A Blog Worthy Post (IT'S ABOUT TARGET!)

Once again, I have failed miserably as a blogger. Unfortunately, every time I sit down to write a post I begin to over think what I'm trying to say, which in turn causes me to erase each sentence about seven times; therefore causing me to spend over an hour just to write one paragraph. (I decided I wasn't going to do that tonight, so please forgive all the run-on sentences and any misspelled words)

I came across one of those savvy mom blogs today. This lady blogs about ways to budget, save money, use coupons etc. I'm not in to couponing because I just don't have the time or energy for it right now. However, the title of the post was something something "TARGET". I love Target. I like to just go to Target to smell Target. It's really sad. So any excuse to go to Target is a good one, even if it means I have to bring coupons along.

I only spent about $6 on these four items!

Here is my justification: Sweatpants-every mom/lazy person knows that you can't have enough sweatpants. My other black sweats will actually get to make it in to the washing machine now! I got these for $3 Woot.
Target Coupon $3.00 off a Merona item (these were on clearance for $6)

Skinny Cow Candies: Totally second rate to my first true love (Dove), but they will do. I printed the manufacturs coupon (Buy One Get One Free) and the Target coupon ($3/2) and got both boxes for a total of $1. AWWWW. (that was fun)

Method Cleaner: My pediatrician actually recommended this cleaner. She said she recently went to a conference and they felt this was one of the safest household cleaners to use around children. It's on sale at Target for $2.99 and currently there is a Target coupon for $1 off.

I felt that was blog worthy. Here is the link to Money Saving Mom. If you click on "Store Deals" you can see all the current ones for Target. She makes using a coupon kind of fun! :) (Crap, I'm a dork)

Operation Decoration Fail

As you already know from my previous post, my dear sweet boy turned 3 this past weekend. I have debated whether or not to make a big deal out of every birthday because as any mother/grandmother/father/person with a bank account knows birthday parties get expensive fast. This year, I decided I'd use my craftiness to make Lincoln's party fabulous. Well, fabulous it was NOT. Let me give you a little idea of what I had pictured: First, it's his "GOLDEN BIRTHDAY". He turned 3 on the 3rd.

I bought gold tissue paper and made these adorable tissue paper balls. 

tissue paper balls

I bought golden balloons and tied them to string, ready to be hung from the rafters of the shelter.

balloon garland

I made a "Happy Golden Birthday" sign out of a variety of golden paper.

happy birthday sign

I bought gold cupcakes liners and sparkly gold confetti (edible) to embellish the white frosting of the cupcakes that I made. 

cupcakes

Why you ask, are you using other people's pictures if you did all these things yourself Mrs. Crafty? (insert laugh/cry) Because they all went to Crafty Idea Heaven well before the party actually started. The balloons popped (I guess 95 degree weather was too hot for the pansies), the tissue paper balls flew far far away in to a field somewhere, the cupcakes separated from their liners (never even made it out of my kitchen) and the sign DID get hung but was barely readable due to the high wind speeds. My dear sweet mother even had the omen placed on her too. She offered to make the chicken salad sandwiches, which she's made a trillion times. But, for some reason, this one special occasion her sandwiches turned to soup and she had to start all over. (Thanks again mom)

*Sigh

Although the decorations and theme of my birthday party (Brandon continually reminded me to stop calling it "my" birthday party...it was Lincoln's birthday party) went up in smoke....it wasn't the point and I think the point was well made. Everyone had fun and my boy was so happy to see his family and friends (and open some amazing presents) 

Happy 3rd Birthday Lincoln

Dear Lincoln, 

Happy 3rd Birthday!!

I love that we had no idea how much our lives were about to change. We knew we were excited, but I don't think we could have fathomed how great our love for you would be. 

I love that the first time I held you I could hardly breathe because I was so overwhelmed with who you were. Your curly blonde hair, your puffy lips, your little cry....you were so perfect. 

I love that I starred at you, without blinking, for the first year of your life. (Ask your dad, we had to sleep with the lights on....I surely couldn't stare at you in the dark)

I love that I would randomly just start crying when you were this size. I'm not sure why, but I think it's cause I loved you so much. 

I love the way your daddy loves you and the way you love him. Your bond is beautiful. 

I love that you are so passionate already. When you love you love a lot and when you don't love something so much....you really don't love it!! 

I love that you love your little brother.

I love that I love everything about you.  Happy 3rd Birthday. Thanks for making me such a happy momma :)

frames

Since we've moved in to our new place I've been determined to find ways to decorate that aren't going to involve places such as Pier One, Crate and Barrel or Anthropologie. (Not that I've EVER bought anything from the last two...but I like to drool over their catalogs.) Our decorating budget is about zero dollars so if it isn't from a garage sale then it ain't in my house.  (insert kinda sad face here) 

Don't you worry. I've found lots of frames at multiple garage sales. I love the random, yet uniqueness of these frame collages. I put in a few symmetrically accurate, clean cut and color coordinating pictures just to make my husband breathe a little slower. (My random messiness makes him hyperventilate) 

link

link

link

 link

Here is my first frame collage. I need to find something to put in the empty frame, like a monogram or something. I've got a long ways to go as I don't think Buzz makes the best decor. 

coolest idea ever!

Ok, maybe not EVER.....but close. Once again, I owe it all to Pinterest (thanks again, Shea Poe for introducing me to that site). I have very few original ideas, but thats ok....because I have Pinterest :)

BATH TUB PAINT

Fill a muffin tin with white shaving cream.  Drop some food coloring in to each one. Stir.

                                                                   

Talk about two excited little boys. 

Thats all. 

Trimester Break ReCap

My boys are both napping AT THE SAME TIME. This rarely happens to me. I know I should probably lay down with them, or read a great book or clean the house...but I'd rather blog.

Brandon went back to school today. This is quite a bummer if you ask me. It's so much easier to be a mom when you have a dad to help you out all day.

We went to the zoo yesterday. I promise they had more fun then indicated below. I think it may have reached 90 degrees yesterday. I love everything about warm weather; sunscreen, flip flops, tank tops, sonic drinks, the smell of sweaty kids, chlorine, messy hair....every. last. bit. of. it...i just love it.

 Now that we have this new little apartment, with little character and only a little "student's wife" budget I've been hitting up the garage sales. I can see beauty in what I once only knew as junk now that I'm an avid design blog stalker.  However, I'm starting to find that I'm much better and buying the junk then making it look cool. Crap!

Here are a few things I'm not ashamed to show off.

I got this for $1

and turned it in to this...

Question: Are you suppose to wear a mask when you spray paint? I didn't and kind of started freaking about about it later. I don't want to die of spraypaintous

I found this at a thrift store. $22. 

(I call it my Ellie chair...if you've seen Up you'd understand)

Mother's Day was Sunday so I made this for my momma. It's a dry erase board. I got the idea from this blog here. P.S. sorry my pictures are terrible. I just used my awesome phone camera. 

We also made Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Banana bread last night. You ought to try this recipe, it will not disappoint you. You feel kind of healthy because you know there is bananas in there...but kind of guilty because its so chocolaty. 

link to pure goodness

Lincoln was a big help in making it because he cleaned the dishes.

LOvE 

Kelsie

A week of silence and I've found something blog worthy! Wouldn't you know it's food related. I thought I'd share my favorite summer recipe with you. I made it for the first time of the season (I'm getting an early start) to bring to a friends house last night. I even doubled the recipe so I could be sure to have leftovers. I could literally eat this for breakfast, lunch, dinner (and my 10 intermittent snacking periods).

My mom gave me this one. She's an amazing cook, so pretty much anything I know how to cook is because she passed it along. 

                                                             (not my picture)

(I've never had a good reason to take a picture of it, so I borrowed one that looked real similar)

1 ball of mozzarella cheese

1 hand full of basil

5 Roma tomatoes

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

french bread loaf (the crusty kind)

 Just dice up the tomatoes, cheese and basil; mix together; drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil over top to taste. 

Let me just mention that I do not like tomatoes. I've never liked them. However, when drenched in balsamic vinegar they are a.m.a.z.i.n.g

I guess I do have one other thing that is pretty blog worthy. 

This little guy....

I wanted to take the boys to the animal shelter this week because Lincoln loves animals. Dogs,cats,goats, Black Angus....he doesn't discriminate.  It's a lot shorter of a drive then the pet store so I thought it would be a fun FREE family outing. (It was fun...just not free) When we got there we met this little guy. He had been dropped off on the side of the road and brought to the shelter. SERIOUSLY?  Look at that face.....you know you would have done the same thing. Even Brandon thought he was cute. (Plus, I have a thing for wiener dogs so I'm pretty sure he was suppose to be mine.)

Lincoln loves him so much. He has probably repeated the phrase, "He's a great doggy" and "I love my doggy" 600 times in two days. 

We named him Leo because we just really love that name. We almost named Kingston, "Leo". We didn't because Brandon wanted his full name to be Leonidus...honey, this isn't 300 and I'm not wearing a sheet. Sorry. 

It works for the pup though.

Kelsie