Okay...here is the third painting I have ever done! I have had so much fun at this place that I decided to go back and take my Mom who is in fact an artist. We had a blast together and painted an amazing painting of a girl walking in the rain. For the first time I also decided to venture out on my own a little and change up some of the colors that were used. It was a blast and I can't wait to go back again! … [Read more...]
My Second Canvas Painting!
Okay...so you might remember my post yesterday about this amazing paint place that I found in my town. I am now HOOKED! I went back and tried a new painting. This is the second canvas painting I have ever done and I must admit it is not too bad. I am not thrilled with my tree and see a lot of places I need to work on..but it was a blast and I can't wait to share my next painting with you all! Yippee! This is fun! … [Read more...]
Family Painting Day!
Recently I had a dear friend tell me about a new place in town where I can go and learn the steps to paint a picture. Now I must say that I have always had a dream of sitting in front of a canvas and turning it into something special. But the truth is I can't even draw a stick figure. It is crazy as I seem to be the only one in my family that does not have an Artistic side as both of my Grandmothers have painted some great pictures and my Brothers and Mom do amazing pencil sketches. This however is something that I have never been able to do. But since my daughter is artistic I thought I would give it a try. My daughter and I headed down town and found out we were the only one's signed up for the Saturday Family Day. We walked in and I let her choose the painting that she wanted to learn. She chose a beautiful Sunset painting. I was intimidated but thought I might as well give it a try. During the session the teacher walked us through step by step. It was amazingly … [Read more...]
Day 1 at Disneyland!
Wow I can't believe how fast summer is going already. As some of you might remember I planned a Disneyland trip for my daughter for her 7th birthday. Since the day my daughter was born I have told her that I would take her to Disneyland for this special occasion as 7 is a perfect age...she is old enough to remember the trip but young enough to be taken away with the Disney magic! It was a blast! Day #1 My daughter woke up very early on the first morning! She could not wait to go see her favorite Disney characters and take in everything there was to see! The first characters my daughter was able to meet was the characters from Alice in Wonderland. She was thrilled! After seeing them and talking with them the firs thing she did was look up at me with awe in her eye and say "Oh Momma, They really are real!" It was so cute! Mary Poppins and Bert were also at the front of Disneyland greeting guests. She loved meeting them. My daughters all time favorite Disney Character … [Read more...]
Paying it Forward with School Supplies!
Each year around Back to School time I get lots of e-mails from many of you asking me how to save money on school supplies. Well you all know that I post as much as I can to help you all save big! But, this year I am also excited to say that I can also SHOW you how much you can save! Thanks to GutzyGear and Madam Deals I was able to spend $25 to go towards a local school in need. I love Paying it Forward and I knew that I would be able to score lots of great school supplies for just $25 the hardest part was actually finding a school who I felt was the most in need. Recently my Mother in Law was hired on to a new school. She went from working in a Middle School to a pre-school that caters to the disabled children and has many preschoolers that are blind. When she called and starting telling me about the need that her new school had for not only school supplies for the children but also items for the teachers I knew that her school would … [Read more...]
Happy Labor Day + Pictures
Happy Labor Day readers! I hope you are spending the day with your family and friends having fun. I would love to hear about your backyard BBQ's, swimming, or perhaps you have been out camping. Can't wait to hear what you did this weekend? I spent the weekend with my cousin and her family. We had a great time going to a couple new restaurants, going to a alligator farm, going swimming with the kids and just catching up on life while going to a car show with over 500 amazing cars! … [Read more...]
Homemade Laundry Detergent! Up to 266 Loads for around $10!
Homemade Laundry Detergent! By making your own homemade laundry soap you will be saving your family lots of $$ plus it's super fun and easy! Directions for 1 Batch: 1 cup Borax1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda1 grated up bar of soap Combine all ingredients in jar and shake until well mixed and no clumps of soap! You will only need 1 Tbs per load! When I make a batch of Laundry Soap I like to use up all my ingredients so I make enough to try to use up the box's of Washing Soda and Borax. This takes a 1 gallon jar and 5 bars of Ivory Soap. (I know only 3 bars are pictured) You can also use Dove soap if you prefer. Ivory and Dove are by far my two favorites as they do not discolor your clothing and they wash the grease out of my husbands clothes! If you do 5 batches at a time like I do then it will equal 266 loads for around $10! That is an amazing price for laundry soap! Borax and Washing Soda can be found in the laundry soap aisle at your local Walmart or many other … [Read more...]
My Weekend at the Fair!
Being raised in a small town has its advantages. Everyone knows your name and EVERYTHING about you. You don't feel the need to lock your doors, every one is friendly, we all help each other out when needed, and we all know how to have a great time. This past weekend we had our County Fair. Growing up fair was always a big deal. My Aunt was the head of the fair and every one in my family spent every day helping out and doing our part to make sure it was a success...not to mention the weeks leading up to fair were filled with canning, baking, crafting and gardening so that we could have awesome projects we could enter to be judged! It is awesome! Another great thing about the County Fair is the events! Now that I am grown I do not live in the same small town that I grew up in but where I live still has that great small town feel. During the fair this past weekend we went to the Demolishin Derby. Some of you might be wondering what that is exactly.....well ......basically … [Read more...]
Tips on taking Kids Back to School Outdoor Portraits!
I can not believe my daughter starts school again on Monday!....YEP You read that right....MONDAY!!! Every year when I was a kid my Mom prized herself on the first day of school photos. I know that first day of school is hard for me to capture a lot of images and I rarely have time for more then a quick snap or two of the lens. That is why every year before school starts I try to take my own portraits of my daughter a week before school starts. This pas week I spent a day getting prepared for my daughters pictures. I know that sounds crazy but I am not a photographer and have never had any type of classes or anything to help me take pictures. That is why I researched different shots that I wanted to try out with my little girl. I also went to Hobby Lobby the day before these pictures were taken to check out little props that I could use in the shots. In these pictures below I only used a little school bus but I will be taking a few more photos this week in a different … [Read more...]
Michelle B. 10-Piece Cookware – Blogger Signups!
The Michelle B. Cookware Event hosted by Mom to Bed by 8 is now open to bloggers! Prize: Michelle B. 10-Piece Induction Ready Forged Aluminum Cookware Set (retail value $199) The event dates: July 23 – August 6 Link options are: RSS, Facebook, Email, StumbleUpon, Twitter and Pinterest. What is required to join? Fill out this form with your information! You will receive an email from me on or around August 1st you will receive another email from me with the html code for publishing the giveaway. Note it is required that you publish the giveaway html in full to be included in this event. … [Read more...]
Hers or His Power Wheels Event Blogger Signups!
Hers or His Power Wheels Event hosted by: Mom Blog Society This is a free blog event! You will receive one link for your participation. Event Giveaway Dates: July 30 - August 13 Prize: Disney Princess Girls' Convertible or Lil' Rider Sports Car Open: Worldwide If a winner is selected from outside of the US, they will receive a $100 Amazon Gift Certificate Ok so I will totally be honest! I want to win this! haha..but I can't so I am crossing my fingers that it is one of my readers who does! Remember THIS post is not the actual giveaway..the giveaway post will go live on the 30th so check back then! … [Read more...]
My Weekend – Painting a 53 Dodge Coronet
THESE PICTURES ARE ALL AFTER THE BODY WORK WE DID A FEW WEEKENDS AGO.......... (Sanding the car - getting ready for paint) As most of you know my Dear Hubby has a hobby of restoring old cars. This is a hobby that he has been teaching me over the last 8 years. This past weekend we finished up some body work and paint on a 53 Dodge Coronet for a friend. My husband did a trade... body work and paint on a car and in exchange he received the 53 Hemi Engine that was original in this car. (after primer) After priming up the car you need to do what is called Wet Block Sanding - This makes the car SMOOTH and helps it to remove any small imperfections in the paint. (Wet Block Sanding) After Wet Block Sanding we let the car fully dry and then masked it all off so we could lay the paint! (masking off the windows) (My husband painting the car) After that we unmasked the car and for let her dry.... (finished) I love working on cars with my husband! It is so fun to see a car … [Read more...]
Colorado Wildfire Update
All Updates are in Red - I try to update hourly! UPDATE for Waldo Fire: 346 homes on 35 streets have been destroyed. If you are not near Colorado Springs and would still like to help here is a link to a page of charity's for this area. It is no secret that Colorado is in need of rain! There are currently more then 10 Large Wildfires burning across the state. It breaks my heart to see all these fires and pictures that all my dear friends are posting on their facebook pages. I have lived in this beautiful state my whole life and I love my beautiful mountains. My prayers are being sent out to all those affected. I also want to say a HUGE Thank you to those firefighters. My Daddy has been a firefighter for over 20 years and I know what a toll that can take on a person! NEW FIRE - Lightner - 80 Acres - 40% Contained - 70 Firefighters on Scene. Pine Ridge - 12,047 Acres - 50 Homes Evacuated - I-70 One lane open on both sides of Interstate. 5% Contained- 150 … [Read more...]
I’m Ready for a Change!
My weight is something I have been battling with since the birth of my daughter. In my pregnancy I ended up with toxemia and a weight gain that was far beyond what any pregnant woman should ever gain. Thanks to Creative BioScience I might have a way for me to lose the pounds I am in need of losing! As some of you know I was battling with my decision between hCG and African Mango. Some of you commented to me that hCG was the way to go and others said that you wanted to read more about the effects of African Mango since it would fit better with your day to day lives as it is hard to count calories and eat different food then what you serve your families. I have closely looked through their site and all they have to offer. I have decided to give African Mango Lean a try. The reason behind this is not only because that was the #1 choice on my facebook page but also because I agree that it is hard to make different food for yourself then you do for your family. With the African Mango … [Read more...]
Easy ‘Tie Dye’ the Kids can do!
Items Needed:Sharpie MarkersWhite T-ShirtBowl (any size)Rubber-bandrubbing alcohol 1. First you will need to decide where you would like your tie dye to be located on the t-shirt. Then place that spot over a bowl and use a rubber band to hold the shirt in place. This will also stretch the shirt allowing a nice canvas to easily draw on. 2. Let the kids draw away! Anything they like! After the kids have finished up their artwork on the t-shirts you will then take rubbing alcohol and lightly pour the alcohol over the drawing. It is easiest to do this in a bottle with an applicator tip. But if you don't have one that is okay as well... The rubbing alcohol will then let the colors bleed out making if kind of a fun tie dye effect the kids will love! - Next let dry! That's it! Now your kids have a new cool shirt to wear!....I have never washed these shirts to I am not sure it will stay..we just do it for the fun of it! … [Read more...]