Family Pics

This past weekend we took some family portraits. We did it ourselves with our camera's timer.
This is our first attempt as we try to figure out how to successfully use our camera. Granted, I've had it for about three years and have never looked into how to use it properly.
It was hot even at 9 a.m.! The little guy was NOT in a good mood, but I did promise to take them to IHOP for breakfast :)

So eventhough we were all frying and dripping in sweat after all was said and done we had a good time. I'd love to take pics of your family to practice! I am practicing my photoshop skills and editing. If you'd like a free family portrait(s), please contact me and we'll make it work :)

It's a fun hobby for me ;)

Small Towns

I love small towns. I love their character, their charm, their people. I love to shop in their quaint shops, stroll down tree lined streets and admire the architecture.

This week I will focus on Aubrey, Texas. I will post a series of entries on all the charm that Aubrey has.
It is a beautiful little town on the outskirts of Denton County north of Dallas. It has many horse ranches and is littered with trees. What refreshement to be surrounded by trees instead of skysrapers. I happen to be blessed to work in Aubrey. Here's a few shots that I took today:

I will venture out again tomorrow! What small towns are your favorites? Leave me a comment with your link to photos of your fave small town :)

Easy Craft Project Mini Wooden Carrying Box

When I was at Hobby Lobby the other day (as many other days) I saw this really cute mini wooden tool carrying thing and I knew I had to have a couple of them:

Then I took some spray paint and got to work on both:

After a couple of more coats and when dry I took this:

And wrote on them:

I think they turned out really cute :) Notice I put my new rooster next to them as a model. Sergio just got me this one for my rooster collection. I love the size of these little wooden thingies and how versatile they can be. This can be a fun project to do with the kids by using acrylic paints instead of spray paint. You can use these with little terra cotta pots and store crayons, brushes, anything your little heart can think of. And imagine the color possibilities. They were only about 3.99 each and Hob Lob has some 40% off coupons you can use.

I hung mine on the side of my kitchen cabinets with some of that command picture hangers so that they can be removed cleanly without harming the cabinets. Here they are:

I think I'll get some more to give as gifts :) My mind is racing with ideas.

This post linked up to Metamorphosis Mondays 9-27-10

on http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Littledom is slowly slipping away

My little boy can already make his own lunch. In fact he's been doing great for the last few months. And by lunch I mean the put in the microwave kind.
He no longer wants me to read to him at night. And he doesn't want to sleep in momma's bed :(   Soon he'll be 8. He'll be baptized. His training wheels will be coming off his bike (yes, he's a bit old for training wheels but I'm holding on for DEAR LIFE!)

Soon he'll have his very own room when his big brother moves out. Needless to say these milestones do not make me very happy. They make me...anxious.

Anxious because soon these scenes will be long gone...

and the blocks on the fireplace and legos strewn throughout the house will be a distant memory. I have one last "little" and I love holding him (as he tries to squirm out of my arms) and I love taking him with me shopping and listening to his little conversations about life and what he wants to be when he grows up (a boxer-this after watching Rocky movies :), a pilot, an "army guy", an actor, a dancer, an ice cream shop owner, a dad and a husband-this one makes me smile BIG)

Nope, there will be no one around for me to "get after" to pick up toys and clothes from the floor, no one to nag about putting their dirty dishes IN the dishwasher and no one to remind to brush their teeth and take a shower :(

But for now I am enjoying every second of my day to watch my little play.

Oh I also enjoy watching the big guys pretend to be "littles" too. ;)

Dairy Allergies

So back in April I decided to go vegan mainly to discover if I do indeed have a dairy allergy. I have had problems with cystic acne since giving birth to Ellison over 18 years ago and have been to dermatologists ever since! I have spent thousands on skin treatments, antibiotics (which I am sure caused the liver problems) skin masques, cleansing products etc only to find out that my cystic acne is caused by dairy product allergy. Yes God does have  sense of humor. Why can't it be broccoli or tuna? Noooo it's gotta be dairy and you know I loves me some Chocolate Milk dang it! So back in April I decided to test my willpower and go vegan for one month. This meant no meat or animal products of any kind, including dairy or eggs. Well in that month my skin was soooo clear and radiant! I thought, well maybe it's cause I am eating so many fruits and veggies. I kinda liked the whole vegan lifestyle except coming up with a variety of foods and meals to eat was getting kinda limited (uhhh I didn't know there were eggs in cookies, DAGGHHH) Sooo I decided to slowly incorporate some dairy products back into my life. BIG.MISTAKE. I started with eating my tacos with a little sour cream here and there, a sip of milk every so often and a scoop of ice cream too why don't cha?? So this is what happened one day when I tried all of them together:

                                   

The entire left side of my face was swollen because of a cyst that popped up near my nerve that connects to my eye and nose!

This is what my eye SHOULD look like btw:

Needless to say I am going back to veganism. Apparently, after much research, dairy products contain a form of testosterone that are given as hormones to the cows in order to make them produce more milk. These hormones when ingested by certain individuals become an allergic reaction and cystic acne can form mainly along the jaw line. So if you are older and have breakouts (and by breakouts I mean the painful bumps that do not have the white head on them) then you are most likely allergic to dairy. In my case, it is pretty severe. I noticed the bumps on my chin and around my mouth earlier in the month when I ingested little bits of cheese and they were almost immediate. But, when combined with other dairy products the above pictured result ensued. Soooo no more dairy for me. I have had to be on antibiotics for the past few days to kill off the bacteria that are causing the bumps on my face. But after this I won't have to go through this again since I'll stick with Almond milk (which is pretty yummy in fact)
Lesson learned. In other news, I stayed pretty busy this past weekend, elephant man face and all, doing little projects here and there. I'll post some cute little projects I did involving wood and paint soon :)

4th of July Fun

Well I had been looking forward to the long weekend for a whole month!!
It's finally here :) and I had a great plans for the family. First we were going to the free concert and the fireworks and we were going to make some yummy food and crafts. But then I saw the forecast and rain was predicted for the whole weekend. Groan...
So I decided I was going to make some memories and bond with my children by making chocolate dipped pretzel sticks. So I took out all the ingredients and none of my children were around....so I called out for Aaron and he finally comes over while still looking over the ledge and watching TV....ok, then.
So he dips a couple of the sticks in the chocolate then he says "Am I done?" And I said no you need to help me make the rest. So he makes a few more and he is finally looking like he's enjoying himself and I snap a pic:

because you know, he'll need to see this when he grows up ;)

Then I decide to tackle a project that I saw here. It is a knock off of a Pottery Barn wooden flag. I loved it. I only had one night to paint it and put it together so I could hang it for the fourth. So I had to cut a few corners. First, I did not do so great a job like the original. I did not use the crackle finish, nor did I hand paint each and every friggin' star, and I did not take a sander to distress it to look old. I am NOT THAT dedicated. So here's where the corners were cut:

  I had my trusty Cricut cut 50 stars that I decoupaged onto the flag :)

  and there she is--- OLD GLORY

Not as snazzy as the tutorial one, but she's mine :)

I will proudly hang it on my front porch as much as I can

Oh and those pom poms were inspired by Martha Stewart herself and I love the idea from centsational girl. And yes I did this all Friday night!! In a midnight frenzie that I couldn't even think anymore nor draw a straight line! But I had fun, dang it and that's what counts! Happy Birthday America! I'm glad we're here :)