tomatillos in a medium sauce pan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer for 5 minutes.

While simmering, prepare other ingredients.

Remove from water and place in blender with remaining ingredients.  Process until smooth.

Cool and enjoy!

"Cooking is like love...it should be entered into with reckless abandon".

--Harriet VanHorne, modified

A few of my favorites....

I recently got a new iPhone and oh-my-word do I loooooove it.

Just ask my husband.

Actually, maybe don't bring the phone up to him...I think he's starting to think I love the phone more than him.  Awwww...poor guy. 

(Don't feel sorry for him for too long though...I lovingly refer to his Blackberry as his "crack-berry" since he's quite attached to it too). 

Anyway, I'm a little obsessed with every aspect of how wonderful my new phone is and I'm wondering why on earth it took me this long to get with the program and get one.  One of my favorite features (aside from the camera of course) is finding fun apps that make life so much easier.  So today I thought I would share a few of my favs with you....

I am a note-taking girl and Evernote allows me to indulge my obsession.  Now, just a heads up, if you have a Droid my favorite note-taking app is called "color note", but for my iPhone I like this one!  This app allows you to have various lists and notes.  You can even email them to yourself if you wish.  I am currently using this for Christmas lists.  I have a separate list for everyone I purchase gifts for, as well as Eva and Jaden's "wish lists" on it. 

This is a pretty common app...but I love it.  I keep a list of favorites (places we visit often, as well as past and future vacation destinations) and I can check what the weather is across the world in a moments notice.  On top of that I love that I can quickly get a 10 day forecast.



Eva is learning to read and I've recently realized the plethora of learning apps out there.  This is our current favorite.  It gives Eva sight words that we have her say outloud...then she can push an icon and the word is said outloud (so she can check herself).  It allows her to flag the words she gets incorrect and try them again later.  (Side Note:  we allow our kiddies to hold our cell phones, but never put them up to their heads...if you do the research you'll find that your child's brainwaves actually change for a period of time after using a cell phone).

We ALL know how pricey it is to use directory assistance...did you know you can get those phone numbers and addresses for free?!  (well, minus the cost of the app).  I looove yellow pages.  It looks up phone numbers AND addresses for you (which is great if you are using GPS).  It also allows you to keep your favorites which is nice for those numbers you use often (like pizza delivery).

Last, but not least, do NOT download Angry Birds.  Why you may ask?  Let me tell you from experience...it's completely addicting.  I actually made fun of my mom last winter because we out in public and I turned around to find her playing Angry Birds on her phone.  REALLY MOM?!  Do I need to take your phone away from you?!!  It was pretty funny.  However...fast forward a few months and I TOTALLY get it.  It is CRAZY addicting.  You find yourself saying stupid things like, "I'll quit playing after I pass this level!!" and "one more dead pig and I'm done". 

ya, whatever.

So, these are my favorite apps at this time.....curious to know what your are?!!!

A Leap of Faith....

School is starting soon for our Eva....and this year is going to be quite different.  We've spent the last 2 years at a Christian school, and this year she will be attending a public school for the first time.  This was our original plan, but we never expected to love her Christian school as much as we did.

Matt and I both have really mixed emotions about this....really reallly mixed emotions.  We loved her Christian school and loved seeing how much our little girl grew in her faith...and grow she did!!!  On the flip side the Christain school does not offer Eva some of the opportunities that a public school system would.  I could write a book on the crazy amount of conversations Matt and I have had on this topic...and how we have discussed every single angle of it.  But to sum it up, after a lot of talk and prayer we decided to stick with our original plan and try out the public school system.

Some of you may be wondering how Eva feels about all this.  She is sad about leaving some of her old friends, but also excited that she'll be going to the same school as her neighborhood friends.

I wish it were that simple for me.  My hesitations run deeper than that.....but I also have to trust that this little girl of ours is going to thrive wherever she is...and that wherever she is God is still is leading her heart.

Today when we were gathering all of Eva's school supplies to pack in her backpack I noticed something that kinda took my breath away...I noticed that Eva had set her Bible with her school supplies.

This is the first time in her life her Bible wasn't a required school supply. 

I sat there looking at her bible and running my hand over it.  I set it aside....and then thought twice.

I picked it back up and tucked it into her school supplies.

And now...we take a leap of faith.

Move over Jack Sparrow....

...There is a new pirate in town!!!!

Argh Matey!!