Happy Birthday Christmas Card

It was my mother's birthday on October 25th. My mom is a Christmas FANATIC!!! She listens to Christmas music all year, does her Christmas shopping all year, and leaves Christmas decorations up in her office all year. She starts counting down from day 364. So, when my sister-in-law and I decided to do a surprise party for her this year, the theme was a no brainer. Here is the card I came up with. I THINK I used the Christmas Cheer Cricut Cartridge. The star is a brad, so it swivels.

Christmas Is Coming....

....and I'm getting ready!!! I spent a few hours making Christmas tags the other night. I thought they turned out pretty cute (well, most of them).

My favorites are these white sparkly ones. These pictures don't do any of them justice because they are from my cell phone.

Cricut Cartridges used: Plantin School Book, Christmas Cheer, Stretch Your Imagination

Halloween Birthday Card

Made with paper from the DCWV Amber Autum Fall Stack Collection and the Mini Monsters Cricut Cartridge

My mom said it looks like a pineapple :(
I thought it was cute. My husband's birthday is on Halloween, so this is for him. I'll be helping my daughter make him one within the next couple of days, so be watching for another Halloween Birthday card.

A Christmas Gift

I'm sad that I can't get this to upload straight, but oh well. I'm currently staying in Utah with my parents, so I don't have any of my scrapbooking supplies. But my MIL let me borrow her Cricut and some paper along with embellishments. I pulled some of my pictures out of storage and got to work. Anyway, this is what I cam up with. These are pictures of my now-almost-3-year-old. She was born 16 days before Christmas.

TV-Free Toddler Time

*This is a post I started in Korea, but never finished*

I found a great new blog called "365 Days of TV-Free Toddler Time". Click here to see it. She has some really great ideas on how to keep your toddler entertained without putting them in front of the TV all the time. However, most of her ideas just don't work for us in our current living situation, so I've been trying REALLY hard to think of ideas that WILL work. My 2-year-old asks for TV about ever 10 minutes. Sometimes she wakes up in the middle of the night and asks for a "show". Its a little rediculous. I read somewhere once that an average toddler watches 3-5 hours of tv every day! Crazy! So here is a list of things I've come up with recently.

Make Jell-O Jigglers
Finger painting
Bubbles
Puzzles
Bake muffins, or cookies, or just about anything. Kids LOVE to help in the kitchen! And they love to decorate food too!
Get a kitty :)
Visit a friend who has a kitty
Take a walk around the block (your toddler may be able to ride a tricycle next to you as you walk)
Put away toys that your toddler doesn't generally play with. In a few months take them out again and it'll be like the toys are brand new to the child.
Glue raw macaroni noodles to paper. Paint them first if you want.
Go swimming
Play in the dirt. It ALWAYS washes off
Find a rock outside, bring it inside, wash it and paint it
If you have a little girl, play with makeup or finger nail polish
Take silly pictures with a digital camera and let your toddler see them on the computer
If you have a piano, sit down with your toddler at the piano and let them play it softly. This has been a great way for me to teach my daughter to respect such an instrument.
Play-doh
Dress up
Kick a ball (we do this indoors because we don't have a yard, just put away fragile stuff)
Play with the webcam, even better, call a friend or relative on the webcam.
Go to the park
Riding a Tricycle (we also do this indoors if the weather is yucky)
Color in a coloring book
Build a tower with blocks and knock it down. A toddler can do this over and over and giggle every time.
If you have tile walls in your shower or bathroom, let your kids color on them with washable marker or fingerpaints. It is easy to wash and they get a HUGE kick out of it!!

With the winter months coming we're going to have to find a lot of indoor stuff to do.


What kind of stuff do you do with your kids when you can't get outside?

Father's Day is Coming!!!

Father's Day is coming up fast. Are you ready? I'm not, but here's a start.

My First Scrapbooking Pages

I haven't scrapbooked since I was a senior in High School. Okay, that was only like 7 years ago. But the world of scrapbooking has definitely changed. Its better now! There are so many cute papers, embellishments, ribbons, etc. that you can use to scrapbook. I never though I would get into it again, because it seems like an overwhelming task to get caught up, but I decided to start with my kids. They are young and if I can just keep up with them, I should be able to have a scrapbook from birth through highschool done before they get married :)

I'm starting with child #2 because child #1's pictures are all in storage in the States. I have been looking at layouts (LO) and sketches that others have done for the past couple of months. There's so many cute ideas out there for LO's. One thing I've noticed is that its very popular to have a lot of empty space or a lot of embellishments (stickers, ribbon, buttons, brads, etc.) and only one or 2 pictures per page. I find that I prefer lots of pictures on my page. Maybe because I don't have a lot of the cutesy stuff yet lol.

Sharing the Sweetness!

I've sure been posting a lot of cards lately and not much of anything else. It seems like I go through phases...sometimes I'm really into cooking, other times its sewing, right now its card making. Soon it will be scrapbooking once I get all the awesome supplies I ordered from Cropchocolate.com. DID YOU KNOW THAT CROP CHOCOLATE NOT ONLY HAS THE LOWEST PRICES FOR ALL YOUR SCRAPBOOKING AND CRAFTING NEEDS, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER $60 AND OFFER A 20% YES 20% MILITARY DISCOUNT!!!!???? DID YOU KNOW THAT!? WHY WOULD YOU SHOP ANYWHERE ELSE?

To shop with Crop Chocolate.com you have to create an account. If you don't mind, tell them you heard it through me and give them my email address (clint dot katie at gmail dot com). Then after you place your order, email their customer service (cs at cropchocolate dot com) and ask them for a military discount if you have an APO or FPO address. If you don't have an APO/FPO address, just mention my name (Katie :) ) and they will refund you 20% discount. Not many companies give military discounts anymore, especially a 20% discount! Thats huge! I just got $19 knocked off my most recent order plus free shipping! Not only do they offer several great deals a day, they have the most amazing customer service around!

Having Cropchocolate.com is better than having an LSS (local scrapbooking store)!!!!!

~See below for a shout out to an awesome new blog~

Shout Out!!!

I just wanted to tell all of you about my sister-in-law's new blog! She just started it and already has put up some amazing projects she's completed. She's so talented she puts me to shame! Go check her out at Homemade Pizzazz.

Thank-You Card #2

I've had people make fun of me for taking pictures of the cards I make, but I think its great to share ideas. I have a hard time coming up with cute ideas and like to see what other people have done. So I like to share so others can find good ideas as well. Not that there aren't a MILLION other places to look.

Masculin Happy Birthday Card

I used Cricut Cartridge Beyond Birthdays-rectangle card and "Happy Birthday"
Cricut Cartridge Simply Sweet-Circle and gift
The paper and ribbon is all from the Basic Grey Mellow collection pack.

Happy 22nd Birthday Card

Great Giveaway!!!

Check out this blog for a chance to win some amazing prizes, including Cricut cartridges, and a Gypsy!!

Obsessed With Scrapbooking

Bon Voyage Card #2

*Made with Cricut Cartride 'Beyond Birthdays'

Cricut Expression Cover

This cover was made the same way as the Sewing Machine cover found HEREI simply used the following measurements:

Center strip: 7" x about 36"

2 Side rectangles: 8" x 22.5"

I used a 1/2" seam allowance.

Very simple and fast. And protects your machine from dust, dirt, moisture, and 2-year-olds' handprints!!

Bon Voyage Card #1

I'm saying goodbye to several friends this week, so I've been making goodbye cards. Here is the first one I made.
*cricut cartridge "Beyond Birthdays"

Another stitched card

Little girl Easter birthday card.

Do You Like Paper Crafts?

Then you HAVE TO check out these websites. They are "daily deal" websites. Every day a special discounted product is for sale. Only that one product every day. And once its sold out, there's no more.

http://www.scrapbooksteals.com/ (this one is located in Utah, so if you live there, you can pick up your products and skip the shipping charge!!)
http://www.craftysteals.com/
http://www.peachycheap.com/
http://www.flowerstoflourishes.com/

This one is a little different. They have several deals a day, sometimes once an hour!!!

http://www.cropchocolate.com/

Here's your fair warning.....These sights are addicting!!!

Little Girl Jewelry

These were super easy to make. I bought some of the stretchy wire and some beads that looked like they might be pretty and went at it.

First I measured my daughter's wrist (4.25 inches)
Then I measured down 6 inches on my wire but I didn't cut it, I just tied a knot at the 6 inch mark. This made it easier to hold the string of beads. I kept dropping it when I cut the wire before stringing the beads.
Once you have the beads on in the pattern you like (I tried several before finally making a decision), loop the ends together and tie a knot over the one you already tied at the bottom. I tied a knot 3 times, just to make sure it would stay. Then, the lady I bought the beads from suggest using some kind of super glue to put over your knot for extra strength.

Cinch Bag

I bought my daughter a beautiful set of wooden blocks a few months back. I could have spent about 5 dollars more to get the cinch bag that came with them, but figured, hey...I can make one of those. Well, several months later I finally decided to do it. You can find the tutorial here. It is very easy and took me about an hour. Of course this is a modified version of the one in the tutorial because it is just a bag, rather than a back pack. I'm wishing I had made it a little bigger.

Baby Boy Card

This is the first homemade card I've done since Father's Day 2 years ago! I thought it turned out okay. I think Lori really liked it. I stitched the word "baby" using 3 strands of embroidery/cross-stitching floss.
First just write lightly in pencil the word you'd like to stitch. Then poke holes with your needle, erase pencil marks and stitch. I found the idea for stitching cards in a magazine called Paper Crafts.

Latest Projects

Here's some proof that I really have been working on some projects. The first one is a crayon roll. You can find the tutorial at MakeItandLoveIt. I need to buy more Twistable Crayons to go in it. It can also fit skinny markers, colored pencils, regular crayons and even those little PipSqueak markers. The ones I have in the picture below are miniature Twistables by Crayola.

This advent calander was a panel I found at the fabric market. Each ornament is a pocket for a piece of candy and they are numbered 1-24. Each day leading up to Christmas you pull out a tasty treat. I haven't added the wooden dowel and rope to hang it yet.

Cleaning Benefits of Vinegar

As part of my goal to get my family healthier this year I am trying not to use chemicals around the house. I used to use the Swiffer WetJet to clean my hardwood floors. But for over a year I was living with streaks and a sticky film under my bare feet (unless I rinsed th floor with water, but that was basically cleaning the floors twice). I finally decided to take my friend's advice and use plain old vinegar and water. The results are AMAZING!!! It evaporates quickly which means no streaks, no sticky film, and my husband can't smell the vinegar when he gets home.

Vinegar has LOTS of uses around the house. Here are some I have found and/or heard of from friends.

1. Add 1 tsp of vinegar to a bottle of shampoo and use once a week for extra shine in your hair and health for your scalp.

2. Use vinegar and a rag to polish and clean stainless steel and to remove hard water from sinks, bathtubs, showers, etc. You can soak shower heads and sink sprayers in vinegar overnight to unclog the hardwater buildup.

3. Add about 1/2 cup vinegar to the washer when doing laundry to get help with dish-rag smells, static, and wrinkles.

4. Use 1 cup of vinegar to deodorize your sink. Let sit for 45 minutes, rinse with cold water. If you have a garbage disposal make vinegar ice cubes, chop in disposal and rinse with cold water.

5. Use 2 1/2 to 3 cups vinegar in place of toilet bowl cleaner. Let sit for 45 minutes, brush and flush.

6. Put vinegar in a sray bottle (I like to add water to dilute the smell a little) and use as glass cleaner for mirrors, windows, glass tabletops, etc.

7. With the same bottle of vinegar you can use it as an all-purpose cleaner on counter tops, tables, refridgerators, and anywhere else you would use an all-purpose cleaner.

8. With again the same spray bottle you can mist the vinegar in the air around the house as an airfreshner.

Other things that make vinegar great:

It's shelf life is nearly infinite

Gentle on hands

All natural, non-toxic

No harsh smells being inhaled or lingering

No need to rinse, saves time

Cheap

Environmentally friendly, no harsh chemicals down drains

Antibacterial properties

For more cleaning ideas and information visit www.vinegarworkswonders.com/

S-A-H-M's

Sometimes people ask me what I "do". You know, as in a job. And I often find myself responding "oh, I'm just a stay-at-home-mom." As if its nothing. A few years ago, after I had my first child, I realized that I had to view my position as a job (kind of). Let me try to explain.

There are a lot of responsibilities that come with being a S-A-H-M. Cleaning, cooking, teaching, playing, grocery shopping, paying bills, finances/budgeting, exercise (yourself and kids), grooming (yourself and kids), first aide, taking kids to various activities, giving husband needed attention, so on and so forth. On top of the things you need to get done, there are a MILLION things you have to remember. Diapers, sippy cups, snacks, wipes, change of clothes, wallet, keys, phone, grocery list, so on and so forth.

So, anyway, I started viewing my roll as a homemaker and S-A-H-M as a full time job, because really thats what it is (actually its a lot more than that). I decided that while dad is at work, so am I. When dad is off work, so am I (to an extent).

When you go to a job you have specific things you are supposed to be doing or supposed to get done. Sometimes they have time limits, sometimes they don't. I decided to give myself a job list every day, things that had to get done before dad got home.

Monday-clean the kitchen
Tuesday-clean the bedrooms
Wednesday-clean the bathrooms
Thursday-laundry
Friday-clean living room and entry way

I decided I would work on each job throughout the day. In between feeding time and nap time and exercise time, cooking, and all the other things going on. This has really helped me to stay caught up on house work, to keep our home clutter free and a place where we all want to come home to, and have the evenings and weekends off with my husband.

It has also helped me to manage my time a little better so that I can get in some good quality time with each of my children and then have some me time as well. I get up at the same time every morning (no sleeping in on the job right?) and focus on getting my chores done (between child time) as soon as I can, so that when the kids are napping I can do what I want to do for myself. Sometimes I read a good book, sew, watch some tv, nap, shower a little longer than usual, or whatever. Its important to get that relax time so that when dad does get home you're not ready to pull your hair out.

A great book on the subject of being a Stay-at-home-mom is In Praise of Stay-at-Home-Moms by Dr. Laura Schlessinger. A great lesson I learned from this book is that I am first and foremost a wife, then a mother, and then a homemaker. My relationship with my husband is crutial, my time with my children priceless, and everything else falls in behind them.

So I'm curious to know what all you ladies out there do to make things run smoothly around your house. I'm always looking for ways to improve. Leave a comment and share your ideas with us!

Deceptively Delicious Garlic Parmesean Mashed Potatoes

This cookbook is a great find! It is by Jerry Seinfeld's wife. It is full of recipes that get your family eating vegetables without them even knowing! Here is a mashed potato recipe I adapted from a recipe in her book.

1 lb baking potatoes-peeled, cubed
1/2 C cauliflower puree
2 Tbsp butter/margarine
1/2 C milk
1 tsp. Salt
3 oz. grated parmesean cheese
1 1/2 cloves minced garlic

Put potatoes into large pot and cover with water til there is about 3 inches on top.
Boil until tender enough to pierce with a fork.
While potatoes are boiling
Put milk and garlic in a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat about 5 minutes
Set aside
When potatoes are finished cooking
Drain and put in a mixing bowl
Add milk mixture, parmesean, butter, salt, and cauliflower.
Mash or beat until desired texture is reached.

My husband claimed that these are the best potatoes I've ever made, before he knew there was cauliflower in them :) Which was the only thing I did different!