Long time!

Whew…it’s been a long month!  I always wonder where the time goes!  I know you all do to!  We’ve just been living life!  It’s funny because when I don’t blog for more than 3 weeks, then I never know what to write, or where to begin!  It seems like it’s easier to just do a little picture update – I love getting some outdoor pictures finally for the year!  I’ve really been struggling with my project 365 and taking a photo a day, and I know it’s because I am so sick of taking indoor pictures!  So it’s nice to finally have sunlight and get outdoors!

First off, Gunner has gone from 15 lbs. to over 40 lbs. so far!  Not the best photo – hard to get one of them outdoors because they are CONSTANTLY moving!  He’s really fun to have in our family – the girls adore him and love running around the yard with him – he’s super fast!

Second, our basement went from this…

to this!!!   And now it is primed and the trim starts going up this coming week!

Spring break was fun!  We had play dates, slumber parties, made crafts, and baked.

Grandpa even took all 13 grandkids (and most of his own kids!) on a field trip to the hatchery!  It was such a fun day!  Grammie even treated us to ihop lunch!!!  Such a great memory!

And of course we had to go out with a bang for spring break, right?!  Last Friday Selah got her finger shut in a door, and broke a bone, and needed 8 stitches!  Beware…this might make you cringe!  OUCH!  I must say though, we have been parents now for almost 7 years, and this was our first trip to the ER for an injury of any sort!  She already gets the stiches out tomorrow, but will need to wear the splint for 4 weeks, and no gymnastics for 6 weeks the Dr. said.

I also might have done a little baking this month!

So, that’s been our month, in a nutshell!  Full of life and good memories!  I am just hoping that the next two weeks go as fast as the last two, because then I will be sitting on a beach in Florida!  I love my girls SO much, but I cannot tell you how excited I am to go out to eat without having to cut up food, or take a child to the public restroom (have I told you how anal Kyle and I are about public restrooms, and yet our kids seem to have to go EVERY time we are out and about!)  I am looking forward to some warmth – if not even HEAT!!!  This 50 degree weather is just not doing it for me!

Hopefully I can pop in here again before then!

MandaKay

Mid Week

We are almost mid week!  The hard part for me about that, is that my second half of the week is always way harder than the first half.  I work now the last part of the week, and from Wednesday night church night thru Friday at 5:30 it is GO GO GO here.  Tomorrow night is our last night of Wed. night programming at church, which will be a nice welcomed relief – one more night to free up for the spring and summer!

I never posted the LO’s I worked on at my last scrapbooking weekend away!  I think I probably finished about 10 LO’s.  We watched about 3 movies and gabbed a lot!  It was a fun fun weekend!

Here are a few of the LO’s I worked on.  Some of the LO’s I did will be going in a bound book, so I will have to show those off later!

I’m really struggling with my pictures this year so far too.  I am continuing on Project 365 – taking a photo a day (or at least 7 a week is really more like it, since I don’t snap one a day always!), but I am finding myself very bored, and uninspired.  I think pictures get better come spring, summer and fall in Michigan – when I am outside more and we are more active!

So, who’s looking forward to spring break, who’s been on spring break and are you going anywhere/have you been anywhere?!   We are staying home, hoping for great weather, and looking forward to no plans!  We may need to do a trip to IKEA, but nothing else planned!

Chat at ya soon,

MandaKay

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

I’m not at all Irish, and I have never really celebrated St. Patrick’s Day, but I always love a good reason to bake a unique fun cupcake!  I have a slight cupcake obsession – I love looking at pictures of cupcakes.  Cupcakes make me smile!

Here are the Rainbow Cupcakes I made today:

Here is the batter divided into 6 different containers and dyed the appropriate colors!  At this point Selah and Gracyn’s eyes were big as saucers!   I think they thought I had gone mad!

I filled the cupcake liners with the colors in order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple.  This part was a bit tricky, and thru this phase I seriously wondered what I was getting myself into.  I did NOT think these were going to turn out!

But guess what…

they seemed to turn out!!!  The finished product was VERY good too!  White cake mix ( I used Pillsbury this time and loved the taste!)  White cake is definitely my favorite!  And I made the frosting.  I did a block of cream cheese, a stick of softened butter, and I think about 3 cups of powdered sugar of course, some clear vanilla extract, and a touch of almond extract!

So there you have it – Taste the Rainbow!!!  And happy St. Patrick’s day if you celebrate it!

Some new LO’s

I wonder how many of my posts start with that title or something very similar!!!  I think that is my common go to title for posts that are going to have some layouts.  A few things to share – LILYPAD Challenges – I am hosting one this month – it’s the formula challenge!

March Formula Challenge

I love the month of March for so many reasons...spring slowly starts here in Michigan, St. Patty's day, and it's my birthday month!!! My formula challenge for this month will incorporate a little bit of all of these things!

1. I want the main colors of your page to be "spingy"!
2. You need to have 3 green elements - in memory of Saint Patrick & Ireland!
3. It's my 31st birthday. I need you to use 3 fasteners (staples, stitching, clips, brads, buttons -anything that you would use in real life to fasten something to a page), and 1 alpha!
4. And I'm kind of a date freak - put a date on your page somewhere!

And here is a little inspiration for you:

Have fun and I can't wait to see your pages!!!

***Please note our NEW CHALLENGE SYSTEM, starting with our March challenges! The Pad is switching to a points system for their challenges; the number of challenges you participate in determines the store discount you will receive at the end of the month:
2 challenges = 10% off
4 challenges = 20% off
6 challenges = 30 % off
If you complete all 7 challenges, you will receive a coupon for 30% off, plus you will be entered to win a $10 store gift certificate! All challenges need to contain 75% TLP product.
To keep track, please post your pages in the March Challenge Layouts thread.

Challenges are a great way to get a page scrapped quickly and when you play at TLP you also now have the opportunity to earn discount codes for product!

And I participated in the template challenge too!  You get a free template to play with and create a page with by Amy Martin!  Here is my page!

And then a few random layouts that I have worked on!

I hope to have another LO post to share after this weekend, because I am scrapbooking for the weekend with some girlfriends.  I need to have a game plan on what pages I want to work on and get done!  I always enjoy getting together with girlfriends and scrap, watch girlie movies, eat great food, and just enjoy some time without kiddos.

Have a great day!

MandaKay

I wish

Do you ever have one of those days where you wish for so much?  I’m having one of those days.  The problem is, I am not wishing for such good things necessarily.  I should be wishing for peace on earth, for clean water in every country, for love to abound.  Instead I sit here and am wishing that life was easier, wishing that my house would just once stay clean, that my windows wouldn’t have finger prints and dog nose marks all over them.  Wishing I could bake as well as I dream to be able to.  I wish I have enough time and money to be as crafty as I want to be.  Why can’t I take better photographs,  or why can’t I scrap as well as some people can?  I wish my kids would behave and just do what I want them to.  I wish I was a better wife and mother.  Now, hear me out – I know that as I sit here and wish these things,  I know they are not healthy thoughts.  Some of them stem from jealousy.  Some of them are unrealistic,  and all of them are just flat out selfish.  I realize this even as I think them, and yet I find it hard to get them out of my mind.  Do you ever have that.  You know in your head that the devil is just feeding your mind and heart with lies.  It’s not that some of these things aren’t good honest aspirations, but the way I am thinking about them is what is wrong.  I am grumbling about the fact that I can’t do some of these things well enough.  I don’t like the way I am acting and yet I am finding it so hard to change it at the moment.  It’s like I know what is right and true, but I don’t quite know how to execute it.  So I am resolving right now to be thankful for what I do have and who I am.  I might not be the photographer I want to be, I might not be the baker that I want to be, but God made me and I am perfect in His eyes!  What a relief to know I am perfect in someone’s eyes!  He made me and I am His, and everything here on earth is so temporary.  Reminds me of the song “Temporary Home” by Carrie Underwood – love that one!  It is of no irony that this week I have been really trying to focus on Phillipians.  Right now I need to put this verse in the fore-front of my mind:

Phillipians 2 :14-16

¹⁴ Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”^[c] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky ¹⁶ as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

Love that verse about shining like stars in the sky!  Who wouldn’t want to shine like a star in the universe?!

A family that…..

eats together stays together.  Or so it’s been said.  I am one of those people that truly believes in the benefits of eating as a family….at the table!  The benefits of taking the time in our busy schedules to sit down, connect, and eat together are immeasurable.  Eating a meal with people gives one a sense of belonging.  Your kids will know that you matter to them.  It’s a great time to teach manners and social skills!  Having regular family meals is hands down, one of the most important things you can do to raise emotionally and physically healthy kids.  Kyle and I both share the same views on the importance of eating dinner together as a family.  The tv is turned off, the kids often help set the table, and although the meals are usually nothing glorious we sit down and enjoy what we have.  Our girls are young yet, and I will not lie – meal time can be very hectic!  At any given meal we most definitely will either have a glass of milk spilled, a child needing to get up and go to the bathroom, or someone complain about what they have to eat.  I don’t want to paint a picture that it’s some major event – in fact usually it’s quite opposite!  Nonetheless I know that we are building good values in our kids, and for that I feel great!  I challenge you to eat meals as a family as much as possible.  You will not be sorry you did and your kids will really appreciate it when they are grown!

And just for fun, here is a list of the meals we often have – just to show you it’s NOTHING extravagant!

tacos                    enchiladas

chicken bake      burgers

bbq                      grilled meat

spaghetti             chicken broccoli alfredo

even sometimes breakfast food

BLT’s                   soup

 

So, now it’s your turn – tell me about your family meals – what do they love, what do they ask for over and over again?!

MandaKay

Best BYOC yet!!!

There is a good possiblity that I say this about every BYOC (Build Your Own Collab) that The-Lilypad puts out, but honestly, THIS one is amazing!!!  There’s something for everyone here!  I only had a little bit of time to scrap while I had to sit at the girls’ gymnastics, so I did only one page so far with some of the goodies, but I will be using this stuff in more pages – mark my words!

And this LO I created for the challenge I am hosting over at The-Lilypad – Feb. One Word Challenge – come and play along for a chance to win $5 TLP shopping money!!!

 

Enjoy your weekend guys!  We don’t have any major plans really – I am sure we will somehow keep busy though!

MandaKay