It was a Becky Day!!!!

Last Thursday was a very exciting day for me! First, I won a contest on Becky Higgins...it was just a random drawing for a book (which I wanted really bad) and I won! Within a couple of hours later, I received an e-mail from Becky Higgins saying she was going to use one of my pictures on her blog for a contest that I entered! Saying I was excited was an understatement! I was thrilled. I did not win anything for it, just pure satisfaction. Becky Higgins to me is like Oprah to others! She is such an amazing person with wonderful ideas! I really wish I could do half the things she does!

So if you did not get a chance to check out my winning picture go here , there are a lot of amazing pictures on there. My favorite? The little boy watching his dad out in the field! ...Or better yet, I will just post it here.

 If you have never heard of Becky Higgins go here. I check her blog quite religiously!!!

I love Gimmicks!!!

It is true, I have a love/hate relationships with info commericals!!!! I hate them because I know they are not going to work like they say they are going to, I hate them because I want them sooooo bad! I love them when they really do work. I am always wanting and looking for the newest and best thing to clean my floors without me having to actually clean them on my hands and knees! So of course when I came across one of these bad boys, I HAD TO HAVE ONE!!!!

I have been looking for a steam cleaner for months. In fact, I could not get it out of my mind! I finally broke down and bought one. I figured if it did not work like they say they do, I would just take it back!

I just have to report that I am in LOVE! I love, love, love it!!! I actually steam mop my floors everyday to every other day. I can do it while I talk on the phone or cooking dinner.

It still streaks my floors (still looking for something that does not streak!), but it actually makes them shine and look pretty! I still get on my hands and knees, once a month! And no, I don't feel bad not doing it more than that because I feel like the steamer does a good enough job! And I do miss not having cleaner smell, but not enough to get on my hands and knees! Heck, I will just buy a scentsy smeller that has a clean smell.

What is your favorite kind of cleaning system? Have any ideas on how to get laminate floors clean with out streaking or getting on your hands and knees???

Back to Reality!!!

We just got back from our family vacation to the Oregon Coast. We left Thursday afternoon and came home on Tuesday, within an hour of me having to be back at work for parent teacher conferences. Ugh! I am exhausted. However, we had the best family vacation to remember for years to come (or at least until we have another one!)

We left Thursday and traveled to The Dalles...Cailey marked her territory at the McDonald's because the bathroom stunk so she threw up all over the sitting area there! Her and her poor weak stomach!!! We stayed the night there and woke up early to hit the ever so popular swimming pool (still trying to convince Cody we need a pool!), go to the fish hatchery, the waterfall, and then the Portland Zoo...The weather was ever so crappy and rained the whole time at the zoo. Cailey was very disappointed that the animals were all curled up and not moving. We left the zoo and headed to Lincon City for the outlet malls and then onto the beach house we rented in Waldport.

feeding the salmon

At the waterfall...Cailey really buddied up with Cody on this trip

Cailey refused to be in the picture with us

Saturday: We got to the house way to late so we could not go visit the beach until the next morning and that is exactly what we did. We all woke up and went in our PJ's to the beach to look for shells. Headed back to the house, got ready and went to the Sea Lion Caves. The kids loved it! After the caves we went back to the house, had lunch, Cody took a nap and we went and made sand castles on the beach. Later that day we drove into Newport and hit the peers to see more Sea Lions.

Looking for sea shells

At the Sea Lion Caves

Sunday: Woke up and headed out to the beach to find that perfect sand dollar, did not happen! Had a nice breakfast at the house, headed to the Newport Aquarium and wasted explored the whole day away there. Cailey loved the aquarium and we stayed for a good hour, if not longer, in the exploration area so she could touch the star fish and other little ocean creatures.

Tide went back out, so we went back out looking for shells

At the aquarium

We could not stand it, Cailey wanted a sand dollar so bad. So we did what any other parent would do..Bought the sand dollar and other shells and threw them out on the beach and let Cailey think she was finding some shells..hehehe

Our beach house. Will totally stay there again!!!

The one and only picture of us at the beach

Monday: We packed up, left the beach house, and headed to the African Safari drive through in Roseburg. It was very cool...the camels, giraffes, rhinos, and other African animals just roam the area freely as we drive by them. The kids were in awe!!! Left there and headed back home. Stayed in Bend...Cody wanted to drive straight through, but I needed to get out and the kids were just waking up at 9:00 from a nap, there was no way of them being happy travelers for the rest. So we spent an extra 60.00 from a 30.00 room so we could have a swimming pool. Worth every penny.  

Hippo!!!

Tuesday: Drove home, somebody please tell me why Oregon highways are only 50 MPH??? Makes no sense to me at all!,  and made it back just in time for me to do my hair and leave for parent teacher conferences.

A trip we all needed, definitely!!!

Do it again? definitelyy!!!

Need a vacation from just having this one? Oh yes!!!

Things we learned on this trip...

*Cayden is still the worlds worst traveler and when he gets really tired, he picks fights with himself!

*Headphones are the only way to go with traveling TV's!!!

*Need to take two books next time. Finished the first one on the way down (Great book, Water for  Elephants by Sara Gruen)

*Technology is amazing! Smart phones really keep bordom down to a minumum! The Grimlin is an amazing thing to have, and gotta love the cop zapper thing!!!

*Beach houses are the only way to go. Cheaper than a motel, more privacy, and you are not always telling the kids to keep their voices down!

Valentine's Day

What a great day! There is something special about Valentine's Day that just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. This year I did not take the day off because Cailey's school does not have a party or anything for the day. They get a special treat and then the teacher sends home all the Valentines so the parents can go over the Valentines with the child! Cailey was very excited to see a Valentine from a boy in her class named Dallas (oh yes, we are already in trouble!) In fact, she told me today that she got to sit next to him during school and when she left he gave her a big hug and she totally gushed over it....

So here are a few things we did to make the day special!!!

Cody brought home heart pizza for dinner. and it was sooo yummy!!!! And we watched Secretariat as a family (well Cody and I watched it the kids feel asleep in the middle of it)

Cailey's super cute Valentine's...no I did not come up with this one

Candy cane suckers from Family Fun

Cailey's heart hair

Cailey loved her suckers!!!

yummy pretzels

I used this picture to make a I love you card for Cody

My sweet Valentine's

And Cayden was part of all the festivities, little boys just don't get involved as much as girls do for Valentine's Day :)

Project Life

I am totally digging this years project life. Instead of just keeping with the day by day pictures, I am also incorporating my layouts. My daughter just had her birthday last week so I inserted some layouts from her day also into my album...Only February, but I am already caught up with my scrapbook this year. What a great feeling!!!

a couple of 6 x 6 pages

My daughters birthday invite I wanted to include

A special card she received

A couple of layouts

 

sorry it is sideways...to lazy to fix it

Hello Kitty part 2

So we had the little girl party in the afternoon and then the family party that evening. 

Cailey and her Aunt Alisha

We had a potato bar...cheap and easy, my two favorite words!!!

Cailey got totally spoiled all day long.

Her hello kitty stash

She was so excited for the grand finale...

A HELLO KITTY big girl bike....

(She was playing dress up all night and then put on her jammies...The overbearing mom from two years ago would have insisted on her putting on some really clothes, but the now more practical mom (ha!) really did not care at this point!

I love how she gets to celebrate her party at school. I always had a summer birthday and never got to wear a cool birthday hat like this!

Hello Kitty Birthday Party

This year for Cailey's 5th birthday we had a Hello Kitty themed party...Cailey chose the theme and away I went with it!

I worked on the party planning for a good three weeks on and off. I tried to include Cailey as much as possible.

Ready for the details??? (beware...tons of pictures)

I started off with making the Invitations...Hello Kitty heads of course. Inside of the invites I had "Come for Cake..Come to Play...Come and Celebrate...Cailey's 5th birthday. I wanted to attach a Hello Kitty bow (over the paper bow) for all the girls to wear to the party. But I came to my last nerve senses and realized that I was not made to be a bow maker!

We hand delivered all the invites. Cailey was very excited to give them out.

Throughout the weeks I made different games for the kids to play...

Musical Hello Kitty's

Pin the bow flower on Hello Kitty

When the girls all arrived to the house they found a cardboard hanger with a pink dress to be bedazzled. Boy did they bedazzle them! (My mom is such a wonderful mom. She sewed all the dresses for these Kitty's. She went way over and beyond my great idea!!!)

When they finished bedazzling the dresses, my sister-in-law painted noses and whiskers onto all the girls.

While the dresses dried, we played the two games.

After the games, we opened up presents...I love how Cayden (my son) could not resist hanging out with the girls and getting excited over some of the gifts that Cailey got. One day he is going to die of embarrassment!

Onto free time and then some cake and ice cream..

Before the girls went home they got to dress their very own Hello Kitty...Once again, courtesy of my wonderful mom! I cut the kitty's and she sewed them all up for me...what would I ever do without her? and dig into the pink candy jars for some yummy candy to take home with them.

It was a fabulous party. Many memories were made....Can I go back and be a little girl again?????