Old Fashioned Glass

I saw this cute idea on another blog taken from Martha Stewart. Unlike our stepping stones, this one was a success! I used blue green as it reminded me of sea glass, but you could experiment with any color that works for your home.

You need various saved clear jars.

Mix regular school glue and your favorite color, food coloring.

1 tablespoon glue

1 teaspoon water

drops of food coloring

stir

Have the kids paint the outside of the jars

Don't worry if it looks like this

The glass dries clear

I think they turned out sweet and make an interesting grouping together filled with flower stems. I added the remainder of our stepping stone gems to the bottoms and look forward to adding flowers. Let me know if you try this!

Have fun~ DeAnn



Stepping Stones and Miss Steps

Stepping stones are definately not my gift! I made one from a kit and it fell apart. Then I had the girls make them yesterday after reading a"How To" guide on the Lowe's website. Third time is a charm, but I might retire from stepping stones.    Learn from our mistakes:

Mix a little quick dry cement and water at a time, not all at once..oops!

Make sure the kids have put ample Vaseline on the pan you are using for your form.

You need:

Quick dry cement

Cake pans or molds, make sure the cake pan sides are straight up and down.

Vaseline to grease the pans, liberally, before you pour in your cement.

Decorations..the dollar store and thrift stores have a ton of gems.

Have fun and enjoy the process and time with the kids, regardless of the outcome. Here's to yours coming out better then ours!

Cheers

~ DeAnn

Enjoying Everyday

I try hard to just find the joy in the day to day activities we do or need to do as a family. Approaching life in this manner has allowed me to find contentment and joy in our every day moments. We love to have our vacations and fairy parties but they are such a small part of "real" life.

Today the girls wanted to help me make dinner. Their help turned an everyday job to a fun activity.  They choose to make fried chicken. It was a great time as we gathered what we would need and broke the dinner down into jobs each jellybean could do.



It was fun to watch them work together, and how excited they where at learning how to cook!

Do I dare admit that this wonderful master piece was great until we took our first bites only to discover that mom didn't cook the chicken enough! They love mom mistakes! Back in the frying pan....mom and the chicken! It turned out yummy the second time around!


Savor the every day moments!  ~ DeAnn



Cake Pops and Random Thoughts

Saturday was so much fun! I definately need more days like that!

The girls and I swam all afternoon a good 5 hours, watched movies, swam again under the crescent moon and made cake pops! I even was able to sneak out on my own and do a little hunting for my new dish collection. It was just a carefree day.

Here is our first attempt at the cake pop blitz that has hit the nation:

The kids had a great time making them and eating them. This is all that was left before I got my camera out!  We didn't have the cute formal lolli-pop sticks, but we did have some craft sticks..it worked for our family fun! I'm not a cake lover, so I could very easily pass on this dessert.  I heard no complaints from 6 jellybeans as they gobbled them up! 

Haven't made yours yet?  There are some simple youtube videos on how to create this new dessert craze.  Basically:  Make a cake and let it cool. Break your cake into pieces and mix with icing, it should be the consistency of playdough. Shape, into balls and let cool and firm in the freezer.  Melt some chocolate when your pops are cool. Dip the sticks into the chocolate so the pops don't fall off, then dip your cake pops and add sprinkles..it really is that simple! 

Last night, Chloe, tucked Teagan in with Chloe's favorite dog! Priceless!

I think I'm all sunned out, so we are hanging out, and going through things! No one is dressed and its after 2pm!! It feels good in its own right. Maybe with less and more organization...we can  have more "Saturdays" everyday! I hope so!

~ DeAnn

Pin Wheels

I'm totally into a crafting mood, as I make a new batch of flower barrettes and bows for the girls. They help along the way, making it fun for all of us, or do a craft of their own by my side.  The dining room table is filled with all things crafty, making it easy to be inspired to do another craft!

I ran across this idea for pin wheels. I love pin wheels, they are just simple smile makers!

One for the girls

One for my room...wish the color had come out better in the pic!

Have fun~ DeAnn

 

Trust

This week was a time for me to practice what I preach regarding co parenting. Co-parenting is definately not easy, but I continue to remind myself it is their relationship with their father and I can only control my own home. Last weekend, I received a very rare call from their father if Brendan could stay beyond his weekend visit for the full week returning home after their concert.  My heart stops for a moment and I pause to remind myself...there is no real reason to say no (oh how I had lots of reasons)Though I have no trust in their father, I do have trust in Brendan and trust in the Lord to keep him safe.

It is my hope that by trying to approach my coparenting, in a flexible and respectful manner. Our children will benefit I do it for them, to honor them and respect their relationship.  

Brendan you are missed and we are anxious to have you home this weekend!!

Mismatched Table Settings

Our table setting is lets say BORING. It is basic, can be made to go with any season and was inexpensive so I didn't worry about the kids breaking it.  In time, they've broken a fair amount and with my tea cup hunt complete, which was a lot of fun! I have decided rather then go out and buy another matching set, it might be fun to put together a mismatched set of table settings.  This way, if one breaks, I can easily replace it, since it didn't match in the first place.  I also like the different patterns and colors.

Here is what I've found so far:

The thrill of the hunt! This could be addicting!

~ DeAnn

I'm BIG Now

I hope your summer is filled with laughter, fun, popsicles and watermelon! We are truly savoring ours, its been a nice balance of fun and accomplishments! Though my personal accomplishments feel great, I'm prouder of our baby girls!  Chloe is our baby, though she quickly corrects me that she is not a baby, she is big now! She has grown so much this summer, I'm so proud of her!  A special thanks to Teagan for taking the extra time to work on Chloes, vocabulary, swimming and just helping with her general care. 

A little history, Chloe, came to us approx 1.5 yrs ago. She came with no eye contact and stiff as a board. She would hold her arms out like she was a cross. She had at least 4 mother figures including me in her short 15 months of life.  She had a few words, but then due to the stress of moving from her loving foster home to our new world, she lost them. 

Now look at our BIG girl:

I can swim!

Chloe can not only swim, she is potty trained and apparently is a real estate mogul! Every thing she sees is "my house, my building" watch out Donald, here comes Chloe!



2yrs old!

~ DeAnn
Proud Mommy

Before & After Doors

10 yrs ago I bought our home and had every intention of replacing the interior doors. Then life happened and I got used to my ugly doors, with only fleeting thoughts of replacing them. This summer, I decided it was seriously time to pull out this nagging thorn.  Here are some before and after shots.

Before

After

Master Bedroom ~ Before



MB ~ After

I'm enjoying the improved look. I can't believe I waited 10yrs to get this done! What are you waiting for?  ~ DeAnn 

Travel Lessons Learned

I enjoy traveling to see new parts of the country. I always learn a lot. Our journey to Mt. Rushmore was no exception.  Beyond some history lessons, like did you know Mt. Rushmore isn't done? I didn't know that before our trip, nor did I know South Dakota was so beautiful and green.   This suburban mom learned a few other life lessons on this adventure:

* Small towns really do close in their entirety promptly at 9pm. 

I did not feed my kids dinner out of the hotel vending machine.

*My bank and credit cards really do care about me.

They protected me from unusual spending and closed my debit and credit card leaving me with $7.00 dollars, 6 kids and 3 days left to drive home! They graciously let me have access to $600 dollars out of my own bank account! Lesson: Let them know before you head out of town.

*My gps found roads, through peoples yards, that I couldn't see. The upside, we saw some parts of the country, we'd never thought to venture too.

Explore America, we are lucky to have such a wonderful country.

~ DeAnn

Are We There Yet?

On the road again...seems to be the theme song for the last week as we headed to Mt. Rushmore! What a wonderful trip to see family, friends and new parts of the America!  America is truly beautiful, loved Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota. Though I'd have to say South Dakota was truly my favorite!

Here are a few highlights of our journey:

In Trinidad, Colorado we stopped at the Baca Home-Museum, to see the home of our ancestors. This was fascinating to see how they lived way back in the 1800's. 





The wild life was incredible!

 We saw Buffalo, wild turkey, deer, prong horn sheep, prairie dogs, and wild horses.

You have reached your destination

~ Thanks everyone who we visited along the way, it was wonderful to see spend time with you!

DeAnn