Catching up...

So...the new blog is not ready yet. I am still tweaking things here and there. Turns out tweaking CSS code is much more work than I ever imagined!! I thought I had a pretty good handle on web design since I do teach a class on it...but much of what I have been tweaking on this blog template is new to me.


As for my very late and overdue Five on Friday...

1. The mini-muffin advent calendar is ready to go! I sure had a good time laughing and crafting with one of my besties on this project (pictures to come later of all the holiday traditions and the advent calendar itself!)


2. We had the opportunity to have Miss Michigan, Katie LaRoche, as a guest speaker at our school a few weeks ago. I am proud to say she is from my hometown and also a graduate of BCPS! Her platform is human trafficking and let me tell you...the message was POWERFUL. She is an excellent speaker and also performed a very powerful, emotional dance to culminate. I was enraged and saddened after learning about sex trafficking; happening to our young women and littl girls overseas..and right here in the U.S. If you know nothing about human trafficking...read this. Also, was so very excited to see that Anurhad won this year's CNN hero.


3. Lately my conscience has been keeping me in check more than usual. CHECK #1 -Last weekend I went to the casino for a concert with my sisters and mom. While I was people-watching I caught a woman in the high stakes area repeatedly pulling a $25 slot machine...I thought how sad it was. She could give that money to someone in need and really make a change for the good. Made me realize how stupid it was to waste my money...and how much more I can do to help people out. CHECK #2-My hubby is working some overtime this week-five nights in a row. I was thinking to myself...you can do this-it won't be so bad. Then a commercial came on with mothers and children sending holiday wishes to their hubbies/daddies serving in the armed forces overseas; And I realized...five nights in a row is nothing.
4. My goal this year is to FULLY enjoy the holiday season and that means finishing the shopping/wrapping early. Last year I was so stressed out on Christmas Eve that I had a very difficult time enjoying the holiday. The shopping is not completely done. But it is close.
5. If you are at a loss for gift ideas and you need something unique...check out Etsy! I have been shopping Etsy over a year now and ALWAYS find something I love!

Five on Friday!

The reason I have been a little absent on my blog lately is because I am working hard to get my new Wordpress blog up. You should see a post later in the week that will direct you to the new site!! I couldn't pass up another week of Five on Friday so here it goes...even though I am writing this on a Sat. morning :-)

1. Tomorrow we will celebrate not only Halloween, but EJ's first birthday! I absolutely cannot believe he is already one!! I better charge up those camera batteries!!


2. You would think the 1 year milestone would mean a better sleeping schedule...yet EJ wants abaolutely NOTHING to do with his crib the past week. Everytime we lay him down he screams!! He just wants to be held...and we know that. And we know that we are probably going to have to let him cry it out :-(.


3. Love this video I saw a couple weeks back. I just love everything this video communicates. A very good friend just had her baby girl last night and I just know she is going to be a super mother.


4. Another reason I have been blogabsent is due to the fact that I am taking two short online courses...along with teaching 120 high schoolers! One of the classes will result in a family heritage digital scrapbook. It is my first Jessica Sprague class and I have a feeling I will be taking MANY more. I am loving the digital scrapbooking!!! I have been spending all my free time scanning pictures, digging up marriage, birth, death dates...and learning a whole lot about my ancestors. I can't wait to see the finished product!!! The other class is just a basic Photoshop Class...bonus is that it was free!! I already knew most of the skills I am learning...but it is a great refresher!! If you are brand new to PhotoShop I highly suggest you sign up for the next free class!!


5. I don't think I posted yet about our first geocaching experience. If you have no idea what the word "geocaching" means please do yourself a favor and visit geocaching.com. We had an absolute BLAST... a full post to come on that later!


6. A package came in the mail the other day...a PhatStrap just for me that Hubby picked out as a surprise. Sometimes he's a pretty sweet guy ;-).


7. I'll leave you with the birthday invite I designed for EJ's party tomorrow.HAVE A SPOOKY HALLOWEEN!!!

Five on Friday

1. Fall is not my favorite season, yet it sure tried to convince me yesterday. It was absolutely GORGEOUS everywhere I looked. We took advantage of the nice weather and beautiful foliage by heading straight to the park after I picked the kids up from school. Then we stopped home for a quick snack and my mom stopped by and joined us for a walk to another local park. It was a great day! (I'll post some pics from our walk below)
2. This blog is what I have been reading the past few nights. I read almost the entire thing the first night. It is shocking, heart-wrenching, and just plain interesting. I recommend every parent or person in the medical field read what this family experienced; someday you may be really glad that you have the knowledge.
3. Potato chips are not usually my weakness...unless of course they are sitting next to some french onion dip. Yet, I have come to love the new Lays Garden Tomato & Basil potato chips. Once I start eating them it is very difficult to stop...watch out for these on your grocer's aisle...they are dangerous.
4. Saturday we are going to make individual pizzas for dinner...but this time we are going to make our own crust using this recipe. I'll let you know how it turns out. Still waiting for your awesome recipes ;-).
5. Last year I searched the stores and Internet for an advent calendar. I found many...but not the type I was looking for with large enough openings to put special prizes/treats. So, I am going to try my hand at making my own version of these. Wish me luck; and if you've tried it please share any tips/tricks!

Five on Friday

1. Apologies for missing FOF last week. We had downed power lines in our front yard and yellow caution tape surrounding our house. So...needless to say, blogging was not a top priority. Luckily, it was date night at the kids preschool so we dropped off all three kids and headed to Hooter's for beer and deep fried pickles. Power finally returned 24 hours later.
2. Date night is this awesome thing our daycare provides once a month. First Friday of every month they watch the kids for FREE while the parents head out for an evening alone!
3. Halloween costumes arrived in the mail. LJ is going to be a pirate, LK has decided on Vi from Incredibles, and my little man is going to be the cutest lil' pumpkin ever! I can't believe he is going to be 1 on Halloween.
4. My photography wishlist just keeps growing.and growing.and growing. A few things I would like to get before Christmas include a Phat Strap, some seamless paper, and some of the PhotoProp floors.
5. For those who watch Dancing With the Stars...who do you think will go all the way? I have been a loyal viewer of DWTS since season One. Lately there isn't much time for TV so I have a bunch of my shows DVR'd that I need to catch up on. Also, if you don't watch Parenthood...you should!
6. Wondering if this blog can help me. We officially outgrew our house about 1 year ago. It is filled with so much "stuff". That is what happens when you have a family of 5 living in a very small house. On our agenda this month is finding a rental storage unit and trying to reduce some clutter.
7. Sunday has become the "comfort food" day around here. Started with chili, then homemade chicken noodle soup, and last week Lasagna. Wondering what to make this Sunday...if you have any favorite recipes please share!

Five on Friday

1. I finally took LJ and LK to see Toy Story 3 the other night...just as good as I expected.
2. LK's preschool teacher posted this on FB the other day. I had tears in my eyes after I read it. I was reading the Kids bible to a few of my students and read how Noah thanked God for taking care of him and his family. I explained that you can pray anywhere, anytime and God will hear you. ONe of my students, Lauren, just folded her hands, closed her eyes and started praying.." God, thank you for my house and all my stuff, and I just love you so much...um...goodbye." and blew a big kiss out to God.
3. I am WAY behind on the mini-photography workshop I am currently taking, but the other day I decided to get out the camera. The workshop is supposed to focus on getting yourself in the pictures more often. I realized after reviewing the shots that I have horrible crows feet, need to wear MUCH more make-up, and...well...most of those shots were deleted. (I'm really not a vain person...but these were not flattering at all!)
4. We decided to take a nature walk the other day to one of local favorite spots. It was a beautiful day and a relaxing family adventure. (...besides LJ complaining that he wanted to play baseball instead of nature hike) I posted a few pics below
5. Excited to go see the hot air balloons this weekend, but even MORE excited to hang out with the kids and hubby!!

Five on Friday

1. I am very excited to be starting a new mini-photography workshop next week. I am also crazy to be signing up for this workshop the very first 3 weeks of school. I must blame the "biting off more than I can chew" on mom4inspiration who didn't even have to try and talk me into it ;)


2. Still in disbelief that I have a pair of 4-year olds! So...are they officially called pre-schoolers now or what is their title?? It is depressing when I go to the toddler section of a clothing store only to realize none of the clothes will fit my now 4-year olds...onward to the boys and girls section :-(.


3. Cannot wait for The League to start Season 2 on Sept. 16th. Hubby and I love this show!! It is hilarious and you can catch it at 10:30pm on FX.

4. I am very excited to be moving my blog over to Wordpress...more to follow later.

5. If you have little ones, you should check out the Zulily site. You can get tons of cute boutique clothes at clearanced prices. Each week they feature different sales. Also, for those with little girls, last week I purchased an adorable pettiskirt and tutu from AlwaysUnderPay. My daughter LOVES to play dress-up and these were super cheap!

Five on Friday

Starting a new trend here. A few of the blogs I follow write Ten on Tuesday posts. Well...I'm not sure my life is that interesting so I am going to try and share five tidbits with you every Friday!!!



1. As of next Tuesday I am officially back to work. This means we all need to re-adjust to getting up early and out of the house before 7am...ugh! I just know I will be missing my babies so badly on Tuesday.


2. I think this stop-motion video is pretty cool...especially because a good friend just let me take a few maternity shots of her for some photography practice. (I'll ask her if I can share)


3. EJ is now working on his FOURTH tooth in one month. This will make a total of six. I need a break from teething.


4. Another year of golf league has ended and another season of the all-girl fantasy football league is starting.

5. I have come to appreciate good grocery bagging. I find myself searching the aisles at the grocery store looking for a cashier that appears to know how to bag...or one that I know from past experience. I could care less if that line is 5x longer than other lines. We spend ALOT of money on groceries. It really irritates me when cashiers just throw the food in a bag carelessly. My biggest pet peeve is when they mix things like laundry detergent and food!! I organize my belt by boxed items, frozen, cold, etc. Am I the only person that gets this worked up about grocery bagging?????!!!