Genuine "C"

Just a total play page I have been doodling around on for the last week or so when me and the girls are making things together, or when I'm on the phone...etc. This one is a little 5x5 square of leftover cardboard that was just begging for me to play on it. Will get bound in my "Random creativity" book.
Today...
Looking forward to the weekend, to some much needed extra rest and some family together time, however we decide to spend that. I'm hoping that some of us girls will be feeling a little bit better so that we can get outside for some good fun in the snow!
Happy weekending to you :)

stop thinking and just GROW

I was pretty excited about the meals we had planned for this week until we all got hit with a tummy bug that is making all of that good yummy food sound pretty gross right now.
Ah well, good intentions anyways, there's always next week.
I have been totally slow and unproductive, Me and little Bella have been catching some extra naps and feel like we've got our butts kicked real good. Best thing for it I guess is to drink water and rest when our bodies say that we need to. I am SO bad at that though, SO BAD! I am like a baby around 9 months old when they never want to miss anything. tsk tsk
So.
I did manage to get this little journal page done while I was sitting with Cam for a bit in the evening. I can't stand just laying around, got to keep up with something!
The theme of this book is going to be growth, being free and open to learn and explore and grow in many many ways. I have another one that will be just random, but this theme has been where my heart has been taking me at the moment.

The page is totally not my usual careful detailed creating, it is just free experimenting and was lots of fun to do. The background is made with gesso and molding paste with some different lines and shapes scraped into it, and acrylic paint on top. Letters are done with india ink and a nib pen, gives a really nice dark black and a bit of a scratchy carefree look to the writing. The tree is watercolor paint on canvas ( can be printed out from this pack).
And my grass is made with little green paint strokes, left over bits of painted masking tape from another project's edges, and crepe paper scraps from our valentine kid craft flowers.
Take care, see ya next week, here's to rest and water..whooot!

Art Journaling

So.
I have talked a few times about my decision for this year that I need to do something creative just for me. Something that is freeing and just messy and good with no rules, and for no one else. I just need a creative outlet that I can do everyday that is just because, not for a class, or a magazine, no rules, it can even be ugly as heck...JUST FOR ME to be getting my hands dirty and expressing my lil' heart on some surface or another.
I totally need this.
So I decided on Art journaling.
I have wanted to start an art journal for quite some time but never seemed to have the time. Just like reading, getting exercise, and taking any other time for me I am realizing that I need to MAKE the time to do the things that nourish my spirit and then I am much more good to the people who rely on me. The time will never just make itself, it needs to be a choice.
Choice made, done deal, it's ON!
Here's a few bits of some of the making that has been going on, all works in progress for now.

Please bear with me

I write blog posts as life happens, because I like to look back on them down the road, and because I like writing, but the photos I want to add aren't always loaded yet and sometimes when life gets extra busy there isn't always time to add them etc.
I will always choose living fully in the moment over keeping current online, that's just me.
Time goes by too quickly as it is and these precious little people of mine just keep on growing!
Soooooo, my posts get saved as drafts and wait for me to throw them up later. I've gotten behind in the past but not quite as behind as I have been lately, so please bear with me as I work to get January's thoughts and pictures all rescued from a life in draft and happily posted in the next week or so and then we should be all back to normal :)

The photo above is a little mini canvas that I did in the mod podge booth at CHA in Anaheim last month. I LOVED just taking the time to settle in for half an hour or so and create something just for me that really speaks to me. It just re-enforced how much I need to make time to do that more often. This one is just a mix of words that I want to remember as I live, all applied and sealed with a couple of coats of Mod Podge. Some bits are from magazines, some from old books, a a wee touch of bling...such a fun ( and therapeutic) little project to do.

Happy Friday to you
Live, celebrate, and have a fabulous weekend!!!

meal planning

It worked!

Laundry/shopping day was a RAD success.
Me and Bella are awesome!!!
We even managed to have the time to get a buncha backgrounds made as I was hoping...whoot whoot.
I have been slacking on meal planning for the last while, but we shopped properly and the week's menu is looking pretty good.

-lasagna, salad, and garlic bread
-Cam's AMAZING slow cooker roast
-farmer sausage and princess pasta Alfredo
-Stir fried chicken with veggies and fried rice
-hash brown casserole and a Ham
and for the busy/lazy nights we have
-Taco salad, (the super duper ever delish-child pleasing- all inclusive meal)
- and really good chicken fingers with pea soup

anyone have any really good easy recipes, specifically slow cooker recipes?
Please share 'em, we'd love that!

OK, it's boogie time, Gonna spend a few hours working into the night tonight and get way too little sleep, but I'm feelin' it and I've got to go with that when the inspiration strikes me.
ciao for now folks ;)

today

Laundry and food buying day has come.
There seems to be none of either in the house and I will be off on a field trip with Emy and her class all day tomorrow. I LOVE getting involved with the girls and their school, LOVE heading out on the field trips with them when I can, and I think that I may be more excited then she is about the whole thing!
But first comes today;

Kaiella and I are gonna rawk the laundry pile and do some smart grocery buying -with a list. Because when we make a list we spend less and actually go home with what we need for suppers all week instead of just lots of yummy crackers and yogurts and fruits and what we are hungry for at the time. Please tell me that I am not the only one who does this.

It honestly sneaks up on me every single time and I wonder how the heck neither one of these things doesn't just stay done???!
Funny thing is I rather enjoy both laundry and grocery shopping...seriously enjoy them. I am a goof, I know. I'm good with that.
Hopefully we can get both chores done as much as possible and our other running arounds in the morning so that we have some time in the afternoon to get creative together. I am really hoping to get some journal backgrounds painted and ready for whenever I decide to add to them later and Bella always loves this cuz she gets to make her sweet painted "backgrounds" too, hee hee! My stove is covered in "arting" right now. yeah, I'm making stuff in the kitchen instead of where I should be again....it has been known to happen, I just can't help myself, I get an idea and off I go with it, and duuuude, the sink is RIGHT there!!!!
it doesn't get any better than that!
I am sure that I drive Cam nuts, but he is so darn cute and good about it.
Cam Rawks, I love him.

Ok so before i head into the world you are probably wondering what the heck that mess of painty-ness above is ...not sure, it is creativity, we shall see where it goes.
I mentioned painting journal backgrounds above in my "Plan de Jour" but I guess I should explain that I have recently decided to start art journaling. I will discuss this more later,
time to take on today, happy Wednesday to you!

She's TEN!!!

MY sweet Emy was Ten years old yesterday! I really can't believe it, you hear people say when you are a kid how fast you have grown and you kinda give it a "yeah sure. ok I guess" in your little mind. But honestly from here on the other side, it really does seem to zoom by sometimes...as if she was just a curious little toddler getting into everything or a happy and confident 5 year old walking into kindergarten for the first time only last week. It sometimes seems as if I have blinked and here is this amazing young lady before me with a heart of Gold and so much faith and goodness to share with the world. We are so very proud of the wonderful person that Emy Chooses to be in her life every day; she is generous and oh so kind and uses her time to find ways to brighten the lives of others. What an angel.

It worked out great this weekend with Valentines day falling on Saturday and it being a long weekend here today ( it's called family day) It really was a weekend filled with celebrating her every day and she Loved it!
She woke up for E10 crepes with all of the toppings that she had requested; warm banana pudding, berries and whip cream and some sausages on the side. then got all dolled up and we went out to the movies all together. Nanny made a big birthday cookie for her after a wonderful dinner, and I sat together with her afterwards and gave her a manicure with all of the extras.
Special times for a special special girl.

Happy Hearts day!

All of the little pieces and words that the girls were writing out, coloring and preparing yesterday got onto their cards last night with a little help from me ;) and we got them printed out to share with their friends at school today.
So super cute!
Each girl's card was different and really embraced the spirit of them, their friends were thrilled!
Here is a closer look at one of them; this is little Bella's card. It was SO much work for her little 4 year old hands to write out all of the words, needless to say, she is super proud of herself :)

I was lucky to have a free afternoon today to head down to the school and spend some time at each girls class. they were all so cute and excited to share their treats and cards with each other. I can tell you for certain that these three are going to be dumping out and going through their valentine bags all weekend and most likely into the week!

Today I am so thankful to have a life filled with Love in so many ways, i don't need roses or chocolates, all I need is what I have; a husband who loves and supports me in all that I do, parents on both sides who are always there for us, three little girls who love me with every ounce of their being, and friends all around the world that have made my life a little bit brighter.

getting ready for Love day

This afternoon was all about productive kids. These three girls were in fine form as they worked away preparing to share their Love with all of their friends at school tomorrow. It was about baking chocolate cookies for tomorrow's Valentine parties, working on pretty pieces for me to make into valentines, and getting into the spirit of caring. They were way too cute as they worked tirelessly to prepare. Isn't it awesome how these holidays are SO huge to kids, like the whole world hinges on making sure each and every one is really super duper special?! It is one of the many reasons that I so love having little ones in my house. Where along the way is it that some of us bigger people loose that magic? where do the special days for making each other feel important and Loved become simply the mundane?

got to try and learn from the example of these wonderful small people and keep the sparkle in life, it is so great to look through theur eyes and use our days to make other people smile & share a little bit of happy.
Well, I am not gonna get all super deep on you or anything, I just wanted to pop in to say hi and share some photos of the fun, hopefully tomorrow I will post the girl's finished valentines.
In the meantime what are you planning/doing to get ready for V day this weekend, anything cool?

Quick kid craft

Kaiella's preschool teacher asked me, while I was there today, to come up with a valentines craft for them to do next week , using the doilies that she had bought. I usually need to let my wheels turn for awhile, I'm not too great on the spot. but c'mon these guys are only 3 and 4 years old, I figured i should be able to pull something out of my hat for little ones! Soooo.... I managed to pull together this flower craft using what they had kicking around the classroom and I think it is pretty fun! I don't have great photos of it but just thought I'd share in case you have some time and want to do some crafts with your own little people.

What you need is a coffee filter, a doilee, a piece of green tissue paper or crepe paper, a colored pipe cleaner and a green one, a couple beads, and some random silk flower petals.

1. place the doilee over newspaper or paper towel to protect the surface underneath. Have the little Munchkin rub paint all over it with their chubby little fingers to give it a light coat of color and set your doilee aside to dry

2. bend a colored pipe cleaner in half and get your little one to place beads on the two ends and curl them around a bit to keep the beads in place

3. cut a circle from your green tissue slightly smaller than your doilee

4. Now that the paint is dry stack up your flower:
green tissue on the bottom, then coffee filter, doilee next and pinch them all up pretty with the pipe cleaners in the middle for the "stickie-outie" parts.
Wrap the green stem around the base of your flower bunch at least 3 or 4 times to keep everything all together and then let the rest of it come down as a nice furry stem :)

5. If desired your little one can glue random silk petals in between the doily and filter to add a bit of extra "prettiness"

Kids are just so pleased and proud to have these flowers to give to mamas or Grandmas or whoever they decide needs a lovely little flower to brighten their day, it's super cute!