Merry Christmas!

Fair warning this post my be overloaded with pictures of cute little boys excited that it was Christmas Eve and Santa was coming to visit them. We had a good time taking pictures and the boys also had an excellent time being silly and running around shocking each other. I guess it is time to find that humidifier that we had stashed away for 3 years will in CA. I hope all our family and friends out there had a wonderful Christmas!

Displaying Christmas Cards

Once again I find myself in a new house for the holiday season. Last year we displayed our friends and family's letters and cards to us on a bulletin board that was in our dining room, which with an open floor plan was easily seen also from the living room and kitchen. Our current house is a little more divided and I am using that bulletin board in the laundry room...it is pretty bare, but I wanted to display the cards and not hide them away.

So after going to Pinterest for some inspiration, I then double checked my craft supplies and was lucky to find I had everything for the display. I started off with making a burlap wreath. I then hung it, arranged the pictures, and then started hanging the rest of the cards off the garland already in the handrail.

I think it turned out great (although my pictures of it is pretty crap-tastic), and I'm enjoying getting see all the love that has been sent to us this holiday season.

MN Thanksgiving Part 2

 While back in MN we had the opportunity to not only celebrate Thanksgiving, but also J and N's Birthdays. We celebrated first with my side of the family with cupcakes, pies, ice cream and finishing up with presents.

Christmas Card Finally Ordered!

Snowy Window Christmas Card

Custom Christmas cards are always available at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Thanksgiving Party With Family Part 1

Now that we live closer to home we are actually able to spend an occasional holiday back with our family in Minnesota. We started out after school and work, spent a night in a hotel halfway, met my parents in Owatonna and left Diesel with them and then headed up to Grey Eagle. 

The boys were excited to spend some time with the "ponies" and even got to help train a brand new 2 year old that was  getting her first "lesson".

J helping Grandpa

Beginning to Look Like Christmas

More on what I'm doing for holiday decorations later, but here is a sneak peak if what I put together with things I mostly had. The only thing new are the birch branches that I brought back from visiting family in WI back in October.

Being Eight is Great!

We have enjoyed watching you grow up these past eight years. Growing up isn't always easy, and you have had your share of bumps, bruises and broken bones. But you always know how to put a smile on our faces and how to give the best hugs when needed. You are the best cuddle-bug and I will never turn down your request to tuck you in at night...and when you get older I might have to request to tuck you in and sneak a hug or two. I hope you continue to enjoy the crazy adventures we have, I know I enjoy watching you experience new things. Happy Birthday buddy!

Happy Birthday Lil' Man!

Crazy how this guy...

is growing up to be this guy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Review

So I don't know about you, but I just don't have the time to do some of those little things for myself as I use to. Having three little boys I don't have the time to paint my nails, and when I have in the past the it just didn't last long enough to make it worth it. I had seen the Sally Hansen Salon Effects "sticker polish" before, but looked at the price wrote it off as something that probably would be a waste of time and money. Boy was I wrong! 

I was at Kmart (scooping out all the clearance items since our store is closing) looking for some inexpensive Christmas and Birthday gifts for family and friends. I had picked up a cute 31 purse on a virtual garage sale for our base and wanted to put some goodies in it for my oldest niece. What tween wouldn't love some fingernail bling, so I picked out some polish for her and happened across a good selection of the Salon Effects by Sally Hansen...for 30% off of $4.99 (which is already a good price for the little box). A couple of days later I decided to try it out.

It was super easy to apply and I actually used only one set out of the box so I got two uses out of one box. I applied one rounded end and carefully filed the end off and turned it around and applied it to the other hands matching nail. I did have one tear, but there were extra "scraps" that were still stick that I pieced it together to cover the full nail. Once all nails had the "sticker" applied I took it one step further and used a clear top coat to my nails. The box said it would last a week, but I wasn't going to chance it, I am really hard on my nails and didn't want to go through all that work (30 minutes the first time) and have them scuff off when I loaded the dishwasher after supper. 

Day 1 after application

That Ugly Monster Named Anxiety

Anxiety, we all have some form of it...some little thing that we aren't confident about and worry about. Some **raising hand** may have anxiety about things in more then one area...Doctors, Dentists, driving on unfamiliar roads at night, driving with less then a quarter tank of gas, moving, meeting new people, writing on the blog that I have been contributing to for five years (ya, this one. Do you know how many posts I have saved and never posted, or posts that I end up deleting because I don't think they are worthy of being read by others? I may be a little crazy.)...do I need to go on ;) 

Project: Creating a Tween Boys Room

So M is nine and a half, going on thirty it seems. He is far to old to have a little boy room, but still wants his room to have a theme of some sort. He picked out his paint color and has had a lot of input on what decor is going up on the walls and on the bookcase shelves. In his past rooms we have gone with airplanes, so we are reusing a lot of that collection over again, but giving it a more sophisticated look. Well after looking at his room I felt like his room was a little to blah and not enough fun. I saw that Hobby Lobby had some the mini metal airplanes in stock and picked a bunch up when they were 40% off thinking I could use them as shelf filler...then I saw that there were rings on them for hanging, so I got some supplies and went to work.

I used some fishing line and tied on end to the airplane.

DIY Bowl Hanger

So I found these super cute lattice bowls on clearance at Target a couple of weeks back. For a couple bucks I thought they would be perfect for making some sort of art on the walls. I had a couple of plate hanging kits at home and thought I was good to go...but found out otherwise. The kits I had don't work with concave bottomed bowls and so I had to think of something else...and was getting impatient about getting them up on the wall.

Tricks and Treats 2012

We had a fun night on Halloween, the whole day was fun and filled with activities, but the moment the costumes and face paint was put on the fun was elevated ten fold.

Spaghetti Dinner Made Better

So I am no expert in the kitchen, never will claim to be, in fact I love quick and easy! When time gets away from me and might be in a pinch to get supper on the table quickly my go to meal seems to be spaghetti. I grab my jar of Ragu, noodles, and a pound of ground meat and get to work. Instead of ground beef I have started using the spiced pork sausage...slightly more fatty, but fat is tasty in moderation ;) 

Oktoberfest

The last weekend in September just so happened to be the weekend that the local town decided to throw their Oktoberfest....yes in September...but who are we to judge ;) We enjoy small town festivities so we thought we would hit it up after J had a soccer game and see what they had to offer. After filling our bellies with several food vendors tasty morsels we headed off to explore what else they had to do. We found at the end of the main street they were having a Car Show, and the boys were lucky enough to sit in a couple.

M and N thought the rusty rat rod was kind of fun.

I think loving cars may be in their DNA.

Crafty Thursday

I have been loving the all the different personalized pumpkins I have been seeing on pinterest and in the craft stores lately and decided to try my hand at it as well last week. I was able to get the vinyl letters from Hobby Lobby for 40% off and the white pumpkins were 50% off and then I had a 20% off my entire purchase, making it a super cheap project. Not only was it cheap, but it was super easy as well.

All you need to get started is you vinyl letter/image, your object that the vinyl is going on and a scissors.

A Weekend With Cousins

So now that we live so much closer to our family, I took advantage of it and drove to WI to visit my brother and his family over a long weekend the boys had. It just so happened to be my nephews Birthday weekend as well, the only that could have been better is if J didn't have to stay behind to work. I think I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Pumpkin Carving 2012

It's that time of year again when we break out the power tools and become artists. What, not everyone uses power tools to perform this simple task? If you really want to save yourself some time get a bucket of some sort, a drill, a saw (we used a jig saw), and your pumpkin. we like to cut out the bottoms of our pumpkins so that you have a nice flat bottom for your pumpkin to sit on and can place your candle also on a flat surface. It also eliminates the sinking and sagging that pumpkins sometimes get with their tops cut through.

J first drew a reference circle on the bottoms of the pumpkins, then used the drill to start a pilot hole for the saw to go through. He then followed his circle and then punched out the bottom.

Rehabbing and Recycling Fall Decor

So I don't know about you, but I love fall! Over the ten years that J and I have been married I have accumulated a nice collection of fall decor. With all the moving we do it may drive him a little batty at how many totes this collection fits into, but I really don't want it any other way. The boys love it as well, and I think its important for them to really fall in love with the idea of celebrating the seasons along with holidays. 

I love the warm and toasty feeling it gives the house and I really don't have the budget to buy new every year to achieve this look and I really get sad when something doesn't work or gets destroyed. This year one of my lighted grapevine pumpkins decided it was done. I cut out the old lights and thought that I would just leave it as is....but it just wasn't the same. While visiting some family (blogging about it soon) I managed to pick up some brown string lights at a primitive store, with the intention of wiring some grapevine stars I had.  I kicked myself for not thinking of my pumpkin when I got home. I first tested them on the pumpkin, but there just weren't enough lights on them. This past week Michael's was running a 20% your entire purchase and I had a 40% off coupon that they some graciously used on the same transaction...so I snagged a longer set of lights to rehab my pumpkin.

So after cutting out the old strand I gathered my supplies. The lights, a scissors, and small black/brown zip ties.

Soccer Candids

So this past month our Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturday mornings have been filled with soccer. J is on the Golden Knights this year and M is part of the Orange Crush team. The boys have been making some good friends on the team and have also enjoyed themselves out on the field. Hopefully I can catch some better action shots in some upcoming games, but I have enjoyed just watching the boys play without having a camera glued to my face ;)

Scott AFB Open House 2012

I have been slacking on blogging lately, but it isn't for the lack of pictures or stories, once again time just keeps slipping away.

A couple of weekends ago we got to relax and enjoy the Scott AFB Open House, aka an Air Show. If you remember J had a large part in the Travis AFB Open House in 2011 (posts are here, here, and here).We loaded up the stroller and wagon and walked down from our house to the flight line and we had a blast this time with no commitments but to just look at airplanes on display and enjoying the acts. It was a cloudy and overcast day so the pictures don't have that pretty blue background of my Travis pictures, but it was a lot more comfortable temperature wise.

The boys had fun sitting the cockpit of some of the displays, checking out both the insides and the outsides of some of the large jets parked, playing in the kid zone, and also watching the acts.

One Corner at a Time

We have now called this place home for close to two months. Are we settled...big fat no. Between errands, school, soccer, cooking, cleaning there hasn't been enough time, energy or motivation to get this place "cute" and most importantly organized.
It seems that everything ended up being "dumped" (actually it was literally dumped out by the movers) in the wrong room and then spread every which way by the boys, pair that with my indecisiveness of where things are going to find homes and you come to a dead-end pretty fast.
Today I took one corner and organized it into being functional for the boys. Will it stay looking like this? Probably not, but at least I conquered this corner for now.

An Adventure in Canning

When Grandpa and Grandma G came to visit and bring our pup back to us they also brought with them a ton of fresh veggies that were ready in their huge garden. We gave some of it away to my Uncle and Aunt and also to some friends, but there were still a ton of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers to get used up. So I decided to try my hand at canning, and now with the help of my mom I now have several jars of salsa and pickles that I can use throughout the year...if they last that long ;)

For the salsa I started off buying some jars, a canning kit, and the ingredients from this recipe. For the pickles I just picked up this packet from Walmart...won't detail that as it really wasn't anything too difficult, and I didn't take pics ;)

The first batch of salsa my mom and I hand chopped all the fresh veggies...the second batch I decided to work smarter and pulled out the Pampered Chef manual processor and let it do most of the chopping. It worked great, it will chop it pretty small if you take the time. I also put on some gloves when working with the jalapenos just so I didn't feel the burn from their oils accidentally. Also on the second batch I left half the seeds in to give it an extra kick.

Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour

While the Grandparents were visiting we did one day of exploring St. Louis. We briefly checked out the  Science Center before heading to the gateway Arch and then topped it off with the Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour. We neglected to reserve tickets beforehand, but were able to wait about an hour in the call line and jumped on a free tour. The kids did great, the boys love to watch "How it's Made" shows and so loved walking around the functioning factory.

A Day to Remember

On a day we remember courage, sacrifice, and those that were lost I can't seem to get the lyrics of God Bless The U.S.A out of my head. We have traveled thousands of miles across this great country over the years, taking in the great sights and meeting some amazing people. It's hard to think about how different it could have all been, how different the world would be if this day didn't happen...or if we weren't called into action to find those responsible.

"War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares about more than his personal safety; is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. "

- John Stuart Mill, English philosopher 

Pre-k Fun Day

So school is in full swing and the boys routine is a nice change to the crazy summer with a ton of change due to the move. On Friday the Pre-k classes of the school district all got together at a local park and had the chance to play with new and old friends. N had a blast exploring and interacting with his classmates and with his teachers.

Visiting the Gateway Arch

It has been a rainy, cloudy, and rumbly kind of weekend (that extended into the week now too) thanks to Hurricane Isaac. On Saturday we ventured over to St. Louis and took a quick run through the Science Center (we will have to head back and spend a full day soon!) and then over to the Gateway Arch with Grandma and Grandpa. Grandpa decided to firmly keep his feet on the ground and passed on the ride up to the top, but the rest of us headed up. N did throw a tantrum about going up, I think it reminded him of the tower of terror from Disney and he didn't want to go through that again.

First Day of School 2012

The boys are now into their third week of school, but I guess we have been a little busy around here with moving, visitors and soccer that I haven't had time to upload pictures until today. Better late then never, and most kids aren't heading back to the classroom until this week anyway...so that makes it ok, right?

More Skating Fun

I've been a bad blogger again, trying really hard to get the house in order, get the boys on a schedule for school and we lucky enough to have my parents visiting bringing along our furry family member with them. I have one last recap of our Texas adventure....some more ice skating. The hotel we stayed at was next to the Grapevine Mills shopping complex that also houses two full size hockey rinks. The price was much better then the "Galleria" experience and the ice was much better and less crowded.

Ice Skating in Texas

One weekend while in Texas we decided to beat the heat (112 degrees to be exact) and escape to something fun indoors. We went the mall route, one further then the parking lot, and found that it was also had an ice rink. M really wanted to try ice skating, so we rented some skates and found ourselves  ice skating in Texas...doesn't that just sound weird! 

LegoLand Discovery Center-Grapevine Texas

So the boys all are in school for their first full day today...so that gives me a break to finally get a post (or maybe even two) up while they are gone. One of these days I actually get around to posting their first day if I ever get caught up with everything that is going around here.

Well today I still have some pictures from our time in Texas to share. While there we stayed at a hotel right next to the Grapevine Mills Mall which is home to Legoland Adventure Center. So while J was working and spending time in the simulator I took all three of the boys to spend a couple hours playing with Legos and riding some of the rides. 

Eating in a Rain Forest

More to share about Texas...we took the boys to the Rain Forest Cafe that our hotel was right next to. We tried to convince the boys we were going to actually be eating animals from the Rain Forest. I know not very PC being that a lot of animals are probably on an endangered list of some sort, but it was fun to get the wheels spinning in their heads ;) Are we the only ones that pull "April Fool's" all year long?!

Stuff and More stuff

So our house has gone from being pretty bare to having piles of stuff since the moving truck showed up on Monday. Slow but sure we are starting to find spots for everything, but J is gone for most of the day for work and I'm left to unpack and keep the boys entertained on my own so it feels like it is going a little slower then what I had hoped. Our dish was connected yesterday, so maybe that will help keep the boys from getting underfoot a bit more. I'm sure for those that have moved before know how difficult it is to unpack and organize anything when the kids are getting out toys and scattering them through out the house. For them it feels like Christmas, getting to see their toys after having them gone for almost two months.
I managed to get the two older boys registered for school on Tuesday and also got word that N will be attending the same elementary for their preschool program in the afternoon. N being super excited is an understatement!
I have more posts and photos from our trip to Texas, but they will have to wait just a bit until things settle down here.

Sea Life Aquarium-Grapevine Texas

So when J goes to simulator training for his new jet he is put up at a hotel. The company that runs the training made reservations at the hotel right next to the Grapevine Mall, we spent a ton of time walking, ate many lunches there and even did a little shopping ;). It also happens to be one of the Sea Life Aquarium locations, so we decided one of the days J was "working" the boys and I would check it out.

My Little Squires

During our time in Dallas we have had the opportunity to visit some local attractions we otherwise would not have a chance to visit. After our afternoon at the Fort Worth Stockyards we headed to some nice air conditioned supper at Medieval Times. The boys were super excited to watch some real Knights in action.

Visiting Old Fort Worth, TX

So on Saturday we decided to do some adventuring in the area we are currently calling "home" for a couple of weeks. We loaded up the boys and headed to the Fort Worth Stockyards to take in some cowboys, BBQ and a cow or two.

From where we parked we ended up walking across the "cat walk" over the old stalls/pens of the stockyards...it appears that they have not been in real use for some time now. Once to the other side we were great with some Texas Longhorns....including one that was saddled up and looking for some buckaroos to climb on up.

Branson, MO

So on our way to Texas for J's training we decided to stop overnight on Saturday in Branson Missouri for a mini vacation. We got up and loaded early so we could be down to the Dixie Stampede by 1:30, so that we could walk the barn to see the horses and also to watch the pre-show entertainment.

Unfortunately I was unable to get any pictures during this stop of our adventures, but found plenty on the Internet if you would like more information on this attraction 

During the show they serve you a meal...to eat sans utensils. Yes, including a whole chicken to tear apart with your bare hands. I would say the flaky apple turnover is the best part personally. During the show they transition into several different vignettes of old time lifestyles. Meanwhile the whole show it is a battle between the North and the South, but at the end we are reminded that we are united under one flag once more.

 After watching the afternoon show we decided to hit up an arcade/track that was super close to our hotel. J and the older two boys raced while N napped and also got a quick game of laser tag in before he woke up...I worked on my Skee Ball skills...not too bad if I say so myself ;)

Head On Up

Today we will tour the upstairs layout of the O4/O5 4 bedroom (2263 sq feet) in Shilo West that we were offered at Scott AFB. Yesterday you got to see the lower level and yard space of the house, today we head upstairs. But before we do I would like to say how nice this housing area is and how friendly those that we have ran into are. We are truly blessed that we are once again moving into such new and nice housing that will more then accommodate our family. When we received orders to Scott we really looked into buying or renting off base, but after considering some of the convenience of living on base and being able to move right in we decided to give on base a try first.

So head on up the stairs and start the tour ;)

House Sneak Peak-First Floor

So at the end of June we got an email from the Scott AFB privatized housing offering us a house. During our PCS/leave we drove to Scott and dropped off the trailer and my van before renting a pull camper from Outdoor Recreation (holy crazy good deal!!) and then heading up to MN. We had the chance to swing by the house that they said could be ours...however, after talking to them once more we found out that it would not fit into our timeline with the training J would be doing in Dallas.

Up North Fourth

So after spending time down in southern Minnesota it was time to take the trip north to see J's side of the family. The boys always have fun building with Grandma's collection of Lego's, apparently hers are super cool ;)

On the fourth we went out to a local lake, Cedar Lake, that has a wonderful beach. A nice sandy, shallow, bath water warm, and non-sea weedy lake. Lots of people had the same idea, but there was more then enough water to go around ;)

It had been two years since the cousins all had the chance to play together, but they got along just fine.

Really didn't take too many pictures, we were just to busy enjoying spending some time with family.