Heinz snobs

This is my pantry. Your probably asking yourself why is she taking pics of her pantry. Good question....and the answer is because I am married to a Bolin and together we have 2 Bolin kids which means that Heinz ketchup takes over our pantry. Not just any ketchup mind you, it MUST be Heinz. At any given time there is always Heinz ketchup in our pantry and right now there are 7 bottles plus another one in the fridge. I know what your thinking, how could somebody possibly need that much ketchup and Ive wondered it myself until I see just how much my hubby and kids use and that they use it on everything. Basically we are a bunch of Heinz snobs. Ive made the mistake of bringing in the other brand of ketchup and it was not pretty so if you come to visit us you can rest assure that we may not have other food but by golly we will have ketchup.

My little Jedi in training....

Today Preston's teacher asked the kids in the class what did they want to be when they grow up. Most said teacher, firefighter, policeman but not our son , nope those jobs are far too easy and predictable for him. His answer was I want to be a Jedi. Im not sure if his teacher even knows what a Jedi is but she thought he had the most unique response and had to share it with me. His dreams of becoming a Jedi might not work out for him but he has a hell of an imagination so maybe he could be the next George Lucas. Maybe Preston could continue the Star Wars saga and they could fight Transformers or Iron Man.

Kick Cancers Ass

Since this is my blog and I can cry if I want to then the same goes for I can write what I want to and today we are talking about cancer. Almost every family is effected in one way or another with cancer. I have volunteered for the American Cancer Society Relay for life for 2 years now and this year I am on the committee and I have always thought about my grandparents and loved ones that died of cancer while volunteering but little did I know just how close cancer would hit home to me. My uncle was diagnosed with prostate cancer several months ago and because of its severity and growth my dad decided it would be a good time to get stuff checked out for him as well. My dad informed me this weekend that he now also has prostate cancer as well. His tests came back positive and he will undergo radiation of some form since surgery is not an option for him. Im not sure what to even think about all of this. Its one thing to hear that my dad was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis a few years ago but now this. I know that he is the toughest man I know so I know he is going to do everything he can to fight this. I want him to be here for a very long time so Im asking for lots of prayers for my dad and uncle and to kick this cancers ass because if anyone can do it I know these 2 can. This years Relay for Life will be for my uncle and dad and its going to have a lot more meaning to me as a volunteer and committee member.

Today I worked on the back deck a bit and planted some new flowers. Preston and I also planted lettuce and spinach leaves. (click on picture to enlarge)

Funk......

Funk...ever been in a funk and you have no idea why or what caused it and you cant seem to get rid of it. Thats me lately...in a funk. I cant seem to shake it and its getting annoying. Go away funk I have no time for you.

Green, greener, really green

This spring I did some more work in the flowerbed out front along the walkway. I also made a few projects such as the house # sign and the initial star. The front walkway looks great right now with all of the rain we had last week. I really love working outside in the yard. Next project is buying flowers for all of the flower pots on the back deck. (click on picture to enlarge)

Mother's Day is approaching and I cant tell you just how much I love being a mom. Most days atleast, there are those days that I would like to change my name from mom to anything else that isnt being yelled at the time. Preston is going through a stage lately that as soon as I leave the room he starts yelling for me. Which isnt such a bad thing except that we live in a 3 story house cause our basement is finished and thats where the playroom, my sewing room, craft room and laundry room is located so at any time during the day I could be downstairs in the basement, on the main floor or upstairs where the bedrooms are located. It isnt just a "mom you here" yell its a Mom where are you and even if I hear your voice I wont be satisfied till I see you and since Im going to yell from the couch then you must bring yourself to me so that I can physically see you kind of yell. I hope this stage ends soon! This mothers day I would like to not hear my name yelled for atleast 2 hours (Im pretty sure that hubby misses his name being yelled while he is at work so to be fair I think his name should be the one yelled), sleep in, have coffee in bed and watch re-runs of the old 90210, yeah you read right 90210. Happy Mothers Day!

Burlap Garden Flag

Today I made this flag.....out of burlap. It will hang on a planter that my father in law made and sits on our back deck. Now I just need to actually put some flowers in the planter.

$1 project

I love the dollar tree store where everything is you guessed it $1.00. Lately I have been visiting it and coming up with cheap but cute craft projects. Here is one that I made with $1 photo frames. I spraypainted the one for Preston red cause white was girly. I already had scrapbook paper so I put that in the background and cut out the initials, attached ribbon that I already had as well although the frames actually came with white ribbon so really you wouldnt even have to change that out unless you so desired....which I did. I think it would be super cute and cheap if you got 3 of these and put different colors of scrapbook paper and hung in a girls room.

My "I" lists

I am.....thankful
I think....my sons laugh is the best thing in the world
I should...be cleaning the house
I dream....of the beach
I want...to spend more time with my sister
I know...very litttle
I don't like....mornings
I smell...the rain
I hear....the sound of Star Wars in my house either with toys or movies
I fear....scary movies
I usually...eat 1 piece of chocolate every 2 days (ok everyday)
I search...for decorating blogs and thrift store finds
I miss....my best friend who was killed a few years ago.
I always...have my morning coffee and beware when I dont
I regret....my sins and wasting time with the wrong men.
I wonder....why my son and husband cant hit the toilet.
I crave....chocolate
I remember...how much I loved being pregnant
I need.....more time with my Mammy
I forget....sometimes
I feel....blessed, busy, bloated, bubbly sometimes
I can....do anything I put my mind to.
I can't....isn't a word that I accept
I am happy....when the sun is shining
I lose.....my mind and socks
I sing....in the car until my son says "please stop your hurting my ears", and yes he says that often.
I listen...terribly, Im the worst listener ever. I struggle with it for some reason.
I shop.....at Target
I eat....just about anything
I love.....my family.

Curtain for niece

I made this curtain for my niece this weekend and finished it today. It aint pretty from the back but the front turned out pretty good. It will go in a large bay window that she has in her room so its mounted on a spring rod. I hope she likes it! (click on pictures to enlarge them).

Crafts

Today Trinity and I made these flowers for her ponytail holders. We took lei's that we bought at the dollar store, pulled the flowers off and then stacked them together by putting a little bit of hot glue in between each flower to be layered. We then took a jewel and glued it to the top. On the bottom we glued ponytail holders so now she can wear them in her hair or around her wrist as a bracelet. When we finished we had made about 25, some for her friends, some for her cousin, some for this house and some for her other house. It was a lot of fun but boy does hot glue hurt when you get it on your fingers...ouch!

Helpful hints

Heather's helpful hints:
1.Adding baking soda to your shampoo
Did you know by adding baking soda to your shampoo 2-3 times a month is good for it? Baking Soda hair wash method is a woman's best friend when it comes to hair care. A baking soda hair wash will clean out the excess product, remove impurities, and clean your hair better then any expensive product on the market. sprinkle a dash of baking soda into your palm and mix with your shampoo. Rinse and condition as usual. try this out a few times a month to get rid of hairspray build up.

2. Lemonade packet:
Original purpose: Quenching your thirst. Aha! use: Cleaning lime deposits and iron stains inside the dishwasher. Pour a packet of lemonade Kool-Aid (the only flavor that works) into the detergent cup and run the (empty) dishwasher.

scary

I have a confession to make and since Im in my 30's its a bit silly now that I think about it. I am scared of Freddy Kruegar. yep thats right the creepy guy with the razor sharp knive like things on his hands freaks me out. This wouldnt be a problem except that he never dies. His movies are still on, they still create new ones. In fact there is a new one coming out now and of course they only run the commercials at night when Im laying in bed and my thoughts and dreams are of this non hot scary man who kills instead of my hot husband (hey he reads this blog so lets pretend that he is one that I dream about instead of Pierce Brosnan). When this commercial comes on you will find me under the coveres with my hands over my ears, no joke. I dont even want to hear his voice. I once watched his movie at a friends house when I was younger and to this day it haunts me. Die Freddy, die already!

This weekend the hubby and kids spent time outside playing ball and I stayed inside and cleaned and organized the house. I vacuumed the entire house, dusted, cleaned all 3 bathrooms, organized the pantry, spent 2 hours in the playroom downstairs cleaning and organizing it, in fact my husband asked if I was cleaning or nesting. Cleaning, definitely cleaning.

This week is starting to get full already: In 2 weeks we will add in t-ball on Monday and Wednesday and keep swim lessons on Tuesday and Thursday.

Monday-School for Preston, bootcamp for me, grocery store
Tuesday-gym, playdate at our house, bake for Admin Day for Lowels work, swim lessons for Preston, Cancer Society meeting for me
Wednesday- Preston school. Helping a friend pick out paint colors for her house ,then work.
Thursday-work, swim lessons, Charter meeting
Friday-school for Preston, work for me

life is good

Preston and I had a blast yesterday. We went to my friends house who had invited all of our gym friends and their kids over. There were about 12 kids and 9 women for a playdate and lunch. It was a great time. We ate outside and talked, laughed and watched all of the kids play. As Lowel has told me many times me and my friends are like a "village" and if that's the case then Preston has his own little "mini village" going on.

Today Im working and I got an opportunity for a full time job starting in January 2011 but with Preston's kindergarten next year only being half days Im not sure that its the best timing although I have time to think about it so who knows maybe I will change my mind as the
time gets closer.

Is it a bad that I went to Walmart the other day, saw a cute shirt, tried it on, loved it then looked at the tag and it was a Miley Cyrus shirt. You know the ones you find in the junior department that are mostly skanky only this one wasnt, it was totally cute. Im too old for skanky although Im all for fun and flirty. This shirt was so cute but I just couldnt bring myself to buy a shirt inspired by a 16 year old (or however old she is now) when I am ......well not 16 years old. I havent stopped thinking about this shirt, maybe I can purchase it, cut the tag out and replace it with a JCPenney tag or Macys something more grown up. Ahhh just another dilemma of growing old I guess, maybe its time for me to stop shopping in the junior dept and move over to the misses dept. NAH!!!

So tired......today I put down 17 bags of mulch around the house, trimmed up the ornamental grass outside, went on a bike ride with the kids, took them to the park and did some house work. Now Im just plain tired. Plans for tomorrow......sleep in (yeah right with 2 kids).

Welcome back routine

Ahhh back to our routine. Routine in this house is a good thing and I must say that I thrive on it. I like to think that I used to be a fly by the seat of my pants type of gal but after having a child my pants are now stained with yogurt or capri sun and not by my doing. So these stained pants like routine. After being out of school a week for Spring break getting Preston up this morning for school was a task in itself. He was not happy about getting up but I know that he is his fathers son who does better on routines so after picking him up from school today he was much better. I was just writing things on the family calendar-yes we have one of those and realized that come May that Preston will be one very busy little boy. He will have Tball on Monday and Wednesday evenings and swim lessons on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and still go to school during the day. Im sure that being busy never killed anyone, or atleast not at this age. Welcome back routine and schedules-mommy missed you!

Easter time in TN

While in TN to had such a great time. We had an Easter egg hunt at Pepaws house, a baby shower for my sister in law, spent time with Great Mammy, Preston went to see his first 3D-Imax movie, ate, made smores outside in the fire, spent time with family, Preston came home with more toys that I can count that he "talked" family members into buying, and loved every minute of being in TN. However with that being said there is nothing like coming home to my hubby and house and having beautiful weather right here in OH. Its amazing how we can go from

having snow last Friday to 75 degrees today.

.