Bloggity Blog Blog

Under Construction

2011-04-14T12:55:00.002-05:00

Ever feel like you are undertaking a personal remodeling project you were completely unaware of or prepared for....

C.S. Lewis - in the book Mere Christianity.

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At
first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains
right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs
needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the
house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense.
What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a
different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here,
putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You
thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage; but He is
building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself."

I do.

Nine

2011-04-12T14:58:00.005-05:00

Well it happened. As much as I would like to keep him my little guy, he is growing and growing up. Here he is my new NINE year old.

If You Give a Boy Some Cake...

2011-04-08T10:06:00.007-05:00

Here is my secret for getting an 8 year old boy to stop and talk about his day after school. First be ready IMMEDIATELY AFTER SCHOOL when he is susceptible to your enticings. Second set your bait...THE TREAT. Here is where I suggest you use your many years of living with said boy to know his weaknesses. Mine likes anything with chocolate and whipped cream. Here is my trap...uh treat:

At first there will not be much talking...there will be this:

Then it will be followed by the sort of dazed effect of the cake:

But the purpose of the treat is to not get them talking but to get them to SLOW DOWN and be open to answering a few questions...now that he is pretty much putty in your hands...ask him a few questions about his day.

Eventually he will catch onto this technique so you have to be ready with the BIG GUNS for the really good talks. See what happens when: You Take a Boy Fishing...

Badminton

2011-04-05T09:12:00.006-05:00

One of the advantages of living in a neighborhood under constructions...uh besides a port-a-potty in your front yard, is space. Though the space is getting smaller we still have an empty lot right next to our house that is fairly flat. What does that mean? Badminton. My brother and I had a badminton set in the backyard of my grandparents home that they set up for us...we spent many a summer evening playing together and with the neighbor kids. So of course when Connor wanted to chase "birdies" we as had to oblige.

As with any sport it comes down to competition. This game was boys vs. girls and I won't say who won but I do know they all had fun.

April

2011-03-27T23:36:00.002-05:00

April is my favorite month. My one and only child was born this month my gift from a loving Father in Heaven. April is one of the months I receive counsel and wisdom from my Prophet and church leaders as they speak to the members of my church everywhere during a bi-annual conference that lasts two days. We celebrate the Savior Jesus Christ this month during Easter. We celebrate his mission here on Earth. We celebrate the very most important event in human history, the Atonement. April is a good month.

Cooking it up Star Wars Style

2011-03-27T21:26:00.014-05:00

Today Connor wanted to make some of the recipes from a Star Wars Cookbook he got for Christmas last year, so we did. We started out with breakfast:

There was a small skirmish over breakfast on Tatooine:

Before:

After:

Dinner:

For dessert Bossk Brownies:

Oh no...apparently he doesn't want Darth Vader to have one of his brownies.

Sun flare and Sunsets

2011-03-25T08:28:00.003-05:00

I am totally loving my new camera. Even the ordinary things I see take on a new quality as I see them as photographs. I took the camera out as we walked the dog last night and snapped these shots.

Spring

2011-03-23T15:20:00.006-05:00

Pinewood Derby

2011-02-21T16:52:00.002-06:00

sunsurfos.

Connor participated in his first Pinewood Derby this year. Lots of sanding, gluing, and painting the last month and it all came down to one night on the tracks. Waiting for the call from the lane monitor in this photo, see the tension. Connor finished the night with first place in his Den.

This is actually before the race when I made him pose with one of his cars...yes he decided to make two cars.

Oh ya the car made it.....

across the finish line. But I missed the shot...oh well, maybe I will have a DSLR next year.

Cell Phone Photos

2011-02-21T08:42:00.003-06:00

Lately taking pictures with my cell phone has taken on a whole new dimension, there are some great applications that add fun and depth to cell phone shots.

This is edited in Instagram. It makes a fairly ordinary shot look great. I love this app.

This is my entry for the I Heart Faces cell phone photo challenge.

Grateful by Paul Cardall

2011-02-12T23:38:00.000-06:00

Warming Effect

2011-02-05T12:37:00.006-06:00

So it has been a little frosty around here with the weather and the snow. But yesterday Connor got a letter in the mail from the little girl next door. I am not sure how long it was there since the mail hadn't been delivered since Monday so we hadn't checked the box. But the mail was a big excitement for us Friday as we saw the mail jeep pull away we went out to get the mail and there it was in a big blue hand delivered envelope....now that warms the heart. So for fun since Audrey started the warming effect, Connor put little notes in a few other mail boxes on the street. We may be stuck in the neighborhood under piles of cold snow but it's nice and toasty in our hearts.

Sweet Greens: Green Recipe:: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-10-06T12:12:00.000-05:00

Sweet Greens: Green Recipe:: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: "Eben and I made a batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies last Saturday. They were delicious. We enjoyed them together while we read by the ..."

Lost and Found

2010-10-06T08:10:00.004-05:00

Hello my little blog.. I have missed you. I got way over my head in blogging and participating in blog circles and promotions. I found that I was writing for others to read and not to really share my thoughts. So little blog we have found each other again. The second time around should be better. We are here for each other to express our feeling, thoughts and musings. Here we go again...

We Have A Winner/TerraCycle Tote

2009-07-29T08:24:00.007-05:00

Congratulations to the winner #93 Zestywonderland, I will be e-mailing you now.

I want to thank everyone who entered I wish I had a Tote for all of you! If you didn't win this time come back for the "Back to School Green Giveaway" coming soon.

Sorry about the last few entries that didn't qualify as they were after the time frame :-(

Blog Disclosure

2009-07-28T16:59:00.003-05:00

It seems there is a lot of discussion lately about bloggers who do reviews and bloggers who are sponsored by companies and their integrity. I am not here to judge other bloggers. But since I have hosted a review by a company and have been thinking about not having a disclosure policy I thought I would just post about my review and be transparent on my blog.

I have not been paid or will I be paid to post about the company who hosted the giveaway on my blog, TerraCycle. I did not receive the item being given away. I did receive a box of samples for a post and giveaway I want to do for back to school about their school supplies made from upcycled materials. There was a Cliff bar child size backpack retail $15.00 a super cool Oreo package messenger bag also retail $15.00 a pencil pouch, some pencils and a binder. These products I am keeping and will be writing about how my son and his friends like them and what other Moms I know thought of the price and quality along with my thoughts.

So there you have it my full disclosure and transparency, if I do other reviews or giveaways I will let you know if it is something I received a sample of or if I bought it myself and just wanted to share with everyone. I really don't want to sell anyone anything, sometimes I just want to share something really cool with you and something I feel good about.

Let me know what you think about product reviews and what you would like the blogs you read to let you know about them.

Twitter Secrets

2009-07-27T21:39:00.004-05:00

I have been using Twitter actively for a while now and I would like to share my wealth of Twitter knowledge with you. There are plenty of places to learn what Twitter is and how to Twitter, that is not what I am going to tell you. What I am about to write is only what experienced Twitter Tweeters know, so get ready for some golden nuggets of insight.

1. When someone follows you with a Twitter icon that is naked, I hate to judge because we all have different comfort levels but usually it is someone who just tweets about where to click to see more nakedness.

2. If the person following you has not uploaded any Twitter icon most likely they aren't that uh how should I say this, they aren't very interesting, I mean if you can't figure out how to upload a picture you usually aren't gifted with a lot of insight, just saying.

3. Most everyone who uses Twitter also uses Cloth diapers, really it's true I am surprised #clothdiapers #clothbabybuns #onlyclothformybaby aren't trending Twitter topics everyday.

4. Twitter is a good place to stalk or be stalked, really you have no idea who is reading your tweets out in the twitterverse, I have tweeted to a friend about a company, yes you @lifeway_kefir and they tweeted me regarding my tweet, it spooked the tweet out of me for a while. But you can also stalk people if you are so inclined on Twitter, people tweet all about what they are doing where they are and who they are with they even tweet what bathroom stall at what airport they are at, but only stalk people for happy reasons like wanting to deliver flowers to the right place or know where to drop of their giveaway prize OK.

5. You can "party" on Twitter, I kid you not there are all sorts of Twitter parties or you can just bring your own hashtag and throw your own party, you can join from wherever you are you can even be at a party and Twitter party too, cool huh. You can have all sorts of fun on Twitter partying and from a lot of tweets a lot of people must be partying cause they tweet like the are drunk, but you didn't hear if from me.

I have lots of other twitter gems but I don't want to overwhelm you with my expanse of Twitter insights so this is all you get for now.

Top 10 Reasons I am Excited to Stay Home with My Family this Coming Weekend

2009-07-23T17:44:00.001-05:00

1. School is starting soon and I am getting a little sad about having my son not be with me all day, so I am going to take time to do some little fun things with him.

2. I can hang out in my comfy clothes and party with all the others who aren't going to BlogHer

3. Don't have to worry about what I am going to wear it's come as you are at my house.

4. Get to spend time with hubs his one weekend day off Sunday.

5. Get my self organized before school starts at cozi.

6. Bake me some cupcakes and try out my new favorite cupcake recipe find.

7. Look for great apps for my new birthday present that I have to wait for but know what it is and can't stand to wait so will drool over it this weekend til it's mine.

8. Enjoy the mild temps this weekend at the park.

9. Get my swim on before the pool closes in August.

10. Get some snuggle time on the couch with my favorite snugglers, they know who they are.

Why are you not sad you are going to be with your family and not at BlogHer this weekend..tell me.

Jazz Hands or Custom Header

2009-07-22T00:31:00.003-05:00

Since I can't really do "jazz hands" every time someone clicks on my blog link to say hello, I need a custom header. I should learn how to cook before I learn how to html code, my son really likes to eat and Daddy is not here for breakfast and lunch. I am hoping that I might be the gracious recipient of a Custom Header from Temptations Designs and BlogHer at Home. Until then just picture jazz hands when you stop by!

What We Can Do: TerraCycle GIVEAWAY

2009-07-16T00:26:00.003-05:00

After learning about TerraCycle and the great work they are doing, I want to get involved too...well guess what..I can and so can you! TerraCycle has teamed up with various companies to start collection Brigades. They are a way for one to collect items like, yogurt containers, chip bags, juice pouches, stuff that would normally be thrown away and turn it in to money for schools and non-profits. They have a lot of different Brigades you can join HERE. Just in case your wondering it is super easy to sign up, they will even mail you a package to put your items in and pay for shipping! Their newest partnership is with Kashi, one of the things they do is turn Kashi cereal boxes into notebooks.

I am thinking just one Saturday at the fields where my Son's soccer league plays would be a great start to any fundraiser, with all the snack wrappers, juice drink pouches and soda bottles thrown away after games. Here is the other cool thing by involving yourself in this type of activity it shows kids that you respect the Earth and they will follow your example.

Then you can show them what their collecting has been upcycled into at shopOnlygreen.com you can purchase stuff made from upcycled materials like a backpack made from Capri Sun pouches for $11.99, uh cheaper and cooler than the one I got for Connor last year and much more meaningful.

So here is the GIVEAWAY that TerraCycle is giving one of you! It is part of their brand new line of bags from their partnership with YakPak check it out here.

The bags are made from from the vinyl upcycled from billboards. The vinyl from billboards does not biodegrade. TerraCycle and YakPak are turning them in to a durable and quite fashionable line of bags. The bags are guaranteed for life!! The only way they will end up in a landfill is if you put them there. The other neat thing is they are one of a kind designs, due to the material no two bags are alike. My favorite part is they are easy on the wallet too at only $35 or less.

Now for your chance to win one of TerraCycle and YakPak's Totes like the one pictured above:

Mandatory entry 1: Visit Terracycle's Brigades and leave a comment telling me one of their current Brigades besides Kashi.

Bounus entry 1: Visit ShopOnlyGreen.com and comment here on any item you can purchase from TerraCycle's products and the price.

Bonus entry 2: Follow @TerraCycle on Twitter (Say Hi from the Bloggity Blog Blog, not mandatory for the entry) Tell me your Twitter name in the comment and that you follow.

Bonus entry 3: Go to TerraCycle's website and in the store locator at the very top right of the page tell me the closest location to you to get TerraCycle's products.

Bonus entry 4: Tweet, Share on your Facebook page, or Blog about TerraCycle and this Giveaway and leave me a comment just saying you did.

This is my first giveaway so if you have any questions e-mail me: madonnacramer@msn.com. Thanks for entering..the winner is totally going to love thier Tote! Thank you TerraCycle for the work you do for our Earth and our Kids and of course for the great Tote.

You have until July 28th at 11:59 Central Time to enter,the winner will be chosen by random generator I will email the winner to let them know and post it here.

Upcycling Matters: TerraCycle

2009-07-15T00:01:00.004-05:00

Continuing on the topic of upcycling, I want to introduce you to a great company named TerraCycle. TerraCycle is leading the way in upcycling. It all started in 2001 when two Princeton University students set out to change the way people do business. Inspired by a box of worms, these students had a dream: a company could be financially successful while being ecologically and socially responsible.

TerraCycle is making the concept work, one of their first products was plant food made by worms, uh not handmade by worms, but from from their poop. Then the worm poop/plant food is packaged in upcyled trash like milk jugs, and soda bottles. At TerraCycle's website you can hover your cursor over a picture of one their product and see the raw material behind the label..cool.

But they didn't stop there they also make a line of household cleaners, and yes you guessed it, they are green and sold in upcycled soda bottles! Check out their website TerraCycle.net to find out more about their company.

In tomorrow's post I am going to tell you where TerraCycle gets it's trash to upcycle and how you can become part of one of their TerraCycle Brigades! Oh yeah and the company has generously offered an item from their new partnership with YakPak for one of you...but I will tell you all about that in the next post. Thank you for checking out this great company with me.

Upcycling!

2009-07-13T23:33:00.006-05:00

I have been thinking a lot about up-cycling as I and friends have been collecting items for Connor's camp this week "Camp Invention" The camp asked for donations of items for the kids to use for their projects like, cardboard tubes, bottle caps, cereal boxes, newspapers, you get the idea.

So what is up-cycling, well it's like re-purposing or taking something that would be discarded and making something useful out of it. Now useful to one person is not useful to another but I think just the very workings of your brain thinking ..what can I do with this...is useful.

So while I am pondering this thought of up-cycling I ran across this blog Filth Wizardry and especially this post Homemade Recycled Wall-E This site rocks, the things she creates with her kids are simple (well simple to follow her directions) and so creative! After giving away the collected items I mentioned above, I have started a new collection of three bins for things to up-cycle. After "Camp Invention" and checking out Filth Wizardry our family will never look at a plastic lid or a yogurt container without seeing the possibilities it holds.

This is the Wall-E, the Filth Wizardry blog owner Lindsey and her children made from the picture of things at the top of the post. Stunning to say the least..thanks for letting me use your photos and link to your blog, so I could show my friends such a great site and project.

What are you going to up-cycle? I really want to try and make this Wall-E.

Best Beach & Sport Sunscreens

2009-07-10T10:25:00.007-05:00

We recently ran out of our sunscreen and I wanted to replace it with something I know is safe for our skin and our lungs.

Come to find out doing research that the spray on kind of sunscreen though convenient is not good for your lungs. I guess I should have clued in when it made my child cough even though we spray it on outside.

The link below is to an awesome website that has done the the testing and research on 619 sunscreens. You can even enter your brand and it will give you a rating scale of Recommended, Caution and Avoid. Looking up our brand it was one point away from Avoid.
So if you are in the market for a safe sunscreen the Environmental Working Group is a website you should check out. Click the link below.
Environmental Working Group Sunscreen Report 2009

Seventh Generation Giveaway/Win a Healthy Home Kit

2009-07-09T21:50:00.007-05:00

Seventh Generation is committed to becoming the world's most trusted brand of authentic, safe, and environmentally-responsible products for a healthy home. For 20 years, the closely held Burlington, Vermont-based company has been at the forefront of a cultural change in consumer behavior and business ethics.

Click here to enter! Compliments The Greer 5 and Seventh Generation

Knowledge is Power....

2009-07-08T18:51:00.002-05:00

Food Inc.; PG, 94 min. You'll never look at dinner the same way again: An unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.

Showing in Tulsa July 30-August 6
Circle Cinema
Recorded Movie Showtimes: 918-592-FILM (3456)
info@circlecinema.com
12 S Lewis (1st and Lewis)
Tulsa OK 74104
Business Office 918-585-3456

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-08T11:33:00.001-05:00

2009-07-06T02:26:00.001-05:00

The Penny Pincher's Club

2009-07-05T15:26:00.003-05:00

In THE PENNY PINCHER’S CLUB, Kat Griffiths is a married woman who has never saved a penny in her life. She thinks that her husband is going to divorce her. She decides she needs to kick the “spending” habit to get ready for the divorce and life after the divorce.

The Frugal Housewife is having her first giveaway and is giving 2 copies of this book. Looks like a good summer read. If you are interested check her out here: The Frugal Housewife

Introductions

2009-07-03T22:20:00.005-05:00

This is my brother and his wife...ah sweet.

This is the Hubs, my Mom and Connor.

These two are my hilarious nieces they left this image on my camera along with some others for me to find later.

These are the boys...Connor and my nephews. I am so lucky to have such a great family.

Dirt , Digging & Dinosaurs

2009-07-03T20:19:00.007-05:00

Getting ready to head out for a hike around the Dinosaur Quarry. What do boys like better than digging..uh digging for bones.

If it looked interesting and there was dirt Connor dug it up. Looking for fossils, while we were visiting my parents, with my bro and his kids was his obsession. Luckily Connor had a facilitator in his digging interest, his cousin Jacob, together they carried around pockets of rocks and little dusting brooms and dug up everything.

What do hungry Paleontologists eat, this one eats ice cream!

Places:

Castle Dale, Utah

Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry

San Rafael Swell

Play House Bouncers Pirate Bay Giveaway!

2009-07-01T20:24:00.011-05:00

Well I didn't win the giveaway for the Eco Home...so now I am moving on and trying to win THIS! From:Visit: Play House Bouncers

The giveaway is being offered by J. Leigh Designz, Enter Here!

Come join me in entering for a prize that would make this Summer a bit more memorable for your child...the summer of the Pirate Bay WaterSlide.

Eco-Home Plan City Natural Wood

2009-06-29T17:40:00.008-05:00

Kids Travel Happy is Giving Away a Plan City Natural Wood Eco-Home. !!!
Enter this fun contest @Kids Travel Happy

This Contest Ends June 30,2009

Cute huh, I want to win and add it to the games that are at the Whole Foods Store my husband is the Store Team Leader at in Tulsa. I know the kids would go ga-ga for it at story time and when they are eating in the cafe.

Great American Backyard Campout June 27th

2009-06-10T13:18:00.004-05:00

backyardcampout/images/300x250.jpg" width="300" height="250" alt="Camp with the Great American Backyard Campout" border="0" >

This is what we are doing on Saturday June 27th. If you want to stop by for a campfire story or s'more leave your email for our super secret location.

Remember when life was simple? You didn’t rely on TV and electronic gadgets for entertainment. Catching fireflies kept you busy for hours. And camping out in the yard with friends, just a blanket for a tent, was real fun.
Now you can re-live that fun with your kids and grandkids. Join in NWF’s fifth annual Great American Backyard Campout®—Saturday, June 27!

Last year tens of thousands of neighbors, friends, and families united across the country for s’more-making, stargazing, and nature-watching. It’s easy! Take part right in your backyard or at your favorite camping spot.

Sign up now and get outdoors again! Visit www.backyardcampout.org to register your site and get recipes, activities, wildlife guides, and more.
Descriptions for Print and e-Communications

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-10T05:33:00.000-05:00

In It to Win It!

2009-06-09T22:10:00.006-05:00

Lately I have developed a new hobby. I am calling it my hobby because that sounds so much better than uh lets say..obsession, or addiction. It is entering giveaways. It started out innocent enough with the previously mentioned Kupcakz coupon for FREE cupcakes from Tasha Does Tulsa. Later I won a kids book, a movie, a reading timer and a kids travel pack. And then I was hooked. Here is what have become my guidelines and reasons for entering.

1) Ok, who doesn't like FREE?

2) I only enter things I can use. There was an adorable little girls tutu giveaway that I thought would be so cute for some future girl child. But I don't have a little girl and so I didn't feel good about entering.

3) It is fun to try out new things I have never heard of before, like a heated mouse, bookmark reading timer, or brand I have been wanting to try of kids organic snacks etc.

4) Follow the rules!! Read the rules!! Read the review, it may not be something you want after all.

5) Enter as many times as possible for the said giveaway there are usually extra entries and ways to gain more chances of winning.

6) Check back or items entered on sometimes winners are emailed or sometimes they are listed on the site. Set up a Google alert for your entry name to make sure you didn't miss something.

7) Thank the giveaway host/hostess maybe they don't care but I think it takes work to have a giveaway and I would appreciate a thank you. If the items is something you really liked share the news with the company or web host.

I am pretty sure this hobby won't last that long but it is fun for now and maybe you will try too and share what you have won.

The button below is a great website with links to other blog hosted giveaways:

Mental Monday

2009-06-08T18:41:00.008-05:00

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As promised to myself, I am going to post about growing up with mental illness. I didn't think it would be so hard to remember some of the experiences in detail. I think I try and block out a lot of those memories. One thing I remember having a lot of was RULES...our lives were ordered by rules, none of the rules made any sense but as a kid you just follow the RULES.

Some of the rules had to do with behavior or actions in public. One was we were never allowed to touch anything like door handles, car door handles, shopping carts, pay phones, without first it being sprayed with Lysol, or wiped with a alcohol wipe or Wet One. There were always containers of Wet One's and Lysol in the car. My Dad would spray the door handles of the car before we got in each time and open it for us. He would open doors while holding a Wet One as to not touch the door. If money was handled by he or my Mother hands were wiped. My Father actually has never to my eyes been in a grocery store before..I think my Mother said he went once and bought all over her favorite treats when she was out of town when my son was born visiting me, but that is the only time. But back to the rules, my Mom would follow the rules so when we were with her she wiped doors, carts, hands, cans, boxes, produce, shower door handles, bathtub faucets, toilet seats, the house phone, chairs, whatever the rules required.

The rules permeated our life and made me crazy. I am sure they were needed for my Father not to go crazy...ah but he already was CRAZY! Even at a young age I knew this was not normal. No one else in the grocery store had a cart full of Wet Ones, Lysol, Bleach, Boraxo, Lava Soap, but us I knew we were different. But I wanted to scream out no we aren't crazy HE is the crazy one we are just following the RULES.

Sportsman's Prize Package

2009-06-06T20:16:00.002-05:00

Do you have a dad or husband that enjoys the outdoors?Then you have to go HERE and enter to win a Sportman's Prize Package that any man would love to receive! Whether he’s into camping, fishing, or hiking, these gifts are ideal for the outdoorsman!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-03T18:39:00.000-05:00

Mental Monday

2009-06-02T11:23:00.006-05:00

I was going to post this yesterday as a regular posting I would like to write on Mondays. It is hard posting this as it is something I usually don't talk about, but I think it would be helpful for me to just get it out. Growing up with mental illness in your family is not really a topic easily discussed or playground chatter with the Moms, but is prevalent in families.

I grew up with a father who has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder here, Anxiety and Depression. It has been a part of my life since I was about 6 years old. My father's OCD involves a fear of germs and disease. I think he always had these obsessive compulsive thoughts they just took a drastic turn during a time when a person at his work was diagnosed with Cancer. Then his mind went into overdrive and his fears got out of control for him. He began to fear catching "cancer germs." Now as we normally thought based people know one cannot catch cancer but his thoughts and compulsions are not always based in reality.

It was a journey into mental illness that is still going on today. He still has irrational thoughts and has compulsive behavior that renders him mostly to a life of isolation. He has received counseling and therapy, takes medication (lots of it) and does not have his OCD under control. What I would like to share is the the tragic, the funny and the downright unbelievable stories that make up my childhood. See you on Mondays.

DEET Free Insect Repellent

2009-05-28T19:57:00.003-05:00

I am on the hunt for DEET free ways to keep the bugs off our bods this Summer. I am collecting ideas and then I will be testing them out on my family so you won't have to, isn't that nice?

Feel free to leave your favorite DEET free ways to keep the bugs away. I have a few so far and will be testing them out.

Here are some of the things I will be testing: Avon's Skin So Soft, Tea Tree Oil, The Bugpatch (pending safety check with pediatrician), Dryer Sheets, Bumble and Bee Natural Oils.

Leave your comments and recommendations, I would love to test more products.

Kupcakz

2009-05-28T11:52:00.006-05:00

A great local blogger Natasha Ball had a Fantasy Cupcake Contest through her blog Tasha Does Tulsa I can't believe it but my cupcake idea was one of the ones chosen as the winner of 6 precious cupcakes from Kupcakz I am so excited and can't wait to get my cupcake on!

Okie's

2009-05-27T12:40:00.004-05:00

So while in Muskogee we decided to try Okie's Steakhouse. How could you not with the hypnotizing huge red blinking eyed Steer staring you down and screaming STEAK. I had the Okie Mash which was chopped sirloin and veggies in a red sauce, Steve had the grilled shrimp. Maybe we are spoiled by having such great home cooked food from Steve and great food from the homes of friends (Swegle Family) but we were disappointed and thought the food was just OK.

The awesome part that I forgot to take a pic of was the desert which was a HUGE fluffy piece of Oreo cheesecake. We got the cheesecake to go and ate it after the hot tub, it was definitely best part of the meal. So if you go to Okies get the desert all they have is cheesecake in different flavors. The steak is probably really good no one was in the mood for steak in our family, but the guests in our B & B the next night said theirs was great.

Graham Carol House Muskogee

2009-05-27T09:16:00.006-05:00

While hanging in Muskogee we needed a place to relax and chill after the day at the Renaissance Fair and that was at the Graham Carol House. Steve and I want to open a B & B someday, so we like to stay at B & B's for research purposes too. The stay overall was great, wacky things that are kind of typical of B & B 's that are older houses or historical homes..like the plumbing is always interesting with not a lot of hot water and water pressure, figuring out the faucet handles stuff like that.

The Inn Keepers were unexpectedly out of town, so we were greeted by another "guest" who let us in gave us the door code and then we had the place to ourselves, while he traveled to Tulsa. During this time we explored and found a lovely cat that became Connor's new BFF. Bootsie the cat was often lured into our room to hang out and be hand fed kitty treats we had to get while there just for such enticement.

The Garden's out side were over grown and secret gardenish, We found the hot tub and after we figured out how to reset the breaker the hot tub was relaxing, it was dark when we went hot tubing so I couldn't see how to work the aromatherapy gadget or the built in stereo but the 72 jets did their thing.

The jetted tub in the room became a bubble fest and we almost lost Connor in the suds.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-27T08:12:00.004-05:00

Huzzah!

2009-05-26T18:54:00.012-05:00

This is where we planted ourselves for the Memorial Day Weekend! The Muskogee Renaissance Fair. 40 acres of Jousting, Knights, Jugglers, Acrobats, Armour, Pirates, Gypsy's, Elf's, Shakespearean Actors, and Musicians. The actors throughout the Castle were amazing and spoke with their best Elizabethan accents, the costumes were great and some were really elaborate. The second picture was one of the groups that sang at the exit to the castle at the end of the evening.

These are the Knights from the Jousting reenactment, very cool and they signed Connor's shield that he sweet talked us into buying along with the sword to go with it of course.

Connor took right to the life of swords, bow & arrows, and royalty. It was cute how all the little boys with swords would spar when they got the chance, this little boy and Connor ended up chasing each other around for 15min. having a blast and laughing, while uh trying to stab each other with wooden swords..ah boys!

I wish I would have taken more pictures of the performers and the people in costumes but I didn't always know who was an "actor" and who might think it was creepy that I was snapping their picture.
My favorite was the husband and wife acrobats who also ate fire, now that is love letting your wife feed you a burning blob of fire! We met the wife's (the cute girl acrobat) OBGYN or Optometrist (I am not sure which she said she was I think OBGYN I don't like asking people to repeat themselves unless truly necessary) at our B & B, weird huh, she said that she performed throughout her pregnancy, wish I could have seen that. They did have the baby with them in this way cool wooden cart with her little toys and a canopy, the baby was born in December and was adorable in her costume..sorry no pics I thought that was overstepping the picture taking boundaries.

Connor really liked the the ceremony where he was "Knighted" he became "Connor the Wise" HUZZAH! The last picture is a picture of a picture but it was kind of what it looked like when we finally rolled on out of the Castle and the fair. I am sure we will be there next year.

The next post will be our cool B & B and oh yeah Okies and Okie Mash.

Time for an Enema.

2009-05-14T11:58:00.003-05:00

I have bloggers block, I think it stems from reading so many great blogs and feeling not quite so interesting. But I think if I just blog something, anything it will get me over the hump to write, like a writers enema. So I am flushing out my writers block and cleaning out the not good enough feelings and remembering that no one reads my blog anyway so get over yourself and keep bloggity blog blogging.

2009-04-18T11:26:00.001-05:00

Today's Soccer game shot says,CONFUSION!

Our Flight From the Usual.

2009-04-17T20:27:00.000-05:00

Connor and I took the day of from the usual business of school etc. and had a hot diggity dayhere. Connor has wanted to go here for a long time and I think I keep avoiding it thinking 15 minutes in and he would be bored and want me to go to the gift shop and spend $$$$ on toys, uh we could go to Toys R Us for that with no admission fee, so I was surprised when I looked at the clock and it was 2 1/2hrs after our arrival before we landed in the gift shop. Can you say...really cool, yes the air museum was great. The displays went from Tulsa's first flight an airballon to the space shuttle with everything in between.

Jumpin' Jiminy

2009-04-17T17:57:00.002-05:00

Jumpin' Jiminy is a company that rents all kinds of fun inflatables and activity type party games. They had a client event overlooking the Tulsa skyline at River Parks last night. The inflatables were so cool and that was just the ones they had set up. They have many more available you can check out here . The littlest Cramer was in inflatable heaven! Great night at the park. Thank you Jumpin' Jiminy for the great evening.

Because I doubted...

2009-03-28T10:49:00.002-05:00

Well I didn't think it would happen. I doubted the power of the Oklahoma Meteorologist to predict the weather. But they in the face of my scoff, called down a prediction for SNOW, they stood true to their doplar radar and storm tracking know how and called it how they saw it, those who would scoff be damned! So here's to you Ms./Mr. Meteorologist..rock on!

Finding Joy in the Journey

2009-03-22T23:11:00.004-05:00

Today in church one of the lessons was centered on a talk titled Finding Joy in the Journey..a lot of the discussion was based on the joy of the stage of life we are in now, each stage of life is different and progressing and we are all at different stages, such as newly wed, young mother, etc. Wherever one finds themselves in the journey, be grateful for the joys of that time and place.

So it made me think about all the things I am grateful for at this point in my journey..these are things that I do not always stop and think about and sometimes get frustrated with, but cannot be brought back as time marches on.

My joys...the non-stop chatter of my six-year old from the minute he wakes up till he falls asleep he is singing, whooping, sharing thoughts, asking questions at the verbal speed of light.

Hearing...Mom, Mom, Mom, Mommy, Mom, Where are you Mom?, Mom, Mom, Can you get me a glass of Milk Mom, When can we go to the park Mom, When you were a little girl did this happen Mom, When will my hamster be resurrected Mom, Where is my Soccer ball Mom.

Having a little boy that can't fall asleep til I "tickle" his back, give him a kiss, and settle all his worries.

There are others but I will keep them in my heart with all the other of the joys of my place in this journey. What joys can you find in your stage of the journey?

Just Hanging Out!

2009-03-21T09:22:00.003-05:00

We had some great days at the park and in the sun! This is the best part of Spring Break...no schedule!

Southwood Landscape & Nursery in Tulsa

2009-03-21T09:09:00.003-05:00

We went here to find herbs for our little herb garden we were starting. It was a beautiful day and the nursery is huge with all sorts of inspiration and ideas. The best part for Connor was there were tri-cycles for the kids to ride around the nursery, we both had a blast.

Spring

2009-03-21T09:04:00.002-05:00

We planted flowers in the front yard flower bed this week. Connor was an awesome helper. He picked out the colors of the flowers and got busy in the dirt too!

First Soccer Game

2009-03-07T10:40:00.000-06:00

Today was Connor's first Soccer game after his first week of practice.

First off I was so proud of Steve he doesn't have to be to work until 3pm, but works til after midnight tonight, yet he got up and went to Connor's game at 8:40am and he was really great to cheer with not grumpy at all.

Second we are new to the Soccer thing, this is Connor's first year and we got all his gear and thought he looked so cute, no one told us that the shin guards go under the socks, were they (the coach, the seasoned parents) chuckling amongst themselves at the newbies or did they feel too sorry for us to say, "hey shin guards under the socks". The game started shortly after the referee fixed Connor's shin guards..thanks!

Third, it was a great morning and a lot of fun watch the boys and girls run after a little round ball. The coach is awesome, the kids have a lot of fun with him, he gives a lot of positive comments to all the kids and it was an all around great first game.

I asked Connor how he felt about his first game as we left for the field this AM, he said, "I am excited and nervous, I am just very emotional" After the game he said, "I don't think we won." "Do you like my snack I picked out?"

So there you have it we love Soccer.

My Guys!

2009-03-06T12:49:00.000-06:00

Starting from scratch..

2009-03-06T12:46:00.000-06:00

This is like the fifth blog I have started and scrapped. But this blog I am sure will be the one that takes off for me. I just love looking at the little blinkies on the side and the cute background so I am sure I will want to hang out here and bloggity blog blog more.