I'm

I'm having a debbie downer day.
I'm questioning whether we're doing the right thing for Camdyn.

I'm sick of snow and cold weather.
I'm annoyed with the floors constantly being wet, dirty, and salty from their boots.
I'm tired and want a nap.
I'm not having a productive day.
I'm mad at the laundry fairy, she's a no show once again.



But I did find some things that make me smile.

Like this Kumari Garden fabric by Dena Fishbein found HERE. 

Or this cake stand found HERE.

Rowyn

She's electric, boogie, woogie, woogie.

And she dressed herself in "poky dots".

I feel better already.

************************************************************

If the Bears win on Sunday, I'll feel even better.

Remember the Super Bowl Shuffle?!

The Bestest Mommy Ever

I have been awarded the prestigious 'Bestest Mommy Ever' award, by Camdyn Elisabeth.  You see, Camdyn is my shoe addict, and when she spotted some boots on clearance today at Target, she fell instantly in love.  She begged, pleaded, and then resorted to promises. 

Camdyn:  I promise if you ask me to do something I'll do it the first time.  You won't have to ask me again.  Please, Mommy, please!

Me sucker:  Okay, let's try them on.

Camdyn: They fit Mommy!  Please!  Please?  Please!

Me:  Yes, put them in the cart. (clearly defeated)
 

...and without further ado

Camdyn's new $4.xx hooker boots, which she's already informed me she will be wearing to preschool tomorrow.  I'm sure they will be VERY impressed. 

She's happy and I'm the 'bestest Mommy ever'...what else could I ask for..except maybe for her feet to grow very quickly.

*Edited to add that I really don't like heels on little kids, hence the reason the boots are not my fav.  Only my opinion and I'm sure there are plenty that disagree...including Lumpy. ;)

Camdyn Colors

Camdyn decided we needed more artwork for Valentine's Day...

She asked my mom for help with the words, then she colored and glued, folded and put it in our mailbox, so I had mail when I got home from work.  My favorite kind! 

She also made me a rainbow of hearts ♥ 

Camdyn started Concerta today in lieu of the Focalin. Still searching for that balance.  So far so good this morning.  We'll see what the next few days bring us.

New Colors

We finally took down the Christmas decorations the other day and since everything looked so blah, I decided to bring up the Valentine's decorations.  

That el-cheapo lamp is so ugly.

  

I like the one from Ballard Designs, but not the price...ouch!

Everything is the same as last year, except for the two felt hearts I made, and the big star, which is actually a doily stretcher I found at Goodwill. 

Yesterday, we cut out paper hearts and I sewed them together to make a garland, which we ultimately hung on the back door.  They are different shades of pink, not that you can tell from the picture.

Clyde was a big help taking down decorations, he took down all the lights, ornaments, and boxed everything up...so I guess I shouldn't complain that when he took the tree out, it only made it as far as the deck.

Zips

Rowyn playing "babies" with him.  He doesn't seem to be minding it, does he?

We've decided we picked the dumb one in the litter.  He's one of those that's lucky he's cute, because otherwise, he's got nothing to offer.  His retrieving is mediocre.  He still isn't completely housebroken. 

And...

 

He chews everything.  Seriously, everything.  We took him to the vet the other day and talked to her about it.

Vet: It sounds like he's a chewer, you're going to want to get him in obedience training...and more than likely we'll see him at some point for an obstruction.

Me: As in he eats something and it gets stuck?

Vet: Exactly.

Me: Great.

Booth has apparently decided to test his limits.

If you're weak of stomach, you may not want to read on.

This morning he went outside and had a peeker, you know the end just peeking out, and no, not of the organic variety...of the Glad variety.  A Ziploc, to be exact.  Thankfully, the extraction went fine, no vet visit...this time anyway.  Just one not so happy husband extractor.

Zips came in and promptly ate Rowyn's granola bar.  Just what he needs, a little extra fiber.

Yesterday, he ate two bowls of Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy Food...along with one granola bar, one peanut butter and jelly sandwich, one ball of playdoh, one kleenex, and apparently, one ziploc baggie, of the snack variety, not freezer. 

Remind me again why we got a dog? 

Riley's Room

After bringing folded laundry into Riley's room, I looked around and smiled at how she's injected her personality into her room.

She loves to read, so there are books everywhere. 

Right now she's reading the Harry Potter series.

And there are library books...like the Iowa Curiosities.

The little flower hooked to her curtain.

Her bulletin board chock full of favorites.

Friends and family and Riley.

Angelina and Lanie ready for school.

And (keepin' it real), her closet...which is a constant disaster.

I love finding clean, still folded laundry in the dirty clothes hamper.  Please tell me my kids aren't the only ones that pull that trick.

Handprint Ornaments

Since several of our ornaments were 'accidentally' broken this year, I wanted to find a way to replace them with personalized keepsake ornaments.  I found my inspiration HERE.

Ornaments, acrylic white paint, a paintbrush, and something to dry them on.

Paint their hand with the paint while coaxing them to hold still.

Place the ornament in the palm of their hand and have them squeeze it.

My make-shift drying rack.

Once dry, have them (or you) draw on faces, buttons, arms, hats, etc...and be sure to write the name and date on the bottom.

Old Photograph

I found a website with a neat feature, you can make a new photograph, old . It's in Japanese, so you will have to google translate, unless of course, you are fluent in Japanese. ;)

Etsy Art

I love everything by Katie Daisy, so it was hard to decide what to buy.

Ultimately, I chose this. I love it and will certainly be buying more from her in the future. 

I ordered this from Sycamore Street Press, they're offering 20% January 3-7th, just enter code: newyear2011

It suits certain members of our family quite well.

Flix

Family movie night.  

Someone made himself quite comfortable.

Thanks to my brother, we now have Netflix on the Wii.  Love it!

The kids get to watch the movies and cartoons I watched as a child, as well as, all the latest.

Clyde and I just started watching Angel.  

Hello, Mr. Boreanaz.

They also have American Pickers, which is a new addiction of mine...the show, not the picking.

I've also heard good things about Mad Men.  Anyone watch it?  

Evolving taste

I'm sure we all can attest to how our tastes evolve over time.  The dishes we registered for may not be our style anymore.  The paint color on our walls gets boring.  Well, mine have certainly changed and I keep saving inspiration to my 'decorating' file in my bookmarks. 

I want this sofa from IKEA...and yes I want it in blekinge white. Crazy with kids? Maybe, but they're bleachable, which is more than I can say for my current disaster of a sofa.

These stairs from Holly Mathis, make me wish our house was a two story. Fun!

I dream of a butcher block island.

Glass doorknobs...need I say more?

A.dutch.door.

Lighting from Barn Light Electric. 

 A grown up desk like this.

Functional, yet stylish pantry like this one from House of Smith's. 

Have your tastes changed or are they still mostly the same?

Happy New Year's

We celebrated the end of 2010 at home together.  We had a picnic by the fireplace, which the kids thanked and thanked us for.  It's the little things, isn't it?

Little smokies...yum!

 

Ice cream sundae's for dessert.

 

In typical boy fashion, Cooper announced his was 'bleeding'.

 

Camdyn decided not to have a sundae, but still offered to help Rowyn with hers.  So sweet. :)

Here is to a happy and healthy 2011!

Camdyn: an update

Since starting Camdyn on Focalin XR, we've seen a enormous change in her behavior.  She spends hours drawing, cutting, coloring.  The odd thing is that most of what she'd draw would be the same thing over and over and over again.  She would sit there listless, with a blank stare, and just sort of methodically draw picture after picture.

It was hard to watch her like that.  Even Riley said she wanted the old Camdyn back.  We stopped giving her that dosage and called her pediatrician, who then prescribed her a lower dosage.  So far, it seems to take the edge off the hyperactivity.

One of the stacks of pictures she was mass producing.

 

Cute garland she made for the end of her bed.

 

So, we're trying to fine tune the dosage amount...find that balance.  Camdyn has her team: family, her pediatrician, and her aunt (another pediatrician) supporting her.  

It will all work out.