girls night out

Last night I got the chance to go out with some girl friends.  Thanks ladies!  We had a good time shopping a little, dinner and then a movie.  The movie that we saw was the newest Twilight movie and while it was enjoyable it is not my favorite.  I read the series and enjoyed getting lost in the story but have always felt like something is wrong (other than the reality of vampires).  I read a friend's blog today and I think she has an interesting point and I would like to share her blog entry so try and be open-minded when you read it and just give it a think...
from a victim advocate...
I hope this doesn't ruin the story for anyone and that my friends will still be able to read/watch Twilight and be able to escape reality for awhile and come back to healthy relationships and teach their sons/daughters respect for all (even wolves ;) ).

Thanks

It's Thanksgiving and the time of year we all should be thinking about what we are thankful for in our lives.  But, how do we teach our children that we are truly blessed in our lives.  Some parents chose to model generosity by volunteering or donating to homeless shelters/food banks, we just don't have the means this year to do that.  Plus, it is really hard to get all three kids on board with a trip like that to town.  My husband and I look forward to one day being able to give back more to our community and to others that we don't know at all.  That is why we have started a money/budget journey.  Part of the journey for us is being open and upfront about our financial status with not only our family but with our friends too.  For example when a friend says, "Let's get a babysitter and meet in town for dinner and drinks."  We say, "We don't really have the money for a night out like that right now, but how about we get together and cook dinner and let the kids play together."  To which, most of our friends would respond, "Yeah, we don't have the money either, cooking dinner sounds fun!"  Another part of the journey is switching to a cash system, I actually froze my credit cards!

(and yes, the credit card ice block is sitting on homemade baby food)

It has taken a little adjustment but my husband and I are very excited about this journey and hope to be debt free soon and have more 'spare' money to give away and donate.  The next project I plan on doing to make the switch to a cash system is to make my wallet pretty (and I will make a manly one too)...

I will post a picture of the finished project of 'Pretty Envelopes for your cash.' when I am done.

And don't forget to be thankful every for things in your life not only today, but everyday.

Now time for another quick Pinterest pass or fail (that is what I intended to write about today when I started).  This is a family project that I saw on Pinterest awhile back and I just saw the original picture and it inspired an idea, I never followed the link so I will not post the link here to see if the picture inspires any of you as it did for me. 

The Original photo from Pinterest

I saw this picture and thought, wow what a great idea and what a great thing to help teach Mason what being thankful means.  So, (almost) every night the entire month of November we sat down at the table to wrote on a leaf what we are thankful for then put is on the tree.  It has been really fun to see Mason (3 years old) start to understand what the meaning of thankful is.  And it had been really good for us parents sometimes to look back at something positive after a long stressful day and remember we are blessed in SO MANY ways.

We made our tree as a family and that was fun too.  First we took paper grocery bags and cut them apart so that they lay flat then crumpled them up!  Thats right just crunch them up like a piece of trash, this softens the paper fibers and gives the 'tree trunk' a little texture.  Then start taping together and drawing and cutting out your 'naked tree' (that is what Mason called it at this point).  We used blue painters tape to put the tree and all the leaves up on the wall so it won't damage the paint.  Our tree didn't have any leaves to start and now as we have put leaves up every night out tree is very full this Thanksgiving day.  I hope you all have a very full tree and a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Our tree trunk had to be shortened because the 8 month old babies were trying to tear it down.

Verdict:  Pinterest PASS (A+)

Pinterest pass or fail

I have become a Pinterest junkie!  It makes me want to be Martha Stewart (minus the jail time).  I have come across some things that have been life altering and some that have been utter failures.  I think that I will dedicate some time now and again to share my Pinterest pass or fails.

Last weekend I got to meet a new and really cool group of ladies that I quilted with for the whole weekend at a retreat center near Estes Park.  We all a good weekend, some of us were very productive and some of us fell into a deep dark hole and didn't get a single thing done (me).  I talked too much and sewed too little. But out of all the conversation of course Pinterest came up and it was decided that the recipes on Pinterest never work out.  Well, I tried one last night and I am happy to say that it was a "Pinterest Pass"!

The Original recipe that I 'pinned' for Crusted Butternut Squash

My end results.  I should have used less of the breadcrumb mixture so that it would actually get crispy in the oven, but it still tasted great.

"I like this kind of dinner!"

My son ate four pieces of squash last night and when I asked him what he wanted for breakfast this morning he promptly answered, "yummy squash".

That is all I have for today so I will leave with a random though courtesy of my son, "Robot dogs can eat dominos because robot dogs can't choke".

my sanity

Well I have decided to delve into the blogging world... Why?  Because I have always enjoyed writing my random thoughts down in a journal and it is good for my soul.  I am also inspired by a couple of ladies that I know through my local MOPS group and hope that I can share some inspiration to someone else as they have done for me.

I am a stay at home mom of three kids right now, I was a full time nurse before that and a full-time wife as well.  How do I stay sane; you ask?  That is what I hope this blog will show myself (we could always use a little reminder that we are good at what we are doing) and I hope I can show others they are great too.

My sanity is named Kenmore, yes that's right it comes in the form of a sewing machine.  A very loved sewing machine that is in desperate need of a upgrade.

And yes, that is painters tape holding it together.  I love to sew.  My passion is quilting, but really I just love creating.  This hobby takes me away from everyday stress, teaches me art appreciation and inspires me to create in other aspects of my life as well.  It alway introduces me to like minded people and allows me to do a little traveling at times.  I would like to turn my passion into a small business so that I can contribute financially to my family (and also so that can get that much needed upgrade)!  I promise I will name my next machine a super sexy name, since I plan on having an affair with him!  But alas, I love my Kenmore and will continue to create with it until it gives up on me.

I have limited amount of space at home to create but the space I do have is much appreciated!  My husband is amazing and no matter where we have lived or what has come into our lives he has always made room for my sewing things.

Project stacks and tubs that usually live out in the storage shed.

My sewing/cutting/ironing/scrap booking space.

The storage space I share with our pantry and laundry room.

As you can see, my space is spread out and constantly evolving but I am thankful everyday for the space that I do have and I enjoy every minute of spending time with my fabrics even if it is only to move them from one location to another.  Thanks babe (my husband) for your understanding and support of my sanity.

And now for some finished products!  That's all that anyone really cares about...

yep, I made his shirt too (that is how I told my husband that I was pregnant)

I entered a show with this quilt and won nothing!

I finished this quilt while on a backcountry hut trip and made Ashley pack it out herself!

I made this one for my sister in-law and brother in-law and if it had fit on my bed it never would have left my house, they are LUCKY.

My business is called Golden Leaf Creations and if you want me to sew your desires get ahold of me please.