March Pack Meeting...and random thoughts

Monday night, Scott and I took the boys to their monthly Pack Meeting where they were each presented with a few new patches, pins, beads and belt loops. I did not think to grab a decent camera, so I had to take all of my pictures with my phone. I should be punished for forgetting, as the pictures turned out blurry and dark. I attempted to edit them, but I think it made them worse. I am usually so good at remembering to bring my camera to their Pack Meetings but we were running late and it never crossed my mind. I know, I know, excuses are like something else that I won't mention on here and we all have them. Speaking of, I have been having a lot of little talks with our boys lately about excuses. Children pick up on things and if you use an excuse for something, then they will learn the value of a good excuse and try to use it on you later. We need to stop making excuses for things we do not want to do and do them anyways for the better of our children. We are one of the biggest examples in their lives and we need to always keep in mind that everything we do, say, let them watch on T.V., etc. will always have an impact on them in some form or fashion. I will get off of my soap box now and get back to my original post...where was I...oh yea, Scouts!

The boys had a great time at the Pack Meeting, as did Scott. He recently went through the Baloo training to become a Scout Leader. He was asked to do this and was very thankful he was able to attend. I love that I married a man that is so involved with his children. Scott is the best father he can be for Shaun and Mason and they realize that. I have never seen a child look at their father quite like they look at him and it warms my heart every time. Scott only does as much as he does with Scouts to be closer to the boys and to enjoy activities with the boys. I try and attend all of their meetings to support them in all that they do, but that doesn't compare to all that he does.

The training took place last weekend and Scott was presented with the "High Energy" award at the Pack Meeting. That is definitely Scott when he is having a good time. That is another reason I love this man as much as I do. He is a lot of fun and knows how to act like a kid when appropriate. He makes me laugh harder than anyone else and I have more fun with him than I have with anyone else. That is what is really important, right? That you end up with the person that makes you laugh and that you want to spend all of your time with? There I go again...getting off subject.

I guess this post is going to be a modge podge of topics and not focus on the March Pack Meeting like I originally intended. That's fine. I created this blog so that I could have a place to document the things that my precious little family does everyday. These are the things that have been going on in our lives and through my mind recently. Who better to share with, than the blogging world? With that said, I guess I will share my "terrible" quality pictures from the meeting the other night. I tried to take one of each of my babies while they were getting their awards. The first picture is a picture from Baloo training. This is Scott's group that he was assigned to for the weekend. Apparently he was in a group with two guys that were just as mischievous as he was. They stayed in trouble and captured the other team's flags all weekend long. The second picture is Scott's award that he was presented with. The third picture is Mason with his awards and the fourth is Shaun with his awards. Again, I apologize for the terrible quality of the pictures, but I had to post a picture of our sweet boys in their uniforms. Aren't they handsome! My plan is to take bunny pictures of them on Sunday and I would like to take a few shots of them in their uniform as well. First, I will need to sew on their new patches...but that didn't turn out so great last time, so I am very worried about trying it again! I need to take a sewing class in a bad sort of way.

Easter Gifts for Teachers

The boys and I wanted to make their teachers a little gift for Easter. I did a lot of research on inexpensive gifts that would be cute, fun and easy to make. I ended up deciding on turquoise mason jars filled with pastel Easter candy and adorned with ribbons and bunny figurines. I was going to glue the bunny to the lid of the mason jar and spray paint them a pretty coordinating pastel color. While shopping for my supplies at Target, I came across a find I couldn't pass up. It was a cute little clear plastic container with a pink lid and blue Easter candy on the inside. I snatched them up because I figured plastic was probably a safer alternative for our boys to carry to school and they were already filled with pretty Easter candy. I was able to find bunny figurines from the local dollar store and voila, cheap supplies for our Easter gifts! We didn't spray paint the bunny or the lids. The lids were already a beautiful pastel pink and the bunnies were quite cute left unpainted. We hot-glued the bunnies to each of the lids and tied a precious little bow to the jar. The boys were both happy with the way they turned out. I believe the total cost of the project was $4 each. You cannot beat the price and I know if I were given one as a gift, I would be excited as they are extremely festive and cute. Below are a few pictures of our Easter Gifts for the boys Teachers. Please disregard the terrible quality of the pictures. I could not find my memory card so I had to use my camera.

 Shaun with his bunny jar.

The Easter candy is blueberry bubblegum. They had candy corn and gummy candy, but I thought that if they were dieting or watching what they ate, then at least they wouldn't feel too terrible about chewing a piece of blueberry gum.

 Mason with his bunny jar.

Aren't they precious?

Catching up...

I cannot believe I have not posted anything in over a month. There have been a lot of great things going on in our lives and I hate that I didn't get on here and blog about them. Therefore, I am going to try and mention everything that has happened in one post. Here goes...

1) Blue and Gold Banquet - The boys had their annual Blue and Gold Banquet with Scouts back in February. This is the ceremony where they each move up to the next level if they qualify. Shaun and Mason both moved up. They had their face painted to represent the changes and challenges and were awarded new badges. Hopefully I will do a better job of sewing the new ones on. Shaun became a Webelo and Mason became a Bear. Scott had the honor of painting both of their faces while I attempted to take their pictures.

2) Blue and Gold Banquet Cake Contest - Each year at the annual Blue and Gold Banquet, each scout can enter the cake contest. Last year the boys made cakes decorated for Easter as the banquet was so close to Easter. This year the Cake Contest was themed and the theme was "Trustworthiness". Mason decided to decorate his cake with firemen and Shaun decorated his cake with the US Army. We thought they chose excellent examples of trustworthiness. Shaun won 2nd place and Mason had fun trying. I must say the cakes were super cute and tasted amazing. We used my mother's icing recipe and OMG!!! I could eat it straight from the mixing bowl.

 Mason's Cake

 Shaun's 2nd Place Pin

 Shaun's Cake

 Me with the boys :)

Scott with the boys :) 

3) Weekend in Crowville - Our weekends in Crowville with my parents are never long enough. We end up trying to catch up with everyone and end up only getting to see each person about an hour at a time. That is just not long enough. We need to vacation in Crowville for a week just to enjoy all of its fabulosity. I love the country and I miss living there. For now, I will have to settle with our weekend visits when we are blessed to take them. This trip to Crowville was a lot of fun. We went to the Friday Night Auction with my parents, my sister Katie and her husband Daniel. The boys had a lot of fun eating ice cream and watching us bid on different things. My dad bought them each a Cowboy hat. I cannot tell you how cute they were in them! We spent a lot of time outside at my parents house riding my dad's new mule, "Peppa". The boys took turns driving around in their orchard. It was a great weekend, but like I said before, it was not long enough. 

 My beautiful Mom, me and my beautiful sister being silly in the kitchen.

 Shaun and Mason in their new hats. Aren't they handsome!!!

Mom, Katie and Mason making Tea Cakes in the kitchen. Mom's Tea Cakes are awesome.

4) Dad & Lad Camp-out/Weekend in Natchitoches - This past weekend, Scott and the boys went camping for the annual Dad & Lad Camp-out at Camp T. L. James. They had a great time and only experienced one mishap the whole weekend. Shaun fell on a stick and cut his chin up pretty bad, but he is tough and survived. While they were out camping, Mom and I went to Natchitoches for the weekend to visit with Katie and Daniel. We had a lot of fun shopping at the Flea Markets, playing Scrabble and eating great food. I love spending time in Natchitoches. Scott and I want to take the boys soon. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures from this past weekend, but at least I am somewhat caught up on my posts.

Meet My New Kitchen

I am finally finished with our kitchen remodel, well the cabinet/counter top part anyways. I still have plans to redo the kitchen island and another small piece of furniture that I scored at a sidewalk sale in downtown Monroe. I told Scott that I wanted chalk paint for Valentine's Day so I could start playing with all of our furniture. I am in the mood to start working on different parts of our house. I think I should go with this because for awhile, I was too nervous to touch anything for fear of messing up. Now that I am finished with the kitchen, I have a little more faith in my abilities. Here are a few pictures of the redo.

 This is what our kitchen looked like before. I absolutely hated the faux wood counter tops. We purchased the Giani Chocolate Brown kit. Step one: Prime everything you want to cover. The primer in this kit is black and it covered the back splash and the counter top.

 Step Two: You have to sponge three minerals onto the surface that you want to look like marble. We decided to cover the counter tops only.

 Step Three: You have to seal the counter tops. It says to put a minimum of three coats, however, most of the research I have done said that you can get away with two. I like to follow instructions, so three it is.

We decided to paint the back splash for now to coordinate with the rest of the room. I have been contemplating changing up the decor. I guess I will have a lot of fun shopping around for a few new things.

Scott and I are both excited about our new kitchen. The difference is outstanding. I think this gave us the look we were going for, for less than $130! The kit is only $70, but after purchasing a few other supplies for the cabinet staining and back splash painting, we spent around $130. I like inexpensive and I believe we got a lot of good change for our money. One day I would like to have real marble counter tops with an iron back splash, but for now, this will work for us.

Kitchen Redo

I have finally decided to get busy on our kitchen. I am tired of looking at it wanting to do something different and not touching it. It took me awhile to figure out exactly what I wanted to do and honestly, I am not sure that what we are currently doing is exactly what I want to do. However, anything is a huge improvement and will buy me more time until we can completely remodel the kitchen. I am talking, demolish the current kitchen and start over. We have a large space to work with, but it will probably be another 5-7 years before that can even happen. Therefore, I want something done for the time being.

I have done a lot of research on staining cabinets w/out having to strip them of their current stain and sealant. I chose a darker shade of Minwax Polystain. I think that the color we chose on top of the color we currently have will give us a nice rich color.

Scott and I started the staining process last night. The Minwax product that we are using allows us to stain and seal in one step and you do not have to strip the current stain and seal from your cabinets as long as they were originally sealed with poly. Luckily, ours were sealed with poly. I was jumping for joy after our test strip dried with no issues. The first coat took about an hour to apply and did not change the color of the cabinets drastically. it made the color a little darker and richer. We plan to apply at least two more coats, if not more, to achieve a darker, richer color. Our fingers are crossed.

Here is a picture of our cabinets after coat number one. I will post more as we do more. As soon as we are finished with the cabinets (I plan on finishing them tonight), I plan on repainting the counter tops. I am very nervous about that! I hate the faux wood look and I cannot wait to change it. Honestly, anything will be an improvement!

DIY Burlap Earring Hanger

This weekend Scott and the boys went on a camping trip in Arkansas. They were supposed to be gone Friday and Saturday night, however, their trip was cut short due to inclement weather. Friday night, my friend Brittany stayed with me so we could catch up and shop, shop, shop. We went to Marion, LA to a little flea market that we have been dying to visit. A Little Bit of Everything, is just that. She literally has a little bit of everything. Britt and I both bought something there and then we were off to Paul Micheal's, Dirt Cheap, Hobby Lobby and Peking. It was a great night. Saturday we woke up early, got dressed and drove to Ruston, LA. We went to another little shop that we had been wanting to visit. Brittany found a cute little bench that she plans to recover and paint from Callie's Corner and we both found a few little things from Rolling Hills. Afterwards we ate at Ryan's because they have fabulous rolls and then we headed back to West Monroe, LA. We went to Frog's Flea Market and Sam's. When we were finished, Britt went home to her husband and I went home to an empty house. I decided that I would be productive and replace the fabric on our kitchen chairs. They are currently this hideous faux burlap. I decided to recover them with real burlap and the end result is a huge improvement. Now I am thinking that I want to paint the chairs as well, but I guess I will save that for another day.

I have been wanting to make a jewelry hanger for my dangle earrings. I have a lot of jewelry that I never wear because it stays put up. I have had the stuff to make it for months now, and I finally decided that this would be the weekend I would make it. It would be nice and quiet in the house and I would need something to keep my mind off of the fact that I was alone! I hate to admit it, but I am terrified to stay in our house alone. Luck for me, Scott and the boys had to cut their trip short. I hated it for them but I enjoyed the company and the family time we were able to have due to the fact that their trip was shorter than planned.

Here are a few pictures of my earring hanger. Please excuse the quality of the pictures. I used my phone to take them. I need to stop being so lazy about taking pictures! The convenience of my camera phone has me spoiled.

I am not finished hanging all of my earrings, however, I am loving this! Now I can see everything that I have to choose from and I do not forget about the cute little black flowers, or the different variations of pearls. I love having my options in front of me, instead of in a jewelry box in my closet. Next I want to create something for my necklaces and bracelets. I do not have tons of costume jewelry, so I am sure I can come up with something inexpensive. However, this makes me want to buy more and more jewelry!

Steps I took to create my hanger.

1.  I bought a frame from the local Goodwill store and removed the back and glass.
2. I measured my burlap to fit the outside of the frame.
3. I took a heavy duty stapler and worked my way around the burlap, stapling as I went. I learned that it was easier to staple the top first and then move from side to side as I moved down the frame. It ensured that my burlap was tight. I didn't want it to droop. 
4. I cut away all of the excess burlap and hung my frame on the wall. My frame had a hanger already installed on the back. If yours does not, you could attach one or hang your hanger with pretty ribbon. 

I thought long and hard about painting my burlap, stenciling something on my burlap or attaching a pretty burlap bow or flower. I decided not to do that until I had all of my jewelry hanging up there. I didn't want to take away and space that could be used for jewelry. However, from the look of things, I will probably have a little room to add a little something to spice things up a bit. 

It was a fun little project that I am very happy with. I will post pictures of the entire wall when I figure out what I want to do for my necklaces and bracelets. I'm thinking a towel rod and random hooks? We will see! I am determined to finish this before the weekend arrives.

A Walk Through the Zoo

Monday the boys were out of school and Scott was off of work for Martin Luther King Day. I decided I would take the day off to spend at home with them. I'm so glad I decided to do that because it really turned out to be a great day. The boys have been "craving" Olive Garden, so Scott and I took them to Olive Garden for salad and bread sticks. They each ordered off of the children's menu and Scott and I both tried something new off of their lunch menu. It was a nice lunch out. I wish we were able to do that more often. Afterwards, we took them to the zoo. The Monroe Zoo is nothing spectacular, actually it is kind of run down. You could tell they are trying to make improvements, however, they are not coming along as fast as they should be. It was a great day to take a stroll through the zoo as it was not too crowded. We took our time walking from exhibit to exhibit. Shaun's favorite "animal" was the fruit bat and Mason's favorite animal was the black bear. I am partial to the lions and tigers, while Scott is partial to the exotic birds. I think we spent about two hours at the zoo. It was a nice day! The only hiccup we had was me allowing Scott to dress the boys. Bless his heart! He had walked our puppies earlier that morning and thought that long sleeved t-shirts would be sufficient. I made him take me to Old Navy after lunch so that I could find hoodies or jackets for all of us so that we would not freeze to death. The wind was so cold. I am a bargain shopper and was able to find Mason a hoodie for $2.47, Shaun a hoodie for $3.47, Scott a zip-up hoodie for $8.99 and a zip-up jacket for myself for $10. Not to mention, I earned $10 Old Navy Bucks!!!! I was happy and we were all warm.