Remember.....

It's been 9 years since that horrible day in New York City....

Please read Sarah's blog post HERE...

This brought me to tears....

And don't forget to REMEMBER this weekend....

Fly your flags high!!!

August: Month In Review...

Was your August as hot as ours?!?

103?!?!?

Are you kidding me??

(my computer is acting up...forgive me for the off-center pictures)

In August....

I hung up some pictures on my wall....

...and my staircase....

 

My girls started school....at a new school, so this was an exciting (and nervous) time for us all....

My sweet friend, Kristen, who's also a photographer did a mini-photo session with the girls....her work is amazing!!!

I love all of her work!

We had a little fun at the beach one day....it's nice living just minutes away from the beach, so we can go whenever we want!

The view from my chair.....

The hubby is having so shortage of fun overseas.....bowling...

...and "golfing"....

We had "back to school" pedicures....

We had a busy, fun August.....

September is off to a good start too!!!

Holy Guacamole!!!! I'm Featured!!!

Yay for surprises.....

.....like being featured on REMODELAHOLIC

When I decorate or create, I never think what I do is worthy of being featured on someone else's site...

....so, when I see that someone thinks enough of my work to post it on their blog, I am deeply touched (and excited)....

So, thanks Remodelaholic!!!!! I appreciate it!!!

Custom Nap Mat- Deployment Project #8

I'm excited to show you my latest deployment project...

A Custom Napmat!

My 3 year old had "napmat and blanket" on her school supply list.

Of course, I couldn't go out and BUY one. (that would be too easy)

I HAD to make one!!! :-)

...and monogram it....nothing in my house is safe from a monogram....HA!

I love the way the blanket attaches and rolls up with the mat.  I don't have to keep up with both a blanket and a mat because they are together!!!

I found the WONDERFUL tutorial on how to make this napmat  HERE  so I can't take credit for this great idea!!! (and won't go into any details how to make it since you can get the details on the website), but it's EASY-peasy to make!!

...and it rolls up so Miss B can carry it with her to school....

Miss B is ready for her nap at school!!!!!!!!

Have a great weekend!

Good-Bye Summer! Hello Routine!

Good-bye Summer....Hello Routine!!!!

I have to admit...all summer long I kept asking, "Is it time for school yet?"

But now that's it's here and my girls are at school for the first day, it's eerily quiet around here....

...and suddenly those toys on the floor don't look like a mess to me...

They are reminding me of the fun we've been having here at home...and how much I miss the little feet that ft in those dress up shoes I see lying on the floor....

This morning, my girls started at a new school.  We decided to put them in a private Christian school.....Miss F is not excited about the uniform part, but she's thrilled that she doesn't have to ride the dreadful school bus anymore. Mama is taking/pick her up every.single.day!!!! (and Mama is excited I don't have to fight over outfits anymore..no more fashion drama. yay.)

Miss F is THRILLED and excited, as you can see....her (polar opposite) little sister says she just wants to stay home with Mommy all day....sigh...breaks my heart....


Backpacks are on...and we are ready to walk out the door....


When in the world did this child become a SECOND grader?!?!? Didn't I just LEAVE the hospital with her yesterday?!?!?! Sheesh!

Diva B was NOT thrilled about school at all...surprisingly, she didn't cry...but she wasn't happy....I had to tickle her in this picture to get a smile out of her!! ;-)

Sad to be here in this quiet house without my babies, but I am sure I will get used to it really fast!! I have projects lined up to work on, and I am excited about getting to them!!!

Happy Back To School, everyone!!!

Welcome Back, Routine.....oh, how we've missed you!

Ideas for Back To School Lunches!

It's Back To School Time around here!

The kids start school next week!! Yay!

I go back and forth between wanting to have more time with the kids ..and wanting them back in school.  I really miss my routine that comes with them in school, but I will miss those sweet hugs and cuddles during the day I've been getting all summer long!

So, I am trying to get back in to the "school groove" in the last few days....getting bedtime routines back in check, school supplies, school uniforms bought, etc.

I've also been looking into ideas for what to pack in their lunches. I'm not into the school lunches....Chicken fried steak, chicken nuggets, cheeseburgers and hot dogs are great every now and then, but not EVERY day for lunch. 

So, I did a little research online to find some fun (and healthier) ideas to pack into the girls' lunch boxes.

Here are the 20 lunch ideas I came across...

1. Rice cakes (faces) with peanut butter spread on top with raisins and coconut flakes as eyes and hair

2.  Celery sticks filled with peanut butter or cream cheese with raisins on top

3.  Bologna, ham, or turkey cut into fun shapes using miniature cookie cutters

4.  Pin wheel sandwiches-- tortillas spread with cream cheese & ham or turkey OR spread with peanut butter and jelly....rolled up and cut into sections

5.  String cheese and meat slices with or without crackers

6.  Heat up some mac n cheese, put it in a Thermos container. It will stay warm enough to eat for lunch

7.  Heat up soup and put into a Thermos container

8.  Chef Boy R Dee warmed up and placed in a Thermos

9.  Apple slices with caramel dip

10.  Make muffins and freeze them. Take them out as needed for lunches. They will thaw by lunch time.

11.  Fruit & Yogurt parfaits--layer with yogurt/fruit/granola. Freeze & take out in the a.m. It will thaw by lunch time

12.  Pasta salad...add cubes of ham ad cheese

13.  Cottage cheese with crackers and/or fruit

14.  Hard boiled eggs already peeled

15.  Bagel sandwiches....spread cream cheese and turkey/ham on a bagel (or mini bagels)

16.  Use warmed up waffles to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or cut into sticks and serve with a side of syrup

17.  Fresh fruit mixed with marshmellows

18.  Stuffed apples--cut out the core and stuff with p.b & jelly or cream cheese and raisins

19.  English muffin pizzas--spread with sauce, mozarella cheese and pepperonis. Heat to melt cheese and pack in lunchbox

20.  Sausage and cheese kabobs..served with crackers, mixed fruit and a boiled egg

**and don't forget leftovers you can heat up the next morning and stick in a Thermos!!**

**** I also came across this AWESOME website with ideas for lunches. Click HERE to go to it!!! It has all sorts of ideas!*****

I'm still looking for more fun ideas for my girls' lunchboxes, so please feel free to offer up some suggestions!!!!

Happy Friday!

Dressing Up A Wall....Deployment Project #7

I've been doing some remodeling here at home...

S-L-O-W process with a deployed husband and 2 small children at home for the summer...

But, the entire den is painted and I am finally getting around to rehanging things on the walls....

Here is a photo of what one certain wall looked like before the paint and re-do of the photos...

....Now, we have painted walls and I dressed them up!!!

...It took me a while to learn this, but things on the wall look SO much better if they are mixed with different shapes and sizes.  It gives the area you are working on so much more character!

By adding a plate, a cross, a letter, and different sized frames it gives the wall some personality, don't you think?

Another area that was driving me crazy was my staircase.  Excuse the photos, but there is NO natural light in my staircase....

...Blah...Blech...Bland...Boring...

But I went on Etsy and ordered a vinyl wall decal... I LURVE those things.....

...then I placed pictures with the same color frames in random places all around the decal....

NOW I have at least 2 walls in my house with some character!!!! It's a start!!!!

A Day in New Orleans

While we were in Mississippi visiting our soldier, we took a day to head over to New Orleans....

I just loved looking at the different buildings....

...and the interesting stores....

...and the interesting sites....

...And you can't go to New Orleans without getting some good gumbo!

...and sweet tea...

...and going to Cafe Du Monde for some beignets!!

I wonder how many pounds of powdered sugar this place goes through in one day....I think we had an entire bag on our beignets!!!

MMMMMMMMMMM!!!!

It's hard to believe this place was covered in water just 5 short years ago....

 

 

 

LOVE love love all the wrought iron!!!

Lots of people playing music in the streets...we asked this guy to play the Sesame Street theme song, and he was great!!!!

The hot weather didn't stop the artists from doing their thing either!!!

We tried to cool off with some monster sized popcicles.....bbut it was SOOO stinkin' hot!

It was 100 degrees that day....even the shade wasn't enough for us...so after a few hours we headed back...

By the looks of these two, I'd say New Orleans was an adventure....we ALL slept good that night!

HAPPY THURSDAY!!!!