A lil Faux Paux can go a LONG way....

Some people say "never paint oak!" Well I kinda did a faux paux and oops, they are painted! How did I do it?

Supplies: Mix of glaze and desired paint color 2:1 ratio, water bowl, dry rag,wet rag,rub rag

Step 2: Open cabinet doors ( no you can't have my Mr. Incredibles cup)


Step Three: Take pre-moistened rag and drizzle glaze, about this much...

Step Four: Rub, pop tylenol, rub till desired shade!

Step Five: Once you the outer and inner area evenly coated, take paint brush and apply glaze on edging as shown

Step 6: Wrap dry rag around finger as shown and crook finger and start at top or bottom and Step 7: rub and straight line all the way down the side of the cabinet

Step 7: rub in a straight line all the way down the side of the cabinet

Step 8: You basically want the dark to stick to any recessed areas: wipe and clean up everywear else :) till looks something like this...

So when we bought this house I had a vision...I could picture this kitchen in my head! Well a couple gallons of paint, a bottle of tylenol, and the "Dirty Dancing,Mamma Mia,Taylor Swift" sing a long music LATER....we had this.....

I love these boys!

Are you serious! Life could not be more full of JOY!!! when you have these two boys around!!!

We started out the day with Ryan's first EVER soccor GAME!! Woohoo! I told Ryan a couple days ago that he needed to ask his daddy how to play soccor, since he has never done it! Then Ryan said, "HEY, don't worry my cousin Bekah can teach me!" Just call her and she will tell me! I wish it were that simple! (But I'm sure sweet Bekah would attempt to teach him over the phone! )

So then we get to the game and the coach is out of town and we have 4 players there. I volunteer Seth because HELLO he is a SOCCOR STUD!!! He like played all throughout middle and HS and he even refereed, so he was all too excited to get out there and strut his 6 year old coaching mad soccor skills!!Then we headed to this little known place we love called Chick-fil-A!! Woohoo! Ryan scored some ice-dream and Ethan scored some germs on the playground! YES!!

Then we got an email from our tax guy and found out what our return was going to be...so Seth had a hole burning in his pocket and he was itching to go spend some money...so we headed to his favorite shop, another little known shack called Wal-MART. We did stock up for the millennium though so it was good!

So while we were meandering though those fabulous isles, I stop to check out some healthy protein bars...ok fine.....CANDY and I am ignoring my children and the oldest and wisest says,

"HEY LISA!!! LOOK AT ME!!!"
OK I nearly peed my pants, fell over laughing...."attention, attention....clean needed in isle 10!!!"

Then sweet little Ethan had to get it on the fun! He's the smart one in the family!

Thank goodness for good camera days. Thank you Heavenly Father!!

Oh what do you do in the SPING-ING TIME???

Give your yard a Hair-CUT!!! It did not get one last year, so It was a little over-grown! There were 50, count them FIFTY bags of de-bree!!!!

Before:
After:

As of last week our turtle sand box was collecting leaves: but here is the new improved sandy version! Yah he is soooo excited, I feel a little guilty!

And I bought a couple house plants too....what a difference they make! Lovin my new green spaces!! GO GREEN!!!

I used to eat blog slackers for dinner!

So I guess I'm full and I'm ready to blog again! The truth is that working ate up all my time!!!! So about 2 months ago I decided I wanted to stay home with my kiddos as a "SAHM" and rock the day away with the usual....blogging, facebooking, cartoons, poopy diapers, laundry, lunches, play dates and more facebooking..... yesterday was my last day! SMILE!

Rewind to Ohio by car for Christmas. Whew- my kids I have to brag are amazing travelers thanks goodness. As usual someone puked, we all cried, and we came home a little heavier than we went!!!

I came home and hit the office, well not "the office" just some orthodontic office. I began the life of a working mom, shuffling kids to and from school and home. This took some adjusting and just when I was getting used to it, we decided it was not "worth it" for me to work. By the time I paid for child care and taxes and such I made about $300/month working 4 days a week. This was not that exciting to figure out to say the least!

Let's see, my biggest accomplishment house wise during this time was we finally got the garage cleaned out and organized and we have two cars in our garage!!! WOOHOO!!! Hail storms are kinda popular in Texas and I was scared every time it rained we were going to end up with a car that resembled a pitted golf ball.

So I have not taken that many pictures either during this time! This is why I have a new testimony of blogging! It makes you stay on top of life events! How many pictures did I take during my fabulous cruise? FIVE! What, I'm a looser! I stole some from Mammy, thanks girlie for being on the ball with the ol CAME-RAH RAH RAH!!!

The case of the missing posts....

Want to hear something funny...My broken camera... Shapoopie was playing with it the other day, opened the door to the battery....I noticed it was not pushed in! So it was never broken, so now I have 2 camera's...cool beans. I will always keep one in my purs

Anyway, My beautiful, wonderful, thoughtful sista Amy thankfully was in town during this time and she captured these really great moments that I am eternally grateful for so.... clear

Amy and Lilli/ My parents ....a trip to the

During this time we had two trips to the ER, Lilli had pink eye and Ryan fell of the play scape and busted his eye open!! Humpty Dumpty is all put back together and is doing great now

We had a great Halloween. The boys were Star Wars, Seth was a punk rocker and I was myself...j/k as Seth would say, "a naughty kitty"

We also celebrated Seth's Birthday...he is going Rocker!

Lego Lover!!

Ryan loves LEGOS LEGOS LEGOS!!! Today he got a package in the mail from his Auntie Amy for his birfthday....when is his birfthday? J/K

So here is the reaction...I love kid reactions....they ARE THE BEST!!!

He had it together before you can say Super-cali-frag-is-listic-expeiali-doseous

Tis the Season...to be Thankful!!!

We had a lovely Turkey dinner at my house! Good friends were near and we ate till the cows came home! In audience was our good friends the Smedleys and the Bakles and co. We had this really good PRE-COOKED SMOKED TURKEY! OK no offense mom, but this is all I will make anymore. It was the most tender, tastiest turkey I ever ate!Then we had all the fixins of course and then a COSTCO pumpkin pie. I had sampled it many times and deiced it was better than I could have made so that was that. Then we hung out and played Apples to Apples and laughed ourselves silly. I Won...of course!

Then yesterday I shopped all by my SELF!! And this is near and dear to my heart! It makes me wonder how many times I shopped without toddlers and how I NEVER appreciated this time!

This is the first time since 2005 that we have put a tree up and decorated! So I choose to do a tree theme that matched my new LR furniture. Red and gold don't really match anymore. ;) SO some new blue, green, and brown balls did the trick! Then I found some evergreen that Seth had trimmed of our bushes and that looks smashing on the mantle!

I loved decorating the outside this year. Of course I pulled out all the wreaths and candle sticks and jimmy rigged them to the window somehow....then I bought a bunch of lawn ornaments from Garden Ridge....so fun! Seth doesn't DO lights so I feel like I have to make up for it with other stuff. Seth said with a look on his face like he was eating lima beans, "The outside looks good.....it looks like Santa's winterland." Hmmm are you serious? Yes, he said. Well, that was nice of you to say.

It has been nice to have these three days to ugh, work work work! (cook, clean, cook, clean, decorate, work, clean, cook....)The house is a MESS with storage bins and everything everywhere! Good thing I have tomorrow...the day of rest....ok I can DREAM!!!

Smart little Indian...Proud Indian mamma

So Ryan came home from school on monday and I was on my computer while he was eating a snack and drawing/coloring.

He come over to me and get my attention, "Look Lisa, these are Indian symbols!" and shows me about 20 symbols he had remembered from HEART from school earlier...I was so impressed and I told him that he should organize them into a story...well he did, and I loved it, so I told him to put it in his backpack and show his teacher....

I didn't hear anything till my phone rings, thurs. evening. It was his teacher, Mrs. O'Keefe...and she told me how impressed she was with his story she sent him to tell the principle, and she was so impressed that he had done this all from memory that she invited him to read it aloud in front of the whole school at the Thanksgiving assemble!!! YAH, GO RYAN!!!

Here's how it went....my little Indian!

This is his favorite new hobby right now.....I know I know, he has some pretty sweet moves...it runs in the family! LOL

Apparently....I had children for the Love Of

German Engineering of course!!!

At one time in my life, like many others around me, I SWORE I would never buy a mini-van! I would rather poke my eyes out than buy one. WHO needs one?

For some reason this has become like a rite of passage, coming to terms with this is the best car for my family and owning up to the fact that I am not a young chic anymore and never will be again!

Here is my story:

Key remote in hand, the salesmen pushed one button and the doors opened. He pushed another and the trunk opened. Now I was drooling. There is a compartment to put backpacks, juiceboxs, legos, purses, diapers, 20 thousand cup holders, c.d.s, iPods, and hooks for my grocery bags. Without lifting a finger, both of my boys got really excited and jumped in and said, "wow there is so much room!" As if I were buying a minivan for them, well ok I kinda am...not for German Engineering! Well the Practical part of me kicked in and could no longer disregard the fact that this is the one car on the market with one objective....to make my life and my kids life easier. So I had to swallow my pride and make the JUMP!

What! When did these things become so desirable to me? Nonetheless I just couldn't fight it anymore....I WANTED A MINIVAN!!!

SO now I drive to the grocery store, get out, stranger next to me, "Haha, you had kids for the love of German engineering...." Yup hehe you got me. I drive Ethan to school, another dad dropping of his son..."Do you like it? haha, did you have your kids for the Love of German Engineering?" I'm at a jewelry party and all my new Texas girlfriends are busting me out for "crossing over to the dark side....hhaha nah you just bought it for the love of German Engineering."

What ever you want to call it...I do really LIKE my new mini-van. Though I'm not sure where the mini part come in. I'm still feeling like I'm driving a bus! It's my fun, groovy BUS!

Clarification

It seems I need to clarify a few things to make my purpose of posting on Autism clear....

My heart goes out to all those families, whose lives are touched with someone whom has a disability. I have always had a special place in my heart for people with these special needs.

Anyway....... the "guy" in my ward that is a Autism specialist. He was board certified as a E.R. doc in 1999, but once his son was diagnosed with Autism in 2001, he found the Pediatricians had very limited knowledge of the disease. He was frustrated by this and decided to research, study, and evaluate cases of his own. He started working at a Autism clinic in Utah in 2002. In 2006 he moved to another Autism clinic in Austin,TX.

During this time he has studied and treated a thousand patients, written a book about all the different research and latest treatments for Autism, and become known by the Autism and medical community alike as a "specialist". Actually according to some, "one of the leading Autism specialist in the country". He is the biological father of one and adoptive father of two Autistic children.

If you watch one of his interviews on t.v., when asked if he believes if there is a connection between vaccinations and the rise in Autism, he will reply, " No one knows." or "We don't know for sure." This is true.

In a private conversation , he said he did believe there was a connection, that he has seen too many cases that lead him to believe that SOME forms of Autism may be "Triggered" from vaccinations. My favorite quote, "How many 40 yr. olds do you see walking around with Autism."

For me, coming from a man with this much knowledge, background, and experience. This is enough of a reason for me to walk on the side of caution and decide for myself personally if I am blessed with a third child, I will ask for his advice on which vaccinations he thinks are critical and on what schedule he thinks I should get them taken. This is for myself personally. But the reason I posted my comment about Autism in "Gut Feelings" was because I was trying to pass on some "insider information" from a extremely reliable source on the subject that I feel is critical knowledge for all mothers and in this circumstance my friends and family so they can take my information and research it for themselves and make the best possible decision for their family.

There are very smart people who have Autistic children, who look at all the research, study all the books and come to the conclusion that there is NO connection between vaccinations and Autism. (ex.mom of five)

There are very smart people who have Autistic children, who look at that same research, study the same books, and come to the conclusion that there IS A CONNECTION between vaccinations and Autism. (ex.Jenni McCarthy, The doctor I know)

Is one better than the other? Is one smarter than the other? Or are we all human being with our own path and own experiances.

Everyday mothers choose to do things for their children to be "on the safe side." Well, having a M.D. Autism specialist that I know personally and has all the experience and expertise to back it up that says there "could be a connection" is enough for me to be "on the safe side" and choose to vaccinate my children on a different schedule than the medical community dictates.

I am not here to debate whether or not Autism is caused or triggered by vaccinations. I care very much for my friends and family and I was merely trying to pass on some information I found very enlightening and knowledge is power. Everyone has a choice of how they interpret it. For all those women still in thier child bearing years I hope you will take this information and continue to educate yourselves and make a decision you feel is best for you and your children. God Bless!

Gut Feelings...

Just curious, what was your gut feeling when you first heard that Barack Obama has been elected our 44th president?

I was pretty much undecided the entire election, leaning towards McCain. I found out my true feeling tonight as the T.V. announcer spoke, "We have just leaned the Barack Obama will be our 44th president." Then this feeling of worry and Oh, NO!.....do you know why? All along I have said that I think that when government tries to change things for the better....the issue seems worse of. Because government is a system. I will rub your back if you rub mine. I will vote this way, because this will get me elected next term. John McCain does not admit to it, but many good men have said that he at one time was considering defecting to the democratic party!!!...why he didn't do this? It would crush his chances of running in this election. BUT Some how in all this chaos, we operate.

I also have been thinking about cause and effect relationships.....we ship our factories and outsource our workers abroad....our goods become cheaper.....overseas economies thrive....driving up our cost of food, gas prices and price of goods. We want everyone in America to own a home=We sell homes to people who can't afford them, housing bubble, economy crashes. (I believe this would have never happened if GOVERNMENT would not have pushed for banks to lend in this way)

We start vaccinating our children, this is revolutionary and exciting medicine. But as the rate of infectious disease goes down, the rate of muscular and auto immunity disorders increase to make up for it! (Parkinson's, Lou Gehigs, Autism, Cancer)

I don't know the keys to the universe, but there seems to be a system of balances. As you increase or decrease one thing, the system or the opposite cycles.

SO as I said previously, this election I was worried about one word that came out of Obama's mouth....Change........

About a month ago I watched a 20/20 episode about what the government has "changed" over the past 50 years and in these cases how it had negative effects. Things somehow always ended up worse of!

Yes, I'm worried a little about the issues....gay marriage, abortion.....but I'm even more worried about the "balance" of our already very delicate government.

I THINK Obama is a good man with good intentions. I believe that he cares about the issues facing Americans. I would love to see and hope to see change.

What worries me is the cost.

ALSO, for those of you all having babies! I have a doctor in my ward that is a Autism specialist. He said that he has seen too many normal functioning children that digress to Autism after receiving 18 months of vaccinations to not believe that their COULD be a connection.There is enough evidence out there to claim that vaccinating our children in the way we do can lead to Autism. They have never studies the effects of giving a baby 4 shots in one day! How can we expect every child out there to be able to handle this many dissabled viruses entering their system and crossing the blood barrier of the brain! If you are not promiscuous and you do not do drugs you are not at risk for Hep B and YOUR BABY IS NOT EITHER!! This is a shot they get the day their born, not needed! If you are not at risk, neither is your child. He suggested that we give our babies shots, but space them out, one per day. Only get the ones that are critical.

It's my turn....my day has come.....

For my digital camera to bite the dust...."duh duh duh, another bites the dust"

It happened at Sea World while my family was visiting of all places. One cement fall too many. Not too many tears over this one folks because in the camera world, mine was archaic. So too bad so sad I poured over Internet sites to find the best camera for the money....and then I went to Best BUY and THEY said, that camera does not exist....( a camera with HD video quality and 10 mega pixels and is a Kodak) I told him, "LOOK IT UP!" Which he did, and became humbled. Then he told me he could not get it, so I had to order one online. This meant missing all the family events, the ward trunk or treat, Halloween, Sea World, and RYAN BUSTING HIS EYE OPEN ON THE PLAYGROUND AND TRIP TO HOSPITAL!!!

All is well, but I lament over the loss of pictures! My fam took many and have promised to send, so I wait some more!

I have so much to blog about! So I apologize, if you check and once again, hear the same song over and over again and the same old post.....So you may wait for all the details ...as I wait for this little baby to arrive....