In 34 Years...

In 34 Years...

I have learned that my heart has grown so much throughout the years, to near bursting with love for my husband and children.
In 34 Years...

I have learned that what other people think of you is nowhere near as important as what your children and YOU think of you.

In 34 Years...
I have learned that time moves too quickly to spend it sitting on a couch and staring, get out there and LIVE and DO!

In 34 Years...

 I have learned that my parents were always right, even if they went about it in crazy ways and I am glad that I took the time to let them know how blessed I am to have them.

In 34 Years...

I have learned that we all make mistakes and it is in correcting them that we learn the most.

In 34 Years...

I have learned that true love can only be found once you love yourself and accept yourself as you are.

In 34 Years...

I have learned that the unsanswered prayers in my life are the best things that have ever happened to me.

Today, on my 35th birthday I have learned that I am loved more than I ever knew or even suspected.

THEY WON!!!! Their diorama depicting The Pigeon from the book Don't Let The Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo willems (using Peeps), won first place!! My kids were so thrilled to see their trophy and first place ribbon and mom and dad could not be prouder!

I love how much they learned by working together and also by encouraging their friends to vote! 

Enjoy every minute my friends! My menu plan will post tomorrow!

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This Moment...

In this moment I am...

~Sipping Jasmine Green tea
~Reading Panic by Lauren Oliver

~Nibbling green grapes
~Smelling a Country Apple candle
~Thinking of blog ideas for tomorrow

In This Moment, I am...

~Laying with my feet in my husbands lap
~Laughing to myself about something silly I heard earlier
~Printing out work for tomorrow
~Preparing for my book club by going over We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

~Wishing my kids were awake so we could all snuggle!

In This Moment, I am thinking of my favorite book store of all times...Town House books in St. Charles. Definitely stopping in for a visit this weekend.

Enjoy every minute my friends!

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Monday Morning Musings...

The weather in northern IL is chilly, it calls for a fire to be burning constantly, because I like to keep the thermostat at 65*. Yikes! I know, I know that's chilly but it saves us money and we all get to snuggle under warm blankets whenever we sit down! What do you keep your temp at if you are in a cold zone?

Remember earlier in the month I mentioned my goal of drinking 1 gallon of water a day. Whoa, this has been such a wake up call for me. I am LOVING the water, but not loving the bathroom trips. It's still too early for me to notice much, except that I am not snacking as much nor am I craving too much in between meals. 

Are your bookshelves exploding? Mine are! One thing that I am doing to solve this is to get a group of people together in my home to swap and sell our books! I am setting up tables throughout my home and we will be set up to swap books for other friends or sell them if we cannot find a trade. I am very excited about this and will keep you posted on how it turns out! 

Teach the alphabet & letter sounds in no time!

A great way to teach letter sounds and/or the alphabet is with coloring pages, get yours HERE!!
1. Day One: As each letter is colored, have them sound out and say each letter. 

2. Day Two: print out a second copy and do the same. 

3. Day Three: Laminate the colored pages and cut out each letter combo evenly from 1 of the pages. (Saying each letter and letter sound as you cut it out to make flashcards)

4. Day Four: Repeat Day Three!

5. Day Five: You now have a set of Memory Game cards. Play with a few letters at a time and build up to playing with the entire alphabet. As each card is turned over say the letter and the sound.

Enjoy!

Are you a thrifter? Flashcard collector? I am using a mug tree to hold flashcard collections. This makes them easy to find and also keeps them out and on display. I change them out monthly and I notice that they are always being thumbed through! 

Enjoy every minute my friends!

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Monday's Musings and Menu Planning...

Oh Happy Day, it's Monday and all is going well. How have you been this weekend? I pray everyone had a safe holiday. We spent it on the road a lot, but still had fun and enjoyed ourselves, technically we are still on vacation for a couple more days!

Ten Things That Have My Mind Running Too Much:

~ It's December. I still have not finished my shopping.
~I would like to finish up the quarter but we seem to be taking it quite easy this time around
~Wondering what's for breakfast as my tummy is rumbling
~The calm of the morning has a way of making all the worries go away
~This green tea is too bitter and I don't want to brew anew.
~I need to get on a better workout plan, I make too many excuses.
~I really hate the book I am reading, but I am forcing myself to power through it.
~My husband is having oral surgery tomorrow and I hope he will be okay
~Dining out with people that are rude to the waitstaff really upset me and I have to sneak back to tip extra on the sly...
~As I drink my tea, working in our hotel room, I watch my children sleep and I remember that no matter what, these children are the best thing I have ever done.

Our Elf got crazy over the weekend and was found hanging from one of the war planes dangling from the ceiling in the boys room. The kids absolutely LOVE when Charlie is up to nothing but mischief but boy does it take a lot of planning to keep him on the run. Funny Story:

When my 8 hear old found him hanging there, he took his clothes and changed in his bathroom, when asked why, he said he didn't want Charlie seeing him naked! Hahahah!! I love how fiercely the believe. See what else Charlie has been up to in 2014!

We took the kids to see this fantastic light display in the town we are in and it all dances to music and there is so much to see. One window even has a television in it with Santa looking out at everyone. It is truly amazing. They are a Toys for Tots drop off and then give out Believe bells from the Polar Express. Due to this trip, our Menu plan is shorter this week!

Monday: Out of Town
Tuesday: Out of Town
Wednesday: B - Out of Town
-L - Out of Town
- D - Shrimp Alfredo with Basil & Tomato Salad (Pasta is an easy dish in case we get home late)
Thursday: B- Cereal & Fruit
L- Pasta Salad with Veggie Sticks
D - Stuffed Chicken breasts and steamed carrots with garden salad
Friday: B- Diced Ham & Eggs with Melon Ball Salad
L - Turkey Rolls, Laughing Cow & Veggie Sticks with Pretzels
D - Sushi Night!
Saturday: B- Rainbow Pancakes with Sausage and Strawberries
L- Cheese & Crackers with Ham Rolls
D- Pork Roast with Green Beans and Chef Salad
Sunday: B- Breakfast Casserole with fresh squeezed juice and grapes
L- Out with friends
D- Spaghetti & Meatballs with Caprese Salad

Enjoy every minute my friends!

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Thoughts & Musings...

Happy day, it's Friday of course! I finally bought a 2015 planner and have been keeping busy filling it in. How is it that a year can fill up without even having arrived yet? My goodness we spend too much time being busy don't we? My husband leaves for work around 5 in the morning and I try to get up with him and then enjoy my quiet time for 2 hours. I grab my favorite mug, put on the kettle and then have a seat. I catch up on my favorite blogs, organize my day and send any emails or return any.

My favorite mug is the Minnie one from this set in Disney World. While it is a completely ordinary mug, it was a time that I broke down in tears while on vacation and my husband even shed a few tears as we sat on the floor in Epcot. Why? Well we were on vacation for our 10 year anniversary, as we were married in Disney World 10 years ago. We were having an absolute blast and had just finished shopping for our youngest's birthday, he turned 7 in Disney World. Our older kids asked if they could wander the store alone for 15 minutes. They were armed with a cellphone and told to stick together and away they went. As we stepped out of the shop, the kids shoved a bag in our hands and said "happy anniversary." Yup, that did me in, they had spend their own money that they have taken a full year to collect and bought US something. They saw them in someones basket as we were all together, which is why they asked to leave apart from us. They ran up to that person and asked where they got them from, but when they got in line it was huge, so they told everyone that they were trying to buy a present for their parents for their anniversary but it was time to meet us at the front of the shop and they didn't want to get in trouble. Everyone let them ahead of them and complimented them on how sweet they were. Well that story made me sob even more and that is when my husband lost it. We wiped our tears and had a group hug right there in the middle of Epcot, on the ground, in the boiling sun. As I think about that story again, I am once again tearing up. My kids, so sweet, so kind and so amazing. We must be doing something right, right?

There are a few places I can get lost in during the quiet of the morning and if you get a chance, pop over and pay them a visit!
TwoBirdsBoutique are gals that you wish you could hang out with daily!

The Goodwillista always makes me wish I could find such cute clothes!

The Zen Spot is a great place to check out learning freebies online!

The Ewenique Boutique has me oohing and aahing over the babies and cute stuff!

Butterfly Blue Rosaries & Gifts is a place where I like to check out her creativity!

Phyllis at All Things Beautiful has an awesome homeschool going on over there!

That's if for my Follow Friday this week! Who do you enjoy following? Let me know in the comments, I love checking out new people!

Remember to enjoy every minute my friends!

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Sea Shell Count and Match!

I made up a fun counting and matching game for my little guy, just using our collection of sea shells and an old berry container! All 3 of my kids love to play with this, so I also made it a memory game too, by putting in twice as many shells!

Print out the numbered shell pages and laminate them, cut out each individual shell. Then mark up each shell with 1 number (numbers 1-12). I used a broad point sharpie and that works perfect!

For the original game, they pull a shell out of the box and match it to the same shell card. It's a simple card, but keeps them occupied for awhile. I also have them say the number out loud when they pull it. To play the memory game, they put the cards away and take out all the shells and then just turn them number side down and get playing!

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Food for Thought....

When I first saw this quote, I woke right up! It was such a reality check, that I was left wondering why I don't take a minute to truly thank God for all that is good in my life!

Have a wonderful and Blessed evening friends, because today I am so thankful that I have people who really care about what I have to say!

Right Now...

 Right Now, I Am:

~ Eating my breakfast

~ Feeling the Slight morning breeze blowing in through the open window

~Watching my son still sleeping on the couch after he woke up too early

~Reading blogs on my blog roll

~Sipping Green Tea

~Smelling the cinnamon in the air

~Thinking of now reading Water for Elephants BEFORE the movie, thanks to TheToteTrove.

~Making a list of things I need to buy for Mother's Day Gifts

~Loving the peace that morning brings after the big kids have been taken to school!

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Shown above is breakfast that I made for my husband and I to share. Fresh fruit, granola and a yogurt dip is an easy breakfast that I often serve up to my kids when there is not enough time for pancakes or eggs and cereal has just kind of been over done! haha!

I'm a HUGE fan of home made honey and I almost always pull over when I see a sign that says honey for sale. I love to pick up jars and jugs and bottles, and have them on hand to give out as hostess gifts when we are invited places. I usually make up a small tea basket and the honey is the perfect topper!

What is your go-to gift that you always keep on hand in your home?

Right Now...

Found at the Zoo on our nature walk

Right Now, I Am....

::Crafting with my 5 year old little boy, we are making magnets!

::Enjoying the light left outside.

::Relaxing from running around all morning.

::Trying to reign in my emotions with something that has come up.

::laughing at what my children think is a bird foot (pictured above).

::Wanting to begin a new project for the kids this Summer.

::Listening to the 5 Browns.

::Moving around to the beat of the music!

::Feeling a little sad when I realize how quickly my kids are growing!

Share what you are doing right now with a link in the comments please!

Right Now....

Right Now, I Am....

::Waiting for my Dad to get here, my husband and I are volunteering at Bingo tonight!

::Hugging my 3 year old who just got his first ever splinter while playing on the deck :(

::Relaxing from cleaning all morning.

::Trying to come up with a way to organize the art supplies better.

::Loving the warm breeze billowing in from our windows and doors!

::Wanting my Birthday to get here before Wednesday!! (I'm such a kid)

::Listening to the chattering of the 2 big kids playing outside at the water table.

::Smelling the scents of lavender cleaning supplies and apple candles.

::Feeling the soft cushion of my comfy red couch! I need to sit more often!

Share what you are doing right now with a link in the comments please!

Get out of that BOX!

Sushi and Chopsticks Ring by MCW 10.00

I have been featured in a handful of blogs this month and the one question that is on each and every query is usually 'Do you have any advice for anyone out there?' My advice is almost always cut and paste kind of simple. It's get out of the BOX! We hear this all the time, but it needs to be repeated. However, my meaning is a bit different. I want you to get out of the BIG BOX CRAFT STORES!!! Supplies are one thing, but when you are getting your major pieces there, then you run into the problem. Go ahead and browse whatever selling site you are on. You will see so many of the same pieces overused. You will see the same things out there page after page. It's time to step out and buy something outrageous to make your pieces truly one of a kind! No matter what kind of jewelry you make, something different could make your pieces even more beautiful. I will be doing a feature some time in the New Year where I will walk into 1 off the beaten path store and photograph pieces that would make something that you wouldn't think of off the bat! It's a great way to get your creative juices flowing.

Sushi Platter Necklace by MCW 15.00

When I was younger and restricted to the awful world of polyester plaid skirts and starched plain white blouses, of the Catholic School Uniform, I would branch out on the weekends. I was so tired of seeing the same old same old at Claires and everywhere else that had that same kind of stuff. I had no choice but to take matters into my own hands. I would buy 2 or 3 pieces that interested me and take them apart and piece them together differently. It still wasn't enough, I woul raid my dad workbench and find some fabulously funky things there to add on and WOW!
Buttons, Drawer knobs, computer keys, game pieces, nothing was off limits to me. I never limited myself in my head and I think that's what makes my creations different! Albeit, sometimes a bit weird to those that may not be into it. Just try thinking out of the box and see what you can come up with.

Let's all get out there and change up those featured items again! It's a good time to bring a fresh eye to the shop! I even forgot I had some of those back there!! One of my goals in the New Year is to keep an eye on my stock numbers. Having over 300 items in the shop is just ridiculous. It's hard for people to shop and I just lose track of some items back there. I would ideally like to keep the shop at 250. It seems like a manageable number. I may or may not transfer the overstock to another shop. It just seems like when I split my time promoting many shops, I am losing the sales I could have gotten promoting just 1. This is the biggest need for my dot.com to be up and running.