Spring Organizing

Last year Spring Break looked like this:

This year...Spring Break looks like this:

Not quite as fun.

But Spring is Spring and it calls for Spring cleaning!

The other day I added these little felt pictures to our toy shelf

& it has changed our lives! 

No more pulling out every bucket to see which basket holds what. Cleaning time is cut in half AND the kids don't pull out EVERY basket to find the one they want!

The sticky back felt worked PERFECT!

Simple,

but revolutionary :)

But don't think the kids can't still mess

it up in less than 30 seconds!

Then yesterday my husband & I cleaned his office

& tossed like CRAZY!

While cleaning I found these book marks I made a few months ago.

I thought why not pass a few onto you,

so on Thursday afternoon I will pull 3 names

from comments on this post and get them off to three of you :)

Anyone, anywhere...you don't need to have a blog,

just leave a comment & you're in!

(But please make sure you leave an email if you don't have a blog so I can get ahold of you)

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

3-31-11

Have you caught the Spring cleaning bug?

Happy Spring!

Thanks!!!

First of all

THANK YOU

to all who suggested names!

It has been a crazy week & I haven't done a very good job getting around to everyone but I really enjoyed looking through your names! 
Not much longer now! 

This week I received a special little package from Germany!
Martina of

M's Art Impressions

sent me a little set of her amazing cards! 

She is truly an artist.  Her art work makes me smile & feel happy!   You should VISIT HER if you want to smile! 

I can't wait to get the perfect frame to put one up!

She wrapped them all up so sweetly

& wrote me a little note in one of her cards...

...this card turned out to be my favorite one of all!

It just reminded me of my boys sitting so sweetly

at the table together.

Just like my boys...see?

"Bo?  What are you doing?"

"I am changing his diaper."

"Okay...get some wet wipes."

(actual conversation)

So maybe my boys don't sit like that for long...

but there sure is beauty in it :)

Thanks Martina!!!!

Help Wanted

I love my name. 

I always have.

I really want my kids to love their names too!

I like to put there names everywhere.

But I have a teeny problem.

Okay...actually a BIG problem.

It is getting time to name another kid

& I am freaking out.

I get stressed out about naming a child!

It is just so important!!!!

I have a girl name that I thought I loved,

& my boy name...I finally convinced my husband that it is a cool name...

& now that he likes it too...I am scared!  

Now I don't know if I like either of them!

(Good thing Kelly is used to me :)

I did this with Rocco & freaked out right after

I delievered because it is such a big deal! 

It actually took me about 2 months to like Rocco,

but now I do love it!

So last chance...

even though I am pretty sure we will use the names we have

....any last minute suggestions?

I really like it to roll with:

Annie

Bo

Rocco

&

_______________

Okay girls...

Any ideas?

This is How We Roll

With 20 days to due date everyone was a little worried...we have a 5 passenger car.  The baby (or Bo) would have to ride on top.

But Saturday night after a day away my

husband pulled up with this:

I was shocked & very excited!!!! 

Now the baby could ride inside with the rest of us!

Thursday it became the Leprechaun Mobile when we headed to Cousin Cal's 2nd birthday.

Oh yeah!  Are we coolio or what?  :)

(Please do not really answer that!)

& when we arrived looking like a bunch of weirdos...

...we fit right in!

Our picture standards are very low when we

put all the kids together.

(In 2 months there will be 2 more little ones between the 2 families.)

(Birthday Boy on the far left)

Yeah...we are a little nuts...I like nuts :)

Hope you get a chance to be a little nutty

with your family today!!!

Bloggers Day of Silence

The Boxes

Today when Annie got home from school she opened the door & yelled, "MOM!!!!  There is a huge box out here and it is for me!  And there is one for you too!"

I hadn't been expecting a package so I was very curious!

Beth.  Beth is a forever friend.

We went to Kindergarten together.

We were in a little charity pageant together.

We tortured neighbor boys together.

I could go on & on & on!!!

And in 3rd grade when she moved...my heart was broken.

But we stayed friends.

The best of friends

And although we don't get a chance to visit each other very often she still finds ways to love up my family.

You should have seen the boxes she sent today!!!

Yes!  Those are colored socks in there!!!

Painful.  Very Painful :)

But seriously it was like she bought out an entire store

 & shipped it to my kids!!!

Not even everything is pictured because 1/2 of it was

already all over my living room! 

They were busy smiling, giggling & exploring for HOURS!!!!

Look at this cute little stationary set!

And I have a little glass hen collection & she sent me this!!!

To which Annie said, "Cool!  That will be mine soon!"

"Annie, I told you that you can't have my hens until I die."

(She asks me for them all the time.)

"I know."

Great, does anyone else find this a little premature? :)

& also a Fancy Dancy microwavable neck wrap...

...I am trying it out as soon as I am done here!

It had this little note on it:

DO I EVER!!!!

But even I have to admit...

those dreadful colored socks looked adorable on Annie & she needed them for our St. Patrick's Day Birthday Party

(Hi Cal)

 we are going to tomorrow.

THANK YOU BETH!!!

We LOVE YOU TOO!!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day Everyone!!!

Okay...this girl is gonna be trouble :)

Let's Love

On Sunday morning we just had Rocco because

Bo & Annie had spent the night with my mom.

So before church we broke our usual routine & went to Caribou.

It was a relaxing morning and as I stood in line to order drinks I couldn't help but smile & then sneak my camera out to take a pic of Rocco and his Dad across the shop.

Then as heard myself ordering my own drink:

"Medium, Macadamia, coconut, mocha, with dark chocolate, non-fat, decaf, no whip please."  I was struck by a sense of guilt & pain for those in Japan.  Here I was ordering this ridiculous (delicious) drink when the initial, very devastating, news of Japan was pouring in, and besides heartbreak, it really hadn't effected my life at all.

I looked at Rocco all cozy & safe with his hot chocolate, waving for the camera, and thought of his innocence to the world around him,

and I thanked the Lord.

For many things.

Then in the last few days I have been trying to think of little things I could do for people HERE.  So many families close to home have their own worries & heartbreak and are so easy to help.  I decided I wanted to step up my LOVE FOR CHRIST with actions.

The little things like:

Sending off a note to SOMEONE

who needs some encouragement in the midst of his own battles,

and sending Annie off to school today with a handful of daffodils for her teacher whose son was one of the first American Troops arrive in Japan.

And then last night my mom surprised me, LOVED ME, with the sweetest pot of flowers I have ever seen.

And I was happy.

The little things.

Let's not take our safety & comforts for granted.

Let's encourage others in love while we can.

If you have a little act of kindness in the next few weeks please let me know & if you blog about it & I would love to link to your post.  Not to brag but to be contagious.  You never know who you may inspire.

 Let's Love.