{big plans for a little bathroom}

matt, coleman and i went to kohl's yesterday. matt wanted to go and get us some new towels. two hundred dollars later, i'm thinking...what happened to just a couple of new towels??? :)

the only rooms in our home (where we've lived a little over four years now) that are not painted are the laundry room, master bath, and the bathroom the boys share. we have done nothing with the laundry room and master bath. but the boys' bathroom does have a theme (nautical) and is decorated, just not painted. however, i've had *that* nautical bathroom for way too long. seriously. since my first apartment out of college. it's a small bathroom and wouldn't cost much to redo but we've just never bothered.

we recently purchased some cabinets for the laundry room and matt is going to paint in there before he installs them. he's been itching for a bright green room (random, i know) so i told him we could do the laundry room in that color. then i had a brilliant idea. since both rooms are small, we could just go ahead and do the boys' bathroom the same color!

so, we are at kohl's and i'm coveting this absolutely adorable kids' bathroom set. however, we need something that will work for a one-year-old AND an 11-year-old. somehow i didn't think that spencer would appreciate the splish-splash monkeys!

but, right around the corner, we find this one. even though it appears to be equally childish, we were able to work with that. we only bought the striped shower curtain and towels - none of the "sea" themed stuff. we got a few more towels that are white with a red stripe for spencer (they are much more grown up). and we went with solid red rugs. we got a few towels/washcloths from the first set for coleman because the colors of the two sets are so similar.

you will notice that there is a bright green in both, so we will paint the walls that color and stick with some red accessories (to make spencer happy) and hopefully it will be a good combination to make everyone happy!

i will definitely show photos once we've completed the transformation. oh, i need to take "before" pictures too.

p.s. - after all of that, YES, we did get some new towels for us - the original purpose of the trip. we also managed to get coleman a monkey beach towel, a monkey plate (that actually matches the bath set) and some monkey pjs that matt said he just had to have. i wonder how long this monkey thing will last.

this week {3.22 to 3.28}

~ it was teacher appreciation week at spencer's school. monday we sent in some candy and flowers. tuesday was cleaning supplies and bird seed. wednesday was pasta and classroom supplies. ~

~ i woke up monday with a cold ~

~ i set up two more appointments for spencer ~

~ i copied some "cheat sheets" of baby sign language from daycare ~

~ i printed my nephew's soccer and track schedules ~

~ i went to bed at 8:00 on monday night ~

~ i had an eye doctor appointment ~

~ i shopped at rite aid and harris teeter ~

~ i submitted rite aid SCRs online ~

~ i created a new blog for the dalton help foundation ~

~ i signed up to get staples' rebates via email ~

~ spencer was with us for several extra days while his mom and stepdad were out of town ~

~ matt's uncle passed away ~

~ i finally cleaned up the dining room ~

~ i watched american idol and updated the idol pool information ~

~ i bought a cute set of candy wrapper digital templates from jessicasprague.com ~

~ i had to pick coleman up from daycare because he had a fever ~

~ i hosted a social committee meeting ~

~ i picked spencer up from school and took him to one of his appointments ~

~ coleman had a really bad night and ended up sleeping with me. teething ~

~ we got a hail storm ~

~ we visited jo and jim ~

~ spencer had his first rec baseball game of the season (they lost but he had a good game) ~

~ spencer had rec ball practice, but didn't make it to travel ball practice ~

~ matt, coleman and i did some shopping at kohl's ~

~ spencer and i worked on his menu science project, which included making brownies ~

~ spencer had his first "puberty class" at school ~

~ spencer had an appointment with his pediatrician ~

~ matt's mom had to go to the ER, which is where matt spent his friday night ~

gall bladder issues - she will eventually need surgery :(

~ we had our first easter neighborhood event ~

more pictures to come...

~ i was a bad mommy and let coleman's face get a little sunburned ~

~ scott came over to hang out ~

{savings tracker}

spent = $147; saved = $144 (49%)

annual savings = $1,194 (42%)

average spent per week for a family of 3.5 = $135

new blog {30-minute martha}

since i posted a list of all my blog subscriptions, i promised i'd notify you when i find any others that i feel are worthy of subscribing. 30-minute martha is a brand new site, started by lain ehmann. it covers all things domestic (cooking, crafting, organizing, motherhood, etc) in a realistic (not-so-martha-stewart) kind of way. there are a handful of posts up already and i liked them enough to go ahead and subscribe for a while and see if its useful.

lom {lesson 1 - least common layout}

as i mentioned in this post, i needed to create a layout that combined my least common categories (places, us, where, and why). i tend to associate the library of memories more with paper scrapbooking (though there is no logical reason why). however, i knew if i realistically wanted to do this assignment in the near future, it'd get done more quickly if i did it digitally. ultimately, the point is to capture memories so it doesn't really matter how that's accomplished, now does it??? exactly.

so, i did this last week while watching american idol:

JOURNALING READS:
seven years: the first set of photos was taken just days before matt and i got married; before we became an official family. the 2nd set shows how our family had recently grown. these illustrate how so much can change, while some things remain a constant.

photos taken 4.7.2002 & 9.7.2009 @ GLENCAIRN GARDENS IN ROCK HILL
 
as always - i used a layered digital template, for which i take no credit. i used a freebie kit and i'm horrible and keeping up with who designs what.

i just added this layout to the LOM galley...Lesson ONE is officially DONE (better late than never).

this week {3.15 - 3.21}

~ i had a hard time dropping little man off at daycare having spending all of last week with him ~

~ i got a henkel jacket (at work) ~

~ i found out that mom is going to be just fine and it wasn't necessary for me to go down to conway ~

~ i got some fantastic bargains at the end of season sale at a local consignment shop ~

~ matt started not feeling very well, but was really just over tired ~

~ matt and i got a very upsetting phone call from spencer's mom about his anxiety issues worsening ~

~ i worked on the library of memories class ~

~ spencer missed three days of school ~

~ spencer finally had a baseball practice after several were rained out (actually he missed one and went to two) ~

~ i shopped at target, food lion, harris teeter, cvs and the dollar tree ~

 ~ i spend fifty dollars at the grocery store and didn't use coupons. shameful. ~

~ i made a chicken pot pie for my inlaws ~

~ spencer had several doctor appointments ~

~ i sat at spencer's baseball practice for two hours (at least it was a gorgeous day) ~

~ i broke my work laptop and had to miss two days of work while it was being fixed ~

~ i answered some blogging questions in a notebook ~

~ we celebrated saint patrick's day with our normal green pancakes dinner ~

more pictures coming in a separate post...

~ our hoa board signed a contract with a new management company and submitted notice of termination to the old one ~

~ i put candy in some easter eggs for a neighborhood event ~

~ coleman and i visited matt's parents ~

 ~ i got some cheap pampers at cvs ~

~ i got some items together for teacher appreciation week next week ~

~ i went to the doctor for a sinus infection and also got some migraine meds ~

~ cvs filled three prescriptions for me ~

~ i finally swung by my brother-in-law's "new" office ~

~ spencer had his first baseball tournament. i didn't go the first day. coleman and i went to the second day and sat in the rain for five hours. fun. ~

~ i took a bubble bath. my first one in a very, very long time. ~

{savings trackers}

spent = $167; saved = $98 (37%)

annual savings = $1,051 (42%)

average weekly grocery bill for family of 3.5 = $134

{lucky finds - part 2}

i know i already did one lucky finds post, but since it's my favorite holiday, i figure i'm entitled to a second one! i also ended up finding more super good stuff since the last post.

so.....

happy saint patrick's day!  

knittyvet at etsy has some adorable cozies - even for baby bottles! i have been wanting one of these for a while. i just think they are adorable.

hostess with the mostess posted several great ideas recently, including: lucky mugs (pictured), popcorn ball beer treats, and creative cupcakes

some of the posts include free printables.

i love this necklace from caitieb9 at etsy.

the daily digi is offering two free downloads. and a little goody bag tutorial from last year.

love, love, love this canvas from lulu's tiles. i really want to make this (maybe next year).

another seriously cute idea I'd like to do! and it's CHEAP. you could change the color of felt and do this for any season, theme or holiday.

p.s. as i was fixing my coffee this morning, i realized that i need a saint patrick's day coffee mug.

{rockin' the consigment sale}

i recently attended a local consignment sale - the upscale weesale. since coleman just had christmas and a birthday and doesn't need another toy until he's 12, my purpose was 100% clothing. and that's what i got. before his birthday, his summer wardrobe consisted of a couple of t-shirts i had snatched off the target clearance racks and one pair of orange shorts that i was pretty sure wouldn't fit him. he got a few super cute things for his birthday, but i definitely had some shopping to do.

here's my stash:

the far left outfit is an adorable one-piece plaid polo romper...how flippin' cute!

the middle outfit will definitely get some serious wear at all of those baseball games in our future.

and the one on the right - LOVE the combo of turquoise and orange.

this is all from gymboree and was grouped together as two outfits and everything already matched. how easy. i think i paid $15 for everything here. notice the matching hat, shoes, belt, etc.

have you noticed a pattern yet? plaid rules.

based on my experience last season, i made sure that i matched everything into outfits before i purchased it. i didn't want to be stuck needing "a green t-shirt here and khaki shorts there".

a few random things - a bathing suit and matching sandals, camo shoes, plain denim overalls (he's outgrown all of his), a polo shirt and USC outfit

four sets of pajamas (one is not picture below)

thought this little sleeveless rompers would be good for the super hot days.

and a few dressier items. it took a lot of willpower to not buy more dress shirts (there were so many adorable ones) but i reminded myself that realistically he wouldn't be wearing this stuff very often. you will probably see the blue striped shirt and vest reappear on easter :) i love that gap's dress shirts are onesies. so smart!

so, in conclusion...for a mere $108, i got:

11 - t-shirts

4 - dressier tops

8 - rompers/overalls

5 - shorts

4 - PJ sets

3 - shoes

1 - hat

1 - belt

1 - bathing suit

total # of items = 38

average price per item = $2.84

the best part is that almost everything i bought was name brand (gap, polo, tommy hilfiger, gymboree, children's place, old navy). a few of the basic tees were from target or wal-mart.

i know i should just dress my child in these adorable clothes and let everyone assume that i'm blowing $40 on a polo outfit for my one year old, but where's the fun in that???? i'd much rather brag about my bargains!

oh - one last thing...a *shout out* to my nephew, bo, for getting me an early pass to the sale. he's dating the daughter of the lady that runs it. handy little relationship. hope they don't break up anytime soon :)

{health update}

since i posted about my family's health woes, i thought i should provide an update:

matt's mom is being moved from the hospital to a nearby rehab facility. she is expected to stay there 3-5 more days. her heart issues are doing well, but they are not pleased with her breathing and she can't go home until that improves (she has asthma, which doesn't help matters).

my mom is doing well. she is still in the hospital but will most likely go home tomorrow and has even been cleared for work on wednesday (which seems a bit soon to me). her body was able to fix itself without surgery thankfully. her doctor referred to her ailment as "a cold of the GI tract". a very painful cold.

aj (that watches coleman). i know i didn't post about this originally, but she also was at the hospital twice recently. she is on the mend and has her house full of kids again today. bless her heart.

i am hoping and praying that everyone is on the mend and things will start to return to normal for a while. no more sickness!!!

{toilet paper caper}

it all started with a cute little boy, looking snazzy in his sweater, and a mama with a camera....

the subject made his way into the bathroom - uncooperative to his mother's photographic goals...

the subject was told not to unroll the toilet paper. he was not pleased...

but his mama's a sucker...

but she has limits, so she said "ok, that's enough"...more waterworks.....

yup, she's a sucker...

uh oh, some escaped into the hallway...

don't worry, he brought it back where it belongs...

this is serious business...

ok, all done. mama's left to clean up the mess.

the end.

LOM 2010 {lesson 1}

well...it's over a month into the library of memories class at big picture scrapbooking. i knew i haven't had the time or energy to devote to it so instead of doing it *halfway*, i've intentionally ignored it all together. my attempt at balance. today, i decided to start diving in. i read through and reviewed the pre-class information and i'm working my way through lesson 1.

since this isn't my first time at the rodeo, i am skimming through parts. supposedly a lot has changed this year, so i plan to focus on the new stuff and the areas where i know i need help. i am particularly excited about the expanded digital information and hope to learn a lot!

here's my progress on lesson one's task list:
i'm not done, but keep in mind that i only started TODAY...

**begin personal page assessment**

1) what are your scrapbooking strengths? in other words, what would you say you are very good at when it comes to creatively capturing your memories?

i believe my strength has always been in scrapbooking events. my mind functions in a very chronological manner and therefore scrapbooking events, in order, is what came naturally to me. i have always taken a lot of photos (even more, after going digital) and, as a result, i became good at scrapbooking a LOT of photos. i was not the "one photo per page" kind of gal!

2) what are your scrapbooking weaknesses? where do you feel you most often fall short in creatively capturing your memories?

my weaknesses, as expected, are the opposite of my strengths. even though i used to do a ton of scrapbooking - and there was even a time when i was "caught up" (a long, long time ago) - but there were so many memories and stories that were not being captured...things that were so much more important than some of the things i was spending hours documenting. it was a true *lightbulb* moment for me when i first started to understand stacy julian's ideas on scrapbooking.

**flag completed scrapbook pages with sticky notes**
and
**label sticky notes with 5Ws**
last year, i completed this portion of the assignment in many of my albums - very thorough. so, this year i opted to just go through the (depressingly small) collection of layouts that i've completed in the year since the last class.

**print and complete the tally sheet**
THINGS = 12

PEOPLE = 4
PLACES = 2
US = 2
        and
WHO = 16
WHAT = 17
WHEN = 16
WHERE = 12
WHY = 12


oddly enough, there was a tie for last place in both categories. so, i guess that means i either have options for my layout assignment, or i need to create two :)

**create layout assignment**
i need to create a scrapbook layout (or two) that combine PLACES, US, WHERE, and WHY.
 
**post layout to lesson one gallery**
obviously need to create a layout before i can do this :)

**finish personal page assessment**

1) describe the type of scrapbook pages you want to create?

i want to create layouts that will tell the real story of my life and my family's lives. i want to capture everything from the special events to the everyday nuances. i want people to look back on my pages one day and know that i loved and adored my family, that i enjoyed every moment with them. i want them to know what i did with my time, but also where my heart was.

2) based on your answer above, list three qualifiers/requirements for pages you will create from here on out. my pages will...

 - tell a story. no more "we went to the park and it was fun". why did we go to the park? why on that day? why to that park? who was there and why those people? what happened at the park to make that day worth capturing? why should someone generations from now care about those pictures?

- capture personality: birthdays are great, but would 11 layouts of spencer's birthdays tell me anything about him? about the fact that he has a kind soul? that he is incredibly intelligent? that he's a daddy's boy through and through? that he loves all sports? that he's a kick butt big brother? NOPE. it needs to be about what's behind the cheesy smile and decorations.

 - radiate emotion: i don't want to get too mushy, mushy...but ultimately, when i'm gone, i want my layouts to reflect to spencer, coleman, whoever, how much they were loved by me. i want them to know that creating those pages was more than just using pretty papers and fun accents.

3) what is it i most want to accomplish with my passion for scrapbooking?

a creative release that captures memories and tells stories for our family and future generations.

i have no idea when i'm going to get around to completing the layout assignment, but at least i've finally started the class!!

this week {3.8 to 3.14}

~ matt's mom went in for a heart catherization on monday ~

~ i stayed home with coleman on monday so matt could be with his mom; then we switched off in the afternoon ~

~ then it turns out she had to have open heart surgery. see post here. ~

~ i did not go to ohio for work, as planned ~

~ we learned that middle school sports are being cut out of spencer's school district ~

~ spencer was invited to join the palmetto thunder (a travel baseball team). see post here. ~

~ we picked spencer up from school with baseball balloons tied to the car (and queen's we are the champions playing loudly) ~

~ we took spencer to be fitted for his new uniform ~

~ matt's mom was in the hospital all week. we both spent a lot of time up there, but matt especially ~

~ cooper puked one night ~

~ coleman had a bad tummy ache one day/night ~

~ we had a thunderstorm ~

~ matt found out about some pretty big changes at work and a bunch of people with his company were laid off. ~

~ we threw away some dean's dip because of a recall ~

~ scott came over to hang out ~

~ coleman's daycare provider got pnemonia and had to go to the hospital (twice); as a result she was closed on friday ~

~ i ended up not going into the office the entire week ~

~ i digitally designed star wars cupcake toppers and wrappers for a friend ~

~ i found out mom had to go to the doctor because of a stomach virus ~

~ mom was admitted into the hospital because it wasn't just a stomach virus. see post here. ~

~ i got caught up on photo editing and blog posts ~

~ i took 6 pictures all week. that's it. now you know how i was able to get caught up. ~

coleman is always pulling his socks off like this.

instead of toilet paper, this time it was a box of kleenex.

{savings tracker}

spent = $17.95; saved = $0 (0%)

matt made a beer run at the gas station. that is all the shopping we did all week. oh, and we got take-out, a lot. way too much. tough week.

annual savings = $952 (42%)