Tutorial Tuesday

I thought I would have more of a theme for my weekly posts. Here's what I have come up with so far:

LOVE Mondays
Tutorial Tuesdays
Wordless Wednesdays (pictures!)
Thursdays?
Fridays?

And then I will take the weekends off.

SO....without further ado....TUTORIAL TUESDAY!

Simple Bandana Dress Tutorial at Joy's Hope
"This is a wonderful beginner project. Easy straight line sewing and no finishing of seams. Plus, it can be made for around $5. Make one for all of the summer birthday girls in your life..."

HAPPY CRAFTING!!

Love Monday

:LOVE my new garden. We planted lettuce, spinach, green squash, green beans, yellow squash, yellow bell pepper, cherry tomato, beefsteak tomato, Mr.Stripey (Dan's pick) tomato, cucumber, cantalope, and watermelon. YAY! Hopefully there will be something to eat soon. HOW GREEN I FEEL!!

:LOVE that Jacob's almost 15 pounds. Yep....he's huge.

:LOVE Maggie's new 4th of July dress I made. It was super easy and it turned out super cute...if I do say so myself

:LOVE my FaceBook friends. Yes, I am an addict, and I am okay with that!

:LOVE Naptime for both kids at the same time. It seems so impossible, that when it is achieved, I feel like I have climbed Mount Everest. It will get easier....I hope.

:LOVE 4th of July. Off to visit Grandma Peggy and help celebrate her birthday with her other 37 kids, grandkids, and great grandkids. Oh...and another 200 of her closest friends. WOoHoO! She is putting us up in the Beaumont Inn...which I LOVE!!! Thanks Gma Peggy!!!

Love Monday,
Amanda

uh...oh...another one

So I found another blog to waste my time following...

Nap Time Crafts

She has the cutest tutorial for a pillowcase dress! I might need to make this for some friends with GIRLS on the way...YAY GIRLS!!!

Fun Fun Fun....First Smiles...LOVE MONDAY

just short of 8 weeks old...

Just turned 21 months and a whiz in the kitchen!

:LOVE my kids!

...on a side note...I had an ultrasound of my spleen done this morning. I don't have any idea what it showed. I am going to call the hematologist tomorrow and hopefully find out something...

Also, thanks to Gramma and Grampa for a fun reunion weekend at the lake!

Love,
Amanda

boo...

I went for another CBC blood test yesterday. Platelet count dropped to 54 from 69. Boo. I still don't know why it dropped. Doctor's not worried. He has scheduled me for a spleen ultrasound on Monday morning. My spleen might be overactive and eliminating too many platelets, it might not be. There might be a bone marrow biopsy in my distant future, but hopefully not. (OUCH!) I guess we will just have to start ruling things out one by one.......I just don't like not knowing what's going on with my body...boo.

Love Monday

Love Monday...

:LOVE long naps...as I write this, both kids have been asleep since about 1:30. THAT'S AWESOME!! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we met up with our play group friends this morning at the park, then headed to the library for story time, then back outside with our friends for a picnic lunch. It was hot and sunny and there was lots of running around involved. YAY!

:LOVE busy weekends...Friends from Baltimore and some in town friends came over on Friday night and we hung out by the fire-pit and made s'mores. All of the kids cooperated (2.5 year old, 1.75 year old, 1.2 year old, and 6.75 weeks) I am being exact because that is what my husband would do (nerd). On Saturday, we gathered at Dan's brother's house to celebrate his fiance's graduation with her MBA. Sunday, it was out to Newark to celebrate Dan's cousin's 30th birthday. ...and that my friends is why I went to bed at 8pm last night...

:LOVE Sweets...all things frosted, sugar filled, sweet, chocolatey, frozen, drippy, you name it. I have an addiction to the sugary stuff. And of course, this weekend was filled with cake, cupcakes, frosting, chocolate etc. YUMM-O!!!

:LOVE my new plants...I have 3 plants, in pots, hoping to not be killed by my black thumb. I have cherry tomatoes, sweet banana peppers, and cucumbers. Hopefully something will produce something to eat. I am not asking for much here, just a little something from one of them...

:LOVE having time to write this down...it's really theraputic, you should try it!

:DO NOT LOVE these small mysterious bruises on my legs...could be nothing, could be something, so....off to the hematologist for a blood test tomorrow. Let's see what the platelet count looks like before anyone worries. Better safe than sorry!

Love,
me

Now Hiring!

Now Hiring for the Following Positions:


POSITION :
Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma, Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION :

Long term, team players needed, for challenging, permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES :

The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and
coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be a willing to be indispensable one minute,
an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :

None.
Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :

None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION :

Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS :

While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

To all the PARENTS I know, this is in appreciation of everything you do on a daily basis, letting you know you are appreciated for the fabulous job you do...or with love to anyone thinking of applying for the job.


** AND A FOOTNOTE 'THERE IS NO RETIREMENT -- EVER!!!


**Thanks Kathy for sending me this!**

New Reading Material

With nursing an infant comes a lot of downtime. I only have so much on my DVR and I don't have anything to do during the night nursing. So, I have found some new blogs to waste my time with. I will soon be adding them to the blog roll, but I thought I would introduce them here first.

• Crap I've Made : She's a mom with lots of great crafty bits, tips, and tutorials.
  
• Birds and Bs : She's a soon to be mom who has been sentenced to 8 weeks of bedrest due to a preeclampsia diagnosis. She has a witty take on life and I am enjoying reading about her journey.
• The Sproutz Store : Fabric, Crafts, and Giveaways...and Tutorials...need I say more?
• FAILblog : Funny pictures and video from life...where things fail...check it out if you need a laugh!

Enjoy all of your new reading material!

Love Monday

Love Monday

:Love that the Islers are coming on Friday and we will get to hang out with them and the gUnit and their kids. I just love summer. Grilling out...friends...cold beer...playing in the yard...just AWESOME!

:Love that I was able to go out to a bachelorette party this past Friday. It's nice to have some time off from Mommy duty. It really makes me miss my kiddos and appreciate them more the next morning. Dan did a great job at daddy duty and the took care of everyone the next morning. When I got up, he had cinnamon rolls, bacon, and OJ ready for me. And to top it off he said, and I quote "I don't know how you get anything done all day...taking care of both of them is HARD!!" I think he gets it now. Sometimes the laundry just has to sit in the baskets waiting to be folded for a few days. There just aren't enough hours sometimes.

:Love that I got both kids to bed tonight, by myself. Dan played softball and I stayed home. It went really well and I felt a great sense of accomplishment.

:Love that Jacob is sleeping in his crib. I had him sleeping in his swing up until last night. I was really afraid that I was setting up some bad habits for him, but he seems to have made the transition well. Hopefully, I haven't jinxed myself.

:Love homemade mac n cheese and how it makes my husband smile when I make it. Especially when it's Weight Watchers friendly.

:Love how BIG my Little Boy is. Stats from One Month check up: 12 pounds 13.5 ounces (above the 95% percentile), 23 inches (95% percentile), head circumference HUGEish (90% percentile) (I don't remember the actual measurement on this one.)

:Love all of my followers and those comments I get. Thanks for letting me know you read.

Love Monday...
Amanda

I think I am getting it...

So this weekend was a busy one and the summer looks to be busier and busier, but here's my next project...

The "Nancy Dress"

I really want to make something for myself. All of my sewing has been for other adults or babies. Now it's my turn. And this is so cute!!

If you decide to give it a try...please let me know...

Oh...and Love Monday will return tomorrow!

Ahhhh....

Well, I don't have much time these days, but I wanted to check in. I have decided that my life smells like dirty diapers, banana peels, and coffee. Decaf coffee...Jacob is sensitive to the caffeine. Boo! I probably should have had more caffeine while I was pregnant, you know, build up his tolerance. But, whatev, hindsight is 20/20. I will have to compliment his sleeping last night. He went to bed at 9pm, Dan gave him a "dream feed" at 11pm and then he slept all the way until 6am!!! Also, it's 8am, Jacob is back asleep and Maggie is just now getting up, I have showered, eaten breakfast, and written on the blog. It feels good. I miss you blog, thanks for waiting.

On another note, my friend Jenny has been diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. She has been sentenced to bed rest for the next 7 or so weeks. Her blog is really funny. If you have a second to check it out please do. You can find it at birdsandbs.blogspot.com

Anybody want a minivan? It seems Chrysler's could be dirt cheap for the next 5 days due to the GM problems. I heard it could be as much as 40% off. I think we might go shopping tonight? Anyone have any recommendations?