Red, White, and Blue swap!

I had SOOOO much fun with this swap! I hope my partner likes what I got for her.....

Here is what I received in the mail yesterday!

Baby was excited and wanted to open some!


Then daddy covered her in fluff!

The loot!
She LOVED the cookies!
A pair of red flip flops, a $5 Target gift card, a box of amazing cookies (They didnt make the trip too well, but they still taste AWESOME!), a cute note pad, a awesome bag and a red water bottle, and a little sand whale for Ray Ray!

Thanks soooo much Becky! To see what I sent to her check out her blog at-
Becky's blog (She hasnt posted yet, but I am sure she will soon! :) )

Crunchy Tuesday

This one is a serious no brainer, but with the 4th coming we all need the reminder!

As the days go on we become more dependent on paper plates, cups, bowls, all disposable eatery.

Did you know that in an average year most office workers will throw out 500 paper cups a piece? Styrofoam and paper plates take years to break down in the land fills, and Styrofoam is even worse if you burn it, because it lets of toxic fumes!

Obviosly, I am urging you to go to Walmart or the dollar store and buy some festive plastic reusable plates for $1 and use those instead of trowing away your money! Obviosly actual blates would be much better, but plastic is one step closer! Then take a step more and use some cloth napkins and cloth table cloth!

Give it a try, it is well worth it!

Think about it Sunday

This week is a very special week in our house. This is the week we look forward to all year! July 1st is our 3 year anniversary! July 2nd is DH's birthday, and July 4th well... a big party day for independence day!

SO my question for the week is, what is the best gift you have ever received for your anniversary (or anything from you significant other) and what is the best gift you gave them?

I need some serious ideas! I always do chocolate strawberries and sparkling cider for our anniversary, even on our wedding day I had some made and in the fridge! So that is a no brainer. Last year we just did a picnic and I made a big candy bar poster and stuck it to the door. This year DH has taken the entire week off of work and hence will be around so I cant be sneaky this year! hehe.

(AHHHH I hate when my computer hilights things without me knowing and then I keep typing and it deleates!)

This year for his birthday i am kind of stuck again- I have 3 things planned- one I just ordered today and hope it gets here soon, and the other 2 I just need to find time to sneak away and get them done! I am really excited though because his mom and stepdad will be coming up to go to the 3 dog night concert and the hot rod run, so that will be super fun! I always make him a homemade cake too! The first year was a football shape- the second year... prego brain, cant remember, and then last year it was an awesome flag cake!

for The 4th we will be down in DH's home town! (In fact we will be there for the rest of the summer it turns out!) And the best and coolest things happen in that town on the 4th! It all starts off with a fly over by the airforce planes! (Last year they went down main street and then back again! SOOOO cool!) And then a parade. next is stuff at the park including ribbon frys, funnel cakes and navajo tacos! Next, after a nap, will be the free swimming in the community pool, and then after another nap is the standing room only at the demo derby! (Gotta LOVE small town life!) To top it all off is the fireworks! I am so excited I can hardly wait!!

So I hope you have as good of a week as I will be having! I will keep you updated and try to stay closer to my blog! (I was gone all last week and doing homework and I kind of slacked! :) )

Tip for the weekend

When planning a road trip with a toddler, there are a few things you need to remember. The first being not to let said Toddler drink an entire sippy cup full of juice.... results will be said small child throwing all of said juice up....

Lesson Learned!

another!

I am being featured with another showcase today! Make sure you go to http://ohbabyboutique.etsy.com to check out the new stuff I have in my shop!

I will be back at home tonight and ready to go with some fun new tutorials for next week! Dont forget the free chocolate and have a GREAT weekend!!

Things im working on Thursday

Ah it has been quite a productive week at my house! Ok, well at my MIL's house! I have gotten a ton of homework done, and This is some of what I made!

-quilt squares for a lady on our foreum that was pregnant and had a weird condition where they thought she was having twins and the baby died and she is still in the hospital- 1 for each of her 8 kids and 1 for her! (We are all pitching in squares!)baby quilt for my red, white and blue swap!!! I LOVE it!



To update- The trainers lady sent me to collections and pitched a huge fit to Pay Pal, and I found out that I dont have to take my med term final after all!!!! WAHOO! Plus I have sold some swim diapers, so it has been a pretty good week! :)

p.s. Anyone on facebook playing farm town? hehe- I need some new neighbors! Add me Josie Jensen King as your friend! (Addicting but a good stress releiver hint hint!)

Wordless Wed

Crunchy Tuesday- natural deodorant

Sorry im a bit late! :) Natural deodorant or the lack of deodorant at all is something that has always made me a bit... well scared! hehe. When I first joined the forum that I frequent, they had posts about how none of them use deodorant or how they make their own, and it totally freaked me out! I already only have one brand and fraguence that works for me as it is, so thinking about trying to use "earth friendly" brands kind of freaked me out.

Apparently breast cancer and althimers have been thought to have a link from deoderant. This has not been proved, but people still beleive it to be true. Have you ever read the label on you hair gel, toothpaste, hair spray, lotion, shaving cream or body wash? They all contain toxic chemicals and here are 5 that MSNBC says we should absolutly avoid-
* Parabens- meaning and including methyl, ethyl, propyl, benzyl and butyl, are preservatives that they say have been linked to breast cancer, and found in breast tumors.
* Aluminum and friends- meaning aluminum chlorohydrate, aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly or any other aluminum compound. Aluminum has been connected to Alzheimer’s disease.
* Triclosan- This is classified as a pesticide by the FDA! It’s thought to contain carcinogenic contaminants and is stored in body fat.
* Talc- Did you know that this baby powder ingrediant can actually contain asbestos?! Well the sad part is that the amount of asbestos is not regulated so you never know how much you will be getting in your talc!
*Propelyn glycol- It is actually believed to be a neurotoxin that may cause kidney or liver damage.

Did you have any idea that this stuff was actually in the products we use daily for ourselves and our family?!? I had NO idea and frankly, I am more scared of using these products than I am of being smelly! Hehe! So I will now be on the search for a natural, 5 product free deoderant that can make me happy! Anyone want to go on the search with me? Anyone use a product like this that they would like to recomend or review for us?

Here are some web sites that show us how to make our own- I might be trying some of these when I get home from my vacation! hehe
4 different easy kinds
Simple recipe
make your own recipe
Instructables
The greenest dollar

Good luck..... and let me know what works for you and what you like! hehe

Happy Fathers Day!

I wish I had a picture of me with my dad to show you- but since the big computer crash, well I pretty much don't even have many pictures! But make sure you take this time to tell the fathers in your life Happy Fathers Day!!

What Makes a Dad
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad
Author Unknown

I just want to tell my husband how much we love him, and that he is the best daddy we could ask for! Thanks so much for all you do for us- we love you SOOOOO much!!

Dont forget the free chocolate!

https://secure.realchocolate.com/

You can only win 4 times, but your spouse can also win 4 times, and your mom, and your dad.... hehehe!

I am SO mad right now....

It has been a pretty interesting couple of months, but I think this week takes the cake- at least the last couple of days.

I sold a ton of trainers to a lady who I thought I could trust to be honest and whatnot even though she was new and obviously doesnt know anything about what is going on. Anyway- she gets the stuff I send and immediately started complaining. They dont work, they are sewn terribly, she has shown them all around town and everyone she shows them too cant beleive what a terrible job I did- "I want my money back". Now wait a second there........ Its complete BS. Anyway that is beyond the point, if someone were to EVER have a problem with anything I do I expect them to come to me corgilly and tell me what is going on and we can figure out what is going on together and make it right. Well not this lady! SHe has been freaking out, saying terrible things about me and the things I make, totally demanding, and just not being very nice at all. This alone makes me want to just say SHOVE OFF and leave it at that. But anyone who knows me in real life or has even met me knows that I cant do that. It isnt me AT ALL. So now I am going to make her all new stuff even though I dont have the materials, or the entire week it will take me. I know she still wont be happy. I know there is absolutly nothing I can do to save myself, because some people just wont be happy no matter what you do! sigh..... The thing that gets me is the complaining of how "You are not professional, there are defects, it doesnt look right, I am experienced and I KNOW." Well first off, it isnt something I am certified and licenced to make- I was just doing it as a favor to help her out, because that is what I DO! I made about $0.50 per thing I made and it all went towards our relay for life team. She started freaking out about how I have an Etsy shop and I sell diapers, so how can I make something so terrible blah blah- first off, Diapers are a TON different than this pattern...... AH! I am just so done! I am taking a vacation for the week..... hehe advice or any comments are appreciated.

SO.... then..... DH wants me to get my homework done. I am ok with that, the deadline is coming up soon anyway. So he said we would go on vacation as soon as I get it done, but then makes plans for next week. That is fine, but I have 3 hours total of dictation left and each minute takes at least 5-10..... so I am in for it! THEN the teacher apparently got fired and we have a new one who decided to spring a final medical terminology test on us, and not only that, but we have to take it AT the school and it is CLOSED BOOK! I am so screwede! There is NO way on this earth I can pass this test open book, let alone closed! NEXT- the teacher emails me that I dont have a bunch of scores- well my computer crashed and I dont have any way to resend them!

Anyone want to trade problems for a few days? hehe

Wordless Wed

Think about it Sunday

This weekend as I was having fun watching my sisters dance recital it got me thinking. I was watching some of the girl a few counts behind and thought of what I might have looked like in 5-7 grade when I didn't really care to try! hehe. But then I got thinking about something really funny and kind of interesting, a fact that I can absolutely guarantee that no one knows but my mom, (well, and my orchestra teacher I am sure! hehe) I dont even know if DH knows! So here goes- and I expect you to leave me a comment with an interesting fact about yourself! (If you get to read mine, then I get to read yours!)

So when I was about in 5th grade until about 7th or 8th grade I started violin lessons. I had been taking piano since I was in 1st grade and was sick of it and wanted to move on! My mom found me an amazing teacher! I was doing great, but then, tragically, she was killed in a car accident about 4-6 months into my lessons. After trying at least 4 other teachers, we never could find one who we liked and I could work with. So when I was in middle school my mom thought it would be a good idea to put me in the orchestra. Why she thought this was a good idea is completely beyond me! I dont think I even know how to read music, I had all my notes written on all my music etc.... Anyway, half the year went by and it was the Christmas concert. I played the ENTIRE concert without my bow ever touching my strings once! Can you even imagine?!?! What a boob! SO I think that was the point when my mom decided enough was enough, and I was only forced to play a musical instement one other time in my life, and that was when I had to learn a song on the piano well enough to get my car! hehehe!

So now it is your turn! Share a funny experience with me! I promise not to tell!

A great review!

http://thriftyminnesotamama.blogspot.com/2009/06/im-in-love-with-this-etsy-shop-oh-baby.html



If you have never been to the site "thrifty Minnesota mama then you need to head over there right now! She does the best reviews and has a giveaway with each one! Best part is that tonight it is for me! She is doing a review on my swim diapers and Ellie Swim suits, so make sure to go check it out and enter to win!!

Meal plan madness

Yesterday I made a 2 week meal plan that I promise to stick to. DH is super mad because we have gotten like $250 worth of insufficient funds fees this month (woops- why cant they just like to our savings account that clearly has enough money to cover!) So I decided to try my grocery shopping until next pay check and see where it takes us! (I forgot to get mascara, which I left at my SIL's house... so 2 more weeks without mascara- yipee for me!) I am doing a no spend starting today with the exception of the post office and picking up the t-shirts for our relay for life team.

Anyway- I got off subject- here is my 2 week meal plan!

June 10- Ham, Funeral potatos.
June 11- Breakfast (pancakes, eggs, bacon)
June 12- Filly cheesesteaks, onion rings
June 13- Chicken and broccoli Alfredo
June 14- Home made mac and cheese
June15- leftovers
June 16- Pigs in a blanket, baked beans and green beans
June 17- Roast (which I forgot to buy... so maybe not! :) ), Carrots and potatos- may substitute twice baked potatoes
June 18- Chicken enchiladas and nachos
June 19- Chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries (DH HATES them, so I will make regular ones too!)
June 20- Out of town (DH has a 5K!)
June 21- Mini Pizza's, garlic toast
June 22- Sloppy Joes, chips
June 23- Tacos
June 24- Crock pot chicken Parmesan
June 25- Leftovers

Share with me what you will be making!

Things im working on Thursday

It has been kind of a crazy couple of weeks! I have made......

at least 10 swim diapers
Another set of newborn diapers which mailed off Monday
This adorable set for a friends baby shower (with a bunch more stuff, but this was what I was most proud of!)
Look how cute the romper is! (If you can click to enlarge it you can also see the new tags I just got!!!! YIPEE!!)
More to come if I can remember to take some pictures! :)

Wordless Wed

Red white and blue swap!

I am super excited about doing this! I wanted to do one on this blog, but didnt think I could get enough participation, so I am excited I found one! If you want to sign up you better hurry! Only 10 spots left!

Crunchy Tuesday- the no spend

Could you go a whole week, month or even year without spending ANY money? Yeah I dont see how it is possible either! lol.

A no spend means just that- you dont spend ANY money! I assume the people who try this out would have to go on a shopping spree for food and clothes before the no spend started, as well as stocking up on gas and other essentials- (think bills). A year is a LONG time to go without spending money, and I am pretty sure they have to pay there bills.... but maybe someone who does this can help me out!

I think a no spend week would be a great thing for our family! I am seriously going to try it! Maybe even next week, but we will see! What do you think about it? I can see how it would save money on the unessesary things we seem to buy, but doesnt going on a shopping binge before and after the time just kind of defeat the purpose? lol. Does anyone do this, or do you want to give it a try with me next week? Let me know what you think!!