Hi Ladies! Okay, so, as you know, I've started taking classes again.....my last attempt a obtaining my never-ending degree. One of the classes I'm taking this semester is a Diversity in Education class. Our professor has required us, throughout the semester, to submit Video Responses. Meaning, he asks questions, and we have to video tape ourselves answering them. It was actually kind of fun (beats writing a 5 page paper the first week of class!), so I thought I'd share. Enjoy! ;-)

-Jessica

Toybox treasures

We have a few favorite toys around our place. These toys are here for the long haul and hopefully will make it to the day when our grandchildren can play with them. I had a friend growing up who had all her mom's barbies. Maybe it's just that I was HUGE into barbies, but I thought it was so so cool and I wished my Mom had saved some of her toys for us. To be fair, my Mom did save a lot of stuff but moving from Australia to the USA didn't allow her to bring a ton of stuff and most of the few things she brought got ruined in a shed that wasn't waterproof. :(

But, on to the topic at hand, toys:

I-play Fairyland House



Anything from North American Bear Company




We LOVE Mercy Watson Books!

We have a fun new family toy that I am in LOVE with, it was a bit pricey but has been worth it for us. A Madsen Bucket Bike! We are loving hitting the trail by our house and riding into the sun/wind/rain.

These are some of our favorite toys, I highly recommend them all! Enjoy!!!

-Casey

TOYS

This post is dedicated to all of the toys that I, the mom, just can't bear to get rid of! You all know what I'm talking about, right? No matter that your children no longer have any interest in them, they are just so stinkin' cute that you'll keep them until....forever!

La-Di-Dolls

I found these while visiting my parents in Salt Lake City, UT at Mormon Handicrafts.....waaaaaaaaaay back when Kami was about a year old. She really didn't quite understand the concept (it's like paper dolls, but with felt clothes and wooden bodies) until the next year. But, I love them so much, I bought one for AJ, too. Yeah. That's right. I bought a doll for my son. It's a boy, no worries!

Woodboard Puzzles

You know, the kind you can usually find at WalMart or Target? These puzzles bring back a lot of memories of my kids. Watching my kids put together a puzzle has prepared me for how their individual personalities learn. Kami is very vocal with her frustrations. Most times she growls, cries, wines and tells me, "It's too hard, I can't do it!", but, never once does she give up and walk away. She keeps at it until the puzzle is done. Then she does it again. And again. And again. And before you know it, she's an expert. AJ, on the other hand, will watch. He'll watch me. He'll watch Kami. And just when I think he's not the kind of kid who's interested in puzzles, he stops me in the middle of taking a load of laundry to the wash and says to me, "Look mom! Look what I did!" And there in the middle of the table will be a perfectly completed puzzle.

Little People Toys

They were super cute and a classic when I was growing up, and they are still going strong! I remember spending many a days playing and imagining with my Little People, I hope my kiddos will have happy memories with theirs as well!

Books, Books and Books!

Oh yes, aaaaaand, did I mention the books??? I love Children's Books! This is where true imagination begins! With TV and Movies, everything's all played out for you; there's not much left unsaid. But, aaaah. With books? The possibilities are endless! I hope my children love them as much as I do!

-Jessica

What time is it? It's nap time!

Okay, so this might be a little more extravagant for a Saturday Afternoon Craft with the Ladies, but, it's a super cute and easy Tutorial. It was intended for Kami to take to school with her to use as a nap mat....then I noticed that her school supply list stated "plastic" nap mat. Ooops! Maybe I can convince the teacher to let her use this one anyway.....

Anyway, maybe you could use it to send your kiddos on a trip to Grandma's or a best pals house. Jenny Garlands's ultra cute and super easy, free Nap Mat Tutorial can be found here: Nap Mat Tutorial

-Jessica

Go Mama Go!

Although our most frequently played with toy is for certain the little Mattel Disney Princess figures and their accessories, I must say my most favorite and recent toy is this Plasma Car.
While visiting my sister in Utah, Kate was introduced to the Plasma Car. Her and her cousins drove on these things for hours and kept themselves quite occupied! Then my sister said, "Try it out, it can hold 250lbs." Say no more. Momma and Aunt Chelle were racing around with kids protesting. It was so much fun! After our trip home, Justin's parents wanted to buy Kate a bike or ride on toy and I suggested this little beauty. (We had been to Toys R Us and tried so many ride on things, I wasn't liking any of them.) I know I have been on it just as much as Kate. Avery LOVES ridding it with me and I'll say it is quite the toy.

Cute little things

So, I too am blogging from the "road". The road in this case is my sissy's home in San Diego a block from the beach. Pretty rough accommodations I tell you what! ;)

Anyhow, I have a few fun little things to make, the first being cute fabric rosettes for clips or headbands. I really like this tutorial and the ideas for ways to use the rosettes. They're pretty easy and can be made into so many cute things, these are a must try. A girl I went to high school uses these to make some fun headbands-maybe a little too busy but certainly fancy!

Next:

I made these for the 4th of July and they turned out pretty darn cute, and they were super easy. I think they'd make a great addition to any party! Tutorial here.

AND last but not least pie in a jar.

I know this is more recipe than craft but it's sooo cute and can be used for gifts in so many ways/times of the year. Go here to learn more about these cute tasty treats!

So, none of these are my own creation but it's the best I could do right now, and they're all super cute/simple so give em a go! As a matter of fact let's give them a go together, when shall we craft ladies???

-Casey

"Out of the Office"

Hi Ladies! I'm blogging from my iPhone, so this will be short! I'm currently in the middle of "super small town" Mississippi for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's wedding festivities (Kami was a flower girl and oh so cute....pictures soon!), so I will be posting twice this next week. I've got some fun Super Saturday ideas that I'm excited to share with y'all (ooooh! See?? Proof I'm in the deep south! I just used the word "y'all"!).

Till next week!
-Jessica

perspective

I was preparing my lesson last week for my Young Womens, "Eternal Perspective." My sister sent me an email of a link to a blog (that she got from a friend in high school who knows the couple). Anyway, I read it, got swept up in it and have been keeping this sweet family and little baby in my prayers all week. When I woke up this morning, I found out she passed away and my heart broke for them. I can't imagine what they must be going through. Their family is so similar in ages to mine. I don't think anything is important today except paying more attention to my kids. I was going to go to the mall and now all want to do is lay on the floor with my girls. The mom shared this great song by Mindy Gledhill called: "All about your Heart." She said every time she heard it, she was reminded of her sweet Ruby.
-Melissa

Simple, Useful and Quick!

My most recent sewing idea came from when I googled tote bag. I found this super simple and cute tote bag when I wanted to make a gift bag for a friend and use up some of my material for a good cause. I really need to pair down what I have, so I experimented around with this pattern and I love it so far. I've used it twice now and I'm going to use it again for my own "handmade" version of a Dr.'s kit for a birthday party Kate is going to soon. I found the Dr. parts at the dollar store and then I thought I'd sew on a red cross on the front. Enjoy!

Virtually Shopping

"The quickest way to know is woman is to go shopping with her"

(Marcelene Cox)

A steady paycheck, two kids and 35 pounds earlier, I LOVED to shop! Now, however, let's just say I've taken a little bit of a different approach to how I shop. Unless it's a trip to the grocery store or Target, I very rarely shop at the brick and morter store....especially with my kids.....unless I'm shopping with someone else. The internet is actually my perfered way to shop. You can shop anytime, wearing anything AND you get a box in the mail in just a few days!!! Who doesn't love getting packages??? (Never mind that I had to pay for said package, but....still exciting!) . Here are a few of my favorite places:

Children's Clothes:

• Crazy8: Gymboree's "downline". They always have cute clothes, great prices and fantastic sales (especially around Christmas time)
• Gymboree: If I can't find what I'm looking for at Crazy8, I head over here....always shopping their sales, of course! I tend to also shop here for the annual Christmas outfit.
• Children's Place: This is where I bought Kami's school uniforms! Super great prices (with a combined sale!) and always uber cute.

Mama's Clothes:

• DownEast Basics: Okay, this is probably the only place online that I'll shop for clothes for myself.

Other:

• Amazon: This is my online "Target" store. I go here for just about anything else.
• Etsy: Unless I'm looking for handmade; then I go here!
• JW Illustrations: Lately I've become obsessed with digital clipart. I found this designer on Etsy, but found she has more images on her own website (like the image at the top of my post!).

-Jessica

shop till we drop.....

Tar-jey....probably my most very favorite place right now. Because right now, it works. I have 2 young kids and well, I know we can all get something there to make the shopping trip enjoyable. (Dollar Spot, clearance rack, and a little trip down the toy aisle to look at the toys.) I always tell Justin, I could live anywhere....as long as Target is within 15 minutes.


I love Ikea for just a general walk around and to get new ideas. It's my favorite to go to whenever we move into a new place. (And sometimes we make ourselves a little at home there.)

'
King Street shops are great when we are feeling like we've been cooped up in the house too long.


If I really want to shop... I go to Potomac Mills. Banana Republic outlet, J.Crew, H&M, Disney, and LaCoste? Now we're talking. Momma can always find something there. Kate loves it for the pretzel snacks and the rides that always seem to be not working, which is frustrating;).


But my favorite kind of shopping is when I get to go without the kids. Justin's family does a girls' weekend once or twice a year. I got to go on my first one shortly before we got engaged. It was so much fun and so nice to shop with just girls. (We did a little mini-one when we went out to dinner and then TJMaxx when I went home in June.)


I'm prepping Kate for her shopping adventures. After all, isn't shopping with the girls just the best no matter what store you're in?
-Melissa

I love to shop...

EVERYWHERE! But, since this is about FAVORITE stores, I'll just stick with those. It was tricky to narrow them down-somehow I managed! ;)

I think I speak for all of my lovely ladies when I say- TARGET-WE LOVE YOU!!! It almost goes without saying that Target is the best store ever for one stop shopping. They have great everything; cute decorative accents, fun everyday accessories, awesome childrens clothing, (although I have to say I much prefer the baby to 5T selection versus the older kids things) storage stuff, home-ish stuff and now with the addition of fresh produce-sheesh, I'm pretty sure I'm in love! Target, I really do heart you!

I have a pretty good time spending the hubs money with one of my fellow ladies here, we go to Potomac Mills and get down to business! We're always sure to at least hit the Banana Republic outlet and the JCrew outlet. They're lovely. I usually find a few things that just really need to come home with me. Both store have cute, fun, fashionable things. I really like their clothes, plus they run some pretty amazing promotions sometimes and I don't know about you but I LOVE a deal!

Last, but certainly not least, my fav grocery store:Wegmans!!!! Oh how I love to grocery shop at Wegmens, they are simply delightful. Seriously, they have the best produce ever-great selection/great quality. I even found fresh passion fruit there once! LOVE IT! The store is well lit and clean, the staff is helpful and friendly, AND, yes it gets better-it is so reasonably priced!!! I'm always surprised when I get to the check out that I only pay x amount of dollars and that alone is AWESOME! If you've never been to one, google it-I'm telling you- you will not be sorry!

And, those are some of my favorite stores to spend all kinds of money in. Happy shopping!!!

-Casey

APP-licable apps

Curse the day that someone got me an iphone for an early Christmas present. I use that thing WAY too much. And, sad to sad, I think my 3 year old uses it just as much, if not better than me. Here are my most used apps. (It's a darn good thing there isn't one to track how much time you've spent using them....maybe there is?)
1. Facebook: Why do I waste so much darn time on this dang thing?
2. USA Today: Part of my morning ritual, check the news. It takes me 2 seconds and I feel like I am the tiniest bit caught up in the world.
3. Kindle: Love that I don't have to own one. boo-yah!
4. Flixter: My sister-in-law just showed me this one. So-o much easier than looking up a theater and I love that you can quickly check out the closest theater wherever you happen to be.
5. CakeDoodle: Kate and I have spent countless hours baking our hearts out. When she becomes the next 'Ace of Cakes', I'll just say, I told you so;)
6. Camera+: This is my favorite camera app, because it definitely takes quicker pictures than the regular old joe that comes on the phone. (*and here's a little tip I just learned. If you want to take the shot at just the right time, hold your finger on the camera button and then just let go when the kids are actually smiling....instead of tapping it a million times. But, like Justin says, you can always delete them I guess;)
7. Gospel Library: Can I just say that I LOVE not having to lug my scriptures AND my diaper bag to church every Sunday? Granted, I don't have the markings, but I sure love to lighten my load.
8. Evernote: I used this for a good month and it was so nice for grocery lists and any other idea that popped into my head. I love that you can tag something and then refer to it later. This one has a ton of little memories of the kids, I quickly jotted down.
-Melissa