Peacock Feathers Afghan

Thursday, January 24, 2013

I made this afghan for one of my dearest and closest friends for her birthday. I'm really quite pleased with the way it turned out. Definitely one of my most favorite afghans to date. I'm fairly certain she liked it, too. =)

Random Snaps

I love this little guy. <3

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Got this really cute set of 10 little finger puppets for the boys. Big hit!

Reward System

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

To encourage Rob in his school work, we've created this reward system. Work completed neatly without argument = one ball/day. 10 balls by payday = dairy-free froyo at Kiwi Loco or a trip to Dollar Tree. He is VERY excited about it and did awesome today. Hopefully he keeps it up.

If anything, they make a cute craft room decoration.

Why crochet balls? I didn't have ten of something, but I do have tons of yarn. =)

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Nothing better than a brand new box of crayons.

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So tired of the cold!

Icicle

Sunday, January 20, 2013

We have a massive icicle growing on the corner of our house. We've already broken it off once (a week or so ago), but it's currently 56 1/2" long (4 1/2" longer than yesterday) and is still growing. The sun melts it just enough, causing it to drip, but then the bitter cold instantly freezes it. Crazy.

Apple House

Thursday, January 17, 2013


"I bet the seeds inside my apple think I'm eating their house."
- ROB -

Random Snaps

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

That little girl this doll once knew is long gone. Along with those lovely strawberry blonde curls.

Microscope

Monday, January 14, 2013

My aunt brought over some more boxes of my childhood belongings and among them was my microscope. Not quite sure how old this thing is, but the last inspection on it was done in 1968. I used to have lots of fun looking at all sorts of things when I was growing up, so it's neat to see the boys enjoying it, now.

If anyone has more information on this particular microscope, I'd love to hear from you:
shutterbugette@hotmail.com

Marshall Boy Quotes

Friday, January 11, 2013

I haven't done one of these in a long time, which is sad because they really crack me up. Enjoy quotes from the boys (mainly Rob) from the past year and then some.

- - -

1/12/12: Proof I can't dance: As I'm "grooving" to my music, Rob innocently asks, "Do you need to go potty, Mama?" Fail.

1/17/12: Rob just woke up in the middle of his nap, yelling, "Drew's not cleaning!!" Evidently, he even dreams about throwing his brother under the bus.

1/17/12: Rob: "I want to have a baby shower sometime." Me: *laughing* "Baby showers are for ladies who are going to have a baby, not little boys who are obsessed with presents and cake." Rob: "Oh."

1/18/12: Rob: "I'm upside-down...I have the hiccups..." Me: "Anything else random you'd like to say?" Rob: "I like beetles."

1/20/12: Today must be random question day. So far, Rob has asked me what starfish feel like and if I've ever seen a cowboy on a horse before.

1/22/12: Matt: "You guys want Oreos for dinner?" Rob: "Yeah!! Oreos!!! *slight pause* What are Oreos?"

1/22/12: Rob: "I have a stupid song stuck in my head!"

1/24/12: The questions are getting more random. Rob: "Have you ever seen a cauliflowersaurus?"

2/15/12: Me: "So, Rob...if I were to make you a blanket, what colors would you want it?" Rob: *excited* "Pink and purple!!" *sigh*

2/15/12: Rob: "I am wonderfully...growed."

2/18/12: Rob: "You can't eat me, Daddy - I'm crunchy!"

2/19/12: Rob: "I make my undies nervous."

2/22/12: Rob: "I'm going to be SO stuffed after this!" Me: "I'd say!" Rob: *long pause* "What are you going to say, Mama?"

2/28/12: My absolute favorite Random Robby Quote to date: "Oh no! The cat's on fire!" FYI - we don't have a cat.

3/6/12: Me: "Hey, Rob. Your *favorite* song is on!" Rob: *disgusted sigh* "I HATE Mikeschair! It's bad-ology! (theology)"

3/12/12: Me (to Rob): "Look at you! You're so skinny! How are you my kid?" Rob: "But I am - Jesus brought me to you!" I admit - this made me tear up a bit, all things considered. He is a very special blessing. :)

3/12/12: Rob: "I heard a monkey outside!" Me: "That was a dog barking." Rob: "Oh."

3/14/12: Drew just came up to Matt and I and said, "Jesus! Cookies!" I fail to see how those two correlate. LOL

3/20/12: Rob: "I'm not crazy; I'm just a nut job." o.0

3/28/12: Overheard while Rob and Drew were dancing to the music. Rob: "We're dancing like girls!" Drew: "Whhhaaattt?!"

3/29/12: While dancing. Rob: "Yeahhhh, baby! I got the moves!" *palmforehead* Thank you, Matt!

4/20/12: Life with boys. Heard from the bathroom: "Mama! I just pooped out food! You better come see this!"

5/3/12: This came out of completely no where. Rob: "I want to pretend to be French. *slight pause* I'm French right now." LOL!

5/9/12: Rob experienced his first "dead limb" (where your leg or arm goes to sleep from sitting or laying on it wrong for a long period of time). He hops down from his seat at the dinner table, flailing his leg around madly, and proclaims, "My leg is broken! My leg is broken! See? Look! It's broken!" LOL

5/30/12: Great. Rob's making up his own jokes, now: "Hey, Drew! What did the horsey say to the other horsey? 'Moo!'" I admit it - I laughed.

5/31/12: This morning, Rob asks for a "pineapple sandwich" for breakfast. After I stop laughing, I tell him, "We're having baked oatmeal for breakfast. I'm not making you a pineapple sandwich." Confused, he asks, "Why? Because we don't have any bread?" *facepalm

6/9/12: Rob: "Bulldozers bull dirt."

6/22/12: Drew has decided that he wants to be potty trained...we'll see how long that lasts. It is kind of funny, though - if he can't "do his business" right away, he shakes his head and says, "Don't work..." LOL

6/25/12: Drew was making my new mannequin say, "Hi! I'm a shirt!" LOL

6/29/12: While watching a kissing scene in a movie, Rob exclaims, "Ew! They're eating each other!" LOL!!

7/2/12: Rob: "There are two things I really like doing; smelling things and helping people."

7/5/12: Rob: "Can I have a snack, please?" Me: "No, you can wait for dinner." Rob: "But I only have time for a snack." Me: *chuckles* "Do you have a hot date tonight or something?" Rob: "Well, while I was sleeping, I was pretty warm. Can I have a snack?"

7/8/12: Matt has the boys convinced that the watermelon they're snacking on is actually brains. Now they're walking around saying, "Mmm! Brains!" Cutest thing ever is hearing Drew say it.

7/11/12: Rob: "...you know, the white car? The Tortoise (Taurus)?"

7/14/12: Overheard: "Birds don't wear socks, Drew. They wear feathers."

7/31/12: Rob: "What's wrong, Mama?" Me: "I'm tired and a little sad, today." Rob: "Do you miss Daddy or somethin'?" Me: "Actually, yes. We haven't seen each other a whole lot lately." Rob *big hug while patting my back* "Well, I will make you feel better."

8/6/12: Rob: "I eat bunnies! You're a bunny, Drew, and I'm gonna eat you!!"

8/7/12: While talking about homeschooling, Rob asks, "Why are kids not allowed to learn about Jesus in school, Mama?" Good question, son. Good question.

8/21/12: Me: "Your dad hates this song." Rob: "You mean our fodder?" Me: "...yes, your 'fodder'."

8/31/12: In response to Drew's nasty diaper, Rob exclaims, "Eww! I wish Daddy were here to see this!!" I will never understand boys.

9/6/12: Rob: "I want a Hot Wheels cake for my next birthday." Me: "I'm not ready to think about your next birthday, Rob. It hasn't even been MY birthday, yet." Rob: "You still get birthdays?" Me: *chuckles* "Yes. Did you think I didn't have birthdays anymore?" Rob: "I thought only little kids had birthdays."

9/13/12: Out of the blue, Rob asks, "Would you cry if I died?" Try explaining "completely devastated" to a four-year-old. I bawled.

9/17/12: Matt: "Say, 'The Bible is inerrant.'" Rob: "The Bible is a carrot." It's like a bad game of telephone when talking to him sometimes.

9/27/12: Rob just told me that he can't wait to grow up, get a girlfriend, and get married. *stupid grin*

10/3/12: Me: "Hey, Rob! Guess what? I get to come to Cubbies with you tonight!" Rob: *blank stare* "...are you sure you're old enough to come to Cubbies?"

10/9/12: A lot of times we'll stomp on the floor to call the boys from their room to the living room (it's just more effective than yelling). Matt stomped to get their attention and finally Drew comes out and asks, "Is that you stompy, stompy, stompy?" in the cutest little voice. Couldn't help but laugh.

10/24/12: Rob: "I'm glad I'm a boy." Me: "Good. It would be expensive to change that."

10/25/12: Rob: "Someday, when we're out of food and we're hungry, I want to go back to Applebee's." Must have made quite the impression on them, because the boys have not stopped talking about Applebee's since Monday.

10/25/12: Watching the original Star Trek series with the boys. Rob pipes up (speaking of Chekov): "Daddy told me about that guy. He [talks] funny, wears a yellow shirt, and has an A (communicator). He's from another city (country)."

11/11/12: Reading "The Magician's Nephew" to the boys. Drew claims that his new name is now Diggory.

11/16/12: Heard from the boys' bedroom: "Spin me faster, Drew! Make me barf!"

12/21/12: Rob just informed me that when he grows up and gets a wife, he wants 12 babies. He's been hanging out with the Graffs too much.

12/23/12: While watching The Nativity Story: Rob: "I'm tired of sins." Me: "Wait until you're older and if you get saved. You'll tire of them even more." Rob: *sighs* "I hope I get saved." Me: "Me, too, baby. Me, too."

1/9/13: Rob: "When I get older and have my own wife, I'm gonna miss you guys." Have I inadvertently taught my son to worry needlessly over things that may or may not happen in the distant future? lol

1/11/13: Rob: "We should have Chick-fil-A tonight!" Me: "But we ate there last night." Rob: "I know, but it's SO GOOD, you could eat there seven times a day!"

Random Snaps

Zippered Hook Bag

Awhile back, I decided to try one of the new Bamboo Handle Crochet Hooks from Susan Bates. I bought only one, but instantly fell in love with it. It's SOOO comfortable to hold and is a lot easier on my wrist/hand! So, I found a set of 8 (G-N) on Herrschners for a really great price and snagged them! They came in yesterday and I'm stoked! Hey, it's the small things in life!

Made this cute little zippered bag to contain all my hooks! (I was using an old, metal eye glass case that had very sharp edges on it before. Ouch!) I've never made anything with a zipper before, so this was a little adventure in sewing for me. Kind of a pill, but I'm fairly pleased with the imperfect results. It serves its purpose just fine. (Tutorial thanks to See Kate Sew.)

PS - My husband saw it when he walked in the door and asked where I bought it from. Big compliment!

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Sweet Moment

Monday, January 7, 2013

I just love capturing sweet moments like this. Makes my heart smile. Meant as another "random snap", but I love the full-sized version of it better.

Snowy Self

One of the few self portraits I'm willing to pose for.

Note to self: Clean lens. Soon.

Random Snaps

 I can't keep up with 52 projects. Definitely can't do a 365. So, I'm doing "Random Snaps"; quick images from our daily life, in Instagram-inspired form, whenever I have time. Enjoy today's sampling.





God Bless You, Chick-fil-A

Friday, January 4, 2013

Went to out to support our new Chick-fil-A tonight! They have been giving out free sandwiches for the past couple of evenings at various locations around town to promote their grand opening (smart marketing!). To quote Rob, a newbie to CFA, "This is super, DOOPER good!!!" Can't wait for them to open next week; they are a fantastic company and they are creating quite a stir of excitement here in Twin Falls!

And now for a Tim Hawkins tribute:

Pair; App for Couples

I stumbled across a pin on Pinterest about a month ago, promoting an app for couples called Pair. Out of curiosity, I downloaded it to my phone and then set it aside, justifying that, "Matt will think it's silly." I'm brave like that.

First off, what is Pair? Pair is an app for your smartphone or tablet where you can connect in a more intimate way with your significant other. With Pair, you're able to privately and securely chat, send each other doodles or doodle together, send video messages, send a convenient little thought bubble graphic that says "Thinking of you...", or connect via "Thumbkiss". The way the Thumbkiss works is fairly simple. Your other half touches the screen on his/her side, causing a little graphic of a thumbprint to appear on his/her screen and then on your screen. You then place your thumb on the screen and slide up to meet his/her thumbprint, making your phones vibrate and the screen turn pink and then red. You've officially "Thumbkissed"! The concept is very sweet, especially if you're apart and missing them. A more intimate way to connect with your sweetie.

And my husband? He's a good sport and plays along by sending me video messages, greeting me good morning or letting me know he's on his way home. It certainly brightens my day and makes flirting and letting him know I'm thinking about him easy and fun. Thumbkisses are my personal favorite, though. The first time Matt and I tried it, I giggled madly. Matt, disappointed, asks, "That's it? That's all it does?" Men and women; we're different species.

You can read more about Pair here and download the app for your phone or tablet here.

[Edit] They have changed the name of this app to Couple, now.

Pinned It, Tried It, Loved It

Thursday, January 3, 2013

We all know Pinterest is awesome. Especially for fantastic menu ideas! Or, if your husband is like mine, he knows it's a cornucopia of delectable desserts, just begging to be tried. I may or may not have fallen victim to them. A few times. Or more. *ahem*

I digress. Here's a list of great new recipes that we've found on Pinterest and have been "family-approved":

- Honey Garlic Pork Chops from SparkPeople (Matt LOVES this recipe! Very simple; very tasty!)
- Cheesy Chicken Ranch Lasagna from Mommy? I'm Hungry! (Again, super easy and good! Comfort food!)
- Salisbury Steak by The Pioneer Woman (A classic, but I love her version.)
- Overnight Baked French Toast from OurBestBites (Made this for Christmas morning - YUM!)
- Creamy Garlic Pasta from The Cheese Pusher (Recommended from a friend. This stuff is SOOO yummy! Especially with add-ins like cooked chicken and broccoli.)
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole from Six Sisters' Stuff (My only recommendation is to use low sodium soup. Our was a bit too salty, but still delicious.)
- Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken from Busy Mommy (We've been buying rotisserie chickens from the grocery store for quick meals on weeknights. This is a good alternative.)
- Crock Pot Ranch Potatoes from Breakfast, Lunch + Dinner (I pinned it; my mama made it. Yum, yum, yum!)
- Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs from Six Sisters' Stuff (Different and tasty. Just don't be a dolt and add the corn starch at the wrong time like me.)
- Super Easy Working Mom's Manicotti from Food.com (Don't let the nasty picture scare you off. This stuff is GOOD. I question the "super easy" part, but it was fairly simple.)
- Crock Pot Baked Potatoes from Real Mom Kitchen (This makes doing a potato bar night super easy!)
- Easy Crock Pot Potato Soup from Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour (Easy and tasty. It's what I specialize in!)
- No Bake Apple Pie Cheesecake from Shugary Sweets (We left out the apple pie part and put in and topped it with a strawberry rhubarb pie filling from Kroger that was out of this world. Very, very rich and delicious!)
- Baked Chicken Fajitas from Six Sisters' Stuff (Can you tell who are favorite is? Super easy and tasty. Just needed more chicken.)
- Apple Enchiladas from Cornfed Momma (Unbelievably good and easy!)
- Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes from Life is Great (Different, but really good.)

That's all I have for you for right now. Please be brave and try some of these! I have some fairly picky eaters in my midst, but they all unanimously agreed that these were awesome. Find me on Pinterest to see what I'm tempted to try next!

New Year, New Layout

Happy New Year everyone! And with a new year brings an updated layout. Sort of. I know, I know! I can hear your eyes rolling from over here! In all fairness, I only updated my header, which was over a year old! The boys have changed quite a bit since then, but I wanted something that incorporated all of us. So, I jumped on the cute chalkboard wagon (I'm always late when it comes to trends; I like to wait them out and see if they'll take or not) and made, what quite possibly could be, my favorite of all time headers. It was a lot of work, but I think it was worth it! Cute chalkiness. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Cheers.
 
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