Love Is In the Air!!

Seems like love is in the air everywhere I look! Valentine's day wreathes, tiny bottles filled with I Love You messages, cakes with hearts baked in the center.... Yep, definitely almost February!!

Here are some of my favorite projects and lovey-ness that I have seen today:

Aren't these Valentine's Day Gumball Necklaces cute?!!!! 

Find out how to make them here!

"I love every little thing you do."

Isn't that a perfect message for your valentine?

Get your own teeny love note in a bottle here!

Everyone loves those cute little conversations hearts...

why not make them part of your decor?

Here is the tutorial... super cute!

I love cake, this one definitely says LOVE to me!

Find out how this baking genius did it here!

I am searching and searching for a cute and simple wreath idea for our front door...

anyone have any suggestions?

right now...

right now I am....

♥ wondering where these new little twists in the road are going to take me... so many fun new decisions... new job options and a new place to rent?!

♥ wanting to get started on making a fun mobile like this for a dear friend who is expecting,

♥ planning out our first family vacation to Atlanta GA in March to see Hana!

♥ thinking about Mrs.Q and her blog devoted to her eating school lunches every day for 2010!.... and thanking the stars that we are homeschooling Gabby.

♥ enjoying the new book Klint picked up for me at the library, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

♥ feeling a little restless... the need to do some serious spring cleaning is creeping up on me fast!

♥ loving this beautiful home children's library and wondering if we could do something like that in our home...

♥ smiling because I finally put up my pretty bird feeder and have so many pretty visitors outside my window now!

::Wordless Wednesday::

My Tuesday ♥'s

Been seeing lots of cool stuff on the web and wanted to share it all with you before I accidentally close the windows and forget!

♥ the idea of making a vacation memory jar with the kids!

from here

♥ anything that makes eating healthier a little easier and a lot more fun!

found here

♥'s are all over the place with Valentine's Day right around the corner!

Super easy craft found here!

I can't tell you how much I ♥♥♥ this handmade rug!

Supplies came from here and the artist is here!

Finally, I am so ♥'ing this pretty bamboo scene complete with panda,

all made from felt!

What wonderful talent!!

Check out the full Etsy shop here!

My Birthday Weekend Wrap-up

Wow! I can't believe how quickly this weekend flew by! This has got to be one of the most memorable birthdays ever and I am so fortunate to spend it with friends and family who love me so much. I woke up on Friday morning to happy girls and husband and got to open up some presents. Klint took a lot of time choosing clothes for me with the girls and even some makeup that I was out of!

One of my favorite things was a sweatshirt from Old Navy that has an mp3 connector in the pocket and headphones instead of strings to tighten the hood! Very cool!!

But the highlight of this day was getting a new tattoo! I'm not gonna lie, it hurt like heck but I was so excited that it didn't bother me as much. I was really impressed with the artist's sketch of the design and love the uniqueness of it. It doesn't really have a lot of meaning, I just wanted something fun to celebrate!

Later that night we went out with friends to a Japanese Hibachi. I don't think I have ever had a more entertaining chef, although getting sprayed with Silly String was a little unexpected. The food was great and I loved spending time with my favorite people.

Most people dread turning 30 I think but for me I am glad that it is a fresh start. I had a wonderful day and have everyone in my life to thank for it!

The Big 3-0!

Today I am 30 years old.

Wow!

Just seeing that in writing makes me smile....

I am glad to be done with my 20's, and move on to a new chapter.

Not that the 20's were bad, so much happened....

♥ Joined Zeta Tau Alpha

♥ Got my BA in Dance

♥ Moved to Ohio

♥ Fell in love with an awesome frat boy!

♥ Eloped to another country! 

♥ Had 3 wonderfully beautiful and crazy girls

♥ Tried my hand at a variety of job and discovered graphic design

♥ Met some of the best friends a gal could ask for

♥ Bought and sold our first house

♥ Figured out that my family is nuts and there is nothing I can do about it

♥ Started this blog which is a HUGE part of my life

♥ Discovered that I can be happy and do well just doing what I love

... and so much more!

College Klint and Connie... weren't we cute?!

I am looking forward to seeing what this next decade brings

and want to thank you all for being in my life,

a great gift for this birthday girl!

Ooh Moon Artwork

I love children's artwork, especially pieces that are really bright and not baby-ish. And I especially love FREE children's artwork! That is why when I found a blog that features one free piece of children's artwork a day for a whole year I was immediately in love. This lovely little space is the blog of artist Katie Moon and is called Ooh Moon.

What is great about this idea is that everyday a new piece of her art is free to download for printing. But what happens if you miss a day and find a piece you really like? Well you can purchase the file for a mere $5! Genius!
Not only is Katie a very talented illustrator, but she has worked for companies like Hasbro, Playskool, and so many more that we all are very familiar with.

I can't wait to see what this artist comes up with and am already designing the girl's room around the art since it is anything but baby!

Homeschool Resource Review- Brain Pop Jr.

 I am still trying to get my bearings with the new baby and homeschooling. So far my routine consists of some work books, a journal, and lots of documentaries and books from the library. But I have known for a while that Gabby really learns well through games and especially on the computer. So when CoolMomTech suggested BrainPOPJr. I was all over it!


This site is one that costs money to utilize all the subjects and such, but after starting the free 5 day trial I am hooked (and it is only day 1)! There are some things that are free, like today's lesson about Martin Luther King Jr. Within each lesson is a super informative but fun video starring a little girl named Annie and her robot, Moby. The there is a corresponding game, activity, lesson plan, book suggestions, a chance to draw about the lesson, and even two different levels of quiz to test about the subject matter. 


I looooove how organized the site is, allowing me to easily keep track of what Gabby has watched, what she wants to further expand on, and make sure that she is getting the most out of each subject. There is even a standards tool which allows me to make sure that she is following (loosely) what the state says she is supposed to be doing. (But without all the tedious repetition!!) 


Even though the price for a full year is sort of pricey ($80 for a single Homeschooler) in my opinion it is totally worth it. And when 3rd grade is over, then we can hop over to BrainPop which is geared for older kids. Even if you are not a homeschool family, this site is very cool and definitely worth a peek!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. (from SouleMama)

Getting Organized #2- Digital Photo File Overload!

Another goal for this year is to not only keep a hand on the massive amounts of digital photos stored on the computer, but to also create some books so that everyone can actually enjoy the photos! Last night I started step 1 of tackling this huge mess- go through every folder and delete bad photos, photos we don't want, and multiples. Wow! I had no clue we had this many photos and sooo many of children that I cared for years and years ago...

I went to How to Organize Photos the Easy Way- by Small Notebook for some tips and tricks on how to best organize the files since we do have so much. After I get all the photos sorted I plan on dragging the ones that I want in a photo book into a folder, editing them, and then using a photo book program like My Publisher to create a couple awesome books to share with friends!

This is definitely a huge challenge because almost every day we add to the stack, plus there are many folders within folders... I believe that last night I had to have deleted hundreds of photos and there are still sooooo many to weed through. It will all be worth it though when I have some pretty books to show friends and family!

I know that there are tons of companies out there that offer Digital Photo Books and everyone has an opinion about who the best is. If you want a really good comparison though, check out this article which looks at 12 different companies from Blurb to Shutterfly.

One of my goals is to have keepsakes for the girls to look at and share with their own families once they are grown, as Klint and I have very little to share about our own pasts. It is something that we really wish we had, but since we can't create the past we are going to make sure we preserve the memories for the future!

Some Monday Love

Most of the world hates Mondays I have discovered, thanks to Facebook. So here are some things that I am loving on this very chilly (outside!) Monday morning!

I ♥ this inexpensive book display! 

Of course they are from Ikea....

get more info here!

Oh how I would ♥ a front door this color! 

See how this awesome lady did it here!

Sometimes simpler is better....

I ♥ how easy they are to make.

Get the tutorial here

I really need a better way to get my day started...

I ♥ how easy these five steps are to jump starting your day!

We ♥ prayer flags at our house!
What a great way to recycle some cloth and send those well wishes out into the world!

Find out how to here

Finally, I told you about how I fell in ♥ with Picnik here...

well, thanks to a great friend and very talented Photographer 

I have discovered I don't need Picnik if I use actions in Photoshop.

Genius!
Here is a great list of some really cool ones....

Baby It's Cold Inside

I can honestly say that I was glad to see the end of last week. Most days I can see the sunny side of life, but on Wednesday that sunny outlook disappeared. Our furnace broke. And it decided to break in the dead of winter, when here in Ohio it gets into the teens with the windchill in the single digits. Not good.

This, dear friends, is why we rent. When we discovered that the indoor temp was quickly dropping and the furnace wasn't lighting, we quickly called the landlord who called a furnace company. Then ensued the drama... apparently a part needed to be ordered, it wouldn't be here until Monday or Tuesday, and until then there were various solutions. Solution  #1 involved pushing the reset button on the furnace to kickstart it into lighting....every 10-15 minutes.....yeaaaah, that wasn't working out well because at night I definitely wasn't going to wake up to push a darn button. So we woke up Thursday to a 43 degree house...bbbbbrrrrrrr!!! So again we called the landlord. He talked to the furnace guy and was told how to hot wire the furnace to bypass the reset. Well that worked out for a few hours, then the fire wouldn't light so again we had to call. So out came tons of space heaters.

Now we are Friday morning.... I wake up early to get space heaters going downstairs. I plug in three of them since the thermostat says it is 41 inside our house. 41 degrees!!!!! I go upstairs to get some more clothes on and come downstairs to a pitch black house. Of course! I blew a fuse with the space heaters! And who is too short to reach the box? ME! AHHHHHH!!!!! So I had to call Klint home from work and was definitely crying tears of despair when he came home.

We fix the fuse and decide to head out to grocery shop (and get warm), and give the space heaters a chance to warm up the house. What happens when we come home?? The house was COLDER!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! So another call was made and finally the HVAC guy comes and properly hot wires the furnace for us. FINALLY we have heat that is consistent.

By Friday evening the house was warm again, I was in better spirits, and had a new appreciation for having a warm house. We still have to get through when the furnace is being fixed this week, I am dreading having it turned off again, but at least there is a permanent solution in sight. I am thankful as well that we are not having to pay for the repairs, a swift reminder of why we prefer renting to buying a house.

So that was our furnace drama, hopefully never to be repeated.

1 Month

(Month stickers were bought from this Etsy store!

Miss Moira,
 Today you are 1 month old and it seems like you have always been here but at the same time are still so new. I cannot believe how seamlessly you slipped into our lives, making this momma very thankful. I have bypassed most of the new mama exhaustion thanks to your easy nature, love of nursing, and all around mellowness. You are a champ at eating and are definitely sporting the multiple chin thing, which I find adorable of course! I find it funny that everyone calls you something different... Daddy calls you Nugget, the girls call you Mimi, and I call you Moira Marie or Chipmunk. (You love to store milk in your cheeks for later!)
 In this one month time I have gotten to know your personality and am already seeing some tiny changes in your eye color... I think you are going to be another Brown Eyed Girl, little love! You still have all your dark pretty hair and no bald spots since you prefer to sleep on your side. You love to look around at the kitties and make wonderful eye contact, which makes everyone smile, which makes you smile. =)
 I am 100% smitten with you my Chipmunk and can't wait to see what this month brings!

Crafty Goal #1- Learn to Crochet

There are so many different kinds of crafts out there and thanks to my "Crafters ADD" I have tried many. One skill that I have always envied is knitting and crocheting. This year I am going to not only learn how to crochet but also learn how to make Amigurumi toys for the kids. Amigurumi is the art of Japanese crocheted toys and are super cute. (If you don't want to make your own there are tons and tons for sale on Etsy!!)

But first I need to master some skills like reading a pattern and such. So I got a few books from the library, grabbed a hook, some skeins, and started my first project- a spring/summer skinny scarf! I chose a really pretty light blue Bamboo yarn and am making it really tight and skinny so I can wear it all the time. I am going to add some fringe to the bottom too, unless I make it an Eternity scarf- no ends, just one big circle.

We will see, but I am excited about my progress already!

The Great Laundry Debate

Ah! I wish my laundry space looked like this!
via here

One of my goals for the new year is to get a handle on our laundry. Right now we just have baskets in the rooms and bathroom upstairs, let them fill up, and then on Sunday do like 5 loads of laundry. It is time consuming, a pain to sit down and fold all of that at once, and is really a challenge since Gabby and AJ share a lot of the same clothes. So I am trying to come up with a new solution.

My idea is to assign each person a laundry basket and only their clothing goes in there, Then each day of the week one person's laundry will be done, making the sorting of laundry no longer an issue and allowing Gabby to be able to fold and put her own clothes away. One load a day is a lot nicer sounding to me than 5 or six. Plus I can keep an eye on AJ, who has many outfit changes throughout the day do no reason at all.... her clothing pile is always the largest and most of it was probably perfectly clean.

How do you handle laundry at your house? What is the easiest ways to tackle all the kids clothes? Mommies with little girls, do you have a "costume changer"?

Happy Beginnings

The calendar and many others for your desktop can be found here!

Hello 2011! I have to say that you are off to a fine start, filled with laughter, friends, cuddles, and love. Friends came to visit, children smiled and played, and memories were made. I am happy to say that even though 2010 was a fabulous year here at Casa de Krebs, I know that 2011 will be even better.

I have been looking at everyone's new year resolutions and have been jotting down my own ideas... There are some really simple ones as well as ones that will take more work on my part. Here are just a few!

♥ Write in my journal every night... even if it is just a thought or two
♥ Continue to dance and find peace and clarity in simply moving
♥ Yell less, whisper more...
♥ Try not to let the laundry add up to loads and loads, maybe figure out a new system like doing each persons laundry individually? More on this tomorrow...
♥ Get jiggy with the hubby more often... definitely a challenge with our crazy schedule!
♥ Create an awesome garden this spring, complete with veggies and flowers
♥ Reopen my Etsy store with a new direction and feel. After making all that stuff for the baby's room I am inspired to have more items with a simple feel to them.
♥ Spend less and find ways to use more of what we have in new ways...
♥ Get Zumba for the XBox Kinect and dance the pounds off.... I loooove this game!

Anyhow, those are some of my thoughts... nothing too crazy, everything doable. I am excited for this new year and fresh start, are you?