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My Only Resolution

Posted on January 2, 2013 Written by Tonya

I hope your 2013 is off to a super start! I spent the morning de-Christmasing our house. It only took three hours, one break to walk to the dog to Starbucks for a much need caffeine fix and one very patient little boy, who ended up being a very big helper.

As I gently wrapped each ornament, followed my struggled to get the tree out of its stand, swept up all the loose pine needles and re-read each holiday greeting card, I thought about what changes I’d like to make in the New Year.

Typically, New Year’s resolutions have never particularly worked (for lack of a better word) for me, but I did keep coming back to one thing.

All I really want from 2013 is to unplug and read more.

That’s it.

One hour a night.

Tops.

I think I can do that.

I know I can do that.

I owe it to myself.

Reading brings me so much happiness and I am ashamed to admit I only read 12 books in 2012 and I really wish I didn’t not have to count the 50 Shades of Grey series.

I am currently devouring Gone Girl, what have you read and loved lately? Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Care to share?

All of the images used in this post are from my Pinterest board aptly called books.

As Seen On Pinterest

Posted on September 24, 2012 Written by Tonya

Let me first preface this post by saying I am not the craftiest mom on the block and I have burned rice at least TWICE, but I can ~~usually~~ follow instructions.

Pinterest, while it may be somewhat of an obsession for me, (I have pinned over 5000 things) it mostly makes me feel inadequate about my life, my body, my homemaking skills and my craft quota.

I daydream of being that wife and mother that presents her family with four course homemade meals daily, decorates to the nines for each and every holiday, (or and day that end in -y) travels to far-off exotic destinations, always looking stylish and chic while doing any of the above, hand makes everything and knows how to decoupage, macrame and fishtail braid.

Every once in a while, however, I come across an idea I fool myself into believing I can pull off.

Pinterest is a great place for inspiration but the the outcome rarely resembles the picture, at least in my case. But at least I try…

Here are three of my latest attempts that are worthy of sharing!

The Pin – Book Cover Art Work

Click on image for source and how-to.

The Project

I’m pretty happy with the way this project turned out and actually like it better than the pin. Lucas was very excited about it too, although you wouldn’t know it by his expression. O_o

SIDE NOTE #1: I was a little disappointed that I e-mailed the original crafter for some help and have yet to hear back.

SIDE NOTE #2: 3M Super 77 multi-purpose adhesive is super nasty sticky stuff! If attempting this project, wear gloves at all times. Just saying.

The Pin – Photo Ideas For Boys

Click on image for source.

The Project

Lucas is crazy about cars and was really into this shoot, especially the set-up.

The Pin – Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Click on image for source and recipe.

The Project

A complete and utter fail!

Photos of food always look better than the real thing, so please refrain from licking the screen.

Ack!

This was a complete disaster, AKA #PinterestFAIL.

After cooling for over an hour, I shook the loaf out of the pan and it fell into itself. Maybe I used too much pumpkin puree, my other ingredients were old, or I missed a step but clearly this did not turn out the way it was suppose to.

For more Pinterest projects that I have tried, visit my board, aptly titled Pinterest Projects I Have Tried. Clever, no?

Have you made any Pinterest projects come to life lately? How many have gone awry?

Click on image for source.

Linking up with Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop. Prompt #4 Choose an item you recently pinned on Pinterest and…TRY IT! Was it a success or failure?

40 Things To Do While I’m 40

Posted on June 25, 2012 Written by Tonya

So, like many of you I have a Bucket List of very lofty, somewhat expensive and sort out there things I would like to do before I die, but in the meantime, I have 40 immediate goals to tackle over the next 12 months (seeing as I have sort of missed the boat on things to do BEFORE turning 40).

Actually, I am very happy with my life, the way I look and the items that fill our family calendar. Oh, sure, I wish I had my pre-pregnancy tummy back, fewer gray hairs on my head, and a lot more free time, but I’m really okay welcoming a new decade.

My 40 things, in no particular order:

Watch all 550 minutes of The Planet Earth DVDs.
Run at least four 5Ks. The first one is coming up on July 4!
Sell my parents house in Arizona.
Find a new house here, buy it and move in. Whew!
If we aren’t going to move, finish decorating our living room.
Raise a puppy. More on this later.
Have a baby or at least get and stay pregnant by June, 2013. I am SO ready to get off this roller coaster.
Read one book (at the very least) per month.
Stop letting so many phone calls go directly to voice mail (are you reading this, Leah?).
Successfully potty train my son. It’s time, yo!
Finish writing my father’s story.
Go easier on myself. In general. In all matters of my life.
Resume my yoga practice.
Walk the 1000 steps in Laguna Beach.
Purge my stuff.
Have an epic garage sale. See above.
Drink more champagne.
Take Lucas to the beach by myself. Just once.
Schedule more one on one time with my sister.
Take Lucas on the Radiator Springs Racers at Cars Land just as soon as he grows one inch taller. 🙂
Eat more salads than sandwiches. At home.
Spend less time blogging, tweeting, status updating, pinning and playing games. For reals!
If I have to be on Pinterest, start trying some of the shit I pin.
Meet more local bloggers in person.
Make out with my husband more.
Reach out to my family across the country more often.
Lower expectations across the board.
Cook more. I was on a roll for a while and then got lazy.
Try new restaurants… Pizza Ortica, Chow, The Deck, Rooftop, etc.
When eating out at the same old places, try something different on the menu for a change.
Never lie about my age.
Give paddle boarding a whirl.
Go camping.
Consider hiring a trainer.
When moisturizing, never forget my neck!
Mail medical insurance claims before my husband has a cow.
Volunteer in Lucas’ classroom.
Leave the phone in the car and really BE in the moment.
Spend more time outdoors.
Stop making lists!

Happy birthday to me.

Look for updates!

For The Love Of All Things Pinned

Posted on February 1, 2012 Written by Tonya

Pinterest is all the rage. If you still don’t know what Pinterest is, good. Stay away for your own sake. There’s an app, people so you can pin anywhere, anytime and it’s as addicting as crack. I am not exaggerating. Not that I’ve ever tried crack.

It has become one of my favorite ~~ways to waste precious time~~ pastimes.

I have gobs of fun finding new things to pin, repinning others, attempting to make, bake, cook or create things I’ve pinned and of course poking fun at the whole damn pin thing.

With 41 boards, almost 3500 pins and over 500 Pinterest followers, I pin a lot!

I pin stuff I like to look at, products I want to check out, words and photographs that inspire, comfort or make me giggle, ideas for arts and crafts and other activities to do with Lucas, clothing I wish was in my closet, places I hope to see someday, celebrity crushes (both male and female) and an ever growing wish list. The Internet is your oyster!

These are my five recent pins as of Wednesday, February 1, 4:27 PM. NO JUDGING!
I have no idea how to credit this pin… I found it on my friend Rachel’s board, Wine Humor, repinned it to my board, Cheers and followed it back six pinners deep and still found no original link.

Who knows how many times it has been pinned? I’m guessing a lot because it’s hilarious. My point is, this is a big no-no in pinning! Always give proper credit to pins is the #1 rule of pinning!

Rule #2 Never pin when you’re hungry. It’s just stupid. I am SO making these!

OMG, YUM! Click photo for source.

Rule #3 Just because you haven’t been out of the country in years, doesn’t mean you won’t again someday. A girl can always dream. Can’t she? And make sure her Passport is valid.

Shangri-La Vilingili Resort, Maldives. Click on photo for source.

Rule #4 A Wish List is just that! It doesn’t mean you’re going to rush out and buy whatever you’ve pinned, but one of your many kind followers could. Just sayin’!

I heart DMB and must have these! Click on photo for source.

Rule #5 It’s my time to waste. As long as there’s a carton of milk in the fridge, the laundry is done, everyone else in the house is asleep and I have absolutely nothing better to do. So there.

The Ryan Gosling "Hey Girl" series cracks me up! Click photo for source.

This post was written for Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop Prompt 2.) Are you on Pinterest? Share the last five items you pinned, choose one and let it inspire a blog post.

An Inherited Love

Posted on November 21, 2011 Written by Tonya

Home: the place where my husband and son are.

Both people bring so much comfort and joy to my life, but I am truly at my happiest in one of two other places; walking along the beach with the warm sun kissing my face, watching seagulls fly overhead, getting lost in my thoughts while at the same time completely clearing my mind. The salt air does wonders for my soul and the sound of the waves calm me.

My third favorite place to be, the place I find the most relaxing is a bookstore.

I miss the independent shops and the knowledgeable sales staff, the ones that actually read and can recommend something you’ve never heard of and fall completely in love with after the first chapter.

Books are magical; the way they feel and smell and line up against one another on shelves. I appreciate their ability to take our hand and transport us to another place and time.

Being in a bookstore is peaceful and I have spent hours walking up and down the aisles searching for inspiration, discovering it, exploring new topics, taking in the faint scent of print and coffee and relishing the quiet.

My love of bookstores, I inherited from my father. Sometimes he’d walk out of a one having spent hundreds of dollars and others, not one cent. The smile on his face was detectable either way.

Image courtesy of Pinterest. Click photo for source information.

This post was written for Write on Edge’s writing meme, RemembeRED. This week’s prompt: write about a (real) place that makes you feel peaceful. Where is your quiet place? What does it look like? What happens there? Word limit is 200. Constructive criticism is welcome.

20 Questions

Posted on November 6, 2011 Written by Tonya

After seeing this questionnaire on Pinterest (where else?) and pinning it at least twice that I’m aware of, I decided to ask Lucas these 20 questions today, on his 29th month and I’ll repeat this exercise a year from now.

1. What is your favorite color? Yellow and green

2. What is your favorite toy? Lightening McQueen

3. What is your favorite fruit? Apple

4. What is your favorite TV show? Little Einsteins

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Mac ‘n’ cheese

6. What is your favorite outfit? A shirt

7. What is your favorite game? Car movie show game (an iPhone app)

8. What is your favorite snack? Fruit chews

9. What is your favorite animal? Zebras

10. What is your favorite song? Hakuna Matata

11. What is your favorite book? Where the Wild Things Are

12. Who is your best friend? Mommy

13. What is your favorite cereal? The crunchy one

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Kick the ball and chase

15. What is your favorite drink? Apple juice

16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas tree time

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? My cars and lovey

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Apple, cheese and toast (with peanut butter)

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Cake

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A shark

Photo courteous of Pinterest, click image for source.

She’s Crafty

Posted on October 11, 2011 Written by Tonya

What does the writer do when she can’t write? She gets crafty!

Expect that I am not crafty in the least bit, which is rather embarrassing to admit as the daughter of an elementary school teacher. Growing up our living room was always riddled with colored construction paper clippings, we saved toilet paper rolls for God’s knows what and I got roped into tracing letters for bulletin board displays all the time.

And yet, for no apparent reason, I found myself in Michael’s arts and crafts store today, where I spent the better part of an hour walking up and down the aisles filling an entire shopping cart. I bought all kinds of stuff I never thought would enter my home…. pipe cleaners, glitter glue and googly eyes.

I have been feeling like I should be doing more arts and crafts projects with Lucas at home and with the holidays approaching and my severe addiction to Pinterest, I have been running across so many cute ideas.

There are literally hundreds of things I’d like to try, but today we stuck with this simple little gem:

Okay, to be fair, I made it and Lucas made this (he’s only two, people), but he thoroughly enjoyed sampling the candy corn!

To make candy corn collage, you will need:

Card stock paper
Glue
White, orange and yellow tissue paper

Instructions:

Draw a large triangle on card stock and divide into three parts (use an actual piece of candy corn for inspiration).
Rip tissue paper into 1/2″ x 1/2″ square pieces and use eraser side of pencil to glue to triangle making the stripes of the candy corn.

We are turning our candy corn collages into greeting cards. Fun and easy, just not quite easy enough for two year olds.

For more candy corn craft ideas, visit Pinterest.

When I Don’t Have The Words

Posted on October 2, 2011 Written by Tonya

I love quotes! I have a 483 page Word document on my computer full of quotes that I have collected over the years. Sometimes my words are not enough and that’s when I turn to what others can say better, often more articulately and definitely more concisely.

To select only 10 to share with you is a difficult task, but here they are:

Always be a first rate version of yourself, and not a second rate version of someone else. – Judy Garland

Image courtesy of Pinterest. Click image for source.

With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy? – Oscar Wilde

Image courtesy of Pinterest. Click image for source.

Any life, no matter how long and complex it may be, is made up of a single moment – the moment in which a man finds out, once and for all, who he is. – Jorge Luis Borges

Image courtesy of Pinterest. Click image for source.

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. – Elizabeth Stone

: Image courtesy of Pinterest. Click image for source.

How people treat you is their karma, how you react to it is yours. – Wayne Dyer

Image courtesy of Pinterest. Click image for source.

The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself. – Anna Quindlen

This post was inspired by Stasha’s Monday Listicles, a linky right up my alley! This week’s topic: 10 Things Quotable was chosen by Bits of Bee.

Dessert Is Served

Posted on August 22, 2011 Written by Tonya

With currently 34 boards and over 1700 pins, it was time I finally took the plunge.

It was time that I actually made something that I found on Pinterest.

I did and it was awesome, but don’t take my word for it…

Last Saturday night I had Cheryl, Deb, Monique and Morgan over to ~~enjoy several glasses of wine~~ have a BlogHer post mordem and with my husband out of town, Lucas served as my co-host. Dinner was ordered over the phone, everyone brought wine and I made dessert.

Behold Oreo Cookie Cheesecakes:
(From Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes)

This is HUGE for me because I don’t cook or bake, nor do I take very good photos of food. Please visit La Mia Vita Dolce for proper magazine style shots that will make you drool.

The recipe:

Makes 30

42 Oreo, cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, 30 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 275° F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole Oreo cookie in the bottom of each lined muffin cup.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Gradually add the sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in the vanilla.
Drizzle in eggs, a little at a time, beating to combine and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add in sour cream and salt, beat to combine. Using a large spatula, fold in the chopped Oreo cookies.
Divide batter evenly among the cookie-filled muffin cups, fill each cup almost to the top. Bake, rotating muffin tins halfway through, until the filling is set, about 22 to 28 minutes. Transfer the muffins tins to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate (in the muffin tins) at least 4 hours (or overnight).
Add a dollop of whipped cream and a mini Oreo for the coup de gras.

I defy you not to love these.

And if you’re not on Pinterest yet, what are you waiting for?! It’s super fun.

Julie of Dutch Being Me has come up with a fun idea called 52 Weeks of Pinterest, challenging everyone to do just one thing each week inspired by a pin they found on Pinterest. Check it out! The challenge begins the first full week of September and I am definitely participating.

101 Things To Do With Your Toddler

Posted on June 17, 2011 Written by Tonya

I first saw this list on Pinterest and then the blog, Counting On Me and Lucas and I are slowly but surely working our way through it.

If you’re ever at a loss for what to do with your tot, and who hasn’t been, surely you will find something that you both can enjoy. 101 is my favorite. 🙂

Color
Blow Bubbles
Play Hide-and-Seek
Peek-a-Boo
Play Chase
Do Finger-plays
Sing a song
Collect rocks in a basket
Make an obstacle course out of cushions and/or furniture
Make a fort out of cushions and sheets
Go for a Walk
Make a Car out of a Box
Read a book
Go to the park
Finger-paint
Play with Play-Dough
Toss Bean bags into a Bucket
Play the shell and pea game
Dance to music
Download games for toddlers from the Internet
Practice putting things in and taking things out of boxes and bags
Make a temporary slide out of a table leaf and your couch
Roll a ball back and forth on the floor
Scoop dirt or sand into a child’s bucket (or use a serving spoon and bowl)
Practice climbing by stacking boxes on top of each other (only with adult supervision)
Put on a puppet show
Go fishing with a yard stick and yarn
Make a Horseshoe game
Make a Shape Puzzle
Play paper basketball
Run through a Sprinkler
Play with a bucket of water and a sponge
Make a Drum out of an oatmeal box
Play with a kazoo
Wash windows together
Bang on Pots and Pans with a spoon
Brush each other’s teeth
Play dress-up with stuffed animals and your child’s clothes
Stack canned or boxed food on top of each other
Let child stack mixing bowls inside each other
Make a playhouse out of a large box
Let child play with a sticker sheet (make sure your child doesn’t eat them!)
Put stickers on fingers for finger puppets
Play a musical instrument together- i.e.recorder, piano, etc.
Go on a Smelling Hunt
Frost cookies
Plant a flower or vegetable plant together
Roll a tennis ball into an empty trash can or bucket
Draw on a mirror with dry-erase markers
Play hide and seek together – trying to find a stuffed animal or other object
Have a splash party together in the bathtub
Put a leash on a stuffed animal and walk around the house
Record each other on a tape recorder (great for scrapbooks or journals!)
Make and try on paper hats
Give a piggy-back ride
Play “Horsey”
Talk into an electric fan (it distorts your voice)
Play tug-of-war with a blanket
Collect flowers (felt, artificial, real…)
Make a camera and go on a Safari
Play games with frozen juice lids
Disconnect your phone and pretend to make phone calls to relatives
Leave your phone connected and really make phone calls to relatives – let your child talk too
String large beads onto or along a shoelace
Squirt each other with squirt bottles
Glue shapes onto paper
Make sock puppets
Make paper puppets
Fill an old purse with toys
Use a paper towel tube as a megaphone
Make binoculars and go “Bird Watching” or “Stuffed Animal Watching”
Put snacks in different fun containers (paper sacks, empty canisters, etc.)
Act out a story from a book
Walk on a balance beam – use a 2×4 placed on the ground
Draw with chalk on the sidewalk
Sketch an outline of your child on the sidewalk or paper with chalk
Paint child’s palms with tempura paint and blot on paper. Makes a great card for loved ones!
Put lipstick on child and kiss a mirror
Make a puddle on cement and splash barefoot in it
Let child decorate and eat an open peanut butter sandwich
Make a toilet paper barricade for child to go under, over, or through
Do the Hokey Pokey
Make a super-hero costume out of household items
Do Knee-Bouncing Rhymes
Play “Red Light, Green Light” saying “Go” and “Stop”
Make a shoebox train for stuffed animals
Make a pillow pile to jump on (keep it clear from any hard surfaces, including walls!)
Make an easy puzzle with felt and Velcro
Make bracelets or collars for stuffed animals out of pipe cleaners and jingle bells
Learn numbers from a deck of cards
Play the matching game with a deck of cards
Make a domino chain
Have a picnic in the park, backyard, or living room!
Play dress up in Mommy or Daddy’s clothes
Make a tin cup telephone and talk to each other in it
Make a nature collage
Mirror each other
Make a “Mummy Mommy” with toilet paper
Make a tape recording of short music selections and instructions to move in different ways
Make and walk along a toilet paper trail
TAKE A NAP!

The ones in bold, we’ve done or do on a regular basis. Have fun!

My Only Resolution

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