A Photo Tour of the Kid's Rooms

My kids are one of my most favorite subjects, so when a friend suggested I add a post of my kid's rooms to Kelly's Korner, I didn't have to think twice about it. Check out other kids rooms on her site, there are probably hundreds to choose from. You can go there by clicking on the button below!

I have 2 kids and enjoyed doing both of their rooms, but will have to admit I gave more time and attention to my daughter's room since she was the first child and I had more free time. Below is a little tour of their rooms.

Bella Joy's room ~ Tropical theme: Some before photos…

starting the 'beach'

starting the first layer of the ocean

three layers of ocean and the beach

the hanging hammock

the partially vaulted ceilings make it look like the palm trees are hanging over you

BELOW: the finished product - the crib and glider were given to us by my parents and there is a canvas 'sweater' storage on the left that held all her receiving blankets , burp cloths / wash cloths, bibs, etc.

BELOW: we chose to use cherry stained wood for all the furniture except the quilt chest, we painted white and blue to match the walls

BELOW: we got the quilt chest from a friend's grandmother and the 2 trunks on top were from my parents and are filled with items that I set out in her room as she got older and could appreciate them (precious moments figurines, candles, etc.)

BELOW: this dresser was given to me by my grandparents and it is circa 1950's...further down you will see before and after photos of it being refinished by my dad

BELOW: the pillow on the floor was for our dog, Jerry, a pug who has a bed in every room of the house and since he follows me everywhere, I knew he would need his own bed in the nursery

BELOW: this was Bella's closet before she was even born. we added a second rod and she also had the dresser filled with clothes as well as one of our extra closets. it was amazing and overwhelming - but typical for a girl :o) I could go two weeks easily without doing her laundry.

BELOW: just a little fabric board that in this photo hold the invitations to 2 of my showers, one hosted by my mom and the other by my mother in law. in the center is one of the photos taken from Bella's 3D ultra-sound. so amazing to see her while she was still in my tummy.

BELOW: this dresser was my grandparents and they gave it to me before I got married. it is circa 1950's and was a part of a bedroom set.

BELOW: the 'after' photo of the dresser. my dad refinished it for us in a wine color stain to match the crib and glider. the mirror goes with the dresser, but we kept it off while it was her changing table and actually waited until she was 3 years old to attach it again. it turned out so beautiful.

BELOW: this is a recent photo of the room. she went from the crib to a daybed at 20 months (her crib was a 4 in 1 convertible bed) and then at about 2 1/2 years old we bought her a full size bed frame that, when she is in a larger room, we will attach the headboard and footboard from her crib to her bed frame

BELOW: she picked out the quilt for her bed and it is reversible. the other side has hibiscus style flowers - which matched perfectly. she also has 3 different sets of sheets for the bed: light pink satin (her favorite), dark pink jersey knit and white sateen

and now for her brother's room...

Scout Weston's room

we used the same crib for Scout's room that we used in Izabella's room. we had 2 gliders already, so one was put in his room and one his hers.

i made the trees sort of abstract by putting circles on the tree in 2 shades of green. i also added a couple birds because Bella thought the sky needed birds in it.

this was actually our dresser that we purchased about 4 years ago. it is also the cherry color, so it went perfectly with the crib and glider and looked great against the colors we painted with. it also had a matching nightstand which is in the photo below this one.

the light you see on the dresser/changing table was actually a candle holder and my brother turned it into a light. i use a dim bulb so it puts off a very low light which is good for changing diapers in the middle of the night

i realize this may be too 'feminine' for a little boys room, but Bella wanted to paint a garden for him, so I let her paint her garden on this little wall. i did about 4 of the flowers and she did the rest. it was her 'gift' for her brother and she had fun doing it!

this was taken right after he was born - lots more in the room: mobile is up, blankets, pillows, clock and the wonderful Moby Wrap draped over the crib. gotta love the Moby Wrap!

Well, there it is. A little tour of my children's bedrooms. I tried to pick themes that they could grow with and that wouldn't have to be changed every couple of years. Bella still loves her palm trees and her room has always been comforting to her. With both kids, the murals give them something to look at and from day 1 they both were fascinated with all the shapes and colors around them. I'm sure as they get older, they will have more say so in how their room looks, so I got my way while they had no choice. Haha!

Have a great day!

Kari

Organizing

I’m pretty big on being organized. I’m a planner. I like things in order. To some people, this is annoying and I’ve actually been told that – but I think it’s great. Yes, at times I tend to be rigid about it, but not always. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with organization and I always enjoy reading up on things that will help me be better in that area. Below are a few links of articles that I like. There are millions out there, but here a few to start.

5 Reasons to Organize Your House - click here

Four Iron Clad Rules to Paper Management -click here

The Art of Managing Children’s Artwork-click here

In Search of Balance-click here

Organize With Style - click here Enjoy!

"Good order is the foundation of all good things."
Edmund Burke

Mmmm, Chocolate!

So, it's no secret that I adore chocolate. I truly do. There's something about it and I can't even tell you just what it is. I also enjoy baking and it seems that 95% of my recipes are centered around chocolate. I can tell the difference between semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate. I can tell Hershey's from Godiva. Chocolate is wonderful.

I have tons of recipes but today I'll post my no-bake chocolate oatmeal drops. I'm sure it is a universal recipe - but they are yummy and always a hit whenever I make them.

Chocolate Yum Yums

MIX TOGETHER IN A SAUCE PAN:

½ cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

ADD AND BRING TO A BOIL FOR 1 MINUTE:

½ cup butter
½ cup milk

REMOVE FROM HEAT FOR 3 MINUTES AND ADD:

1 teaspoon vanilla
4 - 4 1/2 cups quick oats - 1 cup at a time

DROP ONTO WAXED PAPER ON A COOKIE SHEET AND REFRIGERATE.

Enjoy!

Other things are just food. But chocolate's chocolate.

Memorial Day 2009

In all your celebrating this weekend, don't forget the reason for Memorial Day. We should honor all of those who have offered their service and lives to defend each of us, our children and our country. May we never allow the job they have done to be in vain. To all our service men and women - I honor you. I salute you. A simple 'Thank you' is not enough!

A big thank you to my family and their service:

Grandpa Pete - Sgt. in the Army in World War I and World War II
Grandpa Thallheimer - Merchant Marines
Uncle Marc August - Navy CB's in Vietnam
Grandpa Arndt - Navy ~ Korean War
Great Uncle Arthur - Navy ~ Korean War
Uncle Richard - Navy
Cousin David Saul - Navy
4th Cousin - Rangers Iraqi Freedom (was a part of the rescue team that rescued Jessica Lynch)

On my husband's side:

Grandpa Banks - Navy

Grandpa Newsom - Army ~World War II

Step Dad - Navy ~ Vietnam

"The things that the flag stands for were created by the experiences of a great people. Everything that it stands for was written by their lives. The flag is the embodiment, not of sentiment, but of history." ~ Woodrow Wilson


"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." ~ Abaraham Lincoln

My Preschool Graduate

Bella and her friend Tommy in their favorite climbing tree at school.

Bella's favorite teacher, Mrs. Burk! She took great care of my daughter.

On the way to school

So, my daughter's last day of preschool was yesterday. She had such a fun school year and just adored her teachers. She had a great day, even though she had been sick the entire night before (her first time in 4 years that she'd gotten sick). They sang their favorite songs from the year, ate pizza and enjoyed a yummy cake!

My beautiful girl is growing up! She's bummed that school's over, but maybe when she realizes how cool summer will be with playing in the sun and swimming and enjoying the next 3 months with occasional play dates, she may not be so sad!

I love you, Bella! Your mommy and daddy are so proud of you!

New Blog: love.freedom

In the recent years I have become more aware of the important part each and every person plays in this country. As citizens we need to be aware of our past, present and future. We need to have an understanding of the principals this country was founded upon so that we can accurately evaluate how the job is being done today, especially in our government. For this reason I am starting a new blog called:

love.freedom

This blog will have updates on current bills and legislation that the average American citizen may be unaware of. I will post exerpts from our history so we can better understand the part government plays in this country.

Most importantly I want people to get involved. I wanted people to be educated. I want people to be aware. Lately I have seen too many people just doing what somebody else is doing. In voting, in choosing, in living. Let's get off the bench and start being proactive when it comes to your country, The United States of America. After all, the decisions we make today will effect how our children will live tomorrow.

Again, the blog is entitled: love.freedom

My Unexpected Day of Fun

Bella and Tommy at lunch

For those of you who know me, I am an 'orderly' person. In short, it's not always easy for me to be spontaneous. As much as it bothers me to be this way and even though I work very hard at loosening up, I still find that I don't easily just 'fly by the seat of my pants'.

So, for the past month or so I have been paying close attention to moments where I can change this. A while back we were invited to the zoo (blog: “What, There's Animals at the Zoo?”) and I almost declined because it was on the day that I usually do my laundry. Yippee for laundry, huh?! BUT, I decided to go and we had a great time. Last week there was another invite for a play date and, sure, I had a busy week and probably could have used that Friday to do other things, I accepted the invite and spent 4 hours with other moms and Bella was able to play with her friends from school and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Saturday rolls around and I really need to get some things done. As a mom of 2 kids, one almost 4 years old and one who is 3 months old, I tend to fall behind on things around the house. Not out of laziness, but because with kids you are prone to get interrupted in the middle of a 'project' and it gets left hanging. So, here comes Saturday and I had my day planned (haha) and with the hubby home knew I could get quite a bit of it done. I was up early, made my daughter french toast, fed the baby, pig and pug and then we were off for our morning walk as a family. After we got back I got a call from a friend who wanted to know if we wanted to meet her and her kids for lunch. Sure, why not, it's only an hour or so, not a big deal. With that being settled, me, the hubby and the kids headed out the door to meet my friend. The kids had a great time playing and I enjoyed talking and visiting. Then it was time to go and she invited us down to her new house so the kids could play some more. Oh my goodness – what do I do now? I have so many 'fun' things to do at home – all centered around cleaning in one way or another. I turned to my husband and asked what he thought and he was all for it. Now, don't get me wrong, the concept of going to my friends house was great – but with such short notice – a.k.a spontaneous, it threw me for a loop. But, off to her house we went and it was great. I finally got to see her beautiful new home and gorgeous views of the mountains. Very much worth the extra time spent.

Now the kids are playing around inside and her son says he wants to go to the park by their old house to play. My friend was all for it. Again – what do I say? I've already done 'two' unexpected events that day, dare I go for three? So, I said that would be fine, but we'd only stay for a while (and honestly, because I could tell my daughter was running out of thunder and would need to go home so she wasn't cranky and mean.) So, back in the Green Disco and off we went to the park. The kids played and had fun, I got to visit some more and, again, I enjoyed every minute of it.

Well, the time came when my friends little girl needed a nap, Bella was running on empty and it was time to go home. Four and a half hours of unexpected fun on my already planned Saturday. I actually did it. My husband was proud of me. I was proud of me. And to top it off, I had fun. I honestly did. I didn't miss my house work, my daughter was able to have a fun and not so ordinary Saturday.

I need to do this more often. I need to let go of being so rigid. I need to be able to let go of my plans and what I think should happen every day – and I need to enjoy life more.

So, thank you Mandy for the one little call for lunch that helped make my Saturday a day of unexpected, but much appreciated fun! Let's do it again!

"Live and work but do not forget to play, to have fun in life and really enjoy it." ~Eileen Caddy

Old Friends, Good Times

some of the girls....thanks, Jeff for the photo! (I'm on the far right)

which camera do we look at???

Okay, so I admit it. I LOVED high school. No, really. Not only did I like my friends, but I liked my classes and the majority of my teachers. I'm a perpetual student, so it's easy to see why I liked school – but I can look back and honestly say that I truly enjoyed high school. When I graduated, it was sort of sad. Not only would I miss my friends, but there were a handful of teachers that I would miss as well. Teachers that impacted my life tremendously. Mr. Clark, Ms. Ogden, Mr. Collins, Mr. Gabbert, Mrs. Odell....Yep, I'm one of those strange people.

So, after graduation, I couldn't wait until our 10 year reunion. I had decided that if nobody was going to plan it, then I would. Well, it got planned without me and of course I went. I was so excited. I can't say the same for my husband. Don't get me wrong, he had no problem going with me, but the last place he wants to be is in the middle of a crowd – a crowd of people where he doesn't know anyone but a couple people.

The first night was at a bar/grill type place and I had a blast seeing everyone again. It was as if no time had passed, but on the other hand it felt like it had been an eternity. We got home about 1:30am and I told my mom “I don't even drink and I shut the bar down.” I had so much fun catching up with people. The next night was a dinner held in Downtown Denver in the performing arts center. We all got to dress up all fancy – it was great. I enjoyed the weekend so much and was so glad to be able to see those people again.

So....last weekend 5-9-09, a friend from high school was coming up from Texas and wanted to get everyone together for dinner. Thanks to Facebook, she was able to connect with all of us here in Colorado and she was able to get about 30+ people together for dinner at the RIO Grande. What a blast that was. It's been 16 years since I had seen some of those people (graduated in 1993), but it only seemed like days. My husband was with me again – and our 2 ½ month old little boy (our daughter was enjoying herself at her Uncle Digger and Aunt Cassie's house.) I would say that my husband even enjoyed himself that night. Call me nostalgic, but I think moments like this are great!

All that to say, Thank you, Kandi for getting us all together. We definitely should do it more often than every few years. Up top are a couple of photos of some of the girls from that night. I'm sure there are more out there, but I don't have my hands on them yet!

Here's to old friends and good times...

"A good friend is hard to find, hard to lose, and impossible to forget..."

Birthday Fun!

So, I turned 34 this year. I've never had a problem with getting 'older'. I think it's great. Every year gets better and better and I always look forward to what adventures await me. I live a very blessed life. I married my best friend in 2000 and we have two amazing children. I am very close with my family and I have many close friends that I cherish very much. When I was 16 I made a personal decision to make Jesus the Lord of my life and though I may have been slow coming early on – it is a relationship that grows and gets stronger everyday. All these, along with so many other things, make mine a life worth living. So, I had a fun filled birthday week as I do every year. I had dinner with all 3 sets of my family, coffee with a friend, park time and coffee with another friend (going on 23 years), dinner with my hubby and kids and I received so much LOVE.

I've posted some pics from my birthday. I didn't get one at the park with my friend and her daughter, so that one will be missing. I'll get one the next time we see each other.

Me and my new, special friend, Mandy. We share the same birthday, so we headed over to Starbucks the morning of our birthday, after dropping the kiddos off at preschool.

Birthday cake at my parent's house!


Dinner table at my parents. My mom has a gift for 'presentation'. Everything event she 'hosts' has such a wonderful 'look' to it. Makes it very special.

Bella's table at my parent's house. She even had her own name card!

It takes a long time to grow young. - Pablo Picasso

Few women admit their age. Few men act theirs. - Anon

Happy Mother's Day

First I wish my mom a wonderful Mother's Day. She is the mother of 3 children and 2 pugs, a grandmother to 1 granddaughter, 2 grand-sons, 2 pugs and a pot-bellied pig. I will be honored if I ever hear of someone saying that I take after my mom. She is one of my best friends and I love her so very much and hope her day is amazing.

Next I wish my mom-in-law a happy Mother's Day. She is not only a wonderful mom to my husband, but a wonderful mother-in-law and grandmother. I am also honored to call her my friend.

I wish my grandmother an amazing day. She is the mother of 5 children, 5 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. She has given her all for her family and there is no greater joy to her than to have all of us in her life. She is beautiful and I will love her for all eternity.

A happy Mother's Day to my sister who has the sweetest little boy around! I love my nephew like he is my own. I wish her a wonderful day and hope she enjoyed buying her flowers this year.

And I am grateful today that I can celebrate Mother's Day as the proud mom of two beautiful children, 1 pug and a pot-bellied pig. There is no greater joy and honestly no greater honor than being a mom. I love you kiddos!

Making a decision to have a child--it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.

by Elizabeth Stone

True Love

What do I see when I look this photo? I see friendship. I see joy. I see truth. I see love. True love.

This photos is of my parents and it was taken June 28, 2008 at my brother's wedding. I love candid shots of people, where you get reality, not posing. Of course, neither of them like it that much. My dad thinks he looks like an old man and my mom, well, she just has some issues about how she looked on that day. Me? I think it is one of my favorite photos of my parents. Why? Because, they are best friends. They do have joy. They are honest in their actions and emotions. And most of all, they are truly in love. This year they will celebrate 37 years of marriage! I love you mom and dad.

....and no, mom, I will not take this picture off my blog ;o)

“Happy marriages begin when you marry the one you love and they flourish when you love the one you marry.”

When you are in Love you can't fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams.

~Dr. Seuss