Routine

Well it's back to routine! Last week went by so quickly! I can't believe it's been a week since I last posted! Sheesh!
Thanksgiving was wonderful. I LOVE to see my family and get to eat yummy food that I don't have to cook! ;) If I had to choose a last meal I would request my mom's turkey and dressing. No lie. It's amazing. I want some right now.
So I actually did go shopping on Black Friday. That AFTERNOON! Haha! My sister, Brodey, and I went to Shawnee. We were at Old Navy about 5 minutes and I looked at her and said "You know...I'm not really in the shopping mood."
"I'm not really either. Let's go."
And that was the end of our Black Friday shopping.
We DID meet Kerry, McKennah, Will, and Aunt Karen at the movies! We saw Tangled in 3D and it was SOOOO good!! I loved it! I could have watched it again! Brodey's review was "Ya that movie where the girl fights with her hair was really good. Mom didn't even cry that much!" Ha!
We didn't really do much other than that. It was a nice relaxing weekend, but it was also nice to get back home into our routine.
I would, though, like someone to tell me how in the world my house is a disaster when we haven't even been here!?! We did leave in kind of a hurry. Oh and Brodey was home all week. That's probably why. ;)
Happy Monday!
LUV YA!
April :)

A Good Show

What a beautiful day here in Oklahome! It was a tad windy, but I can't complain about 80 degree weather in November!!
We had a fun night! We went and ate pizza at Sam and Ella's for dinner. It was awesome as always. Oh and I didn't have to clean it up! ;)
After dinner we went to see Megamind. It was so good. When we got to the car Brodey says "That Megamind was a real good show, Mom. Real good."
"I agree Bro! It was real good!"
Eric snapped the pic in the theater. His phone takes better pics than mine. Oh and it has a flash. Maybe I should run over my phone so I can get a 4G. Ha!
Thanksgiving is this week can you even believe it!?! I'm pretty excited. Turkey and dressing is my favorite food. Well specifically my Mom's. I could probably eat cornbread dressing for at least one meal a day every single day. Yes I love it that much.
Everyone is talking about Black Friday. I'm not a big Black Friday shopper. I don't like to get up at 4am and I especially don't want to get up at 4am and deal with crazy people. The most shopping I'll do is maybe go to the mall that afternoon.
I'm more interested in the online deals they offer this week. Gap and Old Navy usually have some good ones. Stampin Up is also offering some REALLY good deals. I'll be taking advantage of that as well as the Gap and Old Navy ones! (If you are interested in the Stampin Up deals go to my website HERE and click on ONLINE SPECTACULAR at the bottom.)
Well friends I'm headed to bed!
I hope you had a magnificent Monday!
LUV YA!
April :)

I Missed It...

I'm a terrible Mom. I should be beaten. This morning was Brodey's school Thanksgiving lunch and I missed it. I DID make it in to the cafeteria and got to watch him DUMP his lunch into the trashcan. Does that count?
I had to run errands this morning and I thought I was good on time. Then I pull into the school and notice kids walking out with parents and the parking lot is full....hhhmmm. I'm thinking okay it's 10:35. SURELY they haven't eaten lunch. So I walk/run into the classroom and the lady tells me they are eating. WHAT!?!?! I RUN into the cafeteria and Brodey is dumping his tray. OH MAN!!! I am almost in tears!
"Brodey! I'm sorry I missed your lunch!"
"That's okay Mom because it was REALLY good!"
He could care less. I told Mrs Tuck and she was like "Well I asked him where you were and he said oh she'll be here some time." Haha! "Sorry, Mom, but he didn't really mind! Now I have other kids that would have been devastated, but he was just excited the food was good!" That's my boy! ;)
I snapped a quick pic of him in his super cute turkey hat they made! He was on the playground playing with friends so he didn't have time for anymore pics. ;)
He also made this thankful poster. Mrs Tuck asked them what they were thankful for and that was his answer. SO cute!
He's outside playing with the puppy. We are taking him to Deandra today because she knows someone that wants a puppy! Yeah! He's a good dog, but we already have two! Which are at the groomers right now and I'm headed to pick up!
I hope you have a fantastic weekend!
LUV YA!!!
April :)

Look What I Brought Home...

"Hello"
"Hey so there's this poor little puppy at school and they said it's been here since Friday. It's supposed to be cold and rainy tonight. He's really skinny. I'm bringing him home."
"Hey! No! April!"
"Okay so I'll see you later! I love you bye!"
That's how the conversation went between me and Eric on Monday.

When I went to pick Brodey up from school we walked out of the building and there was this little black puppy sitting in the alley.
I said "Aw Bro look at that puppy! He looks hungry."
One of the other pre-k teachers walked by and said "Oh yes he's cute. He's been here since Friday."
"Well I'm taking him home."
We went to get him and he ran away like he was scared. Bro and I followed him behind the school and he hid up in the bushes. We were trying to get him out when another teacher came by. She also said he had been there since Friday. They all assumed he was someones so they left but he was still there Monday morning. Her son helped us get him out of the bushes and off we went!
We decided that since we found him at Woodall school he should be named Woodie. Cute right?
Brodey loved him, but I knew Eric wouldn't go for it. So I took him home anyway and we fed him and gave him one of the cat's beds. (She wasn't happy about that but she needs to learn to share) He ate a ton. The poor thing was so skinny and dehydrated he didn't pee OR poop until the next morning.
He's still on the back porch. Eric has been trying to find a home for him. He is really cute and clean. After he eats he will walk all the way off the back porch and into the yard to do his "business."
I don't think he is going to get very big. His paws are pretty small. He is very loving. At first he acted scared and he would start at loud noises. He has gotten used to us now and he just sits on the back porch and waits for Brodey to come home. Every once in a while he will wander around like he's looking for him.
He goes in the garage at night so the raccoons don't eat him for dinner. He will wine at the door when he needs to go potty outside.
He's a good little puppy! I'm not sure if Eric has found him a home yet.
If you know anyone that wants a puppy let me know! He is black with some white on his neck and at the end of his paws. :)
I posted a new card over on {Stamp} Paper Scissors! It's a digital hybrid card that I used some Stampin Up digital elements on! Fun!
I received my copy of Scrapbooking Everyday Memories special issue by Creating Keepsakes magazine today! I had two layouts published in it and I just have to say this is a great issue! The cover is beautiful and there are tons of tips and sketches in there! I'm on pages 23 and 34!
Well I'm outta here! If you get a chance check out my UTEE Fall Leaves video! It's the technique I taught at the Among Friends scrapbook retreat a few weekends ago!
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
LUV YA!
April :)

Bat Turkey!

Don't you just love school projects? I do! I do! :)
Brodey brought home a printout of a turkey last week with a note that said we were to decorate the turkey as a family project. Well come on! This is my area of expertise!
The turkey was due Friday so of course I go to Hobby Lobby to get supplies on Thursday. Brodey and I had talked about what we were going to do and we had several ideas. He didn't really have an opinion so I went with the Batman theme.

I got feathers (which make one heck of a mess by the way), felt, pom poms, and foam board. The checkout lady looked at me funny until I told her what I was doing. Haha!
When Brodey got home from school we cut apart the printed turkey to use as a pattern. Yes I freecut the Bat symbol. I looked up a photo of Batman on my phone as a guide. Brodey glued on all the feathers, pom poms, and pieces. He also cut out the printed turkey and colored his face. I just basically cut out the felt pieces and adjusted the them to make sure they looked right!
I also wrote along the bottom and then Brodey copied what I wrote beneath mine. If you tilt your head you can see he did a pretty good job!
I think our turkey turned out great! Batman would be proud! ;)
!"All of the kids at school were very impressed! When I picked Brodey up Mrs Tuck had all of the turkeys hung up on her door. All the kids in the hall were amazed and knew right away it was Batman! They were like "Wow! That is SO cool! It's Bat Turkey!"
Brodey was like "Me and my mom made it!"
"That's really cool! It looks just like Batman!"
Mrs Tuck was like "Oh all the kids love it! They all want to touch it!"
I said "Oh let them! If anything falls off just let me know and I'll bring the glue! Haha!!"
You can view the video below to see the turkey! I just realized I filmed the video BEFORE we wrote on it. Aw well! The video was originally meant to be sent to Eric and my Dad, but I thought it was cute so I posted it here!
Yes I know (If you follow Inky Fingers) I posted this video and NOT the How To for the leaves. Well this video took about 30 seconds to upload and the How To video is pretty long so my Internet is not cooperating. I'm going to try again tomorrow. For some reason I have better Internet luck on Mondays.
My Stampin Up blog {Stamp} Paper Scissors is finally up and running! Wahoo! Check it out! They are running an awesome special soon!
Well I'm off to bed! I hope you had a fantastic weekend!
LUV YA!
April :)

Happy Veteran's Day!

Happy Veteran's Day!
Brodey wore his flag shirt today! He was so excited! They have been talking about Veteran's Day at his school and he was excited a veteran was coming to visit today.
"Do you think they will let us shoot their gun?"
With a not so straight face I said "Um no Bro. I don't think they will let you shoot their gun." ;)
I told him that Doc was a veteran and that he was in World War II.
"Wow really mom? Do you think we can send him a picture of me in my American flag shirt?"
So that's where the pic came from. I took it before school this morning. I just love that little boy!
It's such a nice day here! It rained all night, but it won't rain again for a while. It's so nice I had to take off the white undershirt Brodey had on.
Tonight will be a fun night! I'm headed to Tulsa with some of my favorite girly girls! Wahoo!!!
I'm also excited about my Stamper's Night Out coming up! I'm going to start doing a Stamper's Night Out down the road from my house at the Scrappin Pad! I would like to do it at least every month and would love to do it more often if people would like! I hope to meet fellow papercrafters/stampers in my area! If you are interested in coming or know someone who would be interested please pass on the info to them! You can read all about it HERE! It's gonna be fun!
Well I'm headed to the grocery store! I officially have nothing left to cook. We had breakfast for dinner last night! Brodey loved it, but Eric isn't a fan! ;)
I hope you have a terrific Thursday!
LUV YA!
April :)

I'm BACK in the saddle again!!

Haha! A little Aerosmith for ya tonight! ;)
I've been absent from the blogs and I miss them! I've been very busy, but will be back in the groove by tomorrow afternoon! (Brodey would be so proud of that rhyme!)
I had a blast teaching at the Among Friends scrapbook retreat this weekend! It was a short 15 minute drive from my house! They stayed in a cute house on Fort Gibson lake. I taught a fun layout class that I will be sharing on the Inky Fingers blog this week!
So since I was at the retreat all weekend the boys had to fend for themselves. Eric is a really, really good cook but I have to admit that I hadn't gone to the grocery store in over a week. Thank goodness he is also good at cooking something out of nothing!
Friday night he made some fish on the grill. He sent me a pic of it since he was so proud. Jen said it didn't look very good so I won't post it here. ;)
Saturday night he was very proud of the dish he cooked above. He was so proud he even provided a description with the photo.
"The entree is a classic bowtie in a gardenstyle sauce with angus beef." Haha! Silly boy! I forgot I had those noodles in the cabinet and it was really good! I had it the next day for lunch. When he has to he can fend for himself! He just likes it better when I cook.
Well this will be a short post so that I can go try to clean up this

That's what happens when you are at a retreat all weekend and you come back home, dump your stuff, and get to work on deadlines!
I have projects spinning in my mind that I need to get done to post on Inky Fingers, but I also want to play with this

UGH I KNOW! It's filled with all sorts of fun stuff! I can't wait to play mad scientist with it all! We had some fun this weekend with the Melting Pot, didn't we girls!?!
Okay seeing the pic of that box lit a fire! I'm outta here! Time to get some inky fingers! I'm loving that time change right about now!
Hope your Monday is magnificent!
LUV YA!
April :)

When all the leaves are falling from the treeeeessss

Okay so I have that awesome song "A Girl for All Seasons" in my head from Grease 2. LOVE that movie and I'm surprised I haven't seen it on TV in the last month. ;) Oh no. "A Girl for All Seasons" has now been replaced with "Cool Rider." I need a C-O-O-L R-I-D-E-R!!!!
So this will be a short post. I have been very busy working on some cool scrappy pages for assignments and I haven't had time to post here or on Inky Fingers. I even have two videos waiting to be posted!
I snapped the pic up there with my phone when I was going down the road in front of my house. I thought it looked purdy.
Brodey had school pics today. He assured me he "smiled good." We practiced last night. I'm weird I know.
Well this weirdo is headed to bed. I hope your Thursday was great!
LUV YA!
April :)

Variety Show!

It was a good day yesterday despite not feeling 100%! I meant to post this last night but I fell asleep on the couch with Brodey around 9.
Brodey's Variety Show at school was yesterday! It was sort of a talent show and it was so much fun!
Only at a smaller school can you see first graders doing a routine to "Old Time Rock n Roll" from Risky Business. They were all dressed in white button up t-shirts, sunglasses, and socks. Towards the end one of the kids slid across the stage on his knees playing a fake saxophone. It was awesome. If there had been a winner I would have chosen them. (That's also one of my favorite movies so I might be partial.)
The Risky Business routine was followed by various dances, some jokes, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus songs, some country songs and some religious songs, a ballerina (she did a fantastic job and Brodey was most impressed by her ability to do the splits and walk on her toes), and a cute little girl that did sign language to a song. She would have won second if I was a judge.
Those type of shoes always impress me. It takes a lot of courage to get in front of an auditorium filled full of parents and peers. I had a great time at our little Variety Show!
Brodey's pre-k did a 50's type song and dance called the Peppermint Twist. SO cute!! I took the pics at the top with my camera to send to my dad. I drew him some sideburns with a black pencil and tried to gel his hair to look like Elvis. It wasn't easy, but it turned out okay! I'm not sure what he was doing in the pics but I think he was trying to act tough. Haha! He's goofy.
He did a great job dancing on stage. I thought he might get shy once he got up there but he loved it! He said "Hey mom I liked doing that Peppermint Twist thing on stage. It was pretty fun!"
The first performance was at 12 and the second was at 6:30 last night. He did a good job of dancing at the first one, but by the second one he was a dancing fool! At least I don't have to worry about stage fright! ;)
If you are a scrapbooker, cardmaker, papercrafter, or just want to know how to tie a bow, head over to my Inky Fingers blog. I shared a great video yesterday!
Well I'm off to do some laundry. It's a pretty day outside even if it's a little chilly! Our heater came on for the first time this morning! That means it's pretty cold because we sleep in a refrigerator at night!
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
LUV YA!
April :)

Things I've Learned...

Every night when Brodey gets out of the shower we sit on the couch and watch America's Funniest Home Videos. We love it. It's great family time and we all laugh so hard sometimes we cry. We have been doing this for a while now and I have learned a few things from watching the show.

1. If you are a male at a party with a pinata....wear a cup. Trust me.
2. When people get drunk they always have to get on the tables. They are usually old and it ALWAYS ends badly.
3. The fake lottery ticket is the crappiest joke EVER. I could never do that to someone and I will kick your butt if you ever do it to me!
4. People do really stupid things. A LOT.
5. My favorite videos are the wedding ones. If I had had a wedding with guests I would have WANTED something funny to happen.
6. The funniest videos NEVER win. Never.

So those are my keen observations of America's Funniest Home Videos. You should record it and watch it. It's pretty entertaining and my 4 year old gets a kick out of it!
I still haven't even looked at the Halloween pics. I need to do that because Brodey looked pretty funny as Luigi. All the trick or treaters kept saying "Hey it's Luigi!"
"Hey Luigi!"
"Oh hey Mario Brothers!"
It was pretty funny. Brodey would just wave and smile.
Today on the Inky Fingers blog I posted a short how to video! It's a fun ribbon technique!
I took the photo above on crazy hair day. Brodey is getting pretty good writing his letters. The reason I took the pic is that he actually spelled that on his own. He was messing around and said "Hey mom what does this say?"
Usually it's something like bopapa or getti but it was actually a word this time!
"Brodey oh my goodness it says BOO!"
"Oh you mean like boo I scared you!?!?!"
"Yes just like that! You just spelled your first word!" Even if it was on accident he still spelled an actual word! And a seasonal one at that! LOL I can still remember the first word I spelled on accident. It was HAM on my Speak and Read. I'm glad I grabbed my phone and snapped a pic of him. The expression is hilarious.
Well I'm headed to bed. Brodey has the Variety Show tomorrow at school. They are doing some 50's thing and he has to dress the part. I'm thinking about drawing sideburns with a black pencil. Haha! It will be fun!
Well good night all! Hope you had a great Monday!
LUV YA!
April :)