Monthly Craft Challenge: Halloween or Fall

I have been a bit of a procrastinator {shock} about working on my crafts for Heidi's Monthly Craft Challenge. It didn't help that I have been feeling cruddy the past few weeks either. But I have a few things to show off....and a few things left to work on that I will probably post about closer to Halloween!

I went Mod Podge crazy this month and made three different crafts using scrapbook paper and Mod Podge! They all turned out pretty cute, but the first one is by far my favorite:

Halloween Picture Frame

Fall Sign

BOO Sign

Fabric {for a project that I will finish eventually}!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I have NOT slowly stopped caring what I look like at school drop off and pick up. I did NOT start out the year wearing nice pants, hair fixed, and makeup on....and slowly stop caring what I look like all together. I am NOT now going to drop off and pick up with my 'house cleaning' clothes on, bed head, and not a drop of makeup! I would NEVER go out in public looking like I just rolled out of bed!

I did NOT wait in line for about 30 minutes at a local kids resale just to get Eli a SUPER cute smocked outfit for only $10! I would never wait in line that long just to get a great deal on some kids clothes.

I did NOT ask Jason to get my fall decorations out of the attic the weekend and then proceed to open up the containers, pick about four things out, and then pack up the rest because I just wasn't in the mood to decorate {or constantly get fake leaves out of Eli's mouth for the next two months}!

I did NOT spend the part of the weekend with sick kiddos who took really LONG nice naps! I did NOT use that long nap time to work on craft projects instead of cleaning up my house or folding the clothes in the laundry basket {which have NOT been there for going on two weeks}!

Blah!

I am having one of those BLAH days....actually it has really been a BLAH week! I haven't been feeling great the past couple of days, so I called and talked to my doctor on Tuesday. I went in to see him yesterday and didn't really get a whole lot accomplished. We talked a little and he changed up some of my meds...but so far I am still feeling cruddy {and maybe a little worse today than I have been all week}.

I have a ton of stuff to do...laundry and dishes that never seem to end! And I really wanted to work on some fun crafty stuff for Heidi's Monthly Craft Challenge. But that isn't going to be happening today {so sad}, and it may not happen this weekend either if I don't start feeling better! Plus, I feel kind of guilty using what little energy and feel good time that I have on crafty stuff when the laundry is piled to the ceiling and fly are starting to circle the dirty dishes in my sink!

I have a bunch of stuff that I really want to blog about too {Henry and Grant playing soccer, Henry losing TWO teeth, some beautiful roses on my trellis, and all my crafty stuff that I haven't felt good enough to work on}, but I am being lazy! I don't feel like editing and uploading pictures right now, so instead you get a random rambling blog post with no fun pictures or anything....I'm sure you are all SUPER excited about that {if you are still reading that is}! I will be posting about all that stuff soon...so at least you have a little something to look forward to {more pictures and less rambling}! And I have been planning {in my head anyway} a little giveaway too, but not feeling great has put that on hold for a while.

The boys have soccer practice tonight, but Eli and I are probably going to skip it and stay home with our feet propped up {I would like for my ankle to be normal size at some point this weekend}. We are doing leftover spaghetti {that my mom made forus yesterday} for dinner....no cooking or cleaning the kitchen two days in a row YAY! So, I guess that is all the ramble that I have for now. Hopefully I will get a post up tomorrow...I really want to share pics of Henry missing two teeth and tell you all the story of how he lost two in two days!

Wordless Wednesday: Working with Dad

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did NOT learn a very important rule about my new moon roof and rain last weekend. I did NOT get a second shower for the day before learning that very important rule. I do NOT now know that you should never open the moon roof after it rains and then go down a very steep hill!

I did NOT get a major laugh thanks to Grant while we were getting ready for church Sunday morning. I did NOT laugh at my child and try{he refused} to take a picture of him while he was wearing Eli's church clothes by mistake. I did NOT think it was hilarious to see a four year old wearing 12 month clothes!

I did NOT stay up way too late a few nights this week. I did NOT spend that time on the internet or watching t.v. just to procrastinate going to bed because Jason was out of town and I hate going to bed alone.

The Aftermath

...of Eli's destruction dinner!

{Sometimes I wonder if he actually gets any of his food in his mouth!}

Things That Make Me Happy...

Mini Muffins

Mad Men

Mod Podge

Magazines

What M things make you happy?

Wordless Wednesday: Year After Year

Grant, Emma, and Henry 2007

2008

2009

The {GREAT} Outdoors

This past weekend Jason and I loaded up the boys and headed about three hours north to attend our {my mom's side} family reunion. We spend the third weekend of every September at a State Park....playing games, eating, and socializing with close and distant family. The boys get to enjoy the great outdoors and play with all of their cousins, while the adults catch up on what is new with family they haven't seen since last year's reunion.

The boys love to fish {and feed bread to the fish} off the dock that is by our cabin and they also love to play on the playground. This year Henry and Grant were old enough to go on their first nature walk around the park. Jason took them down a few of the nature trails...and they even saw a wild turkey! We had a great time at the Wilkinson Family Reunion, and we can't wait until we get to go back again next year!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

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I do NOT not remember half of what happened this week. I do NOT think that my mommy brain has completely taken over...and left no room for my normal brain to think!

I did NOT allow Eli to "clean up" under his highchair. He did NOT feast on old Cheerios, some {yummy-looking} dried up corn, and cracker crumbs. I did NOT think what a big help he was being by eating off the floor because I didn't have to get out the vacuum to clean up his mess. I would NEVER let my child eat off the floor!

I was NOT just a little excited when soccer practice got cancelled this week. I am a SUPER devoted soccer mom who would NEVER be happy that she didn't have to go sit at the soccer fields in the rain.....with a squirmy toddler who loves to play in the mud!

This week, I did NOT threaten to make my children get out of my car if they didn't stop playing the "he's touching/looking at/breathing on me" game. They did NOT {almost} drive me crazy in the ten minutes that it takes to drive from the elementary school to our house! I am NOT SUPER thankful for the DVD player in my new car...it is NOT the only way we will be able to survive long trips!

Playing in the Rain!

I'm singing playing in the rain
Just singing playing in the rain
What a glorious feelin'
I'm happy again!

Wordless Wednesday: Just a Little Tired

An Apple a Day

I find myself with uneaten and {almost} too old to eat apples again. I do this every few weeks. I go to the store and insist on buying a few apples so that I will have a healthy snack to grab instead of going for cookies or ice cream. Well, suprise suprise....the apples sit in our fruit bowl and slowly get softer and older...and I only like nice crisp apples!

After a few weeks of walking past the fruit bowl, I decide I really should make something with the apples and not waste them completely. I search allrecipes.com {my favorite website for recipes} and find the best apple recipe to make with whatever ingredients I happen to have on hand.

This weeks apple adventure is Warm Apple Pockets.

3 sweet apples -- peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon apple pie spice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (15 ounce) package prepared, unbaked pie crust, thawed
milk
1 egg, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a bowl, toss apple slices together with sugar, flour, salt, apple pie spice, and vanilla extract until evenly coated.
3. Lay pie dough flat on a lightly greased baking sheet. Pile apples on one side of dough, leaving a 1 inch border. Brush border and opposite half side of dough with milk. Fold dough over apples, being careful not to over-stuff or the dough will tear. Fold over edges and pinch together to seal. Cut several small slits in the top of the pocket with a sharp knife, then brush top with beaten egg.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until flakey and golden brown. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

I just happened to have a pie crust in the fridge....and I always have the other ingredients on hand...except maybe the eggs {which can be left out without changing the taste too much}. I followed the recipe with the exception of adding a little bit of brown sugar and using cinammon instead of apple pie spice.

Topped with a {generous} dollop of whipped topping, and you have a SUPER yummy dessert {and no wasted uneaten apples}!