{project 365}






























This is my photo for the day...thanks Carter!
We have had a yucky virus run through our house this past week.
I was working on my lap top at the kitchen table while the boys were watching some TV. Brody crawled up into my lap, laid his head down on the kitchen table & went to sleep in a matter of seconds. This poor boy was the last to get the yucky virus.
You know he is sick when he falls asleep @ 11 in the morning on his mama's lap.

A Garrett funny

So I missed posting this back on St. Patrick's Day but wanted to make sure I had it recorded somewhere. On St. Patrick's Day, I was a bad Mom & sent Tanner & Carter off to school w/out having them wear green because I forgot what day it was. It is the only holiday that I don't totally get into. I'm not sure why, but I just don't...maybe next year. Any way, I remembered it was St. Patty's day just in time to send Garrett off to speech class. I told him to go & find a green shirt, QUICK. When he came out with a green shirt on, I told him we could go pinch Daddy because it was St. Patrick's Day & daddy wasn't wearing green. Garrett wouldn't pinch him (on any other day I would have said "good boy"), he wasn't getting the whole St. Patrick's Day tradition. My friend Steph drove Garrett to speech that day & when she brought him home, she said I need to tell you what Garrett said today. I always hold my breath for these kind of conversations because I never know what will come out of my 4 yr.olds mouth - LOL.
She said at first she wasn't sure what he was talking about...but after putting two & two together, she got it!!! Garrett was saying "it is Patrick's Day today, we are wearing green"

























He then proceeded to tell Timothy & Stephanie that "tomorrow is Spongebob day so we all need to wear yellow". Too funny! He thought that if we had a day of celebration for 'Patrick', well then we surely we have a day of celebration for Spongebob. Totally makes sense, right!?!? Mark your calendar folks. From now on, March 18th is the official Spongebob day.







Don't forget to wear yellow or Garrett just might pinch you.

pay it forward...and other randomness

I received my first pay it forward surprise today. If you remember my "Darn you Target" post from a few days ago, you will remember that I kind of bragged about how I am up & ready (each day) for my day around 7 am. Well, this morning I ate my words - LOL. It was about 10 am & our doorbell rang. My kids are scrambling to get their clothes on, I am still in my jammies and John is half dressed (hey @ least he had showered). We finally made it to the door & there stood my sweet friend Laurie.
Look at this cuteness she made for ME.






























You know how I LOVE aprons. This one is so fun & colorful. Thank you for my darling apron Laurie...I LOVE IT! What you can't see in the photo that john took is that I am actually doing a curtsy to show off my apron :). Thank you Laurie! You made my day!

Now let me explain why we were still in our jammies and half dressed @ 10 am. A nasty little virus is running through our house right now. Carter & Tanner have had fevers over a 100 degrees for two days now. Garrett
woke up with a fever this morning-uuugghhh! They have the shivers, then they are hot. Carter has a nagging cough & cold. Poor little guy is totally miserable. Brody & are are still healthy - knock on wood.

In other news on the home front/life, I won the Morty basket @ Bunko last night. The theme for our prize basket was "favorite indulgence". There were a ton of goodies in the basket. It was a great night to win that basket for the very first time. I have been playing Bunk for the last 5 years & have yet to win that coveted basket. Some of the prizes were: Costa Vida gift cards, a Sonic gift card, A Starbucks gift card, a People magazine, Truffles, a darling serving platter/plate(totally my colors), body scrub, Bath & Body Lotion, glass cleaner, Easter candy, & even a $10.00 bill. It was a fun win. Thanks for hosting Keri, I had a great time.

The Science Fair project has been turned in( and returned back to us) - YAY!!!





















Tanner did a nice job with his experiment & project board. The boy who loves to chew gum thought it would be fun to buy several different gum brands & test them to see which brands flavor lasts the longest. i am pretty sure it was just a ploy to get me to buy him several packs of gum at once :). I'm glad the Science Fair is over. Now we get to gear up for the 4th grade mission project -uugghhhh...not looking forward to that one.

I headed to Wal*Mart @ 11:30 PM on Friday night. I purchased my copy of Twilight & was home by 12:15 am.












Do you think I watched it that night,(ugghh I mean morning)? You bet I did. Then I watched it again on Saturday night. It is going to be one of my favorites for late night scrabooking.

Baseball in under way. I sat out @ the ball field on Saturday for 5 hours straight, in the pouring rain. The rain would break for a few miutes & then start up again.
















We kept waiting for them to call all the games because the rain was coming down hard. No luck. Both boys won their games despite the rain. They actually enjoyed playing in the rain.

Even with all the rain, you should know that Spring really is here. We are enjoying all of the popcorn trees around town. They look really pretty. John's allergies are full blown right now due to these beauties...poor guy.





















Spring weather = park days! Brody & I enjoyed our neighborhood park last week. Loved the weather & the smile that the park brought to his face.
















We hope you are healthy & enjoying your week!

Recipe Share

I have been making this recipe for years. I found it in the Taste of Home's Quick Cooking magazine back in March 2003. My Mom bought me a subscription to Taste of Home's one year & I LOVED receiving them. I am always eager to try new recipes.

Taco Lasagna
1 lb. of ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 c. chopped green pepper (I don't ever add this-kids aren't a fan of peppers)
1/2 c. chopped onion
2/3 c. water
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 can(15 ounces) black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) Mexican diced tomatoes, undrained
6 flour tortillas (8 in.)
1 can (16 ounces)refried beans
3 c. (12 oz.)shredded Mexican cheese blend

In a large skillet, cook the beef or turkey, green pepper, onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. add water & taco seasoning;bring to a boil. Reduce heat;simmer,uncovered, for 2 minutes. Stir in the black beans and tomatoes. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Place two tortillas in a greased 13 in. X 9 in. baking dish. Spread with half of the refried beans and beef mixture; sprinkle with 1 c. cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining tortillas and cheese. Cover & bake @ 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Yield:9 servings. You can garnish with sour cream, extra cheese, salsa!

* I serve a Southwest ready made salad with this meal & we are good to go.
**I almost love this recipe "more" the day after. It is a yummy, quick left over meal for lunch.
Enjoy!

Totally cracking me up! This came home in Carter's backpack last week.
Sometimes I wonder where my kids come from -LOL! Make sure to read his
thoughts all the way to the end! Enjoy!!!!
































We are pretty sure the assignment was to write down 4 reasons why you'd like to be a firefighter. I do have to give him credit for being honest & stating why he doesn't want to be a firefighter. Just so you know, we have the upmost respect for firefighters & the risk they take to help & save peoples lives.

As promised, here is a look at my February Green Tangerines Kit Club layouts.
I loved the product I was given this month to create with. Kinsey always rocks the product in each kit. She has such a great eye for fun colors, textures, & patterns.
First up,"Week*in*the*life*of*us" layout.










I had fun showcasing our week, layout style. The little calendar is a custom piece created by our fabulous digi specialist(among her many hats & talents) Mer.














Some detail shots:






















Up next is my "Hello, my name is...Tan-man" Layout.











The journaling talks about how Tanner re-named himself this school year. There are two Tanner K.'s in the class & he sure didn't want to be confused with the other Tanner. The "Hello my name is"... is another custom piece by Mer. I am telling you, she is wickedly talented & the absolute best!

Anyone can join the Green Tangerines Kit Club @ any time. They will ship you a yummy GTKC box filled with amazing cardstock, pattern papers, embellishments, custom pieces, & ribbons. My favorite part about the whole kit club thing is the online gallery. There are several different designers who work their magic each month to bring you the freshest layouts in the scrapbooking industry. You won't be disappointed. Anyone & everyone is sure to find inspiration in the gallery. You can check it out here

I hope you are having a great day! Brody & I have already been to the park this morning. We must have been the first ones...he was soaked up & down his entire back side...the slides were really wet. That did not stop him!
Enjoy the sunshine!

Darn you Target!!!






















I try to avoid you like the plague. I have just learned that I can't shop at your stores. I can't stick to my lists upon entering your doors. I know this about myself & that is why I have basically grounded myself from your stores. Well, I had a bunch of coupons for a steal of a deal on granola bars & so i decided to visit you today. I even gave myself a little pep talk while making my way to your Fairway location. I told myself I was going to run in & run out with my super steal of a deal on granola bars AND that was it. Well, I purchased my cheap granola bars alright AND a few extra things that I told myself I didn't need.

First I couldn't pass up this cute little Easter outfit for Brody.





















I even tried to purchase the blue version for Garrett but he flat out told me he didn't like it & wasn't not going to wear it. It was quite the conversation, still makes me giggle.

And then I saw this cuteness.














Let me preface this by saying, if you stop by my house between 7-9 am, you will usually find me totally dressed for the day WITH an apron on & no I am not baking-LOL! I have been asked that several times. A few years back, I tried to follow the FLY lady website. While this site has some great tips/techniques for getting your home & life in order, I decided that it was not for me. I did take and still use some of her valuable suggestions & ideas...one of them being to get yourself fully dressed before you begin your daily routine each morning. I have learned that 7-9 am is my time to clean & get things in order for the day. I wear my apron so I don't ruin my clothes while scrubbing a toilet or scouring the kitchen sink. Okay, I am thinking you probably think I am a little weird right about now...what I am trying to say is that this simple, cute little apron from Target makes me happy. I am cleaning in style now!

So, darn you Target. Once again, I am grounding myself from you. Until I can learn to stick to the list, I won't be shopping with you.
I will tell you that I purchased 10 boxes of Quaker Granola bars for for $5.00 plus tax & that I do appreciate that deal.

Carter's baptism day

Just wanted to share a few photos from Carter's special day. It really was a wonderful day! We really appreciate the friends & family who were there to support him. We made this day all about him & I think he was pleased. We had our families over for lunch & birthday cake before the baptism. The cousins sure do love getting together.















{Carter posing with his b-day cake, still can't believe he is 8.}















{Jeneca, Sasha, Judi, Shasta, Heidi)






















{Look @ this fun shirt that Aunt Petra had made for Carter-he loves it!}

The baptism was great. He was able to share his baptism day with his friend Joshua. They looked so cute in their whites.

























Grandma Sandy made cute C & J sugar cookies for the boys. They were the first treats to disappear...thanks Mom!

Here are a few more photos from the baptism.















{Tanner & Carter}






















{Carter with Grandma Sandy & Grandpa Randy}















{Mom & Dad with Carter on his big day}















{ Here are the 3 amigos...Joshua, Brandon & Carter. It's been fun watching these boys grow up}.

I want Carter to know how proud I am of him & his choice to be baptized. I hope he always remembers this special day & the feelings he experienced. I am thankful for the boy he is. He is a wonderful example to all those around him. I feel so lucky to be his Mom.

Seriously, could he be any cuter?
My wonderful friend Amy offered to take some photos of Carter all dressed up in his suit to commemorate his 8th birthday & his baptism. When I saw these photos for the first time tonight, I could not catch my breath. He took my breath away(total proud mommy moment here). He is simply wonderful, inside & out. I am finishing up last minute preparations for his big day tomorrow. I am pulling the last batch of cookies out of the oven...chocolate crackles, they smell divine. I am tidying up the kitchen & completing his little sign in page(scrapbook style) for those who attend his baptism tomorrow. In case you haven't heard, it's going to be a BIG day around here tomorrow.

life with boys...

do you know what these are used for?

A football tee of course!


I had no idea what the batteries were for until I heard them crash into the family room slider. Garrett would strategically place the batteries & then place his football down so he could practice punting.
Life with boys...never a dull moment.

Happy Birthday Carter!
Today is Carter's 8th birthday.
He is so excited.
I can't believe I gave birth to this sweet boy 8 years ago.
All 8 lbs. 8 oz. of him.
He was actually my fastest(and easiest) delivery out of the 4.






He started his morning off with Doughnuts, a birthday tradition started by Dad a few years back. John purchased enough for him to share with his class today...should be a treat. A little girl in his class shares a birthday with him today. Carter will tell you she is older, but just by a few hours. I am worried about their poor teacher...can we say sugar high times 20 with all of the birthday treats?

Here are 8 things we LOVE about Carter:
1). He is a friend to all.


When we are out & about, we always run into somebody who knows Carter. Carter is always on the look out for the under dog & will defend that person & befriend them.

2). He has the most beautiful eyes & eyelashes...makes grown women jealous & no he did not get them from me or John!!!


3). We love his competitive nature. He loves to win but he also knows how to work hard for that win.


4). He has a tender spot for babies.

He always tells me that he wishes we had one more baby so he could snuggle it(can you tell Brody doesn't snuggle much anymore?)Today, while shopping @ Wal*Mart, he asked if we could have another baby, I told him that 4 boys were plenty. He then said "Well, when I am a Dad... & then proceeded to list how he would love his children. It was very tender & sweet.

5). He always says, "I know just want you want, a BIG, FAT kiss". I hope that lasts forever.

6). He loves animals.

If you were to ask him what he wants for his birthday, he'd tell you a chocolate lab. Well,one more year of disappointment for this boy, there is not a puppy wrapped & waiting for him. He will have to do that when he is a Dad too-LOL.

7). He is a super athlete.

He rode a two wheeler @ 2 1/2 & hasn't stopped since. He loves all sports. It is a treat to watch this boy on & off the court/field.


8). He is just a great boy. He is a big helper & is always willing to go the extra mile. He will even do his chores w/out having to be told. What Mom doesn't love that?

Carter, we are so gr8ful that you are a part of our family.
Life just would not be the same without you.
Happy Birthday Carter.
We hope your 8th year of life is filled with all the love & happiness your little heart can hold.
We love you Car-Car.

Long time...no blog. I have every intention of blogging daily (that's a lofty goal, isn't it?) & then life just happens! I thought I would do, what I seem to do the best & that is a RaNdOm post of the things we are enjoying or making us crazy right now...you decide!

If you know Carter & have had any interaction with him lately, you would know that his 8th birthday is on March 11th (this Wed.). 8th birthdays are a pretty big deal @ our house. He will be baptized this Saturday as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He is so excited. I couldn't get him out of bed this morning, day light Savings has really thrown the boys for a loop(that & the fact that Tanner & Carter are trying out for the Select Soccer teams right now & playing baseball & practicing)this year. Anyway, Carter was not budging but as soon as I said his birthday was just 2 days away, he popped out of bed & said "is it really just two days away"?. He was so excited, you would have thought I had just told him he could open all of his presents 2 days early-LOL! Tanner had student council early this morning so we all piled into the car to take him. Mind you, the car ride to school is just two minutes if you hit the light right. I guess Carter just couldn't wait till we got home, he passed his notebook up to me & this is what I read:

I love how he wanted me to write him back. Sure, let me put the car on cruise control & I'll get right back to you Carter - so FUNNY!

My LO's have been posted on the Green Tangerines Flickr account for January's kit club. You can find my cards on pg. 2(the h-e-l-l-o card w/ circles is mine too-no name) & my layouts on pages 4 & 5.
Check them out here.
Click on Kit Club & then click on gallery.

I just turned in my Feb. Kit Club samples. My Tan-Man layout is one of my favorite layouts ever...am I allowed to say that? I loved working with all of the product in this kit. Kinsey did an amazing job picking out paper, ribbons, embellishments, etc..
I heart the Feb. kit club :).

Garrett is loving his sunglasses. I found them @ DI for .50 cents...best .50 cents I have ever spent. He keeps asking if he looks cool in his sunglasses.


In case you can't tell...we are enjoying the California sunshine & my neighbors house is STILL for sale. Somebody please buy it!

It wouldn't be a perfect week for me if there wasn't some time for coupon shopping.I scored some super deals this week. I purchased 5 boxes of cereal for $2.75 (that included the tax)@ Safeway. I actually did this deal 3 times. My boys go through cereal like you would not believe.


I hit Walgreen's this morning & look what I scored for about 2 dollars & some change.
Yes! You read that right...2 dollars & you do see two pkgs. of diapers there & WIPES!. I paid 1 dollar for the wipes & another dollar for the 2 cans of Ajax, everything else was free after the coupons & the $10.00 Register Reward I received.

So grateful for my friend Laina & the time she takes to post super deals on her site. Thanks Laina...you ROCK!

This is this weeks KOW @ Green Tangerines.

I just happened to have random pictures on John & I on my desk but you could totally use family pictures or pictures of you & your kids. This kit went on sale last Thursday & is available till it's gone. It was a fun one to create.
(sorry for the blurry picture, I was in a hurry to head home).

Have a happy Monday & don't forget to find the things in your week that make you happy!