Happy Anniversary

       Once Upon a Time.......

In the faraway land of Bloomington, Indiana,  a girl met a local boy on a blind date.               

                They eloped to Jamaica...........



Look at the spaced looks on our funny attendants!!

                                  
                        ............and lived happily ever after.

        Happy Anniversary!!!!

Happy Easter!!

Kya is rockin' this Easter egg "Goose" outift!!!

Show us your life: Organizing Tips!!

Today over at Kelly's Korner is SUYL: How you organize. 

Our home is not TOTALLY organized.   We have our junk piles and have times when we can't find anything just like everyone else.    I attempt to follow along with the FLY LADY (Sink Reflections) and do daily "toss outs" and "put aways" of the junk piling up.   That really helps stay clutter free.  For that day, anyway!  

I stack up plastic containers, label everything and put small items in labeled jars.   Baskets with decorative tags and ribbons make putting things away more fun. (for me anyway!!!)





These baskets keep those little nail and makeup containers from getting lost in bathroom drawers and out of the hands of my kids!!

Laudry supply cabinet and baskets for dog towels, above.

Plastic bins for all the craft supplies and labeled magazine holders.

Labeled jars and re-used plastic containers for pet food.   Guinea pigs love them some fancy food containers!!!

I am  a bit old school and still use binder style organizers.  I don't have a blackberry and rarely put anything on my iphone related to schedules.  I carry an organizer book in my purse and I keep this binder at home that is sectioned off with page protectors.  

It has sections for important phone numbers, cleaning schedules, meal plans etc.   It then has plastic compartments for pages from magazines or things I print out on the internet regarding decorating, vacation suggestions,  books and movies, places to hold menus and brochures on classes and fun things to do with the kids.

The book on the left is kept in the scrap room for drawing up sketch ideas.   I use the other one to jot down ideas about possible photo shoots, scrap page ideas,  photoshop info, etc.   I sometimes carry it along in the car in case something interesting pops up, like a cool location to take pics!!!

So these are a few ways that I stay somewhat organized in this crazy mess of a life!!!!

Right now I'm working on a BLOG organizer to keep track of what I'm reading,  what I'm entering(giveways) and so on.   Blogging can be time consuming and it really to save time and have time to spend with the family if I know where everything is!!!

Thanks for stopping by :)    Can't wait to read how everyone else stays organized.





What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!!

These are some of the things I'm loving this week:

{1}

I am loving that I have almost 40 followers!!!    It cracks me up that someone reads about my goofy life!!!  Everyone out there in blogland is so nice.  

{2}

I am loving this Disney Autograph book I put together for my kids today.    I had seen other kids using these and decided to have one ready "just in case".



I will put pics of the kids "getting" the autographs in this book as well.



{3}

I am loving the "Royal Wedding of a Lifetime" documentary series on LIFETIME.   The first episode was on yesterday and will continue the rest of the week and repeat next week.   If you are a fan of the Royal Family and a good romance, this is for you!

This documentary will discuss their courtship, the differences between Kate and Princess Di,  the dress possibilities and my favorite subject,  the cake.   I wonder who will be making the royal cake?  I wonder if they will consider doing a cake for my 5 year olds birthday!!!

{4}

I am loving Healthy Choice frozen dinners.   For those of us wanting to lose a few pounds and can't afford home delivery meals like Jenny Craig, these are perfect.   They are portion controlled and have a pretty decent amount of whole grain and protein.   and all around 350 calories.    I serve my family up regular meals and then heat up one of these.   And I know exactly what I'm getting!!!

Thanks for stopping by.   Go check out Jamie and play along with WILW!!!

Tail Wagging Tuesday

I thought I would participate in "Tail Wagging Tuesday" today over at Live What You Love.   It's volume 4---show your pups bling!!!   This is our first time to participate, so I will introduce my first adopted little girl, JESSIE. 

Miss JESSIE was adopted in May of '08 and was left at the door of the shelter with a note tied around her neck.   It said to please take care of this dog, Jess and that she loves to be petted.  

I'm not sure if I would call her stuff "BLING".   She is a country girl and has a collar and leash, which she really doesn't like wearing.    For Christmas, she got this cute peace sign name tag from ETSY.



Pretend you don't notice how dirty this stuff is.



Our locally owned pet shop recently burned down and they lost a bunch of pups and kittens(so sad!!).   The owner got her new place up and running and we popped in to check it out and picked up the pretty pink and purple leash/collar set for Jess.   She is a tomboy, so this gives her some feminine flair!!!

Happy Doggie Days!    Please head on over and visit ASPEN and join in with "Tail Wagging Tuesday"

SUYL: Booklists

Today, over at Kelly's Korner, "Booklists" are being showcased on SUYL.   I thought I would post some pictures of the "Reading Room" that I put together in a corner of our loft.  It is a place for quiet time, especially for Darian, our son, to get in some quality reading.   It is hard to get him  to sit and read and having this room, with the dogs sitting at his feet, encourages him.

I will be adding another chair and a few more pictures, eventually.



This room is pretty high up and I love having the woods in the background.





Portraits of the kids, reading.



Book racks

Thanks to my mom, I have this lovely pile of books here, waiting for me to get to them.   I am trying to save money right now so it's nice to have this full library RIGHT here.   Real books, no downloading!!!

These are some of them.....

Thanks mom!!!!

I tend to lean towards mysteries/crime novels so we have the same taste.    I DO have a 2 page list of books to read in the next year and will start my list when these are done.   I usually have 2-3 books going at once, including self help types  and parenting books. 

This is one I'm reading now:

This one was recommended by our son's therapist.   It is pretty good.  

Thanks for stopping by!!!!

What I'm loving Wednesday

It's Wednesday and time for "What I'm loving Wednesday" over at 'This kind of love'  with Jamie.      

I am loving these two silly kids.



Darian looks like he has a stomach ache!!



I am loving this refreshing chocolate mint water that I found at the grocery store the other day.   Very smooth and just a hint of the flavors.  



I am loving this great skin care line for people with sensitive skin.   I tend to get red,  irritable skin from detergents, shampoos, etc. and this stuff helps to calm it down.  I found it online at Dermstore.

They sent me this sample of this Secret (? like the deodorant) body spray and it smells amazing.

I am loving these new Spring TV shows

I have always loved watching Tori & Dean.  They are fun together and always entertaining.   This new show has them putting together weddings for couples who request their help. No one can pull off a   "Pug" themed wedding like Tori Spelling.   Yes, she is kind of goofy!!!

I love this show "Body of Proof".   Murder and mystery but with a bit of humor.  Not quite as gloomy as some of the other crime shows.  

Have a happy Wednesday and thanks for visiting!!!!

My baby is growing up!!

     The other day I saw an ad in our paper for  "Thomas the Train, live on stage".  I mentioned it  to Kya, my 5 year old and thought that would be the cutest thing to see with her. They were playing here in town and she LOVES Thomas.   

Or so I thought.    She says "oh mommy, I'm not really into Thomas anymore.   I'm too old for him now".  My kid is growing up.   She DID ask if I would take her to see "Soul Surfer", a movie more for the 'tween' set. ( and older).

So, I will probably never again witness her dancing to The Wiggles or Barney.

My sweet little girl is now a hip, wannabe 13 year old. 

                                           And these are her new best friends..........

i carly

Victoria Justice