My friend Lex had this post on her blog and I decided to join along... I know a lot of people are going to be hesitant but I think it's a really fun idea!
How am I crafting it forward? For the first 3 commenters for this post, I will send you a handmade craft from me! Then you agree to post about this on your blog and show the love as well by linking back to me and crafting it forward yourself to the first 3 commenters on YOUR post. You have 30 days to make and send your item and you can set your own price. Also, don't forget to blog about the item you receive. Sounds fun, right! (If you are one of the first 3, I'll need you're email to get in touch with you) If you're not one of the first 3 to comment, you can still craft it forward yourself.
Please comment, even if I have no idea who you are :)! This sounds like a lot of fun and will force us to take a few minutes and be creative! Have fun!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Sounds like fun!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
So I have the world's sickest Sophie. Poor thing has been through hell the last couple weeks! It all started with a rash that really never went away, and very early yesterday morning she came down to get in bed with me and she was burning up! That progressed into a headache, now she has diarrhea, and she has been throwing up all night. The doctor does not think the rash has anything to do with her current symptoms, but I just don't think I am convinced. Nobody else is sick, or has ever gotten the rash. So why just Sophie? I get so paranoid and then start to freak myself out thinking she has some weird condition. I just hope that we all stay so lucky and don't catch the bug too. My weekly photo is just going to have to wait for now, along with so many other things. I am just glad that Greg is home so that one of us can give her the attention that she needs.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Coupon Mom
I don't normally watch Oprah, but I do look at her website often and came across this topic that she featured on her show the other day. The show was all about the thriftiest families in America and their money saving tips. There was this lady on the show and she calls herself "Coupon Mom" and she is this crazy coupon clipping, money saving genius! So I decided to check out her site and see if it would be of use to me.
Every Sunday, I make a menu for the following week that includes 3 meals for every day along with snacks in between. It makes life easier especially with my day care that way I always have a plan and am never spending and wasting lots of time trying to figure out what to feed everyone. I always try to base my menus off of things that I already have in my cabinets so that way I am not buying crap that I do not need. I normally shop at the base grocery store so I am already saving, but with coupon mom's site she has tons of free printable coupons. The other thing I noticed is that for the state of Utah she featured Smith's grocery store and highlights what all their in store specials are. You can also find coupons for these specials and save even more. SO....I think what I am going to try for next shopping trip is base my list off of coupons and in store specials and see just how much I can save. I have never used coupons in my life so I am excited to try it out and see what happens. Is it bad when you get excited over grocery shopping with coupons? Click here for her website! I know I am a super dork!
My beautiful Bell, looking so grown up. For the longest time Bella could care less about the clothes she wore, or what her hair looked like. She had her own sense of style and was proud of it. This week something changed. All of a sudden she wanted her hair to be just right, and she has asked that I help her pick out her outfits. I remember that I used to get so frustrated when she picked out her own clothes, something that started before she even turned 2. I would buy her these adorable outfits and she would never wear anything together, and she had no concept of coordinating colors. She would wear tennis shoes with her pretty dresses, tank tops with bulky sweaters underneath, etc. I chose to pick my battles on that issue. But she still looked so cute, no matter what she wore, and it was fun to see how proud of herself she was. Now it seems I have gotten my way and I don't think I like it! She just looks way too grown up. I have been looking through all my old pictures and I feel so sad! It seems like I blinked and Bella and Sophie have gone from babies to big girls. SAD! 
I took this picture this morning before we left for school. See what I mean? She just looks way too old to me! The scarf was all her idea too. It is my scarf and it was really sweet the way she asked me if I thought it would go with her outfit or not.
Frankie's newest discovery...
Ah, yes, the dishwasher. I new it was coming and I was so not looking forward to it. What is so exciting about the dishwasher anyway? Is it the many compartments full of exciting forks and spoons that are just waiting to be thrown on the floor? Is it the way the door bounces when you jump up and down as hard as you can? I don't know....but for whatever reason this is Frankie's new favorite place. One by one she throws everything within her reach onto the floor and will look at me after each time to check and see if I am going to make her stop. And I am paranoid about putting the dishes that she has thrown everywhere away so I wash them all over again, ugh, it is exhausting. Finally, I have to drag her away. She is pretty good at throwing little tantrums now, too. When you go to pick her up she goes all limp and collapses her shoulders so that you almost drop her on her face, know what I mean? I have a really hard time saying NO to this girl, I think we all do, so I am seeing lots of dishes in my future..... 
Best friends
Daisy really is the sweetest dog in the world. She mothers this cat and has taken such good care of her since Santa (wink wink) brought her to our home. She makes sure she is clean after she eats, drags her away by the neck when she is being naughty, and keeps her cozy and warm every night. This is their spot every night after we have all gone to bed. Then sometime during the night Serafina decides to come into our bedroom and torture Greg and I.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Just when I thought she couldn't get any cuter......
um......yeah.....she totally can! I cannot believe that she is going to be 1 in less than 2 weeks! 
This is what she is up to lately:
I learned yesterday the hard way that Frankie is absolutely terrified of the car wash. She was already in a really bad mood, but as soon as we got in the tunnel and those blue swishy thingies started hitting the car she freaked out! So she was screaming bloody murder, the kids were all laughing, screaming and singing in excitement, and I just had to close my eyes and tell myself that it would all be over soon. Then when I got out to vacuum the car I had to hold her to get her to calm down. When I went to get the vacuum out of its holder it made this horrible noise that even scared me and she started screaming all over again. I was determined to get the freakin' car cleaned so we both just had to tough it out.
Ok, back to Frankie...sorry....
She now walks all over without anyone's help. She can get pretty far too, but then she gets excited and tries to run and usually ends up doing some sort of a face plant. She loves to climb up and down the stairs too, but she has been doing that for awhile, I guess.
And this girl loves her some baby dolls! I have some pictures somewhere that I need to dig up, but she is oh so sweet with them. We have a baby doll that cries and her cheeks get red and whenever Frankie hears that she rushes up to it and pats it and gives it these wide open mouth watery kisses. SO CUTE!!!
I just asked Sophie what she thought I should tell you all about and she said "she hits!" Yes she does! Bella and Sophie never really hit, never have either, but Frankie...not so much. She loves to smack you dead in the face, sometimes for no reason at all. I try really hard not to laugh, but her face is just too funny after she does it. She loves to pull Bella and Sophie's hair too, and it doesn't help that they think it is hilarious because once they start laughing she keeps on doing it. Ugh, I am in trouble!
She rides in a front facing car seat and thinks it is pretty awesome.
She started drinking whole milk on Monday. She does use a sippy cup all through the day and I am really trying to get serious about taking away the bottles, but she isn't having that at all yet. Oh well, she is still little and I have lots of time for that.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Project 52: week 2
Me and Sophie enjoying some 1 on 1 time while everyone is at school. I think we both look forward to that time each week!
New car seat
We bought Frankie a new car seat yesterday since she meets all the criteria to be a front facer in the car now. She looks so little in that big seat! 
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
How could I forget?
As I was playing around with some pictures this morning Sophie noticed that I had neglected to introduce the newest member of our family. Meet Serafina. Brought to Sophie from Santa Claus himself. Serafina is the cutest Siamese kitty ever, with the bluest of blue eyes, a characteristic among Siamese kitties. She is a bit of a terd, however. Nighttime is her favorite time for play. She likes to sleep with me and whenever I go to scratch my eye, or itch my nose, she immediately pounces and gives me a good scare. When you were little, did you ever fear that there was something under the bed that would jump out and get you? Well, I sure did! The other night I was reaching over the bed to plug my cell phone into the charger, and that little stinker came charging out from under the bed and bit me on the hand! She totally sneak attacked me! Scared the sh** out of me, too! No matter how many times you smack her away or remove her from your room, she comes back for more. But, she is a joy to have in the house and the kids adore her, so I guess I am hoping that she will eventually grow out of it!
The Pioneer Woman
This morning I found this totally cute website called "Pioneer Woman." This talented individual has tips and tricks from everything to cooking, home and garden, home schooling, and my favorite: PHOTOGRAPHY! Under her photography sections she offered FREE photoshop actions. For anyone who isn't familiar with photoshop actions, they can be used to speed up repetitive tasks, make quick work of time consuming edits, and give you a little creative inspiration. Anyway, they totally rock! Here is one of her actions called b&w beauty that I used on this photo of Sophie. Now this might sound silly to some, and it may just look like a basic b&w photo. Actually there were over 6 steps in making this photo look like this and all I had to do was hit the play button, and boom, there it was, all in one click of the button. And since my computer is a P.O.S and super slow it seriously saved me probably 8-10 minutes. I know, I am a dork, but this is so exciting. Actions can cost upwards of $1200 for complete sets, and some are around $50 a piece so it is really cool that she just puts it out there for others to enjoy. By the way Jenny Z...I thought she said she lived in Tulsa, OK. Ever heard of her? 
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
A new project...52 weeks of photos...
I have been inspired! As a mom, and I now lots of other moms can totally relate, we are never in front of the camera. Birthday parties, vacations, recitals, day to day life, husbands with our kids, friends with our kids, kids with kids, and so on. Rarely am I in any of the pictures with my kids. In fact, I don't remember the last time I was in a picture with one or all of my girls. I have gone through whole outings, very special days where there was no evidence that I even existed. Sad, huh!
SO....I am going to challenge myself. I came across this project while "blog surfing." It's very simple: one photo a week, for 52 weeks. Easy enough, right?? These photos will include all of me, part of me, with one, two, or all of my kids. It doesn't really matter. My goal is just to be IN the picture in some way or another. I am not trying to capture the perfect portrait, just my life as I see it, with my beautiful girls. I am super excited and I think all mom's should try to do this for themselves.
That being said, this is week one's photo. Again, nothing special. Just me and my little Frankie G. 
(I took this one while standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom. Oh and I totally had to cheat and edit my face a bit. I have been super stressed lately and the blemishes on my skin were proof so I thought I would spare you :)
P.S. Please be sure to scroll down and check out my offer for FREE children's photo sessions!
This is how Sophie woke up this morning. She doesn't have any allergies or anything, at least that we knew of. I am taking her to the doctor today to see if we can get this figured out. The rash is all over her body. She says she doesn't itch or anything, but it sure doesn't look too comfortable. I did open a new bottle of body wash last night, but we have used it before so I don't think that it could cause her skin to do this. Hmmmm...I guess we will see if Dr. Kramer has any answers for us. Oh, and her skin isn't really that yellow, the lighting in the kitchen isn't ideal for taking photos :) 
Monday, January 26, 2009
Pretty little Sophie
She is just too sweet! I think I am going to have to order a really large print of this one! She is always so willing to let me practice taking pictures and I am so grateful. I love the way this one turned out!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
My friend Lex is this sewing goddess and has started making child size aprons and oven mits!!! Oh my gosh, these are just too cute! She has the cutest, funkiest fabrics that I have even seen and now is making mits and aprons for little boys too. Sophie has one of her mits and loves it so much, and yes, they actually do protect from heat! You have to check out her Etsy site and that way you can see other prints that she has to offer. These are a great price and such a great gift idea. Check on the side for a link to her Etsy site! 
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I stole this picture from her site. This is by far one of my favorites!
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Sophie started karate this month and she loves it! She is super good and is already set to belt test next Thursday. I am going to try to record her belt testing but gotta track down somebody with a video camera that will let me borrow it :)
Lately Frankie insists on feeding herself, or trying to anyway. We are still getting the hang of it.....
I was playing with the camera one day and got these. Sometimes I can't tell what color her eyes are.
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Whoa, that's a big header!!! Just a quick fix, working on more but I gotta go be a parent for a little bit :)
