Pay it Forward!

Carebear over at Two Under Two. Whew! blogged about a game called Paying it forward! And guess what, I was one of her lucky winners! Now I'm paying it forward to you if you want to play!

The rules are simple:
#1. Be one of the first 3 people to post a comment on this entry. If you are (and you follow the second rule), you will receive a gift from me sometime during this year. When and what are a surprise to the winners, but it will be good, I promise!

#2. Then, copy and paste these rules into a post on your own blog & come back and leave the link in comments here.

It's that easy! Only the first 3 folks that leave a comment AND Pay it Forward on their blog will get a prize. So, get commenting friends!

Fabric, fabric, and more fabric

Isn't this lovely?

I thought so too. I just bought a yard of each over at Fabric Supplies at Etsy. I also bought another pattern, but for a skirt this time. It looks easy to make and with all the wonderful fabric I couldn't help myself. Now, what to make, what to make? Any thoughts people?

Wordless Wednesday - WTF?

Go to 5minutesformom.com for more!

Two Day Vacay

We had been fighting the rainy day doldrums here in California. In fact I cancelled my home town visit due to torrential rains, many and accident on freeways I would be driving on and decided to stay home where it was warm, dry, and safe. So Jeff went on the internet to see what the rest of the week was to bring and found that sun and warm weather was on it's way. The boys are off this week for Winter Break and we decided to take them to Pismo Dunes for a few days of beach and Jeep fun.

Aren't we a lovely crew?

We found about 20 sand dollars, pretty amazing. The boys loved finding the keepers.

Waves chasing the boys.

Isn't that a lovely sunset?

What's camping without the Jiffy Pop?

Pooba this sign is for you! If you ever make to the pier in Pismo Beach be prepared to wear your flip flops or flat foot wear!

Here is one of the boys trying to get a good look with the telescope on the pier.

Julia and her little one wading through the cold ocean water.

Another lovely family shot! Julia, Mike and kids.

Didn't anyone tell you? Dump truck's ARE for girls!

Mike walking in the surf.

Jumping the waves.

Walking out to a sandbar.

The long forgotten shovel and rake.

Heading back to camp.

Jeff doing his thing in the Jeep.

Camp.

So that about sums it up. Fun was had by all. The boys went out on the dunes in the Jeep and Mike on his Honda 80. Once we all had our fill of ocean, sand, sand, oh and more sand we packed up and headed home. It was a nice little break to our routine. But it is good to be home.

White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

These cookies are sooo good. If you love cookies you need to go see The Cookie Girl at Cookie Girl Creations. She hosts "Cookie of the Week". These ones are White Chocolate Chunk and taste great. My kids love them.

Here they are all mixed up ready for pan. Don't they look good enough to eat before baking? I think so too!


This is them after baking. Very tasty. You know you want to try them.


Don't worry, if you missed out this week she will have another recipe in the next few days. So don't forget to stop in and see what she has up her sleeve. See you at the next bake off! Thanks Cookie Girl, my boys were getting tired of the usual.....at my house that would be Chocolate Chip Cookies (I know the recipe by heart, which is why I make them ALL. THE. TIME.)

I WON! Woo Hoo!

A few weeks back, OK about a month ago I entered a give away on Aunt Spicy's blog. She was giving away some beautiful fabric, an incredible book of sewing, a lovely shoulder bag and I had to enter, I wanted to win something. I did! I won some beautiful fabric by Jennifer Paganelli.

Oooohh, look something in the mail for me! I love getting things in the mail that aren't bills. For me it's like Christmas, Birthday's, Valentine's rolled into one.


I opened up the envelope and this is what I saw. Isn't it beautiful. Oh wait, let me take it out so you can really see it.


Oh, look a note. It was a very sweet note from JJ. She said that she was secretly happy the mom with all boys won the girliest of the fabric. Guess what, I think that is a pretty good statement, I need a bit of girly once in a while since there is so much testosterone flying around my house (our dog and cat are males too).


Here is an even better look! Isn't it pretty? Now I just need to find the right project for this material. I hope to do the fabric (and JJ) proud.


When I decide what to make I will make sure you all get a chance to see what the special project is. Wish me luck.

Wordless Wednesday - Those Darn Pirates!

What? Target Gift Card? $250? I'm IN!

Have you heard? Barking Mad is giving away a gift card to Target! Can you imagine a $250 free be? I can already see what I am going to buy if I am the lucky winner. Who couldn't use one of these? I know I can and Target is a great place to shop. They have great deals on EVERYTHING! You would be crazy to not want this giveaway. All you have to do is list and link 5-10 of your favorite posts and then sign in with Mr. Linky over at Barking Mad. It's that easy!

I haven't been doing this blogging thing for very long so I don't have a lot to choose from. Enjoy your reading, it's a great day to do it due to the rain here.

1. S**T
2. Memories
3. Trevorisms
4. Sunday Adventure
5. Jeep Fun

So what are you waiting for? Go see Barking Mad, just click on the button below!

S**t

This is boy #1. He is well mannered, a bit shy, very helpful (a bit too helpful at times), and a bit too serious for a 7 year old. I have to laugh because he has learned a word from me that needs to be erased from his vocabulary. He uses this word very well, in the right context, and with the proper amount of emphasis.

He uses it at times of anger (towards his brothers) and when he is in pain. Can you guess? S**T! It is actually a bit comical to hear it come out of his mouth even though it is wrong. For a while there it got to the point where I started charging him a dollar every time a swear word came out of his mouth. I think we are up to $10. The deal is I only charge if I hear it, not if his brother's tell on him. So I have heard him a total of 10 times since I made up "The Swear Jar". At least hubby can't be too mad at me for going to get my ritual mocha.....boy # 1 is paying for it.

There is only one time I have not charged him and that was when we were in the back yard playing basketball. He had the ball, was going for the hoop and I went in the same direction, we collided and he went down. My knee went into his thigh and gave him a major charlie. Like I said he went DOWN, he dropped and my only reaction was to laugh. In my moment of laughter he is on the ground shouting out his expletive......S**T! I can't help myself, between my uncontrollable laughing and him writhing on the ground I point to him saying "AAAHHHH, you said it!" He realizes what I am talking about and tries his hardest to backtrack (he can't stand the thought of parting with his money)...............I am still laughing hysterically, to the point of crying and needing air. Well that gets him crying on a whole new level. When I was able to settle down I let him off the hook and told him he wouldn't have to pay for that one, I would let it slide. I must say he has become a bit better with his mouth, not so much of a potty mouth these days. The joys of a "Swear Jar", it is quite effective.

Sadly, before "The Swear Jar" really took effect for boy #1 he taught his youngest cousin, who is 2 years old, how to say this word. When she gets frustrated or is having a hard time doing a task she is like a broken record "Oh S**T, Oh S**T, Oh, S**T". It's sad that she is picking this up from my kids, but funny too as she doesn't realize what she is saying is inappropriate for a 2 year old, or any other child for that matter. Now that I have pointed it out to boy #1 and earned myself some mochas he realizes the power of words and his role as a role model for his brother's and cousin's.

AAAHHH the joys of children. Such fun, such work, but I love him all the same......just so long as he loses the potty mouth (kidding, I will still love him).

Wordless Wednesday - Beautiful Bride

Honest sCrap you all wanted to know about me.

Looky, looky, I got an award!
My new bloggy friend Janah over at So Not Mom-a-licious sent me this wonderful little surprise, the Honest sCrap Award. With this I get to tell all of you in bloggy land a little something about me, I know you're all a little curious. Happy reading.

Here's what I gotta do...

List 10 honest things about yourself.

Pass this on to 7 bloggers whom you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap. (I'm assuming that means I think you don't lie on your blog, right?)

Let the fun begin!

1. Procrastinator....I am a procrastinator. If there is something that has to be done, such as file the paid bills, I will put it off for as long as possible. My desk can have a mountain of papers on it (which is almost always), with papers on the printer tray as well as the fax tray and I will avoid it like the plague. I would rather make cookies. It drives hubby crazy, to him it is not organized and makes him feel as if the business is not a priority. I just don't like doing it and it won't get done until it makes me crazy....it takes a lot for that to happen.

2. Not one to indulge in confrontation. It's not like I don't have firm beliefs, values, opinions, I just don't want to "fight or argue" about it. Confrontation with my hubby, kids, and mom, no problem. Even with them I will bow out depending on the issue at hand. Confrontation overwhelms me and my mind starts to spin, it feels as if every smart thought spins wildly out of my head. Only after the fact can I come up with something valid and worthwhile to say, but by then the argument/confrontation is over.

3. Before kids I had soft straight hair. Never satisfied as most of us can be I longed for wavy/curly hair, I even had a couple of perms to make it wavy. Post kids I now have the wavy hair I always wanted however it's all in the back and it is a bush I have to tame on a daily basis. As for the sides you ask, straight. Hmm.....why couldn't my kids make my hair wavy all the way around? The part that is wavy became wavier with each kid which is why it is now a bush.

4. I live in an old "charming" house that has a lot of "character". Hmph.....I have lived in one of these houses for most of my life. Yes they are cute, they have character, history, charm, but they don't have central air. Yes people we live like people did in the old days, our source of heat.......a wood burning stove. Don't get me wrong, I love a good fire, but the mess it leaves behind is more than I can bare.

5. I run. I don't necessarily enjoy running, but it is something I can do in solitude. It helps me think things through, cool my jets, and just plain feel better.

6. I still play soccer. I play on a women's team every Sunday during the Spring, Summer, and Fall. It is like church for me.....I have to play. The only thing that will keep me away is the rain (the league call the game off). It is my "me" time, time I get for myself without the worries of kids, hubby, or any other daily life rituals. I don't think of anything other than the game I am playing. It also gives me a chance to catch up with old friends. I have been playing with this team for the better part of my adult life.

7. The thing I fear the most is something traumatic happening to my hubby or boys.

8. My dream vehicle is an International Scoutt II......I will own one!

9. I just started to teach myself how to sew. I made my first apron....it isn't perfect, needs a little bit of a touch up, but I did well for my first.

10. Boy # 2 overwhelms me more often than not.

So consider yourselves tagged. I would love to learn a bit more about you. Have fun creating your list and I can't wait see what you come up with.

Cookie Girl over at Cookie Girl Creations
Aunt Spicy
Pooba
Mamatalk
Frogs in my Formula
Blueviolet
Tara over at TMI

Writer's Workshop Wednesday - Speakin' my mind

It is that time again. Mama Kat is on the loose, it is Writer's Workshop Wednesday.

The Prompts:

1.) Tell us about a lie you told that you later regretted.

2.) Choose a task you'd like someone to complete and write a poem asking them to do it.

3.) Describe a talent you have.

4.) Write a list of ten things on your mind this week.

I choose prompt # 4.....Write a list of 10 things on your mind this week.

1. Need to run.

2. Must file papers away and clear some space on my desk, so that you can actually see the desktop.

3. Need to go to the grocery, fridge is looking a little bare even though I just did a Costco run yesterday.

4. Need to put fuel in my truck, have about 7 miles til empty. Hmm......maybe I can get hubby to fill me up that way I don't have to.

5. Still waiting to hear from the county guy about a new fence proposal, maybe I should put in a call to him.

6. I'm debating whether I should tell my mom I will be in town with the boys or just avoid it. Erika, if you read this don't tell....shhhhh. Maybe I'll invite her to lunch. It is one of those things "do I or don't I?" I'll figure it out.

7. Still need to make the Jerome Bars for the "cookie of the week".

8. Need to start making the apron for the gift swap I am doing.

9. So close to finishing my end of the taxes before we take it in to the "tax guy", again something I need to finish. However I am in procrastination mode because our "tax guy" always files and extension an even if we DO get money back it will probably be by way of an IOU since our state is incapable of running the place on a budget.....maybe they need to take some lessons from private citizens who are held accountable for money decisions, made poorly or otherwise.

10. So dreading dinner if Hubby isn't home - it is always mayem when daddy is away.

So, if you want more go check out the other participant's over at Mama Kat's.

Wordless Wednesday - They're back!

Gift Exchange

So call me selfish, I am doing this for selfish reasons! I like to get gifts. I like getting things in the mail, even if I am the one who ordered it. It's satisfying, it's fun. I like looking forward to getting something, anything....as long as it isn't bills. Selfish.......



This will be fun, getting other people's favorite things. It will be interesting to see what I get. Can't wait. But before you sign up be sure to read all the ground rules. Make sure you want to commit to this. Do your partner justice and follow the rules. I know I will! Go see Mamarazzi for the rules and to sign up. Good luck everyone and have fun!

Look at these adorable aprons. Julia over at The Apron Goddesses has another sponsor. This time it is a $30 gift certificate to TAYGA, they have some beautiful aprons. Check it out!