Wordless Wednesday... Four years ago.

The boys turn 4 next Monday.  To say that I am blessed is a understatement. Not one day goes by that I don't thank God for giving me these two beautiful boys that call me Mama.  For the two true loves of my life. 
Little Man

  The boys together 

Little man on the left, B man on the right. 
B Man

Tempt my Tummy Tuesday ( Pot Roast)

Halloween is my Husbands birthday, for years we use to get a cake, make chili and hand out candy for our friends with kids.  It was our tradition something we enjoyed before having kids... This year we have to do the trick or treating with our own kids, so I need a quick and easy roast recipe. That way the birthday boy gets a good meal!   I found this one on Rae Drummon's website. She is my favorite cook and I love that she started out as a blogger. My dream come true is to be as big as Rae! SO here is a great recipe to have on hand for a great fall/winter go to meal....

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

One 3 to 5-pound chuck roast

2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil

2 whole onions, peeled and halved

6 to 8 whole carrots, unpeeled, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 cup red wine, optional

3 cups beef broth

2 or 3 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Generously salt and pepper the chuck roast.

Heat the olive oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the halved onions to the pot, browning them on both sides. Remove the onions to a plate.

Throw the carrots into the same very hot pot and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so. Reserve the carrots with the onions.

If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pot. Place the meat in the pot and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.

With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pot, scraping the bottom with a whisk. Place the roast back into the pot and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway.

Add in the onions and the carrots, along with the fresh herbs.

Put the lid on, then roast for 3 hours for a 3-pound roast. For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours. The roast is ready when it's fall-apart tender.

2011 Ree Drummond, All Rights Reserved

Mama needs to slow down...

I have been having a pretty hard time at this mother hood thing lately.  Maybe because my little man has been having a very hard time lately, not just a little bit but a lot. He hasn't been listening lately and being sassy and pushing his boundaries.

 I told him "don't run, your going to fall and get hurt!" I say this every morning when we bring B man to the bus and we are on our way back down to the house. 

He doesn't listen.  This time he doesn't just fall, he falls and slides,  rips his jeans and bloodies his little hands,  I run to get to him.  Picking him up and carrying him to the living room.  His sobs are making me get that large lump in my throat. 
As I clean him up,   I whisper to him how brave he is and how there are just sometimes that super heros like him just need moments with their mamas  to let his little body take a time out to feel safe and rest in my arms.
As I try to just take in this small moment I am thinking...
My Kitchen sink is full. The bathroom needs to be cleaned. I needed to call the Dr's back,  get B man that appointment with the Natural Path on the Island.. I've been waiting for months to get a call back to get in!
The list is growing but in this moment I am not going to do anything  but hold my baby.

My motherhood moments, the filling up juice cups, the cleaning up cookie crumbs, the ups and downs, the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.  These are the moments that make up my world.  The times standing at the other side of the living room I have the feeling of being so antagonize at the amount of legos that are littering the floor.
The mornings when I am feeling so overwhelmed to get the boys out the door that I sound like a crazy person... I think I might just be crazy!   There are so many days of me yelling for everyone to hurry up and wondering at the same time where I left my phone...my keys...my brain....

The moments that take us to the brink and you get pulled back in to the love of your motherhood. 
Those big Brown eyes that both boys get from me...  that sweet smell they both have, the sweet smell of boy.
You will always have the days where you ask yourself, "what am I doing here?" "Are you freaking kidding me?" looking at the living room and thinking to myself and many times that I have said it out loud,  "didn't we just clean this up?" It is about me learning that I am not perfect. My kids don't expect me to be perfect. 
They love me in my Yoga pants that I don't wear to yoga in.. Dancing around the house in my fuzzy slippers. Making them laugh.  Even when I do yell, they still love me. 

So tonight as I was thinking back to this day...this Mama realized that the to do list can wait, the dirty dishes can stay in the sink, the latest blog post and anything at that moment can wait because my baby needs me. They are both growing so fast, the skinned knees and the boo boo's will stop wanting to be kissed and they wont want to cuddle. 
I need to not take the small moments for granted. To savor every little second, even the ones where I want to scream. To remember all those nights I would pray to become a mom.... To remember that in life it is about those simple moments that we often forget. It all adds up and those days that feel pointless are actually just plain beautiful….

  

Hair at BPA

Last weekend I had the honor of checking out the BPA (Bainbridge Performing arts) production of Hair. To say that the production was amazing is a complete understatement.   I felt fully immersed right as I walked into the building itself. My heart was so happy with all of the hippies that were everywhere! The cast photos staring out at me as I was waiting to get into our seats.  Keeping with the theme, and keeping us entertained at the bar/concession area  with the Themed drinks! I had the Peace drink, with an amazing pear taste to it. We were also welcomed to put on temporary tattoos so we could get a little into character as well. I had my close friend Alysa with me, knowing that she is a hippie at heart I knew that she would love the chance to see the talented actors putting on this production for Hair! 

For those of you that have been living under a rock and have no idea what Hair is about....especially the 12 year old boy and his parents that were sitting behind me and made their shock well known in the opening act! Here is what the short summary of what its all about...Hair tells the story of the "tribe", a group of politically active hippies living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against being drafted into the Vietnam War. Claude, his good friend Berger, their roommate Sheila and their friends struggle to balance their young lives, loves, and the sexual revolution with their rebellion against the war and the conservative society. Ultimately, Claude must decide whether to resist the draft as his friends have done, or to give into the pressures of his parents who are the faces of conservative America to serve in Vietnam, compromising his peaceful principles and risking his own life. THERE IS SEX, DRUGS, RACIST COMMENTS, NUDITY.....IN THIS PERFORMANCE!!!  

A talented cast that can rival Broadway puts it own spin on Hair as they interpret it and makes it come alive on the beautiful stage of the BPA theater.  Josh Anderson provides musical direction. Noah Duffy handles the choreography, both were able to transport you right to the 60's. 

Right out of the gate Olivia Lee who plays Ronny/ The dance Captain, captivated me as she bared it all in the opening, singing her heart out to Aquarius.  I know I wasn't the only one that was completely under her spell, the entire night I kept watching for her and seeking her out in the scenes. Never disappointing me she was able to mesmerize all of us with her amazing dance moves and singing. 

 Another star of the show was Ted Dowling as Berger threw himself into his part so well that I forgot that he was acting. His humor and on point performance of him dropping his pants in multiple scenes laughing and keeping the punch line in order, he also very much touched me with his performance as he played with the lead of the show Jesse Smith who played Claude. Together they stop at nothing short of showing us all their passion for acting and being part of this movement. The feelings were so raw and when Berger goes crazy over a Orange Sears shirt that Sheila played by the amazing actress Alison Monda you felt like you could relate as you remembered back to your first love and the end when it hit the breaking point.  Sheila was gripping as she poured her love for Berger and the hurt of his rejection out in the song Easy to be hard. The entire audience was silent in that very moment. 

My all time favorite part of the show was the outstanding performance of Michelle Lorenz Odell as she played the part of both Dionne and in this part she was playing the sweet lady Margaret Mead. In this scene she brought the humor and she commanded your attention as she belted out her first note until the last. Showing us her chops she used to get her vocal performance degree! My favorite part of the night was when she showed us what she had under that big coat! Oh and that giggle!!!! 

In watching this amazing performance play out right before my eyes, I was able to look around the room and think of how this musical was touching all the people around me. The couple to my left sat with tear stains on their cheeks during the scene of the war time. The mom's in front of me having a mom's night out when the song "Hair" was sang by the tribe they were all singing and dancing in their seats as they got carried away into the vibe.  The shocked sounds, gasps, and giggles from the crowd when the "tribe" all got naked in another epic scene. One scene a man who I know and love got chocked up by looking at his beautiful wife perform and sing a solo on stage. 

At the end of the evening, they closed with the song Let the Sunshine in.  The tears were not an act or fake at all, It was moving and beautiful and I sat there with the "tribe" I took a moment through my tear filled eyes looking around at the people around me and wondered how they were touched? If they were there or if they knew people that had lost their lives in Vietnam? Were they protestors? How were they touched by this? 

As Alysa and I drove home that night we talked about what we saw, how it made us feel and what we both thought of it.  I hope that the cast reads this and know just how many people that they have touched and most importantly made us talk. 

Getting ready for the holidays... This Friday will be our 9 week count down.

Getting deals for the holidays.......
The holidays are drawing near and every week, I will try and give you one good deal on Mondays to help you be a thrift shopper. 
The holidays shouldn't be so stressful, we shouldn't try and kill ourselves over them and spend all our money trying to compete with the Jones's.  Who are these people anyway?...
I love the pintrest post about getting meaning back to the holiday season.... 4 gift for each child. 1) Something to read. 2) Something to wear. 3) Something to they want. 4) Something they need.
So here is something that will help get you the something to wear.....

Calling all Gymbree fans you are going to love this sale!! Right now at Gymboree you can get a whopping 40% off everything sitewide!!! Plus all clearance is 50% off!! This is going to make for STEALS on super cute kids clothing!

Transformation Thursday!

Here is a great idea for all those jars that you have laying around, 

or in your recycle bin! 

This is a great idea and will add a fun touch to your 

up coming holidays and if I was to 

renew our vows this would be a touch I wouldn't think 

twice about using!!!

Materials:

Various glass containers 

Spray bottle

Water

White vinegar

spray paint that has the look of glass spray 

( I got mine at wall mart for around $3.50)

Paper towels

Newspaper or other protective covering ( I used a pizza box) 

The one catch to this tutorial is the fact that you'll really need to look for the specific looking glass spray. I was able to find it in more than one of our local craft stores, but if you are at a loss, you can find it online. While I haven't actually tried any other sprays, I did read in a few other Pinterest tutorials from people that did who wish in retrospect they had gone with the Krylon looking glass spray (just tyring to save you all a little time, money and frustration here).

Cover area outside (or in an extremely well ventilated area) where you plan to spray with newsprint or other protective covering — we used cut up grocery bags that we had on hand for projects like these. 

Thoroughly clean and dry all glass pieces you'll be working with — you want to make sure the glass is clean in order for the spray to fully do it's thing. Fill a spray bottle with 1 part water to 1 part white vinegar and shake to combine. 

Set nozzle of spray bottle to it's finest mist setting. Put on any protective gloves or masks you wish to use and let's get started!

*Note about spray: if you are like me, you read all the directions and warnings on the looking glass spray before using, so you know it requires lots of shaking before and between use and recommends using on the inside of the glass 

— this is where you need to trust me — I used it on the outside of the glass. I did this because I wanted to actually be able to put things like flowers and candles inside the containers and the end result was good for me, so I'm just putting it out there.  

Allow to dry for just a minute and apply another fine mist of water/vinegar solution — then let them sit. Here's what our glass containers looked like as they began to dry with both sprays applied — notice the fine beading from the water/vinegar solution creating variations in the mirror spray: 

Allow to dry for about 2 minutes, then gently blot the beads of water/vinegar with your paper towel — they should lift off areas of the mirror spray in a varied pattern. Don't rub very hard as the metallic finish will streak, though you can apply gentle pressure in various places to achieve a more realistic and varied mercury glass look. Don't worry that the glass is still see-through at this point, since you'll be doing several thin layers to build up the look over time.

Just repeat the same process over and over, and rotating between resting your glass container on its base versus its top so you get full coverage.  All in all I probably went with between 3-4 coats in total.

You want to go with several thin and even layers of the spray to avoid runniness and splotching trust me, the end result is worth the patience.  Keep building up your layers until you are happy with the overall look and feel of your containers. Then allow for them to dry for at least 4 hours until bringing them inside or off the protective covering; you want them to set and seal.  
After your container is completely dry, now you are ready to style them the way you want to... If you think an area needs a little more or less coverage you can simply spot treat with more spray or spray with more water/vinegar and continue to blot away the treatment this is where you own craftiness and style come into play.
So what do you think —  would you try this?  What piece of glass would you transform  with fun diy this finishing technique?  I am totally going to try this with my wine bottles!  I have a very nice area outside I would like to decorate  a art project with the wine bottles, white lights, and the spray paint. Something alittle Italian themed maybe? I also want to try the chalk paint method for container for my bathroom. I think the little ones would be great sweet on a shelf with my cotton balls, q-tips, and make up brushes. Living with two boy men and a big man I have to try and make it a little girlie, right?! :) 

Wordless Wednesday