Carded

It always seems that December just creeps up on me! I have great intentions of sending out Holiday cards every year, and most years I find myself rushing to the mailbox the day before Christmas to get them mailed, in hopes they will reach their destinations before the start of the New Year.

And it’s like this EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR. (Despite my good intentions)

But not this year! Oh no sirree. I was prepared. I spent just a little time online and armed myself with every necessity I needed to get those cards out in a timely fashion.

If you need a little help in this department (like I did) I’ll share my secret with you.

SHUTTERFLY!!!

I love Shutterfly. I use them for all kinds of snazzy things. Their Calendars make perfect Christmas presents. I’m using these Christmas Tags to top my gifts this year, and have I mentioned their Christmas photo cards? OHHHHHHH…those Christmas cards.

I print my cards with them evvvvvery year. Even the years my family and friends don’t get them until February.

Some of my Faves this year:

And this one:

Oh…I DIE over that card. Seriously?? I bet you don’t have to guess which category Miles would fall under. (Hint: it rhymes with Potty)

There’s a style for everyone!

And you know what else totally rocks? You don’t even have to use one of their designs to have a card printed. If you are really ambitious and want to design your own card (or if you use my favorite design site www.digitalgreetings.etsy.com) you can still have your cards printed at great prices. Just upload your design, order the number you want, and badda bing badda boom…they will arrive at your doorstep beautifully printed and ready to send out. It is seriously that simple.

So this year I opted to design my own card. (ahem…I mean have my talented sister design one for me). If you want a sneak peek, click on over to www.digitalgreetings.etsy.com. You just might find it there. I will upload my design, order 50 cards, and have them shipped right to my doorstep.

Do you want to know how much my 50 cards will cost me?

…

…

…

(pausing for dramatic effect)

…

…

NOTHING!! I know…it doesn’t really get better than that. I just pay the shipping, and 50 free cards are headed my way.

And because Christmas is the giving season, I’ll let you in on a little secret.

YOU CAN GET 50 FREE CARDS TOO!!

SQUEEL!

It’s as simple as this: If you are willing to write a blog post about Shutterfly, just click on this link: http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/, fill out the form, and Shutterfly will e-mail you with the requirements. Do those, and your golden. I mean it. GOLDEN!!!

I know….this may sound like a shameless plug in order for me to get 50 free cards. And I can’t lie. It is.

But I can’t lie.

I really DO love Shutterfly. With or without the FREE-ness.

And I promise, you will too!

Happy Shopping!!

‘Tis the season

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving. Great food, great company…an all around A+ affair!

We spent our post Thanksgiving day trimming our Christmas tree, listening to Christmas Carols, hanging up Christmas lights (it was FREEZING!!!), making a 7-eleven run for hot chocolate, and spontaneously deciding to take Miles to see “Tangled”.

We are ready for the Christmas season to begin.

Well……ALMOST.

There was just one little thing missing. I just couldn’t imagine starting my holiday season off without one of these. And because it’s better to give…I thought I would kick your Christmas off right and share this with you. (Enjoy!)

www.elfyourself.com

Check it out. You seriously won’t regret it.

Cowboy Butts

Drive Me Nuts!

Especially when it belongs to my little skinny-bummed 3 year old.

Just a smattering of what my little cowboy is saying these days:

Mom: Miles…who’s your best friend?

Miles: Um…DADDY!!!

Mom: What about Mom? Is she your best friend too?

Miles: Nooooooo mom. You a GIRL!!

Driving in the car yesterday, I had to turn down the music, because I heard this coming from the back seat.

Miles: twees(trees), fwowers, pumpkins, more twees, wabbits, mommy, daddy, pwe-school, my tweats (treats), my cowboy shoes, elephants, monkeys, gorillas, my undies dwy (dry), I wuv seals, I wuv giraffes, I wuv polar bears…..

and on and on and on he went. So I finally asked him why he was saying all those words. And he replied with the OBVIOUS…

“MOM! I’m FANKFUL!!!!!!!”

(Oh…Of course that’s what he meant. How could I not have known???!!!)

Turns out they talked about Thanksgiving at Pre-school, and those are all of the things he is Thankful for. I am also especially grateful for his dry undies. :)

Mom: Miles, eat your dinner so you’ll be big and strong like Daddy.

Miles: No…not wike Daddy…big wike Josh and Joey! (some of his buddies from our ward)

And the classic:

Mom: Miles…what do you want for lunch?

Miles: Not Poop! That’s Yucky! No…that’s GWOSS!!!

Who knew the boy loved cows?

Several weeks ago I started doing a little preschool for Miles everyday at home. Our first unit was all about the short "a" sound, as in apple. So we learned about Allie the Alligator, Johnny Appleseed, did some fun apple stamping crafts, and read all kinds of fun books. One of my favorite books from that unit was called "How To Make an Apple Pie and See the World," by Marjorie Priceman. The premise of the book is that a little girl heads to the market to buy the ingredients for an apple pie...only the market is closed. So she sets out on an adventure around the world gathering the ingredients she needs. And Miles' favorite part of the story was when she headed to Vermont to milk a cow. (The milk is then churned into butter...in case you were wondering.)

So tonight, I was starting our bed time routine. Story was read, prayer was said, and he asked for a drink of milk before bed. I obliged and brought him his little cup. And then Oh MY OH MY!!! I never expected such a meltdown. Over something as silly as a glass of milk.

After some serious time spent calming the little guy down, he was finally able to articulate why he was so upset.

"No mom...I wanted to milk my own cow!!!"

Oh, he is just the cutest little thing. But there's just one problem.....

I found myself promising I would actually take him to milk a cow. Seriously. I think I am in BIG trouble. BIG BIG trouble. Where in the world am I going to get a cow?

Halloweeeeeeeeen

Happy Halloween!

From Woody, (who REA LLY wanted to be Buzz Lightyear), and the rest of the Romer clan.
We hit up the ward Trunk or Treat last night. Our conversation on the way home went something like this:

Mom: Hey Miles, are you going to share some of your candy with Mom?

Miles: No.

Mom: Please??

Miles: No. Not EVER! NEVER,NEVER,NEVER,NEVER!

The kid is wise beyond his years. He knew if he only said “never, never” I would still try to swipe some chocolatey goodness out of his basket. but FOUR "never"s.....and I knew he meant business.

If you happen to be in the neighborhood, go ahead and swing on by. We'll be giving out some ALL of these:

This just happens to be my most favorite score from Rite-Aid of ALL TIME!!! My husband doubted me. He said it was impossible. But then I showed him this….

You see that? You see all those zeros? Well, that’s because I paid ZERO dollars and ZERO cents for 60 KING SIZE CANDY BARS!! WOWZERS!

I’m sure the parents on my street will just be thrilled!!

Just now I told Miles we could go to the neighbors house to show off his costume, and they would probably give him some more candy.

Then I said… “Are you spoiled or WHAT!???”

Miles responded with a resounding “WHAT!!!!”

Silly boy.

Happy Halloween!!!

CORRECTION:

*****It was pointed out to me by my loving husband that, in fact, not ALL 60 candybars were completely free. I DID, afterall, spend $0.95 cents on a slew of coupons to buy my candy. So, it was more like I bought one candy bar for 95 cents, and then got 59 for free. My apologies!

Also...my astute cousin pointed out to me that there were in fact, NOT 60 candy bars pictured. And I admit, Mike did take several to work with him for the other residents on-call tonight. As for the other missing candy, I can neither confirm or deny their disappearance into my fridge, freezer, belly, and other various hiding spots around my home. :)*****

Secrets

Miles and I have a little bed time routine. After the bathing and the teeth brushing, the pajama wearing and the story telling, the song singing (Rocky Mountain High, and Country Road are his current faves) and the praying, and finally the hugging and the kissing, I usually lean over and tell Miles I have a “secret”.

Then he whispers back “Mom..what’s your secret?” But it sounds more like “Mom wat you secet?”

And I whisper “I LOVE YOU!!!”

He thinks its great. Our bedtime routine pretty much goes like that every night. So you can imagine my surprise tonight when he beat me to the punch. After hugs and kisses, he grabbed my cheeks with his little hands, brushed my hair back from my ear and whispered:

“Mom…I haf a secet”

So I whispered “You do? What is it?” (already starting to get choked up. Hearing my little guy tell me he loves me in his soft whisper voice gets me every time.)

And then he sweetly whispered back “Mom……I want to go to Chucky Cheeses.”

Oh, he kills me.

And because every post needs a picture (or 7), I thought I would share why it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE for me to update my Etsy shop. Miles, just channeling his inner Mr. T.

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For those of you who have been waiting…(all 3 of you!), I have a SLEW of new products to list. Soon. I’m getting there. I promise.

I’m Twee!

Oh, this boy of mine. I could just eat him up. I can’t hold him enough. I can’t hug him enough. I can’t kiss him enough. There are just not enough hours in the day.

It’s a pretty big day for my little man. But I’ll let him tell you himself.

That’s right. My little munchkin is Three. And he’s pretty darn excited about it.

I am astounded at how much he has learned and progressed this year. Some days I wish I could stop the hands of the clock from tick tocking the time away. But mostly, I am trying to enjoy every single second of my time with this sweet as can be little boy. Because he won’t be little much longer.

I want to remember his silly knock knock jokes

I want to remember his “mean” face, when he exclaims “Mommy, we Pirates! ARGH!”

I never want to forget the way he exclaims “HI FWIEND!!”, to everyone we pass.

Sometimes I wish I could stop that clock. But mostly I feel so blessed to be sharing that time with this child of mine. I never dreamed he would teach me so much about life and love. I never dreamed it would be from him the Lord would teach me patience, charity, and selflessness.

If I could keep him here, just like this, forever, I don’t think I would. I love this stage of life we are enjoying together, but I am excited about the new experiences the future holds for him and for me. Because every year…It just keeps getting better.

Love you little man

Happy Birthday!

Conversations with Miles

I recently got myself a J-O-B. As in a paying gig. Heaven knows I do more than my fair share of work here at home, sans paycheck.

When I officially accepted the position, Mike said "Congratulations! Are you so excited you can go and talk to adults?"

Ummmmm. No.

Why would I want to talk to adults when I get days and days full of gems like these?:


Miles: "Hey Mom, knock knock....who's there...Mommy Womer (Romer), that's who!!! Ha ha mom. I so funny!"

During prayers last night after "Bless Nana and Papa", he said "and puhwease bless Papa's golf balls."
Seriously. So Dad, if you get a hole in one...you know who to thank.

At the store while I was checking out:

Miles: "Hey mom, I have mem mem's puh-wease!!! (M&M's please)
Mom: No, not right now. But thank you for asking nicely
Miles: Mom...you want Miles be happy?
Mom: yes...I want you to be happy
Miles: Okay. 'cause mem mems make me SO SO Happy!!

With phrases like this, you can't blame me for preferring to talk to the little guy.

Brrrrrr….

Waking up this morning, the goose bumplies on my legs, combined with the cripsness of the morning air, reminded me of something I’m not quite prepared for. Autumn is just around the corner. And even though this summer seemed to be hotter and humider than the last…I don’t think I’m quite ready for the change of seasons.

(And in case you were wondering, I FULLY support the use of words like bumplies and humider, and believe they should be used as often as possible.)

I apologize to all you English Majors out there.

(But not really)

There is one thing that makes me feel better though, when the thought of raking leaves, and then shoveling snow enters into my mind.

Soup Season!!!

Yes, those two words bring peace to my soul on a cold and blustery day like today. And soups like the Chicken Corn Chowder over at my most FAVORITE cooking blog, The Sisters Cafe always seem to make my days seem a little warmer, and a little brighter.

Remember those meatballs I made? You know…the totally healthy and delicious ones? Well thanks to Family Fun, I can share with you a great (and healthy!) soup to serve them in.

In order to spare you more of my incessant ramblings, I will just do this:

***This is the recipe I sent to my sister. (wise cracks and all). Enjoy!***

For printable recipe click: HERE

And if you’ve stuck it out this far…You deserve a reward.

Head on over to www.seeitloveitwinit.blogspot.com and enter to win a fabulous prize. (Today is the last day…so HURRY!)

Holy Moly….a giveaway!!

So excited to be sponsoring a giveaway over at www.seeitloveitwinit.blogspot.com

(And just between you and me, you have a pretty darn GREAT chance of winning. Considering there are only 3 comments so far)

So……should you want to enter to win $50 worth of Just Bead It Design Product…I suggest you head on over there right now! There’s only 2 days left!

AND…if you visit my Etsy shop…you might just get a sneak peak at my new product line! (coming soon. Very Very soon.)

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(okay…you got me. I couldn’t resist posting my sneak peak here too.)

Happy Thursday!

It’s true…

We have returned from our journey back west. And we survived. (My garden, however, did not)

I could write and tell you all about my fabulous family vacation.

• Like when my brother-in-law took a turn on the tube at Bear Lake, and it was so bumpy, his extra long legs kept flying up and making funny angles in the air. (seriously…I am still laughing about this)


• Or when My sister and I teamed up against Mike and my brother Adam to play Cranium…and we won! But only because Rachel kept cheating and whispering the answers in my ear. (sorry boys!)


• Or the time(s) Miles COMPLETELY regressed in his potty training. booh! :(

But I won’t. At least not now.

Or, I COULD tell you about all the FABULOUS things in store for Just Bead It, like:

• LOTS of giveaways in the very near future


• a completely NEW look


• and an ENTIRE NEW LINE OF ACCESSORIES!!! SQUEEL!!!!

But I’m not going to do that either.

At least not now.

Because I only have one thing on my mind right now. I experienced something just short of what I would whole-heartedly describe as a MIRACLE tonight. (you keep your minds out of the gutter. This is a family blog.)

Could it be possible that I am the last person in the WORLD to know about spaghetti squash???!!!

Seriously. This unassuming vegetable has completely rocked my world.

And this is hard for me to write. You see, I have never been one to be enthusiastic about health food. When someone says “You have GOT to try this!!! You can’t even TASTE the (insert disgusting vegetable here)…” I am the first to call B to the O to the LOGNA! I enjoy my bi-weekly trek to the golden arches, where-in I order a happy meal for my little Tornado, then tell him they forgot his french fries so I can keep them all for myself. You can flog me later.

But the extra eight (or so….let’s err on the side of caution) pounds I have been packing around with me this year have started forcing me to think about things like calories, and dieting and (gulp), exercise.

So when I came across a recipe in my Family Fun magazine that featured squash (a vegetable no less) that acted like my carbolicious noodles I often enjoy, I was intrigued.

Then, when I saw the recipe was actually for meatballs that you could then use for not one, but two supposedly delicious and healthy meals…I knew I had to give it a try.

I may be a lot of things…but a good cook has never been one of them. I have been actively trying to improve upon that skill as of late and I couldn’t pass up a chance to try these recipes out. Besides, I figured spaghetti squash (whatever that was), would probably be cheap this time of year.

And it was. I am happy to report I can now change the status of these dishes from SUPPOSEDLY delicious to DEFINITELY delicious. I will eat them again. Like, tomorrow.

So….Let’s start with the meatballs. Oh…those wonderful meatballs….

FLASHBACK: When I think of meatballs, I always think of my sweet Grandma Barnard. Not because she was shaped like a little meatball. No siree. (even though she was.) But its because when I was engaged and went to Grandma’s house to flaunt my new sparkler, she took one look at it and said “Oh my…when you make meatballs…the meat is going to get all stuck down there!” And that is why I loved my Grandma so. :)

But back to the meatballs.

They are made with ground Turkey and extra-lean ground beef, seasonings, and SPINACH! Yes…spinach. My skeptical husband popped one of these into his mouth and I could literally SEE the surprise wash over his face. They were good. He couldn’t deny it.

Here’s what you need:

1 lb. extra lean hamburger

1 lb. ground turkey

1 10 oz. package of frozen chopped spinach

1/2 C. finely grated Parmesan

3 large eggs, beaten

2 Tbs. Italian seasoning

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 C. panko bread crumbs

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Coat 2 large, rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray.

***If I were you, I would line my baking sheet with foil. Then spray the foil with cooking spray. Just do it. You will thank me later***

In a small bowl, mix together all the seasonings. In a large bowl add your meat, eggs, and spinach. Then dump in the mixed seasonings. Mix all ingredients together until well incorporated. (try not to over mix.)

Pinch off about a teaspoon or so of the mixture and roll it into a ball. (Mine were about 1 1/2 inches) Place on your baking sheet, and continue this, spacing meatballs 1/2 inch apart.

Bake meatballs until lightly browned and cooked through (about 20-25 minutes)

Once they are done...let them cool and you can plop them on a meatball sandwich with some BBQ sauce, freeze some for later, OR..... you could make this....

Those aren’t noodles people. Oh no…they are vegetables. My newly beloved spaghetti squash. Want some? Just…

go buy a spaghetti squash. Cut it in half lenghtwise. (don't forget to remove the seeds.) Put the cut sides down in a microwaveable safe baking dish. Pour in a half a cup of water, set your cook time at about 12 minutes, and walk away.

When the squash is done, take it out. (VERY CAREFULLY!! That sucker will be HOT!)

Wear an oven mitt or something. Then take out a fork and go to town on the squash.

Seriously, just shred away. This might be a good activity to do when your son has just smeared a whole tube of toothpaste on your newly cleaned carpets. It will make you feel better. I’m just sayin’…

Now take a few of those meatballs, add them to your favorite spaghetti sauce, drizzle a little olive oil, salt, and pepper over your squash, top with the sauce…and Enjoy.

You won’t regret it.

(If that doesn’t entice you to try it, this will: My little toothpaste bandit ate an entire plate full. Then asked for seconds. Seriously. I wouldn't joke about something as elusive as a 2 year old eating their vegetables.)

Freeze the rest of your meatballs to use later in a completely delectible minestrone soup.

What? You want that recipe too? I can’t say I blame you. It was even better than the squash.

Stay tuned……

Camping and Calamities

We just returned home from camping at Pontiac Lake over the weekend. We relaxed, ate great Dutch oven breakfast and dinner (prepared by yours truly), played at the beach, and had a wonderful time.

Except for the ONE small catastrophe. Which happened to involve my sons beautiful face. The poor kid.

This is what happens when your son sneaks out of your tent in the early a.m., finds his way over to his “fwends" tent to “pway”, wakes them up, entices them to go play in their big four-door Jeep Rubicon……playing commences……and then this little boy leaned up against the not closed all the way door of said Jeep.

And PLOP! Fell face first right onto the asphalt below.

I woke to the far away sounds of my child screaming.

Yes…he was so stealthy in his sneaking, I didn’t even wake up or notice he was gone. Until it was too late.

But in my defense…either did his Daddy.

I would have been horribly embarrassed to show you the picture I took of him shortly after the fall. Because we had been camping. And in addition to having his battle wounds, the kid was filthy. I mean, he could have passed for a bonafide ragamuffin.

So instead I opted to share the picture of him all nice and cleaned up in the bath at home. Ah yes…… a great mother I am, indeed.

By George, I think we’ve got….uhhhh…..Never Mind

I sat down this afternoon to write. Write a REAL post. Like, with real words, and real sentences, and real paragraphs. It’s been awhile since I’ve done that.

So, like I said, I sat down to write a post. One I know you would have been ENTHRALLED in reading. Because it was all about the amazing bladder and bowel control my son has been exhibiting.

I know what you are thinking.

“Did she just say ‘BOWEL CONTROL’ on her BLOG??!!”

Enthralling, No?

But Seriously…I have been so proud. And I was just thinking as I had finished my post, how glad I was that diapers were behind us, and Buzz and Woody undies riddled his dresser drawers.

I should have known better.

At that precise moment, I looked out my window to see Miles playing baseball with some of the neighborhood boys. And there he was, running the bases in his khaki shorts, with the not-so-inconspicuous evidence of a little boy who enjoys running the bases more than going inside to use the potty. He really didn’t even mind. In fact, I don’t think I have ever seen a happier child playing ball whilst his shorts were the opposite of dry.

There was nothing I could do but to

DELETEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

And that is what happened to my original post.

(But, in his defense, this was the only accident in several days.)

So I think it’s still safe to say:

By George, I think we’ve got it!!

It’s Official

I am a Grower.

An Official Gardener.

Don’t believe me? (it’s okay. My husband didn’t either)

But the proof is in the pudding. (So they say)

It might LOOK like a jumbled mess. I MAY have gone a little overboard in trying to fit the maximum # of plants in a minimal amount of garden space. But I promise, everything is planted in neat little rows.

Here’s a closer look………

See these? They are the starts to some wonderful (at least I’m hoping they will be wonderful) zucchini. I can hardly wait to throw these suckers on the grill.

And HERE>>>>> Give me another month, and that will be some real, bonafide, corn on the cob. With the 4 rows of corn planted, I am hoping we will have LOTS and LOTS and LOTS.

Then there’s my green beans and my peas. TWO varieties of peas to be exact. “Little Marvel” for early harvesting, and Sugar Snap Peas. Because, let’s face it. You just can’t have a garden without snap peas.

Even my little Tiny Tim tomatoes are blossoming. I planted Tiny tomatoes because have you ever seen the price of little grape tomatoes at the store?? It’s outrageous. I cringe every time I buy them. But Miles loves them. And it is one of the only fruit-vegetable thingies I can get him to eat without much of a battle. AND they are “early” fruit producers. But don’t worry. I also planted plenty of Homestead and Roma tomatoes. And when they ripen, I am going to attempt to can my own stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce.

And Salsa. I am going to try canning my own Salsa.

Which is why I also planted some Green peppers, and onions. The green peppers still have a ways to go. No blossoms here yet, but I’m sure they won’t be long.

I didn’t take any pictures of my carrots, but they are coming along nicely. And my basil plants are still pretty small. But I am hoping there will be enough to use in my spaghetti sauce and to make (and freeze) a bunch of fresh Pesto sauce.

It would be a HUGE understatement to say I underestimated the amount of room my pumpkins would need. The answer?? WAY more than I thought. But I have just been thinning them down a couple times a week. I didn’t want a pumpkin patch. I just wanted to end up with one pumpkin we might be able to carve for Halloween.

It’s looking like that won’t be a problem.

All in all, I have been completely satisfied with my exercise in organic gardening. Did I mention all my plants were grown from organic seeds? In organic soil? And with no chemicals of any kind? It’s been great. My only regret is not planting MORE.

Next year I want to add some strawberry and raspberry plants to the mix, along with some lettuce or spinach, radishes, squash, broccoli, and bunches of herbs.

MMMMM…I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!

Red, White, and Blue

Happy Independence Day!

While we WISH we were in Wyoming to indoctrinate Miles into the tradition of pyromania that is July 4th there……

A box of sparklers and $10.00 pack of fountains will have to do. For Now.

Next Year I think I’ll be making the trek to Toledo to bootleg “the good stuff” across the border.

And because fireworks aren’t the MOST important thing on the day we celebrate our nation’s Independence….

A special Thank You to all those who have served our country, making it possible for us to have the freedom we all enjoy in this great nation.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

Midnight Mayham

Eclipse and Breaking Dawn Movie

It's right around the corner

I am driving my husband CRAZY talking about how excited I am

I'm ready for it!

Re-read Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse? CHECK!

Re-watched the Twilight and New Moon Movies? CHECK! CHECK!

Read "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" an Eclipse Novella? Wouldn't Miss it! (You can read it HERE too, for free, until July 5th. Thank You Stephenie Meyer!)

Bought my ticket? YESSSSS!

Invited the entire Relief Society to go with me so I don't have to be the only (almost) 30 year old there squealing with delight over Taylor Lautner's abs? Umm...that's a no brainer.

Designed a special Eclipse themed e-vite to invite the afore mentioned Relief Society to join me at Applebees for half price appetizers before the show? Of Course!

I even went as far as creating a few Eclipse themed accessories to wear with the T-shirt I made that says "If Jacob Black kissed me, I wouldn't punch him in the face."


Okay....I didn't really make the shirt.


(Or Did I???)


And in case you needed to know just EXACTLY how long I still have to wait.....




But REALLY....who's counting???

En Vogue

Fashionable Hair Accessories

A MUST for every little.....boy?

hmmm....not sure how his dad will feel about this. But personally, I have been laughing about it all day.

Canadian Falls

A couple weekends ago Mike spontaneously decided we should head on over and visit our neighbors to the north….er….East from where we live, and hang out with some Canadians. Pretty fun, eh?

So we booked our reservations at Michael’s Inn (Seriously, that’s where we stayed) loaded the car, and headed to Niagara Falls. It was a great get away.

We saw the sights, went on a hike, got SOAKED on the Maid of the Mist, crossed the border and ate at Hard Rock Cafe in NY, and watched Miles swim his little heart out in the hotel swimming pool.

(Because let’s face it…when you’re 2, the swimming pool is all that really matters.)

Pretty much, it was awesome.

I highly recommend going. To the Canada side.

sorry America…your Niagara Falls just weren’t as good. (But your food is cheaper, so thanks for that.)

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This is Only a Test

This was my husband, testing out his NEW 0.38 fine tip gel pen, which he assures me is PRACTICALLY the smallest and finest pen tip EVER MADE!!

And He thinks I’M WIERD!!???

I (HEART) SAVING MONEY

Here is the difference between men and women.

Scenario 1:

Me: I walk in and immediately begin unloading my bags of groceries onto the kitchen table (arranging them just so), then pull out my camera and start clicking away.

Mike: WHAT are you DOING!

Me: Taking pictures of my groceries. All this only cost me $11.32!!! I need a picture for my blog.

Mike: YOU ARE SO WIERD!!!!

Scenario 2:

Me: I call my sister to tell her my great couponing news, complete with my afore mentioned story.

Rachel: Well, you ARE wierd. But I would do the same thing.

So there you have it.

After I took the picture, I realized I had forgotten to unpack 1 bag, which had another pack of Pull-Ups and 5 more toothbrushes.

From Rite-aid I bought: 1 pack of pull-ups and 4 Reach toothbrushes = $22.24

minus my coupons = I paid $1.03 out of pocket. Repeat 5 times.

And in case you were wondering, I didn’t set out to buy 20 toothbrushes. I don’t really need 20 toothbrushes. But I had LOTS of coupons for the toothbrushes, which resulted in “overage.” (meaning I had more coupons than the actual price of the item, so the remaining amount of my coupons get applied to other items)

Rite Aid Total: $5.15

Saved: $106.05

Meijer : I bought everything else – 2 gallons of apple juice, 3 jars mayo/miracle whip, 4 Kraft salad dressings, 2 bags of Ruffles, 3 gallons of milk, 1 pound apples, 5lb bag potatoes, 1 dozen eggs, 1 loaf of bread, 2 tubes of toothpaste for Miles, 2 pasta salad mixes, and (not pictured) 4 containers of Crystal Light Lemonade, and 1 jar of peanut butter.

Meijer Total: $6.17

Saved: $50.34

Total Spent: $11.32 Saved: $156.39

So what am I doing with all that saved money? Only creating the most FANTABULOUS crafting area out of the mess downstairs we currently call our unfinished basement. Oh Yes….you heard me. Project Basement re-organization/craft room creation is well underway. And I am positively giddy about the results thus far. But there is still much more to be done.

Like painting, and organizing, and hanging my new pendant lights over my new fabric cutting island and beading desk. oh yeah…you heard me. My heart beats a little faster just thinking about it! Anyone up for a craft night???

Lucky

Did I ever tell you that I am not a “Lucky” person? Well… I’m not. Not really. But please don’t confuse mu use of the term Luck, with being blessed. I have undeniably been very very blessed in my life. But not lucky.

It’s been a long standing joke in our family that if you ever want to win ANYTHING….have Adam enter the contest for you. He always wins. ALWAYS. Lady luck has chosen him as her golden child. The kid is the luckiest person I know.

BUT…every once in awhile, the stars will align, and Lady Luck will smile down on me. I still remember the last time that happened. I was attending my 6th grade end of the year party. The raffler was approaching the last item; a six pack of Mountain Dew. And when the teacher reached his hand into the bucket to pull out a ticket, I heard a voice somewhere inside me confirming to me what I already knew; I would win. And I was certain. I started to the stage to collect my prize before my name was even called. But it WAS called. Just as I knew it would be.

Last week I was checking one of my absolutely, most favorite blogs, EVER…sisterscafe.blogspot.com

(If you haven’t checked it out yet, I highly recommend it. I am not exaggerating in the least when I tell you it has completely changed my life.)

But back to my story….

So I was checking the blog for this weeks weekly menu/grocery shopping prep, and they were sponsoring a give away. A give away that seemed to be right up my alley. It was for a DSLR camera class called “Get Out of Auto Mode”. I almost skipped right over the post when an old feeling came back to me. “You will win”, it whispered. So I entered.

And it was right. I DID win.

So I ran right out and bought a lottery ticket.

But then I realized I never got a “winning” feeling when I purchased my ticket. AND….I had just used up all my luck for the next 15 years or so on the camera class.

I hope it’s worth it! :)

P.S. The lottery drawing was Saturday. I’m not a 180 millionaire. All requests for new cars and shopping sprees will unfortunately be denied.

P.P.S. Hurry on over to The Sisters Cafe and try out these delicious dishes. They are my FAVORITE!!!

1. Crispy Southwest Wraps - (The home made guacamole is TOTALLY worth it. And using lots of fresh cilantro. Seriously…the more the better)

2. Chicken Corn Chowder

3. Honey Lime Enchiladas – I have tried both pork and chicken. They are both great, but shredded pork is my personal favorite

I could post a million more…but we’ll start with these three. Your husbands will thank you!

It’s my potty and I’ll poop where I want to

Sorting through some old memory cards and organizing pictures today. I stumbled across this old photo taken when we were visiting Mike’s dad down at Bryce Canyon. I think Miles was about 6 months old (or so). Oh how I miss those little chubber cheeks and so soft and fine you can’t do anything with it baby hair. What did I ever do to deserve such a wonderful little family???

But now my little boy is growing up.

<tear>

<sigh>

But it’s okay. Really, it is. Because this boy is hilarious. Seriously, he cracks me up.

Take yesterday for instance.

Miles has been working on potty training, and is doing really well. He has completely figured out that he isn’t supposed to go potty in his undies. So yesterday (while he was in timeout) the urge struck. And knowing he isn’t allowed to get off the naughty chair until he has served his time, and knowing he isn’t supposed to do his business in his pull-ups, he did the only logical thing. Stripped down, stood up on the chair, and peed off the side into the corner of my dining room.

twice.

And OH, he was so proud of himself. He kept saying, “Mom…no pee pee undies! Yah!” Complete with a jubilant fist pump into the air. Now, how could I not laugh about that?

But wait, there’s more…..

One of the hardest things about potty training (I think) is getting your child to come inside to go potty even when they are having a great time playing outside. But Miles has already worked out a solution to this dilemma.

Like when he waddled inside yesterday, pants around his ankles, bare bum exposed, exclaiming “poop, poop, poop”! I thought he must have had an accident. But his pull-ups were perfectly dry and perfectly clean. I was confused, until Miles grabbed my hand and marched me outside to show me his accomplishment. He lead me outside to the sidewalk in front of our house where, with a gesture of his hand, proudly declared “Mom, Look! I did it! Poop!!!” And sure enough, he had.

Oh, the neighbors must have had a great laugh about that. I know I did. I figure at least its a step in the right direction. Apparently, I need to start focusing a little less on not “going” in our undies, and start emphasizing we ONLY go in the POTTY.

But it sure makes for some very entertaining afternoons. :)

Mothers

I have a pretty great mom. In fact, I hope to be just like her when I grow up. And that’s sayin something! :)

Happy Mother’s Day to all you Mother’s out there!

Now go lie down and take a nap.

YOU DESERVE IT!

And a special thanks to my mom for Miles’ new summer clothes. He loves to wear them, and I love that he looks so handsome! (even with his eyes closed.)

Easter

I have always looked forward to Easter. It is one of my favorite Holidays. And having a 2 and a half year old….(WHAT!!! 2 1/2 years old???? Holy Moly, he is growing up too fast)…. meant I was even MORE anxious to see how he would react to all things Easter.

Like, say…the Romer Family Annual Easter Egg Hunt.

This year it was inside because the weather was so gloomy. Grandma Romer hid eggs and candy all over the basement. Miles’ little cousin Taylor got to start first (seeing as she is only about 18 months or so). After her minute was up, then Miles got to join in on the fun. I was expecting wide eyes, crazy running around, and maybe some shouts of pure joy coming from my little guy.

But alas, it was not meant to be. He just looked around, saw things on the floor, and dutifully went about putting them in his basket. Like it was just another typical day, and I was making him clean up his toys and deposit them in the toy box.

He didn’t even care about the eggs. He walked AROUND the eggs. So I was forced to take drastic measures. I opened one egg so he could see. And he saw alright. He saw MONEY in those eggs. Then the kid was all about business and ended up having a pretty decent basket to show off.

His sugar high never really wore off, and it was a chore getting him to bed that night. But I was able to coax him into dreamland by by reminding him that the Easter Bunny only visited little boys who WENT TO SLEEP! Eventually, sleep he did.

And the Easter Bunny brought this!!

I thought it was ESPECIALLY nice of the Easter Bunny to personally make a coordinating tie to go with Miles’ new Easter outfit. How thoughtful!!

But the only thing Miles’ REALLY appreciated were the Reese’s peanut butter eggs that he found in his basket. He felt it necessary to separate those eggs from all the other “inferior quality” easter treats, like jelly beans and m&ms. No, he could not even CONSIDER eating any of those until his beloved peanut butter eggs had all been consumed. At least now the Easter Bunny knows not to waste her time with Jelly Beans.

(Like THESE ones the Easter Bunny lovingly laid out). Nope. The kid was not interested in them. Not At All.

Because Easter Sunday just happened to also be Conference Sunday, Miles didn’t get to don his new duds. But pictures will be coming soon.

We missed Mike (who was still in Michigan, enjoying the beautiful Spring weather out there), but were glad we could share in some fun activities with the Romer clan.

Thanks Romers for so much fun!