Princess For a Day

With AJ's birthday right around the corner we decided that we would spread out her gifts so that she wasn't overwhelmed or unappreciative. Her first present was "given" to her today and boy was it a good one!

My little girl is OBSESSED with princesses, especially the Disney Princesses. She knows all of their names, has a book collection about them that she hoards, and has many costumes. So today Klint took her to a Princess Ball hosted by a local Rec Center. This ball is a HUGE occasion and usually tickets sell out in mere hours. The royal court (Miss Middleburg Heights, etc) plays the princesses and all the little girls dress up, get to have their photos taken, and dance around like mad while eating pizza, cookies, and pop! Perfect!

Miss AJ decided to go as Jasmine, her current favorite, and here are some photos from the evening:

Doesn't is look like fun?! 

All AJ kept talking about was how much she loves Belle and danced with Ariel...

I am so glad she liked her first present!

The List 9.12.10

Hello friends!
 Is everyone as glad as I am that the heat finally broke and there are signs of fall everywhere? This is going to be a busy week for us here at Casa de Krebs, we have the girls birthday party this Saturday, I have dance classes to teach, and so much more. Here are some fun links to get your week started on the right foot:

Packing Gabby's lunch everyday and making it fun enough to get her to eat everything is quite the challenge. I love putting her stuff in fun boxes like this one so nothing mixes up and stays neat!

There are some days though that she would like to buy, but my biggest worry is that she will lose her lunch money and be hungry all day. I am definitely going to make her one of these nifty money cuffs to keep her money close!

Even though Poptarts aren't exactly the healthiest snack, I still love them. I might like them even better when they are homemade and on a stick. You can snag the recipe here and boy, does it look easy!

I love decorating my front door with wreaths and such for the different seasons. Here are some fun ones I have spotted lately:
Halloween Ribbon Wreath
Book Page Fall Wreath
Halloween Head Wreath
Corn Husk Wreath
Trick or Treat Wreath

Even though this tutorial is for a super cute dry erase board, it is the candy corn bunting that has caught my eye... you can expect a tutorial for that coming up in the next week!!! (I am a sucker for bunting, you all know that!)

Speaking of candy corn, how about some candy corn soap from this Etsy seller? Yummo!

Soon enough the school parties will be starting and of course Gabby will take in something cute for her friends... how about some fun candy apple cupcakes and homemade Playdough?

There is so much I want to accomplish, big and small. How to keep track of all those aspirations and make it look pretty too is the question. These graceful butterflies that have my goals on them are just the think for my craft/dining room!

Finally, yes I know it is early, but I am already thinking ahead to Christmas since my usual shopping schedule will be interrupted this year by an early Christmas present! I love shopping on Etsy for stocking stuffers and such for the girls.... I think this year they will find a little mouse in their stocking from this store!

Well, there ya go! Have a great rest of the weekend and a pleasant Monday!!

In Remembrance of a 9/11 Victim

Today is September 11th, 2010 and 9 years ago the United States changed forever. We were attacked on our own soil, our very own airplanes used as weapons of mass destruction. One life that was lost that day was Teresa M. Martin.

Teresa “Teri” Marie Martin, daughter of Paul and Joan Miller, grew up in Ohio with her sisters, Susan Boes, Barb Stull and Mary Jo Miller; and her brothers, Dave and Dan Miller. 

Nine years ago, she married John Martin and they started working hard for what they wanted. They planned to retire at 50. Two years ago they moved into Teri’s dream house. It’s got a wrap-around porch and sits on four acres near Curtis Park with big oak trees in the yard. She kept a garden where she grew tomatoes for one of her favorites – tomato sandwiches. 

They were partners in everything, including the family business, T.J. Martin Trucking. “I work the trucks and she maintained everything else,” John Martin said. Teri got up at 3:30 a.m. on weekdays and was out the door by 6:15 a.m. She loved her job. At 6 p.m., she’d get home and greet her yellow Labradors, Bruno and Harley. Then it was back to work, this time on the family-company books. On weekends, she woke up at 5 a.m. and did more book work. 

Several nights a week, Teri participated in activities at Choice Baptist Church where she taught preschool Sunday school and organized church dinners. The Rev. Tim Wilcox said the church family is deeply saddened. Members could always count on Teri’s warm presence, with “a smile on her face and a gleam in her eye,” Wilcox said. “She was loved so much.” A couple of months ago Teri’s class set up a lemonade stand after church as a lesson on serving others. Teri’s sign for the stand read “5 cents or a hug.” 

Despite her busy schedule, Teri still found time to do things for John – bring him coffee in bed, replace worn clothes with ones he would like, put up a hammock in the back yard. “She always tried to stay one or two steps ahead of the game,” John said. 

The hammock was the subject of their last conversation. John had made only one mention of wanting one – and it was done. She wanted white sand spread under it to create a beach effect and a place for the dogs to play. John was supposed to do that Tuesday. Be sure to get some paint for the porch, Teri told him. And then she told him she had to go. It was, after all, a work day. “I will talk to you later.” 

Teresa worked at the Pentagon as a civilian employee for the US Army as a budget analyst and was 45 when the Pentagon was hit by American Airlines Flight 77. She was confirmed dead on site.

** This memorial is part of Project 2,996, a tribute to all the victims of 9/11 who lost their lives that day. Even though 9 years have passed, we have not forgotten those who were taken by terrorism. If you would like to participate there are still plenty of people who need to be remembered.

Ah, The Witching Hours

Since school has begun I noticed that the roughest part of my day is from 3-6pm. Gabby has just gotten home from school and is cranky, hyper, prone to starting fights with AJ, and very hungry since her lunch is the earliest at 11am. AJ, on the other hand, has just napped but is not sleeping as much as she needs to. She is also hungry, cranky, and hyper. Lovely.

Top all this off with the fact that I usually have other children in the house who also shows these symptoms and are getting ready to be picked up by mom and dad, what you have is none other than the witching hours. Apparently though, this is pretty common and there are some things you can do to smooth this time over.

Thanks to Megan over at Simply, she talks about her own experience with the Witching Hour and how she deals with it. One of the most useful tips that I have gained is to whisper instead of yell when things are getting out of hand. I tried it and boy does it work! The kids stop, lean in to listen to my words, and react in a much more positive way to my directions. My throat doesn't get sore from all the yelling and they actually pay attention to what I am saying... a miracle!

For me, one of my biggest problems is that while all the hysterics are going on I am attempting to get things done, which is definitely not working right now. I have dinner to make, get the house back in some semblance of order, pack up my charges bags for pickup, usually someone calls me to chat, and lately I have had to get ready to teach dance that night. All that adds up to a mommy running around like a headless chicken, and kids who take advantage of this by also running around like headless chickens- YIKES!

I am still trying to figure out how to accomplish what I need to get done while keeping the peace in my house, but until then I at least know that it is not just me that is experiencing this strange time of the day.

Is this something you have going on in your house? If so, how the heck do you deal with it??? Especially if you are trying to cook dinner, tidy up, etc....

28 weeks Already?!

Today I had another ultrasound to check up on some little things that showed up on the 20 week anatomy scan. They were little pidly things that didn't concern me since I knew my ex-OB had a tendency to turn pregnancy into a medical emergency, but I was eager to see Miss M again.

What a difference 8 weeks makes!!! The detail of this ultrasound was amazing, I saw all 4 chambers of the heart beating away, her fingers pulling on the cord, toes wiggling, and even her kidneys working away. Not only did everything look 110% perfect, but she is actually growing a few days faster than her due date. =) My 2lb weight gain can be attributed to those chubby cheeks up there for sure! Miss M's new nickname is Chipmunk... I can't wait to kiss those cheeks!

Aside from an awesome ultrasound, I am still feeling awesome but definitely starting to feel that lovely 3rd trimester tiredness returning. I can't really do laundry because I am too short and round to reach the bottom of the tub and even sweeping up dirt piles is becoming a little tiresome. But still, no complaints here. I am just happy Miss M is perfect and even is showing some spunk already. (She kicked the Doppler a few times and turned her back to us!)

I just hope that the next 8 weeks pass just as quickly!

Eye Candy- Fabric Stemmed Roses

Want some for yourself?

Learn how to make them here!

Sigh... I think these are way better than the real thing... no wilting!

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day to all the folks out there working to make this world a better place, whether they get paid for it or not!

This has been my labor of love these last couple of days... a little something for Miss M's room:

It is a part of a Patti Griffin song called Kite that I fell in love with awhile ago. I thought that the words were pretty appropriate for Miss M and it would be a cherry touch with all the other fabric hoops I am decorating with. =) Thanks to the Embroidery Contest that I entered I am in love with embroidering words onto linen and really taking pleasure in song verses especially!

Oh, and I believe that I have a giveaway that I have to announce the winners for!!! Thank you to everyone for commenting and sharing in my nesting madness... the winners are:

 Amy said...

So cute! Love it.
My nesting...sadly, it hasn't started yet. BAD ME! I need it to, though. I think since I finished school and am job hunting and have NO deadlines...I have become quite lazy on the nesting. However, I do have a lot of projects in mind...

and

 kristanlynn said...

i love your idea of doing crafty things w/ your nesting energy! i need to go to Micheal's and get some things for myself.
my nesting too has started early this pregnancy. and i can't stop cleaning the kitchen or mopping the floors! =)

Congratulations and be sure to email me at mrs.conniekrebs@gmail.com with your mailing info along with how many eggs you want in your nest! (If I don't hear back in a week another winner will be chosen!)

Sock Animals are Back!

The kids and I love going to the library and picking up random books of inspiration and this week's craft book was on a familiar topic- Sock Animals! I adore my book Sock and Glove that I purchased awhile back, but since then I have gotten smart and use my sewing machine to speed (and neaten) things up. What a difference a machine and experience makes!

Well, thank goodness for the experience because the new book, Socks Appeal, is quite challenging! Aside from the usual sock bunny, there are new creatures aplenty. Hamsters, turtles, jellyfish, and so many more. I have to admit that this book gives my skills and eyes a run for their money. Teeny socks get turned into owls, making your eyes weep and begging for a magnifying glass, lol.

One of Klint's 30 Before 30 items though is to make something and I figured that this would be a great opportunity for him to make something for one of the girls and knock and item off the list, and maybe even learn a few hand sewing skills. He blogged about making Guamo, the dirty bunny, for Gabby here.

The girls had a lot of fun picking out socks from Target's $1 knee high sock selection and deciding what they wanted mommy to make them. Since I had to take my 3 hr glucose test on Sat morning (yucko!) I knew that I would have a lot of time to assemble and embellish some fun stuffies for the girls. All said and done, I ended up making 2 snakes, 1 penguin, 2 bunnies, and a skirt for AJ's bunny. Not bad! Here is the crew with the books that we used. (My bunnies are actually my own pattern, I like them bigger than glove size!)

These were so much fun to make that I am going to go grab some more socks for Miss M's sock animal collection!

The List 9.3.10

Happy Friday!!!! I am so glad that it is finally the weekend, a much needed break from the hustle of the school week, plus I got two new Etsy orders out which turned out wonderfully.... And the best part is that I am officially in the 3rd trimester! 3 more months to go unless Miss M decides to premier earlier than December 2nd. =)

Here are some things that I have spotted, tons of eye candy to make and buy!!

I am really starting to struggle with my clothes even though I have only bought two actual maternity pieces... I am thinking that I will whip up a couple of cute shirt skirts this weekend using this tutorial. I had no clue that shirring was this easy! 

My girls are already getting excited about Halloween. I plan on making some cute and creepy clips and bows for their hair, just like these.


There are a lot of things about today's parenting school of thought that I don't agree with, especially this bubble that parents put around their kids to protect them from failure, getting hurt, and exploring naturally. This article is AWESOME about 5 Mistakes Every Kid Should Be Allowed to Make!

AJ loves Disney Princesses... she loves dressing up like them, ALLLLL the movies, and plays with the dolls every day. I never thought about the messages though that these princesses send to our little girls though... this cartoon is a funny but eye opener to the real lesson that each seemingly harmless movie teaches.

I am trying to get my family to not eat out as much, no small feat since at the end of the day the last thing this mama wants to do is try to figure out what to make. Maybe this pretty Meal Planning Board will help with the process?

Every kid needs a bag of their own to carry around the important things in life: some snacks, a small book, a well loved blanket. This Japanese store on Etsy has the cutest bags for that special little one in your life!

With Miss M being a winter baby I am looking ahead to making her some cute outfits for the chilly months... this awesomely easy jean skirt tutorial by Homemade By Jill is perfect! Add some leg warmers and voila!

Finally, I discovered this store and fell utterly in love with the simplicity of the music boxes, birth boxes... basically everything there. However, the price tag was a little steep for the Birth Box that would grace Miss M's dresser. So what is a crafty girl on a budget to do? I am making my own, starting with creating this image to go on the top of the box! Pictures of the finished product to come soon...

And that is all folks! Enjoy all these fun links and have a great weekend!

Simply Waiting

I often acknowledge my cats, since they are awesome and all that,

but I have to mention how cool Spooky is.

She seriously is a Great Dane in a slightly smaller body,

never barks at passing people and dogs,

sleeps on the couches,

and is a dream to take in the car. 

I love this photo of her because this is what she does a lot of the day, 

simply waits....