A few things:

1. That's right. Be afraid!



2. I quit my job. Ok, let's be professional here. I resigned from my teaching position and from my teaching career after 10 years of service.

3. I am very excited to not only be on Summer vacation, but also to start my new "career" as a Stay at Home Mom!

4. Speaking of being a mom.. oh yeah, I'm expecting AGAIN! As much as I've been pregnant in the last few years, you would think I love it! Sure don't, but I do love what comes from it, so yay! On August 24th at a little after 1:00pm, we will be adding another baby girl to our family! She is our "oops" baby. Seems that many families have one of those! More on our little lady in later posts. We are very excited to meet her and Brooke can't wait to meet "baby sister"!

(^^ that is not my belly. Be glad I posted a pic of random google image girl's belly and not mine.)

5. Go Mav's!

6. While I'm super glad that Big Brother is starting again soon, July 7th isn't soon enough. At least I have The Pathetic I Don't Care What My Friend Says About The Douchesnozzle Bachelor Named Bentley I'm Still Going to Fall for Him Bachelorette to tide me over until then.

7. At 16 months old, I finally started sleep training with my son at naptime. It's amazing that in just 4 days he went from screaming bloody murder for over 20 minutes to sobbing for just a few! Thank goodness for naptime! I also got 3 year old sister to nap in her bed, in her room at the same time! (Do you hear the angels singing?). This means that I will actually be able to do some sewing and crafting this summer! We will not talk about the nighttime sleeping situation.... Let's just say it is a good thing we have a king sized bed- and leave it at that. Baby steps. baby. steps.

8. I really should start on a productive post for this blog. I've got a lot of catching up to do! I have missed blogging! 

Super easy kids Art Display!

Recently my husband got a wild idea to build a shed. And.. build a shed he did! He had the shed of all man sheds built in the back yard! He says it is his "cigar bar".. or something. He sold me on the idea because it meant that we would be able to move the stuff in the office out to his shed, therefore giving us a playroom! Yippee!! After a couple of weekends, I was finally able to start moving toys and shelves into the playroom. I also had to figure out how to decorate. We had one big wall and I decided that it would be awesome to be able to display the kids' art there! After some thinking I came up with the idea of screwing in strips of wood and attaching clothespins to them. It is hard to say how long this actually took me since it is nearly impossible to do anything for very long with two kids under 3! But, it is easily a project that can be done in an afternoon! :)

Supplies needed:
2 1"x2"x6' pieces of lumber

Wooden clothes pins

Spray paint

Wooden shapes

Tools needed:

Drill

2" wood screws

Electric screwdriver

Glue gun

And now, on to the project!!

Go to your local hardware store to pick up your lumber. I suggest bringing a cute helper with you! Mine took her job VERY seriously! :) We went to the blue store, but you could always go to the orange store too! I got the 1"x2"x6' pieces for less than $3 each. The ones I chose were nicely finished and very smooth. No sanding or priming was necessary!

*insert picture of me spray painting the boards and then setting them out to dry*

I did this while the kids napped and ended up leaving them overnight. They would probably be good to go within a few hours depending on the weather and temperature of where you are.

Up next: Dump out the bag with the copious amounts of wooden painted doohickey's that you picked up from the craft store. I went to my favorite place on earth: JoAnn Fabrics. These little guys go on sale now and again, but I wanted them now, so I paid full price. They were only .59 cents each, so it wasn't like I was breaking the bank there. Oh, and I guess I didn't pay full price since I got 15% off with my rad teacher's discount! I heart JoAnn's, in case you missed it! ;) The shapes have two stickers on the back of each one (overkill much?). Luckily they are easy to remove- so easy that a 3 year old and her 10 year old cousin can help! FYI: I totally guessed and lucked out with the number I bought. I just kept throwing them into the cart b/c they were ALL so stinkin' cute! I ended up with 23 and used 22 of them. I put 11 on each row and it worked out perfectly if I do say so myself! Of course, you could use less if you think it is too "busy" and "cluttered". Busy is my middle name and clutter is my game, so I went with it!

Meanwhile... get out your drill (trust me here) and pre-drill your holes. I drilled one on each end and two others, evenly spaced-ish. Get out your handy dandy level and make sure that board is straight!! Then, get out your electric screwdriver (or change the drill bit to a screwdriver head) and screw in some 2" wood screws. You don't really need to hit a stud anywhere along these boards (unless you plan on hanging heavy things, like children, from it- instead of their art work!).

 I laid out all of my wooden doohickeys in the order I wanted them (11 on each row). Then I stepped back and admired how cute they were.

I got out my HOT glue gun and QUICKLY realized that you DO NOT do this part with a child in the room, because despite how careful you are.. hot glue CAN (and will) drop off of the gun and somehow stick to your 3 year old's fingers and shirt causing her to scream in pain, blister, and make both of you cry!! Mom of the year over here!! Since the board is 6' long, it is 72". I measured and made a mark in the middle at 36". From there I made a mark every 7" from there towards the ends. That will give you 11, mostly evenly spaced, marks for your 11 clothespins.

Once you have all of the pins glued on, glue on your little things.

What in the heck are these things called anyway?!! (Oh, and because I am anal about certain things, it really bothers me that you can see the screw heads in this picture! However, it really doesn't matter in the end b/c once you put some art up, you can't see them anyway! When I did the top row, I looked at the row below and made the screws right next to the clothes pins so that you wouldn't see them).

VIOLA!! Prest-o change-o! Lookie there! It is done! :)

It is safe to say that I LOVE how this turned out!! It is cute AND functional!!

Miss Brooke LOVES it too and was extremely proud of her new art that we added to the top row!

(hello weird color in the photograph?! That wall IS gray, not barfy green!).

I hope this inspires you to make an art display of your own! Let me know if you have any questions! If you share this on your blog, please link back to me! :) Thanks and happy crafting!

TOTAL COST for this project = less than $20!!

I have added this project to many link parties, and here, and here! If you want to be inspired, check them out!



Um.. hi..

Hello. My name is Tracy and this is my blog. Perhaps you remember me?... :) I have SO much to blog about and so much to catch yall up on.. but I must first fulfill my promises to some of my friends and post a  quick tutorial about how I made an art display for the kids' playroom!

Day 5

Day 05 - A picture of somewhere you've been.

This is a picture of the best place on earth. My Grandma Helen's pond. Every summer since before I was born, it has been a family tradition to go Grandma's for the annual Fourth of July Family Reunion. Brooke's first Fourth of July was the 50th year reunion, just to give you an idea of how long it has been going on! Here is a group picture from this summer. 126 of 282 people are present in this picture! Wow!

Day 4

Day 04 - A habit that you wish you didn't have.


Procrastination. I have to say that I don't procrastinate on all things, just MANY of them! Especially things that I don't like to do. Like grading papers and doing report cards....

Day 3

I am friends with a lot of people. I make friends easily- mostly becasue I will talk to anyone who will listen (and even people who won't!). LOL! However, since I've been in Fort Worth, I have to say that Farrley has been my friend through it all. I love her and even our kids are bff's! Her husband Drew isn't bad either!

The other people in this picture are also my besties. I love my husband and children dearly! They fulfill my life and put a smile on my face every day!!

Day 2

Day 02 - The meaning behind your Facebook status.

My status: Tracy LOVES gift cards!

Meaning: Um.. gift cards make me happy! I had a lot of fun today at Jo Ann Fabrics (heaven on earth) with my kids and my gift cards! Not only did I get a lot of stuff, I also saved a LOT of money (sales, coupons, and a 20% off total purchase coupon!). The best part is that I still have some money left over! Yip!

Day 1 of Awesomeness

Day 01 - A picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself.

1. I do NOT look like that picture. At all. That was me before kids (what a sorry excuse! LOL). If I were to sit on that Barbie car today, the wheels would pop off and if I stood up, the car would be firmly affixed to my backside- much like a suction cup.

2. I am adopted and I feel like this may be the single most important event in my life. I feel eternally greatful to my birth mother for making the decision to #1 continue with the pregnancy, and #2 give me up for adoption. She was only 18 and I can't imagine how completely different my life would have been had she not given me up. I am blessed with the best parents, brother, and extended family. 

3. I have a phobia of throwing up (myself and others). Oddly enough, I can handle dog barf (it is still GROSS, but I don't run the other direction when it happens!). I believe my phobia stems from a highly traumatic event that involved me barfing all over the stage and myself when I was in 7th grade and was an alter server at our church. Mor-ti-fy-ing.

4. I loved playing soccer. I started playing in 5th grade and played until I got pregnant with Brooke. I went back for a nano-second in between her and Benjamin but got injured (durn old body!). I would LOVE to get back into it sometime...

5. Which brings me to this. I HATE running and working out! But, huH? Didn't I just say that I love soccer? And, doesn't soccer involve running? Why, yes it does! However, I like soccer and other sports, even ones that involve running (especially sprinting!) because there is a point and/or a goal! It's not just running to run. Running to run is like going to the dentist because you like the sound of the drill. Ack!

6. I HATE THE DENTIST. He is sent by the devil. That is all.

7. I am GOOOD at shopping and finding deals! Seriously, if it was a sport, I would beat most people.

8. *Some* who know me would say I am competitive. I guess I am. Winning may not be everything, but losing sure SUCKS! I think I have gotten better at this with age... but I still have flare ups! ;)

9. Back to my deal-finding abilities. This sort of leads into my love of shopping and the huge amounts of stuff I have! I am a *bit* of a pack rat. NOT a hoarder- that is crazy, but definitely a pack rat! I can attach sentimental value to a rock. Corey says I have too many clothes. I say my closet is just too small.

10. I really would LOVE to start eating healthy as a family and get into some sort of exercise routine. I want to try Zumba b/c I am sure I would love it, even though I am a CRAPPY dancer. Even though I hate working out, I tend to like group classes b/c they make them fun (except for Spin classes- who in the free world thinks THAT is fun?!?!). I got really in to cardio kick-boxing before I got married when it was popular.

11. There was a time in my life when I really wasn't sure if I'd have children. I can't imagine my life without them now! They are my everything!!

12. If there were parenting awards given, I wouldn't receive any of them! I am terrible about schedules, my 2.75 year old still has a paci, and both of my babies still sleep with us! Thank goodness for a king-sized bed!

13. I can't sing. No really. Trust me on this one. It's so bad that when I was younger my mom told me not to sing in church.

14. I absolutely love sewing, crafting, and doing creative stuff!! Although I love teaching, my dream is to have my own shop, in an old house or barn where I could have classes to teach others how to make simple projects. I'd also have some mommy & me classes! I have SO many ideas that I would love to some day be able make a reality!

15. If there is ONE thing that is the bane of my existence it is laundry. There is a part of my brain that is missing. It is the part that makes me put my clean clothes away. I don't really mind washing the laundry. Folding it is ok, but putting it away for some reason just doesn't happen very often!! I currently have a dining room table full of clean clothes that need to be put away.

30 Days of Awesome!

Inspired by my friend Kelly, who did this 30 Days of Awesome on her Facebook page, I am going to do my 30 days here (and on FB!). I think this is going to be fun! Here's hoping I can actually do this every day for 30 days!

Day 01 - A picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself.

Day 02 - The meaning behind your Facebook status.

Day 03 - A picture of you and your friends.

Day 04 - A habit that you wish you didn't have.

Day 05 - A picture of somewhere ...you've been to.

Day 06 - Favorite super hero and why.

Day 07 - A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you.

Day 08 - Short term goals for this month and why.

Day 09 - Your favorite color(s).

Day 10 - Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad.

Day 11 - Another picture of you and your friends.

Day 12 - A picture of someone you miss.

Day 13 - A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.

Day 14 - A picture of you and your family.

Day 15 - Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play.

Day 16 - Another picture of yourself.

Day 17 - Someone you would want to switch lives w/ for one day and why.

Day 18 - Plans/dreams/goals you have.

Day 19 - Nicknames you have; why do you have them.

Day 20 - Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future.

Day 21 - A picture of something that makes you happy.

Day 22 - What makes you different from everyone else.

Day 23 - Something you crave for a lot.

Day 24 - A letter to your parents.

Day 25 - What I would find in your bag.

Day 26 - What you think about your friends.

Day 27 - Why are you doing this 30 day challenge.

Day 28 - A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?

Day 29 - In this past month, what have you learned.

Day 30 - Who are you?

Mi Vida Loca!

Or should that be Mi Vida Loco? I think Loca is right, since I'm a girl and the "a" is feminine. Anyway, life has been crazy.. as per usual! Going back to school (FINALLY)  was exciting and good, but hectic! I went back to school right after Thanksgiving Break. I glowed for entirely TOO long! Even once I went back home I sitll wasn't able to hold my kids for more than 15 minutes at a time for a couple days. I didn't sleep with them for another few days. It was rough, but even as I write this, just a month later, it seems a distant memory. A lot of this whole cancer ordeal is fading actually. I am glad to report that I have healed well. My scar is gradually healing and I often forget about it... until I look in the mirror!

Thankfully I am a teacher and we get two weeks off for our Winter Break. Brooke had her tonsils and adenoids out as well as had her sinuses flushed the Thursday before break. Needless to say, she has been recovering the past couple of weeks. She did really well, but it was a big surgery. She's almost back to normal! Benjamin got very sick the day of Brooke's surgery. He had to be picked up eary b/c of a fever. Corey took him to the doctor the next day and he has RSV, a bad sinus infection, and a nose infection! They sent him for chest x-rays, but luckily they didn't show pneumonia. He received a breathing treatment in office and then was sent home with a nebulizer and a prescription for treatments every 3-4 hours! He also had to take an oral steroid, had a prescription nose cream, and a high dose of antibiotics. Poor thing, but it all helped him tremendously! He is just getting over another high fever (and one night of throwing up?!). What is with this year and all of the illness in this family?!?! I am SO ready for a new year, and a new beginning! 2011 has to be better! :)

Brooke before surgery.

This is just after we were able to see her in recovery. She loved this popsicle!

Brooke did GREAT! With her age being under three, they said that there was a 50/50 chance she would have to stay overnight, depending on her oxygen levels and how she tolerated fluids. We left our house at 10am and were home by 3:30pm! She got to ride a wagon out to the parking garage! So fun!

Here is Baby Benjamin during one of his treatments.

This Santa is the dad of one of our friends. This is the ONLY Santa that Brooke didn't completely freak out around! I'm so glad we got a picture of both of them with Santa!

This was the BIG gift from Santa for both kids. Brooke asked her Elf on the Shelf, "Marker", for a play kitchen every day! Needless to say, this is a HUGE hit! It better be... it took us nearly FOUR hours to assemble! The look on Brooke's face when she found it was SO worth it though!

Santa was GOOOOD to us this year! Santa NEVER pays full retail price for anything, though! ;) The play kitchen was hidden behind gifts in the back right corner!

Ahh!! SO cute!!

My gorgeous blondie!

My precious boy!

Such a silly girl!

You know it was a good day when it ends like this!