a happy little home

And the winner is....

2009-08-24T04:27:00.000-07:00

Casey Dominquez - Sredin!!
This girl is an old high school friend who I recently found on Facebook. She's a real sweetheart and I guess her 5 entries paid off! Congratulations and enjoy!
Thanks to all who entered. I'll be doing another giveaway soon, but I'm not sure what's going to be up for grabs next time..... any suggestions?

Giveaway Time!!

2009-08-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! Don't forget to visit my little shop to sign up for my giveaway! Only 2 days left! :)

giveaway update...

2009-08-15T20:22:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let you know that for those of you that tried to leave a comment for the giveaway, but couldn't, now you can. Sorry about that folks, but I forgot to set the comment moderation correctly. :)

Giveaway Time!!

2009-08-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

For some reason my first post on this giveaway didn't show up on the blogroll, so I'm trying it again. :)

GIVEAWAY!!

2009-08-14T13:52:00.000-07:00

I am excited to announce that I am doing my first giveaway! Go to my little shop to enter and see what's up for grabs! :)

Now taking orders for custom made Halloween costumes!

2009-08-14T12:11:00.000-07:00

I am now taking orders for custom made Halloween costumes. Prices start at just $40 with FREE SHIPPING! Spaces are limited so get your while you can! Check out my store for a list of styles available.

Socialized Medicine: Ronald Raegan speaks out.

2009-08-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

The Old Centennial Farmhouse blog published this and I just thought I would pass it along. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYrlDlrLDSQ

getting a little help with the dishes

2009-08-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

So my three year old decided that he was going to clean the dishes for me. He loves to help and is very observant. First he took the dishes from out of the lower cabinet that he could reach. Then he took them into the bathroom and washed them all up with the hand soap. He rinsed them well and then stacked them up on the bathroom counter all nice and neat. When he was all done he looked at me very proudly and said, "Me too cleaned those already," pointing to the dishes drying on the bathroom counter. It was too cute and after all it's the thought that counts, right?

Give away coming soon!

2009-08-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say keep your eyes peeled cause I'm gonna be doing a give away real soon. :)

Our Four Legged Neighbors

2009-08-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

One of the many perks of living in the country.... our neighbors are never noisy, even though they frequently come by to eat the greens in the yard. They also never complain about eating their vegetables or talk badly about you behind your back. But they do tend to run off whenever we try to come talk to them..... LOL :)

my new blog button

2009-08-07T19:56:00.001-07:00

So, I was trying to figure out how to do that whole grab my button thing, but it's just not working. And I am too tired to fool with it anymore tonight, so I guess I'll give it another whirl tomorrow. But if anyone happens to read this that knows how to do it and would be willing to help me along please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. Thanks! :)

Flea Market Finds

2009-08-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I have found some really great stuff to buy at a flea market, but this weekend I hit the jackpot! I found a box of various picture frames for $5.00. There was a total of 13 frames in the box.
I also found these cool old Victorian framed prints for $4. There is an inscription on the back of one that reads, "To Bessie Jane from Lois Bought in Norfolk, Va. 1949." Now, I am not an antiques expert by any means, but these do look really old to me. Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to rotate the picture. I also found a paperback Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook for $3. Always a good standby and I'm ashamed to say that I didn't have one (but I'm certainly not lacking cookbooks - LOL).

And the grand finale.....drumroll please.....

This ultra cool, had to have them, buy them for me please honey dishes! I have always thought that it's neat when people collect a certain china or dinnerware pattern. I've always wanted to do this, but quite frankly I've never found anything that I wanted to collect (until now, that is). I'm also very much into wanting to actually use the things that I collect instead of just letting them sit on a shelf somewhere and look pretty. I love yellow and green! My kitchen is painted yellow and I have green accessories throughout. And anyone who knows me knows that these dishes are sooooo me! I just love them!
Okay, enough of my wooing over my new dishes. :) In this set there is 7 dinner plates, 7 salad plates, 4 cereal bowls, 8 cups, 9 saucers, 2 cool little oblong bowls, a large serving platter, a creamer, and a long oblong dish which I think might be for bread or something (?). The maker is Franciscan, the pattern Picnic, made between 1974 and 1979. Like I said, I don't know anything about antiques and the like, so I'm not sure if there wasn't many of these made or if they are just not that popular. I had a really hard time finding them on the internet and ended up only finding them in one place. The lady had about 6-8 separate pieces for sale and they seemed to be kinda pricey. So, I don't know what their actual worth is, but I didn't buy them cause of the worth I bought them cause I love love love them. And oh yeah, the whole set was $35. It was a real steal! :)

just a thought....

2009-07-01T05:14:00.000-07:00

When you spend your entire life keeping track of every person who has harmed you or done you wrong in some way, you will eventually run out of people to blame for your unhappiness. And in the end you will be left all alone with just your stupid little list and your anger, wishing that you had spent all of that time and energy on something in life that actually mattered.

we have moved!

2009-06-24T13:25:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you all know that I have moved my little store to Etsy! Come check it out and let me know what you think. www.turtlecreekboutique.etsy.com I am currently working on three new designs and will be posting them as soon as they are finished. As always, if there is something you would like to see in my shop, drop me a line and I will do my best to get it made (and of course you are under no obligation to buy anything just for making a suggestion :)).

From the mouths of babes....

2009-06-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

So, I was sitting in the bed chit chatting with my 3 year old the other day. He was asking what color everybody's eyes are. Where he came up with this is beyond me, but nonetheless that is what he was doing. I went through the list telling him so and so's are brown, so and so's are blue, etc. Suddenly he looked very intently at my eyes and said, "Momma! You have chocolate in your eyes!" Of course I don't really have chocolate in my eyes, but I must say that that was probably the nicest thing that anyone has ever had to say about my brown eyes. :)

Today's Tip: Make Your Own Taco Seasoning

2009-05-22T06:17:00.000-07:00

I never buy those little packets of taco seasoning. It is so easy to make your own and it tastes better than anything you can buy. Click here for my recipe. Enjoy!! :)

new stuff in the store!

2009-05-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody I just added the cutest little sundresses to my store! Come check them out and let me know what you think! :)

Today's Tip - softening hard brown sugar

2009-05-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Ever reach for the brown sugar only to discover that it's one solid clump. You don't have to throw it away! Read here for an easy way to make it soft and usable again.

Mother's Day Greetings!!

2009-05-09T23:11:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say happy Mother's Day to all of the mommies out there! :)

New How To Article

2009-05-06T19:18:00.001-07:00

Hey everybody check out my new article I just published on how to make italian herb bread. MMMMM......yummy! And be sure to check out my other how to articles listed on the left. :)

Tip of the Day Tuesday - master grocery list

2009-05-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

Don't you just hate it when you go to the grocery store only to get home later and realize that you have forgotten something! Well, here's a tip to help you forget less. Make up a master grocery list (a list with all of the items that you buy or keep stocked in your home). As you run out of something or get low on an item simply mark it down. You can either mark it directly on your master list or you can use the master list to make a shopping list on a separate piece of paper. Although it takes a little time it is very easy to make a master grocery list. The time and frustration you will save in the future will make it very much worth the initial effort involved.
If any one would like a copy of my master grocery list I would be more than happy to send it to you. It is written in Microsoft Word and can easily be edited according to what your family normally buys and how your grocery store is set up. Simply email me at littlemarkiesmom@yahoo.com with "grocery list" in the subject line and I will email it to you. Thanks! :)

Photo Shoot Friday!

2009-05-01T05:17:00.000-07:00

Our little helper! Notice that he has his very own shovel that is just his size. A very good investment by the way. :)

Playin' a little T-Ball!

My roses are really starting to bloom!

I just thought this was a cool pic. The sky was so blue that day!

calling all bloggers - I need a mentor

2009-04-30T05:25:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody. I am new to this whole blogging thing and my computer and internet skills are definitely very limited. It would be great if someone who is a little more experienced would be my blogger mentor. I just need someone that can lead me through different things. Like right now I am trying to figure out how to make a clickable graphic that links to another site. Like I have noticed a lot of you have cute little graphics that you can click to go to a different site. Also many of you have little boxes with sort of like a "logo" of your blog that other people can add to their blogs. How do you make these and how to do make them clickable? Please, please will somebody help me out here? Just email me or leave a comment if you are willing to help me out a bit. Thanks a bunch! :)

on tonight's menu...squid???

2009-04-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

No, not really. We are having taco salad for dinner. :) I thought I would share with you this random little fact. The most exotic food that I have ever eaten? You got it....squid! I once ate it at a Thia restaurant. Honestly, it did not really have much flavor, not something I would cook at home.
Now I want to hear from you. What's the most exotic food that you have ever eaten?

Tip of the Day Tuesday - gathering your ingredients first

2009-04-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

Want to make your time in the kitchen a little bit easier? Before you start to cook anything gather all of your ingredients first. Set them out on the counter in the order they are listed in the recipe, as most recipes will list ingredients in the order that they are used. Also, get out all the necessary measuring cups, measuring spoons, etc. that you will be needing. As you use an ingredient, put it away. This will not only help you to remember where you are in the recipe in case you happen to get sidetracked (as if that ever really happens - LOL) but it will also make your preparation and clean up a lot easier as well as less time consuming. This is a method used by professional chefs and it actually has a technical term, however I can't seem to remember the term or even where I read about it. If anybody out there knows, please drop me a line and let me know. I hope this little tip makes your time in the kitchen a little bit easier! :)

Tiny Little Victories

2009-04-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

Well, since Monday has been declared Mamma Time Mondays I am at liberty to write whatever I want as long as it pertains to the details of being a mom, right? It is funny how there are tiny little victories that happen in our lives while we are mothers and that nobody can quite understand how significant those victories are to us except for other mothers. With that said......

Every night when I put my son to bed I tuck him in, tell him good night, tell him that I will be in later to check on him and tell him that I love him, to which he responds by burrowing into the blankets (and of course making sure that he has all of the necessary sleeping equipment - cars, trucks, tractors, etc). After many many nights of this same routine I finally received a different response, "I love you, too."

I have come to realize that every now and then you get a little nudge which assures you that even though you are not as good of a mom as you could be, you are still doing okay and that's good enough for your little baby because you loves you just the same.

answers to my readers

2009-04-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I would like to thank you all for the comments and emails that you have sent. It means a lot to me to know that you take time out of your busy day to look at what I've written and respond to it.
I just wanted to take a minute to answer a couple of questions I have received. Yes, I will be doing a post on my morning routine (as well as my afternoon and evening routines). And yes, I will be doing a post on my worm composting adventures.
Please understand that my duties as a wife, mom and homemaker come before my blogging and that sometimes these three things can keep me quite busy. :) I will write posts as I can and I will do my very best to write about the things that interest my readers.
Thank you again for taking the time to stop by, please continue to visit and please share this blog with your friends.

new pics in the store

2009-04-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody check out my store. I just added new pics today!

Random Thoughts Thursdays - Adventures in Potty Training

2009-04-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

Thursdays are my new days to write about whatever random topic that I have a thought about. So...... as the title suggests:

I recently (very recently) started potty training my 3 year old. I would like to share some things that I have learned.

When a child is ready to use the potty they will. It is just that simple. I tried potty training a few months ago with very disappointing results. I diligently took my son to the potty every 15-30 minutes, but nothing. Not a thing. He wasn't at all interested and if anything it seemed like he got the concept backwards. Like he had misunderstood me to say, "Whatever you do, DON'T go pee pee in the potty. You can go in your diaper 5 seconds after I get you off of the potty. But whatever you do, DON'T go IN the potty." Obviously we were not on the same page. But lo and behold a few months later I mention to him that I'm going to buy him some Spiderman underwear, but that he has to keep them dry to wear them. Ha! If I had any idea whatsoever that it was going to be that easy I would have bought them in the first place. He has been wearing his underwear for about 3-4 weeks. Week 1 was so so. The first day great, the second day terrible (which in reality wasn't all that bad, it just seemed so at the time). The rest of the week fine except for twice that he went in his diaper at night (which is to totally be expected). Week 2 to present has been great! No accidents at all, nothing. So to sum it up I didn't even really have to "train" him, he just decided it was time for him to wear Spiderman underwear. :-)

The bathroom has to be cleaned much more often now.

If you are in the middle of doing something for yourself, (Oh...I don't know, say maybe..... using the potty!) and your son says he needs to go potty, it is not a very good idea to say, "Do you think you can go by yourself?" Because no, he can't and you will spend the next few hours cleaning every single nook and cranny in the bathroom from the floor to the ceiling. And besides that you will discover little nooks and crannies that you never even knew were there before.

You never know which way you should have him aim.

3 year olds can't aim.

The whole dribble issue. After asking my son just about every time I took him to the potty, "Are you done? Are you sure you're done? Do you need to go potty some more? Honey, I think you should try to potty a little more. Okay, you're done?" I finally asked my darling husband about this and of course he found it quite humorous.

Boys always prefer to go potty outside then to use a bathroom inside.

I am so thankful that I can share even this experience with him instead of picking him up from daycare and having the daycare worker tell me that my son has learned to use the potty.

Wee Little Bit Wednesdays

2009-04-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

Wednesdays will now be known as Wee Little Bit Wednesdays. These posts will contain some random little detail about me, my family or our life that you may or may not know and may or may not find interesting. Often times I think that it is the little details of somebody's life that can make them be seen as interesting or unique by other people. So this is my attempt at letting my readers get to know me a little bit better. With that said here is my post for today:

I have pet worms that live in a little box under my bed. Okay, so they're not really pets ...... I mean I don't like take them out and play with them and teach them to sit, stay, roll over and play dead. But they do normally live outside and I have them living inside and they are totally dependent on me for their survival, so I guess that does make them my pets. Truth be known though, I do talk to them sometimes. Usually it's something silly like, "Hello my little wormies, how are we doing today?" But I guess I'm just kinda weird like that. (As if having worms living under your bed isn't kinda weird anyway.)
Now let me explain ..... the box they live in is a worm composting bin. I have them under the bed because it's a warm dark space where they are out of the way and not easily grabbed by my 3 year old son. Worm composting (also known as vermicomposting) is an excellent way to dispose of organic kitchen scraps while making a wonderful compost for your plants. I will write a post on vermicomposting some day, but today is not that day. Today you will only get a peek into this part of my life and it is my hope that you will still return here tomorrow and not think that I am too weird because I have worms living in a box under my bed. :-)

Tip of the Day Tuesday

2009-04-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Tuesday's posts from here on out will be known as Tip of the Day Tuesdays. These posts will include any sort of tip or trick that makes the things of life a little easier. So with no further ado, here's today's tip, enjoy!

Do you like to make bread using your bread machine, but hate the big hole left in the bottom after removing the paddle (if you can even get the paddle out, that is)? There's a very simple solution to avoiding the "hole" issue. Simply remove the paddle from the bread pan after the punch down and before it starts baking. On most bread machines this will be when the display reads 1:55. Since I have a tendency to start my machine and forget about it until it's finished I will set my kitchen timer to go off when the bread machine does the punch down so that I remember to take the paddle out. When it's done you have a perfect loaf of bread with no hole!

Mamma Time Mondays

2009-04-20T06:06:00.000-07:00

In an effort to organize my blog a bit I have decided to devote each day of the week to certain topics. So...from here on out Mondays will be known as Mamma Time Mondays. Mondays will be devoted to all things about being a mamma. Maybe it's an adventure, a tip or trick I use, some sort of advice I have received, the good times and the hard times, hopes and dreams, and of course all about my little boy. If it's mamma related it will be here on Mondays. And I figure what better way to start out my Mamma Time Mondays than to post a cute little pic of my silly little boy!

Family Fun Time With Mr. Potato Head

2009-04-19T19:39:00.000-07:00

You can't help but laugh when you look at that goofy face!! :-)

New Items in My Store

2009-04-18T13:08:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the newest items featured in my store. For more information or to buy an item please go to my store! :-)

Thursday's To-Do List

2009-04-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

make tomato sauce
make bread
clean bathrooms
pay bills
edit and print stuff for hubby
work on tote bag
vacuum
write article
burn trash
laundry (colors/ whites)

today's to do list

2009-04-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

laundry (towels)
make bread
pay bills
vacuum
clean bathrooms
work on aprons
plant bulbs
divide and freeze chicken
clean out fridge

What's for dinner? no plans yet :-(

Wednesday's to do list

2009-04-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

laundry - towels
clean kitchen
plant bulbs
cover lettuce for shade
call mechanic
work on aprons
make bread
make sweetened condensed milk
make coconut macaroons

What's for dinner? Hamburgers ?? with homemade buns and fried potatoes.

What's for dinner?

2009-03-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

On the menu for tonight's dinner:
Leftover hamburger bicycle soup
Homemade egg bread

Maybe I'll make some coconut macaroons later to refill the cookie jar.

rain rain, go away??

2009-03-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's not that I don't like the rain. I mean I do like the rain. There's nothing like sitting inside listening to the sound of rainfall and it sure beats having to carry buckets of water out to the garden to make my veggies grow. It's just that when you have a 3 year old boy who is constantly FULL of energy ya sometimes tend to wish that the rain would just go away. Well, actually it's not exactly raining at this moment, but it did rain pretty hard yesterday evening late and well it's pretty much just a muddy mess outside. I guess I could take the little one outside and I probably should. We'll probably walk up to the mailbox in a bit. I guess I just really wanted an excuse to stay inside for a little while and do some things around the house.
But now the sun is shining and the wee little veggies oughta love that!

a pretty good start

2009-03-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

Despite my lack of energy to get moving this morning, it actually turned out to be a somewhat productive morning for a Monday. I've already worked in the garden (almost finished with the strawberry & asparagus beds and lined one side of the fence with bricks), done 2 loads of laundry and a third in the dryer, cleaned the kitchen, vacuumed the house, started a loaf of blueberry bread (which I have never made - so we'll see how it turns out) and made dinner plans (orange chicken with fried rice). I would still like to make some cookies for my hubby and at least get the pattern and fabric out for a new project, but we'll see. I'll probably get back outside with little Mark too because I think it might rain tomorrow. All in all it's been a pretty good start for the week and I'm happy with that! :-)