The Brandes Family

My Favorite Picture of 2011

2012-01-08T14:45:00.002-06:00

After looking through kazillions of pictures that I took from last year, I have settled on this one as my favorite. Whew, that was hard! But love it!

Happy New Year

2012-01-02T08:52:00.003-06:00

We just wanted to wish you a Happy New Year from the Brandes Boys!

2011

2011-12-30T20:22:00.002-06:00

2011 was a busy year for the Brandes Household, but I'm starting to think, when is is not busy around here. I was such a bad blogger that I thought I might should do a brief re-cap of everything that happened.

January:

We had snow, snow, and more snow!

Carson was mobile and into everything.

February:

We had a Valentine's Mystery Dinner (that was so much fun).

Warren played basketball.

And Carson got his first haircut.

March:

Carson turned ONE!

We celebrated Dr Seuss' Birthday and a yummy St Patty's Day.

And went to the park.

April:

We celebrated Easter and Christ rising from the dead.

We participated in some Easter Egg Hunts.

And started baseball for Ben and visited some more parks.

May:

Warren graduated from Tender Treasures.

Ben had his first piano recital.

We went on our annual Memorial Day Camping trip.

June:

We went to VBS's, TN Aquarium, and the Drive In.

I hosted a canning party and a 5 year-old birthday party.

July:

We bought a 5th Wheel trailer.

We went to our annual Fall Creek Falls trip.

We went to Washington, DC.

We went camping (and ran out of electricity and came home).

We took a trip to FL while Daddy went to Argentina.

And celebrated Camden's 3rd birthday (our nephew).

Whew, July was a busy month!

August:

School started- Ben is in the 2nd grade and Warren is in Kindergarten.

We went back to parks

and went kayaking.

September:

We picked up Benelli and went camping (and came home cause it was raining and Carson was sick).

Ben started Boy Scouts.

We went to the fair, fall festivals, and the air show.

and played Upward Football.

October:

We said goodbye to Tyler's Grandfather.

Celebrated Tyler's and Ben's Birthday.

Loooooonnnnngggg road trip with the RV.

Disney World!!!

Hosted a Pizza Party, Grandma and Poppa, jumped in some leaves, Amazing Acres and Halloween.

November:

Jumped in some more leaves.

Lots of crafts.

Went to FL for Thanksgiving.

Celebrated 9 years of marriage.

December:

Tyler and I went to KY to celebrate our anniversary.

Benelli broke her femur.

Awana awards, Jumpville, Christmas parade, Christmas concert, and Christmas Church Play.

Celebrating Hanukah, and the birth of the King.

What in the world will 2012 hold!

InstaFriday

2011-12-30T10:26:00.000-06:00

I'm finally back sharing my Instagram Pics from the week! Love using this free app on my iphone to share my week.

Last Friday night we had the pleasure of attending a Hanukah celebration! We had so much fun eating yummy (different) food, lighting the candles, learning about Hanukah, and playing dreidels.
I made Homemade Vanilla for Christmas presents this year. Sooooo easy to do and everyone loved it!

Christmas eve.
Christmas Morning.
Christmas evening.

I made these yummy treats for Christmas eve brunch.
Legos, Legos, and more Legos. We have way too many Legos in our house.
We went to our first skating party. It was so much fun!
Carson. Enough said. This kid cracks me up!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-27T10:58:00.001-06:00

Christmas morning we have a tradition of staying home and opening presents with just our immediate family. This year was no exception. We had all the presents downstairs for the boys. The oldest two woke up first, and since Carson isn't feeling well, I let him sleep. The first presents they saw were the Star Wars toys. They LOVE them!

Next, they opened their stocking. Such fun little items. Then we moved on to their presents. Tyler and I both loved seeing their awe and amazement written on their faces. They had so much fun!

When Carson did wake up, he came downstairs and opened his presents too. He is at a fun age to open. He loves his Little People car!

I surprised Tyler with a custom knife from R.E.H. Knives and he surprised me with a Col. Littleton handbag (I love it!).

12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-26T09:30:00.000-06:00

As some of you may know the 12 days of Christmas don't start until after Christmas and end with Epiphany on January 6th. Epiphany is usually the time we celebrate the wise men's visit to the newborn King. Living in Florida we always heard about epiphany with the young men jumping in the freezing water for the cross at Tarpon Springs.

I was actually looking for something to do with my kids this next week while they were out of school and I stumbled upon Frugal Granola's A Natural Noel. It's a great crafting book, easy to do with kids, and provides a bible reference to back up what you are doing each day. It works through the 12 Days of Christmas song. I am really looking forward to doing it with my kids this week.

And today it's on sale! You can get it for 99 cents with code NOEL99.

Warren Clothes

2011-12-02T16:57:00.001-06:00

I'm GIVING away all of these shirts. They say size 4 but I would probably use for size 3T. Play clothes quality. All except one are EmTanner Designs. NO CHARGE! Just want them to go to a good home. Please leave me an email where I can contact you and get your mailing address. Thanks!

Happy Day Project Day 6

2011-11-13T13:46:00.001-06:00

Appreciate Those in Service

Today, Ben and I mailed 15 Christmas cards from his school class to service persons overseas via the Soliders' Angels. I am so grateful for the men and women serving on my behalf for our freedom.

Happy Day Project Day 5

2011-11-13T13:43:00.001-06:00

Refresh Someone

Today was about giving water to someone, or buy their drink, or hand out a drink to someone.

Today I donated to Charity: Water. Just a $10 donation can provide water to someone for 10 years! Wow!

Happy Day Project Day 4

2011-11-13T13:33:00.001-06:00

Day #4 held giving books to your friends. We gave two new books to our friends' Owen and Brayden.

Recent Pinterest Projects...

2011-11-11T12:50:00.000-06:00

It's no secret that I love Pinterest.com.

Here's some of the things I have made lately from wonderful ideas I have found on the site!

http://www.survivingthestores.com/cooking-a-whole-pumpkin-in-the-oven.html

Super easy to cook a whole pumpkin in your oven! Who knew?!?

http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/10/26/jack-o-lantern-sweet-potato-fries/

These are REALLY yummy and crispy!

http://www.oneshetwoshe.com/2011/10/ogre-toes-fun-halloween-treat-she.html

The kids LOVED these! Super easy to make too!

http://eighteen25.blogspot.com/2011/10/quick-tasty-halloween-goodies.html

Very easy to make these, just time consuming when you have 40 to make!

http://www.simplebites.net/how-to-make-pumpkin-challah-recipe/

Mine didn't rise as much cause I used some 7 grain flour. Still very tasty!!!

http://warmfuzzypurpleandgold.blogspot.com/2011/03/mickey-mouse-wreath-tutorial.html

http://www.ourhappilyeverafters.com/2011/03/meeska-mooska-mouseketeer-evys-2nd_22.html

http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/candy-corn-cookie-bark/

Super, duper yummy but very sweet!

And some that I made and didn't take pictures...

http://www.nobiggie.net/2011/11/thanksgiving-snack-mix-with-free-printable.html

Sent this to Warren's class for snack.

http://rachelricchio.blogspot.com/2008/08/paradise-cafe.html

These were super yum. Plain chocolate chip cookies. Just the way Tyler likes them!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/10/moist-pumpkin-spice-muffins-with-cream-cheese-frosting/

and

http://lifeasmom.com/2011/10/pumpkin-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-frosting-urs-pumpkin-squash-recipes.html

I did both of these recipes. I didn't make any frosting for them. They really didn't need it! They were both good. But Pioneer Woman got the most votes.

How about you? What have you made lately?

Halloween

2011-11-10T12:22:00.000-06:00

Halloween night, one of my friends suggested we go over to the nursing home and assisted living facility. They give all the residents (that want to hand out) candy and they line the hallways. It was GREAT! Indoors and not too cold, safe, and just generally fun. The boys had a blast getting candy (and eating some). Carson loved lollipops- in fact, he got quite upset when I took it away! We also got to see my grandfather, Poppa, who lives in the assisted living side of the facility. We got so much candy that we didn't make it all the way around! We had to stop about halfway through!

We also made a stop at a local photography studio that was running a Halloween special. I think we got some great pictures of the boys. We also stopped at Nannie and Grandad's, Nannie and Jack's, Mrs. Sharron's, and Mrs. England's house. The boys had such a good night and looked great in their costumes!

Ben the FL State Trooper, and Warren was a FL Gator, Albert.

Carson was a shark!

Boys with Poppa

Carson and his lollipop

And then the boys took a break in Poppa's apartment!

Happy Day Project #3

2011-11-09T23:28:00.002-06:00

It was just one of those days...

Today was about giving to the homeless or Compassion International. I'm so glad the ladies heading up this project give you an online way to complete the task cause today I needed it!

I chose Compassion.
We gave formula to an infant for survival. Wow! That's a little bit heavy.
What did you give today?

Amazing Acres

2011-11-09T12:03:00.000-06:00

We have a local farm that opens a fun harvest attraction for a couple of months. A week ago Sunday, our Awana group from church went. The boys had an awesome time and didn't want to leave!

Fun activity: pushing ducks down a slide with a water pump.

Do you see that face?

Cow train! Pulled by a four-wheeler.

Warren and I

My sister and my nephew.

Just look at that hair!

Happy Day Project #2

2011-11-09T10:32:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, the project for the day was to handwrite a card to someone special. The kids joined me and we made cards for my grandfather, Poppa (so the kids great-grandpa). Then we went and delivered them to him last night. They LOVED making the cards and delivering them to him.

To see the joy on all their faces was priceless!

That's why I love being a part of Send Out Cards. It's so easy to send cards through the company, and I know how much we like to receive mail; I know my recipient likes getting something special too!

It's not too late to join in on the Happy Day Project!

Leaves

2011-11-08T11:42:00.000-06:00

Fall has to be one of my favorite times of the year! I love looking at all the different colors of leaves on the trees. It is so pretty around here in the fall- something we never had while living in FL. Storm (our babysitter) was so kind as to rake up some leaves for the kids to jump into. They had a blast!

Carson is actually signing "more"

He's now trying to put the leaves back into the wheel barrow.

The Happy Day Project

2011-11-07T21:24:00.000-06:00

I'm participating in the Happy Day Project over at Joy's Hope and Life Rearranged.
Hoping to spread a little sunshine.

Why don't you hop on over and see what the fuss is all about?

Today I made Pumpkin Pie Granola. I really wanted to make oh, so much more, like pumpkin bread, chocolate chip cookies, etc. But wouldn't you know, my oven went out... again (sad face). Nannie, my grandmother, watched Carson for us tonight, so she was the grand recipient of this wonderful treat (and she LOVED it). Perfect.

Can't wait to see what's up for tomorrow!

Last Week's Instagram Pictures

2011-11-07T12:33:00.000-06:00

I really love using Instagram- it's a free app that you can use to take and edit pictures very easily. It is the easiest way for me to keep up with what's going on in this crazy family!

I made these adorable Mummy Pops for Halloween!

Silly Carson in his costume.

I used my Silhouette to "Be-Dazzle" my shirt.

Carson came with us to the kids Halloween Parties. He was happy--- one word--- CHIPS!

Yeah, he's my first kid to ever pull down the BACK of his diaper, like constantly!

Homecoming week at school. Friday was "Cowboy Day"!

Someone found my secret stash of marshmallows (the very first thing of the morning).

Nelli

Grandma and Poppa visit

2011-11-07T11:36:00.001-06:00

At the end of October, Tyler's parents stopped by for a visit. Tyler and his dad flew back to FL the next day so it was a short visit. These pictures are courtesy of Russ! Thanks for sharing.

Fall in TN

Silly boys sitting in the kayak.

Running Carson

Sit, Nelli

Can you see her ears?

Grandma and Carson

Johnsonville Pizza Party

2011-11-07T11:16:00.002-06:00

HouseParty.com is a website where you can apply to host different kinds of parties for various companies. Recently, I signed up to host a Johnsonville Pizza Party. It just so happened that Tyler's Grandfather passed away and we ended up going to FL for two weeks. When we returned another host, Amanda, and I collaborated and hosted our Pizza Party. We shopped, prepped and tasted lots of good pizzas!

Me in my Johnsonville apron!

Classic Margherita Pizza with Mild Sausage

Spinach Florentine Pizza with Hot Sausage

The other amazing host, Amanda

Breakfast Pizza with Sweet Sausage

Dessert!

Our little party!

Instagram Friday on Saturday

2011-10-29T21:21:00.001-05:00

So this was yet another crazy week in the Brandes household. We got back from a week long trip to Disney on wednesday. And by Thursday we were off and running again! So here's what it looked like in pics...

Carson had lots of outside playtime with grandma here from FL.

Yep, Nelli fell asleep on the couch like this.

Another Pinterest project I'm working on.

While we were in TN, Tyler was in FL attending family meetings and fishing!

Dinner the other night was yummy sweet potato fries I found on Pinterest.

Ogre toes, anyone?

Or pumpkins this year!

And that's what our week looked like! How was your week?

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Cookeville Fall Festival

2011-10-02T07:50:00.002-05:00

The older boys, Tyler and I went to a huge Fall Festival in Cookeville a couple of weeks ago. There was so much to do and so much to eat!

Warren had a HUGE corndog. I swear that boy could eat a corndog everyday for the rest of his life and not get sick of them.

Balloon guns

Can you see Ben in the car?

Warren's turn

This was a fishing game. You had to hook paperclips. Warren had a hard time, so he just grabbed it with his hand. Tyler has his shirt so he didn't fall in!

Kayaking

2011-10-02T07:26:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, my mom and I went kayaking in a near by river. It was really calm, shallow, and fun- plus we got a good workout!

Instagram Friday on Saturday

2011-10-01T13:32:00.001-05:00

Here's how our week went down via Instagram...

Last Saturday we took an improptu trip to Chattanooga. It was my high school reunion and my dear friend, Shannon was in town. We met up for Pumpkin Spice Lattes. They were totally YUM!

After we met up, the fam and I went out to dinner. Ben got a plate of meatballs (and mozzarella cheese that he removed) on sticks. Talk about one happy boy!

Monday morning, Tyler and our friend, Ed, headed back to Florida. When I got home from taking the boys to school, the sun was shining just perfectly through the trees. See?

We stopped one day after school at the boy's great-grandparents. Nannie made the boys popcorn (they LOVE popcorn, by the way). Carson got his own little bowl!

By Thursday night I was pooped. Thank goodness I thought ahead and ordered dinner from Home Cookin' To Go. This is the meal for 4. Meatloaf, bacon green beans, macaroni and cheese, salad (with homemade dressing, and homemade rolls. YUM!

This was my pile of just Tyler and my laundry...

And this is it all clean with my drug of choice to get it all folded that day.

And to round things out, this is this morning at Upward Football. Yeah, it was 46 degrees and the wind was bitter. The boys had fun though!

Family Rules

2011-09-15T21:07:00.001-05:00

I love all the Family Rules I've seen over the last year all over the Internet, but I didn't see one that really fit our family specifically. I also knew that it was something that I could sit down and make- if I ever found the time. Well, today ended up being that day. I haven't even printed them out yet. Heck, I can't even decide which color I like best. But here's a bunch of different ones if you are interested.

Antiquity Hues-

Autumn-

Fallen-

Peppered-

Picked-

So which one is your favorite? Enjoy!

Fair

2011-09-10T07:52:00.001-05:00

It's no secret that we love going to the fair. Last night was no exception!

The boys being silly!

They had a great petting zoo! It even had a camel. Carson really wanted to pet the bunny.

He loved seeing the ducks, geese, and turkeys.

Fun honking geese!

Fair food at it's finest. Ben was actually on the other side of Tyler.

Warren ended up riding the big slide by himself. Ben was on the roller coaster and I didn't get his picture.

Ben and I on the ferris wheel.

Warren, Ben, and I on the ferris wheel.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Warrior Prayers for Sons: Friday Final

2011-09-09T09:47:00.002-05:00

This week has been a challenge... a serious challenge. I thought going into it that when I prayed constantly for my sons that maybe God would start to change them, their hearts, their ways, their actions, etc, maybe just a little bit. Instead, like my momma said, No, that just means that Satan works overtime. And has Satan worked overtime this week in our house.

As parents we tend to not want to admit how our children really act behind closed doors. We all want to have the perfect children with the perfect lives. But instead this week our life has been messy and not pretty. My boys have been awful this week. They have fought, they have grumbled, they have complained, they have cried, they have been defiant, they have been selfish, they have been boys and human, imperfect boys, at that.

I love how Brooke said it:
"Parenting my sons is my greatest joy and my greatest challenge. I love them to the ends of the earth and back, but honestly, sometimes they suck the life out of me. I get so discouraged when it seems that even my best efforts to reach their hearts miss the mark. I have all the right books (and I’ve actually read them--some several times!). Each day I target the hearts of my boys, aiming high and taking my best shot. But so many days I fall short, or my aim is off, or I’m just too weary to pull the bow back far enough for the arrow to have the strength to pierce the heart. I go to bed those nights exhausted physically and emotionally. But in my weakness, He is strong.
Perhaps the best place for a weary mom to be is physically and emotionally exhausted and on her knees."

I have been praying 10 times a day for my children since Tuesday (I set my phone to alarm each hour and a half to remind me). I've been working through the book and this week I have prayed for my son's heart change, obedience, submission to authority, and integrity. Not only have I been praying for these for my sons, but God has also convicted me to pray for these for myself.

What I have prayed for:
Heart Change- that my son's hearts would be changed for the good. To be made hearts of flesh and softened by the Lord.

Obedience- that my son's would obey their parents, their leaders, their heavenly Father.

Submission to Authority- may my sons resist the devil and flee him and submit themselves to God.

Integrity (Incorruptibility, Soundness, Completeness)- may God raise my sons to be sons with integrity and be examples in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.

I am still praying for the next 18 days. I am looking forward to it. But I think I need you to please be in prayer for me too!

Instagram Friday

2011-09-09T08:44:00.001-05:00

It's that time of the week again- Instagram Friday! I love taking pictures and sharing them with this app. So here's what happened this week according to Instagram.

Carson is sick.... again. This time we have a respiratory infection, wheezing and ear infections= antibiotics and steroids.

Yep, that's our camper. We have to park it there to load it up!

The boys playing together fairly well. They love playdoh.

The whole reason we went to Alabama camping was to pick up our new puppy, Benelli. Isn't she cute?

Back to the doctor cause someone isn't getting better. Still has ear infections after round of antibiotics= more antibiotics and talks of tubes in the ears.

Free breakfast at Chickfila? Yes, please!

Lego Heads. Love 'em.

How was your week in Instagram photos? Wanna follow me? I'm @abbrandes.

I have a mother who prays for me

2011-09-06T13:28:00.000-05:00

I found this poem over at Milk N' Honey Learn and Grow and thought I'd share.

I Have a Mother Who Prays for Me

Some have had kings in their lineage,

Some to whom honor was paid.

Not blest of my ancestors – but,

I have a mother who prays.

I have a mother who prays for me

And pleads with the Lord every day for me.

Oh what a difference it makes for me -

I have a mother who prays.

Some have worldly success

And trust in riches they’ve made -

This is my surest asset,

I have a mother who prays.

My mother’s prayers cannot save me,

Only mine can avail;

But mother introduced me to Someone -

Someone who never could fail.

Oh yes…I have a mother who prays for me

And pleads with the Lord every day for me.

Oh what a difference it makes for me -

I have a mother who prays.

-Author Unknown

Day 1: Warrior Prayers for Sons

2011-09-06T08:07:00.000-05:00

Today is the first day of the Prayer Challenge for our Sons. I'm really excited (and nervous) to see what God has in store for my sons through this challenge. I will be praying 10 times a day for the next 21 days. First up, is a heart change.

When you have a good heart and you go through trials and tribulations, usually good stuff is going to come out. But when you have a bad heart and you go through those tough times, usually bad stuff comes out. I don't want my boys to have bad hearts. I want them to have good hearts, kind hearts, godly hearts. Ultimately the most fundament thing we can ask God for is a heart change for our boys. Therefore, today we are starting the challenge with praying for those heart changes for our sons. I love how Brooke, who wrote the book Warrior Prayers for Sons, tells us to go to war and pray for our sons...

"you can choose right now to go to war for your sons’ hearts. It’s never too late.

Contrary to popular belief, the battle won’t be won by reading and implementing the best parenting techniques. It won’t be won through late night talks, lectures on right and wrong, or even committing to a Bible-preaching church. These things are all part of the equation, but they don’t trump the most important piece of the fight.

Prayer. This battle is best fought on your knees."

So today, I will be on my knees, praying for a heart change for my sons.

It's not too late to join! If you are interested head over to Brooke's Website to sign up!

Our Fifth Wheel

2011-09-05T14:30:00.001-05:00

The beginning of July we bought a fifth wheel trailer. We looked around and explored all the different options. At first I wanted the kind that you drive and its a RV, but the more we explored we thought the fifth wheel would best suit our needs. And here's a little tour of the inside. Sorry the pictures aren't great- they are with my phone (and when it was still at the dealers).

When you walk in- this is what you see... a couch that makes a bed and a dinette that also makes a bed!

Opposite from that is the kitchen. It's a nice size kitchen!

If you continue on back there is the boy's room. This is a picture of their wardrobe and entertainment center. Plenty of drawers for all their clothes.

And here's a picture of their bunks. I like that the bottom one is so low! Not too far to fall! This room is big enough to also put a pack n play so Carson sleeps in here too.

Here's a quick picture of the boy's bathroom. It's in their room (with it's own door, of course). Small, but serves its purpose.

Here's a view looking from the boys' room towards the front of the camper. On the left is the couch and dinette, and on the right is the kitchen area. My one requirement was that the boys space had a door leading to the rest of the camper. And it does, you just can't see it in this picture. There is a ceiling fan you can see in this picture and I use the cabinets on the right of the TV for my pantry. It works great.

Up a couple of steps and to the right is our area of the camper. First up is our bathroom! Tyler actually fits in the shower. There's some great storage in here that was tough to take a picture of, as well as all the usual facilities.

And then our bedroom. It's a queen size bed with wardrobes on both sides.

And that's the tour of our camper! We love it, and can't wait to take it more places!

21 Days for Prayer for Sons

2011-08-27T09:18:00.000-05:00

Recently, I found a new site and ebook by Brooke McGlothlin. I have not read all the way through her ebook Warrior Prayers: Praying the Word for Boys in the Areas They Need It Most, but I am in love. She speaks such truth and wisdom to us moms of boys. As a result, I am taking the challenge and signing up for 21 Days (10 times a day) Praying for my Sons. I just love reading Brooke's updates on FB with scripture to pray for my son's already and I am looking forward to what God has in store for my sons through this challenge!

"Let’s pray mamas, expectating that our God, Who loves our sons so much more than we do, wants to do good things for us, and for them, during this time."

It's not too late- you can sign up too! The event starts September 6th and runs through September 26th. Head of over to Brooke's blog and sign up.

InstaFriday

2011-08-26T19:25:00.000-05:00

Whew- I almost didn't make it!

But I did... and here's my pictures from this last week, thanks to Instagram...

I got my order from The Lollipop Label Shop (thanks to Heartsy, an Etsy deal site {my kindof place}). I went generic. With three kids chances are it will be passed down.

I've been looking at new and exciting things for the boys lunches this year. I got these egg molds from All Things For Sale. Now if I could just get the boys to eat them!

My view at the YMCA.

Chili's had kids eat free on Tuesday. Love these days! And if you check in with Foursquare you get free chips and salsa too!

Tried to get a head a little bit by making my own "uncrustables." Warren's have PB&J and Ben's have just PB. Problem is that I used my whole loaf and made it with regular peanut butter. With a kid with peanut allergies in the class he can't take it. I had to make them with Sunbutter (which he can't tell the difference).

And dinner one night this week was these AWESOME homemade waffles. Super delicious!

Come find me on Instagram @abbrandes

2011-08-22T12:59:00.001-05:00

It's no secret that I LOVE PINTEREST! At first, I was wondering what was this new site, would I use it, would it take up too much time, and what was it really? Long story, short- it is a site that you have to be invited to use, where you "pin" or bookmark different ideas, products, or just about anything and organize them with their picture. Cool thing is that the site keeps track of the url and location. I've started making and doing some things from Pinterest so I thought I would share them here.

First up, grilled pizza...

Found an amazing tutorial on how to grill pizza and yummy recipe on the dough too!

Next up, were grilled peaches (I'm seeing a theme)...
Oops, no picture.
But these were AMAZING!

I've made super yummy 4 ingredient biscuits... You can find my version here.

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins They're actually low fat!!! Promise!

Found these fun ideas and printables and relocated them to my "school" board.

And I loved this idea to do for the boys for their first day of school each year!

So, are you on Pinterest? If so, come find me at Abbrandes!

Forgotten pictures from the rest of July

2011-08-13T11:29:00.000-05:00

Carson and his "mi-mi's." Think he has enough?

All their shoes lined up; turned out they were all the wrong sizes. Yep, I was 1 1/2 sizes wrong on EVERYONE!

My girlfriend just had #3. I'm in love!

So much fun swimming with our friends!

Precious shirts from JonahBonah.

Stuffin' cereal in is mouth!

Yep, we took a day trip to Disney. I love that place.

Captain Jack Sparrow.

Parade time.

Silly boy

And yummy suckers with Ci-Ci.

Hi there!

2011-08-12T07:42:00.000-05:00

Ready for Instagram Friday? It's where I share some of my Instagram pictures from my phone from the past week. Let's take a look...

My mom stubbled upon a ton of costumes (in the perfect sizes) all for $5 each. The best $25 she EVER spent! My boys woke up the next morning begging to put the power rangers costumes back on!

Yeah, this is what happens when you have a 1 year old in your house. Mess!

Maybe my most favorite picture... EVER!

We recently moved the fish tank to the boy's bedroom. Looks like the cat found it.

Best dessert- Summer Ice Cream Delight. Soooooooo good!

And Ben has been making eggs for a little while now. It's his favorite thing to make. He has it down to a science.

How was your week?

Are you on Instagram? Come follow me @abbrandes!

Well, Hello August!

2011-08-05T17:31:00.001-05:00

Whew! Where in the world did July go? Oh, I know- it went by really quickly!

Here's my Instagram pics from the last week (just to show you how quickly one week of July went).

So last week at this time, Ben, Warren, and our friend, Tyler, and I went to see the Smurfs. I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it was really cute. The boys really enjoyed it too.

Afterwards, we packed up and headed home from being in Florida for 9 days. Awesome trip and visit, but whew, it was a long night trip home. But really the only way to travel with small ones.

When we got home Saturday morning, we celebrated three wonderful years of life for my precious nephew, Camden. Happy Birthday, sweet boy.

Just a funny picture of my brother in law, John.

"So, what is this Instagram, anyway?"

I've been working on this picture for quite some time. Golly, after finally finding the frame (thanks, sissy), I ordered my prints, cleaned the glass, broke the glass, ordered new glass, new glass too small, glued the glass, glue bubbled up, hubs had to straight razor the glue off the glass, clean the glass, fill the frame and display. See that wasn't too hard, Ha!

I am so proud to finally have it where it should be- looking like it should!

I'm loving pinterest.com (I'm abbrandes, if you want to follow). And I found this yummy recipe for zucchini fries. Warren and I were the only ones that like them. They were really yummy; you should try them!

Carson is always busy. The other day he found my empty crockpot; I had just made a wonderful pork carnitas (that I need to write the recipe for). He decided to climb in and have a seat. Silly boy.

And we did pizzas on the grill- super, duper YUM!!! To NEED to run try these. No, seriously, go!

And my hubby, Tyler cooked breakfast. Gotta put it on a stick!

Last night we took all the kids (minus Camden) to Mountain Snow. One last time before the end of summer!

Prior to Mountain Snow, we had dinner. I ordered from Home Cookin' To Go again. It was wonderful. Pot Roast, Red Potatoes, and Carrots. It also came with salad and homemade biscuits (um, yeah, they didn't last long).

And today, we went to Knoxville. I popped in World Market. Loved it!

So, how was your fast week?

Love Instagram? Find me @abbrandes

Instagram Friday

2011-07-01T15:22:00.000-05:00

This week has consisted of mainly VBS. Oh, there has been a ton going on... 5 year old birthday party, sister and law and family visit, baby dedication and so much more! So here's my pictures...

My 'sandcastle' for VBS.

I love Etsy! These were customized stickers to go on the party favors for Warren's party. They were awesome!

Party glasses for the photobooth, anyone? These were the hit of the party!

Awe-some. My mom even dressed up! Love it!

And this is what happens when you neglect the laundry with so much going on. It was so much worse than it looks. Trust me.

How was your week this week?

Insta-Friday

2011-06-24T12:57:00.000-05:00

Well, here I am again! Another crazy week down. I think my life might just gonna stay crazy from here on out!

Last Friday night I escaped the insanity and went to Craft Night at church! Love it! I actually finished up wipes cases that I had started a year ago. Whew!

Tyler and I went on a date night to the drive-in. Green Lantern and The Hangover 2.

My most favorite Instagram picture ever!!! Love them!!!

This week we had two pool parties (and an invitation to a third). The boys had a blast.

And I loved that they had goats!

Saturday, I am hosting a Ball Canning Party. Got lots of goodies in the mail.

And pool party number 2.

So who are you on Instagram? You can find me at abbrandes.

VBS week #1

2011-06-21T08:19:00.002-05:00

Last week, the big boys went to VBS at my mom's church. The theme was the Big Apple/NYC/I ♥ VBS. And they had a BLAST! The last night was Thursday. It went out with a big bang and water play. here's come pictures from that night.

There what the front lawn looked like with a fire truck spraying water. So much fun!

Slip and slide fun!

And a giant blow up slide!

My crazy kid

Ben's First Piano Recital

2011-06-18T09:27:00.000-05:00

When we moved to Tennessee I wanted to start Ben taking piano lessons. My dream came true in September of last year. He has been going every week since then and at the end of May, Ben had his first piano recital.

We love Ms. Becky

Ben's turn

The whole group

Ben was given the option of taking the summer off from piano, but he wants to continue. Here is goes!

Insta-Friday

2011-06-17T10:37:00.001-05:00

Whew! I'm on a roll with this Instagram Friday. Love taking pictures with this app on my phone.

So here's our week:

First up- VBS! We did VBS at my mom's church and the boys LOVED it!!! They had such a good time. My only complaint was that it was a little late at night (but I totally understand the reasoning with working families). Getting out at 8:30 pm and lucky to get in bed by 9 pm with 8 o'clock pm bedtime routine kids; yeah, not so much.

Needless to say, my kids are T.I.R.E.D!

My oldest and his most favorite activity- Legos!

Christmas already! This week, I made homemade vanilla extract to give as Christmas presents. You have to let it sit for 6 months, so thus the reasoning on getting started now. Now I really hope my mommy brain doesn't kick in and I forget I ever did this when December rolls around.

Yummy breakfast. This was my smoothie before I 'smoothied' it (homemade Kefir, Pomegranate Blueberry juice, local honey, strawberries, blueberries, banana, spinach, and salba/ground chia seeds). Super yum!

And look what Carson learned to do this week! ACK!

Tyler went for a consult with a surgeon. Result: no surgery!

The boys Legos mess. No comment.

Went to Lowes for some supplies for Warren's upcoming birthday party.

And that was our week via Instagram!
If you are interested in following me via Instagram, I am abbrandes

So, how was your week?

Linking up with

Camping Memorial Day

2011-06-16T09:15:00.001-05:00

Every Memorial Day (just about for as long as I can remember), my family loads up and goes camping. This year, since we have a little one, I only went up for the day. Tyler took the two oldest boys and stayed the whole time!

Here are some pictures from one day at camp.

This year we just about all got kayaks. They were a HIT!

Here's Tyler with his outboard motor (or in other words, Warren).

My mom with Carson on a ride. He LOVED it!

Can you tell?

Swiper, no swiping!

My three boys

Chipmunk!

Sweet Cousins.

My sister's dog also got to go on vacation!

The boys LOVED it! They can't wait to go back next Memorial Day.

New Favorite Summer Activity

2011-06-15T09:14:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we made our first trip to our local snow cone shack. Here's some pictures from our adventure!

Do you see all the flavors??? We had the hardest time choosing!

My nephew, Camden, got Candy Apple.

Ben got bubblegum. Later he said, "Too much bubble, not enough gum."

Warren with his Garfield (i.e. Grape and Tangerine).

But Carson loved the Bubblegum.

Ben's tongue even turned blue!

My sister, Allison, and Camden with their red tongues.

Cheese!

Overall, Mountain Snow was a huge hit and I think we may have found our new favorite summer spot!

By the way, I got Colada Cream and it was WONDERFUL {grin}

Our Week via Instagram

2011-06-10T11:16:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, Tyler was mowing the grass and had a lawn mower accident. He's realivly okay, but still hurt. He has a hematoma (bruise/blood clot) on the back of his right leg about the same size as a large grapefruit. Needless to say, he has been off of it all week. Next week, we will probably have to go to see a surgeon since it hasn't gotten ANY better.

Anyways, here is our crazy week in Instagram pictures.

Carson eating crackers on the couch with Daddy. He got into this position all by himself.

Carson and I had a crash outside this week. Poor baby fell onto the concrete and hurt his head.

Ben started the tournament in baseball this week. Monday night he got his first hit and eventually made it home and score a point! This is HUGE!!! We have worked all season with him and this is his first hit. He also got the game ball! I'm so proud!

Carson loves bananas. Can you tell? {grin}

YEsteraday, Warren and I went to visit my grandfather, Poppa. So sweet!

How was your week?

Deal Sites

2011-06-07T09:01:00.000-05:00

You are probably aware of the latest buzz and the hottest deal-a-day sites around the internet, but here are some that I use personally.

{MooLaLa.com}
They have LOTS of locations. Right now they are running speakers and a brownie steal.

{Eversave.com}
Right now, they have a Netflix trial and you get a $20 credit to their site. I have done this and received my credit. You just have to click through from their site and sign up for a free trial to Netflix. I didn't even have to stay subscribed to Netflix to get this credit!

{LivingSocial.com}
Not one of my favorites, but they have had some great steals in the past. They do have great [escape] steals. We actually bought one to return to the b&b where we got married!

{GroopDealz.com}
Cute new deal site usually with accessories. homegoods, and vinyl.

{VeryJane.com}
Another cute new deal site. Right now they are offering a necklace, tutu, spices and a burlap banner.

{Hopscout.com}
This was formerly LilLuxe.com. They offer products for kids everyday.

{FamilyFinds.com}
Today they are offering organic clothes for babies, nursery bedding, and diaper bags. They are not always offering so many baby items; generally its a good mix of products.

{Heartsy.me}
Love this new site. It's all stores from Etsy.com (quite possibly my favorite shopping destination).

{Groupon.com}
Gotten some great deals from them. Love that they offer local deals as well as national.

{Plumdistrict.com}
Today they are offering water bottles from SIGG and silk ties.

{Deals.Mamapedia.com}
Today they are offering jewelry, Real Simple subscription, and Dr Seuss Prints.

Now- what's your favorite deal site?

Insta-Friday

2011-06-03T11:27:00.001-05:00

Here's our last week in a nutshell...

Look what came in the mail!

I've been making tons of stuff with my new sourdough cookbook... this day it was tortillas.

We got a piano!!! Sooooo excited!!!

Carson had to go BACK to the doctor. Ear infection {sad face}

Warren is taking swimming lessons... just to re-learn a couple of things. He's doing really well, and loves it!

I'm trying to find something that my youngest will eat. I am having great success with these...

And I also had a laundry helper today.

Linking up to

Insta-Friday

2011-05-28T09:01:00.000-05:00

... oops, a day late!

This week we are on the good sick of being sick (still not well, but MUCH better). Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes!!!

On Instagram this week:

I got our Summer Schedule 95% finished! There are still a couple of symbols I still need. My kids thrive on schedules and routine, especially during the summer. With this chart each circle represents what they are to do next. If they ask, Mommy, what's next? I can just say to go look at the schedule. I love it!

Ben is still doing baseball. This week Carson got to go to a game. His favorite part? Eating Daddy's leftover peanut hulls. Awe.some!

I went to my first Bat Mitzvah. It was such a sweet service welcoming this young lady into the age of responsibility.

We also had two birthday parties! I thought this cake was so cute! With three boys, I don't get to see many girly parties.

We also had a playdate! Our first of the summer. It came as no surprise that my costume lover, Warren, loved putting on Darth Vader.

Fruit, fruit and more fruit! I am loving all the summer fruit that is in stock now!!! Here's my artsy Bowl of Cherries.

Are you on Instagram too? Come find me @abbrandes! I would love to see your pictures too!

And jump on over to

to see more Instagram Friday posts!

Insta-Friday

2011-05-20T20:57:00.002-05:00

Whew, we have been so busy and lately, so sick. Sorry for my lack of posting!

I've been meaning to do one of these posts for a while now, but Friday comes and goes so quickly! For those of you that don't know, Instagram is an app on my phone that lets me take pictures and change them. Then you have the option of posting them for others to see. I love taking pictures and being able to change the tint so easily. Here's ours this post week:

This is Ben. Daddy made pancakes. He tends to go big or go home; can't you tell?

Since I took Ben's picture, Warren needed to have his picture taken too. He wanted to show you his bandaid (courtesy of Kidsteals.com).

Legos, oh Legos, I find them everywhere... This little man was slightly under all the toilet paper rolls in the half-bath. Awesome!

#2 of our four trips to the doctor's office this past week.

Managed to pull off some great teacher gifts in spite of all the illness. Thank the dear Lord I planned ahead a little bit! (Thirty-One Littles Carry-All Caddy, Magazine, sunscreen, and some amazing Caramel Apple Cupcakes in the jar).

Trying to work on our summer schedule. Tyler bought me a great magnetic/dry erase board. I have vinyl-ed it up; now I need to work on some magnets.

#4 of our 4 trips to the doctors. I have learned that Carson now has viral bronchiolitis and is on antibiotics and steroids. And Ben has some serious stuff going on- not really, just a HORRIBLE cough and is now on antibiotics (and he started to re-run his fever this afternoon for good measure).

And I found another cool app (Diptic), so I tried it out with the pictures from the boys on the playground and then imported it into Instagram. Carson LOVES the slide, by the way!

And lastly, we got our order of Kayaks today (some are ours and some are my parents). We are going to love these!!!

Until next time!

Head on over to Life Rearranged to see other people's Instagram pictures too!

Carson Talking

2011-03-30T17:37:00.000-05:00

Random iphone Pictures from the week...

2011-03-29T17:37:00.000-05:00

Carson fell and busted his lip (I think he pushed some teeth back up too). It was HORRIBLE!

Got the cutest squeaky shoes from Yeah Baby Boutique! Yes, I got Gator ones too.

A boy and his cat; well, the cat isn't his, but he still loves her and talks to her.

Pretty flowers for my birthday from my hubby. The guy can pick out flowers.

2 seconds flat... promise!

My mom's bleeding heart plant.

I found him (inside the toy box)!

I love taking pictures with my iphone by the way!

All but one picture were tweaked with the Instagram app.

Thirty-One

2011-03-25T14:05:00.000-05:00

Have you heard of Thirty-One? It's a great company with some really nice products, but I am kind of biased since I like just about anything monogrammed.
My favorite bags are the Large Utility Totes. I ordered these last month and I absolutely use them all the time! I keep mine in the back of my car to place all my groceries in; then, when I get home, I just pick up the whole bag and take it inside!

I also adore their thermal collection. We use the thermal totes regularly. Don't they have such cute fabrics?

This time, I am wanting to try the Picnic Thermal Tote.

And the All-In-One Organizer! This product is on special the month of April- when you spend $31 you can purchase this bag at half off! I see gifts for friends in my future!

I am hosting a party April 2nd at 10 am at my house. If you are interested in coming, leave a comment with how to reach you or just email me (brandesfam at me dot com). If you can't make it, you can still place an order and it will be shipped to you! And make sure to check out all the neat products Thirty-One offers.

Little Guy Party

2011-03-24T13:48:00.050-05:00

Since my baby is growing up way too fast, I wanted to do a Little Guy Party- Ties and Mustaches. There were so many cute ideas floating around the web these days that I had tons to choose from. Mainly it was a family party so I didn't need to go all out, but I had fun putting it together none the less.

Stick on mustaches from Oriental Trading Company were perfect for the kids as they got to our house!

I had cut out ties from Silhouette and let the kids decorate them with different stickers and pom poms. I hot glued a clothes pin on the back so they could clip them to their shirts.

The Birthday Boy, Carson

The Party Table

Details

I also hot glued cut out mustaches on wooden skewers. At first I used them as centerpieces, but the kids loved making funny pictures with them too!

I also cut vinyl mustaches on my Silhouette and placed them on the drinking glasses. When you drank, it looked like you had a mustache!

Happy First Birthday, sweet boy!

Vendors:

Carson's Hat: Dainty Couture

Carson's TeeShirt: MaddieBugBaby

Cupcake Picks and Food Labels: Paper and Pigtails

Cupcake Toppers: Two Sugar Babies

Carson's Plate: Rosie Posie Designs

Fabric Banner: Starlit Nest

Napkins: Modern Lola

Gray Straws used on Cake: Hey Yo-Yo

Cake Bunting: TomKat Download

My Baby Is One Year Old

2011-03-23T13:48:00.001-05:00

At a year, Carson:

is trying to hard to walk. Up until now, he hasn't really wanted to walk; he would just take one or two steps and fall down. Something has changed in the last week and he now is determined to get this walking thing down.

is still sick. When we came back from Florida last week, he got another cold. He's had two antibiotics in the last month so it shouldn't progress into anything else--- hopefully.

talks on inanimate objects like they are the phone.

"reads" books to himself- actually he likes to read more than he likes Mommy to read to him!

still has 7 teeth. Not really sure where that last bottom tooth is (should have come in before the top one did).

loves playing rough. He can head butt with the best of them.

talks all the time. He has a different lower voice for 'talking on the phone' and a different higher voice for reading books.

eats just about anything. He definitely has days where he wants to feed himself, and then the next he wants more baby food style- Mommy feed me.

favorite foods are yogurt melts, cereal bars, bananas, and baby yogurt.

loves to drink ice water out of the sippy cup. Formula/milk in the sippy- eh, not so much.

is sleeping through the night again. YAY!

takes two naps on average. Maybe three somedays.

loves to be outside.

sticks everything, and I do mean everything in his mouth. He has gotten used to me saying, 'Carson, what'cha eating?' and sticking out my tongue. He then sticks out his tongue to show you! I have learned that if his mouth is not open or he's not talking- then something is in his mouth.

is such a ham. He loves to laugh and be laughed at.

His new sign is "baby."

Rainbow Cupcakes

2011-03-17T13:10:00.000-05:00

These are on the menu for today!

Really, who needs icing?

A look at the last year...

2011-03-17T10:51:00.000-05:00

Home Cooking To Go

2011-03-09T20:35:00.002-06:00

his week is a crazy week for us- big trip planned, sick kids, revival at church, on top of everyday normal activities. I had heard of Home Cooking To Go via Facebook and friends around church. But it really took me some time to put two and two together to figure out that Amber is the owner and chef of Home Cooking To Go! Here's how it works, each week she offers two menus, Tuesday and Thursday. She mails out the list on Friday and then you call or email her which menu you would like, or both.

Here's what Amber has to say on her website:

Have you ever wondered what to make for dinner, not really feeling like cooking? Don’t know what to make? Tired of the same old frozen pizza or take-out? I want to help! This concept has been on my heart for a very long time. I have friends who have suggested for me to undertake a business such as this. So, out of my love of cooking and my desire to help families comes “Home Cookin’ To Go”. Here is how it will work: I will offer dinner on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. I will email you the menu each Thursday night and you reply back the following Monday letting me know which evenings you would like to participate. Have you ever wondered what to make for dinner, not really feeling like cooking? Don’t know what to make? Tired of the same old frozen pizza or take-out? I want to help! This concept has been on my heart for a very long time. I have friends who have suggested for me to undertake a business such as this. So, out of my love of cooking and my desire to help families comes “Home Cookin’ To Go”. Here is how it will work: I will offer dinner on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. I will email you the menu each Thursday night and you reply back the following Monday letting me know which evenings you would like to participate.

So this week, I decided to try it out! I chose her Tuesday menu because it sounded wonderful, and it worked perfectly with our schedule. I met her at the courthouse at 5:15 pm and picked up our dinner. The bag was still warm and smelled divine. Here's the pictures of our meal...

How it arrived

Yummy, crispy, still hot fried chicken (can you taste it?). Oh so good.

Enough homemade mashed potatoes and green beans with bacon to feed an army :). Delicious!

You can see the salad in the first picture, which came with the meal. As well as homemade ranch dressing and homemade biscuits.

And the verdict? We loved it. Tyler actually wanted to know what else Home Cooking To Go offers! The boys loved it too!

So here's the fine print- The cost is $40 for a Family of Six, $30 for Four, and $22.50 for Dinner for Two. I ordered the dinner for Four and it was totally worth every penny.

So if you are in the Sparta area, please check Home Cooking To Go out and order a delicious home cooked meal!

We'll be back soon, Amber.

Thanks again!

Shopping at Rite Aid

2011-03-08T16:36:00.001-06:00

had an awesome day at Rite Aid the other day! I have been shopping at Rite Aid with my couponing knowledge for a while now, but I guess this time it really clicked. Without further ado, here's what I got...

and I paid $22.01

but I saved $22.37 and used $23.54 worth of coupons

AND I got 3- 10% off my order coupons, $3.88 in +UP Rewards, and $12 in SRC!!!

So my net total savings is $61.79 or 74%

Carson's First Haircut

2011-03-08T10:49:00.001-06:00

arson is going to get pictures made for his first birthday and his hair was getting out of control! So we went and had it cut. He was such a good boy. No fussing or crying!

Our before picture... Not the best- but I HAD to get one!

Carson's Long Hair!

Everything has to go into his mouth

And after... like I said- everything in the mouth.

11 months

2011-03-07T10:30:00.001-06:00

At 11 months, Carson...

has 7 teeth.
still has a cold and 2 ear infections.
is just about ready to walk. He has taken a 1-2 steps independently, but no more.
says a ton of words and signed "bath."
loves to say "da-da" and "daddy."
loves bananas and cereal bars!
weighs 25 lbs 6 oz
loves to "read." He could care less about Mommy reading; he wants to do it.
LOVES his brothers.
has already had his first real haircut.
has stopped climbing down the stairs- and that's okay with me!
is wearing 24 month size clothes and size 4-5 diaper.

And it was soooooo good...

2011-03-07T10:15:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday, Dr Seuss!

2011-03-02T10:23:00.001-06:00

id you know that March 2nd is Dr Seuss' Birthday? I had forgotten until yesterday, when I started reading lots of posts about how to celebrate. I decided (with a little help from How Does She? and Moo Moo's Tutu's) to make a fun lunch for Ben today! I had so much fun! Exactly what I needed in this time of sickness around our house (Warren has the flu and Carson has 2 ear infections).

Here's what I came up with...

"Green eggs"- I found some egg clipart on the computer and printed some out. I placed a piece of wax over the pictures (I taped mine down so it wouldn't move). Then I took white candy melts and melted them in a ziploc bag and traced out the egg. While it was still melted I placed a green M&M in the middle. Super easy (just remember to close your ziploc after you melt the candy melts; kindof messy if you don't- spoken from experience).

I also printed out some tags from Moo Moo's Tutu's.

And Ben got some goldfish (yes, it's alot of fish, but I was planning on him eating them with lunch and snack).

The Green Egg (from above)

My first attempt at the Cat's Hat

And the second one- #1 won that competition

See- it fit better!

And the finished product! (if you click on the picture you can see what everything is)

It is also my dad's and Tyler's sister's birthday!

Happy Birthday, Poppie and Aunt Polly!

2011-02-25T18:40:00.001-06:00

The boys and I put a hurtin' on some monkey bread! Ben had three servings!!!

2011-02-23T11:28:00.001-06:00

Yep- we are sick again

2011-02-22T14:06:00.001-06:00

Two weeks ago, Warren came down with a NASTY stomach bug. And I mean NASTY. I lysoled everything that stood still. Yet, on Monday morning, I was in the bathroom with the nasty stomach bug. Next the baby had some really nasty diapers for about 3 days (his way of processing said NASTY bug). And then Tyler, Ben, and our friend from FL came down with the NASTY stomach bug last week. I am telling you--- it is AWFUL. So now the baby has had a green nose for about a week and Warren woke up feeling terribly under the weather. Took him to the doctor this morning and he has something. Antibiotics should do the trick. Not proud that I had to call in re-enforcements (thanks, Mom), but I did (and glad that I am in the part of the country that I can do so). I just want this all to end!

Valentine's Day

2011-02-20T21:16:00.000-06:00

Before Christmas I bought a really cool crafting machine and I am loving getting to use it! For Valentine's day I was able to do all sorts of neat items. And my boys loved it (for now; I am relishing the fact that they still enjoy their sappy mommy. I know it won't last).

One of my favorite blogs to read, eighteen25, had these photo valentine's as a free download. They measured 2x3 and you could fit 2 valentine's on a 4x6 photo. What's better is that Walgreens did a 30 prints for $3!!! I got 60 Valentine's for $3 and change (from tax). I cut out a frame with my Silhouette machine and this is how they ended up...

I bought goodies from Oriental Trading Company and made a pretty cute goodie bag (bookmark, gummy shape, pencil, and an eraser).

For the teachers, I also used a printout from eighteen25 and attached them to a chinese box. I filled them with fortune cookies.

For our decorations at home, I cut out heart spinners with the kids initial in the middle.

Carson's door- Monkeys (Tyler calls him his monkey) and a heart.

And the big boys got "heart attacks." I cut out lots of hearts and wrote on a few. This was really fun. Warren said, "Mom, you gotta be kidding me." He really was impressed.

I stole some mini candy canes from my mom. Put two together, and stuck a lollipop stick in the middle of them. Placed them on wax paper. I melted candy melts straight in ziplock bags in the microwave, and cut off the tip. Then squirted a little bit of the melted candy in the middle of the two heart-shaped candy canes and let the set up! Room temp- you don't want the candy canes to sweat in the freezer.

And I made them into our centerpiece for our Valentine's Day Mystery Dinner!

Here's our table all set up for our Mystery Dinner.

The boys had sooooo much fun doing this. I had read about a Valentine's Mystery Dinner on another blog and decided that we HAD to do it! The boys got a printout of the menu; but instead of what we were really having, it had names like- Puppy Love, and Melted Hearts. We had 4 courses and they each had to pick 3 items to have for each course (but they didn't know what they were getting- thus the mystery of it all). One course, our friend Ed got a toothpick, a spoon, and meat sauce. Ben got an ice cream sundae, Orange Crush to drink, and a napkin (luckily, he had already chosen a spoon so he could eat it). The boys throughly enjoyed the whole dinner and asked to do it every holiday. It was a lot of work, but we plan on making it a staple for our Valentine's Dinner every year!
And at the end of it all, they got to eat the centerpiece- YUM!

And this is how we roll...

2011-02-19T12:45:00.002-06:00

Warren

Cool science experiment...

2011-02-18T19:10:00.002-06:00

Random

2011-01-28T10:08:00.000-06:00

Tyler left unexpectedly yesterday for FL--- again.

It was for a good reason.

Thank goodness snow is NOT in the forecast, for right now.

The boys have finally had two days of school back-to-back.

Did you know that we have been to school about 9 days since December!

I want to plan a month cooking day for next month, anyone interested in doing it with me?

My cat loves to be up next to my face.

I, on the other hand, do not love her to be up next to my face.

Carson is speaking Minion (Despicable Me). I love it- but he is really loud.

Ben hates to do his homework.

Warren is sooooo ready for school.

Carson has had one cold after another since October.

Thus, he slept through the night for 3 nights and now we have another cold. I hate boogies- especially green ones.

I am really concerned for my friend, Kriss, and her husband, Timmie (he had a life threatening condition very suddenly and is not totally better yet).

I really need to make an appointment to get this cat fixed. All we need is little kitties running around.

I just discovered the Kindle app for my iPad. And I am loving it!

I miss Mamaw and letting her see the boys grow up.

I got a Sillouhette machine for Christmas, and I am putting a vinyl border up in Carson's room.

Too bad I didn't save the lines and now I don't know their exact dimensions. Oops!

I am reading Made to Crave by Lysa Terkeurst. Love it!

I am taking Warren to a birthday party tonight. By myself.

We have our first male babysitter coming to stay with Ben and Carson.

We have rubber bands on our cabinets to keep Carson out. He still smashes his fingers. Determination.

I am planning Carson's Little Guy First Birthday party, and it makes me sad that my baby has grown up so quickly.

My grandfather is wonderful to help with the boys when Tyler is away. He is on carpool duty. At 90 years old, that's not too bad!

And because every post needs a picture.... Here's my kitchen floor the other day...

Life with a 10 month old!

10 Months

2011-01-22T15:28:00.000-06:00

Carson is 10 months and I am sad to say I have started planning his 1 year birthday. Ugh. This year has just gone by too fast for my last baby.

At 10 months old, Carson:

is still sleeping through the night, mostly.
talking up a storm! I swear I heard "I did it," "hey boys," "CiCi," "Bye-Bye," and "kitty" (sounds more like kee).
eats 3 bottles a day and 3 meals a day. I am having a really hard time finding food to give him since he wants to feed himself. His favorite food over everything is Yogurt Melts.
is crawling DOWN the stairs now by himself (and Momma is a nervous wreck).
really lets us know what he wants and doesn't want by grunting or screaming.
LOVES his big brothers.
mimics us when we laugh.
is still wearing cloth diapers mostly. Our favorite brand is Fuzzi Bunz. Love washing them in Rockin' Green.
busy, busy, busy. This was the worst photo shoot yet. He would NOT sit still. He's growing too fast!

Picture Winter 17:31

2011-01-21T14:01:00.000-06:00

Stark Raving Magnificent

Picture Winter 16:31

2011-01-21T14:00:00.004-06:00

Wrapped Up

Picture Winter 15:31

2011-01-21T13:59:00.000-06:00

Cooling It

Picture Winter 18:31

2011-01-20T14:04:00.000-06:00

Center of Attention

Picture Winter 14:31

2011-01-20T13:59:00.000-06:00

Beyond the Chill

Picture Winter 13:31

2011-01-20T13:57:00.000-06:00

Controlled Chaos

Picture Winter 12:31

2011-01-17T20:58:00.002-06:00

Signs of Life

Picture Winter 11:31

2011-01-17T20:55:00.000-06:00

Warm My Heart

Picture Winter 10:31

2011-01-10T17:33:00.002-06:00

Seeking Balance

Picture Winter 9:31

2011-01-09T14:16:00.000-06:00

Bundled Up

Picture Winter 8:31

2011-01-09T14:15:00.000-06:00

Texture Seekers

Picture Winter 7:31

2011-01-09T14:13:00.000-06:00

Quiet Beauty

Picture Winter 6:31

2011-01-09T14:11:00.000-06:00

Cracked Open

Picture Winter 5:31

2011-01-09T14:09:00.002-06:00

Intended for Everyday Use

Picture Winter 4:31

2011-01-09T14:08:00.000-06:00

A Little Sunshine

King's Day Craft

2011-01-06T19:29:00.000-06:00

For Christmas, my big present was a Silhouette crafting machine (and I love it!). I wanted to do a craft with the boys tonight so I got some wise men and a Mary, Joseph, and Jesus; cut them out of paper; and let the boys glue them on their paper how they wanted. Here's the outcome:

Warren's

The orange is the stable. It was supposed to have one star, but he decided we needed some more. Then he decided it was for me so he "wrote" my name.

Ben's

Sorry, it's hard to see on the yellow. I let them pick out the color they wanted. And he wanted his star to be big and bright; I think it is!

Three Kings Day

2011-01-06T18:26:00.002-06:00

I found out late today that it was Three Kings Day- or the day that we celebrate the wisemen finding Jesus! What a wonderful day! In honor of today, I made a very simple King Cake using cinnamon rolls. The boys LOVED it! Something about sprinkles- they make everything better.

Picture Winter 3:31

2011-01-04T08:15:00.000-06:00

All the possibilities

Picture Winter 2:31

2011-01-02T17:45:00.001-06:00

Looking Out

Picture Winter 1:31

2011-01-02T17:44:00.000-06:00

I decided to take a photography course this month called Picture Winter offered by Big Picture Classes (it's not to late to sign up if you want to). The teacher sends us prompts each morning, and our assignment is to take the picture and then post it in the gallery provided for the class. Our first assignment was A Day of Rest. Here's what I posted.

Recent conversation with Warren

2011-01-01T10:49:00.000-06:00

Warren: "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Can I please wear this?" (handing me a full-body giraffe costume)

Me: "Honey, Mommy is very busy with cooking and besides, you need to get dressed for the day."

Warren: "No, Mommy, pleeeeaaaassseee I need to wear this. I need to go to work, and I have to wear this."

Me: "Oh really."

Warren: "Yep. I'm a policeman. Police mans wear this all the time."

Thanks for the enlightening conversation, Warren.