Snapshots of Life Week 1

The fun ladies over at Eighteen 25
are hosting a new photo challenge.

Every Wednesday evening, they will be posting a time on their blog.
Then on Thursday, at that time, you need to take a picture of whatever is going on in your life.Whether you're cooking dinner, working on a project, watching a movie, getting kids ready for school... Then link up with them on Friday morning. Easy Peasy!

Thursday at 5pm

It doesn't get much more normal than this.

 Jammies from this morning still on the floor.

Blanket & pillows on the floor.

One kid plugged into her DS, the other glued to the T.V.

Jacket thrown onto the couch so as not to lose precious game time.

Ignored homework sitting on the floor.

I look forward to catching some more real life next week at a new time :)

 

I did unplug the girls after that photo to take care of their Halloween goodies for school tomorrow.I printed out these Halloween Jokes(Ooh there is another set of jokes now, too bad I didn't see that earlier)Asked the girls to color away then stapled them to the mini bags of Halloween pretzels Wal-Mart has.Fun, quick, easy & cheap!  

I do have to add that around 6:30 pm,

hubby & I happened to be sitting in our living room

talking to our State Senator.

Yup, he just popped in to see if we had any questions.

Now did I get a picture of that?

Nope.

I was too busy trying to think of intelligent questions to ask him.

Didn't even think of my camera until after he left.

I am so thankful that

a.) The front room was picked up, even the couches

b.) The girls were quietly coloring & got to hear our conversation

c.) The dog was outside. He would have gone nuts having someone new to sniff!

You Capture ~ Autumn

This week's photo challenge over at

I Should Be Folding Laundry

was Autumn

I had fun capturing this on my date with Matt last weekend.

Here are my favorite shots.

It just wouldn't be Autumn in Western Washington without rain drops!

Lots of rain drops!

I love love love the reddish leaves! Those trees always win my attention.

Last but not least,

This tree is in the parking lot at my kids school.

I love how it has so much red & yet still some green too.

Also it is surrounded by the Evergreens (I think) that are everywhere here.

What does Autumn look like to you?
Link up & see more 

Date Night 5/52 ~ Botanical Garden

Our date this week was to visit a botanical garden.

My plan was to research this & find someplace that was sure to be fun & interesting.

Then I got sick (and still am sick)

Instead I went into basic mommy mode.

That would be the kids basic needs are met & that's about it.

Thank goodness for the crock pot this week!!

Anyways, needless to say Saturday rolled around & I had no clue.

Luckily my hubby rocks!!

Saturday morning we took the kids to Lowe's to build bats,

have you been to their lowes build and grow events?

They are usually every other Saturday morning, with a different project for

the kids to make & they are Free!

I got to take a much needed nap while Matt made lunch for everyone.

After a nice rest we were ready for our date.

Our first stop was Starbucks for yummy warm drinks,

 especially nice because the weather was cold & wet.

Matt didn't ask where we were going, he told me.

This is truly a rare event around here.

Sadly I wasn't all that eager when we pulled in to this place

It is literally right next to the freeway & well can you blame me?

I was determined not to be a party pooper though & in we went.

They had a fabulously funky gift shop filled with all kinds of fun stuff to look at.

We actually wandered around the store for quite awhile

 just being silly before going out into the garden.

When we first walked out it was just sprinkling

 so we passed up the umbrellas sitting by the door.

(bad, bad idea!)

We had a guide who knew all kinds of information about each

& every bonsai tree in this place.

There were also some cool rocks mixed in just for fun.

We learned that anything can make a bonsai tree if trained properly.

Like this grape vine.

Or this Crab Apple tree that looks like a Barbie sized

version of one I used to climb when I was a kid.

Somewhere along the tour it quit sprinkling & really started raining. 

We got soaked.

 After our tour was done,

Matt & I wandered around on our own.

Thankfully our borrowed umbrella was big enough for two.

Matt was very patient as we went back around the gardens with the umbrella

so I could take pictures.

Most of the pictures above were taken on our second trip

around the gardens.

It was surprisingly interesting for both of us to learn

about all the different bonsai trees.

Even though it was cold & very wet we spent over

1 1/2 hours wandering around the garden.

I wasn't sure what to expect on this date & even though I didn't feel good

it was still quite a bit of fun.

I am looking forward to going back in the Spring,

on a sunny day!

I am so very thankful Matt has decided to take this new dating idea seriously.

I am looking forward to our Ice Cream date next weekend & even better

 Matt already decided where we could go

& some other things we could do while we were there.

Start dating your spouse again with fun ideas from

Simply Modern Mom

Happiness Project week 1

I absolutely love this idea from

leigh vs laundry

Once a week she hosts the Happiness project.

It's simple, just post about something that is making you happy this week.

For me it's just a fun reminder to look around and really see

 what I have to be thankful for.

Here is this week's photo that is making me happy

Truly this amuses me.

It's even better because the girls found this bad boy hanging out

 in the backyard & begged me to bring the camera.

The rest just fell into place.

I adore Marissa's expression.

Although she was hamming it up for the photo, without being asked by the way,

she despises spiders. Always has. She will run screaming from

the room at the sight of a teeny tiny one.

I am so thankful that we were able to have a fun moment with a spider!

What is making you happy this week?

This week

This week my kids have 1/2 days so I am hoping
to have lots of fun craft time with them.

This will work well because I have all kinds of Halloween projects to finish.

I might have to leave Halloween decorations up for a couple extra days

 just to give them a little bit of time out.

We will see.

Project #1 to finish: Spooky Blocks

For you digi scrapbookers she has $1 Wednesday & has several kits or templates on sale for only a buck!

On Friday she also has a Photoshop lesson that also include a mini kit

& a hybrid project like the one above for only a $1 each.

Gotta love dollar goodies!!

Project #2

Those fun candy corn banners that are all over blogland right now.

This one is my favorite:

tater tots and jello

Project #3

Halloween Border

This one has a free pattern to download, so pretty much all you have to do is

gather supplies, print, cut & glue. Easy peasy.

Project #4

This one I discovered last night while reading a blog I like.

It's the same blog that I got the pom pom spiders idea from.

So I really didn't need another project to do, but really I just love these:

Spider chair huggers

I think the kiddos can help me with these too.

Project #5

Gratitude Project

We will start this on the 1st so it would be nice to have it all ready to go

before hand. Novel idea, eh? 

 Especially considering it's the week before Halloween & I'm still trying to finish those projects.

and finally Project #6

to keep with the Thanksgiving theme

counting-down-to-turkey-time

I like the idea of having the kids or maybe all of us writing something everyday that we are thankful for.

It kinda overlaps project #5 but can you ever really be too thankful? I think not.

Today I also started this class

True Stories

I am going to give the girls each a journal so they can do a kid version of this with me.

So what are you doing this week?

You Capture ~ Orange

This week's challenge over at

I should be folding laundry is Orange.

This worked out nicely since we just went on a Pumpkin Walk.

Here are just a few pictures of our adventure.

I did discover that while trying to take low light photos

without a tripod is hard enough,

adding in several very excited little kids that don't belong

 to me makes it even harder.

I did enjoy watching the excitement of those other littles, 

even if it was a little bit frustrating having them run all over the place.

Sometimes I miss the pure joy those little ones have 

 just exploring the world around them.

What did you see this week that was Orange?

Join the fun

Random bits of Happiness

Today is just a few random things that are making me happy right now.

I am beyond amused with these spiders. They just make me happy.

Ok, ok. I get it now. Ginger pumpkin is oh so yummy!

I asked Matt for a Egg Nog Chai because some of the

coffee shops already have Egg Nog.

Tully's is not one of them (They wait until November)

so he took a chance & got me a Ginger Pumpkin Chai.

Seriously tasty goodness!

I am loving the Hersey's Pumpkin Spice kisses that Target has right now.

More tasty goodness in a cute little kiss.

Last, but not least for today is goody mail!

I love getting goodies in the mail.

Especially ones like this that are just fun.

This is the prize I won from

Wonder Woman Wannabe

Thank you so very much ~ I love it!!

What is making you happy right now?



Kids craft ~ Halloween Banner

I am loving all the banner ideas floating around blogland right now.

When I saw the one featured on this blog: purple sage creations

I knew I had found the right one for now.

Not only could the girls help me make them, but she also loved the same

spiders that I had already decided to make too!

I bought a package of 8 1/2 x 11 Halloween cardstock & cut out several

6" x 8" triangles, leaving about an inch at the top to fold over.

I was able to cut out 2 big triangles out of each sheet of paper with a funky

little triangle left over that the girls

 are going to use to make a banner for their room.

I handed the triangles to the girls along with some crayons &

asked them to draw some Halloween pictures on them.

I love watching these two create. They have such fun imaginations.

While they finished drawing, I started folding the extra inch over on the triangles.

Cutting any extra that peeked out, so I had nice neat triangles.

I then sewed each triangle to a string of black yarn & hung them on the windows.

Super easy peasy, quick & inexpensive too!



This orange one cracked me up. At first I thought it was a bunch of spiders.
I was corrected & informed that it was a bunch of pots of cooking witch soups.



While this one is for Halloween,

I am already thinking how fun it would be to make one for Thanksgiving.

I will switch the colors up & ask the girls to draw things they are thankful for.

What other themes would you make?

I am linking this up with

a lemon squeezy home

She is having a Kids Craft Week.

Check it out & join the fun!

Date Night 4/52

 One of Matt's co-workers was retiring & we were invited to the party,

so we didn't pull out any new ideas this week.

The party was at a restaraunt/bar that was rated #1 for burgers.

I love burgers so it was the perfect place for a casual dinner!

It was fun to watch Matt & see a different side of him.
He caught up with some of the guys he doesn't get to really talk to very often.
We enjoyed some good burgers & just hung out.

One of the best parts of the evening was hands down when he was telling
somebody about my anniversary present to him.
He was bragging about me wanting him to take me out every week.

It's one thing for him to go along with my current whim, he is awesome that way.

But for him to actually appreciate it is a whole different story & one that just made me all warm & fuzzy.

He even went so far as to recommend it, which for the record so do I.

During the week we have both mentioned how much we are looking forward to our date & we haven't really done anything "special" yet. We have just started doing something different than going to a movie every now & then.
 Really just being together has been more than enough.

 On the drive to pick up Matt,
I realized I am so thankful I am dating my husband again!

We have been on 4 weekly dates so far including our anniversary date &
already I see changes. Just little things here & there.
Nothing huge, but happy little things that in the end do make a big difference.

Our date for next weekend is to visit a botanical garden.
When Matt pulled it out, he made a face &
 I actually thought he had pulled one of the expensive dates.
He flipped it over to show me & I could just see the lack of enthusiasm for going to look at a bunch of plants. Before I could even think to respond,
he flipped it in his own mind, smiled
& added that we could get some coffees on our way to enjoy.
I am so thrilled that he is really open to trying new things &
 he is determined to have fun doing it.
I've got a week to find a cool garden to visit &
maybe think of a few more ways to make it more fun for him too.
Thankfully I've got plenty of gardens to choose from.

I have found some more blogs to share to help you start on your own Project 52.

simply modern mom

She not only has a new date every week, but a pledge you & your spouse can sign together.
I think I will be adding that to next weeks date.

the dahling dating divas

This blog has a group of 12 ladies that share their different date ideas every week.
There are some amazing date ideas over there & they share all the details!

If you are married, when was the last time you went on a date together?

You Capture ~ Animals

This weeks challenge over at i should be folding laundry is animals.

Around our house that would include 2 cats & wild & crazy dog. The cats are older & catching them doing something interesting is much much harder than the dog. He is always doing something.
He doesn't look like it, but he is still a puppy.

This week my photos are very casual. In fact my youngest helped by following the dog, adding in some props & taking lots of pictures of him.
I love that she is already interested in taking pictures,

even if it is a little nerve racking to hand over my camera to her.

I'm so glad I was able to catch him doing this before he destroyed his ring.
He ran all over the house like this.

Even the dog likes to play on the toys at the park.





 These were taken by my 7 year old. She found the dog ripping the stuffing out of his toy & just had to take pictures of him. She placed the stuffing over his back first, then started snapping away.

Thankfully all the stuffing you see came from his toy.

Knock on wood he only destroys his own toys & leaves our stuff alone.

Can anyone recommend a tough dog toy?
 This one was rated 10 and only lasted a week.

Join the fun & see more animal photos
http://www.ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com/