St Patricks Day 2013

Its nice to see even our oldest enjoying the parade. He brings his music along since the loud noise bother him.



Getting good photos of all three kiddos can be difficult but I love this one!

Waiting for the parade to start. We have gone every year for nearly their entire lives. My husband went to this same parade on St Patricks Day when he was a child.

I love that he was having fun. I was home working on a quilt order I had to get out.

So many people attend and they throw out lots of beads.

The last few years they have gone to my husbands brothers for dinner after. Its a nice way to get together.

Soft Scrub Advanced Surface Cleaner Coupon Giveaway

Enter the Giveaway for Soft Scrubs New Advanced Surface Cleaner

My stovetop is always a huge issue. Everything sticks to it. Even water leaves marks. I love that this cleaner helped with that. We did leave it sit a while and it helped a lot. I really need to assign this as a chore for one of the boys. The white part of the stove came clean immediately. We let the cleaner sit a bit for the areas around the burner. It is nice that it is gentle to use and will not damage the surface.

We did have to use a razor blade to scrape the rest of it off, but it helped loosen everything so that we could do that. I am curious to see how it will help with just a couple of days grime instead of a longer period of time. Make sure you enter the giveaway for $1000 "Don't Worry Be Happy Sweepstakes"


 

Chicken Coop

Our New Chicken Coop My husband did all the framing and I helped him get the wire put up.

This is part of the inside- we still need to get the hen house finished so they can lay eggs and then roof it all, or partially roof and fence it. They are all young hens/roosters so we have some time before its mandatory. We won't get eggs from these guys till probably October. I hope a little earlier though. We have our older chickens right next to these guys and learned we had to put wood up at the bottom of that fencing because the older hens would reach through and grab the head of the younger ones. Interesting...

Twin Graduation Quilt

Graduation Quilt order I finished over the weekend. Its twin size and holds 20 Tshirts with 6 appliques

This square has an iron on patch that I put on after the quilt was made. She found it after I already had the quilt together so I added it today. I am surprised at how easy it was...always a good idea for future quilts I do for the kiddos. I get sew on patches at events or museums just to remember the field trip, camping trip etc when I see they are available.

This is the first quilt where I was able to take a pocket from the front of a shirt and stitch it in such a way that the pocket still opens. I have put pockets in memory quilts before but never appliqued them like this, it turned out really cute.

This corner is a jersey tank top that I appliqued onto a Tshirt back from another shirt and then also an applique from the front of a Tshirt that was made. I really wanted the patch from the tank top on the quilt too so I cut it out from the front and appliqued it as well.

This is another area where I took the front name and number of a shirt and appliqued it on the back so that she had that special part of the shirt too.

This shows the other jersey tank and patch and also the cotton fabric backing- which is the same fabric as the front. The customer opted for the cotton  back instead of flannel. It also has a pretty cotton red binding, since the colors were blue and red.

Easter 2013

We started our day by smoking a pork roast and writing clues for a Easter Egg hunt and three individualized Scavenger Hunts. We started the scavenger hunts a few years ago when the kids became teens just to add something special to Easter. They love it. They get about 8 clues to their specific items and it is typically something rather practical.

This year the Egg hunt itself was for things we don't typically buy such as fruit snacks, popcorn, poptarts etc. They seemed to enjoy that as well

I love this photo of the three kids this year. Our daughter is really having a hard time lately knowing that her time with her big brother is limited since next year is her senior year.. I can tell as we take each of these photos..

I love this photo too, our dogs are always wanting to be in the center of everything, as well as this little girl.

The weather in Texas is always unpredictable. Here is the Hail Storm we had in the middle of the day. It delayed the boys scavenger hunts a little.

 

 

 His clues ended in his fort and he got a hand axe and a airsoft gun.

She got art pencils, an art book to show her how to draw some things and then a new sketch pad. She is super excited to see that their are some how to draw wolf pictures.

His last clue was that he needed to practice more in this.. I am desperate for him to have his license but he never has time to drive. He is so busy with his academics. We plan to start remodeling his room, even though he only has one more year of High School so we bought a ceiling fan. It will be a good addition to things.

Forts and the Importance of Space

My son has been wanting a fort for some time- like 5+ years. His dad is always so busy with side jobs, his regular job, things in our life and hasn't had the time to help him, despite his good intentions. My son took things into his own hands. He asked his dad if he could borrow some items that were laying around and he has built this small area that is "His".
 

I was so impressed that I used this as part of his clues for his Easter Scavenger Hunt this year. I also allowed for a purchase of a small hand axe as part of his Easter gift for this hunt. He was super happy. He even has Christmas lights and wants to plant some trees near it so that he has his own little outside home..

Purex Natural Elements Tropical Splash Detergent Coupon Giveaway

Purex Natural Elements has a delightful smell and I you could win one of three coupons to try it yourself!

I think this is the best detergent smell for my quilts and sheets. I love the smell when it comes out of the wash and onto my bed. It seems like I don't get much sleep these days but one thing that is very important to me every night is my bedding. We have two dogs and they sleep with us at night so sadly I change our bedding two to three times a week. It also means that I need a detergent that will get that bedding clean.  This detergent is hypoallergenic and dye free, that is a huge blessing to me since I suffer from eczema. This time of year that rash and dryness becomes a bigger issue. The strong winds every day, the change in season.. I find my skin is more sensitive then ever and the detergent I wash my clothes and sheets with is highly important so that I don't further irritate my skin and allergies.
 

Dial Body Wash Coupon Giveaway

I have another product giveaway for 3 coupons of Dial Body & Hair Wash
My son runs track and cross country, he is also 15 and boys can surely smell when they sweat!
He loves to be outside, play computer games, be a typical boy. Last thing on his mind is a shower. He loves axe soaps but honestly I cannot handle the intense smell left on him after he showers. We have finally found a soap that we can both agree on. It gets rid of his teenage smell and I don't have a headache for hours after he showers.
As a mom I love that it is hypoallergenic, contains no dye etc.
Enter below for your chance to win one of three coupons for Dial Body and Hair Wash. Its a family soap so even big kids can use it.

Dial Coconut Body Wash Coupon Giveaway

This Giveaway is for a chance to win one of three coupons to purchase your own Dial Coconut Body Wash
Raising a teen age girl can be challenging. She loves to look and smell really good. She loves this new body soap from Dial. It smells like coconut. It is very fresh yet very light. I love that it is hydrating because she runs track and is out in the wind every day. She needs something that is not going to dry out her skin. I love that it is a family soap, any of us can use it because it is not a girly smell. I know that you will love it too.

Purex With Crystals Fabric Softener Giveaway

I have three Purex with Crystals Product Coupons to give away enter for your chance today.

In my family of 5 we do a lot of laundry every week. It seems like it never does get caught up. That means I want a laundry detergent I can trust to do the job. Purex is always coming out with a great way to save you time in your every day chores. This time they came out with a laundry soap that is combined with their famous Crystals fabric softener. One great thing about Purex is that it has a Dirt Lift Action formula to help you get those clothes clean. One constant with Purex is that it is always truly affordable. That is very important to me. Enter through Rafflecopter below for your chance to win.