Go Hogs!

One of my friends requested a Razorback canvas for her soon to arrive little boy.
I told her that I really had no idea what I was doing as far as painting goes, but she insisted so I obliged. My only request was an extra canvas to practice.
These are 16x20 and Yes, the hogs are very different in each canvas so each one is an original.
(Yeah, that's why.. wink.
It would have nothing to do with my beginner skills. :)

Easter Bunny VS. Wild Thing

The Easter Bunny bit me!



And it really hurt!

Show us your life-Cleaning tips

I have to admit I appreciate a clean house. It doesn't even have to be my house. There's just something comforting about walking into a clutter free area. I try to keep our house picked up all the time, but as every mom knows that gets challenging! Here's a few of my suggestions to keeping the house in order.
1. I agree with Kelly on making the bed every day. It's the center piece of the room so if you want to maintain a neat house then start with the bed.
2. Use a squeegee for glass shower doors.

We stayed in a condo that did this and it worked perfectly. The problem is I never think about picking one up until I'm actually cleaning the shower doors. It worked really well so now that I've reminded myself about it AGAIN I'm officially putting it on the list for this weekend.
3. I use a housekeeper once a month. That's a little treat for myself. It's the best feeling to walk in and know everything is done.
4. For the day to day stuff, I try to keep dirty dishes in the dishwasher, not the sink. Use a swiffer with the wet pads in the kitchen. It's my best friend these days. I try to clean my bathrooms and kitchen a few times/week. I care more about my bathrooms and kitchen being clean than anything else.
5. My favorite tip to keep your life a little more sane---Organize like toys in labeled totes so everything has a place and there is a place for everything. Store the totes in closets. I keep one laundry basket out of mixed up toys for the kids so it's easy to toss stuff in it as we are walking out of the house. These toys can be put away or changed out with other ones to keep it different and entertaining for the kids. Store books in baskets.
6. Try to pick up every night. I learned the hard way that trucks hurt when you step on them in the middle of the night. :)
7. I use OXYCLEAN for stains. A few years ago (pre-kids) I bought some stain remover from a salesman and it was THE BEST. I can't remember the name of it, but I would love it have it again. It worked wonders. Anyone know of this stain remover??
8. Instead of having a separate cleaner for everything, I've been buying the LARGE bottle of Lysol from Sams and pouring it into a smaller spray bottle to use in the kitchen and bathrooms. It has replaced Fantastic, floor cleaner, toilet bowl gel, and bathroom cleaner. It's much easier to tote around an all in one cleaner than a basket full of expensive cleaners. I don't mind cleaning for the most part so every once in a while I will buy some other products, but Lysol is my staple cleaner. I also like the Clorox wipes for wiping down counters, but again you could just as easily use Lysol and paper towels.

All of this clean talk has me in the mood to do some spring cleaning. Do you have a tip of your own? Please share.

UPDATE: There are lots of recommendations for the Shark Steam Mop.
I'll be trying this product based on your reviews.

Thank you!!!

The search goes on.

I have spent two afternoons this week searching high and low for the perfect pair of jeans.
I've been wearing my favorite two pairs for like 3+ years now, but now they have holes in the knees so they must be replaced. Sigh. I used to dread bra shopping. Now it's jean shopping.
They are either too short, too long, too tight, too low, too big, or too crotchy.
I'm about to switch brands to expand my search. I've always liked Citizens for Humanity or Sevens.
Now, I'll just take a pair that fit.

Crazy Spring Snow Storm of 2010

We have had some crazy, all over the place weather lately. Friday I enjoyed shopping in 60 degree weather and Sunday we experienced 10 inches of snow! At least it was short lived. We are supposed to finish out the week with 60-70 degree weather again. Crazy.
The Preschooler and I attempted to build a fun YOUNG snowman, but apparently that was not meant to be because things just kept going south. Meet the very OLD, but friendly couple who appeared out of the snow.
Harry:


He's in his 70s. He's been a finalist in the Ed McMahan sweepstakes for 30+ years so he continues purchasing his Readers Digest in hopes of someday winning.
Velda:

She enjoys sitting by the snow and reading her Better Homes and Gardens. She has purchased the same color Maybelline lipstick from her local Revco store for more than 20 years.
Unfortunatly, Harry experienced some health problems and was not with us for very long. Velda joined him shortly thereafter. :)

A Milking.

We had a milking crime scene this morning. Allegedly.
Here's the person of interest and the evidence looking innocent enough.

He gathers and samples the goods.


He looks both ways and makes a break for it.

But just when he thinks he's made a clean break, he looks up to realize he's been caught. "OH NO"! He thinks.

So I send in my deputy to retrieve the person of interest and the evidence.

No milk was spilled so he was released with no further charges.

Two Yards in Four Hours.

Today proved to be a powerful day for myself. I thought it was going to be an ordinary day where I would pick the Preschooler up early to get a haircut and we would get some mulch or "march" as he calls it to put in the yard. We did those things and as we watched the mulch being loaded on the truck I have to admit I REALLY wanted to drive that machine. I am the Toolwoman after all. :)


Each load is one yard. The Commander and I put out two yards yesterday and I put out two more yards today while he was working. I thought the Preschooler would help me, but he took an extra long nap which is RARE.
So as luck would have it I was all by myself in the yard doing what I love. As I was mulching, I started thinking to myself how I haven't always liked spring. Past springs have been characterized by my Grandmother's passing, the Commander being in Iraq, or a doozy of a fight with him. I'm a worrier by nature so if nothing significant was going on then I would spend my time worrying if this person didn't like me or the way I perceived that person treating me. Last spring I was brought to my knees, but GOD'S love and mercy were revealed to me like never before. He delivered me and gave me a peace like I've never experienced. So last fall I planted tulips for the first time ever as a reminder of this.
As I was pulling away the dead limbs and leaves, there they were. New life. New growth. New beginnings. There was beauty in the midst of all those old, dirty limbs and leaves. So two yards and four hours later, I couldn't help but be reminded of springs past and thankful for springs to come with whatever they may have in store.
I've learned first hand that whatever "season" you are in there is a way of coming back with new growth and new beginnings.

Mixed up Dessert.

That title sounds like some sort of dessert recipe, but it's not. It's exactly what happened in our house yesterday when the Preschooler and I decided to make some brownies. We prepped the mini muffin pan (because everything is better in miniature form). We were going to make 1/2 with pecans and 1/2 plain. They were going to be GOOOD.
I followed the directions on the back of the box, had all the liquids mixed together, and then pulled the batter mix out to find I had grabbed the box for these cupcakes instead of the brownies.

There was no turning back now. We de-greased the muffin pans, put the pecans away, and searched the back of the spice cabinet for cupcake holders. Then I spent the rest of the evening wondering why we owned these BARBIE ones in the first place.

We saved the mini cupcakes with some snowman holders.

After a trip to the grocery store today for icing, we topped them off with chicks, ducks, and bunnies while the Wild Thing enjoyed them in his Winter Bib.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia

This must be the latest, greatest version of a chia pet. I had one of those by the way. It molded. This is what the Preschooler found as he was snooping through my bags one day. That's what I get for leaving them within his reach. It was meant for the Easter bunny, but we decided to bring him to life. His name is Friggity Frog and within a week he already needs a haircut. You can find other fun, hair growing pets at Hobby Lobby.

Staycation.

All the cards played out perfectly for this weekend.
1. The Commander has to work.
2. The Preschooler is heading to the Zoo with Grandaddy and Dodo
3. The Commander's parents agreed to take the Wild Thing.
What does that mean for me?
That means I will revel in every moment by soaking in the silence. I will get recharged. Eat what I want. Stay up late and sleep in late. Paint the bathroom. Read your blogs. Shop without rushing to get home. Get a massage.
My staycation starts early tomorrow. I'll miss my people when they're gone, but I'm sure we'll all benefit from a change of scenery. There might even be a couple of meals waiting on them when they get back. How will you spend this weekend?

EAR-Y situation

The Wild Thing went to the doctor last Tuesday for a follow up appointment for his ears. He was beginning to show signs of another ear infection. He typically starts waking up at night and begins to eat less than his big brother. Then the fever hits followed by the great kennel cough of 2010. Last week his ears were clear so I thanked the Dr. and said we'll see ya next week. Twice before he's had clear ears diagnosed that quickly turned into ear infections. The cough worsened yesterday so I took him in this morning. In seven days he went from clear ears to a double ear infection. That makes six rounds of bug treating drugs since November with three of those treating doubles. (That's 60 days of Antibiotics over the past 120 days for those of you wondering.) I'd say he's earned the right to join the Totally Tubular Ear Club. We find out when that happens this afternoon.
In the mean time, Wild Thing still tries to climb over the couch and scare the day lights out of me. I pulled him off the top of the couch twice yesterday. Bad ears and all, he's everywhere. He's still not a big talker because he prefers to grunt and that seems to get him what he wants. He says mama, dada, and bye bye. He knows EXACTLY what you are saying to him and can throw an impressive fit over the word NO. He points to whatever he wants and then turns his palm up waiting for you to place whatever it is he wants in his hand. Then he grunts and grunts again.

It's his call of the wild and he's talking to you. :)
The great thing about having a Wild Thing is the greeting. Wild Things run at you full force with all 20lbs 8ozs as you walk through the door. It usually looks something like this.

**Note to self: start using the camera again. It's been a month since these pictures were taken.

Weekend Entertainment.

We made it to the park three days in a row. I'd say we are all ready for spring like never before. There is a rather large little tykes type gazebo at the park that fits a family of four comfortably. It was here that I fell in love with the rubber mulch. It doesn't harbor dirt like the pebbles and the Wild Thing never tried to eat it. Another great thing about rubber mulch is it slows the Wild Thing down considerably. I'm considering redoing the floors in our house. :)

I watched Undercover Boss for this first time last night on CBS. I don't know about this show yet. I can't say I want to run out and eat at White Castle, but it was nice to see those hard working employees recognized. They managed to do their jobs effectively despite having to work around Dave, who appeared to mess things up and get in the way. Is he out of touch or unaware of his company's products? That's the impression I got as he was attempting to work the drive thru and the employee had to inform him the customer's order was chicken rings, not chicken wings. Nice.

Now that's it Monday, I. must.get. motivated. We had meals from cans this weekend so I'm off to plan some healthier options for this week.