Yankee Doodle Handy Stamps

This post is dedicated to my sister-in-law in Connecticut who recently started her own little business selling handmade stamps. You can view her designs at Yankee Doodle Handy or click on the Yankee Doodle Handy button on the right. She's having a contest right now to win a free stamp. Check out her blog to enter or buy a stamp. She had some great designs for return address stamps, stamps for kids and lots more! She is a very talented lady...I wish she lived closer so I could work on crafty projects with her!

The Princess and the Potty

We've been working on growing Natalie up a bit...you may remember my "No More Baby" post a few weeks ago. So we decided to take the plunge and potty train. I've been putting it off because I had such a rough time potty training Ben...it took a year I think and he still likes to power struggle over whether he needs to go to the bathroom or not. Anyway, I was dreading a repeat experience but decided to give it a go. It has been a miracle...2 days later and she's pretty much potty trained! She's still nervous about No. 2 but No. 1 is all taken care of! Hip Hip Hooray!

Backyard Bunny Slopes

Isn't it so true that you don't have to travel far to enjoy life and be with the ones you love? The grass isn't necessarily greener on the other side of the fence. This past week we discovered some fun in own backyard. We gave Ben some snow tubes for his birthday last month and hadn't used them yet, so I decided on President's Day we would experiment with the slope in our backyard.



I didn't know if it would work out or not but as it turns out the slope in our backyard is just perfect for my timid two and their sleds. We've had some snowy days followed by sunny days recently and that has made for some great sledding conditions on our backyard.




Ben and Natalie had lots of fun sledding down our backyard hill all morning and afternoon. I got lots of exercise trudging back and forth to help Natalie carry her sled. Our own backyard turned out to be just as fun as going to the mountains to sled...even the wildlife think so...watch out for deer poop!



Anyway it was a fun afternoon of smiles and giggles from all!

Making a List...Checking it Off

It's official...I'm nesting. You know that expression - they use it to describe expectant mothers when they "prepare the nest" for a new baby...well I'm not expecting a baby but I am anxiously awaiting spring! I get a little restless this time of year, hoping for warmer weather and time outdoors. I want to clean up the yard and spring clean my house...shake off the dust bunnies, shed some winter weight and feel alive! So my current remedy for my restlessness is some early preparation for our garden. I ordered a couple of seed catalogs and fell in love with one awesome catalog...Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. They have some amazing seeds for all kinds of vegetables and flowers from all of the world. I ordered some familiars and some new things and I can't wait to get them planted and in the greenhouse! In the mean time I am making a list of Spring cleaning chores and hope to be checking it off soon!

Who's Your Favorite Princess?

The other day one of my piano students was waiting for her mom to pick her up and I was starting "Sleeping Beauty" for Natalie. My student started telling me a story...her favorite princess is Aurora and the last time they were in Disneyland she got to meet Prince Phillip and he asked her to dance. I replied that Sleeping Beauty was my favorite princess, too! Not wanting to leave Natalie out of a discussion about princess's, I asked her who her favorite princess was. Her reply: "Me!". So cute...she's really my favorite princess too!

Sunday Inspirations

Here's a little inspiring video for your Sunday afternoon.

Tagged By Jennie

Happy Tag!

Here are the rules:

Link to the person who has tagged you.
Write down six things that make you happy.
Post the rules, tag six others and let them know you did it.
Then tell the person when your entry is complete.

Six Things That Make Me Happy:

1. My beautiful and wonderful family...Bryan, Ben and Natalie
2. The blessing of having the gospel in my life
3. Clean sheets
4. Warm chocolate chips cookies
5. Ribbons and bows tied up in curly hair
6. Gardening...I wish it was Spring!


I tag Erin, Audrey, Carrie, Jan, Brooke, Jenny M.