Live from Tormville!

October's Technique Tuesday Stamping Tech Blog Hop!

Goooooooooooooood Morning!!  Happy Monday!!  

If you're new to me, you should know that Monday is my favorite day of the week. Even when it's Halloween. I wasn't sure if it still would be when it's Halloween, but it is. 

I love my fresh starts. And this week is a bonus week because we get fresh starts back to back - a Monday followed by the first of the month.  *pumps fist!*

This time of the year also means that it's the time of the year we give thanks to the important people in our lives. This month the Technique Tuesday Stamping Techs want to share some of our thank you cards with you.  And if you didn't know - I'm thankful for each and every one of you. 

 

InLinkz.com

Make sure to check out the blogs of the other Stamping Techs that are taking part in today's hop:

Tanis

Ashley

Charlene

Daniela

Tobi

Laura

Sharyn <---- that's me

Kris

Jaclyn

Teri

We want to give thanks to one of you for taking part in the blog hop today. 

From the comments received on all the blogs, we will pick one lucky duck to win the I PICK YOU stamp set. This is one of TT's newest stamp sets!  It's also the set I used for my image in the card above. 

You don't need to comment on all the blogs to be eligible to win, but the more comments you leave - the more chances you have. 

Comments must be posted by midnight on November 2nd. The winner will be announced sometime on November 3rd on the Technique Tuesday blog.

Thanks for stopping by! 

And ..... Happy Monday! 

 

October Goal Met: Kid 4/4

*pumps fist* 

With a full day to spare. Go me! 

Get Healthy Michigan: A good day spent, and (a lot of) photos to prove it.

After Wendy's photo shoot yesterday morning and after Brian got home from his last soccer game - we ate lunch, raked a few leaves to the curb, and then headed out to our local park for the Get Healthy Michigan event. We were in much need of a family day, and this fit the bill perfectly: Close to home, spending time outside, exercise - AND, everything was free. My kids said it was the best day ever.  In their wildest dreams they never imagined the day would ever come that they could spend unlimited time on rock climbing/bungee jumping/and bounce houses.  Check out their smiles in the photos following: 

I love his determination

I love the look on Brian's face

Did I mention the smiles?

I think Mark spent over 30 minutes straight on this thing - one would have thought he'd fall asleep early last night, right?  Nope. 

Props to this guy. He really worked with Wendy to help her get past her fear of heights and attempt the rock climbing wall. 

After we completed five healthy events and had our passports stamped saying so - we then received tickets to go through the food line. The food was proved by Jonna's Market, and I'm pretty much going to stop ever cooking chicken again because our kids informed us that whatever dad and I have cooked before just doesn't even come close.  It was that good.

All five of us had full take out boxes and enough to take home that we ate it again for supper, sharing with Uncle George who had come over to play guitar for us while we carved our pumpkins. 

Did I mention that we got free pumpkins too?  Although Mark, our 4 year old, informed me that I should have made pie with these ones. 

The pumpkin lady was a cat. 

A day well spent. 

 

October Goal: Kid 3/4

Her dad's next project is to install a gun rack on the front porch next to his new rocking chair guard post. 

Dear Mark

This will be the journaling for this scrapbook layout when I put it together, and is definitely open for anyone to read:

Dear Mark:

I didn't take my camera to your preschool Halloween party so I don't have any pictures of the actual event. Sometimes I enjoy just participating and being there without always shooting it through my camera. Sometimes I regret it after, but often I don't. This time was a mix.

You weren't sure what you wanted to wear for the party, so we talked you into being a knight hiding in a Lego. The Lego costume is hard to play in, so this solution worked pretty well. 

Dad was able to come to your party as all of his overtime afforded him a much needed day off. Well, partial day, he worked from 5-8, but was home in plenty of time for your party. You lit right up when you saw he was there too.

You led the trick or treating parade through the gym area, and we both got a giggle out of the way you shuffled inside the Lego box. I think we made it more for Brian's height - so on you, you ended up walking as if your shoes were tied together. I sat there giggling while hoping you didn't fall. This and the group picture afterwards are what had me kind of wishing I'd brought along my camera.

I didn't realize that the seniors at the center would be a part of your trick or treat party, so besides getting goodies from the parents, you also received treats from the seniors. They enjoy seeing the kids in costumes so much. Your candy bag was fuller than it is for actual trick or treating!

We headed back to the classroom afterwards and Mrs. Lavey (you still call her Lady) and Mrs. K had the kids share some of the songs and finger rhymes you've learned. It was wonderful to see how quickly and well  you've adapated to the preschool enviroment and how proud you were to share some of what you've been learning.

Love you so much

xoxo

mom

 

 

Call it what you want

I don't even know where to begin with this one. I seriously don't. 
I don't even know if I should laugh or cry. It was a mixture of both last night. 
The kids were trying to console me, but they had the giggles too.

Pathetic. That's what I'm going to call it. Pathetic.

To begin with, I have no time for things like this this week. I seriously don't. But I think one of the quirks we creative types have is that even as busy as we are with life, we have to touch base with the creative itch now and then just to keep us grounded.  Especially during the busy times.

So there's that.

I had seen this idea on Pinterest earlier in the week and I immediately hit repin. I loved it. (I know, right?) And I thought - how perfect for Mark's tiny little class of 12!  I added it to my busy week schedule. (I know, right?)

 The first problem was finding the tiny bags. NOT as easy as the directions led me to believe. I can tell you where they don't have them. They don't have them at either of the hardware stores (unless I wanted them with their branding), Home Depot, Walmart, Meijers, Gordons (yes - I am this determined when I get my mind on something), Costo, JoAnns, the party supply store, Dollar General OR the Dollar Tree. Michaels had a peg for them, but they were out. 

You can understand why I can laugh and cry at the same time, right?

I knew exactly where to order them online, but  - of course - I saw this pin way too late for that. 

So. Plan B. I cut regular lunch bags down to 3-1/2" x 7" and I resewed the seam. I'm shaking my head at myself as I type this.  DETERMINED!  Because they are SO CUTE!

I even took step by step pictures so you too can adapt a regular size bag. 

It's okay to laugh. Nobody laughs at me more than I do. 

And then, as I was constructing them and putting them together, the kids started coming in one by one and asked - Whatchya makin? 

And since I never tell them the answer straight out in anything, I told them to guess. 

Wendy: A Wand?  (She's currently reading Harry Potter)
Brian: A Teepee?
Mark:  I don't know
Allan, the kid who is most like his mother:  A Witches Broom!

1 out of 4 saw what I saw. The odds were not good.

I took one to the neighbors, knocking on their door at 8:30 as they were getting ready for bed.  I announced to the three that came to the door - Pop Quiz, what is it?   The kids had no clue, but were willing to take one anyway if I was passing them out, and the mom saw what I saw.  Still not good odds.

Greg, home from work late, also called it a teepee.

IT'S A WITCHES BROOM!  &*%$#

Once I told the kids, they saw it right away and tried to console me. I was sitting in my chair at the table in the very slumped defeated pose. Mark insisted that I must carry on because he's excited to share them with his class, whatever they are. 

All complete, I double checked my link and noticed that you know what - they aren't witches brooms. Even I didn't know what I was making.

They are Halloween Haystacks.

Halloween Haystacks.
As if.

To top it all off, I realized they are the most ridiculous thing to put in a trick or treat bag because they will tear and all the other candy will get stuck in it. 

I'm laughing. 
And crying.  

 

how many time slots can we fill in one day?

I don't know if you've caught on or not, but things have been full tilt crazy lately over here in Tormville.  With my husband working overtime, and all four kids with schedules to hustle - the days have been a blur.  Yesterday my husband went to work just before 5am - got home at 10:45 pm, and woke up this morning to head back out at 5am again. 

Today is his day off, so he's hoping to only work until 8am. We'll see. He doesn't blame me for being a bit skeptical, especially after Monday's fiasco. 

As for me, this is what I've got today.....(that I can remember anyway)

7:40: wake the kids
8:30: Do my daily Pied Piper act and walk mine and a group of neighbor kids up the hill

8:45 - 9:14: Scramble about the house getting Mark and stuff ready for his preschool party

9:15: Bring Mark to Preschool

11:20: Back to preschool for Mark's party

12;15 - 1:30:  lunch, laundry, yardwork, bill paying, plan dinner....

1:40:  Appointment

3:30:  Fetch Brian from school

3:45 - 5:00: Hustle back up to school to coach Girls on the Run 

5:15: Drive out to Ann Arbor with a fellow coach for the mid season meeting

6-7: Meeting

8:00: Home again, finish laundry, help Wendy find a gift for a party, figure out what we need before Monday's parties, make more lists, check homework, dehydrate apples and strawberries, catch up on some stuff. 

The beds are unmade
The house needs a good dusting
The counter continually fills with paperwork, no matter how hard I try to keep it at bay.
My fridge needs a good cleaning out.

And as soon as the sun comes up this morning, I'll take a picture of yesterday's huge time waster. HUGE. You can groan and laugh with me. 

peace out - 

It's catalog circling season again

It's that time of year again when the kids race home from school and send the mail pile into a flurry and start their circling. 

I only ask that they initial their circles

------

Other stuffs

• Today is get 'er done day. I had hoped to be at Costco when they open, but apparently my photo order was too large to do an early morning confirmation
• I still have two more kids photos to take in order to meet my October goal. The weather and in house crazy calendar are not cooperating.
• Our dad made it home from work in time to go to father and son pumpkin carving at the preschool last night.  *Relief* because I was really struggling wondering which of my brothers I'd be able to convince to stand in. 
• He's also taking Friday off this week - we're filling up his schedule. Starting with the preschool Halloween party. 
• I've been craving some quiet time to just write. I love to write, but my struggle these days is to come up with enough time to even put two words together. Maybe next year.
• Time to shake the children out of their cozy beds...

Happy Thursday!

sneaky peeky

Another month is flying by - time to tease you with a little peek of Technique Tuesday's November Studio AE. I'm having fun with the project this peek is connected to. 

I'll share more on the first. Lot more Halloween going on between now and then. *wink* 

Halloween Creating

While I'm not interested in decking out the front of the house in spook and gore, I do think it's fun to do a little bit of holiday creating if time and supplies allow.

For the boys, I had seen this Lego Costume online and I thought - Perfect!  Cheap, easy, and so my boys. I had planned to make two of them, but when I realized that their parties are on different days, I figured one would do. They have easier to walk and beg costumes for actual trick or treating. 

(note: If I were to do it again, I'd work a little harder to get those stickers off the bottom of those boxes - sand them probably)

It was a hit at Brian's cub scout party last night. He won the prize for most original costume and a lot of the boys came up to him saying they want to be Legos next year. 

I wasn't actually supposed to be at the Cub Scout party - my husband was supposed to be there. I had planned to be at Wendy's party on the other side of town at the same time. Didn't happen. When the dad that was so positive he'd be home by 4:00 got home about 9:30 last night asked Wendy how she got to her party she replied that "Mom brought me to Molly's house but she was almost crying the whole way there."

Oops. 

I don't mind that he works overtime. I believe in being grateful that he has a job and that we have a roof over our heads and we're making hay while the sun shines.  It's the never knowing a schedule this likes to know the plan mom struggles with sometimes.  I didn't have a plan B yesterday because he was so certain he'd be home by 4.  I made the mistake of not making a just in case plan. It totally threw me and this family had Rice Krispies and/or peaches for dinner last night. I don't blame him, by any means - because he honestly thought he'd be home by 4. I blame myself for not knowing better.

So Yes. I cried. 

But seeing Brian all fired up for his classmate to get a prize and then realizing he got one himself - was worth it. 

But I still cried again when we got home at 8:30 to homework, dishes, overtired hungry kids.....

Today I have a plan B.

The other Halloweeny type creation we made this week was party favors for Wendy's birthday. This idea came from a friend who posted this link.  I used  jars we dug out of the recycle bin, and I made the first one and let Wendy follow the pattern to make the others.  We put ponytail holders and headbands around the mouth of the jar, cuz girls like their ponytails and headbands. 

Now to tackle Tuesday.

Oh - and the moment I almost went into hysterics:

I'm at the boys party and it's 6:40 when Allan, our oldest, texts me and says - "My glasses are in, can we get there by 7?"