The girls and I made 4 dozen of these to bring to a Christmas party this weekend. I would show you video of the process, but it's nothing but me yelling and the girls crying:) I get so picky when it comes to any sort of craft project, when the eyes were getting spaced too far apart, I started freaking out. Anyway, the room Mom for Mallory's class made these for her Christmas party, all the Moms went nuts for them. Cute, right? (My New Years resolution is to figure out how to get the pictures from my i-phone to not turn sideways when I email them...)

Let me introduce the ballerina (i.e. Hippo in a tutu!) the worlds greatest soccer player (her words) the princess, and the 34th miner!

Last night, I was trying to take cookies out of the oven and I cant for the life of me find the oven mitt I had just used! I used a washcloth instead and burned my hand in the process. I still down at the table and this is what I see! This girl keeps me laughing non stop.

So Dave (who is an 11 year old trapped in a 35 year olds body) insists on buying the biggest marshmallows I have ever seen, they were so big, the girls had to share 1 S'More! Let's Connect!

The little lady did so great last week, what with having an extra toe removed and all!  This girl always smiles!

I have been getting so many comments lately about the recipe for homemade laundry soap…I tried to film myself making it yesterday, but my computer shut down during filming.  Here is the first few minutes of it…and to recap the recipe: Shred 1 bar Fels Naptha in food processor (if you’re lucky enough to have one) or shred it with a cheese grater, or use a KitchenAid attachement if you have one.  Blend 1/2 cup Borax and 1/2 cup Arm and Hammer Washing soda.  I use a blender to mix all 3 ingredients to make a smooth mix.  Then I store it in a glass jar.  I have a HE washing machine and use about 1 TBSP of the mixture per load.  If you have a Top Loader, use a few Tablespoons. It should cost you about 3 cents a load.

Hey, if I can make my own laundry soap, anything is possible! Everyone around me is sick lately, and it has me washing my hands in overdrive, but if I'm not near a sink I use hand sanitizer. The problem is that those little bottles start to add up financially, and I feel bad throwing out so many plastic containers. Recently, my friend shared her recipe for homemade sanitizer with me and I've been a convert ever since. What's cool is that the basic ingredients are things I already keep in my medicine cabinet: aloe vera gel and rubbing alcohol. You can make as little or as much as you want, but always use a ratio of six parts alcohol to four parts aloe vera gel for it to be effective. If you're a big germaphobe like I am you can also add tea tree oil — nature's antiseptic — to the mixture. I put about five drops into every half-cup of sanitizer I make. I also add lavender oil to the mix to kill the medicinal smell. From there, just add your mixture to a small bottle that you can always keep with you. I still think that washing your hands trumps sanitizer, but this recipe is a great alternative to the store-bought stuff.

This weekend I was at the Mac store in the mall checking out all of the latest gadgets and gizmos Apple has managed to come up with. I cannot tell you how much I drooled over the i-phone! Anyway, I also tried on a pair of the most amazing headphones from Bose. Not only did they cancel the excess noise around me, but they had the crispest sound I've heard, an important feature when you wear headphones everyday. They went immediately on my birthday/Christmas list. The problem is on my Birthday/Christmas list is also a really expensive "French Oven" from Le Creuset. It's the one from the movie Julie and Julia. I also found it at the mall, in Williams Sonoma. In my head, I actually think this particular item will inspire me to cook the famous Boeuf Bourguignon from the movie. And they are made in a little old village in France! I've seen cheaper French Ovens from Cuisenart and at Target, but I really want the orange one from the movie! I think the color would bring some happiness to my kitchen, if all else fails. What things make you happy...or what things do you think are going to make you happy?

I am a wife to Dave and a mother of three fabulous girls, who spends her days chasing after the elusive work/life balance. I would be doing a better job of that if I possessed a robot who did laundry. If you know of one, please call me. I love making connections through my radio show, speaking at local MOPS groups, and video blogging for "Come on Over." (Coming soon) I hate bananas and when it's my turn to bring snacks to pre-school. This is my blog. Remember, it is a mere snapshot of my life, not the whole thing.

This is the first video of our trip to Manistee County. The older girls and my husband took an exciting airplane ride over downtown Manistee and Lake Michigan. It was a beautiful day for an airplane ride, and the girls had a blast. This was our first trip to Manistee County and we were amazed by all there was to do there.