Happy Gotcha Day!

One year ago today Joshua Shen Cryer was placed in our arms to be ours forever!!!

I can't tell you what an amazing gift and treasure we received from the Lord that day.

We've got about 30 big paper lanterns hanging around the house and we're making plans to celebrate Josh today.

I'll do a big post when it's all over but I wanted to take the chance to announce our one year celebration!!

Conversations with Han

Today in the car Han says, "Mom, if you ever have a teenaguh you need to keep a VEHWY close eye on them!!"
Me: "Why Han?:
Han: "Because they get together and have teenaguh parties where they start a big FIRE! I guess they were playing with matches. Mary told me about it (Mary is our elderly neighbor that Han visits everyday). Almost everything I know, Mary told me. So if you ever have a teenaguh keep a close eye!"
Me: "Well Han, one day you'll be a teenager. Will I need to keep a close eye on you?"
Han: "Well........I won't be going to any teenage parties without you!!!"

I just had to write that down! Someday I may have to use this against her!!!


Han and I have a regular conversation in the bathroom similar to this one we had the other day...

Han: "OUCH! Mom that huwts!!!"
Me: "Sorry Han, I'm trying to be as careful as I can but you have a lot of tangles."
Han: " I sure wish Adam and Eve hadn't eaten that apple! Then it wouldn't hurt every time you combed my hair. Why DID they eat that apple?"
I re-told the story about how God told them not to, but Satan told them a lie and they believed him....
Han: "Well if they hadn't eaten it then we wouldn't do bad things."
Me: "That's true, they did the first bad thing, but when you do bad things it's because you made a choice to do it. You decide to disobey."
Han: "WELL.... they're the ones who got us into this whole mess!!!!"

Happy Birthday America!

Tiger T-ball

For some reason blogger is not allowing me to move the pics in the order I want them. Anyone else having this problem?
Anyway, here are a ton of pics and some video of Hud and Han playing T-ball.

Josh loves to run the bases when it's over

High fives when it's over.

Hud's turn as catcher.

Han playing first base.

Hud's safe! There aren't any outs in T-ball anyway.

Han's ready to run!

Russ is the assistant coach. He's decided it takes a village to coach a t-ball team. There are usually at least 4 dads out on the field helping and 2-3 of us moms on the bench keeping the peace.

Darling!

When it's all said and done in t-ball, it's not whether you win or lose, it's what the snacks are. And that's the truth!!!

A well protected garage sale

Hud and his friend A.J. keeping the girls safe!

This is a combo post... a few pics of Hud in his usual knightly state and a few tips on having a garage sale. I've had a few garage sales before and usually came away wondering if it was worth all the work. This year it definitely was... I made almost $800!! I didn't really have any big items either. One thing I did in the past was price things at about what I would pay for something at a garage sale. But, when I had tons of comments from customers about how great my prices were, I knew that I had under priced. So, this year I priced things quite a bit higher than what I would pay expecting the usual bargaining from most people. The surprising thing this year was that people were just paying the higher prices and not asking for less. Another thing that is really important in our town is having plenty of signs. Most people who see a sale sign expect to be able to follow signs right to your door, so make sure they can from every spot you put one. I don't know how helpful this was, but we advertised for free on CraiG's list. Here where we live, the sales are Thurs-Sat. Thurs is usually your best day. On Saturday we said put on our signs that everything was 1/2 off (except for one table that we said we'd come down on, but not all the way).

When I'm the one out garage saling, I don't hesitate to bargain with people they'll usually let you have it for what you ask. I usually ask about 20%-30% off... if it says $8, I'll ask if they'll take $5. If I am buying a lot of items, I'll wait for the total then ask some off the total. If you come upon one that is priced really low, just pay the full prices!!!

Have fun!! We've gotten some great things this year.

Jumpin' with a friend

One day Josh's speech teacher, Ms. Cheryl got out on the trampoline with him. He thought that was the greatest! She had so much fun she went home and tried to convince her husband that they needed a trampoline. Josh has a blast out there. He usually gets tossed around when the twins are on but he has the biggest grin the whole time.

A Toad

This week the kids found a toad in the backyard and were soooo excited to have a "pet" to take care of. They got a 5 gallon bucket from the garage, filled it with some large rocks, water, sticks and grass. Once they had a home for the toad they decided on the responsibilities (which would rotate they said... of course!). Hud would be the first to feed it and Han was going to love it and pet it. After getting all of that settled they needed to come up with a name. Han used her best argument to convince Hud that she should get to name it, and he consented. Now before I go any further, I should say that if you haven't ever seen a toad, they are UGLY!! This one was yellowish with brown and lots of warty bumps on the back. I touched it once and got the willies!! So Han decides to name the toad, Thumbelina!! You're probably thinking what I immediately thought, "Not what I would have named an ugly amphibian, but o.k." Later that afternoon, Han tells me, "I've changed my mind. I'm not going to call the frog Thumbelina. She doesn't really look like a Thumbelina." To which I responded, "Well, what are you going to name it?"
"I'm going to call her, Diamond!!!"

Han keeps us laughing!!

The other night I told Han that I'd like for her to empty the dishwasher before bed. (This is a chore she started a few months ago. The first time she did it she told me she "loved this job and could it be her job forever!?" yea right, that didn't last) Any way, she wasn't too excited about having to yet again unload this night. So she walks down the hallway to where Russ and I were and hollers, "Word on the street is, I don't do dishes at night!!!!" I have no idea where she heard that phrase... on the street I guess!!! Russ promptly replied, "Word at our house is, YOU DO!!!"

We walked out of Hob Lob the other afternoon to a rush of heat and humidity. Han says, "Whew, I'm sweating unduh my gills!!" Guess she heard that one in the ocean.

She told me yesterday that she was the "cutest girl in the world." I'm a little scared about that one... any advice on helping your children have a healthy self-confidence that doesn't get out of hand? Seriously, I'd be open to suggestions. I didn't know what to say right away. Later I thought a good response might have been, "There are lots of cute girls in the world and you're definitely one of them."

If you're wondering...

how my sale went, it got rained out. Well, I should say "rained on," poured on would be more like it, torrential downpour to be exact. I had only been set up with my stuff maybe fifteen minutes when the pouring started. I should have known better... it had rained all morning. The weather site said 15-30% chance for afternoon rain, so I took the chance. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, huh. Well all I gained was a whole van load of drenched stuff. I could have wrung out my panties when I got home I was so soaked. Getting home was a challenge as the amount of rain coming so quickly caused flash flooding. I spent the rest of the day drying my stuff and my van out.
Better luck next time!!! I hope!!!

My First Sale!!!

Many of you have been asking about the sale I've mentioned a few times. It is this Saturday at Clifton Square. (This is not where I told some of you so make sure you look it up and know where you're going). They are going to be having live music, a beer garden and lots of vendors. It should be a lot of fun and if you're like me and have never seen beer growing out of a garden it might be worth the trip just to see that!
I will be at a booth next to my sweet friend, Kendra who sells custom bows at http://www.sugarplumorphans.com/. Her 4-yr-old boy is an amazing artist and has been making cards to sell to help feed children in Africa. These cards are a hot commodity and he's already bought over 400 meals for kids in Uganda (see their BLOG).
As with everything I sell, I will be giving a portion of my proceeds to our friends adopting from Ethiopia.
Click HERE for more info about Saturday's sale.

Are five-year-olds supposed to be able to do this....?

I have been so busy with the kids and getting ready for my first craft show that I haven't been doing a good job at keeping up with this blog. I've got lots of pics and stuff to post, so maybe once the show is over I'll be able to catch up.
Anyway, earlier this week I was outside using my favorite color of spray paint, "ballet slipper," on something I'm hoping to sell. (I'll tell you all about what I was making on my new BLOG as soon as I'm finished with it.) Han was inside working on a computer reading game and came outside to get me to come help her. I explained that I was almost done painting and that she would need to wait a minute. She didn't like that, but sat there quietly for about a minute waiting for me.
Then she began to ask me in a here's-another-philosophical-question-for-you-Mom tone of voice.... "Mom?.... Is it better to be rich or to have a family?"
Me: "It's definitely better to have a family! Even the richest person in the world would be sad and lonely if they didn't have a family."
Han: "Then why are you outside doing this instead of inside helping me?"
I was stunned. She just trapped me in an argument. Scary!!!

Clarification

If you click on my new site, you can find my crafty blog by clicking on the blog button in the navigation bar just below the fun header my cousin, Ashley helped me create!

Protected!

Hud's rarely without some sort of weapon these days. Apparently this day he felt the need for plenty of backup. Click on the pic of a closer look! He's a lot of fun to have around!

A New Blog for You!!

I'm excited to announce my new blog (www.thecottagepetaler.blogspot.com) for all of you who have enjoyed keeping up with my crazy, crafty creations. The website is still under construction but I have started to blog so I've decided to give out the address even though the rest isn't complete. I'll let you know on the blog as I add more products and such. I have about a month to get ready for my first local craft show/bazaar (June 20) so I probably won't be putting too many things on the site until I've got enough stuff made to stock my sale. I'll definitely let you all know where to come find me on the 20th!
Enjoy the site, and please leave feedback!

A little Hiatus

Sorry to all of you faithful blog readers who have been wondering about us. I've been so busy crafting, creating and sewing that I haven't kept up very well on my blog.... or my house... or my exercising for that matter!
The exciting news is I've been working on a new blog/website for all my crafty ideas. You'll be able to read about my latest creations and buy some of them if you fall in love...
As soon as I get a little more put on the site I'll let you know the address!

True Siblings

It doesn't matter where you started, if God puts you in a family you're true siblings!!! The kids were snuggling and playing on the couch and said, "Mom, take a picture of us for your blog!"

Hud and Han absolutely adore Josh. He does manage to irritate them regularly, but they have such a sweet love for him.

Josh has completely adjusted to our family. I could probably have said that after the three month mark. It's been amazing to see how wonderfully he fit into our family.

He's starting to potty train himself which is nice except for the fact that he's two and wants to do everything himself including emptying and rinsing the potty seat. He's also showing some stubbornness and typical two-year-old behavior.

He is showing very high intelligence but is still struggling to speak clear enough for anyone to understand him. He'll repeat full sentences over and over and I might not be able to decipher any of the words. It's pretty frustrating for him, so he resorts to whining a lot which is pretty frustrating for the rest of us!

Rusty likes to say this, and I fully agree... "When we brought Josh home, we robbed China!"

Easter Egg Haul

I am a horrible mom... I didn't take any pics on Easter. I was just glad to get everyone to church looking half Easterish in 40 degree weather and rain! Here's a pic of the Easter egg haul the kids made the day before. I'm guessing they had at least 200 eggs. A church not far from our house put on the hunt. There was a verse an a piece of candy in each egg.

T-ball Hud

Hud is so excited to be starting t-ball next week! This year since Daddy has finished his MBA he's going to help coach. Han is planning to play too, or should I say meet new friends and socialize in the far outfield while the game goes on around her.

Hud also got in on the camo action.

Kill Da Wabbit!

Josh is quite the outdoorsman... he loves to imitate his brother shooting guns or bows. He also has Hud's cowboy boots on about 90% of the time. I still have yet to take a pic of him with nothing on but those huge boots. It's a pretty precious site!

The camo face is what happens when your sister gets a hold of you. At least it wasn't girl make-up! Notice the black ear!

Sewing Class...

For those of you who expressed interest in the sewing class, I haven't forgotten about it!!! I've just been a tad busy these days. I'm thinking an evening in June would be good. I'll let you know!!

Inspiration Overload!!!

A few of you have asked lately where I have been getting all my crafty ideas. Well I've been on inspiration overload from all kinds of great blogs!!! One of my favorites is www.tipjunkie.blogspot.com it features all kinds of peoples' blogs with great ideas and lots of tutorials. Another great site is www.craftgossip.com, and finally www.todayscreativeblog.blogspot.com. If you read any of these, you'll quickly find blogs that you'll add to your favorite list and have a continuous supply of ideas!
Happy creating!!

More Heaven from Han

Last night our area had some pretty severe storms come through.... a tornado touched down and the path was headed toward our city. The sirens were going off and we were all down in the basement eating dinner and listening to the storm chasers on the news. Naturally the kids were a little nervous. We prayed together and afterwards Hud said, "Mom, what could happen to us if a tornado came?" I said, "Well either God will protect us, or we'll go to heaven." At that Han piped up in a very excited tone of voice and said, "Tonight would be a gweat night to go to heaven!!!"
Leave it to Han to remind us that heaven is a very exciting option!!! The best, actually!!

Pizzookies!

For those of you who like pizzookies I found a great recipe!! These are generally a cookie baked in a deep dish pizza pan and topped with ice cream. You'll find them at a lot of pizza restaurants.

For this recipe you can use your small white ramekins. It said you could use a muffin tin if you don't have ramekins, but it sure was fun for each person to have their own little dish of goodness.

I made these tonight and they were definitely a hit. A simple, easy and fancy dessert.
I just used the store brand chocolate chip cookie dough. I think I put a little too much dough in so it took 3-4 minutes longer to bake. The first time I took them out they were way too gooey so I put them back in for a few more minutes. Don't be afraid to get the outside edges too brown. It made a good crunchy crust.

Try it out and tell me what you think!!

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/03/pizzookies.html

Hippity Hoppity

Easter's on it's way!! I've been doing some fun new Easter crafts.

I am very excited to have inherited this buffet from my parents! It has taken the place of a tall book shelf that was becoming a catch all for the kids and always looked like a mess. I plan to paint it soon and give it a whole new look.

Here's a mirror I found at Big Lots. The price tag said $30 which I thought was a great deal for a beveled mirror with nice frame. It had a few nicks and scratches on it so I asked for a discount. I got it for $24!! Hee Hee. I plan to paint it with the same paint I use on the buffet and of course I will hang it a little higher.

Don't you love the little blond girl holding an egg? She reminds me of my Han. I found the picture with the frame and everything for $22 at a cute little shabby store in Halstead. I already had the bird house and lamp. The bunny was half off at HobLob. I used my cake stand to put a nest on top. The blue eggs are plastic Easter eggs I painted.

I found this wire basket for $1.99 at Goodwill. I primed it and spray painted it this cute pink color called "Ballet Slipper." It is a real vintage shade of pink. More moss and eggs I painted in the nest.

I had this old grape vine wreath that I resurrected from my garage sale pile. Some more of that pink spray paint and it's a updated wreath!! I painted all the eggs (which are a bit time consuming) and still haven't managed to put some kind of bow on the top. I'm thinking I'll use burlap or a tan linen for the bow. Hopefully it will get a bow by Sunday!

To make your own eggs see this tutorial.

A Jewish heritage?

Yesterday Russ was walking around without a shirt and Han said, "Dad did you used to be an Israelite?"
Russ: "Well no Han."
Han: "Then what are those whip marks all over your back?"
Russ had just scratched his back and there were red streaks. Han was thinking maybe he had been a slave in Egypt and gotten beaten like she saw on her movie "Moses, Prince of Egypt."

More on heaven from Han....

This morning Han was snuggling with me and said, "When I'm dying and getting ready to go to heaven that will be so exciting!! Mom, when I die can I get buried instead of buhned up?"

Brown sugar body scrub

I saw this little recipe on a blog the other day and tried it out. It definitely has a brown sugar smell in the shower, but it really does make you feel like you've moisturized and exfoliated!!
Here's the recipe (if I had it to do over again I might have cut the recipe in 1/2):

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons honey

Happy scrubbing!
Let me know if you tried it and what you thought.

Wanna learn to sew?.......

A few weeks ago a couple of my girlfriends were talking about how they feel their generation was skipped when it came to learning how to sew.

Sew I was thinking (ha ha), maybe I could offer a little class one evening. I just saw this cute little tutorial about how to make a ruffled skirt for a little girl. You would learn how to cut out a pattern, sew on a machine, make ruffles, make a casing for an elastic waistband and hem.

There are a few details we'd need to figure out, like coming up with enough sewing machines.

Since I'm trying to use my crafty energies to raise money for my friend whose adopting from Ethiopia, I'd probably charge $15 for the evening. You would bring your own fabric and thread, but that cost would be minimal as you'd probably only need 1/4 yard each of two coordinating fabrics.

Sew, if you're interested, leave me a comment. I'd like to have 8-10 people for a class. If you in, maybe you could recruit a friend!

More on heaven from Han....

Yesterday Han asked me, "Mom, when I get to heaven will I get to see Jesus?"
Me: "Oh yes Han, you'll always be with Jesus in heaven!"
Han: "Whenever I do something fun in heaven I'm going to ask Jesus if he wants to do it with me!"

This morning Han and I were snuggling in my bed and she said, "Mom, does Jesus have a nickname?" I told her that Jesus has a lot of wonderful names and I started telling her some of them. "I know all those, Mom, but does he have a nickname?"
Then she said, "I wish I could be in heaven right now!! When I get to heaven I'm going to stand up and give Jesus a big hug!"