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

Tempt my Tummy Tuesday!

                               Not your Mc Donalds Nuggets!

I found this recipe through the Fit Blog. Tried it and loved it. I love that its health and my boys will be eating the thing they love the most and not have all the bad stuff that goes into the ones we can get at a drive through. 

To keep the chicken nuggets healthy, I make the breading out of high-protein, low-carb bread that I put in the blender until it’s reduced to crumbs. I use low-fat sour cream to stick the crumbs to the chicken. Finally, the nuggets are fried in a little bit of coconut oil 

Since I am using sour cream anyway, I often make a dipping sauce by just mixing lots of paprika, curry powder and pepper into a little sour cream. The fresh dressing provides a great balance to the spicy chicken nuggets.

Ingredients

• 1 Chicken breast (7 oz. / 200 g)
• 1 cup of bread crumbs. 
• 2 tbsp. Coconut oil
• 2 tbsp. Low-fat sour cream
• Chili
• Paprika
• Pepper

Instructions

1. Clean the chicken breast and cut it into nugget-sized pieces
2. Blend the muffin in the blender until it’s reduced to crumbs
3. Mix the sour cream with the spices (use A LOT of spices. The final dish will taste less spicy than you expect)
4. Dip the chicken pieces in the sour cream until they are fully coated. Then toss them in the breadcrumbs
5. Heat the coconut oil in a pan on medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the coated chicken nuggets and let them cook for about 4 min on each side. Open one with a knife to test if they are done
6. Transfer the nuggets to a paper towel and let them dry for a minute before serving

Meet Me Monday....

1. Who wakes up in the morning with the kids, you or hubby? Well on the days that my hubs isn't working, he wakes up most of the time. I get to wake up the other 5 mornings! I do get up every night when  B man just isn't able to get back to sleep on his own.  I live for his two days off....now though most of the time we both get up to get the boys ready for school...

2. Do you watch the World Series even if your team isn't in it?

Nope.....I only paid attention this year because of all the back to the future nods!  The Cub's my friends should have been really bet on...they are going to be in the world series just like they predicted in the movie! I just know it!!!

3. What is the best compliment you have received?

That I look just like my mama 

and 

that I act just like my Dad!

4. Do/did you dress up to take your kids trick or treating?

We always dress the kids up but I never get my rear in gear together enough to pull all of us off.  It is my husbands birthday 

and 

then two days later the boys have their b-day. 

5. Do you have a favorite bible verse? What is it and why?

Yes I do, it is 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
I love this one because it is the true meaning to me of what love means and what love should be like. 

Meet Me Monday...

1. Dream job...realistic and completely unrealistic.

Dream job? Realistic, I'm living it. Raising my babies  has to be the best job on the planet. Even when it's a day that's not happy, full of tears from them and me it's so rewarding to spend my days watching them grow. "Don't ever let a little boy go to sleep for when they awake they will be a day older." 

Unrealistic?

I would go to school and become a NICU nurse.  I loved our time in the NICU at Tacoma General, even with the sadness of being there and the times that were so stressful, the nurses that took the time to hold us and love us and make sure we were okay.... I would love to comfort the parents and hold them babies.... 

Really Unrealistic?? 

I would love to be a stand up comic. I would make people laugh and I know I can be pretty damn fun!!!  That is totally what I would be.. the next Melissa McCarthy!!!!!

2. Do you fart in front of your significant other?

Heck yes I do. 

I am proud of my loud farts. I come by them naturally. 

I don't think there was a point we weren't able to Fart in front of each other. We were best friends before we started dating so it was never an issue. 

3. What's the furthest you've ever traveled from home? How far and where was it?

When I turned 30, my hubs, mom and I went to Disneyworld. It was amazing! 
I am a big Disney fan and have always wanted to go to the Big world. 

My parents always took me by car to Disneyland and it must be a love of my parents because that is where they went for their honeymoon! Chris and I went there for our honeymoon as well. We are looking forward to going to Disney World in a few years with the boys... Except the looonnnngggg plane ride at 12:04 AM from Seattle to Orlando and getting their at 7:00am.  

With that being said I think I would do the same flight so that the kids slept for most of the time on the plane. We wont be going until the boys are a little bit older so that they can make it without any out bursts or freak outs... This is even about Hubs. He was a big baby on that flight, he hates to fly and being in that plane for that long really will be a pain for me with all three of my men..... hmm...maybe just a girls week there no kids or hubs?? 

Yeah I would never do that with out my babies now that I have them but the idea may pop up once in a while....but I will be taking them in a few years because it wont be the crazy parts, the fits, and temper tantrums that we will remember... we will remember the memories that made the trip a fun time....because even the bad times in a trip to Disneyworld would never make it not be the happiest place on Earth. 

4. How do you celebrate birthday for your kids? Family only or friends? ... Alternate for those without kiddos: How did you celebrate birthdays as a kid?

We do both.

A family party (because I could never subject my loved ones to the horror that is a child's birthday party. They'd write me off..) on the Sunday closest to the child's birthday.  Sadly my family and my husbands family don't really get along... so we do get this TWO family parties.  

Then we do a kids ( friend ) party and go all out for that... I try hard to make sure I am pintrest perfect.  This year we will be having all their preschool friends and families. Our house is small but it will be fine with all the tents and outside heaters. 

I love doing their parties. I plan them starting around January or February. Note their birthday is in November. 

Hotel review... Ocean Park Resort.......

To say things have changed with having the twins is a major understatement.  Before the boys every week or two I was going on hotel reviews like crazy.  I loved it. The love for travel is something that has always been such a big part of me. I wish I would have been like my cousin Maddy as she has been traveling the world since she turned 18!  This next month her and her sister Marlee are going on a travel journey through Europe.  I am the person that doesn't care about all the fancy cars and clothes that my friends brag about on their social media outlets but get really green eyed with envy if you brag about your latest travel adventure.

Hubs and I haven't gone anywhere sense the boys were born almost four years ago alone. I need to work on this. My sister in law laughed at me years ago when I said that traveling would never slow down once I had them.... Yes she was right and I was so very wrong.  We went to Kalaloch when the boys were almost two. That's when my sister and her husband and my nephew came up to visit from their home in Colorado. We had a great time and my parents joined us. It was an amazing time back then but, it took until now to go on our very first solo family vacation.

Our family use to go to Long Beach Washington all of the time and we decided that we wanted to go back to Ocean Park. The last time we all went was almost 10 years ago. So we called our favorite hotel and looked forward to our new memories with our little family.

Ocean Park resort is a small motel, with a RV and Tent camping park, along with a few cabins and mobile homes that they rent out to families during the summer and during razor clam digs, this place has always been packed.  When we pulled into the resort it was almost empty. I have never seen it like this at all.  We got our keys and paid the nice lady for our three day vacation. 

When we got into our room we realized just how come it was so empty. First we saw just how outdated it was..... We asked for a room with a TV that would be compatible with our DVD player. They said sure we have your room ready with a TV that should work.  We had two TV's, one with a built in VHS and one that had 4 channels that worked. There was no place to hook the DVD player up to the TV. The Coffee maker didn't work.  What else could set our day off on the wrong foot then no coffee.  The oven didn't work and we figured this out when we tried for almost an hour and a half for getting the boys pizza cooked.  Only parents know the beads of sweat a hungry child can make you feel.... 

We always look for a place to stay that has a washer and dryer that we can use. Being that we have the boys and we were at the ocean this was a major must have with where we stay. I went to their laundry room and in every drum of the washers was filled with gunk, yuckie cat food looking waste. I went and told the older man that was in the office and he said he would take care of it.  The next afternoon after a day at the beach the same things were in the drums of the washers.  So we went to a laundromat in Long beach. That night when we got back to the hotel and we were packing our things up I looked into some of the rooms down below just checking things out and what did every empty room on the first floor have?? Brand new working flat screen TV's! Even asking a few times to be moved to another room if the TV's worked else where in another room. They said they didn't have one and then I see this. I was so mad!  

But we didn't let that spoil our trip. We used our phones wifi and watched Netflix. Our little family is all we need for a fun time and on our first vacation as a family.  All in all, I would say stick with another place for around the same price then this. You can stay closer to Long Beach but not here. We left a comment in their room note book and it was sent back to us from the owners asking us to not come back again and that we were so loud and rude. It just made me happy my grandma didn't have to go back and see this. 

So from a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best place we have ever stayed, I would give it a -10.  Never will go back and never will stay again. Also something I forgot to say was that they use to have a pool and when asked about it they made a rude comment about how handicap people don't come enough to pay for the lift to get them in and out of the hot tub and spa. When she was telling me about it she didn't know that Brock was handicap. I guess she was lucky that it was me she was offending and not someone else.