Watercolor Weekend

For the first time in 4 months, I didn't have a 'next' project to sew or craft.  So, I decided to break out my watercolors.  I finished 3 paintings that I wanted to share.  I've decided that in order to get me to paint more often, I'm going to do Watercolor Wednesdays.  (Everyone else seems to have a day of the week where they do things ie: Polaroid Tuesdays, Vintage Friday, Etsy Thursday, Giveaway Mondays)  So I thought I'd join in the fun.  Also hopefully this will hold me more accountable to do it.  So in getting ready for it, here are 3 new paintings.  I'll share another one (I'm working on right now) to share on Wednesday.

View my other paintings here.

My version of the stacking discs

So I found this awesome blog called Made by Joel and he's got a lot of amazing ideas.  I decided to make my own version of his stacking discs.   They are very easy to make, as you just trace circles and cut them out.  I traced the bottom of a bottle of paint.  I have to be honest though, it was a little time consuming.  You can see his version here.  I made mine with some of Lilly's Kindergarten site word, flash cards that we made out of recipe cards.  I traced the circles and had the kids paint them and then glued them to a piece of construction paper.  They are pretty addicting.  And the great thing is they are small enough to fit in your purse and take with you anywhere to entertain the kids.  Like at the Doctors office.

Valentine Collage

So, guess what?  Yesterday after trashing my Project: Hideous; I found the chicken wire ( it was hanging right in front of my eyes in our storage room that I had looked in a thousand times) and a much shorter strand of white Christmas lights and redid the project in 1/4 of the time it took to do the first one and it looks awesome!  I can't wait to share it when we have our Valentines Dinner with my Grandparents.  This little excerpt does have a purpose.  When I went out to our garage to get  the Christmas lights, I saw a brown bag full of newspaper from our Paper Mache Pumpkins and I thought if wrapping the  chicken wire with the lights didn't work, I could stuff the lights inside the chicken wire tube and cover the outside with newspaper to make a Japanese rice paper lantern of sorts.   Well the original project worked so I was left with a huge bag of newspaper staring at me.  It was calling out to me.  To make something.  So the kids and I made some Valentine collages, sort of like the Christmas Posters we made at Christmas time.

Max's got a little wild, but I love it!  I also love that I did not try and correct it ( like my controlling side likes to do)  In fact it inspired me to make mine the way I did.

The kids love to see their art work hanging; and really, who doesn't?

Project: Hideous

 See this hideous  piece of wire.?  I made it!  Did you guess!  I was trying to create a chandelier  out of the wire and Christmas lights; for our Valentine dinner that's coming up.   I could tell even at this point, that it wasn't going to work out.  So why, you ask, did I continue?  Oh I don't know.... optimism....stupidity.  I was going for something like this.  But since I did not have a vintage drum lamp shade lying about; I was trying to think of something else I could use in it's place.  I wanted to use some chicken wire we have had (for the last 3 years) in our garage (from another project) but judging by the way the "hangers" worked out...I seriously doubt the chicken wire would work either.  I did get this cool shot though:

 Yeah.  Crap.  The lights were so heavy they kept sliding down.  Despite my attempts with twist ties.  It is so hideous.  I don't know if I should cry or laugh.

 Dear hideous project,
Thank you so much for wasting my day!

Max's Blue Quilt

Since I don't know when I'll have the money to finish this, I'm posting it now.  Max wanted an all blue blanket so I used up all the scrap material I had that was blue.  This quilt measures: 54"x 54".  It's made almost (all but 6 squares) all of flannel.

Day 15 My Dream House

It's funny how my ideals for a dream house have changed over the years.  If you had asked me the same question when I was 12, I would have said a mansion with 50 rooms.  When I was first married, I wanted something brand new.    When we sold our 'brand new' town home I just wanted OUT!  Prices were so high for houses at that time that we settled for what is now my dream home.  We have no connecting neighbors and a big yard for the kids to play in.   We looked for a place that had a basement and a yard big enough to expand the house (someday) if we liked the area.   Although I would prefer to have another bathroom and a slightly bigger kitchen, I am happy.  It's small, but it's ours.   And we have NO CONNECTING NEIGHBORS!

Day 14 Pictures I love

This post seems really redundant, as Day 5 is Pictures that make me Happy.  So pretty much all the pictures in that post make me happy but I'll add a few more or 30.   My kids have been the source of so much joy,words can't describe how happy they make me.

Lilly, just a few hours old

Lilly a few days old.  She look so tiny in that swing.

I love this picture

I love how chubby Lilly's face and arms are.

Lilly used to always watch TV  while sitting on this ball.  It's good for your core right!? P.S. At least she's watching something educational in this picture.

Lilly with my Grandma Andrews..how I miss that lady!

This is Lilly in the Timpanogos Cave.  I want to go there with the whole family this summer.

Lilly with my sister Amelia on the hike up to the cave.

This next picture is not any of my children.  That's not why it is smaller though.  Every time I try to make it bigger it gets moved to the top of this post.?  It's Jarrett's adopted sister.  We were fishing with Jarrett's Dad and she kept pressing her face up to the netting on her stroller and going cross eyed.  It still makes me laugh!

'

Our master bath in our 'brand new built for us' townhome.   I miss that master bath.  We moved due to some noisy neighbors...very noisy neighbors.   Not just typical normal living noise, but hispanic polka music 24 hours a day...I'm not kidding 24 hours.   With a HUGE bass.  Thumping night and day. Yes we talked to them and the HOA many times.  I still cringe when I hear polka music.

Jarrett with his nephew he baptized.  A funny story about this:  When Jarrett and his nephew walked into the font, Lilly who was just barely 2 started crying and said "I want to take a bath with Daddy."  She was hysterical.  I had to leave and we missed the baptism.

Max just a few hours old

I LOVE our attempt at a family photo with the timer.  For some reason I thought I needed to hold Lilly up. Ha Ha This picture makes me laugh.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

First I start with the Egg Noodles.  They really are so easy to make!  You'll wonder why you never did it before.  When Jarrett and I were first married, I made some egg noodles but waited until they were completely dry, before I cooked them (like most recipes say)  Needless to say I had egg noodles covering every surface in our small apartment kitchen for almost a week.  While they were tasty, I thought to myself, I'm never making that again.  Then 8 years later I came across something on the internet that said you don't have to wait until they are dry. And numerous people had commented saying that they never wait.  That sold me, and I decided to try it again.  This recipe makes about 8 servings.  The noodles are so filling that it doesn't take much.  I  half this recipe for my family of 4.

Egg Noodles

2 1/2 C flour
1 pinch of salt
2 eggs beaten
1/2 C milk
1 Tbsp butter

1- add flour and salt in a bowl and mix.
2- In second bowl put in egg and beat with whisk or fork.  Add milk and butter.
3- Make a well, aka; hole) in flour and pour egg mixture into it.
4- Knead dough until smooth, cover with cloth and let sit for 10 minutes.
5- Roll out on floured surface to 1/8 inch think and cut with pizza cutter

I let the noodles dry while I boil my chicken  ( I use the frozen chicken tenderloins from Cotsco) in water with 'Chicken and Herb Bullion' added. ( I add 2 cubes per cup of water.   I use about 10 cups of water for half the recipe)  There are other 'healthier' ways to make the stock, but with 2 little kids, this works best and fastest for me.  Once the chicken is cooked, I add carrots ( I usually use whole baby carrots) and then the noodles and cook the noodles until they are no longer white inside when cut (or bit) open.

 That's all.  You could add, celery, onion and garlic if you wanted but if I did that no one would eat it here (including me).  Although  garlic and bigger chunks of onion wouldn't be bad, I always forget to buy them so I just make it with carrots, chicken and noodles and the herb bullion does a good job of flavoring it.

Then serve with hot rolls!

Day 13 Goals

I don't think I have ever made New Years Resolutions.  Ever.  Not seriously anyway.  There were the few school writing assignments that I wrote something down.... to fill the assignment, but never had any intention to follow.  I make goals, just not at the beginning of the year.  Like say for instance,  back in September  I told myself I wanted to start making quilts.  Here we are 4 months later and I've got 5 under my belt, with another one on the way.  Last year, at the beginning of the  summer I told myself that I  wanted to go hiking every Saturday.  I only missed 2 times.  One because of an Elders Quorum activity and one because I was feeling under the weather.  ( Did you know that term 'under the weather' comes from sailors?  When they didn't feel well, they would go under the deck, 'under the weather.') A n y w a y s back to Goals.  I've tried to think up a few that I DO plan on trying to keep.

1) I want to learn how to make fondant

2) I want to sew myself a dress

3)  I want to continue hiking on Saturdays, at least when the weather permits.

4) Learn more about the different kinds of fabric

5) Get our sidewalk poured

6) Get our mailbox moved, and a planting area made out front

7) Get the rest of the backyard fenced in

8) Get our credit card payed off.

 I'll probably think up some  more as the year goes on, and some of these goals will depend upon money so if they don't get done, money was most likely the issue.  I Do NOT like to set goals and not finish them...I'm kind of strong willed that way.  That or stubborn.  Like when I told myself I was going to get our planting area ready and the back corner of our yard filled in with the grass dug up from the front.  (In November) Yeah, I had giarddia and was puking every few hours and still did it, almost all by myself.  Maybe I'm just stupid? Ha Ha!  Anyways, here's to my goals Cheers!

Day 12 I Believe

I believe:

-People need to pay attention to speed limit signs

-Cell phone companies should charge all texts to the people who sent them, and not to those on the receiving end.

- All dogs should be brought inside at night to annoy their owners and not the neighbors.

- snacks make a night and day difference in children...... and adults

-Health care should be more affordable

-In saying I love you, often

- in the power of prayer

- Charity

-Reading to children

A Trip to the Dentist

Yesterday was FINALLY Lilly's turn to go to the Dentist.  She has been looking forward to going ever since Max went in September.  She was so excited she could hardly stand it.  Maybe it's because we have an awesome dentist who makes going there fun, or maybe it's because we don't do very many exciting things. HA HA!  Since I'm the most awesome mom ever!  I totally forgot to bring my camera and so the few pictures I got were on my crappy phone camera.   When they brought me back Lilly was happily watching a movie and drawing a picture.  The hygienist told me she did awesome!  She said most kids older than her aren't so brave and let them take x-rays and scrape teeth!  The dentist came in seconds later to do her check up and announced she had NO CAVITIES!  Lilly was excited to remain in the No Cavities club and I breathed a sigh of relief.  We've let Lilly do most of the brushing this year and I'm glad she's done a great job!  Way to go Lilly!

Not only did Lilly get to go to the Dentist, but she got the Geneva Giant of the week award at school!  For Learning wherever she goes, doing whatever she's doing!  It's true!  That little girl loves to learn!

One more thing.  This is how a conversation went with Lilly this morning:
Lilly-  Where do you go after Elementary school?
Me- Junior High
Lilly- Oh, were do you go after Junior high?
Me- High School
Lilly: Oh, Where do you go after High School?
Me- College
Lilly- Oh, Where do you go after College?
Me- you get a job and go to work
Lilly- awwwww!  Does it ever end?
She cracks me up!