some smell good

yea, i love the smell good. my perfume collection is extreme and when i got my first job as a teenager my very first paycheck went to buy poison hahahahha.


there's one thing i'm sure of. my home can be covered with toys and kids running around and a crazy puppy dog playing but if my home smells good then i'm happy. or at least happier. i have scent seasons. if the weather is cold i love the house smelling like cinnamon and things like that. in the spring i love the smell of lilac. l.o.v.e.i.t. in the summer i'm down with scents like clean linen because it takes me back to my mom hanging clothes on the line and how good they smelled---especially the bedding when she brought them in.


so i thought i'd share my scent collection right now and what i do. 


this is a warmer i've had for years, and this warmer has been around for years. this is from bath & body works. the oils that go in the top are very concentrated so you just use a little and your entire house will smell amazing. the burners come in all different designs  and there are seasonal ones like snowmen in winter etc. a tea light candles warms the oil. oils are now everywhere, target etc. and there are tons and tons and tons of scents. the cool thing is that you can combine the scents and come up with your own combination. right now i'm burning lilac with a few drops of magnolia added to it. for extra smell-age you can get the scented tea light candles.

now this warmer is something new to me and i really like it. it melts wax cubes using a light bulb (you plug it in) so no candles needed. just like with the oils the wax cubes are in SO many scents.

this cute candle holder i got at target, 3 for a buck. yes, a buck. when you walk in the doors they have bins all the time with seasonal stuff anywhere from a dollar to $2.50. and btw this could be a whole nother post because i have found such cute things there. like heart shaped pink mixing bowls during valentine's day!!!!! anyway, right now i have the lilac candles inside :)

this cute lil sucker i have on my nightstand and burn it while i'm surfing the net enjoying my sanctuary time in bed at night:

so while i don't have all these things going at once  my home smells wonderful and i love thinking i have fresh cut flowers everywhere. i'm a huge febreeze fan and i like the fact that they have seasonal scents also. liam loves to go through each room and spray away with the febreeze :) right now my 2 favorite scents are~

both flower scents haha. my favorite febreeze of all time is the cranberry frost that is winter only. i stock up on that. love it.

preschool story hour :))

today i did something seriously fun. i hosted a story hour for the preschool kids on our block. this was SO much fun!!!! i think i'll do this as a regular thing. i set up pillow pets all around my rocking chair and had a ton of books stacked up for the kids to choose from. by the end of the hour most of them were sitting on my lap and i got kisses on my cheek when they said goodbye!!! i felt happy for hours afterwards :) andddddd it wasn't only great for the kiddos that came over, liam & sawyer thought it was the greatest thing ever.


here is a pic of them waiting for everyone to arrive:

just for kicks our new reading area (if i already posted this pic just ignore, i have hardly any memory left lol)

so i'm thinking if i do this as a regular thing i'll add a snack to it and the kids can take turns bringing it. nothing major, a box of twinkies would be awesome!!!

books & kids

i've written already about keeping books by the rocking chair for bedtime stories around here. i wanted to share how special book are to me and i'm trying to make them just as special with my boys. i did this when blake was little and just last week had the fun opportunity to do it with liam. we have books, yes, and we go to the library and such. but.....each kiddo gets to join the book of the month club for a while. blake did it for about 2 years and i'm hoping to do it that long with liam. i'm not normally a fan of clubs. there's a certain dvd club that i swear is like being in prison. anyhoo the children's book of the month club is something i really like. the fun part is always the beginning, when you get like 5 books for $5. and the requirements are that you buy 2 books within a year. the prices are equal to barnes & noble, $10 or so. i can handle that commitment. just like the other clubs they send you a selection for that month and if you don't want it you don't have to get it. btw, you can do everything online now, so you don't have to worry about mailing something on time or spending money on stamps. the thing is, i really like the monthly selections. and the club is completely tailored for your child's age, so since i'm doing this for liam, all the book choices are his age.


to him, there's something really special about getting the package in the mail and opening it up. and the free gift was a little tote, which he proudly carries all his books around in. and here's the deal, these are HIS books. all the other books in the house we all share, but these are for him only. his brother's can't touch them, and well, that just doesn't happen, ever! so when a kiddo gets an awesome package in the mail and it's all theirs, and it even comes with a bag to carry them in, it really starts a foundation for a love of reading. liam has had me read his books to him over and over and over this last week, he just loves them!! he carries that little bag all over the house and by now his baby brother just leaves it alone, he just knows it's a no-no lol. i want to believe this is why blake loves books and why he reads 2 grade levels above what he is in so my fingers are crossed that i'm doing the same for liam. while i can't buy him a new book every month, there will be times when the extra money is there for one and i have a feeling it will be a long time before he gets tired of his first little library :)


i chose his first books carefully. one is a hardback with no pics, just for bedtime and nap times stories :) the boy who doesn't want to share, for obvious reasons haha---and the entire book rhymes so he has me read this one most often. the middle child blues, well, he is a middle child and the way the book talks about the bad things and then ends up with the good--just cute :) so you get the picture. he rarely takes them out of the bag but when he does he has a very special place for them. i have a black table in the living room that is off limits to the kids and they know it. well since it's his first library he gets to keep them there and he thinks this is the coolest thing ever :) 


and ya know, this doesn't have to be a club, you can do it however you want. i just personally like the club and my kids love getting mail, especially packages with books :) 


some pics~

:))

let's talk about brown

so 'back in the day' i totally fried myself in tanning beds. i hadn't been in a real tanning bed since 2000. after that i went to spray tanning which i was happy with, but what a chore to keep up with. just getting ready for it drove me nuts.
as i've mentioned before, this year i really decided to make changes, and i freely admit they are selfish changes. i want to be happier and happier when i look in the mirror. one of the things that makes me happy is being tan. it just does something for me. i feel beautiful, therefore i act beautiful, and i'm in a better mood all around. so i decided to re-visit tanning. in the summer yes i will tan just from the fun outdoor stuff. but i like the all over nekkid tan. anyway, have y'all heard about the new high pressure beds? well, the cool thing is, they don't contain all the bad rays the 'old' beds used to have. my first visit i stayed in that bed for the full 30 minutes and did NOT burn, but i sure did get a beautiful glowing brown :) if you know about tanning beds you know that typically you start with a ridiculous 3 or 4 minutes and work your way up over weeks so you don't fry yourself. now the second thing i love about these new beds is that you only tan TWICE a month to maintain that beautiful tan. T.W.I.C.E. the old beds, anywhere from 2 to 4 days a week. that is seriously bad for your skin. so not only are you getting only a teeny amount of the bad rays, you only go twice a month to maintain which is even better for your skin.


so let's talk about the cost. when i was researching on the internet, and i found a salon i was impressed with, they didn't mention the cost. this had to be a bad thing. i assumed they were going to charge a fortune for this (miracle to me) tanning bed. nope. i only pay $37 a month. why is it so cheap? probly because you only have to tan twice a month to maintain it!!!!! $9.25 a week to look and feel beautiful and with only a pinch of the stuff that causes wrinkles and skin cancer. one of the best decisions i've made this year so far. it's march and i'm brown oh brown. actually i'll post a pic of me i took today :)


here is the info from my tanning salon's website:
The Celsius HP consists of 18-21 high-pressure lamps behind cobalt filters that block virtually the entire UVB ray, essentially eliminating the risk of burning. It has a maximum tanning session of 24-30 minutes. You lay on a contoured mattress for 12-15 minutes on each side. It requires only 3-4 sessions within a 7-10 day period to achieve your base tan and only 1-2 sessions a month to maintain that color. 

and here i am today, as happy as a georgia peach ;)

just for the heck of it let me share my other reasons besides feeling beautiful that i enjoy tanning. 
~~~i have acne scars and they are MUCH less noticeable when i tan.
~~~i have uneven skin tone and red patches here and there. not when i tan.
~~~i can put zero foundation on and look pretty, because i truly have a 'natural glow'.
~~~it's not just about my face. i love the glow on arms and legs. i would pay $15 a week to feel pretty in a pair of pajama shorts ;)
~~~tanning salons have come a long way. no more walls that don't reach the ceiling. if you need help while inside the room you no longer have to throw your clothes on and rush out, there is an intercom system. if you do need to come out each room has a spa robe for you to put on. beds are sanitized so much better than they used to be. there are cushy pillows to lay your head on. and the tanning lotions???? oh my. you know that funky smell you have to deal with after tanning? the 'natural' smell that comes from your body? lotions now eliminate that! nobody, especially you, has any idea you tanned that day. used to, the best accelerators burned, i mean burned bad. not anymore. no burning at all and they have a very mild bronzer so each time you tan because of that bronzer, you walk out with a pretty brown glow. no more waiting hours or days to see results.
~~~lastly, getting to be alone in that air conditioned dimmed room, with fans going everywhere, music playing, phone turned off, no burning, just the warmth of the bulbs---i get to pretend every single time that i'm actually on a beach somewhere, all alone :) i walk out refreshed and ready to take on whatever the kids are about to dish out.


tanning isn't for everyone, especially with how bad they used to be (and still are just to a lesser extent) but lemme tell you it is for me :)

every girl should have a sanctuary

i don't know about you, but i need a place to go to and wind down every single day. what makes more sense that having your bedroom as this??? so my bedroom is my room. all mine :) and over the years i've finally learned that this is no place to skimp. no so much the bedroom itself, but the bed. you gotta have a good nights sleep. you just do. or at least i do ;) so tonight, as i sit here in my comfy ever loving bed, i'm going to blog about just that---my sanctuary bed.


i have a king size bed and a good mattress. it's a pillow top, just because that's what i like. i'm not a rich girl, but i can tell you i bought a good mattress. when i sleep well i'm a better mom, i'm a better person all around. my mattress is as important to me as taking vitamins etc. on top of my mattress i have an awesome cover. you have to protect what you spent good money on. the one i have is a super soft comfy pillow top cover, but it not only protects the mattress against spills etc, it also protects it from bed bugs. you know those? they are in the news all the time nowadays. i want nothing to do with those. i figure the extra $10 bucks i spent for the bed bug protection is worth every penny. 


let's talk sheets. i used to buy my sheets at wal-mart or other stores like that. and i would buy more and more. they wouldn't hold up to washings, or were stretched thin, poor quality, stains wouldn't come out.......you get the picture. so one day i got smart, and realized my sheets are just as important to my good nights sleep at the mattress. in my opinion (as always) costco has amazing sheets. they are hotel quality, 500 thread count etc. LOVE them. in winter they sell super soft fleece sheets and in the summer they sell clean crisp cotton hotel sheets. love them both equally. these are the only 2 sets i need and they last about 8 years. no joke. that's worth the extra $20 i spend on each pair. see it isn't always a fortune to have nicer things. i don't have the most expensive, but i've learned how to fall in the middle.


the month is march as i type this. some nights are hot and some nights are cold. so what have i learned to do? i use both sets of sheets every day. yep, that's right. on linen washing day? i just wash my sheets first before the kids so i know they'll be done at bedtime. so this is what i do. (i say so a lot). the super soft fleece fitted sheet goes on the mattress first. then the cotton fitted sheet goes on top of that. (the nicer sheets are over-sized so yes you can do this) so i've got the pillow top mattress, the pillow mattress protector, a fleece fitted sheet and then a cotton fitted sheet. okay bottom part is done. next goes the cotton flat sheet, and then the fleece flat sheet and finally your comforter/quilt/whatever. so from both sides i have a light soft cotton sheet touching me. on top i have the fleece sheet as sort of a spring blanket. for the nights that are hot, both of these sheets are all i need and believe me, curling up with both of them are a lil piece of heaven. in case there's any confusion (cause i'm so assuming there is) i took pics tonight, right before i hopped in my bed. here ya go:

kind of an over-view pic

below you can see both the flat sheets and my comforter

yes, i combine both for my pillows just for xtra heaven-ness ;)

just for the fun of it here are some pics of my bed made all pretty and a pic of my dog masey in bed with me hehe. in that pic you can see my tv which i love watching at night before falling asleep and my dresser. almost every night, as soon as my boys are in bed i head to my bed. with at&t uverse we have dvr in every room so i can watch all my shows then. this is also why i have a laptop, i can carry it wherever i need it, and it is waiting for me in bed every night. i have my nook and my nightstand is set up all for me. on it sits a fan and even in the winter i have it on, pointed another way, just for the noise. the baby monitor is there along with my ipod alarm clock. of course the tv remote, a beautiful black lamp with just right amount of light and my coaster for my drink of choice :) i'll gab more later about how i make the rest of the room my lil sanctuary but you get the picture --literally-- of my bed and how important cozy and comfort is to me. i look forward to retreating to my bed every.single.day. ;)

(the laptop i share all my words of wisdom with)

nanite my sweet readers :)

set your day in motion

okay. it's hard for me to have a nice looking home every day with 3 boys so i've picked up a few tricks along the way. this is what i do to set myself up for success: 


1) don't go to bed with a dirty kitchen. waking up to a new day is so much brighter in that kitchen if it's clean.


2) do a quick sweep of the the major room before bed. that would be my living room. i have beautiful baskets from target and pottery barn and i use them faithfully. throw the toys in a toy basket, make the pillows look nice on the sectional, the dog toys go in the dog basket and all the throws and blankets go in their baskets. takes 5 minutes. no vacuuming or dusting at 11 at night. just a basic fast pickup. 


3) in the morning, before i leave my bedroom there are 2 things that get attention. first, i make my bed. there's something about that to me. all day long, when i walk in my bedroom and see that bed made all pretty, it does something for my mood. the second is my master bathroom. i have a pack of windex wipes and a small bottle of pine-sol under the sink. the mirror, the sink and the toilet get wiped down. maybe a minute here. nothing serious, no moving stuff around and cleaning under it, just a wipe down so that all day long when i step in that bathroom it shines and it smells good. if i'm really rushed the same wipe that cleans the mirror can wipe down the sink, counter and toilet also. 


4) the kid's bathroom--i do the same thing. same supplies under their sink. i don't have time to carry supplies around in the morning so every bathroom has it's own supplies. now when i'm in here i find myself doing a couple more things, like hanging towels, closing the shower curtain, all those things that boys forget. i won't be in this bathroom anymore that day, but if someone comes by that's the bathroom they'll use so it's already tidy. and, of course, my kids need a tidy bathroom every day too :)


5) blake is 10 and makes his bed every day, even on a school day before he leaves. it's a habit i got him in years ago and he does it without even thinking. the little one's beds i do nothing to haha. liam is 3 and when he's 5 he will learn to make his bed each morning. 

the latest recipe i've tried that was a success. the above pic is during cooking. this tastes like pizza but it has ramen noodles in it. i've never made a hot dish with those before but the kids shoveled this in and it was super cheap. not very healthy, but i'll make it again for sure. 


1lb. of ground beef (this is only time i've gotten away with only one pound)
browned with a little chopped onion, green pepper and pepperoni.
drain and then add 4 packs of beef ramen noodles (with sauce packets) 
2 cups of water. simmer till noodles are soft. around the edge of the skillet sprinkle 3 cups of mozarella cheese and that's it.


the finished product~

tonight i made a new recipe and seriously, g.o.o.d. people. the thing is, there's a lot of freaky veggies that kids don't really like in dishes, like red pepper, mushrooms, and rings of onions. but here's the deal, it's for the flava. and i mean serious flava. i ate all those lil veggies and the kiddos ate up the pork chop dish because it tasted so yummo. the recipe called for it to be served over egg noodles but at the grocery store today i couldn't pass up the twice baked potatoes on sale so we had those. and the juice was so good they just poured it all over those potatoes and plates were cleaned. the recipe is from taste of home which is my favorite cooking magazine and i buy all their cookbooks. i have a pic of of tonight's dish and i'm going to paste the recipe. try it out and tell me what you think. the brown sugar is what did it for the kids i believe.

yummo ;)

recipe---

Ingredients

• 6 bone-in pork loin chops (8 ounces each)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 large onion, sliced ~~i used sweet yellow onion
• 1 large sweet red pepper, sliced
• 1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained ~~i used fresh mushrooms
• 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Hot cooked egg noodles, optional

Directions

• In a large skillet, brown pork chops in oil. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Layer onion, red pepper and mushrooms over pork chops.
• In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper; pour over pork and vegetables.
• Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until pork is tender. Serve with noodles if desired. Yield: 6 servings.

meant to be...for me

it's 3am and i'm up with liam who is sick :( he has a bad croupy cough that made him puke.....a lot. i sat in the bathroom with him rocking with the hot shower on and the steam stopped the coughing. now i have the humidifier going and got some advil down him for his fever. this is hard, having a sick kid, and worrying about them in the middle of the night. this is the stuff that counts, ya know. when a little one is up in the middle of the night sick as hell, it's those who are there for the that mean the most. to me anyway. so tonight i give myself a mommy pat on the back and remind myself this is what i was put on this earth to do.......be a mom