emery farm field trip

Today I had the fun of chaperoning the AM kindergarten field trip to Emery Farm. Alex was so excited about his first field trip. He kept telling me last night that I couldn't get him to school any later than 8:20 or he was going to miss the bus to the farm. I let him know that I would make sure he got to the school in plenty of time to catch the bus.

My little man is smiling at me from the the window after the second emergency exit. So cute!!

After our hayride through the Spooky Forest (which really frightened Ms. Lazarus) everyone got to pick their own pumpkin. This was Alex's choice. The rule for picking a pumpkin was you had to be able to carry it. Parents were not allowed to help. Now if I could get that rule for when we go places, I would be golden.

Here's Alex's class with their pumpkins. Looks like everyone picked a good one!

Time for a stroll through the corn maze. Can you tell it's the end of the season? The poor corn is practically falling over when you walk by. But it was fun and we finally made it out. Thank goodness that Ms. Lazarus had a red jacket on at the end so we could see her or we would probably still be wandering around!!

Everyone's pumpkin waiting to be gathered when the bus arrives. Alex's is the third from the right front row.

There's my little guy with a sad face. He wanted to ride home with me. I thought he wanted to ride on the bus. It worked out okay since we had to go to the school anyways to pick up his book bag.

Yesterday I called the heater company to find out if they could send someone out to check our heater. It was not working. No heat coming out. As I was talking to her she suggested some things to check for before they sent someone to my house which would mean I would have to pay a service call. If those things didn't work, they would send someone out. Happy happy me managed to get it working!! Guess there was an air bubble or moisture in our fuel line and it just needed to be primed. So happy it was a simple thing that I could manage. Better yet, I didn't have to pay money to get heat going. Always a good thing. Heat is good too since those nasty weather people are saying the "S" word for this weekend. Totally not liking that.

Off to hang up my Halloween garland that I have been working on FOREVER! Hoping to share pictures of that tomorrow.

wonderful day

Let me first start by saying what a horrible morning we had on Monday. Both kids were cranky and irritable and not moving and fighting and screaming. Just about everything that could go wrong was going wrong. I even offered the kids up for sale on Facebook. My friend Nicole put it into perspective for me that I wouldn't have to give up both to stop the fighting, but only one and asked which one I would choose. Geez, if you're gonna use logic on me. Of course I couldn't get rid of them, it was just a mom at her wit's end kind of morning. Monday evening was much better.

Now about my wonderful day. That would have been yesterday (although today is going pretty rockin') It was pouring rain and very chilly. You may be asking yourself how is that wonderful, well that part wasn't so wonderful but my kids were amazing and made my day sunny and bright anyways.

It was time for their flu shots. Let me tell you the joy of getting them to accept this. Not an easy task. I would have to equate it to putting pantyhose on an octopus- nearly impossible. So time for some MAJOR bribery. Yes I will admit, I am not above this tactic to get the desired results. Best part- it works for my kids. Probably because we don't use it much so it's all good.

We talked about it and I told them my secret to getting through shots, I don't look. Seriously, if I don't see the needle, it doesn't hurt me. So we agreed that they would sit on my lap and look at me and blow into my face (another tactic we learned from Kira's doctor). Last year Kira went first and freaked out in such a big dramatic way, that Alex fed off of it and I had to hold him while he kicked and screamed. Not a fun experience. But that was last year, this is this year. We were ready.

First stop, Friendly's for a good meal and some fun time before the deed. It worked out wonderfully. Both kids cleaned their plates and ate their ice cream since we all know there is always room for ice cream!! Then it was off to the doctors office. There were a few people there right at 6pm for this flu shot clinic. Even with the pouring rain it was busy. Guess everyone thought like I did. 

The kids were great. They played nicely without fighting and Kira even read Alex a book. Then it was our turn. Kira started freaking out on me again. I told her to calm down and breathe. Alex looked at her and told her to be brave since he was. The nurse came to get us and Alex told her he was ready for his shot. So cute.

When we got into the room, Kira asked if they had the flu-mist and they did. She immediately felt so much better. whew. Alex went first and did amazing. No crying, screaming, yelling- NOTHING. He sat on my lap and blew in my face and didn't even flinch. Great job.

Kira was next and did just as well. Great night. Now for their reward for being so good... a tin of Pokemon cards each. It was so worth it. And now they are all set for this cold and flu season. Mommy needs to get hers either this week or next. We'll see.

On that happy note, here a few more of the pictures I took on Sunday of the kiddos.

LOVE THIS ONE OF KIRA!! That smile is amazing and comes from within. Beautiful!

And my handsome little man. Wonderful smile too.

Time to get back to my Halloween decorations. Getting to the end. Hope it comes out as nice as it looks in my head. LOL

fall picture time

Sunday was a lovely day and the front yard leaves had dried out enough for our annual leaf picture fun. I took a TON of pictures. The following three were my favorites. Such sweeties.

Every once in awhile they do love each other to pieces. Then that moment passes and it is a totally different pair of kids.

So darn pretty!! Love the little freckles on her nose.

My hammy little man. That smile cracks me up all the time.

Gonna be a chilly one today with the strong possibilities of rain. oh so much fun. Debating on a nap later today. Guess it will depend on how much I can get done before then. Three baskets of laundry to put away. Best get motoring.

medallion/ accordion flowers for halloween

I forget exactly which blog I was on when I came across mention of medallion flowers. That mention, took me to Google which found me this amazing you tube video by UKmaryanne. The music in the background is rather soothing as I was learning a new technique. And the flowers... so simple and amazing. I have not stopped making them in about a week. My husband thinks I have gone over the deep end, but I LOVE THESE!!

Here are some I was working on for a project that hubby insisted I create. LOL Okay, we were at Target and saw these really cute Halloween buckets in their dollar section (love that part of the store) and he asked if there was anything I could make them in to. I said I could but we probably didn't need them. As I was walking around the store, I decided that $3 would be a good investment in a Halloween decoration so back to the front of the store I went.  But I digress...

Here are some of my medallion flowers. I used the Cloud 9 Design Seasonal Stack that I picked up at Joanns (on sale) and my Martha Stewart scoring board. I will say I went through a bit of a crisis when I went to purchase this item. I am not a big supporter of Martha (won't even look at her stuff) but the scoring board price and the fact it comes with an envelope template.... it was not an easy decision. My wonderful twin helped me by saying that Michaels (where I purchased said board) had already paid for the item so really I was giving the money back to Michaels and not really to Martha herself. That did help and made me feel like I hadn't sold myself out. Then I find out that there is another scoring/ trimming board out there pretty much like this one. sigh... I should have held out.

Anywho... From the above medallions turned into the below decorations. Love how it all turned out and how they look. I did purchase some of the spider webbing at Walmart. This one is green and will glow in the dark with a black light. So if you have a black light, come on over and check it out. LOL

I am currently working on a large collection of these flowers to create a garland for the fireplace. Hoping to have that done by the end of the week. Promise to post pictures.

sad day

...for my little lady. Her blanket that Nana made for her before she was born, has a rather large hole in it. Peek a boo...

She was so upset. Of course you can also see just how thin and well loved this blanket of hers is! She has slept with it since she was born. I used it to cover her when she was a baby. And you can also see by the picture below that that one hole is not the only one in this blanket. 

She is hoping that Nana can work some of her "Nana magic" and fix the blanket when she comes to visit in November. I am certainly not taking a chance on sending this through the mail. That would be the one package I would lose in the mail. eeeek.


Doesn't she look so pathetic?

I must also point out that she does have two other blankets that Nana has made for her. Nana made another one just like Blanket after she had to repair a smaller hole when Kira was around 3. Then Kira wrangled another blanket out of Nana when she saw her making Alex's blanket before he was born. She insisted on having all four colors (pink, blue, yellow and green) in her new one. That is the one she has draped over her shoulders in the picture. 

Last night she slept with both of the spares in the hopes that they will smell like her beloved Blanket soon. Big hugs to my girl. Growing up is so hard!

On the crafting front, I am working on some accordion/ medallion flowers with a Halloween theme. Who knows... they may even be done before Halloween??  ;)

actual scrapbook pages

I know so totally amazing! Not that I have done them over the past couple weeks. These were done and then lost in the piles of stuff that collected on my desk. Finally got them photographed and uploaded. Nothing slow about me! LOL

This is Kira's fourth grade class picture. I swirled the kids in the class since I don't have permission to post them. Very simple layout but it works. And I finally had a chance to use those metal letters that have been in my stash FOREVER!!

This one is of our very own Elf on a Shelf, Scout. We adopted him last year. He got himself into some pretty fun spots around the house. He was also a bit of trouble maker. One night he rearranged the tins on the Advent Calendar, another one he 'helped' put the candy canes on our tree by using them as a ladder to the top of the tree! On this particular night, he grabbed my point and shoot camera and had himself some fun around the house! The kids loved it and can't wait for him to come back this year to do it again!! Scout left the kids a letter on Christmas Eve since he was going back to the North Pole with Santa.

Easter Morning in our house this year. My 'enamel' embellishments didn't come out too good. I didn't adhere them very well before adding the glossy accents. Oh well... still like how this came out. Used a pagemap for this one. I don't remember which one though- sorry.

Alex at his family birthday party in Syracuse. He put on a bit of a dancing show for us before the party. So many cute shots I couldn't choose one or two. I used the Picasa collage feature to create the 8X10.

Another birthday layout with another collage. Love them. They make scrapping in a hurry much easier. This is my first banner. Not sure if I like it or not, but I did it. Cross that off my list of things to try.

Another wonderful collage. I didn't get very great pictures of Kira during her concert so it was good to be able to edit them into useful pictures for the collage. Love the big one of her with her BFF Michaela.

Here are a couple things I did do yesterday. Love them. I found the idea on Scrapbook.com from a scrapper named 3peaspress. So simple and fun to do. I bought different sizes of the glass ornaments to make up some photo ones and to have Kira make some for her friends. Thinking of all the fun things she can do with hers!!

Here's a close up. I used glitter number stickers to add the year. I also put a bit of glitter in the bottom of the ornament before I started rolling the paper strips. On a few of them, I would add a bit of glue to both ends and a small bit to the side before putting it in the ornament. Then I shook it so the glitter would stick to the paper. It's a little bit of bling and looks neat. The rolling of the paper is such a stress reliever. I did pack my ornaments pretty full as the rolls will unravel if left on their own and with space to grow. I liked the fuller look better for mine.

So those are two teacher gifts. I have to make another one for a helper in Alex's class and then Kira's Girl Scout leaders. I need more ornaments. Guess I should grab them while they are on sale at Michaels this week. That's where I am heading tomorrow!! And maybe some more ribbon. It's on sale too. ;)


I have figured out how to give them, I need to do it and make sure it works. Keep your eyes peeled for that!

still nothing

Okay... I don't have anything to post scrappy wise. But I am happy to say that I have now gotten all the kids school work scanned and photographed. Everything is now on my computer. Need to do a back up so I don't lose all that work. Plus since I have now recycled a good 75% of it, I won't be able to do this again!


I am happy that I have now saved my kids school years in an easy storage way. I was holding onto BOXES of paper and my wonderful fantastical husband asked why I was doing that. He suggested scanning and photographing (somethings just don't fit in my scanner) the things I wanted to keep and then recycle the rest. I did keep a fair amount of the kids drawings which will fit nicely in one storage box instead of ten.


Feels good to have that off my plate. Not sure what I am going to do with it all. Becky Higgins keeps teasing about a school years kit of some sort so I guess I am waiting to see what she has. Love her Project Life so I figure the school years kit will be just as wonderful.


I got to help out in Alex's classroom today. Love doing that. From now on my day will be Wednesday instead of Mondays. The teacher has a parent that can only do Mondays so I switched. As long as I get to volunteer I am pretty flexible with the days.


Thinking tomorrow I may head over to Michaels and Joanns to see what I can find. I know Michaels has the glass Christmas ornament balls. I have found a great idea for these and they will be great for teacher gifts!! But I'm not telling yet what it is. Totally lifting the idea and credit will be given at the appropriate time.


Anyways... hoping that once I get them, I can get motivated to sit here and not play dumb games on the computer and I will get to scrap a bit. I even managed to straighten my desk up. I have room to work. All I need now is the motivation.


Thanks for listening. Hoping to post something scrappy tomorrow.

getting back into the swing

I have been slacking a ton lately on the blog front and the scrapping front. Now to get back into things. Especially with Christmas coming! I need to be making some presents and some cards. That being said, I will be posting here more and of scrappy stuffs. Pinky promise!