The Cinnamon Challenge

So last night Matt and I were sitting on the couch relaxing after a busy night. I was catching up on some blog reading on my iPad and he was watching TV. One of the blogs I read posted a youtube video and introduced it by saying that she had tears she laughed so hard. Yeah, yeah. Sure.

Then, I clicked on it.

And, Matt and I couldn't talk we were laughing so hard.

I was afraid we were going to wake up the girls.

Tears. Rolling down cheeks.

Seriously.

Hil.ar.i.ous

Here you go....

an abby update

I was perusing my iPhone for pics to share with you and I happened to have a lot of Abby-related photos to update you on.....

Matt and I got this note this weekend. She had a quiz for us.

This was a candid shot I caught last week while I was cooking dinner. Love it when my girls curl up and read. It's the best.

Here's the better-late-than-never picture of her with all her top teeth gone!

Practicing vault at gymnastics (she's in pink)...

Cake

In honor of all the desserts that might have been eaten for Valentine's Day:

Do you Pinterest?

Source: ravelry.com via Carrie on Pinterest

I have a ton of friends that have recently joined Pinterest. It is fun to have so many people I know on there to follow. When I first joined, there weren't many. I mostly knew about it from some of the blogs that I read. However, I'm also finding that there is a bit of a learning curve that I forgot about because it's been a while since I joined. I also didn't realize that you still had to be invited to join. I thought you could now join through Facebook.

That all said, let me know if you want to join and I'll send you an invite. It's super easy for me.

Source: someecards.com via Reina on Pinterest

If you are already on Pinterest, come follow me (if you aren't already)!

Also, if you are looking for some easy starter hints for Pinterest, here are mine:

1. Create a couple basic boards for things you think you'll want to "pin". You can edit and add more later.
2. Click on "Everything" at the top of the page after you login and peruse all the stuff that people pin site-wide and repin until your heart is content. If you have something specific you are searching for you can use the search box, or use the categories under "Everything." Don't worry about the "Pin It" button until you get comfortable with repinning.

Things I really like right now

My new Washi Tape. Still figuring out what crafty thing I want to do with it, but it sure is pretty. I bought a small sampler set from here, so I can just see if I like it. (washi tape is Japanese "masking" tape.)

My new baker's twine. My other new crafty purchase. Pretty, pretty colors. I'm having fun with it already. I've wrapped it around mason jars with paper hearts and such. I bought a sampler set of it from here to try it out.

Simply Lemonade. Yum.

Cheez-It's. Can you tell we bought these for the girls? Guess who ate most of them? Can't. buy. more.

All red bag of Starburst. Must I say more?!

(notice most of the bag is already eaten)

More fun photo crafting

Yesterday I posted about the fun Valentines I made for the girls, so today I thought I would share the other project I started the same day.

Since I was taking and printing pictures for the Valentines, I also had the pose for another project. Their directions were to pose like they were holding on to a rope and hanging.

Then, I cut out their bodies. I backed the photos with manilla folder (I followed the tutorial here.) I also ended up covering them with packing tape when they were completely finished to protect them even better.

Added a tassel and Ta Da! Bookmarks!

If you want to try this, I suggest following the tutorial I used: click here.

Cute, Easy Photo Valentines

It's that time of year to send again.... time to send in class Valentines. I really wanted to try an idea that I saw last year. I have since seen in on Pinterest, but I first saw it on a blog and have kept it in the back of my mind.

It's pretty easy, you just have to remember to do your "photo shoot" and get the pictures printed. Because the weather has been so nice lately, we tried some a couple pictures outside and a couple inside and picked the best. I had them hold their fist out like they were holding a lollipop. (Lily only kind of "got" this. I still think she thought she was really going to get one.)

Then, I went on line to Picnik and added some text (this way you don't have to write it in later-time saver) and fun features (they're closing the site soon- boo!). I sent them to Target Photo and they were ready in about an hour or so. When I picked up the pictures, I also bought lollipops too. Two birds, one stone, you know.

(I did a few for Lily so she wouldn't feel left out)

I then took an Exacto-knife and cut two little slits above and below their fists.

I wove a heart lollipop in and -voila!- it looks like they are handing it to their friend!

So cute! (and easy! It took no time at all!)

Valentine's Crafts

The girls and I pulled out the craft supplies recently to decorate for Valentine's Day. Here is what we came up with...

A heart garland.

Did you know that you can sew paper on your sewing machine? It is so fast and easy.

Crayon/wax paper heart suncatchers.

We sharpened crayons to get the shavings, put them between sheets of wax paper, ironed it to melt (with newspaper or a towel between the iron and wax paper), and then cut out hearts. They look really pretty with light shining through them.

Indy Love Letter

For those of you living underground, this year the Superbowl is being hosted in Indianapolis. I must admit, prior to this week, it was really annoying that all they talked about was the Superbowl. However, this week, now that there is actually something going on, it has been really cool. It is awesome to hear wonderful things about a city that you love. Indy has gotten rave reviews.

I happened across these pictures on Facebook. They have been "shared" hundreds of times, but they are beautiful. I actually made one my banner on my timeline.

Cloth Napkins

I recently read this post titled, "I use cloth napkins because they're pretty" on the blog Blue Corduroy (I LOVE hers). The short version if you don't click on the link and read it is that she uses cloth napkins because they are pretty, they make their meals feel special, and they feel good. I also like the idea that they are "green", meaning no trash.

Matt and I talked about it, and I asked Abby what she thought about it (she thought they were fancy), and we decided to try it. I looked around and the best bargain and cutest prints I found, without making my own, was Target. Some of the prints we liked best were even on super clearance. We even splurged and bought a set of napkin rings.

We're going to try it and see how it goes.

Do you ever use cloth napkins?

Clippies

The girls and I have happened on a favorite shop on Etsy called One Little Monkey, that I must share with anyone who buys for little girls in their lives. I found it through a mention on another blog, and now I'm passing it on to you.

The shop owner makes adorable hair clips and bows (headbands too) for super reasonable prices. I let Abby choose a bunch to give Lily for her birthday. She also got to pick one for herself. We love them so much that I just made a second order yesterday. Most of her clips are $3.00, and her shipping is only $2.50, no matter how many you buy.

Check her out!

Wordless Wednesday

She kissed a frog.