Easter Excitement

Need something to entertain the kids for a few days before Easter? Something cheap and easy?

It doesn't get any cheaper or easier than this.

First... dig out all your beat up old plastic easter eggs out of the closet. If they are marked up on the outside, it won't matter.

Next use a foam brush and paint the outside of each egg with mod podge or watered down elmer's glue

Fill a small plastic bowl with glitter and place the egg in the bowl. Now let your kids shake the bowl gently and use their hands to gently cover the egg with glitter. The princesses love anything with glitter.

Next place on a paper towel to let dry.

and then? You're done.

Voila'

I was planning on gluing them onto beads to make a swag but I really like them individual. I've placed them all over my mantle and left some on a bowl on the coffee table.

Shiny Sparkly eggs, what's not to love?

loss

This has been a crazy week. Within 36 hours my best friend lost her dad, my neighbor lost her mom, my brother in-law lost his dad and a friend from Tyler lost her Grandmother. Today I found out that in a few months we'll be loosing our pastors to the mission field.

I know that some loss is permanent and some is temporary but they all come with the same heartache for a time. I'm sad for all my friends and I'm terribly sad to loose the world's youngest 40 year old pastor and his family.

Today we cleaned out the old plants and debris out of our front garden. The area is bare and empty. It reminds me of when we first moved in our house and there were no plants out front whatsoever. Every single plant in this yard was placed there by us slowly as we could afford it. The freak snow and freeze in Houston this year single handidly killed every plant that we placed there with love. Now there is nothing... it's bare.. the dead things are gone.. and the most beautiful soil has been left behind.  It's just waiting for new plants to come and grow. The soil is ripe to nurish and help the plants grow.

Loss is sad but the relationship that you had with that person has cultivated a growth inside of you. Now that your heart is bare, it has a chance to grow. I know that my friends will overcome and turn the love they shared for their parents/grandparents into something beautiful. I also know that Life Church Katy was made into a church.. a true church, not one defined by a building.. .and now it's time for another growth... in a different way...and it will all be wonderful.

Thrift Store Treasures

I found these gems at a local thrift store. We all know that I would have bought them except I don't think His Royal Highness would have claimed to know me anymore.. hahahaha....

I love thrift stores and this is why....

Today I'm thankful...

I've had a rough past few days.... It's just a mommy funk kinda time when the kids aren't listening and are choosing destruction as their method of choice. Today I was awoken to them playing with the spackling paste I had left in their bathroom after painting it. It was rolled into tiny balls and they had stuck things to the wall using it. Then they decorated the step ladder (also left in the bathroom with it). Then at this exact moment, a contractor showed up to give us a bid on work we have to do to our house. fun, fun, fun.

All these things and the many other things have been getting to me and driving me a bit crazy. Not to mention healthcare but we're not going to talk about that. (I have an unhealthy obsession with politics.)

So I'm going to choose to be victorious and thankful. Maybe my husband will stop coming home from work late if he knows he won't come home to "the look".  (The look basically says to keep all duct tape out of my reach before I tape the kids to the wall, not that I would ever do that)

Today I'm thankful for....

*My sweet husband who went to the store to get me something special today, just to lift my spirits.

*Princess Goofy's smile

*Princess Girly Girl refusing to brush her teeth tonight so that they will fall out and then the tooth fairy can bring her a gift.

*This little thing next to me that didn't take her second nap until 8pm and now thinks it's party time.

* Spring

*my house. (if you know me personally, don't fall out of your chair) but several of the blogs I usually read all just returned from Africa and you should see the pictures of the living conditions there. Wow, I am extremely blessed.

*getting to watch a baby rub her eyes and try so hard to stay upright. haha.

*my inlaws who are coming this weekend and giving me a princess free day on saturday!

* Plum baby food Strawberry Mish Mash... Princess Newbie's favorite, right behind banana and pumpkin.

*the neighbor behind me who unknowingly let me watch him doing drugs in his backyard this morning. Weird thing to be thankful for but really I am thankful that I never went down that path....It was my first time even seeing someone do drugs. Don't worry, I'm not pure white innocence, I did my fair share of bad things, drugs just wasn't one of them. P.s. if you have a two story house behind you, don't do drugs in your backyard... bad decision neighbor boy... bad.

*earless chocolate bunnies.. or at least they are now.

I think Princess Newbie has reached the end of party time. I need to go cuddle with her and smell her sweet baby head while she drifts off to sleep. Oh I'm blessed... very blessed

Austin Couch Potato Trip Part 3

If you're ever in Austin there is one place that you must go to. It's the Oasis Restaurant on Lake Travis. It is a short drive outside of the city but the drive is gorgeous and breathtaking. The food is great as well but the view.... oh my... the view... it's beyond amazing.

I first went to the Oasis on a school trip in 1997. It was the year that I fell in love with Zcaveriche jeans, loved every Bryan Adams song, and first went to Austin. Back then the Oasis was a little wooden restaurant that had level upon level of shaky wooden decks built onto the sides of the cliffs. The Lobby even had a huge tree growing up through the middle of it. Sometime in the early 2000's the wood building burned to the ground and they have been slowly rebuilding for years now. Everytime we go another part has been added on.

I love the architechture on the outside. There are also iron sculptures around every corner and turn.

That's not even the best part. The best thing is the view.

Beautiful right? I didn't get the best pictures of the view because His Royal Highness claimed I spent too much time in the gift shop and they had already gone outside to see the view, while I was shopping. So I just snapped a few quick pictures and headed back to the car.

There is a golf cart that runs people too and from the restaurant to their cars. This one drove extremely fast and Princess Newbie was hiding from the wind. I was actually scared because our less coordinated child, Princess Goofy, was riding on the outside edge of the golf cart and the driver was taking sharp, fast turns. If you can fall down an escalator, you can fall out of a golf cart.

To see the best pictures and find out more information, view the Oasis Website here.

You might want to watch out for your kids though.... Apparently they only card those under 2.

Detour

Tonight we're taking a little detour from our couch potato trip to Austin.  We will return to the beautiful views of the Oasis Restaurant tomorrow but tonight we'll have a little lesson about why you should not drive with your gas light on.

Yesterday I drove downtown to pick His Royal Highness up from work where he works in a highrise building with spiffy views. Actually he never looks out the windows. As I approached downtown where it is really hard to find a gas station, my gas light came on. We decided to take the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane back to the house instead of fighting through stop and start traffic. The thing about the HOV lane is that it is one lane with cement barriers on either side. You can't get out of the HOV lane until you are at your transit station. So.... I kinda forgot about the gas and just drove home.

This morning I pulled out of the driveway on the way to a playdate and realized that my gas light was still on.  There was a gas station to my right that I pulled into but I left when I realized how high the gas prices are and figured that I could easily make it another two or three miles to Kroger.

Hm... I was wrong.

All the sudden my van started acting weird and I knew what was happening. I made a u-turn and tried to get back to the gas station but I didn't make it. I was across about 500ft. away when the van just coasted to a stop.

I know what you're thinking, just get out and walk, right? That's a great plan until I tell you that it was raining and I had all three kids with me. I could have still done it and would of had a cop not come to my rescue.

He stood by the van and entertained the kids while I hiked back to the gas station and bought a gas can and some gas. By the way, Mr. Gas Station Attendant... I feel like you owe me a nice steak dinner since you took advantage of me with your super expensive but smallest gas can on earth. This by the way is a gas station that I avoid like the plaque. The last time I was there they were openly selling drug paraphernalia but it wasn't out this time.

I hiked back to the van, got a small lecture about driving with less than a 1/4 of a tank of gas, spilled half of the world's tiniest gas can all over my hands and legs, and then drove off into the wild wild world of other gas filled vehicles. I was extremely moody, wet, and smelly. The Playdate was cancelled but I did happen to make it to Starbucks. You could say that I have my priorities in order.

The rest of the day was much better. Thank goodness.

Princess Newbie has decided to take over the driving from here on out...

Austin Adventure #2

Now that you've had time to get all the sugar out of your system from Hey Cupcake, it's time for stop #2 on the tour of Austin. The bad news for those of you wanting to work off the cupcake induced calories is that this stop is directly across the street from Hey Cupcake.

Directly across S. Congress street from Hey Cupcake is a unique shopping experience. Everything from Vintage clothing shops, a boot store, and artisan fair booths make up S. Congress.  It really is a mix of all things weired, hence it being part of Austin. Just incase you didn't know, Austin's slogan is "Keep Austin Weird". I think this street does that single handidly.

The weirdest store I went into was one called UnCommon Objects. You just have to see it to believe it. It was an antique store but not the regular type that you would find musty smelly objects from your grandmother's house in. This one was full of crazy objects. It has tons of old science experiments, stuffed (real) animals, a shellaced alligator to welcome you, old antique medical supplies, old flash cards, weird clothing, anything and everything to make you wonder... UnCommon Objects was the perfect name.  I didn't take any pictures in this store because it was packed and a little hard to move around in but it would have been so fun, definately an Austin must see.

So on a pretty day, check out the shops on S. Congress.... and the artisan street fairs..

Hey Cupcake!

I think it's time for a road trip. Pack your bags, gas up your cars, put on clean undies, sit on your couch and take a virtual road trip to Austin with me.

The next few days I plan on showing you some of our trip to Austin that we took two weeks ago. It has taken me the full two weeks to recover and get back in the swing of things. Hopefully you won't experience the same setbacks.

My first true Austonian experience was at Hey Cupcake. Austin is known for it's food served in Airstream trailers. No joke. So when I read about Hey Cupcake, I knew it was fate.  I know this might be tricky for you but you'll never guess what they serve at Hey Cupcake.

How'd you know that? Did you cheat? They serve delicious cupcakes. I ordered the Micheal Jackson cupcake. It was chocolate cake with white cream cheese icing. It was great but I later tried one with buttercream that I liked better. There was nothing wrong with the cream cheese icing, it was just a warm day and the buttercream held up a little bit better than the cream cheese. The cake itself had little chocolate chips mixed in it. It was amazing and the atmosphere of being on a hip but crowded Austin street in a line of airstream trailers only made it better, not to mention that the woman serving the cupcakes could have stepped out of the Better Homes and Gardens, 1950's edition. And yes, there is always a line... a long line.. but it moves extremely quick.

It was a great treat that the princesses and I really loved. I fully recommend finding Hey Cupcake if you are ever in Austin, in person. The airstream trailer can be found on S. Congress, just south of the capital area. If you see funky, trendy looking shops, you will find Hey Cupcake.

it looks like she has a mustache...hehe...

Someone's Grandmother was sneaking them globs of icing... that someone might have been in a sugar induced coma....

RIP

Butthead

2005-2010

Rest In Peace Butthead, I knew your time was coming but I thought that I would be the one to decide your fate.... not you just quitting on me. I will remember you always.. partially because you have added to my hair loss and craziness but also because you were the machine I really learned to sew on. You were good to me most days... I will miss you... some days...

5...

Princess Girly Girl turns 5 today. I am the mom of a 5 year old. Time flies faster than my memory can run.

This is the kid that taught me how to be a mom and is continuing to teach me.

I love that she loves to cook and craft because I do.

The second I pull out the first pot or pan to cook dinner, she is grabbing the little chair she stands on and is next to me within seconds.

Her number #1 question is, "what are we going to make today?"

Over the past year she has became the best helper.

She is a true princess. Royalty comes naturally when you mom just happens to be the Queen.

I love this girl and can't wait to see the rest of her transformation.

Happy Birthday Princess

Yucca, yucca... wooo ohh let my people go...

We had a good weekend and by good I mean back breaking and exhuastive. Remember that big thorny plant I mentioned was in the corner of our yard? It's gone now. We dug it up, chopped it up and hauled it to the curb. It was at least 20 ft. tall and the root ball on it weighed over 100 lbs. I am not joking. I had to roll the root from the very back of our yard all the way to the curb and let's just say that my buns of steel needing a morphine drip after that exercise. I think his Royal Highness didn't realize how heavy and hard it was until I got it to the curb. He was nice enough to send Princess Girly Girl to see if I was still alive when I hadn't returned from the curb.

In all honesty, he was my shining star this weekend. He helped me remove that giant Yucca plant, helped me plant a tree, and then helped clean up my mess in the backyard (well, I was inside so I guess I didn't help with that last part). By the way.. I got a tree at Lowe's for $5!!! The tag said $75 but someone had put up this red ugly sign next to it that said $5, so the manager gave it to me for that price! I don't think he liked me but I don't care.. I saved $70.. I like myself enough to cover it!

We did take pictures on my iphone. I'm not sure why we didn't get out the real camera. But those pictures are on my phone, in my room so you'll just have to picture it for now.

Tonight I started making the spring wardrobe for the Princesses. I'm making them each 4 play dresses and one church dress. Then I'll fill in the rest of their wardrobe with little t shirts and skirts that we find on sale or that grandmothers who love to shop send to us. I'll taking pictures of that soon and hopefully tomorrow I will finish four dresses. I don't know what will happen first, pictures or dresses but one can hope!

Now I'm going to go lay in bed and dream of Ben Stiller dressed up as the Avatar people. (It really happened, google it)

I hope you removed some giants from your life this weekend, either real or in the form of plants...

Adventures in Gardening

Spring has reached the Houston area! Angels are singing! It is rumored that we have had the last frost for the season. Last year I waited too long to plant my garden because I wanted to make sure that the cold weather was gone. Therefore, my plants did not get to mature and fully produce before the heat arrived in um... April. Welcome to Houston, hottest place on earth.

So this year I have decided to plant most of my vegetables tomorrow. I'm keeping it simple this year. Just tomatoes, blackberries, cucumbers and my herb garden. Oh and some corn... Once I convince His Royal Highness to pull this huge thorny palm out of the corner of our yard.

Today I decided to take all three princesses to the garden center to pick up the vegetable plants that we will plant tomorrow. Things didn't go as planned. Lately Princess Goofy has been throwing huge fits with my in public. I'm not sure why or what is the cause of it but she just plants her feet in one place and refuses to move.  Nothing can convince this girl to move, nothing.  Usually I just start to walk off which sends her into utter hysterics. The hysterics were coming anyway, one way or another, the walking just is the final straw to bring them to fruition.

Today was going well though and she was excited about buying tomatoe plants because she has an undying love for "matoes".  I was almost free and clear when I saw the feet plant. I was at the register paying and I had them add a blackberry bush to the order that I would have to go get before I left. Then the feet planted and the huge tears appeared. Then one of the tomatoe plants were thrown and it was just ugly from there.

In case you need a good laugh, just imagine a mom trying to keep a squirming baby on one hip, carrying plants on the other, helping another child push the cart with an imaginary hand, and trying to pull a screaming, kicking, loosing it child along with the last imaginary appendage. Imagine this scene going from one corner of the garden center to the exact opposite corner of the center to retrieve the plant and then back again to the car. At one point I glanced up and saw every single employee peering out from behind the cash registers just staring at me like they had never seen anything like that in their life... oh yeah.. being a mom is fun....I finally reached the car and the tears stopped immediately. I don't know if it was because she knew her dad was calling me after my numerous 911 texts to him or because showtime was done for the day but either way it was done...and I was exhausted but mad. I drove to Sonic and bought myself a big cup of sugar, I mean Dr. Pepper, and got her a nice glass of water.

Tomorrow I will give her a huge hug, help her plant her "matoes", and then look for a new garden center cause' we all know I can never set my foot back in that one.

3 quick things...

I only have three quick things and then I'm off to bed

1. I started my sugar free week today. If you ever want to go sugar free for a week, don't start on the day that you were up the entire night with a fussy baby.  Princess Newbie was up every 1 1/2 hours last night, if that long, and I am tired! But I can't put sugar in my coffee so no coffee. I can't eat the oatmeal that I would have liked to eat because it is brown sugar maple... super sweet. That was just the start to the rough morning. I think I also scared my kids. Mommy might be scary for a week.

2. I forgot. ugh.

3. did I mention I haven't had sugar in 24 hours? I can't think straight. I did have three points when I started writing this but now I can't remember what they are. I give up. I'm going to bed. Goodnight you sugar eating people.

Skittles and Glue

Today was Texas Independence day.... It was also Dr. Suess' birthday. Today was also the day for primary voting here in Texas. What can make this day better?

Hmmm... any ideas?

Maybe because was also my birthday. 20 some odd years ago today time stood still and the wonder that is myself entered the world. In fact the day that I was born, there were fireworks and parades all over Texas. Maybe because it was also Texas Independence day but maybe not.

Overall I had a great day. I got a ton of emails and phone calls from friends and family and felt loved. His Royal Highness brought me starbucks this morning and took me for a seafood lunch. Tonight I spent time with Princess Newbie, watching her pull up and try to stand. I am loved and I thank you all for it.

So tomorrow I begin the last year of my 20's. I'm not sure how that can happen when I'm only 25 and have been for the past few years but apparently I'm entering a new decade soon. Because everyone needs a goal, no matter how crazy or off topic it may be... I am creating a list of goals to achieve before I turn 30. Ready for it?

1. Give up sugar for one week... I'm starting this tomorrow. It will be painful and I might be delusional but it's happening.
2. take a photography class
3. work with clay... whether it is pottery classes or another clay slab class... work with it and get my hands dirty!
4. make some of my own clothes.
5. Make more of my kid's clothes.
6. build a new coffee table/ dining chairs/ bookshelf...
7. loose more weight. The number shall remain a mystery until I am closer to it.
8. Take the kids camping.. and yes... camping in a hotel does count! ha!
9. read at least one book a month
10. keep my van cleaner
11. Keep nursing for at least three more months.
12. Weene this kid!
13. learn how to better use my embroidery machine/serger
14. grow a cucumber
15. be a better wife - I know you're thinking, "how is that possible?"
16. be a better mother - totally possible. Did I tell you that one of my kids fell down an escalator today? I'll let you guess which one....
17. create some of my own recipes and actually write them down!
18. write a book.
19. visit another state (except louisiana)
20. win the lottery... ok.. I might not achieve this goal because I've only played the lottery once before but you never know!

I don't know if I'll achieve all these goals but at least I have a vision.... and the vision is GOOD!

Cake Show Part 2

We are finally home from the Cake Show this weekend and my house is finally clean! So now I can show you pictures of what I have been working on the past few weeks but they are not the best pictures. In fact, I fired my photographer tonight. He didnt even take a picture of the front of the cakes, only from the sides? Luckily the cakes all made it home with us and I'm going to take better pictures tomorrow.

So without any more interruption, here's my entries to the Sugar Arts Show this past weekend:

My wedding cake entry into the Intermediate Adult category. It has lattice work, extension work, and hail spots if you know what all that means. This cake I really bombed when it came to piping the bottom borders and the judges even commented on it. I really love the overall idea of this cake but I just couldn't bring the details together on it. It was a love/hate relationship and the judges must have felt the cold distance of our hearts because it did not place. No surprise. I do have big plans to put it on the roof of the van and gun it at full speeds down the road.

This was my entry for Special Techniques in the Intermediate Adult category again. I really loved it and there are so many details. There's even ice in the glasses and the cupcakes had sprinkles but I was beaten fair and square in this category. The women who won all had outstanding entries.  This was a great category. I love it when I have that awesome of competition.

Aw... the green cake. This is the love of my life and my favorite cake yet. It just fits my personal style and I want to marry it. The bird on the top of the cake was hand painted with cocoa paint and the flowers are all out of gumpaste. This cake did win third place which I didn't 100% agree with but I'm still happy to have brought home a medal. And I might be a little partial to this cake because of the love affair and all...

Then there's the best cakes of the entire show! The green cake on the left was done by a master baker we like to call Princess Goofy and the one on the right was done by critically acclaimed cake decorator known as Princess Girly Girl. They each won a medal for their cakes. Princess Goofy won for best blue snakes on a cake and Princess Girly Girl won for best colors on a cake.

Princess Newbie wanted to enter a cake but her drool melted the icing... maybe next year.

Overall I was little disappointed this year with the cake show. Every year I look forward to seeing the Master level enteries because they are always so amazing and complex. There were not many enteries this year and most of the people that entered the masters level competition won just because they were one of the only entries. I could have won with all three cakes this year if I had entered in the Masters level. The higher level cakes also were not challenging this year and were disappointing in a way. The begginer level cakes were so much better than several of the higher level cakes.

Also I disagreed with the judging on many of the cakes. There were some real stand out cakes that did not medal at all while cakes that had only one technique, fondant figures, won everyime. I just wish that cakes that attempt harder but not always as popular techniques had a better shot at being recognized... but Ill get off my soap box now and go change a diaper.

Cake Show Part 1

Here's just a few cakes from this weekend. More info. on the cake show will be posted after my kids go to bed but I'm breaking up the posts since there are so many pictures. These are not pictures of my cakes and I do not know who did them but they are all great!!

Squirrel!

Great details! Beginner cake

one of my absolute favorites... also a beginner cake

We loved these cookies

This looks so real!

my #1 favorite cake of the entire weekend. The details and stringwork was amazing.