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post Halloween sightings.....

Excuse me blog readers for the spotty postings but my computer was in the shop again!!  Lesson Learned...do not go grocery shopping and leave Husband in charge because neighborhood children like to use said computer to download you tube everything.... but she is back now and I hope to post more wonderful things that I would love to share with you all.  First of all take a look of these cute Mummified Cupcakes...

You can get the brown-eyed sugar eyeballs from Target.  If Mummies are not your "thang", how about some gangly legged red spiders, Jack O'Lanterns or One eyed Monsters......

 

Look!!!  It's Raggedy Ann!   When I was a little girl my Mom made me my very own Raggedy Ann, nope not store bought she sewed it herself.  I loved it!  I have no idea what has happened to it, out of all the things I wish I'd saved when growing up that would of been it.  My daughter was a little unhappy that some people where calling her a Clown at school {she thought it had to do with her red nose) so on Halloween she begged me not to put on the red nose.  

Here she is with all of her trick or treaters cronies.  Madison Gypsy Rose went with her friend from school I was able to get a picture of her in her costume before she headed out to "beg" for candy..

Yes...Gypsies are good at being beggars....

One of the scariest house on the block....they have a real chain saw buzzing and the kids get really scared it is a must to visit....{not for the faint of heart}

Now I think this pumpkin had too much to drink....he hurled all over the place.

Now this IS Scary....inside this cloche with the glittery skull and creepy spider is a PICTURE of my ancestors!!!!!  It is a picture from my Dad's side of the family.  It is penciled in the back of who they are.  I think it is kind of neat how I have quite a few of these precious photographs in my possession even if they creep me out.  Hope you had as much as we did.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Smitten.....

• Main Entry: smite
• Pronunciation: \ˈsmīt\
• Function: verb
• Inflected Form(s): smote \ˈsmōt\; smit·ten \ˈsmi-t^ən\ or smote; smit·ing \ˈsmī-tiŋ\
• Etymology: Middle English, from Old English smītan to smear, defile; akin to Old High German bismīzan to defile
• Date: 12th century

        Smitten-to be taken by........

A few things around the internet world has left me drooling...I know I'm too old to drool....but seriously....these things are too cute........................and I'm utterly smitten by them...

Is this not the cutest pin cushion ever!!  That robins egg blue in tufted velvet, this cushion is made by Kimberly Applegate found here. ..I'm so in love! 

Going with the Velvet theme here but these Raw Edge pillows trimmed in Velvet ribbon..I love the flax colored pillow, you can find them here at Curious Sofa, Debbie, the owner found them at one of her buying shows and I hope she ordered them for her shop. 

Loving the rusticness of this zinc cake stand...another material that I'm totally drawn to these days.  Would love to have a zinc kitchen counter....think the patina will remind me that I'm living in the South of France!! 

I want these Pewter Wine Glasses from Williams-Sonoma, would go with any color plates.  You can't see the details with this picture but trust me...very nice.

Restoration Hardware cleaning supplies.  Something about the clear clean look of the bottles and white caps.  Simple but refined and elegant. 

 the teacher in me...digs this.  I have looked all over Etsy and the internet to get one.  I don't know how hard it would be to make if one had a button maker and some old Dick and Jane books.  I think this is tooo cute!!

Majorly cuteness going on here!!!  OH these are to die for.....handmade soap wrapped in the cutest fabric.  Its' from this Etsy shop called NostalgiaOrganics. Not only do you get smellyious soap you get cute fabric thats wrapped around it and a sewing pattern to make a sofie {such as a doggie or strawberry}...check it out here .  She looks like she is closed for restocking but check back on Sunday....because you know I will!   

Smitten that's what I am!! Utterly Smitten.....................

 

 

 

S is for School Supplies ......

One of the best things about going back to school is shopping for school supplies....getting that brand new 64 count of crayons was always something I always looked forward to getting when I was a little girl.   Today there are so many neat things out there that even I wish I could go "Back to School" shopping, here are  few things I found......

  

Smencils , if you haven't seen these, well  the lead smell in various flavors such as bubblegum, root-beer or cherry.  I bought these babies for my girls to stuff in their stockings a few holidays ago.  Love them! Speaking of smelly stuff....I picked up a box of Mr. Sketch....love the smell of those markers.   Regular markers smell terribly but not Mr. Sketch....my favorite is blueberry....

 

Another favorite pen of mine is Le Pens...I love the soft felt point when I write...

I usually color code my Mom's Plan-It Calendar to differentiate between each family member..and these pens come in handy.

 

What about a cute Coffee mug with your initial on it...

 

What about a cute Blue or Green brocade bulletin board for notes and invitations...

 

From See Jane Work ...check out the pencil holder too...love that too..

 

What about some cute colorful metal push pins for the bulletin board from Ballard Designs...

 Map boxes...from CS Post....

also from there ...hand stamped paper weight...

Check out this Household organizer also from See Jane Work...that would help keeping receipts and recipes and important information in one spot.  I like it! Well I'm thinking if the kids get back to school stuff shouldn't Mom?   I think you'll agree, the girls bags are packed.......

and the troops are ready for the first day of school tomorrow...boy, where did this summer go?   

hunt, win, SCORE!!

this past friday i took my girls to the local summer park program....as they have done this for the third summer and they have not gotten bored yet, but on the way back home i stopped at a yardsale, these people have one almost every weekend because i have gotten "stuff"  there before and gotten some deals...i stopped, { i swear i need to get a bumper sticker that says, i break for yardsales and cute houses.} so what was this weekend finds?  a bit of a beat up LARGE drum shade that i liked the shape of which i will revamp maybe with some flax-colored linen or hemp or burlap, {jury is still out}...

 

suggestions are welcome on what i can do to fix this baby up that i only paid a dollar for.   the next item was sitting on the side with a bunch of old door jams inside and some ceramic door knobs..i asked the lady, "if it was for sale?" and she said, "yes..i'll take $5.00 for it, my husband said he wanted $10.00 but i thought he was crazy" I know it looks pretty rustic but I thought it would be great to old catfood in it..not sure is i should leave it all rustic looking or not or paint it...you know if you've bee reading my blog for long...i have a "thang" for galvanized buckets, pails and pots.

 

if the catfood gig doesn't workout then maybe a cute plant might be country cuteness..anyone else have ideas?  Now I left the last deal for last...about a two years ago I got a Cusinart Coffee Maker for Mother's Day from my family but something went wrong it made a "pop" sound inside and water began to leak all over the counter.  Mr. Incrediable attempted to fix it...said, "go get another at Target and don't spend more than $30.00 dollars".   So I came home with a Mr. Coffee brand coffee maker, it surved it's purpose but didn't have the auto-start like my cuisanart.  I hung on the cuisinart because maybe someone could use the carafe if theirs broke or maybe i would ship it back to the company and they would fix it.  {but I hate to go to the post office} so it sat in the garage.  well lookie see what I found!!

 

Now I already had the carafe so i was in business it is just like the other one i got for Mother's Day with the auto-start and the best part..$5.00 buck a roos!!  Score!

Now head on over to Southern Hospitality for some more weekend deals found at yardsales/thiftstores....

Or if the things in the Ocean are your game......

 

You'll enjoy The Long Beach Aquarium , I have been to this  place every year..........

 

with the First Graders at my girls' school, I have done several long -term {subbing} positions there and It seems that I have been lucky enough to be working when they take this annual trek to the Aquarium of the Pacific.   My first love has always been Marine Biology {thought I wanted to be a Marine Biologist during my early days in College, took a class called Island biology and got to Scuba dive in the Northern Channel Islands off of the Santa Barbara Coast} I even worked here ...while attending San Diego State University {then switching my major to Psychology which lead to a teaching credential in Hawai'i}....

Can you see the beautiful Sea Horse in the photo above...it is beautifully camouflaged in the seaweed?  So graceful, isn't' it?

 

Look at the Sawtooth Fish, which is in the Elasmabranch family...(Sharks and Rays) which moves it's nose back and forth through a school of fish to sting them and that's how it eats.   yes..that's what I do when I go through the Aquarium...I feel like I'm like the Crocodile Hunter with my excited tidbits of trivial information about the Ocean World.  Speaking of the Sharks and Rays and The Crocodile Hunter {one of  Mr. Incredible's favorite people of all time, we miss him terribly} one of the most popular exhibits is the Pools of Sharks and Rays, where you can pet them...

 

 

If you ever come out to the Los Angeles area..this is a must see you'll come face to face with some of these menacing dudes...

 

this is a Sand Tiger shark...althoughthey look scary..they aren't very aggressive.   They do have a Bull Shark in the exhibit but I didn't get a picture of it they are aggressive and they do go in brackish water and fresh water.....

 

Now...i thought this sign was funny....{my nickname is Ellie, short for Gabrielle and Mr. Incredible....well is Troy}...how cute to have some Harbor Seals named after us!!!  

 

the cutest of all the fishes in the sea......but i know i'm biased.....

Summertime Staycation...

 

             { Cath Kidston photo above}..is it not the cutest tent..ever!!

This year due to the economy being Wonky....{unpredictable} and paying Uncle Sam... we did not have the finances to fly to  Alabama and/or go stay in Carpenteria like we usually do in the summertime.  My favorite thing is to camp right on the beach and here in California we have lots of beaches to choose from but our favorite is Carpenteria.  They have lots of antique stores that Mr. Incredible and I love to browse in, even though we have to bribe our children with "ice cream" to  do this.  Mr. Incredible is NOT a big fan of Camping...he would rather sleep in more luxurious accomodations such as a hotel or even by Camper....sure I'd go with something like this....

 

but in reality....we will hit places near our home like....

 

to see the lions, tigers and bears, oh my!

 

the meerkats are too cute!!

 

the monkeys...

 

oh you say...those aren't monkeys....oh yes  they are!!   Cute monkeys if I do say so...

 

the Baboons are always hilarious....

 

the giraffes are always sticking out their tongues looking to eat a nice juicy leaf...oh not a giraffe...Ok..what about a Zebra...

 

the zebras..so docile unlike these fearsome creatures....

 

Oh that's Mr. Incredible, don't worry about him..his bark is worse than is bite...

 

A smiley crocodile....doesn't he look friendly...not!   While we are in Australia...

 

let's look at the Kangaroos , check out their feet...Oh my aren't they ginormous!!

 

this two...look like these two.....

 

if you ever come to California for a vacation or staycation...the L.A. Zoo is a nice place to go and it is relatively cheap...you can bring in your own lunch and save money...but I still would rather be in Carpenteria antiquing.....but as they say there is always next year!!

 

so until then......

 

I'll visit it in my dreams...

Stacey Julian is DA BOMB!

If you don't know who Stacey Julian is....well you should!   She comes out of the Scrapbook world and I met her once at one of the Anaheim Conventions...she is the sweetest lady....and she is a MOM genius, she calls herself a "Life Enthusiast"I so what to be her...I want her creativity and her energy.   Really I do!!   Her Blog is one of my favorites {she is on my Blogroll to the right}...not because of the Scrap-booking aspect of it....but because she has the greatest finds in the Internet world.  She does a Christmas countdown of fun affordable gifts in December and she has ingenious ways on how to keep your kids happy and busy during the long summer months!!   Now...I'm a scheduled kind of gal, always have been.  Most summers I have a schedule for my girls to follow so they don't laze away the days...  Last year our  schedule went something like this:

8:00- Breakfast

10:00-  Shut off all electronics {D.S. or T.V.} and begin Daily Chores

11:30- Lunch

12:00-  Read for 30 minutes {which helps to keep girls on track for the Local Library Summer Fun Reading club} and doing One page in their Language Arts and Math workbooks {leftovers from school which had lots of pages unfinished, don't like to waste the districts $}

1:30ish- Wyn Club.....which is the local City Park Program, where you can drop of your children {ages 7-12} to do board games, crafts, water play etc.    They get to see their friends at the club and they love it, when not going to WYN club..we do excursion days....

Wed was our Beach Day

Friday was the pool day

 

Keeping your children busy during the summer helps...but does not eliminate the whining and fighting.....

Now...you may ask...why is this post coming so late into the summer, you needed this information a month ago?   Glad you asked...well it seems like our summer just got started due to Madison's All Star Softball season just ending and they girls were helping the Kindergarten Teachers with summer school every day except Friday and that just ended last week.  So over here at the Mader Household...summer is now in full force!!  So I'm getting to the reason for my post title...Stacey Julian...my wannabe alter-ego....has come up with a plan in the Julian Household to keep kids in check and starve off boredom {which is a precursor for sibling fighting}....here is her plan....SUMMER BINGO!!  There is even a face-book group  you can join..

 

Our Rules are simple before they can Play Bingo, they have to do their chores, do a page in the Language Arts and Math Workbooks and Read for 20 minutes.....then Let the games begin...

I got the Sponge Bob stickers from Target, they are just the perfect size to fit in the squares.  I could of used a rubber stamp if I wanted but we love Sponge Bob so we went with that.  After you get BINGO you earn a ticket {I'm still on the lookout for some cute tickets}   I really liked Jenny Bowlin's tickets  cause I can reuse them for a scrapbook page...double duty..but you can get the tickets at Smart and Final or Staples.  Tickets are redeemable for the following.....

1 ticket.................ice cream, fruit bar or treat or can of soda pop

2 tickets.............Extra T.V. or DS Time  {we don't have a Wii}

3 tickets............Movie rental, play-date with a friend,

4 tickets..........movie at the mall, sleepover, fast food lunch

5 tickets..........Date with one of your parents    

I'm sure as time goes on we can add to the list....

Now...we have just finished the first week...and my youngest was on  a mission to earn blackout.....which she finally did at 9 o'clock last night {making play-dough was the last square to be filled in} My eldest...has taken her time...and just earned 4 Bingos in the squares in a weeks time. Li'l One...at the halfway point....  

 

Here is a closup of the Bingo Card...

 

The bingo card will change every week, they will get a new one on Sunday.  They have a week in which to get as many squares covered and if they should get Blackout, they earn $5.00.   My girls get an allowance so this extra.  At this point they really have enjoyed doing Summer Bingo, at first they where quite hesitant doing it..but now....they are loving it!  

 

  

.........Soccer

  

....the season is upon us once more...

I always ask myself...how is it that I have NO LIFE!!  It's all about the children, isn't it?  I used to Scrapbook   on Saturdays...sometimes with the SCRAPANOS ....now it's either the Softball Field, the Soccer Field or the Dance Floor......

the season is finally over...

My eldest daughter...{the athlete} has finally finished with her All Star Softball Games....they made it all the way to the State Championships in Lancaster,CA {yes where it is incredibly HOT}   There were 167 teams from all over the state that came to compete......

 

We played early on Friday morning...

 

the players exchanged gifts after the first game...we gave them good bags in our colors they gave us sweet candy leis...

 

after two games that day they have a parade where they introduce ALL 167 teams...you can dress up.  Some came looking like they where out of a Dr. Seuss book with hair piled up on top straight up in the air  {wish I took a picture} or dressed up for Mardi Gra with purple and green beads and masks or with inter-tubes around their waists and a mask and snorkel.  We did not know they did this so our costumes were put together very last minute.  I had a bunch of Hawaiian Themed items leftover from the 5th Grade Picnic, another Mom said she had this Ribbon Lei Idea..so we went with it. 

 

Here is the team all ready to walk in the parade....

  

They each got these adorable cows with a hanky around ti's neck...

 

 

after the parade the girls got to trade pins with the other cities.  Our league didn't have pins to trade which was a shame, they loved this part of the parade.  If you didn't have pins you could of traded Candy, bead necklaces or glow sticks.  But I was such a dufus I forgot to give the girls there glow sticks I got at Target to pass out.  I was busying driving around looking for a Party City to buy Coconut Bras for the coaches to wear and when I got back I could not find a place to park so I forgot.   So the coaches got to wear the skirts only with no coconut bra, I think they were bummed {NOT!}...

 

Madison had one more at bat...

One more..laying down the bunt...

 

One more pep talk from the coach....

 

one more attempt at stealing second base....

 

One more end of the game smile......

 

Glad it is over......now on to................................................

Happy Birthday Madison Rose

 On this day...this happy, intuitive beautiful bald baby was born.   On the way to school this morning she said, "Mom, exactly what time was I born?"...I thought it was night(everything is a little foggy remembering) because I had gone into the hospital the night before with back pains.  I was in labor the whole day and never dilated past a one because of two things the doctor said, "I had a tilted cervix and a scarred one due to my scare of cervical cancer."   It was really hard...but I was determined to have her naturally...no drugs but in the end she had to come into this world by Cesarean Section at 2119 hundred hours (9:19 p.m.) on May 26. 

This picture was taken when she was about one years old at the Picture People (you know the place where all new Mothers go to have their monthly portraits done of the precious little ones.  She was a bald baby for a long, long time.  I always had her in hats to protect her head from the sun and to give her a more baby girl appearance.  Today She is officially a Tween, isn't that what you call someone who in not yet a teenager (age 13-19)?   She has grown into a fine young lady and we are so very proud of her and all of her accomplishments!!   Happy Birthday Melon Head!