Free Blog Templates & Buttons

Lots of people have asked me about blogging and blogger templates. I am fairly new to it all, but I have had fun "playing" with my blog. I created the header myself and I just change the background font color to coordinate with the header. I have, however, found a few sites with really cute blog templates and buttons. The sites have FREE premade templates that you can download and you can purchase custom made blog templates as well. You can also find some really cute FREE blog buttons to add to your blog. Anyhow, here are the sites that I have found:

Cutest Blog on the Block
Simply Fabulous Blogger Templates
Leelou Blogs

My friend Tony just made me aware of some other sites to check out as well:

Split Decisionz
Simply Chic Blogs
Smitten Blog Designs
Gisele Jaquenod & Birdie

Recycled Cards

Today we mailed out some of the cards that we made/recycled from used cereal boxes and magazines. It is always nice for the grandparents to get handmade projects from the kids and it is a nice way to reinforce the concept of recycling. Here is what we came up with.One of my boys wanted to do it his way. I am sure you can tell which cards are his! :-) The kids wrote their names on the back and off to the grandparents the cards went. I got the idea from a blogger friend at ILuvBNaMom. (Scroll down about midway to see her cards.) She got the idea from the blog, Permission to Unwind. Here is the link if you want step-by-step directions to see how to make your own.

Dino Craft

Well, we are wrapping up our study about dinosaurs. We made stegosauruses out of paper plates. We got the idea from the book, Crafts for Kids Who Are Wild About Dinosaurs. They turned out pretty good. I think the last "test" will be for them to decipher which dinosaur is which when they each their chicken dinosaur nuggets for dinner. I get the big box from Costco and I hate to admit it, but they are staple in our house. :-)

At The Lambing Barn

Last week my husband and I took the kids to see lambs at the lambing barn. We thought it would be neat for the kids to see the lambs up close. Plus, we were able to kind of relate the lambs and the barn back to the play they saw a few days prior, "Charlotte's Web." JJ kept looking around and asking if Templeton, the rat, was there. I told him that there just might be a Templeton somewhere around there! :-) So, he was on the lookout, but we never saw one. But, what we did was pretty cool. The kids got to see baby lambs nursing their mother. I explained what was going on and KJ said, "Hey mom, they are getting milk from their mommy like how you used to give milk to the babies except theirs in under them and yours are on your belly!" I cracked up laughing!!! So, we began to move around the barn looking at the different lambs and we noticed a group of people gathered over in the corner. We got closer only to discover that one of the lambs was in labor. Would you believe that we got to see a lamb being born. Yes, we saw everything...and so did the kids. The boys and the babies didn't pay that much attention, but Miss KJ did!!! In my mind, all I could think about was how I was NOT ready to have to have "that" conversation with her yet! Fortunately it didn't really come up. I think she was more surprised that she actually saw a baby lamb come out. She told me that she thought the mommy lamb was going to "have an egg." Kids say some of the funniest things!!!

He Doesn't Get Tired

This morning as we were getting ready to leave for church, I was reminding KJ to get money out of her piggy bank to put in offering at church. Well, the boys heard me and quickly asked if they could "offering". Yes, DC said, "Mom, can I offering too?" (This is not a typo!) Anyhow, my husband and I began to explain to them what offering is. They really had no idea other than they knew they wanted to get money out of their piggy banks too. So, my husband explains that it is a way to say thank you to God for all the things that he has given us...like food to eat, clothes to wear, and house to live in, toys to play with... Then, JJ looks up and says, "Does God ever get tired of giving us all that stuff?" I quickly jumped in and said, "No, He doesn't get tired!!!" What a reminder to me! We may get tired of providing, but God never grows weary! It is a joy for him to give to his children!!!

"Terrific, Terrific, Terrific"

Earlier this week I took the big three to see their first play, "Charlotte's Web." They absolutely loved it. DC's favorite part was when Wilbur ran away. JJ's fave part was when Templeton, the rat, fell asleep after pigging out at the fair. Even though the boys told me their favorite parts, I think the part that stuck with them the most was KJ's favorite part; the goose's suggestion for the web "Terrific, terrific, terrific." For the rest of the day everything was "terrific, terrific, terrific" and everything was said in triplicates.

Apple Crumble Pie

Oh my gosh!!! I have found the most easy and the most amazing apple pie recipe. I can't believe how delicious and how easy it is! So, that is why I decided to share it. As a mom, I am ALWAYS on the look out for delicious and easy when it comes to food. I did make a few adjustments to the recipe. Here is what I used and did:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 9" deep dish pie crust

5 cups apples (peeled, cored, thinly sliced)

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/3 cup white sugar

3/4 cup all purpose flour

6 Tbsp melted butter

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 325.

2) Mix apples with flour, sugar, white sugar, brown sugar & cinnamon. Put apples in pie crust.

3) Mix last three ingredients until crumbly. Add a few dashed of cinnamon. Top apples with mixture. I like to add a bit more cinnamon on top.

4) Bake for about 1 hour or until apples are soft and top is lightly browned.

Reminders: Be sure to cut apples very thin...no more than 1/4 inch thick. Also be sure to pack the brown sugar when measuring it. Once I made it and forgot to pack the brown sugar and the pie was not sweet enough.

Disclaimer: I did adjust my recipe listed above from the one listed on the site in accordance with some of the suggestions I found on the site. This is definitely a keeper for me!!! BTW, my picture does NOT do this pie justice. So, if you are skeptical, don't go off of the picture! You have got to try it!!! Let me know if you do!!!

Cheese Please

Today we took the kids to a cheese factory. It was a long, windy ride that had me on the edge of my seat the whole way. I don't know what it is, but I just don't care for riding on windy roads through mountains. But, once we got there we went on a self-guided tour. It started out with some cow statues and a video explaining how the milk gets from the cow to the factory. (JJ saw the cows and said, "Hey Mister Cow, how are you doing?") Then we walked around and through large windows we were able to see the rest of the cheese-making process! Despite seeing all that cheese, the kids favorite part, hands down, was the ice cream. Husby's favorite had to be the chocolate-peanut butter fudge! It was a great day!

Staying The Way He Is...

Over the weekend we went to a marriage conference at our church. Friday night they showed the movie, Fireproof.It was great! I highly recommend it. The next day we had a guest speaker who was also great. But, what I really want to share is a comment that JJ made the last night of the conference. We were walking to the car to go home and he announced, "I want to stay the way I am." Confused, I replied, "Okay? That's fine. You can stay the way you are." I had no clue what he was talking about, but it was late and I was tired, so I didn't really question him further. Then he blurted out, "I don't want to get married. I want to stay the way I am." I burst out laughing!!! He continued, "If I get married, I will have to grow up and be a daddy. I just want to stay the way I am." Now, I am not sure where all of this came from, but we were at a marriage conference! :-) Funny, "I want to stay the way I am..." I will have to remind him of this little conversation on his wedding day! :-)

Too Smart for Her Own Good!!!

Yesterday evening, my husband took the boys to a basketball game so that my daughter and I could have "girl time" after the babies went to bed. So, she decided that we were going to scrapbook together. Well, by the time that I got the babies to bed, we only had a little bit of time to scrapbook before the boys got back home from the game. So, I decided that she could stay up so that we could get some more "scrappin" in. It got late and we continued to scrapbook. I got tired and told her that it was time to start cleaning up. Once she had cleaned her stuff off the table I told her to get her broom and sweep up the floor. She got out her little broom and began sweeping. After a few minutes she said, "Mama, why don't you do the sweepin' while I do the sleepin'"!!!! Can you believe that little girl! I just smiled and told her to go get ready for bed. She is just too smart for her own good!!!

Dino Convo

Here is another funny conversation I had with my kids:

So, we just started studying dinosaurs. We were reviewing the days of Creation and I asked the kids what day they thought God created dinosaurs. DC blurted out,

"Friday"

I couldn't help but laugh! (I was expecting to hear "day six").

Bathroom Reminder

With two 3.5 year old boys using the toilet and two more that will be joining the potty-training ranks in a year or so, I have been battling the bathroom woes! My boys stand when the go to the bathroom...need I say more. Though their aim has gotten better, the bathroom is constantly in need of being cleaned! So, as I was browsing the web, I found this bathroom reminder. Angela actually has it for sale on her site for $4.95. But, in my usual style of trying to save a buck, I decided to make my own. Here is what I came up with. I made two of them and laminated them. I put them just above the toilet paper (so you can see it whether you are standing or sitting!!!) in both the kid's bathroom and the downstairs/hallway bathroom. Perhaps, just perhaps my daughter will not fall into the toilet anymore. Perhaps just perhaps I won't walk into the bathroom with unflushed urine still in the toilet. Perhaps just perhaps I will not have to clean up anymore pee that didn't make it INTO the toilet. Perhaps...