Jamesy Day

Yesterday was Jamesy's birthday. I call it Jamesy Day. We had a blast. It's really crazy to think that I've had this incredible boy in my life for six years now. What would I ever have done without him?

James got an mp3 player for his birthday loaded with Johnny Cash, Taylor Swift, and James Taylor. He is walking around the house with his headphones on singing every other word...it's priceless.

James in his classroom with Mrs. Hinderland

Sweet Baby James being GOOFY!

Hi pretty girls!

Grant is getting his play on at the play
ground

Mom's Boys

The Homeboys

Sprial Notebooks at the Ruffled Feathers Craft Night

We had another late night meeting of the minds and boy did we rock it, puppet! This was a great project for beginners. The best thing about these books is that they are not time consuming at all. You can make them as simple or as detailed as you like. They are great as gifts journals, you name it.

Here are a few shots of the amazing spiral notebooks the girls created. How spunky would you feel journaling in these fun journals?

Holy Schnepf!

We go to Schnepf Farms every year in October and love it. What a fun place to let the kids get dirty and be kids. This year we decided to go on Halloweena (in normal land that would be a typo but here it is perfectly acceptable). What better way to celebrate, right?

It was AWESOME! The Farm had candy at all of the vendors so the kids got to trick-or-treat. Here are all of the super spooky things we got to do:

• walk around the farm and enjoy the agriculture...big beautiful sunflowers, pumpkins, peach trees. It felt so good.


• ride roller coasters, swings, slides and tricycle races


• roast yummy marshmallows and make s'mores- my kids' favorite thing to do


• eat dinner at the d-lish Farm Restaurant


• take home scrumptious Caramel Apple Pie!!!

Needless to say, Peter, John, and Tink had a blast and the parents did too!

One More Day 'til Halloweena!

That's what we called it when I was little. I haven't thought of that word for years and it just popped in my head the other day. What an amazing day. I don't have any bad memories about this spooky holiday. I can remember years when it rained and we couldn't go outside. I remember years that were not as exciting as others. But NEVER have I not loved Halloweena. Here are the reasons why I love "Halloweena":

1. I won't even begin to recall each costume. I don't think I could even tell you half of them because my memory is SO bad. What I do know is that this crazy special holiday never involved store bought costumes or treats made without love. My mom made this holiday (most holidays actually) over the top special. It's a gift she possesses. She would stay up all night long hemming, stitching, glue-ing, and pressing. We would wake up to these amazing feasts of fabric. Because of her vision, I was the most beautiful Cinderella there ever was or has been. Robin was the most juicy set of grapes, the truest Dorothy, and even Barbie and the Rockers back when she had more fans than Hannah Montana.
2. It was never about candy, what we would get, who's costume was more expensive, or how much candy we could eat. Well, hold on....I'm sure it was like that last one at least a little!But looking back the best part was walking around the neighborhood with friends holding treat bags and pillow cases. It was the excitement we felt when we were finally old enough to go around the block instead of just staying in our cul-de-sac. It was about carving the pumpkin setting it on the porch for all to see. It was about checking out the spooky houses and getting that funny feeling of fear in our tummys.
3. It was about crafting. It's no wonder I am a crafter. My earliest memories of crafting stem from this haunting holiday. It wasn't just about the cauldrons and witches brew though. It was about leaves and the beginning of Autumn. It was about baking yummy treats and coming home to after school snacks.
4. Remember having to check the TV Guide for your favorite shows? I remember getting this old flashback and power reading it to find out when "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" was coming on. And then, I would hound/irritate my mom until the day of.

I've been trying over the past years to really pass on my love for the spook. I think that I've succeeded. The kids beg to go to the halloween section of Target. We walk around the block to see all of the tombestones and monsters decorating the neighborhood. They have been SO patiently waiting. And now...tomorrow...it all comes out and we get to have the spookiest day of the year!

We're going to Schnepf tonight. I'll post tomorrow with some super duper shots of Peter, Tink, and Brother John. I wish you all a...

"Happy Halloweena"

Hugs-Amanda

I took the plunge...

and created a new meetup group! I'm super excited and nervous at the same time. The group I created is called Ruffled Feathers Paper Crafters. I have a vision that we will all meet often to create altered projects and that everyone will {love} the group.

I am hoping that I am not the only person in the world (okay, Queen Creek)looking for paper crafters to hang out. We shall see though. I will post more about this soon.

On another "plunging" note, my handsome boy, James, starts KINDERGARTEN (gasp) on Thursday! OMG-so nervous that I will drive in the wrong lane, park in the wrong spot, get yelled at, embarrass my kid, not be good enough for the women in the PTN, embarrass myself, and everything else that is associated with school. Oh, the memories I have about the horrible experiences. I hope my son has better luck with the education system than I ever did.

Random-ly Blogging

From James Lipton, host of Inside the Actor’s Studio:


1. What is your favorite word? heart


2. What is your least favorite word? Ugly


3. What sound or noise do you love?My boys calling “Mommy!”


4. What sound or noise do you hate? the sound of anger



5. What is your favorite curse word? loser



From JL’s Uncle Jessie Meme:
1. A song/band/type of music you'd risk wreck & injury to turn off when itcomes on the radio?Anything that my husband likes to listen to...we have a polar opposite taste in music



2. Best show on television? ER (reruns count, right?)



3. Favorite movie? Say Anything



4. Favorite room in your house? Dining Room (craft table)



5. Best concert? Taylor Swift with Jamesy.

6. Brass or strings?Strings

8. If you could have anything put on a t-shirt what would it be? Be nice.

9. The best part about being your age? Feeling like I can check in and fix my mistakes.



9. Favorite Girl Scout cookie? Tagalongs



10. Poker or gin or bridge? None

11. Shower or bath? Bath

12. Favorite pajamas? Loose, cotton, shapeless, comfy.

13. Nightmare job? Anything that wouldn't allow me to watch my babies grow everyday.

14. A talent you wish you had? Sewing like my mom

15. Dream vacation? Anywhere tropical...Fiji has always been a dream of mine.

16. What’s on your nightstand? Sudoku, pretzels, and glasses.

Friday Blues

So every Friday I get the blues because James leaves me for a few days. I know I should be happy that it's the weekend, but life's just not the same without him. Terry and I drove James to his dad's this afternoon. When we got home, I made oven fried chicken with mashed potatoes. I was needing some comfort food.

Update: Last week I wrenched my back and just haven't been the same. In fact I was in pretty severe pain until Wednesday. I'm now going to physical therapy and have an appointment with an ortho specialist to see what the heck is going on. I get this "muscle spasm" thing every so often, but this time was definitely the most pain I've felt. I've got to get down to the bottom of it.

On a lighter note, my girlfriend (take a bow Michelle Marshall) had a super idea. Instead of buying chipboard books at the paper crafting store, she suggested making a mini book out of the kids old board books! So...I started mine tonight! YAY! It's super cute and I can't wait to post pictures of the finished product! The paper I used is from My Minds Eye which always seems to make me happy. Click here to see the paper line. I've also been dabbling in the distressed ink arena and I'm having a blast doing it! I heart Tim Holtz!

Also, I'm hosting another "Altered Letter" class at my house in a couple of weeks. See August 2008 archive for pics. Give me a shout if you're interested. The more the merrier
Hope everyone is well! Thank you for all the well wishes!

Me A to Z

All about ME...........
A – Age: 31
B – Bed size: Queen
C – Chore you hate: Laundry
D – Dog’s name: NO D-O-G. I'm highly allergic.
E – Essential start your day item: tinted moisturizer
F – Favorite color: Green
G – Gold or Silver: Silver
H – Height: 5′9.5" Terry says he's taller...it's a sticky point
I – Instruments you play(ed): none
J – Job title: CEO of Duffville
K – Kid(s): Jaiden, James, and Grant
L – Living arrangements: My dream house in the QC
M – Mom’s name: Dawn
N – Nicknames: AJ and Mandi
O – Overnight hospital stay other than your birth: Apendectomy and my boys births
P – Pet Peeve: people that scream at their kids and embarass them in public
Q – Quote from a movie: "She's gone. She gave me a pen. I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen." Lloyd in Say Anything
R – Right or left handed: Left
S – Siblings: Robin, Sarah and Matt
T – Time you wake up: when my kids do...usually by 7
U- Underwear: MYOB
V-Vegetable you dislike: raw onions, cucumber, raw tomato, radish...I could go on, but whatever.
W – Ways you drink your coffee: with CoffeeMate
X-rays you’ve had: teeth, back, arm
Y – Yummy food you make: Beef Stroganoff, Tacos, Chicken Casserole
Z – Zoo favorite : Giraffes

Now pass this on to 3 other friends that you want to get to know better...so here goes! I'm tagging:

Heather
Michelle
Meg

why is he the way he is?

Sometimes I sit and watch Jamesy sleep. I wonder what he's dreaming about in that grown up brain of his. I feel sad that such a little man lives with so much weight on his shoulders. I wish I could have done better by him. I know that he is what he is because of his experiences. Gosh, I love him!

Nine Reasons Why I Adore My Little Man:

1. He looks past all of the small stuff and cares for people for what they really are. We went to the pool a few weeks ago and he was the only boy who made friends with kids that had Downs Syndrome. He saw past everything. I was so proud

2. He LOVES Johnny Cash. He runs around the house singing "MY NAME IS SUE...HOW DO YOU DO?" What 5 year old has impecabble taste in music?

3. Jamesy is loyal. Once he makes a friend, it is a friend for life and he will do anything for them!

4. He is confident! For that he is eager to try new things. I love that about him.

5. He likes to smell good for the ladies. It's the cutest thing to watch him put on "man spray" so that he can smell good. I love that he spikes his hair too!

6. He has more personality in his pinky than most people have in their WHOLE body!! It just oozes out of him.

7. Everything just comes naturally to him!! WHY? I don't know . He's just that kid. I love that about him.

8. He's such an amazing brother. He protects Grant, Jaiden, and Chelsea. He wants them to be near him always. He has a heart of hearts.

9. He's a lover not a fighter. This kid begs to snuggle! He will love on me forever. He wants to snuggle in the morning, snuggle in the evening...and everything in between. He picks flowers for me and offers to make me breakfast. He's gonna make some husband!

Grant the Great

How did we make such an incredible little man? He's a talker, man. He won't quit. It's so great to finally be able to hear what he has to say. I'm making out about half of what he is saying, but it's better than nothing, right?

He says:
Mama, Daddy, Baba, Juicy, NO! (shocker), peas (please), hi-hen (chicken), too-tee (cookie)...and a million other words I can't figure out yet.

Oh, and by the way...I STILL think he's gonna be my south paw. {fingers crossed}

Stay Tuned-

{Here we come Taylor!}

WE GOT 'EM!!! Jen and I have been patiently waiting to get tickets to take Jaiden and James to see Taylor Swift and she got them this morning!!! SO rad. I can't wait to stand on the seats and belt out or favorite songs. I can't wait to watch Jamesy scream at the top of his lungs for her. (Sigh)

James favorite song in the whole wide world for those of you who don't know or haven't heard him sing it is "ihatethatstupidoldpickuptruck"...lol-Picture to Burn.

Feeling Charmed?

Here's a sneak peek of our March project. This mini book is called Charmed. I'm really excited about this book because we introduce a new technique from Ranger Inks involving Alchohol Ink. Sound scary? It's actually easier than you think! I'm crazy about the papers and colors in this book. Heather and I have incorporated areas for journaling to capture those unforgettable moments. Can't wait to share the rest! If you'd like to participate in this class, please let me know as soon as possible. I've tentatively set the date for March 12.

I {heart} you!

Happy Valentines Day!! Today we went to Jaiden's last soccer game of this season. It was good. Those kids really get out there and play! Then we went to Grandmas and Chuck E Cheeses to celebrate.

In the spirit of love and passion here is my latest project. This is part of a mini book that I created to celebrate "Just the Beginning" of my little G-man! I am passionate about crafting and crazy in love with my munchkin!

P.S. Photography by none other than Rebekha Pailliotet

Strep!!

Yuck! So bummed. We were going to go to a Valentines Day party with all our friends tomorrow! I ran James to the doctor this afternoon because he's been complaining of a sore throat. And this kid's not really a complainer when he's sick. Anyhow, glad we went. But SO sad we're missing out on all the fun!

On another note, I am emotional today because I had to sign my baby up for KINDERGARTEN today!!! I can't believe he's been growing for 5 years already. Craziest thing. I'm not typically the emotional mom. I'm not a gusher and I thought that since he's already been in preschool for two years that this would be a cinch. Then I pulled up to the ginormous (only a word in my vocab, I know) school and got so depressed. Pretty soon I'll be screening girlfriends! No wait, that's already happening.

Here's James new school. He starts Eduprize in July 2009!

Crazy December

Well, it has once again been a crazy December. We left the week before Christmas to see my fam in CA so that we could be back in time to get the kids off to their respective parents. It was chaos trying to get everything done a week early, but it worked out. We got home on the 23rd and enjoyed being home together as a family. Terry was home quite a bit and got to enjoy the kids. It was awesome. Here are a couple of random shots from the past couple of weeks:

Chomps the Dinosaur!

This week we had a traveling visitor...it's Chomps the class pet! Yay. We did lots with Chomps. He went with us to see Grandma in California and had a great time. He got to go to the snow with us and throw snow balls. We loved having Chomps and hope he had fun too.

James and Chomps in his room

Chomps loves Christmas!

Have a Cool Yule!

My super creative photography genious (Rebekha Pailliotet) did our Christmas pictures recently. I've been uber eager to learn more about Photoshop and she offered to give me some tips and pointers. Here's what I ended up creating! This is my favorite family picture yet! Thanks Rebekha. You're the best.

Tagged:

Heather tagged me with this...cute.

i am: a good mom
i know: how to sew finally (not well, but that's okay)
i want: my new car to hurry up and get here
i have: gorgeous babies
i hate: people that complain but don't do anything about what they are complaining about
i miss: my family in CA
i feel: like I don't have enough time to get what I need to done
i hear: my beloved husband watching the Cards game
i smell: my favorite Glowing Embers candle
i crave: Dr Pepper
i search: every day for something new to craft
i love: belonging to my moms group
i care: too much about too many things
i always: worry about what others think about me
i believe: that if you try hard you will succeed
i write: very little other than blog posts and meetup stuff
i lose: minutes every day with my kids that I will miss someday.
i win: my kids over with treats
i never: go to bed without kissing my boys
i listen: to the new Kenny Chesney cd over and over
i am scared: that I am not good enough
i need: my kids
i am happy about: working on being more philanthropic

I tag Tiffany and Meg.

I took a day off from work today...

and went horseback riding with Tiffany! It was my first time on a horse and I had a blast. We went with another friend up to Sajuaro Lake. There's a company that does trail rides up there. It was gorgeous. Tiffany's mad at me because I'm not sore. Our friend Heather watched the boys for us so that we could take the day off and boy are we grateful.

Our Milestone Weekend!

So...Grant is officially walking! Yay!! He's walking across rooms now. It started with a couple of steps. But now he's a traveling man. It was so cool to watch. I will post pictures as soon as I can catch him walking. He falls everytime I get the camera out! LOL

AND- James started riding his two wheeler with NO training wheels. He's doing such a great job!