I have the right...don't I?

I have had a few sessions over the last week or so and Maycie and Jaxon begged to get their pictures taken too. The results are below:

CAUTION: A small amount of bragging is about to go on, but hey, I am the mom...so I CAN!

Aren't they cute!

Maycie thought it would be especially appropriate to pose in her favorite dress up outfit that she wears almost everyday...TINKERBELL!

Jaxon has just taken a liking to cars, trucks, motorcycles...pretty much anything with wheels. He pretty much always has one in his hands...which means they are almost always in his mouth! We tease him that he is our little puppy because he chews up EVERYTHING!

The love of his life! "Daddy...pitch it...catch it...shoot it"...some of his first sentences.

How cute are they! I know what Jaxon is thinking....how much longer do I have to PRETEND I like her!

They grow up WAY too fast! The country song "You're gonna miss this" is in my head because I really am going to miss these small little moments that make up my life!

The best time of day...

....NAP TIME!!

Proud to be Redneck!

Con and I went to this little white trash hamburger shop (Donnie Mac's Trailer Park Cuisine) a month or so ago. It was redneck, hick town all the way....we felt right at home (both growing up in extremely small towns)! So, when my MIL and SIL came to visit over Easter weekend, we knew we had to take them.

We even got to sit in the car to eat!

Jaxon wanted to DRIVE the car....not EAT in the car!!

Maycie thought it was fun...as always...that girl LOVES life!

Worth the wait...

I seen a shelf like this online...and instantly became envious and desiring one in my own home. Then, to make it worse, we went to some friends' home for a birthday party and she had one...JEALOUS!! On the car ride home, I grabbed a pen and paper and starting drawing out my plans. After saving a bit of money, purchasing the supplies MYSELF (note to self: not a good idea...definitely a man's job!), and informing the honey that he had a Saturday project (a big thanks to our friends for letting us use their garage and some tools), I finally received my shelf.

Once it was built, then came the fun part...painting it! This part took forever. I first painted it black, then sanded it, then black again, then lightly sanded it again, then I went for the creme color I wanted...sanded again. I repeated the last step about 6 times (trying to get something white that was once black...yikes!). Once I got the white look I wanted, I then sanded the edges to give it a distressed/antique look. This is where the first coats of black paint came in. Then...no I am not done yet...I put a stain on it then quickly wiped it off.

And, my favorite part...the pegs...oooh la la!
(Craft Warehouse...$3.99 each...so worth it!!!)

This project was an extremely long one...well worth the wait though. I was so excited to get it done.....and then I ran into a problem. The wall where I was going to hang it is too small. My second spot for it is also too small. So, it will have to wait for our house....that we are STILL looking for!!!

Sports, cowboys, and pajamas

Jaxon's top 3 favorite things:

1. Sports

2. Woody (from Toy Story)

3. pajamas

So, it's no surprise I got a picture of him watching "Buzz'n'woody"...aka...Toy Story, sitting in a football bowl, holding his favorite cowboy, while in his favorite sports pajamas (that he wants to wear to church every Sunday)!

kid lunch idea

At our house, it is sometimes a chore to get my KIDS to eat. Yes, I said chore. For me, on the other hand, it is a chore to get me to NOT eat too much! I saw this idea online a while ago, so I thought I would give it a go.

My kids loved it! It was so easy and convenient because Maycie is a snacker and is constantly asking me for a snack. I now just tell her to go see what she has left. And she doesn't get anything else until all of her circles are gone.

Try it! I dare...no double dog dare...YOU!

NOTE: I used a mini muffin pan!...Jaxon would probably eat whatever I put in a regular muffin pan...but that would probably break our food budget!

My turn...

I hate feeling left out and everybody else was posting Easter pictures, so I wanted to join in on the fun!


Dying Easter Eggs

Maycie had so much fun dying the eggs. She drove me nuts for 3 days asking if we could color them yet while holding (and sleeping) with the egg dying kit...which happened to be Disney Princess...of course!

She isn't a patient person. So, WAITING for the eggs to turn colors was excruciating for a 3 1/2 year old who couldn't wait to put the princess stickers on!

Jaxon always plays the smart card. He waited until Maycie had them ALL done, then he joined the fun...except he forgot to take the shell off BEFORE he took his first bite!

Ta-DA!



Easter Egg Hunt

It isn't Easter without an Easter Egg hunt. There were eggs everywhere...even hanging from the trees!

Jaxon didn't get too far. He wanted to eat them as he went!

Maycie counting her loot! She will line them up, count them, open each one up, look at what's inside, then put it back. She has hardly eaten any of her treats and candy. She likes them better in the egg! NOTE: this is not a complaint...I quite like the fact that I don't have to worry about HER eating too much candy. Jaxon on the other hand....

....we sure do love that boy!

Multiple Choice: A, B, C, or D

I need help! I can't decide what I like the best.


A. The Before...

B. Spray painted solid...

C. Spray painted solid with metallic knob...

D. -Give up now and purchase new ones!

That's a first...

I am a big idea type of person. I always have these crazy ambitions to create something spectacular. And it's always spectacular...in my head! Sometimes I don't portray the same view when the project is completed. You know the familiar excuse...."it didn't turn out how I pictured it in my head."

Well, I finally conquered my own personal "picture in my brain!" This project turned out better than I had originally planned.

My mom gave me 4 baskets, ranging in different sizes, with different items in them for one of my bridal showers...(a few years ago)! I have disliked them...sorry mom!...and almost gave them away to a local thrift store.

And then, the crafty revelation came:


So, I bought black spray paint at Wal-Mart (.97 cents) and fabric and elastic at Jo-Ann's ($12.50...after using a 50% coupon. I also had a $10 gift card.). My out-0f-pocket expense there was $2.50.


I spray painted the baskets, and sewed liners with elastic. ADORABLE!

Waa-lah!



I usually like doing a project during the Saturday sessions of conference. For some weird reason, I listen better. I wanted this project to be super cheap. I smiled because I was listening to Robert D. Hale's talk on living within our means and not buying things we couldn't afford...as I am creating something great for my home, while spending very LITTLE! (Now I need to go repent for being PROUD of myself!)

And the best of this project is...I got 4 baskets with liners and spent less than $5. I had oodles of fabric left over (I did the measurements in my head...never a good idea)....hhmm...that means another project coming on!

It ain't the size of the dog in the fight....

....it's the size of the fight in the dog!

So, Maycie just picks on him while he is sleeping!

The curse of the last banana

It doesn't matter how big or small the bunch of bananas I buy, the last one or two NEVER get eaten. They sit so lonely on the counter as they turn to a "chocolate banana" as Maycie calls them. You can only make so much banana bread, right!?

Well, you are in luck today because I am going to share a recipe I inherited by marrying my husband...meaning it came from his mom for those of you that are slow....like me! My family LOVES these and they never last more than a day.

Banana Bars...or we like to call them "banana brownies"!

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 med. bananas
Nuts and/or chocolate chips: optional (we like using mini chocolate chips at our house)

Mix together and put in greased cookie sheet. Bake @ 375 for 15 minutes. Drizzle with banana glaze.

Glaze:
1/2 banana
2 tbsp. margarine
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
dash salt

NOTE: If I only have 1 banana, I usually just half the recipe and put it in a half sized cookie sheet...so I use 3/4 banana for the batter, and 1/4 of the banana for the glaze.

ENJOY! The last banana will now become the best of the bunch!