Campfire cake

My husband's birthday was Monday, and we are going camping with his parents and my nephew this weekend. I thought that I would put together a little party in our camper tomorrow night with a camping theme. 

Since I don't really have a great handle on my camper oven yet, I decided to go ahead and make the cake here, and transport it with us. Ugh. The transport is always the scariest part. 

Anyway, here is the cake....

The kids were really excited about it, and they can't wait to get the decorations up once we get settled into our campsite. 

I wish I didn't have so much school work to get done so that I could just enjoy this as a family get-a-way, but I will be bringing all my work with me. I simply cannot afford to take three days off and not do any work. Is it December 10th yet???

Front row seats to Mumford and Sons

Several months ago, I was able to get front row seats to see my husband's favorite band, Mumford and Sons. They were coming to Houston right around Father's Day and it seemed like the perfect gift for him. We LOVE to go to concerts!

I signed up for email alerts on their website, and happened to be online when I received an email with a private invitation for fan lists only to buy tickets. By the time I got on the website, I was able to buy front row tickets. That never happens to me. We have never been closer than about 20 rows, so this was super exciting. 

Josh was more than excited, but just a couple days before the concert, Mumford and Sons had to cancel due to a health scare from one of the band members. They thankfully rescheduled for September 17th, and the hubs and I raced to Houston for a really fun time. 

We had dinner at Benihana and then headed to the Pavilion where we found out....the stage is air conditioned and the first few rows can feel it. This is an outdoor theater in South Texas...it is sweltering out there. Being in the front row, I was actually cold! We had a perfect view, plenty of leg room, snacks, and air conditioning. It was perfection!!

My husband had the BEST time. I thought they were good but he is a true fan. He screamed like a 9 year old boy getting a bike on Christmas morning! 

They put on a terrific show and we both could not have been more pleased. Two huge thumbs up for Mumford and Sons!

Uninterrupted time...

Uninterrupted time. It's a rarity at my house. There are so many things that I would love to get done while the kids are in school, that I often can't get everything done. The most important thing is studying. 

This semester, I am in class from 8-1:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays and in the morning on Fridays. There is a considerable amount of work associated with this class including several projects, homework assignments, a presentation, and a microbial "unknown" to decipher, in addition to the tests and online coursework. 

So in the evenings, when I need to study for lab quizzes, I go into my room and close the door. There is a constant flow of people into the room and it frustrates the heck out of me.

I have now created this sign...

Beware. I have no patience. This is my last semester before nursing school starts next summer and I really need this final "A". December 10th...I am looking forward to you already!

Blinged out bottles

My best friend's birthday is this week so we celebrated this past weekend with a day of fun. 

Carmela's Forever 31 Birthday Bonanza!

The day was spent at the beach, the spa, the Texas Roadhouse for dinner, and private shopping at Maurices. Such fun times with wonderful ladies. 

Anyway, I love to create things and be a little crafty. Last week when Carmela was visiting me and telling me about her recent trip to Chicago, she mentioned this drink called Rum Chata. I had never heard of it but thought it would make a fun addition as a gift for her birthday. I had already ordered some Golden Girls lip balm off etsy (when she calls me, her ringtone is "Thank you for being a friend".)

Once I got to Specs to grab a bottle, I noticed that it was super boring. But it did have some pretty golden accents. So after a quick trip to Hobby Lobby for some rhinestones and glitter, I came home to bling out this bottle. 

This was easy, fun, and the decorative possibilities are endless. I chose to do something simple, but pretty. And if you want to do this as well...go for it! Here is how I made this one. 

First, I got all my supplies ready. I needed a paper bag to cover my counter, the bottle to decorate, Modge Podge, bottles of glitter, paper plates and a sponge brush, rhinestones, hot glue, and ribbon. 

Lightly brush one side of the bottle with MP using a sponge brush. Try to get it as even as possible so that they glitter doesn't get clumpy. 

Sprinkle with glitter. Repeat this process until the whole bottle is covered.

Let this dry for about 30 minutes or so.

Brush a coat of MP over the top of the glitter to seal it. I did three coats and waited about 20-30 minutes between each coat. It will look like it is covered in glue, but don't worry, it dries clear and will seal in all the glitter so it doesn't flake off. 

Decide where you want to put the rhinestones on and glue away!

Here is where I made my mistake. I used gold glitter ribbon to attach the baggie with the lip balm in it. The glitter from the ribbon flaked off and went everywhere! Beware when using glitter ribbon. Ugh.

So anyway, here is the finished product again. I thought it was really cute, and now no one else on earth will have a bottle exactly like hers :). 

I am glad we could all spend time together and I am super glad that our friend Jenny could make her a cake for our shopping event!

Thank you Jenny!!!!
Happy Birthday, Carmela!!!!

First Day of School!

Well, the day has come. It is finally the first day of school for the 2013-2014 year!

Boy, I have been both dreading and looking forward to this day for the past month or so. Feeling excited for Jansen as he gets to have his elementary school all to himself. Feeling scared for Caleb as he starts intermediate school, full of Autistic and non-Autistic nervousness. 

As luck would have it, it is pouring down rain today. I was able to drive Jansen to school and there was no drop off line! It was great. He jumped out of the car, smiled, and practically ran in, full of excitement. He was ready, even though he was complaining this morning as he woke. 

Caleb then moaned and groaned all the way to school. He was quite nervous, as was I, although we kept talking about how intermediate school would be so fun. He would be seeing old friends, new friends, and will be making all new memories. I was fine until Caleb got out of the car and started walking into the school. He grabbed the door, turned to wave to me, and my heart just shattered. I cried as I drove home, but I know he will be fine. I am just ready to go pick him up and see how his day went. 

Oh first day of school. It's so bittersweet!

Closet Organization Friday

My kids spent the night last night at my husband's parents' house so that they could so swimming and play with their cousin today. 

This gave me the chance today to work on laundry and get more organizing done. My hope was to get all the closets done today, but I only got through mine. 

This is why...

So much stuff...

Well, at least it's something. I threw away so much junk!!!!!! My entire bathroom was a total wreck, full of broken hangers, miscellaneous paperwork, pairless shoes, old books, jewelry, suitcases, wrapping paper, knick knacks, clothes both too big and too small. 

What a great feeling! I ran out of Command hooks so I have to go grab a few more packages tomorrow to finish organizing my jewelry, but everything else is neatly hanging and organized. 

I need more shoe storage, for sure. 

My husband needs his own closet so I can move my stuff into his small section. 

Want to take bets on how long it will last? I think maybe a month. 

Meet the Teacher for my third grader....

And with that, we are ready for school to begin on Monday. 

This afternoon we went to Meet the Teacher for my now third grader. I just cannot believe it. 

Jansen was happy with his new teacher, he dumped his school supplies on his new desk, and left the school happy and skippy. 

Come on school!!