My Little Pony EXTREME!

My daughter Lucy has been in a My Little Pony dream cloud for the past year.. movies, toys, stickers... but who can blame her, those ponies are cute. But as cute as they are, my husband always thought there were a little frilly and girly. He always joke about girly things taking over the home... and well.. he might be a little right :)

But then my brother gave me this link on Facebook and well... I think it might be the answer to bring balance back into our house hold :) I don't think my husband could resist a pony that could kick his butt :)

So check out www.jodimoisan.com to see the full collection.


THOR Pony


MR.T Pony


Ronald McDonald Pony


The Thing Pony


Green Lantern Pony


Batman Pony


Spider Man Pony


Night Crawler Pony (Im an X-Men fan.. so I loove this one)


Eagles Pony (Now make it a 49er Pony and I'm in heaven)


Darth Maul Pony.... can you sense the awesomeness?

"The Christmas Shovel" A True Christmas Story

My friend Tara has a blog called "Brain Surgery". Tara is an amazing mother, friend, writer, artist... and heck.. Tara is just perfect in a very Mary Popping way.

Every time I talk with her I am reminded about her strength, charity, and faith that she has. She is truly wonderful to know and I wanted to share a post that she just wrote.



If you are looking for a wonderful Christmas story or simply a chance to see that there is true kindness and generosity out there, please read her post "The Christmas Shovel"... it is short and will leave you in tears.

Beauty and the Beast Contest

Curtis and I love going to the theater, but sadly living in Alaska we don't get too many theatrical shows up here.... BUT... Beauty and the Beast is coming up to Alaska in Janurary and we are dying to go. But since we don't have $100 just flying around free right now, we wont be going unless we win tickets... WHICH WE ARE TRYING TO DO :)

We are trying to get as many votes for our photo as possible. Please follow this link and vote for our photo. http://magic989fm.clearcontests.com/front/image_contest2.asp?s=A6889271C4BCB3A3557BA5BEA5B19D84939EB49BB6B4678DD1CF8B998EAFA6BDBD777CA6CCC6C2BCA1897D61637F738E9250BEAA977868727993C2AD9171786175ADBE788389656772708E7B7A84A487A28A7659

Every time you vote for us, you will be entered into winning a $10 iTunes gift card, you can vote one time through every internet provider... like once through Explorer, once through Chrome, once through Safari and such. So leave a comment letting me know you voted (if you were able to vote with another internet provider than leave another comment) and I will pick a random winning with the comments :)

Valentine Crafts

Every holiday I want to get into the spirit of things and I always start off by searching websites and blogs for fun crafts and decorations that I can have fun making. And... well.. um, that is about as far as it goes.

So, this weekend I am going to plan on playing catch up with my craft wish list. But here are some fun ideas for all of you guys out there.

Here is a cute pillow banner that is just as sweet as can be. I think I am going to make mine with ribbon instead of yarn to give it a nice pop and make it more durable.

Here is a festive wreath that probably the easiest that I have ever seen. It is as simple as poking a hole and gluing. Truly simple. I think I am going to make mine in a circle wreath and use a couple varieties of fabric squares.

LOOOOOVE IT! This Valentines canvas is simple and sleek looking; I love this look and I want to make several of these like a nice little collage.

These cute blocks are sweet and can be changed and used in many ways. You can spell out anything you want. I think I might do a heart and "XOXO".

This wreath is made out of tissue paper, not fabric, which give a beautiful soft elegant look. You could even do this with a picture framed and put you and your husband's wedding photo in it.

Yes, yes... another Valentine wreath, but what can I say I think they are so cute on the door tied up with a big fat ribbon. This one is made with fabric roses and put on. I think these would be cute mini wreath to tie on door knobs.

Arrested Development Paper Dolls

My day just got a little bit better. I stumbled across this, this morning, and all I can say is that THIS is awesome.

http://manmadediy.com/chris/posts/769-free-download-arrested-development-paper-dolls

They have Tobias, George Bluth Sr., and Lindsay. They are awesome. And coming from a family that LOOOOOVES "Arrested Development" this is just great.

Color Me Mine Pottery

Years ago Curtis and I found this fun little art studio chain called Color Me Mine. It is a pleasant little place where you can go and pick out ceramic pieces to paint and Color Me Mine will fire them for you and get them ready.

Curtis and I have enjoyed this place several times. The first time we went Curtis was taking me to be nice... he knows that I enjoy that kind of "artsy fartsie stuff" and he was just trying to be a good boyfriend by taking me. And it did score him brownie points he was looking for.

But as the years have past and the more we have gone, the more Curtis has gotten into it. We go about once a year and we always make some kind of mug. Our goal is to never have to buy another mug again; we will only want to have these hand painted family mugs. Curtis's goal is to have our children fight over who gets what mug when we kick the bucket. A warm sentiment, right?

Color Me Mine makes pottery fun and simple. They provide anything and everything you can think of and are more than happy to help you along the way. You pay $8 as the studio fee, this will cover the cost of all paint that you want, brushes, sponges, puff paint, and firing fee. Then you can pick and pay for what piece you would like to paint. The pieces can cost anything from $5 to $100... they have animals, mugs, plates, pitchers, cookie jars, platters, giant gargoyles, and much much more. Curtis and I usually go for a simple $8 mug.

The employees there love to help you out and much as they can and seem to like a challenge. This last time we went, Curtis decided that he was going to pre-plan what he wanted to put on his mug before we got there. We are really into a card game called Killer Bunnies, so Curtis figured that he would make a Killer Bunny mug and brought in some pictures to copy. When we got there they were so helpful and help Curtis copy his photo, enlarge it, and turn it into a transfer where he could simply trace the image onto the mug. It turned out great and Curtis was thrilled with it.

We have been thrilled with that place every time we have gone. The only down side we have faced is that we never seem to plan enough time there. As we get more and more into it, we have spent more and more time trying to get our mugs perfect.

Color Me Mine is just a great place for people of all ages. I have seen little 3 & 4 year olds there painting animal figurines with mommy and adult parties taking painting lessons. They offer classes, birthday parties, and even have school programs. So go and check out if there is a Color Me Mine in your neighborhood, it is a fun family activity/date night/girls hang out.

Chile Earthquake Survival Story

About a week ago Curtis and I woke up and brought Lucy into bed with us to cuddle and to slowly wake up for the day. We were just laying around and having a silly conversation about puppets and froggie pajamas when we got a telephone call.

Curtis's sister, Jenn, had called and was asking if we had heard from mom and dad (my in-laws). We said no and asked what was wrong.... she then informed us that in the middle of the night an 8.8 magnitude earthquake had hit a little outside Santiago causing mass destruction and tragedy.

We jumped out of bed as fast as we could and immediately start checking emails, calling phones, and looking at Facebook trying to get into any kind of contact with them. Luckily, we received an email shortly from Curtis's father informing us that they were shaken, but safe.

Just by chance they happened to be out of town for a client's wedding that weekend. They were located about 4 hours north of Santiago when the quake hit. They still felt it where they were, but most buildings in that area were safe and stable. There were forced to stay at their hotel for a few extra few days because lines were down, roads were blocked, and mom and dad didn't know if it was safe to head home yet.

Again, their luck continued and when they were able to return home and saw that it was okay and no damage had fallen on their home. Chile has known it shares of earthquakes and most buildings in Santiago are newer from being destroyed by past quakes... so, though damaged, Santiago was a lot more prepared and luckier than other cities.

Curtis's parents have kept us updated and in touch with how things are going down there. With sad stories of looters, families lost, and people going hungry. But a couple of days ago we received an email from Curtis's dad who was finally able to get in contact with a couple of his employees who are living in Concepcion, the city that was effected most by the earthquake. His email reads...

March 5th, Update on the Quake.

There are still frequent aftershocks here in Santiago, but things are much worse in the south.

Yesterday, March 4th was the first time since the quake that I was able to speak with Patricio, my Sales Manager for southern Chile. The phones there still don't work, but I was finally able to each him on Skype. Patricio lives in Concepcion near the epicenter. He and his household are OK. His house suffered some damage, but they are staying there. His parents house was destroyed and what was left was stolen by looters. His aunt and cousin were killed in the quake and two uncles are missing. There had been much looting in the street and it has not been safe to go out. His electricity and water was restored just yesterday (5 days after the quake).

When I asked him if they had food, his voice filled with emotion and while weeping with gratitude he said, "Yes, we have plenty of food, the Mormons down the street have made sure that every house in the neighborhood has food to eat." Patricio's family are not members.

When describing the family situation, he said that it was difficult for the kids. Without electricity the nights are long and dark, (The quake came during the night and there are hundreds of aftershocks, many reach over Richter 7). He said that it was important for the kids to be able to go outside during the day, but with so many looters and thieves in the street it is not safe outside. "So all the kids in the neighborhood got to the Mormon Church down the street and play where it is safe."...

Then tears came to my eye, count your blessing. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

This letter touched Curtis and I on so many levels. We are touched that Curtis's parents are lucky and not in that same situation, saddened by Patricio's loss, by their families state, but also by the kindness of his fellow neighbors. As members of the Mormon church ourselves, it was wonderful to see the love of our fellow members taking care and reaching out to those in need.

The Mormon church (actually the LDS church) has asked for their members to have a year food storage for their family in their home. Curtis and I have been living as college students for several years and have lived in small apartments and are constantly moving around... so, we have not taken the guidance of our church as seriously as we should... with excuses of "not enough space" and "I dont want to have to move all of it in a few months". We have not even gathered any kind of emergency kits for our family.

With seeing how our family and the people around them that have been affected by this earthquake, it has made us realize how important it is to be prepared. Not only so we can take care of our family, but those around us as well.

So, from now on every so often I am going to start posting idea, items, ways to store food for our families, items not to over look, and how to keep it all safe. Whether you are LDS or not this is something I believe is important to have. If you would like some more information now, before I start posting, you can get some storage ideas for a intense 72 hour kit for your entire family here. 72 hour kits are great because in most disasters it takes at least several days for electricity and water to get back on; so having the bare necessities for those few days can make a huge difference.

-on another note-

My sister Michelle over at Scribbit happened to interview our parents about The Great Alaskan Earthquake. Both our mom and our dad were here in Anchorage when it happened and she has a video/podcast interview with them and their experience with it. Not only is it very interesting, but it helps to show the importance of being prepared. I would strongly recommend going over to Scribbit and checking it out. Here is a link to her post... Scribbit: March 27, 1964. 5:36

Homemade Birthday Cards

I really liked scrapbooking, but it takes up so much space and time that I just never seem to finish a project or have the energy to drag everything out to even work on it. I have a wedding, baby, and vacation albums I have been needing to finish for about 3 years now. So, instead of actually finshing them, I have changed my attention from scrapbooking to card making... and what can I say.... I loooove it.

It is easier to finish a project and cheaper to keep up with. Plus, with all my cards laying around I try to challenge myself to use them more and show people gratitude and love with them. So, I try to stock up on 'birthdays' and 'thank yous'. Cause, who doesn't love receiving a card in the mail.

I made this cute birthday card fairly easy and thought it turned out pretty good. Simple embellishments can make beautiful additions, my favorite are buttons. I practically put buttons on all my cards... cheap and cute.

For this card I used buttons, eyelets (the little metal circles in the top corner), a "Happy Birthday" stamp, stitching with embroidery thread, and corner tabs (the orange triangle things).

Buttons are pretty self explanatory... glue, stick, and voila!.

The eyelets are small metal circles that you can punch through paper with an eyelet setter and hammer. You can purchase eyelet setters from Michael's or Joann's and you will have two choices; either a Crop-A-Dile which is nice, cause everything you need is right there in that one tool, but it is a little bigger and can only reach so far pass the edge of the paper. Or... you can purchase a tool that punches a hole out and a tool that sets the eyelet. The Crop-A-Dile usually runs around $30 and the eyelet tools run about $10 (hole punch) and $5 (the setter). These are great because with these tools you can place the eyelet anywhere you want to.

To set the eyelets in place you will need to first: Punch a hole where you want the eyelet and put the eyelet into the hole and use the eyelet tool with a hammer to smash it into place. You will want to have something to protect the surface you are hammering. I used a normal hammer to set and a thick magazine for protection, but you can purchase a eyelet hammer which is nice and small and a setting mat that are each $5.

The corner tabs on the card are simply made by cutting a square in half diagonally, which will leave you will 2 triangles. You can either use a square punch to get your square or cut it out by hand. Now you will cut out a small triangle from of the middle of the big triangles, leaving the tabs that are perfect for embellishing open spaces and edges.

Those are just a few of my tricks and tools that I used for this card. Feel free to ask any questions about other things that you see. I will be posting more cards and more tools in the future.

Crafting Blogs

I love to craft and the last few months I have been in a funk and just haven't found something that has gotten me excited enough to get off my crafting-butt and do something. The only thing I have been longing for is all the unfinished furniture that I have scooped up this summer from garage sales. I have about 7 pieces downstairs that need to get finished and now that it is winter, I don't dare paint in the garage with the door open, brrrrr.... so I guess I will be seeing them this summer :)

But I need some help. I have been on the look for some great crafting ideas or blogs and I have been completely missing. Finding blogs in not my gift. :) The only blog that I have found and completely loved is Homemade By Jill .

Does anything have any great craft sites or blogs that they are willing to share? :)

Crafts To Do

Hello one and all! It feels good to be back after my break. Sorry to put blogging in the back seat, but with family in town, parties to go to, and goodies to cook, I figure blogging might help bring a stressed induced aneurysm this holiday. But now Christmas is over and the New Year is upon on.

To get ready for this new year I have been making a list of goals, ideas, and activities I am wanting to do this year. But I did something different this time around... I decided to also have a craft goal list. So, here is my list of crafts that I am planning on completing.... wait.... um, I'll change that to planning on ATTEMPTING... we will see how successful they are :)

Clothes/Accessories
Quick Tote Bag
Apron
Head Band
Chic Shopping Bag
Necklace Organizer

Children
Growth Chart
Lunch Bags
Pony Tail Holder
Art Apron
Bed Book Organizer
Pillow Case Back Pack
Pillow Case Dress
Apron
.
Toys
Octopus
Sea Horse
Fabric Doll House
Felt Strawberries
Felt Donuts
Felt Whip Cream
The Best Puppy
Monkey Doll
Robot
Cashmere Bunny
.
Decorations
Hand Tracing Frame
Silhouette Frame
Family Tree Picture Holder
Key Holder
Scary Ghosts
Gratitude Sign

Odds and Ends
Sewing Organizers
Bath Salts
Birthday Banner (I have been wanting to do this one for a long time)
Apple Pin Cushion
Make-Up Bag
Luggage Tag
Hot Water Bottle Cover
Tissue Holder
Mini Photo Album

Children Blocks

With Lucy getting older and being more of a toddler than a baby everyday, I have been having to make some adjustments. Different foods, more safety items, nap schedules, and even some toys. I was racking my brain the other day about what toys I might want to invest in for when she is a little older and I asked my mom what was the best toy she bought for us kids. Very easily she said, "BLOCKS!". She informed me that she invested in some great wooden blocks for us that all 6 of us kids grew up playing with and even I can admit, provided hours of fun as a barbie beach house or as the next doomed city for our dinosaurs.

So, with this in mind I have been keeping my eyes out for some great blocks and found some of these fun ones.

Wooden Multicolor Blocks
A complete set of a 100 vibrant building blocks in a wide assortment of shapes and sizes: solid colors, stripes, plain, arches, blocks, triangles, and many more. Not only are they fun to play with, but fun to put away because of the shape sorting lid that lets you match up the hole to the shape of a block that you are putting away. Great fun for the kids for $24.98.

Nesting Nursery Rhyme Block Set

These beautifully decorated nursery rhyme blocks form a 32"-tall tower of glorious illustrations! Stack the alphabet A-Z or numbers 1 through 10. When stacked just right, other sides picture nursery rhyme characters and a park panorama with corresponding words. Even though you can pile them 32" high you can also put them away in just 6" of space. You can purchase them for $12.98 or if you purchase two, you get them at $10.98 each.

Cardboard Building Bricks
With 24 colorful bricks your children can be free to create castles, forts, and entire cities! But don't let the cardboard trick you into thinking that they aren't sturdy because the makers claim that they are strong enough for adults to stand on, but light enough for tots to tote, stack, and sit on. Easy to assemble and come in a collection of 24 blocks. You can choose from 2 different color sets: Bright or Pastel. They cost $14.98 for a set of 24 or you can get 2 sets at $9.98 each... that is almost 50 blocks for only $19 bucks.

Freebies and Free Samples

Enjoy this Freebie Friday with FREEEEE items from Walmart, PUR, Always, and even Orville Redenbacher.

Free Magnet Clip

Free USB Drive

Free Always Panty Liners

Free Mouth Wash

Free PUR Shopping List Pad

Free Platex Glide Tampons

Free Health Information Organizer For Your Child

Free Book Plates

Free Ovrille Redenbacher Popcorn Sampler Cakes

Freebies

Freebie Friday!!!!! Oh I do love free stuff, it gets my cheap frugal side all excited and filled with goosebumps!!!! So, here are some odd and ends of free stuff I have found around the internet.

Free Photo Frame

Free Sample of Jennifer Lopez's New Fragrance

Free Degree, Perfect For The Little Black Dress

Free Ziploc Vacuum Freezer Bags (only for the first 20,00o people)

Free Diabetic Testing Meter

Free Schick Male Titanium Razor

Free Dove Therapy Shampoo

Free After School Kit

Free Tote

Free Jiffymix Recipe Book

Free Nicorette

Halloween Ideas

With Halloween coming up and we uber excited, because this will be Lucy's first Halloween. I just can't wait to see her all dressed up and hopefully walking to the door! HOW FUN!!??!! Anywaaaaays... back to the post :)... with Halloween coming up I have been looking up some fun crafts and with the request of other bloggers out there, I found a couple no sewing Halloween costume ideas.

Halloween Crackers
I have always thought these looked so fun. Plus, you can totally use these instructions for birthday parties, Christmas, or any other gathering.

Hula Girl Costume

Garden Girl Costume

Flower Girl Costume

Show Off Your Great Husband

How many times have you walked into the living room and there he is.... your sweet husband, the love of your life, on the floor playing with your children and making a fool of himself? If only the co-workers from the office could see him now. But your kids... they are looking at him and admiring him in such a way that can't be explained, they get such a joy from him coming home, the way he tickles them, and the how he can make the simplest thing silly.

I know I have noticed this with my husband. When he comes home, as soon as he walks through those doors and yells, "HIII, I'm home!" our little Lucy starts flapping her arms and kicking her legs.... she knows daddy is home. She starts turning and arching her back trying to get a look over at the stairs, waiting to see his head pop up and walk up the stairs. You can just tell that she absolutely adores him.

So, if you feel this same way about your manly man, then go ahead and brag about it. Find your best looking picture of hubby with your children, a picture that is really showing off his sweet daddy skills (make sure that it is high-resolution pic). Once you have found a picture, go ahead and type up some reasons why your husband is a hot guy and dad. Then send your email over to hotdad@parenting.com and they will go through all the entries and pick which dad they think is hot and post him and little bit of his story in Parenting magazine.

Well, go ahead! Dig through those old shoes boxes of photos and find that heart melting photo of your first child asleep on daddy's chest after a long midnight feeding. Don't be shy, talk up your man! I'm sure he deserves it!

.

P.S. If you look at my sidebar there are two of my favorite pictures... Curtis and Lucy playing the Wii and then one of Lucy strapped to Curtis in the baby carrier. Which one do you think I should send in? You can vote for what picture you like on the sidebar too :)