Holler.

Hey, do you remember that one time, when I had a blog I updated?

Because every post is better with a picture.

It's been a seriously crazy week.  We've:

• rented/sold our house!  Hurrah!  No more rent + mortgage + double utilities every month!  It's not 'official' yet, since the bank is still building a portfolio on the interested person, but he's moved in and paying us rent.  Winning.
• traveled home to make sure the house was ready for our guy.  It was weird to walk out, knowing we'll never live there again.  We've had 6 months to move on, though, so it wasn't too emotional.
• made travel plans for Florida!  My mom, the kids, and I are headed down in a few weeks.  I'm sure it will be nothing short of crazy with whiny kids, but that kind of sums up my life here, so might as well do it on a beach, right?
• taken a road trip up to Cabela's in Michigan.  My dad is hunter/fisher/outdoorsman extraordinaire, so this store is like home base for him.  He likes to take the kids up once a year, so up we went.  We made the experience complete by taking his new Ford truck.  Yep, we're that family.  To balance things out, I made sure we stopped at Target and Starbucks {twice}.
• spent an entire Friday night + alllll day Saturday looking at new cars for me.  We've more or less narrowed it down to a Honda Odyssey.  We're open to the Toyota Sienna, but we're Honda people.  My CR-V is at 250,000 miles right now, and still going strong.  You just can't argue with that.  So we found what we want a few times on Saturday, but it basically boiled down to being cheapskates thrifty.  In three months or so, we'll be able to pay cash for the van we want, so why finance?  Sure, we could finance now and then pay it off then, but I think we'd probably end up going on vacation or something with the money.  I think it will feel good to drive away in a new {to me} van that we actually own!

So I suppose that's why I haven't been updating the ol' blog.  Tomorrow I'm visiting a friend and taking a meal to another, so it will be another busy day.  Also on the agenda is sewing some clothing for my children so they aren't running around naked or wearing winter clothes in Florida.  Ah, the troubled life of a stay-at-home momma.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love = M&Ms

I can't resist holiday M&Ms.  And I can't resist pink and red together.  So the valentine M&Ms are pretty much the most awesome thing, ever.

To give myself a decent excuse to buy them, I made this little activity for the Sunbean.  I thought your kids might enjoy it, too.  And here's hoping it occupies your littles for at least 10 minutes {that's always the goal, right?}.

To save each of the images, right-click and choose 'save as'.

When you print them, make each image 7x7.  The little circles will be just the right size.

Have a lovely weekend {pun intended}!

The 5,000 Year Leap

I joined a book club here, and it's great.  Well organized, lots of snacks, and tons of discussion.  We've read a big variety of books, which has helped me get into some genres that I'd normally never even consider.

This month's book was The 5,000 Year Leap.  It's not exactly light reading, but it is so fantastic.  I'm not quite finished yet, but I've learned so much.  It's written by a man who has studied the founding fathers and the basic principles of the constitution for years.  He gathered his thoughts into basic principles that the founding fathers wanted our country to be founded upon.

It's a very timely read, with the general political climate and the upcoming election.  I'm amazing at the foresight the founders of our country had.  And after reading this, it's clear to me that they were guided by Heavenly Father.  There's no way they couldn't have been.

 

Don't let the endorsement by Glenn Beck scare you off...this is a level-headed and factual read.  I'd recommend buying a paper or digital copy...you'll want to make notes!

How to Print on Fabric

Do you have this problem?  I always get this 'idea' in my mind of an exact shirt I want, for me or my littles, and then I can't find it.  Or it's too expensive.  Most of the time, I just make it myself.  But sometimes that's hard, like if it's some sort of screen print.

Then, I had an idea.  I have a good printer.  Well, I think.  I like it, at least.

Why not print on fabric?  I've seen tutorials for freezer paper and the like, but I didn't ever feel like messing with that.  So why not?  Worst case scenario, I have to replace the printer.  Good thing it worked out.

Here's what I did.

First, I started with an old knit shirt.  It had little holes all over and more than one stain.

Then, I cut a piece to 8.5x11, for printing.  I also cut a piece of WonderUnder to the same size.

I ironed the two pieces together, and then taped it to a sheet of cardstock, to stabilize it for the printer.

Then I dinked around in Photoshop until I had a few things I wanted to print, crossed my fingers, and pressed 'print'.

It worked!

 

Then I just used the 'knit' stitch on my sewing machine to attach the graphics to shirts.  The top one is a cute little onesie for Little Dude, and the bottom is my new Republican shirt {go Mitt!}.  Don't be mad, Dad.

 

Here's a tip:  if you're ever in the market for a plain shirt {retailers totally missed the boat on that market}, check out the girls' section.  I can get by with a large or extra-large, and they are usually half the price of the same thing in the women's or junior's section.  So dumb.

I have no idea if this is machine-washable.  I figured I'll find out when it's time to wash them.

All in all, I'm pretty pleased with my $5 project!

Homemade Granola Bars

 

I saw a recipe for homemade granola bars on {duh} Pinterest, and gave them a whirl on Sunday.  Sidebar:  luuuuuuurrrrrrrrve 9:00 church.  I get so much accomplished on Sundays, what with the husband home to tend the children, and all.

Anyway.  This recipe is fantastic.  I followed it exactly, and we all ate them right up.  The Sunbean is a dairy-lover, and prefers fruit, veggies, and dairy above all else.  That's fine, but I always get excited when she likes something that's healthy, filling, and non-dairy.

Next time, I'm going to experiment with a different amount of honey/sugar/butter, and use raisins.  We can't get enough raisins around here.

These certainly aren't the next superfood, but they aren't processed, either.  A step in the right direction.

Little Dude is...

Here is Little Dude's preferred mode of mobility these days...the back-arch-scoot.  So helpful during diaper changes.

This little boy has been entertaining us with his antics lately.  Such a little ham.  Here's what he's up to:

• He's decided that solid foods might not be so bad after all.  He's still a pretty tough sell, but is gradually becoming used to the idea that food on a spoon isn't so bad.  I think he'll love feeding himself, but he still struggles with chunky food.  He does love the puffs, though!
• This little guy isn't crawling yet, but I know it's coming soon.  He gets so close, and then flops down.  It's cute, but frustrating for him.  He'll be much happier when he can move on his own!
• Thanks to Sleep Week, he's got such a good sleep rhythm down.  Up around 7, naps at 9, 12, and 3, and then down for the night at 6.  Sleep makes for a happy baby and momma.
• Lately, Little Dude has been shaking his head back and forth.  It's so cute and so funny.
• We've been doing baby signs with him {loooooved them with the Sunbean}, and he definitely understands what 'more' and 'all done' mean.  He's not signing back yet, but it's amazing to watch him respond to our signs.
• This guy makes more mouth noises than any baby I've known.  It's funny, slobbery, and very distracting at church.

We love this sweet boy!