it's super

jonas decided to be superman.
(because his hair can curl in the front like the man of steel's.)

naturally, mia had to be on the same team. her choice was wonder woman.
although, she did flip flop between that and ariel for a while...

and i kind of forgot about layla,
but luckily we had a killer frog costume from when jonas was a baby.
and we always need a villian terrorizing metropolis, right?

terrifying, eh?

(i made jonas and mia's costumes and personally? i think they turned out pretty good for not having a pattern..)

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evolution of a spider

i came up with this brilliant idea all by myself. i know.
i'm amazing.
the first ever to have thought of it, right.

anywho.. it was pretty easy.
water balloons. paper mache paste. black paint. string. and pipe cleaner.

first. almost kill yourself trying to blow up water balloons.
i thought my ears were going to burst. seriously.

second. dip your newspaper in paste and wrap around the balloon.
be careful not to flick paste in your eye as you try to grab the balloon as its rolling off the table.
not that i would know.

third. dry.

fourth. paint.

fifth. (same as third) dry.

sixth. glue legs on.


seventh. scare your hubby with them by hanging it in the shower or closet.

my kids are really getting a kick out of them.
i'm going to paint a red hourglass on one of them and move it around the house for the kids to find.
i'm quite proud of them. if i do say so myself.

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him.
this one? really?
like he couldn't make a cheesier face?
i''m just lucky he didnt give me the heat vision stare.
i'll show it, one of these days.

her #1.
a major goofball.
if i tell her, "don't you dare smile at me"
those ones are the best.

aliases include: ariel, dora, daphne, daisy, and wonder woman

her #2.
finally, FINALLY sitting up.
i've been working on it with her FOREVER!!
and when does she decide to do it?
oh.
at her dr. appointment.
little miss showoff.

gosh. i love my kids.

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a little pillow talk...

so i saw these pillows over here and fell in love!

now that we've finished the family room in the basement i really need some color to pull it all together.

(who am i kidding. i need a lot more than just COLOR!)

i tweaked mine a bit though. more ruffles, closer together. contrasting stitches and background. but overall? i think it turned out pretty cute.

now, i've only got 4 other pillows with different styles and fabrics to make!

ps. isn't her blog just awesome? she's got great ideas and i have SO many projects lined up. now if i can only find the time.

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labels

sometimes i just get a kick out of myself.

these are the labels for the handouts for my lesson on sunday..

guess what it's on?
i'm quite pleased with them.


and guess what the handouts are....


NO.. of course i'm not giving everyone a pie...

but. maybe.
just maybe... one of these!


thaaaaats right.. pie on a stick..
it's AWESOME!!!

really.
they taste SO GOOD!

peach filling. homemade crust.
mmmm.....

nothing but pure deliciousness.
go here for more instructions.

**edited** i rolled my pie crust reeeeeally thin to even out the pastry/filling ratio. i brushed them with a beaten egg before baking to make them all brown and blistery like. then baked them longer (about 18-20 min)... also, to avoid getting the pie filling from running all over the place, i filled a mini muffin tin with the filling and then froze it. so when i put the top crust on it, it wasn't nearly as messy. just an fyi.

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brrrrr lake

so the big family vaca was at bear lake this year. and it was a TON of fun. if you count getting rained on and having to play in the coldest lake on the coldest day, fun.
just kidding. sort of.

but we did have a lot of fun. my brother brought a water ballon slingshot launcher thing and it was AWESOME!! you should've seen those things fly! holy moses. and if you caught one better hope you had some spare clothes.

these are from when i woke up super early and couldnt go back to bed. so i thought i'd walk down to the beach. i find it so funny that they drag the boats out into the water with tractors. i love the hick-ness of it. and my dad was in love with this one. he made me take like 30 pictures of it becuase it was the same exact one they had growing up..
and i heard ALL about how it worked, etc.

this was the treasure hunt we planned for the little kids. it was hilarious and they thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.

and here we are at the beach in our jackets becuase it was FREEZING!! well. 65 degrees, but still cold...

all in all, it was a good time!
thanks mom.

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a toast

to:
summer
ice cream cones
letting watermelon juice drip down your chin
hot days and sleeping with the fan on
ice cream cones
swimming at the pool
getting a tan
outdoor birthday parties
spending time with family
fresh fruit and veggies
being able to work out outside
long days
gorgeous sunsets
staying up late for the demolition derby
and...
more ice cream!

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lazy

so wikipedia says that cats have 30 vertebrate..
(thats 4 more than humans. i think.)
my cat utilizes ALL of them.
everyday.
notice how the front paws are facing a different direction that the back ones?
(he remained in that position for a LOOONG time)
he's quite agile.
perhaps he should have been a gymnast.
but that would require movement.
and exercise.
two things he's not prone to do.

and lets be honest.
sometimes i wish i were a cat.
who lived at my house.

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recent eats

im hungry.
im always hungry.
even after...
no, ESPECIALLY after i eat.
im super hungry.

but alas.. the diet is, what it is.

at least it looks good before it disappears into thin air.

for maybe 30 seconds.

we haven't had hamburgers for 3 weeks and these were AWESOME!!
a little mango and white peach, salad, and cucumbers.

a snack.. no jam allowed, but berries are. and isnt that what jam is made of anyways..
this had A LOT less sugar, thats for sure.

and, steamed fish over rice with avocado, salad, and strawberries.

the best thing about this diet? the dinner prep is so easy.
meals are 30 minutes, tops. nothing bakes in the oven. there isnt any chopping.
the grill takes maybe 20 minutes and veggies steam in less than 10.
im loving that part.
and it doesnt heat up my house.

tonight we're having steaks..
(dont mind my drool)

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a summary

we've been busy.

celebrating.

eating rabbit food.

(ps.. the baked sweet potato was AWESOME!)

acting rather surprised at new foods.

and lots and lots of cleaning!

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the tastier leaf

so. i'm revamping. with a new house, comes a new way of eating. we've been doing the zone/sugarbusters for a while. but to be honest, i've never been a "dieter".. . i never felt i had to. i have a slim build, am athletic, and frankly dont have the desire to limit myself when it comes to what i eat.

and mostly, it was because the man wanted to, not me. but alas, the baby pooch, as i call it, needs to go. and i've been persuaded by my uber health concious hubby, that i would benefit from a lifestyle change. not that i dont eat healthy already, or just stuff my face with crap, but i don't really care to diet either. and the only guidelines i've given myself previously, are if i dont like it, dont eat it. if i do, then look out stomach! (in moderataion, of course).

so here i come body for life. i am officially "dieting".. ugh. i hate that. i feel like there is so much stigma attached to that (mostly self inflicted). it makes me feel old that i "need to diet". but, if it makes me get rid of the baby pooch and look better, then i guess i'll exercise some self control . and the fact that i've agreed to it, should help a bit.

here's one of the first meals.. it was actually easy and so pretty on my NEW PLATES!
i made on prerequisite to agree to the diet.
i would get new plates.
A. because i hate my old ones.
B. so they could be smaller to fit smaller portion sizes but still look full.
and
C. they are simple and classic. mmmm... everything looks good on them. seriously.

(i love that the onion looks like its trying to escape!)

salad never tasted so good!

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whew!

well, we are FINALLY in our house.

but.....

totally living in chaos! i'll be ready to post in a bit. its craaazy around here!

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a note goodbye

moving is such a pain.. really. i hate it. and worse than moving once? oh. moving twice..

thats right. when you are homeless for 2 weeks it feels like moving twice. but at least we were able to sell. and thats a good thing.

so to honor our home of the past 4 years i've composed a list:

Things I'll Miss:

my AMAZING kitchen. (i spend a LOT of time there)
my little garden full of tomatoes, peppers, and cilantro
the flower beds that are finally filling in and looking awesome. (score for the new owner)
living by the best neighbors ever. who watched my kids. and fed them. and fed me.
being able to run to Christina's house when i've run out of something.
which happens more often than you would believe.
my kitchen
my gargantuan bedroom
12 foot ceilings
the walk in pantry
granite countertops
my sweeeeet stainless steel deep sink
did i mention the kitchen?

the kids are tired of packing and cleaning and moving, i can tell.
i've had to promise them a million different things, once we are in the new house.

like, "yes, jonas, we'll ride bikes. but we have to wait til we are in the new house. your bike is in storage." "oh sure! we can make rocket ship cookies. once we move in, promise!" "sorry mia, Cinderella is packed up! but you kept Belle out until we get settled."

but, the time is here! can you believe it? it was just yesterday that people were walking through my house.. and then someone wanted it.. and now, i'm leaving it.

we moved in when jonas was a baby. and now he's FOUR!

but, the new house will be bigger. with more room to grow. and i'll find things to love about the new house.

like, maybe the quarter acre yard.
or the three car garage for somebody's home gym.

and it's only 3 miles away.

so if i run out of something in the middle of a recipe and really, REALLY need it, i know where some great neighbors are.

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green?

so i got a whole lotta this in my Bountiful basket.

first, i didnt even know what it was. i had to do various google searches. i found out its collard greens.

second, i've never eaten collard greens in my life, let alone cooked them.

sooooo... any ideas? recipes? i know they are big in the south.. so i'd love some input. i dont want them to go to waste!

**edited** okay, so it might be swiss chard... any other ideas?

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because it's funny

i laughed out loud.

and i laugh out loud, every time i see it.

(i know you did too..)

they were learning about spiders. and this was his spider hat.

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tasty tasty

a few weeks back (i'm a bit behind. and lazy) mangoes were on sale for like 50 cents. 50 CENTS!!! really.

so i bought like 20 of them. and they were good too! ripe. juicy. delicious.

but what does one do with 20 ready to use immediately mangoes?

well. i froze some. and we ate the rest. in various forms.

mmmmmm.....

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dolly

we are big on teaching life skills around here.

like mothering.
and caring for infants.

good thing we dont use live subjects.

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comfy?

it was after lunch.

he was done. she wasnt.
i was in the other room.
she was finishing her sandwich.
he was playing in his room.

it was quiet.

REALLY quiet.

parents know what silence means.

only two things.

that can't be comfortable. not even remotely...

but sure enough.

she was asleep.

(laughs)

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hello hot stuff.

oh. the awesomeness that is my neighbor. enjoy.

(you'll be back together before you know it.
and until then, you can sleep with these under your pillow.)

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i want to make this!

isnt this owl adorable? its supposed to just sit there, but i think it would be a great pillow for a certain crib in my house. *wink wink*

if only the price of the designer fabric didnt make me want to vomit.

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