Making Movies

Turn your tot into a producer!

Make your own movies easily and instantly on GoAnimate

Today we discovered GoAnimate, a website where you can sign up for free and quickly make animated movies.  I simply typed in the dialog my 5 year old daughter dictated to me. She also chose the scene, characters and which voices to use.  But I should warn you, it's addicting, you're kids will want to make more than one after they see their first video come to life!  But it was a great way to spend a muggy, stormy afternoon!  If you make a movie, please don't keep it to yourself, come on over and post it on my facebook page!

candacecreations's Animation by candacecreations on GoAnimate

Make a Video - Powered by GoAnimate.

candacecreations's Animation by candacecreations on GoAnimate

Animation Software - Powered by GoAnimate.

Love is in the Air....

Love is in the Air...

at the zoo at least

We went to the zoo yesterday with the grandparents and as we were leaving the butterfly exhibit, saw the most amazing, double winged butterfly!!!  Until we looked a little closer and realized it was TWO butterflies which were mating...huh....never really thought about butterflies mating before...or ginormous grasshopper like insects...which were going at it in the insect exhibit right up on the glass....or the huge "sea" turtles (They were in the water with alligators so I don't know if they were actually sea turtles or have some other name) and there were a couple other exhibits that had some "wild things" going on as well...lol.  Every time my preschooler saw this action going on she said "AWWW! Look mommy the baby is riding on it's mommy's back!" Yup....that's EXACTLY what is going on...yeah...that's it.....

New Year New Hair

Bit the Bullet and Dyed my Hair (at home)!

BEFORE

 3 weeks prior

 AFTER

So I've been thinking about dying my hair on and off since Jordan was born but always chicken out so the other night I finally bit the bullet and tried it.  I checked around on the internet and Tyler called his aunt who is a hairdresser and the general consensus was to use clairol nice n easy #10 lightest blonde.  I was so nervous and totally freaking out but I knew I could go get it done professionally if I didn't like it.

It didn't turn lightest blonde, but it turned all my darkest dirty blonde areas of hair to strawberry blonde.  I guess people will stop asking where Bronson got his hair color :)  My hair feels much nicer after using the dye, highlights always dry out my hair and now it feels so silky I'm not used to it!  Now I can actually get the straightner to go smoothly through an entire length of hair, before, trying to curl my hair with the straightener was difficult, it would always get caught or stick as I got towards the bottom of each section of hair (yes even when brushing the sections well before straightening).  So when I curled my hair with the flat iron the other day, I couldn't believe how much easier it was!   PLUS it only took 10 minutes to process once I got my hair covered...going to the salon always takes half the day, my highlights always take forever to process.  Although I did almost throw up when I finished washing the dye out...it looked bright orange at first but it didn't stay like that, it toned down and when I dried it looked like it does in the after pictures.  And below is with the flash.

Anyways here it is.  :)  Honestly, it looks a lot different to us, but only a couple of people have noticed the difference, not even Jordan has said anything and she doesn't miss a thing so yeah, maybe I'm making a big deal about dying my hair, but it really wasn't a big change, just the first time doing all over color (besides my embarassing hair days (which I shared on wannabebalanced recently to win the personal microdermabrasion system, thanks everyone who voted!) when I had Karen Kane hair in 8th grade and dyed it maroon, then bleached it and got a firey orange...which was cool because that was the same time as the movie the Fifth Element of course! LOL! I still looked like a "shim" though....apparently.  


Anyways....I don't know what my deal is, I'm just a DIY junkie, I like to try doing things myself.  I also did my own trim a couple months ago after giving B his first haircut, looking at my ends in the picture above...I think it's time for another one!


Did I mention it cost $10? That is less then what I tip when I get my hair done!

Awesome First Christmas Card

Soooo....is this not an awesome postcard or what? lol!  That is my adorable niece with her hottie mom and dad and don't you think that headband just makes the photo?  I mean look at it! It just adds to her cuteness!  ok ok...she's cute enough on her own but I was excited to see her wearing one of the headbands I made for her!  After making the satin burnt edge flowers (i don't know if there is an actual name for them but Crystal Escobar from wannabe told me how to do 'em) I encrusted the edges with matching glitter so make it a lil sparkly :)  

Speaking of Crystal, (I blog stalk) she just had her baby girl and if you haven't yet, you should check out her shop it is full of the cutest things!

PopEye the Stick Man

Meet PopEye the Stick Man

no relation to spinach sucking sailors

Today we had a BIG mess on the table of all our random arts and crafts supplies.  My 4 yo daughter and I decided to make a little puppet toy for her baby cousin when we found this red Popsicle stick and one big googly eye....hence the name....Popeye.....

J glued the eye on and then we were looking around out stash for some hair...hmmm..this blue octopus foam sticker turned upsidown looked fun and then all we needed was our pipe cleaners.  

He makes a really fun pet

Popeye loves the outdoors

He knows how to drive

He's popular with the ladies

 He's housetrained

 He's on top of the fresh breath thing

And he's very.....

studious....

He can teach your kids all about the number 8

Now he will make a very low maintence first pet for our baby belly dancing Rainbow Gotters.  J says her mommy and daddy will play peek-a-boo with him while Rainbow Gotters is in the crib and do puppet shows for her.

Who is Rainbow Gotters? (my newborn niece)  And yes she belly dances...

How a Lovey Taught Me Something

This is very random, but I was just rocking my fussy son in the rocking chair, my eyes tired and heavy and just reflecting on the great company we had just had over for lunch.  (A family we just met 2 days ago through craigslist when we bought an elliptical from them!!! crazy huh? They are an amazing family who is going to be moving to plant a church in another state-).  Anyways...that's not even the random thing I was going to say although that was super random.  where was I?  Oh yeah, so I was rocking him in the rocking chair calming him down and he was holding his special blankie.  I don't know why, but this thought came to me all at once out of the blue. But this is that back story... he had this wonderful, cute, soft, cozy blankie that I had been giving him repeatedly to be his security object because he didn't have one for a long time.  This blankie I kept giving him was just so soft and plush, and in my mind, ever since we received it as a gift when he was born, I "knew" it was going to be his special blankie, it was perfect....he just hadn't attached to it yet.  I kept on giving it to him and he was indifferent...then one day we were in his room looking for an outfit to wear and he was trying to get into the closet when suddenly he stopped, his eyes got big...he got excited and then pulled out this little yellow and white blanket that I had put away because it was just one of those  thin blankets you use to swaddle them when they are tiny.  Anyways, he pulled that out and from that moment on, it has been his special blankie that goes everywhere.  He won't sleep without it and he drags it around everywhere like little Linus....I couldn't even keep it away from him at the spray park this summer so he drug it through all the fountains and sprinklers...

So as I sat there rocking him, thinking about other things, I looked down at him cuddling his blankie and had this random epiphany.  Thinking about how he came to have that particular blankey be his lovey rather than the nice, plush perfect one I had thought would be his lovey, it's going to be the same way one day with his future spouse.  We are probably going to have some idea of the person we envision our children getting married to one day and when that day comes, we may be surprised when they just find the right one, and it's not what we had envisioned...but you know what?  Even though it's not the super cool, perfect extra soft blankey we would have picked...it's still a pretty darn cute one... and in his eyes, it's the perfect one.  So my realization (however obvious it may seem but now reinforced) is that I really won't be able to pick my kids future friends, career,and mate just like I couldn't pick out their lovey for them as babies....however...

There's always something we CAN do, even when when it comes to things out of our control...

BUT that doesn't mean there is nothing I can do to help my kids make the right life choices for themselves.  One thing I CAN do is pray for my children (yes, even starting now it's never to early) that they may be kept from the wrong mate and saved for the right one (II Corinthians 6.14-17)  and trust in God's plan for their lives, as He can work far better in their lives than I can.  I can pray for my children to always seek for wisdom and discernment from Him, and turn to Him for all decisions so s/he doesn't make poor choices, that  to Holy Spirit will influence his/her selection of friends and potential mates and all their relationships with others will glorify Him.

So that is my random thoughts for the day....how my son's blankey turned into a lesson to teach ME something I know I will need to remember down the road...it seems obvious but may not be so simple when the time comes to have to truly let go and respect their choices.

Thinking about this reminded me of this great book I have with beautiful illustrations of children, it's called For This Child I Prayed by Stormie Omartian Illustrated by Susan Rios

It is filled with beautiful prayers that I enjoy reading and praying for my children.  My daughter enjoys this book at bedtime, hearing all the wonderful prayers with her name in them, hearing me pray these things for her.  She always wants me to "do another one".  The first prayer in the book was really difficult for me to understand and do when I first became a parent...It wasn't until pretty recently that I have realized and conceded that yes, parenting a child in the way God would have me to is beyond my human abilities and I need His help, that I truly do want to be partners with Him and have access to his wisdom, discernment, revelation and guidance while also NEEDING his strength, patience and generous love flowing through me.  Entrusting Him with the lives of my children, believing that he has a plan for their life that is good, something far better than I could arrange.

"Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive"

-Matthew 21:22

Keith and Kristyn Getty

The Gettys

in concert

This past Sunday, I found out that the there was going to be a free concert by the Gettys at Westside Baptist, a church in Omaha.  I saw it on the website and although I had never heard of them, I had heard the songs "In Christ Alone" and "Power of The Cross" so my 4 year old and I went and it was a great concert.  Based on those two songs I had heard, I had no idea they were irish, but at the concert, it was VERY Irish with an awesome fiddler and it was just fun, they had a great sound and message and we enjoyed all of their music.  We picked up their new album "Awaken The Dawn" and are really enjoying it.  My four year old closes her eyes when she hears it she gets really into it, and I can hear her singing the songs in her room while playing with strawberry shortcake.  I'm surprised their cd is only $4.99 on amazon with free shipping, so the cheapo in me is a little agitated I paid $10 for mine at the concert but oh well, glad to support them.  It was worth it, we have been playing the cd over and over all week. I'm so excited to find new christian music that I really like, I even picked up the song books because I've been wanting some new piano music for a long time and this was exactly the type of stuff I like to play.  I like it because it's unique, it doesn't sound like every other song you hear on the christian radio station and it's pretty with it's irish flavor and now after watching them live and meeting them afterwards, I just like everything about them. oh, and I don't have to skip any of the songs either.

I guess I will just throw a shout out to 402 Arts Collective,  this free concert was possible because them "Building a More beautiful city through creative expression and community" check them out here at www.402artscollective.org

Visit the Gettys website here www.gettymusic.com you can hear some of their music playing on their website.

PS- I've decided to go into my first arts and craft show, and I paid for my spot TODAY so it's happening...I've been busy whipping up goodies for my table, some of the things I'm working on is baby neck ties (I figured out how to make my first one the night before we moved because we had birthday pictures the next day with our photographer (miss you Tessa!)) and have been wanting to make more ever since, headbands, prints, artwork and decor for kids rooms and nursery...I'll try to post some sneak peaks when I can!  I'm sure some of it will end up on my Etsy shop...which is still empty...I think we'll have a grand opening with a giveaway so stay tuned!

Don't Find Yourself, Create Yourself

One of my favorite quotes is "Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself"
I saw this picture on facebook and just had to share it!

Ugh...FAIL!

Well, I had a big flop on an easy recipe this evening.  I was trying to make No-Bake Cookies, but with no dairy so I substituted the butter with butter flavored Crisco shortening and used the vanilla coconut milk I had on hand and they are GARBAGO!  Maybe I boiled the mixture too long, it turned out dry and crumbly, I couldn't even make them into drop cookies, I ended up squishing it all down into a square pan to see if they will hold together and make bars.  But then I tried to eat some of the crumbles and it just wasn't good.
I am just on a roll I suppose!!!  This past week we were traveling to visit family cross country, and this is how my husband's phone broke.
After running around non-stop with visiting everyone (flying in, visiting family, road trip to a nearby state to visit more relative and then road trip back to original relatives...) I jumped on the chance to lie down for a rest while my hubby watched the kids in our hotel room.  We had a suite so the bedroom was closed off from the rest of the room.  I didn't have my eyes closed for more then 2 minutes when I heard J get hurt, we still don't know what happened, but somehow she split her lip and was crying that baby B did it to her because SHE wanted to be the line leader...whatever that means.  Hearing the screaming and crying I couldn't just keep laying there, although it was tempting to pretend I couldn't hear and hide out!  I walked into the bathroom where Tyler was trying to clean the blood (small amount) off her face and lip and then I see B standing in front of the toilet splashing in it.  That's not the worst part.  The toilet in that room had NO pressure, it couldn't even flush down a piece of toilet paper so about 15 minutes earlier, J had gone number 2 in the potty but there was no pressure to flush it down.  I run over and grab B as I see him splashing in the poopy toilet and Tyler's phone is in there as well.

Here is a picture from our trip.  If you are ever in New Haven, CT and want a good pizza, go to Modern Apizza!  It's the best (although I didn't get to have any this time because of the gluten and cheese!!! boo!)  Doesn't it look good though?  Well, maybe not so appetizing after my gross story...sorry!

Child's Prayer

 my little angel :)

So, yesterday I was not having the best of days. I was just extra tired and as the day went on getting more tired and more cranky.  I was feeling like J was driving me crazy, although she wasn't too out of the ordinary, it was just me in a bad mood and having no patience. I decided we better make a trip to the gym so I could get a little break and burn off some negative energy and hopefully pump in some endorphins. As she began whining about her shoes without even trying to find them, because they were basically right in front of her, I was about to lose it.  I stopped, took a deep breath trying to keep it together when I remembered a tip from the book Mom Has Fun that was given to my husband by a work associate who is friends with the author.  I still haven't finished the book, but one of the main things the woman does in her family is have a time out and calling a team meeting when things start going awry. I let out that deep breath, got down to J's level and just said "I really need you to help me out.  Mommy is really tired and feeling really cranky.  I'm so cranky it's making me want to yell and scream, but I don't want to yell and scream, so could you please be a special helper and make sure that you and Bronson don't whine and are good listeners?"  She lit up and was excited to be my helper.  Then, we proceeded to get ready and out the door.  As we were walking to the car, J, excited to be my helper in my time of need, said to me "Mommy, Jesus can help you!  He can be in your heart and make you feel better if you want!"  As we got into the car I thought it was sweet what she was saying, but I still felt in a crummy mood.  As we drove to the gym, she told me again, "Mommy, I know He can help you feel better if you want"...so I said "well, maybe you could pray for me"...and J doesn't actually pray very often, I encourage it but don't make her do it.  However, she does like to listen to me pray and occasionally chime in something so I found it so sweet and precious when she said "Dear Heavnwy Father, Thank you Jesus knows us and can be in our hearts, Jesus Name Amen".  I'll tell you it was hard to still feel sour after hearing that simple, sweet prayer coming from the back seat.  With that, and a really good workout, I did feel much better and refreshed and on the way home, I told Jordan "Thank you for praying for me, it really did help me to feel better".  She was really happy to help out. :P

The other 2 notable times she's said a cute prayer was

"Dear Heavnwy father, please bless Bronson that he can be my best friend"...sweet...then the next day she asked if I could go to the doctor and they could put him back in my tummy...lol

"Dear Heavenwy Father, please BLESS Jacob and Tyson.....and.....please BLESS Jacob and Tyson....and................please Bless Jacob and Tyson....and....bless Jacob and Tyson...in Jesus name, Amen."
(her best friends who are brothers)

What's the Most Sacrilegious Thing Your Hubby has Done?

So this is a super random post, but I just finished making a batch of my famous Granola Bars (adjusted to be Gluten free, using Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats and Puffed Brown Rice Cereal) and as I was cleaning out my KitchenAid mixing bowl, I couldn't help but cringe at the memory of when my husband desecrated it...I don't know if I'll ever get over it....One time, when the toilet was overflowing, he took the bowl from my KitchenAid mixer and used it to scoop out yucky toilet water.  I think I had to stop myself from crying and he did not understand what the big deal was...he said it was the perfect size bowl for the job and we could wash it...um...is that not the saddest story ever? I don't know how much bleach I used and how many times I repeated the process before I could force myself to use it again and not buy a new one... Actually come to think of it, he also wronged me and my kitchenAid in the moving process 2 years ago, he put something heavy and metal on top of it in the moving box without any paper or towels in between and there is a big chip of paint off the top.  Those 2 things might be the worst things he's done in our marriage. (I gotta admit he's a good one despite these 2 travesties) I love my KitchenAid Mixer!

So, my question to you is, what is the most sacrilegious thing your hubby has done with your treasured possessions?

Oh Mr Sun, Sun Mr Golden Sun feat. a Belle Dress

Oh happy day!!!!  After a month of having sick kids, then ice storms and bad weather, we've been cooped up and feeling crummy for about a month now!  And finally the sun has come out and it was warmed up!  Yesterday I was able to take the kids out to the sand volleyball pit to play in the sand and then we went swimming in the hot tub and enjoyed being outside.  Today is another beautiful day, we spent the morning at a playdate at the Disney store and J wore her custom made Belle Dress made by my mom and had a blast, then when we got into the car she kept complaining that it was too hot and I had to put the AC on!!!  Talk about changes in the weather!  Having the sun back again, I feel like a new person!

I've been meaning to show you guys this Belle Dress my creative mommy made, she is the best!  I was getting tired of buying princess dresses for $20-30 that literally are falling apart after one day.  J freaks out about any strings hanging off her clothes, she gets grossed out and I have to be trimming those frayed princess dresses constantly.  So my mom made her this nice dress for Christmas.  Here she is dancing and singing in her Belle Dress.  She had just watched a DVD with clips of Jackie Evancho while she competed in America's Got Talent and wanted to sing like her...I just love 3 years olds...no inhibitions!

Boys will be Boys....

When J was a baby, she was such a girl from the beginning.  As soon as she could move she went straight for the shoes, particularly high heels. My sister always wears the most fabulous shoes and everytime she came over, J went straight after those shoes the minute she took them off the door and would be fascinated with them until she left. The first time she got a hold of her daddy's wallet, she went straight for the American Express!  Just recently,(like as of the last 2 days) my 5 month old has started to barrel roll around the room, exploring and enjoying getting into things.  Well, the thing he keeps going straight for is the electronics.  Such a boy!  Today he was doing his thing and I was helping J with her artwork and all the sudden B rolled his way over and started pushing all the buttons on the CD player and receiver and messin things up.  I just can't believe he's already getting into things! Where does the time go!!!!  So anyways, I was just chuckling to myself about how the differences between boys and girls starts so early, without influence...J was after any pair of high heels she could get her hands on as soon as she was mobile, and now my little guy is after the electronics!!!  How typical!  Well, now my husband doesn't have to hang out in the electronics department alone anymore while Jordan and I dilly dally in the shoes/clothes department!

The funny thing to me is that in college, I remember taking child development classes and a human sexuality class that tried saying that gender differences exist because of the stereo types we push onto our children.  I mean, I guess there are stereo types that may be pushed to the extreme on some kids...and we should let our kids have the freedom to express their interests...but just sayin'....so far, in my experience, it seems girls are more naturally drawn to "girl things" and boys to typical "boy things".  Not that J isn't interested in "boy things" too...she loves to rough house, the color blue and likes to sport a pair of race car underwear but overall...she's naturally feminine and girly.

Like my Blog Playlist?

If the music hasn't automatically started on my blog playlist, scroll down to the bottom of my blog and it will start playing right away.  The reason I mention this is...well, do you like the first song?  It's an awesome indie artist named Tyrone Wells.  My senior year in college I was on my way to Art History when I heard some good sounding music coming from the CUB (student union building).  This guy was performing in the cafeteria doing a really awesome cover of "Lightning Crashes" by Live, on of my all time favorite songs growing up!  I remember being in 6th and 7th grade, hanging out with friends in my room listening to this song on repeat!
He had such a great voice and was so nice to listen to, I decided to skip my class and watch the rest of his show.  I bought Snapshot and Hold On from him when he was done and have been a fan ever since.
So the reason I am bloggin about him now is because I was listening to some of his new music on project playlist and my husband was like "Who is that?" and I was like "Tyrone!" and anyways, I ended up going to his website to buy his new cd if he had one available and saw he is on a crosscountry TOUR!  YAY!
I immediately bought tickets for the show here where I live!  They were under $10 a pop too!  YOU ALL need to check out his tour schedule and buy tickets for a show in your area if he's coming your way! Trust me...you'll love it! He has a great voice, is appropraite for all ages, sings great LIVE because that's when I first heard him....and you will be hooked! Visit his tour schedule on his website NOW Tyrone Wells Website.

TIME FOR DATE NIGHT OR GIRLS NIGHT OUT! (although most shows are all ages if you want to bring the young'ins)

  Download his album here!




























And if you haven't used project playlist for your blog before, learn more about how to use project playlist here!

If You Want to Get Anything Done....

Then Sometimes you just have to let them do their thing and make a huge mess...as long as they're safe and occupied!

This is what happens when your apartment complex doesn't have recycling available...you accumulate a TON of crap while waiting for a chance to transport it to the nearest recycling spot...which isn't nearby.  Then, when your busy trying to do something important...a child finds a huge mess waiting to happen..and makes it happen.

Playing with Kitty

Okay, so I've just been trying to catch up from all the stuff we've been doing this summer.  Here is a video of J playing with my brother's kitty named Riku at my parent's house, and yes, she's wearing her flower girl dress because she is obsessed with her "wedding dress".  When the baby gets a bit older we're going to have to get a kitty, she is a kitty LOVER!  One of her favorite FREE activities to do is go to the pet store and play with the kittens, which works for me, I like cats too....esspecially how low maintenance they are!

Also, I gave my husband a HAIRCUT last night.  Yep, an at home hair job...I was nervous to do it but he convinced and assured me that he was okay with getting a buzz cut if it didn't turn out.  I don't have a hair cutting kit so I had to use his beard trimmer and sewing scissors...and I have to admit I thought I might accidentally cut my finger off because they were a little BIG for cutting hair with...but...it worked out.  It actually didn't turn out too bad..no buzz cut needed!  I'll have to take a pic...it's not perfect...but it's not noticeably bad either...I'll post a before and after pic soon!  And my husband is so happy I was able to do it decently because now he doesn't have to pay to go to the barber anymore...lol....always the cheapo!

3 month Baby Pics and a Road Trip

Last weekend, first thing in the morning after getting home from a road trip with the family, I met with Studio Eleven Photography and the North Dallas Photography club for a infant photoshoot and here are a couple pics I got of the little guy, already 3 1/2 months! Whew it goes by fast (and if you've noticed, I haven't had many projects to post since he came along).

Here are some pics from our road trip, we tagged along with the hubby for work and it was great, we would swim or take naps at the hotel while he had meetings, then have dinners with people or just do fun stuff when he wasn't busy with appointments!

Austin, TX

Killing time waiting for the famous bats to make an appearance.  She saw people jogging on the trail and decided to be a jogger too.

still waiting...

Well, I think they were a no show...it got so late and could keep the kids up any longer!

Lake Travis

SMILE!

The Alamo

River walk in San Antonio, TX

Enchanted Rock, near Fredricksburg, TX

I participated in It's a Hodgepodge Friday!