from the nato's

i can't CONTAIN all my joy

2009-11-10T15:35:00.000-08:00

ok, so layne drew names and the winner for the cute vinyl frames is AMANDA WILLIAMS! hooray for you...we are all jealous. when you get them up on your wall, you have to let me take a picture so i can show everyone in the world how you used them. so fun.

and for all you who are feeling sad about not winning, here is something to make you feel better. KLM dutch airlines is giving away free luggage tags with the picture of your choice downloaded on them. instead of luggage tags, i put mine on our diaper bags. on the back you can put your address, email, and phone number. but instead of the address you could write "ALLERGIC to PEANUT BUTTER"
or
"THIS CHILD IS NAUGHTY AND WILL STICK BERRIES UP HIS NOSE AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT." anyway, they give you 2 tags. very cool. click here to make your own.

ok, so here is a crafty craft to feast your eyes upon. when lila was on formula(don't judge me...traumatic event completely stopped my milk production), i had all these cans that i saved because i just "knew i could use them for something".

confession:
hello, my name is jami and i am a craft rat.

a craft rat is much like a pack rat, except with crafts. you know you are a craft rat if you:
*don't throw away ribbon from cards or gifts that people give you
*don't throw away tissue paper from gifts that people give you because you will re-gift them
*save every piece of scrap fabric or craft paper leftover from projects... like even pieces that are 1 cm by 1 cm.
*save buttons that fall off jackets for a future craft
*occasionally think about ripping buttons off old jackets for a future craft(but then you remember that you should give the jacket, fully intact, to the needy)

are you a craft rat? where ma' girl's at? show yourselves...come into the light.

anyway, back to the formula cans--i covered them with fabric(using hot glue) and ribbon and made receipt and bill holders. but these would be good for all your craft/office supplies. and if you are a craft rat, these are great to hold all that stupid crafty stuff you can't let go of.

then i had an oatmeal container and used that for a toilet paper holder in the bathroom because we don't have one on the wall.

see, the containers that i save do come in handy. i am mostly saying this to my husband who tries to throw these valuable containers away. don't stifle my creative energies, babe. mkay?

so yes, i went hog wild with containers. and i liked it.

as promised...a fun giveaway

2009-11-05T16:37:00.000-08:00

how freaking cute are these vinyl frames made by BUTCH&harlod? you don't need a hammer, you don't need nails...all you need is an empty wall. oh, you aren't familiar with how vinyl stickers work? you just rub them on the wall and they basically look like you are an awesome painter. when you want to take them off, you apply heat with a blow dryer and they come right off. by the way, etsy has so, so, so many cute vinyl stickers it will make you throw up with joy.

I have a bird on a tree in lila's room from singlestonestudio (a shop in etsy) her's is black and red as to go with the decor of course. so many people have asked me if i painted it. my response is usually, "yes, aren't i awesome?" but in my heart, i know i should tell them the truth about vinyl stickers and how easy they are to put on a wall.

back to the frames:

idea 1: put them in your living room above your couch. oh wait, that idea is shown in the picture displaying the frames. still a good idea.

idea 2: place them in your child's bedroom with their artwork in it. um, so cute.

idea 3: put them in your bedroom with pics of you and your husband making out. wait, that's a bad idea.

idea 4: put them in your kitchen with your utensils hanging in the middle. this would require you nailing nails into the wall--but c'mon, you can handle that.

idea 5: place them at children's level and paint chalkboard paint in the middle. how fun. and what a great way to create artists that will possibly fund your retirement.

idea 6: put them by your front door with hooks in the middle for keys. because you lose them. every day.

i could go on and on... but i won't. i want you to tell me your ideas. SO, if you want these frames, leave a comment with your best idea. i will draw a name and pick a lucky winner to have these 8 vinyl sticker frames!! csn.com will ship them directly to your house. did i mention their cute crib bedding?

can i enter my own giveaway? i want these. bad.

sweet treats day highlights personalities.

2009-11-01T13:46:00.000-08:00

i think this fist picture epitomizes the statement, "every child has their own personality."

from day 1, layne has been serious and smiling only comes from the depths of his soul--you really have to catch him on a good day to experience a happy heart(mmm, teenage years here we come). he does laugh a lot and is a well-behaved child for the most part. but man, he is a "serious sam".

then there's lila. she will laugh at anything. she is mostly always happy. she will eat anything(not excluding a bounty of leaves). very laid back. will go to anyone. in fact, loves strangers.

a lot of times us parents like to take credit for our kid's personalities or how smart they are. but the more children i have(i know, i only have two), the more i think we really have little control over personality traits, intelligence, and sometimes behaviour. i'm not saying we should let children be raised by wolves or not teach them manners and morals--we should. definitely. but we should probably be a touch less judgemental towards other parents because they have a crazy kid. in target. screaming, "gimme that transformer!". wait, was that layne?

anyshway--layne walked at 10 months, lila is 13 months and has no interest. layne was reading at the 4th grade level at 12 months, lila thinks a book is for snack time. layne is mr. angry toddler with grandpa(most of the time)...and lila is obsessed and laughs hysterically with him. the differences are funny, mostly because i didn't really do anything different with them in the raising department. this further bolsters my argument.

whatev. too many deep thoughts for one post.

please enjoy our "sweet treats day" pictures(or "halloween"as the rest of the world calls it). layne was an orange ninja turtle, lila was a pig, mommy was a pig farmer(please note i'm wearing a bbq sauce necklace...guess who's gonna get eaten!) and daddy was a ninja. hi-yah!

i know i said this would be the giveaway post for the awesome vinyl art, but i forgot about sweet treats day.

next post, i promise.

and sorry the pics are so over exposed. my bad.

mowing through preschool. that's m'boy.

2009-10-29T10:59:00.000-07:00

i haven't posted about this little man in a while. so here is his update:

as you all know from a certain previous post, layne hated school. like, peed-on-himself-everyday kind of hatred. well now, after many a cinnamon sugar bagel bribe, he's a blooming preschooler with a happy heart. that doesn't mean he stays out of tomfoolery of all sorts. for instance, a couple weeks ago he stuck a berry up his nose and the teachers couldn't get it out. this can be dangerous...unless you're a filipino nose berry master.

the teacher's tried everything to get the berry out. and right before they were about to call me (wouldn't be the first phone call from preschool), they asked him if he needed anything. he said, "just a drink of water, thank you." he took a sip and then, with ONE hefty blast of nostril glory, shot it out of his nose.

he told me the story of how he got the berry out over and over again... with such pride and surprise. like it was an awesome accomplishment. i'll give it to him, it was. he saved me from taking him to the doctor and spending $100 on the removal. i raise my (juice) glass to you, layne nato.

a couple weeks before that, he and his buddy told the teacher they were cousins. mind you, these are three-year-olds pulling this stuff. when i came to pick him up they asked me if layne had a cousin in the other class. i wanted to say, "is the kid brown? then no. not related." i foresee more shenanigan's from these two "cousins" in the very near future.

anyway, one great thing about layne is that he mows the leaves for us( i.e. spreads the pile of raked leaves all over the yard with his fake lawnmower). back in the olden days, children were used as little employees. although i think that concept is a touch outdated, i rather enjoy the thought of layne with a real lawn mower doing real chores. when he's older. like five at least.

ok, and if you read this far you shall be rewarded with knowing the future. in my next post i'm giving away some vinyl wall art from CSNbaby.com -- they have some really fun room decor and some super cute crib bedding if you're in the market for that sort of thing. so stay alert...you will want this prize whether you have babies or not!

spilled milk

2009-10-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

oh little fat feet...who can get enough of them? ok, me...sometimes. (but they look very cute all black and white). to get away from the little feet, i am taking a photography class this semester at the local juco. what i mean is, i just dropped my photography class at the local juco--it was every tuesday and thursday nights for three hours. too much of a commitment for me at this point in my life. but the idea was nice, wasn't it? first, i missed 2 weeks of class because of the stupit' swine flu. then, we sold our house and will be moving to a new one in december... the perfect time to move (sarcasm oozing). like i'll have time to finish out that class with dignity.

i will say, i learned a lot about my camera and how much i don't know about photography. i learned to shoot manually instead of on automatic. it's way cool. you never realize how much better the pics are when you stop letting the camera do all the work. my photography teacher said that if you let the camera set all the functions for you, it will always take something away from the photograph. hmmm, deep thoughts. what are you missing in your photographs? so that is my challenge to all of you...if you have a nice camera, take it off automatic. find someone to teach you how to shoot manually--most photographers will be willing to show you if you just ask.

that is literally all i learned in half a semester. most of the time in class, i harassed fellow classmates and asked them way too many personal questions. we had a lot of good laughs and got in trouble often for being too rambunctious. i sat in between a 21 year old and a 60 year old. they both entertained me with their artistic viewpoint and thier views on relationships and life. and side note, when you don't care about the grade, college feels a lot different. it feels... i don't know... fun.

so ya, i'm just trying to make myself feel better for spending 300 dolla dolla bills on a class and not finishing. i guess there's no reason to cry over spilled milk. if you are smart, you'll follow lila's example and play in the spilled milk.

so hmmm, maybe i'll be able to take another class when i'm an empty-nester and actually finish it. i have 20 years to prepare i guess.

oh and....LISA won the onesie!! i will mail that to you next week...what size is your platypus wearing anyway?

i need "the patch"

2009-10-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

well we've been too sick to go to the pumpkin patch this year, so i thought we'd reminisce.

these shots are from 3 years ago when layne was our only love and lila was an accident waiting to happen. (sorry, they are pixilated...i pulled them from an email. go with it.)

it's the middle of the day and children are around, so clearly i was drinking root beer in that first picture. oh, it looks like i've had an alcoholic bev or 2...or 5? no, that's just me being normal. but i get asked that all the time. to further bolster my case that i'm not a drunken mother hopped up on expired prescriptions, watch this:

what? that also looks like i was sh-wasted? don't all mother's river dance in public?

moving along, here are pics of last year's pumpkin patch extravaganza. yes, my son has a bowl cut. no, HE is not a little girl.

maybe we'll make it to the pumpkin patch this year, but i don't know. there is just so much going on and memories can wait can't they? wait, no they can't. we will go. we will go. we will go.

and this time, i'm giving up the river dancing and root beer in exchange for making friends and looking normal. i think. you'll just have to stay tuned to see what happens...

oh and next post i'm drawing names for the onesies. get excited!

a cornucopia of crafts. get it?

2009-10-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

well i don't know about you, but i am not going to let a little cold weather stop me from celebrating fall with a few crafts. you might go so far as to say perhaps this craft is even guilty of flipping off "old man winter". i would never flip anyone off. but if a craft does it, is it so wrong? these are questions that will only be answered upon entering Heaven.

all that to say, this is my latest fall installment placed in a prestigious art gallery. the lamp is put there to make it look like it's in my home. ok, you're too smart, this is my home. this was an empty frame that my husband and i built a while ago and has been on the wall-- empty-- for 2 months. i was totally planning on putting smaller framed pictures in the middle, but alas, our home is on the market and i didn't want to put anymore holes in the wall. i already had the pictures printed and i bought these awesome paper leaves at the dollar store last month. so, cheap craft for me. but if you did this at your house it would cost you maybe $3 total for printing pics and buying leaves.

and below is my new birdie. i do love the other bird that i have been sewing on clothes, but i needed a new one to keep things fresh. this is what i came up with. so simple. two circles and a triangle for the beak. BLADOW.

who wants a birdie onesie? if you comment, i'll do a drawing or something. if i'm feeling generous, perhaps everyone will get a onesie. if your kids are too big for a onesie, too bad, gift it to someone who has a tiny papoose.

forgot to mention, i have boyish fabric too. so if you have a man-child i'll make a man bird.

ahhh-choo! is that my snot or yours?

2009-10-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

we are sick. we are quarantined. we are sick of being quarantined. the children long to play outside where the air is brisk and the squirrels are chirping to one another as if to say, "this fallish winter thing sucks, doesn't it?" it just seems like the squirrels in our neighborhood would be sportin' a 'tude about the temperature.

ok, you got me. maybe it's me projecting my attitude onto the squirrels, but whatever. is it so wrong that i feel a connection with them? i always have. i even caught a squirrel once in a paper grocery bag at the park when i was 10. now, as i fondly remember that capture, i can't help but think the squirrel clearly had rabies, scurvy and possibly a broken leg...because i'm pretty sure you have to be a stealth ninja to do that sort of thing. my question is, mom, where were you when i was chasing a sickened squirrel around the park? oh that's right, you were chasing the other 6 kids around while changing a diaper and breast-feeding a baby at the same time. i gotcha.

anyway, all that to say, welcome fall! ...ish winter. and welcome flu symptoms. i do enjoy a good immunity build up though. the natural way of course. so, although inconvenient, this should be the last time we get sick for the winter. don't worry about us, we have garlic ear drops and ibuprofen on hand.

and since we're all quarantined with nowhere to go, lila and i enjoyed playing "fashion shoot". she was a pretty good subject until she got hungry. and then she got all angry-elf on me. look at that face...i just know my dad is saying, that is soooooo you jami. why does she look like me only when she's mad? hmmm? just because we are intense about life...it's the only way to live, you know.

alright, go enjoy your day freezing your tails off outside. unless you are my BFF emily, living in sunny florida with record heat waves for this time of year. so so so wishing i could get a tan in october. no, i will not go to s-s-s-celsius tannery.

children, let's gamble!

2009-10-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

chuck-e-cheese, i have recently figured out, is a casino for children. kids spend $50 trying to win tickets for prizes that are clearly from the dollar store. this concept was obviously torture for me. the whole time i'm thinking, wow, people are spending a weeks worth of grocery money on an hour of "fun". i am such a fun-killer. anyway, we went there last week for a birthday party...and surprisingly, layne loved it. he is usually overwhelmed by craziness, and just people in general. of course lila quite enjoyed herself, as she was on a date with chuck-e himself. look at them in the car together, so cute...wait, i don't know why he's making her drive. that is so rude. i will have to have a chat with her at naptime about chivalry.

please notice the more mature crowd playing skee-ball and the mass amounts of tickets coming out of the machine. don't stop, get it, get it. i'm not in the pictures, but if i were, you'd see me dominating on shooting hoops. i beat everyone because i am surprisingly athletic. i mean, don't ask me to play on your intramural volleyball team or something because i will do you wrong for sure. why? like i said, my athleticsim is suprising...even to me. i have no control over when it will appear.

anyway, then, as if the kids weren't overwhelmingly cracked out on sugar and MSG, we had another party right after chuck-e-cheese, at uncle nole's house. woo woo! at this party, everyone had to do the hoola hoop in front of all the others. young or old. not joking. don't you do this at your parties? i would also like to point out that we ate pizza at 3pm and then ate a flipino buffet at 6pm. believe me, i took my juice plus that day...if you were wondering.

so as a side note, i have been looking hideous lately. if i'm not going anywhere, you will find me in my "elf" slippers with the pants ever-so-gently tucked into them. some people call it nasty, some people call it warm. nnnn'kay? there are people in the himalayas that would literally trade me an elk for these slippers, so don't judge me. nato hates them, yet he bought them for me. babe, you did this to yourself.

random, but glorious.

2009-10-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

first of all, this post is all over the place. welcome to my brain. nextly, for the 4 lucky ladies who left comments on my last post, i am making you a little clip on rosette flower-ee thing that you can clip on to any cardigan or shirt in a jiff and look totally snazzy. i am modeling one i wore to a benefit for house of hope KC. jenn, heather, and kristen, i'll give you yours at church in the coming weeks. erin, i'll mail you yours or something. so fun!

moving on, should my blog be called "adventures in applique"? i swear, this is getting ridiculous, but it's my new favorite thing as far as crafting goes. i made this shirt for layne's cousin who is having a birthday. layne immediately asked if it was for him and was really sad when i said, "no layne, i made this for a robot that lives on mars and eats children." he had no interest in the shirt after that. just kidding, i didn't say that. and i will be making him a robot. in ALL blue apparently...that's what he keeps asking for. a day will come when sewing layne's clothes is not cool. at all. so i'm going with this for now.

speaking of layne, he eats healthy items sparingly. which means while he's in this house, he doesn't eat a ton. so i have to sneak healthy things in his food like, oh, most of the time. his version of juice is hilarious--blueberry puree, 1 tsp flaxseed oil, 2 juice plus capsules, 1 probiotic capsule and a lot of water. i've tasted it and it is nast-ola. but whatev. sometimes i even throw in pumpkin puree. i just threw up in my mouth.

so i found a new recipe on wholeliving.com(a martha stewart site) called sweet potato brownies. at first i thought they would be gross, but then, after eating the 15th one, i decided they were incredibly delicious. and they passed the stringent layne tastebud test, so you know you'll like 'em. here is the recipe:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup sweet-potato puree
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon instant coffee powder

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square pan; set aside. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Remove pan from heat, and stir in cocoa.

Let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Stir in sugar and sweet-potato puree, then egg. In a small bowl, stir together vanilla and coffee until coffee is dissolved; add to cocoa mixture.

Add flour mixture to cocoa mixture and stir until no traces of flour remain. Spoon into prepared pan(i put mine in a mini cupcake pan); smooth the top. Bake until surface of brownies looks barely dry and an inserted knife comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature before serving.

eat 15 at a time.

they are blogstalking me.

2009-09-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

so the jcrew catalogue is full of inspiration this month; however, i'm pretty sure they blog stalked me and and used my idea. i just sent my friend, allison, this grey shirt in the mail and then sat down that afternoon to scope out out the goods in jcrew. lots of similarities! ok, for legal reasons, i'm sure i have to say they didn't steal my idea. but isn't that crazy?

i mean, i made that green shirt with the flower a couple weeks ago before the catalogue came out. it's true, but whatev.

once again, so easy to make.
step 1: just cut out some jacked up circles and layer them.
step 2: kindly place them on your shirt and sew an X in the middle.
step three: proceed to look totally trendy and in the know.

for in depth directions, see this old post.

it's only been four years.

2009-09-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

FOUR years ago, this very day, mark nato and jami baker got married. i was a children's ministry director for a church and nato was a nurse at KUmed--we both volunteered for K-life where we met first. he thought i was too loud and laughed at everything(i mean, is that such a crime?). i thought he was mr. spoiled, cool guy. eventually he became obsessed with me, uh-hmmm, and we dated, got engaged, and married within 6 months. for reals? ya, for reals. and two friggin' weeks after our ceremony, i got knocked up with our first papoose, Layne. eighteen months after we had layne, i got preggers with lila. bladow.

whirlwind? heck ya. the best thing that ever happened to me? heck ya double. the worst thing that ever happend to me? um, yes. it sounds harsh, but the truth is, we almost didn't make it to four years. i'm not ready to blog about exactly why, but a lot of you already know the craziness and heartache that this year has brought our marriage. it is by the grace of God and our faith in Christ that we are happier than ever and fully committed to each other.

sometimes, as the years go by, it is difficult to look at your spouse with the same intensity of love and general infatuation that you did when you first met... we all know that. we start to focus on things that aren't that big of a deal, like, how your husband pees with the bathroom door open when guests are over. wait, is that just nato? what is a big deal is death. what is a big deal is infidelity. what is a big deal is a life threatening illness. what is a big deal being a single mom or single dad and doing life by yourself. there are so many more "big deals" than your husband or wife leaving thier clothes all over the floor or him/her having a late day at work while you deal with the children.

all that to say, i don't really do serious posts all that often. or ever. but i felt like i needed to encourage others, as well as myself, to love our spouses the way Christ generously loves us. we have to choose to live in forgiveness rather than nit-picking at all the faults we see in that person we married. we have to choose to love that person even when they are hard to love sometimes. because if we are honest with ourselves, they do the same thing for us. plus, we aren't entitled to the gift of marriage or children. those are blessings given regardless of our deserving them.

i love mark nato and am thankful for him as a husband and father. he is a filipino treasure, for sure. thanks for sticking it out with me for 4 years. here's to another 96.

my daddy spits all day long

2009-09-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

first of all, let us take a moment of silence in order to honor the passing of summer. i took the kids for a stroller ride tonight and saw a lone red leaf in the creek. naturally i parked the kids on the side of the road and pulled out the cannon. while the children got eaten by mosquito's and whined incessantly, i captured this beautiful moment of the beginning of fall. as i was in this moving artistic moment, layne was spitting out of the stroller and when i told him to stop he said, "my daddy spits. my daddy spits all day long." i just let him keep doing it because daddy does spit occasionally... thus, i had no response.

so drum roll, we finished the kitchen. i wake up every morning and feel like i'm in a folgers commercial. ...the best part of wakin' up, is folgers in yourrrr cup... anywho, i love it. check out before pics here.

i have a pegboard on the wall where i can hang everything instead of all my kitchen shiz stuck in a bowl. evertime you want to pull something out, they all come out. finally i told them, "this is not ok, utensils. it's unacceptable in my kitchen and i'm gonna have to teach you all a painful lesson for this behaviour." boy, did i ever.

we already had the pot rack and the knife hanger, which are both necessities when working with a small kitchen. the paint is not black--it's a deep grey, hello! and i made it chalkboard paint so i can write recipes and what not all over the walls.

you too can make your own chalkboard paint. and it can be whatever color you want. just buy any color of paint and add 2 tbsp nonsanded grout per cup. the grout is super cheap...like a buck. and this sure beats buying a stinking small pint of chalkboard paint for 15$ when you could just stir in some grout yourself and pay so much less. especially if you already have paint in your garage that you want to get creative with. i can feel that you are inspired...do it.

props to my husband for starting on a monday and finishing on a sunday. that guy is a cabinet installer, plumber, tile-er, painter, and filipino salsa dancer all in one. anyway, this shenanigan completely disrupted normal life and i never want to do a kitchen remodel ever again. it's like pregnancy: you swear up and down you'll never get knocked up again because of morning sickness or stretch marks-- or straight up peeing on yourself when you sneeze. and then there you are, pulling out that maternity bucket of clothes. again and again.

sissy turned one!

2009-09-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

the sweet little sissy had a birthday party on sunday. i didn't think much about how lila isn't a tiny baby anymore...ahh, brush the tear from your eye...because we were remodeling our kitchen all week and up until guests walked in the freaking door. home improvement projects always bring out the best in one another--especially when there's a deadline. such as a ginormous birthday party. kitchen before and after pics will be in the next post.

back to the platypus. she was stunning in an off the runway tu-tu look, fashioned by my good friend amanda williams. amanda gave this to me before lila was born! i made her a shirt that says, "isa". get ready for a foreign language lesson--that means ONE in filipino land. we embrace culture over here, people.

and for the decorations...pa-lease, all red, black and white thank you very much. lots of licorice, red hots, peppermints were everywhere. and at child level. cavities and diabetes on the house! i made party hats and placed them on a giant tree limb i found in the back yard... that i spray painted white. i think i might repurpose this for christmas to hang ornaments on or something. i also stamped a banner...my artistic version of "happy birthday"...that no one could really read. sometimes you have to sacrafice readability for the sake of art, mkay.

of course the little hoglet loved her cake. i still took it away from her after a couple bites, in fear of what the diaper would hold later on that day.

5 reasons i heart lila:

she sucks on her hands constantly. no binky needed.

she does nothing age appropriate, as she is completely laid back. no walking, no talking, no drinking out of sippy cups. i hear this is normal for subsequent children. raise yourself!

she is so sweet. very little fussing. and if she's fussy, just giver her a snack. problem solved.

she belly laughs at everything. totally jealous.

she kind of, just barely, resembles me. this is a miracle, as the asian gene is a tough one to compete with.

blogarage sale

2009-09-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

ok, so the kitchen isn't done yet and keeps getting more expensive by the second. you know when those home improvement shows say to tack on 20% more than you think you'll spend? i guess they get paid to know what they're talkin' bout. all the extra supplies and what-not's add up.

so i could sell these things on craigslist or just give them away. does anyone want them? my general rule is that if i haven't used/worn something in a year, i have to get rid of it. that is why i'm having a blogarage sale.

here's the catch. there is no catch. it's free. but i'm not mailing it to anyone or driving it to your house, so there. and you can only have it if you will use it...not if you're just going to sell it on craigslist.

items:

the quesadilla maker was good to me the first year of marriage. i made a lot more pancakes than quesadillas in this machine. but who cares, that's just creative. works great.

that big funky bowl was given to me as a wedding gift. haven't used it in, oh, 4 years. it is made by a pottery artist downtown and was really expensive. someone, please enjoy this work of art.

the purses are both leather and both nine west. great purses. sit in my closet collecting dust.

the sign is so cute, but no longer goes with the kitchen decor. i tried to put it in several places in the house -- it just doesn't go with the theme i'm doing. which is unicorn horns and dolphins. isn't that a fun theme? if you just shouted, "YES!!" then my house is your house. not really, silly, i don't love unicorn's or their horns.

point is, take my stuff. let me know if you want any of it.

these here are faux painted

2009-09-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

you know when you have cabinets made of cheap MDF garage shelving and you paint them to look like real wood? oh wait, is that just me? from afar, my kitchen looks cute...but when you get up close, these cabinets are pretty digusto. and they fall of the hinges randomly. especially when guests use them. embarrassing? no, surely not for me.

check out the chipped paint on every handle. mmmm. and open the cabinet--surprise! these aren't wood at all. funny. but we never had the dolla dolla bills to re-do the kitchen. so what does a girl do? she paints them to look like cherry wood and throws up a ceiling tile back splash because it's cheaper than tile. which i still love--but after taking the ceiling tiles down, it's in too bad of shape to put back up. tear. instead, we're doing real, genuine tile! stone subway tile to be exact. glorious.

also, may i mention that i faux painted my counter tops to look like granite. they were pretty cool for a while, but are starting to chip and lose their awesomeness.

and of course, there is always a sacrifice to gutting a kitchen. everything is everywhere. who knew i had so much in my cabinets--and the cabinets you see are all i have. i pack them well. resourceful or pack rattish? don't judge me.

i will post some pics soon of the new kitchen when nato gets to gettin'. he has a real job too, so as to pay for the new kitchen. but here is a teaser: i have painted the entire kitchen in chalkboard paint that i made myself. we'll see if it works.

p.s. layne still hates school and still throws a fit each time entering the classroom. no other child freaks out. blaaaa!

preschool musical part two: now showing

2009-09-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

yes, i bribed layne with a bagel before school today...you know, so i wouldn't have to pick him up again?

after i dropped him off, i turned my ringer on high and prayed-- the entire time. so it wasn't that relaxing while he was gone. i went to the store to grab some milk for my hoglet little girl and to hobby lobby again for something i forgot.

NO CALL.

i went to pick him up and there he was on the playground, not under a patio table screaming. but sitting on a bench by the teachers...looking as anti-social as ever. that's my boy!

i was overcome with emotion when i saw he was wearing the same outfit i brought him in. in mommy terminology, that means... "child didn't pee on self."

the teacher said he had one meltdown when it was time to go play outside. i'm thinking, i don't care. he stayed the whole time!

click here to watch layne's interview before and after school

enough about layne, let's talk about crafts. here is my latest craft... i like sewing things on kids clothes, but what about adults? this could be borderline cheesy, but i thought i would risk it. so i picked up a shirt at old navy and sewed some little flowers on it.

the flower is made by layering really jacked up circle-ish shapes on top of each other. i did the flower in t-shirt fabric b/c i wanted to curl up on the edges when washed. the stem is just on there with heat and bond and the edges are stitched--like what i did on the bird craft. good times.

i have no idea how this will wash up. i gave it away for a birthday gift, so we'll never know. unless i make one for myself. and i will...hello, too cute.

hopefully, the pictures are self explanatory (as far as instructions) if you'd like to give it a try.

where the wild things are: preschool

2009-09-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

our day started out in typical fashion; lila was eating leaves and layne was trying to ride her. they were both happy. one was happy to be going to preschool and the other just happy because she is a kaola bear.

once again, as seen in the pictures, layne was being his typical self--bossing nato around saying, "it''s time to settle down, daddy. n'kay? we need to settttttttle down." he heard it from a mom standing next to us and then repeated it to us of course.

so everything felt like it was going to be normal. until layne entered the class and immediately went to the binoculars and magnifying glasses--which he is obsessed with. he loves goggles and sunglasses so this doesn't surprise me. the teacher was coralling the children to circle time and when she came to gather layne, he let out a pterodactyl scream in defiance. i was about to rip the binoculars out of his claws and give him a good old fashion pinch, but the teacher said with a smile, "maybe he'll do better if you're gone."

point taken. so i leave. but i peek. and there he is in the middle of the circle with all the kids sitting down around him--with the sour-i-est face i've ever seen. it was a half mad, half scared monster face.

i left feeling concerned--but talked myself down. he'll be fine. he always settles down. drown your worries at hobby lobby. so we went crafting.

at 11:00(an hour and a half after i dropped him off, mind you) my phone rings. it's the preschool of course. layne is having a hard time--he pottied through two outfits and is crying outside on the playground. maybe you should come early.

when i arrived he was on the playground, under a patio table laying flat on his stomach...screaming. when he ran towards me i noticed the glaring pee splotch on the front of his sweat pants.
i'm holding lila, trying to hold layne and console him too...slightly sweating and feeling terrible for the teachers. but mostly for layne. he was so nervous and overwhelmed, he peed his pants. and then he probably was so mad about peeing his pants that he peed them again. the humanity...

poor guy. let's hope thursday is better.

and since we're talking about first's...lila ate her first handful of dog food this morning. these are the times when you thank your culinary convictions that made you pay big bucks for organic dog food --which doesn't contain weird animal parts and trash swept from the dog food factory's floor, mmm-kay? research it.

so let's recap my crappy day:

--lila eats dogfood
--layne pees twice at school and acts like a "wild thing"
--i have to stop shopping at hobby lobby to pick up aforementioned "wild thing"
--huxley has dingleberries

so ya, i feel like i suck as a mom and a dog owner. but it was funny at least and i can tell layne's future girlfriends all about this. boo-ya!

have you noticed i like free things.

2009-08-28T23:50:00.000-07:00

well, i do. i do love free things. there, i said it. and also i sign up for free things even though i don't like or need them. like starbucks coffee--i don't love coffee. i have a coffee maker, but i certainly don't use it. one time...like 2 years ago, i made coffee after a dinner party and forgot to take the coffee strainer out until, oh, a mere 3 months later when i decided i should make some for another after-party. needless to say, i didn't make coffee that night. it was a bear to get clean and very unsanitary for sure.

woops, looks like no one wants to come over to my house for a cup of joe. suits us both--let's just go to the dollar store instead. or old time pottery. or pottery barn clearance section if we're in the mood to splurge. anyway, back to free starbucks coffee...if you sign up for an account on their website, you get a free cup on your birthday.

you know who else gives a freebie on your birthday? sheridans! sign up to be on their e-mailing list and they'll give you a buy one get one free right off the bat. then they send you a coupon for a free sweet treat on your day of birth. hooray!

bravo restaurant gives you a free appetizer on your birthday.

dairy queen gives you a buy one get one free blizzard on your birthday.

president obama gives you a free car for your birthday if you say, "cash for clunkers" to a car dealer. oh wait, that's not free...we'll all be paying for that with higher taxes. so fun!!

houlihan's sends out all kinds of free treats whether it's your birthday or not. love it.

if you have kids, sonic gives you a free wacky pack kids meal on your birthday. don't love it, but feel as though i should mention for those that do love that shiz.

i feel like i should post a picture here. so here is layne peeing on a fence. you can hardly tell what he was doing, as he was so discreet. and the pee on the fence is almost unnoticeable. amazing.

we're gonna rock this joint!

2009-08-24T17:59:00.000-07:00

we had a cook out with our small group we've been with for the last 4 years. in that 4 years we've gone through a lot of life transitions together--including the production of mini-me's. the children have started their own small group, where they cover topics like tips for stealing cookies off the dessert table and schemes for asking different parents for a glass of lemonade every 10 minutes. we figure at least some of these children will marry if we push hard enough for it. and we've also all agreed to move to india where that is common practice.
i can't wait to watch these kids grow up together...and possibly date! and i will gingerly look at them and say, "back rubs in the front room lead to front rubs in the back room."

in other news, lila is standing by her very own self these days, but has a little nervous tick. every time she stands, she holds onto her own hand...it's a bit of security for her i think. anyway, it looks like she's doing a not-so-nice symbol. maybe she is, maybe she isn't. i'll give her the benefit of the doubt because from what i've googled, platypus' (or platapye) aren't mean spirited animals.

and layne is a funny dude these days. his new thing is scream-singing, "we're gonna rock this joint!" over and over again while i'm grocery shopping. and garnering all kinds of stares and glares from other mommies. i'm not sure where he got that line because i certainly don't say that... but i might start. it kind of puts a little pep in your step just saying it to yourself.

now, for the best part of the post...chic-fi-let is giving away free 'samwhiches' for signing up on this site. fill-er out and think of me while eating your free chicken whatever.

don't say i never gave you anything.

another free album! another playdate!

2009-08-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

can you tell these 2 are cousins? well they are... biological and everything. haiden is my sister, karli's manchild and he is the third cutest child in the world--right after layne and lila of course. anyway, Layne loves playing with haiden and copies everything he does the entire time they're together. hopefully layne will pick up on the poses haiden was throwing out to the camera. hilarious.

please notice lila in the last picture sucking on her two fingers, backwards. it looks awkward and feels awkward...i tried it. go ahead and try it too, it's a skill. i would even go as far as to say it's lila's spiritual gift. keeps her quiet and keeps mommy happy, praise the Lord.

and also please notice my sister's cool rockstar hair...i was tempted to get a few highlights after seeing her "do". but then i remembered that you have to keep going back to get your roots done. and from what i hear, you have to pay each time you go. sh-what? i bet there are no coupons for that either, and that hurts my heart to go somewhere- ok,anywhere-without a coupon.

ok, for slaving through this post, click here for ANOTHER ENTIRE ALBUM download for free. you have to commit to recycling or something "granola" to get this, but you need to be a good steward of the earth anyway, so go with it. this album includes dave mathews band and bands he tours with. pretty cool.

free coldplay album and filipino's dancing

2009-08-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

this was our last hang out session with my husband's side of the family. it was a big celebration because nato's cousin, tootsie(like the roll), came over from the Philippines to live in America. so i'm not sure what happened--especially since there was no alcohol involved, but amelia(nato's mother!) started a dance party. it was quite enjoyable to watch. doing karaoke with a bunch of filipino's is way better though. i'll get a sound bite on that one.

and there's something that doesn't belong in this picture...can you tell what it is? oh, it's me.... the caucasian. i even have jazz hands going on, as if i couldn't make myself stand out anymore. my hands were trying to say, "welcome to America, Tootsie!"

a post is not complete without a little koala bear to say hello. sweet sweet platypus.

ok in other news, if you want a free coldplay album to download, click here. all you have to do is give coldplay your email. hello!

and if you want free crayons, go to office max this week. there are 1 penny a piece and you can buy 3. donate them or save them for kid's birthday party's or crafts. also, a pack of 10 pens is 15 cents. seriously? seriously.

if you want a free sample of emergen-c, click here. the cold season is just around the corner. plus these are all natural. sha-what? free and all natural...yes, please.

speakin of free and all natural, click here to get a free sample of burt's bees all natural skin care line. great for travel. it's for acne, but who doesn't get a pimple every now and again.

no, i don't work for any of these companies, but yes...they should pay me for advertising their products.

bring out the walker with tennis balls!

2009-08-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

well, it's true...it twas my birfday yesterday. and i turned 28--that's 2 years closer to 30 and and 30 years closer to brain loss (i'm planning on losing my memory sooner than later). but whatever, let's not dwell on the negative. the positive is that nato and layne made me a 4 layer carrot cake from scratch while i laid around and ate cheetos. the natural kind, people...i don't go completely over the edge on my birthday. seriously. but ya, so impressed with my husband.

and the cake was good too. the best part was when i came home from some shopping and my husband was still in his underwear, holding lila, slightly sweating, and trying to bake and clean for my birthday party...just looking like he was going to go crazy. i said, "how has your day been" and he was like, "lila has been so needy, layne has been naughty and i'm trying to get all this stuff done for tonight!" that really made my day. he was getting a taste of what i do everyday. i mean, he even sounded exactly like me. and he was still in his underwear at 2pm. glorious. i have to give you props again, babe...that was awesome. but i still like my job as a mommy and i don't want to toot my horn, but i think i am better at it. toot toot!

my mom made the cutest cupcakes as well and we used all layne's leftover football party plates and napkins...the flowers were from 2 weeks ago and still looked good! sam's club has the best, cheapest flowers by the way.

and here i am, the fabulous birthday girl, with a glass of sangria in hand while blowing out my candles. then layne started crying because i blew them out and he didn't get to help. so they song was sung twice--which was terrible. it sounded like a bunch of drunken sailors in slow mo. it's the thought that counts though, right? and i have no idea why i'm in a cape showing my booty. i had 3.5 sips of sangria and was feeling frisky, what can i say. don't feel bad because you weren't invited...it was just family. be glad you weren't there. you wouldn't believe the topics covered in conversation while eating cake.

so now you have to leave me a comment and tell me how terrible you feel for forgetting my birthday. scratch that, i probably already forgot your birthday so we'll call it even. sorry em.

now mom, to comment, hit "comments" right under this. then write in your comment under "leave your comment" and click on "annonymous". then click on "publish your comment.
it's easy...try it!

my latest craft...with instructions!

2009-08-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

if you know me and your kids have had a birthday lately, you will not be interested in this post, as you already have one of these treasures. i used to despise applique'...but if it's cute and handmade applique', c'mon, that's different. so here's how you do this craft...it's so easy.

1) buy a piece of clothing or steal from your child's very own closet. i like the 'garanimals' brand from walmart b/c their things are 3 bucks a piece!

2) grab some fabric you already have laying around, or cut up a pillow case with a cute pattern and use that. i happen to have a love affair with fabrics and even make out with swatches when my husband isn't looking...so i used some of my stash.

3)pick up some 'heat and bond' at your local craft store--or wal-mart has it too. follow the instructions on the package. this will make your fabric stick to the clothing and be able to wash up nicely.

4) after you put the heat and bond on your fabric(with an iron), find a pattern that you like and trace it onto the fabric. here is a bird template for your enjoyment.

5) cut out the bird, or whatever your object is, and peel the paper backing off your 'heat and bond'. then iron the birdie on the clothing.

6) if you're a seamstress, get out that sewing machine and sew around the edges. if you're like me, watch anne of green gables and handstich around the bird. it really, doesn't take that long, but i pretend it does so i can watch the entire trilogy.

7) i sew feet on the birds and add buttons on here and there, but those are just extra pieces of flare i throw on there so i can say the word "flare" when explaining it to others.

8) take a picture and put on your blog so that you may receive affirmation from others.

but seriously, what a fun gift to give and it is handmade--no one will have this outfit sister!

try this craft and let me know how it goes...and please one up me so i can post it on my blog.

which one is mine?

2009-08-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

we hung out with the filipino cousins this weekend and as i browsed through the photos to post, i realized i didn't know which child is mine in these pictures. but aren't they all so cute? like i said, i can't pick out the cutest, because i don't know which is mine. i have a hunch that the one with pigtails is mine. pigtails are not an asian trademark.
there is some nudity here, but i think the bubbles cover all questionable material right? i thought about photoshopping some black boxes over hiney's but it wouldn't do the cuteness justice.

and last but not least, here is another one of my favorite filipino's giving his best rap video pose. in another life, i'm sure he was a "rap artist", but here--in reality, he is my husband and father of 2. soon to be three. hey babe, i'm pregnant!

just kidding, i would be balled up under the kitchen table sucking my thumb if that were true and my husband would be consoling me while secretly thanking the Lord for his good fortune.

anyway, nato, i love you. you are a good man and i am proud to say that you are my "boo"... although you can't hold a tune. but that's why you're a rapper right?