In the New Year I will be doing more of this...

Organizing my home

Reading!  My Christmas present from my sweet/handsome hubby!

Spending time with this cute bunch

What else?  I guess you will just have to wait and see...


HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

New Year's Resolution+Accountability=?

I stumbled across this blog awhile back and saw that she was doing a 21-day challenge for organizing your home.  Now if any of you really know me you know that I am a wanna be organizer! :)  I try, succeed, fail, fall off the wagon, and procrastinate. OOPS!  So I am hoping this challenge will motivate this mama.

 I ALWAYS tell Brian, "I think we get better and better with our household duties/organizing every year!"  He just looks at me like I am crazy.  I think my husband has heard me say these words every year since we have been married! Ha

I have only been successful at one other New Year's resolution and that was 3 years ago.  Brian and I decided that we would not drink soda for an entire year.  We also stiffened the resolution by making a harsh punishment for the one who quit early!!  The punishment would be to make the other spouse breakfast in bed every morning for a week.  Well their was NO WAY I was going to lose I already cook every meal as is.  That resolution was a success and I am hoping that this one will be too.

So friends/bloggers: CALL, EMAIL, COMMENT, BUG, BUG, BUG, ME IF YOU DON'T SEE A POST!  I need accountability and that my friends is where you come in!  So have I convinced you to jump on the bandwagon with me?

I am featured on...

MOM AND LOVING IT!! 


You can find the blog with Owen's story here!

This book is so incredible I have done 2 bible studies regarding this book!  I have never found a book that is inspiring and so true to reality!!  Every time I read this book I get more out of it than the last.  I highly recommend it!  They also have a CD and another book too.

So thank you gals for featuring my story!

Oh so true...

This is hilarious!  Have you seen this? HAHA
Oh and by the way I have my parents, in laws, and yes even MY GRANDPARENTS on facebook!!
Love you all :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn44fjWss68

Computer problems

Okay I know you are all sick and tired of looking at that birthday wreath and I have SOOOOOOO much to blog about but my computer has crashed. Window vista has locked us out and we are taking the computer in to have it fixed. I promise as soon as it is back I will be back to blogging regularly. Here are some highlight from the month:

1. Vacation Bible School
2. Summer Reading program at Library
3. T-ball games
4. Lila is rolling :)
5. Fireworks in Hanover with great-grandparents and Nana
6. OWEN'S 6TH BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

So look forward to many pics in the coming weeks!

Homemade Vanilla extract-yummy!

This year for my friends I made my own vanilla extract! It was super easy and fun! My hands smelled the entire day of vanilla. Yummy! I think next year I will get a bunch of gals together for lunch and make them together! Are you in? I purchased the vanilla beans from a website called Beanilla. I highly recommend purchasing high quality beans.

I attached a star cookie cutter with a sugar cookie recipe. If you look close you can see my name embossed on the recipe card. This was a gift from my mother in law Janis and I LOVE it!

My cravings and a blog giveaway

Wow I can't believe how sloooowww this bed rest business is going! It is very quiet around here during the week. I am sure grandma JJ is sick of me calling twice a day to check on my boys. It is not about how they are doing it is more about me just wanting and longing to hear their sweet voices. My boys are both very energetic and imaginative and always keep me entertained. I enjoy all the stories that the grandparents are sharing and the boys LOVE telling me what they have been up to. I miss them so much and Fridays can't get here soon enough. We have been leaving surprises for them in their beds to come home to. This week is their own chap stick :)

With that said I have been enjoying my time by reading, working on the projects from my challenge, and taking long naps!

I wanted to share one of my cravings I have been having lately. Mmmm mmmm good! Brian introduced me to hot cocoa with MILK instead of WATER! I will NEVER go back to water again. This has changed my world. I know what you are thinking hmm strawberries not on the angel food cake. NO not me I can't stand a soggy angel food cake. So I have a side of sugar for those strawberries instead.

My other new indulgence is the new Bounce Dryer Bar! I am in love with this product! Have you tried it yet? Well then here is your chance. I have yet to find a dryer sheet on my floor, in my shirt sleeve at church, or a big fire hazard pile in my dryer.

Leave a comment about what your favorite craving is and you could win this Dryer Bar!! Best of luck! Drawing ends Wed. of next week at Noon and is only open to US residents.

Talking points

*Well we had Christmas this year in our new home!! That was exciting and we were suppose to have my grandparents and mom over but the snow kept them away. So we spent Christmas with our little family and had so much fun! I really enjoyed not having to travel, I know that sounds awful but it was so relaxing :) Santa brought the boys a Lego table and it has been VERY popular. I am ordering stockings but wanted to wait after Christmas so I could get a good deal ( I know how cheap is that but the baskets worked and the boys don't know any better)

* Here is a pic of me at 30 weeks and yes I am HUGE, I know! I had one lady that was a nurse tell me she was watching me just in case I went into labor. I smiled and said oh I am not due until March!!!! Come on give me a break I am barely 5 foot 1!! :) This belly has no where to go except OUT !

Lila is doing so good. We went last Tues. and she had a huge growth spurt and weighed 3 lbs. 5 ounces! Almost a pound in 2 weeks! This is huge for her. I am taking it easy and am bored but the bed rest is working b/c I now only have partial placenta previa.

*I have been working on my projects from the challenge I posted! My first project was cross stitching a Christmas tree and my second project is an album that says Baby and I am going to scrapbook the words. Here is the post regarding the challenge if you are wanting to be in the running for a $50 gift certificate to Amazon! Good luck!

The challenge, are you ready!?

So bed rest is exactly what I thought! It makes the days really looong and sloooow. I am hoping not to go insane the next 2 1/2 months!! Grandma JJ will be taking the boys from Tuesdays through Fridays which will be good for me but I am going to miss the noise. It will be really quiet around the house. So I was thinking of something that could occupy my time and this challenge is what I came up with...


Here is the challenge:

1. You will send me a package containing EVERYTHING I will need to create a project. (Remember I can't run to the store) It can be anything you wish. *Note these projects will not be returned to you*

2. You can have as many entries as you wish.

3. The project has to be able to be completed within 2 days.

4. The deadline for the challenge is Feb. 1st. All projects have to be postmarked no later than January 31st. Please email me at court_carpenterathotmaildotcom with a link to your blog and I will email you back with my address.

HAVE FUN AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU COME UP WITH!
The PRIZE:

On Feb. 1st I will post all projects that were sent to me and I will have a poll and we will all vote on the best project.

On Feb. 15th I will announce the winner! The winner will receive a $50 Gift Card to amazon.com *The drawing could take place at a later time due to the arrival of Lila*

HAVE FUN AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU COME UP WITH!

Top 5 reasons why I can't sleep

I am a night owl that is wanting to convert to being a morning person! I try every month to convince myself that I am going to start going to bed earlier. Then week after week I am up past midnight. I would say that my bedtime is 12:30!! Ughh. I would like to be in bed like a "normal" person around say 10:30pm. Why is that so hard? Well I will tell you...

1. That is when I get my cleaning done
2. It is my "ME" time
3. I am blogging/reading blogs
4. I am eating my hidden chocolate bar
5. I am reading a good book with NO interruptions

Okay, so for all of you morning people what's your secret? Do tell...

Let the fun begin

The creativity is in full swing today as we received our paint set! My dear friend, Brenda has an amazing blog where she shows her true talent for cardmaking and scrapbooking. She has so many wonderful creations! Take a look here. She was giving away a paint set or clear alphabet stamp set and I chose the paint set. Guess what I WON!!

Today was the perfect day to receive this package! The weather is cold, gloomy, and Owen didn't have school. Here are their paintings.

Thank you Brenda for the wonderful package and thanks to Kidkraft too!

Calling 911 for what?

Owen has been learning a lot about Fire Safety at school. Last Monday he came home and counted the smoke detectors only to tell me we were suppose to have a smoke detector in EVERY bedroom! Really? So on Thursday when the fireman finished reading books at story time it was Q and A time. So I had to ask if this was true! It is!! Do you have a smoke alarm in EVERY bedroom at your house?

Do you remember those sticky silly hands that you throw at the walls? I remember them being eyeballs, hands, and random other objects. Owen just got one at a fall festival in town and plays with it frequently. Today he threw it up on the ceiling in the kitchen and asked me to get it down. I said that I couldn't reach it and it was unsafe for me to stand on a chair. Owen said, "Mommy that is okay I will just call 911 and have the fireman bring his ladder!" So we had to sit down and have the 911 chat before he made some random call!

Another request

I have been making diaper cakes for about 3 years now. I will be sending this one to Nebraska to a dear friend of mine. The supplies can change but I have included a package of diapers, a bib, picture frame, pacifier clip, baby hat, and some baby lotions. You can create this for any gender or theme for that matter. I have made so many different variations but this one I thought was pretty cute b/ of the diaper design. I like the circles. Have a good weekend!

Daddy Duty Needed ASAP!!!!

Look I can handle most anything but if I see another one of these in my house I will be spending the night with one of you lucky readers!! I am not kidding. I saw 2 just yesterday. So this weekend is father's day and I am putting him to work. Isn't that awful of me. I can't keep walking around this house freaking out b/c I think one of these spiders is lurking! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKK.


DADDY THIS IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!!

I snuck in some GIRL time!

Last week my boys went to stay with their grandma JJ for the weekend and she picked them up early on Friday. When Reese woke up her and I had a great time one on one. So I thought she was in need of girl time! Which meant I was ready to paint her little toes. It was so much fun! She sat on the floor eating chips and watching me. She didn't even move she just relaxed and watched. When the toes were dry she kept walking around looking down at her toes. It was so much fun!! I have to have a girl. I have told Brian many times that once we do he is in trouble :) I want hair clips, dresses, and tights with matching purses. Oh gosh I am going to have so much fun with a mini me! But for the past 1 1/2 years she has been my little girl! Reese is so cute and I love her so much. Having a girl around the house is just too fun. Just look at that cutie pie pose, how can you not love her!!

Obsessed...just a smidge

Clay Center has started curb recycling and of course I was super excited because I have nothing else to do around this house! :) It seems however that it is becoming a little bit of a problem in this household.

For instance Brian wants to help clean the kitchen, no problem, except he threw away ALL the recyclables that I was drying in the sink, ugh. That is the hardest part to recycling is the cleaning the containers out. I said why did you do that? Brian says I couldn't get a drink of water b/c their was so much in the sink. Okay so that is one example.

I almost get giddy thinking about how much I recycle. I am recycling toilet paper rolls, string cheese wrappers, and every scrap of paper I can find. It is getting pretty impressive if I do say so myself.

I have asked Brian for the past 2 weeks to take the trash out and he hasn't done it until this morning. But look, more recyclables than trash. Only three bags of trash in 2 weeks!! I am pretty proud.

However I should be cleaning my house, doing laundry, organizing kid clothes but wait that is an empty toilet paper roll. In the recycle it goes....

The winner is.....................

MELISSA!!!!!!!!!!! I will be sending this along with the rest of your package! LOL! Brian and I laughed so hard when we pulled her name. As her Christmas box is STILL sitting on my dresser. I promise I will get this out before next Friday.

BLOG CANDY!!!!!!!!!!!!

WhooHoo I found my camera! I can't believe my blog has reached over 5,000 hits! Thanks to all my wonderful friends and family. I wasn't sure about this blog thing a year ago and now I am addicted to it. So for the blog candy giveaway you have to answer 1 question....

The question is: What is your favorite family tradition. I am looking to start a new tradition with my family and can't wait to see your answers. I will have random.org draw a number on Friday!!! I will mail anywhere in the United States. Have fun and thank you all for your support with my blog. I hope you find lots of laughs and inspiration and keep coming back for more!

The winner will receive a package of Stampin' Up! rich regal brads with 4 different colors, a retired stamp set called Make It Count, and a Cuttlebug embossing folder.

Weekend events

I have blog candy and no camera. The house is completely cleaned and I can't find my camera! That is so frustrating!

We had Mile's 3rd birthday party yesterday and we all had a great time! I really enjoyed seeing all of our families. I have the cutest pics but can't load them on my blog until I find my camera, ugh.

Brian took the boys to Manhattan today so I could have some "me time" which was awesome! I took a 2 hour nap and then spent the rest of the day cleaning up from the weekend. :) Hey at least I wasn't picking up the same stuff over and over.

Have a good week!

I wish....

I was computer savvy!! I have been trying to figure out why my blog isn't updating on other people's blogs. If you see my blog information on other blogs it says I haven't updated in 7 months. Ugh. I have tried everything. Any suggestions?


BLOG CANDY COMING SOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My blog is just about to hit the big 5,0000 mark! I have enjoyed this blog and am thrilled to see so many of you return to see my lil' family and creations. Be looking for more information regarding this on Friday! :)