Tuesday, January 31, 2012

hello lover

Because,
sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name.
And, well...
they're always glad you came.

Yup.
It's back.
Different location, same fabulousness.

many thanks to my friend Lisa for tweeting this pic and making me pee my pants with excitement.

As most of you know, our beloved Hob Lob was blown off the map last April and we've had to 'make do' with a stand-in which shall remain nameless to protect the semi-innocent. For this post's sake, we'll call this stand-in Shmichael's, mmmkay?

Things I WON'T miss about having to get my craft fix at Shmichael's:

1. Employees who look 16 and know nothing, and I mean NOTHING about crafting, craft supplies, things to do with crafts and general craftiness altogether. They also have no idea where anything is in the store in which they are employed.

2. Employees who have no idea what a Cricut machine is and tried to sell me a cutting mat for a Slice. To go in my Cricut. That ain't the same thing folks, but the leetle gal at Shmichael's tried to tell me it was. She be wrong. She be real wrong.

3. Although this could've happened in any parking lot, it didn't. It happened at Shmichael's. 

It was raining.
I couldn't get in my hotmomvan.
I took pictures of the idiot parking job by the driver of the VW until that idiot driver came out of Shmichael's and saw me taking pictures of her car. I explained to her that I couldn't get in, which was obvious.
She made no apologies, but only looked at me as if I were the crazy one at fault. Again, this could've happened anywhere,
but it didn't.
It happened at Shmichael's.

4. On my last visit to Shmichael's, I found a lovely rotating rack on which to hang my flower pins. After searching through the store while pushing a double stroller with two antsy little gals and having no luck even finding an employee to help me, I took said rack up to the check-out counter to ask my question.
"Could the two hanging bars be adjusted on this rack or are they stationary?"

That was my question.

The response I received from the 16 year-old behind the counter:

"Well it probably has instructions inside".

That was it.

That was her entire response.

And then she just stood there and looked at me.

Nothing else.

"So, should I just take it back to the aisle and bust it open or should I do that up here on the counter?" was my response.

Again, she just looked at me, dumbfounded.

After waiting a few seconds and realizing she really had no idea how to solve the problem and after hearing the whines of my babes in the stroller growing louder by the second and after the frustration inside me had risen to a boiling point, I tore open the box, read the instructions myself while others waited behind me in line, because at this point I didn't really care. I found that, yes, the height of the racks could in fact be adjusted to your desired height. I crammed the pieces and the instructions back into the box as best I could in a hurried, frustrated state and through clenched teeth said,
"I'll take it."

It really is quite a cool little contraption and works exactly how I hoped it would, however, every time I look at it I'm reminded of the stupidity in which I had to deal with upon its purchase.


5. I'd also like to mention that on this same trip to Shmichael's, an employee of the store was there for a visit. On her off-day. With her dog. Behind the counter. Perhaps the reason that the gal from behind the counter didn't want to deal with me and my spinning-rack questions was because she was more interested in the dog running around. Behind the counter.

6. Shmichael's does not carry clothespins nor have they had bar pins in stock for the last 3 months. When I asked an employee where the clothespins were and after we both searched the store for a good 7 minutes, and then after she realized that they don't, in fact, carry them- she tells me to phone corporate and request that they sell them in their stores. Again, true story. I can't make this stuff up nor do I have the time. This same employee also had no clue what a bar pin was.

"You know, the thing you put on the back of a pin. To wear on your clothes. A thing to pin to your clothing- like a scarf or a shirt. Like the pin on the back a brooch." I had to say all of that for it to register with her. All of it.

7. The past two times I've been, they've been out of 1-inch grosgrain ribbon in black, red, and white.

8. They only carry photo storage boxes with nasty flowers on them. At hob lob, they have a plethora of photo storage boxes in all manners of color and patterns for you to choose from, including plain-jane black and white which is my preference.

9. I know the employees at our hob lob and I hope most of them will still be at the new location. I do not, nor do I care to know any of the employees at Shmichael's who again, know nothing of the things they are employed to sell.

10. I will not miss the occasional 25%-40% off sales of Shmichael's but look forward to once again enjoying 50% off entire departments for weeks at a time at hob lob.

Have I made myself clear?

To summarize, Hob Lob is back and Shmichael's stinks.

Can't wait to show you what I bring home on my first visit to the new store.

Also can't wait to show you my I heart hob lob shirt that I designed last night. Because I do.

I heart it.

Happy Tuesday y'all!











Friday, January 27, 2012

boycott, ballet, and busy


3 things to share with you today:

BOYCOTT


see that?
That's my laundry.
A hamper full in the closet + overflow pile on the floor.
Haven't really been in the mood lately to wash my clothes.
Just mine, mind you. The rest of my fam is A-OK.
You could definitely call this an experiment in laziness, but I'm choosing to call it an experiment in creativity.
Why creativity?
Well you see, the longer I go without washing, the further I have to dig in my closet to come up with something to wear. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that people only wear about 10-15 % of their clothing the majority of the time because of favorites and whatnot. Do you have favorites? I do, but like I said, not really feelin' the laundry duty as of late so...
I'm gonna show some love to the pieces in my closet that have felt neglected, abused, and unwanted. Because they deserve their day in the sun too. Just like I deserve a little more time away from the washer + dryer. If you see me in the next few days and think I've gone shopping, I have.
In my closet.

BALLET


Eliza went to her first ballet class yesterday. Before we left the house, she showed me a few spins and twirls that she learned from Angelina Ballerina. I honestly don't know which of us was more excited. This child has been talking about ballet class for months and months and has had a fascination with tutus for as long as I can remember. I was just so happy seeing her so happy. We made it to the studio a few minutes early and within 2.5 seconds she'd already made a friend.


Take a bunch of teeny gals, dress em up in tutus + ballet shoes, put em in a room together and you got yourself a whole lotta BFF's.

The studio has an 'observation window' for parents to watch their kiddos, which is awesome. The window, however, is reflective and one-sided so the kids can't see everyone staring at them, which is not so awesome for taking pictures. My iphone seemed to work the best on the half window/half mirror, so here's a quick video I took of my girl in action. For the last 20 minutes of the hour-long class they wore tap shoes.
Pure cuteness.



She's ready to go back next week.
Can't wait.


BUSY

I'm finding more and more lately that my kids can keep themselves busy.
On their own.
Without me.

While it's nice to have a break from the constant need-to-be-on-mommy's-hip-all-the-time, it's just further proof that my babes are getting bigger.


I found the 3 of them coloring in the dining room last night while I made supper. Together, but working on their own masterpieces.
Always busy.

Happy Friday friends.
May you all have a lovely weekend!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

a few things you should know

Good morning friends!
Just wanted to share a few quick things with you today.
First....
I found this via Pinterest a few weeks ago.
I pinned it. I loved it. I ordered it. And I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And then I realized the etsy seller that makes it is based in Hawaii.
And then, yesterday, our postman left it in my mailbox.


It's true.
They do.

I opened my e-mail yesterday morning to find this:


I knew it was coming, but this e-mail was like opening a golden ticket.
Might just have to take the day off to spend some quality time perusing the aisles. It needs a proper welcome. The STORE needs to know how much we appreciate them being here.
I feel it is my duty.

I enrolled E in ballet class yesterday.
She's ecstatic, and if there was a word to describe being 1000 times happier than ecstatic, she'd be that. The only downer is that she thinks she gets to go to ballet whenever she tees or poos in the potty now. As in, every single time. It's going to be excrutiating for her to have to wait until Thursday rolls around each week, and I must say....
I'm as happy as she is.
A child of mine? Performing on the stage of the Bama?
Twirling and whirling and pointing toes and wearing a COSTUME?
Yes.
Ecstatic.
SO ecstatic I could pee my pants.
But I won't.
Because then I wouldn't allow myself to go with her.


Oliver got a video camera from my parents for Christmas.
It's his new favorite toy.
He takes it everywhere, and I mean everywhere.
He snuck it to school last week in his pocket.
I've got the video footage to prove it.
I'll have to share some of his cinematic genius soon-
it's quite entertaining to see what he deems 'video worthy'.


MM wore pigtails last night.
She's growing up.
I don't care for it.


She's growing up so much, in fact, that she teed in the potty last night.


Did you hear that, internets?
My precious little wee babe teed in the big girl potty and wants to be a 'rina' too.

Turns out she's been watching and listening and knows the deal.
Teetee in the potty = get to go to ballet class & be a ballerina

Done.
"I can do that", she says.

I can't handle it.
She's my babe.

Although...

If she does start using the potty NOW, and we've just said buh-bye to diapers for E, just think of all the extra money I'd have to spend on shoes/ finishing the kitchen/ getting my hair done/ gas/ bills/ clothes.

you get the picture...



Monday, January 23, 2012

every potty has a pooper, that's why we invited you

She did it.
That's right.
Number two in the loo.
We danced, we celebrated,

and then we promptly sent the boys off to a hockey game while we girls went in search of a new Barbie.
Because my friends, that little gal had been a'holdin her poo IN, so not only did we have cause to celebrate over the fact that she'd done it in the potty, but we were celebrating the fact that she'd actually done it at ALL.

I love the look of pure astonishment that Toys R Us can cause.
Those aisles of stocked shelves can be overwhelming, not just to wee ones, but to the parents of the wee ones as well.

My kiddos each received gift cards to this most magical place, so we have Aunt Cindy to thank for this loot:

E picked a purple-haired Barbie, a half-dozen fake cupcakes for her kitchen, and a ballet tutu. MM is holding a new Minnie cell phone (because one can never have too many) and a mini Cabbage Patch in a lion costume.
Oh the happiness.


I must add that before leaving for the toy store, I too had to use the potty. After hearing me tee, Eliza patted my shoulder, told me, "Good Job Mommy! You want a new Barbie?" Can you even handle the sweetness of that? I told her that I just wanted HER to pick a new Barbie, but seeing as how proud she was of me, I think I'm at least entitled to a new pair of shoes.
Yes?

Moving on...

Muh boys enjoyed some UA hockey while we were perusin' the aisles.
Isn't my little man cute up there with his daddy's friends?



So glad they could do something manly while we were gettin' our girl-time on.


I made a lil' somethin somethin while I waited on the menfolk to get home.
It probably weighs in at a gajillion calories but it tasted so good, I didn't even care. It's another crockpot recipe I stumbled upon at school on Friday and friends, sometimes words can't describe the pure goodness of how something tastes.
This is one of those times.

Bananas Foster via slow-cooker:
1/2 C melted butter
1/4 C brown sugar (packed)
1/4 C rum (or 1/4 C rum extract)
5-6 bananas cut on the diagonal

Mix up those first 3 in your slow-cooker, toss in the bananas, and simmer on low for an hour. Since I was making this for one, I did about a fourth of what's called for and only waited for half an hour. Turns out, that actually worked, and consequently, sent me straight into a sugar-induced coma.
I kid.
But seriously-
it was gooooood.

(Subject change)

O lost his 2nd tooth this week.
Check out this snaggley cuteness:


and here's a look at all 3 coloring a birthday card for my Dad.
Happy Birthday Pops!
We love you!


Also tried out a couple more recipes from my board.
For supper Saturday night, we had chicken taco chili-
this pretty much required me to open several cans, dump the contents into my crockpot, put a few chicken breasts on top, and then go and play with my kiddos for 4 hours. About 30 minutes before we were ready to eat, I shredded the chicken with a couple of forks and bada-bing, bada-boom.
Dinner was served.
This one gets an A-plusssss because my kids ate it too.
Thanks again Pinterest.








For Dessert, I made this yumminess:


Sopapilla cheesecake?
Made with crescent rolls?
So easy to put together a 3-year old can do it?
Yes.
Oh heavens yes.
Sheesh was it good.

That's all for today, but I do want to thank God for keeping us safe last night/this morning. Alabama had some rather nasty weather and I truly hope that none of you reading this were affected. Havea safe day my friends!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Love day inspiration and a lil' secret

Happy Thursday friends!
If you haven't already, I urge you to take a moment and educate yourself about new legislation regarding the internet. This video is the best I've seen explaining the details.
Make your voice be heard.

Now, onto other matters at hand.
Like "love" day.
Like, "really wish I could go on a date with my hubs and no kids" day.
Like, "haha....that's not gonna happen" day.

I digress.

Of course, Valentine's Day is a day to celebrate those you love, not that you shouldn't do this EVERYDAY, but Hallmark is counting on you to celebrate on THIS day more than others. And really, it's hard to resist pink and red lovelies strewn about your mantel and door and where ever else it is you like to strew lovelies, because....well,....it's pretty. Today I want to share some of my V-day crafts from last year as well as some of the brilliance I've seen on the internets as of late.

First up is my "made from junk I found in my house" heart wreath:


wreath tutorial HERE


Foyer decor from 2011



Links to printable vintage V-day cards, 'Love one another' printable, and subway art printables all found in THIS post.


Love canvas tutorial HERE

And now, some of my faves from the internets:

FREE printable patterns.
SO many uses...


Free V-day printable:


Such a clever way to make an envelope- perhaps out of free printable paper?


You know that I love some book page crafts. This would be so easy-peezy:



Fabulous Valentine printable suitable for giving to your sweeties:



and an uber-simple paper chain made of hearts:
may have to string one of these up in my classroom...



(these and other fabulous Valentine's day crafts can be found on my

Now, for a lil' secret...
an editor of this website contacted me yesterday.


I almost peed my pants.
Don't know details of when it will happen, but they've asked if they could share something I made.
I told them I'd have to think about it.
Just kidding.
I answered with a giddy 'yes'.
Will share more when I have the deets.

Adieu for now my friends!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

SOPA and PIPA

Hello friends-
if you're not already aware, big changes are ahead for the internet as we know it. Many sites are going dark today in protest of these possible changes. If you're not familiar with SOPA and PIPA,
then take a look at this:

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

If any of you can shed more light on this, I'd love to hear what you know.  From what I've read, it seems all we can do now is write to our state Senator. Is that right?
It kinda looks like a lot of the sites we use everyday, including blogs like mine, could be shut down.

Say it ain't so.
No really.....

SAY IT AIN'T SO.


Tuesday, January 17, 2012

9 things from my weekend

1. Yesterday, E wore panties ALL.DAY.LONG. with no accidents. I was even brave enough to take her out, away from the comforts of our house and her little pink potty seat. Super Girl was amazing and she made it through an hour and a half of running errands with not even a drop of tee on her princess undies. This is one proud mamma who's not afraid to admit that she's already dreaming of what she could put that diaper moolah towards now that we'll only be buying half as many....

2. I got hooked on Downton Abbey over the weekend. Do you watch? It's a Masterpiece Classics production on PBS and it's amazeballs. Seriously. If you're not watching, you should be. Season 1 is now on Netflix so I watched the first 5 episodes Saturday & Sunday and then cheated and watched parts of the first 2 episodes of season 2 while also keeping up with the Golden Globes Sunday night. The writing/directing is superb and if sleep was something I could do without, I'd have finished the entire season already. The show won the globe for best television mini-series and airs Sunday nights on PBS.

pssst- just realized you can view full episodes of season 2 for a limited time on the link above. Don't jump ahead if you've not seen season 1 though-
do as I say, not as I do.

3. I read the first page to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 5 times over the weekend. That is all.

4. I took the Christmas cards off of the cabinets and the Christmas wreath off of the front door yesterday. MEH, however, is still on the roof.

5. I cooked. Actual food. In the crockpot and in the oven. Can you even believe it? No microwave involved. I've been pinning recipes like crazy but never actually used any until Saturday. We had this for dinner:


this for dessert:

and these while we watched the Globes:

I also made the Zaxby's sauce from the recipe on Pinterest and goshgollygee is it good. All of the recipes above can be found on my recipes board HERE, and just for the record, crescent rolls are my new BFF.


6. While watching the Golden Globes, E came running towards me with a distressed look on her face. She started crying, saying that she needed to poo-poo, but once she was within 3 feet of me I could already smell it. The poor girl was beside herself over the fact that she'd pooped in her princess panties, and really- who could blame her. I'd be distressed if I'd pooped in my panties too. We all would. I calmly but somewhat hysterically asked her where she was when she'd done the deed, knowing that if she'd been sitting on a white bedspread in her room, chances are some poop could've squished from the sides, but then...
I saw it.
And friends, lemme tell ya, I've never been so happy to see something like this before.
Rabbit pellet poo.
On the floor behind her,
down the hall to her bedroom,
in her bedroom floor,
and then all over the bathmat when we took those soiled princess undies off.
If you're a parent, or a human, you know rabbit pellet poo.
It's small, round, and hard, which makes it super easy to pick up- should you ever have to.

So there I was, watching the second most prestigious awards show of the season with all this glitz and glamour oozing from the screen and walking along, picking up rabbit pellet poo.
Our little Super Girl still won't poo in the potty. Number ones all day long in the loo, but no number twos.

7. I feel as though I've blogged about E way more than my other kiddos lately, and I have- what with all this potty training and whatnot. I'll have to correct that soon.

8. I'm working on lots of new goodies for the shop. Pics to come.

9. I have to share my faves from the Golden Globes and also tell you that I think a couple of my twitter friends nailed it when they said that Tilda Swinton looked like she was channeling David Bowie. What would we do without the Tilda's and the Bjork's to liven up the awards shows, hmmm?

My fave of the evening was Kate Itshouldbeillegaltobethisgorgeous Beckinsale:
(yes, that's her real middle name in case you wondered)

also loved Emma, Heidi, and Debra,
as well as:


Viola, Kristen, Sofia, and Kate.

And now, for those I lovingly refer to as the crazies who really give us something to talk about:

all photos found here and here
Tilda Swinton a.k.a. David Bowie
Jessica Biel in a 1980's promslashwedding dress
Kelly Osbourne as a futuristic Jeston's-ish mermaid
and Madonna in one glove and a dress that was just...heinous.

Who were your bests and worsts of the evening?
Or are you not an award show junkie?
Have you ever had to pick up poo before, or is it just me?

Do tell....

Friday, January 13, 2012

someone at my house is wearing princess panties

and it's not me.


It's this little gal right here:


yup.
It's our sweet little diva-costume-wearing-wizard-of-oz-lovin' Eliza.

At 2 1/2 years old, she's actually been 'ready' for a while now. And when I say 'ready', I mean totally knows when she needs to go and hides under tables and in closets so as not to be seen as she does her bidness type of ready. She's also been telling us to change her diaper and has, on occasion, brought us one herself as if to say, "My bum is wet and/or nasty with poo and I'd like for you to get it off now". She also, and here's the kicker,  will tell us which type of butt paste she would like. Yes, .... I know. Such a diva.

When this started several months ago, we immediately began trying to get her little booty on the pot but were met with screams of protest, and when I say 'screams', I mean just that. Screams. Even with promises of new Barbies and dress-up clothes, ponies and jewels, keys to her own car and a Swiss bank account with loads of cash. Since it's not our habit of making our kids cry and flail about if we can help it, we didn't push it. No sense in making her crazy mad, and after all...it wasn't like she's 6 and being denied access to big school because she can't wipe her own tooshie. She's just 2. There's still time.

 Well my friends, that time has come.
She is finally willing to not only sit on the potty, but to do something in it. Only #1 so far, but we're hopeful that any second now we'll get to flush something solid. Better for it to be goin' down the loo than ending up on our curb. Why the sudden change in attitude over sittin' on the pot? Well...I have to credit the hubs. Don't know how he did it, but he was off at the beginning of the week and called me on Wednesday to pick up a little prize on my way home because low and behold Eliza had peed in the potty. The teeny little bowl full of teeny little fruit in her hands in the pic above are erasers that I picked up in the dollah spot at Target. Also picked up some super-cool felt sushi for a buck. Because what 1 and 2 year old don't like to pretend that they're eating raw fish? Hmmm?

Anywho, just wanted to share a bit of what's happening at the Mathews hizzy this week. Along with the extravagant list above, we've also promised E that she can go to ballet classes as soon as she poops, so here's hoping we're taking a tutu-clad girly to a studio near us soon and very soon. We've had two in diapers for almost 20 months now, which has been totally awesome. And when I say 'awesome', I mean expensive.

Happy Friday y'all! 


 

Thursday, January 12, 2012

awards show season, how I love thee

Anyone out there as excited as I am about awards show season and the fact that it is upon us?

The movies, the fashion, the nominees, the winners, the fashion, the upsets, the interviews, the fashion....

In case you missed it, the People's Choice awards took place last night. While it's not considered one of the big ones, (The Golden Globes, Academy Awards) it does offer up a bevy of gawgeousness on the red carpet. Here are a few of my faves:

Gawgeous hair, gawgeous dress, love it ALL

Although this makes me think of "Kiss of the Spiderwoman" with it's web-like design, I still liked it


LOVED the 20's vibe Lea had goin on.
LOVED.
Her tv BF looked dapper as well.

Love the color and those SLEEVES

Almost didn't like this one, but it's Katniss y'all.

She didn't make my 'best' list because of the craziness goin on in the back of what could have been a fabulous dress, but he totally DID. Gale looks good.
Have I mentioned lately that I can't wait until March?

Va-va-va-vooooom.

Who doesn't love Betty?

And now,
 for the 'not so pretties'...

She may be wearing Pantone's color of the year, but Kelly's dress missed the mark for me. The bright red lips aren't helping the situation either. And Sharon's dress doesn't look too bad here, but....

it looks just plain awful here.
Sorry Sharon.

I wanted to Like Ashley's dress too, but I can see her belly button, and...
is that the outline of her undies?
Mirrors are our friend, Ash.
Nice legs & hair though.


Demi, Demi, Demi....
this is just too much for the People's Choice Awards.
Too too too too much.
I do like that she kept the hair + makeup low-key so as not to overpower the loud dress that would fit in lovely at the Academy Awards.... but not here.

Fringe?
No no.
Too much crazy at the top of the dress as well as the bottom.

Is this plastic?
Whatever it is, it's awful and the flat hair isn't helping.
It's ALL bad.

And while I do love you Emma,

I am not a fan of this green jacket.
Love the pants + shoes, but the top just isn't workin for me.

What did you think?
Who were your faves and who do you think looked like poop?
Hmmmm?

(all images found here, here, here and here)

And since there actually is a point to these award shows other than to praise and ridicule what everyone wore, here are the categories + winners from this years People's Choice Awards:


FAVORITE MOVIES

Movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Movie Actor: Johnny Depp

Movie Actress: Emma Stone

Movie Icon: Morgan Freeman

Action Movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Action Star: Hugh Jackman

Drama Movie: Water for Elephants

Comedy Movie: Bridesmaids

Comedic Movie Actor: Adam Sandler

Comedic Movie Actress: Emma Stone

Ensemble Movie Cast: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Movie Star Under 25: Chloë Moretz

Animated Movie Voice: Johnny Depp as Rango, Rango

Movie Superhero: Ryan Reynolds, Green Lantern

Favorite Book Adaptation: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2



FAVORITE TELEVISION

Network TV Drama: Supernatural

TV Drama Actor: Nathan Fillion

TV Drama Actress: Nina Dobrev

Cable TV Drama: Pretty Little Liars

Network TV Comedy: How I Met Your Mother

TV Comedy Actor: Neil Patrick Harris

TV Comedy Actress: Lea Michele

Cable TV Comedy: Hot in Cleveland

TV Competition Show: American Idol

TV Crime Drama: Castle

Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show: Supernatural

Daytime TV Host: Ellen DeGeneres

Late Night TV Host: Jimmy Fallon

TV Guest Star: Katy Perry, How I Met Your Mother

TV Celebreality Star: Kim Kardashian

New TV Drama: Person of Interest

New TV Comedy: 2 Broke Girls



FAVORITE MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist: Bruno Mars

Female Artist: Katy Perry

Song of the Year: "E.T.," Katy Perry, featuring Kanye West

Album of the Year: Born This Way, Lady Gaga

Pop Artist: Demi Lovato

Hip-Hop Artist: Eminem

R&B Artist: Rihanna

Band: Maroon Five

Country Artist: Taylor Swift

Music Video: "Last Friday Night (TGIF)," Katy Perry

Tour Headliner: Katy Perry

psssst-
the Golden Globes are this Sunday.
Will you be watching?

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