Hurray it's Friday!

*Some of our plans for today and tomorrow*

Today:
Tidy up the house
Work on primary "stuff"
Do more pesky laundry that keeps miraculously appearing
Read my new books from the library (the ones I've been waiting like five months for)
Go out to dinner with our family and my parents
Have fun!

Tomorrow:
Sleep in (wishful thinking)
Fix something yummy for breakfast
Tidy up the house (is there a pattern here?)
Sign Kendle up for Tee-Ball
Make a mini-grocery store run
Help Kendle plan some fun things for her Valentine party
Get ready for Sunday
Relax!

*Kendle and I finished reading the first Harry Potter book together last night. I promised her we'd have a Harry Potter family party/movie night when we finished it. It was really fun doing that together and I can't wait to get started on the second book with her. I love the way her little mind works things out and asks questions about things that are happening in the story. I'm fairly certain she will get a kick out of Dobby the house- elf in book 2.

Fun Valentine's Day Ideas

I have been having a crazy busy week so today I wanted to post some fun things. I've been seeing so many adorable Valentine's Day craft ideas out there - it is crazy how creative people are! I'm getting inspired to do something fun like these. I thought I'd share some of my favorite's:


*This MP3 Valentine is so cool:

Use a box of candy conversation hearts, some scrapbook paper, string, two mini peanut butter cups, and this printout. I think it's genius. You can find the full instructions at Family Fun. They also have a ton of more valentine's crafts you can print out here.

*Printable Cards:

I have seen so many cute FREE printable cards for the kids to use out there. I think these creative folks are pretty generous with their talents. Kendle would love these particular cards because one of her favorite Beatles songs is "All You Need is Love". So cute:

You can click here to download your free template. She also has a zebra and a sweetheart card template that are equally fun. Glue them to the front of a box of candy hearts and you have instant Valentine goodness. All these are found at Bunny Cakes.

*Candy Cane Hearts:

If you have leftover candy canes from Christmas (or if you're like me you have a whole box of mini candy canes leftover) this is a super great idea to get rid of some of those. You only need those little lollipop sticks to go with this.

Place candy canes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Remember to leave enough room for the sticks. Bake at 300 degrees for ABOUT 5 minutes. All ovens are different so watch closely until you decide the right time for your oven. Bake until you just see the candy cane melt. Place a stick in the candy canes. Pinch candy canes around the stick. The candy canes and pan will be hot so be very careful.

Once completely cool you can wrap them up and you have cute treats! Thanks to Skip to My Lou for this cute idea.

*Flower Arrangement:

I thought this Valentine's Day flower arrangement from Martha Stewart was gorgeous! I love the addition of the red hots, I am a bit partial to the color red after all:

Also, these folding envelope hearts are just what I was looking for to use as invitations:

*Here's an idea I had:

Take an extra picture frame or buy an inexpensive one (a shadow box would be neat as well) and fill it with special keepsakes and mementos from your husband. I've saved letters that Riley wrote to me while we were dating, little cards that have come with flowers he's bought me, movie stubs, concert tickets, pictures - whatever might be special to the two of you. Arrange them in an attractive way in a frame and then display it in your home. Your kids would probably think it is neat to look at some of those things too and it could be a good reminder of all of the special times you've had.

*One year for Valentine's Day Riley and I stayed up really late the night before blowing up tons and tons of red and pink balloons that we put in Kendle's room while she was sleeping. When she woke up in the morning she was surrounded by balloons and a "Happy Valentine's Day" sign was on her door. She thought that was the coolest thing and was so surprised. She still talks about that one.

I love Valentine's Day - I think it is just one of the most fun holidays and a chance to make everyone in your family feel special.

Happy Birthday Riley!

If Riley could have any wish come true when he blew out his birthday candles these would probably be his top five:

• Go back to the Atlantis Resort where we stayed on our Bahamas trip and golf with the VIP's.
• Have his ankle be healed 100% so he can golf, run, hunt, and slide tackle his soccer players to his hearts content.
• Be back in high school for one more Friday night football game.
• Speed everywhere he drives without ever getting a ticket.
• A house in the country with his own private pond for hunting.

Happy 28th Riley, you are such an old man!

Journal Day

*For Today February 2, 2009*

Outside my window...
I just sent Kendle off to school and the sky is looking pretty drab and gray. There might be a small chance of some sunshine peeking through some clouds today. One nice thing is that it has not been as cold the last few days. Today is Groundhogs Day, and that groundhog saw his shadow and ran back in his hole. Will we have 6 more weeks of winter? I think Al Gore would have a few choice words for that groundhog.

I am thinking...
How nice it would be to go back to bed or get a good nap in later today. Morgan has been so sick all weekend with a bad cough that has been keeping us up at night. You know you're kids are really sick when they get excited and smile to take their medicine and go run and get you the little nose suction thing-a-ma-bob to get all the gunk out of their nose. Or maybe that's just my child.

I am thankful for...
My extended family. Saturday my grandmother turned 80, and we were able to go visit her for a few hours and see some aunts, uncles, and cousins that were in town. They are all great people who would do anything to help you and are a really fun bunch. I think it's amazing that Kendle loves going to my grandparents house as much as I did when I was her age. I feel so blessed that she is able to know my grandparents and have a relationship with them that I hope she will remember for the rest of her life.

From the kitchen...
I have a plethora of brownies and cookies left over from this weekend. I need to get them out of my house pronto. One of my favorite cookie recipes that is so easy:

Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
1 Box Devils Food Cake Mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine (one stick)
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips)

Mix all ingredients together, chill in the fridge until firm. Roll into balls and place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 8-10 minutes.

They are scrumptious! Hence, the reason why I need to get them out of my house.

I am wearing...
Warm up pants and a sweatshirt. I am not a person who gets really dressed up every day unless I'm going somewhere. Which I might be later, but I need to work out this morning.

I am creating...
Some invitations for Kendle's Valentine's party and for a meeting at my house this coming Sunday. I'm not very good at these things, and I'll probably just break down and go buy something.

I am going...
To try and get started on our taxes this week. It is one of my least favorite things to do. It pretty much just makes me rehash the sickening reality of exactly how much money is taken out of Riley's checks every month. We always say we will do something fun with our tax returns and we never do. It ends up going to new tires or something practical like that, only because I am a worry wart. If it was up to Riley we'd fly off to some exotic vacation for a week.

I am reading...
I just finished another book by Richard Paul Evans titled "Grace". It was a very touching story about a girl who runs away from her home because of abuse and meets a kind boy who lets her stay in his clubhouse in the field behind his family's home. The ending was really sad though.

I am hoping...
To get lots of laundry done today so I don't have to do it the rest of the week. That would be a good thing.

I am hearing...
The dryer going and Riley getting ready for work. Morgan is just starting to stir in his crib. I can't believe he slept through all of the hustle and bustle this morning.

Around the house...
I have days where I want to take every last thing out of my house and start over. Too much clutter and stuff starts to make me feel claustrophobic. We need another bookshelf as ours is overflowing. We are ready for a bigger house.

One of my favorite things...
Strawberry Lemonade. I bought some more Country Time strawberry lemonade mix over the weekend and sliced up some strawberries and lemons and froze them. I can pull some out any time I want to make a yummy drink and they taste so good. Like a little taste of summer.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
Kendle is attending a birthday party for a friend tonight, Riley's birthday is tomorrow night, I have lots of planning for primary and scouts, and I need to work on my sharing time for this Sunday. I'm going to work out every day this week. I'm probably forgetting something.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

*picture via Real Simple