finding fun in a pretty and new way!

We found a new way to have fun recently! We love to support local. Fun and local go hand in hand around here. Taking a class from time to time is just the trick. Erica's Board Creations has been bringing in people to teach classes and we jumped on a cupcake decorating class. 

You pay online, show up, learn, and enjoy. We got to keep all the decorating tips and connectors for the piping bags. We decorated 6 cupcakes and got to take them home. Lots of hints and tips,  demonstrations, and laughter. I must say that mixing our own frosting colors was quite relaxing and we enjoyed seeing all the bright colors. 

So what did we learn? We learned different frosting techniques. We learned what different tips can do. We learned the easiest way to fill a piping bag. We learned that I have VERY unsteady hands when I dropped TWO different cupcakes frosting side down... after freshly decorating them. I never knew you could tear up over cupcakes!

There goes my future career as a surgeon. All my Grey's Anatomy dreams gone. :) The nice thing about this day was that me AND my lovely daughter learned that perfection is in the eye of the beholder. Just because it doesn't look like the demo doesn't mean it isn't right. When we messed up or didn't get it right, we scraped the frosting off and started again. 

So now we have some great life lessons to embrace. And all because we wanted to spend some mother-daughter time and try something new. Here is a list of life lessons translated from a cupcake decorating class to motovate you.

1. Just scrape it off and try again if it isn't right. 

2. Use a steady hand. 

3. Be patient.

4. Always carry lots of hand sanitizer.

5. Feel free to stop and eat the frosting off the spoon when you get frustrated, but don't mix up the spoons!

comfort foods are SO comforting :)

It's almost spring which means it's that time of year when you can see three different seasons in a day. We wake up to winter, have spring in the afternoon, and feel fall like temps in the evening. Because of this, it's dressing in layers and prepping for warm/cold/humid/dry weather. You just never know. I mean, it's the midwest! 

Some nights we still light a fire and some nights we open the doors up. After all these years living here you just get used to it. This also means that we try to wrap up the rest of our winter fun. All the favorite winter games, crafts and recipes get pulled out. This includes homemade pot pie. You just can't make a good pot pie in warm weather!

My shortie loves to roll out the homemade pie crust. I always make the yummy, gooey filling and she does the crust. This new recipe made 2 pot pies, so we had gobs of food. It's completely worth the time and the mess watching my kid work her way around our kitchen with such confidence and ease. This is by far our favorite winter food that I make.  

In a month we will be ditching the crockpots, comforters and casseroles. We will crack some windows, prep the grill, and pull out the bikes. Goodbye winter, hello spring! In the meantime, though, no one goes hungry. And no one can get bored with all the recipes we can work through (and clean up!). 

Valentine's Day is for the kids :)

Valentine's Day has always been just another day. It's a day of love, sure. Chocolates, flowers, drinks, gifts. What's not to love? But if I didn't get any of those, then today would be just another day.

Really. It's for the kids or young couples mostly. I love all the things, but I love the joy of seeing my kid's face most. She loves to ooh and aah at the fancy chocolates or the heart shaped boxes. She loves to linger over all the cutesy cards and the pink displays everywhere. 

This year she surprised us both and spent her hard earned money on us! After she opened her gifts from us, she pulled out 2 hand wrapped gifts she bought. I got a rose with a tiny teddy bear attached, the pink easel I eye balled from Dollar General, and a tiny balloon attached to chocolates. She was so excited to see my reaction. I just loved it.

Anything that makes my kid smile makes me happy. If it takes cheesey cards and upcharged chocolates, then so be it. Lots of love at this house all the time. We don't need a day to prove it. BUT, if we had to prove it, I would say that love is in the air and we are doing great!

one little jug does so much!

Our favorite drink has become a trusty container for fun. Last year our 2021 goal was to be more grateful. A few times a month we would write a comment or two on scrap paper and drop them in there. It was especially nice when we were having a rough day to step back and see the bigger picture. It enouraged the power of positivity. 

On New Year's day we dumped the container and lined them up. Then we read them out loud. It was a short little activity on our lazy day at home. It was nice to hear some ideas for the first time or to reminisce on the fun that we wrote about. We were able to find out what the other one of us appreciated the most.

Now our huge container became a coin jar for the yearly coin challenge. We have done this one before. Each day of the year gets a numerical value. January 1st is 1 cent. December 31st is 365 cents. Each day you put that amount of change in the jar. 

At the end of the year you end up with just over $600. Since my short person wanted to do this, she is in charge of it. And, as promised, she gets to decide how we spend the money. Fingers crossed she chooses wisely! Whatever it is, we will definitely have fun. 

It is funny how one jug of punch became something that encourages family time. Whether we are being grateful or using math, being positive or counting coins, it is all stuff we can do together with little effort. And in these cold weather months, it all counts! 

cold weather means craft time!

We have been keeping busy with all sorts of fun things these days! My goal is to pull out 2 or 3 random items each week for us to do together. This will ensure some fun mama-daughter time, make sure we're using all the new gifts from Christmas/birthday and beat the cold weather blues. Last week we played slime, kinetic sand, and read under a huge comforter with hot chocolate. All sounds like a win-win to me! 

This craft project was nice and easy with some gooey mess along the way. Step one- blow up the heart shaped balloon and douse yarn in a gooey glue. Then wrap the balloon in the yarn thoroughly. Step 2- let it dry 3 days and then pop the balloon. Step 3- wrap the lights inside the heart and add batteries, plus tassels. The kit came with everything and each step took no more than 20 minutes so it was easy to do in steps.

I miss toddler days. Yep, I said it. The scratchy little voice, nap times and snuggles... sigh! HOWEVER, now we are 11. This means we can watch the good movies, play the good games, stay up late, and still occasionally snuggle :) Crafts, books, music, outings are so much more enjoyable. Even the crafts and play dates are more fun. 

It won't be like this forever (again, sigh...). She will soon walk past our mother-daughter days, spa days, and craft days for phone time, mall time and who knows what. For now, making slime is my favorite past time. Kidz Bop is my jam. Painting and coloring are the best. Pink and purple heart shaped projects keep her coming back for more and I will always be ready with big hugs and big smiles. 

The best part of cold weather is inside fun with my favorite little girl.

today we find the joy in a real snowfall!

Two days ago I asked why we live in a place where it hurts my face to step outside sometimes. It got really cold really fast! And then we look outside this glorious morning and I remember why. The snow and all the magic that comes with it. Enough said. 

I hate the cold. I can never get warm. I will crawl into bed at night just to realize one of my hands or feet is purely frozen. It's always just one, never both. And then I lay there trying to warm it up before getting out of bed to run warm water on my hands or throw on extra socks. My circulation is just that bad.

Then you have the added bonus of shoveling driveways and sidewalks (thankfully I don't do that), walking dogs in the snow,  getting mail in the snow, running the car forever on -3 days so you can drive it... The list goes on. I appreciate all the effort that others put in to make sure the roads are safe, the furnace works and the wood pile is always stacked for a good fire. I TRY to find joy and gratitude :)

Today we choose joy. Sure it's cold, but we have fresh snow to look at and play in. Sure it's on the roads, but plows are running nonstop to keep us safe. We have hot chocolate, wood for the fire and new snowpants to enjoy. We can watch the animals enjoy this wonter wonderland as well.

As we approach the chilly, blah winter months we will try to choose joy. Find joy in hot chocolate instead of grumbling about the snow. Find joy in a Netflix marathon instead of grumbling you can't go anywhere. And rejoice in kicking someone's butt in a game of Sequence instead of grumbling the roads are too bad to go out. Go find YOUR joy!

the lure of winter

Winter means many things. We sled, build snowmen, go caroling, do all things Christmas, have movie marathons with excessive hot chocolate. You name it. Some times we don't get out of pjs. Sometimes we risk the cold to grab a 4 for 4 or hit up the arcade. 

There are so many magical things about winter in the midwest! Watching the snow fall is so completely calming. Driving in it- not so much. Snuggling up with a fire is so completely calming. Being out in the cold- not so much. 

No matter how old we get, the best part of winter (besides the snow) is the ever magical Christmas tree. Inside or outside, white lights or colorful, flashing or solid lights. Large ornaments or old school, it doesn't matter. Now that all the holidays and birthdays are over, we are missing all the pizzazz and flash. I love to tear down Christmas and start fresh, but man, do I miss falling asleep to the soft glow of tree lights twinkling near a roaring fire. Unless next year, I will just leave this right here :)

be grateful you get to be here

As you prepare the hot dishes and make your last minute preparations, don't forget about those that won't get the opportunity. I felt guilty about no Christmas cards. For about 5 minutes! I prepped for good behavior, the perfect gifts and lots of tasty food. We cleaned and booked and prepared. We baked and did the advent calendars.

Then we started doing our charity work. How many dogs are in the shelters? How many hats and blankets can we crochet for the homeless? Are soldiers getting gifts and love? Cue the commercials of soldiers overseas sending their love home. Cue the tears.

So very grateful for our military relatives and all they have sacrificed. Hoping everyone gets to be with their loved ones this season. As I prepare to spend time with my own family this weekend, I send peace and love to everyone, but especially military families. My military roots are pulling at my heart strings a bit extra right now. Always proud and appreciative to have been a part of the biggest and greatest family ever.

The season, be aware. Be grateful. Be blessed. Be present! Happy holidays!

the spirit of giving back

In the spirit of giving back, we have started cranking out hats and blankets for Miss Carly's! Typically we crochet until our fingers fall off. And, do trust, we are! I just picked up a few fleece blankets to make a rag blanket as well. It was a fun little craft project while we watched a holiday movie.

The fleece rag blankets are easy to cut and knot. They make easy, warm blankets in fun designs. My only regret is that I didn't pick up more on black Friday! We could have made some for our favorite animal shelter as well. 

I may keep grabbing these as I see them to add to our donation collection. This time of year is all about family and togetherness. It is important in this house to stress gratitude for all we have and to encourage giving back as often as we can. Two $2 blankets knotted together while eating popcorn and watching a movie sounds like a huge win to me! Easy.

it definitely takes a village

Today and all days, I am thankful for my tribe. My girl tribe, my ride or dies, my drop everything when I call them crying girls, the people that make me the sane version of myself, those who remind me I am amazing just as I am and I should be content with that. These girls come from all different walks. The work wives, the friends of friends, the friends who resemble family, the actual family, the O.G.s, the ones who keep the secrets, the ones who THINK they keep the secrets ;), the ones who know how I take my drinks, or when I am going to lose it. These ladies. They make me so much better. 

They say it takes a village to raise a child. They aren't lying. If I had to list the doctors, specialists, advice givers, sitters, drivers, fixers, do-ers, tear driers, advice givers, listeners... We would be here all night. BUT it also takes a village to make a bad ass woman. It takes an AMAZING village to make a great woman a great mom. 

There will never be a shortage of gratitude for those of you that fit into my village. I am better because of you. My daughter is better because of you. Those of you who remind me I am doing the right thing or slip me the extra smiles when I need them are just reminding me that opportunity for gratitude and happiness lie all over the place. 

I was complaining to a friend a few week's back that I was the worst mom ever because I promised something and when it came time to book, they were all sold out. I actually cried over this. We had waited so patiently for this fun and amazing opportunity and then poof. Gone. She reminded me that mistakes happen and my version of failure isn't actually failure. It's me being hard on myself. It's me setting the bar so incredibly high that sometimes I can't even reach all my goals. It is me realizing that she is right and I just need to take a deep breath and realize that none of this was the end of the world. Laughter and joy were still planned and executed, just differently than the original plan was laid out. 

Today I embrace the acronyms "FAIL", "END", and "NO" as a challenge to keep smiling, keep laughing and keep doing me. I embrace my flaws and failures, as much as my accomplishments. I embrace it all, including my village. We need each other more than ever to encourage and cheer each other on. I hope everyone finds just the right fit for their own village so they can be the best version of who they want to be always.

faking it til' I make it!

I am reusing this picture because these days, I need the reminder. You see me smile, but if my eyes aren't smiling, you're being duped. You hear my jolly tone, but if you notice, it's canned. Fake it til' you make it mode is in full effect right now. 

It's just the time of year- warm weather is gone, chilly weather is settling in, bye bye camper, bye bye lazy summer days. Halloween is over, so everyone will go straight to Christmas and bypass my favorite holiday- Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving with no gifts, lots of food, family, fun and football. My favorite holiday!

I am grateful. I am blessed. I am making plans to beat the upcoming winter blues. We are going to do all the things and gave all the fun. But dang. I am tired. 

Tired of feeling like I have to be perfect every second of the day. Tired of running at 100 miles an hour. Tired of feeling all the emotions of everyone 24/7 and putting mine last. Just tired. I took two naps last weekend and avoided electronics and I STILL felt exhaustion.

I deleted apps, friends on social media, cleaned out emails, cleaned the junk drawers, made donation bags and still... I don't think I need to be cleaning the little things to feel better. This is bigger than that. I gotta dig deep. Better days are coming. The smiles will become genuine once again. I will lower my bar of excellence just enough to catch a breath and recharge.

I will be grateful. I will be aware of my blessings. I will pause to enjoy the little things. I will see the light ahead. I will enjoy each moment. And I will realize that this tough patch will pass just like the others and I will bounce back even stronger than before :)