Prep time

So, its officially T-minus 72 hours until we are here:







I am so excited to get there, but in order to do that I have a ton of prep work to do here.
First, I have to figure out how to get this:

















into this:
















In my defense those are pretty much all my summer clothes, so not all that is going. But I did measure this bag and realized I have about 10 inches less than the max dimensions so I am hunting for a slightly larger bag.

















I also need to load this into this:
















Shouldn't be too much of a hassle, but I know there will be way more added to the pile before all is said and done.
On top of just getting ready for the trip I am lucky enough to come home to new counter tops, back splash, and an installed dishwasher! This is like Christmas times 20 for me - I am a lucky lady!!





















For the 8 years we have lived in this house we have had to roll our dishwasher to the sink every time we needed to run it. Don't get me wrong - I would continue to do it because no way would I ever want to be without it! It is just a pain. So, when Brad and I decided to do a new back splash it made sense to install the dishwasher while we were at it.

We spent most of the morning cleaning out our lower cupboards - gross! You can tell where I have keep the vegetable oil! So that our installer (Mr. Becker for those of you who don't know) has a clear working area.

Here are the counter tops. Again - soooooo excited!!

A little closer.

New sink - no color picture on the box, but a neutral beige to match to counter top.

This is the tile that started to whole process. You might remember back in August I wanted to have it installed under my cupboards and call it a day. But after some consideration it just made sense to do the dishwasher and counters too.

Can't forget the faucet. I can't wait!

Enough excitement for now. Back to this - because we know I don't just get to pack for me. I also have the honor of trying to get 7 days worth of outfits ready for the kids - good times, but it will all be worth it!

Weekend recap

As I type this it is snowing (again), but at least it got warm on Saturday. Some of the snow melted and Brad had a chance to do a little outside work. He also cleaned up the gutters and got down some ginormous icicles.

Around Christmas I bought some shaping foam aat Bath and Body Works and the kids love it!! I was spraying it all over them and it made them both belly laugh! I love it! By the way - it is gingerbread "flavored" that is why the water is tinted brown. It has nothing to do with the cleanliness of our tub :)

On Friday we had a chance to spend some great time with my sister, brother, sister-in-law and nephews. We had a little Pizza Haus and played a new game that we bought my sister for her birthday. Here they are in action. It got a little tight in the basement, but when we can finally go outside it will be a blast!

Some pictures of the kiddos (Beth included).

Enjoy the moments you get to spend with those you love! These times pass by quickly! Have a great week!

Playing Tag

I had a feeling it would happen, and it did. I was tagged by my friend Casey at http://wetjenfamily.blogspot.com/ (who was tagged by Nicky at http://mommagetsreal-nicky.blogspot.com/) to talk about our daily "beauty" routines.

I will begin by saying I may be one of the lowest maintenance people around - seriously! Not to prove a point or be "that girl", but I just don't take much time to get myself ready. I always use excuses like the kids or my job, but I am starting to take more of an interest in taking care of my self and working on that outward beauty a little more. So, here it is and pretty much in the order it happens.




Avon facial moisturizer goes on right out of the shower. Especially in this lovely winter weather.








This is probably the most pricey item I get, but (no holds barred here) I pit out like a (insert your favorite, inappropriate phrase here)! This deodorant has pretty much done the trick for me.



















This works well for straightening my hair and is way less than the salon stuff I started with.















Here is where the cheap stuff comes in. I maybe use a little concealer. Right now it is from NYC and it works pretty well for my needs.
















I follow it up with maybe some foundation, but usually just some powder or this bronzer (also from NYC)









And I never leave the house without eyeliner. This is from Avon and I really like it. It is waterproof and even my low maintenance sister commented about how well it works and doesn't smudge.





This is my make-up remover. I do have some cleansers from AVON too, but these do the trick and I have them handy (thanks Tater!). They work great for my eye make-up as well.








For a night out I might use this eyeshadow my MIL gave me for Christmas. It is from laura mericer and I really like the blueish/gray color. Makes me all sultry and mysterious- ha!!












I also really like these glosses from Bath and Body Works.
That's it for me. Pretty simple, but it works for me. Now, the question is ... who to tag?
I pick... Hayley at http://lovelittlethings.blogspot.com/
and Janelle at http://thefarmerswifeiniowa.blogspot.com/
You're it ladies!

I might...

actually want to go out and play in the snow if I can wear a pair of these.

This picture isn't great, so here is a closer look.

How great are these? Looks like I could put on a haltertop and head out for a night on the town! Yeah right - like I put on so many haltertops!

It has been a long night and I also might:

be in bed by 9:00 tonight. Just wish it was in a bed like this. Ah, someday my friends. Someday! Have a great Wednesday!

Our Olympic Training Center

We have been watching the Winter Olympics at our house. Not going to lie - as a parent the majority of them scare the crap out of me! So, naturally our house became a training center of sorts. Here are our "stations":

Being cute - had to throw that one in!

Quick feet and running in place.

The bear crawl. Someone had to demonstrate!

They were both awesome at it! Its amazing how flexible they are.

Sprints

One-legged hop

Working on starting technique.

The finish line. Now matter what they chose to compete in they will always be a champion to me.

Go team USA!!

Hair Today...

..gone tomorrow. Actually this haircut happened tonight. I have been going crazy dealing with her hair because she will pretty much only wear handbands. She can put in her own barrettes and ponytails, but won't do it when she has to wear a hat (which is everyday). So, I told her to make a choice - either start doing stuff with her hair or decide how short I would cut it. She called my bluff and said she picked the haircut. Her only requirement was that she didn't look like a boy. What do you think?

I know this is kinda gross, but look at how much hair we got rid of!! Crazy!

Tonight was super busy getting some Valentine's stuff done for tomorrow. After an early supper the kids got in the tub and I multitasked by filling up treat bags for our Valentine's at daycare. The big bags were 4/$1 at Target and the stickers were also $1. Teagan did the decorating and I filled them with fruitsnacks, mini juice boxes, some candy, and a crazy balloon thing from Dollar Tree. All together I think it was a little over a dollar for each - not bad considering how much candy is!

Before that I had made a batch of Rice Krispy treats and turned them into this:

I cut the pan into big squares and turned each of those into a heart (you see it, right?) Dipped them in chocolate and added some red sprinkles. They are cooling in the fridge before I wrap them up for the teachers at school.

After everything was cleaned up or close to, we started getting ready for bed. Tate has started going to the bathroom every night before bed. Mainly as a stall tactic, but he usually does something so we'll take it.

He has to read this book everytime he is in the "pottyroom". Seriously he has the last 2-3 words of every page memorized and you can see "Let's build a house." Learning has to start somewhere right? Might as well start the same way millions of other men have!!

Whew - I am exhausted! Off to bed!