Today I Glued Buttons.

I have finally been attacking one pile after another the past couple weeks.  It's slow going.
In one stack of stuff I found some frames I had made over a year ago with some pieces of wood, ribbon, spray paint, photos, strong glue and a bunch of buttons.  During our last move, some of the buttons came loose.  We moved last October folks, and I am just now taking care of this?  **shaking my head**

~the yellow is off in this pic, but I like how the buttons "pop"~

~the back is ugly because I painted it a blue color I didn't like first, then when I painted the right color, I was too hasty and turned it over before it was fully dry and it stuck to the cardboard~

I love these things though.  I'm not the best at hanging groups of frames together though.  I think I may be a little be untalented in that area of spacial awareness, or something.  But aren't they so cute?  :D  My sister, Molly and I are going to try out having an etsy shop and I'm thinking of doing some of these for it to see if they take.  They're so whimsical and pretty!

Today I Stepped Out.

I've decided to, occasionally, add something new.  I don't usually blog on the weekends, but I really like Mandy's (over at Harper's Happenings) Steppin' Out Saturday.  I'm going to participate whenever the day allows.

And sorry, no way could I narrow it down to just a few pics.  So here are five.  **big grin**












Tony asked what I wanted for Mother's Day (he's not one to plan ahead for special occasions).  I said I wanted to have a truly spontaneous day.  Just go out and do whatever I felt like doing.  So we did.  We took a ferry, went to a farmers market, perused antique shops, bought mothers day presents for our moms, tried to visit his mom (she had gone boating....really??), ate Italian (I had the world's biggest pizza pocket and it was goooooooooooood), and then we came home.  Loved it.  We just stopped and went whenever and wherever my whim took us and it was fun!  The girls were angels (minus the last 15 minutes) and Tony bought my chocolate and was wonderfully patient during the shopping parts.  :D 



Happy Mother's Day to all of you Mommies out there!!!!

Today I Saw Thor.

It was a good movie.  Tony really wanted to go see it and since we haven't been to the theatre for many months, I agreed.  I really don't care to waste money on movies that I can see through Netflix.  I save the theatre for the big ones like Narnia, Harry Potter, Twilight, and Pirates.  But, this was surprisingly interesting (it didn't start out too impressive though).  And it was more exciting on the big screen.  I'd recommend it.  I liked it better than Star Trek and The Prince of Persia, but less than Pirates of the Caribbean and Avatar.  So, if you want to see a movie in theaters, go see Thor.  Or you can wait and get it when it comes out on dvd.  Either way, it's a nice, little adventure flick with plenty of fun action scenes and special effects (do they still call it that?).  It even has a teensy bit of romance and a few funnies thrown in.

(source)

Have you seen any good movies lately?

Today I Took Britt to Music Class.

Britt and I go to a KinderMusik type class on Thursdays.  It’s a lot of fun. 

(this isn't a pic of Britt at class, but I figured since she was the reason we go to music class, any picture of her is fitting.  Besides, it was taken today so I could get pics of the kiddos into the mail for grandparents - I'm so bad at keeping them in current photos!)

The teacher puts a lot of thought and effort into the activities and songs.  She has a huge assortment of props: musical instruments of every kind, stuffed animals, hula hoops, and even hobby horses.  And she has enough for a large group of children! 

(source)

Today we danced with streamers.  I was impressed with these streamers because they were colorful and fun and I could totally make them myself.  The handle was a canning jar ring and the streamers were flagging tape.  The teacher had tied strips of tape to the rings in purples, oranges, and yellows. 

(source)

So fun and pretty!  I'm going to have to make some for us to play with at home.  When I do, I'll post a how-to. 

(I got the bubbles out to encourage Ash to look up and smile - Britt didn't need any help in that area - and it worked, but then Britt got sober while Ash got excited.  **sigh**)

P.S.  Thank you for your sweet comments on yesterday's post.  Made me smile and warmed my heart.  Sounds like, for the most part, you all are ready for the same reasons I'm writing.  Sounds good! 

Today I'd Like to Know Why You Read My Blog.

I was thinking about my blog, while folding laundry, this evening and pondering about all the people that I've made bloggy friends with, how some posts elicit more responses than others and I started to wonder.....

Why do you read my blog?  I'm looking for totally honest answers here. 

Is it to see what I'm up to because you know me personally?

Do you like my adventures?  Semi-helpful hints?  Pictures?  Occasional crafts & recipes?

Do you read because you are a faithful comment backer?

Are you checking in because my kids are just so stinkin' cute?

I'm super curious and, let's be honest, some days I can't think of anything interesting or different that I did (like today) and it'd be nice to know what you all are most interested in. 

And because my girls seriously are the bees knees:









Pictures from February.  I seriously need to get some currents photos of the two of them together.

Today I No-Pooed My Hair.

I've read several different articles and blog posts about going shampoo-free and the idea really intrigued me. 
I'm rather bothered by the amount of chemicals in body products and this disturbia was compounded when I realized how sensitive Ash is to these things.  I got on to EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database and really got a look at what was in our shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.  Yikes!
Some people have said that they went through a greasy, flaky stage while their scalps made too much oil (the shampoo conditions our heads so we HAVE to wash our hair more often).  The idea of running around looking like I don't have running water has been my biggest deterrent.  I don't want an oil slick-head nor an itchy scalp.  Yuck!  But as I read more, it appeared that it's not the same for everyone, and if you use baking soda and/or apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice) then you're less likely to have such a gross reaction. 
 

stock picture

 
Well, today I took the plunge.  I washed my hair with baking soda water.  It felt really good and I could hear my hair squeaking!  Really clean!  Next time I will be trying the apple cider vinegar water because from what I've read it helps smooth the hair down.  I'm feeling a bit frizzy today.  Though part of that may be because I have a hard time not turning the water to super hot.  Plus, I didn't use any silicones. 
 
I'll keep you all posted on how this experiment works.  I'm not going to write out a how-to at this point since I don't even know what truly works, though it appears that everyone is slightly different (no surprise).  If you'd like to read more detailed accounts of other womens' experience going shampoo-free, go here, here, and here. 
 

Today I Thought About the News and Our Future.

This post is going to be religious. I know that religion can be a touchy subject for some, so if that is you - please go ahead and skip today's thoughts. :)


Everywhere I look online, people are talking about Osama bin Laden's death. Facebook statuses are dedicated to it. The news is talking of nothing else. Many bloggers are posting on this event. There are so many different feelings being expressed on this one happening; some I agree with, some I don't. Mainly, I have felt glad that there is one less terrorist leader running free to hurt people. But I have also felt worry, because this guy had friends and many people ready to step in and fill his shoes. It sounds like our government expects a retaliation of some sort at some point. Reading that made me feel unsafe.

Then I read this article/talk by Elder Nelson. It speaks of hope, faith in our Heavenly Father, and the ability to look forward to the future while being of good cheer. He doesn't say everything is going to be all pretty unicorns and confetti. Actually, far from it. He says that we can expect tough times, but he quoted scripture where God promises to take care of those who follow Jesus Christ.  Now, I've done enough reading and lived enough years to know that I can trust the promises Heavenly Father makes. Reading this made me feel better and calmer. It soothed my worked up fears and worries and gave me some peace. I want to share that with you. Regardless of what church you go to, God has assured us that He will protect His own.

To quote Isaiah 49:25 - "But thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children." **sigh of relief** I don't know about you, but my greatest worries rotate around my children and this scripture slowed my anxiety and warmed my heart.  He will save my babies.  I will place all my thoughts, hopes, and doubts on this promise and look forward to the future with faith.

How have the recent events made you feel?

calm & peaceful stock photo