Get Your Ice Cold Lemonade Here!

We spent the last few months preparing for it and spreading the word. Printing fliers and hanging poster boards. We solicited for donations and contacted every family member and friend we knew. It was Cecilia and Sophia's Lemonade stand and we wanted it to be epic!

 

CECILIA AND SOPHIA'S LEMONADE STAND!

As we sat down near the end of the school year making our list of this summers to do's, the kids asked once again to hold a lemonade stand. A lemonade stand is probably a must in every child's life, but for some reason every year it was "supposed to happen" it never did. This year, when they asked for it again I decided no matter what it took we would have one!

Fast-forward to the beginning of 2013, when we received an news from one of my cousins letting us know we would be holding our first annual "Be Good, Be Safe, Have Fun Run" in honor of my late Aunt Cathy. This race will be held on November 3rd, 2013 in honor and memory of my Aunt Cathy Hartman who lost her battle with cancer in August of 2011. All proceeds from this 5k run are going to Supporting Kidds of Delaware which is an organization which offers bereavement counseling. We were so excited to hear the news and immediately starting training for the run.

Now back to our summer lemonade stand...............so I decided no matter what it took we would have one. And as I was writing it on my list, I had a light bulb moment!

 

Not only were we going to have a lemonade stand, but the kids were going to gain a wonderful experience in raising money for a great cause! The girls, although very young when Aunt Cathy died, built a very close relationship with her. So they were beyond excited with the idea. They too worked for days helping with ideas and getting all of our ideas drawn out. Over the next two months were were able to get donation for a raffle that included 2 Phillies tickets, 6 tickets to the Delaware Childrens Museum, and a gift certificate to Gloss in the City for a Hair cut along with high end hair products. We also received an extremely generous donation from the Herr's Factory and had many friends and family members contribute items to keep the initial cost fairly low.

 

As with all of our projects, I told hubby what I was picturing as far as the actual stand went, and he brought it to life with scrap fencing and a $20 piece of wood from Lowes! And on July 17th 2013 in our front yard Cecilia and Sophia held their very first Lemonade Stand!

 

 

 

 

The End Result.....$711!!! We were very surprised with the total. In all honesty we were expecting maybe $200....we more then tripled our goal! So many people went out of their way to donate money and buy lemonade, the smiles that they put on the kids faces were priceless. My kids got to witness first hand that day that there are still so many good people left in this world. Cecilia and Sophia's Lemonade Stand was exactly what we hoped it would be and more.....Epic! And we're so happy to be able to donate the money and know how it feels to make a difference, even if its a small one.

 

 

B*I*N*D*E*R*S

Binders are my new obsession! They are so pretty these days and can help you to organize virtually anything! I'm trying to work up the nerve to post my office pictures on here, but I may have to wait until I have both the before and after pics. Because quite frankly its embarrassing! I'm so ashamed with how ridiculously unorganized it has gotten! I have so many ideas for organizing but I never see any of them through, so every time the paper work in our "organizer" upstairs got filled, we would just unload it in the office. until one day we couldn't quite find the desk .....so today I had the day of from work and I sorted through paper after paper for the entire time the kids were in school (minus the 15 minute staples run.) So 6 hours and $92 later I still have quite a mess! :) But we're getting there. I now have a binder for each member of the family which will hold all important documents like birth certificate, social security card, medical records, car titles, awards, diplomas, etc.

 

 

Also, thanks to the AMAZINGLY organized blog Iheartorganizing.blogspot.com I'm creating file folders for school papers for each year of school. I'm still looking for a file box that will work for me, without spending too much money, its pretty tight around this neck of the woods!

 

 

I also got binders for things like utilities and mortgage. We've been using the filing cabinet system for a few years not but our filing cabinet is pretty old and like I said I'm binder obsessed right now so I picked a bunch of pretty colors and labeled them up! I may change the labels on them, not sure how I feel about the look at this moment, but that would entail a whole lot of scrubbing that I just don't want to do at this point. :)

 

 

 

I'm pretty excited to see the end result, and hopefully most of these systems will work for me so I can get my life happily organized once and for all! Once I have all of the papers, pens, books, pictures, cables etc. organized I'm going to get a fresh coat of paint on the wall and do a few furniture makeovers and I think I might have myself a Purdy little office. :)

 

 

 

XoXo Kerri XoXo

Fly High Free Bird

Letting go...In hopes of starting again....


Letting go of someone is one of the hardest things to do in life.  I've never really experienced it much in the relationship kind of way, but I lost the first man I ever loved to alcohol. I lost him first when I was about ten, I didn't realize he was gone at that point, because in reality he was still there. I saw him every morning and kissed him goodnight every night before bed. He was still "there". As I grew a bit older, I started to see a little less of him. Partially because I was a teenager and didn't want to be around but mostly because he lived in his bedroom. He got up every morning and went to work somehow but there was constantly alcohol zipping through his blood.  There would never again be a day where I would see him sober.....It started in his coffee, then with a few hidden bottles in his car on lunch break, a few beers when he got home to pretend he was having a normal drink like lots of men do after a long day at work, and then up to his room to eat dinner and sit in front of the tv until the bottle in the closet knocked him out.

I still kept a good relationship with him. I knew he was in there still somewhere. I took advantage of him a lot too though, I knew he would say yes to anything I asked him so I played it up. I went straight to him even though I knew mom would be completely against it. This is how life went on for quite some time. In all honesty I have very few memories of how things really were at that point in my life. Probably because he was always in his room, but I still search and try really hard to find those memories. It never fails though, when I look for them I always think of the bad things. The many times he left us on vacations.... on Boardwalks, at waterparks, amusements parks, restaurants.....I remember feeling like we were doing something wrong, that he didn't want to be with us. I knew he just wanted to get away to get his next drink but I didn't understand when I looked around at all the happy families....why...?

When I turned 16 I got into a relationship with a much older man. He seemed to perfect to be true. It was pretty secretive at first because it was 11 years older then me and I figured he could get into a lot of trouble because of it. Somehow it got out to his ex girlfriend and she immediately called my mother. I was beyond embarrassed by this and although she had her own inclinations about it she lost her cool a bit when it was confirmed. I couldn't stay away from him though, I finally felt love for another man. I could feel his love,  I knew he cared and would always keep me safe. He was the man I needed in my life. So for the first year, we snuck around. Any chance we could get. He was judged. Big time. He lost friends and lost respect from many people. But he stayed with me.

After that first year though, I started to see a different man. He started to remind me of my dad. And not too long later....I realized why. He too was an alcoholic. He would lie cheat and steal from anyone. He was very different from him yet so much the same. I stuck by him, through many tough times, because through it all I could still somehow feel that he loved me. His alcohol addiction lead to drugs, which led to money problems. He eventually hit rock bottom.....But in between all of this....we had a baby. I was 18. As if my world wasn't already unclear with a dad who was never around and a boyfriend who went on 5 day binges...I was now 18 with a child to care for. But I did it...I stepped up to the plate. I stuck by this man still....My mom called me one night after I got done putting the baby to bed. She sounded very calm but you could hear the panic and pain in her voice. "Your dad tried to kill himself tonight".....I knew he was troubled and I knew things were bad...but I never expected to hear that. He had so much to live for...so many people who loved him. I immediately went to be with her. Not knowing at all what would come next. Dad was put on a 32 hour watch...but then released.
That was it, my mom fought with the rehab facility tooth and nail explaining to them how bad his problem was, begging them to help him and her. He had five kids who needed him. But there was nothing they could do....because Insurance wouldn't cover it......After that mom told dad he had to move out. She couldn't have him around her children anymore. So he went off to his moms who thought that he was nothing less then perfect and that my mom was the crazy one making up all these nonsensical stories....She would soon find out the truth.

So dad left me again when I was 19. Although he was still close, him and my mom were through...he left a wife with 5 kids and a grandchild. He left all of his responsibilities behind for the booze. So of course this pushed me even closer to the other man in my life. I was bound and determined to prevent him from ending up like my dad. I barely left his side. This was when the rock bottom got really low. I was forced to move back home in fear of my daughter getting caught up in the middle of this. I was now, however, 7 months pregnant with baby number 2. And although I moved home with mom, I still never gave up on him. I bent over backwards doing everything in my power to try and help him.....

And so, one night, on November 14th 2006 I answered the phone when he called. He told me he was ready to get the help he needed. He was three sheets to the wind, but I went to him and I put him in my car and I took him to the ER. He tried to walk out many times but finally got taken back in a room and willingly stayed. We had to stay there for hours upon hours before they could actually transfer him to a rehabilitation center because he had to be sober to do so. Once he was finally sobered up they confirmed that he was willingly going into rehab and had him sign paper after paper. He had to be transferred to another hospital about 30 minutes away which is where they had their drug and alcohol rehab center. So we said our goodbyes and he told me he'd call me first thing in the morning to let me know how the first night went. It was 3 am the next day by this point. I remember on my ride home how excited I was to talk to my dad. I couldn't wait to tell him about the night before. I was sure that if he knew Mike could do it that it would encourage him to get help as well.

At around 8 am on that same morning, as I was playing with lovely lady and barely able to keep my eyes open from my late night, I heard the sound of my moms heels beating against the pavement. They sounded troubled....if that even makes any sense. Without even hearing her voice or seeing her face, I knew something was wrong. She walked in the door and straight down the steps where we were staying. Her words were lost....she couldn't speak. Her face had a blank look.....Finally she spoke...."It's your dad"......"He died in his sleep..."


My dad left me for the third and final time when I was 20 years old. He died from a heart attack caused by an extremely high blood alcohol level....He died at almost the exact same time that my now husband checked himself into rehab.  I never got to tell him. I never got to save him. He will never know my kids....He will never be at a birthday party, or dance recital. He wasn't there to walk me down the aisle or share the father daughter dance. He missed three of his children graduating high school. He will never see the beauty in my daughters eyes.

I cant say I know if I've actually ever gotten through it. I went through some phases of grief the denial, the sadness, the anger.....but I'm not sure I've fully accepted it. I had so many things going on that first year he was gone. Sometimes I feel like I just put it on the back burner and didn't care as much as I should have. Mike was successfully going through rehab, I moved back in with him, we welcomed lovely lady #2 into the world on January 31st of the next year. We got engaged! We both got new jobs....it was as if my life just went on as usual and his would never go on again.....


I talk about him to my girls...maybe not often enough. But as I said before I struggle to remember the good things about it. But I know there were so many good things about him. And it is so sad that he didn't see those good things in himself or in his life enough to stick around. He looked so peaceful at this funeral. Like he was finally home. He wanted to be with his dad so badly. And now he is... Its been almost seven years and I think that I might finally be able to accept this. I never really felt like I let his death hold me back...but I think that I subconsciously I did...


I think too often I try to pretend that I have no sadness in my life. I never went to school and talked about my dads problems. I hid behind a door just like he did...I would have loved to talk it over with someone, it would have made me feel so much better to know that I had someone to confide in. When things got rocky with Mike he would say and do such hurtful things, but I never spoke about them to anyone, I wanted everyone to think I had a picture perfect relationship.  I still find myself feeling like that sometimes, if we have a big fight I put on my happy face and pretend to the world that I have no problems. I'm sure many people do this, we keep our personal life personal.  But sometimes its good to get it off your chest. People might never see this post.....people might never respond....but I spoke it....I wrote it...I could tell a potentially large amount of people that my life isn't at all perfect. That its been through more heartache and tragedy then some people will ever see in a lifetime. Yes, my husband drinks again....not excessively...its not a problem anymore...though at any moment it could become one. I could end up like my mom and he could end up like dad. They say history repeats itself and I think I live my life in fear that it will.

I have struggled for far too long with this. Any time I'm away from him I'm wondering if something is happening that will trigger his addiction to come back. If he pulls up to the house 3 minutes later then normal I suspect things. I've trained my mind to be like this. Living with an alcoholic for years and then turning around and marrying one will do that to you. But until I learn to let go and let what will be...be....I will never do anything spectacular for myself.


So tonight, as I go to bed. I will thank god for another day, and I will ask for yet another chance. Tomorrow I will wake up without all of these extra worries. I'm okay with the fact that my dad is gone, for whatever reason he wanted it this way. I know that he was a good dad in his own ways. And I know that he looks down on my family and smiles. I will wake up tomorrow knowing that no matter how much I worry, if mike decides jump back on the wagon he will...there is nothing I can do about it. I need to live my life. I need to be able to love again. I spend so much time worrying about the people I love that I forget to actually love them. And I especially need to learn to love myself again. I wanted so badly to save my dad. I thought that he would listen to me if no one else. And because he didn't I feel like I struggled with finding love in myself. I should have said something different done something different....but god had a plan...and sometimes we wont understand that plan. But it's written in the stars.....and I'm okay with it. I've accepted it. And now, its time for me to build my life.

If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be traveling on, now,
'Cause there's too many places I've got to see.
But, if I stayed here with you, girl,
Things just couldn't be the same.
'Cause I'm as free as a bird now,
And this bird you can not change. 


I love you dad. And I hope to see you again one day...But until then...Fly high free bird...fly high.

Cheated

I feel extremely ashamed that I'm already creating a post called cheated and its only the 8th day! The first week was BRUTAL! I had a very hard time controlling myself. Day one was the only day I woke up at 4am, and I'm kicking myself for that.  I planned on doing it every day, but like they say...even the best laid plans....I didn't completely trash myself but I did enough to know that I'm not where I want to be at this point.

Day 2: I got 20 minutes of cardio in before work and had every intention of doing another 45 while the girls were in ballet.  After all I did have to go all the way back anyway, might as well get good use out of it right?? Well me and my lazy self had different plans, a co worker and I ( the one who was also there to exercise!) sat and chatted for 45 minutes instead.  Ohh well such is life. And to top it all off my diet wasn't good either. I snacked all day. boo

Day 3: Diet wise I did MUCH better.  Small meals every 3 hours and they were very healthy.  I think I did sneak in a teeny tiny little candy on this day, but much better then my normal sweet treat sneak. :) I did 20 minutes cardio again in the morning, and took a bodypump class after work. Staying busy and out of the house definitely helped with the food intake!

Day 4: 20 minutes of cardio before work, not much but it was enough to say I moved.  My diet again was not so good.  I did well in the morning and at lunch time but once 4:00 hit I couldn't help myself! My weakness in life is food, of ALLL kinds which is why this weight loss thing has been soooo stinkin hard for me.

Day 5: I had a sick baby this day.  strep throat! Poor thing.  So we treated ourselves to some pizza, of which she didn't really want Needless to say this day was a complete wash!!

Day6: Feeling a little guilty I got myself up on Saturday morning and ran for 30 minutes.  Then I threw in about 10 minutes of strength. Not much, but I kept myself moving.  I had egg whites and fruit for breakfast, black bean burger and asparagus for lunch, and then snacked quite a bit for dinner. Not what I planned on but I did get the run in which made me feel a little better.

Day 7: I took a spin class!!! about two years ago I was able to drop 20 LBS from doing spin class 3 times a week.  If I hadn't stopped I would be one hot momma right now! But life and excuses got in the way and here I am today 20 LBS back and then some! Anywho... I took the spin class and nearly died, but I felt WONDERFUL! Came home got quite a bit done. Cooked a shepards pie for a nice hearty irish dinner and had my mom over.  Mom always comes bearing LOTS and LOTS of snacks....I'm kind of seeing a pattern here with this snack thing. But I felt good that I had a good workout that morning and felt like I needed to splurge just a bit being it was St. Pattys day....I know I know I'm full of excuses!

So that brings us to today....Day 8. Weigh in day!!! ugh. I got on the scale this morning but felt like I was kind of cheating since I did it with no clothes on and before I had any food or drink it.  To be fair I just got on the scale again which was the same time as last week and I'm wearing the same clothing, and just had lunch. My weight is 180LBS. So considering all of my failed attempts at diet and exercise this week I feel like I really can't complain. I'm down 2LBS in a week. Which is an average and healthy weight to lose per week. Since my goal weight is so big I would like to up it to 5Lbs which I know is totally doable if I keep my eye on the prize and stop all this snacking!!

Todays food intake so far

Breakfast: Banana ( I know this was not at all a sufficient breakfast! I packed oatmeal and a hardboiled egg as well but got pretty busy at work so I never got around to it)

Lunch: 1 scrambled egg plus 3 scrambled egg whites with one slice of American cheese and hot sauce. Romaine lettuce with 1 TB of light Caesar dressing. 1/2 cup of strawberries.

Total Calories so far=363

Very light.  I need to get some more in me soon or else I know I'll trash myself later.  I'm planning on doing double classes later tonight at the Y, Spinning and bodypump. So I'm looking for a good preworkout snack.

Here are a few good options:
1. Oatmeal will boost your energy level and help you have a better workout. If you love working out or going for a power walk or jog first thing in the morning, it’s best to stop in your tracks and have a steamy bowl of oatmeal to give you the power you need to get up and get moving and keep going throughout the day.
2. Fruit provides natural sugar that your body can convert to sugar and then use as fuel. The easily digestible properties of fruit allow the nutrients to be absorbed rapidly by the body and help to sustain it throughout your workout. Combined fruit with yogurt for an energy boosting snack that will keep you satisfied throughout just about any physical activity.
3. Peanut Butter is rich in protein and easily digestible. Just two tablespoons can have as many as 9 grams of protein. A good choice of protein especially if you will be working out within the hour.
4. Yogurt contains both protein and calcium so is an exceptionally good food to eat before your women’s fitness workout.
5. Green Tea is full of antioxidants. In addition to drinking water, green tea is effective for helping to rid your body of toxins and will keep you hydrated during your exercise program.

Source: http://www.fitness4her.com/the-top-five-pre-workout-foods-that-you-need-to-know-about/

If you're planning a strength workout these are recommended



















 if you're planning a cardio workout these are some good recommendations.


















(Source)  http://www.muscleandfitnesshers.com/nutrition/other/preworkout-fuel  This is a very informative website if you every get the chance to look around!!


My favorite go to pre workout snack has been natural peanut butter and whole wheat toast!! Delicious and Nutritious! and I don't feel bad about eating all the carbs and calories knowing I'm getting ready to go blast them anyway!

And a protein shake is a great way to end the day after a late night workout!

chocolate is my fav flavor!

What do you like to eat pre and post workout?


And just on a side note: THANK GOD this blog pre saves every few seconds! I just deleted EVERYTHING!! 

90 day weight loss Challenge

Yesterday was such a bittersweet day for me. We had beautiful spring like weather here in little old Delaware. I'm talking 60 degrees and sunny with baby blue skies.  The kind of weather that puts you in that giddy I love life again mood! But then, I realized if spring was almost here that means that summer isn't too far behind! And this girl is not at all ready to be in a pair of shorts and a tank top, let alone a bathing suit! YIKES! I've had plans of kicking my butt into gear for quite some time now, and have it marked on my Calendar that today is the start of my 90 day challenge. But with the weather being what it was and seeing a picture of myself from my best friends baby shower last week, I really decided it was time! My day started at 4:00 am! I couldn't believe that when my alarm went off I actually hopped right out of bed, splashed cold water on my face, laced up my running shoes and hit the treadmill! The whole time I ran I pinched myself wondering if this was just a bad dream. :) but it turns out it wasn't, and it turns out I kind of enjoyed it. I only did 25 minutes this morning, which ended up being 2 miles exactly. I was pretty darn proud of myself though. And not only did I get a run in, but I cleaned up my house, finished laundry, packed lunches and showered all before my lovely ladies even got out of bed. After dropping them, I headed to work early to get 20 more minutes on an elliptical in the fitness center!! Yes, its only day one. I'm sure by the end of this week I will be one of the crabbiest people you will meet.  But right now I feel FABULOUS!!

So now for the fun information.....My current weight.. EEK! I forgot to weigh myself this morning before food and drink so keep in mind that this weight may be off a bit! hehe trying to spare every pound I can!! :)

Day 1: March 11, 2013
           Weight: 182 LBS

Calorie Goal for today is 1000. I know it seems low, but my goal is to shrink my stomach a bit so I get full quicker. Which will be EXTREMELY hard for me to do.  I almost rarely feel 100% full.  Its probably mostly in my head, I'm sure I get full, I just have a serious problem when I sit down to eat and really enjoy something.  I can't stop! I was like this my whole life but obviously as a teenager I could handle it a little better.....anywho.... My goal weight is at least 135LBS. That's almost 50LBS!!  It seems far away but I know with enough hard work and dedication I can get there.  My pre lovely lady # 1 weight was 125LBS ...ahh those were the days! I don't want to necessarily get back to that weight, but I'd like to get pretty darn close.  So we shall see how it goes. I decided for the time being I would use this blog as my journal.  I know its not read very often so it will be easier for me to open up a bit knowing that. I'm hoping that a big weight loss will give me more confidence to do the things I want in life.

Food Intake:

Breakfast: 8oz Chobani Greek vanilla yogurt with 1/2 cup fresh strawberries and a tablespoon of granola.

Morning Snack: cheese stick

Lunch: Black bean and corn salad with 6 croutons ( I just had to!!) and light buffalo ranch dressing

Total calories so far : 567 calories

I'll try to get back on tonight to record my afternoon snack and dinner. I should have it a bit more planned out, but I don't...I gave up meat for the entire 40 days of lent.  Its been pretty easy not eating the meat but I think because of it I have kind of gravitated a lot more towards junk food. I've been eating a lot of chips and chocolates! Its been quite a challenge for me to come up with filling dinners with no meat.  One of my favorites so far has been a homemade black bean burger. I was very skeptical at first but it was delicious.  Tonight I'd like to make some type of quinoa related dish.  We'll see what I can come up with....

So there you have it...day one so far of my 90 day challenge.  The challenge is pretty much just a self made one.  I'm not planning any special diet or exercise routine for the 90 days.  Just committing to dieting and exercising.  Kind of playing it by ear as to which type.

My short term goal for this week is just to keep going. I'm usually really good at getting up and into things the first day or two but then when I hit day three I the snooze button a few times, I'm gone again....So my goal is to wake up every weekday morning by 4am and Saturday and Sunday by 6am. I'd like to keep my calorie intake to 1000 with MAYBE the exception of St.Patty's day but since I can't eat meat anyways I might not go over too bad.  I'd like to lose 5LBS this week. Which will be a real challenge, but anything is possible if you put the work in!

I'm also planning on rewarding myself for LBS lost. This will help keep me going when that snickers bar is calling my name!

10 LBS= One month of tanning ( I'm not a huge fan of it because of the risk factor and seeing the 50 year old women out there who look 80 because of it, but I figured one month will help give me even more of a confidence boost and get that vitamin D back in my body to help with the end goal)

20LBS= Mani and Pedi ( something I would love to have every two week but just can't seem to justify in the budget.  If I can get down 20LBS though I feel like it will be earned! So down twenty, tan, and beautiful fingers and toes!)

30LBS= A new Hairdo! My best friend cuts my hair for me for really cheap, which is awesome, but if I lose 30LBS I'm getting a new cut and color! I never treat myself to color so it will be a very exciting reward for myself!

40LBS= A new bikini!! Its been over eight years since I've worn one of those things!! My hubby probably doesn't even remember what I looked like in one! I have been drooling over them since but just haven't gotten but butt back into shape!! 2013 will be the year!!!

And The big 50LBS= will be a new wardrobe!!! Nothing I own will fit by that point so I plan on having a nice little shopping spree with my new hot bod!


Hopefully these things will help to motivate me, and hopefully hopefully I will actually follow through with my challenge. 


I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.....

What a HOOT

My beautiful best friend is expecting baby #2 in April!! Today was her baby shower and I had the honor of creating her cupcakes! The theme of her nursery is The Happi Tree which is basically just an owl theme. Its sooo cute! She wanted them to match the colors in the theme, but other then that wasn't picky at all. So my original plan was to make owls on all of them....so I got right to work and made a flat owl shape out of fondant. It was Yellow with orange dots and a pink hear, to match the ones in the bedding....well they looked horrendous!! So I scratched them and went with plan B. 3D owls.  They were much more time consuming though, so I only made six of them.the rest just went with the garden/outdoorsy part of the theme....so here they are! I thought they ended up turning out pretty cute! :)

I can't wait to meet Baby Stella!! :)

Put your money where your bank is

For some reason in our house piggy banks just don't seem to last more them a few months. Lovely lady #1 is constantly counting her coins and keeping logs of how much money she has on each day. Which I LOVE that she does, however she has extremely clumsy hands! She drops almost everything she touches.  My mom got her a snow globe one year for Christmas. My mom is telling Cecilia to be very careful with it because it could break easily, and as the words are coming out of her mouth the thing is in the air and on the ground! Shattered everywhere!!!

The same thing happens with almost every piggy bank! I believe lovely lady #1 has been through seven in seven years! So my hubby comes home from work on Saturday morning and tells the kids to hop in the car for a Lowe's trip.  He has this grand idea that he wants to make piggy banks....

??? I had no idea how he was planning on doing this.  Paper mache was all I could think of! Then he says something about picking up glass...so at this point I'm lost. So I just let them do their thing and I didn't ask a single question. 

I get home later that day and there are two pieces of wood nailed to lovely lady #2's wall!! That's it two horribly ugly pieces of skinny wood.  My first reaction was to be extremely upset that he just drilled into our newly painted walls, but I took a deep breath, walked away, and didn't say a thing! Until Sunday morning at 7am when I hear a table saw in my back yard!!! (My neighbors are probably cursing us!!) I kindly remind him that it is much too early on a Sunday to be making all that noise. So he comes in and goes about whatever it is he is doing.....

Then 20 minutes later......


VOILA

 the most awesome "piggy" bank I think I have ever seen!! This can no be dropped and more importantly its a little tougher to break into when you are just dying to have that candy bar! College is already starting to look more promising! :)

I'd like to pretty it up a little bit, maybe with some fabric or scrapbook paper around the border to cover up the nail...but I thought this thing was pretty stinking cute!! :)

Put not your trust in money,
but put your money in trust.
Oliver Wendell Holmes

I've been RePinned!!

I can hardly contain my excitement right now! I know it might sound silly to some, but I feel like I'm on top of the world. I posted my last project (the painted dresser) onto Pinterest and I've been re pinned!!! Not by people I know who are just trying to help me out, but by actual strangers! So far there have only been two repins, but still it actually happened!!! I'm seriously grinning from ear to ear right now. hehe.

In other news....I've been working on recreating that monstrosity I posted last week.  And I made hubby a believer, it still needs some touch up and I'd like to put a finishing glaze on it but I just can't wait any longer to share it!

 

Not too bad so far!! You can tell there are quite a bit of touch ups needed but I'm thinking shes gonna be a beauty! 

This week is Lovely Lady #2's birthday! She forfeited a birthday party for an ipod touch. And yes she is only Six. Which made it really hard to allow this to happen. So, me being the sucker that I am, still invited people over for a "Birthday Dinner" which in the end will probably end up costing equivalent to a birthday party. But, you only turn Six once, and as long as she doesn't realize that she got both we're okay. Wink Wink.

I'm currently looking into how to properly customize my blog.  I'd like to make it much more easy on the eye, and entertaining.  So if anyone happens upon this and cares to share any tips please do so!! It would make this grin even bigger! :)

 

 

Raboteur (Dresser)

Bonjour! Intz Hallo! Hola! Aloha! (間) はーい, こんにちは, どうも, やあ（挨拶に使う）; おーい; もしもし; おや（注意を引くのに使う. Hello!

The first project I've conquered this year, is the beginning of lovely lady #1's bedroom. As I said in my previous post I was going with an around the world theme. And even with our very low budget, the room is coming along very nicely! Unfortunately we've had some computer and health problems over the past few weeks so it kept me away from blogging about and finishing my project but I have to say I am tickled pink (or green) about this first makeover! One of the first big pieces of her room was her dresser! I LOVE the dresser in her room which was given to us years ago by my mother in law.  It was nothing fancy, just plain off white and pretty boring, but it hold SO MUCH! The drawers are super deep so I never had to worry about stuffing them full and barely being able to close it like some of the other dressers in our home. But again, nothing fancy and quite frankly Very boring. So I decided that was one of the first things that needed a little sprucing.  I've seen the new ombre inspired dresser looks all over pinterest lately. Its where you take a paint swatch and paint each drawer a different shade of whatever color on the swatch.  Super cute! So I spent an hour going through hundreds of swatches and finally decided on a shade of green that I really liked.  After work I ran to the paint store picked up my paint and got right to work, I could not wait to see the final product! As usual my lack of patience got the best of me and I ended up having to do many things over but in the end it looked Ahhhhmazing! It was still missing something though, I wanted it to have more of an around the world look and feel to it so I decided to label the dresser (1.underwear and socks 2. pajamas 3.shirts 4.pants) in french! And I  L*O*V*E it!!! I can't even contain my excitement right now for the grand reveal!

And there you have it folks! From blah to Magnifique! And I can
 not officially say that I am addicted to this whole remodeling of furniture thing! So my current project (aside from completing and revealing around the world themed room) is this enourmous not so beautifully crafted piece of craziness.....

And the mess surrounding it! Hubby sees no potential...I see tons!

Other then that the rest of the month is pretty busy. Lovely Lady # 2 is celebrating her 6th birthday on the 31st! And apparently so are many other people we know! We have tons of parties coming up! She is requesting a snow cone cake so we'll see what I can come up with!

Hope everyone is staying warm!!!

Baby Steps

Out with the old and in with the new! You have to crawl before you walk and you have to walk before you run. I've spent a lot of my free time over the last weeks on the computer completely consumed in the bloggers world! I've been so envious of so many of these AMAZING people. So creative and talented. I know it takes experience and time to have these amazing blogs and beautifully decorated and organized homes, but I so wish I was Samantha from bewitched right now! I want it all! :) Unfortunately my hubby and I are extremely tight with money at the moment so I have to work with what I have. Which means being even more creative and thinking Wayyyy outside of the box. So project #1 for the New Year is going to be lovely lady #1's bedroom. One of the best things about painting for me is that its 100% FREE :) Mi Madre is the office manager of a commercial paint company in our area so we get all of our house paints free of charge. I was recently introduced to this super addicting app called WANELO (Want Need Love) and while browsing around stumbled across these Adorable pillows from Pottery Barn Teen.

Sadly SanFrancico was the only one they had available! But, it got me thinking about some pretty cool ideas for lovely ladies bedroom. An around the world theme. She tells me all the time that she wants to travel and see the world, so I thought this would be the perfect theme for her. I'm so excited to get started with it! It will most likely take a while since I have a $0 budget at the time, but a little paint can make a world of difference!

I know I've been beating around the bush with almost every project idea I've had, but I've realized that I won't be taken seriously by others until I take myself seriously. So that is part of my 2013 New Years Resolution. To take myself seriously. I need to complete a project when I say I'm going to, I need to hop on that treadmill again tomorrow morning like I've been telling myself to do for weeks, If I want to have an amazing blog one day like all of these other fabulous mommies out there, I HAVE to commit to it! So project number one begins tomorrow! Baby steps....just a little at a time.  I will get there, I will inspire, I will create, I will take myself seriously!

Happy New Year!!!!

"Write it on your heart, that EVERY day is the BEST Day in the year."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Peace on earth

I've been spending the past few days really trying to come to terms with this world. Wondering why there is so much evil. When tragedy strikes we all try to pull together and bring whatever good out of it that we can. It's hard to find anything good after last Friday though. My heart aches for those babies and their families, I cannot fathom what their parents are feeling right now. The only thing I could think to do today was to write. I wrote to my girls. I haven't really talked to them much about the incident. They are so young and innocent and I didn't want to take that away from them. They k is that something horrible happened but that they were "safe" as safe as you can be in a world like this anyway. They didn't ask to many questions and until they do I felt that I should leave it at that. I don't want to put unecessary fear in them. So I wrote them a letter for the future that I will share with you. Everything that has happened has really started to sink in and make me realize how short life truly is. I want to make sure my children know how much I love them, and how good the world CAN be.

Dear my sweet beautiful baby girls,

Last Friday something horrible happened in Connecticut. Something unimaginable and every parents worst nightmare. Although I know that unfortunately the world that we currently live in is corrupt, Fridays tragedy was and still is especially hard to come to terms with. Children were involved. Sweet beautiful innocent children just like you. My heart is aching for them and their families. And while there is nothing I can do to take their pain away I pray and hope that someday, somehow they will heal. It's out a real perspective on things for me. It's really show me how quickly life can be take . Every morning we wake we are given another chance. We are given a gift. More time to spend with those we love. More memories to be made. More laughs to be laughed. More playtime. More togetherness. I've tried over the past seven plus years to be the absolute best mom to you girls. I was so young when I became a mother so it's definitely been a challenge. I feel I'm doing an ok job, but I want to do more. I don't want to take a single day spent with you girls for granted. It is up to me to teach you the ways of the world. To tell you about the evil when I see fit and to make sure that no matter what you can always see the good. Because this world can be good. And you two are living proof of that. Everything that is good in this world is YOU. Our children. The children of our world are our future. Stay the way you are, despite Ll the bad you hear. Stay good and our future will be more bright. I hope to god that one day you will witness peace on earth. Until then I hope to give you your own kind of peace and keep your world as safe and good as I can.

Love,
Mom

May you rest in peace Sandy Hook victims

12 Days of Teachers Gifts

I saw this idea online last year, and really wanted to try it out but ran out of time.  This year I was so back and forth with it, trying to save money and yet still be creative can be pretty challenging.  Especially with two teachers! But I decided to do it, and its been so much fun! We still have 4 days of gifts left, but I can't wait to post the ones we've already done so I'll post days 1-8 now.Some of them I didn't really get the best pictures of, so I'll just give you the decription. 

No.1: On the First Day of Christmas, they got Chocolate covered spoons for stirring hot chocolate or coffee!

No. 2: On the second Day of Christmas, they got Chocolate Chip Cookies.

 No. 3: On the third Day of Christmas ( MY FAVORITE) they got pencils that I created from left over pieces of our picket fence. 

No. 4: On the Fourth Day of Christmas, Hand Sanitizer! The girls picked out cute little holders for the mini sanitizers from bath and body works.

 No. 5: On the fifth day of Christmas Scarves! ( Forgot the picture but they were super cute!)

 No. 6: On the sixth day of Christmas, salt dough ornaments! Hubby baked them while mommy was out at a much needed dinner! Then I painted them when I got home, and the girls put their thumprints on in the morning to create the reindeer!

 No.7: On the 7th day of Christmas we created hearts from candycanes, and filled them with melted chocolate and crushed peppermint.

No.8: And today, the 8th day of Christmas I gave them a printable that I found from simply designing. ( This should take you to the page if you'd like one too! She's so generous and lets you print them for free! https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B2Z1O_cQfZmkMmU0MHdMYWxYdXc) I framed one for each of the teachers. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of this one.  They were super cute though! 

 If you can, when giving gifts, don't forget the unified arts teachers! They work just as hard! Also the school nurse, bus driver, and office help! It can get pretty pricy with all of them, but I shopped at the dollar section of target and found them each really cute planners for 2013 and got them each one of the mini hand sanitzers and holders from bath and body words for 1.50 each. Not too bad. Baked good are always good too, when you're running low on dough! Just something to let them know we appreciate what they do for our children! :)  Nine people for just over $20 total.  Pretty good if I do say so myself.  And when you have virtually no money to spend on them, just a simple thank you can really change a persons life.  Write them each a nice letter wishing them a happy holiday and thanking them for all they do. Just taking the time to show that you care is better then nothing at all.

Just B. Elf

Our Elf has the pleasure of being named after Justin Bieber. For some reason when you ask my girls to name something the only things they can come up with are crazy made up words, like baladooda or comalina....i know seriously strange.  Don't ask me where they got it! The second best thing they could do last year when our elf first arrived, was Justin Bieber! I told them we should just shorten it to Justin B. and they agreed that would be good since after all, there already was a Justin  Bieber. So Justin B. it was, and boy was he an exciting guest last year! He hid in the most tricky places, it took FOREVER to find him on some days. So this year Justin B. has returned, and decided to hide a little differently this time around.  He's pretty easy to find most days, but he is just being soo silly! The kids LOVE it! So, I thought I'd share a few of his hiding places with you.  I have to give credit to Pinterest of course, because that it is where most of these came from, not sure the exact source though or I would definitely give them credit as well.

 

 Justin B. arrived the day after Thanksgiving, but on December 1st he made sure we had our calendar ready to let the countdown to Christmas begin!

 

Going for a cruise with Barbie! I think Ken will be getting Jealous!

 Listening to some Jams on a very expensive very cracked Ipod! :)

 Who Stole the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?! Justin B. Elf, stole the Cookies from the cookie jar! And although you can't see it very clearly, he turned our milk GREEN!! Yikes!

 Just Hanging Out.  Lovely Lady #1 was soo excited about this one, she was face timing a friend of hers and they always show each other where their elf is hiding that day.  This particular day their elves were both in the same exact places! haha Hanging from the Curtain Rod! I swear they didn't plan this one! :)

 The girls left a huge mess downstairs after daddy worked so hard making it nice the night before.  Justin wasn't very happy about this one, so he hung out in the mail center all day with a note reminding them that Santa doesn't like to bring brand new toys to kids who don't take care of the ones they already have.

 Justin B. Really misses the North Pole! He decided he'd improvise and made a marshmallow Snowman! Boy did he get messy in that snow!!!

 He's a little too big for that house, don't you think!? He hung out at the lego friends home for the day! Hope he didn't squish them!

 Time for a nap! All this hiding and being silly sure can take a toll on a poor little Elf!

 Relaxing in a "bubble bath", and watching some tv. :) That bathroom floor looks like it needs a little scrub! Yuck!

 Game Night! There's that same Barbie again! She sure will miss him when he returns to the North Pole!

 Keeping Watch on the Picture frame!

Star light Star Bright, first star you see tonight, I wish I may I wish I might have the wish I wish tonight! Justin hung out on the star while the family camped out under the Christmas tree for one of our 25 days of Christmas countdown activities!

I can't believe there are only 11 more days until Christmas! Time sure does fly when you're having fun! We've been busy little bees, but its all been worth it to see the smiles on those two beautiful faces! Love making memories and starting new traditions with the wonderful family I was blessed with. Hope everyone is having a great Christmas Month so far! 

“Life has many twists and turns in it; you have to take what you are given and use it for the best."

Don't ever take a single day for granted! And try not to sweat the small stuff, Christmas can be wasted if we spend it stressing over money and time. Stay positive and think happy thoughts, everything will find a way some how. 

SOUPer Sunday

Many things that were supposed to happen this month, did not.  I got completely overwhelmed with, Dentist Appointments, school applications, Parent teacher conferences, Cooking for lovely lady #2's class party, Sick Days, THANKSGIVING, Christmas tree shopping, ,50th Anniversary Cake, 10 dozen cupcakes, the grand opening of my brother and sister in Laws RightCoastPro (professional wrestling business) and trying to remember to shower and dress every day! The scariest part about this is that November isn't even over yet! It went by sooo fast and yet so much was finished (or not finished) in these short 25 days.I did paint my door black, however I still need to change out the hardware so it looks complete, so no pics on that just yet!
So instead of talking about all of the things I was supposed to get done, I figured I'd share some of the things that I actually did get done.  The Dentist Appointment was for my lovely ladies, I am soo stinkin proud of those two for being such troopers through the whole thing.  Cecilia's teeth aren't too bad. She had one minor cavitity in between two of her teeth and she had to get sealants put on to prevent any future cavities.  However miss Sophia was blessed with teeth as soft as marshmallows! Any little bit of sugar that finds its way into her tiny little mouth get very comfy in there and starts to eat away immediately! She is 5 years old and has already gotten two teeth pulled, spacers put in, and a temporary filling. So this particular trip the dentist wanted to remove the temporary filling, grind down the tooth, and cap it off, plus she had another cavitity to boot! I feel like the worlds worst mom when I bring her into the dentist, every time, it never fails she has another cavitiy. I swear I brush those suckers at least twice a day! But, long story short, she survived and did it without a flinch or any of that silly laughing gas!

Charter Applications are out and now we're just hoping for the best! We applied to three charter schools this year and although we are slowly warming up to the new public school we're in, we have our fingers crossed that we get in to one of the three. Just to have a peace of mind that they would be set in these schools until they graduate high school. I went through 5 schools when I was younger, and we lived in the same house all my life. To know that my kids wouldn't have to change school every time the board sneezed would really make us happy!

We had our parent teacher conferences this month, which went wonderfully! And I'd hate to brag (Actually LOVE it when it comes to my kids) but we were told they are some of the best in the school, even by the Art,Music,Gym, and Library teachers who we just happened to walk by in the halls. Sophia started Kindergarten this year, and is right on track to where she should be. We strive to be ahead so we'll definitely continue to work with her at home to get her reading and writing a bit nicer.  Cecilia, who has always been a bright kid, was said to be the PERFECT student.  She said other second grade teachers wish they had her in their classrooms. She is way above her reading level and above grade level in math even though its not her strongest subject. Her teacher almost brought me to tears with all of the kind words she said about her. We couldn't have been more proud of those two lovely ladies! :)

The last week of school before Thanksgiving break Lovely ladies Kindergarten class was having a Thanksgiving Feast! They had sign ups the week before so I was supposed to bring in Mashed Potatoes and Gravy. (Easy Peasy) Well, that was until we got a note home asking if anyone wanted to volunteer to cook the Turkey that was donated to the class. I sent a note in the very next day and offered to cook the Turkey as well as the Mashed Potatoes, I was feeling a little guilty that I would be at work and unable to attend this party so I wanted to help out in any way I could. So her teacher called me that day and told me she would be soo appreciative if I could do that. Well, I've only cooked one other turkey my whole life. It turned out good,  but if was just for my family so I felt that the pressure was on big time for this Turkey.  I googled a "Super Moist" turkey recipe and found one that said to cover the thing in mayo and Rosemary, salt and Pepper. A little strange, but I have hear Mayo makes for some moist chicken so I decided to give it a try. I'm telling you I lost sleep over this thing! It smelled so good, looked fantastic, but I was so afraid that I may have undercooked it, even though the temp was right, or that I didn't carve it good enough and they would run out of turkey.  I worry over some unnecessary things sometimes. Needless to say, the turkey ended up being a hit! Shaaaa Woooo! :)

Then the Monday of Thanksgiving week, I got the dreaded STOMACH BUG! YUCK. We won't go into details about that one, but it did set me back a bit.  Luckily my kids, although sometimes extremely loud, were very self sufficient and helpful on this day. And my mother in law came to the rescue and picked them up to shop for a few hours. So far, I was the only one in the house that got it, so please knock on wood!

Thanksgiving day here in little ol' delaware was GORGEOUS! We have an annual tradition of playing football the morning of and it is usually freezing cold and/or raining cats and dogs! This year was blue skies and sunshine all day long! We had dinner at my moms house with just my siblings and our kids which is still 11 people strong. Food was amazing, company was great, kids were good,and it really turned out to be one of the best years yet! The next day we went for our Christmas tree! Another tradition we started  years ago with my dad and his parents. We go to Coleman's tree farm and take a little hayride out to cut down our own. The trees were Ginormous this year! And all we wanted was a tiny little 6 footer since it would be up on a platform. It took a little longer then the norm, but we found the perfect tree.  Lovely lady #1 picked it out and she is so proud of her pick.  We'll be putting it up and decorating it this evening. Love this time of year! :)

Oh and in the middle of Thanksgiving and tree shopping I managed to knock out, a 50th anniversary cake for my mother and father in law and 10 dozen cupcakes for the grand opening of a new business started by my brother and sister in law. I had one night up till 3 am and one up till 1am then back up at 6am to finish. But i did get them done! The anniversary cake gave me every possible problem that a cake can give. I'm still pretty new at the whole cake thing and have actually not done one in a few months so it was a little frustrating but served its purpose.

And the cupcakes I made turned out pretty delicious if I do say so myself. I tried two new recipes. One was an apple cobbler cupcake (originally from the cupcake project) with a pumpkin pie icing. Really just a butter cream icing with pumpkin pie spice but it was yummy. The other was a pumpkin cupcake with cream cheese icing. They seemed to be a hit at the event.

And the event itself was pretty awesome! I've never been to something like it before. Hubby's brother has been into wrestling FOREVER and unfortunately hurt his back in a car accident years ago so he had to remove himself from the rink. He stayed involved in the training and supportive part of it and has been planning on started up his own business for quite some time. They both did amazing with the whole thing! I'm so excited to see the upcoming events! The website will be up and running tomorrow and I'll post a link so that it can be shared! :)

And now, its time for me to get the rest of the month out of the way, which is really where the title of the post came from. I've been wanting to try to have a SOUPer Sunday during the cold months. I'm just planning on making a big batch of soup every Sunday to have as a meal or on the side throughout the week.  This weeks Soup that I'm going to try is Roasted Cauliflower and Aged White Cheddar Soup.  It look Scrumptious! So hopefully it will be. I'm going to take the recipe I found from Closet Cooking and adapt it a little to make it my own. Can't wait to try it. Today will definietely be a good day for soup,because it's SOUPer cold (CORNY I know.) out there! Time is of the essence so I'd better get started! Getting my kiddos back from their Emmy (my mom) and off to Market we go! :) Happy Sunday!

Front Door/Back Door now a Black Door!

That sounds soo Dr.Seuss to me!!

In reference to my last post, we were very fortunate not to suffer any devastation from Sandy, not even a flicker of lights.  Sadly a lot of the East Coast can't say the same. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those affected. Don't ever take a single day for granted. You never know when a tragedy like that could impact your life...


On a happier note, I finally decided to conquer a project I've been wanting to do! Its not complete yet but I'm so excited to talk about it! Our front door it actually a back door, however my genius hubby decided it would work. It doesn't look bad, just a little different then the average persons front door.  Anyhoo...a few years ago hubby begged and begged to paint the shutters on the house black. I wanted nothing to do with it! Not really sure why I just thought it would looked horrendous. I just kept thinking cute little starter home turned haunted house.  Black at the time just seemed so... EEK... Halloweenish to me. He finally just decided to do it without me.And although you will rarely hear me say this....he was right.  It looked great! So classy...made the house look a little more on the "expensive side".
Then, after looking at an awkard white door for a while, we finally painted the outside door to match the shutters.  However, we never thought to paint the inside black as well. After all, it was on the inside. I mean who does that? I kept throwing the idea out there, to hubby of course first, my mom, and co workers, everyone just kept shooting the idea down. Told me it would just be to dark for the inside. 

Today....I proved them wrong!

And really this project only happened because of the most Awesome IKEA rug. I finally picked it up last weekend after wanting it for so long, and now the decor just doesn't go, so I shall be completing many projects in the next few weeks. I'm soo excited about it! After all that is the whole reason I wanted to join the blogging community.

So...I took our old outdated enourmous "AREA RUG" that took up the entire living room floor, and replaced it with the small but perfect area rug.The rug is gray and our furniture is tan so I wasn't really sure at all how that would work. Our paint color is called barely Greige so its like gray and beige in one. Then we have these huge pictures on the back wall that hubby is attached to but once again I feel they are outdated. I will secretly replace them one day while he's at work with a wall of pictures of the ones he loves, and he will secretly love them! :) Our coffee table, end tables, and the table that hold our digital cable box are all like a dark burgundy wood. I will be painting most of them off white with maybe small grey accents and one piece I'd like to paint a subtle yellow. We will also be redoing our hardwood floors, they are now on the lighter side and I'm thinking of darkening them. Not 100% sure yet, but we shall see!  Sounds a little much but I feel like it will really work! Once I start getting everything going I'll definitely post pictures! And that's where the front door back door now a black door started.  I began the process of turning it black today, and I LOVE IT!!!!

Another project that hopefully I'll be able to complete and post tomorrow is my Fall/Thanksgiving Wreath. I got everything to make it a few days ago, so I will post pictures of that as well when it is complete.

  We did start out Thankful Tree on November 1st. A little bare when I took this picture. And now it's already filled with so much Thanks and its only the 6th! I need to add more branches to fill this bad boy out, but here it is for now!

The First Day lovely lady #1 writes that she is thankful for "Great friends and Family" and Lovely lady #2 without any hesitation grabs her paper and pen and is sooo happy that she knows to spell some words so she write "I like mom" :) makes my heart melt. Love those lovelies! :)

The right to vote! :)
May the best Man win.

FRANKENSTORM

Well, the votes were cast....and lovely lady didn't make it! It was one of the most heartbreaking days of our lives so far! We tried to prepare her for the possibility but she didn't take it very well at first. She just quietly walked up to her room after school and broke down in tears. I wasn't exactly sure how to comfort her. We took her to dinner that night to let her know we were still extremely proud of all her accomplishments. She overcame a fear of standing in front of room full of people that she barely knew. She made signs and campaigned all week. In our eyes shes still a winner!  In the end she realized it was a great experience and you can't win em all! She did come in second to a two way tie though! :)

We also completed the light the night walk.  There was a great turn out for such an amazing cause! It was very emotional hearing all of the survival stories and the stories of those who have lost a loved one to this vicious disease. It really makes you appreciate the life you were given. Don't take a single day for granted!

We were so blessed to be able to go there with my mom who is a lymphoma survivor!! Six years Cancer free!

Now...to prepare for the Frankenstorm!!! Hurricane Sandy is supposed to hit our area pretty good! Us Delawareans aren't really used to big storms so when they are predicted to hit, the stores look like its prep time for the zombie apocalypse!

 Even the Dollar Store had massive lines for batteries!! Schools have already closed for Monday and some for Tuesday! So after our fall fest today we will be coming home to batten down the hatches!! The kids love when we have these once a year threats for storms, we put their mattresses in the basement and camp out all night! Hopefully it won't be too severe, and my heart goes out to all of the families in the Bahamas and surrounding areas who have already lost lives due to this storm.  It really is no laughing matter, and its better to be safe then sorry!

Wishing everyone a safe weekend!! Stay Dry, Take cover, and stock up on water if you're in the areas that are predicted to be hit!! Don't forget about that baby formula and diapers if you have an infant!! Guess this wasn't the best month to give freezer cooking a try! I have $400 worth of frozen meals in my freezer!! Really hoping we don't lose power for too long! Happy Weekend everyone!!