Labor Day Fun and Crystal Digging

Hi! I hope you had a fantastic Labor day! We did a little camping, fishing, and hiking….but the highlight of the trip was digging for crystals. Right here in Montana we have a really fun place where you basically get to be like a kid in a sandbox looking for treasures. They don’t plant the crystals so you really have to search them out to find the bigger ones but they but it is truly addicting.

I pulled some information off of the official website just because I thought it was so interesting. “The prospect of finding buried treasure is always just one shovel scoop away here in this public sandbox high in the Pioneer Mountains.  The treasure is the quartz crystals that are scattered liberally through the decomposed granite of the unique 220-acre site that's been reserved by the Forest Service for the popular hobby of rockhounding.

Look at me in all my camping glory lol

These are some of the fun treasures we unearthed….

   

We had a blast. Now I need to figure out a way to add these to a fun project…maybe jewelry?

I am in love (again)

Hi friends! I hope that everyone is having a great summer. Mine has been very fun but very busy lol. I have to admit though that I have been cheating on blogging with my new current love……

Oh my word are you part of this? Have you checked it out?

This is literally my new favorite way to save all of the fun things I plan to create, cook, craft, sew, or just plain drool over. I would love to hook up  with any of you there!!

New Music Obsession

Oh my gosh have you heard about DJ Earworm and his amazing music mashups? My husband played one for me the other night and I went straight to his WEBSITE to download some of his amazing work.

Here is a taste what do you think?

A Musical Journey Challenge

My bloggy friend Jenn over at Quirky Pickings is hosting a song challenge and I am in love with it. For her this will be a daily challenge that she will post about for thirty days. I really wanted to play along but I also know that I have a hard time with a daily posts (call me flaky lol), so the way I am going to play is to post all of my answers in one big post. But you really should go check out Jenn’s blog and join in the fun!!

I love music and have it on in my house all day. Many of these answers would change daily or depending on my mood it could change several times a day ha ha. So these are my answers for now :)

day one-

favorite song   Carrie Underwood – Last Name

day two –

least favorite song  Train – If it’s love (I don’t know why it rubs me wrong lol)

day three –

a song that makes you happy Michael Buble – Haven’t met you yet

day four –

a song that makes you sad Kenny Chesney - Don’t Blink (it makes me remember how fast time is going by and how big my son is getting)

day five –

a song that reminds you of someone Emerson Drive  - Moments (my husband played this for me the first time I heard it and I will never forget the look it put in his eyes)

day six –

a song that reminds of you of somewhere LMFAO – I’m in Miami (I will never hear this song without thinking of Vegas with you Brandi)

day seven –

a song that reminds you of a certain event Elvis – Love me tender (I can hear my Grandpa’s voice singing this to my Grandma at their 50th anniversary party)

day eight –

a song to which you know all the words Eminem – loose yourself (ok to be honest remembering songs is almost as easy as breathing to me but I thought this one would make you laugh because it’s true)

day nine –

a song to which you can dance J-lo – Lets get loud (I know I know so silly but I can’t help it this one makes me move)

day ten –

a song that makes you fall asleep Imogen Heap – Hide and seek (I really mean this in a good way this is a song that calms me down and lulls me)

day eleven –

a song from your favorite band Black Eyed Peas – I got a feeling

day twelve –

a song from a band you hate Johnny Horton – Battle of New Orleans (I can honestly say that I love all kinds of music but twangy country is probably my least favorite, sorry love)

day thirteen –

a song that is a guilty pleasure Britney Spears – Toxic (don’t roll your eyes you love it to right?)

day fourteen –

a song that no one would expect you to love It may surprise some people to know that I love everything from Phantom of the Opera, Carrie Underwood, Eminem, Frank Sinatra, and Dixie Chicks to Trapt.

day fifteen –

a song that describes you Colbie Caillat - Lucky

day sixteen –

a song that you used to love but now hate Fergie – Glamorous (I mean I wouldn’t say hate but how did I use to really like this one so much?)

day seventeen –

a song that you hear often on the radio Owl City - Firefly

day eighteen –

a song that you wish you heard on the radio Anything by Michael Buble

day nineteen –

a song from your favorite album Carrie Underwood –Wasted – from the Some Hearts album

day twenty –

a song that you listen to when you’re angry Evanescence – Bring me to life

day twenty-one –

a song that you listen to when you’re happy Corinne Bailey Rae – Put your records on

day twenty-two –

a song that you listen to when you’re sad Anna Nalick – Breathe (It calms me down)

day twenty-three –

a song that you want to play at your wedding (Well since we pulled a fast one and eloped we didn’t have “a song” for our wedding but this would have been a good one) Nat King Cole - Unforgettable

day twenty-four –

a song that you want to play at your funeral Alabama – Angels among us (I love the version with lots of kids singing along)

day twenty-five –

a song that makes you laugh BKaty Perry – California Gurls

day twenty-six –

a song that you can play on an instrument Tim McGraw – Don’t take the girl (I used to be able to play most of this on the piano)

day twenty-seven –

a song that you wish you could play (anything really ha ha but I love the piano intro to…) Lady Antebellum – I need you now

day twenty-eight –

a song that makes you feel guilty Che’nelle –I fell in love with a DJ (I know I am a dork, I don’t know if this makes me feel guilty but it’s just a dumb song that cracks me up)

day twenty-nine –

a song from your childhood (I don’t know if it would be considered my childhood but these two songs make me think of times back in the day :) House of Pain – Jump around and Ugly Kid Joe – Everything about you

day thirty –

favorite song at this time last year Taylor Swift – Love story

I hope you had fun going on my musical journey, do you feel like you know me better?  Let me know if you play along I want to see your list or you can post daily with Jenn!!

Quirky Pickings and Randomness

My bloggy friend Jenn (AKA Criticalcrass) over at Quirky Pickings did a little spotlight on me and let me ask her a few random questions then she said it was my turn to answer my own questions lol.

First a little about Jenn…..her blog is a fun place that always makes me giggle. She likes Coke and Never Pepsi, and Pringles but not Hostess products. She also shares my love for books and is a fellow fan of Nora Roberts. We also have the same embarrassing fact from our past in common. Yes we both played the clarinet in grade school ha ha. How did we get roped into that?!!

Here are my answers to the questions I asked her. You should go check out what her answers were to the same questions!

1. If you had a giant yacht what would you name it? (I stole this answer from the hottie hubbie)  401k

2. Is it ok to wear socks with sandals or to bed? Never ever on both counts ewwww

3. If the president was calling you with an emergency what would he need your help with? He must have heard I have mad scrapbooking skills :)

4. If you had a super power what would you want it to be? I think I would like to be able to fly (wouldn’t errands be so much more fun?)

5. What can you hear right now? HLN news concerning the oil spill DISASTER (so sad)

6. Would you rather be way too hot or way too cold? I would rather be too hot next to a cool pool, with a cold drink, and a good book

7. What would your dream vacation be? That’s easy….FIJI

8. If you had an extra $100 to be selfish with what would you get? I seriously need  a new curling iron but I want a good one and I am way to cheap to buy one lol.

9. Would you ever sky dive? Nope I am a chicken, although I am considering paragliding

10. What is your all time favorite book? I am a huge Twilight fan (the book not the movie) and I loved the book The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Ok there you have it!!  Now I put it to all of you: What is your dream vacation?

Oh and on a side note I apologize for having to turn on word verification for comments but the spam comments have gotten out of control. Have a great day!!

Why didn’t you tell me?

Do you ever have those moments where you are in shock with information that you just got and you literally have to say, why didn’t you tell me about that? Well I had a moment like that over the weekend. I said to my BFF how much i hated my dirty, sticky, laundry soap cap….

 

and she said, “ I just throw it in the wash with my clothes and it comes out clean”. I sat there and thought Duh that is so simple.

So I thought I would share some of my favorite little tricks and see if anyone else wants to share what they know so we can all learn something and have less “why didn’t you tell me?” moments!!

I clean my lint trap with the used dryer sheet that just got ran through the last cycle.

I am obsessed with disinfectant wipes especially in the bathroom and kitchen.

The magic eraser changed my life when it comes to cleaning bathrooms, especially the shower/tub floors.

This one might be completely in my head but I read that a large part of what dulls a razor (other than regular use) is the water that sits on it after it is used, especially if you have hard water like me. So while I dry off after a shower i take my towel and dry off the edges of the razor as well. Like I said this could be all in my head but I swear my razor lasts longer.

To help a blemish heal faster I put a little dab of Neosporin on it. I have no idea if this is even a good idea and I am certainly not a skin expert but I always think if it is supposed to help cuts heal faster and healthier doesn’t this just make sense lol.

 

I blog using Live Writer and if you have never tried it I couldn’t recommend it more!!

What tips/tricks do you have?

**I was not paid, prompted or asked by any of these companies to blog about these tips!    

Attempt One Failed, Do I get to keep the Awards?

Well after all of THAT can you believe it failed miserably? i plan to find another recipe and try again so stay tuned :)

View Full Album

Do you see that not even one sugar crystal ha ha!

But now I am worried that I may no longer deserve these amazing awards?!? lol

It must be blog award season because look what I have been honored with. I am feeling lightheaded with excitement over these three awards from three amazing blogger……

Should be Cleaning                        

(I pass this one on to Bobbi, Disney, Allison, Kimberly, and Jill)

The Practical Mom guide

(I pass this one on to Ammie, Molly, Aubri, Lisa, and Leslie)

Both of these awards ask for………

Ten things that make me happy:

1. The sound of my hubby and son laughing together

2. Going on adventures with my family (camping, hiking, etc……)

3. Reading

4. Crafting

5. Loyal friends

6. Good food

7. Cookie dough

8. Tight hugs and snuggles from either of my boys :)

9. Family movie night

10. Lazy mornings

 

Ma What's 4 Dinner 

(I pass this one on to Stacie, Stephanie, Jandy, Amber, and Krystle)

This award asks for…………..

Ten honest facts about me:

1. I am so not a morning person

2. I hate falling asleep/napping during the day, I wake up feeling so groggy

3. I only wash my hair every other day  (is that gross?)

4. I loooove a good bargain

5. I am obsessed with the show Gilmore Girls and watch back episodes everyday while I work :)

6. I really hate cleaning our bathrooms (don’t worry I still do it)

7. I am the middle child of three girls and the hubby is the middle child of three boys (meant to be huh? wink wink)

8. I am a big fan of Twilight but I am part of team Edward when I am reading the book and team Jacob if I am watching one of the movies ha ha

9. I love to sing but not in front of people

10. I love video games especially anything Mario related and of course guitar hero (now you know)

What is something honest about you?

Ten Years From Now……

I rarely do a post about myself I like to focus on my crafty little attempts and I promise to get right back to it, but this post from Should Be Cleaning was to fun to pass up. Oh and if you haven’t visited her before you should especially on Tuesday because she has a new poll every week everything from divorce to leg shaving lol.

Here are the rules:
1. Post where you want to be in 10 years
2. Pass it on to 10 of your bloggy friends!

 

I will be married to the same fun loving, sexy, laid back hunk.

My son will be 15 (okay that one made my stomach roll)

I will have finally figured out my sewing machine {wink wink}

I plan to still be living in the same town but hope to have a house with a laundry room like this……

And a craft room like this…..

I will be almost 40 (you would think that would make my stomach roll more than my sons age but oddly it doesn’t)

I will still be working on being a better Mom, Wife, Sister, Daughter, Niece, Cousin, FRIEND, and Granddaughter.

 

I plan to copy Jen and say that I tag all of you that regularly read what I have to say. This is such a fun way to learn just a little more about each other. I can’t wait to see who follows through with this and read what you have to say!!!!

I’m BAAAAck!

Thanks to my hubby I have just returned from paradise!!

Can you believe it? I took this from the balcony of our room!!

We had a great time but can I just say how great it feels to be home and back in my own bed, does that mean I’m getting old? lol. While I get all of my ducks back in a row please go and visit my friend Mrs. E and see what she did to shine up this Amazing dresser and tonz of other cute projects!

The Big 5

Last week we had a big day in our house the little man turned FIVE!! I know I can’t believe it and you see the problem with this right? If he is five then I have gotten five years older ugh can that be right? lol!! The party theme was “army men” and the kids seemed to have such a great time.

We made this cute little thank you cards and included a pic of all the kids in their army gear.

Happy Birthday big boy you are getting so big and we are so proud of you!!

Gratitude

I try to keep my blog filled with ideas and tips and less about my personal life (yes I am one of those overprotective moms ha ha), but I had to take this chance to share this..............
It is so funny to me how a picture can bring on so many emotions. I was going through our photo's from our weekend camping trip and came across this one. I know I am going to sound crazy for a second but it's my blog so deal (lol), this picture made me feel so so lucky to live where I live and to be sharing my life with the family and friends that surround me. I know how did a silly little Caterpillar on my son's finger bring all of this on? I am still not sure. But I am sure that I am where I am supposed to be. Don't get me wrong I certainly don't have it all figured out but I am just feeling an overwhelming gratitude for everything that I have!! Ok thanks for indulging me or a moment, next post will be back to my regular scheduled programming {wink wink}.