Toot, Toot

I'm not sure if it was the surprisingly easy time I had dropping Jackson off at Primary today (he usually takes about 5 minutes to warm up to church and today he just walked in, totally unassisted) or the fact that sacrament meeting doesn't even start until 3, the end of his nap time which he misses because of our meeting times, but Jackson was being rather cranky during the beginning of sacrament meeting.

Normally this would be no big deal as Bart and I would tag team, one of us staying in the pew with the other kids, one of us taking Sir Crankypants out for a little "talk" about how we behave in church. However, Bart woke up feeling blah, had to go in to an early morning work meeting, and decided to stay home and sleep. I left Ethan with him, and from what I hear, they both snoozed away from 1-4, until Ethan loaded his cloth diaper and DADDY had to change it...but that is a post for another day :). So, no tag team.

It was also ward conference, so the chapel was full of stake people. Stake people from nice wards where children sit quietly and listen and aren't cranky (Well, that's a ward in heaven, but you know what I mean) Sitting right behind me was a row of women who I think are part of the Young Women Presidency. Sitting right in front of me is Bro. Reed, all alone, probably enjoying the spirit of his day and looking forward to the talks to come.

When....

Jackson, Mr. I am going to grab not one piece but a HANDFUL of sacrament bread and then crumble to bits the piece my mom gives me and be super cranky boy, all of a sudden, lets out a HUGE SMELLY LOUD FART.

I was so embarrassed...but then his manners kicked in and he says, "Excuse me.".....and that was it! None of his usual, "Mama, that was LOUD!" or "Whoa, that stinks!" business at the top of his lungs. Just a polite "Excuse me" as I have been teaching him for ages.

Though I was dying of embarrassment, I was proud of my little tooter and his perfectly timed use of manners.

This post promoted by one I read here.

Heart Breaker Valentine Iron On (DIY) GIVEAWAY CLOSED

CLOSED!



These heartbreaker iron on kits have been selling like crazy at my etsy shop so I thought I'd GIVE ONE AWAY!
This is an iron on, DIY kit...they ship within 24 hours and are so easy to finish at home! All you need is a tee shirt and five minutes.
By far, the most popular design is the skull and crossbones...I mean, how freaking cool will your little dude be in that? I love this design with either white or red or maroon letters.

There is also the red with white polka dots. Try it with either black or white letters.

Then there is the white with red polka dots and red or black letters.

And hot pink with white or black letters...L.O.V.E. it.

And of course....Zebra stripes! Try this one with red or maroon letters.

A friend asked if I could do the word "sweet" to go in the middle instead of "breaker"...no problem, just make sure if you order one, to leave that instruction along with the color choices in a convo on etsy. Want more then what is listed in my shop? Just send a convo and I will set up a new listing just for you!

Now...for the giveaway. I am giving away one heart breaker kit of your fabric and word choice.

To Enter: Leave a comment sharing your favorite Valentine's Day memory OR if you don't have a favorite Valentine's Day memory, tell me who you would use your kit for.

EXTRA ENTRIES (all worth one entry unless stated and you MUST leave a comment for each entry, well, except the shopping ones):

• follow my blog (google friend on the left)
• grab my button (leave URL where you posted it)
• visit my etsy shop and tell me one thing you like, or something you'd like to see added to it
• BUY a heartbreaker kit from my shop (100 extra entries per kit...if you win and don't need one, you can win the St. Patrick's Day iron on kit I am going to post mid-Feb.)
• BUY anything else from my shop (500 extra entries)
• follow me on twitter (@jessremington)
• tweet about the giveaway...can do up to three times a day, leave a new comment here each time you do (a cheat tweet: Heart breaker giveaway at Finding Joy...easy entry. What are you waiting for??? http://bit.ly/colsmT RT @jessremington)

GOOD LUCK!!!! Contest ends Feb. 5th

Winners for the Triaminic Cold Giveaway!

Sarah, Brooke, and Rising South won!
Whoo, hooo...you are the winners.

Who Dat Saint Shirts by Jeni

Want a unique Saints shirt for your little one to wear during the SUPERBOWL this year?
Contact Jeni to order one today! I bet she gives a multi shirt order discount, too.
$20 plus $4 shipping, ships fast!

National Cold and Flu Tracker AND a Triaminic Giveaway (48 hrs to enter!)

Has the cold and flu cycle hit your house yet? It has come through mine two time already! There is a great website, full of tips and tools, to help you make good decisions about your child's health and give advice, too!
A Triaminic symptom selector to figure out which medicine would be right for your little one BEFORE you get to the drug store and the five thousand choices out there is on the site and I think it will be my favorite feature. I usually get overwhelmed then overly worried at all the choices out there.

More info about the site:

"Triaminic® has developed two online tools (see below) to help you and your family this cold and flu season.

1) The Sick Day Guidelines, created in partnership with the National Association of School Nurses – Parents know when their kids aren’t feeling 100%. These Guidelines are aimed at helping parents decide when to keep them at home or send them off to school.

2) National Cold & Flu Tracker – This resource provides a weekly data feed of cold & flu symptom trends by region, based on data from SDI Fan® (a source used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Being aware of the activity in your area (or an area that you are traveling) can help you prepare for when cold and flu symptoms appear. For example, Greensboro, Lexington, Knoxville, and Albany have the highest incidence of illness this week."

Go check out the site to print off a coupon to save $1.50 on Triaminic products!

NOW...for the giveaway. This is going to fast, just like cold and flu strikes fast!

The prize pack for the Give-away includes 4 boxes of Triamic Thin Strips, with 14 strips in each package...THREE WINNERS SELECTED!

Entries:

MANDATORY: Go to Triaminic.com site and find out the flu and cold incidence in your area by using "The Tracker"...post results here.

Bonus Entries:

• follow my blog
  
• grab my button
• tweet AND follow me on twitter (jessremington...make sure you @jessremington your tweets about the contest!)
• share an experience of using Triaminic that helped your little one
• share a tip for helping little ones (and big ones, too!) feel better fast when they get a cold or the flu

Winners to be selected using random.org Friday morning so don't delay!!!!

Adventures in Cloth Diapering...#10: Top to Bottom Baby Boutique

There's a new cloth diaper store out there in cyber space: Top to Bottom Baby Boutique. Omaha is this store's headquarters, and Jess is the owner...so I am super excited. I actually tested a bottle of Charlies laundry detergent for her...it was great, but I still love the scents of Rockin' Green (esp. since I just won a bag of it!)
So, next time you need something cloth diaper related, check out ttbbb.com and give your order to someone local! Jess is doing a lot of work to make sure all prices are very reasonable and competitive.

Who Dat?

Who Dat going to the Superbowl?

Oh, yeah...the NEW ORLEANS SAINTS!!!!!

A Man's Work is Never Done

What a mess! Ethan was being a real helper at a play date last week, sweeping his way through the toys and blocks and toddlers. Who wouldn't want to clean up with the broom he had, though? It has a tiger head at the base! I think he was showing his domestic side to impress the ladies: K, L, and M.Here Ethan is looking at the toy in disgust...why can't toddlers learn to clean up after themselves? :)

New In My Etsy Shop!

I just posted the CUTEST DIY iron on for all your Valentine's Day projects. (Easy for even those non-crafty moms!)
I'm seeing aprons, shirts, and hand towels for my kitchen with this iron on embellishment. Pictured is a navy onesie I made for Ethan...he is putting it on as soon as he wakes up from his nap.
The kits are cheap, too! Only $3.00 includes shipping. Get a 15% discount when you order multiple kits.

So, go to my etsy shop and order your kit today!

Girl Birthday Present, 100% made by me! Includes bag tutorial at the end

Jackson got invited to one of his girlfriend's birthday parties, to be held today.
I knew C, like most kids, has a lot of toys, and since Christmas had just past, I knew her stash had increased, just as my boys had.
I wanted to make something for C, but more then just an initial tee. I was blog surfing one day and came across this cute bag. I had bookmarked it, keeping it for "someday" when I knew I'd just need a bag like that.
As I was in Wal-Mart, buying some interfacing and wonder under, I saw the tan tote bags used in that project and thought, "Oh, finally a time to make that project." However, WM did not have a smaller sized bag, and I felt the larger one was just too big for a girl only turning six. So, I continued to the interfacing section and got what I needed. Then, my eye wandered to the shelf below the interfacing and I found some fabric just like that used in the totes...my mind started reeling. I could MAKE a bag, making it easy to actually applique and not just use heat n bond. It wouldn't be hard. So, along with my other "much needed" WM purchases, a 1/2 yard of the fabric went into my cart.
Once home, I started thinking of how I'd make the bag. I finally decided to do it a little different then the bag that gave me inspiration as I had two fabrics I could incorporate.
I got to work and here is my final product:Then, I worked on a coordinating shirt, trying a different look (rectangle instead of circle on the outside...man, I live on the edge!):
And then I got carried away. Last night, as the boys watched their boy cartoons and played Wii, I made bows. I *may* have gotten a little carried away and made about 15. Before you go thinking I am an overachiever, just note, the bows were mostly just an alligator clip covered in fabric with a small bow hot glued on top, no sewing required. Takes about less then one minute each and I used only ribbons from my ever growing stash. Most of the ribbons were given to me free from various scrapbooking events. If you've ever been to one, you know how American Crafts ribbons winds up in everybody's goodie bags.
As I was searching for a glue stick, I found some slightly bigger bows I'd made a while back and had never finished, so I finished them up and added them to the mix.
To "display" them in the bag, I made a loop at the top of a long piece of ribbon, hot glued the two ends together, stuck a bigger bow in it, and attached all the bows. They are super cute all lined up.
Oh, and because C parts her hair on the same side as me, and uses one clip to pull back her bangs, I made sure that the party hat embellishment I put on one went the "right" way to be up when she clips it in.

I folded the shirt, put the Strawberry Shortcake Polly pockets type doll we bought (with an all new 11 minute dvd!) in, carefully rolled the ribbons, and gently put it all in the new personalized bag. My gift was complete...if you'd like to purchase a bag and coordinating shirt, check out my etsy shop here: Little Dude Duds If you really want some hairbows, I can make those as well, but they aren't listed in my shop.

Now, here is a quick tutorial on how I made the bag:

1. Cut your fabric into 12x12 inch squares (you need two and FYI, you can do whatever size you want, that is just what I did)
   
2. iron interfacing onto the wrong side of one piece of fabric (if using a lighter weight fabric, use a heavier interfacing to give it some stability)
3. Cut out the design you want to applique on your shirt and then DO IT.
4. Sew the bottom of the bag together, then go press it to make it look nice and professional.
5. Sew the edges and go press again. I know that the store bought bags have a triangle sewn into the bottom, but because i sewed the fabric on the bottom, I didn't want to, and it's my bag so I will do what I want.
6. While you are at the iron, fold the top edge over once, about a 1/4 to 1/2 an inch. Press. Then, fold it over again, about 1/2 an inch. Press.
   
7. Go sew the top edge hem of the bag, what you just folded over twice.
8. Measure some ribbon (or whatever you want to use as a handle) and mark on the inside of the bag where to place it. I did about two inches from the side of the bag.
   
9. Sew the handles on. I started at the bottom, and right along the seam I sewed to create a hem I sewed the ribbon, then I went up at an angle to create the first part of the X. Then I sewed across the of the bag/ribbon, then down at an angle to create the other part of the X. I repeated for all for ribbon edges.
10. Press one last time and you are done!
    

Snowmen Cafe and I should be on American Idol

It was warm yesterday...37 and not a lot of wind...that felt so nice and warm! After school, I forced the boys to put on their snowsuits and go outside to play. The snowsuits were needed to keep their pants dry.
Brennan went out before Jackson, and when I got outside with Jackson and Ethan, Brennan greeted us with a "Snowman Cafe"...he had built two snowmen and said they were at a cafe. He then built three more snowmen. He even formed a ball and rolled it around...I am surprised he remembered that trick from last year. I know I didn't prompt him on what to do.
It felt so nice to be outside, clearing the thicker spots of snow off the drive, shoveling some of the neighbor's sidewalk so school kids don't have to walk through knee deep snow drifts.
AND...the great news is that the weathermen predict it will be in the 30's and maybe even the low 40's a few days! Let the snow melting, car dirtying, slushy walking, hidden ice spots begin!





On a different topic: The other night I was being silly singing a primary song to the boys in a deep voice (if you are LDS and familiar with the 8th article of faith set to music, you can imagine.). They were laughing and having a great time, asking me to do it again and again and again and again and again... when Brennan says, "Mom, you should be on American Idol."
He's never seen American Idol, but he has seen commercials, I am sure...and since right now is the pre-lims, where they showcase those horrible singers, well, I just stifled a laugh and told him thank you very much but no, I'd rather not be made a fool of in front of millions of viewers, my own family was plenty big enough for embarrassing myself.

Prayers for Kristabelle

I am not one to soilicite the faith of others in the way of prayers. But tonight, I received word that my sweet little friend, who just turned five Saturday, is very sick. She received a small bowel transplant a while back and has been sick all this winter.
She was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery the other day and just didn't bounce back as she should. She celebrated her birthday in the hospital and today was rushed into another surgery, where they had to reverse some procedures she had "outgrown". This is a major set back for her and her family and her mother is really struggling to accept this new development.
Please pray for the family to have strength to endure these hard days, for Kristabelle to heal quickly, and for the doctors to be wise and led by Heavenly Father to help Kristabelle get back to 100%.
Also, I am copying what Lisa Bearnson does for kids from time to time...if you want, please leave me a comment and let me know if you'd like to mail a card (throw a dollar in there, Lisa does that and the kids LOVE it...think about it, to a kid, a dollar is a treasure) to Kristabelle for her fifth birthday (it's just a few days late) please let me know and I will get the hospital's mailing address for you.
Thank you...our faith and hope united, can heal.

Hey

I love the way Brennan says "Hey!" when he calls his Papa Jeff on the phone. It is so sweet, nonchalant, and comfortable. It's as if he is sitting in the same room with his Papa and is in the middle of a conversation and thought of something he wanted to add, not that he is a thousand miles apart, having not seen each other (other then Skype) since August.
I wish I could capture that sound/feeling. Even recording it with my video camera is not the same.
I think it shows yet another way that Brennan is growing up.

We've Got Winners!

Winner of the Start to Finish DVD: Sarah said... 35

OH MY STARS!!! Did you Mom make me a birthday cake already? Pink, zebra, has my name, and my age in November (30)? LOVE LOVE LOVE IT Please tell her thank you for me ;)

Winner of the YoBaby pack: Cathi said... 1 I do a lot of things like ckn pot pie or shephard's pie to sneak in vegetables. Cheese on top also helps a lot

As always, winners have 48 hours to respond to my email or a new winner will be picked.

Let The SUN Shine

It feels like forever since we've had a sunny, warm day. Now, warm is relative...it's like 25, and when the wind blows, it is pretty chilly. However, it was warm enough that Jack took his coat off in the car.
Thank goodness for a little bit of sunshine to brighten our freezing cold days.

Ethan turned ONE! (Old news, I know, but I have wanted to blog about it for ages)

For my final baby's first birthday, I wanted to do something fun, cute, creative, and original...original in that I could not buy a "birthday in a box" and be done. I am seeing zebras all over, though usually with hot pink...I decided to BOY UP the girlie them and did zebras and baby and bright blue. I am really pleased with the final product (though that is so braggy I might just lose readers for saying it) and excited to share what I did (I reviewed a lot of products for his b.day...go check out Nov. posts, you'll see them.)...his birthday was overshadowed (blogwise) by my Days of Thanksgiving, so without further ado, here, my friends, is a peek into Ethan's first birthday: (go here to read Megan's version of the party)
He had two parties on his birthday, a morning play date with lots of friends at our house and a dinner party with just two friends (and we invited the parental units, too, since the kids can't drive yet.) This meant two smash cakes, two cakes for me to decorate and two tablescapes! I do not rock the tablescape scene, but I did my best and thought it looked just fine...Megan's blog has some good pictures of the table from the morning.


In lue of goodie bags, I made wooden blocks that I modge podged each kid's initial on, hot glued a swirly clip on the back and will (one day) include the first picture of the whole group above in the thank you card to clip in the holder. I also made all the boys party hats and all the girls zebra/hot pink hair bows...pictured above. They were soooo cute when they were all lined up and ready. Ethan and Fiona (also celebrated her b.day at the party) had #1 shirts that I made.
"Yo...orange cake rocks Mama."
Ethan is officially ONE!
In between parties, I made him have a photo shoot, sporting his cool bib he is reviewing and the awesome new diaper from Monkeysnuggles/Megan.



The dinner party...aren't the mismatched chairs so Klassy?

Cake #2: white with cherry filling and cream cheese frosting
Check out the blue fondant he is chewing on :)

It was big, so it took two hands for his second smash cake.Brennan "gave" him Orry the Orek as a gift. Ethan then "gave" Orry a bath.


Party's over...time for bed!