Something That Makes Me Happy

Something that has made me really happy lately is that I got to start my fresh water fish tank! Any one that knows me knows that my hubby has an (lets call it) addiction to salt water fish, corals, crabs... well all the cool things you put in a salt water tank!

I do love the salt water fish and our 'Dory' & 'Nemo' but there are some fresh water fish I REALLY wanted! PINEAPPLE SWORDTAILS!

So we took the tank that has been sitting empty for quite a while (use to be salt water but he upgraded them to a bigger tank)

~reused a filter that we already had (but had to get new stuff to go inside so that we were not putting salt back into the tank)

~got water using the RO filter hooked to the hose outside (this took the longest time but was done in one day!)

~and last but least threw in a RosyRed fish that we had on hand (we feed them to the Lion Fish)

Then come the fun part since we reused most of the stuff I got to buy new rocks, plants, fish, and a cool little shrimp!

Bamboo Shrimp

African Dwarf Frog & Solar Flare Swordtail Fish

(the frog unfortunately had an accident w/ the filter. We will get another one when we get a better cover for the intake on the filter)

Fancy Guppy up at the top & Swordtails in the back corner

MY PINEAPPLE SWORDTAILS!

=)

So this is what it looks like today!

~Love~Smile~Enjoy~Happiness~

~Ra~

A Big Accomplishment!

I did this one a about a month or two ago but was still a great "Accomplishment"!

This is what you saw when we open our font door to let you in! Not PRETTY!

(Before)

All the shoes were driving me nuts! Yes I have a shoe problem which does cary over to some of my children! So I got a cubby thing (which we had to put together) and some baskets...

(After)

Now there is a cubby for me and one for hubby to throw stuff into as we walk in the door...

And two for each of the kids, one for library book or when school starts school stuff and one for their most used shoes (and while it is summer flip-flops)!

It looks so much better...

but we still have the basket of extra shoes on the wall facing the cubes but you don't see it unless you look down when you come throw the door or when you are leaving so for now it works.

I also want bigger baskets soon these ones came for the dollar store so I could keep the cost down! (those baskets are like $5 to $16 or so each and I need at lest 4!)

~Love~Smile~Enjoy~Happiness~

~Ra~

What to do w/ all that Bread Crusts!

So for my Little Lady Bug's Tea Party we made very cute sandwiches with cook cutters so when we were done we had tons of crust! Now the question is what to do with all that extra bread with out throwing it out?....

We could go to a pond and feed the ducks/geese!

We could throw it in the compost pile!

We could feed it to the dog throw out the week in pieces mix in her dog food!

Or we could turn them into bread crumbs! We use bread crumbs!

So we toasted the bread under the broiler watching and flipping after one side was toasty brown so both side would be toasty brown!

Than let it all cool!

Next used the food processor to chop it all up into little biddy pieces!

Then put it all into a bag for storing till we need it!

Looks good!

~Love~Smile~Enjoy~Happiness~

~Ra~

Test Tea Party!

Well Lila has wanted to do a tea party for a little while and unfortunately she said that her plastic set just would not do... She wanted a real Tea Party!

So got out the "good" china

(someone gave it to us when hubby and I were in our first apartment 10 years ago and

we have never used so if little girls end up braking them no worries!)

Invited a Friend

Made some cute little sandwiches

(Grilled Cheese Butterflies)

(Jelly Frog Sandwiches)

Then it was time to pick out an out fit or should I say model

all our pretties dresses!

Lol

Added some Goldfish, Animal Crackers, and Apple Slices to the menu

And after all that work we got to enjoy a nice Tea Party!

Even if it was for a few second of munching down than running off

to go play! Lol

So was our Test Tea Party a SUCCESS?

Well for 2 little girls it was!!!

And as for their mommies?

Yes!

It was nice to have them pretend for a moment than

run off to play while we got to hang out and chat!

~Love~Smile~Enjoy~Happiness~

~RA~

An Accomplishment ~ Something That Makes Me Happy!

Ok I am not doing to well on keeping up w/ blogging, mostly b/c I don't want all to be complaining about every thing... So I think I will try something new!

I want to post up Accomplishments b/c there is so much to improve on and I really need motivation so here it is, I accomplish something I can post and brag about it even if it just cleaning a room! Lol! Also I really want to add in something I am thankful for, love, or just something that makes me happy!

So here goes the first one:

Accomplishment:

So we have moved into this older town home when we were 8/9 months pregnant w/ our daughter (3rd child), the place is not the best and the appliances are old and well yuck looking when we moved in. We only planed to live here 2 years and hopeful buy a house but life happens and we are not there yet. But it has now been 4 years and the oven has seen better days. Only 2 burners work at a time, sometimes a 3rd will work, the heat element has been replaced, and 2 knobs have broken off... So when the door fell apart and the installation fell out the bottom I got really excited, called my hubby at work and asked him if it was fixable (he couldn't tell till he came home to look at it) and he called the land-lord to come over and take a look! (If it was something they could fix I really was starting to think of other ways to get a new oven!) It turns out the land-lord decided it was time for a NEW OVEN!!!! YES!!!!!

(Before)

It may not be the top of the line anything but it works, all the burners work, it CLEAN, and it brightens up the whole kitchen since it is white shiny and new!

(After)

I am so happy about getting a New Oven, it is an accomplishment I have wanting for quite some time!

Now if we could only get a new refrigerator!

Now Something that Makes Me Happy:

Today my daughter Lila (4yrs. old) started Ballet Camp!

This is her first ever a day camp and her first time doing any thing ballet! She was so excited! We went out and bought shoes and a leotard the day before and she danced around the dressing room so happy about getting suck cool things! You can't help but smile at a little girl's excitement!!!

When we got there she gravitated to a castle made out a sheet and when I came back to pick her up she was back there playing with one of their dress up dress in the castle w/ other little girls! I came a little early to pick her up and watched at the window, surprisingly she did not notice I was there till there was quite a crowd of proud parents watching their little girls play and boy did she have the biggest smile for me that said "I LOVE IT HERE" and "LOOK AT ME"! I did hear a very proud happy little girl that she is say through the window "That's My Mommy" to one of the other little girls!

AND THAT MAKE ME A HAPPY, PROUD, THANKFUL, LOVING MOM!

~LOVE~SMILE~ENJOY~HAPPINESS~

~RA~

Hello All That May Stumble Upon My Blog

I know that my blog is not being followed by any one so I can feel free to vent out my frustration and not worry hurting any ones feelings! Today I am going to take it out on my home! I hate this small space I call a home! We have way to much stuff crammed into a little 3 bedroom town home! The boys share a room and I would give my right arm to give them their own space! There are 5 of us living here which would not be that bad if all 5 of us would pick up after each other but unfortunately we don't, but we are working hard on it! We also have a cat and a dog plus tons of fish in all sorts of tank that guess who has to take care of? Me of corse! I also hate cleaning and want to keep every piece of art work that comes through my door even from the 3 year old. It is over whelming and I just don't have the energy to do it any more.

What we all need is are own space b/c yes I do want my own room sometimes too and everything has a place! I want a room to set up that sewing machine to get it out of the closet and an art and craft table would be awesome!!! Some place so I can start scrap booking and make cards and flower barrette... you get the idea.

So what I think I need is a cleaning decluttering support group so if you know of one let me know! One that will motivate, pump you up, so you have the energy to tackle the harder thing to do on top of the every day things so that one day it will be clean organized, happy, and welcoming to all! What we need is everything has a place rule and if it doesn't in need to go!

~Love~Smile~Enjoy~Happiness~

(these are my goals in life)

~RA~

Recap of Dec. 2010 - March 2011

Wow, it has been a while since I have been on doing the blog thing! Thanksgiving Wow!

Happy Holidays! And here we go 2011!!!

So to recap Hubby had a kidney stone from Thanksgiving till I believe early Feb. An 8mm one!!!

Ouch! He had to get it sound blasted into littler pieces right before Christmas and then we waited and waited and waited till finally he had no more pain. Yay!!! My oldest son in Dec. also had a problem that seemed to take forever to go away, a bump in his ear that almost took up the whole ear canal opening. He of corse did not tell me he had it and at 12 I'm not looking in his ears any more (I am now!) till it was huge! Had to go to an ear doctor to get it cut open and drained plus put on antibiotics. Oh what fun we were having!

We did have a good Valentines and 3 good snowings that made the snow lovers very happy! My middle boy Cole won 1st place for speed in his group at the pinewood derby so this weekend we get to compete w/ all the kids in his age group for the districts at the mall. We got some awesome new pets, 3 sea horses!!! Had my daughter's class bear for the second time, I went a little over board on the class bear's journal which just shows me that my creativity and artiness needs an outlet! [Need to start scrap booking our family photos!!!!] The house still is not getting as clean as I like (that an understatement! lol) but I am cleaning the in-laws house for a little spending money again! I feel so good after cleaning their house b/c it only take a couple hours, even though it's bigger than my place it is easier, every thing has a place!!!!!! So need to do that here!

What else is there.... not much. Same old same old... driving 3 kids to 3 different schools and then turning around and picking up! There cub scouts... but my oldest has decided to drop boy scouts right now b/c he is a little overwhelmed and w/ band and the new early middle school times he is tired! And I can't blame him I am too! So w/ one less activity I think that maybe it is time to get the little lady bug one! But I have not decided between dance or gymnastics. I will be looking for something along those lines for her for summer b/c right now we are all tired and ready for a break, can't wait till spring break!!!

Well going to go for now have lots to do and it is getting late!

So...

~Love~Smile~Enjoy~Happiness~