the day before 33.....

Well, here is a self portrait of me, the day before my 33rd birthday.

I don't like to have my picture made, and don't like to post pictures of myself on this blog, but for my birthday.....I might as well.

I am not sad, or feeling old, or anything. I love all birthdays, mine and everyone elses.

I still think I'm young. No sad birthday woes from me. Worst part was taking this picture, and I took about 20 before I got one I was willing to post.

Sooooo.....

no major plans, but having your birthday on Super Bowl Sunday (this happens to me 'bout every 7 years) is fun because it's already a day of parties and celebrations..........and I just pretend like they are all about me. "oh, look, Hooters has a special on wings for my birthday!", (just sayin).

AnYwAy.....

I am thinking I should have a giveaway for my birthday.....cause I'm just generous like that.

Today, I am going shopping and I am going to try to find something fab to give away. Check back tomorrow to see the big prize and LET'S GET READY TO PAR-TAY!

Love to tha peeps.

hrk

Snow Words.....

Well, when I woke up this morning (at 9:30-love a snow day) and saw the thin blanket of snow, I was thinking of some cute pictures I could take. Then we lazed around all day until almost all the snow was melted. I managed to get a few pictures, but nothing like I had in mind. I wanted to have the girls draw hearts in the snow to use as Valentine cards, but the only snow left when we got out there was on this bench. So......not what I had in mind.

We are going to frame this picture below and give it to Papa for his birthday. I tried really hard to get a picture of Ella jumping today to use for her birthday party invitation. God love her, she feels pretty bad today (i'm pretty sure she has pneumonia along with the strep throat) and she just wasn't all that in to it. This one below was the best one we got. Not sure what I'm going to do. This may not be the year to do an invitation with a picture.

Hope everyone enjoyed snow day #2 ! We sure did, although, I think Brad is pretty sick of all of us. I'm sure tomorrow will be back to reality and packin' those stinkin' lunches!

hrk

I *heart* Snow Days!

Sleeping in, staying in pj's, lounging all day on the couch......what's not to love?

Ella has strep throat....(poor baby)....so she was extra snuggly today. Evan is always snuggly, so we had a great day. I am anxiously awaiting them to cancel school for tomorrow so we can have another one of these days......surely they will. (please, mr. superintendent!)

I am praying the power stays on.....if it goes out, the snow day won't be so much fun. Lots of Monopoly and Yatzee, I guess.

I'm worried about all the outside animals. How miserable this must be?! We put a heating pad out for our outside kitty (she refuses to go in the garage tonight) and she got right on it and got all cozy.

Stay warm!

hrk

I love this picture. (i know, i say that all the time)

My little honeys last year when we actually got snow, not just rain and ice.

Silly Ella......

Here are some silly conversations with Ella that I never want to forget...... Ella fell last week and hit her tailbone pretty hard. Brad was all "I'm sorry babe, when you hit your tailbone it really hurts." A little while later, Ella says, "Dad, my 'butt knuckle' still hurts." Seriously? Butt knuckle? That is almost a brilliant description of the tailbone, isn't it?!?! I picked Ella up from school one day and this is what she said: Ella: "Mom, I taller than Hayden!" Me: "Really. Wow." Ella: "Yeah, but not very much. I'm just one 'cemipede' taller." Made my day! This conversation was today: Ella: "Did you know that Barack Obama is the first African American president?" Brad: "Yes, I did. Do you know what African American means?" Ella: "No." Brad: "It means he is black." Ella: "OOOOOOh. So all the rest of them were just skin color?" Huh? Five year olds are so funny! hrk

QUICK....grab your purse, grab your keys......

And get your boo-tay down to TJ Maxx. It's Customer Appreciation Day and you get 15% off your entire purchase! WOOOOOHOOOOO! I love me some TJ, and the prices are great all the time. Add 15% off and....oh....this is just too much (hand to forehead, faintish). I scored some great things that I won't bore you with, BUT there is one thing I have to show:

BEHOLD....the biggest prize of all........

these Cole Haan sunglasses. WaaahhHoooo!

Huh?

What was that? Oh,you're thinking I paid a pretty penny for these.

Not so! They were on clearance for $20.00. TWENTY DOLLARS! I'm pretty

sure I heard a church chior singing "Hallelujah" some

where in the background when I picked these up!

Well, what are you waiting for?....Get down there before all the good stuff is gone!

hrk

A Little Lesson......

Ever wonder what will happen if you suck up not-quite-cooled fireplace ashes with your handy little vaccuum? Weeeelllllllll, I'll tell you what will happen..............sparks will fly out of it and this will happen to its insides:

Poor Baby! I love this little guy!

Never fear, I put him out on the patio to cool off for a few days, brought him back in and he's purring like a kitten. It's gonna take more than some hot ashes to put my little buddy down!

I am a little worried about how long he will make it with a hole in his guts, but we'll see!

hrk

Guess who the girlys met?!?!

Junie B. Jones!

YAY! Fun!

And her friends: (l to r): May, Lucille, Mr. Scarry, Herbert, and Sheldon

For those of you who have preschool or younger kids (or none), Junie B. Jones is a book character in a series of books that kids usually get into around kindergarten and 1st grade. She is precious and sassy (and always getting into trouble) and my girls have loved all her books. So tonight we went to the Alma Performing Arts Center to see the play, 'Junie B. Jones'.

It was the CUTEST ever! By far, it was the most fun play/show that I have ever taken them to and they both loved it. After the show, they had a little meet and greet in the lobby, so the girls got her autograph and a picture. I would highly recommend seeing this one!

Love a fun night with the honeys!

hrk

Stolen Idea.....

I saw this idea on another blog (can't find it again to give credit) and knew I had to steal it. I found these at Michael's. The round one was 29 cents (swear) and the square one was 99 cents.

**edited to add** the blog I found this on was Joys of Home! (thanks to an anonymous commenter)

A can of chalkboard spray paint and some old ribbon and you have......

Wall-AH!

Since my cabinets usually look like this.... all sticky-noted up....I thought this would be a little cuter. The one on the blog I saw was hanging on a back door with a "take out the trash" reminder.

No more sticky-noted cabinets for me!

hrk

Mission Organization-Project 1: Done(ish)

Ok....stop holding your breath....I am finally done with the first of my Mission Organization projects. Sooooo...you remember this eye candy below:

Well, feast your eyes on this:

wait for it....

wait.....

keep waiting.....

TA-DA!!!!

I am not lying girls, I did this all by myself. I know, I know.....your thinking I must have had some profesionals over here building and organizing and such, but, no-sir-E-bob....it was all me.

For the shelves in the picture below, I just bought one those pre-done shelf kits at Lowes and had the nice worker man cut it down to the right size for me. Wellllll, he must have been intimidated by my extreme hotness (just sayin'), and he cut it tooooo short. So he just went over and got another one.........and he cut it too short, too! Not kidding! So, in his complete embarassment, he was all, "if you think you can make 'em work, just take 'em both and go on without paying for the second one" Well, no kidding, I wasn't gonna pay for the second one. This definitely worked out in my favor, because I got 2 shelves for the price of one (about $17.00) and they were just BARELY to short, so they still worked great!

I used my old organizer that used to be in that dreadful computer cabinet. It was cream, so I just spray painted it brown. In the basket, I put all of our stationary! That second shelf still needs a little something, but I haven't found the right thing yet. I want a little gold "K". Or a little picture frame And underneath, our printer and filing box. The little chests are being used to store tax reciepts (the small chest) and books (the big chest). The basket on top of the file box is a new trick I just read about in a magazine. You just throw anything you get that needs to be filed into the basket, then when the basket is full, you file! It eliminates filing all the time and keeps everything that needs to be filed in one spot! Love it! I bought a $3.00 clearance 8x10 picture frame at TJ Maxx and just stuck the cork from an old bulliten board in it. Perfect! For the desk top, I just bought a small piece of wood at Lowes and had them cut it to the right measurements. So don't worry if your hubs doesn't own any power tools and wouldn't know how to use them if he did, because those sweet fellas at Lowes will cut your boards for F.R.E.E! Then I put a little stain on it and put it on some cheap metal brackets. The most expensive part of the project was the glass that I had cut to put on top of the desk. It cost $21.00, but totally worth it. I just called them with my measurements and they had it ready in an hour. I stuck some picutres and things under it. Love it! Oh.....now, I know you are all like, what about that FAB skirt? That must have been custom made by Martha Stewart or something! Ha! I made it! Woo Hoo. It is some cheap fake silk fabric and it was my first time to sew with elastic (and I did have a few mini disasters).....so much fun. I can't wait to make something else with elastic. I could so make myself a skirt, you know, all comfy and dowdy with an elastic waist. (Nah.) Anyway, it by no means was hard or requires any sort of skill, because I don't have any. Easy Peasy!

So there it is, peeps! I'll be starting project 2 soon.

Word to tha mothas! Get inspired!

hrk

ps....I also still have to find a small chair to put there. I have a little piano bench, but hubs insists that if he is going to use this desk to work at, it must have a chair with a back. So, then it will be done, not done(ish).

I'm In Love.......

with this necklace! Isn't it beautiful! This website has the neatest personalized jewelry and I love me some personalized stuff!

I also love this. I have something similar but it's fun to change things up!

And these! I am a plain jane jewelry gal so these are right up my alley.

\

I have too much time on my hands, sitting here staring at crap I want on the computer.

Not good!

hrk

a few silly pictures.......

Before I head off to the NICU to light and heat the earth for the 3rd night in a row, I wanted to share a few silly pictures I've taken this week.

Since hubs does most of the cooking around here, I try to do my part by making it as comfortable for him as possible.

Soooo...when I came across these onion goggles, they were a must have. He's always complaining about tearing while chopping some onions. Well, we cured that little problem.

Tonight, he tried them out while making fajitas! (yum)

How cute does he look? Seriously!

And they worked GREAT!

On another note, we are going skiing next month and I've been trying to find ski clothes for all of us (preferrably very cheap ski clothes)! Well....SCORE! I found a whole set (ski bibs and ski coat) for Ella at TJ Maxx (love ya TJ) on clearance for $20.00. Whooty hoo!

So I came right home and made her put it on. Besides the fact that it added 20 pounds to her and she looked like Ralphy from A Christmas Story, it was PER-FECT-O!

Since I do not allow my girls to use the word FAT in any context, Evan kept staring at her and finally said, "She looks C-H-U-B-B-Y." Had to let it slide because she did! But sooo presh!

hrk

Dear Cleaning Lady........

This is tough. This hurts me far more than it hurts you, I promise. Cleaning Lady, I have to quit you. I know, I know....we have been so good together! And I will never forget the aroma that you leave behind when you go, but it's for the best. The economy is just too unstable for us to be friends right now. It is time for me to make some changes, Cleaning Lady, and you are one of them. But Cleaning Lady, you are not alone. I am also ending a long time affair with Starbucks. This one is just as painful, and hurts just as much. Cleaning Lady, I hope you will forgive me. And I hope that my sweet home can adjust to my ways of cleaning without too much pain. Maybe when the economy stabilizes, sweet Cleaning Lady, we can be friends again. Until then, may all your dust bunnies disappear. All my sorrow, hrk

Another Food Blog I Love......

ok.....here is another great blog I stalk. It, of course, is all about FOOD! Check it out! (and this gal seriously must be a professional food photographer because the pictures are amazing)! http://www.picky-palate.com/ There is a recipe on here for White Chocolate Butterfinger Blondies! I made them for Ev's piano recital and the were FAB-IO! Enjoy getting hungry! hrk

Leslie's Challenge.....

Leslie is playing a fun little picture game. Open your 5th picture of your April folder and post it. Here's mine!

Ugh. Our kitchen....pre-remodel and right after we discovered the disasterous leak! And look....right there, on the counter...Ella's mailorder bug larve. Lovely.

Seriously........

Have you seen that commercial about all the animals that are abused and abandoned? O.M.G. I am crying....seriously...CRYING TEARS. All the little doggies and kitties look like they are crying in the commercial. How do they do that? You got $18.00 a month, you can make one of them stop crying! I'm depressed!

Another Project (and a sneak peek).......

OK....Tanya over at the Sunday Baker has the neatest blog. She is always posting new recipes and takes amazing pictures of the food. I (and I am no kind of cook!) have even made some of the recipes on her blog and they turned out great! (not lying)!

Anyway, if you love food, you can spend hours on this blog looking at recipes, staring at food, and making yourself hungry when you should be doing laundry or dusting or something.

Sooooo, she is hosting a Pantry Challenge that is really neat! You should read about it. It's a great way to use up ingredients you already have and try new recipes.

Now, that said, I ain't doin' it! I mean....if you are a seasoned cook, this is a great idea...but, seriously...I melted a sauce pan straight into two pieces while I was simply boiling water! I am sooo not ready for a pantry challenge! Buuuuttt....while I was there, I saw this picture of some cabinets that had chalkboard paint inside them and it INSPIRED me! UH-OH!

Has anyone ever done this? I think I will, although, since our cabinets are brand new and cost a stinkin' fortune, I am sure I will meet resistance from the hubs. Look at this picture:

I love it. It doesn't look like that chalkboard paint is on the inside of the door, but whatever!

SO...here is a picture of my cabinet insides.....(it's not pretty, girls):

Soooo....would you do it? I am thinking I will try to put corkboard on one of the doors, too. Ya know, good place to tack up the Boxtop sheet and the Boxtops, and recipes!

It would be a little scary to do, but I think the results would be soooo great!

And, I've been working like a mad woman on one of my Mission: Organization projects.

Remember this:

Well....here is a sneak peek at the transformation that is underway!

I still have a few things left to do so I can't show it all yet.

Stay tuned for the big reveal! I am not sayin it will take your breath away, but it will definitely make my room look better and add some organization to my life!

hrk

Whooty Woo!

How 'bout those basketball Hogs! Wooooo Pigs!

Ouch........

Well.....back to the mundane, day in and day out school life we go! But not without a small glitch. Oh, no, not at my house! Brad and the girls left last Thursday morning and headed to his dad's cabin in "Middle of Nowhere, Arkansas". (I know...poor me, I had to be alone here for 3 days....you know I was hating it (wink, wink)! Anyway, they spent almost the entire time outdoors, exploring in the woods, sitting around the fire, and all things fun for outdoorsy people (not I). When they got home Sunday, Ella's eye was a little swollen. You never know with that girl because she is NON-STOP! So, I didn't worry too much...until she woke up this morning. WAY WORSE! And she was complaining about it, alot. Now, out comes the nurse: oh, she could have something in it....it can cause permanent damage....it could be a horrid infection...oooh.....MRSA, Staph.....UGH!....and this goes on until I get her to her pediatricians office and wait for an hour....to find out..............it's her allergies! Go figure. I sure didn't expect that, but was glad to hear it. He did some neat test with a black light and a flouresent eye drop to check for an injury to the eye. VERY COOL! (COOL because there wasn't a tear. If there had been, not cool). Worst part....she was dying to get to school this morning because SHE'S THE LEADER! I am just not sure how the kindergarten class made it until 10:30 without her this morning.

No Leader!!! Seriously! Oh, the drama!

Honestly, this picture makes it not look so bad. Swear- it looked bad!

hrk

And the Winner is...........

I went to this website and the random number it gave me was..............3. WooHoo......Rachel is the lucky winner! YAY! I love contests! I'm thinking I will do this again, soon. And it is quite obviously easier to win my contest than some, because I only had 9 comments. The ones I have tried to win have, like, 400 comments. So what does this say to me......my blog isn't so popular! It's ok. I can deal, peeps! Unpopular blog=g00d chance to win! Whet Whew!

And.........look what I bought yesterday at my fave place...TJ Maxx.............

What is so great about that, you say? Well, it got me motivated to do this.......

Oh, no, your eyes are not playing tricks on you.....that is the computer cabinet from yesterday and it certainly is almost empty! Hooray! It only took me about 20 minutes and 2 completely full trashbags! Why didn't I do that months ago?

Love to the peeps!

hrk

Mission: Organization.........

Well....here it is....my long awaited New Years Resolution post. (I know you all have been dying to see this one). Here goes....There was a time when I was a MAJOR NEAT FREAK. Like the one that puts your glass in the dishwasher before you are done with your drink. Like the one who (I'm not kidding about this) STARCHED AND IRONED sheets before they went on the bed. I'm not lyin', girls! And those of you who know me well know that this is the truth. Problem is.....after a couple of kids and a very messy husband, well, it just left me. The neat freak has left the house and here I am just to look at the messes and shut them behind a door. Now, I'm not sayin' my house if filthy....I still keep things fairly picked up and surfaces clean and all that...but, I have started doing something that my mother (love ya mom, i'm just sayin') has always done. It's called PILES of STUFF! UUUUUGGGGHHHHH! So....in order to get this under control....I took some pictures of just a few of the piles so that you peeps can see what I'm talking about. Look (with the pleasure that I know you are feeling) at these:

This is a little alcove cutout thing in my bedroom. I had the shelves put in in an attempt to make it a place to keep my embroidery machine and make it look neat and organized. Well you can see that the organization stopped with the shelves. Seriously. It's random piles of crap, some sewing stuff, some pictures that used to hang in my bedroom, a notebook for something, a basket of papers and stuff. What the heck? But keep lookin' girls, cause you ain't seen nothin' yet!

This is Ella's closet and, honestly, this picture doesn't do the clutter and mess justice. It's a nightmare, people...a nightmare! (but when you can just close the doors, it's so easy to forget)

This is a section of cabinets in my hallway that we use to store....um....every single thing that will fit! It started as a game cabinet for all the board games and puzzles and such, but after 5 years in this house, it has evolved into this. Scares me!

But this....oh, girls, this is the cream of the disasterous crop! This is a computer cabinet that is in our dining room. Whaaattt? "Why! There is no computer in it!" you say. Well......sweet friends.....actually, there is. Evan's laptop is in there, only the mystery is.....where? Who knows? Not I. I just open this cabinet to throw in any loose paper, book, balloon, picture, hairbow, whateva....then close it back real fast before everything falls out! Don't ya love it?

SOOOOO.....thus brings us to the Mission....Organization! I have got my work cut out for me, but I am giving myself the entire year to tackle these four projects. I will post the results (if they happen)!

Be sure to enter my contest.....check the post below!

And don't ya'll go talkin' about my messes behind my back!

hrk

My favorite pictures of 2008........(and a giveaway)!!!

Just for fun, I decided to have a give-away. I see people do this on blogs all the time and I always try to win, but never have. Maybe if I have a give-away myself, it'll change my luck. So I am going to give away this bag that I bought at Pier One a few weeks ago. It's one of those reusable shopping bags and it is pretty good size (like the size of a brown paper sack). I am going to use mine as my pool bag this summer because it's waterproof. I actually bought 3- one for a gift, one for me, and I have this one that I don't have anything to do with.....so.....I am giving it to one of you! All you have to do is leave a comment, then I will use that random number picker thing to pick a number and that comment will win. YAY!!!!

The contest will end on Saturday morning! Check back to see who wins!