Thrifty Thursday

Make your own dishwasher detergent. Using only 1tbs. a load, it will last quite a while. So much cheaper than going out every month or so to buy detergent. And you won't have to do it as often either.

Ingredients are:

1 box of borax $4.69

1 box A & H washing soda $3.19

24 packages of lemonade $2.80

3 cups of salt $2.00

Total= $12.68

I found this on a cute blog called: Being Creative to Keep My Sanity. Its great. You kind find her post here. Enjoy!

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

This one is from Dr. Seuss. Thought it was appropriate because its his birthday this week. I love his books, and I love that they are making them into movies for kids. :)

Ps. "The Lorax" comes out on Friday, and I can't wait to see it!

Tiny Tyke Tuesday

(My Bug in a fishing vest & ugly crocks we found in his room)

Our little guy lights up our lives, seriously. I love him like the dickens! I openly admitted yesterday, I pick him up most nights and snuggle him while he is sleeping before I go to bed. Its sublime! I love listening to him breathe, sigh, even snore sometimes. Oh boy, there is almost nothing better. He is getting tall though, so its getting harder and harder to cradle him. :(

He has been sick for a couple weeks though. He had a double ear infection, and pink eye, a couple weeks ago. He got over that, but the antibiotics gave him a hideous yeast rash on his bum...so he got over that. He came home from AZ with a cough, and I can't ge rid of it. We got him a humidifier for his room, and that is helping, but it won't completely go away. But at least he is happy and playful as usual, so it can't be effecting him too badly.

So basically he has been through the ringer.

All 3 of us have been under the weather for a month or so. So sometimes Little E and I have pj days and stay in our lounge clothes ALL DAY. Its great, we really enjoy it. One of the perks of being a Stay At Home.

Hopefully Spring comes and the sicknesses leave with Winter.

Monday's Mutterings

Sorry, we were out of town for a week, and Ezra was sick, so we took some time off. But I am sure you didn't really miss us. We are back and ready to roll.

1. I don't like people that are impatient with kids on planes. If you don't like children, you probably shouldn't fly Southwest...and flying back & forth from Arizona to Utah is the worst destinations for people who don't like kids.
2. I enjoy watching Ellen, I love her. If we all did nice things for people like she does every day, the world would be a marvelous place.
3. Speaking of Ellen, "Dance Dares" are my new favorite thing in the world.
4. I use Amazon.com way too much and for way too many things. I have resorted to buying some of my grocery items (non perishables of course) on there instead of going to the store...
5. I don't understand when people from your ward, who know you have a small child, who probably takes naps, ring the doorbell. I have tried unhooking it, but I can't figure it out.
6. I have never had a cavity before.
7. I love raspberries to death...my sister made me chocolate cupcakes with raspberry frosting when we were in AZ, and they were to die for!
8. I don't understand or get along with many people around my own age. I usually have friends that are a bit older than myself. :) And I love it! They teach me so many things!
9. Children's toys that sing, or make noise, get old really fast....
10. Chris Martin from Coldplay is one of my favorite people to watch, plus I like their music.
11. My eyes change color. They are blue/green, sometime they even look gray.
12. I like my nails really short. Don't know why, but I can't stand it when I can see more than like a millimeter of white.
13. Water is really hard for me to drink sometimes.
14. I can't eat oatmeal, I wish I could handle the texture, but it just feels like throw up and I can't make myself do it. I have tried everything, but I just can't make myself do it. You are lucky if you can eat it. I'm jealous.
15. I DVRed the Oscars & the Red Carpet Show, and Gwenyth Paltrow was my favorite. :)

What's on your mind today?

Thrifty Thursday

Need some fun jewelry on a budget? Or do you just like wearing things you made yourself instead of spending on something you can make yourself? Then you will enjoy these tutorials!

For the tutorial for the bracelet above called the "hexnut" click here.

And for these beauties called the "braided bead bracelet" click here.

I love both of these. Would be great gifts for anyone you know, I think my neices would love these. :) I am planning on making them with little Em & Fallon next week.

What do you think?

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

"We make a living by what we get; We make a life by what we give"

So true. I love helping others, and doing nice things. It makes me feel more fulfilled than anything I could possibly buy or any possession I could have.

Its something my husband is glad I have taught him. He has always been a really nice, genuine, and thoughtful person, but now he is more concerned with how he can help or do something nice for someone else. I am really proud of him (sappy I know, forgive me). Now he always goes to help someone move, or get involved in the ward service projects, its awesome. I think we have grown closer as we do things for others, and we have become even happier. I think service is the true key to happiness and a life you can be proud of. That is the legacy I want to leave behind. :) And one of the many lessons I want to teach our children.

I just feel that people are too concerned with themselves & self involved and losing sight of why we are here. Especially younger people, they can't really see past the end of their own nose a lot of the time (or past their phone...ugh).

That's why I am going to donate blood tomorrow. Can that be my good deed for the day?

Tiny Tyke Tuesday

This is what my week has been like thus far...messy... Ezra has decided that he doesn't eat baby food anymore. He only eats food he can put in his own mouth. So now he eats blueberry waffles for breakfast cut into pieces. Either a flop over (a quesadilla with refried beans in it) or pb&j cut up for lunch...and whatever we eat for dinner. Its harder than it sounds. I don't know if my kitchen floor will ever be clean...he is SO messy!
My poor little guy also has a yeast infection. Poor kid. I feel so bad. It took me a couple days to figure out what it was. Luckily I said something to my friend Carrie, and she helped me figure it out. :) Thanks Carrie! I didn't even know they could get yeast infections. But its clearing up. Thank goodness. It looked so painful.
I love that Ezra has started being more cuddly though. He lays his head down & gives hugs all the time. But unfortunately not to everyone. Two people he gives hugs to every time without fail is Grandpa Norm (Ezra's great grandpa, its so cute!!!) & Cody's little cousin John. Ezra loves John like no one else. John gets him to laugh hard & he always gets super excited kicking his legs & clapping his hands whenever he sees John. Its the sweetest thing. :) I love it. Especially since John is 14, but still loves to play with Ezra, he's too cool for a lot of things, but not Little E!
Love it!
Well, I will stop there. Hope I didn't bore you too much! Until next time! :)

Monday's Mutterings

1. I have never been to the circus, or anything like it.
2. I have a hard time with large groupings of people.
3. I watch the 4th hour of the Today Show every day (I DVR it, so its not like I make sure I am home for it everyday).
4. PDA is very annoying to me; being near it, or being involved, doesn't matter which. Just not a fan.
5. I actually read people who do PDA actually do so because they feel they have something to prove or need validation. Is that acurate? I don't know, but I could see how that would make sense.
6. My worst fear is someone breaking into my house & harming me or my family, or taking my child.
7. My husband is 11 inches taller than me.
8. I miss working at a salon.
9. My favorite colors to wear are white, grey & black...boring huh? I have recently become obsessed with grey.
10. I have a hoodie addiction. I own over 20.
11. I am an extremely loyal person, like loyal to a fault, whether it be friendship, relationships or family.
12. I need noise. Whether the tv just be on with movies or whatever, music playing in the background etc.
13. I am cold a lot of the time, even when I was pregnant.
14. I have self diagnosed myself with acute OCD
15. If my son's hair is not done, he has a hat on. Never fails. One of the things I am very particular about.

Simple Saturday

When I saw this I thought GENIUS!!! They are frozen crockpot meals. You put everything for your recipe in a plastic bag & freeze it. When you are ready to make the meal, you just place it in your crockpot, turn it on & wait for it to cook. Awesome. And yes, I do believe it just might make life a little simpler. :) This blog has some recipes if you would like some. You can find them here.

Thrifty Thursday

I found these tutorials on a blog called "how about orange". I love ruffled tees! But I have a hard time going to a store and paying for a shirt when I can make one myself, just the way I want it, and possibly with different colors, and for a fraction of the cost. So cute! There are a few different ones. Check them out here.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday Take 2

This one is an Italian Proverb.
"After the game, the king & the pawn go into the same box"

Being Italian I feel a little qualified to expound the meaning hahaha. When everything is said and done, when this life is over, it will not matter what you had, who you were in society, or what people had previously thought of you...you will be as everyone else.

I think people forget this more than anything else. Thats why everyone is trying to keep up with the Joneses, or tryig to perhaps be the Joneses. Its often too late when they find out that the simplest things are what mattered, and what made them the happiest. Hopefully I will be able to keep things in perspective, and remember that. I know I strive too, I just hope I never lose sight of that.
Cody & I have promised eachother that no matter how little or how much we have, we will NEVER be "those people", who care what they drive, how big their house is, what possessions they have. My life has never been about those things, and I hope it never is. :)

Whats your take on this proverb???

Tiny Tyke Tuesday

I love reading people's blogs. But its kind of redundant when they are ALWAYS about their kids. Like only about their kids. My child consumes most of my life, yes, but I do have other things going on as well...So I limited myself to one gush a week.
Ezra started dancing consistantly last month. Its one of my favorite things. He nods his head, bounces either sitting on the floor or standing somewhere. I love it. I must say I think he might have some rythm! Which I am really happy about, because his daddy doesn't have an ear for music or anything...Luckily he stuck with mom in this particular area. :) One of the few things I was hoping he would inherit from me.
He also likes to sing. He does it when he is laying in his crib, he sings along at church, etc.
I am hoping we might have an interest in music, possibly an instrument??? A mom can hope, can't she?
He cracks me up. Seriously the light of my life. I couldn't imagine a life without him. I wouldn't trade one thing in this world for my little sweet boy!
There you go, my one gush for the week. Now that wasn't so bad, was it? :)

Mondays Mutterings

1. I contemplated selling my son on Ebay today. But he usually gives me extra loves the day after we have a rough one, so I would probably regret it.
2. I find people who are obsessed with their phones so annoying. Can you just put it away? I usually have it on me, but I only have it out if I am talking to someone, texting someone or taking video or pictures of the child. But I do use facebook messenger to talk to my cousin during the day. (I haven't actually seen him since I was 4 or 5)
3. I really don't like anything peanut butter or banana flavored...ugh!
4. I am obsessed with hair accessories.
5. I miss the homeland during the winter for the weather, but I wonder if I almost miss it more on a warm day in spring or summer, cause I can't just run out to the beach like I used to...sad.
6. I miss being closer to a bigger diversity of people. I like the people here, but I do miss encountering people with different beliefs and ways of thinking....I felt more educated.
7. I am getting back into the school thing, and I am actually kind of excited. :)
8. Little E laughing or just babbling is my favorite sound ever.
9. I detest fake people. Its like they are insulting my intelligence. Yes, I see through you, and yes I like you even less for it. Just be real & own it, at least I will have SOME respect for you.
10. Referring back to #9, when I want to say something not nice, or suspect something might be said that someone might not appreciate, I just fall silent...cause I refuse to be fake, but I don't want to be mean. I just figure silence is my best option, thanks Thumper!
11. Something might be wrong with me, because I don't find Brad Pitt or Bradley Cooper abnormally attractive, they are normal guys...Cody on the other hand...haha
12. My sister in law got me into this season of the bachelor, but at least now we have an excuse to get together every week :)
13. I have too many crafts & recipes circulating in my head...Thanks Pinterest.
14. Indie music makes me super happy.
15. 14 is my lucky number...

Whats on your mind?

Simple Saturday: Peanut Butter Cookies

Here is a VERY simple Peanut Butter Cookie recipe.
4 ingredients, 7 minute cook time, 3 steps, 110 calories (if you count those).

1 cup Peanut Butter (I use creamy)
1 cup Sugar
1 Tbsp. Honey
1 Egg slightly beaten

1. Mix ingredients (no specific order)
1. Bake for 5-8 minutes ( 7 min. was perfect for me)
3. Eat them.


Cody says they are good. I don't eat Peanut Butter Cookies. Enjoy!

Simple Saturday

You know how we girls seem to complicate things? I do. I overstress, I over-analyse, I over plan, the list goes on.

So on Saturday I like to look for things that might make my life a little more simple. Cody helps of course. He and I are obsessed with simplifying life, whether it be simplify the way we live, like doing without things we don't need, finding ways to save, or finding more efficient ways to do things. Its been a really nice. Its created more time for us to spend as a family, and made us aware of things that really matter, and things that really don't.

So on Saturday I will post things I have found. And hopefully you can make your life a little easier as well. Cause who couldn't use that?

So this Saturday Cody found something to help with meal planning. Click here for help from General Mills meal planner. You can search through hundreds of recipes, make your meal plan, and they also have coupons. :)

Happy Cooking!

Thrifty Thursday

So I am obsessed with getting the best possible deals, repurposing things, making my own decor, ect.

So Thursday will be dedicated to the things I will be able to do myself affordably and which look fantastic! :) Cody says the stuff I make, makes our house feel more like a home (what a cornball, but you gotta love him!). I agree though, I like more rustic, imperfect, eclectic things. So these projects are perfect!

This one is also for those of you who recently welcomed a bundle, or are about to. :) It would be so cute for some wall art in your little one's room. I think I will do one for little E-Fizzy.

Click here for instructions. Enjoy! :)

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

I thought I would do themed days on my blog because 1) it will make me blog, 2) so I would never be daunted by the blank page staring me in the face. I use this as kind of my outlet, and I know people who read it. So I just wanted to do something worth reading, as well as do something that helps myself.

So here we go. Our first Words of Wisdom Wednesday.

This one is from President George Albert Smith. I think it is as meaningful today as it was back when he said it during WWI.

“Though the world may be filled with distress, and the heavens gather blackness, and the vivid lightnings flash, and the earth quake from center to circumference, if we know that God lives, and our lives are righteous, we will be happy, there will be peace unspeakable because we know our Father approves our lives” (George Albert Smith, in Conference Report, Oct. 1915, p. 28).

Gives us hope in the face of the adversity & uncertainty the world always provides. :)

Back to Business

There have been a few people giving me a hard time about not blogging for the last 5 months.

SORRY! But being a mom takes up a lot of my time as you can imagine. And I don't like taking time away from playing with Ezra to blog, because its not much of a necessity and he grows up so fast & I don't want to miss ANY of it. Plus between my Pinterest & Facebook I figured a lot of people knew what I was up to anyway :)

But with the new year I decided I would be better about it, and do it more while he was napping, or knocked out for the night.

So here is the deal...

Ezra is 8 months and 2 weeks old.

He has passed most of his first year milestones.

He has had teeth since he was 4 months old.

He started crawling around 6 months.

He started pulling himself up and standing at 7 months.

He started drinking out of a straw yesterday (guard your big gulps)

He has been sitting by himself since he was 6 months.

He has flown on an airplane I think about 8 times by now.

He has been on 2 road trips. (he is a travelling champ)

Oh dear he can do a lot of things....it seems like he learns a new one every single day.

He has been through all the major holidays. He had been alive for like a week when Easter hit. We did 4th of July in California (he slept through the fireworks). He dressed as a skeleton for Halloween (he glowed in the dark, it was great). He ate a lot at Thanksgiving, but hated stuffing. We did Christmas in Arizona which was awesome (more like the warm Christmases I know & love. White Christmases are HIGHLY overrated). He rang in the New Year driving home from AZ and then celebrating the countdown at home, and oh boy are we glad we spent it at home, this kid was DONE with people and any sort of noisiness.

Anyway. So that pretty much catches you up. We love our little dude, he has been so amazing to have around. Congratulations to those who also had additions to your family this year. As well as those who are awaiting the arrival in 2012, I know there are a lot of you.

Happy New Year. I hope 2012 is a great year. We have set some small goals, but even if nothing changed, I would still be one happy girl. I don't need more than I already have, and 2011 helped me realise that. Its been a good one, I hope things improve for those of you who could use some help wether it be jobs, homes, health, families etc. that you will find what you need this year. You will be in our thoughts & prayers this coming year. :)