birthday's should be called birthmonth's

are you sitting at your computer right now, blog surfing, but having a nagging feeling you should be organizing that gross and slightly unsanitary closet, toy box, basement, or garage? well, fret no more, i organized my basement shelves for you... and took a before and after picture to prove it. yes, documenting these things are important in motherhood--for no other reason than to show myself that i did start AND finish something in the last year.
ok, so moving on, my birthday is coming up august 13... which means my birthday month has started!! who cares if it's still july. minor detail. anywho, for my official birthday present, my husband is ripping out my faux wood painted cabinets and putting in real wood cabinets that don't scratch... or fall off the hinges while guests are over. "can you hand me that butter knife? just need to tighten this screw. huh huh."

but while we were at lowe's looking at the cabinets, i conveniently steered the race car cart down the rug section ( i can assure you, totally by accident even though i am what some would call a "rug whore"). and there she was. an 8X10 ginormous organge-ish beauty ON CLEARANCE!! woo woo! so ya, i have been looking for the perfect rug for under the table for like 6 months... glorious! bargain hunt glory. so if you need rugs, lowe's has some great one's on clearance at this very moment.



speaking of birthday gifts, last year my husband got me this necklace and for some reason about 4 people have asked me about it this week... as if you don't already feel like you can't escape your children--here is a way to constantly wear them around your neck. ha. i'm kidding(sort of). i do love layne and lila and i do love daddy. anywho, he got it for me on etsy.com...her shop is called "the vintage pearl" but now she has a website. click here and get to emailing this site to your husbands so they can purchase it for your birthday!



and this is sweet layne...he must be 18 months old here. i found a CD with old pictures and it brought back some good memories. i love his buddah belly and his tennessee vintage t-shirt. man, my mom was right again--they grow up in a minute. now layne says, things like, "mom, i'm going to school. wait, i forgot my wallet and my phone. give me a kiss." hmm, sounds a lot like what daddy says in the morning.

no, that is NOT a bargain

some people bike, some people collect horse figurines, some people sew. my hobby(and spiritual gift) is finding things for free or so very cheap that it seems like heaven has come on earth. so ya, it's called "bargain hunting", not to be confused with bargain hunting found in magazines where they put together an outfit that cost $200 "for everything!". i read those things and i think, "is it opposite day? that is usually reserved for wednesday's and i'm pretty sure this is friday." no fellow readers, that is not a bargain. that is actually a splurge in my world. when i go to target, i go to directly to the clearance section--if it's not 75% off, you mean nothing to me. if you see something you like that's regular price, wait 2 weeks and it will be 75% off... hence, the word HUNT. you watch your prey until it is exactly where you want it.

so ya, it could also be called a sport i guess. and i am surprisingly athletic.

anyway, i'm sure you all have heard about the CVS deals. you basically use monopoly money { bonus bucks } to buy things and for buying those things, they give you more monopoly moola. i just got back from that little drugstore from Heaven and look what i got for all for under $3. this could have all been free, but i forgot a coupon in my purse. dangit. whatev...the box of cereal alone would have been $3 on sale at whole foods, so it's not a big deal.

check out my receipt...this year so far i've spent $20 for $200 worth of stuff. my actual spent money would be lower but i have a couple midnight runs in there for infant ibuprofen and a humidifier. i was desperate, ok...and cvs was the only place open. but ya, that's what i'm talking about friends...paying 10% for anything like shampoo, toothpaste, medicine, etc. i mean, i haven't actually bought toothpaste or a toothbrush in the 6 months i've started doing the deals.

you can read more about how to do this by reading this article.

or you can just come on a field trip with me one sunday afternoon. that's the best way to learn. and i'm a pro. they say, "welcome, mrs. nato" when i come there...ya, it's sad. but slightly awesome.


but enough about bargains, look at this sweet kaola bear gummin' it up with her no-teeth smile. she had a mild case of chicken pox this week--or perhaps a clan of mosquito's that only enjoy biting faces. i can't figure it out--there were only 10 bumps. hmmm...we'll see if layne gets it next week. i'm not into vaccines anyway so i'm glad nature is helping me out on this one. build those immunities the good old fashioned way. that is another blog entry for another time. maybe sometime this week...

fun, friends, & a hairy cake.

what a fun 3rd birthday for Layne Nato. I mean, he didn't say that, he actually said the opposite today when we were on a walk. i thought i'd debrief about the festivities so i asked layne over-excitedly,

"did you have a fun football happy birthday party or what?!"

and he said, matter-of-factly, "not really, mommy."

seriously, he said that to me. shwhat? i made a freaking football cake for you. i mean, look at the pictures people...sure, it does look a touch like a hairy football-butt-crack-thing, but surely to a 3 year old it could pass for a cake decorated as a football trophy, couldn't it?

i don't know, i just want to be like, "buddy, this is the last football themed party i throw for you!" but, i don't know...it just seems like that would crush his little spirit and it's actually probably true. we only do a theme around here once. whatever, i really threw the party for myself anyway so i wouldn't have to buy him age-appropriate toys and shoes that fit him. so there, layne! ha! i win!

thanks everyone for all the fun stuff. this week we are giving away one toy for every new toy he received. i told him that we will give them away to the needy trash men.



and can i just comment on this last picture. my brother did a nerdy magic trick where he turned 3 quarters into

a $5 bill. my sister audrey was more amazed with the trick than layne was. it has made me laugh several times to see how into it she is. and i know, she's just acting really excited because kids are there (i think), but i caught it on camera so i have to make fun of her. she loves it when i do that.

chunky thighs and armpit hair.

we went to the lake this weekend with some friends and had lots of fun. which is surprising for me because if i have ever in the past mentioned the words "lake" and "fun" in a sentence, it would look like this: driving home from the lake was fun. i had to turn this picture of layne fishing black and white as the fishing pole was hot pink and displayed a particularly girly barbie logo on it. he would also be wearing his signature goggles, except he dropped them in the lake accidentally. this was a tragedy, but he felt better when daddy told him nemo needed to borrow them. and then i said, "that crazy fish...i could just eat him up!" so he started crying again...geez. no, i didn't really say that...i am too kind and righteous to say those things out loud.






ok, i know what you're thinking...in her last post, jami just wrote about her disdain for men in sleeveless shirts. well all the guys decided to display their armpit hairs freely the entire weekend after they read what i wrote. this blogging is powerful. if they only knew i used the power of reverse psychology on them. i actually enjoy men in sleeveless attire...if you've ever received a hug from a man in a sleeveless shirt, you know the joy i am speaking of. SICK. get your freaking armpit hairs off my shoulder...for real, nasto.





speaking of nasto, someone on the boat gave layne a gatorade. no one asked me of course, because "c'mon, we're at the lake!" but seriously, travis, was that you? there is a special place in satan's playpen for people who give children sugary drinks. but isn't lila looking so cute in her bloomers, sporting her awesome thighs? she prefers to stand now all the time...she even sleeps that way. in this picture, she is actually napping.






ok and here is my latest dumpster dive...i happened to find a couple window panes in someone's trash the other day. the accent colors in our upstairs are orange and green so i lucked out that it was already painted in the perfect shade of orange, but i did sand the edges for a little more character. i use it as a dry erase board for the weekly menu or grocery lists, but was thinking about busting out the glass and hooks or clothes pins in there to hang the kids art work. one side for lila and one side for layne. so next time you see a cute window in the trash with glass busted out or still intact, grab it.

any other ideas for window panes?

men in sleevless shirts, crafting!

Have you ever done a project or craft that made you almost lose your salvation? this past week i decided to make layne's 3rd birthday invitations...football theme. every party has to have a theme. everything should have a theme actually... like the theme of my house is "looks like you've been burglarized". anyway, all that to say, when we do birthday's for the kids, we like to put some effort into them. mainly so they can look back on it and affectionately say, "i don't even remember that party".

but the really neat part about this hellish crafting experience is that my husband did the craft with me. how many men will do that?? like really, he rolled up his sleeves and dug in. what i meant to say is that he actually ripped off his sleeves and dug in. i despise when men wear sleeveless shirts, and this is nato's only one. but i didn't complain about his wardrobe because free labor is impossible to find in this economy and i wanted him to keep working in my makeshift sweatshop.



and lastly, not firstly, layne has worn this outfit for 3 days straight. to the store, on play dates, on walks, in the bath-- but never to sleep in of course... that would be just plain unsanitary! occasionally he will take his goggles off and put them atop his head...but other that that, he refuses to wear anything else. he gets up first thing and immediately asks where his goggles are. then we fight about it for, oh, 10 minutes and he gets his way. i'm like, if this your passion in life dude, go for it. i say NO to a lot of things he wants, so i feel like it's ok to give in to a few things that aren't deal breakers. i will have to wash those trunks sometime soon though and i know it will be tough for him to part with this "outfit". not emotionally, but physically-- trying to get the underwear part unattached from his bun cheeks. just keep us in your prayers.

hooray america.

these pictures pretty much sum up our 4th of july experience.


My sister maggie, shown here holding her seeing eye dog, stole candy from little children as it was thrown from the parade floats. you might also notice that my brother, keaton, in between maggie and nato-- looks more like nato's brother than mine. it might also be shocking for you to know that my dad, over there on the right, is actually sucking in. that is, i guess, the best he could do.






here in the second picture you can see layne enjoying the events inspired by freedom and sacrifice for our country. his attitude is nothing short of inspirational for every American. candy from parade + toddler-ness+ inability to cope with life in general = FUN!! please notice lila in the back of the stroller singing worship songs, smiling, and knitting blankets for orphans.



and in the third picture, my husband shows that jumping over a candlestick is not just the stuff of nursery rhymes...however, this candlestick was a dangerous ball of fire and smoke called "the exploding panda". i'm not sure what he was doing, but i'm told it is a custom done to celebrate America's independence over in the philippines. because every country celebrates the 4th of july...am i right or am i right?

hope you had a fun 4th of july too!