Flower Bed Transformations: Part One

Today it has been a little cooler than it has the past few days so I decided to go out and transplant my flowers before they died...again.

Here is a first rose that has bloomed on my rose bush since I pruned it a few weeks ago. The flowers were red, but have been every shade you can imagine.

This is what the flower bed looked like after I had pulled all the dead grass and leaves from it.

This is after I transplanted the flowers and put down the mulch. Some of them don't look the healthiest so I am not sure if they are going to make it. I am crossing my fingers.

Here is a close up on the mulch I got a fantastic deal on.

I still have two more flower beds to do. I have to pull all the dead grass from where my rose bush is and put down mulch and then I have a huge flower bed by my front walkway to till up and pull tons of grass and weeds from. I think there I am going to plant the rest of the flowers and put down the big cedar wood chips.

File Folder Games

The past couple of days I have been working on these nifty File Folder Games for the boys.

There are 11 games: Snakes in the Grass, Color Kites, Grin and 'Bear' It, Season Sorters, Crazy Carrots, Pair Up, Line Up, The Funny Farm, Funny Faces, Switch 'n' Swap, Mix 'n' Match.

The skills are: color and color words, classification and visual discrimination (seasons), visual discrimination (matching), visual discrimination (patterns), ordering (large, medium and small), animal recognition, visual discrimination (matching), visual discrimination and classification (people).

This is one of the games: Snakes in the Grass

Skill: Colors and color words

This is what the pages look like for the Snakes in the Grass game.

Here is the stack of papers that I have to finish coloring.

After I am finished coloring the pages I have to cut certian pieces and glue them into file folders, as well as the instructions and name tag, then laminate the file folders. I then cut out the remaining pieces and laminate them and place them into sandwich baggies and put them with their coordinating file folder.

Quick and Easy Snack: Pigs in a Blanket

As you know today we had our playdate and it was nice to have a quick easy snack on hand for when little tummies got hungry. My personal favorite is these little pigs in a blanket. I use Hillshire Farms Cheddar Lit'l Smokies wrapped in croissant rolls.

I start by preheating my oven to 350*. I then unroll my croissants and cut each one to make three and then I roll them up and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. I then pop them into the oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown, then ENJOY!

These are great as a snack, but I sometimes use them as a quick lunch. The boys absolutly love them and Michael likes to snack on them as well. I sometimes like to dip mine in mustard, but they are good to dip in pretty much anything.

What do you make for a quick easy snack?

Fun in the Summer Sun

Today my BIL brought over the kids so they could play with the boys. It was the first time that we have had a playdate at our house since they moved so we were excited to see them.

It hot outside today so we made a makeshift waterslide.

Then it was time for a capri sun break (BTW... if you don't have one of these nifty juice box holders you should really think about getting one. They are great!).

Then more playing before we finally decided to go play inside for a little bit.

I have to say that most of the day was complete chaos, but the kids enjoyed themselves and we enjoyed having them. We have set up another playdate for next week and will be grilling hot dogs for lunch. Until next time... Happy Thursday!

Picnic Table Talk: Dads

This weeks discussion at ABC & 123's Picnic Table Talk is all about Father's Day. Honestly, I couldn't ask for a better father for my kids. Michael is the hardest working man I know and would do anything to make me and the boys happy. He has given up many things in his life for us. When we first found out we were having Jacob he sold his motorcycle so we could buy a house and when we found out we were pregnant with Tyler he sold his favorite truck so we could pay for the hospital. I don't know of many men so young that would give up so much. There are times he works 90 hrs a week and gets very little sleep, but he still gets up the next day and goes to work even if he does not want too. To me and the boys he is the most amazing man we know!

For Father's Day this year we spent the day at my parents house sitting around and talking with family. We don't get to do that very often, so when we do it is a nice treat. All in all it was a pretty laid back day.

We try to make his life a little easier when he is at home. We try to make sure dinner is on the table every night when he gets home. And he always has a big glass of sweet tea waiting on him when he walks in the door. I know they are just little things but they mean the most to him.

Michael loves to take his boys hunting! Tyler is a little young, but it is Jacob's favorite activity. Jacob knows when hunting season is approaching and gets really excited and talks about nothing else day in and day out. On Sunday mornings after church they like to sit and watch hunting shows on t.v and Jacob goes and gets his gun and pretends he's hunting too. This last season Michael took Jacob and they sat in the deer blind for 4 hours... and Jacob sat there quite as a mouse and whispered the whole time. Michael said it was the greatest thing sitting there watching him and being able to bond with him like he did his dad.

The picture below is from this last September when just Michael and Jacob went to the ranch to check the feeders. They were driving around and saw some rabbits and Jacob pulled out his toy gun as Michael got the .22. They both pulled the trigger at the same time but Jacob only heard his toy gun go off. He was so excited that he 'shot' his first rabbit and that is all I heard about for weeks afterward.

So if you read this Michael... I want to tell you that we love you and that we appreciate everythingn that you do for us! XOXO

Traveling with Two Kids

Last week Katie's Nesting Spot and ABC & 123 posted about how to keep your kids occupied while traveling. A few days ago Michael and I decided to make the 9 hour car trip to Oklahoma to see his parents. Jacob has made the trip twice a year since he was about 5 months old and Tyler has made the trip twice. I agree with Katie that it is so much easier when they are younger becuase they sleep the majority of the time.

Now that they are older I am having to be creative and think of new and exciting things for them to do so they do not go stir crazy. I would like to say that the dvd player solves our problems, but just like anyone else they get sick of watching tv too.

Here are a few things we carry along with us:

• DVD's: I made sure when I got my new car that it either had a dvd player or we had one installed. During the times when the kids are restless and just want to sit back and relax it is nice to be able to pop in a movie and hand them their earphones so we can listen to the radio or talk without interruption. Jacob's favorite movies are: Night at the Museum, Cars and Madagascar 2. Tyler favorite movies are: Madagascar 2 and 102 Dalmations. We alternate who gets to pick out which movie to watch.
  
• Art Bag: Both boys love to color so I keep a few coloring books and two boxes of crayons in a bag for them. I thought about markers but I then decided that would be a bad idea if Tyler decided to put them in his mouth.


• Resuraunt Helpers: I am with Katie on this one... I used to carry around the plastic mats that stick to the table, but now that the kids are older and I don't worry as much I use the ones that are also coloring mat. I have not been able to find ones that I can order online but I use the ones that you get at the resturant. And thank you Katie for the travel sippy cup idea. You wouldn't believe how many I have lost while traveling.
  
• Snacks: I like to keep healthy snacks on hand just in case the boys get a little hungry between meals. My favorite ones to keep with us are: Fruit Snacks, Goldfish and Teddy Grahams. You can either buy them in the box or you can buy the individual ones, which I find easier because you can just give each kid one and they dont fight over who gets more.

We also:

• Schedule Periodic Breaks: My kids get restless and like to get out and stretch their legs . We try to stop every two hours or so just because Jacob has to potty often and Tyler gets super restless if he can't get out of the car every once in a while. And I know they like to run around to burn off some energy. We do try to plan the majority of our driving for the late evening or night time so the kids will sleep the majority of the way. It makes it just a little easier when they sleep a good portion of the time.

• Comforts of Home: I made Jacob a John Deere blankie when he was a year old and ever since then he has been attached to it. Every where we go the blankie goes. And since Tyler does not have a blankie, any blankie works for him. We also take the pack n play for Tyler to sleep in along with his pillow and his stuffed doggie. Jacob is a little easier and just requires his blankie and pillow. They both enjoy waking up with some fimiliar things around them in a new place.

I hope that these were a help and I can't wait to go back and read some of the other blogger tips too!

Next Food Network Star

This last Friday Jacob and I decided we were going to make some pizzas insted of just popping a frozen one into the oven. He was so excited that he got to help his mama!

First we put on the sauce

Then we added the cheese and pepperoni. I used this as an opportunity to count. We counted outloud each pepperoni that he put on his pizza.
And here is the finished product. He made the entire thing by himself!

Happy Father's Day to Michael

My sweet and wonderful husband with my boys...

Tyler is trying to put him down for a nap...

And even shares his paci!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!

Tiny Prints Giveaway

I wanted to blog about a giveaway from my wonderfully crafty friend Katie over at Katie's Nesting Spot. It is a Tiny Prints giveaway where you can win a $50 gift certificate to Tiny Prints. I will be honest with you I did not know what Tiny Prints was and I have to say that I love all the stuff that they offer.

They have more than just baby things. They have a wonderful selection of Birthday Invitations, Summer Themed Invitations, Holiday Cards, Themed Stationary, Business Items and Acessories.

I am thinking about this invitation for Jacob's 4th birthday that is comming up. Since it is so close to Christmas we don't really do much.

I like this one for Tyler's 2nd Birthday. I would like to make a big deal about this one since he didn't have a 1st birthday.

They have so much more to offer! So stop by Katie's Nesting Spot and enter her giveaway!

Good Luck!

New Patio Furniture

A few weeks ago I was talking to my mom about me wanting some patio furniture for my backyard and she told me about this fabulous deal that Home Depot had. It was a 5 piece patio furniture set for $99 while supplies last. I immedeatly turned my car around and drove straight to Home Depot. I figured at 10am they shouldnt all be gone, but I didn't want to chance it.

When I got there I walked in they only had 4 left! But they could only find 1 of them and I got it!!! I was so excited. I paid a little over $107 with tax and all and took my new patio furniture home. When I got there I could not get the box out of the car so I had to put it together in the driveway in the 102* heat... but it was worth it in the end. The picture isn't the greatest and it is really dirty but I had to share with all of you :)

Veggie Garden

I figured it was time for a backyard update. We have been working really hard this year to make sure we have a backyard that our boys can play in with no worries. The grass has came back beautifully. We still have a few spots that we are working on, but I am going to fil that with some grass seed next week.

Here are my herbs: rosemary, basil, thyme, dill, oregeno and mint. Tomorrow I am going to pick a few from each plant the freeze it in ice cube trays. (That will be another post)

Here is a close up of my anaheim peppers.

Here is the anaheim pepper plant.

This is one of my jalepeno plants. I have TONS of jalepenos!


These are my 3 different kinds of tomato plants. They started so small and now look at them.

Here are just a few of my tomatoes. I have several on each plant and I cannot wait to pick them and eat them!

Playing inside while it rains...

...always turns into a huge mess :o)

Cool Dude

Weekend wedding and a lesson learned

I am getting caught up after a busy week so bear with me while I post like a crazy woman... Last weekend was our friend Josh's wedding (June 6th). I know I was opposed to going for a long time, but I have to say that *clear throat* I overreacted! Man I can't believe that I just admitted that I was wrong. Friday night we had the rehearsal dinner to go to that was a family thing. The kids had a blast playing with other kids and I had fun talking to people that I had never met before. The kids were still going strong at 2 a.m. as I was about to pass out from exhaustion. Then Saturday was the wedding day. I had to make sure the house was clean for the sitter and get things ready for the kids that night on top of getting myself ready and making sure Michael was showered and ready to go on time. It was a chore for sure! I have to say Michael looked so handsome in his tux! The wedding was funny yet romantic, and the reception afterwards was one big party!! And his new wife is a wonderful person. I reconnected with old friends and met new people. Some people were nice, some were mean and then there were some I wish I didn't have to see at all, there were a few crazy times, some people did stupid things, and I didn't go to bed before 3a.m all weekend, but it was worth it. I have to say I hope that we get to see Josh and his new wife more than we have seen him in the past.

The weekend also made me realize that I need to quit rushing to conclusions on how I am going to like things and just learn to go with the flow sometimes and not be such a control freak. It always turns out good!

And the other plus, I got to buy new clothes! I had bought a dress for $90 at Dillard's and some shoes that were $25 and thought that I had spent way too much.... so the next day I went out looking again and found an even better dress on clearance at Ross for $8 and bought some shoes for $30 that just happened to be marked wrong. So I returned the others and wore my great find!

Another blog makeover!

I will be trying out a few different things tomorrow to see what I want to do this time and make me a new header. So bear with me as I mess around with everything :-)

Hope you all had a wonderful Wednesday!!!

Michael's Birthday Bash

I know it is a little late, but I figured I would put up some pics of Michael's birthday that we had last Friday. We had a blast BBQing, sitting around talking and letting the kids play. It was so much fun to decorate and bake the cake... which was a wrench cake! I was so proud about how it came out!!! At the end of the night we grilled 7 ribeyes, drank an 18 pack and almost a 6 pack, talked about everything and only ate 1/4 of the cake :-) Can't wait for another opportunity for all of us to get together!!!