Funny Things Kids Say

Just a cute story I had to share:
Monday, Buddaroo announced that he had to use the bathroom - um, to go...."poopoo" as he would call it. So, off he went and I told him to call me when he was done.

After a few minutes of listening to him grunt like crazy, I asked him if he was all done. And this was his answer:

"Let me check out my body. (lifts up his shirt) My belly button is calm. My nipple is calm. My other nipple is calm. My belly is calm. Yup! I'm done"

I was dying! Seriously, where the heck do kids come up with stuff like this? Hilarious.

Recipe: Chipotle Mayo

I wanted to share with you a yummy recipe - I made a Chipotle Mayo that was fantastic with our sweet potato fries last night. It was a huge hit and was really easy to make - Buddaroo loved it for his fries and his chicken strips.

Mix together:
* 1c. Mayonnaise
* Juice from 1 lime
* 3 tbsp. of Honey
* 1-3 tbsp. Chipotle chili powder.

Refrigerate until serving.

I'm sure this would go well as a mayo for wraps or sandwiches, as well. If you decide to try it, let me know how you like, or not?

Enjoy!!!!!

Oh Ya, Baby!

74 DAYS TIL THE COTTAGE

Just throwing it out there ;)

A gift from my boy

Today I received my very first school made Mother's Day present from Buddaroo. At preschool last week, the kids got to paint a flower pot. He was so excited to tell me that they were making something special for me for Mother's Day. I was a duty parent today, so I was actually helping the children finish up these lovely pots - but stepped aside while he finished off his lovely gift.

Once we got home, I opened it up to reveal a lovely orange painted pot with a beautiful marigold planted inside. I love it! And I love him. And HoneyPie. SO very much. I am one lucky mom!!!!!

Creating My Own Wall-Art

I am definitely not an artist, but when I saw this post Two Girls Being Crafty via Pinterest (yet another crafty item from that wonderful site), I decided to give creating my own wall-art a try.

I made a run to Michaels and picked up some supplies
* 16x20 canvas (yay for a 50% sale - perfect timing)
* brown acrylic paint pen
* acrylic paints
I used Martha Stewart multi surface Satin acrylic paints (only chose this brand because they were 30% off)
* round sponges in 3 different sizes.

I started this morning by taking my canvas and painting it with "Summer Linen" - the white was just a bit too stark, the creamy colour made it look just a little warmer. I used a small paint brush to cover the canvas...don't forget to do the sides, too ;)

The paint did not take long to dry, so about an hour later, I started drawing, with my paint pen, a variety of branches. It was recommended to use a paint pen, for us non-artsy types - I don't think I would've had the same precision with a paint brush. This was fun to do - made me feel artsy. My sister got that bulk of the art gene, sadly.

While the kids were napping, I decided to start adding colour to my painting. This was the fun part. I used a variety of colours that I felt would go well with my dining room/living room. The colours I used were Habanera, Geranium, Yellow Jacket, Green Olive and Scallion. I just dabbed my round sponges into the paint and then placed them sporadically around the canvas.

I am very happy with the finished product - What do you think? Right now I have it placed on our beige wall - but may move it over a tad onto our brick coloured accent wall - not sure.

Another successful crafty creation from Pinterest - man, I love that site. And if you have time - check out Two Girls Being Crafty - they have some great things to make on their site...I can't wait to check out more of their posts.

April 26, 2012 - Birthday Card

We've been invited to a 1st birthday party for a little sweetie that lives on our street...and seeing as it's been a while since I put my scrapbook desk and Cricut to use, I decided to make this little princess a birthday card.

I found a similar card while searching on google and decided to create my own with my own personal touches.

The Cricut cartridges I used for this card are
* Create A Critter - for the hippo, and flowers (which are a layer option of the cute little rabbit)
* Cuttin' Up - letters for her name
* Plantin SchoolBook - for the number 1

I used scraps for the paper - sorry I don't have names for the printed paper like some scrapbooking websites do. You could use any combination of colours and patterns for this type of card.

I love the look of different patterns together - Not sure if you can see, but the light pink layer of the hippo is embossed with little hearts - adds a bit of dimension to it. I also used small adhesive squares to maker he hippo stand out a little more.

The brads I used were from the Making Memories line which I purchased at Michaels. I love using things like brads and eyelets - they are so easy to use and add a touch of colour, texture and charm to your cards or scrapbook layouts.

I love making cards for my friends and family...so much fun!

April 18, 2012 - Being a Mom

Being a mom is the hardest job, but it is the best job.
This is a beautiful video - Grab a tissue, Moms.

April 17, 2012 - OBA's

DH was proud to be a part of coaching the U14 Burlington Panthers girls team this year. They played in a few tournaments throughout the year before heading to Ottawa for the Ontario Basketball Association championship. Friday night, the girls played amazing and won against the Upper Canada Ice. A second game on Saturday showed the girls were in it to win it...destroying their competitors, the Orillia Lakers.
The girls were pumped and ready to play on Sunday - and they sure played their hardest...Their first game was at 10:30 and they won that one, too. They were heading to the championship at 3:30 and we couldn't have been prouder. The energy and spirit while we had lunch before the last game was amazing. They were so proud of themselves and ready to play for GOLD.

The final game was against the Orillia Lakers, who they had beat on Saturday, as well as in previous tournaments. They had a decent lead at half time and played their hearts out in the 3rd and 4th quarters....and as the buzzer sounded - the parents and spectators roared with excitement. Our girls had won GOLD!!!!!

Way to go, girls! It was a pleasure to watch you throughout the season - working so hard to improve each week. Your hard work and dedication has certainly paid off! CONGRATULATIONS, PANTHERS!

April 16, 2012 - OTTAWA

This past weekend we had the pleasure of travelling to our nation's capitol. DH's U14 girl's basketball team was playing in the OBA championship there, so we decided to tag along.

We left Friday morning around 9:30 and made excellent time with a quick lunch stop in Odessa. We arrived in Ottawa around 2pm and quickly checked into our hotel so we could have a couple hours to walk around before the first game.

Our first stop was to Parliament Hill. I have never been to Ottawa so this was a bit of an exciting trip for me and the kids. According to Wikepedia, Parliament Hill attracts approximately 3 million visitors each year. The kids were so excited to see the large buildings with their pretty green roofs.

Buddaroo's favourite part of the buildings was the beautiful Peace Tower. Although we were disappointed that we missed the last tour of the tour, we were able to hear the pretty bell sounds while we were there. We spent a little bit more time wandering the grounds before heading downtown to Byward Market.

Byward Market is one of Canada's oldest and largest public markets. It offers something for every one - restaurants, night life & entertainment venues, galleries, shops, salons, and of course the farmers market with local vendors and artisans. But the highlight of visiting the market was trying our very first Beaver Tail.

I had no idea what a beaver tail was - DH assured me that it would be amazing. So off we went to find the Beaver Tail stand...we ordered some with brown sugar and cinnamon and one with nutella and Reese's Pieces for the kids. OH EM GEE! It WAS amazing. For something so simple, it was deeelish! It was really too bad that we didn't have a ton of time to go back down there and get another before we headed home.

Saturday morning was spent at the Museum of Civilization.

We visited the famous Children's museum, which I would HIGHLY recommend. We had a blast inside. It has been developed around a central theme - The Great Adventure - and gives children an opportunity to travel the world. The kids loved stamping their passports at each stop around the world. From there, we headed to the IMAX theatre to watch Rocky Mountain Express. The kids loved seeing the large steam engines...we did, too - but sure loved seeing all of Canada's beautiful scenery! Gosh, Canada is gorgeous, isn't it?

Later in the afternoon, Buddaroo came down with the wicked stomach bug that HoneyPie had a few days earlier. It was awful. There's nothing worse than a pukey kid 6 hours from home...stuck in a hotel. Poor buddy.

I will create a different post about the actual OBA tournament as this one is getting quite lengthy...we were home Sunday night around 9:40...it was an amazing weekend, despite some tummy woes, I love spending time with my family...seeing new things. It really was a great experience.

Have you been to Ottawa? Any recommendations for a future visit? I'd love to head back with DH sans kids...so much more to explore!

April 12, 2012 - Amazing

Just a little something to make you smile...I know I sure grinned from ear to ear while watching it. The imagination on this kid is amazing...he should be so proud!!!!

Caine's Arcade from Nirvan Mullick on Vimeo.