Killing time...

This post is brought to you by the letter "B" as in bath time. This boy loves the bath, I can't complain. I know that one day it will be like trying to force a cat in the tub, so I will enjoy his need to be clean for now...

God forbid you should try to get him out, he is busy!

While he plays, I have found some interesting ways to amuse myself...

Sit ups! I am doing a 30 day ab challenge and this is perfect time to get them done on the soft, squishy bathroom rug!

Flossing! Apparently you are supposed to do this everyday, who has time for that? I do, now!

Cleaning! I take a minute and wipe everything down and then I feel like I have done my "mom/wife" job  by keeping the bathroom fresh and tidy!

P.S on a slightly unrelated note, I found out to save cropped photos on my phone. Again, while Kellen was splashing away, I was being productive. It's a real pain in the neck. I have to text message the cropped picture to myself, then resave the new version to my phone camera and now it's finally showing up how I want it. Just in case anyone was wondering!

What we wore Wednesday

70 degrees! What?! Crazy Colorado is at it again, making me crazy about how to dress. Last Wednesday it was a blizzard, today it was 72. Oy! I guess I can't complain too much, there is almost always sunshine!

I am really frustrated with my camera. I keep trying to crop my pictures and then when I download them they show up unedited. I have never had this problem before, weird and annoying...

Fancy dress: Target

Long sleeve tee: Target

Tights: Target

Flats: Target

My photographer got a little artistic this day...

I wore this to run errands and take Kellen to the doctor for his shots last week. He was a champ, he had to get 3 shots and only cried once for just a second. He is weighing in at 26 lbs 85 percentile for weight and I don't remember his exact height but he was only like 35 percent for height. He is his daddy's son!

Sweater: Target

Lace top extender: Very Jane

Denim leggings: Target

Boots: Sheplers

Callie would only wear this sweater if I wore mine the same day sooo...

Sweater: Target

Skirt: Old Navy

Tights: Kohls

Boots: Target

I love this skirt, but it's hard to wear with tights and kind of clings to them when I walk, but it was too cold to not wear them. Oh the dilemma!

Skirt: Target

Cardigan: Old Navy

Button down: Target

Tights: Target

Black heels: Target

Necklace: Very Jane

Another picture at the parents. Again looks horrible not cropped, GRR!

Cardigan: Old Navy

Tank: Target

Pants: Anne Taylor, thrifted

Heels: Target

My 70 degree day called for cropped pants and a crochet sweater.

Top: BCBG, thrifted

Pants: Target

Heels: Target

Bracelets: Very Jane

Demolition Woman

This weekend was excellent! A nice mix of productive and relaxing, much better than last weekend and no one was seriously injured! On Friday, Brien's parents took both kiddos so we had our first date night of the new year. Brien had steak on his mind, so we went to Texas Roadhouse for supper. We rented some movies. Current movies, for the first time in a long time. It was nice to feel up to date for once!

The next morning we slept in until nine, NINE O'CLOCK AM! That never happens either! We got a game plan together hit the Starbucks, hit the Lowes and then we started demo on our master bathroom. It was glorious! Here are some hideous befores...

Brien doesn't find tearing things apart nearly as fun as I do! 

There was something very therapeutic about smashing 1980's tiles with a hammer and ripping out skanky, old, moldy shower doors! It was delightful. I told Brien that a career change might be in order. As in, I want to quit teaching and start tearing down ugly things! But apparently there is a lot more to demolition than just destroying things. Back to the drawing board. 

We have decided that we are going to put in a tub, cause there is room and why not?! This made things a titch more tricky as we have to reroute some plumbing and there was some rust and water damage to the subfloor around the toilet. THIS IS WHY YOU NEVER, EVER PUT CARPET IN THE BATHROOM, EVER!!! So it was a little more difficult. Thanks moron previous owners...

So now we have everything out and are ready to start making things pretty! My favorite part!

Down to the studs!

I have some great ideas for freshening up the joint, oh pinterest! This is what I want to see happen...

                   

Flooring!

http://freckleschick.blogspot.com/2011/01/basement-reno-bathroom-floor.html

Painting!

http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/06/walking-the-line/

Tub, glorious tub!

http://following-friends.com/2012/02/28/master-bathroom/

Now, I know we have a lot of work ahead of us, but I can't wait to see how everything turns out! More updates to come!

Mason jars storage

A few months back I bought a bunch of mason jars for my laundry room project. I used 3 and had a bunch left over, so I thought, why not put these to use??
I have this problem...In the morning when I get ready, I have a funky little thing I do with my mascara that involves baby powder and q-tip. Well you see, I keep the q-tips  in the hall closet...

Eww, unsightly, right?

And, I have tip toe out of our room and into the squeaky hall way, open the creaky door and fumble through the darkness to find my treasured q-tips, so as not to wake my children. Mission unsuccessful 80-90% of the time. I thought to myself, silly girl, move them to the bathroom. But, dear friends we have ridiculously limited space in the bathroom, as there is very little storage.

Enter the brilliant and simple idea, mason jars!

Voila! I slapped a chalkboard label on them and stashed them on the counter, out of little hands' reach! Done and done! No more creeping in the hall at the crack of dawn and happy well rested children, a win-win situation, plus they are cute so, win-win-win!

What I wore Wednesday

This week I had to get a little creative with my pictures because of the state of life, as in it's dark when I leave and dark when I get home, soooo....

The laundry room!

Sweater: Old Navy

Tank: H&M, thrifted

Jeans: Old Navy

Scarf: Very Jane

Boots: Target

My parents house!

Sweater: Old Navy

Skirt: Target

Tights:??

Boots: Target

Necklace: Target

At Target!

Top: Forever 21, gift from my mother in law

Skirt: Loft, thrifted

Flats: Amazon

Necklace: Charming Charlie's

The living room! (Thanks, Callie) This was for our "dress up" day to show the kids professional clothing!

Dress: Target

Jacket: BCBG, thrifted

Nude heels: Target

Necklace: Very Jane

See, the darkness??

Sweater: Target

Gingham button down: Old Navy

Jeans: Target

Boots: Target

Necklace: gift from my student teacher

Pinned it and did it: Valentines day Flowers!

Yesterday we had a much needed day off for MLK, it so nice to be home with the kids, but these random days off are killing my routine! And tomorrow I have off again for Kellen's shots (such a treat, poor baby!)Hopefully some day soon we will get back in the swing of things! After visiting my grandma and having a leisurely morning we headed home and while Kellen slept, Callie and I tackled some crafty things we have been wanting to finish. I finished her jewelry box, (more about that later) and we made some Valentines day decor! I saw this pin awhile back and thought it would be easy and fun to do!

Here's what you need:
* A bunch of fake flowers! I got mine at the Dollar Tree. I ended up getting 12 little bouquets of ROSE BUDS. I used about 25-30 flowers per topiary. I am sure that if you wanted to do a bigger one you could use bigger flowers and that would be fine....
*A candle stick, I had two since I wanted a pair.
*Strofoam floral balls (2 medium sized)
*Hot glue
*Ribbon
*pliers that cut or tin wire snippers

First glue the styrofoam to the candlesticks...

Like so... In retrospect I would have tried to find taller candlesticks or something to make the flower ball higher, maybe next year....

Next cut off all of the flowers. I cut off all of the greenery as well and left a little bit of the wire, maybe 1/4 of an inch to stick into the styrofoam.    

                                    

Then start poking those flowers in. This was a pro-cess! Spread out the flowers a little to make sure that no green shows through!

After much stabbing of flowers, you will have a nice round topiary! Then I tied a little silver ribbon on the candlesticks, but they are kind of hard to see! They came out pretty cute and are currently taking up residence on the mantle on honor of Valentines day!

Another easy craft to check off the ol' pinterest list!

This wild weekend!

This weekend was another busy one! Brien worked on the cars and I kept the kids busy on Saturday. I also (finally) got my hair done. I went a little different...

I did a really dark maroon red under and it came out very cute! I just hope it lasts awhile, my sweet hair girl is going on maternity leave soon, yikes!

Besides crazy hair shenanigans, Kellen has finally decided that his wagon is his favorite place to be:

He grabs his blanket, lovey and a snack and settles in for a long time... I don't know what is so entertaining, but God forbid you should try to get him out!

Now, I HATE winter, but one perk is the most amazing sunsets and sunrises! They have been ridiculously pretty all week. I guess if everything on the ground is brown and gross as least the sky is something to look at!

Sunday, after church we headed down to the stock show. You really haven't lived until you have been to the stock show. The kids loved it! But, this year left something to be desired... Let's start with parking, $20, admission $50, food and snacks $40. Brien said next year we are going out for a steak dinner, ordering "stock show" dip online and are going to find a friend to rent a cow from and we still pay less than we did this year.

On the plus side Kellen loved the cows and chicken and especially loved communicating with them. I think he may be a cow whisperer or just a farmer.

Callie on the other hand, was horrified of the though of milking a fake cow. To be honest it was pretty gross and who milks cows by hand any more??

Our favorite part of the stock show (which we could do for free) is walking on the catwalk over the stock yards and getting to see all of the animals.

On the way down, a big old cow came right up to her and she got to touch it.(Take that $5 petting zoo!)

After our stock show fiasco, we went home to make Sunday family dinner and Kellen sliced his finger open on a can. He gushed blood for hours. Our kitchen seriously, looked like the scene of a murder. He is fine now, but the carnage was stressful. Thanks again, Jenn for doing the dishes, you made my life!

Never a dull moment with these crazies! Today, however we are enjoying a nice day at home. We have a bunch of crafty projects to work on and it is quiet. For now.

What I wore Wednesday

This week had been ah-weird! I don't know why, but everyone has taken turns being a little wimpy and sick feeling, the weather has been freezing, my students are testing, so everyone is way off their schedule, it just feels funny this week!

I wore this on our first day back from Christmas break... A super creepy thing happened that morning. I am talking straight out of a horror movie. I got to school super early and it was cloudy and still pretty dark, so all of the lights in the staff parking lot were on as I pulled into school. Then as I was walking up the building the street lights started shutting off in succession as I was walking up to the building. I am not going to lie to you, I ran a little, right up to the door and yanked it shut behind me, just in case there were any murderers lurking after me!

Sweater: Forever 21

Chambray: Target

Black skinnies: Target

 Boot: Target

Necklace: Target

A cozy Saturday spent hanging out at home...

Tunic top: Target

Tights: Very jane

Flats: Amazon

Another weird thing that happened this week was when I came into my class one morning, I found that one of my windows in the my classroom has been smashed all up that night by a boulder from the landscaping. I was a little sad about that! Someone must really hate reading!

Tee: Target

Cardigan: Target

Blanket scarf: Target

Jeans: Old Navy

Boots: Kohls

It has been so dark when I get home from school and one of the bulbs in our bedroom is burned out, so my pictures have been truly horrible this week. I need to start experimenting with the real camera again!

For this outfit I had some inspiration from one of my favorite b-logs. Of course her dress is much better than mine, but here is my version!

Dress: Target

Cardigan: Target

Tights: Very Jane

Boots: Kohls

Belt: from another dress?

My inspiration! 

Again, so stinkin' dark!

Top: J. Crew, thrifted (It's navy blue, but super hard to see!)

Skirt: Target, thrifted (maroon and navy stripped)

Nude heels: Target

Must. Have. Sun. Light!

Friday casual, the wolf-y vest makes another appearance!

Plaid top: American Eagle

Vest: Target

Jeans: Target

Boots: Kohls

And there you have it! Another weird week in our crazy, mixed up life!

Baked potato soup!

The weather has been chilly and dreary around these parts, so we have been eating a lot of soup! I love baked potato soup and this recipe is a bunch of recipes that I have combined from other recipes, per usual.

You need:
1- 5 lb bag of potatoes cubed (I used new potatoes because I did not want to peel them)
Chicken bullion (I used 6 cubes)
1 medium yellow or white onion chopped
1 stick of butter
4 cups of milk (It is suggested to use a higher percentage of fat, I used 2%)
4 cups of cheese (I used cheddar and colby jack)
1/2 sour cream
1 package of bacon bits or 8-10 slices of bacon
(Depending on how creamy you like it, you might need some cornstarch)

 First I cube up some new potatoes I use almost a whole 5lb bag for this recipe. Then I boil them in chicken bullion depending on how much soup you make, I would say a cube for every cup of water.

While the potatoes are boiling, saute 1 medium yellow or white onion and a stick of butter. Get that butter nice and melty and the onion good and soft.

Then I  realized it was close to dinner and company was comin' and I stopped taking pictures!

After the potatoes are nice and soft, but not falling apart,  add in the onion and butter mixture. Next stir in 4 cups of milk. I used 2 % because that's what we had. I am sure that half and half or whole milk would probably make it a little more creamy, but, I am trying to watch what we eat!

After you stir in the milk, bring the mixture back to a light rolling boil and stir in 4 cups of cheese. I did a mixture of cheddar and colby jack. I even added a little velveeta, we can't watch what we eat too closely! Stir to melt all that cheesy goodness...

Then I added in a little sour cream to thicken it up and stirred in a package of bacon bits. Let it simmer for a titch and it should be ready to serve. (If your soup looks a little too soupy and not thick enough, mix a little cornstarch with water and whisk in, but don't get too crazy, a little goes along way!)  Yummy creamy potato-y goodness!

What I wore Wednesday

We are back in school and back in the swing for the new year...kind of. Having a big ol' break is tough to come back from!

So I am a little behind because of the Holidays, but I wore this little outfit to see the Grinch with Callie the weekend before Christmas and it kept me toasty warm downtown!

Vest: Target

Sweater: Kohls

Long sleeve tee: Target

Denim Leggings: Forever 21

Leopard flats: Target

I wore this to run errands and get some things to organize our house post Christmas. There is nothing quite like throwing away/donating 10 bags of your old junk to make you feel good! I love throwing things away! It's just so freeing. Callie has also resolved not be a hoarder this year and gave up her doll house, wooden kitchen and a bunch of toys to her younger cousins and goodwill! Yay!

Vest: Old Navy

Sweater: Target

Jeans: Target

Boots: Kohl's

Callie and I had to finish some shopping one day for our later Christmas celebration with her Texas grandparents and I wore this little outfit...

Tee: Old Navy

Cardigan: Target

Grey jeans: Old Navy

Boots: Target

Scarf: Gift from Callie's grandma

and then......

While we were out shopping, look what I found! Is that not fun??! I almost bought it, but I had already cleaned out a bunch of unused mismatched coffee mugs earlier that day and it felt wrong to restart the collection

More tacky tights! They are just so comfortable...shameless, I tell you!

Sweater: Old Navy (?) Thrifted last year

Tank: Thrifted

Tights: Very Jane

Flats: Amazon

This outfit was a mess, or so I thought. But one of my sweet co-workers said, "Who would ever have thought to pair green and orange?" That made me slightly better about my crazy color combo!

Sweater: Target

Scarf" Very Jane

Grey pants: Target

Teal wedges: Target