thrive project II

I'm linkin up with Becky again this week as she teaches us a lesson in photography every week and we post a pic that goes with her lesson.

This week, the rule of thirds.

You'll have to go read her post to learn more, but here's my pic for the week.

I love this photo of Noah...doing what he loves best, doing ANYTHING pertaining to Star Wars!

Princess Sophia

I gave birth to a princess.

Really, I did.

She's royalty.  Or at least she believes she is.

And why shouldn't she?
We tell her she's beautiful...we tell her she's a lady...we primp her and kiss her nose.

Her fascination with princesses has gotten increasingly intense lately.

She thinks Belle and Cinderella are her friends.

I love that.

She's starting a collection of crowns and now insists she wears them on errands

or to church.

And why not?

When else in your life, besides when your 2.75 years old can you walk around with a crown and huge clip-on earrings and still be considered "normal."

Heck yes, Princess Sophia...you go, baby!

Her all time favorite is Cinderella and I bought her a CD with all the songs from

the movie and she's been singing "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" over and over and over and over and over and over and over again....

so I had to catch her on camera...and of course, share it with you.

Because aren't we all princesses...ruling over our little domains...with our handsome princes, of course :)

Make sure you pause my playlist before you watch...

Introducing.....

from Midwest, South Dakota....

Miss Sooooophia Hutchinsonnnnn!

PS: I have not a clue why she told me I look like I'm at the grocery store??

Also, she's standing on the kitchen table because it's a "stage." :)

diary of a {do}

I hesitate to write this post only because it's all about my hair, which ironically looks

eerily identical to the friend's hair that I just met for the first time

and just posted about here.

No, I am not a stalker, escaped from a Lifetime Original movie...

I just look quite similar to a friend...not so weird is it?

No...I didn't think so.

********************************************************************

On with the hair...

I've never been extremely daring with my hair.

I've never dyed it crazy colors or chopped it into a pixie cut or anything like that.

But here's a few pages from my hair diary to share more.

I'll interject here....

I love a good change and my hair has been the same forever.

My thoughts were some long sweepy bangs I could maybe clip back if

I didn't feel like having them on a certain day.

But I forget with my girl, Shanna, that when you tell her...

"do what you think is best." 

She does what she thinks...and that's just that.
She's the type that will just flat-out tell you, you need to do something different

or that a certain hairstyle that you maybe like will not look good on you.

I totally appreciate her honesty.

So here's what she came up with...

Yes...bangs and LOTS of them! I feel like they start halfway back my head.

I was a little shocked at first, but I'm starting to like them.

So there you have it...my hair's life story. Pretty uneventful, besides a few things I skipped from high school.  Like my attempt to look like Hope Brady on Days of Our Lives

when she was sporting two thick random chunks of blond on either side of her head.

What the heck was that??

So anyway, a new chapter called "bangs."

This pic is to show how far they go back...waaay back...but it's different and I dig it.
Change is good, and sometimes in the dead of winter,

we desperate housewives need anything to excite us!

Bless you this Tuesday :)

xo,

{alicia}



monday business: creepy studies and new stuff

Last week in history, we studied the Black Death...or the Plague.

Can I just say that I love homeschooling?! :)

Ya, it's a creepy subject and I'm teaching it to my 2-year-old, but it's so much stinkin' fun!

I am a bit of a history nerd, so I'm a little partial to things like the Black Death...

So we did this little project to further instill what they learned:

We took dried rosehips (but any dried herb will do) and laid them in the center of a square scrap of fabric.

Then we brought up the corners making a pouch and tied them closed.

Last, we took a longer string and made them into a necklace.

Why? You ask...well, I'm glad you did.

Because, in the Middle Ages, they weren't sure where the sickness was coming from and they thought if they had herbs around their necks all the time they wouldn't get it.

Oh, and another interesting fact:

You know they nursery rhyme Ring Around the Rosy??

Ok...this is so creepy...

some historians thought that rhyme came from the Black Death days...

Ring around the rosy (most sick people got a rash first around the neck area)

Pocket full of posies (note the project above...pockets of posies)

Ashes ashes (they think it originally said a-choo a-choo...meaning sick people)

We all fall down (yes, like as in die! eek!)

Moving on now....

I added a few new pretties to my shop this weekend.

I've had a few requests for a Valentine banner...I hope I've delivered :)

And yes, another coffee cozy...I realize I'm on a bit of a kick right now.

These are monogrammed and I love how they turned out.

Oh, and do you like my new song?  Do you wanna dance?

Do. 

You will not regret. 

Grab your closest kid and make them shake it with you...

or jam around your kitchen by yourself. 

Workout done.

I'm a kitchen dancer...kinda like a pole dancer without the pole and with clothes on

and without all the skanky moves...ok, so I guess it's nothing like it.

But in my kitchen...that's the dance floor, baby.

I admit, that's what I'm doing now.

Can you dance and type?

Oh yes.

 You definitely can.

Happy Monday, Friends.

It's gonna be a great day!

{random pic saturday}

Good Saturday morning!

I was thinking today would be a good day to post some

pics I took this week...

no rhyme or reason...just random pictures of the week.

I've received a lot of really sweet compiments on some of my photos

and I find this incredibly hilarious because I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing...really I don't!

I have made the decision to learn more about my camera and what it can really do...I got a nice DSLR back in

October when I dropped my other camera in a creek.  I would have never gotten this sweet camera if it had not been on incredible sale, but lucky me...I found a great deal!

Anywho...it's not that complicated, but I know I could learn so much more...I am taking a class soon, but Becky at Farmgirl Paints is doing a series on learning more about her camera and this week she's talking about shutter speed.

Slower speed....notice the robe.  Her clothes were in the dryer after a mishap during her morning tea.

Faster speed...she's giving me a little wave...there's no shutterspeed fast enough for Sophie :)

A little fun with focus...

A little snooze on the couch after a field trip Tuesday.

i luv her :)

Now back to speed....

Friday Night: College Track Meet...go Bro!

This was hard...I used the fastest speed I could figure out and it was still crazy blurry.  I think I was doing something wrong.

Talk about the best place ever to test your shutter speed. :)

Yeah, Jesse!!

So there's my week in pictures...how was your week? Mine was non-stop running...not the most relaxing of weeks...next week maybe we'll get to chill a bit.

I'm linking to:



my {farmgirl} friend

So, if you've never heard of Farmgirl Paints...this is her...Ms. Becky.

Her blog is full of emotion and she wears her heart on her sleeve...in a good way.

She has an amazing Etsy shop where she sells things like this...

...and these. (oh, how i need one of these guys!)

Oh, and she paints...get it? Farmgirl Paints? :)

She did this fab painting for me of our house back in October.

We've been exchanging emails and comments for a while now and I thought that maybe while my honey and I were in the Twin Cities, we could meet up for coffee.

I have never met a blog friend before, so this was very scary to me.

After she replied to my invite with a big fat YES! we agreed to meet...yes, like a blind date...so strange is this blogging thing.

I was so nervous to meet her...like, would this be super weird? would we able to carry on a good convo?

please no awkward silence!

And after about 20 seconds, those nervous little butterflies were gone.

Becky was just as sweet as she is in her posts and we talked for probably 2 hours...it was so easy!

There were definitely no awkward quiet moments...if anything, we could have talked another 2 hours!

But my sweetie was tired of killing time at Target :)

**thanks again, jar, for being so patient :)**

I am so glad to have met Becky in real life and I hope to get together again...

she was surprised of two things when she saw me...

1. I'm tall...I'm close to 5'10"

and

2. My hair is really long :)

She didn't think I showed my hair enough (it's always pulled back...I think that's what people with long hair and little kids do, right?)

So...this is for you, Becky...

I know non-bloggers probably think we bloggers are the weirdest people ever, but it was so fun to get together

with another blogger.  Now I just wanna meet more of you lovelies :)

Loved meeting you, Ms. Becky!



{a thankful heart}

We just got home last night from a much needed weekend away...just me and my man...

as in my husband...not my little men.

We usually stay with relatives when we go to Minneapolis, but since it's been forever since

Jarrod and I have gotten away together, this weekend called for a hotel reservation.

We had so much fun traipsing around the city, stopping in cute shops, eating at yummy little 

 restaurants.  My first ever trip to Anthropologie was this weekend! How exciting is that?!

No, I didn't buy anything...because I want to be able to help pay my for my kids' college and

that's about how much it would cost me and there were no sales...but oh, the inspiration in that place.

Wow!

More on my weekend later, when I get photos uploaded, but I just have to tell you that

I woke up this morning feeling so thankful...

Thankful that I have a sweet, adoring husband that wants to spend his weekends with me...

thankful for parents who would love nothing more than to take my kids for the weekend...

and most of all...

little faces like these...

...waiting for me when I get home.

It's easy to take these things for granted.  They're there everyday.

But today, I remembered to say "thank You."

For all You've blessed me with.

I'll leave you with this quote I found today in my study bible:

"An atheist's most

embarrassing moment is when he

feels profoundly thankful for

something, but can't think of

anyone to thank for it."

-Mary Ann Vincent

Have a great Tuesday (boy, it feels like Monday)!!

xo,

{alicia}

restocked shop

I have to admit, after the Christmas RUSH, I was feeling a little

uninspired in the Etsy department.

There's so many directions you can go with Christmas,

but then it's just plain ol' winter and

what the heck are you supposed to do with that?!

Then finally, a couple weeks ago, the creative juices started

flowing again and I made some fun little goodies for you....

I chose some words to frame...{thank you, Kim}...since so many of us are choosing words to inspire us this year.

If you have a certain word you want framed, shoot me a line and I'll see what I can do :)

Coffee cozies...oh, how I love them...

I think coffee just tastes better when you have one.

I made a couple, but I have some more ideas...so stay tuned.

Ok, and the burlap thing...I couldn't leave my shop bare of burlap.

No way!

I thought up these little cuties last month after seeing numbered pillow after numbered pillow.

These are my take on the craze.

And just in case you're interested in a calendar you never

throw away...I can totally hook you up.

I've been a busy girl/mama/crafter/insane person...whatever you want to call me.

Have a great weekend

and if you get a chance, stop by my freshly stocked shop.

xo,

{alicia}

organizing 101

There's been lots of talk in blogland about the new year

and getting organized

so I thought I'd share a few thoughts/tips/pointers

on the subject too.

I've always been the organized type...that's just the way I was made.

I like things neat and orderly, and here's a few things that help me.

Tip #1: Use a planner

I love a good planner...but for the last several months, the planner I had for 2010 was driving me bonkers!

It was always on my counter taking up space, there wasn't enough space for what I needed in it, etc.

So, I made my own.

My friend and I had this same idea...we just took small 3-ring binders and tabs and made them to fit our needs.

So now I have a planner with everything I need all in one spot.

I have a section for:
calendar

menu planning

projects

daily to-do list

goals

books/movies I want to read/see

my shop

and addresses.

I was able to use the inserts for other planners at Target.

more tips....

#2: Do a load of laundry every day...it's so less daunting then a giant pile of laundry.

#3: Have a weekly schedule.

I have followed (sort of) FlyLady's schedule for years and tailored it to fit my schedule.

It goes something like:

Monday: Change Sheets/Dust/Vacuum

Tuesday: Work on "Zone" for the week (if you've ever read FlyLady, you know what I'm talking about)

Wednesday: Ironing and Clean out fridge

Thursday: Desk Day...bills, declutter desk, etc.

Friday: Errands, groceries, post office

It's so helpful to have a plan.

i love this pretty smelling cleaner...i recently discovered it and the smell makes me want to scrub the floor!!

#4: Cutting down on clutter = a waaaay easier house to clean.

If you're not using it, throw it out.  Cleaning goes so much faster if you're not decluttering AND cleaning.

and speaking of decluttering...

#5: Declutter every day...I usually do this before I go to bed when the kids are already in bed.

#6 (last one...)

To feel more organized, try to wake up before your kids...even if it's only 30 minutes.

I'm not quite sure why, maybe it's because you're outnumbered, but kids can instantly make me feel unorganized.

If I wake up before they do and have some quiet time to organize my day, I feel so much better.

And since we're talking about cleaning...

I just have to say that everyone should use this Shaklee cleaner.

I've been using it about 3 years now and I've probably saved hundreds of $$.  This little bottle is super concentrated cleaner that totally safe for your kids and you.

A bottle like this probably lasts me 6 months and it can

scrub floors, clean glass, countertops, you name it!

I buy the Meyers stuff once in a while, but my Shaklee is a staple.

I'll never go back to Pledge and Windex!

Have a super clean and organized day!

xoxo

{alicia}

PS: I finished up some super fun goodies for my shop and will hopefully list them tonight :)

leggings tutorial

My craft room redo has resulted in all kinds of creative-ness...

and I'm so excited to show you a fun project I did this week.

Serious, my sewing machine has been running non-stop!

I'm on a "repurpose" kick right now, and I found a really cute

shirt at the thrift store that I knew could be used for something...

so here's what I came up with:

Little leggings for your rugrat :)

Here's what I did:

(save the body part)

Make sure to do the stretch-out part, so your waist is big enough.

When you have the bloomer pieces cut out, sew together at the

sides and the crotch...I don't really like that word, crotch.

Anyway...

Sew together.

Now do it again on the other leg.

This project couldn't be easier...leg hems are already done...and everything else is pretty simple.

The most difficult part of this task was trying to get good photos of your model :)

Our conversation during this photo time was something like:

"is that your camera (photo 2)?"

yes, sophia.

"i don't really want to look at you with that (camera)."

"i'm putting my foot up on your desk, see?"

um-hmmm.

"why are you taking my pictee?"

"take a pictee of my toes"

"oh, they're so cute."

yep, sophia :)

Linking to:

Stuff and Nonsense

Tater Tots and Jello