Altered Lunch Box

Call me a dork, but I love crafts! Although I haven't been very crafty lately, I'm constantly bookmarking cute craft ideas and tearing out magazine pages of things I'd like to do in the near future. I've seen a lot of these altered lunchboxes lately, and I've really wanted to make one. I just didn't have a reason to. Until now! The girls have been taking a tumbling class this month, and tomorrow is their last day. As a little thank-you for their teacher, I made a little box for her to store all of her stickers in. It only took about 30 minutes, but it was wonderful! I had so much fun making it!! I was so proud of it when I finished that I even had to go show my mom. I know...that's another reason why I'm a dork. Anyway, It's kind of plain, but I thought it turned out pretty cute for my first time. I'm going to be a table leader again this year at MOPS, and I can't wait to find fun little things to make for the ladies at my table!

So, what do you think??

Oh, no she didn't!

We went to Hobby Lobby today to pick up some crafting materials, and it turned into one of those "quick errands" that made me wonder why in the world I even left the house. The girls weren't acting bad, they were just acting three. And there were two of them, so everything was magnified. I was looking through some scrapbooking paper, and I noticed a lady standing next to us. She was looking at the paper, but she also had one eye on us. After a few minutes, she comes up to me and says...are you ready for this... "Do they always act like this?" Really? Are you kidding me? Why would you say this? I didn't even know what to say. "No, this is their good behavior?" Or maybe, "These kids?? They aren't mine." I seriously considered saying, "No. Do you always act like this?" Instead, I said nothing. I was way too shocked and mad. I don't even remember if I made eye contact. I'm pretty sure she, too, is a mom, which made me wonder even more why she would have said that. Has she not ever had one of those days? If not, maybe she will soon. I'm secretly (okay, not so secretly) hoping that she has a chance to be in my shoes in the very near future. Maybe someone will say to her what she said to me, and she'll get a glimpse of how she made me feel. Maybe, though, someone will show her more compassion, and she'll learn a little something.

Was that supposed to be a compliment?

We have several good cooks in our family. I, apparently, am not one of them. According to the girls, Pop makes the best pancakes in their "whole wide lives." Grandad makes the best malts in their "whole wide lives." Today at lunch, the girls let me know where I rank. For lunch, I "made" veggie corn dogs, apples, and yogurt. While eating her corn dog, Catherine looks at me and says, "Mommy, you're the best cook in the whole wide kitchen!" Grace wholeheartedly agreed. The whole wide kitchen? That's all??? I was the only cook in the kitchen! And I didn't even cook any of their lunch today. I warmed the corn dogs in the oven, scooped yogurt out of the container, and pulled the pre-sliced apples out of the bag. Thanks, girls. I appreciate the compliment. At least you're easy to please. Look forward to "cooking" for you again soon!

Drive-in Playdate

Earlier in the week, my friend and I had what could easily be called the best playdate ever. Sonic Happy Hour. We met at Sonic, piled all four kids into her car, flipped on a DVD, ordered soft drinks for us, water for the kiddos, and relaxed. The kids didn't actually watch the movie (they claimed it was too scary), but they were all contained there was little fighting. For just over 2 bucks, we had a little adult conversation, some much-needed caffeine, and a break from the house. Next time, we're bringing a different movie, and we're looking into installing one of those bullet-proof Plexiglas dividers. You know, like the ones police officers have. Then we can really relax!

Smile Award

Wow! I received my first blog award! I'm so excited! The award is from Karen at Doubly Blessed. She is the mom of twin boys, Bryce and Drew, who are as cute as can be! I don't even remember how I found her blog, but it has become on of my daily reads! I love seeing what they are up to, and reading about her life with twins. Karen has a great sense of humor and truly loves and enjoys her family. Thanks, Karen, for the award! You're so sweet!













These are the rules:

1. The recipient must link back to the awards creator the babblings of mere
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must chose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award, as posted by Mere.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.

Characteristics for the Smile Award:
1. Must display a cheerful attitude. (not necessarily at all times--we are all human)
2. Must love one another
3. Must make mistakes
4. Must learn from others
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world
6. Must love life
7. Must love kids

Here are the 5 people I chose for "The Smile Award!"


1. Lindsey at imperfect. I've been reading her blog for months, and I've bought several cute things from her. She has three of the most gorgeous kids and she is incredibly talented and crafty! I love reading her blog and seeing what new things she's doing. She makes adorable party invitations and has such fun ideas for decorations!


2. Sarah at Short Stop. I've also been reading Sarah's blog for several months. She is hilarious! Her blog never fails to make me laugh. Her three precious little boys are so, so cute!

3. Alana at A Kiss, A Hug, and A Squeeze. Alana's blog is honest, sweet, funny, and warm. She is loves her family, and it shows.

4. Sara at The Best Days of My Life. Sara is the mom of two beautiful girls and is an extremely gifted writer. Reading her blog always leaves me thinking. She reminds me to appreciate my family, focus on what's important, and make each day count.

5. Tina at Baby Be Blessed. You've got to go to this site! They make the most adorable dolls with scriptures sewn right on the tummies. I won a doll on Free Friday, so I purchased another one so I'd have one for each girl. Tina was sweet enough to coordinate the fabrics so the girls would each have their favorite colors. Tina has such a heart for God, and looks for ways to make a difference.

SNAKE!!!

About an hour after breakfast this morning, I went back to the kitchen to get a drink. On the floor of the kitchen, not 6 feet from where the girls were playing, was a SNAKE! When I took a step forward (still about 4 feet away), it raised its head and started slithering back and forth. In total panic mode, I told the girls to go stand far away, and I grabbed the phone to call Toby at work. He didn't answer, so who did I call? My dad! I don't know what I thought he could do about it, but I needed a calm, rational voice to talk me through this. As soon as he answered, I said something like, "DAD! There's a SNAKE in the KITCHEN! A SNAKE! IN MY KITCHEN!!WHAT DO I DO???" A few seconds later, I explained that I was pretty sure it was a snake, but there was a small chance it was just an earthworm. Did I not mention that part yet? Yeah,it was pretty small. Okay...it was the size of an earthworm. That's pretty much beside the point, though. A snake is a snake...especially when it is in MY KITCHEN! Long story short (or not so short!), I was able to use my Swiffer WetJet to kill it. It took several attempts, but I got him. My dad stayed on the phone the whole time and talked me through it. Sometime around lunch, I stopped shaking. I managed to get the snake into a little baggie, and I'm saving it for Toby to look at. The good news is that it was a little snake. The bad news is that it was a little snake. I've spent the entire day checking corners and looking under cabinets for other baby snakes. I'm praying that Mama Snake is outside...far, far away. I don't handle these things well. I freak out over geckos. I squeal when I see a spider. Worms gross me out. I have to have my dad come to my house to kill wasps. I can't deal with snakes. Toby will be home within the hour, and I'm sending him out to inspect the yard. By tomorrow night, there will be Snake-A-Way around our home. I'm not taking any chances.

back in the kitchen

The girls loved making muffins on Friday, so I promised them that they could start helping out in the kitchen more. Staying true to my word, I let them help make their lunch today...mini pizzas. I had seen this idea on another blog, but I can't remember which one. It is so easy! The girls really did do it all on their own. You just need refrigerated biscuits, pizza sauce, cheese, and any other toppings your kids like. The girls pressed the biscuits into a muffin pan, put a small spoonful of sauce in the center of the biscuit, then topped with cheese. Grace added pepperoni, too. I baked them at 450 for about 8 minutes, and they were delicious (for kid-food, at least). I used to make biscuit pizza by pressing biscuits into a pie pan and topping with sauce and cheese, but this was so much faster and easier. And, the girls got to make theirs just the way they wanted them. Now I just need to find more kid-friendly recipes!

the next food network stars

On Friday, I let the girls make their very first batch of muffins. All by themselves, from scratch. Well, they had a little help. But I did let the girls do most of the work.

They measured out the ingredients...

mixed the dry ingredients...

whisked the wet ingredients (Grace loVEd the whisk!)...

and stirred the batter.

Then I filled the muffin tin...

...and we waited.

18 minutes later, the girls were in heaven!

The girls said these were the best muffins they had ever had in their whole wide life! If only they were old enough to start cooking dinner!

summer fun

We went to a friend's house earlier in the week for a playgroup/therapy. I think it was one of the best yet. Playgroups, that is. I'm really not in therapy. We played inside for a little bit, then headed outside for some water balloon fun. I think it was the first time any of the kids had thrown water balloons, so it took a few minutes before they got the hang of it. Even once they got into it, they still didn't really "get" it. Except for one that was thrown at someone's head (by one of my daughters at the other, of course), most of the balloons were just thrown on the ground. (Okay, okay...one or two of the balloons thrown by the moms *might* have made contact with a child. Just maybe.) Anyway, the kids all had a blast just watching the balloons burst and water splash everywhere. It was a fun way for everyone to get a little energy (and maybe some frustration) out on a really hot day. Surprisingly enough, none of the kids were really that wet.

before:

after:

and I just had to show you this one:I don't know where she came up with this pose!